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| The Lunatic Fringe |
So, in an effort to allow myself a channel through which to vent through, I now am going to dump out my mental cart here for all to see. The Mayans have nothing on me.
First there is the huge goal I set for myself of having all the recon done before Winter for the upcoming Trans Iowa V9. This was going to be a slam dunk until I figured out that the "shaky-shake" I was feeling in the seat of my pants when I drove the "Truck With No Name" was a broken belt in the left rear tire. Yeah......not cool! It was looking as though I was needing tires anyway, so I am getting those put on today, as a matter of fact.
Trivial Factoid: Each tire for a 2003 Toyota Tundra costs the same as one Big Fat Larry in the 120TPI folding bead flavor. I find this somewhat amazing.
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| I am not a Man- I am Devo! |
Well, so there is that, and now a last ditch effort to squeeze out the recon will take place Sunday. It will be nice out, and it should prove to be a good day to knock it all out. If I don't, December will not allow for anymore chances, let alone Winter's possible arrival on the scene.
And that segue ways into what else is going on in my brain, which is my Family. I have a jam-packed December of Family Fun going on.
First it is a close family friend's birthday, (you could say she is a sister of mine, in fact), then there is Mrs. Guitar Ted's birthday, then it is my Daughter's birthday, then Christmas, New Years, and on January 2nd, it is my wedding anniversary.
The social calendar be full! I will blink on December 1st, (which is the big fat bike ride day, by the way), and then I'll be staring straight into January and the big day of the Triple D event. Oh yeah!
Training for Triple D must happen around all of this as well. I have to get going on that some more of that here soon. At least the bike will be set up pretty well already. (Did I mention the cost of new skins for that sled? Yes?) Uh-huh.....needs new tires as well. I may opt for something different than Larry's or Big Fat Larrys though, which could be even more spendy! That's not the only event prep I have going on either. There is a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes for Trans Iowa V9 which is consuming a lot of my thoughts. E-mails and ideas are being slung around that might just amaze some of you out there.
In fact, stuff for that event could be so awesome I may explode before I can tell you all about it. It's going to be that good. Well, either I will explode, or the Mayans will be right. (Cue Corporate Anthem)
Stay tuned.....
9 comments:
Ya know I've been thinking some of the same thoughts. Tire$. I ended up with anothere BFL Was thinking about that other one that probably has a little more bite in the steering department, but the Fat larry rolls so easy, so it seems. I had to get something for DDD, or I would be on my azz alot. I force myself not to look too long at the Fat studded set. More spendy then my car tires. But then I find myself thinking, I could go anywhere with those babies. Keep the tire side down. Dave
Wow... There is a picture of three wild and crazy guys! Three awesome cyclists too...
Thanks for all your work on the TI recon. MW and I will be getting our December century in on Sunday. It's supposed to be in the low-60s that day, so we'll be pedaling in seriously inspired conditions for December 2nd... But global warming is a hoax, right? Riiiiiiight...
Oh well, gotta' make hay while the sun shines. And I like to ride bikes!
So, I've been thinking about taking a run at TI on a fatbike. With drop bars and Black Floyds, if the fit is dialed, I don't see why it wouldn't be possible (and fun). Agree? Disagree?? Discuss...
@MG: To be totally honest- I am really surprised no one has attempted T.I. on a fat bike yet. If you can keep the motor fueled, I see no reason why your plan wouldn't work, and maybe even be the preferred set up in some instances.
Thanks for posting that photos of the three of us. It just about sums it all up. Some of the finest moments I can remember.
Ari
The only thing puts me off about a fatbike on TI is the hills. I spent some time on the CIRREM course with a fatbike this year and, while I don't have MG's motor, I can tell you I was definitely faster over the same course on my cross bike. As a guy who wants to finish first, and worry about my time second, I won't do anything to intentionally hamper my success.
Then again, someone finished the DK200 on a fatbike this year in a respectable time, so...
@MG, @ Steve Fuller: I understand that point of view, steve. It weighs heavily against choosing a fatbike for a few reasons, some of which you touch on. But....there are certain conditions where I have seen first hand how a fat bike on gravel will walk away from a cross bike. (A certain rain drenched GTDRI comes to mind) Anyway- configured correctly, I bet a fatbike set up could cut under 30lbs with gear, and that might be okay with the right rider on board. It is always about the rider, so we have to always take that into consideration here, but there are definitely pros and cons to running a fatbike at any gravel event.
I now this is somehow a bit off topic. But I am going to try and ride a 29er with 700x40 tires on my next Iowa training ride with Jay. I am just curious as to how it rides. Maybe having tons of clearance could be a good thing if it is sloppy out there. What do you guys think?
Ari
@Ari: Lots of folks do this with Fargos. They seem to get on fine with it.
It's going to quicken up the steering a bit too, so it may be just the ticket, or it may be too twitchy depending on the geometry.
Thanks for your thoughts, guys. I am now planning to ride one of Singular's bikes at TI this year, either a Kite or a Gryphon, depending on conditions. I love great steel bikes, so I gave my friend Marty Larson a call over the weekend. Done.
@Ari, I think more clearance is typically good, however don't lose sight of ride quality. You still have to ride it for more than a day straight... For me, ride quality sits above clearance in my list of priorities, so if my 29er with 40c tires rode rough, I'd skip it and go with the 'cross bike.
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