Pro-35 Stickers Available for Purchase

4 styles available- Black M, Blue M, Green M or GTI.

M stickers are 2.5 inches tall x 5.5 inches wide.

Car (GTI) stickers are 2.8 inches tall x 5 inches wide.

Stickers available for purchase through eBay for $.99 each including shipping via USPS mail.  Can ship international as well- please contact me before buying.  

Stickers

I've added the blue "M" logo to the sticker collection.  If you're interested in any drop me a comment or email me.

The last few weeks post-Hampshire 100 have been nuts, but I'll have a full race report (with words) and some more reviews posted soon.

Stickers and an Update

Things have been up and down on the racecourse over the last few weeks, but the good news is that I think I'm figuring it out.

Today my new stickers arrived.

I promptly wasted most of lunch break sorting out how I'd best display them.  They're a little taller than last year's version so they don't lend themselves well to round frame tubes.  So with a little creativity and a pair of scissors I came up with this- bumper cutout on the right leg, url around the left below the SID decal. 

More news to come including some details on riding with Wayward and look for a great post called "How I Spent My Summer Vacation, or Why I Got An Inhaler."

Yeah, really psyched to be one of the cool kids now.

Shirts, Qualifying and Complaining

Last week I picked up this year's Pro-35 shirt order, and once again Cris did an incredible job.  He was able to take my vision from a photograph I'd taken last summer and turned it into exactly what I wanted. 

So what's with the car?  It's been a recurring image throughout the last year, and has become a sort of  allegory for my effort to turn pro.  After all of last year's events I felt like I still had the same potential but had some work to do to get back to being race ready.  The same engine is still under the hood.  

I've been tweaking my position over the last few days and think I've gotten it pretty dialed.  The only problem is that it's not the same position I've been using for the last few months of training.  By all accounts changes as major as the ones I made should be made in the off season when there is time to adapt slowly, but really I didn't have a choice.  My back injury from a late May has been flaring up and I couldn't steer around a sapling to save my life.  Fortunately the tweaks I made address both, but the bad news is that my body isn't used to handling torque with the more upright posture.

The Wilmington 100 is this weekend and although I'm excited about it I'm trying to set realistic expectations.  My heart isn't set on qualifying, it's really just about experiencing the race so that I can prepare for next year.  My back is either going to hold out or it isn't- and there's no amount of worry that can change that.  

Fortunately I have one of these on order and I really hope it arrives soon.

Detail oriented readers will note that I had a 2012 Mooto X YBB in-hand and may be wondering what happened to it.  After waiting for the 2012 version updates (from the warranty replacement from my 26" YBB) I realized that if I was going to run suspension that I wanted some real travel.  My original YBB was a great one bike option for every ride and race I threw at it, but now with the RSL there wasn't enough difference between the smooth 29er hardtail and the slightly smoother short travel YBB.  My recent back issues have only reinforced that going for a longer travel option was the right decision.  Delivery is still a few weeks away but I've been dutifully readying the components so that I can be ready to build once it does arrive.

For now it's taking it easy and getting ready for the weekend.  

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. 

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...

Pro-35 Stickers

Just got a resupply of Pro-35 stickers- drop me a comment or shoot me an email if you'd like some.

From the Saddle- Cape Loop

Mountain Bike Vermont

Mountain Bike Vermont has started posting some of my reviews on their site.  It's a cool opportunity for me to get some more exposure for my.....well, whatever Pro-35 is. 

The first posts will be race reports and product reviews like my Kenda Nevegal and Blue Groove posts.  Down the road there will be other new content that will debut on both sites.

Corporate types call it a "win-win," and you can check it out at www.mtbvt.com. 

Apparently I'm a Big Deal Overseas

 

This page is the number 3 referring URL for the blog.  I guess that's what Pro-35 looks like in Taiwan.

Of course a lot of people live in Taiwan, so maybe I'm not really big deal at all.  

The Lair

 

This was really dumb, but I'm really proud of it.  

Over the weekend I put one of my Pro-35 decals on the door to the basement.  Nobody ever sees the basement door because it's below grade and under the metal bulkhead doors, but I felt compelled to do it.

As you can see the door is in rough shape.  Although it's structurally sound it could use a coat of paint and some new caulk around the window panes.  I'll get to those tasks, but it was easier to just put a sticker on it in the short term.

Is this one of those things that really matters?  Absolutely not.  Somehow it still makes me smile every time I see it on my way in or out for a ride.   

I think it boils down to a sense of pride.  Pro-35 is open for business.

Gear: Elcyclista Kit

This week my Elcyclista kit arrived.  It's an understated yet stylish Capo kit in black and white with just the right amount of pink.  So why the crappy cell phone pic?  My camera broke this week, although honestly my meager photographic skills are more to blame than the equipment.  

Elcyclsta is blog that blends cycling and style elements without being smug or self-righteous much like  Peloton Magazine.  It's on my short list of regularly visited blogs, and it should be on yours too.

Check it out at elcyclista.com.

The Warehouse- Shirts and Stickers In Stock

 The shirts have arrived, and Cris did an awesome job on them.  I have Men's sizes S-XL available, so if you'd like one track me down or drop me a comment and I'll get in touch.  As much as I'd like to give them away I do need to offset the cost of getting them setup, so $15 covers a shirt and shipping. 

Here's a close up of the artwork on the chest.

This is the artwork on the sleeve.  

I also have a ton of stickers in both the older style on the left and the newer style on the right.  The newer ones are based on the sleeve art from the t-shirt.  If you'd like either one please let me know and I'll drop some in the mail for you.  

Pro-35 Stickers

It all started when I was cleaning the basement.  Somehow I stumbled upon some old rims, got inspired and then  ordered some t-shirts.  I liked the design so much that I wanted to get some stickers made up with that logo.

Here’s what they look like.

Of course, I already have a mountain of stickers from my earlier run last fall.  How many stickers make up a mountain?    Roughly 481.  

  

These are really good quality stickers, and I can say that because two of them went through the laundry in the back pocket of a jersey and although they came out slightly crinkled they still had crisp corners and the adhesive still worked.  

If you'd like any of the old or new design just email or leave a comment and I'll drop some in the mail for you.  

I've got plenty to go around.  

Pro-35 T-Shirts

I'm going to get a small run of Pro-35 t-shirts made with the artwork pictured here and printed on the chest and left sleeve.

Local screen printer extraordinaire Cris Jones of Factotum Designs will be printing the shirts.  If you've done any events like the Bike 29 Gravel Grinder or gotten a shirt from the VT Mountain Bike Festival in Waterbury then you've seen Cris' work. 

If you're interested in one please email me or leave a comment and I'll be in touch before they arrive in roughly 4 weeks. They will probably run around $12-15 and a dollar or two for shipping- just to cover the cost of getting them printed and out the door.