Minus Ten Review 2009-4

The Lynskey Ridgeline frame announced in 2009.

Ten years ago this week I was snowed in and not doing much riding. There were things going on nonetheless. First and foremost was a tidbit I slid in on a post, under the radar, but was, in fact, a huge deal in my life.

I got the reins, officially, of "Twenty Nine Inches", the website which was all about 29"ers. The deal I had been offered was to take control of the old "Crooked Cog Network", but in reality all I got out of the deal was two of the five or so websites associated with that old network.

So, basically the only good thing that came out of it was that I didn't have to deal with Mr. Grahl any longer. Well.......sort of. There was one last hurrah that happened which will get talked about in the coming months. Then the other good thing was that I had started to get a handle on all the things that, previously, had been beyond my reach. But I will tell you now that without having met Grannygear the previous fall at Interbike, "Twenty Nine Inches" would have folded in 2009. The technical acumen necessary to run things was not passed on to me by the former owner.

Anyway, that was all in the background. I never did post anything about my troubles and travails which were going on then. I did post about a Lynskey titanium mtb frame, which I ended up getting in to test, and I also reported that I got in on CIRREM, the early season gravel event held down in Madison County every late Winter. So, I had an event to get ready for. That was a bit concerning at that time! I hadn't been getting out to do much of anything, and I had about a month to get in gear!

Minus Ten Review 2009-4

The Lynskey Ridgeline frame announced in 2009.

Ten years ago this week I was snowed in and not doing much riding. There were things going on nonetheless. First and foremost was a tidbit I slid in on a post, under the radar, but was, in fact, a huge deal in my life.

I got the reins, officially, of "Twenty Nine Inches", the website which was all about 29"ers. The deal I had been offered was to take control of the old "Crooked Cog Network", but in reality all I got out of the deal was two of the five or so websites associated with that old network.

So, basically the only good thing that came out of it was that I didn't have to deal with Mr. Grahl any longer. Well.......sort of. There was one last hurrah that happened which will get talked about in the coming months. Then the other good thing was that I had started to get a handle on all the things that, previously, had been beyond my reach. But I will tell you now that without having met Grannygear the previous fall at Interbike, "Twenty Nine Inches" would have folded in 2009. The technical acumen necessary to run things was not passed on to me by the former owner.

Anyway, that was all in the background. I never did post anything about my troubles and travails which were going on then. I did post about a Lynskey titanium mtb frame, which I ended up getting in to test, and I also reported that I got in on CIRREM, the early season gravel event held down in Madison County every late Winter. So, I had an event to get ready for. That was a bit concerning at that time! I hadn't been getting out to do much of anything, and I had about a month to get in gear!

By-Tor's Skinny Shoes

I mentioned a few days back that I was trying out some 29"er wheels laced up with fat bike hubs that fit right into a Salsa Mukluk like my "By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk" frame.

I felt that the titanium Mukluk was a bit nicer ride than the aluminum one, and that titanium really makes a difference. Wow! Can you really feel that now or what? These skinny, super stiff wheels really draw out that smooth titanium ride that is hiding inside of every titanium Mukluk out there.

It is a very different feel from the steel bikes I've been riding lately too. It would be very difficult for me to explain it, but it is noticeably different. It also rides differently than the other Lynskey built 29"ers I have tried before as well. Maybe not quite as smooth as the Ridgeline, but not as dead feeling, (for titanium),  as the Pro 29 I tried. Somewhere in between, but good.

The other thing I like is the handling. Very neutral, not at all quick, but not so stable it is floppy in the front at all. This makes a great hard tail 29"er. I could see doing bike packing on it easily. The chain stays are longer than some may like, but for stability, climbing, and ride feel, these are dialed for long rides and bike packing. The bike as you see here without the Revelate Tangle bag weighs 26.3lbs. Not a super-light rigid hard tail by any means, but it is 4lbs lighter than it is with fat bike wheels/tires. Definitely a solidly built frame and no-nonsense components, so I am not sweating the weight.

The skinnier wheels are fun, and I will be looking forward to riding this rig through the summer months like this.

By-Tor's Skinny Shoes

I mentioned a few days back that I was trying out some 29"er wheels laced up with fat bike hubs that fit right into a Salsa Mukluk like my "By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk" frame.

I felt that the titanium Mukluk was a bit nicer ride than the aluminum one, and that titanium really makes a difference. Wow! Can you really feel that now or what? These skinny, super stiff wheels really draw out that smooth titanium ride that is hiding inside of every titanium Mukluk out there.

It is a very different feel from the steel bikes I've been riding lately too. It would be very difficult for me to explain it, but it is noticeably different. It also rides differently than the other Lynskey built 29"ers I have tried before as well. Maybe not quite as smooth as the Ridgeline, but not as dead feeling, (for titanium),  as the Pro 29 I tried. Somewhere in between, but good.

The other thing I like is the handling. Very neutral, not at all quick, but not so stable it is floppy in the front at all. This makes a great hard tail 29"er. I could see doing bike packing on it easily. The chain stays are longer than some may like, but for stability, climbing, and ride feel, these are dialed for long rides and bike packing. The bike as you see here without the Revelate Tangle bag weighs 26.3lbs. Not a super-light rigid hard tail by any means, but it is 4lbs lighter than it is with fat bike wheels/tires. Definitely a solidly built frame and no-nonsense components, so I am not sweating the weight.

The skinnier wheels are fun, and I will be looking forward to riding this rig through the summer months like this.

I Like 29"ers, Bicycles, And Guitars!

<===Siren Bikes make some cool 29"ers!

Siren Bikes, led by Brendan Collier, is a custom bicycle company that I have had the pleasure of working with in the past. Brendan is a cool guy and super passionate about bicycles and mountain biking, no matter what the wheel size. I've had the pleasure of talking with Brendan and I admire his hard working attitude and attention to detail. You can check out more on his views in a recent post up now on Twenty Nine Inches. Also, I want to congratulate Brendan on landing Dave Harris and Lynda Wallenfels as part of his World Bicycle relief/Siren Bikes Endurance Team.



<===Is this my heaven? (Click to enlarge)

A fellow bike freak sent me this the other day thinking I'd get a kick out of it. It is a bike shop somewhere out west by the name of "Bikes and Guitars". Oh yeah.........that's right up my alley there!








<===Interesting chainstay/bottom bracket interface.

For those that are not familiar, Brant Richards used to design bike paraphernalia for On One, a U.K. based bike purveyor. Now he's doing his own thang called, (for the time being) Shedfire.
He's got this crazy idea to start up his own brand of bicycles and the first fruits of this are seen here.





<===Manufactured by Lynskey Performance Designs.

Brant's titanium prototype shown here is a 26"er and looks pretty interesting. He says a 29"er is in the works too. Should be a pretty innovative rig, by the looks of this so far.










<====Look interesting? You could ride here!

I was forwarded a map of the Potter's Pasture area out near Brady, Nebraska which will be the site of the next Big Wheeled Ballyhoo. This will happen October 10-11th.

For those of you who think Nebraska is flat, well........this should help dispel that myth!

I hope to get out there sometime soon to do a recon/planning mission. I'll be sure to get some photos and descriptions up once I come back, but so far this is looking pretty rad! Details are being hammered out now, s look for more info soon.

I Like 29"ers, Bicycles, And Guitars!

<===Siren Bikes make some cool 29"ers!

Siren Bikes, led by Brendan Collier, is a custom bicycle company that I have had the pleasure of working with in the past. Brendan is a cool guy and super passionate about bicycles and mountain biking, no matter what the wheel size. I've had the pleasure of talking with Brendan and I admire his hard working attitude and attention to detail. You can check out more on his views in a recent post up now on Twenty Nine Inches. Also, I want to congratulate Brendan on landing Dave Harris and Lynda Wallenfels as part of his World Bicycle relief/Siren Bikes Endurance Team.



<===Is this my heaven? (Click to enlarge)

A fellow bike freak sent me this the other day thinking I'd get a kick out of it. It is a bike shop somewhere out west by the name of "Bikes and Guitars". Oh yeah.........that's right up my alley there!








<===Interesting chainstay/bottom bracket interface.

For those that are not familiar, Brant Richards used to design bike paraphernalia for On One, a U.K. based bike purveyor. Now he's doing his own thang called, (for the time being) Shedfire.
He's got this crazy idea to start up his own brand of bicycles and the first fruits of this are seen here.





<===Manufactured by Lynskey Performance Designs.

Brant's titanium prototype shown here is a 26"er and looks pretty interesting. He says a 29"er is in the works too. Should be a pretty innovative rig, by the looks of this so far.










<====Look interesting? You could ride here!

I was forwarded a map of the Potter's Pasture area out near Brady, Nebraska which will be the site of the next Big Wheeled Ballyhoo. This will happen October 10-11th.

For those of you who think Nebraska is flat, well........this should help dispel that myth!

I hope to get out there sometime soon to do a recon/planning mission. I'll be sure to get some photos and descriptions up once I come back, but so far this is looking pretty rad! Details are being hammered out now, s look for more info soon.

New Changes and Things To Come

<===The Lynskey "Ridgeline" 29"er that is set to retail for sub 1300 clams!

It appears that the Lynskey Ridgeline 29"er will be making a limited engagement appearance on Iowa soil soon. If all pans out, a size Large will be prowling the woods in these parts, so keep yer eyes peeled for that this spring.

If you can't wait for that, Lynskey is taking orders now, so you can have your own gray metallic wonder bike. Cool!

In other bike news, that "north of the border" company is confirmed to have sent out a flat black hot rod frame and fork which should be showing up for a full on Twenty Nine Inches thrashing next week. Of course, there will be pics and news of the build up with ride details coming here as well. Look for a handle bar review on The Bike Lab to be included as well. Bonus! There will be other goodies and surprises coming with this project too, so stay tuned!

Finally, there is a newsy bit that features me! Guitar Ted is now the head cheese of the Crooked Cog Network. My spewing of screed has gotten me this far, so I figure I'll press onward through the fog to horizons unknown. Wahoo! Seriously though, I'll be the head writer of words now there and doing all of the other sundry tasks. It means that you won't see much, if any changes here, so no worries about this ol' blog.

Speaking of which, maybe its time to freshen up around here. Whatta ya think?

New Changes and Things To Come

<===The Lynskey "Ridgeline" 29"er that is set to retail for sub 1300 clams!

It appears that the Lynskey Ridgeline 29"er will be making a limited engagement appearance on Iowa soil soon. If all pans out, a size Large will be prowling the woods in these parts, so keep yer eyes peeled for that this spring.

If you can't wait for that, Lynskey is taking orders now, so you can have your own gray metallic wonder bike. Cool!

In other bike news, that "north of the border" company is confirmed to have sent out a flat black hot rod frame and fork which should be showing up for a full on Twenty Nine Inches thrashing next week. Of course, there will be pics and news of the build up with ride details coming here as well. Look for a handle bar review on The Bike Lab to be included as well. Bonus! There will be other goodies and surprises coming with this project too, so stay tuned!

Finally, there is a newsy bit that features me! Guitar Ted is now the head cheese of the Crooked Cog Network. My spewing of screed has gotten me this far, so I figure I'll press onward through the fog to horizons unknown. Wahoo! Seriously though, I'll be the head writer of words now there and doing all of the other sundry tasks. It means that you won't see much, if any changes here, so no worries about this ol' blog.

Speaking of which, maybe its time to freshen up around here. Whatta ya think?