<===The Latest Version.

I am still refining the Big Mama. I've been riding this rig, and even though its been muddy more often than not, (just look at them dirty tires!), it has been an awesome rig. Funny how a "big" bike can claw its way up stuff. That suspension helps in that regard for sure.

So, I have some Quad Dime XC brakes in white here with the new GA-1 white grips from Ergon. I have used the brakes before and for the money, they can't be beat. Better modulation than Avid Juicys and Elixirs for less money. Then the Ergon grips are awesome on this sort of bike. Full grip for power moves and just plain hanging on when things point waaay down! Plus, they are pimpy white! (You can only really see the green end caps here, but trust me, hit the link, you'll see they come in white!)

Next up? Crank refinements. Maybe a new bottom bracket. We'll see.



<====Is it just another Trek Fuel.....











<=====........or not???

Well, you never know, but pros do sell their old rigs some times. Could this have been Travis Brown's rig at one time? Hmmm.......looks a size too big, but......ya never know!

I thought it was funny that it had Specialized tires on it though!

Okay, that's all I got today. Have a great weekend, ride your bikes, and will somebody please stop the rain already!!!

Labels: Big Mama, Salsa Cycles, Travis Brown

<===New Pink Velocity Blunt rims on the Blackbuck.

Okay, this is a mega-packed post today. Sit back and grab yer coffee!

I rode my Blackbuck at Cedar bend yesterday since it was the only place that was ready to ride after our recent deluge within a reasonable driving distance. Still, it was pretty greasy in spots and sure enough, I had a right hand off camber after a down hill that sent me sprawling.




I came to a halt with my nose about three inches from the critter you see in the pic on the left here. The critter was not amused, and quickly scurried away from me, but not before I captured its image for you all here!

I did some damage to my right hamstring in the wreck, and I cramped, or nearly cramped the rest of the ride. It was painful, but at least I was riding. The single speedness of my Blackbuck surely didn't help, but I wasn't about to turn around and go home just yet!


Mike Curiak Nominated To The Mountain Bike Hall Of Fame: Okay, on behalf of Mr. Curiak, I am making this announcement that he is up for a vote to get in the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. I helped craft his nomination write up, which is in the list here for you to look at. Just click on Mike's name to read it.

If you think Mike is worthy, you can vote for him, but it'll cost ya! $20.00 to be exact. That said, that $20.00 helps keep the Hall running and will let you have a chance to vote in Mike. But hurry! As in all good things, this comes to an end on July 15th, so hurry!

Ellsworth Bikes to do a carbon hard tail 29"er: In my poking around on the web, I came across an announcement for Ellsworth Bikes carbon 26"er hard tail rig. So I read it, and sure enough, a 29"er is also in the works. No word on whether it'll be a U.S. made product, like Ellsworth is proud of. I'm betting it won't be.

Shed Fire Does A Off Road Drop Bar: Okay, the cat is out of the bag. Brant Richards, formerly of On One and now running his own outfit called Shed Fire has done up another off road drop bar.



<=====Shows the flare from the front, albeit upside down!

Labels: Brant Richards, Cedar Bend, drop bar, Mike Curiak, OS Bikes Blackbuck

Note: In Part I I introduce the premise that Mountain Bike Magazine is going to tell us "The Truth" about 29 inch wheels, which ends up being a treatise circa 2005 about the characteristics of 29"ers and then descends into a discussion of 26 inch versus 29 inch wheels. I give some examples today and my commentary....

Okay, so let's see what this mag is calling "The Truth" about 29"ers, shall we? First off, it all starts out well enough with the obvious roll over benefit of larger wheels. They introduce a scientist and he tells us there is something to it, but it is hard to measure. Then they get around to correcting a misunderstanding some have about the contact patch of a 29"er wheel. It isn't larger, it is longer. Yep! I've been saying that all along. But here's where the scientist goes off the rails and Mountain Bike sort of contradicts themselves in regards to his statement.

The science guy says that even though there is an advantage to the longer contact patch, it "is so small it's unlikely to be noticeable." Then Mountain Bike says that they "know" that 29"er tires have more grip and traction on climbs, provide more grip in corners, and that they perform better in mud and sand.

So they "noticed" the "unlikely to be noticeable". Wow.

Then they explain 29"ers stability, but first they take a stab at the oft repeated, "you can't turn that long board in tight trails" saw. Funny thing about that. If you compare the wheel bases of 26 inch trail bikes and 29"er trail bikes the differences are often less than an inch and sometimes 29"ers have (gasp!) shorter wheel bases! Let's just say I've never had any problem going around the same tight turns on my 29"ers that I did on my old 26"ers. That's my experience. I've heard similar from other 29"er guys. Your mileage may vary.

At any rate, they tell us that a longer wheel base and heavier wheels make the 29"er feel more stable. Really? What about my sub 1500 gram wheel set? You could hardly say that was heavy, yet it is more stable feeling than my old lightweight 26"er wheels that weighed the same. Hmm.... I think they missed it slightly. True, gyroscopic effect is at work, but the geometry of a 29 inch wheeled bike has a lot to do with this, and they do not even mention that.

Then they hit the old "more weight, less stiffness" argument. Yes, at one time this was true, but it is quickly becoming a thing of the past. I can point to any 29"er specific component and show you several examples of stiffer components that relegate this argument as being archaic. Also, the weight thing, that isn't much of a concern anymore either. I mean, we have guys riding geared 29"er hard tails in the low 20's for weight, and single speeders riding 29"ers that rival most road bikes in weight. The thing is, if you followed this logic, roadies would be riding 26 inch wheeled road bikes. They don't, and for good reasons besides the fact that the 700c wheels are a mandated size these days. (That wasn't always the case)

Then we see the old "handle bars are too high" argument. Funny, but I see tons of 26 inch trail bikes with riser bars, and handle bar heights that are above the saddle height. This is pretty common these days with 26"ers. So why pick on 29"ers? And added to this, I have plenty of spacers under my stems on several of my bikes, and not one has the handle bars higher than the saddle. Go figure. I must be an oddball, or a circus freak at 6'1" and a 34" inseam. I mean, if they are right, then I must be all wrong!

Then they talk about trail as if the new crop of suspension forks, (forks that have been out for two seasons already) were never developed. Weird!

Okay, there is more, but this is getting to be pretty obvious. If this is "The Truth" I don't want any part of it.

See ya'all in fantasy land as I ride off on my fairy tale 29"er that doesn't really exist. You know, the one that carves tight turns, accelerates like a rocket, is stiff where it should be, and has great positioning and handling characteristics. Yeah........that bicycle.

C'mon! You're kidding me, right Mountain Bike Magazine? This stuff can't be for real.

Labels: 29"er, Mountain Bike Magazine

The "Race Against Death Tour" rides into another blazing hot summer day on a lonely stretch of State Highway 44 in South Dakota.....

As we rolled along, the heat increased and the cloudy haze began to give way to more intense, bright sunshine. We were going through water like crazy with the temperatures hitting around 100 degrees that day. So it was that we came to a tiny spot in the road that on our maps said was a town named Witten. We pulled off the road to see what looked like a feed mill and grain elevator operation in a dusty, unpaved "cul de sac" with a few houses back behind that. We noted that there was a little water spigot located right behind a small shack. We didn't need to knock, as our conversation alerted a few of the operations employees to step outside in the blazing heat to see what the heck all the commotion was about.

After one of them gave the okay to use the water spigot, he quickly ducked back into the air conditioned shack, leaving a short-ish, wiry fellow to speak with us. I quickly found Troy taking my bottles so I would have to be the one to talk to this fellow. Ryan sort of shadowed me for a bit, but when it became apparent this guy was slightly odd, he too shrank away, leaving me to deal with our latest "V.I.P" (Village Idiot Person) Actually, I thought this guy was okay, just sheltered, shall we say?

He kind of was a cross between that character on the 60's show "Gunsmoke" named "Festus" and a town drunk. Anyway, you have to think his dialogue in a western drawl....

Him: "So, where ya'all headed?

Me: "We're going to the Black Hills, and then to Rocky Mountain National Park."

Him: "So, yer goin straight up 44, eh? That's Injun country, ya know. Those folks is a little waspy. Why I carry me a pistol by my side on the seat in the truck whenever I go through there.

Me: So those folks aren't too friendly?

Him: "Well theys shoot ya soon as talk ta ya, but it depends on what yer doin'.

Me: "Huh! No kiddin? "

He then goes on to tell me he trades in horses. He says he carries large sums of money at times from the sales of the animals, and that he needs the protection of the side arm.

Him: "Did yew know that it's zactly two hunnert miles from here ta the race track at the edge of Rapid City? Two hunnert miles! From right here!" He points to the ground at his feet.

Me: "No kiddin?"

Him: "Yep! And didja ever go up in any of them caves? "

He goes on to tell me of a family vacation where he describes the stalagmites and stalactites as "icicles" that shown like "jew-wells" in the lights and "didja know its a constant 49 degrees in there?"

Well, you get the point by now, I am sure! Troy and Ryan finally tore me away from this guy and we were off to the road, but not before Troy could voice his fear of the Native Americans. He had overheard the "V.I.P's" comments about the "waspy" folks and heard "guns" and was thinking we should re-route. I said that we were not in danger of anything. Heck, the guys the "V.I.P." was afraid of were after his horse money, and we had nothing any Native American could want. We were about as poor, destitute, and stinky as they come. What would they point a gun at us for? Our stinky chamois? And with that we went off down the road again.

It wasn't long though, and we were in need of more water. We saw a spot on the map and aimed our bikes for there. The town was named Wood, and it was slightly off the road. As we approached on the blacktop leading into this tiny town, we saw busted off trees, broken buildings, and there wasn't a green leaf to be found. A small pack of dogs took up to barking and gave chase as we rode up to the first outliers.

It wasn't so much like a tornado had hit this place, even though it may have, but it looked like one of those WWII pictures from my high school history books. Bombed. That's what Wood looked like. A bombed out town. We scattered as the dogs approached, Ryan with his frame pump held high, ready to strike, me barking back, and Troy yelling at them in a stern tone of voice. The dogs finally relented, we rolled up to a gas station, and searched for something to drink.

Next week: The Tour continues to the shock and horror of our overnight stop......

Labels: The Race Against Death Tour, Touring Tuesdays

A week ago, a co-worker of mine hands me an issue of Mountain Bike and asks me if I am interested in a few things in the issue. It turns out it was the July '09 issue and their were a few pages bent over at the corners to help me find the articles he was wanting me to see.....and comment on. Oh! I know that wasn't really the point that was made, but the inference was there. I get it. So, here goes............

First off, this issue is emblazoned in the lower left corner of the cover with this gem: Why 29ers Are All Wrong! (Or Right). Okay, I don't usually go out looking for this sort of thing, so please understand, I don't really mind what the established media says about big wheels, but this title already says to me- "We're straddling the fence on this issue." Interesting. I guess it is an admission that a certain portion of the readership might get offended. That's always good for some feedback and increasing the numbers of units sold. Can't blame them for doing their job, ya know.

Next, I go to the first tabbed article my co-worker was curious about. Good ol' Wes Williams of Willits! Well, if you wanted to upset the apple cart, Wes is your man. He is a smart, experienced, talented guy that has no "mind filter". You know- He just processes stuff in his head in raw form and out it comes. Like it or not. You get about 10 seconds to figure out where Wes is coming from in regards to 29"ers. If you can't figure it out after that, you are either deaf, dead, or too stoned to understand. Let's just say this: If I were a public relations dude for 29"ers in general, Wes would be far from my first choice for the uninitiated to talk to. Don't get me wrong. I like Wes. But he is what he is, and he ain't gonna sugar coat it. So, an interesting salvo to start out your latest issues 29"er coverage with. (By the way, the piece is hilarious, in my opinion. Some real corkers are let off by Wes here.)

So, on to the main article. Under their "Gear" sector in the aptly named "Tecnobabble" area is an article named "The Three Inch Difference- Finally, the truth about 29- inch wheels" Okay, this is promising. "The Truth" about big wheels! This ought ta be good! (Oh! And ironies of ironies, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski is shown in a full page pic on his 29"er. He just won a National Marathon Championship aboard his Superfly 100, beating a course record and his wife, Heather Irminger also won a Championship the same day aboard a Superfly.)

Okay, so anytime a mag lays down the claim that they have "The Truth", you know it is going to be good, right? Well, I couldn't have been more disappointed. The article read as if it had been written circa 2005. Amazing statements showing the lack of current 29"er technology and geometry are made. Scientists are brought in to ferret out "The Truth" and even they couldn't agree on several points.

Oh, and did I mention that the entire piece was a 26"er versus 29"er one? Yeah.........imminent fail.

Before I write Part II and get into the specifics, I am going to lay out my position again, as I have from the beginning, on what the deal with 29"ers and 26"ers is. This hasn't changed in my mind since about March 2003:

29"ers are better at keeping me from having endos, wipe outs, and other crashes when I ride out in the woods. They do smooth out bumps, climb steeps better, and descend in a more stable, controlled manner than my former 26 inch wheeled bikes. This is more fun for me. I suggest you actually ride a 29"er to see for yourself whether you too might benefit from this larger wheel size.

There! That's it in a nutshell. We can have all the science guys babbling all day long, have experts yak the yak, and even racers winning on them, but the real and "true" way to figure it out is to ride one and see. I've always held to this belief. No science guys, magazine writers, or even me, can convince anyone without them actually riding one first. The wheels sell themselves, that is the bottom line.

With that said, I'll return Wednesday with some fodder and comments regarding this article. Stay tuned!

Labels: 29"er, Mountain Bike Magazine

Well, you had your chance to speak, and now the verdict is in. But before I go any further, let me make a few comments..........

First, the reasonings why the organizers of the DK 200 wanted to move their date had to do with the fact that Memorial Day falls at the very end of May next year. They don't really want to move up into the month of May for two reasons- Graduations and getting too close to Trans Iowa. Then if they go into June, they are afraid that it will get waaaay too hot. So that is what I understand is the reasonings on their part. Of course, if I switched their problems would become my problems. Heh heh!

Secondly, I distinctly got the feeling that you guys are concerned that d.p. and I stay happy with what we do so you can come and do what you do at Trans Iowa. Ya know.....I am to blame for that! I fostered that "if this starts to suck I am done with it" attitude. I understand, and that is cool that some of you expressed that sentiment. I get that.

Then there were the votes not to change it, and some of you basically said it doesn't matter when it is, you are coming. That's cool too.

So, in the final analysis, I don't see any overwhelming reason to stop what we're doing and move Trans Iowa's date. If anything, I will slide it back to the end of April, but that has yet to be determined. If my other gig takes me back to Sea Otter, I may not, but to be honest, I'm about Sea Ottered out. We'll see.

So, reast assured as you pedal about this 4th of July weekend that Trans Iowa will not be moving it's date. Be thankful you live somewhere that there are such cycling events, and celebrate your freedom on yer bicycle! Have a safe and happy 4th of July folks!

Labels: Trans Iowa V6

<===Nearing the highest point of the route, you can see for miles....

Okay, I have the route reconned. Here's some more highlights.... You can see more of the opening sections of the GTDRI ride here.

Leaving Elkader, we'll go out on County C1X, which rolls along a stream valley, then heads right and up to this ridge view. Where C1X joins Harbor Rd, the views are outstanding in all directions. I bet I could see for up to five miles from there across valleys and lower hill tops. Amazing views!



<===The first B Maintenance road of the day.

After winding up and down some rollers, we get off C1X and on Imperial Rd. This is a B Maintenance road that starts out loose and steep with some pretty big, chunky gravel. Then it levels off, just a wee bit, to what you see in the photo here. A long, double track climb to 302nd Street. After this, we go down and up a couple of amazingly steep rollers to a bit of chip seal road for a couple of miles. Then we turn on to Impala Rd. This starts out with a couple ridiculous rollers, then makes a hard left, turns to B maintenance, and goes down sharply.



<===Loose, chunky rip-rap on Impala Road

Now Impala Road goes down a ridge side in a roller coaster fashion. We'll be picking our way down though, since it is all big, chunky, loose rock. This ain't yer garden variety chunk gravel folks! This is fresh outta the quarry limestone that is going to be tricky. It is steep in sections, and I had to crawl it with my SUV recon vehicle, like walking speed crawl it! Yeah, this is going to be fun! Especially if you bring a cross bike.

Impala Road dumps out to some fairly benign dirt and goes along the Turkey River for about a mile where we join X3C for a bit more pavement. We cross another stream and turn right on Iowa. This winds along the stream valley for a bit until we hit a cool little iron bridge.


<===Turning off Iowa to head back into the hills!

Then I hit a bit of a conundrum. I have two choices for the route to go across C7X and eventually to a heinous climb up above Bixby State Preserve. First choice is a rather nice gravel climb that eventually leads to spectacular views of the Volga River valley. The other goes left, turns right, goes across a low water crossing, gets narrower, with bigger chunk gravel, goes up, and then does something pretty amazing. Something I'm not sure anyone is up for. Here's the deal...



<===The low water crossing which leads to the worst "road" I've ever seen.

There is pretty fresh gravel after the low water crossing for about 200 yards of steep, double tracked road. Then the fresh gravel veers left into an Amish farmstead. The "road", if you can call it that, disappears quickly into a severely rutted dirt path that has been the playground of some monster trucks at one point. The ruts are literally three feet deep, and there is no way you can ride a bike up this steep climb. There is no ditch, it is literally walled in by brush and trees. Added to this is the fact that there are weeds choking the way, and did I mention it was steep?

This would be purely hike-a-bike for what I estimate would be a third of a mile, getting increasingly steeper until it pops out onto C7X right by.......I bet you can't guess......a cemetery! Then across the road for some big rollers, downhill to the river valley, and the heinous climb I mentioned previously, which we get no matter which way we choose!

I may let this be a "game time" decision.

Anyway, we get another mile of B Maintenance on top of a ridge then descending into Bixby State Preserve, I hear there is another low water crossing. (Yep! I have not seen it, because you can not drive a car down there!) Then back up to just north of Edgewood, turning west, we hit up Mission Road.

This is an old stage coach route that survived the "grid" pattern imposed upon the land back in the day. Mission Road is decidedly angular, and flattish! We'll go right through Strawberry point on this. Then heading northwards, we zig-zag across some very hilly terrain at times to Volga. Out of there, we have an engaging climb that lasts for miles. (Really!) Then we get to see parts of the T.I.V3 course as we roll past Wadena, going across the Volga, up a winding climb, to the backside of the Volga Recreation Area. Then we'll head northwards through the "hated Dove Road section" (Just ask EnduroSnob sometime!), and back to Echo Valley State Park.

It should end up being 100-120 miles or so.

I'll have more details coming soon. Stay tuned!

Labels: Guitar Ted Death Ride