A Giant kind of day.

A Few of My Favorite Things.

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things”
                                      From The Sound of Music.

I am not so sure about the raindrops and whiskers, and I have little use for copper kettles, but woolen mittens have some possibilities and brown paper packages typically bring bike parts from UPS and that is very cool.

2010 was a year full of product tests and trail time on various bits of bike components.  Over those months, there are things that stood out as something I liked enough to make it a regular part of my ‘kit’.  As well, some of the trends and technologies that came about or hit the market big in 2010 have left some favorable impressions.

So, that said, Grannygear presents his list of “A Few of My Favorite Things”, in no particular order except what comes to mind.

2x10 drivetrains:  I am no stranger to running without a big ring, but 2x10 is more than just replacing your big ring with a bash guard and heading out to the trail.  10 speeds brought an 11-36 cassette so the low and the high end were still well represented.  The SRAM XX 10 speed (arguably the best of the lot) is what I have been on this past year and the front shifting of the XX chainrings is exceptional.  I seldom miss the big ring, but I do think that there needs to be a lower geared crankset.  Unfortunately, SRAM, the leader in 2x10 stuff, kinda’ boxed themselves in by the BCD (Bolt Circle Diameter) of the new cranks and a 39/26 is as small as it allows for.  I have ridden 38/24 cranksets with 10 speed back ends on some Specialized bikes....I bet you will see commercially available cranks from SRAM in that gear range for 2011.  In any case, Unless I was building a bike for touring the world or climbing the Rockies, I would choose 2x10 on every geared bike I own.

Wool rocks.  No wonder sheep are so happy.  This year I was able to sample some of the best clothing products made from Merino wool.  Swiftwick socks, an EWR jersey, the wool Buff headwrap, and just recently a set of wool knickers from Ibex clothing, all have made their way onto my finely chiseled body.  The new wool blends are not itchy, fit tightly and are easy to care for.  Nothing is as nice over a wide variety of temps and conditions and they do not pick up body odor.  The only downside is these fabrics do not pack down small like synthetics, but that is about the only bad thing I can think of other than initial cost.  They ain’t cheap, but they are good.

Tubeless tires are blessed.  Yeah, I know that they can be temper mental, especially if you have a tire-rim combo that does not play well.  But the Stans’ Flows I use on two bikes are just so easy to deal with and when I add a good running tire like the Specialized 2-Bliss versions along with Stan’s goo inside...well, it is magic.  Enjoy the potential of lower PSI, thorn flats are a thing of the past, you save weight, and the bikes roll better over a rough trail.  What is not to like?  Honorable mention to the Bontrager TLR system as another shining example of doing it right.

Classic parts.  This year I bucked the trend toward more modern freehub designs when I built up mynew SS wheels.  The White Industries hubs and ENO freewheel have been tight, right, and light enough.  Plus, they look absolutely gorgeous (NOTHING is polished anymore...really) and remind me of the Campy road stuff from years back.  They roll like crazy and fill me with satisfaction every time I look at ‘em.  Kudos to companies like WI, Phil Wood, and Paul’s for keepin’ it real and the classic hub alive.

Steel bikes.  Man, what is it about steel that is so darn good?  I like to ride all kinds of bikes and every material has its good and bad points.  As well, there is more than just the chemical composition of the tubing that makes a bike what it is.  However, the bikes that just make me want to ride over the horizon and smile for years to come are always steel.  This year the SS Jabberwocky has been providing me with that grin.  Pretty cheap, pretty good looking, and pretty darn fun to ride.  Steel is still real. 

Buff Headwear.  Yeah, it looks like just a head wrap thingy, but man, I love ‘em.  I can keep sweat at bay, stay warm, keep my ears protected, cover my face, wrap my neck, shade my skin, and play pirate....arrrgh, Matey...the possibilities are endless.  I would not want to go back to simple headbands again.

WTB saddles.  If I was looking to cross the world on one saddle brand, it would be WTB and specifically, the Pure V model.  I own three of them.  It is a wide-ish, medium padding deal with a kicked up back edge that works nice for scooting back and getting those glutes into play on long climbs.  Everyone’s backside is different, so ya’ gotta’ run what makes you happy.  The Pure V was made for my butt.  I wonder how they knew?

Singlespeeds.  One gear.  One planet.  The rest is up to you.  How can you not love that challenge?  

The perfect hydration pack...does not exist yet, but until it does, I have been impressed by the new Camelbak Charge 450 and have been using it for every ride this last month.  It is feathery light, smartly designed, expandable, and really comfy.  Plus, the new reservoirs are well thought out and an improvement over the past versions.

LED Lighting...has changed everything for night riding.  I built my own lights just because it sounded fun and I could do it, plus I saved some money.  Now there are lights out there that are so cheap, that I cannot build a set for what I can buy the others for.  Night riding rocks.  One little gem I use all the time are the FLEA lights from Blackburn, both the front and rear versions.  The rear blinky is bright and flashy, but the front lights are so darn useful for those rides that just need a little light to get you back to the house or car, or as a back-up to your Phaser Beam Bunny Burner 2000 lumen whiz-bang lights.  One of these Flea lights will get you off the trail at a slow pace and they charge via USB or solar.  I used two of them (one may have been enough...two was more than enough) on the h-bars to begin an endurance ride that had 30 minutes of climbing in the dark.  I did not want to haul my big lights around all day, so these were perfect.

Elete electrolyte additive and Fluid recovery drink.  One keeps me cramp free during hard, long rides, and one keeps me able to get out of bed the next day without feeling destroyed by that hard, long ride.  Honorable mention to Carborocket, a performance drink for during the event itself.  I have not used it as often but when I have, it has been a solid performer for me  

KT Tape. This stuff looks like odd little bands sticky gauze and works like magic.  I only use it for long rides where I tape up my lumbar area.  It keeps me noticeably pain free, preventing the tightening up of those low back muscles.  Not for every ride, but for the right rides.

My wife’s oatmeal bars.  Seriously.  They are little blocks of gooey joy, provide energy that lasts and lasts and they never taste bad, even after a dozen of ‘em.  No, she will not make them for you...but the point is this - get into the kitchen and experiment with your own concoctions to use as ride food.  Power Bars are fine and all, but I eat these oat bars with Green Tea for breakfast, stuff them into jersey pockets for ride snacks, and even grab one with cold milk after dinner.  You can’t beat the cost of making your own bars and no one likes a Power Bar with tea for breakfast...do they?

So, there ya go...a few of the things I have used, abused, enjoyed, and have come to count on to make rides better.

One order of Thunder and Lightning, hold the chain lube.

Last night was quite a show, both during and after a quick ride with JeffJ aka Circus Bear on a Bike.  We have been in monsoonal (monsoonish?) weather as of late.  We get very little of that in my 'hood, although the distant high deserts get it all the time, flash floods, etc.

To begin with, I was astride a new bike that I just had assembled, a 2011 Raleigh XXIX singlespeed with the Gates Carbon Drive set-up.  I am a willing skeptic in that I have been watching belt drives go through all kinds of teething issues and wondering if it will ever meet all the hype.  I hope so, cuz it is kinda cool.  More on that as time goes by.  Another thing that is new to me is a rigid fork.  OOOffff.  How do folks do that as a full time ride?  You really do have to adjust the way you ride.  I always lock out my fork when climbing and just cruising along on my SS, but will open the squoosh valve when things get fast and rough.  No way to do that here.  Lots of elbows and knees getting used here.

The frame sure feels stout and yet has a nice steel feel, but it ain't light, not at the price it sells for.  Not sure if I can live with the fork beat down, though.  I may have to run a squishy fork on there at some point.

At the high point of my ride, since I am still a bit iffy on an SS ride post-surgery, I let JeffJ top out a bit beyond me and I sat and ate some of my wife's killer oat bars.  In the northeast, there was a storm a' brewin'.  On the way home, I had seen huge anvil head clouds rising off the high desert and over the distant peaks of the backcountry.  man, I wish I was up there all bivvied up and in the middle of it.  I sat and watched lightning strike after strike, often with multiple fingers out of the clouds, dance in the darkest part of the clouds just 5 or so miles away.  Hurry up, big Jeff.  Not a place to be in a lightning storm astride a steel bike.

 

Later down the trail and out of the storm's path, we paused to watch the day wind down.  Yeah, it could have been a lot worse. JeffJ contemplates below.

Later that night and into the morning, the gods that dwell under the mountains were up late into the wee hours, bowling and drinking and gaming.  Thunder.  Oh yes, thunder...and lightning and rain.  Sweetness.  Now THAT rocks you to sleep.

Need a new mini pump?

Well, how about a 'Midi Pump'?  I have been airing up on the trail with a pretty shiny and cool pump from Lezyne as well as a new multi tool and CO2 set-up.  Man, Lezyne has lots-o-stuff to offer.  I love the all metal look of the pump...very retro to the days before plastic was in vogue.  More info here:  Review on The Cyclist Site.

Osprey Raptor packs

Lately I have been hydrating myself from some of these packs...

So far I have been enjoying the latest from the Hydraulic-Raptor series of packs from Osprey.  The Raptor 6 (on the right) is the baby bear and the Raptor 18 (on the left) is the poppa bear.  I think there are a few niggling things that needs to be addressed, but my fav so far is the Raptor 18.

The pack making experience of Osprey shines thru and I cant wait to get the 18 out on a big ride.  Last nights 2 hour ride showed it to be stable and well fitting.  The shove-it feature can swallow a ton of clothing.  Full test reports to come.

Hydration Pack Junkie

I have to admit it...I could be a hydration pack junkie.  Lately I have been testing a fair amount of the fancy little (and bigger) water sacks and if I add those to that the ones I have bought, well....I am overflowing with silnylon encased H2O.

Do I need any more packs?  No, not at all, yet I still find myself looking at the catalogues and picking out the next model.  Silly.  I can't help it, but look at it this way...it's waaayyy cheaper than meth and I get to keep my front teeth.

The search for the perfect pack drives some of that.  I wish I could design my own as none of the ones I have tried get it 100%, not that they are not good packs, they are.  It is just that I always think, "Well, if I only had this feature there or a pouch here, a nip-tuck-stitch, etc.

I am wearing a new model from Osprey, the Raptor 6.

Mine is a spiffier color, but this smallish pack has a lot of nicely thought out features and looks to be very well made.  I am enjoying wearing it and I will do a full review in time.  But then I think, "If only this was tweaked here and there..."  Sigh.  The junkie in me is not satisfied.

Maybe I should shop for investors and open up Granny's Packs.  Do it my way.  Or not.  Meanwhile, I will try and restrain myself and limit my pack habit to a dozen or two.  That outta do it.

New Pony in the Barn...

...and out into the pasture for the first time.

One goes out...one comes in.

Time for the Tall Boy to go back in the box.  And then, time for this to come out and play.

Specialized Rockhopper SL Comp 29 SS

Tall Boy question?

Do Ferraris come in orange? This one does.

Is that sexy or what? Belissima.

Tall Boy out of the Tall Box

Tall (Boy) Boxes

Good things come in tall packages.

Coming soon to this blog.

Road Trip...By Plane.

It is not often that a bike company offers to fly me up for a 3 hour tour of the shop, a bike ride/test session, and sushi after. Not often at all, in fact this is the first time. But that is the situation I find myself in as next week, despite the dismal weather predicted - nearly 7 days of rain forecast, something that I hardly EVER see happen on So Cal. So I asked the Nor Cal boys if the rain will change anything...postpone, etc...and the answer was "we ride in the rain, bring rain gear." Well, alright y then. Color me muddy.

I am totally stoked actually, and I hope I do not embarrass myself on the trail.

"So, where did the old writer dude go?"

"I dunno. I heard some gasping and wheezing sounds just before a pitiful scream and then silence."

"Huh, just another media hack after all."

Sigh.

Well, I hope to not disgrace the name of 29".com and have to go back to writing on bathroom walls for my creative outlet. Hey, it beats Twitter...no one hacks a bathroom stall.

But all of that kind of pressure aside, how bad can it be? Hang with some bike nuts, see how they turn passion into products we get to enjoy, ride a bike I don't have to clean up after the puddle jumping, and then write about it all. Oh, and sushi. Can't forget the recently dead fish rolls.

How bad can that be?

Good is Good

It has been my fortune to be able to ride some nifty bikes lately, most recently the Specialized Epic Marathon. This has let me compare a more modern approach to a 29er FS to my trusty Lenzsport Leviathan 3.0.

The Epic has slightly shorter chainstays, a longer toptube, a much stiffer front end/fork combo, the correct offset and fork height for the frame, hydroformed tubing, and the super Brain Shock tech working for it, all backed by the might of a mega bike company with cutting edge resources and multimedia all over the place.

The Lev has old geometry, 18" chainstays, a 3/4" shorter top tube (also an XL frame), a pretty stiff front triangle paired with a noodly old Reba, was never meant to run at 100mm (designed around 80mm) and has the wrong fork offset for the slacker HT angle, no hydroformed tubes, but plenty of hand formed and nicely welded aluminum pieces, and Propedal is required to keep it from being a bunny rabbit when pedaled vigorously, all backed by one man...Devin Lenz from a one man shop in Colorado who has not updated his website since WWII.

The Epic is more agile, steers more precisely, has the amazing Brain, and has better overall balance.

But.

It is amazing how well the aging Leviathan holds up to times passing. I rode it again last night on the group night ride. I could feel the flexy Reba and the slightly slow steering when it needed to dance a jitterbug and not a salsa beat. And, I needed to do the Propedal Boogie to keep it climbing well AND descending well, but honestly other than that, it is a great bike still. If I upgraded the fork, say to a Fox 100mm with 15QR, that stiffer front end and increased offset would be a big improvement. I can't help the longer rear stays and shorter TT nor can I do much about the RP23 needing Propedal to perform well, and frankly, that is not a big deal to me, but it goes to show how well done the Lev was from the get-go.

Devin at Lenzsport continues to push the envelope of 29ers with his Milk Money FS SS and the PBJ 7" travel 29er models. I know the new Levs have shorter chainstays, tapered HTs, and longer TTs available. It goes to show how a little fish can still be relevant in a big pond.

Besides that, he is a darn nice guy.

Mr. Lenzsport, Devin Lenz

Defrosters for the Feet

Well, it I have had enough time in these zapatos to know that they are pretty much what I needed and less than I hoped for. I was hoping for absolutely warm feet and that did not happen, but I am pretty convinced that a good deal of that is my body chemistry at work as I have chronic issues with cold fingers and toes.

That said, the BG Defroster shoes are well worth a look if you need something more than a typical riding shoe. More details here.

Disclaimer: The shoes were freebies from the manufacturer as noted in the article.

Epic Ride, Epic Bike.

It seemed like fate, that an epic ride (or close enough to epic for my fitness level at this point in time) would come onto the calendar just as I took delivery of the Epic Marathon 29er.

The organizer was jeffj, ringmaster of the Dirt bags, a local riding group. The course was in the semi-nearby hills of Ojai and consisted of an 8 mile paved climb to the beginning of Sisar Rd, then around 9 miles of pure uphill fireroad, first along a running creek under the Sycamores, then on open mountain side, a few more miles of faster ridgeline fireroad, and then around 7 miles of downhill singletrack, twisty, loose, narrow, rocky So Cal singletrack. 31 miles and around 5ooo feet of climbing. Sweetness.

There were several of us...9 all total...and the weather was perfect with temps in the 60s to the 70s with no wind. Once the pavement connecting part was out of the way, we hit the dirt and began the climb along a running creek under the canopy of sycamores and poison oak.


There were two water crossings before the real climb began and they were just deep enough to be a concern for wet feet.

Chuck is worried his new Giant will shrink to 24" wheels.

Todd goes for it...no shrinkage happened.

From here, it was head down and pedal...and pedal...and pedal. maybe two hours? Not sure. The Epic is a superb climber. I am an average climber. The bike is light enough and all that, but the Brain shock, combined with a lock-out on the Reba fork make for a hardtail-ish experience that is the real deal for long climbs like this. But, the rear shock will open up and take all the sting out of any roughness in the uphill path unlike a true hardtail. Niiiice. Then, for all that hard work, ya gotta stop and enjoy the view.

That arrow is pointing to islands off the coastline of Ventura, CA.

Can you hear me now?

We hit the saddle and took a well deserved break. Much past here my camera batt expired so I cannot show the singletrack, but it is typical So Cal stuff: Narrow, sloughy, off camber, switchbacked, loose, rocky, covered in oak leaves, brushy, fast in places, and steep. The Epic was all I could have asked for. I really expected it to be a bit of a nervous race horse, but not so. Very competent and more.

jeffj (aka circus bear on a bike), stage left.

The Epic in repose.

Smile for your close-up.

Singletrack zoomage.

New Scooter in the 'Hood

OOOooo! Going riding tomorrow. More to come.

New Horizons

Well, it has been way too long since I rode someplace new. It used to happen all the time, but I have been spending more time locally as the needs of life and such corral my spare time. But on the schedule is a fine ride post Thanksgiving Day that will be in over new horizons at last.

As well, it should be on a new bike if Fed Ex treats me right. The Epic Comp 29er is something I am very excited to ride. Past spins on this bike (or a Marathon, the up-scale version) have been pretty good.

It seems that most of my creative energy has been reviewing and writing product stuff lately for The Cyclist and twentynineinches.com.

I have been wearing the Specialized Defroster shoes quite a bit and while I still have more time to go before I pronounce them blessed, I have had enough rides to know that they are making a difference in a good way. I needed a better solution to fall through winter riding that did not involve plastic sandwich bags and cold toes. I am not sure if the guys in North Dakota would find them adequate, but I bet the Lake boots would be way over the top for my So Cal needs. Definitely worth a look of you are looking for something better than a mesh toed shoe.



As well, the Specialized Vice helmet is a winner in my book. It is definitely a snug, full coverage feeling helmet but I am liking it.
I also have been running around on some new tires, the Wolverine 2.2 29er tire from WTB. More on that here.

So, new bike, new gear, new trails, and hopefully a new sense of discovery to go along with it. Have a great Thanksgiving Day. Go ride a bike if you can.

Popsicle Toes.

Yep, that is me all over as soon as the mercury dives below the 60s. Even in the 50s I can get chilled at the piggy level and by the time I am in the 40s and below, it is only a matter of time till the cold creeps in to numb my feet.

So, this year, I am fighting back with these:

I really do not need full on winter boots...no snow rides for me or really that much rain, usually cold wind. But one ride last year was wet, cold, and colder as we climbed. Finally even the exertion of riding uphill did not keep me warm. Brrr. No toes at all, as far as I could tell.

Heck, my normal riding shoes have mesh panels in the toe section! I have tried wool socks, plastic bags, etc. That helped, but eventually...ice cubes. I am hoping I can cut the wind factor, add a great deal of water resistance, gain insulation in the construction of the shoe, and give my feet a fighting chance. The next step is the chemical warmers, which makes sense for a epic cold ride. But, this should get me out the door and back home again with warm feet on 2 hour, local winter rides.

If they do, I will be a happy man. And warmer. Pigs in a blanket, you might say.

Sock Love

Recently I was sent some samples of socks. Yeah, I know...yawn. But not so fast. These socks rock. Swiftwick has something right when it comes to snuggly, comfy and supportive footsie wraps. I am going to wear these through some Fall conditions before I make a final judgment, but so far, they are my go to socks among a batch of other players in the game.

Happy feet. Give 'em a try.

I'm a Winner!

So I was cruising Twitter and I watch the tweets from Ergon. Jeff was throwing out a challenge to answer a question about some Ergon product with the first correct response winning a set of the new GA-1 grips. I guess I was Johnny-On-The-Spot cuz I won.

Just one ride on them so far, mounted to the Jabber SS, but I certainly have some strong impressions. It is surprising how important that point of contact with the bike is...the grips...in how the whole cycling experience plays out.

More as I get time in the saddle after Interbike.