forced to reevaluate your goals

I figured I had this bike, the $15 complete, 1989 StumpJhumper (the J is silent I understand), just cluttering up the joint with it's horribly good looking but dissatisfyingly small and spinny 26"edness. A bike around with which it would be possible to tinker. There is a lot of talk about the new new- when is there not in the bike industry?- and it is true I do not love the 26" for myself and my style of riding.

[aside: I feel that wheel size should be chosen to best match rider size/style and that 27.5"/650b-if-you're-nasty has a valid place if you are looking to retrofit a 700c bike with a larger volume tyre for some hott action ungettable on 25mm, or maybe if you are between 5'6'' to 5'11" and are real damn particular, otherwise it is a straight punch to the hard sell and some buy-it-because-you-lack type of snake oil.]

Anyhoo, I had nothing to lose and possibly something to learn, so I ordered some rims (25mm wide Velo Orange Diagonale 32h) and some tyres (2.2' wide Maxxis Ardent front and Crossmark rear- that Crossmark hooks up like a champ, too) and away I went.

27.5" and 26" respectively, in a science shoot-off.

There used to be a stop in the drop...

which I chopped. And later cleaned up with a file.

That derailler was crapped out and got replaced.

Clearance looks good.

I thought perhaps I might retain the Paul's cantis, but nope. For kicks, I put a v-brake arm on the boss. However the tyre is so tall the cable canoe rests atop it. It is times like these that allow me to bask in the warm glow of my bike-part hoard, though....WTB Speedmaster cantis c.1995. That is OG, son. The leverage is unfortunately reduced by moving the pads so far up the arm,but it runs and don't cost nuthin.

 Booty bin almost matching King hubs?!? Yep.

I been sitting on these for a while. This seemed like the time. It's been years since I rode a King rear, and I forgot how instantaneous pawl engagement is. It is a fucking delight.





Swapped out the dirt drops.

New parts are rims, tyres, cables/housing and purple lock-on grips because obviously. It's so nice at this point, I'll trade out the poopy chainrings and BB.



 Yes, I have been riding it. It's fun. The thing I notice most is the King's snappy get-up. The less than optimal cantis feature, too. As for the real point, the wheel size; the 27.5" climbs punchy or steep well. It is a slog on the longer stuff. I notice it's zzzzzzzzzzsmallness, just like a 26", and pine for a bigger momentum. Same on the flats. It handles nicely in the tight singletrack- speaking of which, the new 49?

 Holy shit. I have to say- whoever routed that, you did a real nice job. Thank you! Seems like you were constrained (by BLM distance regs?), and there were a couple too-tight serpentine folds that I think are going to wash out, but you clearly had to dump elevation and your mandate was clearly Good Times. That's a man date I like to go on. Well routed, player. Fun up, fun down.

In the end so far, I remounted the rear baskets and threw on the porteur rack and it will be a fun townie and spare camping bike. It's fun, but not a dedicated trail bike for me. Also, I could potentially use those wheels on that old Salsa La Raza, whenever I actually get that running again.

If, for whatever reason, you got an old 26" bike you wanna swap over, it is likely doable. Even easier if using a disc specific wheelset.

That is all.

Lick Stuff!

Carmel to Aguajito to 68 to Laureles to Toro to Robley to Laureles to CV to Cachagua to Tassajara back CV to Carmel proper, aboard the bits of glue and fabric. 

I was disinclined to skip any pave. Twisty back roads wherever possible. Tell you as of today that 68 is a messy wreck right now with all the sloppy overlay. I did not love that. The valley past the village is always good, though. Having ridden the Cachagua lolipop both ways, climbing Cachagua and heading back via Tassajara is the way. Oddly, I passed 3 people doing the reverse. Weirdos.  Great climbing, great descending.

I feel very aggressive on this bike. Even with the stem reaching for the sky, there is an easy 3" drop from saddle to bar. It's been at least 9 years since I rode (shall I call this regularly?) with anything approaching that far below saddle height. What the?!? A 61cm is a XXL? That's insane. The bars are too narrow. My shoes are too soft. My saddle isn't perfectly adjusted. I changed cleat position. Etc. As for the aggression, that much more flexion at the waist is giving me the power and majesty of a brightly burning tiger. Felt like I could reach out from the abdomen and pull the pedal stroke around. Hey! Trouble for you...cuz I just kept feeling froggy. Even after the multiple and varied quad cramps the option to push remained. Not so much during- there was the option to yell and shake. Really quite impressive cramping today. I did find the sun out the valley, out from under this coastal haar, and the heat was a factor.

I was really feeling the sun. First, I was glad to see it. The morning was cold fog so thick it was drizzly. Later, the capsacin based analgesic I'd smeared on elbows and knees hotted up. HOTTTed up. Whew. I just reanimated it with a hot shower 12 hours after application and it is back. No joke. Anyhow, the warmth of the sun drenched climb really lit me up.

66.6miles?

no talking to the New Kid

Sitting here with a budding saddle sore, and my swellbow on ice, I am a fine figure of a man. The saddle sore feels like a shiny walnut dead in the middle of my right ass cheek. For what it's worth, the swellbow is on the right too. It's all right with me. But really, I feel great! It's funny, but these 2 local issues aside (and how glad I am that me swellbow can be relegated to a local issue...knock wood) I am filled with the quiet storm of heartiness. Why, just this very minute I feel so good I could let slip a ass whooping from hell on any uthaucka cares to ride a flat barred bicycle on twisty, moderately technical singletrack with lots of rollers and open areas for recovery.

You know, unless that person were a 120lb girl riding a singlespeed up and down relatively technical twisty singletrack in the dark.

There might be that.

I took a test bike from a company known for their big red S (branded even on your sleep, it's so prevalent- geez.) up some climby redwooded fire roads and down some grippy trails. I didn't like it. Rhymes with jumpstumper. The narrow saddle was very grippy- it kept ahold of my knickers (and I mean that in the 'merican way) and forced this saddle sore issue...to a head. Sorry.
The seat post was slipping on the way up. I also could not find a sweet spot to sit "in" the bike. Played with seat position,and height to little avail. I didn't like the bar- it felt like I was fighting it to hold my hands at the angle they require. I think a longer stem would help. The auto sag was cool. It climbed well, and in the long fire road sections I felt good about opening it up and giving it some stick, but the tight stuff- not so much. To be fair, I should put a longer stem on it and try it again (just getting used to the different balance points and the action of suspension bikes takes a little time), but you know how some bikes just have you grinning from the start? This one didn't.

So. Looking forward to getting that Pugsley...

Carbon road bikes have been whispering their slutty come hithers to me as well. Is it so wrong to want to ride the shit out of some potentially dangerous robot bike and then sell it every year to a square/rube/lawyer so I could (maybe) get another year's flawless porno ride from a throw away blow-up doll of a machine?

It's wrong, huh? I know it. I cannot condone a bike that requires a _ucking sticker to protect the downtube from "impacts" (like, uh, gravel?) in order to not crack and shear.
But. They ride so nice. Brief, but niiiice.

Whatever. That is back seat to the call of the fatbike, and this is all academic for now.

ridicule is nothing of which to be scared

For those of y'all who visit to keep up with the latest in bar styles and hippest music...



you are in luck, Friend.





D_____'s new bar set up on his new ride.



31.8 matte black riser mated to a frame matching white stem is out. Back-swept Nitto Jitensha (too narrow for me) held with whatever stem I had lying in the parts box (in this case Bontrager Race -oooooooh) that would work is in. I also shoved his saddle forward.



Don't hate. Celebrate.

bike set up

Having just had a house-load of bike folk around and about, I am thinking about bike fit. Yes, again.

I got on the Surly LHT for the 1st time in moooonths (since I installed the Nitto moustache bars, in fact) and it's too long. I want to like those bars (esp. as I have several pair), but unless the bike (and more to the point, the stem) is very short, they just pull me into an uncomfortably splayed lean. I'll be removing them, and replacing with something else; not sure yet, maybe drops, maybe some Albatross/Northroad type.

In looking at D and his new bike, similar observations are highlighted. As per yesterday, he needs some getback. He can dig scrapping. But he can't dig...that...backstabbing.



When I lived in Moab (should I say operated from?) it was common courtesy to loan out-of-towners a bike if they needed one.

Apparently that is not a custom in California?

This led to some inneresting sights as people matched well to the loaner or didn't, but it was a given that a bike could be had within certain circles. It was also a given that the borrower took full responsibility for, and good care of, the loaned ride. You just knew that. I'm not going to get into the dangers of cross-chaining a narrow-assed 9speed drive train, but I will say it might behoove a person to give a different set up a fair trial before adjusting everything (seat height, brake feel, etc) to their familiar ways. Particularly if the borrowed bike is a cross bike, and the familiar set up is all DH/jumpy- keep the saddle up there where you can have some pedaling efficiency!

Hoping your bike fits,
Dick

reDirected

After all this riding around on the Salsa Fargo, I can say: "Damn it feels good to get back on my custoptimized Black Cat cyclocross bicycle."

That thing is quick, where the Fargo is cumbersome. It is jumpy where the Fargo is sluggish. It is light where the Fargo is heavy. I notice I wish the Salsa Woodchipper bars had a little more bottom. (If only they were just hella flared Nitto Noodles, I'd be so happy.) I notice the front end will get a shimmy, both loaded and un-. People forget. Forget they're hiding. Now don't get the wrong idea- the Fargo is a fine bike, and it will serve it's purpose well. It is nice to spread the riding around so there's more of it to Love.


Anyhow, riding bikes is fun. I been keeping up with the foam rollering and boy howdy! is it making some nice differences. My legs/hips/back feel much better. For real. You should do it.


Also:
In my current neck of the woods, a log across the trail with room to ride beneath is a "trail feature". Once it rots or slips down further, it will become a "trail blockage" and I will remove it. For now, I relish it for it's challenge and interest, and though it beats me every time it is part of the fun.

You begin well, Sir. I never trust a man who says "when"...

In taking the Karate Monkey down to a (dirty) bare frame, I noticed this crack in the drive-side chainstay.


I think it may have been the source of the creaking coming from the BB. I think. It is cracked all the way around the front side of the chain stay, and about a quarter of the back side. Is that bad?



Here is a side by side looky loo of the old boss and the new boss. I loves a big head tube. (That's what she said.) I think the Fargo will make a fine camping bike. I only had time today to break the KM down, and face the head tube and BB shell on the Fargo. On the horizon- straight parts swap. No love, just grease.

I got stuff to do, cuz the kids are out of school this whole week for "October Break"...

short but rousing bout of shooting ish

Like shooting ish in a arrel of onkeys?




It's not what you heard. I spent the earlier hours swapping handlebars, replacing cables/housing, etc. to remake (yes, again...it's a process) the Kampe Monkey. Then it was out! Up! And over:












...to meet J at Outdoor World and "look at BB guns." I'm saying: no one just looks at BB guns. I'm also saying: whatever genius of happy circumstance placed the liquor store right next to the camping goods store is a mastermind!

I'm just so pleased with this development. I've been wanting a BB gun since the Goosebeery Mesa interlude following last fall's Interbike. Thanks for the motivation, J!





We had to give some careful thought to carrying the rifles. It won't be a pleasant or happily concluded interaction with Johnny Law that begins with getting stopped for carrying a gun, and moves on to include the booze. No.

Better to keep it low key. J bought the pump action model, which (amazingly, luckily) has a stock you can remove with just the turn of a bolt. He may modify this to a wing nut. Let the customizing begin...! Look how cleverly it fits in his pack ^. He later cut a slit in the bottom, and the barrel just barely pokes out. It is nearly impossible to see.


I disguised my lever action (cuz I'm old skool) Red Ryder BB Gun as an umbrella. A bumbershoot, if you prefer. A brolly. The scissor-like action of the jury-rigged nylon carry strap and the heavily laden 12 pack bag slowly and progressively cut off circulation to my brain. Oh, I accounted for it by loosening them repeatedly and by not being so smart with which to begin.





We rode through Cside! to practice our art in Fort Ord. The disguises worked perfectly.

On the bike path out Gen Jim Moore, we ran into K____ and drank beers while the sun went down. What else are you gonna do? By the time we got to some dirt, it was well and truly dark.


The beauty of combining cheap canned beer and BB guns is so synchronicitous as to be indescribable. I mean, every time you drink a beer you have a fresh target. It's incentivized!

We felt it would be best to spread this around, so we did not linger too long in any spot except maybe on the cliff at the end of Mudhen Express.


This is not over.

afternoon skull examination

Sunshine saw me up and over, packing some trail maintenance gear (I looked and looked for the folding saw, but nope. Since it doesn't do to be spotted on trails packing a saw, I tried to arrange the one I could find- handled and sheathed- as inconspicuously as I could) and a guidebook... neither of which were called up; no dead falls in my neck of the woods to do more work than has been done, and no mushrooms looked edible. I guess the sunny weekend saw a lot of hunters.

Wet and spongy in places. Better to wait for a while to ride in the trees, as I found PG to be boggy and sloppy- HEY! Pacific Grove! Do you even ride bikes? The trails over there are in pitiful shape... Not my problem, as I won't be going back for another 13 months or so.

Anyhoo, here is the Monterey y'all want to see and I never show you:

Westward, ho.



What does it say that this

is what I see?



This is the East. I usually avoid this section of things, as it is a true tourist cluster_uck. So there it is and enjoy.


The Monterey Pine loaded trails up through PG and into Pebble being what they are, here's some things:



The plastic packed Early Times has been in place long enough to concern me that the booze is disolving the plastic- that can happen, right? But the mouths of the cached cans of beer have been getting a gnarly mustiness to them, so it is just what is needed to cut that. Note the full topped PBR. It is some science type sterilization going down.




Good to be on the bike.




Maritime chaparral, here I come. Fort Ord is the set up Goods on account of the eggslellent drainage properties of all that sand.


I need to do so much maintenance. As a good friend says: I recommend replacement. a.k.a. I hate my drive-train.

I did motivate to pull off the shellacky tape and adjust the angle of the levers on the Le Tour. Before:


During:


I'mma ride it bald for a few days to see if this truly is the angle I want before putting on the fancy sky bleu cotton tape and shellacking it all into some celeste-ial greenery. You can't teach me, but I can learn the hard way eventually.



Did some work on the kids' bikes; big bike camping coming up. Location to be decided/announced. Do y'all even ride bikes?

They always drop the damn thing, so there you go.

for your health!

You have different bikes? For different ridings? Using different bars on them reduces your likelihood of developing over use/repetitive strain injuries, and, plus makes each one more interesting through contrast!

Why didn't you think of that?

You say _______________, but you don't mean it.

Pain in the ass? No, "pain in the low back." OK, pain from the ass. Gluteus Medius is involved in 90% of low back pain. And that is why I do this:


to help with low back pain by eliminating trigger points in Gluteus Medius (which have a referral pattern up into the low back). I'll move the ball until I find the spot(s) and then rock back and forth letting my body weight work out the knots. Maybe hold on a spot for a maximum of 20 seconds, and then move off. This pushes blood from the area and when the pressure is relieved fresh, oxygenated blood floods back in. I also roll around on my side and work points. It works.




In looking for a reason for this new discomfort, I examined my cleat placement.Look at this!



Wha?!? How did this happen? Am I such a lunkhead that I set the cleats this way initially? I'd like to say :"Oh, surely not!" in a firm and competent tone; but let's face it...it could happen.

Ouch.

While this is a clear indictment of my (overall) competence however we look at it, it almost certainly is the cause of my recent pain in the ass/back. I've now moved both cleats as far back as the slots allow to see how that feels. Ankling? Apparently, we don't have to show you any steenkeen badges.



Hope that helps.

this guy is blowing my mind

He is dropping science like Galileo dropped a orange...

what makes the mens go crazy

When a saddle , uh, fits so nice.

Before.





After. Much better.



I spent some time polishing these rivets on Sunday, while riding with some real people (vs. you pretend internet beings) in the new-to-me Henry Coe State Park (the largest in CA). Camping is allowed, so I was checking it out with that in mind whenever I could look beyond my front wheel. It will get HOTTT out there soon enough, but right now the flowers are just coming up and it is magic. There is plenty of opportunity for polishing your rivets there. Especially the one on the nose of your saddle. I have seldom balanced on my taint for such exquisitely drawn out periods of steep climbing, but the traction was perfect and- well, what are you gonna do?

for comparison's sake

It did bring home to me that my saddle position of dead level (which is my preferred set up on the bikes) was not doing me any favors in the posterior, given the sag inherent in the system. Of course, I made long mental checklists during every prostate busting effort. Of course I forgot them completely whenever we stopped and I could've done something about it.

This was the 3rd time since last summer that I've ridden this bike. It was fun. I knew I needed gears, and front suspension was recommended to me by those who know. I only have one other geared "mountain" bike right now, and it is the Kampe Monkey all set up rigid and dropped barred. I did not want to ride it on "steep" stuff, so I pulled the rear wheel off the Big Dummy, and yanked the front rotor off the Big Dummy and hastily made the Blur rideable. It is a fun bike, if a little much for 98% of what is around here locally. I lik the (rigid) hardtails most of all, but it is good to switch it up.



My real friends made fun of me (again) for my alternative needs bars. I'll tell you though, they are swell. I am going to sell my Jones Bars and replace them with these, I think. Let's see, at current retail the Jones are somewhere around...$500 US!

That is fucking ridiculous.

These On One Mary bars are in the neighborhood of $50 US. The feel is very similar, and I find I seldom use the forward extensions on the Jones bars. If you have wrist issues or are smart, I recommendo.

I don't know about you, but over here the Eater Bunny is kicking Santa's ass but good. Hopefully, he is hopping down the trail to your town soon.

mas y mas

Yep. More fixed in the forest. When I have a short time frame for the riding, I head for the SS or the fixie. It feels rightest. Mixed the route up some today, which was fun.

Now that I've had a few good rides on the Hunter stem, other problems with the Crosscheck's fit make themselves felt. (Perhaps it's just that I ain't ever satisfied? Non, there are other bikes in my lineup which are perfect...) I am not completely stoked on the Midge bars. The flats are pretty narrow when the bars are angled to put the drop section flat enough for use. I used the bars at a different angle in the beginning, and this provided a wider platform. I think I'll be going back to using the Nitto 48cm(!) bars that are on my other drop barred rides. At some point. I got a lot of irons in the fire bike-part-swap-wise right now.

And, so. If you find yourself with some time on yer hands, watch this: (HI-larious)

Familiar Doings

Got out today for the (now) Regular Loop. A nice blend of pave and dirt, with 2 climbs of the ridge from top to bottom, and lots of small rollers in between. Some sneaky things. Some Town, some Country.

Fall really has arrived judging by the smells, the chill in the air, and the activation of allergies here in our household this past weekend. But you wouldn't have known it today. The Pacific was totally becalmed here on the central coast. Hot. Clear. Blue.


I took the fixxed Crosscheck. Having put on the new Hunter stem last week, and taken it for a test ride on the (yes) same loop, I put the bike away with the intention of sorting out the current issue. That being the finding of a loooong bolt to hold the top cap firmly in place or the purchase of a new fork which would enable the use of a standard top cap bolt. Or just leave it as is. And you know how I do. Same as you do.



Yes, Dear Reader, for that initial ride I threw caution to the wind and rode the new setup with no top cap, figuring the adjustment would be held just fine by the pinchbolted brake hanger while I swapped stems. Well, I paid it some mind, and thought about it as I tore threw the maritime chapparal that passes for underbrush around here. In the time between then and now, the best intentions being what they will be...I did not address this issue in any way. But today I wanted to ride this bike anyway, so I did it again. The new fit is outstanding (thanks, Rick) and looks sharp, too.


Man, I love to ride a fixed gear bicycle! Climbing up the hills, I feel centered over the bike and the way foward. Just getting tractor beamed along in a nice rhthym. Super traction, immediate response. No sitting back at any point; it's simply not an option. Legs not as supple as they could be on the spinny descents, but not too terrible. Good Times.



Now, alls I have to do is sort out the top cap issue.

Oh, and adjust brake lever position and play with the bar angle to accommodate the new fit.

And Ride by the light of the silvery moon tonight!

Here kitty kitty...

More sneaky linked routes on the SS29er lead to quick impressions regarding the Black Cat SS with the Hunter rigid fork:

Rails around corners real quick-like. I notice this so much right now, coming off the fixed crosscheck, since I have to weight it over the top and stay there pedaling. With the Black Cat, I lean off it and swing it around. Like waterskiing.I hate to do it, but: it pounces. I been jumpin stuff. Little stuff jumpin fnord. This bike feels like it lands on all 4 feet. Ssssolid. This cat moves foward without moving.



And also this:

I'm slowly turning the Karate Monkey (dependable and versatile and heavy as it is- it turns slowly) into a Camping Bike and thinking about the Big Dumb Condor Tour. That entails a bunch of parts swapping: drops (Nitto 177...48cm! wide), about 120mm worth of spacers to push those bars skyward (Hey, it's a working bike and it don't cost nothin. It'll be ugly, but it'll fit so pretty), back to rigid fork status, racks, barcon shifters using whatever guts I have in the drawer, and these SWEET XTR M900 cranks

and deraillers that I'm taking off the Xtracycle, as it morphs into ssshhhh- don't jinx it... It's also back to whatever linear pull brakes I pull out of the brake box, steel railed B17 Champion special in Honey, and Thomson 27.2 mm seatpost. And I can run whatever tires I feel like running.

You can't stop me, I'm a machine.