Weekend Report

<===I'll shoot my deer with a camera, thank you!

Wow! If you didn't drop the rake, leave the dishes unwashed, or forget about washing the car and get outside, you were daft! It was a beautiful last chance to get out and enjoy shirt sleeve weather in 2009. (I'm betting)

I got out Saturday and rode at the camp- for a short bit! My chain sucked on the Big Mama and then not 50 yards down the trail it snapped in two. Not good for prospects of forward motion by two wheels. And I without a chain tool! Bad me! I should know better. I should have been riding a single speed!! Ha! So, now a full drive train replacement will be in order. It's time, and this was a sign.



<===Wait just a gol durn minute!

The fork for then Gun Kote El Mariachi came in last week. A 100mm through axle Manitou Minute 29"er fork. This will determine the wheel set now, which will be a Bontrager Rhythm wheel set I have had in reserve for months now. That means I'll most likely set it up with some Bontrager tires, or Specialized 2Bliss, which works well on the TLR rim strip too.
This Minute has the Absolute Plus damper and lock out, which could be upgraded to the MILO remote lock out if I wanted it. The fork, with an uncut steer tube weighs a paltry 4.2lbs. It'll be less than that once I cut it down a bit.



<===A bear of a tire.

The WTB, Niner Bikes distributed, Kodiak 2.5" tire showed up here too. I've gotten them mounted and ridden a bit too.

What do I think? Well, you'll have to wait for the Twenty Nine Inches reports, but I will say that it is a very different tire from the WTB Dissent that I also am testing here. Actually, they hardly share anything at all in common! Wire beads and Inner Peace sidewall protection, and that's about it from what I can tell so far. Stay tuned!


<===Some long overdue "love" for the Fargo.

I got a Chris King bottom bracket a while ago now. I finally installed it in the Fargo the other day. I think the green goes good with the stock paint, but really, the King BB is smarter than that!

I can maintain this one by injecting grease from time to time ala the King grease tool, which I have to get yet. Hopefully the Fargo will be fine for some time to come, but I need to order that tool anyway for customers at the shop that will be wanting a fresh shot of grease in theirs soon.


<===The frame isn't tiny, the wheels are big!

I saw a thread on mtbr.com that showed this prototype 29"er DH rig from Intense Cycles.

This is serious folks. Intense doesn't fool around with DH. They helped define the genre', and if they are fiddling with wagon wheels for DH, they have an inkling that it might just work.

This would be revolutionary if it proves out. DH has long been thought of as an area of mountain biking that 29 inch wheels were just ridiculous for. They would never be used in that application other than by experimenters and dreamers. The debates will rage now, but if racers start showing up on these, and more importantly- winning on them- then the last barrier to big wheels will have fallen. Will it happen?

Well, it doesn't really matter in the end, but what will happen is that many new ideas will be birthed from the experiment that will benefit long travel and any full suspension 29"er bike. Rim technologies, tire technologies, and of course- fork and damper technologies all stand to be altered by these DH experimenters. It'll be interesting to watch, at the very least.

Weekend Report

<===I'll shoot my deer with a camera, thank you!

Wow! If you didn't drop the rake, leave the dishes unwashed, or forget about washing the car and get outside, you were daft! It was a beautiful last chance to get out and enjoy shirt sleeve weather in 2009. (I'm betting)

I got out Saturday and rode at the camp- for a short bit! My chain sucked on the Big Mama and then not 50 yards down the trail it snapped in two. Not good for prospects of forward motion by two wheels. And I without a chain tool! Bad me! I should know better. I should have been riding a single speed!! Ha! So, now a full drive train replacement will be in order. It's time, and this was a sign.



<===Wait just a gol durn minute!

The fork for then Gun Kote El Mariachi came in last week. A 100mm through axle Manitou Minute 29"er fork. This will determine the wheel set now, which will be a Bontrager Rhythm wheel set I have had in reserve for months now. That means I'll most likely set it up with some Bontrager tires, or Specialized 2Bliss, which works well on the TLR rim strip too.
This Minute has the Absolute Plus damper and lock out, which could be upgraded to the MILO remote lock out if I wanted it. The fork, with an uncut steer tube weighs a paltry 4.2lbs. It'll be less than that once I cut it down a bit.



<===A bear of a tire.

The WTB, Niner Bikes distributed, Kodiak 2.5" tire showed up here too. I've gotten them mounted and ridden a bit too.

What do I think? Well, you'll have to wait for the Twenty Nine Inches reports, but I will say that it is a very different tire from the WTB Dissent that I also am testing here. Actually, they hardly share anything at all in common! Wire beads and Inner Peace sidewall protection, and that's about it from what I can tell so far. Stay tuned!


<===Some long overdue "love" for the Fargo.

I got a Chris King bottom bracket a while ago now. I finally installed it in the Fargo the other day. I think the green goes good with the stock paint, but really, the King BB is smarter than that!

I can maintain this one by injecting grease from time to time ala the King grease tool, which I have to get yet. Hopefully the Fargo will be fine for some time to come, but I need to order that tool anyway for customers at the shop that will be wanting a fresh shot of grease in theirs soon.


<===The frame isn't tiny, the wheels are big!

I saw a thread on mtbr.com that showed this prototype 29"er DH rig from Intense Cycles.

This is serious folks. Intense doesn't fool around with DH. They helped define the genre', and if they are fiddling with wagon wheels for DH, they have an inkling that it might just work.

This would be revolutionary if it proves out. DH has long been thought of as an area of mountain biking that 29 inch wheels were just ridiculous for. They would never be used in that application other than by experimenters and dreamers. The debates will rage now, but if racers start showing up on these, and more importantly- winning on them- then the last barrier to big wheels will have fallen. Will it happen?

Well, it doesn't really matter in the end, but what will happen is that many new ideas will be birthed from the experiment that will benefit long travel and any full suspension 29"er bike. Rim technologies, tire technologies, and of course- fork and damper technologies all stand to be altered by these DH experimenters. It'll be interesting to watch, at the very least.

Trans Iowa V6: Thoughts Part IV

Meeting Time: This Wednesday there is a meeting taking place that should help define a few key points in regards to T.I.V6. There may even be some recon as well. If all goes well, and there is no reason to believe it won't, a lot of dominoes will start to fall real quick in regards to how the rest of recon will go, and the key parts of the event should be well defined.

Registration: One of the immediate outcomes of this upcoming meeting will be the announcement of Registration. I suppose you could say this is an announcement that there will be an announcement! At any rate, look closely for that directly after the Wednesday meeting.

You can expect that I will be letting in past participants first. This means you took the starting line at a T.I. before. Then after about a week or so, the registration will be opened to anyone else interested that gets a post card in for one of the remaining spots. A daily tally will be kept so that those of you waiting to know what is going on can keep track. Again, we'll be letting in 75 people, and a "Waiting List" of any overflow will be kept to fill in any roster spots that become available through attrition. I'll do this swapping in from the "Waiting List" until 1-31-10. After that point, no fill ins will be taken on, and the roster will be allowed to contract if folks drop out after that point.

Registration will be by post card only. You can get your post card in by whatever means you want. In the past I have received overnight express packages, pizzas with cards attached, beer with cards attached, cards slipped under the Europa Cycle and Ski's front door, drop offs by courier, and of course, by regular mail. You can bring your post card by donkey or carrier pigeon, but it has to be a post card. Also, there is no "official post card". You can make your own up, or have someone else do it for you. You can buy "el cheapo" post cards at the Post Office, or use fancy-schmancy ones from far flung travel destinations. Again, it doesn't matter, but the more fun, the better.

Finally, I will be asking for specific information on that post card. Every item of info I ask for must be on the card, and it must be legible by me! Important point folks! If I can not read yer writin', you are not gettin' in. I won't warn you, or let you know. You have one chance to get it right. Don't blow it! Write legibly or lose! I will announce what the specific information I want is at the time of the Official Registration Announcement.

Volunteers: We'll be relying on volunteer help to put on T.I.V6. If you can swing it on the weekend of 4/23-24-25/10, then we would love to hear from you. You can volunteer for all or part of any of these days. Here's a breakdown of what we usually have a need for:

• Pre-Race Meeting help. This might include stuffing bags for racers, hauling stuff into and out of the pre-race meet-up site, and facilitating the handing out of race packets/bags.
• Start Line Help: This requires an early riser, as you'll need to be "on point" by 3:30am in the morning of the 24th! If this suits you, we will need some corner marshalls to safely get folks out of Grinnell. Plus, you'll get to witness the spectacle of riders streaming down the road with blinkies blazing. It's pretty cool!
• Checkpoint Help: This is the big need. We will have three checkpoints in far flung places in rural Iowa. The first checkpoint will require the most help, and will take the least amount of time. It happens in the morning of the 24th around 6am and should be over and done with by 8-8:30 am. We'll likely need about 5-6 folks to handle a constant barrage of folks in a hurry. The other two checkpoints can easily be managed by two or three patient folks. You may be "on point" for 6-8 hours depending upon where in the loop the checkpoint occurs. The second checkpoint usually goes from about 12:00-2:00pm until 6:00-8:00pm. The third checkpoint can go from 7:00pm till 2:00am depending. At any rate, you can see that it might be a long, lonely wait between riders.
• The Finish Line: We would like to have two folks minimum to man the finishline and again, it can be an early morning for this job. We will likely see some folks attempt a sub-24hr Trans Iowa, which means you might be called upon to be there around 3:30am! The Finishline festivities will last till around 2pm in the afternoon or so.

If you would like to find out more about volunteering for Trans Iowa, or anything else from today's post, leave a comment, or e-mail me.

Trans Iowa V6: Thoughts Part IV

Meeting Time: This Wednesday there is a meeting taking place that should help define a few key points in regards to T.I.V6. There may even be some recon as well. If all goes well, and there is no reason to believe it won't, a lot of dominoes will start to fall real quick in regards to how the rest of recon will go, and the key parts of the event should be well defined.

Registration: One of the immediate outcomes of this upcoming meeting will be the announcement of Registration. I suppose you could say this is an announcement that there will be an announcement! At any rate, look closely for that directly after the Wednesday meeting.

You can expect that I will be letting in past participants first. This means you took the starting line at a T.I. before. Then after about a week or so, the registration will be opened to anyone else interested that gets a post card in for one of the remaining spots. A daily tally will be kept so that those of you waiting to know what is going on can keep track. Again, we'll be letting in 75 people, and a "Waiting List" of any overflow will be kept to fill in any roster spots that become available through attrition. I'll do this swapping in from the "Waiting List" until 1-31-10. After that point, no fill ins will be taken on, and the roster will be allowed to contract if folks drop out after that point.

Registration will be by post card only. You can get your post card in by whatever means you want. In the past I have received overnight express packages, pizzas with cards attached, beer with cards attached, cards slipped under the Europa Cycle and Ski's front door, drop offs by courier, and of course, by regular mail. You can bring your post card by donkey or carrier pigeon, but it has to be a post card. Also, there is no "official post card". You can make your own up, or have someone else do it for you. You can buy "el cheapo" post cards at the Post Office, or use fancy-schmancy ones from far flung travel destinations. Again, it doesn't matter, but the more fun, the better.

Finally, I will be asking for specific information on that post card. Every item of info I ask for must be on the card, and it must be legible by me! Important point folks! If I can not read yer writin', you are not gettin' in. I won't warn you, or let you know. You have one chance to get it right. Don't blow it! Write legibly or lose! I will announce what the specific information I want is at the time of the Official Registration Announcement.

Volunteers: We'll be relying on volunteer help to put on T.I.V6. If you can swing it on the weekend of 4/23-24-25/10, then we would love to hear from you. You can volunteer for all or part of any of these days. Here's a breakdown of what we usually have a need for:

• Pre-Race Meeting help. This might include stuffing bags for racers, hauling stuff into and out of the pre-race meet-up site, and facilitating the handing out of race packets/bags.
• Start Line Help: This requires an early riser, as you'll need to be "on point" by 3:30am in the morning of the 24th! If this suits you, we will need some corner marshalls to safely get folks out of Grinnell. Plus, you'll get to witness the spectacle of riders streaming down the road with blinkies blazing. It's pretty cool!
• Checkpoint Help: This is the big need. We will have three checkpoints in far flung places in rural Iowa. The first checkpoint will require the most help, and will take the least amount of time. It happens in the morning of the 24th around 6am and should be over and done with by 8-8:30 am. We'll likely need about 5-6 folks to handle a constant barrage of folks in a hurry. The other two checkpoints can easily be managed by two or three patient folks. You may be "on point" for 6-8 hours depending upon where in the loop the checkpoint occurs. The second checkpoint usually goes from about 12:00-2:00pm until 6:00-8:00pm. The third checkpoint can go from 7:00pm till 2:00am depending. At any rate, you can see that it might be a long, lonely wait between riders.
• The Finish Line: We would like to have two folks minimum to man the finishline and again, it can be an early morning for this job. We will likely see some folks attempt a sub-24hr Trans Iowa, which means you might be called upon to be there around 3:30am! The Finishline festivities will last till around 2pm in the afternoon or so.

If you would like to find out more about volunteering for Trans Iowa, or anything else from today's post, leave a comment, or e-mail me.

How Far Did I Go?: A Year With Salsa Cycles Fargo

A year ago on November 5th, 2008, I got on a Salsa Cycles Fargo at the first Salsa Fargo Adventure Ride in the Twin Cities. Salsa Cycles graciously provided me with the Fargo for testing/review for Twenty Nine Inches, and this ride was my maiden voyage, (not counting an Interbike test ride) on the newest 29"er from Salsa Cycles. It was a great ride with great people, and I'll not soon forget things like the breakfast in the woods, the great folks, and the beautiful day.





After the Fargo Adventure Ride, I started riding the Fargo in earnest. I was bound to for the review, of course, but I was also really enjoying the bike. I took it all over the local area despite the coldish temps and wetter weather we were experiencing in November last year. The Fargo even helped spark a bit of the "shutter bug" in me as I explored for things that caught my eye aboard the Fargo to take pictures of.

Well, it wasn't long before winter set in, and I and the Fargo were pretty much relegated to commuter rides for awhile. I modified the spec by this time to include some personal preferences in the saddle and handle bars, along with different wheels with tubeless tires and a 185mm front rotor. The Fargo only got better. Unfortunately, the weather only got worse!

Getting rides in was hit and miss during the cold, blustery, and very snowy winter we had, but I busted out the Fargo when I could during the deepest part of winter.

I had envisioned doing a bikepacking thing with the Fargo, and had been experimenting with a rack, but unfortunately, the attendant gear purchases never materialized, so I've yet to pursue that part of the Fargo. I'll get there though!

February was pretty brutal, and I didn't get much of any riding in. (Actually, I cross country skied quite a bit during this period) March finally got warm enough to melt the gravel roads clear, and I started doing some gravel grinders in preparation for Dirty Kanza.

But before that, April and a lot of Trans Iowa stuff had to be done. Oh yeah, did I mention I had to go to California and cover Sea Otter too? Yeah......so not much Fargo-ing during this period.

Then after those two big events, I spent a lot of time on the Fargo. I had to hit the gravel in preparation for Dirty Kanza, and I was taking a vacation directly after the event to Nebraska. So, I was tweaking out my DK 200 set up most of early May. Gone was the rack. A new set of lightweight wheels went on it, and I slammed five cages with full water bottles on for training. Lights that I cobbled from a department store headlamp were fashioned into my light set up, and I had some great rides. One in particular with my T.I. partner in crime, d.p. That was a night ride out of Traer and one of the funnest rides of the year with a good friend and that Fargo. Good stuff! Then it was off to do the Dirty Kanza 200, and although I was pretty sick with a bad head cold, the Fargo was one of the best bikes I could have ridden for that event for me. Perfectly comfortable, capable, and it handled those ol' flinty roads like a champ!

Then it was on to Nebraska, where I sampled some totally sweet single track, and I hooked up with my good friend Matt Gersib. We had a fabulous day on Fargos doing Jewel Park and Platte River State Park single track. The Fargos ate up the miles and handled the challenging trails with no problems.

We hooked up with Kyle who was there from the Brady, Nebraska area and had a great ride with a nice post ride brew and chat session right in the parking lot while we watched the moon come up in the East. Killer ride on an awesome day! Thanks again guys for that totally sweet memory. I'll be back in Nebraska again to sample that single track, and I wouldn't be surprised if I showed up on a Fargo!

Well, I got back in June and turned my attention to some other needs, but the Fargo was not very far from my mind. In July I had planned on doing the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational and that was going to be done on the Fargo.

Planning for that and doing a ride here and there on the Fargo was mixed with a lot of testing on other stuff and then the news that another Fargo Adventure Ride was planned for the week after GTDRI! Man! I just had to make it, so I finagled my way outta a few things and did a lot of sweet talking to my wonderful wife to let me make all of it become a reality. The GTDRI went off without a hitch, but at just barely shy of 10,000 feet of climbing in 118 miles, that ride and those hills kicked me in the jimmy! Wow! I almost ate it on the first big downhill of the day too, but somehow I and the Fargo held on to ride it out till the end and live to tell about it. Good times!

The next weekend's Fargo Adventure Ride was totally awesome! Great friends, good trails and roads, and an epic rainy start to the day were capped off by a hot, humid afternoon with some of my closest friends all aboard our Fargo rigs, kicking out the last few miles to a campground in the Twin Cities. Beer, good conversation, and friends made for a perfect end to that epic day. One I shant soon forget, and a perfect end to the summer for me. Thanks Jason, Matt, and Captain Bob. Oh yeah, and all you other Fargo-nauts and riders that showed up that day. That was sweet!

Then I was whisked off on a two month whirlwind that saw me in Utah, Nevada, and back home where I was scheduled to appear in Nebraska again. Unfortunately, the Nebraska trip never materialized due to a family emergency. The Fargo was limited to commutes and shorter area rides during this time.

Fall set in, and I haven't had the opportunity to get in a big adventurous ride, but I still am getting the Fargo out on local single track and commuting. Now a year has swept by since I have had this bike around. Amazing!

I can honestly say that the Fargo is the best fitting bike I have around. It is super fun to ride. It ranks up there as one of my favorite two bikes I have here. (The other being the OS Bikes Blackbuck) and if I had to get rid of all my bikes but one, it would be really hard to do it, but I think the Fargo would win out. It is just sooo versatile, fun, and it rides really well.

All I know is that I can't wait to see where the Fargo takes me in the next year! I want to go farther and do more with it. It's gonna be a good time!

How Far Did I Go?: A Year With Salsa Cycles Fargo

A year ago on November 5th, 2008, I got on a Salsa Cycles Fargo at the first Salsa Fargo Adventure Ride in the Twin Cities. Salsa Cycles graciously provided me with the Fargo for testing/review for Twenty Nine Inches, and this ride was my maiden voyage, (not counting an Interbike test ride) on the newest 29"er from Salsa Cycles. It was a great ride with great people, and I'll not soon forget things like the breakfast in the woods, the great folks, and the beautiful day.





After the Fargo Adventure Ride, I started riding the Fargo in earnest. I was bound to for the review, of course, but I was also really enjoying the bike. I took it all over the local area despite the coldish temps and wetter weather we were experiencing in November last year. The Fargo even helped spark a bit of the "shutter bug" in me as I explored for things that caught my eye aboard the Fargo to take pictures of.

Well, it wasn't long before winter set in, and I and the Fargo were pretty much relegated to commuter rides for awhile. I modified the spec by this time to include some personal preferences in the saddle and handle bars, along with different wheels with tubeless tires and a 185mm front rotor. The Fargo only got better. Unfortunately, the weather only got worse!

Getting rides in was hit and miss during the cold, blustery, and very snowy winter we had, but I busted out the Fargo when I could during the deepest part of winter.

I had envisioned doing a bikepacking thing with the Fargo, and had been experimenting with a rack, but unfortunately, the attendant gear purchases never materialized, so I've yet to pursue that part of the Fargo. I'll get there though!

February was pretty brutal, and I didn't get much of any riding in. (Actually, I cross country skied quite a bit during this period) March finally got warm enough to melt the gravel roads clear, and I started doing some gravel grinders in preparation for Dirty Kanza.

But before that, April and a lot of Trans Iowa stuff had to be done. Oh yeah, did I mention I had to go to California and cover Sea Otter too? Yeah......so not much Fargo-ing during this period.

Then after those two big events, I spent a lot of time on the Fargo. I had to hit the gravel in preparation for Dirty Kanza, and I was taking a vacation directly after the event to Nebraska. So, I was tweaking out my DK 200 set up most of early May. Gone was the rack. A new set of lightweight wheels went on it, and I slammed five cages with full water bottles on for training. Lights that I cobbled from a department store headlamp were fashioned into my light set up, and I had some great rides. One in particular with my T.I. partner in crime, d.p. That was a night ride out of Traer and one of the funnest rides of the year with a good friend and that Fargo. Good stuff! Then it was off to do the Dirty Kanza 200, and although I was pretty sick with a bad head cold, the Fargo was one of the best bikes I could have ridden for that event for me. Perfectly comfortable, capable, and it handled those ol' flinty roads like a champ!

Then it was on to Nebraska, where I sampled some totally sweet single track, and I hooked up with my good friend Matt Gersib. We had a fabulous day on Fargos doing Jewel Park and Platte River State Park single track. The Fargos ate up the miles and handled the challenging trails with no problems.

We hooked up with Kyle who was there from the Brady, Nebraska area and had a great ride with a nice post ride brew and chat session right in the parking lot while we watched the moon come up in the East. Killer ride on an awesome day! Thanks again guys for that totally sweet memory. I'll be back in Nebraska again to sample that single track, and I wouldn't be surprised if I showed up on a Fargo!

Well, I got back in June and turned my attention to some other needs, but the Fargo was not very far from my mind. In July I had planned on doing the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational and that was going to be done on the Fargo.

Planning for that and doing a ride here and there on the Fargo was mixed with a lot of testing on other stuff and then the news that another Fargo Adventure Ride was planned for the week after GTDRI! Man! I just had to make it, so I finagled my way outta a few things and did a lot of sweet talking to my wonderful wife to let me make all of it become a reality. The GTDRI went off without a hitch, but at just barely shy of 10,000 feet of climbing in 118 miles, that ride and those hills kicked me in the jimmy! Wow! I almost ate it on the first big downhill of the day too, but somehow I and the Fargo held on to ride it out till the end and live to tell about it. Good times!

The next weekend's Fargo Adventure Ride was totally awesome! Great friends, good trails and roads, and an epic rainy start to the day were capped off by a hot, humid afternoon with some of my closest friends all aboard our Fargo rigs, kicking out the last few miles to a campground in the Twin Cities. Beer, good conversation, and friends made for a perfect end to that epic day. One I shant soon forget, and a perfect end to the summer for me. Thanks Jason, Matt, and Captain Bob. Oh yeah, and all you other Fargo-nauts and riders that showed up that day. That was sweet!

Then I was whisked off on a two month whirlwind that saw me in Utah, Nevada, and back home where I was scheduled to appear in Nebraska again. Unfortunately, the Nebraska trip never materialized due to a family emergency. The Fargo was limited to commutes and shorter area rides during this time.

Fall set in, and I haven't had the opportunity to get in a big adventurous ride, but I still am getting the Fargo out on local single track and commuting. Now a year has swept by since I have had this bike around. Amazing!

I can honestly say that the Fargo is the best fitting bike I have around. It is super fun to ride. It ranks up there as one of my favorite two bikes I have here. (The other being the OS Bikes Blackbuck) and if I had to get rid of all my bikes but one, it would be really hard to do it, but I think the Fargo would win out. It is just sooo versatile, fun, and it rides really well.

All I know is that I can't wait to see where the Fargo takes me in the next year! I want to go farther and do more with it. It's gonna be a good time!

Muddin'

<===Things got a bit messy out there!

One thing about riding in the Green Belt is that if it's muddy, you really can't hurt anything by riding in it. Those trails get so flooded so often that the constant deposit/erosion factor far outweighs any damage one measly bicycle could ever think of doing.

Not that you should ride out here when it is muddy, because if you do you can do incalculable damage to your bicycle if you are not careful.




<===That Dissent 2.5 tire is a great mud tire. It floats!

Since I am intimately familiar with this trail, having been on it often through the years, I understand how things can go. I only use it during times like this for tire testing. So it was that I rode the WTB Dissent 2.5"er to find out how it dealt with the sticky, gooey river bottom silt that lines Black Hawk Creek's bottoms.






<====I found a great bike camping spot in the midst of these Red Cedars by accident.

I found out that the Dissent/Gordo combination was excellent in mud and sand out there. Lots of floatation. But not enough to "float" me across the water that cut my forward progress off not far from Meyer's Lake. I ended up hike-a-biking through the scrub until I came across this awesome bike camping spot. I will have to remember that area when it comes time to test out some camping gear and sort out a good bike packing set up. The site was really well hidden, although there was evidence that I am not the only one aware of the place, as I found a fire ring with the remnants of a not too ancient fire still visible.



<===Tooth sharpening evidence.

Once I got out of that area, I found my way to the lake trail, which is usually high and dry. It was, but I did find some evidence of beaver activity. Beavers have come and gone in the Green Belt before, and now it seems that they are back again.

I finished out the ride on the bike path and wended my way back to my home. It wasn't a fast ride, so I ended up being out two hours! In dry conditions, I can do a similar loop in under an hour easily. Not so fast today! Mud and wet ground will do that to you, not to mention the bushwhacking I had to do in spots.

I got some time in on a new hydration pack and some fancy-schmancy bottles I received for testing too, but that will come in another post. Stay tuned............

Muddin'

<===Things got a bit messy out there!

One thing about riding in the Green Belt is that if it's muddy, you really can't hurt anything by riding in it. Those trails get so flooded so often that the constant deposit/erosion factor far outweighs any damage one measly bicycle could ever think of doing.

Not that you should ride out here when it is muddy, because if you do you can do incalculable damage to your bicycle if you are not careful.




<===That Dissent 2.5 tire is a great mud tire. It floats!

Since I am intimately familiar with this trail, having been on it often through the years, I understand how things can go. I only use it during times like this for tire testing. So it was that I rode the WTB Dissent 2.5"er to find out how it dealt with the sticky, gooey river bottom silt that lines Black Hawk Creek's bottoms.






<====I found a great bike camping spot in the midst of these Red Cedars by accident.

I found out that the Dissent/Gordo combination was excellent in mud and sand out there. Lots of floatation. But not enough to "float" me across the water that cut my forward progress off not far from Meyer's Lake. I ended up hike-a-biking through the scrub until I came across this awesome bike camping spot. I will have to remember that area when it comes time to test out some camping gear and sort out a good bike packing set up. The site was really well hidden, although there was evidence that I am not the only one aware of the place, as I found a fire ring with the remnants of a not too ancient fire still visible.



<===Tooth sharpening evidence.

Once I got out of that area, I found my way to the lake trail, which is usually high and dry. It was, but I did find some evidence of beaver activity. Beavers have come and gone in the Green Belt before, and now it seems that they are back again.

I finished out the ride on the bike path and wended my way back to my home. It wasn't a fast ride, so I ended up being out two hours! In dry conditions, I can do a similar loop in under an hour easily. Not so fast today! Mud and wet ground will do that to you, not to mention the bushwhacking I had to do in spots.

I got some time in on a new hydration pack and some fancy-schmancy bottles I received for testing too, but that will come in another post. Stay tuned............

What's This?!!

So last week I posted shots of the Gun Kote El Mariachi frame on this here ol' blog. That prompted the following comment from George Wissell from Bike29: "OK, OK, that bike will look totally awesome with a purple King headset on it....Send it to the shop?"

I responded in the comments with "Yes! Please and thank you!" But you all know the sort of silly banter that goes on in these comment sections on blogs. Besides- we're talking about a purple Chris King head set here. You can't get one anymore. So I figured it was just George taunting me with this "dangling carrot". I never for a moment let myself believe he was actually going to send the thing. I mean.............really!

So, this box comes in Monday. Mail call! Box for Guitar Ted! Wha?!!!!.............




I look inside and holy cats!!!!!
















Here it is all spread out so you can see it better.















A couuple of cool t-shirts, Swiftwick woolies in the Bike29 livery, a sticker, and............














.............that purple Chris King head set!!!!



Amazing! I was floored.

Thanks to George at Bike29. You are too kind, my friend!

And as for this purple Chris King head set? Yeah.............it's safely installed in the El Mariachi ala sinister style. Looks great, if I say so myself. I'm still not quite ready to show the El Mariachi yet. I'm getting some details taken care of, and more goodness is being devised for it which may take awhile to come to fruition.

Speaking of goodness for the El Mariachi, I should also take a second to point out that "Bobby the Ogre" from Salsa Cycles sent me some transfers for the stem. (Awesome! Thanks dude!) So that will lend a nice touch to the bike. I'll be working on this rig, testing it out, working on it, and as soon as everything I am expecting to pull together for it comes in, I'll post a pic or two. Until then, I will remain in "image silence" on the project. It'll be good! So stay tuned!

What's This?!!

So last week I posted shots of the Gun Kote El Mariachi frame on this here ol' blog. That prompted the following comment from George Wissell from Bike29: "OK, OK, that bike will look totally awesome with a purple King headset on it....Send it to the shop?"

I responded in the comments with "Yes! Please and thank you!" But you all know the sort of silly banter that goes on in these comment sections on blogs. Besides- we're talking about a purple Chris King head set here. You can't get one anymore. So I figured it was just George taunting me with this "dangling carrot". I never for a moment let myself believe he was actually going to send the thing. I mean.............really!

So, this box comes in Monday. Mail call! Box for Guitar Ted! Wha?!!!!.............




I look inside and holy cats!!!!!
















Here it is all spread out so you can see it better.















A couuple of cool t-shirts, Swiftwick woolies in the Bike29 livery, a sticker, and............














.............that purple Chris King head set!!!!



Amazing! I was floored.

Thanks to George at Bike29. You are too kind, my friend!

And as for this purple Chris King head set? Yeah.............it's safely installed in the El Mariachi ala sinister style. Looks great, if I say so myself. I'm still not quite ready to show the El Mariachi yet. I'm getting some details taken care of, and more goodness is being devised for it which may take awhile to come to fruition.

Speaking of goodness for the El Mariachi, I should also take a second to point out that "Bobby the Ogre" from Salsa Cycles sent me some transfers for the stem. (Awesome! Thanks dude!) So that will lend a nice touch to the bike. I'll be working on this rig, testing it out, working on it, and as soon as everything I am expecting to pull together for it comes in, I'll post a pic or two. Until then, I will remain in "image silence" on the project. It'll be good! So stay tuned!

Touring Tuesdays: The Road From Here

Well, I want to first thank everyone for following along as I told the stories behind my two big cross country tours back in the 90's. Getting to tell these stories was a big kick for me, as it was something I wanted to do for years and the blogging format finally gave me a reason to put that stuff out there. Again, thanks for putting up with my story telling!


So, the question is, what happens to "Touring Tuesdays"? I have been thinking about this since mid-summer as I was planning out the telling of the "Race Against Death Tour". I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do- if anything- until I wrote the last entry to the final big tour story last week. I was thinking about those times- pretty crazy times- that went along with the mid-90's era where I worked at a bike shop and right afterwards a car repair joint. I figured some of those stories would make for some fun reading, so I have come up with an idea.


I thought I could relate some of those crazy stories from the era of my first bike shop job. I can't promise that they all will be riveting reading, or maybe all that interesting, but I will put it out there and let ya'all decide. I will be calling it, "Bike Shop Tales", and it will include things like what it was like working in this shop, the day to day stuff, nights on the town, bits and pieces of my life from then, and even a few ride stories.


I'll post it every Tuesday, but it won't be "Touring Tuesdays", of course. For some of you, that will be enough for you to tune out, but I thank you for reading. For the rest of you, hold on for next week and the first edition of "Bike Shop Tales". I guarantee you'll get to read some stuff that will surprise you about me!

Touring Tuesdays: The Road From Here

Well, I want to first thank everyone for following along as I told the stories behind my two big cross country tours back in the 90's. Getting to tell these stories was a big kick for me, as it was something I wanted to do for years and the blogging format finally gave me a reason to put that stuff out there. Again, thanks for putting up with my story telling!


So, the question is, what happens to "Touring Tuesdays"? I have been thinking about this since mid-summer as I was planning out the telling of the "Race Against Death Tour". I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do- if anything- until I wrote the last entry to the final big tour story last week. I was thinking about those times- pretty crazy times- that went along with the mid-90's era where I worked at a bike shop and right afterwards a car repair joint. I figured some of those stories would make for some fun reading, so I have come up with an idea.


I thought I could relate some of those crazy stories from the era of my first bike shop job. I can't promise that they all will be riveting reading, or maybe all that interesting, but I will put it out there and let ya'all decide. I will be calling it, "Bike Shop Tales", and it will include things like what it was like working in this shop, the day to day stuff, nights on the town, bits and pieces of my life from then, and even a few ride stories.


I'll post it every Tuesday, but it won't be "Touring Tuesdays", of course. For some of you, that will be enough for you to tune out, but I thank you for reading. For the rest of you, hold on for next week and the first edition of "Bike Shop Tales". I guarantee you'll get to read some stuff that will surprise you about me!

Back In The Saddle Again

<===The last day of October was pretty.......pretty windy!

So after several days off the bike due to weather, sickness, and work related reasons, I finally got a commute in on Friday and Saturday morning I got cut loose for a longer ride. Being that the trails had been soaked with several inches of rain of late, I launched an "adventure" ride instead.

I observed that the wind was out of the northwest and was gusty, so I set off in that general direction, which works great for me since it takes you right into the best adventure ride stuff around in Waterloo/Cedar Falls. I headed right for the new road through the old John Deere assembly works, just to see what was going on.

Amazingly, the old plant is being dismantled piece by piece, building by building. A process that started in the 1980's and continues on to this day. I have been casually observing the disappearance of the place all along. Well, now there are so many buildings gone that there is room for a new connector street. It is basically done, but I was just riding through to see it. Remarkable, since not more than four years ago where this road is I used to service tricycles in the truck shop there. Weird! But probably not as weird as what some of the former 16,000 strong labor force that used to work there thinks about it all.

Then it was on to Shirey way/Hartman Reserve. I had noticed grading and signs of construction there back in September, and it needed checking into. Dirt roads are always fun anyway. But to my surprise, the road had been graveled with some dang huge rocky chunk. Like rip-rap almost. That fact was made even more absurd by the observation that I made. The rock, freshly laid, was already sinking into the previous mud holes that had been there for years. Band aid- didn't work! Oh well! Our tax dollars hard at work and all..........

Well, I went through to Pfieffer Park, across the bridge, on over to the North loop trail around the lake. It was really windy, and pushing the 37 X 18T was working me pretty good.

<===Hey little guy! Kinda late for you to be out, eh?

I stopped here to use the restroom at the northwest side of the lake and adjust the grips and bars I was using. Amazing how a little tweak on the Antler Bar and the Ergon grips can make a huge difference in comfort!

Anyway, back on now and heading towards Black Hawk Park where I noticed I was running out of time. I needed to be home to get ready for church and play in the band, so I planned on just short jaunt into the park and back on the bicycle trail. However, the park was closed. Gated off. Seemed there was a bit of flooding. All that rain and all, ya know.

So on the way home, I saw where I had ridden once was now under water. Well! I guess the water is still on the way up! No wonder the park was closed. Not much eventful happened after that, but it was a great two and half hours anyway. Not the gravel adventure that was held up north this weekend that I wanted to go on, but it was something.

And I'm just glad to be riding!

Back In The Saddle Again

<===The last day of October was pretty.......pretty windy!

So after several days off the bike due to weather, sickness, and work related reasons, I finally got a commute in on Friday and Saturday morning I got cut loose for a longer ride. Being that the trails had been soaked with several inches of rain of late, I launched an "adventure" ride instead.

I observed that the wind was out of the northwest and was gusty, so I set off in that general direction, which works great for me since it takes you right into the best adventure ride stuff around in Waterloo/Cedar Falls. I headed right for the new road through the old John Deere assembly works, just to see what was going on.

Amazingly, the old plant is being dismantled piece by piece, building by building. A process that started in the 1980's and continues on to this day. I have been casually observing the disappearance of the place all along. Well, now there are so many buildings gone that there is room for a new connector street. It is basically done, but I was just riding through to see it. Remarkable, since not more than four years ago where this road is I used to service tricycles in the truck shop there. Weird! But probably not as weird as what some of the former 16,000 strong labor force that used to work there thinks about it all.

Then it was on to Shirey way/Hartman Reserve. I had noticed grading and signs of construction there back in September, and it needed checking into. Dirt roads are always fun anyway. But to my surprise, the road had been graveled with some dang huge rocky chunk. Like rip-rap almost. That fact was made even more absurd by the observation that I made. The rock, freshly laid, was already sinking into the previous mud holes that had been there for years. Band aid- didn't work! Oh well! Our tax dollars hard at work and all..........

Well, I went through to Pfieffer Park, across the bridge, on over to the North loop trail around the lake. It was really windy, and pushing the 37 X 18T was working me pretty good.

<===Hey little guy! Kinda late for you to be out, eh?

I stopped here to use the restroom at the northwest side of the lake and adjust the grips and bars I was using. Amazing how a little tweak on the Antler Bar and the Ergon grips can make a huge difference in comfort!

Anyway, back on now and heading towards Black Hawk Park where I noticed I was running out of time. I needed to be home to get ready for church and play in the band, so I planned on just short jaunt into the park and back on the bicycle trail. However, the park was closed. Gated off. Seemed there was a bit of flooding. All that rain and all, ya know.

So on the way home, I saw where I had ridden once was now under water. Well! I guess the water is still on the way up! No wonder the park was closed. Not much eventful happened after that, but it was a great two and half hours anyway. Not the gravel adventure that was held up north this weekend that I wanted to go on, but it was something.

And I'm just glad to be riding!