Tomac Primer 220

Many people have been anticipating a release like this for some time - myself included. Tomac's bikes have always been very, very nice... and the new lot look to be on par.

Can I explore some suspension with you?
Some of you may remember the days of old - when Tomac Bikes originally released their 204. It was a Lawwill design, also used by Schwinn (I have a customer built Schwinn Lawwill DH rig) and now by Rotec.

Schwinn's Design (they had 2 vesions) was by far the most inferior from a frame design standpoint, but given the rear shocks available at the time - was the best implementation for the day and thus was th best performing.
Tomac had a much better design (front traingle AND rear neo-floating shock), but the dampening was always overwhelmed due to poor shock design.
Rotec's got it nailed - almost. The frame uses a concentric bottom bracket, floating shock, and a stiff front end with low clearance. Rotec should also offer a version that sheads a few pounds as well as offering a frame that will accept multiple shock types (now limited to 1 choice)

Tomac did see their shortcoming and envoked a simple single pivot later (no real leverage problems here) - but still ran into shock limitations.

I digress - on to the new shizzle

Tomac's latest offering looks to be similar to Commencal (single pivot, with modified linkage to lower the leverage ratio) - but I haven't seen a pic that shows the non drive side of the bike.

The photo's that Tomac released show a full build - but their site details frame only info. No Smalls? WTF?



The geometry seems to be "race" specific - and thank god. I thought Devinci was the only company out there that understood DH race geometry.


Some spy shots up in Whistler show a differnt build - with a craptastic crapitou at the helm. Manipoo has failed many of my friends and fallen to the wayside.... I hope they get their act together... back to the bike. The pivot looks a little high for my taste... but who knows. Maybe that kind of placement is working better these days.


I'm toying with the idea of getting one... but the Devinci design is spot on - and very light this year...
single crowns are cool too - and they are getting more attention from manufacturers lately.

Whatever I decide - I'll have a nice little rant for all my dedicated fans

Today's Words of wisdom -
Don't poo where you sleep

Very Cherry

Has anyone else noticed a disturbing trend with canned fruit?

No one makes Fruit Cocktail with extra cherries anymore. It's now called "Very Cherry" and it uses Cherry Flavored Syrup.

I'm being ripped off.



New bar called the Waterloo opened in Louisville, CO - They have great Chicken and Apple Sausage (goes well with a brown ale).

Beer Bike

I'll take 2

Searle Pass, Kokomo Pass

Riding and riding... I didn't think that the ride was ever going to end. Or the climbing...
I'll post some pic's soon (Dan's got em all - so I'll blame him)

Some of the best views I've ever seen... some fun, but well earned delirium at altitude

Props to my boy Dan for the pics and for riding way to much.
Please visit his blog by clicking here - good content, if you're into that kind of thing

Searle Pass, Kokomo Pass

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Sorry Folks -
post removed...

Alternative post to follow



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Breckenridge Oktoberfest

Tons of fun this weekend!!!



Breck had a good little festival this weekend. Tons of men dressed in funny shorts, W dressed in funky skirts, lots of funny hat's, Brats, Schnitzels, and LOTS and LOTS of beer.



Sat and Sun mornings were dedicated to epic singletrack riding - but the rest of our time involved Oktoberfest. They had great bands (very German/Austrian), and some very good food booths. I'd recommend this trip to anyone... they even had a huge "kids" section to make this a family type event. It wasn't unusual to see babies and little kids running around with parents in tow.

Having a festival like this in an "old" Colorado mountain town was the perfect setting. I'm sure that some other areas (like Vail) may have more architecture dedicated to the Swiss alps feel (overlapping into Austrian and German styles) - but this town gets the celebration right. Vail's been faltering a bit in the summer festival department in the last couple of years (maybe due to the construction?), but I'm sure they'll be back on track soon.
The mountains, with good festival beer, lots of smiles and lots of German polka music playing made this one of the better mountain festivals that I've been to in a while.


Today's words of wisdom -
Drink beer, be merry, and pass it on

James Brown

I love the music... but guns, lead pipes, alcohol and drugs just seem like too much love.

Panaracer Tire Review

I've been getting a fair about of questions regarding my current tire setup on my "All Mountain" Commencal (much more than on my DH rig). Seems that the time is right to post a review. Tires are finally broken in, I put in some miles on diverse terrain, and I've got them pretty much figured out.

From a tire standpoint, people look for different things. To give you some perspective on my (tire and tread) views, I'm pretty picky (tires are the most important item on your bike). I generally look for a very predictable cornering tire (different than a tire that grips like hell) and I look for something that allows me to run lower pressures. As a DH'r, I like to rip corners and love tons of grip... but as a mature gravity and technical rider - I know how to corner faster than most and can decsend faster than most as well. This leads to me an evolving viewpoint that I have, which is to say that I need more help keep up with my friends on climbs while still having a tire that will allow for me to ride some pretty techy terra and have fun doing it.

I'm running a Panaracer Razor MX (2.3) and a Panaracer Rampage (2.35) These are two hugely different tires and I'll run through my opinions on both. My current setup has one Rampage in the front and a Razor in the rear.

These tires took a significant amount of time to break in, and were unpredictable the whole time. Once broken in, then became very solid and sure footed.

Panaracer Rampage
Many people compare this tire to the Kenda Karma because of the tread pattern being similar - but don't be fooled. These are hugely different tires with hugely different characteristics. My time on Kenda Karma's revealed a sticky tire tire with moderatly heavy rolling resistance (slow for a XC tire) but pretty good cornering grip. My probablem was that the tire felt lathargec unless it was gravity bound. The sidewalls felt unpredictable and the tire would HOLD HOLD HOLD a corner, but tsuddenly, just let go. By contrast - the Rampage doesn't have a sticky rubber compound, has a much livelier feel, low rolling restistance, it doesn't hold a corner as tight as a Karma - but breaks slowly and predictably (more important to me), and the sidewalls are more predictable.
You'll notice the use of my word "predictable". For me, it's more important that a tire be predictable through a corner and AFTER it breaks loose than a tire that will hold really tight, until it breaks loose. This might have something to do with the outside knob config AND the sips on the inner knobs. Karma's are great until they break loose... then it's a disaster waiting to happen. They are SOOO unpredictable in even the slightest of slides or drifts. I can hold a Rampage in a drift for any amount of time without fear of highside'ing or stacking up. It also breaks loose AFTER the tire tells you it will. Predictable also applies to the sidewalls. These are LIGHT tires and require more airpressure than I'm used to due to the thinner sidewalls. The upside is the light weight - and that the Rammpage sidewalls will let you know when they need more air or when you have too much. The Karma's are too disconnected from this, almost numb.
All this talk about grip is not to say that the Rampage's don't have grip. I was surprised at how much grip they have! I would be willing to argue that outside of sticky rubber - these tires have the most grip of any tire I've run to-date. DH and sticky rubber is a different story, and require different handling skills.

The Razor is a wholey different tire. It's got ultra low rolling resistance and great off camber grip - but it doesn't hold at 30mph speeds as well the Rampage. That being said... it does hold better than any other small knob design that Ive ever ridden at 30mph+. As a front tire - it would be great for buff singletrack, and riding on rock. When the trail gets really loose, the soil break often, or the ground is unstable - I'd opt for some more knobs and some more sidewall. This tire is a 2.3 and weights in at 537 grams (claimed at 530 grams). For a 2.3, that SUPER light. You'll definetly need to pay attention to your air pressure - but like the Rampage, the beauty of this tire is it's predictability. Mostly ridden as a rear tire - i have flatted once (not enough pressure) and have had NO grip issues. It's light, corners well, hold off camber, accelerates great, and has no rolling resistance.


How would I compare these tires? Who would I reccomend them to? Well - If you know me, I'm pretty picky about my tires. I feel like this is a near perfect setup. I've not hit a speed limit with my current config (Rampage in front, Razor in rear). I've ridden this setup on extremely technical terrain with NO confidence issues (Vail DH and Golden Gate State Park), and on buff singletrack (colorado trail, high county rides) and I love it. My High Roller 2.1's have a speed limit and aren't great on really techy terrain at any speed, but climb really well and have great sidewalls. The Karma's are great tires but need to be more predictable in the corners and need to feel a bit more alive (like comparing the to K2 Skiis - they feel dead, but Volkl's are alive and rip). My Michelin Al Mountain Extreme's have GOBS of grip - and INCREDIBLE sidewalls but are like riding on Velcro.

Current Setup
9/10 for grip
8/10 for sidewalls
10/10 rolling resistance
9/10 confidence

My only wish is that the rear tire had slightly thicker sidewalls - but i don't care enough to change it out. I'm hooked.

Check out Shiggy's site for some great tire reviews as well

9/12 edit
beware of high speed impacts in square edges when running the razor on the rear

Spread the word, fight the power

Don't give in and be a slave. Fight back - be an individual.
If you are liberal... this is a huge infrigment ofour rights and privacy.
If you are evangelical - the bible metaphorically warned us about this, recieving the mark of the devil... jut like Hitler marking Jews or the devil's right hand man marking with 666.

This is for real, and it's scary.

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!

What's wrong with me?

more posts shortly...

in the meantime - enjoy this

New Belgium Brewery has their tour up and running cross this here 50 states.
Click here for more info

I'm moving - check it out yo,

Tour De France

dopers rejoice! The tour is here... so if you dope - we've got your gig.
We'll be watching it on versus - and wouldn't you know it... Comcast is gonna have all the showings "on demand". Looks like we are going to have a a few visitors over the next month.

2008 Commencal

The 2008 Commencal's are here!! Well, not quite - but I've got some pic's!!

Looks like the big changes are the graghics and the rear swing arm. The rumor mill is saying that the headtube's will be 1/2 a degree steeper - I guess some people thought the 07's were too slack? (I love the slack headtube)

Rear swingarm is a real arm these days, not a flying triangle... supposedly stiffer.Meta 666



2008 also introduces the Commencal Meta 666. This bike will have an adjustable headtube sleeve and will come stock with through axle wheels (the meta 5 comes with hardware for both quick release and through axle).



Commencal Meta 4

Commencal Meta 5.5

DH Goodness...

Gary Busey

Once again - I'm speachless...

CIA Releases Project Details

Wow.. you guys read this? It's like an 80's spy novel... oh wait - It's the real thing.
After reading this, my first thought was, "sure you can trust the government".

Here's the link -
From the WSJ
From Yahoo

and at the same time, the White House gets subpoena'd regarding Bush's eavesdropping program.
from AP and Yahoo


I need to move...

Keystone Opening Weekend

The lines were there - the trails were torn up - the snow shut down the top half of the mountain - the new trails aren't built right -

I can understand the snow and such... but the trails need some serious work. The braking bumps are getting a little out of control, the bridges have lost their traction pads, some of the bridges have broken pieces - and then there's the new trails...
The "new" trails aren't built correctly. They have very little flow, the jumps aren't consistent, the jumps aren't spaced correctly, and the lips aren't built for DH bikes.


Maybe some of these items can be corrected over time - but to build a new trail incorrectly is a pretty big foul.

Looks like I'll be spending more time at Vail this year...

Today's words of Wisdom -

Do it right the first time you jackasses

Colorado Crankworx Updated

Looks like the Colorado Crankworx Site has been updated,
they have lodging prices, (69 per night), event schedules, event prices, and all the goodies!

http://www.crankworxcolorado.com/

Entry Fees -
* Super Downhill, $35
* Amatuer Downhill, $50
* Pro Downhill, $65
* Big Air, $50
* X-Country, $50
* Slopestyle, $100

Swobo Rind Review

Shorts are good, and good shorts are great...
you know how a great product seems to be lost on you until you lose it?

My new Swobo shorts are pricey, comfy, light, they move with me, they breath well, and I can't find a reason to not like them.
I only realize how great they are when I put on any other pair of shorts.

Buy some - they are cool

Balls

Talent... pure talent

Golden Gate Canyon State Park Ride

Thought that I'd let you know about my wonderful ride today... I decided to take a solo adventure in Golden Gate today. I've heard how great the place is but I've not had the chance to explore the trails - so I maxed out my camelbak with water, grabbed a bunch of calories and off I rode.

Started at with the lower section of Mountain Lion and got a little pissy with the loose and steep climbs, but found my rhythm eventually. I rode out towards panorama point via snowshoe hair (pinned the long rocky descent like a rock star) and rode up to the point. I rode down what I thought was a trail heading south for the "long loop" - turns out the cool ass trail I was riding had been shut down for several years. Oops...

Got back up to the point, then headed back to snowshoe hair. The climb back sucked, but I was able to ride most of it. Got back to a descent and rode to the top part of mountain lion. Climb, switchback, climb, switchback - repeat 6 or 7 times. Finally got to the top (legs are a bit worked, but I was riding really strong) and I finally found out what all the hype was about. The descent was long, rocky, loose, and TECH. Seriously - I've raced NMBS DH courses that didn't work me like this.

For the whole techy descent I was killing it - pinning everything, jumping the gardens, passing riders and pedestrians (showing off a bit) - and found some big bike riders that started to follow me (7 inch bikes). We got down to one of the last difficult stream crossing and literally had pedestrians run out in front of us. We had warned them early, told them we were coming, made eye contact, they moved off the trail - and at the last second one of them tried to cross the trail in front of me. I ended up riding off the trail (to avoid the 50 year old lady with huge knockers staring at me) and everyone else stacked up into me to the person next to them. we literally had NOWHERE to go that was safe. The trail was steep and loose, no way we could have stopped. The crash was pretty bad, I didn't have any pads and neither did the guy behind me. The other guys had some padding and full faces... you can tell where this is going. Sharp pointy rocks and two riders stacking up on each other equals some serious pain. long story short - my bike's mangled (brakes are toasted, bars are bent, derailluer's bent, saddle's bent, glasses broke) and I'm pretty beat up. right arm, shoulder, right shin, right thigh, and right hip are all really swollen. The other guy broke his helmet and was pretty mangled... it sucked. we had to limp out the next few miles.

I'm more than a little pissed off - the guy and his wife/girl took off and non of us were in any condition to chase them down.

On the way home, I saw a guy highside his motorcycle, with no helmet and land against a rock wall in a ditch.
Then I almost got hit by a minivan
10 minutes later a truck locked up on 93 and got rear ended by an Avalon and I almost hit the car in front of me.
I ran out of paint for the nursery
My upstairs bathroom drain is leaking on my downstairs bathroom ceiling
I ripped my jeans
my air conditioning doesn't work in my house
I'm out of booze

then I bought my first lotto ticket ever.

today sucked.

Babies

Looks like I'm gonna be a dad... nothing's ever scared me more.
We are creating an entirely new person from scratch... that's a tough concept to wrap your brain around.
There's something cool about passing on a legacy, helping to create and shape the next generation, keeping the family tree growing, being able to teach a human more than any other human will ever teach him/her. I've been hesitant up until this week about having a kid before next year - but after my wife told me, I had nothing but joy and excitement running through me.

Wow, the past few weeks have been pretty crazy! Bought a house, dad had open heart surgery, I turned 30, and I found out my wife's pregnant.
Anyhoots - got lots of articles written about product, trails and training - you should start to see these get posted soon!



Oh Babies....

Overtraining

When do you know that you've been riding too much?
My legs are getting this constant pain, and I feel like I'm hitting the wall after about 10 minutes of climbing.
I thought it was a nutritional issue at first, but I haven't been able to fix it - in fact, it's getting worse. Oh yea, I pulled my hamstring. That sucks. I keep riding on it. That makes it not better. That sucks too.
Maybe I'll take the next few days off and dust drink, instead of the usual ride and drink.

Speaking of riding - Casey (ADD Outdoors) is getting married in July and I think that we are going to get some saddle time in. Ahhhh - Indiana mountain biking....

ouch

I like Audi's... but this guy crossed the line at critical mass,

Fox Inline Glove Review

I've been riding bikes for quite some time - I've been an Expert cross country racer as well as a Pro Dh'er and have been relying on one glove for the last 7 years. The Fox Inlcine Glove.
In general - I'm not a bog fan of fox - or of "big" brands... but I can't give up this glove. Recently - I starting riding on some other gloves to try out the competition (I fugured 6 years on the same style glove was enough) - and I came to the conclusion that I'm already riding the best.

There's no padding to speak of - it vents on the top - and it's got a good snot wipe in a good spot.
I love it...

The fit had gotten a little more slim through the body over the years, which is bad for me as I've got some thick hands - and there's a little more material in the palm than there used to be... but it's pretty darn close to the same glove!

I've got to say that after you get used to riding without padding - you can't go back. You can feel the bars more, and you don't have a need to death grip the bars as there's no slippage.

I'm giving this glove a 9 out of 10... a definite best buy in my book!

Pearl Izumi Divide Trail Short Review

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I've been on a riding rampage, been getting a ton of climbing in and trying to get my lungs back.
I'll be posting a bunch of product reviews in the coming weeks. I'm shooting for a couple of reviews per week - I've been riding on a bunch of new gear.. enough with the small talk, here's the first review.

I recently acquired a pair of Pearl Izumi's Divide Trail Short for review. The Divide trail short's name is a toss to the continental divide, and some pretty unforgiving terrain. Giving this name, I started thinking about epic 60 mile rides over harsh backcountry terrain covered in loose rock and boulders a high altitude in the Rockies.
The outer shell contruction is top notch. There are vents on the upper thighs, and no zipper or clamp for a closure system. The Vents are of adequate size - I've used them more than once at White Ranch during some of the long grinding climbs and persitant heat. The lack of a closure system (waist) had me a bit concerned at first - but the spandex construction on the upper half of the short ensures no slipping and a nice snug fit. With no extra plastic or metal - there's nothing to poke into your skin or break on you. The shell definetly looks good - black with grey (almost white) exposed sturdy stiching looks pretty good.
The liner is one of the best yet one of the worst that I've ridden. I'm a big fan of the lightweight material - and it breathes really well. No slipping, it's nice and comfy, and vents really well. The chamios is also well contructed. My problem is that the pad is not placed correctly. I've tried to move around inside the short, and I've tried riding it the way it is - but the pad is too far back. What a way to ruin what should be a great experience.

All in all - I'd say that this Could have been one of the best shorts I've ever owned - If the pad was positioned correctly. Because of this bad placement, I'll never be able to wear them and be comfortable. It's a shame that one mistake ruins the whole short - but ouch! What a mistake!

Lyons Fat Tire Fest?

Too bad I won't be around... I have a non-descript B-day trip planned (turning 30).

Looks like a good time - the boys at redstone cyclery know what therir doing, and aught to keep it real (real painful if you like climbing)

bored and aimless

Rode white ranch again - what's wrong with me? My legs hurt sooo bad.
Monday should be an easy ride for me and tuesday will be a day off - I need it

On to current events,
how'd you like to ride with this guy?


Me neither - too much fire in those eyes...

Looks like Commencal pulled off a world cup win - an it's about time. Gee was killing it on the 4x, and edged out the win... On a side note, looks like age may be catching up with Lopes? He's not racing nearly as much these days. That guy's been really fast for an unnatural amount of time.


aight - I'm out!

White Ranch Riding

got in a lot of climbing today - I think that it's a record climbing day for me (not saying much as I'm a DH'r)

Rode Belcher up (via Round Up) to Maverick,
back to Belcher (and Round Up again),
Back up to Mustang,
Out to LongHorn and back down,

Estimated elevation gain - 3,600 Feet
Estimated mileage - 13-14 miles

definetly not my longest ride - but I think it's about the most climbing I've ever done.

loving the retro racers

Man... you remember these guys? Bobby Roll talkin bout cavemen...



the 80's were sweet

I'm a Slacker

Man, it's been few days since I've posted... I need to get back on the wagon.

For those of you who live in Boulder County - I rode up Flagstaff Mountain last night. Got caught in a hellacious hail down pour. Starting drizzling halfway up the mountain, started to pour 3/4 the way up, and right before the summit - the hail came down with winds that might have picked me up off the ground. It was a little hairy...

I'm in need of some new DH parts... Brakes, Fork, Shock, Saddle, Grips,
I'm open to opinions.

here's the short list
Avid Code's
Boxxer World Cup
DHX Air
Bel-Air
Ruffians

I hate spending money...

On another note - I just bought my Colorado Pass for 07/08,
I thought that I was going to get summer lift access as well, but it appears that the promoted summer lift access is only for "scenic tours" and doesn't include the bike in the lift ticket. what a sham...


I'm out

Spoof's

Who likes spoofs? I do...



Who like to rag on GW?
Not just me...

Something Ominus?

Something weird gonna happen today? it might... meteors from the sky, marshmellow men running through the streets, cats and dogs getting along - it's gonna be chaos.

today's 05/06/07 - just wait until the time is 08:09:10... that'll be trippy, man.
05/06/07 08:09:10

It's raining way too much - can somebody take care of that for me? I can't ride my bike (only have a mtb these days). My legs are screaming at me - and my bike's getting pissy.

Want to read some f'd up stuff about roadies in the 80's? Long live doping!
Click here for an insiders story

I'm out...

Boonen... Oh Man

How dedicated are you? Tom Boonen's probably a little more dedicated than most.
If you're a cyclist, I'm sure that you'll figure it out pretty quick - if not, then I don't have the heart to tell you. Click the pick to blow it up and figure out this mystery.

Bearclaw Invitational

Looks like the Claw's thowing down a contest of his own,

should be good! Check it out HERE


August Road Trip Anyone??

Artsy Fartsy Bike Ballet?

Check out the Billy Bad Ass Bike Messenger types being all cute-sy

Finally Back in town, had a hell-uv-a layover in Minneapolis. At least they had a tequila bar in the airport.

ADD Outdoors

That Casey guy... what is he thinking? He's getting married soon, and I'll be one of the unfortunate souls at the wedding (groomsman = monkey suit).

We don't have a bachelor party planned, and I haven't bought him a gift yet - so I'm soliciting help from my readers...

Send me your suggestions and I'll be happy to take on the best one!

email to: pbic7222@yahoo.com
subject: the end of casey's life

Check out his blog here -
ADD Outdoors

Commencal Meta 6

yea yea -

that's right boys and girls, Commencal's putting out a 6 inch version of their infamous Meta series.
As a proud meta 5 owner - I'm pretty stocked on this! Looks like I may be buying one when the 08's get shipped state-side.

Commencal - Meta 6
Video
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Fight?

on yesterday's fight club theme... one of my readers sent me this -

Niki Gudex and Yarding

I get to ride into work following a Denver RTD bus every morning... and this used too be a painful sight - but recently Oakley bought the back of the bus for advertising and put an Oakley Women advertisement...
My Morning Commute is now better that I get to see Niki Gudex every morning.

I used to hang with her at Nat's - met her through some Kiwi's that I'd bum around the country with. She was a DH racer at the time, but it seems that she's faster at XC and is making some waves in the "women's sport" world. Good for her - I was never "friends" with her, but it's good to see some old associates making good on their dreams.


Aight - no words f wisdom today, but check out this posting at "How to avoid the bummer life"
I used to do this all the time... it's how I got my mad sprint down,
it ocured to me that these little groups seem a bit like "Fight Club"


Good Memories....

Golden Enduro

ok - I just got Jesus Camp... get to watch that tonight so I can go to bed all pissed off -
Don't have much, It's about 6:30 AM and I can't think.

Got this email from Dan, did the Golden Enduro on Saturday

From: Dan
Subject : Golden Enduro Retrospective

12 guys showed up to start at 5:14 Saturday morning, including two Pro's from some team I couldn't identify because it was too dark and I was too groggy. The race started when one of the Pro's said, "What are we waiting for?" and took off for the gate. Halfway up Belcher, where I was in 4th position and riding alone through groups of indifferent deer, only the light of the 3rd placed rider was visible ahead of me. The Pros were already out of sight, and would finish more than an hour in front of #3 (Stefan is his name), (they did it in about 7 1/2 hours. I would see them about 4 hours later as I was weaving my way up Mt. Falcon. They were on their way down.) I looked back to see a group of wobbling lights behind me. Daylight started to appear, I cleaned the entire Belcher singletrack climb, but slid across a waterbar on the descent and crashed before I passed the first "casualty", Taylor, looking at his directions, having missed the Belcher singletrack and ridden directly over to the Rawhide trail. We would end up riding the entire race together. Well, sort of. He didn't feel like going back to get on-route, so, as I was trying to explain to him where we were, another guy, Kevin, came by, and we quickly chased him down. Lights off, the three of us descended Longhorn as the sun started to rise.

After dropping our lights off at our cars, we took off for Chimney Gulch. Actually, they took off. I was still fishing through my pockets looking for some food. I re-caught them at the base of Chimney Gulch after descending through Golden. We rode the first half of the climb together, but after the first road crossing, Taylor, whom I had dropped early on Belcher, started riding away. Right then, an hour and a half into it, I realized I wasn't having a very good day, and I was going to suffer for the rest of the ride. There was a brief moment when I thought I was going to catch him before Lookout Mountain, but I crashed hard on my hand. (Yes, going UP the climb.) It would start cramping about an hour later, then go numb for the last three hours. The organizer's dad was standing at the second rode crossing, he told me I was in 5th place.

After descending Apex, I finally caught him again on 40. Kevin, who apparently never stops for anything, happily cruised by us at the Red Rocks parking lot. (Someone had to take care of some business there. By business I mean poo.) But we again quickly caught and passed him. The climb wasn't too bad, but Taylor dropped me as soon as it got steep. Somehow I managed to catch him at the top, but all that effort was wasted when he crashed into a pile of rocks on the descent. Nothing broken (besides the snapped spoke on his rear wheel he started with), so we took off again.

Mt Falcon was torture. Taylor dropped me immediately. The climb went on forever. It started to get hot. The trail, after about 45 minutes of climbing, finally leveled out before we hit the loop at the top and descended. But then came more, steeper, climbing. I walked all the steepest parts. Near the top, where Taylor was waiting for me (he had lost his directions), an old couple hiking asked us if we had started at the bottom parking lot, I replied "Yeah, the bottom parking lot of White Ranch." It's location apparently didn't register with them. On the way down, I almost crashed into a picnic bench in a gazebo. This needs no explanation, nor will you get one.

At about hour 5, we stopped in Morrison for water. I hadn't drunk half the contents of my Camelbak, but decided to fill it, and the water bottle I had, completely. I think this was a mistake. The trails, bike paths and roads from here to Golden, besides the climb up Green Mountain, weren't too bad, but Taylor decided we still had to pedal, and my ass really started to hurt. To compensate, I was tensing up my back muscles and triceps to get the weight off my saddle, and they started cramping, too. I was a little dazed by this point. From the bottom of Mt. Falcon to the bottom of Table Mountain (again excepting Green Mountain where he dropped me yet again), I didn't do anything but stare at Taylor's back wheel.

If you're heading south on 93, just before the turn to White Ranch you can see Table Mountain on your left. It doesn't look like much. We first made our way up a road from Golden to get to 93 and then over to the entrance, but as soon as we hit the service road leading to the top, I couldn't pedal anymore. I walked the entire road. Halfway to the top, I saw Kevin behind me, turning off 93 onto the dirt road and thought, "Shit, I have to walk faster." 2 minutes later, I looked back again, and saw him dismounting and starting to walk. I slowed down.

It took me about 20 minutes to walk to the top. Taylor, who rode the whole way up, was coasting down in the opposite direction. Had he already ridden the loop? He stopped in front of me and said, "I'm lost." After a sigh, I pulled out the official directions. "Right onto the North Table Mtn service road. Right on doubletrack. Descend the singletrack on the east side and follow this around to the north side." We looked up, saw doubletrack to our right and started pedaling towards it. A few minutes later, some singletrack appeared heading east. After 5 minutes or so of smooth, fast descending, we came to the top of a cliff. People were climbing on it. We later found out that we were supposed to go down the second doubletrack. Of course, how could we have been so stupid? The directions were generally terrible, but this was aggravating, and the end of my mental stamina. (I never would've found my way from Mt. Falcon to Green Mountain if it weren't for Taylor.) 8 1/2 hours into it, we were both too upset to turn around, so we portaged down the cliff, then down a trail that was impossible to ride, descended through a neighborhood and ended up halfway back to Golden. So, back up the road...

By the time we made it to White Ranch, it didn't matter that we had gone off-route 5 miles from the finish. We had ridden [and walked] ~72 miles, with ~11,600ft of elevation gain, in just under 9 hours. I hurt for the last 7. But just so you don't think I'm soft, I did Super Walker yesterday.

White Ranch

Had a great ride on Sunday - rode White Ranch from the lower parking lot, got in almost 3,000 feet of climbing. I'm a little worked this morning from yesterday's ride, but I felt so good that I'm going to ride again after work today.
According to the Map, the initial climb from the parking lot is 1740 feet in 4.4 Miles. That's no joke... DOT won't build roads that steep. I think for the first 1500 feet I had to take take a short breather (otherwise known as getting off my bike to prevent hurling puke all over the place) - but I was fine the rest of the ride. My legs were strong, and lungs felt good.

Ok - enough with me being all happy with myself...


Today's Words of Wisdom -
bitch it bro

Ride Central and Sunn

check it out here -

The Boys at Ride-Central got to demo the new Sunn Bikes...

How do I get one of these?

Pay the Rent

I'm lazy, and I don't have anything to say -
tonight's gonna be a Tahona Night - they have a new anejo flight.... I got nuthin else.

Virginia Tech

I don't want to be yet another guy writing about the same stuff everyone else writes about. This was a pretty big event, and still seems to be unfolding (thanks to NBC). It was horrible, and it'll live for a long time in a lot of memories. My heart goes out to the victim's, their family and friends.

So hear's the deal - NBC somehow was chosen to receive a package from the purp. The package included some video, some pics, and a written manifesto. NBC's been releaseing it bit by bit - and there's alot of pissed off people saying that NBC shouldn't release this info.

Maybe it's bad timing - maybe it shouldn't be released at all. I would be pretty disappointed if it was released at all - but for me, the issue is how the media is handling this whole "manifesto" type situation.
There's 2 sides to the media's handling of this - the first is the side of the organization that received the package. NBC looks to be releasing this in stages instead of all at once. What's that all about? Marketing... they may want to keep their name out there for a longer period of time.
2nd side is the reactionary media. They are reporting without reason. There's no focus, no value for the consumer, just idiotic babble-crap.

I don't know what the answer is... I don't pretend to have it. I do know that you shouldn't talk without a point, and you shouldn't present without having value. Maybe MSNBC and CNN will figure this out one day.

Today's words of Wisdom -
take a back seat, look around. it's a big world with alot of problems - but you probably don't have it nearly as bad as someone else who's not to far away.
Be grateful, be happy, and help someone out every once in a while.

Senator Stevens - Series Of Tubes

I ran across this last night... gave me a few good laughs


Then I realized that he's also in support of drilling in ANWR... has anyone explained to him what the problems are with that? what the limitations are?

any way - check out some fun criticism here...

24 Solo Movie Premier

I'm attending the "24 Solo" movie premiere on Thursday - it happens to be a fundraiser for the DEVO team here in Boulder. If you're in the area - I recommend showing up, it's a whopping $12 to get in, it's at the Boulder Theatre, and you'll be downtown to throw down some debauchery after the shin dig's up.

Here's the trailer -


If you're in town - look me up. I'll take you on Phil's Famous Tequila Tour...

Dakota Ridge and RedRocks

Rode the Dakota Ridge / Red Rocks / Morrison loop on Sunday. The ride was a ton better than Saturday. No puking...
Ride the Maxxis 2.1's again - was pretty happy about their performance. There's no real fast sections, so I didn't approach the tire's speed limit and was able to love those big side knobs on the off camber rock sections.
I hit the Dakota Ridge Section twice... I started there and then tried to do another loop, but I bailed after riding Dakota the second time (took the road back)

Anyhoots - check out this story... it's a bit on the sarcastic side, but provides a little Monday Morning humor for Bicycle Commuters (like myself)
http://www.csbj.com/
Here's another good one for the day -
Mountain Bike Dictionary

Today's Words of Wisdom -
Never under-estimate the power of eating,
Especially when you have a hard ride coming up

Hall Ranch and some Puke

Wish I had a camera on my ride yesterday. Legs felt like crap until I puked... not sure what I ate - but there was a whole lot of orange chunky crap that smelled like fermented meat and tequila spewing out my my mouth for a good 90 seconds. Dry heaves came afterwords.
I had chunks all over my top tube, wiped it off with my glove - then realized that I'd be smelling that puke smell for the rest of the ride since My cloth glove was now soaked in the previous night's mexican fiesta.
Follow my mexican rambling's below,
Rio
Juantia's
Zolo
Tahona Tequila Bistro

btw - I started riding on maxxis 2.1 high rollers, they're not too bad. The speed limit is above that of other 2.1's. They definitely corner better as well. I'm starting to become convinced that 2.1's are just too small for me. I always seem to ride over their ability and speed level when coming down from a lollypop with some elevation. If you ride mostly rolling terrain - even if it's really tech, I'd recommend these tires.
I'm gonna pick up some Panaracer Rampage's next - should have a report for you soon!

Today's words of wisdom -
When in Doubt, drink more tequila

Legendary Drummer?

You've got to read that - Click the pic to blow that shizzy-nittle up, yo
I remember having that much passion, and I don't really know what happened to it. Maybe I started to have a life outside of music, maybe I tried too many different things - but I remember it.
Go get em kid

Today's Words of Wisdom -
Don't let the passion die, and don't forget what it's like to have passion if it's gone

US Spending in Iraq

I was bouncing around some "watch dog" sites.... found this,


I highly recommend taking a look. You'll get a look at the Dollar Amount the US has spent on the Iraq War - and be able to compare it to our other spending initiatives as well as what YOUR community has spent on the war.

It's F'n Depressing

Today's Words of Wisdom -
Ride your bike - Fight the temptation to use Oil

Check these out -
http://nationalpriorities.org/
Cost of War.com

Looking for Inspiration

I'm a little low on inspiration, so I went to my usual source... The Muppet Show. I thought that you could also find inspiration here.



Here we have the 1978 Classic Show Down between Animal (he's an Animal, embodies every stereotype of drummers around the globe) and Buddy Rich (Embodies almost everything that a Drummer wants to be, but also embodies everything that a decent human being doesn't want to be).

Today's Words of Wisdom
When in Doubt, Get a Bigger Hammer

Happy Easter

Stolen from the Drunk Cyclist Big John himself...
Happy Easter All - Enjoy it while you got it

I'm In Love

So pretty much everyone that knows me, knows that I'm SUPER picky and passionate about my bikes. Of all the brands and bikes out there, I'm a true fan only a select few bikes and even fewer brands. The 3-4 brands that have influenced me the most over the years are
"Old School" Schwinn - pre-sale to Pacifc (late 2001)
Yeti
Commencal
Sunn

There are some stand out bikes to be sure - but these are the brands that have not only been able to influence The Industry, Suspension and Frame Design, and Racing in HUGE ways.

Recently, I got my first glimpse of Sunn's renewed efforts and I'm in love! Just when I thought that everyone had given up - Sunn starts to put out.

Nico, Carol-Anne, Cedric.... they all know.

Here it is...

Oh Yea.... It's on
Now all we need is a US Distributor.
Any Takers?

Did I mention 36.5 Lbs out of the box for the DH bike? It's all over, I'm ruined


Today's Words of Wisdom
Always ride your best (not the best),
you'll never be disappointed

NYC Dirt Jumps

Jeff Lenosky and Kyle Ebbett built a big dirt jump zone in New York City that is totally legal. Here's a small video of the completed course (right click + save as). Go to nycmtb.com for more info.

'bout time sombody did this - east coast riders got it goin on... even the masshole named ebot (Ebbett rips - see him killing it on a hardtail at crankworx?)

Today's Words of Wisdom -
Jump, Jump, Jump Around
Get Up, Get Up and Get Down

Bike Messengers

Bike messengers are billy bad ass - all of em.

I used to ride DT Chicago alot to get my sprints up and grow some jingle bells. I thought I was balls-y till I started riding with messengers. Those guys are insane.



I got nuthin -



Today's words of wisdom
Don't trust your friendly neighborhood messenger, don't ride with em, don't eat with em, and most of all - Don't drink with em.

Denver Auto Show

As any true dreamer should, I attended the Denver Auto Show this weekend. It's nice to get my auto-fix every once in a while. Living in Boulder helps me to keep grounded, and helps to keep the attitude that keeping your good gas mileage car till it's absolutely un-driveable. Then there's these auto events - where I regain my old-school "big engine, little car" attitude.
I miss V-8's...
High Points -
Rousch figured out how to properly update a modern mustang (Better then they have in the past)
CTS-V's are still the best bargain out there
OEM'd Brembo Brakes are everywhere
Lamborghini's are still fun to look at, but horrible to drive
I still don't like Camero's
Audi's are still great
BMW needs to not hire American Engineers
Mercedes looks to be hiring the French for exterior design
Test Drives should be available - to limited Manufacturers
Accessories Market is taking off again
I want a Ferrari

Aight - I'm out... going to get on the bike since I can't drive my new Audi RS4