* what we really want and why we don't get it

A new bike opens up all kinds of possibilities for reconfiguration of the current bikepile.

I think the Kamped out Karate Monkey will see a Pugsley fork soon, so as to experiment on the cheap with the 135mm front hubbed wheel. (I checked the measures, and it'll fit a 29" wheel.) I have seen a lot more flex in my 29er wheels than I care to on occasion; most notably with big fat tires. I have plenty of rear wheels to serve as fronts for the duration of seeing how the ~20mm difference in height affects (head tube angle) handling. If it sticks, then the possibilities are legion...a dingle on the front and geared in the rear camping bike would be formidable. And I would then be in the position to purchase a front specific hub for actually testing the stiffness thereof.

*EDIT: I see now, the Paul Components Whub 135mm front hub will not work with the Pugsley fork since it (the fork) is designed around rear disc spacing. Kinda puts a damper on the whole thing.



I am also thinking hard about SSWC09, and logistics. Who wants to ride Telluride-Durango on one of the days immediately preceding? I may or may not ride a mini-tour across southern Utah. I may or may not swap out the SS dropout on the Black Cat singlespeed for a hangered dropout to use gears for that pursuit.

Of course, Interbike is to follow, so best start training now, suckas.




No camera=no pictures=no proof, but I was in SC riding with some Santa Cruzers on Wed., which was a laugh a lot type of Good Time. They do got the good trails. I will slip in here the observation that chasing trail-wise speedy flat-barred local-types down their own playground whilst drunk aboard a drop-barred v-braked rig in the dark can lead to a whitening of the knuckles. The work I'd planned to do on Thurs. did not end up materializing, and as I'd committed to spending the night to do it (and face it- driving home after the ride on Wed would have been a baaaaaad idea) I was all of a sudden cleared to ride all day in the hills. With the shady redwooded trails and the twisty turny roads and that.

Out the door (thanks for hosting me T___, and I mean that however it strikes your ear) and on dirt for the climb up westSIDE ridgeSIDE and _offman's _istoric. Up some more and it was Ridge to Braille (which rides like it sounds at first and then steepens dramatically) to road. Summit Store to pay for water, a cold tallboy, and the freshest ripest biggest juiciest most wonderful peach ever. Ride on to the top of that one road that can only be mentioned in a whisper on account of it's superlativity up and down for a brief rest- to drink the tallboy, a wee snort of the whiskey I'd promoted from the kitchen of my hostbody ( I just laughed when I saw the selection in the pantry- 'extensive' and 'portable' come to mind), and a safety break.

down. Fast as hell, crappy one-laned pavement twisting and swooping. I especially love that. No one can do it better.

I made all the right turns to end up at the trail entrance to _enry C_____, and made adequate choices there in terms of tight twisty singletrack to reach the RRtracks. Softly, I rode them down into town to pick up the race van and head home. Tired. Feeling good.