Archive for the ‘bikes and trails’ Category

Great start to my vacation

Monday, December 21st, 2009

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Today was my first official vacation day! So, what did you think I did? I rode my bike of course! I put in a good 2.5 hours today mixing in hill intervals or what I like to call “mini ass kickers”. After my ride I whipped up some delicious Mahi Mahi Tacos that were mm mm good. Then I headed to the bike shop and picked up some weight weenie goodies for the mountain bike. I picked up the saddle a few days ago, it’s the Specialized Phenom Team saddle at only 221 grams. Today, I walked away with the Easton EC90 Zero 400mm carbon seat post weighing it at a mere 190 grams. I also picked up a super light HCNC seat post clamp which is also my first colored bling on the bike. It seems as my hours on the bike go up, the less I want the bike to weight. Well, I just wanted to post an update I am going to try and spend less time on the computer while I am on vacation. Hope everyone had a great day! It’s almost Christmas!

Goodies

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If you weren’t outside for today’s sunset, you should have been.

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Oakley Jawbones FOR SALE

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

I have a set of brand new Oakley Jawbone glasses for sale. I only wore them once and didn’t end up liking them. They come with everything you see in the pictures. If you are interested please leave me a comment with your email address. Thanks!

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Be careful out there

Monday, November 30th, 2009

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I left my office a little early today in hopes to get some time on the bike. Over the past few days I haven’t had much time to spin the wheels and was aching for some dirtastic fun. Leaving my house I rode over to Cooks Corner and proceeded to ride up STT and down the Luge. I was going to go up to Old Camp but I was running out of time and I had more work I needed to get back to before the days end.

As most local OC mtn bike riders know, when exiting the bottom of the luge you proceed to the street and twist your way down a curvy, no bike lane street that descends back to Cooks Corner. This street is extremely dangerous for a number of reasons. There is no bike lane for most of it, its twisty which means cars usually want to pretend to be race cars on it and you are moving very fast which results in a decreased reaction time should something happen on your way down. About 500 feet from the top I heard a loud screech of brakes which instantly made me cringe and grab the brakes myself. I was moving around 35mph and had no place to go. There is no bike lane in this section, only a barrier keeping the debris from the mountain from getting on to the pavement. I hugged the barrier as close as I could braking the entire time. Suddenly, a Ford F150 pickup truck shot past me on his brakes with his hood up, smoke pouring from his engine bay and his tires leaving me in a cloud of smoke. This really made me nervous as I realized I heard more brakes coming and now I was in a cloud that would make it very difficult for a car to see me.

A second car passed me swerving back and forth trying not to slam into the back of the Ford truck. By this time I was practically laying on the barrier on the side of the road hoping nothing was going to come my way. It may sound like this took some time but it all happened in a matter of seconds. The white Neon barely missed the truck as both came to a halt. As the smoke cleared I realized I was safe and let out a sigh of relief. The driver in the truck got out of his truck and started cursing at the Neon driver telling him to slow down, stop tailgating and some other nonsense I couldn’t make out. I was almost victim of someones road rage. As I got back on my bike and passed the two vehicles I realized what caused the Ford driver to slam on his brakes was the release of his hood flying up as he was driving. God and luck were definitely on my side today.

Events like this make all of us remember that we need to be safe on the road as bicyclists. If you are riding on a road that has no bike lane please be cautious of your surroundings and keep all the way to the far right side of the road. Be sure to wear clothing that allows cars to see you on the road. Cars are bigger and faster than you and will always win the fight. Get out of their way, don’t expect them to move for you.

To all the motorists on the road reading this, please take care of your vehicles. A hood flying open while driving down the road can cause a serious accident. If you are in need of a good mechanic let me know I know a good one that is even mobile.

Please be safe out there…

Do I look tired?

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

Well, I was. Chris and I took a short spin around STT-Luge-Whiting today. He was beat from a long ride the previous day and I am still getting over being sick. I probably shouldn’t have been on my bike but it had been a week since I rode and I was itching. Chris got a couple snaps of me rockin the new Team Duke kit. Thanks to the guys at Team Duke for hooking me up!

I have been messing around with Camera Bag and decided to make these pics look a little old school…

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Interbike 09

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

Interbike has passed us by yet again filling our heads with dreams of new bikes, gear and even a few wild memories of Vegas. Chris and I headed out for a day of pleasure in Sin City looking for new goods, meeting with friends and grabbin a few drinks. The show was a success and I am looking forward to next year already. I have to make it a priority to make it to the Outdoor Demo next year. A few companies I was hoping to check out only did the Outdoor Demo which bummed me out. Namely, Santa Cruz. What gives!

I didn’t snap nearly as many photos as last year. It seems the more I get into biking the more people I know which means I spent most of the time talking, shaking hands and mingling. (feels like how things were in auto years back)

My favorite photo from the event has to be this one. Here I am surrounded by greatness! Not to mention a pair of smoking hot ladies! Sonya Looney and World Champion Irina Kalentieva made this pic much easier on the eyes. (Hey Sonya I was trying to snap a pic with you and Jeff but every time I looked for him he was doing keg stands)

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Ahhh The Vegas… room view… not bad for a point & shoot through a window!

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Checkout the bike lock paddock. As you would guess, cabs were not the transport of choice in Vegas this week!

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Funny sticker at the Twin Six booth. Funny, they WERE giving stuff out!

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It’s confirmed, the new Niner Air9 Carbon is sexy as hell. *drool*

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Dave Wiens Rotwild Leadville 100 race bike! Still dirty!

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Soon… you will be mine?

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Enjoy the rest of the photos!

Some more photos my friend Rob took – http://picasaweb.google.com/RobertDennis82/Interbike#

A fresh coat of Main Divide

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

I can blame or thank today’s ride on my IT dept at work. After spending nearly 4 hours with them trying to figure out why I couldn’t upload anything to our server I decided that was enough. Today would be better spent outdoors on my bike. I’ve been wanting to put in some climbing miles and I needed a good ride that would do that along with clear my head. What better choice than a fresh coat of Main Divide! After leaving the office I headed home, loaded up the Niner and made my way towards Maple Springs. Today’s route would be Maple Springs – 4 Corners – Santiago/Saddleback Peak – back to 4 Corners – over to the Motorway and down. This route put me just under 5000ft of ascent and took me just under 4 hours.

During the Counting Coup last year, Chris and I were riding together at this point. I will never forget our conversation. Chris turned to me and said, “Why the hell are we doing this again?” I replied, “This was your idea!” The weather gave me a break from the 100+ temps we’ve been having with a nice 80 degree day which made today’s very pleasant.

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I always end up with a few shots of me riding. Today I was rockin’ Sean’s new colors for Surf City Cyclery.

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Total poser shot at 4 Corners. haha What makes this photo fun is how it was taken. For those that know this area think about how far the Harding trail marker is from this railing across the road. Riding solo I had to set the camera to timer mode, sprint across the 100+ foot gap and pose. I did my best.

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I don’t think I have a good shot of me rockin the Oakley FIRE IRIDIUM lenses. I love them!

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So, I completely forgot to snap a photo at the peak. Doh! I was rushing to get there and get down fearing I would run out of daylight. Turns out I had more time than I thought. Here is the Niner getting ready to descend the very fun Motorway.

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And here….we…go

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I had originally planned to descend Maple Springs but after all that work, why not get in a little more climbing and reward myself with a singletrack descent, right?

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Almost to the bottom, sadness…

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You can always tell when someone spent time on the MD. Your bike is coated with silt from top to bottom.

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This ride was just what the DR ordered. It cleared my head and gave my legs a good workout. I’m feeling pretty great after the ride and I am not sore or tired just hungry. Time for a beer and some good dinner. Cheers!

UPDATE: Looks like I may be able to make the next Over The Hump race after all! Watch out you sport 30-39 racers! ha!

2010 Specialized Epic 29 – Test Ride!

Sunday, August 23rd, 2009

I spotted this bike at a local bike shop a few weeks ago and after hinting enough about the possibility of purchasing one when they come out, I was handed it for an afternoon. Frequent flyers of this website may remember THIS post I did a few weeks back talking about all of it’s bells and whistles. This bike has perked my interest for several reasons which include; 29-inch wheels of course, the tried and true Epic geometry and Specialized’s FSR suspension using the Flow Control Mini Brain. I decided to hit my local trail this morning (Tijeras Creek) to test the Epic because it offers varying types of terrain and I am familiar with every bump and turn.

The frame and fork on this bike were given to the shop to use as a test unit for various riders/shop employees. The build on it is not something that will be offered in stores. So, I am not going to elaborate on how the Juicy brakes or XT cranks performed. The bike is a 17.5 or typically what most 29ers would be considered in medium. At 6′ tall, I was unsure if the bike would fit me. I normally ride medium size 29ers but this bike felt a bit small in the cockpit when I rode it around the shop. I adjusted the seat post to max height and the saddle as far back as it could go. I also flipped the stem over to bring the bars up a bit more. I usually setup my bikes with a short stem for quicker handling. If you want to know more about the specific features of this bike, READ THIS POST so I don’t need to repeat myself.

The bike weighed in at a hefty 28.56lbs with the current build. If you spend some time googling this bike you will find people are getting them down to about 23-24lbs with XTR/SRAM XO components. I believe, but don’t quote me, the fully built bike that comes with the new SRAM XX groupo will weight in around 21-22lbs. Now that’s what I’m talking about! Sadly, that bike is going to be over $6000. This frame and fork combo should be in the neighborhood of $2500 if I had to guess. I do need to add that although this bike as built was not “light” I never felt the weight of the bike on the trail. My Ellsworth is around the same weight and feels heavy in certain situations.

On the trail, the first thing I noticed about the ride was the stiff headset. At first, it put me off a little. Then, I remembered this bike is engineered with racing in mind and a stiff headset is a good thing. The frame/fork were engineered this way to work with the Brain shock technology. Off the bat blasting down fire road I was amazed at how fast the bike was. The geometry was spot on for high speed acceleration standing or seated. I had the rear shock setup for a more plush suspension rather than super tight race setup. There was absolutely no pedal bob and as I dumped into the dirt and into a rock garden the bike held its line. The steering was very predictable and controlled through singletrack and small rutted sections of the trail. When you get into more aggressive terrain on most full suspension bikes, you typically feel like the rear end is sagging or dropping down (squishing). On the Epic, you feel like the rear tire is moving up and down behind you. That is the best way I can describe the feeling. My body wasn’t having to move as much with the bike which meant I could prepare better for what was coming. This also made me feel like I had to think less about what I was doing. All of this = better reaction time.

The more I pushed the bike the better it felt. I actually (and hate to admit it) feel like I am not fast enough for this bike. I sprinted as fast as I could through very familiar terrain until I was at my comfort limit and the bike kept getting better and better. Climbing was not as efficient as my Niner Air9 hardtail but much improved over my Ellsworth Evolve (as expected). Climbing is also where I discovered that I may need a 19-inch size in this bike. Seated climbing the bike fit me pretty well. Standing climbing my body was pushing itself too far forward and out of my normal climbing position. I launched off a few small jumps roughly 1-3 feet in height to see how the bike would react. I adjusted the rear compression from wide open to closed off. Wide open the landing was smooth, controlled, but I wouldn’t say it was plush. The bike did not spring back up and shoot me forward, it stayed planted to the ground and wanted to keep moving. Closed off the landing had much more force to it but surprisingly it still didn’t break traction or cause the rear tire to wander off like a hardtail drop landing.

This bike is going to be a great choice for those looking for a 29-inch race bike. I would love to have one of these for my next 12-hour Solo race. The bikes biggest strength is it’s ability to overcome varying terrain. No matter what I threw at it, the bike reacted the same. Think about that for a second. The suspension was consistent through everything. Can your bike say that? You probably want to say yes but I doubt it. There are a few other race inspired bikes I hope to get my hands on one day so I can compare them to this. It probably seems like I am giving Specialized a BJ with all the love I have for this bike, they just made it hard to find much I didn’t like.

A few side notes. Tire/mud clearance looked good on the front running a 2.20 tire. In the rear it looks like a 2.10 is going to be about all you could stuff back there. The front tire was a 2.20 Specialized Captain which has always been a great tire. The rear was a 2.00 Specialized Fast Trak which I would never use again. I really love the Maxxis Crossmark 29×2.10 as a rear tire. I hope someone I know buys the SRAM XX version because I feel like this bike will be a completely different animal at 21-22lbs. We shall see.

I should mention this bike is a prototype not a full production run. So, there may be some slight changes on the ones you see in stores soon.

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Mountain biker beats Roadies!

Monday, August 10th, 2009

Found this story on Bike Radar this morning. Awesome!

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British cross-country racer Luke Smith left locals red-faced when he won a road race during a trip to Africa – on his Whyte 19 mountain bike.

When Luke lined up at the start of the 75km Broadhurst Road Race in Gaborone, Botswana on his hardtail with knobbly tyres he was sneered at by some of the regulars. But he soon broke away with the main bunch and then dropped them all in a sprint finish.

Here’s what the Whyte-sponsored racer had to say:

“Due to the fact that I didn’t really know what riding would be on offer in Africa, I only travelled over here with my Whyte 19. During my stay I have trained a fair amount on local roads (so as not to get lost in the bush!). However, when the opportunity came up to compete in a road race here in Gaborone I was a bit sceptical about the potential. My chances of hanging in for the 75km distance were also made worse by the fact that I only had my off-road tyres!

“Don’t get me wrong, the Whyte 19 is a very responsive frame, but when guys started pulling up on full-carbon road bikes with Zipp 808 deep-section carbon wheels, I anticipated it would be a matter of kilometres before I got dropped!

“The race started off a fairly decent pace with everyone keen to establish a good spot near the front of the peloton. I managed to work my way up front without too much difficulty, much to the surprise of many competitors as I rode past, my big knobbly tyres buzzing as the pace was wound up.

“There were a couple of guys whom some friends of mine had told me to watch – one of them is apparently a pro roadie in South Africa. It was no surprise that it was these guys who made most of the attacks. What was surprising was the fact that I was able to go with them! Each time, however, we were pulled back by the main group.

“As the race neared the finish some of the riders made a last-ditch effort at getting away but it was destined to come down to a sprint finish. I managed to constantly hold second wheel behind the lead rider with the pro road rider sat closely on my wheel. As we hit the finishing straight I launched my attack and as I glanced back I realised I had quickly gapped the riders. I even had enough time to make the most of the win and celebrate in style.

“The crowd and other riders were shocked that a mountain bike had won a road race, especially as I was on knobbly tyres. When they later asked what was the secret, I replied Whyte – Great British mountain bikes, they can’t be beaten! To be honest though, I had really surprised myself.”