2012 Sponsor Announcement- Ergon

This year there will be some slight changes to my sponsors, and among those changes I'll now officially be riding for Ergon.  As you know from my posts I've been running Ergon grips exclusively for the last few seasons and this makes it official.

Currently I have the GX1's on the RSL and I have yet to decide what to run on the YBB, but I have both GA1's and another set of GX1's at the ready.  There's also the new GS1 which is replacing the GX1 as the top race-oriented grip so I'm sure I'll find myself giving those a shot at some point over the season as well.

Ergon is most known for their innovative line of grips, but they've also introduced some interesting gloves that are starting to pop up at races, and new this year a line of mountain-bike specific saddles. 

What's cool about Ergon is that they are a high-performance accessory brand that makes effective and sleek mountain bike products and are among few companies that offer a Euro-cool factor exclusively for the offroad set.

How could you not get excited about a company that ran this as their 2011 Christmas card?

New Gear- Fischer RCS Skate

You may recall that on my last day out last winter I broke my Madshsus Hypersonics.

So this season I picked up a set of Fischer RSC Skates.  They're only available with the NIS binding plate, so my Salomon setup means drilling through it- but really that's no problem and the Hypersonics were mounted the same way. 

Up close they look like this.  They were just ground and treated with base prep, so now I have to run a few warm wax cycles on them to get them ready for the weekend.  If I can make an effort to spend some time on them and the conditions improve or at least stay stable I might even get out on them in the next few days...

The Return of Mittwoch Arbeite

There's probably some deep-seated reason why I think German words sound so funny.  English is after all a Germanic language, so there are some similarities, but somehow most German words sound either terrifying or ridiculous.

Last year at around this time in this post I coined the term "Mittwoch Arbeite", German for Wednesday work.  For me, that means a split session workout of a lunchtime run and a ride on the rollers after work.  And of course it's on a Wednesday sandwiched between Masters' ski sessions on Tuesday and Thursday.

As much as I joke about my lack of running prowess it is a great way to get some quality exercise in a short time, and that's especially true when the weather is bad.  Running in the dark or on ice and snow is far less dangerous than riding, and a decent workout takes as little as 30 minutes.  Yesterday at lunchtime it was 10 degrees Fahrenheit (another German word) when I left for my run, and after 2-3 uncomfortable minutes I was warm enough to unzip the collar on my jacket.  

So in true Pro-35 fashion, here are some details on the gear I use for a typical Mittwoch Arbeite adventure.

Shoes.  This pair of Karhu Fluid Fulcrum Rides are a year or two old, but I have to say that the fit and feel is among the best I've found for road shoes.  Karhu does a minimal drop (difference between heel and forefoot shoe thickness) so the shoes are fairly flat and neutral.  It's not a super cushy or super stable ride, but the feel is very good and it encourages a proper mid-foot strike.  

Rollers.  My previous set were pretty haggard from years of use before they were under water, so I used this as an opportunity to get some new ones complete with an internal resistance unit.  No idea what the resistance medium is, but they feel good and the flared barrels do keep me centered better than their predecessors.

Last noteworthy component is my PowerTap.  Gauging effort indoors is nearly impossible without some measuring device, and the PowerTap makes sure I'm working hard enough for it to be worthwhile.  After having one for the last few seasons I don't know what I'd do without my PowerTap, or LeistungAbstich as I prefer to call it.

2011 in Pictures

Through some incredible highs and lows this blog has been a cathartic creative outlet for me.   Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for more rambling posts, random images and self-deprecating stories in 2012. 

Distraction, Procrastination and Projects

In between work, Christmas shopping and some occasional relaxation I've been making my way back into being an athlete.  Last week I got in four workouts in a row- some on the rollers, some running the river loop, but all quality.  Fortunately this time of year I can be unstructured, and I'm trying to use that to my advantage.

Riding over Christmas was a bust.  After fighting to stuff the RSL into the trunk with all of the clothes, presents and miscellaneous stuff for our Christmas trip I felt like I had to actually go for a ride.  I got off to a slow start after fumbling around for most of the morning, but I did hit the trail head with the intention of riding for about 2 hours.  After 40 minutes of riding I got a sidewall cut that I couldn't repair with my frozen CO2 cartridge and walked 4 miles back to the car.


During that walk I realized my current set of mountain bike shoes really suck unless you're clipped in and pedaling smoothly.  Had I known they were going to suck so much I would have taken my chances with some Sidi replacement lugs and JB Weld on an old pair of road shoes.  That may end up my solution if I can't line something more substantial for next year, and so far it doesn't look good. 

While looking into my pageviews last week it appears that the snowboard tuning bench setup I made for Carrie is getting some traffic- if you're looking for that post you can find it here.  It's interesting given that I only really gave that passing mention in the post, but if you have some ambition and a couple 2 x 4s it's pretty straightforward.  What's also interesting is that I end that post by rambling about how I should really put some time into getting the Redline ready to ride.  Funny how some things never change. 

I've been contemplating an order of Pro-35 hoodies.  Artwork would most likely be similar to the earlier t-shirt run, though I may change the location of the print.  In case you forgot, this is what it looks like.

I'm considering a slight color change that's in keeping with the 90's-era Mavic pallet seen above.  That means I might swap the pink for the green found on the Mach 2 CD rim shown below, but the jury is still out on that.

Unfortunately there is no shortage of things to spend money on this time of year with ski gear, cycling season pre-orders, and the various winter costs of extra fuel and propane just to keep things interesting.  This idea might not get off the ground, but the t-shirts were a hit so I'd like to do something long sleeve to go with them.  I might do zip up rather than pullovers, but there again it depends on cost, and if I can't get afford quality shirts I'm not going to do it.

For some 'cross season is still rolling, and the remarkably mild fall and winter have made that exceptionally easy this year.  Embrocation has some really cool 'cross articles including an interesting recurring feature about Jeremy Durrin found here.  It's worth a read as it's not just the usual "I went to Belgium and got my ass handed to me" race report that you find from Americans racing in Europe this time of year. 

Now that 'cross is mainstream there's no shortage of content, but I've found myself interested in some of the more retro stuff.  Things like this fan card of legend Klaus Peter Thaler for instance.

 

I did in fact get some 'cross fan cards of Albert Zweifel and Roland Liboton and I fully intend to display them in the basement once I figure out a clever way to do it. 

Of course mention of anything retro 'cross would be remiss without mentioning Alan.  A few years ago I was fortunate enough to race as part of the Alan grassroots 'cross program, and it was cool to represent a brand with such a rich history in the sport.  The US distribution has changed hands since then, but the bikes are all still handmade in Italy.  Around the time of Klaus Peter there were few companies who actually made their own 'cross bikes, so Alan made them for almost all of the European brands like Guerciotti and Colnago.  Almost all of the greats at that time rode Alans, and I can vividly recall BMW-ProFlex sponsored Henrik Djernis riding the '96 worlds on a bonded carbon/aluminum frame.   

Here's a shot of Don Myrah's Guerciotti-badged Alan 'cross bike that he still uses from time to time.  I'd be remiss to not mention his palmares either as a national 'cross champ and '96 Olympian in mountain biking. 

And of course when I do get back to competition I am going to get my ass handed to me.  I've been semi-active for too long, and now I need to put some effort into rebuilding my overall health and fitness so that I can achieve some sort of meaningful progression in 2012.  I felt like I got close in 2011, but was still just a half-step away from really kicking ass.  I was close to guys I wanted to beat but I just felt like I was slightly off the pace- and I want that feeling back.  There's no France trip to jump start my season this year, but maybe Wayward and I will get together for some ski-centric masochism to get ready for the riding season. 

Maybe tonight I'll actually get the shop setup instead of just talking about it.  Of course that will happen after I ride the rollers for a couple hours, so all bets are off. 

2012 Sponsor Announcement- Maxxis

Most things will be staying the same next year as far as my bike and equipment sponsors go, but I am going to be riding different tires.  For the 2012 season I will be racing and training on Maxxis.

Given my well-documented tire geekery I'm really excited to pour through the numerous width/compound/tread options that Maxxis has on offer.  I've been running the Ikon 29 x 2.2 since late summer and it's been great.  That tire with the Aspen and the Beaver, the 29er specific mud tire are going to make a great 3 option race quiver.  

I'd also like to thank Kenda for their support over the last three years.  They have been great to me and are a strong advocate for professional and amateur racing alike, and the Small Block 8 and Nevegal are among my favorite all time tires. 

Kabush on the Move

Looks like Geoff Kabush is on to a new team for 2012.

Scott Bicycles: Welcome to the Team Geoff Kabush from Route 2 Productions on Vimeo.

They don't mention it in the press release, but in the video Geoff does mention that he'll still be on Maxxis next season, and he might even run a 29er.

'Cross, Winter-Style

This time of year it's almost warm enough to consider riding my bike in the relatively light snow we currently have on the ground.

Seeing videos like this (re-posted from the Moots blog) motivate me even more.

Weekend Projects and Rebuilding the Man Cave

I spent some time this weekend working on getting the shop setup.  In some way I suppose I'm still procrastinating when it comes to doing any sort of exercise on a Saturday or Sunday.  The good news is that the basement is much nicer now than it was before the flood and although the workbench is still covered in a variety of tools and building materials I'm making some progress.

My winter workbench setup usually means that the ski form is clamped down and the work surface is covered by a protective layer of sheet plastic.  It works great for skis, but doing any sort of cycling work means taking it all apart before I can get started.  Sometimes that's fine, but since I do ride and occasionally work on my bikes through the winter I needed a place for my toolbox, and a wax-free work surface to go with it. 

Most bike shops I've worked in use a simple peg board with hooks for tool storage.  It's simple, cost effective and takes up very little space.  In a previous apartment I installed a peg board but I found arranging the hooks so frustrating that I abandoned the idea and just kept everything in my toolbox.

Since then I've mostly liked having tools in the box, but sometimes I need to root around in the bottom for a small wrench, grease fitting or whatever.  George has long been a fan of the standing tool cabinet, so I decided to give it a shot with a modified setup shown below.  It's a combination of a standard mechanic's cart and small cabinet/large toolbox both readily available from Craftsman.  I couldn't find any one solution that offered the right amount of storage and work space so I used some 3/4" sanded plywood to make a work top.  It has three coats of Polycrylic and seems pretty well sealed, but I think I'm going to lightly sand it down and give it another coat so it has more of a consistent shine. 



There's probably some deeply rooted psychological reason why I'm doing things like this instead of riding...or maybe it's just because it's cold enough that riding outside is a miserable, chilly affair that requires a disproportionate amount of prep time.  The shop does need to get setup, and the more usable it becomes the more likely I am to build the YBB.

2012 Sponsor Announcement- Rolf Prima

I'm happy to announce that for 2012 I'll be adding Rolf Prima as a sponsor, and I'll be racing on a set of Ralos 29er race wheels.

In 1999 I got a set of Rolf Vector wheels for my road bike, and for the next 8 years I put those wheels through their paces on various road and cyclocross bikes.  I probably trued them twice and adjusted the bearings on the front wheel once.  The Dolomite was the top Rolf mountain bike wheel at that time and I remember seriously considering getting a set.

Rolf has gone through some changes since then and is no longer affiliated with Trek after some legal wrangling with Shimano over Rolf's paired spoke patent.  The core idea of the paired spoke is unchanged, and after only offering road and 'cross models for the last few years the Ralos is Rolf's re-entry into the performance mountain bike market.

In the coming weeks I'll be making more posts about the gear I'll be using next season.  Now if I could just get that YBB built before the snow flies...