New Bike on the Way

So decided to get myself a Unit 29er for Christmas. Figure I got a few long distance races I want to do and I can't beat the deal. So I am going to get a complete bike and swap out a few parts. Trade over the jones bar from the 1x1, King Headset, brooks saddle (swift, professional, or i might just pick up a brow b17 special at my buddy's shop to help him move it), longer stem, seatpost?, and new wheels.


So anyone want to throw me their opinions on wheels it'd be sweet. Thinking Salsa Delgado rims, and not sure about the hubs. Maybe Phil or Paul if the price isn't going to be more than the bike, white, simano, I don't know. Anyone, ideas?

Cross Nationals

Corgratulations Will Black and Brian Fawley! Will in 2nd in the Masters 40-44 and Brian 10th in the under 23! Go Texas!

http://www.velocityresults.net/results/72/test

http://www.velocityresults.net/results/71/usa-cycling-cyclocross-national-championships-day-1-providence-ri

Texas State 'Cross Championships

The above photo was ripped of the Texas Bicycle Racing Association website,

http://www.txbra.org/home/index.asp

Photo is of Will Black (Moots) and Bryan Fawley, shot by Richard Bonner during the Texas State Cross Championship Men's A race. Will tore the field up and lapped the fourth place rider, Craig Virr. I race with Craig out at the Dirt Dirby and he's hella fast. From what I've been told, Will came in 3rd in the Cyclocross Worlds a few years back in the Master's Division. It was a treat watching him race. Look at that form, absolutely textbook.

Raced the B's myself on a cross check, outfitted with a freewheel and rear brake. Decided to go for the single speed cause I just think I am faster on it. Don't have to think about my cadence, which I suck at, and the bike just fits me a lot better. My dismounts and mounts are a lot smoother on the surly over the jake, too. The setup is a little more stretched out which makes it easier to do the flying mount. Nice having the jake in the pit in case of a mechanical though.

Got a good start and was near the front. It was a wierd start cause the official was explaining some rules and then all the sudden blew the wistle. Although the course was a bit on the short side, it was a fun loop. Had a good battle with a few guys. They would pass me on the pavement section and then I would make up some time through the first double barrier which had a quick little downhill to a barrier and runup. Was nailiing that section and usually putting a few seconds on the guys I was battling with. After that it went into a downhill through some wooded double track. This is were I would usually retake the lead from the guys I was duking it out with. The b's were the on the course second after the jrs so the wooded section had a lot of leaves and there was no clear trail. This caused a lot of riders to take the downhill cautiously, whereas I would hammer it, no brakes. It was sweet. Finished in 7th place which I thought was pretty cool.

http://www.txbra.org/results07/

Another race on Saturday out at Moya Park. The above Mr. Black, dominated the Master's riding a Kona Paddy Wagon set up as a freewheeled singlespeed. He also took the A's lapping a good portion of riders.

Raced the B's again, which had us starting off with the women A's and B's. Kinda lame cause there was no staggered start. I showed up to the line a little late and was forced to be in the back. At the first double barriers there was a bit of a pile up. Caused in part by the woman who dominated the A's in the State Championship. She is fast as hell and was off the front. When she got to the barrier she actually stopped, lifted her bike over the first barrier, stepped over the barrier, trotted to the second, and did the same thing! Kind of amusing, but it didn't help that I was stuck behind her and my field was taking off. There was this awesome off camber section with a big root that about half the master's field was dismounting for. Had it pretty dialed during my pre-ride, so I knew it wasn't going to be a problem. Well on the first lap, being at the back some dude went down right in front of me. No problem, quick dismount and remount. Shit, my front wheel wont turn. My front canti got pushed under the rim. So while I fixed that the field again left me and I was dead last. Didn't stress, felt really good about my result the day before so I just hopped back on the bike and rode. Well, rode pretty well because in a couple laps worked myself into 6th place position. Started battling it out with this guy Rob Sisk from Houston. He'd pass me on the end of a lap where it got flat and allowed for a big gear. I would then usually pass him through the double barriers or right after and maintain a lead through the off camber section, run-up, and then an off camber, switchback climb. He'd then pass me on the flats after. We passed a rider from San Antonio and battled it out for 4th and 5th lap after lap. Not really making anytime on the leaders, but not loosing any either. With 2 or 3 to go he pulled ahead and I couldn't catch his wheel. Was starting to feel some pain and cramps. Got strong on the bell lap and started to close, but he was still a few hundered feet ahead at the line. He was far enough at the final sprint it looked like he was riding easy where I was giving it everything I got. 5th place in the B's on a single speed. Not bad considering down here B's are Cat 3/4 roadies. Cross is sweet!

Wonder how I would have done if I'd been able to get out with that lead group cause once I got back into the race they never really put more distance on me.

More cross in Houston this weekend, but I am going to sit them out. Gotta keep the wife happy and spend some time with her. Also got to get the house further dialed in after all the remodeling we've been doing lately for family visits during the Holidays.

ride

Nice ride to work this moring on the Jake. Need to get more used to the frame fit and most importanlty the gears, like which gear i should be in when and the anticipation of the shift.

Pretty sweet riding a geared bike in. There are some small hills going in and out of drainages, so being able to shift up and down helps. made a bit of better time coming in than usual.

Wurst ride tomorrow. Going to try and jump on and ride it with my buddy Rey. Probably won't do the whole 65 miles to New Braunfels since we will need to ride back. After beers and brats turing around and riding 65 more miles might not be what we want to do. Think we'll do about 50 or so and then turn around, both want to get a century in. Wanted to do it on the fixxie, but figure it might be a real good ride to get more comfortable on the Jake.

Len

Humility

Damn, dude.

Ass kicker, dropped chain on the run-up first lap, dropped chain on the barrier second lap, foot didn't come unclipped on the run-up, crashed, third lap, rode slow the rest of the race.

In a wierd sort of way, it was still fun as hell though!

More cross racin'!

Seem to be getting pretty into this cross thing. Don't know why I like it so much, maybe its the pain, maybe that its short, maybe that beer tastes a hell of a lot better afterwards, not that beer needs to taste any better. Having a good time and learning everytime.

Raced two Sundays ago out in the Hill Country at a place called Camp Eagle. Super fun course, rocky, a nice uphill and downhill section, downhill complete with rollers and a burm at the bottom, and a sand section. Lesson learned, fixed gear ain't so sweet for cross.

Almost forgot. Gotta give credit to the photo to a lady named sssaaa

Race was going well for the A/B's. My buddy Rey and I figured that it was one catagory since they were racing together, but it wasn't. They put us in the A's, super sweet seeing there were a handfull of riders there that sponsors actually pay them. Not a big race, only about 15 or so racers. Testing out the Jake the Snake. Doing pretty well, but wasn't use to the narrow bar. Got a great start, just behind the super fast guys and was falling into a good position, riding by myself with a good gap behind me. After the first few laps I beleive I was leading the B's and wasn't in last place of the A's. All going well till a mishift on the uphill climb and a broken chain! Had to run about a 1/4 of the course to grab the fixxie, whereby I was passed by the guy who won the B's. Back on the fixxie things felt good. Getting back into position and looking as though I'd be able to catch the dude who passed me while I was running. With 3 or 4 laps to go I proceeded to get lapped by the 1st and 2nd guy right before the downhill, where I could have passed them, but figured that would be a lame move since they had lapped me. Well after that boost of confidence and wanting to catch the B leader I decided to really go for it on the hill the next lap. Bad idea on a fixxie. Lost control prehopping the third roller and somehow ended in the air, backwards, above my bike. Landed hard and it felt like my dick had become a snake tounge. Sat on the side for a while considering dropping out, till my buddy Rey, who had an earlier flat when my chain broke. He came through the pit after I dropped off the Jake and he snaked the rear wheel so he could keep going. When Rey caught up I jumped back on and eventually passed him, finishing 6th (2nd to last) in the A's. Not sure how we would have done in the B's but I think we would have come in 3rd and 4th (3rd and 2nd to last). Well, the cross check now has a rear break and an the option of a freewheel. Both of us were just stoked to be able to finish this hour long race as the Tuesday nighters are only 30 minutes.

Two days later we had the Tuesday nighter. Still a bit run down and with a cold coming on I was nervous, but feeling more confident after having now raced twice. Got a great start (not too hard when there are about 18 riders)and was about 3rd for the first 1/4 lap where the track heads into a hard 90 degree turn before a table top. Have this turn wired so take the furthest inside line which puts me out front and instead of trying to chill and let someone pass me I hammer. Bad idea! I manage to lead the rest of the first lap and am second for lap 2 and 3 with Rey right behind me. There was no way to keep up the pace and some riders started to pass. Was dying the rest of the race. Rey and I pretty much rode together, me pulling most of the way, some reason I couldn't just suck his wheel. My legs and back were just aching. Then about 2 laps to go Rey pulled ahead on a runup he was nailing and that was killing me. Had a little left for the bell lap and gave chase. Got pretty close to catching Rey and another guy he was passing on the runup with about 200 yards to go. That is where Rey solidified his lead over me and the other guy furthered that gap on me. He was weak on the downhill though cause its sketchy and there is another uneven turn right at the finish table top, that I new I had dialed. Got on that dude's wheel and the right into the last turn passed him on the inside and sailed up the table top. Rey finished 5th and me 6th, his best finish in the Tuesday night and by far his strongest ride yet. It was sweet. He's in 5th in the point series and me 6th which is pretty good considering I've only done 2 of the 4 races.

Lesson 2: Don't attack within the first 1/4 of the first lap and if you have some sweet time saving lines or tactics, don't show 'em off to everybody at the start of the race.

Cross is fun. Get out and vote today! Its another Tuesday nighter tonight.


http://www.dirtderby.com/

Photo credit to a lady who posts as sssaaarrraah

Jake the Snake

Picked up the demo bike from Ozone last night and have already taken it for a couple of rides. Yesterday took it around town in the rain and through the mud. This morning headed to the hills for some practice shifting. Been a while since I haven't had to keep up with my peddles on a long road downhill. Pretty fun being able to go as fast as you want downhill. Oh, and gears are fun, too!

CBO Dirt Dirby

Welll, raining pretty good here today. Should make for some fun cross racing tonight. Hopefully it still happens. We'll see.

Ridng for Ozone now. Vitus hooked me up with a shop jersey the other day and the Jon, the other owner gave me a pair of socks yesterday. Pretty sweet. Sounds like one of the benefits is the same deals shop employees get. Also they might let me ride a Jake the Snake demo for the season. That would be sweet, although I suspect it'll take a little while to get shifting down again.

Little cruise up Mt. Bonnell last night with my gb Jeremey and the owner of the Peddler, AJ. AJ decided to take out a Redline Conquest he's been having trouble selling. From vert ramps to the cross course. Sweet!

Tuesday Night Cross

Cut my teeth last night on some cross racing. Must say I am hooked. Just super fun feeling like you're going to puke while riding.

The Tuesday races are held out at the Austin Del Valle Motocross track. Decided to ride out there even though its about 20 miles from my house. Pretty cool ride and just took it nice and slow. Ended up getting lost on the way, but finally figured it out. Was afraid I was going to miss it for a while.

Probably just under 20 people in the A/B race. Lots of loose dirt in the turns and one log crossing before a sandy burm and a mandatory run up on a steep table top. Was really suprised at how smooth my dismounts and mounts were since I haven't spent too much time practicing them. The log one was cool and I was actually mounting on the top of the burm or at least the on the backside. Since you were above the bike seemed like it made it easy to remount.

Figuring it was my first race and i was running a fixed gear feel like 5th place wasn't too bad. Had 2 crashes, one in a turn when my peddle struck the ground and the second on the runup when one of my feet didn't come unclipped and started going up behind my back. The field was pretty wide open. the 1st place was on a mtn bike and just hammered. due to the loose conditions a mtn bike was probably ideal and allowed for faster cornering. he also was cheating since he rode the runup and at the start of the race the riders decided it should be a mandatory runup. The guy was super fast, a collegiate race, and it probably didn't matter, but why cheat in this little local race? Sounds like we are going to have some real barriers next week and some barriers placed in succession. He was so fast and lapped me in the last 100 yards and almost lapped 4th and 3rd place. 3rd and 4th finished a bit ahead of me and there was another gap between 3rd and 2nd. There was also a pretty sizable gap between me and 6th. Anyway definately stoked on how it turned out. Also didn't hear their pussy little bell to signal last lap. My last three laps I eased up a bit because I wasn't worried about the gap between me and those behind, but didn't want to blow up before the last lap. So my last lap was actually a bit easy. Not saying I would have been able to catch the 4th guy, but at least I would have been trying to instead of just maintaining my position. I also might have been able to keep from getting lapped too. So after the 1st race i have some points for the series, which is cool, but i probably won't be able to race the entire series due to work demands.

Rey had a great showing too. Some chain problems, but likely finished 7th or 8th even though they had him at 11th. Looked like they missed him on one of the laps since they had him doing one less than me, which is bullshit since I never lapped him. took it well though with a who cares attitude.

Our women were out to chear us on. Definatley picked me up when I passed them each lap. The dogs were stoked on the racing, too. Rango was just wondering why he couldn't race.

Sativa Rollers Sunday Ride

After a little breakfast and coffee at Jeremy's house, Jeremey, Fred, and I went for a Sunday ride out to Mansfield Dam on Lake Travis. A good headwind and hills on the way out. Made for some hammering on the one gears. Stopped off in Bee Caves and picked up some Tecate Tall boys to have at the dam. For some reason Jeremy took pictures of Fred's and my rides, but not his TURD (tactical urban recreational device). Fred showed us this nice trail down to the dams spillway, sweet downhill. Figure it might of been an old haul road for the dam. Took a dip and drank our beers. Nice and cold water since its a bottom spilled dam.

Some good climbing to get out of the spillway. Stopped to get another tall boy at the FM 2222 intersection, drank some at the store and then filled the waterbottles for a carb boost back in town.

Rode through a swanky neighborhood by a country club. Nice chill winding streets, then hit a bithc of a headwind on Jollyville Road. Stopped for more tallboys. Yum. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday, 60 miles of peddling on a fix. Sweet.

Cyclocross

Fucking stoked and ready to get my ass kicked. The Tuesday night CBO cyclocross series starts tonight. Its going to be a blast. Regeared the fixxie last night to make it a little easier to peddle. Down from a 42x16 (71.3 gear inches) to 39x16 (66.2 gear inches). And why the hell doesn't anyone make a 130mm stainless chainring?

Can't wait. Mexican steak and potatoes last night for dinner, pesto and pasta for lunch today. Tara and the mutts coming out for some support.

Should be sweet. Can't wait to see what its like trying to dismount/mount in a pack. Especially since I havn't really practiced it too much.

Should be some photos of the Sativa Rollers sunday dam ride from this past Sunday and some then some race photos that TAra takes.

Wednesday Peddler Ride

What a sweet ride. got in a few miles prior riding down to my buddy Rey's house and then back up north to meet up with the rest of the crew. Up Mt. Bonnel to the Dry Creek Saloon. What a sweet place. Drinking beers along the way. Had a beer there and then continued down the north side of Mt Bonnel, crossed FM 2222 and then continued north up and down a bunch of hills.

Has to be one of the sweeter rides I've been on since moving to Austin. Laid back, good people, and beers. Gotta love it. Really glad I stopped by the Peddler after riding the greenbelt last Saturday. If I didn't I wouldn't have been on this ride. Gotta thank Jeremey for getting this thing going.

Fixed Gear Good for the Knees?!

I am sure you've heard it, fixed gear riding will kill your knees. Its always being said and I am sure there is some truth to it. lots of kids, see it all the time here in Austin, are riding track bikes on the street with track gearing and no front break. huge gearing that causes them to have to mash on the peddles and stopping that rear wheel with all that angular momentum must put some crazy stress on the knees.

i even had a saleswoman in Berkeley refuse to talk to me about a 1x1. "your going to destroy your knees" "did a singlespeed destroy your face?" well, i guess i won't be buying a bike from your shop then.

only problems or pain i've had with my knees is when they hit the dirt from crashing. in fact, it seems as though i've had less lower back pain than i used to, too. my guess is i used to love trying to push a big gear.

well, my man Sheldon Brown has an article by a guy who says fixed gear riding actually cured his cycling induced knee pain, gonna have to paste it but check it:

http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed-knees.html

Sub 70 degree temps!

Wow, I forgot what this feels like. Who'd ever though that temperatures in the high 60's would feel cold. Tara even had to wear a fleece jacket this morning. Great day for riding to work. Only problem if this weather keeps up there goes my excuse for jumping in a car. the brooks is breaking in real nice and is super comfortable. Already had to tighten it. Seems as though its breaking in real quick. Got soft as hell on the ride Sunday, but that was due to rain. Been proofriding in every 2-3 rides so that is probably helping it.

Tuesday night cross and mtn bike races coming up at the del valle motocross park. Should be sweet as its under the lights.

http://www.advmxpark.com/id82.html

Sweet Weekend

bunch of riding this weekend. urban cross ride with my buddy Rey on Friday. Rode by Zilker Park and heard some music pouring out of the Austin City Limits Festival. Didn't get any tickets this year, although there were some acts I really wanted to see on Sunday, mostly Damien Marley.

Got to hear some good music this weekend though. WEnt and saw the Ephram Owens quintet last night at the Elephant Room. my favorite was when they played red clay by charlie hubbard.

http://www.ephraimowens.com/

Went on a sweet mtn bike ride yesterday. Figure all in all it was about 10 miles road and 18 miles of dirt. hadn't riddent the greenbelt in a while and I got worked. Super fun.

On the road today out to Buda with a new buddy Jeremy. Pretty nice to ride with someone who only had one gear. killer head wind heading out on congress, kept thinking the breakfast tacos were going to make a second appearance. the rain came down in Buda, but then it cleared for smooth sailing with the wind at our backs. Ended with a pitcher and some bugers. Sweet. Jeremy works at the peddler, a newish shop here in Austin.

http://www.peddlerbike.com/

Austin Moonlight Cruze

The annual moonlight cruz. starts off at 2 am, lamar pedestrian bridge. There was even a bunch of ravers at the start. Around town with a couple stops. few hundred people riding around. finished at a parking garage near the capitol at about 4:30am. sweet.

Walnut Creek

Walnut Creek is fucking sweet! Tight, fast singletrack, lots of turns, and short up downs. A lot of the turns are burmed too.

Cat

This little kitten came by our house. Fed it. Came in the backyard as we were grilling, hung out, spent the night, and seems like she wants to stay. Lefty Lucy, for her clouded left eye.

Brooks

Wooohooo! Tara bought me a B17 for my birthday. Nice. Finally can retire the old special edition turbo. Fucking thing was giving me saddle sores everytime I rode. Holes wearing in the leather. Gonna be fun getting this saddle to form to my ass.

DIE YUPPIE SCUM!

Oh shit, I guess that includes me. Tara's and my new Jetta turbo diesel. diesel is the shit. fuel economy is great. epa rates this thing getting 43mpg while independent reviews i've read say about 49.9! Fuck hybrids. We thought about buying one, but their lack of track record and battery replacement/disposal didn't seem to cool. Most of our driving is highway also so the hybrid wouldn't be great.

Its hot. Tara's a hoss riding everyday to her new job. Five mile juant downtown. Me, I've been lazy. Its just too damn hot to ride 15 miles to work, not be able to shower, then 15 miles back home in the hottest part of the day. Been over 100 everyday now for a couple of weeks.

We need some rain too. Everything is browned out. Trails are so dry and hard traction is hard to find through the turns. No since washing the bike, just wipe down the chain cause your gonna be covered by dust first 15 minutes on the trail.

My fine lady's pimpin new ride

In a week Tara is going to start teaching 6-7th grade art and english at our friends' school. Supe psyched, school is right downtown and she'll be riding every day. Might as well git yer self a new bike for the ride.

Bad ass commuter. Nice and light, what Tara was really wanting. Stout wheels, svelte (sp?) frame, road gearing, a little carbon, sold by Lancey pants.

Virgin ride tonight. Go get some ahi for the lady and pick up my epipens so I don't die the next time fire ants decide to attack, or next time dumb ass steps on a fire ant mound. Tara love it. Definately seemed faster up the hills and down. The higher gearing over the Dew so its pretty sweet riding along side Tara. She had a grin the whole time.

Only one little annoyance, heel kept hitting the end of the brake cable. Simple fix.

Not a bad day of riding for me either. 15 to work with a tail wind. Just enough that pushing my one gear was sweet. Good day to do it. 7 18-wheeler, 3 car, and a cement truck accident that closed the northbound lanes on I-35. One of the big rigs was a fuel tanker and spilled! My co-worker who live near me left before me, didn't make a breakfast taco stop, and arrived at work after I already finished a gatorade and a taco! Another 15 back home and then 10 with the wife.

Note to self, don't let the heat and humidity make you a puss.

thanks for the knowledge, Woodman

I really don't know why more mechanics don't do this. Is this a Lincoln thing or something?

Midge Bars

Well, my hands and wrists finally got fed up with the mustache bars. Found myself always riding in the curves since no other position, especially the ends were comfortable. Used to love 'em, but lately they are just kinda a drag. Probably started noticing it after putting the Jone's bars on my 1x1.

I've never loved traditional drops, so thought might give these a try. Ozone ordered me up a pair and they came in an astounding 3 days! Pretty awesome. Those guys rock! Vitus, the owner, is even trying to get me to go out on the Greenbelt with some of the Kona demo bikes. 4" of travel and gears, I wouldn't know what to do. Gotta take him up on it though. Will the dark side win me over? Doubt it cause anyone who seen my bikes know cleaning and wrenching often takes a back seat. Prefer the single gear where you can knock off the big mud chunks and just throw some more lube on the chain. Plus I'm too cheap for suspension.

Hopefully the heat and humidity wont bumb me out too much at 7:00 am tomorrow and I can test ride the bars on my way to work. Got a half mile ride in without tape to test the brake position. Felt damn good. Threw a dummy brake on there (with lever) cause I love riding on the hoods.

Enchanted Rock

Bunch of dumped pics from my bachelor party. Untraditional bachelor party. 4 dudes camping, climbing, drinking and not doing much of it till the last night, and no whores or strippers. Pretty fun though.

One of the most laid back climbing trips I've been on. Even more laid back than trips it rained cause your always itching when rain is keeping you off the rock. Start drinking and getting all sentimental about those long days, high up off the valley, on the rock. A majority of this was spent chilling on our asses, drinking a warm beer, shootin' the shit, and puffin' courage.

A picture of a problem not sent, but there was only one half harted try. A fall from it would actually mean a long roll down the dome or at least till you could stop yourself via friction.

Cave Crack, 5.6 splitter, old school 5.6, super esthetic line that even a hardman would enjoy, but probably sans rope, classic.

the everest guide scraping his way up a 5.8 crack.

petron and cubans. developed quite a taste for tequila since moving to tejas. big fan of the dirty mexican martini. that sounds real un pc but i mean dirty in that i like a bit of olive juice in there with the lime.

spent to much time hiking and getting lost in the dark. pretty funny since we had an everest guide with us. 4 guys including a professional mountain climbing guide are lost overnight on a trail frequented by overweight, bluejean and cowboy boot wearing, SUV driving, supersizing, Texans. Found dehydrated, disoriented, and hungry. One headlamp with dead batteries to blame. Moon not as dark as they thought.

What would Backpacker subscibers think?

Nothing like the frontcountry epic!

Saw Clinton and H.W. Bush speak at Tulane graduation this weekend. Pretty damn cool. But the jazz band was better. Somber music to celebration, classic. As a person who can begin to understand hydrogeologic situation New Orleans is in, all I can say is, "REBUILD!" Rebuild smart and make some tough decisions, decisions that mean ignoring politics and taking some holistic measures to manage the movement of the nations water through the delta. The cultural loss would be too great.

If any of you people who might read this have eaten at Crabby Jacks, rub that ole gut. There are places I've lived that I never though I would and never had the desire too live there. Those are the places I hold dearest in my experiences. My fondnest for New Oleans has grown fonder with every visit. The food, the flowers, the oak trees, the music, the people, is all wonderful and to be a part of New Oleans rebirth would be something unforgetable.

Peace, ya'll.

ljm