The Triple D Report: Part I

Okay, sorry about the delay folks, but Monday was a travel day, and the first installment here is a bit late in coming. That said, here is my report from Triple D, the three events in one winter race held in Dubuque, Iowa.

Pre-Race: The Triple D event is a three event race, runners, skiers, and bicyclists. The runners and skiers do marathon-ish distances, while the cyclists do a 65 mile course out and back from downtown Dubuque, Iowa.

The event pre-race was held right in our hotel, which made it nice. Waivers signed, race packet picked up, and then some socializing with the racers that were hanging out there.

I found out from event organzer, Lance Andre, that there were about 70-ish bicyclists signed up to ride, so it was a fairly large field. Conditions were much improved from the recent snow, which laid down a layer that covered almost everything.

The course had no snow whatsoever before the snow Dubuque got a few days before the race, so this would have to do for us all. Word was that there was plenty enough of the white stuff out there to make things good. The consistency of the snow was rather sand-like. Fine sand-like. In fact, high winds had drifted it all on the leeward sides of hills and fences in open territory.

We went out to eat after the pre-race.

In fact, a lot of the racers were of the mind that sections of the trail might even be cleared of snow due to the winds. That hope was dashed when old veterans of Triple D informed us that much the Heritage Trail that we were using was sheltered and likely to be covered in snow.

Of course, my choice in bike was By-Tor The Titanium Mukluk. It was lighter, but not geared as low as the Snow Dog. The other thing was the tires. I was a bit anxious about using 3.8" Larrys after seeing the shifty, loose condition of the snow, but I was stuck with what I had brought.

Speaking of what was brought: Ben Witt of Milltown Cycles and his mechanic, Curtis, had brought a Fandango 29"er tandem with a fat front and Rohloff drivetrain. I got to ride it and it was a blast in the snow the way it was. Ben and I were plowing right through foot deep snow on it. Unfortunately, I did not get any pics of this rig! (Too busy riding it!)

I did go down with Ben on it though! We were gabbing about how great it was handling the snow while Ben had steered us into an adjacent parking lot. As he made a giant, lazy circle, the back of the bike suddenly started coming around, and the tandem was in a big power-slide. The bike went down slowly, and I ended up landing on my left shin and knee. We had hit some wet, black ice, and it took us down! No harm done though, and all was laughed off.

Good advice!

Well, we went out for a great Chinese dinner in downtown Dubuque, and we all hit the hay by 10pm. I got a great night's sleep, the best I'd had in weeks, so I was feeling great by the time I awoke for the event on Sunday.

We hit up the hotel restaurant for breakfast, and then got suited up for the day's riding. I had decided to run my messenger bag. I know- not what most would advise or think was a good strategy. The thing is, I ride a lot commuting on my fat bikes with a messenger bag. I do after work rides with one on a lot. It never is an issue for me, and of course, a messenger bag can carry a lot of gear. So, while I would normally agree that carrying a messenger bag for most folks on an endurance ride is a stupid idea, I thought it would make my ride feel "normal", since I ride with one so much.

I put my extra dry clothing in there, along with a couple water bottles, and a pump. It wasn't too heavy, but it wasn't all that light either! My bike had the Tangle Bag with a spare Surly tube, food, repair kit, a balaclava, and a ton of gels.

The bike also had Planet Bike's Snack Shack on it with all my drink mixes and some more food in it. I did not take the old, red seat pack on this adventure. The bike also had two water bottles mounted on the Enabler fork.

Not every bike here is "fat"!

We were all signed up and informed about the course by Lance Andre previous to taking off. I have to say that was the most detailed pre-race meeting, (full of visuals, a walk through of the maps, and a description of course difficulties), that I have ever witnessed. It all came in mighty handy while I was out there riding, and I could gauge my progress really well just from Lance's excellent course commentary.

In fact, the event, with its three different disciplines going off simultaneously in different places, was so well organized that when you consider the complexities involved, it is rather amazing. Kudos to Lance Andre and his crew along with the volunteers. Job well done folks!

And with the instructions given, we all were told to go and line up near the Dubuque Star Brewery building, which we did. The next report will deal with the event proper and how I fared throughout the day. Stay tuned.....

The Triple D Report: Part I

Okay, sorry about the delay folks, but Monday was a travel day, and the first installment here is a bit late in coming. That said, here is my report from Triple D, the three events in one winter race held in Dubuque, Iowa.

Pre-Race: The Triple D event is a three event race, runners, skiers, and bicyclists. The runners and skiers do marathon-ish distances, while the cyclists do a 65 mile course out and back from downtown Dubuque, Iowa.

The event pre-race was held right in our hotel, which made it nice. Waivers signed, race packet picked up, and then some socializing with the racers that were hanging out there.

I found out from event organzer, Lance Andre, that there were about 70-ish bicyclists signed up to ride, so it was a fairly large field. Conditions were much improved from the recent snow, which laid down a layer that covered almost everything.

The course had no snow whatsoever before the snow Dubuque got a few days before the race, so this would have to do for us all. Word was that there was plenty enough of the white stuff out there to make things good. The consistency of the snow was rather sand-like. Fine sand-like. In fact, high winds had drifted it all on the leeward sides of hills and fences in open territory.

We went out to eat after the pre-race.

In fact, a lot of the racers were of the mind that sections of the trail might even be cleared of snow due to the winds. That hope was dashed when old veterans of Triple D informed us that much the Heritage Trail that we were using was sheltered and likely to be covered in snow.

Of course, my choice in bike was By-Tor The Titanium Mukluk. It was lighter, but not geared as low as the Snow Dog. The other thing was the tires. I was a bit anxious about using 3.8" Larrys after seeing the shifty, loose condition of the snow, but I was stuck with what I had brought.

Speaking of what was brought: Ben Witt of Milltown Cycles and his mechanic, Curtis, had brought a Fandango 29"er tandem with a fat front and Rohloff drivetrain. I got to ride it and it was a blast in the snow the way it was. Ben and I were plowing right through foot deep snow on it. Unfortunately, I did not get any pics of this rig! (Too busy riding it!)

I did go down with Ben on it though! We were gabbing about how great it was handling the snow while Ben had steered us into an adjacent parking lot. As he made a giant, lazy circle, the back of the bike suddenly started coming around, and the tandem was in a big power-slide. The bike went down slowly, and I ended up landing on my left shin and knee. We had hit some wet, black ice, and it took us down! No harm done though, and all was laughed off.

Good advice!

Well, we went out for a great Chinese dinner in downtown Dubuque, and we all hit the hay by 10pm. I got a great night's sleep, the best I'd had in weeks, so I was feeling great by the time I awoke for the event on Sunday.

We hit up the hotel restaurant for breakfast, and then got suited up for the day's riding. I had decided to run my messenger bag. I know- not what most would advise or think was a good strategy. The thing is, I ride a lot commuting on my fat bikes with a messenger bag. I do after work rides with one on a lot. It never is an issue for me, and of course, a messenger bag can carry a lot of gear. So, while I would normally agree that carrying a messenger bag for most folks on an endurance ride is a stupid idea, I thought it would make my ride feel "normal", since I ride with one so much.

I put my extra dry clothing in there, along with a couple water bottles, and a pump. It wasn't too heavy, but it wasn't all that light either! My bike had the Tangle Bag with a spare Surly tube, food, repair kit, a balaclava, and a ton of gels.

The bike also had Planet Bike's Snack Shack on it with all my drink mixes and some more food in it. I did not take the old, red seat pack on this adventure. The bike also had two water bottles mounted on the Enabler fork.

Not every bike here is "fat"!

We were all signed up and informed about the course by Lance Andre previous to taking off. I have to say that was the most detailed pre-race meeting, (full of visuals, a walk through of the maps, and a description of course difficulties), that I have ever witnessed. It all came in mighty handy while I was out there riding, and I could gauge my progress really well just from Lance's excellent course commentary.

In fact, the event, with its three different disciplines going off simultaneously in different places, was so well organized that when you consider the complexities involved, it is rather amazing. Kudos to Lance Andre and his crew along with the volunteers. Job well done folks!

And with the instructions given, we all were told to go and line up near the Dubuque Star Brewery building, which we did. The next report will deal with the event proper and how I fared throughout the day. Stay tuned.....

Triple D Success

Well folks, it's been a long day, and I haven't got the time, nor the energy to put up a big post for your Monday morning. But the simple fact is that I finished Triple D in 8.5 hrs. So, first event done in 2012 and it was a success.

I do have several images and,(of course), more details to share from this awesome event. Stay tuned, and later today I'll get something up. Thanks!

Triple D Success

Well folks, it's been a long day, and I haven't got the time, nor the energy to put up a big post for your Monday morning. But the simple fact is that I finished Triple D in 8.5 hrs. So, first event done in 2012 and it was a success.

I do have several images and,(of course), more details to share from this awesome event. Stay tuned, and later today I'll get something up. Thanks!

Trans Iowa V8: Updates

Official T.I.V8 Sponsor

Your Latest On Trans Iowa V8: Just got the official word yesterday that Trans Iowa will once again be sponsored by Oakley. This time, the thought is to do something very unique.

In speaking with Rob Versteegh, an Oakley rep for this area, it was agreed that Trans Iowa competitors probably have a strong allegiance to some eyewear already, and most likely are good on that front. However, Oakley does more than just eyewear. They happen to do timepieces as well.

This is intriguing since time is a big factor in all things Trans Iowa. You have to get your post cards in on time, you have to spend a lot of time getting ready for Trans Iowa, and of course, we have time limits in the event itself.

So, it looks like Oakley is going to provide an engraved timepiece to the overall winner of Trans Iowa this year! Pretty cool.

And, in related news, another event is being talked about that would feature Oakley, so stay tuned for further updates on this development. If this goes down as planned, it would take place the day before Trans Iowa on Friday, April 27th.


300 Miles of Gravel Trailer from Jeff Frings Photography on Vimeo.



Next, the film, "300 Mile Of Gravel", which was filmed at last years T.I.V7, is being planned for finishing up previous to T.I.V8. Jeff Frings, the videographer on the project, and who is single handedly producing this effort, says that he would like it to premier before T.I.V8 in Grinnell. If everything can be worked out, we may have a matinee showing of the film project before the Pre-Race Meat-Up. Again, this is all in the planning stages, so things could change in a hurry, but these are the intentions for now.

Finally, after all this Triple D madness passes by, I will have a little time before Frostbike to work up the cue sheet drafts for T.I.V8's course. The last 20 miles are left undone, and that will be determined by a few key decisions yet to be made. Once the final pieces to the puzzle fall into place, I can direct the route into Grinnell and the recon will be complete. Cue sheets should be done before the weather breaks, and then final course checking will take place. So far, everything is on track for T.I.V8 to be a great event.

Okay, that's all for now. Hopefully the training is going well. Look for more T.I.V8 updates coming soon.

Trans Iowa V8: Updates

Official T.I.V8 Sponsor

Your Latest On Trans Iowa V8: Just got the official word yesterday that Trans Iowa will once again be sponsored by Oakley. This time, the thought is to do something very unique.

In speaking with Rob Versteegh, an Oakley rep for this area, it was agreed that Trans Iowa competitors probably have a strong allegiance to some eyewear already, and most likely are good on that front. However, Oakley does more than just eyewear. They happen to do timepieces as well.

This is intriguing since time is a big factor in all things Trans Iowa. You have to get your post cards in on time, you have to spend a lot of time getting ready for Trans Iowa, and of course, we have time limits in the event itself.

So, it looks like Oakley is going to provide an engraved timepiece to the overall winner of Trans Iowa this year! Pretty cool.

And, in related news, another event is being talked about that would feature Oakley, so stay tuned for further updates on this development. If this goes down as planned, it would take place the day before Trans Iowa on Friday, April 27th.


300 Miles of Gravel Trailer from Jeff Frings Photography on Vimeo.



Next, the film, "300 Mile Of Gravel", which was filmed at last years T.I.V7, is being planned for finishing up previous to T.I.V8. Jeff Frings, the videographer on the project, and who is single handedly producing this effort, says that he would like it to premier before T.I.V8 in Grinnell. If everything can be worked out, we may have a matinee showing of the film project before the Pre-Race Meat-Up. Again, this is all in the planning stages, so things could change in a hurry, but these are the intentions for now.

Finally, after all this Triple D madness passes by, I will have a little time before Frostbike to work up the cue sheet drafts for T.I.V8's course. The last 20 miles are left undone, and that will be determined by a few key decisions yet to be made. Once the final pieces to the puzzle fall into place, I can direct the route into Grinnell and the recon will be complete. Cue sheets should be done before the weather breaks, and then final course checking will take place. So far, everything is on track for T.I.V8 to be a great event.

Okay, that's all for now. Hopefully the training is going well. Look for more T.I.V8 updates coming soon.

Friday News And Views

Your Local Entertainer

Winter Finally Shows Up, and you just knew I was going to ride a fat bike the minute snow hit. Well, you were right, I did. I wasn't prepared for the stir it caused amongst some of the locals though.

Yes....it was snowing. Yes....the wind was howling. Yes.....the air temperature was 11F. 

So? Why all the attention? I mean, I rode The Snow Dog plenty of days last year that were equally as snowy and cold. That didn't hardly get me a lick of attention. Maybe a rude look or two, but today! Oh my! 

It started out with someone honking at me before I had gone a mile. It wasn't one of those "angry honks" either. It was a "toot-toot!"  the likes you would give someone you know really well. I wasn't facing the vehicle, but I raised a hand to acknowledge the salutation anyway. Later up the road, another honk and friendly wave. Hmm....that's odd, I thought.

That was nothing though. On the way home, folks were staring at me, weird looks, astonishment visible from my vantage point. Then, as I was traversing some deep snow on a sidewalk, I noticed in my peripheral vision a car going very slowly to my right. I gave a quick glance to see a guy filming me with the camera in his phone! (I'm sure that won't be a very complimentary Facebook post!) There was a lady in a car right behind him gawking at me as well. The guy with the film degree took off, but the lady in the car behind was still staring wide eyed, stopped in the road. Suddenly, she took off, then slammed on the brakes, skidding sideways, and almost crossing two lanes of traffic. I was moving along by this time, so I didn't see the end result.

Further up the road, side walk shovelers stared with contempt, and then a guy in a 4X4 gave me the thumbs up sign. That was nice! I gotta say though, that was the weirdest commute ever.

More Thoughts On The Salsa Fat Bike FS Prototype: A couple of the commenters on the "Fat Bike Full Suspension?" post from Wednesday brought up something I hadn't thought about, but is very important to consider when looking at this concept.

That is how this bike might be used by riders. Given the mad traction afforded by the massive rubber, the full suspension aspect, and the decided bent away from being a strict flotation bike, in all likelihood this will get used in a way that would be unique to fat bike specific parts. Not to mention the aspect of physics, which also would be unique to this sort of application. Imagine riders slamming into rocks at 20 mph, riding off three footers, and hitting high "G" corners and whoop-de-doos at higher speeds. All with wheels and tires designed for flotation and a suspension designed for far lighter wheels and tires.

To their credit, Salsa says they don't know what they will learn from this experiment, but they know they will learn a lot. I would submit that they will find out a lot of fat bike specific parts and the application of those within a trail bike setting will lead to ideas for new parts and frame/fork designs up to the task. (Yes- I am saying this probably will not work as shown. ) I think what will come out of this might be some good stuff for mountain biking, and may advance the fat bike world into more year-round specific rims, hubs, tires, and possibly suspension forks. I also think a fat bike full suspension device will be refined out of this that will work, but might find a limited audience due to weight, due to rider perceptions about travel, and misunderstanding the effects of the fatter rubber.

I could be totally wrong about all of the above too.

Which one, which one?!!

Triple D Update: Well, this Sunday the Triple D event will take place. They actually got a dump of snow over that way yesterday, so the fat bike will actually make more sense now. (I bet there are guys scrambling to switch bikes at the last minute now that it has snowed!)

Poor ol' me! I have to decide which one of my fat bikes to take! The Snow Dog has the fattest, floaty-est wheels, and the lowest gears. By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk has lighter everything, and a dreamy ride.

I'm pretty sure By-Tor is going to get the call though, merely due to the distance, (65 miles), and all the climbing looks to be on the front end of this course, so I think the gearing will be fine.

Look for some Triple D Tweets from me over the course of the weekend. You can find those by searching for the hastag- #TripleD Otherwise, try to enjoy the winter that has finally come, and get outside!

Friday News And Views

Your Local Entertainer

Winter Finally Shows Up, and you just knew I was going to ride a fat bike the minute snow hit. Well, you were right, I did. I wasn't prepared for the stir it caused amongst some of the locals though.

Yes....it was snowing. Yes....the wind was howling. Yes.....the air temperature was 11F. 

So? Why all the attention? I mean, I rode The Snow Dog plenty of days last year that were equally as snowy and cold. That didn't hardly get me a lick of attention. Maybe a rude look or two, but today! Oh my! 

It started out with someone honking at me before I had gone a mile. It wasn't one of those "angry honks" either. It was a "toot-toot!"  the likes you would give someone you know really well. I wasn't facing the vehicle, but I raised a hand to acknowledge the salutation anyway. Later up the road, another honk and friendly wave. Hmm....that's odd, I thought.

That was nothing though. On the way home, folks were staring at me, weird looks, astonishment visible from my vantage point. Then, as I was traversing some deep snow on a sidewalk, I noticed in my peripheral vision a car going very slowly to my right. I gave a quick glance to see a guy filming me with the camera in his phone! (I'm sure that won't be a very complimentary Facebook post!) There was a lady in a car right behind him gawking at me as well. The guy with the film degree took off, but the lady in the car behind was still staring wide eyed, stopped in the road. Suddenly, she took off, then slammed on the brakes, skidding sideways, and almost crossing two lanes of traffic. I was moving along by this time, so I didn't see the end result.

Further up the road, side walk shovelers stared with contempt, and then a guy in a 4X4 gave me the thumbs up sign. That was nice! I gotta say though, that was the weirdest commute ever.

More Thoughts On The Salsa Fat Bike FS Prototype: A couple of the commenters on the "Fat Bike Full Suspension?" post from Wednesday brought up something I hadn't thought about, but is very important to consider when looking at this concept.

That is how this bike might be used by riders. Given the mad traction afforded by the massive rubber, the full suspension aspect, and the decided bent away from being a strict flotation bike, in all likelihood this will get used in a way that would be unique to fat bike specific parts. Not to mention the aspect of physics, which also would be unique to this sort of application. Imagine riders slamming into rocks at 20 mph, riding off three footers, and hitting high "G" corners and whoop-de-doos at higher speeds. All with wheels and tires designed for flotation and a suspension designed for far lighter wheels and tires.

To their credit, Salsa says they don't know what they will learn from this experiment, but they know they will learn a lot. I would submit that they will find out a lot of fat bike specific parts and the application of those within a trail bike setting will lead to ideas for new parts and frame/fork designs up to the task. (Yes- I am saying this probably will not work as shown. ) I think what will come out of this might be some good stuff for mountain biking, and may advance the fat bike world into more year-round specific rims, hubs, tires, and possibly suspension forks. I also think a fat bike full suspension device will be refined out of this that will work, but might find a limited audience due to weight, due to rider perceptions about travel, and misunderstanding the effects of the fatter rubber.

I could be totally wrong about all of the above too.

Which one, which one?!!

Triple D Update: Well, this Sunday the Triple D event will take place. They actually got a dump of snow over that way yesterday, so the fat bike will actually make more sense now. (I bet there are guys scrambling to switch bikes at the last minute now that it has snowed!)

Poor ol' me! I have to decide which one of my fat bikes to take! The Snow Dog has the fattest, floaty-est wheels, and the lowest gears. By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk has lighter everything, and a dreamy ride.

I'm pretty sure By-Tor is going to get the call though, merely due to the distance, (65 miles), and all the climbing looks to be on the front end of this course, so I think the gearing will be fine.

Look for some Triple D Tweets from me over the course of the weekend. You can find those by searching for the hastag- #TripleD Otherwise, try to enjoy the winter that has finally come, and get outside!

Planet Bike Snack Shack, Borealis Glove Review

Okay, I've been rocking the Planet Bike Snack Shack and Borealis Gloves for all of the late fall and now into "winter", (if we can call what we've had a winter so far!). I would have chimed in sooner, but for the strangeness of the weather, which was preventing a full on test, especially for the gloves, but be that as it may, I will continue onwards.

Planet Bike's Snack Shack: It's a top tube bag!

Snack Shack: First up I have my thoughts on the Snack Shack. This is a typically shaped top tube bag for endurance pursuits. It resembles a small motorcycle gas tank in overall shape. I suppose in some ways it is a gas tank!

Well, you can actually use it for a lot of things, which I'll get to in a moment, but first, here are the particulars on this bag.

• Holds a claimed 43 cubic inches of volume. 
• Has a white lined interior, which is supposed to make finding your things easier. 
• The bag is padded and holds its shape when empty. The outside features reflective piping and a small Planet Bike logo.
• Dual Pull zippers and Velcro fastener make the bag secure and easy to close and open. 
• Two Velcro attachment points: One in the front, and one in the middle of the bag, underneath. 

Impressions: The Snack Shack could be a .......shack for your snacks, but I used it for what I typically use a top tube bag for: A place to hold my small point and shoot camera, cell phone, or maybe a small multi tool. Sometimes I even used it to hold a small head lamp battery for a light I mounted on my handle bars.

The Snack Shack on my Mukluk

My brain is filled with little sayings I've heard throughout my life. One of which is, "No matter how big your garage is, you'll fill it up." What's that got to do with a top tube bag? Well, sometimes the bigger the bag is, the more stuff you "stuff", and maybe that isn't a good thing. To that end, the 43 cubic inches of the Snack Shack was a lesson in what I really needed versus what I wanted to carry.

I don't mean this to sound negative. Actually, I thought it was a good thing. I could bring my all important point and shoot, a small multi tool, and the aforementioned small battery pack for my back up trail light, and that was it. Sometimes I put a cell phone and the camera in there. Once I stuffed my much larger Panasonic LX-3 camera in there, which barely would be swallowed by the Snack Shack. Point is, you may want more room, but if you don't, the Snack Shack works for a few smaller items. Need more? Planet Bike does a bigger top tube bag called the Lunch Box.

I could get in a ton of gels, energy bars, and candy in the Snack Shack. Enough for a six hour ride, so if that is what you want to use this for, it will pack a fair slug of calories. Even abusive loading, as with my LX-3 camera, showed no ill effects on the Snack Shack, but I wouldn't recommend it on a regular basis.

In use, the bag opens and closes really easily with the dual pull zips. I had to slam the lid down on the bag a few times when I needed both hands on the bars suddenly, but with the Velcro fastener, the lid, although not zipped, didn't allow things to bounce out of the Snack Shack. That's a nice touch. The white lining does help in dim lighting or at night when you are looking for that last morsel of food.

Conclusions: For the asking price of MSRP $16.99, the Snack Shack seems like a pretty great value, and I think it is. My only concern was that the reflective piping showed some flaking of the reflective material, but overall the construction and performance of the Snack Shack is impressive. If the size works for you, I can highly recommend it. One caveat: It may not be compatible with frame bags, or even the same frame bag on different bikes may cause an issue with compatibility. Check your bags before buying to make sure this will work with your set up.

Planet Bike Borealis Gloves

Planet Bike Borealis Gloves: Next up we have the winter glove system from Planet Bike called the Borealis. This is an all new re-design of this model for 2012. The Borealis is a system of an inner fleece glove and an outer "mitten" that can be worn as separate components or together for the ultimate warm hand protection against the elements.

Features are as follows:

• Two pieces for wider temperature ranges. The inner and outer layers can be combined for coldest weather, or worn separately into warmer temperatures. 
• The outer glove/mitten has a windproof back panel and forchettes. The glove/mitten outer is water resistant, and features a Neoprene cuff/pull tab with a hook and loop closure. Reflective piping on the outer.
• The inner is a simple fleece glove.

Impressions: The fall weather first called out for the inner liner only. In crisp, cool weather, these inner fleece gloves worked well to ward off chill, but they definitely are not wind resistant, and of course, wetter weather isn't their friend either. So, actual versatility is somewhat limited to dry days with regard to the inner liner.

I thought the fit was a bit short in the fingers, but otherwise was okay. My only other concern was with the fingers, which were slippery without any tacky or textured areas to use for smoother aluminum controls like STI levers. Off the bike this manifested itself as slipperiness on car steering wheels, as an example.

The outer glove didn't really get the ultimate, below zero cold test, but we got close enough on a few days to get an idea here. The unique grouping of the last two digits on the hand and independent index and middle fingers was nice for drop bar riding and didn't seem to bother me in regard to keeping warm. In fact, I thought the outer of the Borealis was enough for me to keep warm in most any reasonable situation for cycling. The fit was loose-ish, which I tend to prefer with regard to a winter hand covering.

With the inner combined with the outer, I found the "toast level" was a bit too extreme for my tastes, but more importantly, I thought the fit of the size XL was a bit restrictive. The too tight feeling was unpleasant, in my opinion, and I would recommend going a size up, if you can, if you think you will really need both layers together. I don't see myself ever using the two together, as my hands were warm enough with just the outers here, but everyone has different needs when it comes to cold weather.

The Borealis inner fleece liner glove

Conclusions: Essentially, with the Borealis, you are buying two pairs of hand wear items. One is basically a cool weather ride, fleece glove, and the other is for more serious cold protection. Adding both together could be the ultimate in cold weather hand wear for a cyclists, if the fit is okay for you. Because of this, I strongly recommend you try on the Borealis first with both layers to see if the fit is to your liking.

The inner liner is best suited for dry, cool days only, and it isn't a great casual wear item due to the slick, slippery texture of the fleece. The outer is a definite winner in my mind, and if you already have a thin, wool liner glove, it may be the ultimate weapon against cold that you are looking for. I found the outer only to be just fine for me, but I have a bit higher tolerance to cold than your average bear. I will say that the outer is comfy by itself, and works really well for drop bar riding.

The bottom line here is that the Borealis isn't a bad system, but an improvement or two in the inner liner would be welcomed, in my opinion. Fit with both pieces together might be an issue for folks with larger hands. Still, for the MSRP $41.99 asking price, this is a lot of glove. Competing models seem to be significantly more. Check out the Borealis at your local bike shop and see if it might work for you.

Planet Bike sent out these gloves and the top tube bag at no charge for test/review. I was not paid, nor bribed for my review, and I strive to give my honest opinion and thoughts throughout any review here. Thanks to Planet Bike for letting me check these items out!

Planet Bike Snack Shack, Borealis Glove Review

Okay, I've been rocking the Planet Bike Snack Shack and Borealis Gloves for all of the late fall and now into "winter", (if we can call what we've had a winter so far!). I would have chimed in sooner, but for the strangeness of the weather, which was preventing a full on test, especially for the gloves, but be that as it may, I will continue onwards.

Planet Bike's Snack Shack: It's a top tube bag!

Snack Shack: First up I have my thoughts on the Snack Shack. This is a typically shaped top tube bag for endurance pursuits. It resembles a small motorcycle gas tank in overall shape. I suppose in some ways it is a gas tank!

Well, you can actually use it for a lot of things, which I'll get to in a moment, but first, here are the particulars on this bag.

• Holds a claimed 43 cubic inches of volume. 
• Has a white lined interior, which is supposed to make finding your things easier. 
• The bag is padded and holds its shape when empty. The outside features reflective piping and a small Planet Bike logo.
• Dual Pull zippers and Velcro fastener make the bag secure and easy to close and open. 
• Two Velcro attachment points: One in the front, and one in the middle of the bag, underneath. 

Impressions: The Snack Shack could be a .......shack for your snacks, but I used it for what I typically use a top tube bag for: A place to hold my small point and shoot camera, cell phone, or maybe a small multi tool. Sometimes I even used it to hold a small head lamp battery for a light I mounted on my handle bars.

The Snack Shack on my Mukluk

My brain is filled with little sayings I've heard throughout my life. One of which is, "No matter how big your garage is, you'll fill it up." What's that got to do with a top tube bag? Well, sometimes the bigger the bag is, the more stuff you "stuff", and maybe that isn't a good thing. To that end, the 43 cubic inches of the Snack Shack was a lesson in what I really needed versus what I wanted to carry.

I don't mean this to sound negative. Actually, I thought it was a good thing. I could bring my all important point and shoot, a small multi tool, and the aforementioned small battery pack for my back up trail light, and that was it. Sometimes I put a cell phone and the camera in there. Once I stuffed my much larger Panasonic LX-3 camera in there, which barely would be swallowed by the Snack Shack. Point is, you may want more room, but if you don't, the Snack Shack works for a few smaller items. Need more? Planet Bike does a bigger top tube bag called the Lunch Box.

I could get in a ton of gels, energy bars, and candy in the Snack Shack. Enough for a six hour ride, so if that is what you want to use this for, it will pack a fair slug of calories. Even abusive loading, as with my LX-3 camera, showed no ill effects on the Snack Shack, but I wouldn't recommend it on a regular basis.

In use, the bag opens and closes really easily with the dual pull zips. I had to slam the lid down on the bag a few times when I needed both hands on the bars suddenly, but with the Velcro fastener, the lid, although not zipped, didn't allow things to bounce out of the Snack Shack. That's a nice touch. The white lining does help in dim lighting or at night when you are looking for that last morsel of food.

Conclusions: For the asking price of MSRP $16.99, the Snack Shack seems like a pretty great value, and I think it is. My only concern was that the reflective piping showed some flaking of the reflective material, but overall the construction and performance of the Snack Shack is impressive. If the size works for you, I can highly recommend it. One caveat: It may not be compatible with frame bags, or even the same frame bag on different bikes may cause an issue with compatibility. Check your bags before buying to make sure this will work with your set up.

Planet Bike Borealis Gloves

Planet Bike Borealis Gloves: Next up we have the winter glove system from Planet Bike called the Borealis. This is an all new re-design of this model for 2012. The Borealis is a system of an inner fleece glove and an outer "mitten" that can be worn as separate components or together for the ultimate warm hand protection against the elements.

Features are as follows:

• Two pieces for wider temperature ranges. The inner and outer layers can be combined for coldest weather, or worn separately into warmer temperatures. 
• The outer glove/mitten has a windproof back panel and forchettes. The glove/mitten outer is water resistant, and features a Neoprene cuff/pull tab with a hook and loop closure. Reflective piping on the outer.
• The inner is a simple fleece glove.

Impressions: The fall weather first called out for the inner liner only. In crisp, cool weather, these inner fleece gloves worked well to ward off chill, but they definitely are not wind resistant, and of course, wetter weather isn't their friend either. So, actual versatility is somewhat limited to dry days with regard to the inner liner.

I thought the fit was a bit short in the fingers, but otherwise was okay. My only other concern was with the fingers, which were slippery without any tacky or textured areas to use for smoother aluminum controls like STI levers. Off the bike this manifested itself as slipperiness on car steering wheels, as an example.

The outer glove didn't really get the ultimate, below zero cold test, but we got close enough on a few days to get an idea here. The unique grouping of the last two digits on the hand and independent index and middle fingers was nice for drop bar riding and didn't seem to bother me in regard to keeping warm. In fact, I thought the outer of the Borealis was enough for me to keep warm in most any reasonable situation for cycling. The fit was loose-ish, which I tend to prefer with regard to a winter hand covering.

With the inner combined with the outer, I found the "toast level" was a bit too extreme for my tastes, but more importantly, I thought the fit of the size XL was a bit restrictive. The too tight feeling was unpleasant, in my opinion, and I would recommend going a size up, if you can, if you think you will really need both layers together. I don't see myself ever using the two together, as my hands were warm enough with just the outers here, but everyone has different needs when it comes to cold weather.

The Borealis inner fleece liner glove

Conclusions: Essentially, with the Borealis, you are buying two pairs of hand wear items. One is basically a cool weather ride, fleece glove, and the other is for more serious cold protection. Adding both together could be the ultimate in cold weather hand wear for a cyclists, if the fit is okay for you. Because of this, I strongly recommend you try on the Borealis first with both layers to see if the fit is to your liking.

The inner liner is best suited for dry, cool days only, and it isn't a great casual wear item due to the slick, slippery texture of the fleece. The outer is a definite winner in my mind, and if you already have a thin, wool liner glove, it may be the ultimate weapon against cold that you are looking for. I found the outer only to be just fine for me, but I have a bit higher tolerance to cold than your average bear. I will say that the outer is comfy by itself, and works really well for drop bar riding.

The bottom line here is that the Borealis isn't a bad system, but an improvement or two in the inner liner would be welcomed, in my opinion. Fit with both pieces together might be an issue for folks with larger hands. Still, for the MSRP $41.99 asking price, this is a lot of glove. Competing models seem to be significantly more. Check out the Borealis at your local bike shop and see if it might work for you.

Planet Bike sent out these gloves and the top tube bag at no charge for test/review. I was not paid, nor bribed for my review, and I strive to give my honest opinion and thoughts throughout any review here. Thanks to Planet Bike for letting me check these items out!

Fat Bike Full Suspension?

Salsa Cycles Fat Bike prototype: (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles blog)

Unless you were off the grid yesterday, this Salsa Cycles fat bike full suspension prototype is no news to you. The reaction to this development was wide ranging, enthusiastic, and rather surprising to me.

Of course, I love riding my fat bike, I think the idea of year-round fat biking is already proven, and I think it definitely has a place in off road/mountain biking. A full suspension fat bike? Sure! Why not? That said, there are several things that would need to be addressed before a full suspension fat bike becomes a reality from any company.

First and foremost is the question, "What sort of suspension does a fat bike need?" Obviously, Salsa is well on their way to answering that for themselves, and need no advice from the likes of me. My way of thinking about this question is as follows though...

A fat bike tire is a big, voluminous air spring. Race car drivers have been wrestling with this aspect of large volume tires for years. Altering air pressures causes the spring/tire to react differently, much like the spring in a traditional shock. Traditional mountain bike tires don't really have enough volume to affect overall suspension performance, but fat bike tires would. How that figures into overall suspension kinematics and design is not well known at this point for bicycles. My guess is that the suspension design would necessarily have to be more focused on damping the tire/spring than anything we've seen for a suspension fork for a mountain bike thus far.

There is a big air spring in this image!

"Where do you get the parts?" Then you have to source a fat-bike compatible suspension fork. Fat-bikers have long been employing Maverick SC-32 forks and more recently, the German Answer "Flame" fork. Trouble is that the Mav is flexy and the Flame fork is limited to using narrower rims. Wide rims and fat bike tires don't clear very well, according to reports I've read, between the stanchions on the Flame.

Added to this are the difficulties with small productions, costs, and distributions that are inherent with smaller manufacturers. Don't forget wider crowns require more down tube clearances as well. That complicates matters a bit. Oh yeah.....fat bikes with front suspension will also suffer from tall front ends, just like 29"ers do.

One other thing not talked about much is weight. Fat bikers are somewhat weight obsessed, and I see guys trumpeting their "under 30lb" bikes all the time. Obviously, adding suspension puts you back up there a ways again in weight. Whether most riders would find that worth the trade off for the suspension is not known.

"How Much Travel?" Just what works best for travel on a fat bike is another unknown quantity. Some feel more is better always. But there are limitations. Pointing at the difficulties within the 29"er suspension designs, one can see where fat bikes, whose tires are 29-30" in diameter depending upon tire model and rim combination, are going to quickly run up against the same issues. Front derailleur clearance, tire clearances, and chain stay lengths are also going to figure heavily here. Ideally, I think four inches or less, (most probably less), is going to be the target. Talk about unsprung weight too! Holy cow! Designing a rear damper to deal with all that mass getting thrown around back there is going to be a big challenge.

That doesn't even touch upon through axles, pivots that may need to be beefed up, and swing arm design to contain it all.

I have to hand it to Salsa Cycles and the Crew there. They bit off a "big one" with this project. Now we'll all get to see if they can chew it up, and spit out something worthy. Whether they can or not, I'm betting it will take a while to come to fruition, if it does at all.

Update: Some more information regarding the prototype fat bike FS from Salsa has been posted by "Dirt Rag". See here. 

Fat Bike Full Suspension?

Salsa Cycles Fat Bike prototype: (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles blog)

Unless you were off the grid yesterday, this Salsa Cycles fat bike full suspension prototype is no news to you. The reaction to this development was wide ranging, enthusiastic, and rather surprising to me.

Of course, I love riding my fat bike, I think the idea of year-round fat biking is already proven, and I think it definitely has a place in off road/mountain biking. A full suspension fat bike? Sure! Why not? That said, there are several things that would need to be addressed before a full suspension fat bike becomes a reality from any company.

First and foremost is the question, "What sort of suspension does a fat bike need?" Obviously, Salsa is well on their way to answering that for themselves, and need no advice from the likes of me. My way of thinking about this question is as follows though...

A fat bike tire is a big, voluminous air spring. Race car drivers have been wrestling with this aspect of large volume tires for years. Altering air pressures causes the spring/tire to react differently, much like the spring in a traditional shock. Traditional mountain bike tires don't really have enough volume to affect overall suspension performance, but fat bike tires would. How that figures into overall suspension kinematics and design is not well known at this point for bicycles. My guess is that the suspension design would necessarily have to be more focused on damping the tire/spring than anything we've seen for a suspension fork for a mountain bike thus far.

There is a big air spring in this image!

"Where do you get the parts?" Then you have to source a fat-bike compatible suspension fork. Fat-bikers have long been employing Maverick SC-32 forks and more recently, the German Answer "Flame" fork. Trouble is that the Mav is flexy and the Flame fork is limited to using narrower rims. Wide rims and fat bike tires don't clear very well, according to reports I've read, between the stanchions on the Flame.

Added to this are the difficulties with small productions, costs, and distributions that are inherent with smaller manufacturers. Don't forget wider crowns require more down tube clearances as well. That complicates matters a bit. Oh yeah.....fat bikes with front suspension will also suffer from tall front ends, just like 29"ers do.

One other thing not talked about much is weight. Fat bikers are somewhat weight obsessed, and I see guys trumpeting their "under 30lb" bikes all the time. Obviously, adding suspension puts you back up there a ways again in weight. Whether most riders would find that worth the trade off for the suspension is not known.

"How Much Travel?" Just what works best for travel on a fat bike is another unknown quantity. Some feel more is better always. But there are limitations. Pointing at the difficulties within the 29"er suspension designs, one can see where fat bikes, whose tires are 29-30" in diameter depending upon tire model and rim combination, are going to quickly run up against the same issues. Front derailleur clearance, tire clearances, and chain stay lengths are also going to figure heavily here. Ideally, I think four inches or less, (most probably less), is going to be the target. Talk about unsprung weight too! Holy cow! Designing a rear damper to deal with all that mass getting thrown around back there is going to be a big challenge.

That doesn't even touch upon through axles, pivots that may need to be beefed up, and swing arm design to contain it all.

I have to hand it to Salsa Cycles and the Crew there. They bit off a "big one" with this project. Now we'll all get to see if they can chew it up, and spit out something worthy. Whether they can or not, I'm betting it will take a while to come to fruition, if it does at all.

Update: Some more information regarding the prototype fat bike FS from Salsa has been posted by "Dirt Rag". See here. 

Project Two-Six

Yes, it is a full moon, and you aren't seeing things. The title says "Project Two-Six". There is a good reason for that, so read on, if you dare!

Old. Reliable. Works.

The deal here is that I was asked to test something out. A pair of tires, to be exact. The tires in question were available at one time in 700c size, but stock was out and not likely to become available in a timely manner for the purposes of this test. (Not that it matters so far, but read on....)

The question was asked: "Don't you have a townie to put the other size tire on?" Well, I said that I had an old Schwinn that I had "Xtracycled", maybe that would work? And the deal was on. Tires were sent out, and I would put them on the old Xtracycle. Or would I?

Enter in an old, ancient, long forgotten project I started almost ten years ago. Of course, the Xtracycle is a 26"er, and at the time of the question about the tires, I thought it was the only 26"er I had left in my possession. However; then I recalled that old, forgotten project bike. Hmm.......maybe this is what I need to finally get that thing back together. I had all the old parts in boxes yet. Should be simple. But, I can't leave well enough alone!

You see, this bike, another old Schwinn, was a geared mountain bike I got that I had stripped down to bare metal, had powder coated, and then I had designs on really doing a "custom-modified" restoration. Kind of a hot rodded version of the stock bike.

But that was all out the window now. This was going to become a "winter time commuter bike", or so I thought.  I had intended on not putting derailleurs on this bike, and keeping it single speed seemed the right thing to do. However; after two failed attempts at single speeding rear wheels for the project, (One had a stuck on freewheel, the other a sealed bearing set up with an off-set axle), I decided a 1 X 5 would be okay.

So out came an old SunTour top mount, a MounTech rear derailleur, and SunTour 5 speed rear freewheel. Everything going on this bike, sans the grips, tires, handle bar, and tubes, is older than 1990. Probably older than 1988! I may end up putting on some fenders though, so there will be another newer part. But this will be pretty vintage stuff all around, for the most part.

Stay tuned for the final build, which should appear soon. Now, back to that test I mentioned. The tires are Continental's Top Contact Winter tires. These are "stud killers", supposedly. The idea is sort of like those Bridgestone "Blizzak" car tires. Very sticky-soft rubber with tons of working edges to grip ice and snow covered surfaces. So.......I am sure you see what the problem is! 

Since there hasn't been much of a winter, (yet), this test may be still born before it starts. But, there still is plenty of time for something of a winter to happen, so I will get this together and test ride it to de-bug anything needing de-bugging. Hopefully "Project Two-Six" will see the light of day before the weekend.

Project Two-Six

Yes, it is a full moon, and you aren't seeing things. The title says "Project Two-Six". There is a good reason for that, so read on, if you dare!

Old. Reliable. Works.

The deal here is that I was asked to test something out. A pair of tires, to be exact. The tires in question were available at one time in 700c size, but stock was out and not likely to become available in a timely manner for the purposes of this test. (Not that it matters so far, but read on....)

The question was asked: "Don't you have a townie to put the other size tire on?" Well, I said that I had an old Schwinn that I had "Xtracycled", maybe that would work? And the deal was on. Tires were sent out, and I would put them on the old Xtracycle. Or would I?

Enter in an old, ancient, long forgotten project I started almost ten years ago. Of course, the Xtracycle is a 26"er, and at the time of the question about the tires, I thought it was the only 26"er I had left in my possession. However; then I recalled that old, forgotten project bike. Hmm.......maybe this is what I need to finally get that thing back together. I had all the old parts in boxes yet. Should be simple. But, I can't leave well enough alone!

You see, this bike, another old Schwinn, was a geared mountain bike I got that I had stripped down to bare metal, had powder coated, and then I had designs on really doing a "custom-modified" restoration. Kind of a hot rodded version of the stock bike.

But that was all out the window now. This was going to become a "winter time commuter bike", or so I thought.  I had intended on not putting derailleurs on this bike, and keeping it single speed seemed the right thing to do. However; after two failed attempts at single speeding rear wheels for the project, (One had a stuck on freewheel, the other a sealed bearing set up with an off-set axle), I decided a 1 X 5 would be okay.

So out came an old SunTour top mount, a MounTech rear derailleur, and SunTour 5 speed rear freewheel. Everything going on this bike, sans the grips, tires, handle bar, and tubes, is older than 1990. Probably older than 1988! I may end up putting on some fenders though, so there will be another newer part. But this will be pretty vintage stuff all around, for the most part.

Stay tuned for the final build, which should appear soon. Now, back to that test I mentioned. The tires are Continental's Top Contact Winter tires. These are "stud killers", supposedly. The idea is sort of like those Bridgestone "Blizzak" car tires. Very sticky-soft rubber with tons of working edges to grip ice and snow covered surfaces. So.......I am sure you see what the problem is! 

Since there hasn't been much of a winter, (yet), this test may be still born before it starts. But, there still is plenty of time for something of a winter to happen, so I will get this together and test ride it to de-bug anything needing de-bugging. Hopefully "Project Two-Six" will see the light of day before the weekend.

Muk vs Muk

Squaring Off

With the Triple D Race coming up in less than a week, I had to make a decision on which Mukluk to bring to the event. So, I squared off the two against each other in the back yard and let 'em have at it until one or the other came out victorious.

Okay......not really! 

But I did make a choice. Here is how that came about. It has as much to do with non-bike related things as anything else. It won't take long for most of you to figure it out either. It has mostly to do with the lack of snow, obviously, and that it doesn't look like we'll be getting any before the event.

Originally, I was planning on using The Snow Dog, and why wouldn't I? It has the widest rims and biggest tires of the two. Perfect for a snowy course. What was I thinking?! Well, I was thinking winter, so don't blame me for the lack of the white stuff, okay? To prove my point, you can see that I had affixed my bags to The Snow Dog and I had been training on it in this configuration, thinking this would be my set up, but nooooooo! No snow, and most likely warm-ish temps will have me looking elsewhere for a ride for Triple D.

Guess which one is the Big Fat Larry.

Really, I bet a lot of guys will be sporting 29"ers and even cyclo-cross bikes this coming weekend. I definitely have something worthy of using there in that vein, but since this was intended to be a fat-bike sort of event, I am sticking to the plan.

Of course, this means I am taking By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk. I swapped tubes Friday in By-Tor to Bontrager 29 X 2.50" and they work great, and weigh almost exactly half of what I was using in there before. This cut By-Tor's weight to sub-30lbs, and that isn't all that bad.

Now the weather here has been a "Freeze-Thaw" dance and I am betting it still will be come next weekend. A 29"er might do okay, but in the grease and/or muck, a fat-bike has a better chance. Plus.....who knows what the heck the promoter might cook up.

Noticeable difference, no?

 So I am taking the titanium bike, and even though it is 1 X 10, and the Dubuque/Dyersville region is hilly, I will suffer with what I have available there. I have no designs on going fast. I may be doing quite well just to finish. That's my goal.

Now as far as the bikes and how they differ, that is an interesting story. I knew a couple of things had to be pretty easy to find, since I could definitely feel a difference between the two rigs beyond one being titanium and one being aluminum. I pulled out a tape measure and went to work.

The Snow Dog actually feels spot on, and the titanium bike felt odder. I tracked that down to a miscue I had in setting up the saddle. Once that was fixed, the bikes both felt a lot more similar. While the differences were less, there still were differences. I finally pinpointed one glaring difference that the Salsa website doesn't show. The Titanium Mukluk actually has longer chain stays. Longer by about a quarter of an inch, which switches up the weight distribution enough to be able to feel it. This is with the Muk Ti's Altenator drop slammed all the way forward, by the way. The Snow Dog feels more "playful" as a result.

But otherwise, the differences are largely in the feel department, and By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk will definitely be a smoother ride!


 

Muk vs Muk

Squaring Off

With the Triple D Race coming up in less than a week, I had to make a decision on which Mukluk to bring to the event. So, I squared off the two against each other in the back yard and let 'em have at it until one or the other came out victorious.

Okay......not really! 

But I did make a choice. Here is how that came about. It has as much to do with non-bike related things as anything else. It won't take long for most of you to figure it out either. It has mostly to do with the lack of snow, obviously, and that it doesn't look like we'll be getting any before the event.

Originally, I was planning on using The Snow Dog, and why wouldn't I? It has the widest rims and biggest tires of the two. Perfect for a snowy course. What was I thinking?! Well, I was thinking winter, so don't blame me for the lack of the white stuff, okay? To prove my point, you can see that I had affixed my bags to The Snow Dog and I had been training on it in this configuration, thinking this would be my set up, but nooooooo! No snow, and most likely warm-ish temps will have me looking elsewhere for a ride for Triple D.

Guess which one is the Big Fat Larry.

Really, I bet a lot of guys will be sporting 29"ers and even cyclo-cross bikes this coming weekend. I definitely have something worthy of using there in that vein, but since this was intended to be a fat-bike sort of event, I am sticking to the plan.

Of course, this means I am taking By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk. I swapped tubes Friday in By-Tor to Bontrager 29 X 2.50" and they work great, and weigh almost exactly half of what I was using in there before. This cut By-Tor's weight to sub-30lbs, and that isn't all that bad.

Now the weather here has been a "Freeze-Thaw" dance and I am betting it still will be come next weekend. A 29"er might do okay, but in the grease and/or muck, a fat-bike has a better chance. Plus.....who knows what the heck the promoter might cook up.

Noticeable difference, no?

 So I am taking the titanium bike, and even though it is 1 X 10, and the Dubuque/Dyersville region is hilly, I will suffer with what I have available there. I have no designs on going fast. I may be doing quite well just to finish. That's my goal.

Now as far as the bikes and how they differ, that is an interesting story. I knew a couple of things had to be pretty easy to find, since I could definitely feel a difference between the two rigs beyond one being titanium and one being aluminum. I pulled out a tape measure and went to work.

The Snow Dog actually feels spot on, and the titanium bike felt odder. I tracked that down to a miscue I had in setting up the saddle. Once that was fixed, the bikes both felt a lot more similar. While the differences were less, there still were differences. I finally pinpointed one glaring difference that the Salsa website doesn't show. The Titanium Mukluk actually has longer chain stays. Longer by about a quarter of an inch, which switches up the weight distribution enough to be able to feel it. This is with the Muk Ti's Altenator drop slammed all the way forward, by the way. The Snow Dog feels more "playful" as a result.

But otherwise, the differences are largely in the feel department, and By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk will definitely be a smoother ride!


 

Barns For Jason

Last Saturday, I did a lot of driving for T.I.V8 recon. I always have my old Fuji point and shoot at the ready, so if I see a cool old barn, I can get a photo of it. I do it because my buddy Jason, (GNAT to most of you blog readers), said one time that he would like to collect images of barns and I said I'd do that to.

So, it is a bit of a game I play while doing recon. Whether or not Jason likes them, I don't know, (I hope so!), but even if he hated them, I'd do it anyway, because it is fun, and I like barns too. So, without further adieu, here are my latest "Barns For Jason" that I collected over the weekend....

As you can see, I caught a lot of them as I sped by at 35-45mph! I did miss more than a few, and I really regret not getting the 1895 barn I saw. I'll try and track that down during T.I.V8, but I am sure I'll be seeing more barns before then!

hope ya'all enjoyed that. Next post will be back to bicycles again....