mtbracer

Three days of pump track fun!

2007-06-17T13:10:00.000-05:00

Got a chance to ride on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The main loop is pretty much dialed now and I've been riding it a couple times a week for the past month or so. When I first started I could barely get in 2 laps, now I'm up to about 5 laps before my ticker is redlined and I have to recover for a minute or two. Lap time is about 14-15 seconds depending on how dry and packed the surface is. I'm having more dirt delivered this week so I can add a couple transitions inside the main loop.

Here's a couple videos...

Two laps on the Kona...

Two laps on the DK Dayton...

And from a slightly different angle...

A couple more clips...

BMX bike = excellent pump track bike

2007-06-12T14:18:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I spent Saturday and Sunday tearing around my pump track on my DK Dayton BMX bike. Wow, what a huge difference from the bike I normally ride, a Kona Cowan. 20" bikes are a TON of fun for this type of riding... its a lot easier to "pump" with the smaller/lighter bike and rigid front fork, plus its just so damn easy to throw the bike around. Who knows, I may start riding this bike more than my Kona.

Here are a few pics...

Excellent "How To Pump" video...

2007-06-04T09:40:00.000-05:00

This is pretty sweet... http://mpora.com/...

An hour on the pump track...

2007-05-23T14:32:00.000-05:00

I got a chance to ride for about an hour today. The berms are packing in nicely, although still a little soft in spots, especially the top edges. The large berm around the tree is FAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSTTTTT. I'm starting to carry some pretty good speed and can get a little air off the roller at the exit of the berm....eventually that might be a great spot for a double since the exit speed is really high.

I think the straightaway with the 5 small rollers needs some work. I emailed Lee at LeeLikesBikes.com and he recommends a 1:10 ratio for rollers, meaning if the rollers are a foot tall, space them 10 feet apart. That being said, I think I'm going to remove 2 of the rollers and build the other 3 up a little and see how that works.

A few pics from tonights pump session...

Another weekend of pump track work complete....

2007-05-20T21:33:00.000-05:00

Worked Saturday and most of Sunday moving about 10 yards of topsoil. If you compare the photos below to the ones I posted above (from last weekend) you'll notice how much taller the berms are now. I also added a few more rollers. The basic layout is now complete, just waiting for it to dry so I can ride on it. Over the next few weeks I'll be getting more topsoil so I can add some new sections inside the main loop. Here are a few pics...

Front view looking back from the house...the section on the far right is the only thing remaining from last years attempt at a pump track. I need to add quite a bit more dirt to get the berms up higher so I can really rip thru there...

Rear view looking toward the house...

My favorite section of the track...just after the first berm, its slightly down hill so you go thru the two small rollers pretty fast before hitting the next berm...

I've put a ton of work into this berm....added quite a bit more dirt to build it up taller and also watered and packed it a lot to try and get it hard. Earlier today I blew thru the top of it again and augered my shoulder into the ground...guess it wasn't packed good enough LOL...

Right after the berm above there are five rollers that lead to a sharp left hander. This section is tough because its slighty uphill and its taking me some time to get the pump down just right to maintain speed...

Another view from the rear of the track...there is a crapload of dirt in that berm...and I might have to add more...

Obligatory shot of the Cowan...

Thats all for now... possibly more next weekend...

Some good pump track linkage...

2007-05-18T07:18:00.000-05:00

A few good pump track links...
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=266255
http://www.bikepasa.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1909&highlight=
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174083

Making progress on the pump track...

2007-05-14T09:13:00.000-05:00

Late last fall I started on a pump track but ran out of good weather and didn't get much done on it... fast forward to spring of 2007 and I'm finally making some headway..

Last year I didn't really know what I was doing so I basically made an oval with 2 big berms and a couple rollers. Bad idea. My berms had WAY too large of a radius (about 15' ) and I had to pedal thru them to maintain speed. Not good, considering this was supposed to be a pump track where pedaling is minimal. So, this year I've torn out a few of the berms and re-worked the shape of the track into more of an "L" shape instead of an oval. This weekend I made some progress on a new section that features a couple tighter AND faster berms with a bunch of rollers thrown in to maintain speed.

Next weekend I'm having more dirt delivered so I can make the berms TALLER and hopefully finish the rest of the track. Here are some pics...

The view from the back edge of the track...

Here's the section I worked on this weekend.... takes a lot of riding, digging, watering, and packing to make sure the flow works, the rollers are spaced correctly, and the berms large enough...

Rider view of the section shown above... I need to make both berms TALLER and packed more firmly so I can maintain more speed... I thought I dislocated my shoulder when I blew thru the top of the second berm and abruptly face planted...

This berm has been a pain in the a$$ to get right. And its still not quite right. I'm hauling azz into this thing so I need to make it taller and pack it a lot more firmly....

Here's the straightaway that comes right after the berm shown above.. It currently has 6 rollers spaced about 7.5 feet apart...at the end there will be a sharp left hander leading to another straightaway with more rollers...

More to come as I make more progress. Once I finish the basic "L" shaped layout I plan to add more sections so I can ride multiple layouts. Not sure how long its going to take to accomplish all of that because this is a pretty time consuming process AND it involves a tone of dirt, which I will need to have delivered. Stay tuned...

12/21/2006 - Shopping for a cyclocross bike (pt 3)

2006-12-21T10:46:00.000-05:00

OK, so now I'm looking at some pretty high end cyclocross bikes. These are all going for close to $2000, but have real high end components, carbon fiber forks, and carbon fiber seat stays. I probably shouldn't be spending this much money on a bike, but I'll probably be spending the majority of my riding time on this particular bike, so it might be worth it...alteast thats how I'm justifying it ;-)

Of all the bikes I've looked at so far, I think the one shown above, the Jamis Supernova, is my favorite. Retailing for around $1825, it features a Kinesium Triple butted main frame with carbon fiber seat stays, an Easton EC90X full carbon cross fork, Shimano Ultegra/105 drivetrain, and Easton/Velomax Vista wheelset. Wow, pretty sweet stuff. According to Jamis, the bike weighs a feathery 18.25 lbs. If I decide to spend this much money, I think this will be the bike I go with. Love that orange/white color scheme also!

Another contender is the Kona Major Jake (shown above). At about $1900, it features an Easton Ultralite aluminum frame with Carbon Seat Stays, an Easton EC90X Carbon cross fork, full Shimano 105 drivetrain, and a Ksyrium Equipe Wheelset. Its pretty comparable to the Jamis Supernova and probably weighs about the same. I like the fact that the Jamis has its cables routed along the top tube though, wheras the Kona's are routed on the downtube. I also like the orange/black color scheme on the Kona, but the Jamis is a bit sexier.

One other bike in this price range that I've been looking at is the Van Dessel Gin & Trombones.

12/20/2006 - Shopping for a cyclocross bike (pt 2)

2006-12-21T10:30:00.000-05:00

So I'm really getting into these research on cyclocross bikes. Today I decided to look around and see what bikes are available with a STEEL frame. My Ibis Mojo is steel and I really love the feel of that frame. I figure a steel cyclocross frame will be a little heavier than one made of aluminum, but it will probably ride much better. So, this is what I've found...

I remember looking at a LeMond Poprad (shown above) last year at one of my LBS's. These are priced at around $1600, which is a bit higher than what I've been looking at so far. The Poprad has a True Temper OX Platinum (steel) frame, Bontrager Switchblade Elite Carbon fork, and a Shimano 105 drivetrain. In 2006 they offered the bike with both canti brakes AND Avid mechanical discs...but this year they are only offering it with discs. I'm not sure why they did this, but for me this is the biggest drawback on the bike. I have Avid Mechanicals on my Ibis, and love them, but on a cyclocross bike I think they are a bit overkill and add unecessary weight to the bike. Other than that though, this is a very sweet bike... love the red/white paint scheme and the specs on the bike are top notch with all Shimano 105 stuff. I will definitely keep this bike in mind.

Another steel bike I came across is the Jamis Nova (shown above). This bike has a Reynolds 631 air-hardened chromoly frame, carbon fiber fork, and Shimano 105 drivetrain. The bike retails for around $1275 so its VERY well equipped for the price. I can't really find any drawbacks to this bike and its probably the best bang-for-the-buck bike I've found so far. Only problem is that I can't find one locally, so if I were to go with this one, I'd be taking a bit of a chance that I'd like it.

12/16/2006 - Shopping for a cyclocross bike (pt 1)

2006-12-16T14:37:00.000-05:00

Since most of the training rides I do are on paved or dirt bike paths and gravel roads, its kind of overkill to ride a mountain bike like my Ibis. That being said, I think a cyclocross bike would make a perfect training bike, so this weekend I started doing a little research and even test rode a few bikes.

The first bike I looked at was the Raleigh RX 1.0 (shown above). One of the local bike shops had one in stock so I stopped in and took it for a test ride. From the short ride I did, it seems like a GREAT bike for the money... $1199. It has a very high end Easton EC90 X Carbon Cross fork and some pretty good components for this pricepoint. My main concern is that it comes with 9 speed Shimano Tiagra shifters which I wasn't too excited about. They seemed to shift OK, but you had to move the levers quite a bit to make them shift...and this was one of the complaints I had heard from people. Not a big deal if you could easily upgrade to Shimano 105 shifters, but since it comes with 9 speed, that wouldn't be too easy now that Shimano is only making 10 speed stuff in the 105 and Ultegra. So, I'd have to look around on eBay for some 9 speed 105 shifters if I ever wanted to upgrade shifters....might be a pain.

My LBS also had a Redline Conquest and Conqest Pro (shown above). I really like the Conquest Pro but only the regular Conquest had pedals, so thats the one I got to test ride. Pretty comparable to the Raleigh, although not as light and the front fork was aluminum so its a little more harsh ride. The Conquest Pro has a carbon fiber fork though, so it probably weighs less and rides better than the standard Conquest. I also really like the component spec on the Conquest Pro... it has 105 derailleurs and Ultegra Shifters...very high quality stuff. Its also decked out with Ritchey and FSA components that push the price up to about $1499.

Stopped by another LBS to look at the cyclocross offerings from Specialized and Trek, but they also had a Felt F1X (shown above) which is really sweet. It was priced at $1449 and had better components than any of the bikes I'd looked at. It had Shimano Ultegra derailleurs, 105 shifters, Mavic wheels, etc. I didn't get to test ride the bike, but read a few reviews from owners who commented that the aluminum frame was pretty stiff and had a harsh ride. It does have a carbon fiber fork, although its not an Easton like the less expensive Raleigh.

Summary:
Overall I'd have to say the Redline is the one I liked the most, followed by the Felt, and then the Raleigh. If the Raleigh had 10 speed components with 105 shifters, i think I'd put it right there with the Redline. I'm sure the 9 speed Tiagra shifters would be fine for me, but I tend to look for higher end components on my bikes so I'm a little leary of the Raleigh only because of how difficult/expensive it might be to upgrade. Its a shame really because Raleigh did a great job with this bike, especially that trick Easton front fork.

I'll be doing some more research this next week, possibly at some more high end bikes in the $2000 price range...

12/09/2006 - Now this is a pump track!!

2006-12-09T18:58:00.000-05:00

Hopefully this is what my pump track will look like by middle of next summer! Thanks to LeeLikesBikes.com for the pic.

11/01/2006 - My new DK Dayton BMX bike

2006-11-01T16:50:00.000-05:00

I decided it was time to add a BMX bike to the stable and after shopping around a little, I decided to go with a DK Dayton. This is DK's high end street/park BMX bike and it suits me just fine. I've already made a few changes to the bike though, replacing the seat, seatpost, pedals, and handlebar. Hopefully thats all the money I'll be spending on her!!

Why did I buy a BMX bike? Just wanted something I could mess around on when I get tired of my other bikes. I doubt I will ride it a lot, but who knows. I really should take it up to Rays MTB and see if I can embarrass myself.

For more info and all the specs, go here.

10/29/2006 - More pump track work

2006-10-29T18:41:00.000-05:00

Did some more work on the pump track this weekend. Added more dirt to the berms on each end to build them up higher. I was hoping this would help me keep my momentum thru the corners without pedaling, but it really doesn't seem to help. As I eluded to in a previous post, I think these berms are just too large and I will need to tighten them up next spring. I also added more dirt to each of the 6 rollers and that seems to make them easier to pump.

I probably won't be riding much more this year because we're getting more rain all the time. I've got some major plans for next year, including almost a complete redesign of the track layout. I will probably need to rent some equipment (Bobcat!) next year to help move the dirt around and lay more track.

10/08/2006 - First ride on the new pump track

2006-10-08T17:29:00.000-05:00

I've had another 5-10 yards of dirt delivered and the pump track is coming along nicely. I've ridden on it a few times now and the berms and rollers are beginning to pack down nicely.

So far its a lot of fun. I think I've built the 2 berms with too large of a radius though and I'm having to pedal hard thru each one to keep my momentum up. Did a little research and discovered that the ideal berm for pump tracks will have a 6-10 foot radius...mine are 15 feet!!! Next spring I will tighten these up!!

Additionally I'm dealing with a couple spots that seem to hold water and are not drying out very quickly. I have finally figured out the problem...one of the berms is only exposed to sunlight for a few hours each day because of the trees in the neighhors yard. Not sure what I'll do about this, but I've got some drainage ideas rattling around in my head.

Now that fall is upon us I'm running out of nice weather to work on the track. Its been raining a lot and things have been pretty muddy. I will be making some major changes in the spring... lots more dirt will be getting delivered!

9/05/2006 - My new Kona Cowan pump track bike!

2006-09-05T14:44:00.000-05:00

Finally got the Cowan back from Jim at Wheel & Wrench. She's built up and ready to go.

For more info and all the specs, go here.

8/26/2006 - the pump track starts to take shape

2006-08-26T15:15:00.000-05:00

This weekend I managed to have 5 yards of topsoil delivered and got started on the berms. Whoa, this is a lot of work!! Hopefully it will be worth it. Over the next few weekends I will be finishing the berms off and adding more rollers. I figure I'm going to need another 10-15 yards of topsoil. Whewwwwww.

8/20/2006 - New project bike.... Kona Cowan

2006-08-20T14:33:00.000-05:00

My new Kona Cowan frame and Manitou Gold Series 2 fork are in. This will be a dedicated pump track bike.

Stay tuned...

8/12/2006 - Lets build a pump track...

2006-08-12T15:02:00.000-05:00

Decided a few weeks ago that I was going to build a pump track in moms backyard. We recently had some work done in the backyard and what was once a garden is now an empty patch of dirt about 30' x 50'. What better place to build a pump track!! So, today I took the Mojo out and just started riding around in circles to see what sort of track design I could come up with. Ended up with a figure eight type layout with 2 large turns at each end.

Next weekend I'll be having some topsoil delivered so I can start building the berms and eventually the rollers.

4/28/2006 - My Mojo gets a professional bike fit

2006-04-28T07:21:00.000-05:00

Now that I've got all the upgrades done to the Mojo I figured it was time to get the bike professionally setup for my body. I should have done this when I first started getting serious about riding, but didn't, and had some knee pain last year probably as a result of poor bike fit. I looked into a couple different fit systems, but decided to go to Bike Authority in Broadview Heights (Ohio) and have them setup the bike.

Well, they did end up making quite a few changes, and the photo above shows the new setup. They raised my saddle quite a bit (over an inch), moved it forward a little, and also raised my stem a spacer or two. Also had them adjust the cleats on my Sidi's.

4/10/2006 - Finally, some upgrades for the Mojo

2006-04-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

Finally got a few of the upgrades done on the Mojo. On the drivetrain I've replaced the Shimano XT rear derailleur with a SRAM X.O and the Shimano LX cranks with new Shimano XT cranks. While I was at it I put a new SRAM rear cassette and chain on. So far this setup is awesome.... love the new XT cranks and the X.O rear derailleur shifts awesome.

Up front the biggest change was ditching my old Rock Shox Duke XC fork for a new Rock Shox Psylo fork. I also replaced the Avid V brakes with Avid Mechanical disc brakes. Since I replaced the old V brakes with discs, I also needed a new disc wheelset... so, I replaced the old Mavic 517 rims/XTR hubs with Mavic XC717 Disc Rims/Hope XC disc hub. Jim at my local bike shop (Wheel & Wrench) built the wheels for me and these things are awesome. Also love the new Avid Mechanicals...awesome stopping power!!

Out back I also replaced the old Avid Single Digit Ti brakes with Avid Mechanical disc brakes.... and for the wheels, I replaced the old Mavic 517 rims/XTR hubs with Mavic XC717 Disc Rims/Hope XC disc hub.

10/16/05 - New Crank Brothers Egg Beaters pedals

2005-10-16T10:43:00.000-05:00

I've been using Time ATAC pedals on both my bikes for the last few years and thought it was about time (no pun intended) to try something new. At the last few races I noticed alot of people using Crank Brothers Egg Beaters, so this morning I headed out to my local bike shop, Eddys, to see if I could find some. Sure enough they had one set left, the least inexpensive model dubbed the Egg Beater C. If I like these I'll probably splurge for the Ti model and put them on my race bike. Check back for a quick review later in the week as I hope to be riding these at Poto very soon...

10/14/05 - West Branch State Park, Ravenna Ohio

2005-10-14T13:14:00.000-05:00

Having just got back from 3 days of riding/racing in Michigan, I wasn't quite ready to go back to my routine of road and bike path rides, so I decided to head out to West Branch State Park for some "real" mountain biking. I had read about the trails on the Cleveland Area Mountain Bike Assoications (CAMBA) website several months ago, but just never made the trip out there. The park is located about 30-40 minutes east of Akron.

CAMBA's website has a lot of good info on West Branch's trails, including a very nice map and some point to point directions. The trail is very well marked, but I'd still take the map just in case you miss one of the sign posts.

I had planned to ride the entire trail, but instead just did two laps of the trails closest to the water (between the water and Cableline Rd) for a total of about 10 miles. These trails are really nice and CAMBA has done a great job with them. My only gripe is that there are so many roots and rocks. I don't ride this type of terrain very much, and tend to stay away from it for fear of crashing and breaking bones LOL. I just got back from riding the Poto and Boyne Mountain trails in Michigan, and much prefer those types of trails because they have fewer roots and rocks....they still have them, but just not as many, and the trails seem to flow better because of it. If you don't mind roots and rocks, West Branch is a blast.

I didn't get around to riding the trails on the other side of Cableline Rd, but some are labeled "more difficult" and "most difficult", so I can only imagine what they look like. My guess is lots of roots and rocks and steep climbs. I will eventually come back to ride those trail, but didn't really want to ride them alone. Speaking of which, I probably wouldn't recommend riding the trails at West Branch by yourself because there are a few tricky spots that can get you into trouble, and if you take a header when you're by yourself, it might be awhile before somebody comes by to help out.

Did I crash? Yup. And you guessed it, I was riding up a climb on a section of very rooty trail. Luckily I was going pretty slow, but still ended up taking a pretty good fall on my left elbow. Yeoch!

A few more pics...

10/09/05 - Boyne Challenge Cross Country Race

2005-10-12T20:29:00.000-05:00

Sunday was the Boyne Challenge Cross Country Race, which is actually the Michigan Mountain Bike State Championship event. I was racing in the Sport Class and we were doing two laps of the 10.5 mile course. I knew I'd have no problem with the overall distance, but was a little concerned about the tight, twisty, and technical nature of the course. I love that type of riding, but I'm simply not used to it, and wasn't sure if I could keep up with these guys who ride it everyday.... I would soon find out.

The Pro, Expert, and Sport class racers were going off at 10am, so around 9:30am I started to get warmed up. It was probably 50 degrees out so I couldn't decide if I should wear tights and a long sleeve jersey OR go with typical summer race attire. Even though most of the racers were wearing tights and long sleeves, I decided to go with shorts and regular jersey. I'm glad I did.

They lined us up by age group and sent my group (35-39) off just after 10am. Just as I expected the pace was VERY fast right off the bat. I stayed near the back of the pack only because I basically just race for fun and didn't want to be holding up the fast guys in the tight singletrack that started about a half mile into the course. The pace was pretty damn amazing. These guys were flying. I kept up for a mile or two, but once the real tight singletrack started I just couldn't hang and began to drop back. I settled into my own pace and for awhile was riding by myself, but eventually caught a few guys and rode with them. About halfway thru the lap was the long climb up the golf cart path. I grinded up it pretty easily and actually caught and passed a few riders along the way. Once at the top I slammed down some PowerGel and headed for the singletrack that would take me back down the mountain to finish off the first lap. I think my time for lap 1 was about 55 minutes.

At the start of the second lap I felt pretty good. I knew I was pretty far behind the leaders, but just wanted to finish the race well and not really worry about my overall placing. For the first part of the lap I was riding with one other guy and we were setting a pretty good pace. I was leading him thru the tight stuff at a pretty good clip when IT happened. I felt one of my contact lenses pop out. SHIT!! All of a sudden I only had one eye to see, which made things real, um, interesting. It was tough to see all the roots and rocks, so I told the guy behind me to go on ahead because I needed to slow down a bit. A few other guys passed me, but I finally made it to the golf cart path climb without any major problems, although I did brush a tree or two just because it was hard to see some of the smaller ones. On the golf cart path climb, I caught one of the guys that passed me, then all of a sudden I heard the strangest sound coming up behind me...sorta like somebody having an asthma attack. It turned out to be the lead Pro class guy LAPPING me. He was flying up the climb and had some sort of strange breathing technique going. It didn't sound good, but it wasn't really slowing him down either. After the climb we headed back into more tight singletrack and the guy I was riding with pulled away again. Two more Pro/Elite guys passed me just before the final descent down the mountain. I came through the finish at 2 hours and 5 minutes. I figure I probably lost 5-10 minutes because of the contact lense issue, but at any rate I was still pleased with my results.

The trails at Boyne Mountain are truly amazing, and I really gotta hand it to Fun Promotions for setting up such an AWESOME race course. I don't think I've ever raced a course that flowed as nicely as this one did. There were several sections that required 100% concentration with not much time to rest or relax. It was pretty much constant up and down thru the trees with lots of tight turns and banked corners.... awesome stuff. Not only was the course great, but the overall organization of the event was first rate. I will be back next year!!

Race Details
Distance: 21 miles (two 10.5 mile laps)
Start Time: 10:00am
Temperature: 55 degrees!!
Class: Sport Male (35-39 age group)
Finish Time: 2:05

Race Day Food/Hyrdration
Pre-Race:
7:00am: Bagel, waffel, etc (Continental breakfast at Best Western yo)
7:30am: Met-RX Big 100 Nutrition Bar w/16oz water

During Race:
Water (Camelbak with about 40oz water)
PowerGel (4 servings mixed w/water)

Post Race:
Endurox R4 (18oz bottle)
Clif Bar
Pringles
Miscellaneous other stuff...

Bike Setup
Bike: Ibis Mojo
Front Tire: Kenda Nevegal (45 psi)
Rear Tire: Specialized Fast Trak Pro (45 psi)

The Slingshot Factory Team was at Boyne and had a few of their very cool bikes on display.

10/08/05 - Boyne Mountain Resort, Michigan

2005-10-12T19:54:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we arrived at Boyne Mountain Resort around noon. I wanted to get there a day before the Boyne Challenge Cross Country race so I could pre-ride the course and checkout the rest of the resort. This place is incredible. I was expecting a few small ski slopes and maybe a lodge, but instead found several huge (for midwestern standards) slopes, lots of condos, luxury homes, golf courses, and so on. Several people have told me that Boyne has the best mountain bike trails in Michigan, and now I have to agree with them. Having done several other Michigan trails, including Poto and a few in the UP, I would now rank Boyne as my favorite.

On Saturday we pre-rode the cross country race course, which was a 10.5 loop around the resort. It started out with lots of tight and technical singletrack with several really tricky climbs mixed in. About halfway thru, there was a long and steep climb up the mountain via a golf cart path. This thing was a lung buster, but actually a nice break from the very tight singeltrack which required constant attention. After the climb, the trail headed back down the mountain thru more tight and twisty singletrack before it spit you out on a fast descent down one of the ski slopes to the main road that goes thru the resort.

10/07/05 - Potawatomi Trail, Pinckney Michigan

2005-10-12T19:31:00.000-05:00

Since we were on our way to Boyne Mountain Resort for a race on Sunday, me and my cousin decided to stop along the way at Pinckney Rec Area and ride the infamous Potawatomi Trail. This was my first trip back to "the Poto" in close to 10 years. Awesome is about the only word that describes this place. Where I live in Ohio, we just don't get to ride trails like this.

Poto has a little bit of everything... technical climbs, fast dowhills, and lots of sweet singletrack. One thing I did notice on this trip is how well the trail is marked. On my last trip to the Poto, I got lost a few times and had to backtrack. I had a map to go by, but the trail wasn't marked very well. This has all changed. Many of the intersections along the the trail now have signs that are numbered and each one has a map posted so you know just where you are. I wish every mountain bike trail was marked this way. The MMBA has done a great job of maintaining and improving this trail.

In addition to the 17 mile Potawatomi Trail, you can also do the 5.1-mile Crooked Lake Trail and the 1.9-mile Silver Lake Trail. All three of these trails are accessible from the same parking area.

08/21/05 - Longest ride of the year...

2005-08-21T11:03:00.000-05:00

On Saturday I drove up to my moms to do some yard work, and on Sunday I rode the Mojo back home. I set out at 6:45am for the 69 mile journey, and about 4 and a half hours later I was back home. Needless to say, I am toast. This ride has a little bit of everything... nicely paved roads, dirt roads, gravel roads, bike trails, and so on. Lots of climbing too.

Ride Details:
69 Miles
4 hours 29 minutes
15.2 mph average speed

Consumed:
6 PowerGel
1 Clif Builder Bar
18oz Powerbar Endurance Drink
60 oz water

Rutted gravel road climb about 2 hours into the ride

Paved bike path about 5 miles from home

08/20/05 - Excellent Leadville Trail 100 writeup...

2005-08-20T10:51:00.000-05:00

Here's an excellent LT100 writeup by Fat Cyclist:
Part I
Part II

More later...

08/16/05 - Easy ride...with a few hills...

2005-08-16T12:32:00.000-05:00

Todays Ride:
Relatively easy ride today with John. We did a total of 24 miles in about 1 hour 30 minutes mixing in a couple steep climbs to get the blood flowing. I installed my new Cateye 7 Wireless on my Ibis, so it'll be fun to finally keep track of distance, average speed, etc.... especially during races. Tommorrow I'm just going to do a few short intervals, then on Thursday I might head out to West Branch State Park to check out the trails out there. I've never been, so it should be fun.

Other Workouts/Training:
None today... or the rest of the week. This is my rest week as far as lifting goes.

In Other News:
Results for the Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race are up. Someday I will do this race!

08/14/05 - No Bikes Allowed?

2005-08-14T19:00:00.000-05:00

Todays Ride:
Today I was up and out the door at 6:30am for a long ride aboard the Mojo. The plan was to do this new trail I found last week, and I wanted to get there early before the joggers and hikers were out. I got to the trailhead about 6:45am and was greeted by a big "NO BIKES" sign. Just great! So I just ended up riding the road that meandered alongside the trail, then climbed up out of the valley I was in, then back down to a trail that I ride quite often. I ended up doing about 3 hours and a total of 43.5 miles. Climbing was kept to a minimum, but there were 3-4 pretty good ones along the way. I'm spent, and I gotta run to my moms place for the day, so I'm out.... tommorrow is a rest day.

Other Workouts/Training:
None today.

08/11/05 - Some nasty hill work...

2005-08-11T15:06:00.000-05:00

Todays Ride:
Climbing is definitely one of my weaknesses. We simply don't have a lot of good climbs around here, so my training rides tend to be pretty flat with just a few short climbs here and there. After the Racoon Rally race, where the looooooonnngggg climbs really kicked my ass, I decided to try and get some more hill work in during my training. Today I set out on my heavy fully rigid Diamond Back Apex for a ride that consisted of 6 good climbs.... none are really that long, but each is pretty steep, and in fact 5 of them are tough granny gear efforts. This is about as good as it gets around here I'm afraid, but working these 6 climbs into my training about once a week will definitely help. I know of a few other long road climbs, so I will try and incorporate them too. Overall the ride was just shy of 2 hours and about 30 miles in total. How do I know how far I went? I finally mounted my Cat Eye Enduro 2 computer (see pic above)... which had been sitting on my workbench for about a year!

Other Workouts/Training:
None today. Tommorrow is a rest day as far as biking goes, but I will be doing my upper body bicep and tricep workout.

In Other News:
Check out these pics from the 2005 Great Divide Mountain Bike Race!

08/10/05 - Intervals... in my living room?

2005-08-10T18:26:00.000-05:00

Todays Ride:
Didn't have a lot of time today, so I woke up early and did an hours worth of intervals while watching the morning news. Pretty good workout actually.... started out with a 20 minute warmup, then a couple 1 minute intervals, then 2 minutes, then 3 minutes, then 4 minutes, then 5 minutes, then 4 minutes, then 3 minutes... you get the idea. Gotta love my indoor trainer when time is limited and I just need to get in a quick workout!

Other Workouts/Training:
None today, but yesterday was a pretty hard lifting workout.... upper body chest and shoulders.

08/07/05 - Another Sunday hammerfest...

2005-08-07T14:29:00.000-05:00

Todays Ride:
My knee is back to 100% now, so its time to start increasing the mileage again. This morning I left my driveway around 7am and headed for the Kent State University campus via some back streets and a paved multi-purpose trail that spills out into the city of Kent, Ohio. It took about 45 minutes to get to campus, then I rode around about an hour checking out all the changes they've made since I attended KSU about 15 years ago. Damn, they have fancied that place up quite a bit. On the way back from campus I added in a few short/steep climbs to make things interesting, and finally arrived back home just before 10:30am. Overall I felt great, so I rewarded myself with a huge breakfast, then crashed in front of the idiot box for the rest of the day.

Other Workouts/Training:
None.

07/31/05 - Sunday hammerfest...

2005-07-31T20:20:00.000-05:00

Todays Ride:
Today was one of my better rides of the year. The legs (and knee) felt great for the whole two hours, and I felt just as strong at the end of the ride as I did at the beginning. Very pleased. I think my knee is back to 100%... I'm still focusing on maintaining a high cadence, especially on climbs, but on todays ride I didn't feel any discomfort in my knee whatsover. Sweet!! Tommorrow will be a busy day at the office so I'm just going to do a quick 45 minutes on the indoor trainer, and on Tuesday I think I'll do an hours worth of hard intervals.

Other Workouts/Training:
None. Just did the early morning ride and crashed the rest of the day. Tommorrow will be upper body lifting for my chest and shoulders, followed by Tuesdays Biceps and Triceps.

07/28/05 - Two hours....and no knee pain!

2005-07-28T18:38:00.000-05:00

Todays Ride:
Had trouble sleeping last night so I woke up late (around 8:30am) and didn't leave the house until about 9:15. I took the Ibis this time and did a moderate pace ride through town (where some biotch in an SUV almost ran me over as she pulled out of her driveway) and out to some local trails. Overall it was an hour out, and then an hour back. I focused on a pretty high cadence the whole time, even on the climbs, and my knee didn't seem to bother me at all. I could feel a little bit of something, but I wonder if that was me just focusing on it and expecting it to hurt. Rolled back in the driveway about 11:20, did some good stretches, and sucked down some Endurox R4. I'm pretty pleased that the knee is feeling better, but its probably too soon to be sure its healed completely. Tommorrow I plan on getting up early and leaving the house around 6:30am for a quick hour ride.... gonna be a busy Friday, so thats about all I have the time for.

Other workouts/Training
None. Still a little sore from the previous two days of upper body work. I'll hit the weights again next Monday or Tuesday.

In Other News:
Stay tuned...

07/27/05 - Rain, rain, go away

2005-07-27T12:30:00.000-05:00

Todays Ride:
Rained pretty much all night and its still going strong this morning. Didn't feel up to doing any indoor trainer work, so I guess this will be a rest day. Tommorrows weather is supposed to be nice (ya, right, thats what they said yesterday), so I'll take the Ibis out for a 2-3 hour ride.

Other workouts/Training
Today was more upper body weight training, but this time biceps and triceps. I did a good warmup and a few acclimation sets, then the following...

Dumbell Concentration Curls (4 sets, 6-8 reps each... very slow movements)
Dumbell Hammer Curls (5 sets, 6-8 reps each... very slow movements)
Triceps Extensions (5 sets, 6-8 reps each... very slow movements)

In Other News:
Stay tuned...

07/26/05 - More spinervals... and some lifting...

2005-07-26T19:56:00.000-05:00

Todays Ride:
Real windy when I woke up this morning, so I decided to hit the indoor trainer...again. I did about 45 minutes of short intervals...nothing too intense really. Tommorrows weather is supposed to be nice, and finally back to some cooler temps, so I'll probably break the Ibis out for a 2-3 hour ride.

Other workouts/Training
Today was upper body weight training, specifically chest and shoulders. I did a good warmup and a few acclimation sets, then the following...

Incline Bench Press (5 sets, 4-6 reps each... very slow movements)
Flat Bench Press (4 sets, 4-6 reps each... very slow movements)
Military press (5 sets, 4-6 reps each... very slow movements)

In Other News:
Not much else going on. The temps around here have been insanely hot and the A/C in my house conveniently stopped working. Hopefully I'll get that fixed in the next week, but the temps are supposed to cool down for a few days...finally! Nasty thunderstorms are blowing through right now so I better get off here. Out...

07/25/2005 - Spinervals!

2005-07-25T17:39:00.000-05:00

Todays Ride:
Woke up to early morning thunderstorms today. I had planned on taking the Ibis out for a two hour ride, but it rained around 7am for about 30 minutes and it looked like more rain was on the way, so I decided to break out the indoor trainer and do some intervals. I did an hours worth of 1, 2, and 3 minute intervals... nothing too strenuous, although some major sweating was involved due to the 85 degree temps inside my house (a/c is currently out of commission). Tommorrows forecast calls for more thunderstorms, but I'll be up early to see if I can get an hour or two in on the bike... otherwise it'll be more intervals on the trainer.

Other workouts/Training
No lifting today, but tommorrow is upper body lifting...chest and shoulders.

In Other News:
Seems wierd to not have any more Tour de France coverage on OLN. They are back to their regularly scheduled bull riding and duck hunting shows. WTF?!?!?! Out.

07/23/05 - My knee is feeling better!

2005-07-23T12:10:00.000-05:00

Went out for a moderate one hour ride today to see how the knee was doing and it felt good. I think the two week rest helped. I did focus on a high cadence so that may have helped too. I figure Lance spins at 105rpm, so maybe I should try that too instead of trying to imitate Ulrich. I'm gonna go out again tommorrow, maybe for a 2 hour ride and see how it feels then. Hopefully the problem is gone and I can get back to some more serious saddle time.

Stay tuned...

07/14/05 - Vacation time!! FInally...

2005-07-14T13:25:00.000-05:00

I'm loving the Tour de France so far. The racing is great, but so is the scenery. The last few stages have been just beautiful. Today I went out and bought Velo News TDF Guide which has really detailed maps of all the stages... this should come in handy if I ever get the chance to go to France. I would LOVE to ride on some of the roads these guys have been on the last few days! Someday...

I'm out of here in a bit for a well needed vacation of sorts. I'll be heading to Virginia for a few days to visit some relatives. There will be no biking involved, but the knee could use a few more days off the bike anyways. Virginia should be fun, especially the trip down there and back... I'm renting a new Ford Mustang.

I'm out...

07/12/05 - Riding vicarously through Lance...

2005-07-12T16:33:00.000-05:00

I managed to roll out of bed at 8:30 am this morning and catch OLN's live broadcast of the TDF. Wow, what a stage!!!!! Lance just blew apart the field.... lets hope he can keep it up. And how about ex mountain bike world champ Mickael Rasmussen. Lance better pay attention to this guy! Some good TDF discussions going on here: http://forums.roadbikereview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

I think this photo sums up todays stage...

Tommorrow I'll be doing my chest and shoulder upper body workout, followed by biceps and triceps on Thursday. Friday I'm leaving for a few days down in Virginia and should be back around Tuesday of next week. When I get back, I'll be visiting the local bike shop to see about getting a professional bike fit on both my mountain bikes... just trying to eliminate the possibility that my bike fit is causing my knee problems. Stay tuned...

07/09/05 - My knee still hurts!

2005-07-09T18:38:00.000-05:00

Well, the knee is still acting up. I did a short one hour ride today and about halfway thru the ride it started hurting again. Just great! I think its time to figure out what the problem is and, in turn, take a few weeks off the bike to let things heal. I'm going to shoot for a two week rest, and in the meantime, try to figure out what caused it so it doesn't happen again. I think I know what caused this... during the Raccoon Rally race a few weeks ago, I never shifted to my granny gear and thus ended up pushing excessively high gears on all the climbs, including the two really long ones. I'm also wondering if my position on the bike isn't quite right, so I'm looking at that as we speak. My best guess so far is that I have...

Iliotibial band (IT band) syndrome
The most common cause of knee (and hip pain) in cyclists is iliotibial band (IT band) syndrome. The IT band is a thick fibrous band of tissue, which runs on the outside of the leg from the hip to the knee. Pain is caused when the band becomes tight and rubs over the bony prominences of the hip (greater trochanter) and/or the knee (lateral epicondyle). Tight inflexible lower extremity muscles may worsen the condition.

Here are some good resources I've found...
http://www.cptips.com/knee.htm
http://www.itbs.info/index.html

Stay tuned... I'm hoping this is just a temporary problem and I can get back on the bike in two weeks...

07/08/05 - Back in the saddle again...

2005-07-08T16:40:00.000-05:00

Todays Ride:
Finally! I was back on the bike today for a relatively easy 2 hour out and back ride. I added in a nice long hillclimb toward the midpoint just to make things interesting. My knee isn't back to 100% yet and started bothering me a little about 45 minutes into the ride. I'm going to do another ride tommorrow morning and switch over to some new shoes/cleats to see if that helps at all. I've got a pair of Sidi Dominators in the closet and now sounds like a good time to break them out. The Diadora mountain shoes I currently use are great, but I did notice that the cleat placement on the right shoe is a bit funky, so maybe the Sidi's will work better. If the knee issues don't go away soon, I might give this a try WobbleNaught On-Line Fit to see if I'm not fitting the bike quite right. This is strange though because I've never had any knee issues in the past. Getting old sux.

Other workouts/Training
I'm pretty sore from the last two days of upper body lifting. I guess thats what I get for taking 2 weeks off! Next upper body lifting will be early next week... Monday will be Chest/Shoulders and Tuesday will be Biceps/Triceps/Abs.

In Other News:
I'll hopefully be heading to New York early Sunday morning to checkout the 6 Hours of Power race. I had hoped to take part, but with knee issues I'm gonna bail. I do want to see how these 6 hour races work though... I've never participated in one of these and I'm interested to see how the racers handle replenishing food, water, etc. for the whole 6 hours.

Oh, and I bought a couple of those Clif Builder bars today. Best tasting bar I've tried so far. Pretty good specs too... 20g protein, 30g carbs, 8g fat. Try 'em!

07/07/05 - One more day... and I can finally ride...

2005-07-07T13:21:00.000-05:00

Todays Ride:
No ride today... gonna hop on the bike tommorrow for my first ride in about a week... we'll see how the knee feels.

Other Workouts/Training:
I've got quite a bit of soreness from yesterdays chest/shoulder workout. Today I did my bicep/tricep workout. Its the first arm workout in about 2 weeks, so I kept things simple...

Hammer Curls (3 sets, 6 reps each, slow movements)
Seated Dumbell Curls (3 sets, 6 reps each, slow movements)
Lying Triceps Extension (3 sets, 6 reps each, slow movements)

Some Good Reading:
I printed off The Endurance Athletes Guide To Success from the Hammer Nutrition website. Tons of good info in there and I'm gonna read part of it tonight.

More later...

Withdrawl?

2005-07-06T20:06:00.000-05:00

I think I'm experiencing the polar opposite of overtraining... it's called withdrawl! I've been off the bike for a few days now, and I'm looking forward to a ride. I just need to hold out a few more days and let the knee rest up a little more, then I'm good to go. The goal is to do a ride on Friday and see how things feel. Stay tuned...

I did get back to my upper body lifting routine today working my chest and shoulders pretty good. For the next 8 weeks I'm trying something a little different... I've backed off on the weight a little so I can focus on very slow movements. Today I just did a good warmup, then the following...

Incline Bench Press (3 sets, 4-6 reps each... very slow movements)
Flat Bench Press (3 sets, 4-6 reps each... very slow movements)
Military press (4 sets, 4-6 reps each... very slow movements)

I spent a few hours watching the Tour on OLN this afternoon... good to see Lance still in yellow. The finish of these last few stages has just been crazy... those sprinters are nuts. It really surprises me that we haven't seen more pileups the way these guys go at it. I see what Lance means when he says these early days of the Tour scare him to death... he's much more at home in the mountains where he can pull away from the crazies.

Here's a cool site with some good training articles... http://www.ultrafit.com/librarypub.asp?p=library&s=Other

Oh, and here's a sweet pic I ran across the other day... Lance closing in on Jan... http://grahamwatson.com/gw/imagedocs.nsf/images/05tdfSt1/$file/10.jpg

And one last pic... here's what I want my "shop" in the basement to eventualy look like... ya ya I know, dream on, right? http://www.parktool.com/images/misc/workshop.jpg

Gonna try to get to bed early tonight so I can do my bicep/tricep/ab workout early in the a.m. I also need to get the bike ready for Fridays ride. Out...

Another boring day OFF the bike

2005-07-05T22:59:00.000-05:00

I'm still giving my knee a rest so I spent good part of the day watching Lance and the boys kick ass at the Tour. Bummer for Zabriskie and Team CSC... that was a nasty crash. I also spent some time behind the computer looking at bike porn. I need a full suspension bike damnit. I really love my Ibis Mojo hardtail, but I'm already started to look into full suspension bikes for next year. I noticed a lot of Specialized Epics at the last XC race...very sweet bikes, but I'm really liking the Yeti AS-R SL. I've always wanted a Yeti, and the Colorado-made AS-R SL would look very nice next to my Mojo!

Could this be my new race bike for 2006? Hmmmmm....

...and while I'm getting serious about bikes, I might as well get a little more serious about training. I really should start using a heart rate monitor and the Polar S725 is the one I'll probably go with...

This coming weekend is the 6 Hours Of Power race at Holiday Valley in New York. I had been planning to take part in this race, but with my knee acting up I think I'll sit it out. I still might go and watch to see how these 6 hour races operate. I've never done one and it might be nice to see how the racers handle this type of longer event. The 10 mile loop at Holiday Valley would also make for some pretty nice spectating since the Experts will probably come thru every 45 minutes to an hour.

A week off the bike

2005-07-05T20:56:00.000-05:00

After yesterdays long ride and the pain I'm getting in my right knee, I think its time to take a week off the bike. This is a good thing because I need to resume the upper body lifting routine I've been doing since the beginning of the year. I took a week off from lifting just before the Raccoon Rally race so I need to get going on it again. I'm planning on resuming Wednesday with chest and shoulders, followed by biceps and triceps on Thursday. I figure I'll be back on the bike by the weekend, but a few days off should do my knee some good... stay tuned...

Here's a few mountain bike sites to check out...
Jeff Kerkove - Endurance Mountain Bike Racer
Summer On The Divide (where can I meet a gal like this?)
Matt Chesters Blog

I was never a big fan of Mountain Bike Action magazine, but I picked up the August '05 issue because they had a good recap of the Sea Otter Classic. I MUST do this race in 2006!

Happy 4th... and time for a long ride...

2005-07-04T20:45:00.000-05:00

I think I finally recovered from the Raccoon Rally XC race so I decided it was time for a long 3-4 hour ride. What better day to do it than July 4th when everybody is sleeping in and there's no rush hour traffic to deal with. I headed out around 6:45am and all was going well for the first hour or so. My right knee eventually started to bother me so I eased up a little for the rest of the day. Not sure what I did to me knee , but its been bothering me ever since the Raccoon Rally... must have been those long climbs or something. About 2 hours into the ride I headed up this long steep climb that connects the two trails I was riding, and I noticed my rear tire was losing air at a pretty rapid pace. I made a quick tube change and continued on. I finally arrived back at the house after about 4 hours, so taking the tube change into account, it was about a 3:45 ride. I felt pretty good overall and loaded up on Endurox, a Clif Bar, and some other goodies before settling in to watch Lance on OLN. I crashed early to the sounds of fireworks going off in the neighborhood. Just another day in the life of a racer wanna-be.

My legs are shot!

2005-06-27T20:42:00.000-05:00

Wow, yesterdays race really kicked my ass. My legs have not felt like this in a long time. I figure I'll take a day or two off the bike and just do some light spinning on my indoor trainer.

I found a few pics from the race...even ordered up a couple 8x10's. Here's one of me crossing the finish line...

The 2005 Raccoon Rally

2005-06-26T20:18:00.000-05:00

Thoughts
Wow, this race really kicked my ass. I'd been to the Raccoon Rally several times in the past and it's one of my favorite races. The 25+ mile course is not technical at all, but does have a TON of climbing and some real fast downhill sections. The goal this year was just to finish, especially since I had only been riding for a few months and not really putting a lot of mileage in.

The Sport class started in a grass field, then headed down a dirt/gravel road for about a 1/2 mile before entering the woods. The first climb was killer... somebody said it was about 4 miles long. It seemed every bit of that and just seemed to keep going and going and going.... to make things worse, much if it was out in the open, and with temps already above 90 degrees, the sun beating down on us didn't help matters. I made it up the climb and the course finally flattened out a bit, but there were a lot of rolling hills to keep things interesting. I settled into a good pace and the rest of the first lap went well. At the end of the lap, we headed down a bunch of switchbacks carved out of a ski hill... this was pretty nasty since I don't get to ride stuff like this much. By the time I got to the bottom and started lap #2, my hands were numb! Anyways, lap #2 was underway and the climbing started all over again... this time the main climb was a little shorter... somwhere around 3 miles. Damnit!! My legs were toast. The rest of the race was pretty uneventful, although during my last trip down the ski hill I almost lost it trying to stay ahead of the guys behind me. I finished just under 3 hours... 2:50:17 to be exact... good for mid to back of the pack in Sport class. I had a freagin blast. If you like to suffer, the Raccoon Rally is the place to be in late June. I will be back next year, and hopefully in a little better shape.

Race Details
Distance: 25.5 miles
Start Time: 10:35am
Temperature: 92 degrees!!
Class: Sport Male
Finish Time: 2:50:17

Race Day Food/Hyrdration
Pre-Race:
7:00am: Met-RX Big 100 Nutrition Bar w/16oz water
9:00am: Cytomax Pre-Formance Drink w/water
10:00am: Gatorade Endurance Formula (18oz water bottle)

During Race:
Water (Camelbak with about 60oz water)
Gatorade Endurance Formula drink (18oz water bottle)
GU (4 servings)

Post Race:
Endurox R4 (18oz bottle)
Clif Bar
Pringles (full can!)
Miscellaneous other stuff...

Bike Setup
Bike: Ibis Mojo
Front Tire: Kenda Nevegal (45 psi)
Rear Tire: Specialized Fast Trak Pro (45 psi)

The Bikes

2005-06-15T21:07:00.007-05:00

The bike stable currently consists of six bikes...
- Ibis Mojo Hardtail
- Kona Cowan
- Eastern Night Train
- Raleigh XXIX 29er
- DK Dayton BMX bike
- Diamond Back Apex

My latest purchases are the Raleigh XXIX 29er and Eastern Night Train. I built the Kona Cowan and DK Dayton in 2006, and the Ibis Mojo back in early 2004 when I started getting back into riding. The Apex is actually the first mountain bike I ever owned... I bought it back around 1992.

The Mojo is my main training and race bike, while the Apex has been religated to my indoor training bike (mounted to a Kinetic Road Machine trainer). I use the Kona Cowan, Eastern Night Train, and DK Dayton to mess around on a pump track that I've been building over the last couple summers.

IBIS MOJO
FRAME: Ibis Mojo Steel Hardtail
FORK: Rock Shox Psylo
WHEELS: Custom built Mavic XC717 Disc Rims w/Hope XC hubs
BRAKES: Avid Mechanical Disc
CHAIN: SRAM
CASSETTE: SRAM
DEARAILLEURS: SRAM X.O rear, Shimano XT Front
SHIFTERS: SRAM GripShift
STEM: Thomson
HANDLEBAR: Titec Hellbent
SEATPOST: Thomson
SADDLE: WTB Laser V
CRANKSET: Shimano XT
PEDALS: Crank Brothers Egg Beater
GRIPS: Yeti
BARENDS: Profile
TIRES: Kenda Nevegal 2.1 front, Specialized Fast Trak 2.0 rear

KONA COWAN
* Frame: 2006 Kona Cowan
* Fork: Manitou Gold Series 2 w/20mm thru axle (80mm travel)
* Headset: FSA Pig Pro DH
* Cranks: TruVativ Hussefelt (small chainring removed)
* Chainring: Single E13 Components 32T
* Chainguide: E13 Components 32 Special
* B/B: TruVativ Giga Pipe Team DH ISIS (118mm spindle)
* Pedals: Eastern Plastic
* Chain: SRAM PG-991
* Freewheel: SRAM PG-990 (11-34t, 9-speed)
* Front Derailleur: None
* Rear Derailleur: SRAM X.7
* Shifters: SRAM X.7 Trigger (right side only)
* Handlebar: Deity Twenty14 31.8
* Stem: Deity Fantom 31.8
* Grips: ODI Oury Lock-on
* Saddle: Macneil SL
* Seatpost: Macneil Pivotal
* Seat clamp: Kona QR
* Brakes: Hayes HFX-9 w/ Hayes HFX-9 Levers
* Brake Rotors: Hayes 6” front, 6” rear
* Rims: Azonic Outlaw
* Front hub: Azonic Outlaw disc 20mm
* Rear hub: Azonic Outlaw disc
* Tires: Kenda SB8 26x2.3 front and Kenda Short Tracker 2.1 rear

EASTERN NIGHT TRAIN
* FRAME: 2007 Eastern Night Train in Black
* FRAME: Full Chromoly, Euro BB, Internal Headset
* SIZE: 22.5" T/T, 15.35" chainstay, 72 degree headangle
* FORK: Marzocchi Dirt Jumper III, 80mm travel, 20mm thru
* HEADSET: Internal Headset
* CRANK SET: Eastern Electron Tubular Chromo Cranks, 175MM
* CHAINWHEEL: Eastern 25T Medusa Sprocket
* BB-SET: Euro BB, sealed bearing, 37x20x10
* HANDLEBAR: Deity Twenty14 31.8
* STEM: Truvativ Hussefelt
* GRIP: Oury (ODI Lock Ons)
* HUB FRONT: Sealed Bearings 32H, with Disc Mount, 20MM axle
* HUB REAR: Eastern MTB single speed cassette hub, 14mm axle, 36H, 12t driver with disc hub mt.
* RIM: Sun MTX-S type, 26" 36H
* SPOKES: 2.0mm Stainless steel 14G UCP, black with brass nipples
* FRONT TIRE: K-RAD, K905, 26 x 2.30
* REAR TIRE: KNIPTION, K1016, 26 x 2.25
* FRONT BRAKE: None
* REAR BRAKE: Avid Juicy full hydraulic disc 6" rotor
* BRAKE LEVER: Avid Juicy
* Cassette: 12T, 6 paw
* CHAIN: KMC 510HX
* SADDLE: Pivotal Seat; Base 2
* SEAT POST: Pivotal Seatpost, 27.2MM
* SEAT POST CLAMP: Alloy
* PEGS: 1 pair steel pegs
* PEDALS: Animal Hamilton, White

DK DAYTON
* Frame: DK Dayton
* Forks: DK Chromoly
* Headset: FSA Integrated
* Stem: DK Trail
* Bars: Fit Flow Series
* Grips: ODI Rogue Lock On
* Bar Ends: Stolen Bikes
* Gyro: SST ORYG
* Brakes: Tektro U Brake
* Lever: Tektro FX-3
* Seat: MacNeil SL Kevlar
* Seat Post: MacNeil Pivotal
* Seat Clamp: DK
* Cranks: DK Chop Stix
* Bottom Bracket: DK Spanish
* Pedals: Animal Hamilton
* Sprocket: DK Iron Cross 33T
* Chain: KMC Z-510H
* Rear Hub: DK Sealed 48h
* Rear Rim: Sun Big City 48h
* Front Hub: DK Sealed 48h 14mm
* Front Rim: Sun City Lite 48h
* Tires: Kenda K-Rads

DIAMOND BACK APEX
FRAME: Diamond Back Apex Steel Hardtail (circa 1992!)
FORK: DB Rigid
WHEELS: Jenson USA built Sun w/XT hubs
BRAKES: Original Shimano Deore DX
CHAIN: Shimano XT
CASSETTE: Shimano XT
STEM: Thomson
HANDLEBAR: Titec Hellbent
SEATPOST: Thomson
SADDLE: WTB Laser V
CRANKSET: Original Shimano Deore DX
PEDALS: Crank Brothers Egg Beaters
GRIPS: Yeti
BARENDS: Profile
TIRES: Ritchey Speedmax Front and Rear

Bike Blogs and Bicycle Blogs

2005-06-01T13:51:00.000-05:00

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