24 Hours of Old Pueblo: The new mission is set.

The gauntlet has been thrown down. The CyclePathic Tendencies are active again! Stacy and myself will be attending the 24 hours of old pueblo in Tuscon, AZ. The event dates are February 14-15th. Stace and I will be entering in the 2-"man" co-ed division! Clearly this changes the face of our endurance racing scene temporarily. Instead of a luxurious 3,4 or 5 hours on the bike, we will be shouldered with an even 12. Instead of cushy 3 or 4 hour breaks between laps we will likely have 60-90 minutes to repair bikes, change clothes, charge lights, cook/eat or (god forbit) sleep. Being that at all times one of us will be on course, the other will be left to their own devices, and I imagine the early morning hours will be particularly cold, lonely and tiring with no one to talk to, wake you up or cook food for you (though I've heard rumor of a blistering foos-ball competition in the wee hours of the night!). However, we agreed the mark of any true character building experience includes significant time with yourself in the face of adversity. I think this is where you generate you inner passion from, and an connection with the more basic form of yourself. So, for this event we are shedding the "fun" and replacing with a challenge. We will be without our beloved teammates (unless anyone else wants to rally together another team!) to cheer and encourage. Instead we will handle all mechanicals alone, cook our own food, wake our own selves up for our laps in the search of that better side of each of us!

This event offers a whole new challenge simple because it is desert riding. It will be February and the valley the event is held in is rumored to get very cold, occasionally snow. Of course the course will be ripe with rocks and very sharp cactus. I intend to do some research as to whether rattlesnakes are dormant during that period of the year... =) All are welcome to join and form another team of 2, 4, 5, 6 or whatever. We will be out there with the big white dome, the 2x4 bike rack and a lantern burning all hours for CyclePathic Tendencies!

Happy 33rd Birthday, Zach!!

New project, new therapy

The newest installment from the garage of Franken-bike/Miracle-it-went-back-together labs has began to take form. It's no mystery that I've become enthralled with simple one-speed bikes lately. Anyone who knows me has seen the crazy-eyed look I get around a noisy drive train. But this latest one was an appeasement of my desire for simplicity and a further exploration into working on bikes. Thanks to Zach donating his old steel Fuji touring bike, I was able to dive in up to my elbows in old, frankly archaic technology. Amazingly, though there is a simple beauty to these old parts.

Sifting through the wreckage.

Side note: this entire project was born from my almost defiant need to avoid studying. With boards looming ahead in about 4 months I battle between being highly motivated and desperately inactive. In the latter times I often resort to throwing a bike up on the rack and tinkering. But rarely does it get beyond an oiled chain, or a disc brake adjustment.
That all changed when I looked up at the old Fuji, in all its fender and gear rack glory, and decided to tinker. Back in the day, a company called SunTour was one of the more common manufacturers of bicycle mechanics. Known now as SunRace, they crafted some of the more hefty and classic hubs and cassettes of their day. Compared to today's technology it seems at the very least old fashioned, but again, there is a something amazing in the simplicity.

Once the bike was stripped, and the rear wheel came off, I knew this would be the crux of the project. Not only was I dealing with a thread-on cassette that had probably been in place for years, and with spokes also likely to be left without adjustment for some time, but the old thread-on hubs don't allow you to just space out the cassette to add just one cog when making a single speed. With modern hubs this is barely even an issue, but with these it's a journey into the inner workings of bicycles. I was going to have to re-space the hub, and re-dish the wheel.

The lab

Hubs had always given me trouble. I can't remember ever getting one to tighten properly. Not only that, I had never laced a wheel. I left a dab of tri flow on every spoke nipple and went to bed to sleep on it. The next day I had off, and I rolled up my sleeves and went for it. A crescent wrench and a ball-peen hammer made relatively quick work of the cassette. I worked out the measurements to re-space the hub to the right so the single cog would fall in line with the front chainring. This however takes the rim with it, leaving it rubbing up against the frame. Next was the methodical process of redishing the hub. 1/2 turn by 1/2 turn I loosened the drive side, then tightened the non-drive side until amazingly the wheel traveled easily 10mm back to center in the frame. Truly the wheel continues to amaze humans like me. But, to my amazement, it had worked! A few tweeks here and there and the wheel was true! No broken spokes, or bottomed out spokes. None of the spokes traveled up into the tube space. It was a thing of beauty!

After deciding this wouldn't be a fixed gear project, I bought a freewheel from the local fixie masters at Bicycle Shop Santa Cruz. This shop is a gem I never even knew about! Fixies are amazing in their simplicity, but in practice they can be death machines! If nothing else they are a little unpleasant to ride. The fixed gear makes perfect sense in a track racing environment, but on city streets it's just impractical. I kinda think they are a fad, myself... But, who am I! Personally I enjoy coasting, so a freewheel it was! This of course means I'll have to include at least a front break, but likely both, thus meaning I have to clutter up the simple frame lines with cables and what not... Oh well, brakes are a luxury.

As it stands a few things need to be tweeked to get it right. The bars and brakes remain as the next hurdle. I'm debating leaving the traditional bar on there, or doing the "flip and clip" style. Amazing to see where the mind goes when it needs a "vacation". Apparently for me losing myself in bicycle parts is as good as therapy!

PS: Special thanks to the late Sheldon Brown! His website continues to be a god-sent.

Trip Report: Northstar/Mr. Toads

I think I'll take this opportunity to offer my opinion on a bike while I'm reporting on one of the finest trails I have ever ridden. The weekends agenda included a Sunday trip on the slopes of Northstar and a Monday trip down Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, arguably the best trail I've ever ridden. The bike of choice for the weekend was a 2008 Specialized Enduro SL. Alloy frame, Avid Juicy Ultimate 7 brakes, SRAM build. I was a little worried on the first lift up at Northstar that the Enduro would act like nothing more than a long travel XC bike. I was prepared for a very fast twitch unstable feeling. Much to my surprise the machine handled jumping remarkably well, and remained quite stable on bumpy straits.Northstar was, to be generous, chewed up! The braking bumps leading up to jumps were brain jarring, caused by lesser experienced riders doing a last minute brake jam right before the jump. I'm not sure if Northstar is strapped for cash, or they are just lazy but they seem to be falling behind on maintaining the more popular trails like LiveWire or Gypsy. They are adding new jumps, so I know someone is up there working. Perhaps a constant grating down of the braking bumps will keep us riders happier.

Monday was a trip down Mr. Toads. The climbing to reach the trailhead is about 3 miles of HIGH quality technical uphills. Any rider worth their salt would consider it high priority challenge to ride a trail like this cleanly. Once at the top the views are enough to remind anyone that amidst all life is a beautiful thing. Decending beings right away, and will not let up. Initially the terrain is technical. A few of the steeper sections came at me pretty fast, as I was chasing Zach and didn't notice. So I hit a few of them much faster than I would have liked. Riding terrain like that versus regular single track is like the difference between pleasure reading and studying Harrison's text of Internal Medicine. You have to focus on every damned word on trails like this. The enduro handled this terrain quite well. My only gripe was that the rear suspension was not as plush as I would have like. Even at it's softest, it was still to springy.

Another major problem with the bike is the propiatary triple clamp/stem system. Being that they tout this bike as an "do it all" it's amazing that you are limited by two key points. One, you cannot replace stem lengths or change the angle of stems. Basically you are stuck with a fixed connection point. Two, the turning radius at slow speeds is severely compromised by the fact that the fork sliders hit agains the frame. I found tight turns at slow speeds actually kind of difficult.

Eventually the terrain mellows out and leads into amazing FAST sweeping sand turns. Amazingly fun riding. I'm very glad we all decided to not rest stop after a certain point because connecting the whole last section in one go was amazing!

I'm giving the Enduro an A- It's overall versatility is truly amazing. With the adjustment options for the rear shock on the frame and the adjustment on the front fork you can readily switch between a stiff XC machine and a slacked downhill worth machine! After this weekend I would seriously consider buying one. I would swith the fork out with a TALAS 36 for the same adjustment and travel ability, but decreased turning radius. I would love to switch the shock out with one of the Fox models.

Miracle Racing Film

Trailer for the end of season film for Miracle Racing. Sorry for the poor quality, but the video size needed to be small to upload. For more quality and the full length video come to the get-together!

Dude, are you alright? Part 2

In response to two recent occasions in which friends made full use of their helmets, I thought I'd elaborate on the nature of head injuries. This is a continuation of Dude, are you alright? Luckily, as serious as brain injuries are, the response to them is easy in a backcountry setting. The only variant is how fast you need to get someone to medical help. Of course it is only easy because you only have a few options to choose from, but actually dealing with a head trauma is a different story. I'm lucky to say I never have myself!

Head Bonk:
A head bonk without concussion will cause any number of non-alarming symptoms from headache, ringing in the ears, blurred vision and mental cloudiness. Pupils will remain responsive to light. Remember to ride slow as you will be fuzzy for a few minutes.
Concussion:
This is a brain rattle severe enough to piss off the lining of the brain. The brain itself cannot sense pain, but those fragile linings do in a big way! The signs of a concussion include the above symptoms in addition to nausea, disorientation and dilated pupils. I usually check anyone's pupils in a crash. Under direct flashlight, or direct sunlight normal pupils should constrict to about 1-3mm in diameter. Dilated pupils in a head injury will stay dilated to a size greater than 4mm. The degree of a concussion needs to be assessed by a doctor as there are some risks associated.

Subdural Hematoma:
This is the next up in severe head injuries, and involves a slow bleed in the outer lining of the brain. This blood pools into a ball ("hemat" = blood, "oma"=tumor/mass) and progressively puts pressure on the brain. This is a medical emergency, and can be assessed by the follwing symptoms. People with these injuries will become very disoriented, irritable, nauseous and clumsy in their walking and talking. If severe enough, the eyes in addition to pupillary dilation can become deviated.

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage:
In most cases you REALLY have to knock your head hard to get one of these. But consider this! A person had a recent surgery, or something requiring them to be on blood thinners (Heparin, warfarin/coumadin or high dose aspirin, ibuprofen.) Now their blood clotting mechanism is compromised, and they don't require much impact to cause intracranial bleeding. So don't think this can't happen out on the trails!! This is characterized by a headache that is almost intollerable. Blood is a major irritant in the body when outside of the vessels, so when it contacts the linings of the brain it causes excruciating pain. I don't even think you need to know much more since if you see someone like this, you'll know it ain't good. But, they will be very disoriented, clumsy or numb in their extremities and nauseous, and may even vomit repeatedly. Check for pupils being reactive to light equally on both sides. If not, problem confirmed. Diagram of unequal pupils

Remember this with regard to head injuries: It may very well be bad enough to happen. So if your riding partner shows any of the signs of something serious, time for you to take it serious!

Now let's have a little chat about helmets!! I'll save you all the specifics save for just 3.
1. They NEED to cover your forehead. Otherwise, a helmet is more or less useless.

2. They are single impact only. Meaning one good bonk warrents replacing that helmet!

3. Bike helmets are not DOT approved. Deptartment of Transportation (DOT) approval recognizes a helmet as strong enough to handle highway and concrete impacts. Since a lot of riders now ride at near highway speeds on hear concrete hardness ground this is a consideration. This also includes full face downhill helmets unless there is a DOT or SNELL approaval in the inside.

Ride safe!

The case for one speed: Why derail a good thing?

We live in a world of options. Salad with cranberries or goat cheese? Coffee or vanilla non-fat flat latte? We usually have a choice on just about everything we desire. But how many times have you stared down a menu trying to decide between a florentine omelette, ollalieberry pancakes or an organic Mediterranean scramble. Choices can be amazing. Choices can be maddening! I believe we have surrounded ourselves with so many options we are now going bananas trying to decide between them all. However if you just closed your eyes and ordered any one of those breakfasts at random, or just asked for a basic two-egg breakfast, chances are you would sit, eat, enjoy and leave satisfied.

The presence of choice constantly creates the possibility for derailing your focus. All too often we allow ourselves to be derailed and to pursue another option prematurely or before realizing what we have left behind. How many relationships have been torn apart by the allure of another, only to have the guilty party realize they were chasing after an illusion?

There is a lure about the simple life. I remember one morning driving into Superior, AZ after driving all night for a climbing competition and stopping at a diner with Zach for breakfast. After sitting down I opened the menu to read the following:

Breakfast: $5.95
Lunch: $6.95
Dinner $9.95

I remember thinking, "Wow, this is easy!" No hesitation, I ordered breakfast and had my hunger satiated. Onwards and sideways!

Yes, I can tie this easily into bicycles. The word derail should lend a hint as to how I might get there. The amazing devise that allowed for the evolution of mountain bikes to multi-geared machines, also allowed for the use of quick release wheels that sat in convenient vertically oriented drop-outs. This stationary position of the wheel eventually allowed for the ease of transitioning bicycles to the use of disc brakes. Derailleurs also served to constantly tension the chain so as a chain stretches there isn't any need to loosen the wheel and adjust the tension. As technology got more advanced and chains got narrower bikes began to carry many gears! Now-a-days there are about 27 gears at a rider's disposal. Amazing, right? But what shadow does this technology cast? Well, a few for sure! Weight is of course and issue. More cogs, longer chains and cables and shifter mechanisms all contribute to a heavier ride, though most riders are willing to tote the extra grams for the ability to shift gears. Complication is a dark side of geared bikes, and has lead to its own pathology set. "Chain suck", rattles, poor adjustment are just a few on top of the general idea that more parts equals more parts to break.

However, what happens when you finally ordered that Mediterranean scramble? Perhaps it comes and you spend breakfast wondering what the florentine omelette might have tasted like. You've lost focus on breakfast. What happens in a race when you constantly have a thumb on the shifter contemplating a better gear? Perhaps you've lost focus on your race. The amazing technology that clanks and clatters along behind you in every ride could be a force derailing your whole riding experience. I know that personally I've paid a lot of attention to the noise coming from the derailleurs on my bikes. To me a rattle gives me the sense that my bike isn't quite as together as it should be.

As for me, at this point in time. I've decided to sit down and order the two-egg breakfast. Perhaps it is just because I just can't afford the ollalieberry pancakes, or maybe I'm curious if I can just sit and really enjoy those two eggs. My bike now has one short chain, and two cogs (10 less than it used to!). In a box in my yard is hundreds of grams of equipment that apparently I never really needed. I can say for sure, in the middle of this meal I have really come to appreciate what eggs taste like, and how well they go with a piece of toast. Not once have my thumbs gone for a gear when I come to a hill. Sure, it is a lot of work getting up the steeper hills, a lot of work. But, that's just riding, right? Plus the pleasure of a silent ride downhill is doubly worth that effort, and the knowledge that I won't go out of adjustment, have a stick come up and snap off the derailleur of have the chain come popping off the rings makes me relax and enjoy the ride ahead. I think once people are stripped of all the options they could have they find the ones they do have are plenty, and sometimes the preferred! Maybe everyone will soon begin to live more simple fulfilling...rides. =)