Friday, February 27
Way to go Dickbert Dickstein
Yesterday I got up before my alarm went off, so I shut it off so it wouldn't wake up the sleeping Pie twenty minutes later. Of course I forgot to turn it back on last night, so I woke up this AM when I heard The Boy leaving for school. So, with the lack of time to blog this morning instead of posting anything of merit you will get babble. Sorry.
Yesterday I used way too many words to basically say this:
Come out and race the Breck Epic with me this July and have a lot of fun. The more people that show up the better the race will be and the better the chance that the race will be around a long time. I guess I just feel overly passionate about a bona fide stage race in the U.S., and since I'm a long winded typist I guess I got outta hand.
BTW: I didn't see it until this morning, but on Monday Mike McCormack put up some info about the pricing you can read for yourself. I shoulda just linked over there and saved myself some time.
Whoever you are Robin would you please email me at teamdicky at hotmail dot com? Be ye man, woman, or the true Boy Wonder I just wanna communicate outside of the blogosphere.
This weekend there is rain in the forecast from tonight till sometime Sunday. A planned trip to the mountains seems unlikely, and local riding will not be an option. This is going to suck. I have my first race in about five weeks. Although it's only a six hour race (Six Hours of Warrior Creek) I would love to be in some semblance of shape by then. With The Pie being outta town for two of those five weeks I'd say I'm pretty well fricked, so I guess the closest thing I can do to getting into shape is shedding the winter pounds now. Since I won't be increasin my riding at all that just means watching what I eat, and saying "no" to goodies. Meh.
So, no riding this weekend unless I really wanna ride. It will probably mean *gulp* a road ride or some kinda urban assault mission. Either way it's gonna feel more like "training" than riding, so the fun factor will be greatly limited.
The worst part about sleeping in late was that I was dreaming about some weird party and being interrogated and psycho analyzed by some strange girl about my blog and the motivation and reasons behind it. I'm gonna be creeped out all day now.
Thursday, February 26
Chilling and shilling
Tuesday I finally got around to checking the tension on the new IndustryNine/355 wheels.
After the first three to four hours of riding I'm happy to say my wheels just needed a little spoke turning time. For all you people that care about "tire talk" the Mountain King 2.4 got pulled off and a Rampage went on. The Rampage just has more "visual volume", and since I stare at my front tire quite a bit that's very important. I did put the MK 2.4 on my "training wheels" (which have Flow rims) and it plumped up like a Ball Park frank. Good times.
Now here's some nice-nice promo talk for the Breck Epic:
This is the time of year when most folks have made their plans for the "season" or are at least firming them up. So far the Breck Epic has filled about 50% of the allowed spots. Comparatively the Trans Rockies and the BC Bike Race (which in the past have been full or near full by now) are also lagging slightly behind their normal blistering registration pace. I realize it may be a sign of the times, and I certainly understand folks wanting to sit on their nut for as long as possible before jumping in.
Here's what I've been thinking. Since my first stage race back in 2004 (La Ruta) I've heard a lot of Americans say the same thing, "Why can't we have something like this in the states?" We all came up with a laundry list of excuses; liability, location, expense, logistics... you name it. I'm talking about a full-on, week long, epic days, fun nights kinda stage race. Well now we got a guy (Mike McCormack) who saw the opportunity to offer something totally unique, and he didn't look think of all the reasons there can't be a stage race in the U.S he thought of all the reasons to promote a stage race somewhere up in the purple mountain's majesty above the amber waves of grain (cue music and display flag to provoke patriotic feelings now).
So let's see what Mike is offering:
Breck Epic is a six day race where a team of two can sleep in an already set up tent and eat two squares a day for @ $1,330 a person* (if you're racing on a team).
BC Bike race gets you seven days of racing and all the above listed amenities for around $1,800 per person* (+ 5% GST @ $90 and any conversion charges your credit card company inflicts on you).
Trans Rockies is also a seven day race and includes the same stuff for @ $1,500 per person* (+ the same 5% GST and credit card crap), so it's safe to say more than $1,600 per person.
*All entrants get a free number plate included. Shazam!!!
So we finally got a pure, week long mountain bike stage race in the US, with a huge purse ("$10,000 plus a ga-jillion dollars in merchandise"), in the mountains of Colorado loaded with singletrack (one of the biggest complaints I hear at the other stage races: "Too much fire road, not enough singletrack"), and people aren't falling all over themselves to get their asses to Colorado this July? What are you waiting for?
Now sure, the Breck Epic doesn't have the traveling circus feel that you get with the other races. Everyday we'll be staging right outta Breck, and every night you'll go back to the same tent in the same place every night. I've always liked the traveling circus style races like BCBR and TR, but they have their drawbacks. Packing and unpacking your shit into a "not quite big enough duffle" everyday is a PITA. Hauling 75lb duffel bags across two football fields after seven hours of riding is hardly a treat. Finding out that the quaint little town your staying in only has one shower for the men is always a bit deflating as you find yourself in a long line with a bunch of stinky, skinny, naked guys. Finding out that the water truck got stuck on a mountain road hours from the "remote" finish, and that you'll have to go without a shower for a day was really fun. Having no breakfast because you're out in the middle of nowhere and the gas griddle stopped working was certainly sheer joy. Not to mention all the late shuttles (or non-existent in some cases), having to figure out where all the important stuff is when you're dog tired (supper, awards, showers, the next day's start...). It is all part of the adventure, but for that certain somebody who's looking to get their feet wet in stage racing without worrying about all the things that fall through the cracks (ever had a bus break down in the middle of Costa Rica the night before you're flying home, and nobody really knows how they're gonna get back to the hotel because there's a mudslide between you and San Jose??)
I'd love to go on and on, but I have to go to work now. I think if you're someone who's been on the fence about doing a stage race this is the one for you. I'm not saying it won't be hard (it will), but most of the things that will cause you the greatest amounts of stress (outside of the actual riding) have been reduced or eliminated. Wake up, ride, repeat. It's gonna be sweet. Mike has a great reputation for putting on some stellar events out west, so I have no doubt he's gonna pull this one off in a super duper manner.
And don't forget, if you can't find someone stupid enough, er... I mean willing to partner up with you Breck Epic does offer a solo category, so even if you're the world's biggest misanthrope (by biggest I meant fattest) there's a place for you.
At Work BTW: I am in no way saying that I don't treasure every little mishap or adventure I had at La Ruta, BC Bike Race, or Trans Rockies. Since I lived through them all I can look back and laugh at the river baths, hard boiled egg and tiny pie breakfasts, midnight bus shuffling, hitch hiking, and all the other logistical pitfalls I fell into. They are all great races, and the promoters do/did everything they can to make sure the same mistakes don't happen twice.
After the first three to four hours of riding I'm happy to say my wheels just needed a little spoke turning time. For all you people that care about "tire talk" the Mountain King 2.4 got pulled off and a Rampage went on. The Rampage just has more "visual volume", and since I stare at my front tire quite a bit that's very important. I did put the MK 2.4 on my "training wheels" (which have Flow rims) and it plumped up like a Ball Park frank. Good times.Now here's some nice-nice promo talk for the Breck Epic:
This is the time of year when most folks have made their plans for the "season" or are at least firming them up. So far the Breck Epic has filled about 50% of the allowed spots. Comparatively the Trans Rockies and the BC Bike Race (which in the past have been full or near full by now) are also lagging slightly behind their normal blistering registration pace. I realize it may be a sign of the times, and I certainly understand folks wanting to sit on their nut for as long as possible before jumping in.
Here's what I've been thinking. Since my first stage race back in 2004 (La Ruta) I've heard a lot of Americans say the same thing, "Why can't we have something like this in the states?" We all came up with a laundry list of excuses; liability, location, expense, logistics... you name it. I'm talking about a full-on, week long, epic days, fun nights kinda stage race. Well now we got a guy (Mike McCormack) who saw the opportunity to offer something totally unique, and he didn't look think of all the reasons there can't be a stage race in the U.S he thought of all the reasons to promote a stage race somewhere up in the purple mountain's majesty above the amber waves of grain (cue music and display flag to provoke patriotic feelings now).
So let's see what Mike is offering:
Breck Epic is a six day race where a team of two can sleep in an already set up tent and eat two squares a day for @ $1,330 a person* (if you're racing on a team).
BC Bike race gets you seven days of racing and all the above listed amenities for around $1,800 per person* (+ 5% GST @ $90 and any conversion charges your credit card company inflicts on you).
Trans Rockies is also a seven day race and includes the same stuff for @ $1,500 per person* (+ the same 5% GST and credit card crap), so it's safe to say more than $1,600 per person.
*All entrants get a free number plate included. Shazam!!!
So we finally got a pure, week long mountain bike stage race in the US, with a huge purse ("$10,000 plus a ga-jillion dollars in merchandise"), in the mountains of Colorado loaded with singletrack (one of the biggest complaints I hear at the other stage races: "Too much fire road, not enough singletrack"), and people aren't falling all over themselves to get their asses to Colorado this July? What are you waiting for?
Now sure, the Breck Epic doesn't have the traveling circus feel that you get with the other races. Everyday we'll be staging right outta Breck, and every night you'll go back to the same tent in the same place every night. I've always liked the traveling circus style races like BCBR and TR, but they have their drawbacks. Packing and unpacking your shit into a "not quite big enough duffle" everyday is a PITA. Hauling 75lb duffel bags across two football fields after seven hours of riding is hardly a treat. Finding out that the quaint little town your staying in only has one shower for the men is always a bit deflating as you find yourself in a long line with a bunch of stinky, skinny, naked guys. Finding out that the water truck got stuck on a mountain road hours from the "remote" finish, and that you'll have to go without a shower for a day was really fun. Having no breakfast because you're out in the middle of nowhere and the gas griddle stopped working was certainly sheer joy. Not to mention all the late shuttles (or non-existent in some cases), having to figure out where all the important stuff is when you're dog tired (supper, awards, showers, the next day's start...). It is all part of the adventure, but for that certain somebody who's looking to get their feet wet in stage racing without worrying about all the things that fall through the cracks (ever had a bus break down in the middle of Costa Rica the night before you're flying home, and nobody really knows how they're gonna get back to the hotel because there's a mudslide between you and San Jose??)
I'd love to go on and on, but I have to go to work now. I think if you're someone who's been on the fence about doing a stage race this is the one for you. I'm not saying it won't be hard (it will), but most of the things that will cause you the greatest amounts of stress (outside of the actual riding) have been reduced or eliminated. Wake up, ride, repeat. It's gonna be sweet. Mike has a great reputation for putting on some stellar events out west, so I have no doubt he's gonna pull this one off in a super duper manner.
And don't forget, if you can't find someone stupid enough, er... I mean willing to partner up with you Breck Epic does offer a solo category, so even if you're the world's biggest misanthrope (by biggest I meant fattest) there's a place for you.
At Work BTW: I am in no way saying that I don't treasure every little mishap or adventure I had at La Ruta, BC Bike Race, or Trans Rockies. Since I lived through them all I can look back and laugh at the river baths, hard boiled egg and tiny pie breakfasts, midnight bus shuffling, hitch hiking, and all the other logistical pitfalls I fell into. They are all great races, and the promoters do/did everything they can to make sure the same mistakes don't happen twice.
Wednesday, February 25
Big man, little monkey
As promised I decided I will finally address the ongoing mudslinging anti-Dicky campaign being waged over at Miss Twit Psychos. Not since Karl Rove... I mean George H Bush creamed Dukakis with the Willie Horton/tank helmet thing has this kinda dirty pool been played at such a high level. Not only has he linked me to porn distribution, sobbing, rule breaking, possible performance enhancing drug use, he has also resorted to calling me assface.
This is obviously sour grapes in full effect. Pete-uh was so disheartened when I didn't sign with Missed Wit over the winter that he didn't get outta bed for two months. He blamed the lateness of his new Nummers frames on slow boats from Taiwan, but in fact he was trapped in his bedroom by his inability to move. It seems that storing his blizzard emergency supply of Cheetos in his bedroom, to close at hand in this case, sent him into a downward spiral of feasting, sleeping, crying, and watching Benny Hill marathons.
Apparently with the help of Dick Gregory Pete-uh is functioning again, and at least able to sit up and use his over sized keyboard to electronically fill orders while neighborhood children pack orders and clean Cheetos dust off his man boobs.
Pete-uh is glad to have little Enrique back at his job of cleaning the fat finger compatible keyboard. He had been missing since February 2nd, and apparently he was trapped between two large folds of skin in Pete-uh's left arm and eating Cheetos dust to stay alive.
It's a sad day when an obese man trapped in his bedroom staring out the window at the winter wonderland that is the Court of Dingle feels compelled to try to make everybody as miserable as he is. Mike McCormack, being the benevolent race promoter that he is, did not chastise Pete-uh for his delusional email rants, but instead encouraged the poor, fat man to get back to living his life, lose a few hundred pounds, and come out to Breckenridge and settle this like men... well at least a man and another man wearing a loose fitting flesh suit.
Genitals blurred in order to keep Pete-uh from being any more embarrassed than he already is about his abnormally shaped penis.
So hopefully Pete-uh will see that his anger is his problem and not mine. Maybe he can walk away from the Cheetos and have the local children cover for him for a week so he can come and "race" the Breck Epic with me and all the people who chose to go to the right stage race this summer. I think the fresh air will do him some good, and perhaps all his Canadianican ill will towards us folks in the tropical zone known as 'Merica will melt away as easily as those unwanted extra pounds (after his gastric bypass surgery).
We're all pulling for you Pete-uh, you fat, angry man.
This is obviously sour grapes in full effect. Pete-uh was so disheartened when I didn't sign with Missed Wit over the winter that he didn't get outta bed for two months. He blamed the lateness of his new Nummers frames on slow boats from Taiwan, but in fact he was trapped in his bedroom by his inability to move. It seems that storing his blizzard emergency supply of Cheetos in his bedroom, to close at hand in this case, sent him into a downward spiral of feasting, sleeping, crying, and watching Benny Hill marathons.
Apparently with the help of Dick Gregory Pete-uh is functioning again, and at least able to sit up and use his over sized keyboard to electronically fill orders while neighborhood children pack orders and clean Cheetos dust off his man boobs.
Pete-uh is glad to have little Enrique back at his job of cleaning the fat finger compatible keyboard. He had been missing since February 2nd, and apparently he was trapped between two large folds of skin in Pete-uh's left arm and eating Cheetos dust to stay alive.It's a sad day when an obese man trapped in his bedroom staring out the window at the winter wonderland that is the Court of Dingle feels compelled to try to make everybody as miserable as he is. Mike McCormack, being the benevolent race promoter that he is, did not chastise Pete-uh for his delusional email rants, but instead encouraged the poor, fat man to get back to living his life, lose a few hundred pounds, and come out to Breckenridge and settle this like men... well at least a man and another man wearing a loose fitting flesh suit.
Genitals blurred in order to keep Pete-uh from being any more embarrassed than he already is about his abnormally shaped penis.So hopefully Pete-uh will see that his anger is his problem and not mine. Maybe he can walk away from the Cheetos and have the local children cover for him for a week so he can come and "race" the Breck Epic with me and all the people who chose to go to the right stage race this summer. I think the fresh air will do him some good, and perhaps all his Canadianican ill will towards us folks in the tropical zone known as 'Merica will melt away as easily as those unwanted extra pounds (after his gastric bypass surgery).
We're all pulling for you Pete-uh, you fat, angry man.
Tuesday, February 24
Where are the babies that need kissed?
I did say I would wait seven to ten days before I asked for your vote again for the Breck Epic, but I never said I wouldn't point you towards some big time cycling blog celebrities that might have asked for you to vote for me in the last coupla weeks.
Namrita O'Dea, star rider for the incredibly professional Topeak Ergon mountain bike team (so pro their shorts match their shirts... what month will you be in 2010 Nam?), had this to say on Feb 17th:
"OK, this is a blogger contest. Clearly, we all know who has the most entertaining blog.
VOTE FOR DICKY
No, I'm not getting anything for this endorsement...but I should."
Notice that she kept it short and sweet. Those pro bike racers are tooo busy to keep up with lengthy blog posts just to entertain the fans. Also note that I gave her nothing for her endorsement, although she emailed me to let me know to expect a paypal invoice.
Charlotte messenger and summiter of the infamous Pico de Orizaba (which loosely translates to "tomato of unusual size" Big Worm had this to say on Feb 19th:
"...Team Which Ever Way the Wind Blows in the Direction of Free Shit needs our vote.... I heard him bitching just yesterday that he was leading the contest but was not at all comfortable with the gap. So with that said all of you my beautiful audience out there reading my psycho babble not necessarily in the bike loop please help him with a vote and once you see how easy it is please pass on to everyone you know in a communal effort to help send this man to his dream of a free ride at a very hard mountain bike event."
Big Worm won the free trip to Trans Germany a few year's back on Race Face's dime, so he knows which way the wind blows too...
The Hawley blog which distributes bike parts and fortune cookies to every corner of our circular planet was thrilled to be able to take part in the campaign to send me out West. This is from Feb 18th:
"...racer Dicky "Rich" Dillen is in the running for a spot at the Breck Epic stage race. It's quite simple: go to the site and vote for Dicky. Then you read his blog in a month and see if he won the spot. If not, you have the Blog's blessing (strongarmed encouragement girded by nightly bed-wetting fits) to heckle the poor lil' fellow (troll baby) until your vocal chords are "raw and severed""
Did I mention that Hawley has an entire warehouse that distributes fitted plastic sheets? It's true.
Thad, my 2009 PMBAR and DSG partner, fellow MOOTS anticipater, Swiftwick plebe, and all around nice guy had this to day back on Feb 18th:
"I'd be remiss not to point out the recent begging and pleading resonating from further East. Please help send Dicky to the Breck Epic Stage race. Vote for Dicko! Trust me, you don't want to read his wrath if he loses. It'll be daily mope stories and how we all suck for not helping him win. It'll be worse than crumbling corporations. Yup, the blame will befall us. He's one of 'those' kind. It's never his fault, always your fault. Please, do all you can to send whiny britches to Breck."
Now there's an endorsement if I've ever seen one. Let's face it, he just wants me to win so he can tell all his little friends in Tennessee he knows this really cool guy who won an internet popularity contest hoping that it will fill that little empty spot in his heart left over from his childhood experience of not getting asked to the Sadie Hawkins dance.
Elk, my 2008 PMBAR partner who was the sole reason for our outstanding second place at said event (we were beat by indigenous elves) gushed profusely with positive energy on Feb 22nd:
"I'm also recommending you vote for Dicky and (name omitted because it wasn't mine again). Dicky is a no-brainer since he's without question the King of the Cycling Blogosphere."
"The King"?? Sweet. The coronation will be at my house this Sunday. Please bring a covered dish, a gift (under $250 in value), and your finest horse.
Faces of Dicky managed to scour the archives of the local paper from the town I grew up in as a boy. In 1986 I had called a press conference to reveal a prophecy that came to me in a dream. Back then I was scoffed and guffawed off stage, but who's laughing now?? FOD posted this image on Feb 23rd:
The foretelling powers of a mullet should never be underestimated.
I would link you to fellow blogger contestant Tomi's endorsement of Bad Idea Racing, but he has been the John McCain to my George Bush. I have done everything I can for the man here and there, but he just seems like he wants to put as much distance between he and I as possible. Et tu Tomi, et tu?
and as for the slander slinging mudfest that the Rush Limbaugh of the Canadiananican cycling world has been carrying on for the past few days??? I'll discuss that tomorrow.
Namrita O'Dea, star rider for the incredibly professional Topeak Ergon mountain bike team (so pro their shorts match their shirts... what month will you be in 2010 Nam?), had this to say on Feb 17th:
"OK, this is a blogger contest. Clearly, we all know who has the most entertaining blog.
VOTE FOR DICKY
No, I'm not getting anything for this endorsement...but I should."
Notice that she kept it short and sweet. Those pro bike racers are tooo busy to keep up with lengthy blog posts just to entertain the fans. Also note that I gave her nothing for her endorsement, although she emailed me to let me know to expect a paypal invoice.
Charlotte messenger and summiter of the infamous Pico de Orizaba (which loosely translates to "tomato of unusual size" Big Worm had this to say on Feb 19th:
"...Team Which Ever Way the Wind Blows in the Direction of Free Shit needs our vote.... I heard him bitching just yesterday that he was leading the contest but was not at all comfortable with the gap. So with that said all of you my beautiful audience out there reading my psycho babble not necessarily in the bike loop please help him with a vote and once you see how easy it is please pass on to everyone you know in a communal effort to help send this man to his dream of a free ride at a very hard mountain bike event."
Big Worm won the free trip to Trans Germany a few year's back on Race Face's dime, so he knows which way the wind blows too...
The Hawley blog which distributes bike parts and fortune cookies to every corner of our circular planet was thrilled to be able to take part in the campaign to send me out West. This is from Feb 18th:
"...racer Dicky "Rich" Dillen is in the running for a spot at the Breck Epic stage race. It's quite simple: go to the site and vote for Dicky. Then you read his blog in a month and see if he won the spot. If not, you have the Blog's blessing (strongarmed encouragement girded by nightly bed-wetting fits) to heckle the poor lil' fellow (troll baby) until your vocal chords are "raw and severed""
Did I mention that Hawley has an entire warehouse that distributes fitted plastic sheets? It's true.
Thad, my 2009 PMBAR and DSG partner, fellow MOOTS anticipater, Swiftwick plebe, and all around nice guy had this to day back on Feb 18th:
"I'd be remiss not to point out the recent begging and pleading resonating from further East. Please help send Dicky to the Breck Epic Stage race. Vote for Dicko! Trust me, you don't want to read his wrath if he loses. It'll be daily mope stories and how we all suck for not helping him win. It'll be worse than crumbling corporations. Yup, the blame will befall us. He's one of 'those' kind. It's never his fault, always your fault. Please, do all you can to send whiny britches to Breck."
Now there's an endorsement if I've ever seen one. Let's face it, he just wants me to win so he can tell all his little friends in Tennessee he knows this really cool guy who won an internet popularity contest hoping that it will fill that little empty spot in his heart left over from his childhood experience of not getting asked to the Sadie Hawkins dance.
Elk, my 2008 PMBAR partner who was the sole reason for our outstanding second place at said event (we were beat by indigenous elves) gushed profusely with positive energy on Feb 22nd:
"I'm also recommending you vote for Dicky and (name omitted because it wasn't mine again). Dicky is a no-brainer since he's without question the King of the Cycling Blogosphere."
"The King"?? Sweet. The coronation will be at my house this Sunday. Please bring a covered dish, a gift (under $250 in value), and your finest horse.
Faces of Dicky managed to scour the archives of the local paper from the town I grew up in as a boy. In 1986 I had called a press conference to reveal a prophecy that came to me in a dream. Back then I was scoffed and guffawed off stage, but who's laughing now?? FOD posted this image on Feb 23rd:
The foretelling powers of a mullet should never be underestimated.I would link you to fellow blogger contestant Tomi's endorsement of Bad Idea Racing, but he has been the John McCain to my George Bush. I have done everything I can for the man here and there, but he just seems like he wants to put as much distance between he and I as possible. Et tu Tomi, et tu?
and as for the slander slinging mudfest that the Rush Limbaugh of the Canadiananican cycling world has been carrying on for the past few days??? I'll discuss that tomorrow.
Monday, February 23
Bad Idea Training Day 7 and 8: Whipping the Throbbing Members into shape
Day Seven: According to the Book of Armaments, Chapter 5, Verses Seven through Eleven Industry Nine wheels built on Stan's Rims (or with lightweight .090" spokes) should get a nice shakedown ride lasting from one to four hours. Five would be too much, and a half hour would be to few, while seven is right out. Then they should get lobbed into the nearest truing stand from a distance of less than two feet and then thou shall proceedeth to have a tensiometer put to thine spokes. Once brought back to full tension the wheels may be enjoyed until they shalt be checked again corresponding to normal bicycle service intervals, and the people shall rejoice and will feast upon the lambs and toads and tree sloths and fruit bats and orangutans and breakfast cereals.
So I went for a short solo ride Saturday after my dentist appointment at Sherman Branch. I was just in time for the freeze/thaw effect to take place under my wheels. I was frozen as frozen as the trail when I started my ride and by the time I was finishing up I got to enjoy thawed (muddy) trails. For those who mighta been curious about the Mountain King 2.4 I mounted up all shiny and new last week it was a great performer under those conditions, but it won't be enough tire up front when I go back to rigid. Wah-wah. Someday somebody will make the sub 1,000 gram, sturdy, all conditions 2.5 of my dreams... someday.
On muddy days it's nice to not have to throw my MOO... I mean my yet to be named Zion in the back of the Dirty Little Box. When you have a tiny little six year old crawling around on the floor of you car interior cleanliness is appreciated.
Day Eight: This year's Burn 24 Hour Challenge will see the return of Captain Dick and the Throbbing Members. Returning from the 2004 sqaud is our lead off rider Bill Nye. Back in 2004 he broke his chain early on the first lap and ran most of the six mile course to put us in DFL from the very beginning... (no, he didn't know he could turn around and quit the lap). Also Stabby (who had gone free agent after the 2004 season) is returning to the team, but only if we agree to his contract. Back in 2004 he was unhappy when the rest of the team plotted a "lap strike" till dark to enjoy adult beverages while he was out on the course. He vowed to continuing riding until one of us sorry POS's got off our asses and went back out, thus shaming us back into the game for a stellar 17th place out of 22 teams in the male five man division. Big Worm and The Wonderboy will not be returning, but in their places we will have Ben "Bubba" Cohen (shrimp lover and Red Bull fashionista) and his friend who shall remain nameless until he passes the drug test.
So secretly I got them all to agree to a team training camp, well all except the nameless one who could not make it since he was busy trying to ensure his name didn't show up on a google search. We met at Poplar Tent for a social paced early season team building exercise.
From L-R: Stabby (not doing what it looks like he's doing), Ben (trying to figure out just how much Red Bull labeled clothing is just enough for the temperatures), and Bill Nye (who keeps insisting we should have "In the Navy" be our theme song)
So even though our pace was sorta slow we practiced hanging out quite a bit which tends to be the most involved activity at a 24 hour race. Stopping at the multitude of stunts and features that make Poplar Tent the great trail that it is we lost track of time and our first 10-12 mile lap took... well an amount of time that reflects the amount of time we spent standing around not riding. Ben did have a mechanical that slowed him down until we got back to the parking lot for a semi-fix.
No, he could not clip out and back in again, so for awhile he was the off-road equivalent of Dave Stoller. Yes, this does give us an idea for a team strategy for the Burn 24 Hour Challenge... get a big LCD HD TV and watch Breaking Away the whole time for inspiration.
So I went for a short solo ride Saturday after my dentist appointment at Sherman Branch. I was just in time for the freeze/thaw effect to take place under my wheels. I was frozen as frozen as the trail when I started my ride and by the time I was finishing up I got to enjoy thawed (muddy) trails. For those who mighta been curious about the Mountain King 2.4 I mounted up all shiny and new last week it was a great performer under those conditions, but it won't be enough tire up front when I go back to rigid. Wah-wah. Someday somebody will make the sub 1,000 gram, sturdy, all conditions 2.5 of my dreams... someday.
On muddy days it's nice to not have to throw my MOO... I mean my yet to be named Zion in the back of the Dirty Little Box. When you have a tiny little six year old crawling around on the floor of you car interior cleanliness is appreciated.Day Eight: This year's Burn 24 Hour Challenge will see the return of Captain Dick and the Throbbing Members. Returning from the 2004 sqaud is our lead off rider Bill Nye. Back in 2004 he broke his chain early on the first lap and ran most of the six mile course to put us in DFL from the very beginning... (no, he didn't know he could turn around and quit the lap). Also Stabby (who had gone free agent after the 2004 season) is returning to the team, but only if we agree to his contract. Back in 2004 he was unhappy when the rest of the team plotted a "lap strike" till dark to enjoy adult beverages while he was out on the course. He vowed to continuing riding until one of us sorry POS's got off our asses and went back out, thus shaming us back into the game for a stellar 17th place out of 22 teams in the male five man division. Big Worm and The Wonderboy will not be returning, but in their places we will have Ben "Bubba" Cohen (shrimp lover and Red Bull fashionista) and his friend who shall remain nameless until he passes the drug test.
So secretly I got them all to agree to a team training camp, well all except the nameless one who could not make it since he was busy trying to ensure his name didn't show up on a google search. We met at Poplar Tent for a social paced early season team building exercise.
From L-R: Stabby (not doing what it looks like he's doing), Ben (trying to figure out just how much Red Bull labeled clothing is just enough for the temperatures), and Bill Nye (who keeps insisting we should have "In the Navy" be our theme song)So even though our pace was sorta slow we practiced hanging out quite a bit which tends to be the most involved activity at a 24 hour race. Stopping at the multitude of stunts and features that make Poplar Tent the great trail that it is we lost track of time and our first 10-12 mile lap took... well an amount of time that reflects the amount of time we spent standing around not riding. Ben did have a mechanical that slowed him down until we got back to the parking lot for a semi-fix.
No, he could not clip out and back in again, so for awhile he was the off-road equivalent of Dave Stoller. Yes, this does give us an idea for a team strategy for the Burn 24 Hour Challenge... get a big LCD HD TV and watch Breaking Away the whole time for inspiration.
Friday, February 20
Fifty six spokes of fjear, eight spokes of fjury
You still don't believe that I suffered for 44 of the 45 minutes of last week's race? Here's another image from Rick Wynne:
Clicky make biggy for full grimace effect
Different hand position on the bars and attacking outta the saddle, but I still look like I'm giving birth to a baby pig from my anus.
Once The Pie released the Fed Ex man from the snare trap I set on the front porch (he wasn't getting away this time) she signed for the package (which ended up being two packages). I was expecting my new Continental Mountain 2.4 from a mail order company, but the other package was a pleasant surprise. Before you trounce me for using mail order I want to mention that I didn't want to abuse my hook up at my LBS to buy something I might end up hating and then selling shortly thereafter. I'd rather take a loss than look like I'm profiting from a friendly relationship.
Anyhooo....
The other box was quite big, and in it were the things dreams are made of.
Golly, I take some awesome photos.
Clicky make biggy just makes it look worsey
These are the Bad Idea Racing 2009 race only wheels. I've always had this pleasant dream where I would be in this situation, and now here it is. Why bother having "race wheels"?
My first pair of Industry Nine wheels (they've updated their website) were built with extreme durability in mind. I went with Stan's Flow rims since they were the widest and fattest TUBELESS compatible rims available. I'm well aware of the whole rotating weight thing (especially the part about the distance from the axis of rotation), but I wanted wheels that would last forever. So why get new ones???
The "race wheels" are built on Stan's 355 rims. The 355's are only 410 grams a piece as opposed to the Flow's which come in at 525 grams a piece. Multiply that weight savings times two and you get a half pound less rotating weight... A HALF POUND!!! That's a nice chunk of rotating cheese folks. The weight savings does come at a price. The width of the new rim is 13-16% narrower (outside rim and inside channel width). This reduces the volume of the tire, and the effective width of the casing. How much?? I dunno, but since I mounted tires that are not quite the same as what's on the Flows right now I can't measure them to tell you. So now the plan is to always have a sexy not-so-worn-out set of tires and rotors that aren't all smashed up mounted up to the "race wheels" at all times ready to go, as opposed to trying to get a few more weeks outta some old tires to avoid sealing up new ones whether I have a race coming up or not. These wheels will be kept in a pink temperature and humidity regulated velvet lined case when not is use, but public viewings can be arranged if you ask nicely.
Yes, there are four purple spokes in each wheel, partly to match the purple Cane Creek 110 headset, but mostly to pay tribute to probably the most inspirational hero to little guys everywhere, Prince. Maybe I should call this "season" The Purple Reign Tour??
BTW: Faces of Dicky is now taking requests. Send your ideas to phureeous@gmail.com, and see if your idea gets his approval. No, I have no hand in the Faces of Dicky, and no, I have no idea who it is, but anybody who uses my image to entertain and inform is okay in my book.
Has it been seven to ten days since I've bugged you for a vote? No? Sorry.
Did Cavendish really point at his genitals when he took the win yesterday?
image from cyclingnews.com
I gotta remember that move for this year.
I'll close with a tribute to the man who first used my image to make people laugh.
Brado????
No, Bob Ross.
Clicky make biggy for full grimace effectDifferent hand position on the bars and attacking outta the saddle, but I still look like I'm giving birth to a baby pig from my anus.
Once The Pie released the Fed Ex man from the snare trap I set on the front porch (he wasn't getting away this time) she signed for the package (which ended up being two packages). I was expecting my new Continental Mountain 2.4 from a mail order company, but the other package was a pleasant surprise. Before you trounce me for using mail order I want to mention that I didn't want to abuse my hook up at my LBS to buy something I might end up hating and then selling shortly thereafter. I'd rather take a loss than look like I'm profiting from a friendly relationship.
Anyhooo....
The other box was quite big, and in it were the things dreams are made of.
Golly, I take some awesome photos. Clicky make biggy just makes it look worsey
My first pair of Industry Nine wheels (they've updated their website) were built with extreme durability in mind. I went with Stan's Flow rims since they were the widest and fattest TUBELESS compatible rims available. I'm well aware of the whole rotating weight thing (especially the part about the distance from the axis of rotation), but I wanted wheels that would last forever. So why get new ones???
The "race wheels" are built on Stan's 355 rims. The 355's are only 410 grams a piece as opposed to the Flow's which come in at 525 grams a piece. Multiply that weight savings times two and you get a half pound less rotating weight... A HALF POUND!!! That's a nice chunk of rotating cheese folks. The weight savings does come at a price. The width of the new rim is 13-16% narrower (outside rim and inside channel width). This reduces the volume of the tire, and the effective width of the casing. How much?? I dunno, but since I mounted tires that are not quite the same as what's on the Flows right now I can't measure them to tell you. So now the plan is to always have a sexy not-so-worn-out set of tires and rotors that aren't all smashed up mounted up to the "race wheels" at all times ready to go, as opposed to trying to get a few more weeks outta some old tires to avoid sealing up new ones whether I have a race coming up or not. These wheels will be kept in a pink temperature and humidity regulated velvet lined case when not is use, but public viewings can be arranged if you ask nicely.
Yes, there are four purple spokes in each wheel, partly to match the purple Cane Creek 110 headset, but mostly to pay tribute to probably the most inspirational hero to little guys everywhere, Prince. Maybe I should call this "season" The Purple Reign Tour??
BTW: Faces of Dicky is now taking requests. Send your ideas to phureeous@gmail.com, and see if your idea gets his approval. No, I have no hand in the Faces of Dicky, and no, I have no idea who it is, but anybody who uses my image to entertain and inform is okay in my book.
Has it been seven to ten days since I've bugged you for a vote? No? Sorry.
Did Cavendish really point at his genitals when he took the win yesterday?
image from cyclingnews.comI gotta remember that move for this year.
I'll close with a tribute to the man who first used my image to make people laugh.
Brado????
No, Bob Ross.
Thursday, February 19
Ill computations
photo cred to Faces of DickyAll right folks, I got some preliminary results back on how the voting is going for the Breck Epic blogger's contest (all the contestants got an update). Yes, I'm currently in the lead according to the preliminary numbers, but the lack of votes seem kinda sad. I know some of you are thinking "Of course he's gonna win. He wins everything that doesn't really require talent, so why would I bother to vote for him?"
Because I asked nicely?
I mean come on, I get up almost everyday before the sun comes up to type this drivel, and all I ask in return is that you take 45 seconds of your time to click this link and place a vote for me??? That seems like a fair trade, right??
For those of you not in the loop the current standings look like this:
ME
EVERYBODY ELSE
Kinda scary, huh? In actuality the rankings are as follows:
Rich "Too good lookin' for words" Dillen
Luke "No, Dave's not my brother so quit asking" Wiens
Jen "I've got a gun, and I'm not afraid to use it" Hanks
Tomi "There's a contest going on?" McMillar
Luke "No, Dave's not my brother so quit asking" Wiens
Jen "I've got a gun, and I'm not afraid to use it" Hanks
Tomi "There's a contest going on?" McMillar
On the outside looking in is:Lynda "Vote for me or I will personally hunt you down and kill you" Wallenfells.
Now you can see I'm up against a serious looking racer boy, a girl who knows how to use firearms, and a beer swilling, sandwich eating, helmet wearing guy who looks like he steppped off the cover of GQ. So it's coming down to the Kip Winger bad boy of the blog world (me), the cover boy from MBAction, a female subscriber to Guns and Ammo, and a male super model filling the top spots as of now. I would definitely say that no one is out of the running so far, and you never know who might have a brother who is the governor of Florida who might just decide to whole thing for us.
Make your vote happen TODAY, or else I'll... I'll... I don't know what I'll do since I'll have no way of knowing whether you voted or not, but whatever I do it will have global implications.
Now, I promise I will not ask for your vote again for at least seven to ten days (including weekends).
What else might be going on in my world?
Yesterday I got the "curse of the bike whore" left on my front door.
I can't say for certain what showed up at my door (and then left moments later), but I feel like it was something good. I will find out today, and you will find out tomorrow.
Here's a photo from the last short track race I did this past weekend:
photo cred: Rick Wynne
Make your vote happen TODAY, or else I'll... I'll... I don't know what I'll do since I'll have no way of knowing whether you voted or not, but whatever I do it will have global implications.
Now, I promise I will not ask for your vote again for at least seven to ten days (including weekends).
What else might be going on in my world?
Yesterday I got the "curse of the bike whore" left on my front door.
I can't say for certain what showed up at my door (and then left moments later), but I feel like it was something good. I will find out today, and you will find out tomorrow.Here's a photo from the last short track race I did this past weekend:
photo cred: Rick WynneNotice that horrible grimace I'm wearing on my face? That look was there for approximately 44 of the 45 minutes I was on the bike. So even giving it my all I could I only managed to muster a midpack finish, but I did realize why I failed to move up. Remember when I built the super fast short track death machine last week? Well I ended up forgetting to mount up the lighter aluminum Chris King cog instead of the heavy steel one I normally run. According to the calculations I plugged into Analyticcycling.com I would have came in at least one place higher with the lighter cog.
It's a fact.
It's a fact.
Wednesday, February 18
Be a simple kind of meh
Quite honestly I spend way too much of my day either daydreaming about riding in Colorado this summer or spending time in the saddle of my new MOOTS (and sometimes both at once). On the outside I do my best to appear to be a patient man, but on the inside I would leap out of my skin if it would help the time pass. I started building the MOOTS with all the parts I had available, but this was as far as I got:
Yeah, I know... it's not much, but it's a start.
Go ahead, click on that image and see my fork sparkle in my dimly lit bike room.
It's been at least three days since I've bugged you to vote for me in the Breck Epic blogger's contest, but we have finally been given a date for the last chance to vote. The polls will close March 15th, so you only have something like 25 days to do it. I promise it's not that hard to vote, just click the link, pick your top three choices, select your place of origin, and hit submit... that's it. I noticed there's another Race Face Ultimate XC Challenge winner in there, so I'm up against somebody else who knows how to get votes, so wake up and get to voting. If you don't vote don't complain to me when you're bored and you have nothing interesting to read on the web come this July.
And as far as yesterday's post goes...
Lucky for me Jill was semi-flattered to get my semi-approval yesterday. I've already emailed her a couple naked self portraits to return the inspirational favor, but she has requested that I keep the images thumbnail size... no more panoramas or fish eye lens photography. Must have something to do with the memory limits of her email inbox.
Will do Jill.
Yeah, I know... it's not much, but it's a start.Go ahead, click on that image and see my fork sparkle in my dimly lit bike room.
It's been at least three days since I've bugged you to vote for me in the Breck Epic blogger's contest, but we have finally been given a date for the last chance to vote. The polls will close March 15th, so you only have something like 25 days to do it. I promise it's not that hard to vote, just click the link, pick your top three choices, select your place of origin, and hit submit... that's it. I noticed there's another Race Face Ultimate XC Challenge winner in there, so I'm up against somebody else who knows how to get votes, so wake up and get to voting. If you don't vote don't complain to me when you're bored and you have nothing interesting to read on the web come this July.
And as far as yesterday's post goes...
Lucky for me Jill was semi-flattered to get my semi-approval yesterday. I've already emailed her a couple naked self portraits to return the inspirational favor, but she has requested that I keep the images thumbnail size... no more panoramas or fish eye lens photography. Must have something to do with the memory limits of her email inbox.
Will do Jill.
Tuesday, February 17
Meh in a Box
I had a chance to read Jill Homer's book Ghost Trails last week.
I didn't buy it, but Big Worm let me borrow his copy. I felt kinda bad about not purchasing the book for my very own, but as long as Jill doesn't go all Metallica VS Napster on me I think what I did was okay. I've only bought two books in the last decade, both of which were cycling related, non-fictional, and semi auto biographical. One sucked and one didn't, so I decided I'd stop buying books and just read submarine books from the PLCMC when I'm bored.
Anyways...
I must say it was hard to put Ghost Trails down, and although I have no desire to ever enter the Iditarod Trail Race Jill's narrative account of her 2008 race was riveting. I have to admit that towards the end of the book I read something that made me feel funny, in the junior high kinda way...
I had to share that with the class. I confess that the manly part of my brain found that particular passage....er, unnnh... stimulating. Kinda reminiscent of the scene from Fast Times at Ridgemont High when you see Phoebe Cates come outta the pool, except you'd have to be a guy who's into sick, twisted endurance events to really feel that way (about a race weary naked Jill, not about the pinnacle of historical cinematic moments in nudity).
It's not right or politically correct for me to feel that way... I know that, but I know that while I am alone in speaking openly about this unspeakable thought I'm certainly not alone in thinking what I thought. Let's face it, just like Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, and Janet Reno Jill has set herself up to be a sex symbol, and it's obvious that's how she wants to be perceived. Just this past Sunday she posted a titillating series of self portraits in an attempt to use the all American in-your-face SEX SELLS marketing ploy just to sell more copies of her book.
I just have to say it, she looks so freaking hot.
I know I've promised to keep things rated PG13 around here, and I apologize to the more Puritanical of my readers, but I feel I gotta bring Jill's feet back to the grounding reality that she doesn't have to be a sex symbol to sell books. Ghost Trails is well written, moving, entertaining, inspiring, and 188 pages long. Don't be afraid to buy yourself a copy if you are worried that she might have snuck some naughty photos in and amongst the pages. All the photos in the book were from a period in her life before she became such a sex symbol, and fortunately for the moral minority modesty prevails throughout. She only mentions being naked once (it's in the second to last chapter), so as long as you don't feel the need to see how her adventure in Alaska ends you can skip right to the last chapter and avoid the mental imagery that I will have burned into my brain for a perverted lifetime.
Although I enjoyed every minute I spent reading Ghost Trails (sadly some minutes more than others) I still feel like I have to give it my...
I know that Jill has been reading my blog for a few years, and I can't help but feel that I inspired her along every step of her adventure. When you think about that fact that she went into the race under prepared with untested equipment, and throughout the course of the race she ignored her nutrition and hydration needs while making poor decisions bringing her comfort level down considerably all the while detesting her very own existence.... and she never gave me any credit? Not even something inside the cover? It cuts deep Jill, very deep.
But still,
Buy Jill's Book, read it, keep your dirty thoughts to yourself, and live a good clean life.
FYI: I emailed Jill and warned her about his post before hand. She said she was flattered, but she also said that she felt a bit slighted. While I have this wonderful, detailed image in my brain of a naked, pasty, frostbitten, and emaciated Jill she has yet to enjoy a narrative description of my naked physical appearance. Since I am not nearly as gifted as she is when it comes to using words to describe what I see in the mirror I have decided to email her a photo of myself naked....
daily....
until she asks me to stop.
Is it wrong that I posted about another woman on The Pie's birthday?
I thought so.
I didn't buy it, but Big Worm let me borrow his copy. I felt kinda bad about not purchasing the book for my very own, but as long as Jill doesn't go all Metallica VS Napster on me I think what I did was okay. I've only bought two books in the last decade, both of which were cycling related, non-fictional, and semi auto biographical. One sucked and one didn't, so I decided I'd stop buying books and just read submarine books from the PLCMC when I'm bored.Anyways...
I must say it was hard to put Ghost Trails down, and although I have no desire to ever enter the Iditarod Trail Race Jill's narrative account of her 2008 race was riveting. I have to admit that towards the end of the book I read something that made me feel funny, in the junior high kinda way...
"...and with my base layer finally off, my transformation was complete.
I looked at my naked body in the mirror, unable to fully accept that the reflection staring back at me was mine. My ribs and collar bone protruded sharply out of my skin. My shoulders were knobby and thin. I wrapped my fingers around my abdomen and pulled away a surprising amount of loose skin... I turned around. Sure enough, two crescent shaped, white and pink blisters had formed above each of my rear cheeks. Butt frostbite."
It's not right or politically correct for me to feel that way... I know that, but I know that while I am alone in speaking openly about this unspeakable thought I'm certainly not alone in thinking what I thought. Let's face it, just like Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, and Janet Reno Jill has set herself up to be a sex symbol, and it's obvious that's how she wants to be perceived. Just this past Sunday she posted a titillating series of self portraits in an attempt to use the all American in-your-face SEX SELLS marketing ploy just to sell more copies of her book.Exhibt A:
I just have to say it, she looks so freaking hot.I know I've promised to keep things rated PG13 around here, and I apologize to the more Puritanical of my readers, but I feel I gotta bring Jill's feet back to the grounding reality that she doesn't have to be a sex symbol to sell books. Ghost Trails is well written, moving, entertaining, inspiring, and 188 pages long. Don't be afraid to buy yourself a copy if you are worried that she might have snuck some naughty photos in and amongst the pages. All the photos in the book were from a period in her life before she became such a sex symbol, and fortunately for the moral minority modesty prevails throughout. She only mentions being naked once (it's in the second to last chapter), so as long as you don't feel the need to see how her adventure in Alaska ends you can skip right to the last chapter and avoid the mental imagery that I will have burned into my brain for a perverted lifetime.
Although I enjoyed every minute I spent reading Ghost Trails (sadly some minutes more than others) I still feel like I have to give it my...
Seal of Semi-Approval.
I know that Jill has been reading my blog for a few years, and I can't help but feel that I inspired her along every step of her adventure. When you think about that fact that she went into the race under prepared with untested equipment, and throughout the course of the race she ignored her nutrition and hydration needs while making poor decisions bringing her comfort level down considerably all the while detesting her very own existence.... and she never gave me any credit? Not even something inside the cover? It cuts deep Jill, very deep.
But still,
Buy Jill's Book, read it, keep your dirty thoughts to yourself, and live a good clean life.
FYI: I emailed Jill and warned her about his post before hand. She said she was flattered, but she also said that she felt a bit slighted. While I have this wonderful, detailed image in my brain of a naked, pasty, frostbitten, and emaciated Jill she has yet to enjoy a narrative description of my naked physical appearance. Since I am not nearly as gifted as she is when it comes to using words to describe what I see in the mirror I have decided to email her a photo of myself naked....
daily....
until she asks me to stop.
Is it wrong that I posted about another woman on The Pie's birthday?
I thought so.
Monday, February 16
Bad Idea Training Day 5 and 6: It's Raining Meh
With the lightweight ti bike all built up last Tuesday for the short track on Sunday my goal was to wake up Saturday and get used to it. When I rolled outta bed it was raining so I went with plan B. I spent 5-6 hours on the floor pulling carpet outta our hallway and removing staples and the little spiky strips from the floor. I had promised The Pie I would make the hallway into an area better suited for our interactions with foster pets (no carpet to clean up or miscellaneous items to get chewed up), so what better day to do it than Valentines Day?
I woke up Sunday feeling the effects of being forty years old and spending all day rolling around on a hard floor. For some reason my glutes, quads, hamstrings, and knees felt like I had been on a eight hour ride. Bad Idea Training Day 5 was in the books and a perfect setup for Day 6.
At the short track on my untested machine with no tools in the car I realized I had set myself up for great success. I figured the 36X18 was gonna put me in some trouble here and there, but for the most part it would be quite manageable. When we lined up it was apparent that the single speed field had been almost halved from what it was two weeks ago (the last time I raced), and that my goal of slightly better than mid pack was gonna be slightly more difficult with the lack of pack fodder (I can say that since I was amongst the pack fodder).
The first two laps had their fair share of exciting moments. The Thylacine (with the custom IF fork) is still the best handling bike I've ever ridden, but being that I'd been off of it since July it was scary as shit. It requires much less effort to turn than the "yet to be named Zion", so I was cutting a lot of the banked corners waaaaaayyyy too tight and popping out early. Once I settled in I was able to hold my own in the woods, and early on the 36X18 wasn't really killing me. This time around I was able to see the leaders for three to four laps before they were outta sight and working their way back to my backside.
I ended up spending the majority of the race 10-15 seconds behind the guy that was gonna end up being the man I needed to beat to achieve my goal of better than mid pack. I finished 7th of 13... six in front of me and six behind.
So there you have it, the 2009 Short Track Season:
Three at bats
One better than mid pack finish
One worse than mid pack finish
And one dead-on mid pack finish
I will say this, it felt sooooooooo good to ride a rigid fork again. Although I locked out my Fjox fjork when I was racing the other two times it still moved when the lockout threshold was overcome by a large bump. It felt sappy and dull, and made the semi-technical climb on the course awkward, but with the rigid fork everything just felt right. Once the MOOTS gets here I should be ready to rock/run/roll/sport the rigid fork quite rockingly.
Am I over my short track shortcomings?
I woke up Sunday feeling the effects of being forty years old and spending all day rolling around on a hard floor. For some reason my glutes, quads, hamstrings, and knees felt like I had been on a eight hour ride. Bad Idea Training Day 5 was in the books and a perfect setup for Day 6.
At the short track on my untested machine with no tools in the car I realized I had set myself up for great success. I figured the 36X18 was gonna put me in some trouble here and there, but for the most part it would be quite manageable. When we lined up it was apparent that the single speed field had been almost halved from what it was two weeks ago (the last time I raced), and that my goal of slightly better than mid pack was gonna be slightly more difficult with the lack of pack fodder (I can say that since I was amongst the pack fodder).
The first two laps had their fair share of exciting moments. The Thylacine (with the custom IF fork) is still the best handling bike I've ever ridden, but being that I'd been off of it since July it was scary as shit. It requires much less effort to turn than the "yet to be named Zion", so I was cutting a lot of the banked corners waaaaaayyyy too tight and popping out early. Once I settled in I was able to hold my own in the woods, and early on the 36X18 wasn't really killing me. This time around I was able to see the leaders for three to four laps before they were outta sight and working their way back to my backside.
I ended up spending the majority of the race 10-15 seconds behind the guy that was gonna end up being the man I needed to beat to achieve my goal of better than mid pack. I finished 7th of 13... six in front of me and six behind.
So there you have it, the 2009 Short Track Season:
Three at bats
One better than mid pack finish
One worse than mid pack finish
And one dead-on mid pack finish
Stellar.
I will say this, it felt sooooooooo good to ride a rigid fork again. Although I locked out my Fjox fjork when I was racing the other two times it still moved when the lockout threshold was overcome by a large bump. It felt sappy and dull, and made the semi-technical climb on the course awkward, but with the rigid fork everything just felt right. Once the MOOTS gets here I should be ready to rock/run/roll/sport the rigid fork quite rockingly.
Am I over my short track shortcomings?
"No, I don't think I'll ever get over Macho Grande'."
Friday, February 13
Meh at Work
The Pie took Fajita out last Tuesday night, so I was left without any adult supervision. Having hours to kill after work and no real projects to tackle I went ahead and did the unthinkable.
I know I said I'd only ride a suspension fork till the MOOTS graces me with its presence, I know I said it was too much work, and I know I didn't go all the way, but I made some effort. The semi-repaired Meatplow is back for one more day of battle. I went ahead and swapped the 8" front rotor to a 6", but I didn't take the time to swap the front tire to something more short tracky. I was hoping my new Industry Nine race wheels would be here in time, but as luck would have it (at least my luck) there were no 355's in stock when it was time to build my wheels. Without my new wheels to play with I wasn't in the mood to do a full Stan's style swap on the front tire for one race. I did swap the saddle to the Assgrater 2000 even though I'm not all that sure it is lighter than the Silverado. It does look intimidating though, and I've seen them on some of the faster guy's bikes at the short track races this winter, so one can only assume it adds to overall speed significantly.
The rest of the build is pretty straight forward. I went with a silly 36X18 gear which is two teeth higher than I normally run at the short track. I was planning on getting the bike weight down four pounds (from the squishy yet to be named Zion weight) and get my weight down four pounds since the last race two weeks ago. Well, I succeeded on one and failed miserably on the other, but the tall gear stays to punish me for my dietary transgressions. Lucky for me I realized I stuck my stainless steel 18T Chris King cog on the rear instead of my aluminum one, so maybe ten more minutes of effort will make all the difference I need.
Last night I was on the first conference call of my adult life. The powers that be at MOOTS and Swiftwick decided to have sort of a team meeting. Even though I'm considered outside of the actual Swiftwick team, but still associated with it in some bastard form being a MOOTS rider who wears Swiftwick socks I was clued in to the informative call. Part MOOTS history lesson, part technical info session, and part team strategy think tank all I did was listen for the most part. All I can say is "pretty neat stuff" was discussed and once I do the at home worksheet (multiple choice, matching, connect the dots, and MOOTSudoku) at home I will be quite the knowledgeable MOOTSrider. I finally TRULY understand the difference between double pass welds and single pass welds, and I can tell you how many employees it takes to build 1,200 to 1,500 frames (and miscellaneous accessories) a year.
FYI : I found this MOOTS Factory Tour article on Road Bike Action. It's an interesting look inside a place I plan on actually being inside sometime this year. If/when I get out there I plan on doing my own factory tour piece, but I will focus on the bathroom, break room, parking lot, and video game arcade instead of all the stuff most reviews cover. I won't let you down.
I know I said I'd only ride a suspension fork till the MOOTS graces me with its presence, I know I said it was too much work, and I know I didn't go all the way, but I made some effort. The semi-repaired Meatplow is back for one more day of battle. I went ahead and swapped the 8" front rotor to a 6", but I didn't take the time to swap the front tire to something more short tracky. I was hoping my new Industry Nine race wheels would be here in time, but as luck would have it (at least my luck) there were no 355's in stock when it was time to build my wheels. Without my new wheels to play with I wasn't in the mood to do a full Stan's style swap on the front tire for one race. I did swap the saddle to the Assgrater 2000 even though I'm not all that sure it is lighter than the Silverado. It does look intimidating though, and I've seen them on some of the faster guy's bikes at the short track races this winter, so one can only assume it adds to overall speed significantly.The rest of the build is pretty straight forward. I went with a silly 36X18 gear which is two teeth higher than I normally run at the short track. I was planning on getting the bike weight down four pounds (from the squishy yet to be named Zion weight) and get my weight down four pounds since the last race two weeks ago. Well, I succeeded on one and failed miserably on the other, but the tall gear stays to punish me for my dietary transgressions. Lucky for me I realized I stuck my stainless steel 18T Chris King cog on the rear instead of my aluminum one, so maybe ten more minutes of effort will make all the difference I need.
Last night I was on the first conference call of my adult life. The powers that be at MOOTS and Swiftwick decided to have sort of a team meeting. Even though I'm considered outside of the actual Swiftwick team, but still associated with it in some bastard form being a MOOTS rider who wears Swiftwick socks I was clued in to the informative call. Part MOOTS history lesson, part technical info session, and part team strategy think tank all I did was listen for the most part. All I can say is "pretty neat stuff" was discussed and once I do the at home worksheet (multiple choice, matching, connect the dots, and MOOTSudoku) at home I will be quite the knowledgeable MOOTSrider. I finally TRULY understand the difference between double pass welds and single pass welds, and I can tell you how many employees it takes to build 1,200 to 1,500 frames (and miscellaneous accessories) a year.
FYI : I found this MOOTS Factory Tour article on Road Bike Action. It's an interesting look inside a place I plan on actually being inside sometime this year. If/when I get out there I plan on doing my own factory tour piece, but I will focus on the bathroom, break room, parking lot, and video game arcade instead of all the stuff most reviews cover. I won't let you down.
Thursday, February 12
I am Iron Meh
I've spent way too much time reading about iron, iron deficiencies, iron rich foods, iron supplements, Iron Maiden, and iron lungs since last Friday. I've consumed enough iron that my daily movements affect the earth's magnetic field, but being focused on my iron everyday is so tiring that I feel anemic trying to stop feeling anemic. I figured out how I can get a year's worth of iron in one sitting, but The Pie says I might be wrong on this one.
Mmmmmmm... 2268000 mg per serving.I finally stopped googling iron related topics and gave myself a chance to peruse the Breck Epic website and pick over it with a fine toothed comb. I stared longingly at course descriptions with trail names I've never heard of before convincing myself that it sounded like fun. I spent some time dreaming of the cornucopia of food options on which I shall dine on before and after each stage. I quickly glanced over the purse section before I realized it had nothing to do with fashionable handbags or even man purses (or is that pursi?). And for the first time ever (this very morning) ALL THE BLOGGER INFO IS UP. Now I can fully encourage you to go over there and take a look at all the other candidates. Keep in mind that you will get to pick your top three bloggers, so after you vote for me you still get to pick two more candidates. That is of course assuming that you do vote for me, which you should. Let's face it, you came here to read my shit, and winning this contest will force me to write more shit. Either you enjoy my shit, or you just enjoy the fact that I crawl outta bed every day to post my shit... either way my pain brings you pleasure. Going to the Breck Epic on their blogger scholarship program will have me up even earlier and writing more shit.
If you look closely at the candidates you will see that no one blogs harder.
I did not bother to photo shop my head in as Bruce and I look very similar. Does that mean I coulda married Demi Moore? (worth the click, I promise)I've been pumping out the verbiage way more than anybody else that's running for office, so based on the quantity (not necessarily quality) of work I pump out it is more than obvious that I deserve your vote.
So now you go here and place your vote. I have been asked which other candidates I endorse, and since I love them soooooooooo much I'll tell you. Fellow SS'er and entrepreneur Tomi McMillar gets a definite nod since we've had planned moments of mayhem together in the past, and he held my hand when I was scared at the Tour de Burg last year. My other top pick for fun-buddy is Lynda Wallenfells. I've always enjoyed her company at stage races, and she even took the time to send me a plastic bag in exchange for some unobtanium cranks I gave her years back. I will remain loyal to them till the end assuming that no other candidate on the list sends me a satchel of unmarked bills or a year's supply of CERA.
VOTE NOW!!!!*
*or whenever you get a chance. I don't wanna seem pushy or anything... but you should vote now while you're thinking about it... I mean, what if your computer crashes or something happens to you on the way to work (I realize most of you are reading this at work instead of working, so you already made it to work, but you still need to get home). For crying out loud stop thinking about yourself and your personal safety and vote for me while you still have a chance to make a difference.
I love you too.
Wednesday, February 11
Catching up on scintillating reviews
Does anybody remember back when I found the (almost) perfect shoe?
Well thanks to the internet and its helpful search functions we don't have to remember anything. All previous thoughts and knowledge have been recorded for posterity and future embarrassment. Anyways, I thought I had found the almost perfect shoe, and I cornered the market on them by buying TWO PAIRS of Shimano M085 mountain shoes. Yeah, the lugs were a little on the touring shoe side and the toe box was a little too boxy for my girl feet, but they were the best things I'd ever seen to meet the needs of the competitive single speeder (and me). Sadly those obvious oversights earned the shoe my Seal of Semi-Approval.
So as things usually go in my life shortly after buying TWO PAIRS of the M085 I walked into the LBS and found myself staring at the new and entirely improved M086 shoe from Shimano. I can only guess that once I bought the last TWO PAIRS of old stock M085's they decided it was time to roll out the all new M086. This aggression will not stand, man. I bought into the hype and purchased the far superior M086 (one pair this time), returned the unused pair of M085's and sold the used pair on eBay for an amount I'd rather not disclose as only a stock broker could sympathize with the financial loss I was subjected to with the lopsided transaction.
Check it. Three straps, one buckle, all rubber soles, no pointless toe spikes (I don't even think the red things come out so they can be replaced with pointless, pokey metal bits), and most certainly a racey look.
No dorky boot-like squared-off action there. Look at those all rubber soles that will stick to slippery rocks and roots like an unflickable booger to your index finger, and then your thumb, and then your index finger, and then your thumbnail, and then...
What's really cool is that the heel will leave an animal-like print in the mud that will stump even the most experienced woodland tracker.
Leonard Nimoy's gonna get called in to search for the legendary nine toed Pisgah wolverine.
Of course there's a downside. There's always a downside. With the help of my new Twelve's from Swiftwick and The Fajita's shinguards I think you can see what brings these shoes down a notch.
These things look way more like soccer shoes than cycling shoes. The Euros get a nice color choice that keeps the shoe from looking like you daughter's sporting equipment, but we in the US and A get the dopey looking B&W option. I guess I could go the Snob route and use sepia tones to make the shoe look better.
And speaking of the Twelve's...
I was lucky enough to get my merino Twelves before the weather went all global warmy on Charlotte, and I had two sub-30's days in them. I hate full length tights, and these things are just the ticket for changing conditions. Later in the day as things heated up I simply pushed them down. Combine these things with knee warmers and you can adjust your temperature easier than an MLB player adjusts his genital placement or his morals.
But...
Since the shoes stink of team sports and the Twelve's STILL DO NOT COME IN ARGYLE (and you can forget about houndstooth too) they will both get the Seal of Semi-Approval.
BTW: The Breck Epic site STILL does not have all the blogger info up yet, but you can go vote for your favorite three bloggers if you already know who you want to send to the Breck Epic. Go here and vote, or go here and wait for more info if you wanna be a knowledgeable voter.
BTW: BTW: Nice interview with jeremiahbishop.com, Sue Haywood, and Georgia Gould over on bikerumor.com. JBC drops a hint to his new sponsor in there, and Sue... all I can say is bravo.
Well thanks to the internet and its helpful search functions we don't have to remember anything. All previous thoughts and knowledge have been recorded for posterity and future embarrassment. Anyways, I thought I had found the almost perfect shoe, and I cornered the market on them by buying TWO PAIRS of Shimano M085 mountain shoes. Yeah, the lugs were a little on the touring shoe side and the toe box was a little too boxy for my girl feet, but they were the best things I'd ever seen to meet the needs of the competitive single speeder (and me). Sadly those obvious oversights earned the shoe my Seal of Semi-Approval.
So as things usually go in my life shortly after buying TWO PAIRS of the M085 I walked into the LBS and found myself staring at the new and entirely improved M086 shoe from Shimano. I can only guess that once I bought the last TWO PAIRS of old stock M085's they decided it was time to roll out the all new M086. This aggression will not stand, man. I bought into the hype and purchased the far superior M086 (one pair this time), returned the unused pair of M085's and sold the used pair on eBay for an amount I'd rather not disclose as only a stock broker could sympathize with the financial loss I was subjected to with the lopsided transaction.
I must say these shoes are the single speed, glucosamine chondroitin aided bee knees.
Check it. Three straps, one buckle, all rubber soles, no pointless toe spikes (I don't even think the red things come out so they can be replaced with pointless, pokey metal bits), and most certainly a racey look.
And check out that toe box....
No dorky boot-like squared-off action there. Look at those all rubber soles that will stick to slippery rocks and roots like an unflickable booger to your index finger, and then your thumb, and then your index finger, and then your thumbnail, and then...What's really cool is that the heel will leave an animal-like print in the mud that will stump even the most experienced woodland tracker.
Leonard Nimoy's gonna get called in to search for the legendary nine toed Pisgah wolverine.Of course there's a downside. There's always a downside. With the help of my new Twelve's from Swiftwick and The Fajita's shinguards I think you can see what brings these shoes down a notch.
These things look way more like soccer shoes than cycling shoes. The Euros get a nice color choice that keeps the shoe from looking like you daughter's sporting equipment, but we in the US and A get the dopey looking B&W option. I guess I could go the Snob route and use sepia tones to make the shoe look better.
No, they just look like old timey soccer shoes now. I guess the Snob just does everything better.
And speaking of the Twelve's...
I was lucky enough to get my merino Twelves before the weather went all global warmy on Charlotte, and I had two sub-30's days in them. I hate full length tights, and these things are just the ticket for changing conditions. Later in the day as things heated up I simply pushed them down. Combine these things with knee warmers and you can adjust your temperature easier than an MLB player adjusts his genital placement or his morals.
But...
Since the shoes stink of team sports and the Twelve's STILL DO NOT COME IN ARGYLE (and you can forget about houndstooth too) they will both get the Seal of Semi-Approval.
BTW: The Breck Epic site STILL does not have all the blogger info up yet, but you can go vote for your favorite three bloggers if you already know who you want to send to the Breck Epic. Go here and vote, or go here and wait for more info if you wanna be a knowledgeable voter.
BTW: BTW: Nice interview with jeremiahbishop.com, Sue Haywood, and Georgia Gould over on bikerumor.com. JBC drops a hint to his new sponsor in there, and Sue... all I can say is bravo.
Tuesday, February 10
Dog Days
Faces of Team Dicky was pretty good yesterday. I couldn't tell if that was my hair or Neil's.
Yes, the frame geometry stuff was boring yesterday. I warned you. I wasn't gonna get all "Bicycling Magazine" on you and use creative similes and metaphors (Has anybody actually ever seen a scalded monkey climb? Who's the demented primate hater going around scalding monkeys anyways?) to describe a frame that still only exists on paper. Look for a more animated review once I put parts on the 3-D titanium manifestation of what, as of now, is only an idea.
I got a call from my doctor's office last Friday. Some of you with long term memory abilities might remember that I had a physical last Tuesday. Anyways, I got the "Mr Dillen, all your numbers looked good, but...."
But?
That word hardly went in my ears without a twinge of angst. The doc says my iron level is low, and that means I'm a-n-e-m-i-c. Awesome. Before anybody points out the obvious, yes this is somewhat linked to my vegetarian lifestyle, but let me explain. I have not been the most thorough vegetarian, and I figured something might slip through the cracks. If you want to read through this article for a better explanation than I can give, have at it. The gist of it is that my lifestyle (endurance racing, commuting, "training", vegetarian, what-not) puts some demands on my iron needs that I failed to address.
"Many men and women who engage in regular, intense exercise such as jogging, competitive swimming, and cycling have marginal or inadequate iron status"
"Three groups of athletes may be at greatest risk of iron depletion and deficiency: female athletes, distance runners, and vegetarian athletes."
Insert the "F WORD" here.
The good news is that it can be dealt with, and it's hardly a major issue like a million other things that could go wrong with a human body. Iron supplements and increasing my intake of Vitamin C to allow the absorption of more iron are the first steps. The bad news is that I need to cut back on coffee or stop drinking it altogether (today is day three without coffee). I only drink a small 4 cup pot every morning, but knowing that it is hindering my health is enough reason to let it go. I've already had to deal with the guilt of drinking a recreational beverage that has some environmental and labor issue concerns, not to mention it's the world's most commonly traded commodity after crude oil. Maybe a cup here or there, but it can no longer be a daily habit. Oh well, I still have beer. If at some point I have to choose between beer and health....
Since I've been a vegetarian for ten months I kinda figure this mighta been affecting me last summer as well, especially when I was riding a shit ton more, and traveling (thus eating like shit on the road). At least going into this year I'm aware of what's going on, and I have plenty of time to turn this boat around before I get into the stormy seas of the "season".
I'm sure people are gonna wanna chime in with veggie advice, meat lover "I told you so's", and holistic crystal rubbing suggestions. Have at it. Just know I have a plan, and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be fine with it. I'm not gonna go back to eating meat when I know the answer to my problem is pretty gosh darn simple (See how calm I am? I went from the "F bomb" to gosh darn).
Just in case that all seemed kinda glum and boring here is a picture of a puppy The Pie has been bottle feeding.
This little girl is the sole survivor of a litter of eight, and although she doesn't necessarily look like a dog we have been re-assured that she is, in fact, a dog.
Back to nonsense tomorrow, I promise.
And a friendly reminder:
The Breck Epic site still does not have all the blogger info up yet, but you can go vote for your favorite three bloggers if you already know who you want to send to the Breck Epic. Go here and vote, or go here and wait for more info if you wanna be a knowledgeable voter.
Yes, the frame geometry stuff was boring yesterday. I warned you. I wasn't gonna get all "Bicycling Magazine" on you and use creative similes and metaphors (Has anybody actually ever seen a scalded monkey climb? Who's the demented primate hater going around scalding monkeys anyways?) to describe a frame that still only exists on paper. Look for a more animated review once I put parts on the 3-D titanium manifestation of what, as of now, is only an idea.I got a call from my doctor's office last Friday. Some of you with long term memory abilities might remember that I had a physical last Tuesday. Anyways, I got the "Mr Dillen, all your numbers looked good, but...."
But?
That word hardly went in my ears without a twinge of angst. The doc says my iron level is low, and that means I'm a-n-e-m-i-c. Awesome. Before anybody points out the obvious, yes this is somewhat linked to my vegetarian lifestyle, but let me explain. I have not been the most thorough vegetarian, and I figured something might slip through the cracks. If you want to read through this article for a better explanation than I can give, have at it. The gist of it is that my lifestyle (endurance racing, commuting, "training", vegetarian, what-not) puts some demands on my iron needs that I failed to address."Many men and women who engage in regular, intense exercise such as jogging, competitive swimming, and cycling have marginal or inadequate iron status"
"Three groups of athletes may be at greatest risk of iron depletion and deficiency: female athletes, distance runners, and vegetarian athletes."
Insert the "F WORD" here.
The good news is that it can be dealt with, and it's hardly a major issue like a million other things that could go wrong with a human body. Iron supplements and increasing my intake of Vitamin C to allow the absorption of more iron are the first steps. The bad news is that I need to cut back on coffee or stop drinking it altogether (today is day three without coffee). I only drink a small 4 cup pot every morning, but knowing that it is hindering my health is enough reason to let it go. I've already had to deal with the guilt of drinking a recreational beverage that has some environmental and labor issue concerns, not to mention it's the world's most commonly traded commodity after crude oil. Maybe a cup here or there, but it can no longer be a daily habit. Oh well, I still have beer. If at some point I have to choose between beer and health....
Since I've been a vegetarian for ten months I kinda figure this mighta been affecting me last summer as well, especially when I was riding a shit ton more, and traveling (thus eating like shit on the road). At least going into this year I'm aware of what's going on, and I have plenty of time to turn this boat around before I get into the stormy seas of the "season".
I'm sure people are gonna wanna chime in with veggie advice, meat lover "I told you so's", and holistic crystal rubbing suggestions. Have at it. Just know I have a plan, and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be fine with it. I'm not gonna go back to eating meat when I know the answer to my problem is pretty gosh darn simple (See how calm I am? I went from the "F bomb" to gosh darn).
Just in case that all seemed kinda glum and boring here is a picture of a puppy The Pie has been bottle feeding.
This little girl is the sole survivor of a litter of eight, and although she doesn't necessarily look like a dog we have been re-assured that she is, in fact, a dog.Back to nonsense tomorrow, I promise.
And a friendly reminder:
The Breck Epic site still does not have all the blogger info up yet, but you can go vote for your favorite three bloggers if you already know who you want to send to the Breck Epic. Go here and vote, or go here and wait for more info if you wanna be a knowledgeable voter.
Monday, February 9
Baaaaaahhhhhh
TMFTE (The Most Funnest Thing Ever) can go down in the books as a success. While it was not actually the FUNNEST thing ever, The Most Horrible Thing Ever was hardly the most HORRIBLE thing ever. There was not one waterboard special test and I never saw jumper cables and a car battery laying next to some old bed springs. It did seem that the racers were put in some uncomfortable situations for 36 hours, and the temps did get below freezing, so I imagine that the stage with the seven mile road descent on the Blue Ridge Parkway woulda been pretty horrible. Kudos to all those with the balls to hang it out there.
photo cred: Leanne
The Other White Rich D and I went out for a merry and joyous ride, drank our very maturely moderated amount of beverages, and woke up looking not too shabby before heading back to our wonderful families able to function in our roles as husbands and fathers.
Sunday I decided to NOT do the short track race. A full'ish day of riding in Pisgah followed with a not so comfortable night of sleep in the back of the cold Element put me in a bit of a sore state, so I elected to opt out and just watch The Boy do his laps. I did see one Jeremiahbishop.com warming up on his new team bike that did not look like a Trek at all (because it wasn't) and his shorts matched his bike pretty well, so one can guess that he'll be announcing his new affiliation shortly VIA the WWW.
The Breck Epic site has gone live. All the blogger contest info isn't quite up yet, but promoter Mike McCormack has put the voting system in place. You can go here to check it out. Here's the best part (I'll harp on yinz about how great I am later). The voting is set up so you can pick your top three. I know that some of us that are on the ballot swim in the same ponds with a lot of the same fish, and some people were going to have a hard time deciding just where to put their one vote. Well no worries as you can rank your top three choices and spread the love... more on all this when the blogger info goes live. I placed my vote this morning, so if you know what I know, which is that I know who I know, I went ahead and voted for who I know so you can go and vote for someone who you know... if you know someone or know someone who knows someone.
Last week I was "gently" reminded (in my comments) that I promised to talk about the MOOTS process in a little bit of detail. I guess I was lacking in that department a little, so thanks for the reminder. Getting the frame going took a little bit of time as my contact person had a shit ton of repping to do in January. I have to admit as anxious as I am to get my hands on my new frame I wasn't the least bit concerned since this go around I'm dealing with a fairly big company with a long history of satisfied customers. I had submitted my numbers and ideas back in early January, and I knew sooner or later I'd see a drawing. Specifically I knew my first race wasn't till April, so my panties remained unwadded.
Here's the boring number stuff, so read on if you must.
I got the drawing on Friday. They pretty much used the numbers I supplied, and pushed some things as far as they could logically be pushed. The front end geometry is very close to that of the medium One Niner I rode last summer. That was my doing. The head tube is 90mm and will sit on a 490mm long Niner fork with 40mm of rake. This makes for @ 77mm of trail, which is on the longer side in comparison to my Thylacine (which was closer to 70mm), but with reason. I wanted to be able to put my 100mm Fox on the bike when I needed some recovery time (or when I get too old to ride rigid), so the l-o-n-g Niner fork was in order. Also instead of having to get a custom fork I now have two Niner forks I can use at my disposal which I obtained for a very good price (less than half what I paid for my sexy custom IF fork).
I was comfortable with the Niner handling, although I wanted my weight to be further back to unweight the front end a little. When I rode a small Zion with around 80mm of trail and a 74.5 STA/71 HTA I found it hard to unweight the front end and I had problems with the front tire washing out. What I want is going to be accomplished with a 72.75 degree STA (the Niner was 73.5) and the use of a setback Cinch seat post. What does all this mean? The bike will hold its own on downhills without the wash out problem, and I will be able to get back to where I'm comfortable on descents. I am doing my best to avoid the terms "stable" and "flickable" that Walt so poignantly dissed when talking about overused terms in the 29'er world.
Let's see, what else?
I went with 60mm of BB drop. That means a BB height of around 12.25". With all the EBB bikes I've ridden I've had my BB at so many different heights, so when I actually had the option to have my own custom (and very static) height I went with the one that felt best on my other bikes (when they were in the "right gear").
The stays have been set around 17.6" (with the sliders mostly all the way forward). If you wanna debate stay length go over to MTBR and have a field day. Too short and the bike rides rough and doesn't climb as well, unless you're in the camp that believes the opposite. Too long and you can't get the front end up... well unless of course you think that's wrong. The great thing is with sliders and half links I'll be able to mess with the chainstay length and dial it in as I please. Both the Zion and the Niner were 17.3" and my Thylacine was closer to 17.6", and to be honest I couldn't tell the difference. I will say that when you ask for 72.75 (MOOTS) or 72 degree (Thylacine) seat tube angle you are going to end up with longer stays or a worked over (bent or cutaway) seat tube. It's all good.
Other bland stuff...
23.5 ETT
17" C to Top/15" C to C seat tube
Saddle and bars damn near level. I used to think I liked a little drop, but after riding the Niner with a tall front end I found myself drawn to it like a fly to shit. Some people might think it stinks, but I say it's what's for dinner. Besides, it make the bike more "stable" and "flickable"...
Damn it, I'm such a sheep.
The Other White Rich D and I cheering on our boy (Rob C, but not the Other White Rob C) while reminding him that the hopes of dreams of the people of Charlotte rest on his shoulders.
photo cred: LeanneThe Other White Rich D and I went out for a merry and joyous ride, drank our very maturely moderated amount of beverages, and woke up looking not too shabby before heading back to our wonderful families able to function in our roles as husbands and fathers.
Sunday I decided to NOT do the short track race. A full'ish day of riding in Pisgah followed with a not so comfortable night of sleep in the back of the cold Element put me in a bit of a sore state, so I elected to opt out and just watch The Boy do his laps. I did see one Jeremiahbishop.com warming up on his new team bike that did not look like a Trek at all (because it wasn't) and his shorts matched his bike pretty well, so one can guess that he'll be announcing his new affiliation shortly VIA the WWW.
The Breck Epic site has gone live. All the blogger contest info isn't quite up yet, but promoter Mike McCormack has put the voting system in place. You can go here to check it out. Here's the best part (I'll harp on yinz about how great I am later). The voting is set up so you can pick your top three. I know that some of us that are on the ballot swim in the same ponds with a lot of the same fish, and some people were going to have a hard time deciding just where to put their one vote. Well no worries as you can rank your top three choices and spread the love... more on all this when the blogger info goes live. I placed my vote this morning, so if you know what I know, which is that I know who I know, I went ahead and voted for who I know so you can go and vote for someone who you know... if you know someone or know someone who knows someone.
Last week I was "gently" reminded (in my comments) that I promised to talk about the MOOTS process in a little bit of detail. I guess I was lacking in that department a little, so thanks for the reminder. Getting the frame going took a little bit of time as my contact person had a shit ton of repping to do in January. I have to admit as anxious as I am to get my hands on my new frame I wasn't the least bit concerned since this go around I'm dealing with a fairly big company with a long history of satisfied customers. I had submitted my numbers and ideas back in early January, and I knew sooner or later I'd see a drawing. Specifically I knew my first race wasn't till April, so my panties remained unwadded.
Here's the boring number stuff, so read on if you must.
I got the drawing on Friday. They pretty much used the numbers I supplied, and pushed some things as far as they could logically be pushed. The front end geometry is very close to that of the medium One Niner I rode last summer. That was my doing. The head tube is 90mm and will sit on a 490mm long Niner fork with 40mm of rake. This makes for @ 77mm of trail, which is on the longer side in comparison to my Thylacine (which was closer to 70mm), but with reason. I wanted to be able to put my 100mm Fox on the bike when I needed some recovery time (or when I get too old to ride rigid), so the l-o-n-g Niner fork was in order. Also instead of having to get a custom fork I now have two Niner forks I can use at my disposal which I obtained for a very good price (less than half what I paid for my sexy custom IF fork).
I was comfortable with the Niner handling, although I wanted my weight to be further back to unweight the front end a little. When I rode a small Zion with around 80mm of trail and a 74.5 STA/71 HTA I found it hard to unweight the front end and I had problems with the front tire washing out. What I want is going to be accomplished with a 72.75 degree STA (the Niner was 73.5) and the use of a setback Cinch seat post. What does all this mean? The bike will hold its own on downhills without the wash out problem, and I will be able to get back to where I'm comfortable on descents. I am doing my best to avoid the terms "stable" and "flickable" that Walt so poignantly dissed when talking about overused terms in the 29'er world.
Let's see, what else?
I went with 60mm of BB drop. That means a BB height of around 12.25". With all the EBB bikes I've ridden I've had my BB at so many different heights, so when I actually had the option to have my own custom (and very static) height I went with the one that felt best on my other bikes (when they were in the "right gear").
The stays have been set around 17.6" (with the sliders mostly all the way forward). If you wanna debate stay length go over to MTBR and have a field day. Too short and the bike rides rough and doesn't climb as well, unless you're in the camp that believes the opposite. Too long and you can't get the front end up... well unless of course you think that's wrong. The great thing is with sliders and half links I'll be able to mess with the chainstay length and dial it in as I please. Both the Zion and the Niner were 17.3" and my Thylacine was closer to 17.6", and to be honest I couldn't tell the difference. I will say that when you ask for 72.75 (MOOTS) or 72 degree (Thylacine) seat tube angle you are going to end up with longer stays or a worked over (bent or cutaway) seat tube. It's all good.
Other bland stuff...
23.5 ETT
17" C to Top/15" C to C seat tube
Saddle and bars damn near level. I used to think I liked a little drop, but after riding the Niner with a tall front end I found myself drawn to it like a fly to shit. Some people might think it stinks, but I say it's what's for dinner. Besides, it make the bike more "stable" and "flickable"...
Damn it, I'm such a sheep.
Friday, February 6
Getting funky on the bike like an old batch of collard greens
I have decided that in lieu of going to TMHTE this weekend I am going to attend TMFTE. I'm pretty sure I'm not up for 36 hours of racing around Pisgah and being at the "whim of a madman".
So what is TMFTE? I will have the pleasure of the Other White Rich D's company as we leave tomorrow morning for The Most Funnest Thing Ever. No, I'm not talking about going to Nothing but Noodles to hear Jeremiahbishop.com talk at great length about himself, but if any of you go I want a detailed report. Basically we're heading to the TMHTE race venue, going for a big ride (approximately as long as one of the six stages of TMHTE), and then drinking beer and sitting by the campfire as racers stumble in and out of camp. Yeah, pretty weak, but whatever. The way things are rolling in the wrist/hand recovery department I should be ready to start riding rigid by the time my MOOTS gets here.
Speaking of rigid...
I took advantage of a delayed business start due to our 2"+ of snow on Wednesday, and I drove out to Drake Coatings to pick up my funky fresh fork.
That color is what Tom Drake calls "Super Chrome". What makes it so super?
There are tiny little flakes of pink and purple in the powder that would make Siegfried and Roy say it's just too much glitz and glam. Oh yeah, he only charged me $10 for a powder job on my fork, and when the MOOTS shows up my yet to be named Zion is going in (frame and fork) for a fresh coat of powder for @ $65. Beat that.
and lastly...
My DeBernardi road bike is complete.
Under 20lbs (less than two sacks of shit), but still looks like three sacks of shit. During my three minute shakedown ride I tried to shift with my Cane Creek brake levers fifty three times before looking down at the silly paddle things mounted on my downtube. You should also notice the random use of black and silver anodized parts. You're going to see a lot of that at Interbike this year.
I'd make up some more shit about gophers and maybe poke fun at a couple misanthropes right now, but I gotta get packing so I can spend some time with the family tonight while they are awake.
So what is TMFTE? I will have the pleasure of the Other White Rich D's company as we leave tomorrow morning for The Most Funnest Thing Ever. No, I'm not talking about going to Nothing but Noodles to hear Jeremiahbishop.com talk at great length about himself, but if any of you go I want a detailed report. Basically we're heading to the TMHTE race venue, going for a big ride (approximately as long as one of the six stages of TMHTE), and then drinking beer and sitting by the campfire as racers stumble in and out of camp. Yeah, pretty weak, but whatever. The way things are rolling in the wrist/hand recovery department I should be ready to start riding rigid by the time my MOOTS gets here.Speaking of rigid...
I took advantage of a delayed business start due to our 2"+ of snow on Wednesday, and I drove out to Drake Coatings to pick up my funky fresh fork.
That color is what Tom Drake calls "Super Chrome". What makes it so super?
There are tiny little flakes of pink and purple in the powder that would make Siegfried and Roy say it's just too much glitz and glam. Oh yeah, he only charged me $10 for a powder job on my fork, and when the MOOTS shows up my yet to be named Zion is going in (frame and fork) for a fresh coat of powder for @ $65. Beat that.and lastly...
My DeBernardi road bike is complete.
Under 20lbs (less than two sacks of shit), but still looks like three sacks of shit. During my three minute shakedown ride I tried to shift with my Cane Creek brake levers fifty three times before looking down at the silly paddle things mounted on my downtube. You should also notice the random use of black and silver anodized parts. You're going to see a lot of that at Interbike this year. I'd make up some more shit about gophers and maybe poke fun at a couple misanthropes right now, but I gotta get packing so I can spend some time with the family tonight while they are awake.
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