Weekend Report: The Short Version

The Big Weekend is over. Here's a breif report of what went down with much more detail coming after Touring Tuesdays.

Friday: Left the house about 5:30pm with the family in tow. Drove to Bellevue, Nebraska and dropped them off to a friends house where they spent the weekend. I continued on to Lincoln, Nebraska, arriving at MG's pad to pick up a little "thermonuclear protection". After chit-chatting up Kansans Joel Dyke, Joe Fox, and MG, it was off to the "D Street Hotel", where I met up with Cornbread, who thought I was a solicitor. (If you know the neighborhood, you'd understand a bit better) It was about 11:30pm, and I stayed up to talk a bit with some of the folks and then found my spot on a hardwood floor for the very, very short night's sleep.

Saturday: Woke up at 4:30am and had some grub for breakfast. MW and Troy Krause came by to ride with us over to the MOPAC Trail to start the event. The Good Life Gravel Adventure had 42 starters, and great, coolish weather to start out in. The sunrise was beautiful, but I'll save the rest for later. Short story: Body shut down, I pulled out at the last checkpoint in Courtland with 106 miles of 140 scheduled. Afterwards, I headed back to D Street, did a bit of relaxing, and went with MG that night to Potter's Pasture. (Link takes you to some good photos!)

Sunday: Woke up, ride Potter's Pasture. AWESOME!! Scoped out for the Bigwheeled Ballyhoo.(More on that later) Then had to head back from over 600 miles away from home. (Yeah........lotso windshield time yesterday!) Got home just about 10:30pm.

Whacked!!

I"ll post some pics and give out way more details here and elsewhere soon. Stay Tuned!!

Weekend Report: The Short Version

The Big Weekend is over. Here's a breif report of what went down with much more detail coming after Touring Tuesdays.

Friday: Left the house about 5:30pm with the family in tow. Drove to Bellevue, Nebraska and dropped them off to a friends house where they spent the weekend. I continued on to Lincoln, Nebraska, arriving at MG's pad to pick up a little "thermonuclear protection". After chit-chatting up Kansans Joel Dyke, Joe Fox, and MG, it was off to the "D Street Hotel", where I met up with Cornbread, who thought I was a solicitor. (If you know the neighborhood, you'd understand a bit better) It was about 11:30pm, and I stayed up to talk a bit with some of the folks and then found my spot on a hardwood floor for the very, very short night's sleep.

Saturday: Woke up at 4:30am and had some grub for breakfast. MW and Troy Krause came by to ride with us over to the MOPAC Trail to start the event. The Good Life Gravel Adventure had 42 starters, and great, coolish weather to start out in. The sunrise was beautiful, but I'll save the rest for later. Short story: Body shut down, I pulled out at the last checkpoint in Courtland with 106 miles of 140 scheduled. Afterwards, I headed back to D Street, did a bit of relaxing, and went with MG that night to Potter's Pasture. (Link takes you to some good photos!)

Sunday: Woke up, ride Potter's Pasture. AWESOME!! Scoped out for the Bigwheeled Ballyhoo.(More on that later) Then had to head back from over 600 miles away from home. (Yeah........lotso windshield time yesterday!) Got home just about 10:30pm.

Whacked!!

I"ll post some pics and give out way more details here and elsewhere soon. Stay Tuned!!

Friday News And Views

It's Friday, and you know what that means? It's "Friday News And Views" time!



Big Wheeled Ballyhoo News! Okay, I am finally going to the site of the Ballyhoo to check it out as part of my whirlwind tour of Nebraska this weekend. After I get done with the Good Life Gravel Adventure, it is off to a place near Brady, Nebraska to check out Potter's Pasture on Sunday. Then after a brief tour, I'll be coming back to Iowa on Sunday evening. Can you say "windshield time"? Yes......yes you can!



Eurobike: The biggest, baddest cycling show of 'em all starts next week in Germany. Eurobike is all the rage in the industry and even new 29"er stuff gets debuted there before Interbike, and Euros don't even like 29"ers. (Well, at least the Germans don't!) Anyway, things didn't start out so well for Santa Cruz who had there only ride able production Tall Boy example heisted (along with a bunch of other companies stuff) from a U.K. warehouse that was pinpointed by thieves for this robbery opportunity. Little do they know that this is one of one bikes, and if it ever shows up, it will be like sounding a gong in the industry. Hopefully the dirty pinchers get caught out. Read more about it here. Ironically, Euros don't buy 29"ers much, but apparently they will steal them. Good to know if you are travelling in the Old World with your wagon wheeler!


<===Sorry, but I don't get the step backwards here!

You know what? Technology is supposed to make my life easier! Not more complicated. Case in point is this Blackburn Nuero 6.0 computer. It costs msrp at $250.00, and it tells you all kinds of information. Okay, that's cool. I don't have a problem with information. What I have a problem with is that I have to "sync up" the sensors when I set the unit up, which includes me having to put on the heart rate monitor. Then after the fussy set up procedure, I have to "link" all available sensors every time I wake up the computer from sleep mode. Not only that, but if you stop for longer than 12-15 seconds on a ride, the computer returns to sleep mode and will not start again unless manually prompted to do so. Sorry Blackburn, (and all the other digital computer models like this), but I have a msrp $25.00 Cateye that can start itself after going into sleep mode, and I do not lose any precious data when it does. It doesn't have a fussy set up procedure, and I don't have to "link" it to anything when I go for a ride. It just works. I do not have to remember to do anything.

Okay, so when your digital computer can do that, come back and see me. Otherwise all you have here is a big, stinking pile of fail!




<====Made in the U.S.A., but at what cost???

I posted this frame from Foes Racing on Twenty Nine Inches the other day. While having more choices is good and all, and being a U.S.A. made product is cool, this frame is set to MSRP at $3,000.00!! Yup, all those zeros are correct there. 3 grand for what I am sure is a finely crafted rig, but that is a lot of coin for a single pivot, aluminum frame with 3-4 inches of travel. I don't know about this one folks, but I don't see many of these getting sold. Just my opinion.

I'd love to be wrong about that, and I'd love to see this homegrown wagon wheeler take off, but this is a bit steeply priced to get on board with.



Speaking of home grown......

Chris DeStefano of Chris King Precision Components sent me this image of his new single speed big wheeler. (He is way too kind to me, by the way) Anyway, this is kind of a special rig. Not only does it feature a new Chris King Inset head set, but it was made by Chris King's own frame building crew! You see, Mr. King was somewhat of a frame builder way back, but that part of his business didn't take off, because he got distracted by this head set thing along the way. well, now he has revived that part of his talents with Cielo Bikes. So this is an S&S travel connectored, steel 29"er that Chris D had made for himself by his boss. Weird, but cool! (Wish my boss was a frame builder!) At any rate, it is one sweet rig.

Okay, that's it for today. I'm off to the Good Life Gravel Adventure tonight and tomorrow, then Big Wheeled Ballyhoo territory Saturday night and early Sunday, and a long trip eastwards come Sunday afternoon! Reports to follow!

Go ride yer bikes already!

Friday News And Views

It's Friday, and you know what that means? It's "Friday News And Views" time!



Big Wheeled Ballyhoo News! Okay, I am finally going to the site of the Ballyhoo to check it out as part of my whirlwind tour of Nebraska this weekend. After I get done with the Good Life Gravel Adventure, it is off to a place near Brady, Nebraska to check out Potter's Pasture on Sunday. Then after a brief tour, I'll be coming back to Iowa on Sunday evening. Can you say "windshield time"? Yes......yes you can!



Eurobike: The biggest, baddest cycling show of 'em all starts next week in Germany. Eurobike is all the rage in the industry and even new 29"er stuff gets debuted there before Interbike, and Euros don't even like 29"ers. (Well, at least the Germans don't!) Anyway, things didn't start out so well for Santa Cruz who had there only ride able production Tall Boy example heisted (along with a bunch of other companies stuff) from a U.K. warehouse that was pinpointed by thieves for this robbery opportunity. Little do they know that this is one of one bikes, and if it ever shows up, it will be like sounding a gong in the industry. Hopefully the dirty pinchers get caught out. Read more about it here. Ironically, Euros don't buy 29"ers much, but apparently they will steal them. Good to know if you are travelling in the Old World with your wagon wheeler!


<===Sorry, but I don't get the step backwards here!

You know what? Technology is supposed to make my life easier! Not more complicated. Case in point is this Blackburn Nuero 6.0 computer. It costs msrp at $250.00, and it tells you all kinds of information. Okay, that's cool. I don't have a problem with information. What I have a problem with is that I have to "sync up" the sensors when I set the unit up, which includes me having to put on the heart rate monitor. Then after the fussy set up procedure, I have to "link" all available sensors every time I wake up the computer from sleep mode. Not only that, but if you stop for longer than 12-15 seconds on a ride, the computer returns to sleep mode and will not start again unless manually prompted to do so. Sorry Blackburn, (and all the other digital computer models like this), but I have a msrp $25.00 Cateye that can start itself after going into sleep mode, and I do not lose any precious data when it does. It doesn't have a fussy set up procedure, and I don't have to "link" it to anything when I go for a ride. It just works. I do not have to remember to do anything.

Okay, so when your digital computer can do that, come back and see me. Otherwise all you have here is a big, stinking pile of fail!




<====Made in the U.S.A., but at what cost???

I posted this frame from Foes Racing on Twenty Nine Inches the other day. While having more choices is good and all, and being a U.S.A. made product is cool, this frame is set to MSRP at $3,000.00!! Yup, all those zeros are correct there. 3 grand for what I am sure is a finely crafted rig, but that is a lot of coin for a single pivot, aluminum frame with 3-4 inches of travel. I don't know about this one folks, but I don't see many of these getting sold. Just my opinion.

I'd love to be wrong about that, and I'd love to see this homegrown wagon wheeler take off, but this is a bit steeply priced to get on board with.



Speaking of home grown......

Chris DeStefano of Chris King Precision Components sent me this image of his new single speed big wheeler. (He is way too kind to me, by the way) Anyway, this is kind of a special rig. Not only does it feature a new Chris King Inset head set, but it was made by Chris King's own frame building crew! You see, Mr. King was somewhat of a frame builder way back, but that part of his business didn't take off, because he got distracted by this head set thing along the way. well, now he has revived that part of his talents with Cielo Bikes. So this is an S&S travel connectored, steel 29"er that Chris D had made for himself by his boss. Weird, but cool! (Wish my boss was a frame builder!) At any rate, it is one sweet rig.

Okay, that's it for today. I'm off to the Good Life Gravel Adventure tonight and tomorrow, then Big Wheeled Ballyhoo territory Saturday night and early Sunday, and a long trip eastwards come Sunday afternoon! Reports to follow!

Go ride yer bikes already!

A Single Speed Conundrum: Part II

<==The Pofahl- It's Fixed!

So I had yesterday off and decided to get after the Pofahl and figure out what the deal was with the incessant creaking. This problem has been intermittently cropping up and bugging me since the day I put the thing together. At one point I thought it was the crank set, so I swapped it out. The bearings in the bottom bracket were indeed shot, so I thought maybe I'd gotten it figured out.

Then the saddle was the culprit. Swapped and still- creaking! Then I read where some folks had creaky Chris King head sets. So, I greased the bejeebers out of mine. Still- it creaked!



<===Creak free! Oh the joy!

So I left the bike alone for a long time since I had other more pressing projects. The Pofahl lingered in the back corner of The Lab, getting dustier, and buried under more stuff.

This began to bother me earlier this year, and I silently vowed to myself that I had to start riding this bike. It was a custom design dreamt up by me and made a reality by Ben Witt and Mike Pofahl, after all. How could I just let this thing fester like a bad wound in the corner of my shop?
So I fiddled with it once in awhile. I actually rode it once earlier in the year off road. Still creaking and all. I just had to get to the bottom of it and the Good Life Gravel Adventure was a good reason to shift my mind into action and get with the program.

So, Tuesday night, I swapped out the clamp hardware on the Syncros post. Test rode, still creaked! Sat it back down in the shop for an assault on the creak Wednesday. When I got to it yesterday I tried a different wheel set first. An easy thing to swap out and it would eliminate that possibility. Nope! Still creaking!

So, Mrs. Guitar Ted said she thought it sounded like my head set was bad. Well, again, I'd heard King head sets could creak, (however- I've never had trouble before), so I swapped that out next for an Acros head set. It was one I had gotten purely because it was orange anodized, and that happened to work for this bike, so in it went. Test rode.....you guessed it.......Creak!



<===Some late summer color.........

So, I knew I was never going to get to the bottom of it unless I tried to get it to creak when I wasn't riding it. I knew it didn't creak when I was out of the saddle, so I figured it had to be either something to do with the rear half of the bike, or the frame was broken somewhere. I wedged the rear wheel between my legs, and wrenched on the saddle. Sure enough, I began to find the noise. When I figured out just what tweak made the noise, I honed in on the sound, and felt for the vibration with one free hand. Aha! I pinpointed it! I was astounded, relieved, and disgusted I hadn't figured it out sooner. It was the frame. I'll explain....

The seat post is the correct size- 26.8mm- and it is 400mm long. This is part of the problem. The binder bolt worked perfectly. Never was it pinching too far, nor did the post ever slip. The problem was further down the seat tube. The inside diameter of the seat tube got slightly larger as it went down beyond the binder. Not much, maybe a few tenths of a millimeter at most. Just enough that when I pedalled in the saddle, the twisting/rocking motion of my pedalling would cause the post to rock back and forth, with the binder bolt being the "fulcrum", if you will, and allowing the post to click on the inside of the tube on each pedal stroke down.

The solution? One wrap of electrical tape at the bottom of the post, re-insert, and ride. No noise! Completely silent.

Man! I sure wish I'd have thought of that a long time ago, but at least I came to the solution to the mystery. Now I will be running the Pofahl at the Good Life Gravel Adventure and doing it creak free.......I hope!

You see, during my test ride, I got caught out in a drenching rain storm. Nice! Nothing like inducing another creak right after I figured one out that had been hounding me for almost two years!

A Single Speed Conundrum: Part II

<==The Pofahl- It's Fixed!

So I had yesterday off and decided to get after the Pofahl and figure out what the deal was with the incessant creaking. This problem has been intermittently cropping up and bugging me since the day I put the thing together. At one point I thought it was the crank set, so I swapped it out. The bearings in the bottom bracket were indeed shot, so I thought maybe I'd gotten it figured out.

Then the saddle was the culprit. Swapped and still- creaking! Then I read where some folks had creaky Chris King head sets. So, I greased the bejeebers out of mine. Still- it creaked!



<===Creak free! Oh the joy!

So I left the bike alone for a long time since I had other more pressing projects. The Pofahl lingered in the back corner of The Lab, getting dustier, and buried under more stuff.

This began to bother me earlier this year, and I silently vowed to myself that I had to start riding this bike. It was a custom design dreamt up by me and made a reality by Ben Witt and Mike Pofahl, after all. How could I just let this thing fester like a bad wound in the corner of my shop?
So I fiddled with it once in awhile. I actually rode it once earlier in the year off road. Still creaking and all. I just had to get to the bottom of it and the Good Life Gravel Adventure was a good reason to shift my mind into action and get with the program.

So, Tuesday night, I swapped out the clamp hardware on the Syncros post. Test rode, still creaked! Sat it back down in the shop for an assault on the creak Wednesday. When I got to it yesterday I tried a different wheel set first. An easy thing to swap out and it would eliminate that possibility. Nope! Still creaking!

So, Mrs. Guitar Ted said she thought it sounded like my head set was bad. Well, again, I'd heard King head sets could creak, (however- I've never had trouble before), so I swapped that out next for an Acros head set. It was one I had gotten purely because it was orange anodized, and that happened to work for this bike, so in it went. Test rode.....you guessed it.......Creak!



<===Some late summer color.........

So, I knew I was never going to get to the bottom of it unless I tried to get it to creak when I wasn't riding it. I knew it didn't creak when I was out of the saddle, so I figured it had to be either something to do with the rear half of the bike, or the frame was broken somewhere. I wedged the rear wheel between my legs, and wrenched on the saddle. Sure enough, I began to find the noise. When I figured out just what tweak made the noise, I honed in on the sound, and felt for the vibration with one free hand. Aha! I pinpointed it! I was astounded, relieved, and disgusted I hadn't figured it out sooner. It was the frame. I'll explain....

The seat post is the correct size- 26.8mm- and it is 400mm long. This is part of the problem. The binder bolt worked perfectly. Never was it pinching too far, nor did the post ever slip. The problem was further down the seat tube. The inside diameter of the seat tube got slightly larger as it went down beyond the binder. Not much, maybe a few tenths of a millimeter at most. Just enough that when I pedalled in the saddle, the twisting/rocking motion of my pedalling would cause the post to rock back and forth, with the binder bolt being the "fulcrum", if you will, and allowing the post to click on the inside of the tube on each pedal stroke down.

The solution? One wrap of electrical tape at the bottom of the post, re-insert, and ride. No noise! Completely silent.

Man! I sure wish I'd have thought of that a long time ago, but at least I came to the solution to the mystery. Now I will be running the Pofahl at the Good Life Gravel Adventure and doing it creak free.......I hope!

You see, during my test ride, I got caught out in a drenching rain storm. Nice! Nothing like inducing another creak right after I figured one out that had been hounding me for almost two years!

A Single Speed Conundrum

<===Looks like a possibility....

So I am all set to go for the Good Life Gravel Adventure this Saturday. It is a 135 miles of Nebraska gravely goodness served up by Trans Iowa vet and finisher "Cornbread" and his "Pirate Cycling League" (Arrrgh!).

The thing is, I went and signed up for the "solo-gear-o" class, and my first choice, the Pofahl, has had a case of the chronic creaks. I have it nailed down to the head set and the Syncros seat post. Trouble is, I can't just swap out the seat post as it is an odd sized one and I need to have it be 400mm long. The head set is easy, but I'm running out of time here. I am throwing some parts and over hauling the seat post with some cleaning and grease. Test ride tomorrow, and then I'll determine if I can ride that thing for 135 miles. Well, I probably could, but not with the noises it has been making!



........but not a single place to hang a bottle!

So I have this other bike. The Raleigh Rainier. It would be a great rig for the ride, but there are two issues that are holding me back.

#1: I haven't ridden this bike for more than an hour at a crack.

#2: There isn't any place to put water on the bike.

I really don't want to find out (a) that this bike will kill me after two hours, and (b) that having to wear a pack on this bike with water is not a good idea. But then again, I could always go to plan C.

The Blackbuck!

or Dorothy!

Stay tuned................

A Single Speed Conundrum

<===Looks like a possibility....

So I am all set to go for the Good Life Gravel Adventure this Saturday. It is a 135 miles of Nebraska gravely goodness served up by Trans Iowa vet and finisher "Cornbread" and his "Pirate Cycling League" (Arrrgh!).

The thing is, I went and signed up for the "solo-gear-o" class, and my first choice, the Pofahl, has had a case of the chronic creaks. I have it nailed down to the head set and the Syncros seat post. Trouble is, I can't just swap out the seat post as it is an odd sized one and I need to have it be 400mm long. The head set is easy, but I'm running out of time here. I am throwing some parts and over hauling the seat post with some cleaning and grease. Test ride tomorrow, and then I'll determine if I can ride that thing for 135 miles. Well, I probably could, but not with the noises it has been making!



........but not a single place to hang a bottle!

So I have this other bike. The Raleigh Rainier. It would be a great rig for the ride, but there are two issues that are holding me back.

#1: I haven't ridden this bike for more than an hour at a crack.

#2: There isn't any place to put water on the bike.

I really don't want to find out (a) that this bike will kill me after two hours, and (b) that having to wear a pack on this bike with water is not a good idea. But then again, I could always go to plan C.

The Blackbuck!

or Dorothy!

Stay tuned................

Touring Tuesdays: The Race Against Death Tour: Beginning Of The End

Day Seven of the "Race Against Death Tour" dawns clear and calm..........

August 13th, 1995, Interior, South Dakota: This was a day that was weird beyond measure, but to really understand what happened that day in western South Dakota, I think it might be a good thing to remind ourselves where I had been, and what had been happening in my life at this time.

I was just less than a month removed from the final divorce proceedings from my first wife, which were no big deal in reality, other than the fact that the break up was a soul crushing experience for me. I was on pretty shaky ground emotionally, and after riding in extremely hot, dry conditions, having bonked the second day out, and being in a setting that was rife with human despair and poverty, it is amazing that I made it as far as I had.

This day started out okay, but it didn't stay that way for long, and in the end, I can point back to this day as a milestone, a big turning point in my life personally, and from the standpoint of this particular tour, it would have a huge impact. So, with that said, here is how it went down. I know a lot of what you will be reading in the next weeks will be almost unbelieveable, but it really did happen this way.

Interior was pretty quiet this morning as we awoke and packed up to go. Before we bugged out, we had to stop at a small grocery/general store on the edge of town. It wasn't a very big place, and it really looked like a house more than a store proper, but that is all we had access to out there, so we gladly availed ourselves of the opportunity.

The watch of the bikes fell to me, and Troy and Ryan stepped inside to get more bread and peanut butter for the road. The door hadn't closed yet when I spied a Native American and it wasn't long before he approached me.

He was another young man that spoke like a hippie and was panhandling me for money. He said something about having to get a bus ticket to see his ill sister in a town far away. He wanted five dollars. I said I didn't have any money to spare him, but I wished him well.

He retorted with the following, "Hey man, that's cool. I understand. Well........could you give me. like say, $4.78?"

I did a double take. What? This guy was bartering for a hand out? I declined his offer.

Well, that's cool man. How about $4.32? , he returns.

No. Can't do it. Sorry dude!

"Well, okay man, how about $4.20?", and on and on. It seemed as though Troy and Ryan were never coming out, and they probably were in there awhile, because the guy made it all the way down under two bucks and was still bargaining with me when they did finally emerge from the store.

I bade him a final farewell, mounted my bike, and took off as fast as I could go. Troy and Ryan were laughing at my experience as I recounted it to them. I was just tired of dealing with the "V.I.P" folks on this trip.

The road out of Interior was pretty flat and was skirting the badlands to the North. Too far away to really see much, but we would see a "pile" of weird soil, or strange rocks occaisionally. Traffic was non-existant, and Troy was wanting to hit the mileage hard in the morning due to the favorable conditions. So, he got out front and lit it up once again. We were strung out behind him as he set out a furious pace to Scenic, South Dakota, the next town up the road, where we hoped we would find some refueling opportunities.

Next Week: More despair and a plague of locusts!

Touring Tuesdays: The Race Against Death Tour: Beginning Of The End

Day Seven of the "Race Against Death Tour" dawns clear and calm..........

August 13th, 1995, Interior, South Dakota: This was a day that was weird beyond measure, but to really understand what happened that day in western South Dakota, I think it might be a good thing to remind ourselves where I had been, and what had been happening in my life at this time.

I was just less than a month removed from the final divorce proceedings from my first wife, which were no big deal in reality, other than the fact that the break up was a soul crushing experience for me. I was on pretty shaky ground emotionally, and after riding in extremely hot, dry conditions, having bonked the second day out, and being in a setting that was rife with human despair and poverty, it is amazing that I made it as far as I had.

This day started out okay, but it didn't stay that way for long, and in the end, I can point back to this day as a milestone, a big turning point in my life personally, and from the standpoint of this particular tour, it would have a huge impact. So, with that said, here is how it went down. I know a lot of what you will be reading in the next weeks will be almost unbelieveable, but it really did happen this way.

Interior was pretty quiet this morning as we awoke and packed up to go. Before we bugged out, we had to stop at a small grocery/general store on the edge of town. It wasn't a very big place, and it really looked like a house more than a store proper, but that is all we had access to out there, so we gladly availed ourselves of the opportunity.

The watch of the bikes fell to me, and Troy and Ryan stepped inside to get more bread and peanut butter for the road. The door hadn't closed yet when I spied a Native American and it wasn't long before he approached me.

He was another young man that spoke like a hippie and was panhandling me for money. He said something about having to get a bus ticket to see his ill sister in a town far away. He wanted five dollars. I said I didn't have any money to spare him, but I wished him well.

He retorted with the following, "Hey man, that's cool. I understand. Well........could you give me. like say, $4.78?"

I did a double take. What? This guy was bartering for a hand out? I declined his offer.

Well, that's cool man. How about $4.32? , he returns.

No. Can't do it. Sorry dude!

"Well, okay man, how about $4.20?", and on and on. It seemed as though Troy and Ryan were never coming out, and they probably were in there awhile, because the guy made it all the way down under two bucks and was still bargaining with me when they did finally emerge from the store.

I bade him a final farewell, mounted my bike, and took off as fast as I could go. Troy and Ryan were laughing at my experience as I recounted it to them. I was just tired of dealing with the "V.I.P" folks on this trip.

The road out of Interior was pretty flat and was skirting the badlands to the North. Too far away to really see much, but we would see a "pile" of weird soil, or strange rocks occaisionally. Traffic was non-existant, and Troy was wanting to hit the mileage hard in the morning due to the favorable conditions. So, he got out front and lit it up once again. We were strung out behind him as he set out a furious pace to Scenic, South Dakota, the next town up the road, where we hoped we would find some refueling opportunities.

Next Week: More despair and a plague of locusts!

Happy To Get One In

<====A present for the Fargo......

This past weekend would have to have been the perfect weather weekend! My wife had "on call" at the hospital, so I had the kids and added to that, it was my weekend to play at church, so I was pretty strapped down at the house.

Not that this is bad, it just meant that I was thinking I would more than likely be without a bicycle ride on a beautiful weekend, that's all. Seems that's the way it goes for me most of the time. Beautiful weather means I have to do something other than ride a bike, or I am sick. Really, I shouldn't complain, and if you think I am whining, well.......you are probably right!

That said, I was wistfully thinking of riding my bicycle all weekend until Sunday afternoon, when our close family friend said she would come by to watch the kids if I needed to do anything. WooHoo!

So, a two hour bicycle ride ensued on gravel and pavement. Not too epic, but I made sure I went somewhere I hadn't been before, just to make it interesting. For the locals: I went up Sheepbarn Hill to Osage Road, turned east, went to Ordway, north to 281, one mile east to Pilot Grove Road, two miles north to Newell, and westward back to Waterloo. Nice ride, and the way back in was weird because I seemed to be coasting way more than pedalling, with a crosswind. (I'll have to remember this route!)

So, anyway, I got to ride my bike, and I am a happy camper, even if it was only for two hours! I hope you all got to ride your bicycles this weekend too.

Happy To Get One In

<====A present for the Fargo......

This past weekend would have to have been the perfect weather weekend! My wife had "on call" at the hospital, so I had the kids and added to that, it was my weekend to play at church, so I was pretty strapped down at the house.

Not that this is bad, it just meant that I was thinking I would more than likely be without a bicycle ride on a beautiful weekend, that's all. Seems that's the way it goes for me most of the time. Beautiful weather means I have to do something other than ride a bike, or I am sick. Really, I shouldn't complain, and if you think I am whining, well.......you are probably right!

That said, I was wistfully thinking of riding my bicycle all weekend until Sunday afternoon, when our close family friend said she would come by to watch the kids if I needed to do anything. WooHoo!

So, a two hour bicycle ride ensued on gravel and pavement. Not too epic, but I made sure I went somewhere I hadn't been before, just to make it interesting. For the locals: I went up Sheepbarn Hill to Osage Road, turned east, went to Ordway, north to 281, one mile east to Pilot Grove Road, two miles north to Newell, and westward back to Waterloo. Nice ride, and the way back in was weird because I seemed to be coasting way more than pedalling, with a crosswind. (I'll have to remember this route!)

So, anyway, I got to ride my bike, and I am a happy camper, even if it was only for two hours! I hope you all got to ride your bicycles this weekend too.

Friday News And Views

<===The Ergon BC3 Impresses!

I've got some more to say about this pack. It is just too good not to....

Okay, I haven't had a chance to do any single track with this pack yet, but I am totally impressed. Ergon upped their game with this thing.

While it is huge inside, it rides like the BD2 I had as far as how it feels off the back. The air flow is better around the back, and the Flink rocks....literally! It allows the pack to stay put while you move. I can't wait to do an adventure with this thing. That's probably the coolest thing about it so far. It has me scheming to do something. I don't quite know what yet, but I have a few ideas!



<===Carnegie's Bar? Yep! A real bar in Taiwan inspired the name of this...

Got wind of this new bar today from Ragley Bikes designer Brant Richards. It is sorta "Mary-like" in a "Fleegle" kind of way, if ya catch my drift.

Anyway, it will be available immediately from Ragley Bikes and you can expect to pay about $60.00 plus shipping from the U.K.

The story is up on Twenty Nine Inches. Suffice it to say that I really like it. I miss the old Space Bar I used to use, but can't anymore, since it was discovered it was too weak for off road use. I'll have more on this Carnegie's bar soon. Stay tuned.......



<===Mr. 24 outdoes hisself again!

Yes! A new Trans Iowa header by Jeff Kerkove! I am super stoked to continue to have Jeff involved in Trans Iowa, even if it is only from the design of the site standpoint. I know if it wouldn't have been for his vision and energy, Trans Iowa wouldn't have ever happened. So, thanks to Jeff for the past efforts and for continuing to be involved with this little gravel dust up we call Trans Iowa.

Now, as for the event, the next big dealio will be the Registration! Look for an announcement in late October/early November. We'll do the veterans first and rookies second, like the last two years, and all by post cards. Get yer drawing skilz on and make your own post card! It doesn't guarantee entry, but it makes life more fun for d.p. and I, that's for sure!

Sometime in the next month or two, look for a recon report to pop up. I have the route pretty much planned, but as most that follow this event know, there are always changes to the original plan! I am looking for about a 320-ish mile course. Depending on how tough d.p. and I think it is will shape how long we give you all to do it in, but figure on at least 32 hours.

We've got tweaks and plans that will all be announced in the coming months. Stay Tuned!

For now, we still have a bit of summer left, so get out and ride them thar bikes around, ya'all!

Friday News And Views

<===The Ergon BC3 Impresses!

I've got some more to say about this pack. It is just too good not to....

Okay, I haven't had a chance to do any single track with this pack yet, but I am totally impressed. Ergon upped their game with this thing.

While it is huge inside, it rides like the BD2 I had as far as how it feels off the back. The air flow is better around the back, and the Flink rocks....literally! It allows the pack to stay put while you move. I can't wait to do an adventure with this thing. That's probably the coolest thing about it so far. It has me scheming to do something. I don't quite know what yet, but I have a few ideas!



<===Carnegie's Bar? Yep! A real bar in Taiwan inspired the name of this...

Got wind of this new bar today from Ragley Bikes designer Brant Richards. It is sorta "Mary-like" in a "Fleegle" kind of way, if ya catch my drift.

Anyway, it will be available immediately from Ragley Bikes and you can expect to pay about $60.00 plus shipping from the U.K.

The story is up on Twenty Nine Inches. Suffice it to say that I really like it. I miss the old Space Bar I used to use, but can't anymore, since it was discovered it was too weak for off road use. I'll have more on this Carnegie's bar soon. Stay tuned.......



<===Mr. 24 outdoes hisself again!

Yes! A new Trans Iowa header by Jeff Kerkove! I am super stoked to continue to have Jeff involved in Trans Iowa, even if it is only from the design of the site standpoint. I know if it wouldn't have been for his vision and energy, Trans Iowa wouldn't have ever happened. So, thanks to Jeff for the past efforts and for continuing to be involved with this little gravel dust up we call Trans Iowa.

Now, as for the event, the next big dealio will be the Registration! Look for an announcement in late October/early November. We'll do the veterans first and rookies second, like the last two years, and all by post cards. Get yer drawing skilz on and make your own post card! It doesn't guarantee entry, but it makes life more fun for d.p. and I, that's for sure!

Sometime in the next month or two, look for a recon report to pop up. I have the route pretty much planned, but as most that follow this event know, there are always changes to the original plan! I am looking for about a 320-ish mile course. Depending on how tough d.p. and I think it is will shape how long we give you all to do it in, but figure on at least 32 hours.

We've got tweaks and plans that will all be announced in the coming months. Stay Tuned!

For now, we still have a bit of summer left, so get out and ride them thar bikes around, ya'all!

Thursday News And Views

<===Now this is something I could learn to like!

Raleigh marketing king pin, Brain Fornes, sent me these images of the XXIX Pro the other day. Holy cow! This bike is sweet. Reynolds 853, Fox QR15, and SRAM XX? Yeah......over the top spec, but what a great looking rig. I really dig the "Mexi-Skeleton Dude" on the down tube. What? You can't see him? Go here and take a look.

There are some XXIX pics there too.





<===Mmmmm Purrrrple!

I'll have to keep a look out for anybody parting out a 2010 Haro Mary SS rig. I know purple anodized stuff is "love it or hate it", and well.........I love it!

Not too sure about those panels, but I do like paneled paint schemes.

Just that this one is ahh..........yeeah.





<====Not this P-35

Velocity released news today about a new, wide rim offering that should be decently priced, fairly light weight, and reasonably strong for XC/light trail 29"er duty.







<====Not THIS P-35 either!

It will be released in 26 inch, 650B, and 29"er sizes. Velocity's colorful palette will be applied, but at first a limited amount of colors will be available including anti-freeze green!

Maybe I'll get some to match the cranks on my Blackbuck!







<===This P-35!!

The rim is 35mm wide, and should be out by Interbike time.

Velocity says it will support a tubeless set up, and was designed with this in mind from the get-go. They are said to be doing research into which system they will recommend to buyers when the rim finally becomes available.



Big Wheeled Ballyhoo News: I have gotten confirmation that a cool set of sweet retro Oakley shades will be given away to a lucky winner that RSVP's to the event before October 10th, 2009. I have been getting a steady trickle of names so far, so dump your name in the hopper by RSVP-ing me on the site. I also added some turn by turn directions to the site of the event on the Local Info page of the site, so you can check that out.

See ya later!

Thursday News And Views

<===Now this is something I could learn to like!

Raleigh marketing king pin, Brain Fornes, sent me these images of the XXIX Pro the other day. Holy cow! This bike is sweet. Reynolds 853, Fox QR15, and SRAM XX? Yeah......over the top spec, but what a great looking rig. I really dig the "Mexi-Skeleton Dude" on the down tube. What? You can't see him? Go here and take a look.

There are some XXIX pics there too.





<===Mmmmm Purrrrple!

I'll have to keep a look out for anybody parting out a 2010 Haro Mary SS rig. I know purple anodized stuff is "love it or hate it", and well.........I love it!

Not too sure about those panels, but I do like paneled paint schemes.

Just that this one is ahh..........yeeah.





<====Not this P-35

Velocity released news today about a new, wide rim offering that should be decently priced, fairly light weight, and reasonably strong for XC/light trail 29"er duty.







<====Not THIS P-35 either!

It will be released in 26 inch, 650B, and 29"er sizes. Velocity's colorful palette will be applied, but at first a limited amount of colors will be available including anti-freeze green!

Maybe I'll get some to match the cranks on my Blackbuck!







<===This P-35!!

The rim is 35mm wide, and should be out by Interbike time.

Velocity says it will support a tubeless set up, and was designed with this in mind from the get-go. They are said to be doing research into which system they will recommend to buyers when the rim finally becomes available.



Big Wheeled Ballyhoo News: I have gotten confirmation that a cool set of sweet retro Oakley shades will be given away to a lucky winner that RSVP's to the event before October 10th, 2009. I have been getting a steady trickle of names so far, so dump your name in the hopper by RSVP-ing me on the site. I also added some turn by turn directions to the site of the event on the Local Info page of the site, so you can check that out.

See ya later!

Introducing The Ergon BC3 Backpack

<===What it is.

Well, just the other day I had an on-line chat with Mr. 24 and he said he wanted to send out a pack for me to try out. Previously I have been using the BD2, and while it was a great pack, it was "having a few issues". Anyway, what do you expect after the sort of abuse I put that poor thing through!

At any rate, here is the replacement. the BC3. It is a BIG pack. How big? Twice as big as the BD2 in capacity! Yeah, you could live inside of this thing. Or as J-Kove would say, "Small furry creatures can get lost in there." Yes, it has capacity, but that isn't the whole story here. No, this thing is in a whole 'nuther realm from the BD2.

<===While it can swallow alot, it is easy to get at it all.

The BC3 has a much better inner layout than my old BD2 had. Getting into the pack is simple. Zip down the big, meaty, water shielded zippers on either side and the pack opens like a clam shell. You can get at things in the smaller pockets really easily, and the bottom of the pack is in plain view. There are great places to store multi tools, pumps, and whatever smaller items you don't want bouncing around in the larger space, which is cavernous, by the way.

Plus, there is a little water resistant pouch at the very top of the bag, along with a zippered slit that resides just at the place where the pack ends and the space between it and the harness is. Kind of a vertically oriented pocket that you can access while you ride. A great place for nutritional items, small cameras, maps, or what have you.

With a pouch for a bladder of your choice, this is easily turned into a hydration pack. (Note my blue bladder in the pic above) My 100 oz bladder slid in with no issues and routed out the top and the hose went through the included loops on the shoulder straps right where I needed it to be. In fact, it went in better than it did in my BD2. This pack could easily hold three bladders in the main interior pocket, by the way. If you are thinking about being a cycling version of a camel, that is.

Finally, if you can not get it inside, (unlikely), the outside has a flap secured by straps that a helmet could be easily lashed in, or a jacket, or what have you. For instance, I dumped the entire contents of my messenger bag into the main interior area of the BC3 and lashed the rolled up messenger bag in the outer "helmet pocket". (I still had room inside to spare!)

The fit of the BC3 is far improved over the BD2 I had. It stays off the back better, and the Flink system works even better, if that is possible. I rode home with my load, and was far more comfortable than I was with the old messenger bag. Amazingly, I had the thing loaded down pretty heavy, but I wasn't feeling it much at all due to the load dispersing attributes of the Ergon design. Nice!

But the nicest part of all? It has the entire outer surface done up in water proof fabric which includes sealed zippers. Ergon says this: The BC3 utilizes a high-tech, heavy-duty water proof material (water proofed on both sides). We'll see about the water proofness later after I've used it awhile, but I like this feature.

The entire pack is "Kerkove Nation Black" (I still think Ergon should call it that!) and is pretty stealth. The straps are padded nicely, but don't pinch or restrict your movement, and are adjustable with no fuss. I had the pack fitted in five minutes and was off.

Okay, so now it is time to put this pack through its paces. I'll be wearing it many places, so if you see me about, ask to see it, or ask any questions about it. I'll do what I can to answer. I'm pretty stoked about the possibilities for this pack, and I see it as an opportunity to do some adventures. Ergon says it is even good for commuting. Hey! I do that! So stay tuned!

Thanks to Jeff Kerkove, Ergon U.S.A. and everyone associated with Ergon. (Yes, that means you too Jeffrey N.!)

Introducing The Ergon BC3 Backpack

<===What it is.

Well, just the other day I had an on-line chat with Mr. 24 and he said he wanted to send out a pack for me to try out. Previously I have been using the BD2, and while it was a great pack, it was "having a few issues". Anyway, what do you expect after the sort of abuse I put that poor thing through!

At any rate, here is the replacement. the BC3. It is a BIG pack. How big? Twice as big as the BD2 in capacity! Yeah, you could live inside of this thing. Or as J-Kove would say, "Small furry creatures can get lost in there." Yes, it has capacity, but that isn't the whole story here. No, this thing is in a whole 'nuther realm from the BD2.

<===While it can swallow alot, it is easy to get at it all.

The BC3 has a much better inner layout than my old BD2 had. Getting into the pack is simple. Zip down the big, meaty, water shielded zippers on either side and the pack opens like a clam shell. You can get at things in the smaller pockets really easily, and the bottom of the pack is in plain view. There are great places to store multi tools, pumps, and whatever smaller items you don't want bouncing around in the larger space, which is cavernous, by the way.

Plus, there is a little water resistant pouch at the very top of the bag, along with a zippered slit that resides just at the place where the pack ends and the space between it and the harness is. Kind of a vertically oriented pocket that you can access while you ride. A great place for nutritional items, small cameras, maps, or what have you.

With a pouch for a bladder of your choice, this is easily turned into a hydration pack. (Note my blue bladder in the pic above) My 100 oz bladder slid in with no issues and routed out the top and the hose went through the included loops on the shoulder straps right where I needed it to be. In fact, it went in better than it did in my BD2. This pack could easily hold three bladders in the main interior pocket, by the way. If you are thinking about being a cycling version of a camel, that is.

Finally, if you can not get it inside, (unlikely), the outside has a flap secured by straps that a helmet could be easily lashed in, or a jacket, or what have you. For instance, I dumped the entire contents of my messenger bag into the main interior area of the BC3 and lashed the rolled up messenger bag in the outer "helmet pocket". (I still had room inside to spare!)

The fit of the BC3 is far improved over the BD2 I had. It stays off the back better, and the Flink system works even better, if that is possible. I rode home with my load, and was far more comfortable than I was with the old messenger bag. Amazingly, I had the thing loaded down pretty heavy, but I wasn't feeling it much at all due to the load dispersing attributes of the Ergon design. Nice!

But the nicest part of all? It has the entire outer surface done up in water proof fabric which includes sealed zippers. Ergon says this: The BC3 utilizes a high-tech, heavy-duty water proof material (water proofed on both sides). We'll see about the water proofness later after I've used it awhile, but I like this feature.

The entire pack is "Kerkove Nation Black" (I still think Ergon should call it that!) and is pretty stealth. The straps are padded nicely, but don't pinch or restrict your movement, and are adjustable with no fuss. I had the pack fitted in five minutes and was off.

Okay, so now it is time to put this pack through its paces. I'll be wearing it many places, so if you see me about, ask to see it, or ask any questions about it. I'll do what I can to answer. I'm pretty stoked about the possibilities for this pack, and I see it as an opportunity to do some adventures. Ergon says it is even good for commuting. Hey! I do that! So stay tuned!

Thanks to Jeff Kerkove, Ergon U.S.A. and everyone associated with Ergon. (Yes, that means you too Jeffrey N.!)

Touring Tuesdays: The Race Against Death Tour- The Side Show

After a brutal 79.13 miles of heat and dehydration, the "Race Against Death Tour" comes to an oasis on the prairie in the form of a convenience store....

Although details on just where we were are fuzzy, a couple of things remain crystal clear about the end of the sixth day of the "Race Against Death Tour". First, we had found an honest to goodness convenience store near Interior, South Dakota, and secondly, "Sturgis" motorcycle freaks were everywhere. "Sturgis" is the name given by the common folks to the big motorcycle rally held the first week of August or so every year. It has its epicenter in Sturgis, South Dakota, thus the name. It attracts thousands of motorcyclists and they were all over the place out here. The convenience store sold gas, so this was a hotbed of activity this particular afternoon.

We found some precious water and grub, spied a bench outside, and plopped our tired bodies down to consume and watch the goings on. It was so good, and so busy, that we barely took time to talk other than to say the occasional, "Did you see that?" or "Check that out!". We saw a bunch of cool Harleys and a bunch of strange characters riding them. A couple stood out for me:

First was the pair on a Harley that pulled up under the canopy for gas. They weren't all that remarkable at first: a guy driving and a gal on the back in typical Harley biker dress. Then it happened.....she got off the bike. You know how they say some folks shouldn't wear certain types of clothing? I'll just say that this was a gross violation of that piece of wisdom.

Then there was the guy that had a flat tire. A big, gruff looking mechanic was repairing the tire with a plug. He finished up the job and called the motorcycle's owner over to him. "Now listen, this is a plug. It ain't gonna hold forever, but it'll git ya down the road till you can get a new tire. Whatever ya do, do not put more air in the tire. It ain't gonna hold." Well, you guessed it, we watched as the guy rolled his motorcycle over to the air hose, checked to see if the mechanic was looking, and stuck the chuck on the valve. Poof! Psssssssssssssssssss...........

Troy laughed so hard, I thought he was going to attract the guys attention and get us in trouble. Good thing Harley's are loud! Anyway, we were having so much fun, and we were so spent, that we must have sat there for two hours. Finally, we decided we had better go get our tent set up at the campground and take a shower.

It was a good relaxing show, and the campground was just as pleasant. We all got showered, and played hacky-sack until the sun went down. It was great to be back out of the desolation and despair we had gone through the past two days. We looked forward to the next day with some eagerness. Things seemed to be looking up.

Next week: The three tourists find out about the "bad" in The Badlands.

Touring Tuesdays: The Race Against Death Tour- The Side Show

After a brutal 79.13 miles of heat and dehydration, the "Race Against Death Tour" comes to an oasis on the prairie in the form of a convenience store....

Although details on just where we were are fuzzy, a couple of things remain crystal clear about the end of the sixth day of the "Race Against Death Tour". First, we had found an honest to goodness convenience store near Interior, South Dakota, and secondly, "Sturgis" motorcycle freaks were everywhere. "Sturgis" is the name given by the common folks to the big motorcycle rally held the first week of August or so every year. It has its epicenter in Sturgis, South Dakota, thus the name. It attracts thousands of motorcyclists and they were all over the place out here. The convenience store sold gas, so this was a hotbed of activity this particular afternoon.

We found some precious water and grub, spied a bench outside, and plopped our tired bodies down to consume and watch the goings on. It was so good, and so busy, that we barely took time to talk other than to say the occasional, "Did you see that?" or "Check that out!". We saw a bunch of cool Harleys and a bunch of strange characters riding them. A couple stood out for me:

First was the pair on a Harley that pulled up under the canopy for gas. They weren't all that remarkable at first: a guy driving and a gal on the back in typical Harley biker dress. Then it happened.....she got off the bike. You know how they say some folks shouldn't wear certain types of clothing? I'll just say that this was a gross violation of that piece of wisdom.

Then there was the guy that had a flat tire. A big, gruff looking mechanic was repairing the tire with a plug. He finished up the job and called the motorcycle's owner over to him. "Now listen, this is a plug. It ain't gonna hold forever, but it'll git ya down the road till you can get a new tire. Whatever ya do, do not put more air in the tire. It ain't gonna hold." Well, you guessed it, we watched as the guy rolled his motorcycle over to the air hose, checked to see if the mechanic was looking, and stuck the chuck on the valve. Poof! Psssssssssssssssssss...........

Troy laughed so hard, I thought he was going to attract the guys attention and get us in trouble. Good thing Harley's are loud! Anyway, we were having so much fun, and we were so spent, that we must have sat there for two hours. Finally, we decided we had better go get our tent set up at the campground and take a shower.

It was a good relaxing show, and the campground was just as pleasant. We all got showered, and played hacky-sack until the sun went down. It was great to be back out of the desolation and despair we had gone through the past two days. We looked forward to the next day with some eagerness. Things seemed to be looking up.

Next week: The three tourists find out about the "bad" in The Badlands.

Looks Like A Change Of Season

<===Those yellow things on the ground? Yeah....it is a sign from above!

I got out to the Camp this weekend and rode three laps of the trail used for the race there, which was about 15 miles, if you add in my cool down on the gravel road. Good trails, a bit greasy in spots, but fun.

As I rode along, I noticed these yellow objects fluttering down around me and littering the trail in certain spots. Yep! Signs of Fall are in the air!

On one hand, I felt I was just getting into the groove of summer, such as it is. Now I have to switch gears and start thinking fall riding already, or so it would seem. The kids start school Thursday, so it must be true, eh? It is all good though, as Fall riding is some of my favorite riding of all.

So, I was doing my laps out there and there are three steep pitches on the "inner loop" as I call it. Two have gravel/busted rock at the top. These two particular steeps had me walking on lap #1 and #2. I was trying, but not making it. So, on lap #3, I figured I would try a bit different technique to see if I could actually climb these on the bike. Well, it worked! I made both climbs. On the last one, a cold thrill of excitement went through me as I pretty much flew right over the top. I couldn't believe how easy it was.

And maybe that was my problem all along. I didn't believe I could do these two climbs, so I didn't. Well, I let myself have a chance at thinking I could, and I did, and now I believe I will next time too. Those hills didn't change, but I did. I changed my mind, just like the seasons are about to.

I have a feeling it is going to be a good fall of mountain biking.