Zoon's Single Speed Dispatch

Literally

2011-08-09T13:02:00.002-04:00

Okay, maybe you're just as tired of hearing complaints about the overuse of "literally" as you are the word itself. But I have a slightly different take on it. Today at lunch I overheard a dude say something like "I literally sent him the email like five minutes later." Why would one use "literally" as an intensifier in such a case? It does nothing. This guy probably really did send an email in the timeframe he boasts of, but so what?

"I literally asked him to stop pushing on the back of my seat."

Is just as misguided as

"She was literally driving me crazy."

Why can't people be as smart as me? Literally.

2011 Huck-a-Buck

2011-07-27T09:32:00.005-04:00

This was my first real XC race if I don't count the short track race back in 2009. It was a good experience, and it taught me a small measure of humility. I thought I was fast and could place well, but I came in 12th out of 16 competitors in the CAT2 40-49 field. Let me tell you, these guys were fast. In fact, the winner of the CAT1 race, Terry Kolb, finished his fourth lap three minutes ahead of my third lap finish! Needless to say, I have some work to do.

Now for the excuses.

1. I do not think my bike fit is dialed in yet. My hands and toes became extremely numb about midway through my second lap, and by the end of the race I was in considerable pain. Things like stem length, grips and saddle position need to be revisited.

2. I had mixed what I thought was a middling amount of Accelerade in the contents of my Camelbak, but it turned out to be a highly concentrated mixture. Not sure how I screwed that up so badly. By the second lap, I was pretty thirsty for just straight water, as I had sucked way too much sickening, syrupy sports drink. This mistake didn't really affect my lap time all that much, but I was angry at myself for making such a rookie blunder. Next time...plain ol' water.

3. Pacing. I went nuts-out on the first lap, as is my wont, and had little left for the ensuing laps. The second and third laps were both three minutes longer than the first, which frankly was not all that fast either. I need to work on overall speed I guess.

Them's the Brakes

2011-07-26T11:10:00.002-04:00

My new brakes, Hope Race X2's, came in yesterday and I installed them after work. Very nice machining on these jewels. My bike now weighs 18.95 pounds, finally breaking that symbolic 19 pound barrier. I still need to shorten the cables a little bit as they are about 3 -4" too long. Hopefully, Ahmet and I will ride Harris Lake today and I'll get to "brake" them in. Heh.

Fin!

2011-07-08T08:46:00.003-04:00

Here she is, finally complete. I may need a longer stem to get my back at a better angle while riding, but I'll get a few miles on her first. Some of the details: FSA straight carbon bar, Easton 90mm stem, WTB Silverado saddle, blah blah. She comes in at a svelte 19.5 lbs.

Cha-chizmalope!

2011-07-02T09:44:00.006-04:00

Mike Johnson, a frind of Ahmet's, built the wheels. ZTR Crests laced to King hubs with DT Revolution spokes. I confess that I'm a little disappointed in the color of the hub anodization; since when is "pewter" another term for "purplish gray?"

Click the image to see an enlargement.

Disclaimer: any reflectoporn you think you see in the enlarged image is entirely unintentional. I had my shorts on.

Build Progress

2011-06-17T11:39:00.004-04:00

Frame is not here yet, but other things are in the works. My original plan was to transition every component off the Jabberwocky to the new frame, but there's been a few changes. First, the ENO cranks are not compatible --no surprise. I will be going with the S-Works carbon cranks with an E.Thirteen 32t guide ring. The guy at All-Star thinks the CNC machining is blingy on that ring, so I went with it. Second, I want a flat bar instead of the riser, so that will be replaced as well. But the coolest part is the wheels; instead of staying with the slightly worn Arches, I ordered some Crest rims from Stan's. Only 380g each! I will have All-Star lace them up to my King hubs and DT spokes, then use the old Arches for later use on the Jabber...which will need a new (or used) set of hubs and spokes. Yeah, I want to keep the Vassago as a beater or to have on offer if I have visitors from out of town.

New Bike

2011-06-13T15:54:00.003-04:00

So I ordered a new frame/fork today. I will no longer be able to use the subtitle "Big wheels. One gear. Zero squish."

It is a Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper 29-er Carbon Hardtail Single Speed. A mouthful, yes, but this bike is mega-sweet. Only 500 of them made this year.

More to come...

Burn-24

2011-05-31T15:16:00.003-04:00

I had a good time at Burn, though my team was not competitive. This is another way of saying we came in last in our division (3-5 person 40+ male). Others from the Triangle did quite well. Debbie Hage placed second in women's solo with 12 laps! This is a woman whom I'd ridden with about five weeks prior out at 286. It was just the two of us and we were discussing upcoming cycling events in the area. She said she wanted to try Burn in a solo class and I thought that was cool, so I told her about last year's race and how energetic and exciting the whole event could be. We then came upon a climb and Deb had a hard time negotiating it, so she announced then and there that she was not going to do the race after all...because that hill had gotten the best of her. I thought that was a rash decision, but did not argue. Well, she must have gotten talked back into it in the intervening weeks. She showed up, she rode, and she kicked major ass. Right now, this woman is my hero.

Oh My God! Burn-24!

2011-05-17T17:00:00.002-04:00

I was kinda disappointed that I wouldn't be doing Burn this year; I had hoped to make it an annual tradition, and counting on it becoming a yearly custom. Something I would do every Memorial Day. Anyway, it just so happened that somebody named Chris posted a vacancy on TMTB and I'm in! I will be riding with three other MTBers who "are just doing it for the experience." That's fine with me, but I'd like to beat last year's lap averages, and look really sexy doing it. More to come...

Rocky Road

2011-05-10T10:27:00.004-04:00

Rode RR yesterday...kind of. I decided to try it backwards, and the first part was just no fun. Lots of very technical and steep climbs. I don't think the trail designers intended it to be ridden this way. There is, however, quite a bit of new trail, and that was refreshing to see. Odd that the bandit singletrack seems to get more attention than the sanctioned singletrack. Anyway, I flatted about halfway through, and there was zero Stan's sealant (in liquid form, anyway) left in my tire to do the self-sealing magic. I think I will go back tonight and ride the intended route. I believe that if one were to ride this trail daily for two weeks, endeavoring to improve every outing, one would be a much better mountain biker in just a fortnight.

Suspension Fork?

2011-04-29T09:16:00.002-04:00

Been thinking about what it would be like to put a suspension fork on my Jabber. If I did, it would probably be a DT Swiss 80mm or 100mm carbon fork. The thing is, doing this would seem like a major capitulation on my part. I still dig the simplicity and lightweight beauty of the carbon rigid, and if I eventually get that Niner Air 9 Carbon (2012?), it would definitely be with their matching carbon fork. So, no, I will not be going with a squishy fork. Not yet, anyway. Yes, I get my teeth rattled out of my head on a few of the local trails, and front suspension would mitigate some of that, but I'd also be losing a bit of forward momentum when standing and mashing. I hate pedal bob, even if it's isolated to the front wheel only.

There, I talked myself out of it.

Long Time

2011-04-28T14:03:00.004-04:00

Okay, it's been ages since my last post, and much has happened. Let me bring you up to date:

Memorial Day weekend 2010: Participated in the 2010 Burn-24 endurance race in Wilkesboro, on a team of four. Placed mid-pack

June 2010: Moved to Texas to work once again at Cash America

Late July: Separated my right AC joint and broke two meta-carpal bones in my left hand while riding at Solavaca Ranch. This was also the day I bought my new Subaru Outback

Fall 2010: Stayed off the bike for about six weeks while recovering, then did a few light rides on the Dallas trails

Late Fall: Met Jeff Lankford in Ouchita National Park, Arkansas, for a 3-day camping and MTBing weekend

Thanksgiving weekend: Spent the weekend in Tulsa with Laura's cousins and rode Turkey Mountain with Gary

February 2011: Particpated in the duo SS class with Gary Clark, Frozen Endurance Series at Solavaca Ranch. First place!

March 2011: Rode the Chili-Bike 6-hour Festival, Stillwater, OK with Gary

April 2011: Moved back to NC and reacquired my Quest job. Bought a new townhome with Laura

Rejoined the Triangle Dirt Riders group and resumed riding the area singletrack

April 27th, 10:30 PM: After a few beers at the Hib, rode a damp 286 with Mark Lerch until 12:20 AM

Cool Sunday Ride

2009-10-19T16:15:00.002-04:00

That's "cool" in the literal sense. And when the weather is cool, Jeff can ride like a man possessed. He introduced Dave and me to the Boyce Mill trail off Old Creedmoor Road Sunday morning at 9:00. It was drizzling slightly, but not enough to be a hindrance. We took off and I soon discovered that this trail is very rooty and twisty, at the beginning anyway. Jeff set a moderately quick pace, the lower temps seeming to invigorate him. Midway through the ride, we encountered about five or six rollercoaster whoops in a row, which made up for the roots, hairpin ups and babyhead gardens. Then came the climbs. Some of them were cruel. They mocked me as I stood and ground out just enough momentum to keep me upright. Jeff cleaned them with more ease. He has become quite the climber. We were all three gasping after one of the tougher hills, so we rested for a minute or two before moving on. I felt the effects of that grind for the rest of the day, my heart beating quicker and with an occasional mitral valve stumble I had not experienced in many months. There were more climbs throughout the remainder of the ride, but none were as brutal, save for the very last one before the parking area. It was more technical than steep, but the tricky roots and nonexistent lines had us all walking our bikes. Overall, a very enjoyable trail, and most challenging. I guess it was "cool" in both senses after all.

Fat Tire Festival Short Track Race

2009-10-05T10:42:00.003-04:00

Well, I wanted to get a taste of this bike racing thing, so I signed up for the FTF race on Saturday. It was a 2-mile course comprising the beginner and intermediate loops at Harris Lake. I entered the beginner class since I hadn't raced before, which was a good idea, as my lap times were not in line with the sport class. The format for the short track race was an elimination type event with quarter-, semi- and finals races. I took the best times in the first two races, but Greg F. was mere seconds behind me and posed the only serious challenge. Kevin (from Frank's Cyclery) sort of jokingly warned me that Greg was saving his legs for the final race. This turned out to be true. I took the lead in the third and final lap, and later wondered if this was in deference to my old age. Greg was on my tail as he and I put distance between us and the other two qualifiers. I set a quick pace and even turned it up a notch when I sensed that I was not going to drop him. Our pace was not too fast to be conversational, however. We chatted a little about the day's events, but I knew he was poised to make his move, and I thought he'd do it on the upcoming flats. But he surprised me by going around my left side on a slight downhill, before reaching the flats. I challenged only briefly. I was just about out of gas and realized that I simply could not keep up. I guess I could make an excuse by saying that my 32:18 gearing was just too spinny (which it was) for this race, but the fact is, I didn't have the legs. Greg indeed played it well: he was somewhat reserved for the first two races, then poured it on for the final and took first. I made a rookie mistake, but even had I adopted Greg's strategy, it may not have helped a great deal. Greg is a stronger rider. I'm cool with second place for my first race.

Leave it to Beaver Dam Race

2009-09-13T23:00:00.002-04:00

Hung out at the race and snapped a few pics with the Elph. About 40% were worth publishing. I'm too lazy to post them on this blog, so here's the link instead.

Run, Bike, Run

2009-09-03T09:29:00.002-04:00

I started a running regimen, although I'm only doing about three miles per outing. I enjoy running, but it does not have near the adrenaline factor that mountain biking has. In fact, it's pretty boring unless I'm running with someone or I have my iPhone with me and it's set to stream music from the web. I think I will try to intersperse running with biking, but it seems the jury's still out on whether such an exercise benefits biking endurance, which is my hope. Joe Friel doesn't seem to be a big fan of cross-training, at least not in the later stages of serious race training. I like it because it feels good and I think I can convince myself that it helps my biking endurance. Last night, I ran later (around 9:30) and tried a few short sprints when I encountered the hills. I got winded but I managed to keep running as I cooled down and caught my breath. I've always dreaded any sort of interval training, but realize it's completely necessary in order to move beyond the next plateau.

On The Mend

2009-09-01T10:13:00.002-04:00

It's been almost a week since my crash and I'd say I'm about 90% healed, if I can venture a quantitative stab in the dark. I took a brief run last night and had to set a fairly slow pace because of lingering pain in my left calf. I've ridden twice since the wreck as well, and there is no pain while on the bike. I'd like to get into something resembling "race shape" for some competitive events this fall, which means losing a bit of weight. I'm hovering around 170 lbs., which is already on the brink of emaciation, or at least downright skinny for me. There's something psychological about the 170 mark, too; much below that and I'm going to feel malnourished. Or maybe just look malnourished.

Crash at M'ville

2009-08-27T22:40:00.002-04:00

I did a serious endo off the far end of the long double log skinny Tuesday night with the TDR group, so I had a nice sized audience. I had just gotten around a slower rider and Ahmet was hot on my rear wheel. I hopped up on the skinny, as I had done many times before, and soon realized that the two logs were more separated than usual toward the end. Did I try to ride on either of the boards instead of between them? Of course not; I looked my front wheel directly down the middle and could tell what was going to happen, but I was somehow helpless to stop it. Sure enough, over I went...and over hard. There's about a one foot drop-off at the end, which normally would not be problematic on any other skinny, but there was a jagged network of roots awaiting my tender body on this particular one. I bit my lip, bruised my side, bruised my ribs, cut my calf in two places, pulled a muscle and damaged my ego. Additionally, the bar came up and hit one of my front teeth, but no damage done there. I was sore the next day but even more so today. However, I think the pain has peaked and I'm now on the mend and itching to ride again.

Douthat State Park

2009-08-05T22:24:00.005-04:00

Camped and biked at Douthat last weekend, partly on a whim. Jeff Lankford solicited a group ride via the forum, but I was the only taker, so we jumbled it together with about three days preparation and headed north on Friday after work. We took his Passat wagon, which was filled to the headliner with gear and with the two bikes on the roof. A significant chance of rain was forecast for the whole weekend, but we eluded it until Sunday morning. The state park campground was booked so we got a decent spot at a private site called Buckhorn, which was only about two miles from the trailhead. I slept horribly the first night, which is no surprise. I always do. We arose about 6:30 AM, ate breakfast, and drove to the trailhead. The climb was continuous and torturous--the hardest climbing I've ever done, including Pisgah. The night before, I had switched to the 20t cog in anticipation of the hills, but I think it was a mistake. Jeff's theory is probably correct: I am so used to my pedal cadence with the 32:18 setup, that I ended up spinning a similar cadence with the 20t and hence fell behind. Jeff had to wait on me numerous times. It's usually me waiting on him, but I think the combination of a bad gearing decision and Jeff's aerobic improvement made for a long morning of grinding on my part. After finally reaching the ridgeline, we could relax a bit and just enjoy the relative flatness before the sweet downhill. And sweet it was. I took the lead and bombed it as fast as one could on a rigid single speed, which may not be that fast, but it was exhilarating enough for me. We had to rest at regular intervals because our hands and feet became sore from the constant standing and the relentless shock. Some of the descent was narrow, some wide, some off-camber with a leaf base, some rocky and some smooth with gentle water bars which afforded a little air time. I wish I'd had a helmet cam. This is what that uphill slog netted us; a thrilling downhill express ride with gritted teeth, white knuckles and brake rotors so hot you could cook an egg on them. We can't wait to return.

Plenty of wild blueberries along the ridgeline

View from atop the ridgeline

M'ville With the Dirt Riders

2009-08-05T09:19:00.002-04:00

Did a nice easy spin last night with the Dirt Riders group. Andy led the way, but he set a fairly slow pace because he was on his new Eastern downhill rig. There was one other SSer who showed up, but I forgot his name, as is my wont. He was on a Kona Unit 26er and appeared to be a strong rider, like most single speeders.

Despite the slow pace, I felt sluggish, most likely due to my nutritional derailment over the weekend in Douthat (an upcoming post). I had foolishly drank Cokes and ate fast food, neglecting the essential complex carbs I need to regulate my low blood sugar. I think I'm back on track now, however. Nathan wants to ride the ORC area tonight, so we'll see how my energy level holds up.

M'ville

2009-07-07T20:41:00.002-04:00

Rode Morrisville this evening and hooked up with three other MTBers: Kevin, Scott and Keith. Nice guys. Kevin gave me a few bunny-hopping pointers and I think I may have actually improved a little. Thanks Kevin!

Kevin and Scott in the background

Texas Road Trip

2009-07-06T21:43:00.007-04:00

Mountain biking in Texas this year was a little bit of a letdown. There was a 6-hour endurance race scheduled on the Saturday we rode out at Bar-H, and we didn't know this until about two weeks beforehand. We managed to get in a portion of the race course before the event started at 4PM, but it was hot as blue blazes and the rocky climbs were tough. However, the second part of the course was smooth and mostly downhill with some sweet berms and a few water bars. We wanted to do some night riding after the race ended around 11PM but Mother Nature had other plans. Instead, we were treated to a beautiful Texas lightning storm and rain following.

I was able to ride 12 miles at Cedar Hills Park south of Dallas on Tuesday, which helped redeem the truncated biking venture at Bar-H. CHP was a flat, twisty trail bracketed much of the way by mesquite and prickly pear. I got an intimate look at a particular prickly pear (say that three times fast) when I crashed on a sandy left turn and slid into the plant. I picked needles out for the following few days.

Decision time at Cedar Hills. I stayed on the 12-mile loop

My trusty Jabber at CHP

Taking a breather after the "Tough Breaks" section at Bar-H

Pisgah and Dupont

2009-06-08T22:52:00.005-04:00

Had a great time in western NC this past weekend, the most fulfilling ride being the Saturday epic in Dupont State Forest. The campsite was ideal, the weather perfect, the trails tip top, and the riding phenomenal. We expect no less from this MTB paradise.

A rare instance of Mark actually winded

Snack break in Dupont

Bridal Veil Falls in the background

Mark at a creek crossing in Dupont

Mountain Biking fuel

Mark shuns the necessary MTB equipment and is ready to go NOW

Brad getting psyched for the ride

A relaxing moment on the Grassy Road trail

Brad and I share a special moment

Dupont slickrock

San Lee With Brad

2009-05-30T23:16:00.003-04:00

Took Brad with me to ride San Lee this morning; it was his first time on the trail. I had a fine ride, while Brad had a few mechanicals and adjustments. I'm not sure he got a very favorable first impression of the trail. We did The Gauntlet (which I finally cleaned without dabbing) then Free Fall, which still seems absurdly difficult. We didn't have time to do a full reverse loop so we took the footbridge from the parking area to the middle of the trail (about where Free Fall is) and rode it CCW from there. It was a good workout, although the pace was medium slow.

Saturday Mini-Epic

2009-05-16T22:09:00.003-04:00

Took a 30+ mile ride today with Jeff, Mark, Greg and Brad. I pedaled to Jeff's house then we rode to ORC to rendezvous with Mark, Greg and Brad. It was a nice easy spin for the most part, although I opted for the Pivot as the bike of choice. I'm convinced no bike could be as fun to ride as my Jabberwocky; it practically pedals itself up the hills. Not so with geared bikes I'm afraid. Still, it was kinda nice to have the Cadillac comfort of the Pivot.

Sludge

2009-05-10T19:30:00.004-04:00

Rode Crabtree for about an hour today, despite an aching lower back. I felt good after awhile, so I decided to try Sludge for the first time on SS. I must be making some appreciable progress with my strength and power output, because the techy hills that I used to "granny down" for were no longer daunting. In fact, I dabbed only once on the whole ride and that was --predictably-- at the formidable creek crossing. I have trouble with that spot regardless of the bike, but I have cleaned it before. I just can't clean it consistently.

Anthony Sloan, RIP

2009-05-08T23:04:00.003-04:00

The world lost quite a gifted photographer, an accomplished essayist and a mountain biking advocate recently. Anthony Sloan died of cardiac-related causes, and the MTB community grieves. Visit his site at AnthonySloan.com.

Exhilarating and Miserable

2009-05-05T23:15:00.004-04:00

Rode TES after work today with Brad, despite suspicious weather brewing overhead. It was not raining when we started out, but ten minutes later the skies opened up. The worst thing about riding in the rain is the stinging pain from sweat being forced into one's eyes. Couple that with foggy glasses, waning daylight and soggy conditions, and suddenly you're faced with a bit of a challenge--that's the exhilarating part. My energy level was dead on, and I was hoping I could hammer today's ride in an effort to beat my 54 minute baseline, but it was not to be. Brad and I discussed ducking out at the first creek crossing, but then he mentioned something about bragging rights were we to complete the ride, and that's all I needed. So we pressed on. We encountered another cyclist coming the other direction who admitted he was lost, so we asked him to tag along and escorted him out. A few minor shortcuts here and there and the ride was over, and we were soaked to our bones. It was one of those downpours where the trails are no longer trails but miniature rivers instead. This trail has become my favorite and a late spring deluge can hardly dampen its considerable fun factor.

Early Saturday Ride

2009-04-25T14:08:00.002-04:00

Went riding at 6:30 AM with JeffL at TES this morning. He likes to ride it CCW and I must admit it was very nice. The long steady climbs one must slog going CW are smooth and flowy going the opposite direction--who knew? I took about nine pics along the way, but none of them came out well; the light was much too poor. When we finished we rode a little bit of LCCP including loop 6 two times. I'm not normally a morning person, but this ride felt awesome. Did I just say "awesome?"

My Other Bike

2009-04-23T16:45:00.003-04:00

Since acquiring my SS I have not ridden my geared FS rig even once; I am simply having too much fun on the Jabber. And it's a very nice ride: a Pivot Mach 4 with a bitchin' DT Swiss wheelset and XT components. I plan to take it to Pisgah, however, since I will need suspension on some of those brutal downhills.

Here I am in Palo Duro Canyon, November 2008.

In the workstand

Praise for The Guv'na

2009-04-18T18:41:00.007-04:00

I took my trusty Jabberwocky for a tour of Sanford today, riding Governor's Creek then San Lee. The Guv is ideal for single speeding-- good flow, moderate climbing, just the right amount of tech.

The conscientious trail workers even spray paint some of the roots to warn riders

The obligatory chainline shot

San Lee was considerably tougher, but I slogged through it and was quite spent afterward. The thing about San Lee is, no matter which direction you choose to ride, you will be forced to do some climbing right at the start.

Near one of the creek crossings

Good Ride

2009-04-16T21:31:00.002-04:00

Went on one of the best rides so far this year after work today. Joined Mark and Brad for an Umstead loop followed by that Crabtree-area trail designated by a number. We hit it fairly hard and I'm whipped, but in that good whipped way. I thought I was going to be too drained to ride the singletrack at a decent clip, but we pushed it hard. Mark is an excellent mentor; he paces me and I somehow manage to keep up...for the most part.

Single Speed Fever

2009-04-14T09:15:00.002-04:00

Mark and I rode an Umstead loop last night, and afterward talked about swapping bikes sometime so he could get a feel for the SS. I said "why not right now at Crabtree?" and that's all she wrote, as they say. I took the lead on Mark's carbon Trek but it turned out I was just in his way; he couldn't get around me quickly enough. I let him pass and he bolted. He looked as if he'd stolen my bike. Now this morning he's researching SS 29er rigid brands. The Niner Sir 9 is at the top of the list...for now.

Cog Update

2009-04-13T15:06:00.004-04:00

Okay, now I have an array of cogs: 17t, 18t and 19t. Can that be called an array? I found that the 19 is just too spinny around here; I rode it on Crabtree and 32x19 is not a good gearing for that trail. Great acceleration but I reached my max cadence much too early on the flats. Then I switched to the 18 toother and rode 286, which is a tougher trail. It seemed just about ideal for the climbs. I had taken it on an Umstead loop the day before and I could barely keep up with Laura on the flat sections, but I dropped her on the climbs. I will probably go ahead and get a 20t as well and save that for the upcoming Pisgah trip in June.

Another Sticker

2009-04-09T23:27:00.001-04:00

Here's a sticker with a bit more thought into the design

Sticker

2009-03-31T21:56:00.003-04:00

I submitted a sticker idea for trianglemtb.com. What do you think?

Inspiration

2009-03-30T16:59:00.003-04:00

Here is the very bike that got me into single speeding. It is owned by my longtime friend Gary Clark from OK City. What a beautiful machine.

Q3

2009-03-30T16:55:00.003-04:00

I also enjoy playing Quake III Arena occasionally, either at work during down time or at home in the evenings. Here I pause for an important message courtesy of the lightning gun.

Brave New Watch

2009-03-29T23:07:00.001-04:00

$12.99 from Target and it matches my bike!

NCCSSR

2009-03-29T10:22:00.002-04:00

I attended the 2009 North Cackalacki Caddywompus Single Speed Rally held at the M'ville trails yesterday. It was very muddy, yet warm, which made for a huge mess, but also meant huge fun. I participated only peripherally, snapping a few pics and swilling a few choice suds. One of the events was a PBR chug (yuck) followed immediately by a hill climb race. I placed in the middle, mostly because I cannot chug beer quickly.

New Cog

2009-03-27T10:48:00.002-04:00

I ordered a 19t cog yesterday from Chris King. My current setup is 32:17 which is fine for most of the trails around here. However, I find that I'm a little slow on some of the climbs and another couple of teeth should do the trick. I met two other SSers recently, both of whom run 32:20. When I told them my gearing they looked at me like I had a spoke wrench growing out of my forehead. The cog will look something like the above.

Dropouts

2009-03-26T10:08:00.002-04:00

Here's a shot of the horizontal dropouts and the Chris King silver hubs on my Jabberwocky. Are you salivating yet?

Thursday Musing

2009-03-26T09:11:00.003-04:00

A bit of situational irony: I was preparing to read an article called Feeling Happier: Nine Tips for Making Yourself Feel Better in a Crisis on Slate.com this morning. As I began the first sentence, eager to devour information about how to improve myself emotionally, a giant HP ad eclipsed the article and got all up in my face. I had to scroll up a bit to hit the "close" button. This did not make me happy; it made me want to punch the screen. Not a good attitude for an article of this nature. Just venting here...

My Bike

2009-03-25T16:37:00.003-04:00

Curiously, no posts so far about mountain biking. Well, here's a picture of my beloved single speed. It's a Vassago Jabberwocky. The literate will be familiar with Lewis Carroll's JabberWock, and I believe Vassago is a demon of the underworld in some culture or another.

3Peeves

2009-03-25T14:23:00.005-04:00

It no doubt says a lot about who I am, but I'm going to start off by listing my pet peeves:

Bad spelling and grammar
Bad drivers
Rude people

Bad spelling and grammar is rampant on the web, but the vast majority of it can be forgiven because much of it is written in haste on forums and in chat rooms. However, it is still abundant even on reputable news sites. Typos are one thing, but when "your" and "you're" are continually confused for example, it becomes inexcusable. I am by no means perfect, and you will probably encounter some typos on this blog, but at least I am familiar with the concept of proofreading. One of my favorite reference sites for spelling, grammar and style is http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html

Drivers who talk on their cell phones at the expense of the most fundamental traffic courtesies are the most repugnant of all creatures on Earth. Okay, that's a bit harsh, but they are annoying. And why is it that asswipes who drive the fastest are the ones driving vehicles that get the worst mileage?

Rude people just suck. I went to the grocery store the other day when it was raining pretty hard. I had to park some distance away, but I did have an umbrella, so it was not unpleasant. As I neared the door, a woman was loading her minivan just outside the entrance, no doubt to avoid getting too wet. While not exactly egregious in itself, this woman and her inflated sense of entitlement had her parked such that she was blocking traffic in one direction and vehicles were forced to jockey back and forth to drive around her. She seemed either clueless or couldn't be bothered to care. I hope it was the former. I muttered something under my breath as I passed, but I doubt it had any effect. I wanted to rail at her on behalf of all the drivers whom she had inconvenienced, but no good could have come of it.

Welcome

2009-03-25T14:09:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my weblog. I intend to write primarily about mountain biking, but I'm certain other topics will come up since I only spend approximately 87.648% of my time either riding or thinking about riding.

I honestly did not think I was the type to create and use a blog of any kind. One must have quite the ego, I believe, to assume others would want to read one's inessential ramblings and opinions on various matters. But here I am. My ego is just expansive enough to warrant this journal, and if no one reads it, that's okay. I still enjoy writing this stuff down somewhere.