Me versus Almanzo

I've been slacking on updating my blog for the past few months, but recent events have inspired me to write again. Namely, Almanzo. Almanzo is a 100 mile gravel road race held in Spring Valley, MN in May. Now there are dozens of great blogs about other experiences of riding Almanzo, but none of them adequately describe MY experience. Noting the differences between what people take from this event, further adds to the beauty. My laptop is out of commission for the time being, so I don't have pics to upload. The other Almanzo war story blogs have much better pics anyway!

Every Almanzo blog will resonate the same tone, that of thanks. Chris Skogen organized one hell of an event, and not a single person left the start line without a ton of admiration and respect for him. There's nothing more I can say about the guy. A true Minnesota ambassador. Except for that damn Red Sox hat he frequently wears!

I'm not a racer. I ride for the joy of riding. My philosophy when it comes to bike events is simple. Have fun, and don't finish last. When I sent off my postcard registration, I took it quite seriously. I knew it would be the single hardest physical challenge I have faced, and not finishing was not an option. I started watching what I ate and exercising regularly (for the first time in my life), trying to shed a few pounds (lost 15 as of this post!). What I didn't do was train. I rode my Surly Troll more often, as that was my weapon of choice. I didn't prepare with long rides like I should have. Prior to the event, my longest ride this year was 20 miles! I usually ride one century per year, and usually have a couple 50+ mile rides in before the day of the 100 miler. Not this year.

The 5 hour, rainy road trip to Spring Valley with friends was great. We talked bikes and bullshit and tried to make a plan for the ride. We picked a place to camp, and set up for the night. We checked into race registration, enjoyed the pasta dinner, and hit the local liquor store for some tent-side nightcaps.

The tent led to poor sleep. I was worried of continuing rain, awakened by animal noises, and the anxiety of what I was about to do finally hit me. I can ride 100 miles. I've done it a few times, it's not intimidating. But to ride 100 miles...on gravel? I questioned myself. Hills too? Self supported? On most of my organized paved road centuries, there are water stops with snacks every 10 miles. Not Almanzo. I knew at mile 40 I could refill, and maybe again at mile 70, but in my mind, that was it. I prepared myself to ride alone, so I brought 4 water bottles, tons of food, and enough spares to ensure safe return. My bike must have weighed 40 pounds at the start line. Yikes!

The start line packed the streets of downtown Spring Valley with over 950 racers, mostly on lightweight road and cyclocross bikes, mostly with 2 water bottles, and very few had large bags attached to their bikes for food and spares. Were these people foolish? Was I foolish? What have I got myself into?! My anxiety rose as Chris spoke and the countdown to the ride began. And then, we're off! The first few miles flew by, the perfect weather, the large groups of man and machine, the birds chirping. It was pure beauty. I settled into a group and quickly got separated from the friends I had intended to ride with. I ran into a couple familiar faces and had some nice at-speed conversations.  I was feeling great and holding a speed much higher than anticipated. My anxiety was gone and my positivity above the day was at its highest.

And then, the hills. Holy shit. These aren't little rolling hills like I'm barely used to, these are mountains in comparison. After the first big hill, I knew exactly what I was up against, and I slowed down. My goal of having fun would be ruined if I suffered too much. My goal of not finishing last was not as big of a concern as just finishing. I settled into my own groove and just rode. I didn't draft, join pacelines, or employ any other tactics that most of the others were. I rode alone. I'd pass others and get passed myself. I'd try to start conversations with others. Those who were receptive, I'd ride alongside for a mile or two before getting separated again. I had a long day ahead of me so I rode in a manner than would allow me to finish. I laughed at all the water bottles ejected in the road. I wondered if someone would be mad about losing the Rapha branded water bottle I saw. I saw a lot of garbage. Lost cue cards, full and empty gel packs, foil wrappers, and other disgusting acts of taking a race too serious.

My mood changed frequently through the day. At my slow pace I was able to look around. I waved to the cows. I said good morning/afternoon to the farmers I'd see. I'd get thrilled to see cheering spectators. I'd get blown away by the pure beauty of Minnesota. Did Chris chose this route for the scenery? Did he chose this hill out purely for torture? I'd stop to look over a little bridge, or cool rock formation. I took a few pictures and stopped to change cue cards and eat a bit. I tried to maintain intervals on when to drink or eat. I learned how to descend...while descending. I walked up a few hills instead of riding, just to look back and see others doing the same. I would look at my cue cards, look at my watch, and try to figure out what time I'd finish. I thought of the giant cheeseburger and a cold beer that I'd inhale after I finished. Never in my mind did the thought occur that I wouldn't finish. That was huge for me.

The only mechanical problem I had was a loose cleat on my right shoe. My bike did great, although my chain was no longer quiet after 70 miles. The lube had been washed off by the rain on the drive down and I forgot to reapply some. Minor inconvenience, and the sound of gravel under my 2.4" tires drowned out the squeaking. My body was feeling good. My knees and quads weren't bothering me. My butt wasn't sore. My hands were starting to ache, but it was to be expected. I wasn't drinking enough, as I'd still have one full bottle at the 40 and 70 mile water stops. Then mile 75 came.

An oasis in Cherry Grove! The chants of "Cold beer!" and "Rot gut whiskey" were heard from a few blocks away and I had hoped it wasn't a hallucination. Sure enough there was a tent with beer, water, soda, chips, and yes, rot gut whiskey. I enjoyed a cold beer and watched a couple riders bypass the stop, and a watched a couple swig off that whiskey bottle. The differences in cyclists that have joined in this adventure added to the experience. From the shave legged, skin suiting wearing, serious roadies, to the hipsters taking smoke breaks, every stereotype was represented. It was beautiful. It was pure Minnesota. It was something I was proud to be a part of.

I pushed through the last 25 miles, which seemed to take forever. I noticed for a minute that I was no longer having fun and came to a stop. I changed my cue card, ate a fig newton and regrouped. When I started back up, I enjoyed the breeze, and quick conversations with others. I was having fun and I was going to finish the Almanzo. Having seen many people drop out of the race along the route, I knew I wouldn't be last. I debated if I'd ride next year or not. I debated why I didn't ride it last year. I was proud of myself for my ability, for both being able to stay positive mentally and to endure physically. I crossed the finish line to the sound of cheering people, got a congratulatory handshake, and ended with a time of 10 hours and 47 minutes, in 718th place. Considering over 1300 registered, and over 950 people started, not bad for me! I was thrilled to have not only finishing the hardest thing I've ever done, but to walk away with a renewed sense of being. My love of Minnesota was renewed. My love for riding was renewed. My belief in positive thinking had paid off, and that giant cheeseburger and cold beer hit the spot.

I am thankful this event exists. I'm very thankful my family supports my cycling. I'm thankful I have friends that say "let's do Almanzo". But most of all I'm thankful for all the memories that I will carry with me after that day. Thanks Chris!

Meet Supertramp!

Been too busy riding this thing to blog about it! Here's my 2013 Surly Troll, aka "Supertramp". Why Supertramp? Well the band Supertramp from the 70s had some great songs, my favorite of which is "Take the long way home". This bike is all about doing just that. Adventuring, getting lost, and "hey what's down there" kind of riding. Also, I started building this on September 6th, which is the 20th anniversary of the discovery of Christopher McCandless' body. Morbid? A little. Christopher McCandless inspired the book/movie "Into the Wild", which is a great (real) tale of adventure. Chris' alias throughout his travels was "Alexander Supertramp". Enough of the nicknames, here's the bike.

The Build was a parts bin-budget build using some parts from my Pugsley (Pugs got upgrades!), parts from the forums, and stuff from the LBS.

Wheelset: Handbuilt Shimano M529 hubs, DT butted spokes, Stan's Flow rims (decals removed) Tires: Continental XKing 2.4, tubeless Crankset: Old LX triple Derailleurs: LX rear, XT front Shifters: Microshift Thumbies Brakes: BB7 Misc: Salsa Stem, Mary bars, Race Face post, Selle Italia saddle Cables: Jagwire Ripcord in Ergon Green Headset: FSA Orbit Pedals: Gusset Pinhead Bags: Relevate Designs Tangle and Gas Tank

On pace to have 200 miles on it in the first month, which will be a record for any bike I've owned. This bike is ridiculously fun and comfortable. I can't wait to take it out of town and get lost for the day.

Another one?!

Adding a new bike to my stable, this one has big shoes to fill. I looked at my current bikes and tried to find something to fill in the gaps. Not wanting to have overlap, I chose the biggest gaps to fill.

1) Gravel. None of my bikes would inspire me to ride gravel all day.
2) Lock it up. None of my bikes would I want to scratch up/trust having locked up.
3) Ice. My Pugsley does great in the snow, but its encounters with ice usually knock me on my ass.
4) Braze-ons. The more, the better. Racks, bottle cages, anything cages, fenders, etc.
5) Disc Brakes. Winter/wet commuting is a lot safer with discs.
6) Enjoyment. Something that begs to be ridden, far and/or anywhere.
7) Not too pretty. See rule #2.

So looking at this list had me torn between a couple choices, either build something new like a Salsa Fargo or Surly Ogre, or find a nice old mountain bike and build it up my way. The problem with the Fargo is that it's "too nice", and it wouldn't meet rule #2. The problem with the Ogre is that it's the same geometry as the Surly Karate Monkey (which I've had, and don't like), and the curvy seat tube. The seat tube limits how far the seat can go down, therefore my wife couldn't ride it.

The old mountain bike idea is solid, and a popular choice among commuters, but it doesn't meet rules #5 or #6. Plus doing what I want to it would far exceed the value of the bike.

So enter the Surly Troll. Revised for 2013, this frame has a ton of #4's. Having seen their capability up close (read the www.boundsouth.org blog!). This bike meets all 6 requirements and then some.

When the new frames became available, I quickly ordered one and a ton of parts. This build is going to be ugly. In a good way. Using most of the parts I have laying around from other bikes, and some used ones from the bike forums. There will be no being careful with wrenches, if it gets scratched, so be it. I may even take the decals off. Surly frames are built so well, that if I want to gussy it up years from now, I can re-powdercoat it and add new decals. This should be fun, assuming the rest of my parts come in...

Cuyuna: The Hype is Real

I was switching the Black Floyd slick tires off of my Surly Pugsley this evening to put the knobby tires back on. My shirt and hands turned a lovely rust color....

2 weekends ago I headed up to Crosby, MN for an IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association) Trail Building School. Crosby is where the Cuyuna State Recreation Area is, and it is absolutely mountain bike heaven. The hype is definitely real. Every blog, article, forum post you've ever read about it is absolutely true. Crosby and its neighboring town of Ironton were mining communities in the early 1900s, and what is now "Cuyuna" is built upon the tailings of the mines. The beautiful tire staining rust is iron ore, or what the locals call "Cuyuna Gold".

Beyond the draw of this park, the town itself is incredible. It's vibrant and thriving. Unlike many of the communities I drove through to get to Crosby, this town is hoppin'! Bike racks everywhere, people window shopping, old couples holding hands on the sidewalk. The trails have completely revitalized this community. I was blown away by the positive impact mountain biking can have. This town is a treasure! Beautiful scenery, expertly built trails, and something for everyone.

Now something for everyone would include beginners, and I had thoughts of bringing my family there to go riding, so I went and rode "Boot Camp" and "Easy Street". These are the easiest trails out of the 25 miles of singletrack that Cuyuna has to offer. These trails were every bit of fun as the harder trails! Super flowy with just enough twists, turns, and grade changes to make it "beginner" friendly but still a blast for those who have more advanced skills.

I ended up riding about 16 miles before packing it up and heading back to Crosby for dinner. After 3 hours of riding, I was tired, thirsty, and hungry! I stopped at the "Ya Betcha Bar and Grill" for an awesome burger and a frosty pint of Arrogant Bastard ale.

Bikes, Burgers, and Beer. Yup, Crosby has it all. Go and enjoy it!

Century Time

Yesterday I rode the 2012 Tour de Cure in Fargo. Finished with 102.1 miles on the day.

The weather was nasty, started rainy and somewhat chilly. Then lots of wind came to dry things out. For a while there we had a nice tailwind and were cruising well over 20mph for a stretch, but that was quickly negated by 25+mph headwinds that had us crawling at 11mph.  All in all though it was a good ride and it was nice to raise money for charity again.

My new Cannondale Synapse proved to be a good choice. Nice and comfortable just responsive when I wanted it to be. Really liking this bike so far, and it has less than 300 miles on it! Hoping to get the odometer over 700 or so by summer's end.

MCA

You know it's strange to be affected when a celebrity dies. Very rarely do I actually feel a "loss" when I read the news of a familiar name passes. Today is different. It's Adam Yauch, or "MCA". A voice that repeats often in my memory. When "License to Ill" dropped in 1986, I was 8 years old. I remember watching the "Fight for your right" video on MTV (Yes I remember when MTV actually planned music videos!) and wanting to throw an awesome party. I remember playing "Paul Revere" over and over in my pre-teen years and hiding it, like I would know I would get in trouble for listening to "that" kind of music. Middle school dances, High school parties, and even into my 30's, the Beastie Boys have been a part of my life. Random one liners from their list of songs frequently get repeated in my dialog, and I can still act a fool and nod my head to the beat of "Root Down" at a moment's notice. Today I feel the loss of a voice of my generation, and I can't help but be thankful to have the songs of the Beastie Boys be a part of my life. Much love and respect to Adam Yauch. Thanks for the jams. God just passed you the mic.

I feel weird

I drove two days in a row this week. I haven't done that in a long time. The wind was blowing up to 50mph, which is beyond insane to be out on a bike in. Considering that my Father-In-Law's Jeep has been sitting in my driveway for a couple months without moving, it was an easy out. The Jeep needed to move, and I needed a ride. Without inconveniencing my wife, I had a way to get to work that didn't involve my normal backup plan. My feet. I feel dirty. I'm gonna hide the keys now.

Speaking of my feet, I gave into coworker peer pressure and registered for a 5k. I'm not a runner. In fact, I hate running. I've always hated it, even since middle school. I've never been athletic, so running is truly foreign to me. But I need to change my exercise habits to include things other than cycling. This challenge is proving to be a welcomed one. My first attempts feel very odd, but I can concentrate on my form and do my best to learn "the right way".

Driving? Running? WTF is happening?! Weirdness I say.

Road season is early!

What the heck happened to winter? It's over 50 degrees in mid-March, the snow is going away quickly, and there are a lot of walkers and joggers out. Since I finished my Romic project bike yesterday, I figured today would be great for it's maiden voyage.

A quick 20 mile jaunt to a neighboring town. A loop I've done a few times before, and it's one of my favorite "I only have this much time to ride" destinations. I don't know how many miles have been put on this 38 year old bicycle, but I can tell you that I will be putting a lot more on as time goes on!

Snowpacolypse Failed/Goodbye Bikes

The 10-14" of snow that was due to fall a couple days ago ended up dropping less than 5". Plus it's somewhat warm out (for this time of year) so it's melting already. The wet slushy snow and melted runoff is sure making a mess of man and machine! I'm so glad I found a reasonable fender solution for the Pugsley. Using the SKS Mud-X up front and the SKS Grand M.O.M. on the rear, I've been able to stay fairly dry as long as I make sure to slow down before hitting big puddles. Here's the latest incarnation of the Pugsley Super Commuter:



Goodbye Bikes:

I sold my Surly CrossCheck. The love/hate relationship with it was too much, and everytime I looked at it, I just saw dollar signs. Surly's outstanding resale value means more toys for me. So the proceeds went to pay for the Romic project and the new Husker Du tire on the Pugsley. There might even be change leftover. We'll see.

I also sold the Itoh fixed gear bike. I'm not the single speed type. It gets windy here, and the tall gearing was just too much for my knees on days with headwinds. Plus I hate checking the weather to see if it's a "ride" day. I replaced it already with a touring bike. More on that in another post.

American Dreamin'

I love bikes. I think about them a lot. One of my recent thoughts was about American made bikes and parts. This was spawned by Velocity Rims moving production from Australia to the US, and recent blog postings from master frame builder Bruce Gordon. His revived Society of People Who Make Their Own Shit really got me thinking. Is it possible to build a bike with all domestic parts? The answer came quick when you look at the consumables, like tires, chains, tubes, cables, etc. as no one makes these parts here. So no, it can't be done in this day and age. Unfortunately.

Then of course the more I look into it, the more I realized that even if everything was made here, I wouldn't be able to afford it! Some of the best bike parts are made right here, but they aren't cheap. There are a 100+ world class framebuilders constructing beautifully crafted bicycles here in the US too, but most of them won't pick up the phone unless you've got $1000+ willing to be spent on a bare frame. Way out of my league at this time. (Someday, someday)

So how is one person on a budget (hey, that's me) going to ever get an American bike? Buy used of course. Since I know how this vision looks in my head, I needed to narrow it down even further. Steel. Lugs. American. Forged dropouts, Threaded fork. Not super hard to find either, and of course, it would need to be affordable. So these requirements led me to Trek, circa 1986 and prior. Trek made some great bikes right here on US soil, and they were popular, therefore making them easy to find. Hell, even my Xtracycle Trek 850 has a "manufactured in the USA" decal on it. I thought I had it all figured out. But I wasn't excited. Treks are still popular and I see them all over. That's no fun, I want special!

Enter Kansas.

During my family vacation to Oklahoma, I started scouring ebay and Craigslist for possible bikes to take home, since the market around a 150 mile radius of my house is a dud. I found an interesting post on CL and send the guy an email. He said he had over 30 road bikes and it would be worth my time to stop by. I let this prospect bounce around in my brain all weekend. I didn't commit to stopping by until we were already enroute to Kansas. I'll spare the details of the barns, sheds, and grain silos that bikes were piled in and get to the point. The key part is that when that door opened, I saw green and chrome. No other bikes mattered. What is it? How old is it? Where have I heard that name before? I handed my wife my iPhone to do some Googling, and I looked at other bikes to see if there was something in my price range. Nothing else got me as excited as that green and chrome bike. I offered every cent I had on me, and negotiated like it was a life or death situation. Then I strapped the green and chrome thing to the car and drove home. The American Dream has begun, at less than the price of the taiwan-built frameset it will be replacing. Oh boy.

So here she is!



Exciting huh? That's what I bought. A completely incomplete and non-functional project. A very special American made frame and fork, built in 1974 by Romic Cycles in Houston, Texas. First generation Shimano Dura Ace components that someone painted black. A whole lot of work ahead, and decisions to be made. This is going to be fun. Since the snow and ice outside will prevent me from riding it for a few months, I have time to track down whatever bits and pieces I want to make it exactly like it appears in my head. Like my American Dream. Just with some Japanese and English parts here and there too :)

2012 Riding Goals

Well I learned last year that my mileage goal was easily achieved, so this year I'm raising it. This year will bring in a new (old) road bike, which will inspire longer rides. So here's what I'm thinking...

Mileage: 2500. More than I did last year, but still attainable.

Rides:

-I'll be doing the MS150 again, and hopefully the weather will cooperate this year to allow a double century. 100 miles days, back to back.

-Do more Sabin runs. It's a 20 mile round trip from my house and it's an enjoyable route. I just need to get off my ass and do it more often.

-Bikepacking more. At least twice this year! My friend Phil gave me some really nice panniers, they need to be used!

-200k Brevet. 124.27 miles. It'll be the longest one-day distance I've ever done. With an organized group like the Minnesota Randonneurs would be cool, but solo is fine too.

-Become a better rider in the wind. I usually chicken out if it's blowing over 15mph, I need to just get out there and fight it.

-Detroit Lakes lunch ride. Repeat goal from last year I never made it around to.



That's all for now, I might add more later. As I dive into this new project bike, I'm sure I'll be inspired to come up with more.

Year in Review

Not sure why I kept track of these stats, but I did, and here goes. GreenLightRide makes ride tracking really easy. Since I'm going on vacation (sans bike), I can do the tallies early.

Commuting:
74 Trips on my Surly Pugsley (Fat Bike)
64 Trips on my Surly Cross Check (Road/Cross Bike)
48 Trips on my Trek (Xtracycle Cargo Bike)
14 Trips on my Itoh (Fixed Gear)

200 Total Bike Commute Days

23 Total Car Commute Days

Bike Mileage:
976 Miles for Work
172 Miles for Errands
1,125 Miles for Fun

2,273 Total Bike Mileage

Safe to say I CRUSHED my goal of 1500 miles for the year, without even really trying.

My bike rides also prevented 918 pounds of Carbon Dioxide from entering the atmosphere, just another little thing that GreenLightRide tracks.

I haven't even thought of a single riding goal for 2012, but I figured I'll have plenty of time to ponder them on a long road trip in the car.

It's been a good year, and I'm excited for the possibilities that 2012 will bring.

GGCows!

GGCOWS. Gravel Grinder in Celebration Of the Winter Solstice. Hosted by the good people at the Ski and Bike Shop in Grand Forks, ND. The intent of the ride was to have a fat bike gathering, and to do a metric century on gravel. 100km/66 miles in the frigid ND/MN river valley? Sure. What a great way to burn a Saturday.

The start temperature was about 14 degrees. I think it got up to around 30 for a little bit, and was at 22 when we got back to the shop. Cold day, long ride, I am whooped! But it was the last big epic ride of the year, so I figured it was worth it. It's a good gauge to see how my health and fitness has progressed this year, as well as testing gear and machine. I stayed pretty warm, the Pugsley worked flawless (although is now overdue for a new chain and cassette as I could hear grinding with every pedal stroke), and I was happy with how my lungs and legs did. I did start getting cramps in my calves in the last 10 miles or so, but I think that's because I didn't drink enough water.

Speaking of water, and carrying water. Velocity water bottle cages suck bigtime. They might be cheap and come in cool colors, but they are damn near impossible to get a standard bottle out. Mine are going in the recycle bin.

Longest ride I've done on the Pugsley, and I gotta say...100km on gravel, on a fatbike, is much harder than riding 100 MILES on road, on a road bike. At least I reached Climax ;)

Happy Anniversary, Pugsley

Today marks one year since I bought my Pugsley from Paramount Sports in Fargo. It's one of those things that I still enjoy immensely after a year. I still giggle about something every single time I ride it. Today was no different, in fact today was just plain awesome.

It's December 11th, there's no snow, and it's 40 degrees outside. An odd combo, but I'll take it. Today I decided to go explore the riverbanks. With no snow (or rain!) the river is down low and there's plenty of moon-like dry dirt and clay to go ride on. In fact, in the 12 miles I rode today, less than 1 mile was on pavement. I'd say 8 of those miles are on surfaces and paths I've never ridden before. A whole new realm of riding possibilities have opened up, and I'm freakin' stoked.



I saw deer, wild turkeys, squirrels, and even a raccoon! I've never seen a raccoon in the wild before. It made my day! To have a bike that can go ride these surfaces is amazing. There's no way any other type of bike could have ridden on most of the stuff I rode on today. For that alone makes owning a "Fat Bike" worth while, because that's what it's all about. Riding places that other bikes can't. Snow, beaches, river banks, mud, etc. There's just not much that can stop it. It's that monster truck mentality that appeals to my inner child, inspires giggling, and makes riding fun. Fun in the sense of childhood riding fun. Remember that freedom and excitement you felt when you first went out on your own? Exploring the neighborhood and showing off to friends? It's that kind of fun. When you have kind of enjoyment, the price of the bike seems cheap.

I've changed a lot on this bike since I bought it. Not that it really "needed" changing, but I just love to tinker. I can't help it. The latest addition was a new wheelset. I really wanted to build up another set of wheels since my last ones came out so nice, and this was a great place to improve Pugsley's performance. Took over 2 pounds of rotating weight off the bike and added 17mm of width to the rims. Lighter weight = faster, and more width = more footprint, to keep me out of ruts and hopefully floating on top of snow easier. Plus they look bad ass.



I can change out the rim strips to whatever color or pattern I want! It'll be a cheap and fun way to dress up the bike. Now it just has white, with some reflective tape in spots. Hopefully the gap in between reflective areas will make for a flashing effect when riding at night, instead of a solid white stripe. We'll see. It'll be fun to experiment. In the meantime it can stay as is, because me and my friend Pugsley still have lots of exploring to do.

Getting Ready for Winter Part 2

December and still no snow?! Still plenty of wind and cold though, so it's still winter even without the white. I've been trying out my new gear and making adjustments as necessary. I haven't driven my car to work in over 3 months, and I really want to keep that streak going! Right now my gear is as follows:

Helmet: Bern Watts EPS with Knit Liner
Goggles: Giordano OTG
Face: Outdoor Research Balaclava
Jacket: Old Louis Garneau jacket (coupled with BluBox fleece jacket below 5 degrees).
Pants: Foxwear Neoshell
Boots: Keen Brixen

My "under" layers are my normal work clothes. My commute is short enough that I can get away with it.

The Foxwear pants are by far the most expensive article of clothing I've ever purchased, and yet I don't regret it one bit. Custom made to my specs using his selection of fabrics. The weight of the fabrics depends on riding temps and budget. Lou sent me a few swatches of fabric and I knew right away which one I wanted. The Neoshell. It's $30 more, but so worth it. Waterproof, windproof, breathable, and warm. A unique combo of features that outdoor companies have been trying to achieve for years. You can run the fabric under the faucet and water just bounces off of it. Really impressive stuff.

Once my fabric and measurements were decided, Lou made my pants and had them to me in about a week. Since then I've worn them with just bike shorts underneath, long johns, and work clothes. With simple layering they'll keep me toasty from 35 to -35. Plus they are built really well and should last a long time. The drawstring waist adjusts accordingly for layering or weight fluctuations, and the pockets are perfectly placed. Simple and well thought out, these pants will keep my legs warm all winter long. You can check out the Foxwear gear at Foxwear.net

Getting Ready for Winter Part 1

In early September I decided I wanted to get Pogies. I looked around at the few makers and decided on Moose Mitts. These are made by the people at Trails Edge bike shop in Michigan. When I ordered online, it specifically said that production wouldn't be until mid-October. I figured it wouldn't be super cold until November anyways, so I didn't mind waiting. Prior to their arrival, the good folks at Trails Edge emailed me to say "hey it's been a while, do you still want these?". Heck yeah! They arrived 2 days later. Great customer service in my book.

Now these Moose Mitts are hand made in the back of their bike shop by their employees. Not in some sweatshop in China or Taiwan, but here in the USA. When it comes to American made products I don't mind paying a little extra, but these were only $60 shipped (now $65). Figuring that these are a low-wear item, they should last quite a while. They are very well made and the attention to detail is pretty impressive. No loose threads, no defects, etc. I was very happy with them when I took them out of the box!

The biggest benefit is that you can ride with these in super cold temps with normal gloves. No need for super bulky gloves that are hard to shift/brake in. Having full control of your bike in winter situations is important. Last year I wore 2 pairs of gloves layered, which did OK, but using the controls on my bike was tricky. Now that the pogies are in place on my Pugsley, I have ridden it 3 days this week, wearing nothing on my hands other than a thin wool liner glove. Granted the temps are just in the teens (so far!) I have no doubt that these will work great all winter. I don't think I'll be needing to layer up gloves anymore!

If you're interested in getting some of these before it gets too cold, visit Moose Mitts

Getting Caught Up

So I've been off the blog wagon again, just busy I guess. Most of my pictures for this blog are taken from my camera phone, and my phone was annoying me, so I didn't want to take pics. Well I gave into the iPhone4s this week so hopefully I'll take more pics.

Back in late October my beer friends and I went to Minneapolis for Darkness Day at Surly Brewing. It's the one day a year the bottled beer is sold at the brewery, and the release day is usually a week before stores get it. So we made the trip down to the Cities and ended up getting to the brewery early, about Noon on the 22nd, a full 23hrs before Darkness Day began. We were FIRST in line! We set up our tents and starting drinking beer, then the madness began. More people showed up, we drank more, we ate good food, and had a great time along with 3000 other like-minded people.

Now this trip to the Cities also allowed me to bring me bike, since Milltown Cycles was hosting a Fall Gravel Tour on the following day. 45 miles of Minnesota gravel roads. It sounded much better leading up to it. I was so excited to ride, but this was before I had gone on a 27hr bender at the brewery! I still made it out, and I'm glad I did. Even though I wasn't feeling 100% (more like 60%!) I still made the ride on my own time and was able to stop whenever to enjoy the scenery without a group. It had been a while since I'd been on a ride where you come down a hill, or turn a corner and see something so breathtaking you just want to stop. This gravel tour had a few of those. It was amazing. Next year I'll make a trip without the hangover and I'll enjoy it much more.

Besides that I've been still riding to work everyday and testing out my gear in preparation for the long cold winter ahead. Expect some product reviews soon of my Foxwear.net pants and Moose Mitts "pogies".

So I drank a PBR...

And grew out my facial hair. And built a fixie. Coincidences I assure you. The PBR was at a cyclocross race, the beard is seasonal, and the fixie is my new crap weather commuter/bar hopper.

I traded my volunteer hours at the FMCBW Co-op for this old Itoh frame. These frames range from gas pipe "crummy" bikes to Bridgestone predecessors. This particular one seems to be in between. Built in Taiwan, nice lugged construction, and a nice chrome fork.

The goal of this bike was to build something nice enough to enjoy and be proud of, but not have to worry about it as much. I'm still super paranoid about leaving my bikes locked up. It's already scratched up and has rust spots. Beauty + Usage = Beausage, per Rivendell. It's perfect. It's this ugly, yet classy baby blue.

When I found it downstairs at the co-op, it was complete and stock as pictured above. I stripped off the unwanted parts, swapped on different stem/bars/crank at the co-op and brought it home. I added the saddle, bar tape, and brake levers from my parts bin, and bought the wheelset/chain. I think it came out great!



It didn't take me long to get used to riding fixed gear. Less than a mile I'd say. Its still a bit odd to get used to not coasting or shifting though. I actually enjoy riding it much more than I thought I would! I pulled the fenders from the CrossCheck and put them on the Itoh for this week's wet weather and used it as intended. Perfect!

IMBA Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day

One of my LBS' had an event to celebrate the International Mountain Biking Associations "Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day" this past Sunday and I was lucky enough to take my 12yr old with me. He's never been offroad before but was excited to go.

Specialized sponsored the event and provided water bottles and t-shirts to the kids, which was very cool of them to do. There were probably 8 or 9 kids that showed up with their parents which is a pretty impressive turnout for as little publicity as this event got around town. Since I know the trail pretty well, I led the first group which was just myself, my son, another 8 or 9 year old girl, and her dad.

We started off nice and slow, talking a lot and trying to keep the kids excited, because I was certainly nervous that my actions could scar these kids for life and they'd hate it! We stopped and walked the tricky spots along the way, like the log crossings, switchback turns, and off-camber climbs. Soon the kids were complaining about the little hills and walking up every one. After a short break, we waited for the next group of riders to catch up then we started again. The second section is pretty easy and flows nicely so no walking was required. Speed was. My son was riding my wheel and warning me that I'd better speed up! Whoa! We're all having fun now! So I took off a little trying to encourage some speed up a hill, and whaddya know, both kids climbed the hill on their bikes and commented that "that was easy!". At this point I'm stoked that they are enjoying themselves and all nervousness on my part was gone. I took the time to stop at the hard parts and if I felt I could describe an easy way to ride it, I did. Soon the small log crossings (under 6" diameter) were minor obstacles for this young shredders. And when we reached the hardest part of the trail, the kids were ready.

I stopped at the top of the hill, looking down at what I feel is the trickiest spot of the trail. 100 feet of downhill to a 1.5' jump/drop followed by a sharp left turn. The drop has just enough lip on it to "kick" the bike so you can't go full speed and hit it and be ready for the turn. I warned the kids and went down it the way I normally would, thinking they'd walk it. Nope. My son followed my line and did just as I did. My jaw dropped. Proud daddy moment was in full effect. I think all the parents had that pride when we got back to the parking lot. It was a great time and I'm glad that Specialized and Great Northern Bicycle Company in Fargo made it into a event.

My son said he was exhausted when we were done. I was tired too, but still had enough energy left to take my Xtracycle up the local bike co-op and start a new project. More on that later!

Fall

Since it's just me and my youngest son today, we pried ourselves off the couch (not easy!) and went exploring. The Xtracycle with iBert combo was put into duty and we were off. With the high river levels all year, most of the bike trails that run alongside of it were muddy for the summer. Recently they cleaned up some of the trails, and we went to go ride them.

Unfortunately the Sertoma Freedom bridge, a walk/bike/ski bridge that crosses the Red River is still out of commission, but we found two other bridges to cross over from Minnesota to North Dakota in our ride today. Most of the trails weave through parks, are asphalt paved, and lined with trees. Some of the best scenery in the area, especially now that Fall is officially here. Squirrels gathering acorns, bright yellows and green trees, and the crunch of leaves under my tires. Amazingly it was 70 degrees today and with the amount of people out today, I think we're all thinking the same thing...that weekends like this aren't going to happen very often in the next 6 months, so get out and enjoy. I'm glad we made it out for a 12 mile ride today, the couch feels even better right about now.

Right before I posted this blog, I entered that 12 mile trip into greenlightride.com, where I've been tracking all my trips. Today's ride makes an even 1700 miles for the year. Nice!