Today's Joy's and Tomarrow's Entertainment

Another big day at Vail... forgot my camera (I'm an Idiot).

I've had a few requests for a review on my current tire set up... I'll be posting something this weekend about those.

Some Entertainment until then...

Unemployment Bliss - In Vail

I've been unemployed since Thursday... and loving it.

Today was trip to Vail. Rode from the base of the mountain (8,300 ft) to Benchmark (11,818 ft) then down the backbowls (9,100 ft) and up to Two Elk Pass (11,710) - then back down the valley, up the the back of the mountain, down the front side and straight to Subway.
I ran through 100 oz of water (could have used an extra 20 oz or so), 3 cliff bars, 1 cliff shot, 1 bag of cliff blocks. Subway was a foot long meatball sub doin the math - my ride burned about 3850 calories (5.5 hours at 700 calories an hour). I think that i need to eat more during these long rides.

Breckenridge Singletrack Festival

Be There - or be Square

Breckenridge Singletrack Festival

Don't be a poser - show up. It's the first Carbon Nuetral Festival in Colorado - and one of the first in the world that doesn't have anything to do with eco-politics.

The Riding is not going to suck
The Beer isn't going to suck

Now you are out of excuses.... IM me for more details....

Max Roach

Max passed away yesterday in NYC - this was a big loss to the world of Jazz.
I grew up in a music oriented family and was a music major in college - and of course, I am a Drummer.
I can say that in percussion - there have only been a select few individuals how have been able to influence my playing. Mostly, I find inspiration from a song, a riff, a style, a group, or even listening to natural patterns found in both rural and urban areas. The individuals who were able to shape my musical perceptions and development were my Father, Buddy Rich, Dave Weckel, Chad Smith, Carter Beauford, Louis Bellson, Gene Crupa and Max Roach.
Max's contribution would have been great without his solo efforts, his place in immortalized jazz history would have been solidified. His work starting in the 40's and into the 50's defined what modern drumming has evolved into today - and his solo efforts helped to stretch what was possible. His album revolving around 3/4 time showed me that there are no restrictions, and that you can always do something different and even in the world of music - out of the box thinking is still possible. The style of playing was something that I was never able to create an internal comfort level with - but layed the groundwork for my now infamous 6/8 latin jazz efforts.
Innovation, constant change, constant re-definition, new standards. These are all values that I live by, and are all values that I learned from music. This is what Max did for Jazz, and how he influenced me.

Rest in peace Max, you've earned it.

OMG

there are no words,

Cycling Race Nutrition

Yea... good ol' midwestern race food.

Frogs?

Here's a good one... click each pic as it appears -

Frogs

Formula ORO Brake Review

Howdy all -

sorry about my absence (again) - but I've got a whole file of reviews that I'll be posting for you to read!

Today's review is on the new (for 2007) Formula Oro Brakes. I've got a pair of the k18's on hand, these have 99% of the functionality of the k24's - but cost a bit less.

Short and Dirty review of the Formula Oro Brake Family

Most people use power, modulation, adjustability,weight and ergonomics as their evaluation criteria - so I will too.

Modulation - yup, these things feel good! It's nice to have a brake that allows you to feel what's happening at the wheel and on the ground. I've ridden lots of high end brakes in my day - and the only other brakes that I've found with a similar feel were the Juicy 7's... but even the Juicy's fall short when it comes to the brake's feel

Adjustability -
So here it is - the base model is missing what the other models have - an "FCS" system that allows you to adjust the pad's contact point (pull). As I own the base model, but have ridden the other models - I can tell you that I don't feel like I'm missing out. The Juicy's adjustable system is too adjustable and doesn't much power - the Hayes adjustable system blows... so there's no real comparison out there. All of the models include a reach adjustment for the lever. High amount of adjustability here - top ratings for this!


Ergonomics -
This is the only area where the brakes fall a little short. The clamping placement is a little funny. It just happens to get in the way of most folk's shifter placement. This is no reflection on the brake itself - but shows that they didn't use racer's to test out the model... As a former pro racer - it were these kinds of details that we would be able to give as feedback (other than "this sucks" or "can I have another one"). Luckily, new Sram and Shimano shifters are offering more adjustability that they have in the past (being able to place the clamp into multiple spots on the shifter). This took care of the issue for me (90% of where I like my placement)

Weight -
well under 1lbl for every model, including rotor, bolts, hosing, caliper and lever. It's light, and it works good.

Power -
By far the strongest 2 piston brake I've ever ridden. Maybe the 2nd or 3 strongest brake I ever ridden (including 4 pods). Magura's DH brake and Formula's DH brake take top power awards, although I haven't tested Avid's Code DH brake yet.



Summary?
They are crazy strong - Super light - feel great - and are crazy reliable.
The drawback? they aren't cheap.

My Advice -
Drop some coin - you won't regret it!