News Flash: On One Carbon Fatty?

 I don't know anything more about this, but I just saw the link to the Shed Fire site, which is On One designer Brant Richards place to dump all of his behind the scenes bike stuff.

He lists this as the "carbon One One fatty". That would indicate to me that this is destined for production.

While not the first carbon fat bike frame produced, it would be the first produced in any sort of meaningful numbers, and I am sure, it will titillate those who are seeking to cut weight and have stiffness in their fat bike frame sets.
 I would surmise this will follow the same geometry the original aluminum Fatty has which is purportedly more attuned to mountain biking than it is pure soft surface/snow/sand riding.

Carbon fiber: What don't they make outta this stuff!

More as I get it, or not......

By the way, the images were pinched from the Shed Fire site. I have no horse in that race, just thought it was pretty interesting. Enjoy!

Update: The On One "blog" has now posted new info on this special one off frame. They are not saying it won't be offered as a production bike, but they are not saying it will be for certain either. At any rate, see the details here. The estimated MSRP is going to make this the most expensive fat bike option, if it is one, at $3250.00USD

News Flash: On One Carbon Fatty?

 I don't know anything more about this, but I just saw the link to the Shed Fire site, which is On One designer Brant Richards place to dump all of his behind the scenes bike stuff.

He lists this as the "carbon One One fatty". That would indicate to me that this is destined for production.

While not the first carbon fat bike frame produced, it would be the first produced in any sort of meaningful numbers, and I am sure, it will titillate those who are seeking to cut weight and have stiffness in their fat bike frame sets.
 I would surmise this will follow the same geometry the original aluminum Fatty has which is purportedly more attuned to mountain biking than it is pure soft surface/snow/sand riding.

Carbon fiber: What don't they make outta this stuff!

More as I get it, or not......

By the way, the images were pinched from the Shed Fire site. I have no horse in that race, just thought it was pretty interesting. Enjoy!

Update: The On One "blog" has now posted new info on this special one off frame. They are not saying it won't be offered as a production bike, but they are not saying it will be for certain either. At any rate, see the details here. The estimated MSRP is going to make this the most expensive fat bike option, if it is one, at $3250.00USD

Salsa Cycles Vaya: Update

Many of the regular readers here know I picked up a Salsa Cycles Vaya frame recently. This is a used frame that I am building up for use as a disc brake equipped gravel grinder.

It's looking like today may be the day that I get most of this rig put together. "Most" because I am waiting on tires, and that will be something I should be getting later this week, if not tomorrow. But anyway, here is a brief preview of what is going on with this rig and why I am pursuing that for this build.

Okay, so here's the deal: The Vaya is billed primarily as Salsa Cycles' touring bike, but as anyone who has been around the gravel grinder  scene in the Mid-West knows, this is a very popular gravel racer rig. Why? I aim to find that out for myself. Obviously there is some strong likeness to Salsa Cycles' first Fargo, so I expect similar feelings with regard to ride quality on gravel. We'll see....

What Time Is It? It's Vaya Time!

The main goal for this bike, in as far as what I hope to achieve with the final result, is a lighter weight bike than the Fargo with similar feelings and capabilities, albeit with narrower tires. To that end several specific parts will be used to get me where I think this could go.

The main component in the build is the Edge wheel set, (older name for Enve), and the wheels I have are sub-1500 grams for the pair. They have lightweight, yet durable American Classic Disc hubs, which have never given me pause for worry or concern so far. As a matter of fact, they were on the Fargo Gen 1 bike I have had for quite sometime, so I should be able to get a feel for the Vaya's similarities, if any, since the wheels are a constant there.

Another component chosen for it's familiarity with regard to the Fargo is the On One Midge bar. In fact, these are the very same Midge Bars that were on the old Fargo Gen 1 before I replaced them recently with new, gold anodized Midge Bars. These bars are reasonably light and in the 25.4mm clamp size, quite comfortably flexible. I will also use bar end shifters which should help keep the weight down as well.

I am using a carbon fiber seat post, vintage mtb, by the way, and a lighter weight Bontrager saddle for the time being. The drive train will be a mish-mash of 10 speed Shimano and SRAM components with two front chain rings in 42 and 30 tooth sizes.

Okay then, if all goes well today, and I get the tires soon, I may debut the Vaya yet this week. Stay tuned......

Salsa Cycles Vaya: Update

Many of the regular readers here know I picked up a Salsa Cycles Vaya frame recently. This is a used frame that I am building up for use as a disc brake equipped gravel grinder.

It's looking like today may be the day that I get most of this rig put together. "Most" because I am waiting on tires, and that will be something I should be getting later this week, if not tomorrow. But anyway, here is a brief preview of what is going on with this rig and why I am pursuing that for this build.

Okay, so here's the deal: The Vaya is billed primarily as Salsa Cycles' touring bike, but as anyone who has been around the gravel grinder  scene in the Mid-West knows, this is a very popular gravel racer rig. Why? I aim to find that out for myself. Obviously there is some strong likeness to Salsa Cycles' first Fargo, so I expect similar feelings with regard to ride quality on gravel. We'll see....

What Time Is It? It's Vaya Time!

The main goal for this bike, in as far as what I hope to achieve with the final result, is a lighter weight bike than the Fargo with similar feelings and capabilities, albeit with narrower tires. To that end several specific parts will be used to get me where I think this could go.

The main component in the build is the Edge wheel set, (older name for Enve), and the wheels I have are sub-1500 grams for the pair. They have lightweight, yet durable American Classic Disc hubs, which have never given me pause for worry or concern so far. As a matter of fact, they were on the Fargo Gen 1 bike I have had for quite sometime, so I should be able to get a feel for the Vaya's similarities, if any, since the wheels are a constant there.

Another component chosen for it's familiarity with regard to the Fargo is the On One Midge bar. In fact, these are the very same Midge Bars that were on the old Fargo Gen 1 before I replaced them recently with new, gold anodized Midge Bars. These bars are reasonably light and in the 25.4mm clamp size, quite comfortably flexible. I will also use bar end shifters which should help keep the weight down as well.

I am using a carbon fiber seat post, vintage mtb, by the way, and a lighter weight Bontrager saddle for the time being. The drive train will be a mish-mash of 10 speed Shimano and SRAM components with two front chain rings in 42 and 30 tooth sizes.

Okay then, if all goes well today, and I get the tires soon, I may debut the Vaya yet this week. Stay tuned......

Musings On Tires

And now- the standard disclaimer.....NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....

Tires: they are a "big" deal for cyclists...

So you may have noticed that tires for bicycles are kind of a "big deal" no matter what discipline of cycling you might enjoy. Tires are the one and only thing that touches the terrain we like to traverse, or fly over, as the case may be! Tires have a bigger influence on your riding than about any other thing concerning a bicycle you can think of. They are suspension, traction, cornering, acceleration, and stopping. They have a lot to do with speed and comfort. Essentially, if you have a great bike, and crappy tires, (or tires not being used to their potential), you are losing out on how good bicycling could be for you. Shockingly, most folks do not understand tires and how they affect all these things.

It's a huge subject, and I could go on for a while about it, but I want to focus on a few things that are misconceptions, misunderstandings, and myths. Number one amongst these has to do with tire width and pressures you run tires at. Most folks think "higher pressures are always better" and that narrower tires are always faster." Both things are myths, and most folks have a lot of misunderstandings when it comes to these ideas.

I have been a wheel/tire freak for a long time. Anytime the subject of wheels and tires came up in the old bike shop days, I listened up. From customers, to racers, company reps, magazine articles, and later on, the internet. I took in as much as I could. It  was one of the reasons in late '99/early 2000 I discovered this thing called a "29"er". (But that's a whole nuther story...) Anyway, I began to understand that a lot of folks "in the know" were running lower pressures and wider tires and going faster. Some companies were doing research, like Continental, Schwalbe, and others and were publishing reports that confirmed wider tires at lower pressures were better, faster, and more comfortable.

The bigger, the better?

It wasn't until later on  that I understood what "wider" and "lower pressure" meant for road and off road though. I had read this article from "Bicycle Quarterly" in 2008, and it really opened up my eyes to where cyclist might go for a better experience on their bikes. Well, if only they could let go of those preconceived notions and "feelings of being faster", (as noted in the linked article- many cyclists prefer the feel of high pressure in their tires, even though they are slower.) Of course- there are limits, and going beyond them will yield diminishing returns. But in general, many average cyclists, (and some avid enthusiasts and racers), are running tires too narrow and/or at too high a pressure.

Doing the gig that I do, I get to ride a lot of tires. Mostly off road tires, but the principles remain similar for road tires. I often still am amazed at how well some tires improve in performance at significantly lower air pressures than marked on the sidewalls. I was floored, for example, when this past summer it was suggested to me by a company rep that I dump 10psi from where I was at, (27-28psi), and see what I thought about a tire I was testing. The difference was night and day. Yes- I ran 17-18psi in these 29"er tires and they came alive, were faster, and way more comfortable. I had an unsuspecting rider try out the bike, and he came back with nothing but praises for the tires at these pressures. 

Wider- Lower psi: Works here too...

But old habits die hard. I know this because I have ridden with, and spoken with, a lot of riders that use what I would term as "really high" pressures and skinnier tires on gravel than they maybe should be. I've watched riders go by me, or ride beside me that are on bikes skittering, bouncing, and fish-tailing on the gravel, while others who are using lower psi and wider tires are riding perfectly straight lines.....and going just as fast. 

It is readily apparent that if said folks would be able to let go of their notions that high pressures and narrower tires were "better", their bikes wouldn't be getting out of shape, they  wouldn't be getting rattled nearly as much, and they would be saving a lot of effort/energy in the process. But for whatever reasons, they hold on to those old notions.

And this extends to pavement riders I talk with at the bike shop all the time. I guess each person is free to do what they want, but it is hard to understand why one would not check out the ever mounting evidence that your tires should be absorbing shock, wide enough to keep your bike really stable on rougher terrain, and not rock hard and narrow.

That's my take, and I know there will be a lot of folks that poo-poo the ideas put forth here, but I'm convinced that lower pressures and wider tires- to a degree- are better. I've some other thoughts on tires I may get to at some point, but that's for another day......

Musings On Tires

And now- the standard disclaimer.....NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....

Tires: they are a "big" deal for cyclists...

So you may have noticed that tires for bicycles are kind of a "big deal" no matter what discipline of cycling you might enjoy. Tires are the one and only thing that touches the terrain we like to traverse, or fly over, as the case may be! Tires have a bigger influence on your riding than about any other thing concerning a bicycle you can think of. They are suspension, traction, cornering, acceleration, and stopping. They have a lot to do with speed and comfort. Essentially, if you have a great bike, and crappy tires, (or tires not being used to their potential), you are losing out on how good bicycling could be for you. Shockingly, most folks do not understand tires and how they affect all these things.

It's a huge subject, and I could go on for a while about it, but I want to focus on a few things that are misconceptions, misunderstandings, and myths. Number one amongst these has to do with tire width and pressures you run tires at. Most folks think "higher pressures are always better" and that narrower tires are always faster." Both things are myths, and most folks have a lot of misunderstandings when it comes to these ideas.

I have been a wheel/tire freak for a long time. Anytime the subject of wheels and tires came up in the old bike shop days, I listened up. From customers, to racers, company reps, magazine articles, and later on, the internet. I took in as much as I could. It  was one of the reasons in late '99/early 2000 I discovered this thing called a "29"er". (But that's a whole nuther story...) Anyway, I began to understand that a lot of folks "in the know" were running lower pressures and wider tires and going faster. Some companies were doing research, like Continental, Schwalbe, and others and were publishing reports that confirmed wider tires at lower pressures were better, faster, and more comfortable.

The bigger, the better?

It wasn't until later on  that I understood what "wider" and "lower pressure" meant for road and off road though. I had read this article from "Bicycle Quarterly" in 2008, and it really opened up my eyes to where cyclist might go for a better experience on their bikes. Well, if only they could let go of those preconceived notions and "feelings of being faster", (as noted in the linked article- many cyclists prefer the feel of high pressure in their tires, even though they are slower.) Of course- there are limits, and going beyond them will yield diminishing returns. But in general, many average cyclists, (and some avid enthusiasts and racers), are running tires too narrow and/or at too high a pressure.

Doing the gig that I do, I get to ride a lot of tires. Mostly off road tires, but the principles remain similar for road tires. I often still am amazed at how well some tires improve in performance at significantly lower air pressures than marked on the sidewalls. I was floored, for example, when this past summer it was suggested to me by a company rep that I dump 10psi from where I was at, (27-28psi), and see what I thought about a tire I was testing. The difference was night and day. Yes- I ran 17-18psi in these 29"er tires and they came alive, were faster, and way more comfortable. I had an unsuspecting rider try out the bike, and he came back with nothing but praises for the tires at these pressures. 

Wider- Lower psi: Works here too...

But old habits die hard. I know this because I have ridden with, and spoken with, a lot of riders that use what I would term as "really high" pressures and skinnier tires on gravel than they maybe should be. I've watched riders go by me, or ride beside me that are on bikes skittering, bouncing, and fish-tailing on the gravel, while others who are using lower psi and wider tires are riding perfectly straight lines.....and going just as fast. 

It is readily apparent that if said folks would be able to let go of their notions that high pressures and narrower tires were "better", their bikes wouldn't be getting out of shape, they  wouldn't be getting rattled nearly as much, and they would be saving a lot of effort/energy in the process. But for whatever reasons, they hold on to those old notions.

And this extends to pavement riders I talk with at the bike shop all the time. I guess each person is free to do what they want, but it is hard to understand why one would not check out the ever mounting evidence that your tires should be absorbing shock, wide enough to keep your bike really stable on rougher terrain, and not rock hard and narrow.

That's my take, and I know there will be a lot of folks that poo-poo the ideas put forth here, but I'm convinced that lower pressures and wider tires- to a degree- are better. I've some other thoughts on tires I may get to at some point, but that's for another day......

Iced Down

Tweak, clean, grease.....

The weather went upside down on us Sunday here and we got a good dose of ice. It essentially made our street look like it was made out of dark colored glass. The sidewalk was shiny and the grass was crunchy when I walked on it. Yep......all day. 

So, I spent most of the day dinking around in my shop. I cleaned, arranged, tweaked, assembled. Searched, swept, stacked, and retrieved. It needed it all badly, and the worst part is, I only made a dent in the necessarys.

I did find some more bits to assemble on to the Vaya project. It's going to start out as quite the "mutt" build. That's pretty typical of me when I have to make do with what I have around here. Well, anyway, I decided to use a 2 X 10 drive train, and it is going to be weird. I'll save that all for later, but for now the gearing is going to be 42/30 front, 11-36T cassette. That should make me go over anything I have in front of me out on the gravel roads. The wheels will be the tried and true Edge, (so old! Now they are called Enve), with American Classic hubs. Light weight, tough, and maybe even a bit aero!

The tires and a few bits and peices have to be sorted yet. I tried Nanoraptors, but the front was juuuust a bit too big! Oddly enough, the rear fits fine with a wee bit of room to spare. But that's okay, I'll have on some nice, voluminous tires soon.

It was kind of hard sticking around the house all day. I was itching for a ride, since I started feeling a wee bit better in the afternoon. However; the conditions never improved, and I couldn't even risk going on a short errand. It was just too slick. But I managed! Working on the Lab and on the bikes needed to be done. I felt good about accomplishing that much.

But I feel like it is time to buckle down on some training, getting riding in, and maintaining some forward progress with regard to fitness. The weather looks to be cooperative early in the week, but later we go back into the deep freeze for a few days. Blecch!  It's high time to either get a huge amount of snow so we can have Winter again, or let's just get on with Spring already. This iced down stuff and cold weather is not working for me.

Iced Down

Tweak, clean, grease.....

The weather went upside down on us Sunday here and we got a good dose of ice. It essentially made our street look like it was made out of dark colored glass. The sidewalk was shiny and the grass was crunchy when I walked on it. Yep......all day. 

So, I spent most of the day dinking around in my shop. I cleaned, arranged, tweaked, assembled. Searched, swept, stacked, and retrieved. It needed it all badly, and the worst part is, I only made a dent in the necessarys.

I did find some more bits to assemble on to the Vaya project. It's going to start out as quite the "mutt" build. That's pretty typical of me when I have to make do with what I have around here. Well, anyway, I decided to use a 2 X 10 drive train, and it is going to be weird. I'll save that all for later, but for now the gearing is going to be 42/30 front, 11-36T cassette. That should make me go over anything I have in front of me out on the gravel roads. The wheels will be the tried and true Edge, (so old! Now they are called Enve), with American Classic hubs. Light weight, tough, and maybe even a bit aero!

The tires and a few bits and peices have to be sorted yet. I tried Nanoraptors, but the front was juuuust a bit too big! Oddly enough, the rear fits fine with a wee bit of room to spare. But that's okay, I'll have on some nice, voluminous tires soon.

It was kind of hard sticking around the house all day. I was itching for a ride, since I started feeling a wee bit better in the afternoon. However; the conditions never improved, and I couldn't even risk going on a short errand. It was just too slick. But I managed! Working on the Lab and on the bikes needed to be done. I felt good about accomplishing that much.

But I feel like it is time to buckle down on some training, getting riding in, and maintaining some forward progress with regard to fitness. The weather looks to be cooperative early in the week, but later we go back into the deep freeze for a few days. Blecch!  It's high time to either get a huge amount of snow so we can have Winter again, or let's just get on with Spring already. This iced down stuff and cold weather is not working for me.

Getting Back On The Horse

Alien Robot Technology?

As I stated earlier, this was a tough week. I figured it was recovery issues post Triple D. But now I think I have a mild case of some sort of virus.  My legs feel like they are full of lead and I don't have any get up and go. That and the cold made getting out rough for me.

Saturday did not dawn much better. I felt really tired even after sleeping all night really well. I decided to wait and see how I would feel later. After a late lunch, I felt good enough to go shake down a test bike or two for TNI.com. I came back pretty bushed, sweating, and feeling like I'd just done three hours of riding. Meh......

Well, the good news is that I got a lot of wrenching done. Converting tires to tubeless, tuning, setting up a bike, and working on the new to me Vaya. I spent the most time getting stuff and ideas pulled together for the Vaya. It looks like it'll be a 2 X 10 with SRAM shifters and rear derailleur with a Shimano front derailleur and a Shimano 10 speed DynaSys cassette.

I was a bit bummed when the WTB Nanos wouldn't fit the front fork, but I have an idea for some tires that I need to order here this coming week. Another bit should arrive this week, and if I can find the other confounded brake lever, I'll be well on my way to getting this one road worthy.

Just in time too, by the looks of the weather coming......

Getting Back On The Horse

Alien Robot Technology?

As I stated earlier, this was a tough week. I figured it was recovery issues post Triple D. But now I think I have a mild case of some sort of virus.  My legs feel like they are full of lead and I don't have any get up and go. That and the cold made getting out rough for me.

Saturday did not dawn much better. I felt really tired even after sleeping all night really well. I decided to wait and see how I would feel later. After a late lunch, I felt good enough to go shake down a test bike or two for TNI.com. I came back pretty bushed, sweating, and feeling like I'd just done three hours of riding. Meh......

Well, the good news is that I got a lot of wrenching done. Converting tires to tubeless, tuning, setting up a bike, and working on the new to me Vaya. I spent the most time getting stuff and ideas pulled together for the Vaya. It looks like it'll be a 2 X 10 with SRAM shifters and rear derailleur with a Shimano front derailleur and a Shimano 10 speed DynaSys cassette.

I was a bit bummed when the WTB Nanos wouldn't fit the front fork, but I have an idea for some tires that I need to order here this coming week. Another bit should arrive this week, and if I can find the other confounded brake lever, I'll be well on my way to getting this one road worthy.

Just in time too, by the looks of the weather coming......

Trans Iowa V9: This And That

Today's post on Trans Iowa will revolve around several bits and pieces of information. All important, but none big enough to carry a whole post on their own.

"300 Miles Of Gravel":

In case you hadn't heard, the movie that documented Trans Iowa V7, called "300 Miles Of Gravel", is available on DVD from this link. This film is about 26 minutes long. It won a Regional Emmy for Best Sports Programming: One Time Event, so, somebody thought it was pretty good! I will say that this film should give you an idea of  what to expect in an "overview" sort of manner.

The DVD cover for "300 Miles Of Gravel"

Retroshift Contest:  
                                      
Just a reminder about the Retroshifters that are up for grabs to a lucky guy or gal that writes to me describing why they need them for their T.I.V9 rig. Go here for the details on how to enter.

Pre-Race-Meat-Up and Finishline Details:

I have heard some super exciting possibilities for the pre and "during-event" festivities for T.I.V9. While I can not divulge any specifics as yet, I wouldn't be surprised if things are very different from other Trans Iowas this time around. But don't worry, the emphasis will be on fun. 

Also- whatever happens, the Pre-Race Meat-Up will happen on the afternoon/evening of April 26th, and is a required attendance function for those who want to ride Trans Iowa V9. Finally, if anyone can not make Trans Iowa this year for whatever reason, please advise me ASAP. I need to limit my expenses and work to best be able to cover each rider that will be there.

Volunteers: I've got Checkpoint #2 covered, but I still need bodies for Checkpoint #1, and some exta help at the start this year. If you want to Volunteer, drop me a line and let me know in the comments, or via the e-mail link HERE 

Trans Iowa V9: This And That

Today's post on Trans Iowa will revolve around several bits and pieces of information. All important, but none big enough to carry a whole post on their own.

"300 Miles Of Gravel":

In case you hadn't heard, the movie that documented Trans Iowa V7, called "300 Miles Of Gravel", is available on DVD from this link. This film is about 26 minutes long. It won a Regional Emmy for Best Sports Programming: One Time Event, so, somebody thought it was pretty good! I will say that this film should give you an idea of  what to expect in an "overview" sort of manner.

The DVD cover for "300 Miles Of Gravel"

Retroshift Contest:  
                                      
Just a reminder about the Retroshifters that are up for grabs to a lucky guy or gal that writes to me describing why they need them for their T.I.V9 rig. Go here for the details on how to enter.

Pre-Race-Meat-Up and Finishline Details:

I have heard some super exciting possibilities for the pre and "during-event" festivities for T.I.V9. While I can not divulge any specifics as yet, I wouldn't be surprised if things are very different from other Trans Iowas this time around. But don't worry, the emphasis will be on fun. 

Also- whatever happens, the Pre-Race Meat-Up will happen on the afternoon/evening of April 26th, and is a required attendance function for those who want to ride Trans Iowa V9. Finally, if anyone can not make Trans Iowa this year for whatever reason, please advise me ASAP. I need to limit my expenses and work to best be able to cover each rider that will be there.

Volunteers: I've got Checkpoint #2 covered, but I still need bodies for Checkpoint #1, and some exta help at the start this year. If you want to Volunteer, drop me a line and let me know in the comments, or via the e-mail link HERE 

Friday News And Views

Fat bike in a hotel room

Feelin' Crusty: 

This week was dominated by the after-effects of  the Triple D Winter Race. I was tired and lethargic all week. Having my birthday on Wednesday didn't help matters any! Cold, cold weather didn't help any either. That will eventually pass, but I must have burned a few matches last Sunday.

Next up on the list of things to look forward to is the Renegade Gents Race. That will be in early April. It is a team gravel road event, and I will definitely need to be hitting the gravel roads again here soon. I have the new, (to me), Vaya frame to get built up and if that pans out well, it could be the rig I ride in the event.

But first I need to start getting back into the swing of doing some regular riding again. the Triple D training was a success, and the strategy used worked all right, but I see some room for improvements on both fronts. Hopefully this year will see better strategies and results throughout the coming months......

Penny, the shop dog does a final inspection.

Going Far:

The other big deal this week was getting a titanium Fargo built for local rider, Mike, who is going to attempt Tour Divide this summer. (Talk about your strategies and looking for results!) Anyway, it was a joy to work on some fine components and bolt them to such a beautiful frame. I'll have more on the bike and frame on the bandit shop blog, but what really gets me about doing jobs like this is how I sweat all the fine details.

I don't build it like I would for myself- oh no. If that were my bike, I wouldn't have cleaned and inspected every component that came off the old Fargo. I woulda bolted that stuff on dirty! But I went beyond what I would do for myself. I also worry about how it is going to work. I guess maybe I am a bit of a worry wart, but even with my own builds, I am rather cautious the first few times I ride a new build, because I don't trust the bike just yet. Is that weird or what? I mean- it's a freakin' bike! Either it will work, or it won't work. It doesn't have "evil intentions", despite my own misgivings about such things!

So when a new rig goes out the door, I kind of feel like a bomb might go off at any minute. I shouldn't. I double check everything. I test ride the bike, but I guess I have a weird superstition about that. I mean, I've seen weird stuff go down before, so maybe that's where I get that from. Who knows. Probably just me.....

What's In Your Toolbox?

I Am A Mechanic:

Over on the Black Mountain Cycles blog,  proprietor and opiner at large, Mike Varley, sent out this salvo recently on his take concerning the differences between a "tech" and a "mechanic".

Well, you could go there and read that and my commentary, or read the following.....

Essentially, I feel that there is a tendency for some folks to "throw parts at" the problem, or just accept that "there are no user serviceable parts inside". Maybe some out there can't find the time to be creative, or to modify something to work for a certain purpose. Mechanics do not do any of the above. Ever.

To me, a mechanic knows enough about the basic workings, (rules if you will), about a machine to know that moment when creativity, a bit of digging, or extra time can make something work, and when it is time to throw in the towel and start with a new part, or entire bicycle sometimes. It is a fine balance between getting paid, making the money the shop needs to stay afloat, and servicing the customer in the best possible way too. It also may entail doing diagnostic work on the fly, while a customer is there, to better manage customer expectations.

In other words- it ain't easy. You actually have to be good at not only fixing and adjusting a bicycle, but you need to be a good salesperson, not a clerk. You need to be willing to think outside the box sometimes, and you need to be efficient, consistent, and reliable. Anyway, I do not believe a "tech" person is any of those things. Being a mechanic is complex, it requires a skill set beyond knowing how to turn wrenches or write up a repair ticket. I'm not sure it can be taught to someone from a book, or online either. I'm pretty certain it can not.

Well, that's my take, for what it is worth, and I've been doing mechanic work in various settings for almost 29 years. If that means anything......

Have a great weekend! Hope ya get outside for a bit!

Friday News And Views

Fat bike in a hotel room

Feelin' Crusty: 

This week was dominated by the after-effects of  the Triple D Winter Race. I was tired and lethargic all week. Having my birthday on Wednesday didn't help matters any! Cold, cold weather didn't help any either. That will eventually pass, but I must have burned a few matches last Sunday.

Next up on the list of things to look forward to is the Renegade Gents Race. That will be in early April. It is a team gravel road event, and I will definitely need to be hitting the gravel roads again here soon. I have the new, (to me), Vaya frame to get built up and if that pans out well, it could be the rig I ride in the event.

But first I need to start getting back into the swing of doing some regular riding again. the Triple D training was a success, and the strategy used worked all right, but I see some room for improvements on both fronts. Hopefully this year will see better strategies and results throughout the coming months......

Penny, the shop dog does a final inspection.

Going Far:

The other big deal this week was getting a titanium Fargo built for local rider, Mike, who is going to attempt Tour Divide this summer. (Talk about your strategies and looking for results!) Anyway, it was a joy to work on some fine components and bolt them to such a beautiful frame. I'll have more on the bike and frame on the bandit shop blog, but what really gets me about doing jobs like this is how I sweat all the fine details.

I don't build it like I would for myself- oh no. If that were my bike, I wouldn't have cleaned and inspected every component that came off the old Fargo. I woulda bolted that stuff on dirty! But I went beyond what I would do for myself. I also worry about how it is going to work. I guess maybe I am a bit of a worry wart, but even with my own builds, I am rather cautious the first few times I ride a new build, because I don't trust the bike just yet. Is that weird or what? I mean- it's a freakin' bike! Either it will work, or it won't work. It doesn't have "evil intentions", despite my own misgivings about such things!

So when a new rig goes out the door, I kind of feel like a bomb might go off at any minute. I shouldn't. I double check everything. I test ride the bike, but I guess I have a weird superstition about that. I mean, I've seen weird stuff go down before, so maybe that's where I get that from. Who knows. Probably just me.....

What's In Your Toolbox?

I Am A Mechanic:

Over on the Black Mountain Cycles blog,  proprietor and opiner at large, Mike Varley, sent out this salvo recently on his take concerning the differences between a "tech" and a "mechanic".

Well, you could go there and read that and my commentary, or read the following.....

Essentially, I feel that there is a tendency for some folks to "throw parts at" the problem, or just accept that "there are no user serviceable parts inside". Maybe some out there can't find the time to be creative, or to modify something to work for a certain purpose. Mechanics do not do any of the above. Ever.

To me, a mechanic knows enough about the basic workings, (rules if you will), about a machine to know that moment when creativity, a bit of digging, or extra time can make something work, and when it is time to throw in the towel and start with a new part, or entire bicycle sometimes. It is a fine balance between getting paid, making the money the shop needs to stay afloat, and servicing the customer in the best possible way too. It also may entail doing diagnostic work on the fly, while a customer is there, to better manage customer expectations.

In other words- it ain't easy. You actually have to be good at not only fixing and adjusting a bicycle, but you need to be a good salesperson, not a clerk. You need to be willing to think outside the box sometimes, and you need to be efficient, consistent, and reliable. Anyway, I do not believe a "tech" person is any of those things. Being a mechanic is complex, it requires a skill set beyond knowing how to turn wrenches or write up a repair ticket. I'm not sure it can be taught to someone from a book, or online either. I'm pretty certain it can not.

Well, that's my take, for what it is worth, and I've been doing mechanic work in various settings for almost 29 years. If that means anything......

Have a great weekend! Hope ya get outside for a bit!

Cold Commute

I don't use pogies often....

Tuesday was my first day back to work post Triple D, and with the "Truck With No Name" having a dead battery, I was relegated to riding to work. This would ordinarily be a cause for complete and utter joy; however, my legs were torched, it was below zero something, and the wind was out of the Northwest.

Uggh!

Well, there was nothing else for it other than to mount up and make the pedals go around. I dug out my ATV bar mitts, and with those in place, I pointed the Snow Dog Northwestward and off I went. It wasn't very pretty, I'll say that much!

I like commuting, and it is a great time for me normally, but that commute was pure suffering. It brought back the same feelings I had going up those long Dubuque hills on the Northwest Arterial, and the cold was even worse than during the race. My legs were aching and weak. I suppose it is good mental training!

As I struggled to get up the water tower hill on University Avenue, it occurred to me that the cold makes everything slower. The grease coagulates, maybe even my joints are "thicker", and the blood doesn't seem to flow like it does in warmer weather. I don't know, but the cold wears you down in ways that are.......depressing sometimes.

Anyway, the trip home was much, much better! I figure it is the rare sub-zero ride that was getting to me, but I'm hoping for warmer weather all the same!

Cold Commute

I don't use pogies often....

Tuesday was my first day back to work post Triple D, and with the "Truck With No Name" having a dead battery, I was relegated to riding to work. This would ordinarily be a cause for complete and utter joy; however, my legs were torched, it was below zero something, and the wind was out of the Northwest.

Uggh!

Well, there was nothing else for it other than to mount up and make the pedals go around. I dug out my ATV bar mitts, and with those in place, I pointed the Snow Dog Northwestward and off I went. It wasn't very pretty, I'll say that much!

I like commuting, and it is a great time for me normally, but that commute was pure suffering. It brought back the same feelings I had going up those long Dubuque hills on the Northwest Arterial, and the cold was even worse than during the race. My legs were aching and weak. I suppose it is good mental training!

As I struggled to get up the water tower hill on University Avenue, it occurred to me that the cold makes everything slower. The grease coagulates, maybe even my joints are "thicker", and the blood doesn't seem to flow like it does in warmer weather. I don't know, but the cold wears you down in ways that are.......depressing sometimes.

Anyway, the trip home was much, much better! I figure it is the rare sub-zero ride that was getting to me, but I'm hoping for warmer weather all the same!

Triple D Winter Race: Race Report Part II

Part II:

In the last part, I left off with the entrance on to the Heritage Trail section of the event. Heritage Trail is a converted railway that is paved with pea gravel, but in Winter it is snowmobile trail, as long as there is enough snow. Of course, we had enough snow for a time, but with all the warm days previous to Triple D, that changed the landscape dramatically.

There were plenty of sections of open, clear trail at first, and this was coming West toward Graf. That is a bit further east than where we dumped out onto the trail going out last year. At first I was thinking this would be easy, and event director, Lance Andre's words were remembered again when he had said that there was no more ice on this trail. That was pretty much true here, at first, but there were ruts from previous cyclists with skinny tires who decided they just had to "pizza cutter" up the trail while it was soft. Of course, these ruts went helter-skelter across the trail, and those played havoc with the fat tires by pulling the bike left and right.

Well, that didn't last long, as we made a slight right hander, the ice encroached all the way across the trail in long patches. I had caught Steve F. by this time, and as we chatted, I could see his tire squirming back and forth on the ice. I came around him as he slowed up, and he slid a bit more severely, almost taking us both down. Then I concentrated on my line, and by the time I felt comfortable looking back, Steve had slipped off my wheel a considerable distance. So, I trucked onward.

Image credit: K. O'Connor-Leigh

There were runners from Triple D's running events coming back at us, and I tried to give an encouraging word to each of them as I passed by them. This also served to distract me from the icy trail a bit, which at that time was a good thing. I ended up figuring out that if there were strips of snow at the sides of the trail, these were good places for smooth rolling and traction. Sometimes I'd even drop off to the edge of the trail, where the ground was showing through. Whatever line looked cleanest and free of ice. It was somewhat comical watching riders ahead of me zig-zagging back and forth looking for traction.

Eventually I came upon the two bridges that were out, and these demanded dismounts and careful picking of your way so as not to fall on the copious amounts of ice, or into ice cold running water. I ran up on a few other guys as we traversed a thin shelf which was too rough to walk on our right hand and fell off into the cold running water on our left. Then there was a sketchy rocky crossing where one could get their feet wet, but I managed to get out of there with pretty dry boots.

The rest of the miles into the Dyersville checkpoint ticked off without much drama. I ended up coming in at about 1:37pm to Chad's Pizza where we had the luxury of eating, changing out clothing, and re-supplying on water. I had come in with a few others, but they all escaped ahead of me. While at Chad's, I consumed a small amount of pizza, cottage cheese, and drank some of my special sauce I concocted. I didn't pay much mind to the time, but I suppose it was onwards of about 2:00pm when I left. There was a couple guys right in front of me, but I didn't come in contact with them until well into the final leg.

So it was that I found myself pretty much alone, dangling far enough off the back of at least two guys that I couldn't see them after a short while. Alone with the now completely icy trail. Even the once safe snow sidings were treacherous now. I was bewildered a bit, it all seemed so different coming back, and the handle I had on riding on ice seemed to have flown away from me back in Dyersville.

Bridge out, looking back West.

Somewhere in this part I made a small, corrective steering move while riding near the right edge of the trail, and the Snow Dog took off to the right, sliding out of control. I saw that the ditch was pretty steep and about ten to fifteen feet down into some rough looking bracken. In a split second, I made a twisting move to make myself fall to the left of my bike instead of high siding it off to the right and a sure trip to the bottom of the ditch. The move worked. I landed splayed out, face down into some crusty snow, but I only knocked some of the wind out of myself. I also found that my left leg was pinned between the top tube and handle bar of the Snow Dog. I was in a tiny bit of a pickle, since I was on a downward facing slope with my legs up higher than my head, but I finally disentangled myself. After calming down from scaring myself half to death, I took off again.  From now on I was sticking to the middle of the trail!

I somehow was better off for it as well. I was calmer, had my mind back into it, and I suppose I was a bit angry for having such a silly crash. (Later I would find out lots of folks were doing similar things!) No ice? Pah! This course was riddled with "death ice", as I like to refer to super smooth, slick ice. It was almost like riding rollers, in a way, since you needed to really concentrate and focus.

And looking ahead to the East.

I was drawing nigh to Graf when I spotted two riders in front of me, I thought it was Scott and Ron, two locals to me that I had been seeing off and on all day long. It wasn't those two. I drew up within about 30 yards of them, then I just couldn't seem to catch them, and actually drifted back a piece since I was unwilling to traverse the ice in spots as fast as they were doing it. Despite the conditions, I was really stoked at this point because I was still using up daylight, where by this point last year it was fully dark for me.

The pair ahead of me split up, and the follower was coming back to me, when all of a sudden the lead guy pulled off the trail, I suppose to relieve himself. I passed them by, and then came up upon Scott and Ron looking at some markers trying to decide whether or not to climb up the embankment to follow the trail. I quickly reminded them that this was a turn off for the poker riders, not for the Ultra-Cyclists, and bade them follow me to Durango, which I knew was maybe a few miles up the trail. It was there we were to check in so the event organizers would have a better handle on who was still on course.

Michael Lemberger offers congrats- Image by S. Wasmund

By the time we got to the bar in Durango where we were to check in, we had become a group of five, as the two guys I had passed came up to overtake us just before getting into Durango. I had been pushing the pace into the small town a bit, not wanting the two guys that caught us to get away before the checkpoint. We all piled in together and the locals at the bar seemed amused by our entrance. Much to my surprise, Jesse R, who typically does well at this event, was checking us in! Apparently he had a mechanical which put him out of the event a few miles before reaching Durango.

I ate a piece of pizza, guzzled some more of my secret sauce, and dug out my head lights for the remaining miles of Triple D. Another rider asked if he could join me on the ride back, and I agreed. It was Steve, a Trans Iowa vet, (Steve says he's not been in a T.I. Whoops!), and we made hay and got back to Dubuque on some really icy stretches of the Heritage Trail before dark. Once we reached town, we ran into a barricade that had not been there the day before. About 30 yards on the other side of this, we saw the markings for the course. We decided to jump the barricades and we took off to the right, leaving the Heritage trail for some bumpy, hilly, scrabbling over the last bits of the Triple D course of 2013.

These were actually the opening miles of the course from the previous year. Steve mentioned he was from Dubuque, but had no idea where he was at. I said it was all the opening stuff from last year, and I told him where the ATV trail we were on would come out. There at the top of that climb Steve got his bearings and then he was taking off, and I could not reel him back in at all.

L-R Myself, L. Andre, Steve S, : Image by S. Wasmund

 My legs were shot by now and I was really needing to stop, rest, and eat something, but being so close to finishing, I kept trying to ride back to Steve. Fortunately, he would stop and let me catch him at navigational conundrums and at the tops of hills. It was slowly getting dark all this time and the temperature was dumping fast. I was beginning to feel pretty chilled, but again, we were almost there.

We got a tag a long near to the end who was on a white Salsa Mukluk, but after a bit, he disappeared and Steve and I were at a corner trying to ferret out where we should be going. Finally I suggested we just plow straight on to Highway 20 and reconnoiter where we were at there, since fumbling around the streets in the dark was no good. I think our brains were addled by too much riding, cold, and lack of nutrition now anyway. We finally made our way back to the Best Western Plus, and I was really glad to see the front door of the place! Steve and I finished about fifteen minutes to six, and he disappeared while I stood chatting with a few folks in the lobby, legs a shambles, mind splattered, and tired as all get out.

Mrs. Guitar Ted showed up about then, and she chaperoned me back to our room where I got cleaned up, and we had a great time eating and hanging out at the restaurant there. About 10pm, the awards ceremony cranked up, and we had a great time celebrating everyone's accomplishments, and Irv's 70th birthday. He turned 70 the day of the event, and finished the Ultra-Cyclist course that evening. We all sang Happy Birthday to him, which he seemed to relish, and then we ate a cake Lance and crew had brought in just for the occasion. It was a lot of fun hanging out with the racers afterward. Then I stuck around in the lobby gabbing and drinking until 1:30am, after which time I finally hit the hay. The following day, we had one more free breakfast and we headed back to home. 

The Triple D may not have been the snow event we all wished for, but it was great none the less. I hope Lance and his crew can manage to keep the new stuff in, and perhaps we can have a crack at that course with some snow on it next year. It would be truly the best type of course for a fat bike's capabilities then. I was really happy to have cut off some major time from last year's effort and get into Dubuque before dark. I had a great ride, but it definitely whooped me with the rough trail, fields, and the stress of the ice riding.

Thanks To: Lance Andre and all the Triple D volunteers and staff. You guys and gals did a great job! To The Land Owners: Thanks for letting us cross your land and enjoy some beautiful Iowa backcountry! We all raved about it and we hope to do this sort of thing again next year. To the Asbury Snowhawks Snowmobile Club: Thanks for working with Triple D to give us the chance to ride off bike trails in Iowa! To the Best Western Plus: What a great venue and the rooms were ace! Thanks for the special deal. Thanks to Steve for hauling my sorry butt back into Dubuque and for having my back, (literally!), while we were in traffic. Thanks to all the racers and accompanying friends and family for making Triple D a friendly, fun time. Thanks to Salsa Cycles for not only supporting Triple D, but for making my Snow Dog, the first fat bike I've owned and it did me well again. Thanks to Mrs. Guitar Ted and my two wonderful kids who let me do this nutty stuff and even come along occasionally with me on my adventures. Thanks for all of the above since today is my birthday and this was an awesome pre-celebration for my 52nd trip round the sun! 

Triple D Winter Race: Race Report Part II

Part II:

In the last part, I left off with the entrance on to the Heritage Trail section of the event. Heritage Trail is a converted railway that is paved with pea gravel, but in Winter it is snowmobile trail, as long as there is enough snow. Of course, we had enough snow for a time, but with all the warm days previous to Triple D, that changed the landscape dramatically.

There were plenty of sections of open, clear trail at first, and this was coming West toward Graf. That is a bit further east than where we dumped out onto the trail going out last year. At first I was thinking this would be easy, and event director, Lance Andre's words were remembered again when he had said that there was no more ice on this trail. That was pretty much true here, at first, but there were ruts from previous cyclists with skinny tires who decided they just had to "pizza cutter" up the trail while it was soft. Of course, these ruts went helter-skelter across the trail, and those played havoc with the fat tires by pulling the bike left and right.

Well, that didn't last long, as we made a slight right hander, the ice encroached all the way across the trail in long patches. I had caught Steve F. by this time, and as we chatted, I could see his tire squirming back and forth on the ice. I came around him as he slowed up, and he slid a bit more severely, almost taking us both down. Then I concentrated on my line, and by the time I felt comfortable looking back, Steve had slipped off my wheel a considerable distance. So, I trucked onward.

Image credit: K. O'Connor-Leigh

There were runners from Triple D's running events coming back at us, and I tried to give an encouraging word to each of them as I passed by them. This also served to distract me from the icy trail a bit, which at that time was a good thing. I ended up figuring out that if there were strips of snow at the sides of the trail, these were good places for smooth rolling and traction. Sometimes I'd even drop off to the edge of the trail, where the ground was showing through. Whatever line looked cleanest and free of ice. It was somewhat comical watching riders ahead of me zig-zagging back and forth looking for traction.

Eventually I came upon the two bridges that were out, and these demanded dismounts and careful picking of your way so as not to fall on the copious amounts of ice, or into ice cold running water. I ran up on a few other guys as we traversed a thin shelf which was too rough to walk on our right hand and fell off into the cold running water on our left. Then there was a sketchy rocky crossing where one could get their feet wet, but I managed to get out of there with pretty dry boots.

The rest of the miles into the Dyersville checkpoint ticked off without much drama. I ended up coming in at about 1:37pm to Chad's Pizza where we had the luxury of eating, changing out clothing, and re-supplying on water. I had come in with a few others, but they all escaped ahead of me. While at Chad's, I consumed a small amount of pizza, cottage cheese, and drank some of my special sauce I concocted. I didn't pay much mind to the time, but I suppose it was onwards of about 2:00pm when I left. There was a couple guys right in front of me, but I didn't come in contact with them until well into the final leg.

So it was that I found myself pretty much alone, dangling far enough off the back of at least two guys that I couldn't see them after a short while. Alone with the now completely icy trail. Even the once safe snow sidings were treacherous now. I was bewildered a bit, it all seemed so different coming back, and the handle I had on riding on ice seemed to have flown away from me back in Dyersville.

Bridge out, looking back West.

Somewhere in this part I made a small, corrective steering move while riding near the right edge of the trail, and the Snow Dog took off to the right, sliding out of control. I saw that the ditch was pretty steep and about ten to fifteen feet down into some rough looking bracken. In a split second, I made a twisting move to make myself fall to the left of my bike instead of high siding it off to the right and a sure trip to the bottom of the ditch. The move worked. I landed splayed out, face down into some crusty snow, but I only knocked some of the wind out of myself. I also found that my left leg was pinned between the top tube and handle bar of the Snow Dog. I was in a tiny bit of a pickle, since I was on a downward facing slope with my legs up higher than my head, but I finally disentangled myself. After calming down from scaring myself half to death, I took off again.  From now on I was sticking to the middle of the trail!

I somehow was better off for it as well. I was calmer, had my mind back into it, and I suppose I was a bit angry for having such a silly crash. (Later I would find out lots of folks were doing similar things!) No ice? Pah! This course was riddled with "death ice", as I like to refer to super smooth, slick ice. It was almost like riding rollers, in a way, since you needed to really concentrate and focus.

And looking ahead to the East.

I was drawing nigh to Graf when I spotted two riders in front of me, I thought it was Scott and Ron, two locals to me that I had been seeing off and on all day long. It wasn't those two. I drew up within about 30 yards of them, then I just couldn't seem to catch them, and actually drifted back a piece since I was unwilling to traverse the ice in spots as fast as they were doing it. Despite the conditions, I was really stoked at this point because I was still using up daylight, where by this point last year it was fully dark for me.

The pair ahead of me split up, and the follower was coming back to me, when all of a sudden the lead guy pulled off the trail, I suppose to relieve himself. I passed them by, and then came up upon Scott and Ron looking at some markers trying to decide whether or not to climb up the embankment to follow the trail. I quickly reminded them that this was a turn off for the poker riders, not for the Ultra-Cyclists, and bade them follow me to Durango, which I knew was maybe a few miles up the trail. It was there we were to check in so the event organizers would have a better handle on who was still on course.

Michael Lemberger offers congrats- Image by S. Wasmund

By the time we got to the bar in Durango where we were to check in, we had become a group of five, as the two guys I had passed came up to overtake us just before getting into Durango. I had been pushing the pace into the small town a bit, not wanting the two guys that caught us to get away before the checkpoint. We all piled in together and the locals at the bar seemed amused by our entrance. Much to my surprise, Jesse R, who typically does well at this event, was checking us in! Apparently he had a mechanical which put him out of the event a few miles before reaching Durango.

I ate a piece of pizza, guzzled some more of my secret sauce, and dug out my head lights for the remaining miles of Triple D. Another rider asked if he could join me on the ride back, and I agreed. It was Steve, a Trans Iowa vet, (Steve says he's not been in a T.I. Whoops!), and we made hay and got back to Dubuque on some really icy stretches of the Heritage Trail before dark. Once we reached town, we ran into a barricade that had not been there the day before. About 30 yards on the other side of this, we saw the markings for the course. We decided to jump the barricades and we took off to the right, leaving the Heritage trail for some bumpy, hilly, scrabbling over the last bits of the Triple D course of 2013.

These were actually the opening miles of the course from the previous year. Steve mentioned he was from Dubuque, but had no idea where he was at. I said it was all the opening stuff from last year, and I told him where the ATV trail we were on would come out. There at the top of that climb Steve got his bearings and then he was taking off, and I could not reel him back in at all.

L-R Myself, L. Andre, Steve S, : Image by S. Wasmund

 My legs were shot by now and I was really needing to stop, rest, and eat something, but being so close to finishing, I kept trying to ride back to Steve. Fortunately, he would stop and let me catch him at navigational conundrums and at the tops of hills. It was slowly getting dark all this time and the temperature was dumping fast. I was beginning to feel pretty chilled, but again, we were almost there.

We got a tag a long near to the end who was on a white Salsa Mukluk, but after a bit, he disappeared and Steve and I were at a corner trying to ferret out where we should be going. Finally I suggested we just plow straight on to Highway 20 and reconnoiter where we were at there, since fumbling around the streets in the dark was no good. I think our brains were addled by too much riding, cold, and lack of nutrition now anyway. We finally made our way back to the Best Western Plus, and I was really glad to see the front door of the place! Steve and I finished about fifteen minutes to six, and he disappeared while I stood chatting with a few folks in the lobby, legs a shambles, mind splattered, and tired as all get out.

Mrs. Guitar Ted showed up about then, and she chaperoned me back to our room where I got cleaned up, and we had a great time eating and hanging out at the restaurant there. About 10pm, the awards ceremony cranked up, and we had a great time celebrating everyone's accomplishments, and Irv's 70th birthday. He turned 70 the day of the event, and finished the Ultra-Cyclist course that evening. We all sang Happy Birthday to him, which he seemed to relish, and then we ate a cake Lance and crew had brought in just for the occasion. It was a lot of fun hanging out with the racers afterward. Then I stuck around in the lobby gabbing and drinking until 1:30am, after which time I finally hit the hay. The following day, we had one more free breakfast and we headed back to home. 

The Triple D may not have been the snow event we all wished for, but it was great none the less. I hope Lance and his crew can manage to keep the new stuff in, and perhaps we can have a crack at that course with some snow on it next year. It would be truly the best type of course for a fat bike's capabilities then. I was really happy to have cut off some major time from last year's effort and get into Dubuque before dark. I had a great ride, but it definitely whooped me with the rough trail, fields, and the stress of the ice riding.

Thanks To: Lance Andre and all the Triple D volunteers and staff. You guys and gals did a great job! To The Land Owners: Thanks for letting us cross your land and enjoy some beautiful Iowa backcountry! We all raved about it and we hope to do this sort of thing again next year. To the Asbury Snowhawks Snowmobile Club: Thanks for working with Triple D to give us the chance to ride off bike trails in Iowa! To the Best Western Plus: What a great venue and the rooms were ace! Thanks for the special deal. Thanks to Steve for hauling my sorry butt back into Dubuque and for having my back, (literally!), while we were in traffic. Thanks to all the racers and accompanying friends and family for making Triple D a friendly, fun time. Thanks to Salsa Cycles for not only supporting Triple D, but for making my Snow Dog, the first fat bike I've owned and it did me well again. Thanks to Mrs. Guitar Ted and my two wonderful kids who let me do this nutty stuff and even come along occasionally with me on my adventures. Thanks for all of the above since today is my birthday and this was an awesome pre-celebration for my 52nd trip round the sun!