Friday News And Views

What short chain stays are for...

Short Chain Stays: 

Maybe this doesn't matter.....no, really.....it does matter. Why? Because lots of folks say it does. So, what is going on here?

Chain stay length, the measurement from the rear axle to the center line of the bottom bracket, is a subject of sometimes heated debate by bike nerds all across the digital reality. What does it do? Well, let's take a "gross" example to help us understand a little bit about this....

Imagine if the bike you are riding is a cargo bike. The long tail type, like a Big Dummy from Surly. Okay, your rear wheel is waaay back behind you.  Try popping a wheelie. Hard, huh? Yeah, that's the long effective chain stay length at work there.

Now imagine that you switch back to your current steed. Ahh!  That front wheel is a cinch to get up and over stuff, or to pop a wheelie, should the fit take hold of you. Of course, this is an obvious illustration, but now imagine the passion, the heated arguments that erupt over mere millimeters of chain stay length differences. It's just bizarre.

Salsa Cycles Horsethief

Example: The Salsa Cycles Horsethief. Barely over 18 inches in length for the chain stay. You'd have thunk someone had insulted someone's mother when they find this out.

Had the bike been introduced with 17.8" chain stays, which is what the Trek/Fisher Rumblefish comes with, no one would have batted an eyelash. The difference? 7.3mm Less than 1/3rd of an inch.

Now, I'm not saying that doesn't make any difference, but how much of a difference is that really? I would submit that there are other things going on here that might make a bigger difference in handling than 7.3mm. 

How about wheel base? How about how your weight is distributed across that wheel base? Is the bottom bracket lower, or higher? How long is your stem? If it is a full suspension bike, you add in the metric of monkey motion to the equation, which really complicates things.

So, to merely focus on such a miniscule difference in chain stay length seems rather silly to me. Heck, you move your butt on the saddle more than 7.3mm on a mountain bike. No, it isn't just about chain stay length.  Sure, it plays a part, but it's just one soldier in the troop, and it takes all of 'em to fight the war. Look at the entire package when comparing the bikes. It might show up a few things beyond that "magic bullet" number a lot of folks like to focus on.

Cushy!

Soft Tails seem like the elusive unicorn of the 29"er world. Next to single speeding, the idea of a soft tail, (at least for me), is so wrapped up in how 29"er wheels work, I can't believe that only one company produces a stock model, and only a handful of  custom builders even make them.

Of course, I had a Salsa Cycles Dos Niner. The idea of the soft tail is awesome. I know it works, but there was the rest of the frame,  which was, (let's see if I can put this nicely), was flexy as all get out.

Given a stiff chassis, a soft tail would be a great, simple, nearly fool-proof rear "enhancement". (I hesitate to call it "suspension") Traction? Better. Comfort? Increased. All from about an inch to two inches of "give" in the rear of the bike.

Of course, I could always save my pennies for a Moots. They seem to be the only company really committed to the idea of a simple, little bit of something that makes nice with the rough stuff. Consider this my paean to the soft tail. I wish somebody would make a reasonably priced, better mousetrap here. 

Maybe that'll happen. I imagine a single speed soft tail with bottle mounts a-plenty, a 100mm front suspension device, and room for 2.4's. Grinding away in some mountain climb, or plying some burly single track on a soft tail. Sounds good to me!

Have a great weekend, ya'all! Take some pictures, Ride yer bike!

Friday News And Views

What short chain stays are for...

Short Chain Stays: 

Maybe this doesn't matter.....no, really.....it does matter. Why? Because lots of folks say it does. So, what is going on here?

Chain stay length, the measurement from the rear axle to the center line of the bottom bracket, is a subject of sometimes heated debate by bike nerds all across the digital reality. What does it do? Well, let's take a "gross" example to help us understand a little bit about this....

Imagine if the bike you are riding is a cargo bike. The long tail type, like a Big Dummy from Surly. Okay, your rear wheel is waaay back behind you.  Try popping a wheelie. Hard, huh? Yeah, that's the long effective chain stay length at work there.

Now imagine that you switch back to your current steed. Ahh!  That front wheel is a cinch to get up and over stuff, or to pop a wheelie, should the fit take hold of you. Of course, this is an obvious illustration, but now imagine the passion, the heated arguments that erupt over mere millimeters of chain stay length differences. It's just bizarre.

Salsa Cycles Horsethief

Example: The Salsa Cycles Horsethief. Barely over 18 inches in length for the chain stay. You'd have thunk someone had insulted someone's mother when they find this out.

Had the bike been introduced with 17.8" chain stays, which is what the Trek/Fisher Rumblefish comes with, no one would have batted an eyelash. The difference? 7.3mm Less than 1/3rd of an inch.

Now, I'm not saying that doesn't make any difference, but how much of a difference is that really? I would submit that there are other things going on here that might make a bigger difference in handling than 7.3mm. 

How about wheel base? How about how your weight is distributed across that wheel base? Is the bottom bracket lower, or higher? How long is your stem? If it is a full suspension bike, you add in the metric of monkey motion to the equation, which really complicates things.

So, to merely focus on such a miniscule difference in chain stay length seems rather silly to me. Heck, you move your butt on the saddle more than 7.3mm on a mountain bike. No, it isn't just about chain stay length.  Sure, it plays a part, but it's just one soldier in the troop, and it takes all of 'em to fight the war. Look at the entire package when comparing the bikes. It might show up a few things beyond that "magic bullet" number a lot of folks like to focus on.

Cushy!

Soft Tails seem like the elusive unicorn of the 29"er world. Next to single speeding, the idea of a soft tail, (at least for me), is so wrapped up in how 29"er wheels work, I can't believe that only one company produces a stock model, and only a handful of  custom builders even make them.

Of course, I had a Salsa Cycles Dos Niner. The idea of the soft tail is awesome. I know it works, but there was the rest of the frame,  which was, (let's see if I can put this nicely), was flexy as all get out.

Given a stiff chassis, a soft tail would be a great, simple, nearly fool-proof rear "enhancement". (I hesitate to call it "suspension") Traction? Better. Comfort? Increased. All from about an inch to two inches of "give" in the rear of the bike.

Of course, I could always save my pennies for a Moots. They seem to be the only company really committed to the idea of a simple, little bit of something that makes nice with the rough stuff. Consider this my paean to the soft tail. I wish somebody would make a reasonably priced, better mousetrap here. 

Maybe that'll happen. I imagine a single speed soft tail with bottle mounts a-plenty, a 100mm front suspension device, and room for 2.4's. Grinding away in some mountain climb, or plying some burly single track on a soft tail. Sounds good to me!

Have a great weekend, ya'all! Take some pictures, Ride yer bike!

Fall Is The New Black

Kids Gettin' Rad

Wednesday Is Test Ride Day, and I grabbed the Diamondback Sortie Black 29 full suspension rig for my first ride of the day. Where to go though....

I'd read on Facebook that the CVAST guys, (or a rogue splinter group thereof), had been tinkering around with Ullrich Park's trails. That's a good thing, I thought.

Ullrich was an empty area with one path through the woods that went straight back to a feeder creek for the Cedar River which flowed not far to the north of the park entrance. It was on our radar back in the late 90's as a place that maybe, just maybe , could make for some good mountain bike trail riding. No one had any reason to go out that way back then though, and it was all just speculation based on looking at a city map.

I sent a guy out, a scout, if you will, to find out where the one main trail went. He reported back that it didn't go anywhere, but there were deer paths and a foot path or two out there that would make a good start. However; about that time I was forced out of the bicycle business and nothing came of it.

Carbon: It's the new aluminum

Then, round about the time I came back out of the car repair business and was getting back into mountain biking, I met a fella, T.J., and his pal that said they were tinkering around in Ullrich park, trying to set up a trail. Well, the fire was stoked.

I asked Jeff Kerkove, who worked with me back in those days, if he wanted to check it out. He did, and before long, we had helped carve out the first trails on the north side of the tracks. Clay, who also worked with me at the shop, also did some work over there as well, and before long we were ripping around the park, happy to have something that actually had elevation. 

Unfortunately, in all of our exuberance to put in trails in a new place, we "newbs" made quite a few blunders. I mean, going right down fall lines, and misusing the space badly. I can see it to this day when I go out there. In fact, I was so depressed about the state of affairs there that I swore off making suggestions or helping out with CVAST because I felt really bad about it, and I was too wrapped up into other things anyway to devote any real, meaningful time over there. 

So it was with some trepidation that I went over there for "Ride #1" on the Sortie. What would I find? They had done some new things, I had read, so I was hopeful that they had made some radical changes there.

Find The Bug!

Well, let's just say that they "modified" what was there originally. Hmmm....... I shouldn't really comment any further since I didn't help, so I won't.

I had fun though, and the Sortie proved to be very capable at "woods plunking". That sussed out, I went back to the shed and pulled out the next tool for "Ride #2", which was the Raleigh Talus 29 Pro carbon rig.

I needed to find out some specific things in regard to the Talus' handling, so I hit the Green Belt. It was fun. Slickery, but fun. We had plenty of rain earlier in the week, and the trails had been really dry, so they soaked a lot of the moisture up already, but there was just enough "grease" on top to make things interesting.

One thing about Fall that I think is so special, to me anyway, is the changing colors. Spring is great because things come back to life, and the monochromatic landscape becomes a brilliant green punctuated by small spring flowers. Then Summer just makes it greener, and greener. You'd better like green around here if you ride in the woods in summer, that's all I can say! Then, when Fall finally cranks up, we get another, welcomed dose of color.

The Raleigh was awesome and the colors were coming on strong. The sumac, red as hell-fire, the maples turning gold and orange, and even the squirrels were sporting fringes of gold, orange, and red in the ends of the hairs of their tails. I like it.

Fall Is The New Black

Kids Gettin' Rad

Wednesday Is Test Ride Day, and I grabbed the Diamondback Sortie Black 29 full suspension rig for my first ride of the day. Where to go though....

I'd read on Facebook that the CVAST guys, (or a rogue splinter group thereof), had been tinkering around with Ullrich Park's trails. That's a good thing, I thought.

Ullrich was an empty area with one path through the woods that went straight back to a feeder creek for the Cedar River which flowed not far to the north of the park entrance. It was on our radar back in the late 90's as a place that maybe, just maybe , could make for some good mountain bike trail riding. No one had any reason to go out that way back then though, and it was all just speculation based on looking at a city map.

I sent a guy out, a scout, if you will, to find out where the one main trail went. He reported back that it didn't go anywhere, but there were deer paths and a foot path or two out there that would make a good start. However; about that time I was forced out of the bicycle business and nothing came of it.

Carbon: It's the new aluminum

Then, round about the time I came back out of the car repair business and was getting back into mountain biking, I met a fella, T.J., and his pal that said they were tinkering around in Ullrich park, trying to set up a trail. Well, the fire was stoked.

I asked Jeff Kerkove, who worked with me back in those days, if he wanted to check it out. He did, and before long, we had helped carve out the first trails on the north side of the tracks. Clay, who also worked with me at the shop, also did some work over there as well, and before long we were ripping around the park, happy to have something that actually had elevation. 

Unfortunately, in all of our exuberance to put in trails in a new place, we "newbs" made quite a few blunders. I mean, going right down fall lines, and misusing the space badly. I can see it to this day when I go out there. In fact, I was so depressed about the state of affairs there that I swore off making suggestions or helping out with CVAST because I felt really bad about it, and I was too wrapped up into other things anyway to devote any real, meaningful time over there. 

So it was with some trepidation that I went over there for "Ride #1" on the Sortie. What would I find? They had done some new things, I had read, so I was hopeful that they had made some radical changes there.

Find The Bug!

Well, let's just say that they "modified" what was there originally. Hmmm....... I shouldn't really comment any further since I didn't help, so I won't.

I had fun though, and the Sortie proved to be very capable at "woods plunking". That sussed out, I went back to the shed and pulled out the next tool for "Ride #2", which was the Raleigh Talus 29 Pro carbon rig.

I needed to find out some specific things in regard to the Talus' handling, so I hit the Green Belt. It was fun. Slickery, but fun. We had plenty of rain earlier in the week, and the trails had been really dry, so they soaked a lot of the moisture up already, but there was just enough "grease" on top to make things interesting.

One thing about Fall that I think is so special, to me anyway, is the changing colors. Spring is great because things come back to life, and the monochromatic landscape becomes a brilliant green punctuated by small spring flowers. Then Summer just makes it greener, and greener. You'd better like green around here if you ride in the woods in summer, that's all I can say! Then, when Fall finally cranks up, we get another, welcomed dose of color.

The Raleigh was awesome and the colors were coming on strong. The sumac, red as hell-fire, the maples turning gold and orange, and even the squirrels were sporting fringes of gold, orange, and red in the ends of the hairs of their tails. I like it.

The Fun Never Stops Around Here

Thru-axle rigid conundrum

And You Thought It Was Over: Interbike is still a very real part of my life these days. Everyday I deal with the informational fall out from the four days of the show I attended.

More stories, more words, editing pictures, and posting it all up. It is amazing to me that while I was there, I thought I wasn't working hard enough to get more info. Now I am glad that I didn't!

And even in a down time for the economy, the bicycle people are still geeking out on the new stuff, and buying it. (Production bicycles, that is. Not what I was talking about at all yesterday.)

How do I know this? E-mails. I'm getting more than a few since Interbike. Folks are starting to look at the really nice 29"ers and saying they will be buying soon. Interesting to me, since traditionally bike sales get less and less as the Fall comes on. Hmm... who knows?

But enough of that. The point is, I have plenty to go through yet before I can say,"Interbike is over."

And that isn't all. Interbike is fading, but Trans Iowa is coming on strong. I have several plans in my mind, and I have to get on the stick and get them in motion. Oh, I have a few bricks in the wall up already. Couple of solid volunteers, a bit of the route done, but I need to amp up the efforts coming into mid-fall so I can have this route bagged by the end of October. That's the master plan.

Then, as winter rolls in, I'll have time to do the cue sheets in advance, get people reg'ed up, and do whatever details I need to do. Get ready to start hearing more about Trans Iowa soon.

Onward Into The Fog!

So, beyond that, there is the regular house work before winter. Then there is the riding to get in. I've got a lot of bicycle testing coming up, trust me!

It's all good, but it never seems to slow down. It seems like it was just the other day when I was riding in summer heat. Time has flown, and next thing ya know, I'll be riding in snow, and 2011 will be done.

Yeah, the fun never stops. It sure beats the heck out of what I used to do. Wrenchin' on cars and trucks. Baggin' groceries and stockin' shelves. Goin' to college and drinkin' waaaay too much beer. Yup, this beats that stuff hands down. I'm not complaining, but sometimes I am just amazed at how much is going on, and how fast it makes the time fly by.

That's a tiny peek into the whirlwind that is Guitar Ted Productions. There is more though. Much more. But I won't bore ya'all with that. This is enough.

The Fun Never Stops Around Here

Thru-axle rigid conundrum

And You Thought It Was Over: Interbike is still a very real part of my life these days. Everyday I deal with the informational fall out from the four days of the show I attended.

More stories, more words, editing pictures, and posting it all up. It is amazing to me that while I was there, I thought I wasn't working hard enough to get more info. Now I am glad that I didn't!

And even in a down time for the economy, the bicycle people are still geeking out on the new stuff, and buying it. (Production bicycles, that is. Not what I was talking about at all yesterday.)

How do I know this? E-mails. I'm getting more than a few since Interbike. Folks are starting to look at the really nice 29"ers and saying they will be buying soon. Interesting to me, since traditionally bike sales get less and less as the Fall comes on. Hmm... who knows?

But enough of that. The point is, I have plenty to go through yet before I can say,"Interbike is over."

And that isn't all. Interbike is fading, but Trans Iowa is coming on strong. I have several plans in my mind, and I have to get on the stick and get them in motion. Oh, I have a few bricks in the wall up already. Couple of solid volunteers, a bit of the route done, but I need to amp up the efforts coming into mid-fall so I can have this route bagged by the end of October. That's the master plan.

Then, as winter rolls in, I'll have time to do the cue sheets in advance, get people reg'ed up, and do whatever details I need to do. Get ready to start hearing more about Trans Iowa soon.

Onward Into The Fog!

So, beyond that, there is the regular house work before winter. Then there is the riding to get in. I've got a lot of bicycle testing coming up, trust me!

It's all good, but it never seems to slow down. It seems like it was just the other day when I was riding in summer heat. Time has flown, and next thing ya know, I'll be riding in snow, and 2011 will be done.

Yeah, the fun never stops. It sure beats the heck out of what I used to do. Wrenchin' on cars and trucks. Baggin' groceries and stockin' shelves. Goin' to college and drinkin' waaaay too much beer. Yup, this beats that stuff hands down. I'm not complaining, but sometimes I am just amazed at how much is going on, and how fast it makes the time fly by.

That's a tiny peek into the whirlwind that is Guitar Ted Productions. There is more though. Much more. But I won't bore ya'all with that. This is enough.

Not Completely Manifest

Okay, I know the custom builder bike cognoscenti is going to be ticked off about this, but what the heck is going on with the Oregon Manifest? Oh.....wait, let me fill in the blanks here....

No motor, not "fancy", but it is "Utility".

 The whole idea was for the Portland area constructors of bicycles to take up a challenge where they would build a specific type of bicycle, in this case, a "utility bicycle", then they would, according to all rules set up along the way, be judged on their creations. Then, they would be put to a test of riding them on a specific course, for which there would be a winner. So, something of a race ensued, as I understand it.

Now, while that is cool in and of itself,  I find it all somewhat amusing, and totally puzzling when fancy custom bicycles that cost the price of a good used car, (at least in these parts), are proffered up as a "utility bike" that should be seen as a "car replacement option".

Really? (And apparently, I am not the only person that feels this way. See the comment #1 on this Bike Rumor post here)

Ya know, it is great to see the passion, focus, and dedication to utility cycling that these folks show. I don't doubt their enthusiasm and drive one bit, but c'mon! These bicycles are not going to get the "non-cycling public' excited about ditching the Suburban or that aging Caravan. Like the commenter said on the Bike Rumor post, "I did not see a single machine that beat a Trek Soho or similar as an urban bike"

Hey, neither did I.

The thing is, these are geek-bikes for bike-geeks, and by the response from the bike geeks out here that I have seen, it worked. They made bike geeks feel all warm and fuzzy. Not that this is a bad thing, mind you, but it isn't advancing the goal of getting the "non-cycling public" into bikes, or even thinking about thinking about getting on a bike.

Electric Assist? I don't need no stinkin' electric assist!

Now when I actually am loaded down with cargo, and rolling down the street, or carrying my son on the Snap Deck, folks look at that. They see "someone doing the deed" on a bike that looks "normal", to the extent that it isn't "fancy", costs four digits, and is accessible to their minds eye.

I remember being stopped at a convenience store last summer by a guy who was generally stoked by my rig and the possibilities it presented. Did he get out of his car and go utility bicycling? I don't know, but my lowly rig, and "normal" clothed appearance made it something he could grasp.

The Oregon Manifest wouldn't work here. Maybe it does out there on the West Coast. If so, I apologize for thinking less of it, but here? Ha! Yeah........right. In my opinion, most folks, even cyclists here, are going to be on a similar page to the commenter I referenced.

What I'd like to see is an Oregon Manifest that is "readily perceived by the senses and especially by the sense of sight" as an accessible, realistically priced, practical bike that folks would see as something they would ride for fun and utility. Something not high priced. Something not so exclusive, but inclusive. Something that looks like a bike. (Really, that wouldn't be so bad, would it?)

Works of rideable art are fine and all, but "utility" means something far away from that for most folks. Especially if the folks you want to get out of cars are going to look at them as being something useable. Just my two cents.

Maybe me and the guy commenting on the Bike Rumor post are just daft ninnies that don't get it. But, I'm betting we're on to something here......

Not Completely Manifest

Okay, I know the custom builder bike cognoscenti is going to be ticked off about this, but what the heck is going on with the Oregon Manifest? Oh.....wait, let me fill in the blanks here....

No motor, not "fancy", but it is "Utility".

 The whole idea was for the Portland area constructors of bicycles to take up a challenge where they would build a specific type of bicycle, in this case, a "utility bicycle", then they would, according to all rules set up along the way, be judged on their creations. Then, they would be put to a test of riding them on a specific course, for which there would be a winner. So, something of a race ensued, as I understand it.

Now, while that is cool in and of itself,  I find it all somewhat amusing, and totally puzzling when fancy custom bicycles that cost the price of a good used car, (at least in these parts), are proffered up as a "utility bike" that should be seen as a "car replacement option".

Really? (And apparently, I am not the only person that feels this way. See the comment #1 on this Bike Rumor post here)

Ya know, it is great to see the passion, focus, and dedication to utility cycling that these folks show. I don't doubt their enthusiasm and drive one bit, but c'mon! These bicycles are not going to get the "non-cycling public' excited about ditching the Suburban or that aging Caravan. Like the commenter said on the Bike Rumor post, "I did not see a single machine that beat a Trek Soho or similar as an urban bike"

Hey, neither did I.

The thing is, these are geek-bikes for bike-geeks, and by the response from the bike geeks out here that I have seen, it worked. They made bike geeks feel all warm and fuzzy. Not that this is a bad thing, mind you, but it isn't advancing the goal of getting the "non-cycling public" into bikes, or even thinking about thinking about getting on a bike.

Electric Assist? I don't need no stinkin' electric assist!

Now when I actually am loaded down with cargo, and rolling down the street, or carrying my son on the Snap Deck, folks look at that. They see "someone doing the deed" on a bike that looks "normal", to the extent that it isn't "fancy", costs four digits, and is accessible to their minds eye.

I remember being stopped at a convenience store last summer by a guy who was generally stoked by my rig and the possibilities it presented. Did he get out of his car and go utility bicycling? I don't know, but my lowly rig, and "normal" clothed appearance made it something he could grasp.

The Oregon Manifest wouldn't work here. Maybe it does out there on the West Coast. If so, I apologize for thinking less of it, but here? Ha! Yeah........right. In my opinion, most folks, even cyclists here, are going to be on a similar page to the commenter I referenced.

What I'd like to see is an Oregon Manifest that is "readily perceived by the senses and especially by the sense of sight" as an accessible, realistically priced, practical bike that folks would see as something they would ride for fun and utility. Something not high priced. Something not so exclusive, but inclusive. Something that looks like a bike. (Really, that wouldn't be so bad, would it?)

Works of rideable art are fine and all, but "utility" means something far away from that for most folks. Especially if the folks you want to get out of cars are going to look at them as being something useable. Just my two cents.

Maybe me and the guy commenting on the Bike Rumor post are just daft ninnies that don't get it. But, I'm betting we're on to something here......

Everything Breaks Sometimes

So, with so many carbon fiber bicycles and bits to bolt onto them these days, I figured it was time to write a bit on the subject of fear. Oh.....you know you've thought about it. The fear of carbon fiber bike part breakage. It seems that the man-made wonder material suffers from some paranoia about its integrity, especially in terms of mountain bike use.

More carbon here than you can shake a stick at.

The fact of the matter is, everything breaks sometime or another. So, why the fear-mongering when it comes to carbon fiber parts?

Is it because we fear being skewered by shards of carbon? Is it because some believe that it "explodes" without warning?

Yeah....scary scenarios all, but what is reality? (I suppose none of us really want to find that out!)

Generally, I try not to give these sorts of thoughts any space to burn up in my limited amount of "brain-hard drive" that I can still access these days. I mean, who needs the "devil of parts failure" sitting on your shoulder, whispering sweet warnings in your ear as you bomb down the single track? I don't. As the old NorCal instigators of mtb used to say, "that harshes my shred, dude!".

And bicycle companies know this too. Take Niner Bikes "C5 Warranty" for example, or Whiskey Parts Co. , who also offer a 5 year warranty, and tell us that they test their parts over and beyond CEN Testing protocol to insure that their carbon parts will hold up to trail riding.

So far.....so good!

I have to remind myself sometimes that the "standard" practice in the early 90's was that you should replace your "lightweight" aluminum handle bars every two years. Aluminum frames needed to be checked at the bike shop for cracks in the head tube. Wheels would "taco" on a moments notice if you landed a jump just wrong.

No, you could even break steel frames, and often they did just that.

Now with materials technology the way that it is, we hardly give a thought to running an aluminum bar for more than two years, or think twice about aluminum rims, nor do we fret over our aluminum frames every time we send one in for a tune up. Yes- it is true these things still break, but not to the tune that they used to.

And now we have carbon fiber parts, frames, and heck.....even rims, that we thrash off road. Will they hold up?

I think it is safe to say that they probably will have no better or no worse a failure rate than any other material we ding on, crash, or ride with aggression. But I'll tell ya, when I see that carbon seat post bend a bit under my weight, I have to beat back that devil on my shoulder a bit!

Everything Breaks Sometimes

So, with so many carbon fiber bicycles and bits to bolt onto them these days, I figured it was time to write a bit on the subject of fear. Oh.....you know you've thought about it. The fear of carbon fiber bike part breakage. It seems that the man-made wonder material suffers from some paranoia about its integrity, especially in terms of mountain bike use.

More carbon here than you can shake a stick at.

The fact of the matter is, everything breaks sometime or another. So, why the fear-mongering when it comes to carbon fiber parts?

Is it because we fear being skewered by shards of carbon? Is it because some believe that it "explodes" without warning?

Yeah....scary scenarios all, but what is reality? (I suppose none of us really want to find that out!)

Generally, I try not to give these sorts of thoughts any space to burn up in my limited amount of "brain-hard drive" that I can still access these days. I mean, who needs the "devil of parts failure" sitting on your shoulder, whispering sweet warnings in your ear as you bomb down the single track? I don't. As the old NorCal instigators of mtb used to say, "that harshes my shred, dude!".

And bicycle companies know this too. Take Niner Bikes "C5 Warranty" for example, or Whiskey Parts Co. , who also offer a 5 year warranty, and tell us that they test their parts over and beyond CEN Testing protocol to insure that their carbon parts will hold up to trail riding.

So far.....so good!

I have to remind myself sometimes that the "standard" practice in the early 90's was that you should replace your "lightweight" aluminum handle bars every two years. Aluminum frames needed to be checked at the bike shop for cracks in the head tube. Wheels would "taco" on a moments notice if you landed a jump just wrong.

No, you could even break steel frames, and often they did just that.

Now with materials technology the way that it is, we hardly give a thought to running an aluminum bar for more than two years, or think twice about aluminum rims, nor do we fret over our aluminum frames every time we send one in for a tune up. Yes- it is true these things still break, but not to the tune that they used to.

And now we have carbon fiber parts, frames, and heck.....even rims, that we thrash off road. Will they hold up?

I think it is safe to say that they probably will have no better or no worse a failure rate than any other material we ding on, crash, or ride with aggression. But I'll tell ya, when I see that carbon seat post bend a bit under my weight, I have to beat back that devil on my shoulder a bit!

Better Get It While The Gettin Is Good!

I'm not going to post much for words today. But I have some images. You folks that are riders need to get out now and ride!

Fall rules........

The white dot is a mushroom!

Fungus Sentinel Posts

Big 'Shroom!

Hope ya all are having a great weekend. I'll be back Monday with another post, but until then, enjoy a ride in the woods if ya can!

Better Get It While The Gettin Is Good!

I'm not going to post much for words today. But I have some images. You folks that are riders need to get out now and ride!

Fall rules........

The white dot is a mushroom!

Fungus Sentinel Posts

Big 'Shroom!

Hope ya all are having a great weekend. I'll be back Monday with another post, but until then, enjoy a ride in the woods if ya can!

Crawler

Not a Night Crawler!

Hey, I was thinking about this rig by Origin 8 recently. It's the "Crawler" fat bike. The unique thing about it was the single speed type drive train working a Nuvinci hub with a Constantly Variable Transmission.

Yep! It really doesn't have "gears". It has balls and ramps though! Without twisting your mind into mush explaining the inner workings of a Nuvinci, (which if ya gotta see, can be found here), just know that it is the smoothest shifting hub ever. Well, shifting isn't really the right word for it. You twist a throttle like collar, and the pedaling feels different.

Harder or easier, really, that's about the size of it. You want to spin? You can keep your cadence perfect, no matter if you have hills or downhills, until the terrain exceeds the capacity for the hub to keep up. That was the only downer on the Crawler. It just wasn't quite geared low enough.

Otherwise, you twisted one way for going up, and the other for flatter or downhill terrain. It was really interesting how you can fine tune the cadence you desire accordingly to speed and how you feel. It was really intuitive and fun, actually.

The bad side? This hub weighs a metric ton. It made the rearward weight bias on the Crawler really noticeable, and the entire bike had to weigh well north of 40lbs.

The thing was, I was looking at the bike that was the closest to my ideal winter rig. Single speed type drive, IGH type drive train, and the only thing missing here- the Gates Center Track.

Now that and a lighter set up would be totally killer in winter.

Crawler

Not a Night Crawler!

Hey, I was thinking about this rig by Origin 8 recently. It's the "Crawler" fat bike. The unique thing about it was the single speed type drive train working a Nuvinci hub with a Constantly Variable Transmission.

Yep! It really doesn't have "gears". It has balls and ramps though! Without twisting your mind into mush explaining the inner workings of a Nuvinci, (which if ya gotta see, can be found here), just know that it is the smoothest shifting hub ever. Well, shifting isn't really the right word for it. You twist a throttle like collar, and the pedaling feels different.

Harder or easier, really, that's about the size of it. You want to spin? You can keep your cadence perfect, no matter if you have hills or downhills, until the terrain exceeds the capacity for the hub to keep up. That was the only downer on the Crawler. It just wasn't quite geared low enough.

Otherwise, you twisted one way for going up, and the other for flatter or downhill terrain. It was really interesting how you can fine tune the cadence you desire accordingly to speed and how you feel. It was really intuitive and fun, actually.

The bad side? This hub weighs a metric ton. It made the rearward weight bias on the Crawler really noticeable, and the entire bike had to weigh well north of 40lbs.

The thing was, I was looking at the bike that was the closest to my ideal winter rig. Single speed type drive, IGH type drive train, and the only thing missing here- the Gates Center Track.

Now that and a lighter set up would be totally killer in winter.

Friday News And Views

29"er Specific Gearing?

I've written on this before, and I want to bring the topic back up for discussion again, but first- a quick recap for those who don't know what this is about.

When the 29"er came about, several good and bad things were noted right off the bat. One of the "bad" things was in regard to gearing. You see, your wheel size affects your end gear ratio. Late 19th Century cyclists would have been quite familiar with that concept, but with all the cassette gears and crank chain rings in between the pedals and the drive wheel these days, how a rear wheel affects final drive gear is lost on a lot of folks. Essentially, a bigger wheel is a "harder" gear, all else remaining the same. You go faster, but it is harder to get rolling, and harder to climb hills, etc. Make sense?

So, 29"ers, with their larger diameter wheels, were stuck using gear ratios optimized for smaller wheels. This left the low end of the range wanting. (Well, for some folks anyway. Bear with me here.) Suggestions to remedy the situation included getting a cassette with a 36T low gear, (got that now, huzzah!), and using a crankset with a 20-30-42 tooth chain ring set.

Now some will be about a millisecond from the comment button right now ready to pounce and tell me about Middleburn, or Action Tec, or whatever. Sorry folks. This has to do with those that control the market with OEM spec. Namely SRAM and Shimano.

Okay, and then there is the argument that says you need to lose weight, get fitter, pedal harder, yada, yada, yada. This doesn't apply here either. Yes, that is a valid point, but we're putting that "over there" for a minute, okay? Some folks "need" this lower gearing. Shimano and SRAM are not giving it to them. Close in the case of SRAM, but no cigar.

Historically, Shimano has been all over the board with regard to gearing on hybrids and mountain bikes. One thing is for certain, unless the Shimano company is going to sell "a lot" of product to OEM's, they don't really care what you and I think "mountain bike gearing" should be for any bicycle. They are a research and development company that specializes in forged metal products. They are not much for market research. They definitely do not chase "niches". Until most mtb's become big wheelers, (and that looks to be starting to happen), Shimano will not make a "29"er specific crankset. Heck, they don't even do a single speed crank set for mountain biking. And we all know how long that's been around.

SRAM is hedging its bets with 2X10 drive trains, and hoping that will become enough to make 29"er folks happy. Very soon they will offer what they are billing as crank sets good for 29"ers in a 22/36 configuration. Not low enough gearing, some will say, and I'd have to agree that it seems to be a lateral move. I mean, you can 2X a triple and practically get that gearing.

Nope! Until one of the big outfits does a 20-30-42, we'll continue to hear about this gearing thing for 29"ers.

Soul Ride

Here We Go Again With That Steel Thing...

Looks like another Milwaukee Bikes 29"er is headed over for testing and review. Ya know......another steel hard tail! 

I don't know how the new rig will compare,  but I nearly bought the old one after testing and reviewing it, I liked it that much. But....I sent it back. This one? We'll see. Check out Twenty Nine Inches for all the updates.

I'll just say that it is Fall, which is the perfect time to single speed, this bike will be a single speed, and Reynolds steel at that. If it rides anywhere as near to the older Milwaukee rig, it's gonna be good times in the woods!

It is great to just hammer the single track without fear of ripping off your derailleur when a stick gets caught bin your spokes. That happens a lot here in the Fall due to the windy days that knock down a ton of twigs, branches, and well......sometimes entire trees!

Those pesky twigs and branches get kicked up by your front wheel and wham!  (Not the George Michael "Wham!", but ya know.....a sudden bad thing kinda "wham" Well........I guess you could say those are both bad kinds of "wham"!)

Anywho.......yeah. Bad deal there when the ol' rear mech goes belly up into your spokes. I've been clear of that issue for more years than I care to count, but then again, I single speed most Fall seasons anymore! Now I've gone and jinxed myself, I suppose, but we'll see.

Okay, have a great weekend folks! Ride bikes, Take pictures!

Friday News And Views

29"er Specific Gearing?

I've written on this before, and I want to bring the topic back up for discussion again, but first- a quick recap for those who don't know what this is about.

When the 29"er came about, several good and bad things were noted right off the bat. One of the "bad" things was in regard to gearing. You see, your wheel size affects your end gear ratio. Late 19th Century cyclists would have been quite familiar with that concept, but with all the cassette gears and crank chain rings in between the pedals and the drive wheel these days, how a rear wheel affects final drive gear is lost on a lot of folks. Essentially, a bigger wheel is a "harder" gear, all else remaining the same. You go faster, but it is harder to get rolling, and harder to climb hills, etc. Make sense?

So, 29"ers, with their larger diameter wheels, were stuck using gear ratios optimized for smaller wheels. This left the low end of the range wanting. (Well, for some folks anyway. Bear with me here.) Suggestions to remedy the situation included getting a cassette with a 36T low gear, (got that now, huzzah!), and using a crankset with a 20-30-42 tooth chain ring set.

Now some will be about a millisecond from the comment button right now ready to pounce and tell me about Middleburn, or Action Tec, or whatever. Sorry folks. This has to do with those that control the market with OEM spec. Namely SRAM and Shimano.

Okay, and then there is the argument that says you need to lose weight, get fitter, pedal harder, yada, yada, yada. This doesn't apply here either. Yes, that is a valid point, but we're putting that "over there" for a minute, okay? Some folks "need" this lower gearing. Shimano and SRAM are not giving it to them. Close in the case of SRAM, but no cigar.

Historically, Shimano has been all over the board with regard to gearing on hybrids and mountain bikes. One thing is for certain, unless the Shimano company is going to sell "a lot" of product to OEM's, they don't really care what you and I think "mountain bike gearing" should be for any bicycle. They are a research and development company that specializes in forged metal products. They are not much for market research. They definitely do not chase "niches". Until most mtb's become big wheelers, (and that looks to be starting to happen), Shimano will not make a "29"er specific crankset. Heck, they don't even do a single speed crank set for mountain biking. And we all know how long that's been around.

SRAM is hedging its bets with 2X10 drive trains, and hoping that will become enough to make 29"er folks happy. Very soon they will offer what they are billing as crank sets good for 29"ers in a 22/36 configuration. Not low enough gearing, some will say, and I'd have to agree that it seems to be a lateral move. I mean, you can 2X a triple and practically get that gearing.

Nope! Until one of the big outfits does a 20-30-42, we'll continue to hear about this gearing thing for 29"ers.

Soul Ride

Here We Go Again With That Steel Thing...

Looks like another Milwaukee Bikes 29"er is headed over for testing and review. Ya know......another steel hard tail! 

I don't know how the new rig will compare,  but I nearly bought the old one after testing and reviewing it, I liked it that much. But....I sent it back. This one? We'll see. Check out Twenty Nine Inches for all the updates.

I'll just say that it is Fall, which is the perfect time to single speed, this bike will be a single speed, and Reynolds steel at that. If it rides anywhere as near to the older Milwaukee rig, it's gonna be good times in the woods!

It is great to just hammer the single track without fear of ripping off your derailleur when a stick gets caught bin your spokes. That happens a lot here in the Fall due to the windy days that knock down a ton of twigs, branches, and well......sometimes entire trees!

Those pesky twigs and branches get kicked up by your front wheel and wham!  (Not the George Michael "Wham!", but ya know.....a sudden bad thing kinda "wham" Well........I guess you could say those are both bad kinds of "wham"!)

Anywho.......yeah. Bad deal there when the ol' rear mech goes belly up into your spokes. I've been clear of that issue for more years than I care to count, but then again, I single speed most Fall seasons anymore! Now I've gone and jinxed myself, I suppose, but we'll see.

Okay, have a great weekend folks! Ride bikes, Take pictures!

Chukkin' Wood

Cedar River and a Sortie

Finally! I got out for a mountain bike ride at The Camp yesterday. I hit up the North Side first, since it's been like forever since I've ridden over there.

Seems like it's been forever since anyone has ridden over there! I was chukkin' wood off the trail every 20 yards once I cleaned the service road to the top of the big hill. Progress was slow, and getting re-started on Broken Finger isn't all that easy.

Now I've ridden in a lot of places, but I'll tell ya what- Those opening salvos on Broken Finger are about as technical as it gets anywhere. The twisting chute down, the immediate up over big, exposed roots, and then the nearly 180 degree switchback on really off camber ground make you pay real good attention! That section always works me over good, but it is great for sussing out a new test rig.

Of course, then it dumps you down, down, and eventually to the river. I decided to check on the eagle's nest. Yup! Still there, but nobody was home. Then it was up onto the sandy ridge for some riding, back over behind the swimming pool, and down and back out again to the truck. It was all good but for the August spider that didn't heed the change in calendar nor the weather. A big, nasty Sheila it was too. Gah!

Fall. Game on!

Then I headed over to the South Side, which is much faster, more flowy, and free from spiders!

Fall has hit this section of woods and the colors are just coming on. It was cool-ish, and the wind was blowing leaves loose. I rode swiftly around corners as the leaves fluttered down to the single track.

The sky had that funny, filtered light through an overcast cloud cover that just speaks Fall to me. I love this time of year in the woods.

It seems that the colors have kicked in a tad early to me. Maybe Fall won't last all that long. All I know is that every time I can ride in the woods the next month or so, I'm going. It's Fall. Game on! 

Chukkin' Wood

Cedar River and a Sortie

Finally! I got out for a mountain bike ride at The Camp yesterday. I hit up the North Side first, since it's been like forever since I've ridden over there.

Seems like it's been forever since anyone has ridden over there! I was chukkin' wood off the trail every 20 yards once I cleaned the service road to the top of the big hill. Progress was slow, and getting re-started on Broken Finger isn't all that easy.

Now I've ridden in a lot of places, but I'll tell ya what- Those opening salvos on Broken Finger are about as technical as it gets anywhere. The twisting chute down, the immediate up over big, exposed roots, and then the nearly 180 degree switchback on really off camber ground make you pay real good attention! That section always works me over good, but it is great for sussing out a new test rig.

Of course, then it dumps you down, down, and eventually to the river. I decided to check on the eagle's nest. Yup! Still there, but nobody was home. Then it was up onto the sandy ridge for some riding, back over behind the swimming pool, and down and back out again to the truck. It was all good but for the August spider that didn't heed the change in calendar nor the weather. A big, nasty Sheila it was too. Gah!

Fall. Game on!

Then I headed over to the South Side, which is much faster, more flowy, and free from spiders!

Fall has hit this section of woods and the colors are just coming on. It was cool-ish, and the wind was blowing leaves loose. I rode swiftly around corners as the leaves fluttered down to the single track.

The sky had that funny, filtered light through an overcast cloud cover that just speaks Fall to me. I love this time of year in the woods.

It seems that the colors have kicked in a tad early to me. Maybe Fall won't last all that long. All I know is that every time I can ride in the woods the next month or so, I'm going. It's Fall. Game on! 

Popular Post And Other Ramblings

I have stats I look at and they tell me all sorts of goofy things. One of the most amazing things, (to my mind), is the fact that for almost a month now this little post about fat bike tires has consistently been a top five hit on this blog.

Yes- weird huh?

Salsa, Paul Components- More hubs better than Phil for Phatness

In other fat biking news: Hub and gadget maker Paul Components is said to have acquiesced to making some fat bike hubs due to someone's insistence that they do such a crazy thing. Details are not substantiated, and this may be a hoax, for all I know, but if in fact it is true, this will be beyond anything I would have thought possible only a few hours ago.

• New front WHUB that will be rear brake compatible
• Rear hub at 170mm with a cassette designed to fit up to 10 cogs.
• Freehub internals by Industry 9 (!)

Sound too good to be true? Might be, and I do know some that will poo-poo that it is Paul Components doing this, because their hubs have "terrible seals", but I haven't had such issues with mine that have been through several winters.


That said, this could open up a whole new avenue for fat bikers to get wheels for symmetrical standard fat bike frames.

It's Over....But It Isn't Over!

Space Horse!

  While the show may be over, and the boxes are being shipped back all over, my job is still in full-on overdrive mode. I've got images to process through, stories to assemble, and posts to edit.

Yeah, I know.....call the "wah"mbulance! Too bad I had to go to Interbike and see all the cool stuff, eh?

Well, I am just saying that the lack of real content here may start cropping up because I am furiously trying to complete this back-log of info and get it "passed through" the system. It's kind of like a media version of indigestion, or worse.

To borrow a phrase from Mike Curiak, This place needs an enema!

Once everything passes...(<====Ha!), I'll be able to scale back the manic editing and writing and get back to some riding. For once....

One of the things I just processed through last night was the Devin Lenz piece that I wanted to write up. Devin is the guy that with Mike Curiak's push, developed the long travel 29"er, oh.........about five years ago now.  You know all those 5" travel rigs that are coming out now? They all owe their existence in some small way to Devin and his Behemoth and Lunchbox long travel 29"ers.

Devin himself is a soft-spoken, engineering type of guy that seems the most unlikely of guys to ever do anything as radical as make a long travel 29"er in the face of a maelstrom of "you can't do that" criticism. But he did, and it just "is". Which is to say, long travel 29"ers are for real.

Breast Cancer Awareness Ride: 

Here's a worthy cause that the shop I work at is supporting, and is being done nationwide. Following are some details:

Since 2006, Trek Women, dealers and thousands of cyclists have raised more than $360,000 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). The rides are very casual and appropriate for the whole family, and all of the $25 registration fee goes to BCRF. Europa Cycle is hosting this annual event on Saturday, October 8, 2011. The goal is to have over 5,000 cyclists across the nation joining together on the same day, at the same time to raise awareness for breast cancer. Can you help us by attending? If you have another commitment that day, please consider registering & donating the $25 fee. The ride will begin & end @ Europa Cycle (4302 University Ave., CF) and has 2 ride options: 10 mile trail ride or a 25 mile road ride. $25 fee with 100% of the fee going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The ride start time is 10 a.m. Helmets are required.

Popular Post And Other Ramblings

I have stats I look at and they tell me all sorts of goofy things. One of the most amazing things, (to my mind), is the fact that for almost a month now this little post about fat bike tires has consistently been a top five hit on this blog.

Yes- weird huh?

Salsa, Paul Components- More hubs better than Phil for Phatness

In other fat biking news: Hub and gadget maker Paul Components is said to have acquiesced to making some fat bike hubs due to someone's insistence that they do such a crazy thing. Details are not substantiated, and this may be a hoax, for all I know, but if in fact it is true, this will be beyond anything I would have thought possible only a few hours ago.

• New front WHUB that will be rear brake compatible
• Rear hub at 170mm with a cassette designed to fit up to 10 cogs.
• Freehub internals by Industry 9 (!)

Sound too good to be true? Might be, and I do know some that will poo-poo that it is Paul Components doing this, because their hubs have "terrible seals", but I haven't had such issues with mine that have been through several winters.


That said, this could open up a whole new avenue for fat bikers to get wheels for symmetrical standard fat bike frames.

It's Over....But It Isn't Over!

Space Horse!

  While the show may be over, and the boxes are being shipped back all over, my job is still in full-on overdrive mode. I've got images to process through, stories to assemble, and posts to edit.

Yeah, I know.....call the "wah"mbulance! Too bad I had to go to Interbike and see all the cool stuff, eh?

Well, I am just saying that the lack of real content here may start cropping up because I am furiously trying to complete this back-log of info and get it "passed through" the system. It's kind of like a media version of indigestion, or worse.

To borrow a phrase from Mike Curiak, This place needs an enema!

Once everything passes...(<====Ha!), I'll be able to scale back the manic editing and writing and get back to some riding. For once....

One of the things I just processed through last night was the Devin Lenz piece that I wanted to write up. Devin is the guy that with Mike Curiak's push, developed the long travel 29"er, oh.........about five years ago now.  You know all those 5" travel rigs that are coming out now? They all owe their existence in some small way to Devin and his Behemoth and Lunchbox long travel 29"ers.

Devin himself is a soft-spoken, engineering type of guy that seems the most unlikely of guys to ever do anything as radical as make a long travel 29"er in the face of a maelstrom of "you can't do that" criticism. But he did, and it just "is". Which is to say, long travel 29"ers are for real.

Breast Cancer Awareness Ride: 

Here's a worthy cause that the shop I work at is supporting, and is being done nationwide. Following are some details:

Since 2006, Trek Women, dealers and thousands of cyclists have raised more than $360,000 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). The rides are very casual and appropriate for the whole family, and all of the $25 registration fee goes to BCRF. Europa Cycle is hosting this annual event on Saturday, October 8, 2011. The goal is to have over 5,000 cyclists across the nation joining together on the same day, at the same time to raise awareness for breast cancer. Can you help us by attending? If you have another commitment that day, please consider registering & donating the $25 fee. The ride will begin & end @ Europa Cycle (4302 University Ave., CF) and has 2 ride options: 10 mile trail ride or a 25 mile road ride. $25 fee with 100% of the fee going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The ride start time is 10 a.m. Helmets are required.