Bolton, New Shoes and Miscellany

This week I've been back to training even though the weather's been uncooperative.

Monday looked to be the warmest and driest day judging by the forecast, so I took the initiative to go for a short recovery ride.  Tuesday was cold and pouring so I rode for a little over an hour on the rollers before yoga class, then Wednesday was Bolton.

Ah, Bolton.  I posted on Facebook that I'd be climbing it, partially because I thought if I started talking about it to I'd actually do it.  My strategy worked, and I made my first trip to the top of the season. It started to rain about halfway up, and I ended up getting pretty soaked as I crept my way back down.  Amazingly enough it was still dry at the bottom and hadn't rained a drop.  

I felt pretty good and was able to stay smooth the whole way, but my time wasn't awesome.  Part of that was being tired from Tuesday's class and part of it is a result of some changes to my training this spring. 

In years past I've done a lot more road volume, but this year I'm really trying to spend more time offroad so that I can hone my skills.  It seems to be working, and I find myself riding faster, smoother, and braking less.  As a result I have a little less strength for very long, sustained climbs like Bolton, but when I consider the demands of my main events there really aren't many long climbs- they're short and punchy.

Thursday my new Pearl Izumi Octane MTB II's showed up, and I spent a few minutes at lunch getting the cleats setup.  I'll post some more thorough details on these after I have some more time on them, but so far I've been impressed.  They're light, stiff, and have a very good fit all while taking a unique approach to being a high end XC race shoe.

The less-than-stellar ascent of Bolton and new shoes were fuel enough for me to decide that I needed to do another hill climb so I made plans to do Cottonbrook and committed to doing it all in the big ring.

When I got to the trailhead I spent a couple minutes balancing like a one-legged scarecrow while adjusting my cleats on the new shoes, but overall my quick cleat setup method served as a great starting point (I'll post more on that later).  After that initial fiddling the shoes felt great and I made my way up the climb with relative ease.  I'd expected to be far more beat up from the previous day's ride, and although I wasn't setting the world on fire I did make it all the way to the top in the big ring.

My time was a little slower than my previous best this spring, and some of that was taking a deliberate pace but also I think struggling with such a tall gear on the steep sections is slower than turning a lower gear over.  I kinda knew that already, but it was interesting to see it first hand- the big ring is not always faster.

Also this week I made some strides on the next order of t-shirts.  Here's a draft version of the artwork.

The shirts are going to be dark gray heather- quite a bit darker than the background here, and the print will be a little lighter so there will be more contrast.  Cris at Factotum Design is printing them again and we should have them completed within the next couple weeks.  There will also be hoodies with the same art on a pre-order only basis.  If you are interested in either one let me know.

Also this week I've been wrestling with the intermittent performance of my aging heart rate monitor.  That may not seem like a big deal, but it means sometimes I'm flying blind without it and other times I'm just getting really frustrated that it's not working.  As soon as I can get the right battery I'm going to attempt this on an old chest strap.  It's not working now, so I really don't have anything to lose.

 

For now it's counting down to the end of the work day and getting ready for some more training this weekend.  There's still a slim chance that I might do Flower Power, but most likely I'll skip it and focus on getting some high quality riding done.

Workshop, Summer Mode

It's spring, so usually this time of year there's a balance between cleaning, setting up for summer activities, putting away winter activities and general cleaning up.  This past week I put in a fair bit of time to get the basement switched over to summer mode- bike projects await.

Last fall when we remodeled we made some changes to the basement as well.  We added several more overhead lights, some outlets and another switch.  My workbench got cleaned up and the shelves got a fresh coat of paint. 

Here it is in summer mode with the bench vise in place and the ski tools put away.  It's amazing how much quicker I can get things done when I have a clean workspace. 

My tool cart, tool chest and workstand.  I keep them out of the way until I need them, but it's nice to be able to keep tools on the cart work surface and the project on the bench.  Somewhere I found that damper cartridge so it's hanging out while I figure out whether or it will be worth keeping as a backup for my SID.

The rollers and TV are there too in case I get rained out.  It's a small house so the space gets used for a lot of different things.  After I finish installing the slop sink I'll post that as well.  It'll be great to to be able to rinse out muddy gear right before I throw it in the washer.

Riveting stuff, I know.  But this is where all of my bikes get 97% of their attention.

A Breakthrough, a Letdown and Power Tools

Since New Year's I've been able to get out and ski a few times, and now I'm starting to feel like I'm getting my ski legs back.

In previous posts I've mentioned how I've been ramping up my midweek activity, and believe it or not it's been easier for me to do that than to reliably get in solid workouts on the weekends.  That effort feels like it's starting to pay off, and even though I feel like I have to fight harder to keep up with my master's group I think it's worth the trade-off.

Saturday I got out for a couple hours with Spinney.  It had been below zero overnight, and after some debate I managed to get my skis waxed and out the door.  He wasn't doing much better and couldn't find his iron, then needed a scraper, etc.  It was like two old women getting ready to drive to bridge club.

Once we got to Trapp's we hit some of the usual trails and made our way down through the race course to Skater's Waltz and across to Aither for the first time this year.  That's not a flat route, and Spinney was hell bent on skiing to the cabin so after chasing him around for an hour and twenty minutes we made our way up.  I didn't set the world on fire, but I skied steady and felt like I was making solid time.  I'm not sure how much faster he was, but I stayed in contact for a good section of the climb and didn't stop at all on the trip up. 


More remarkable than that was a completely smooth descent back to the lodge- and the first time ever I made it down without falling.  It was then that I realized that this was a breakthrough day for me.  I'd never made it to the cabin so early in the season, and certainly not chasing somebody with solid fitness.  When we got back to the car it was hard to believe, and although I'd gotten seriously chilled from the long, fast downhill I was pscyched.

We piled our gear back into the car and headed home.  At that time I was still thinking that I was going to ride the rollers so I didn't actively work on my recovery plan, which was a big mistake.  When I got home I was starving, and after not eating enough immediately after my workout I was starting to get the cold shakes from getting chilled and low blood sugar.

Of course to combat that I had to eat almost everything in the house, which pretty much completely canceled out the caloric debt of my skiing effort.  This is all after Spinney was telling me to be careful about refueling if I was going to try to ski again on Sunday.  In retrospect I wasn't aware of how deep I'd dug, so I wasn't being proactive in refueling. 

After I'd crashed, rebounded, showered and gotten dressed Carrie and I picked up our replacement dishwasher and went out to dinner.  It was clear that having an enormous box in the living room wasn't going to be feasible for more than a day or two and that I had to get this thing installed soon.

Sunday morning it was hovering around zero when I got up, so knowing that it would warm up about 15-20 degrees later in the day I figured I'd take advantage of the situation and start working on the dishwasher. 

Having installed and removed one defective dishwasher already I was pretty familiar with the basics of the install- in a nutshell it's connect the water, the drain and the electric and test it for leaks.  Of course it's never quite that simple for me, but with directions in hand I got out the tools and went to work.    

Among my tools are a large number of hand-me-downs from both sides of the family.  Over the summer my Dad cleaned out his father's wood shop, and these pliers were among the twelve pairs that I inherited.  I've never seen anything else like them with the 90 degree head, but I've already used them three times this week on the upstairs electric outlet replacement, the dishwasher and the tC trunk handle.  

Also among my tools is this- a Craftsman Impact Drill my brother gave me for Christmas.  If you've never used and impact drill you're missing out- these things are awesome and not just because they make a ridiculously loud SNAP SNAP SNAP as they switch from standard drill to impact mode.  Using this to secure the two dishwasher mounting screws was the highlight of the install.

After that I decided to tackle replacing the trunk lid on the tC.  After three years of regular use, the old handle had snapped off and was only hanging onto the rest of the car by one retaining clip and the wire for the release button.  It wasn't that I wanted to keep procrastinating, but I don't have many options to get things like this done in the daylight so I decided to get it done.

The trunk handle is a story in itself, and after an extensive search I opted for a carbon one because it was more cost effective than buying one unpainted and trying to paint it myself.  After some searching on the Scion forums I found some semi-coherent instructions on how to replace it.  Turns out this is a common problem for the tC and dealers charge up to $400 to install a new one, which makes my $65 eBay special look that much more appealing.   

Overall it went fairly smoothly and my hands didn't get too cold although it was only about 18 degrees and I was buoyed by the idea of being able to use the trunk lid again.  As you might imagine it's a real pain in the ass to carry skis, boots, poles, spare clothes and water and have to put it down in the snow to open the trunk because you need to use both hands to lift the tailgate.

When I finished the handle install it was 3 PM and I was nowhere near being ready to ski.  After a protracted period of bumbling, fumbling and swearing I finally got to Trapp's and had my skis on at 4.  So much for seizing the day on the skiing front.

As soon as I set out I could tell the conditions were great- and for the second day in a row my skis felt awesome.  These Fischer RCS with Graham's base grind have quickly become my favorites.   

Although the skis were running well I wasn't- with yesterday's breakthrough/bonk combination and my extended project time earlier in the day I felt sluggish and slightly off-balance.

I did throw some Pro-35 stickers on the skis- it had to be done.

I'm a terrible classic skier, but the tracks were so fast and crisp that I found myself jumping in double poling on the flats and downhills. 

An hour later it was getting dark and went home.  It was a beatiful night, and I wished I could have taken advantage of it more than I did.  

Live and learn I guess- there's always next weekend. 

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. 

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.

Anticipation- YBB 2.0

Here's the first shot of the 2012 Moots Mooto X YBB.  As the build kit gets rehabbed and the wheels get assembled I'll be working on this as time allows.  

The bike was supposed to have black decals, so right now it's sitting at home awaiting the black decal kit with the red ones removed.

The build will be many of the parts that made up its predecessor- 10 speed Sram X0 groupset (including brakes), Chris King hubs, Stan's NoTubes Crest rims, KMC X10 SL Ti chain, Easton EC70 bar, Easton EA 70 stem, WTB Devo Carbon saddle, XTR pedals, Moots Setback Ti post and a Cane Creek 110 headset.

I'm still undecided on tires, but I have Kenda Karmas sitting in a box collecting dust so I'll probably run those.

I'll post more updates as this bike comes together.  As much as I'd like to get this done I have neither time nor all of the parts to so.  

YBB 2.0

This is one of the last pictures I took of my YBB.  I was on a trip in Massachusetts and was riding in Lynn Woods, a National Park around Walden Pond where Henry David Thoreau wrote his seminal work of the same name.

Shortly after that ride I noticed that the frame as cracked and started the process of disassembling it and working on a replacement.  Whether it would be covered was never an issue- Moots stands behind their bikes and takes their lifetime warranty very seriously.  

Through my conversations with the guys at Moots I learned that the 2012 YBB was going to take the attributes of my two favorite bikes and merge them: the RSL 44 mm headtube and curved downtube with the added compliance of the YBB suspension back end.  

Fast forward to now and my new YBB is a little over a week away from being delivered.  It's been a rough couple weeks and I've really been looking forward to this.  The RSL is a great bike, but having the option to run suspension is going to be great.  And who doesn't like new toys?

Like everything else in my basement the build kit for this bike was under water for two days and I've been aggressively working toward rehabbing it.  Some things like the derailleurs, XTR pedals and King bottom bracket are completely unaffected.  Others that were open and exposed to the water like the shifters and open rear brake line were less fortunate. 

Stay tuned over the coming weeks as I detail the elements of the build.  It'll give me something to dream about when I'm pounding nails.

Fat City

Retrobike had a contest recently to decide the best Fat City paint job.  I'd forgotten how cool those bikes are so I decided to feature some of my favorites from their contest.  I don't own any of these, and I wish I did.

This was the clear winner of the contest, and I have to agree.  The blue/green was carried over to some IF race bikes in the early 00's and I'm really fond of it.  

Lilac.  I had the chance to get a pink panther colored Gunnar cross bike and I chickened out.  Now I'm thinking that if I got a questionably colored bike I'd go with this instead. 

Green and red without being Christmasy.  Bad ass.

It's not the Tungsten Electrode, but it's a pretty sweet steel front end suspension bike.

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.

The Tungsten Electrode

What you are looking at is a ghost. 

The Tungsten Electrode was a highly touted and much anticipated full suspension rig from Indpendent Fabrication featuring a DW link rear end and an in-house titanium front triangle.  Keen eyed readers will notice that this particular specimen is most likely steel and not ti as evidenced by the downtube gusset.

If we can date the bike by the build I'd say it's probably about 2-3 years old as 970 series XTR ran from late fall 2007 to fall 2010.  I'm not normally a Manitou fan, but the color looks great against the green decals.  Also the white LeMond road saddle looks totally at home and adds a subtle sense that style and performance matter to the owner.

Jason said that this was the best mountain bike he'd ever ridden, but sadly it was never produced.  If you see one take a moment to appreciate it from afar, or better yet politely ask the owner if you can ride it.

Most likely this picture will be closest that many of us will ever get.

Evidence

In case you were wondering, I'm a tire geek.  This is a selection of my active rotation of racing and training tires for the YBB.  The RSL is of course a 29er, so that will require another quiver. 

Each of these tires was weighed, then scrubbed to remove excess sealant and is drying before being weighed again.  Did that make them any lighter?  No, but I had to try. 

The Road Toolkit

 

I hate saddle bags.  It's not that I think that they don't have a purpose, but I just think that they detract from the simple aesthetics of race bikes.  Earlier I mentioned my byekyle simple strap solution for the mountain bike, so here is my saddle bag- free solution for the road.  

Like most competitive mountain bikers I spend a fair bit of time on the road, and this time of year that's the only option.  My long training loops bring me through some remote areas where I'm a long way from the sag wagon and I need to plan accordingly.  

A few summers ago I had a stretch where I was going through 2 inner tubes a week.  I attribute that to a bad batch of tubes, but in one particular instance I flatted once, fixed it, then flatted again ten minutes later.  Since then I've been better prepared.   

The contents of the bag are pretty simple: two tubes, a vulcanizing patch kit, a pump and a multi tool.  CO2 is great for fixing one flat, but after getting multiple flats in a single ride I've decided to carry a pump to make sure I can always get rolling again.  There are about ten patches in the kit, and by the time I've used about four of them I've probably already thrown the bike in the woods and started walking anyway.

The Crank Brothers multi tools are the best I've used and I carry one with me whenever I ride.  Chains fail on road bikes and it's important have a chain tool in addition to the standard assortment of hex wrenches, spoke keys and screwdrivers.  Often I'll tuck a couple dollar bills into the rubber ring on the tool.  Spare change goes inside the patch kit box.

All of this fits neatly into a Thomson stem bag which I've labeled as "Road" to distinguish it from my CX and MTB kits with different tube sizes.  Altogether this is a good solution that has me prepared without an unsightly saddle bag.   

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.  

L'équipement

I blame cycling.

Before I started racing I never touched caffeine and now I can't live without it.  At first it was innocent enough.  Tea was my gateway drug, and I added it to my water bottles for a late race kick.  It tasted awful, especially when the teabags ruptured and I'd get a mouthful of energy drink and need to chew my way through the leaves, but it worked.
 
Later that fall I contracted mono and attempted to get through finals by propping myself up with increasing amounts of caffeine.  In many ways that was the beginning of the end. 

The nature of endurance sports can lead to a dependence on caffeine.  Long workouts lead to fatigue, and for most of us life doesn't stop when we get off the bike- we have to power through when all we want to do is take a nap.

The latest additions to the Pro-35 stable actually live in the kitchen in the form of my new burr grinder and stainless French Press.

So yes, I'm now essentially freebasing coffee, and I blame cycling.

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. 

Motivation

In my basement are two pristine Mavic GL 330 rims that I bought last fall to be built into a set of race wheels.  For a variety of reasons I couldn't find a good set of hubs to build them up and I ended up getting some carbon tubulars instead.

When I first got into cycling in the mid-90's, this Mavic logo was commonplace.  At that time most wheels were still hand built and used Mavic rims almost exclusively.

This weekend I rediscovered these rims, and with them some motivation for a new project.


More to follow...

Moots YBB Decal Replacement

A few weeks ago I posted pictures of the new decal set for my YBB.  After several hours with Carrie's hair dryer...I mean heat gun I was able to remove the decals. 

What I wasn't counting on was the shadow that the decals would leave behind as you can see here.  I had planned on relocating some of the decals for a more distinctive look, but my plans were foiled when I realized that the wear around the decals meant that the pristine decal-covered finish underneath meant that those parts of the frame were going to say "Moots" whether I put a decal there or not.  The positive was that I had an easy reference when applying the new ones over top.

It's slow work peeling decals, and it's best accomplished with the use of heat, fingernails and time.

When I finally got all of the old decals removed I used some nail polish remover...I mean acetone, to clean off the residue.  Nail polish remover...I mean acetone, is nasty stuff and I didn't want it lingering on the frame so I then used rubbing alcohol...I mean cleaning solvent, to remove the...acetone.

I did get slightly creative on some of them.  I left the top tube clear of stickers, but that might change down the road if I opt to apply some of my Pro-35 decals.

The "YBB" was relocated to be on the monostay.  It seemed fitting since that's the key feature that gives the bike it's unique personality.  I also thought it might alleviate the second most frequent question I get when I encounter another rider on the trail.  The first question is usually "is that a Moots?" which is invariably followed up with "is it a YBB?"  At least now I can point to the sticker on the slider, making it double obvious.

Almost all of the decals returned to their normal places with the exception of the "Handmade in the Rockies" on the driveside chainstay.  It's not that I mind that sticker, but it's located half under clear chainstay protector so the part that's exposed gets pretty beat up and grease covered.

You'll notice the massive amounts of snow in the background.  It always amazes me how many bike upgrade pictures are taken in the winter, presumably because that's when most of us in the frigid north need to replace some of our outdoor bike riding time with indoor bike fiddling time. 

It's a poor substitute. 

   

Moots Monday- Psycho-X in Winter Regalia- Updated

They're taunting me. 

On the Moots blog you can find this picture taken of the bike path in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
http://moots.com/afternoon-ti/bike-path/

I just saw Jon's response to my comment on the moots blog about this, and it's not an RSL proto but in fact a Psychlo X SL that's been recently redecaled.  I'm not sure whether I feel better or worse about it being an older, discontinued but more exclusive model.  The cool factor is still there for certain and although it's not branded as "race stock" equipment it carries a certain cache much like the older Mavic rims with SSC etched into them.  

Here are my original comments below.  Perhaps I'm so hung up on the new RSL line that I'm projecting them onto every silvery-looking handmade bike that I come across.

___________________________________________________________________________________



They don't call out the bike in the picture, but my suspicion is that it's another shot of an RSL Prototype.  In my mind that's the perfect 'cross bike, and an amazing winter bike.  In some ways owning a bike like that is like buying an Audi S4 for a winter car, but the reality is that the RSL is well suited to rough roads and impervious to rust and corrosion.  Admittedly you could argue that an aluminum frame has a similar resistance to salt and that it's the components that really take the beating.

What's so bad about a new hyped up RSL putting in winter mileage?  On the surface, nothing.  Except that I have a new Mooto X RSL 29 er hardtail on order that's from the first ever production run that's due to arrive in about a month.  Obviously I'm super excited about that bike, but the issue is that I'm already thinking about my Next Next bike.  It's as if my Next bike is already in the rear view mirror.

ByeKyle Simple Strap Review

I hate saddle bags.  While I don't mind them on other people's bikes, on my own they just look clunky saddle-mounted bike luggage.  They just seem to ruin the aesthetic of a clean, simple and purposeful bike. 

Unfortunately function gets in the way, and I'm not such a slave to self-perceived fashion that I'm willing to risk that I won't have any mechanical trouble and therefore skip out on carrying some emergency essentials.  I still need to carry the basics, and when the pockets get full of gels, bars and a spare bottle there's only one place left to carry tools- the bike.  Solution?  Enter the Simple Strap.   

 

The ByeKyle Simple Strap is one of those rare finds that seems too good to be true.  It's functional, durable, USA made, cost-effective and versatile to be used for a variety of on- and off-bike applications.

The Simple Strap is primarily marketed as a means for mountain bike racers  to carry a tube and/or CO2 canister on their bike.  Sure you can use a bag, but who wants to fumble with that when they're in a hurry on the race course? 

I can remember a picture of Lennie Kristensen on the cover of Velo News after he won Le Tour de VTT, a race that at the time was dubbed as the Tour de France of mountain biking.  The race is still around but has since lost some of its luster.  I vividly recall Lennie's bike had a tube electrical taped to the top of the stem for easy access in the event of a puncture.  One of my first acts of pro mimicry was to tape a tube to my stem for my races in 1997 and 1998. 

The problem with tape is that although it's secure, it's not really that convenient.  If you're wearing full finger gloves it's nearly impossible to quickly unwind or rip the tape to get to your tube.  Once it's undone there's also no way to reuse the tape to carry your blown tube or used CO2.  The Simple Strap changes all of that.

While I considered running my tube Lennie-style on the stem I instead opted for the cleaner under saddle mount.  Some racers just attach it to the seat tube, but I found that it rubbed on my legs too much in that position and didn't feel as secure as I would have liked.   Ultimately the size and setup of your bike will influence where a tube and CO2 fit the best, and I've seen them mounted on both the top and bottom of the stem, on seat posts, saddle rails, or anywhere inside the main triangle.    

With it mounted to the saddle rails it's not only tucked out of the way but also makes for a very tidy setup.  After I figured out the best fit for the tube and Big Air canister I cinched it down and have never had any trouble with it since.  

Previously I'd used ski straps to hold a CO2 and/or tube to my seat post.  While the rubber padding helped keep things from moving around it never quite felt secure enough and when I crashed or transported the bike it would often spin out of place.  The rubber on the Simple Strap is strong enough to keep it from moving around, but it needs to be in contact with your bike to really hold tight.  If there's one instruction to using the simple strap, that's it.

I bought two of these last spring and used one all of last season for every training ride, mid-week world championship and endurance event that I entered.  In previous endurance races I had used a saddle bag to carry two tubes, but last year I stuck with my everyday Simple Strap kit and just kept extra tubes in my drop bags.

For $7 including shipping it's a steal.  I'm so sold on these that I bought a couple more for my new bike and just to keep on hand. 

The simple strap is available in a rainbow of colors and is available online at www.byekyle.com. 

Objects of Interest: Assorted Bikes

In the absence of riding outdoors I've had to fill my need for cycling jones with internet pictures of other bikes, other riders and other fun two wheeled endeavors.  The images below are of bikes that I'm currently interested in, and other than the fact that I don't own any of them they don't have much else in common.

This is a '95 Specialized S-Works FSR, courtesy of www.retrobike.co.uk.  When I was first getting into mountain biking in the mid 90's this was the bike I wanted, but thought I'd never have.  It had all of the trimmings of the time- carbon Rock Shox FSX fork, Grip Shift X Ray shifters and White Industries hubs.  Pretty sweet.  This bike was built when almost all high end Specialized models were still made in the US. 

 This cool match up of old and new and comes by way of Skyde bikes out of France.  This particular bike was raced on the European cross country circuit by Ludovic Dubau, current world masters cyclocross champ.  It's an interesting application of titanium and an ISP on a mountain bike.  I'm not sure how well anyone can cut a titanium ISP, but it sure does look cool even if it has obvious drawbacks.  The carbon Reynolds wheels and tubular Dugast Rhino mountain bike tires make this thing look the part of a real dirt-going pasta rocket.

The gearing up front is interesting as well, and if you look closely you'll see it's a 9 speed drivetrain that seems to have only the smaller two chainrings attached.  While that's a common setup for all mountain riding, most elite racers that opt for two chainrings usually drop the smallest, not the biggest.  It would be interesting to see if he's still running this setup this season or if the more widespread 10 speed options make Mr Dubau opt for something more mainstream.   

This Panasonic early 90's replica was also discovered on www.retrobike.co.uk.  In many ways I think the technology that was current in this bike is what many people like to cling to- 8 Speed Dura Ace, box section tubulars and a hand made frame with a simple paint job.  Those are all perfectly respectable things, but bikes have evolved since then.  Still, this is a cool bike, and I think anything pro is cool.  This bike has all of the original trimmings including a San Marco Rolls saddle.  I wouldn't mind one of these for recovery rides on sunny summer days...you know, when all the Miata drivers tool around the back roads getting sunburns on their bald heads. 

I'm not sure who actually manufactured this bike, but the total retro look with white cables and plastic Profile Kages make it a complete package.  

New Englanders will know this one immediately- it's a Spooky Supertouch.  Spooky has been resurrected in the last couple years and has started to make some cool bikes that are legit American-made race sleds at reasonable prices.  They're not super flashy or Euro-cool, but they have a very deliberate feel that is both cost effective and high performance at the same time.  In my early racing days I wanted a Darkside, and the latest incarnation shown below is still a rad race bike that I'd be psyched to own. 

 For some reason I've gotten hung up on the 1 x drivetrain option lately for both cross and mountain bikes.  It doesn't fit with my Vermont geography, nor my preferred riding style of seated spinning, but there's something very pro and purposeful about it that I find appealing.  I'm considering dabbling with one on my new Moots RSL when it arrives, but I doubt I'll be able to push a single ring for any of my endurance events. 

This Mariposa was shown on the Bicycle Specialties website, and to me this bike is a very refined and sophisticated without being stuffy.  The simple but elegant paint on top of a great timeless frame make this a great example of what a bike should be.  It's cool to run 8 speed Campy on a bike if that's what was current when the bike was built.  This is sort of like an older Porsche that isn't quite in step with the latest and greatest on the track, but its heritage and pedigree are unmistakable.  Handmade and (North) American are always a winning combo. 

This is another New England handmade lust magnet courtesy of Mike Zanconato/reposted from Bikerumor.  Mike has been making high end steel bikes for a dedicated and growing fan base like this 'cross bike he'll be showing at NAHBS.  Several guys on the New England CX circuit are running bikes built by Zank, and after seeing some of them up close I can say that I'm impressed.  The welds, fit and finish are superb and the fit is what you'd expect from an artisan.

In my current line of thinking I'll be using my 'cross bike as my early season roadie, and it would kill me to run something so beautiful through that kind of punishment.  Still, Zanconato says that he builds bikes to be ridden.  There's no doubt in mind that this is the perfect weapon for a fast, chattery and technical 'cross course.  If you look closely you'll also see some of Zanconato's custom close ratio chainrings.  The classic lugged steel frame and fork with the Campy 10 speed build kit and Shamal wheels make this a very cool blend of old school craftsmanship and new school technology. 

Man, I can't wait for spring.