RZMC

Holie Jeebus! I did a google search on the "Red Zinger Mini Classic" and found these youtube videos (not the greatest quality but they are almost 20 years old)

yeah I'm bored... I was hoping to find race results to find my old teammates names. Some of the current big guns did these races as kids too. Bobby J., Mike McCreedy to name a couple.



I did several of the other weekend Mini Classics in '88 (14yo). In '89 (in the 15yo cat) I raced them again plus the full 10 day race.

It was so much fun! I was setting in 9th most of the race but wrecks in the critter-runs got me and I ended up 14th over all. We had the over all winner on my team and the team I was on (High Gear Cyclery) won the team title.

It was so cool racing the Morgul-Bismarck I felt like Kevin Costner in American Flyers... Alight more like Andy Hampster on La Vie Claire.



Davis Phinney showed up to a couple of the stages and at the final stage, the Pearl Street crit. I got him to sign my race t-shirt and my Giro. Man was that a 15 year old's dream, not only meeting my hero (yeah Davis is the reason I grew a pony tail) but he was watching me race!

 

I sent the t-shirt to the sponsor "High Gear Cyclery" a couple of years a go and the helmet is on the wall in the garage. I hope there are races like this for the Jr's these days. It was a great experience that ingrained cycling deep into my life.

First of the '07 bikes...

I finished up Sara's "B" bike yesterday... well almost, she's going to change out her stem for an Easton one and she also wanted to leave the bars unwrapped so she could dial in her position with these bars.

I also took this for my first ride around the block since I broke the good old c-bone :) nice and SLOW! The Dr said he didn't have a problem with me riding, just falling, he warned me if I fall in the next 4-6 weeks it re-breaks.

 













Well it's not really an '07 Lobster, it's an '06 but she had it repainted from the 'Bella colors to 'Lobster.


 













This cheap little thing saves so many problems, I'm glad she's using it.


 










No I didn't put the pink sticker on because it's a girl’s bike. It's a way for me to tell the bikes apart at the races. Matching King stickers on both sides of the bike are "A" bikes, a Pink or White on the Non-Drive side are "B" bikes. I'm looking for a nice (and cheap) way to get the riders names on the bikes too...

 










TEX got a promotion! He's finally earning his stripes as a shop dog! meaning he's starting to chill out and hang with "dad" while I work. I'd rather have this view then be looking at a picture of him on my desk any day. He's been so good Michelle and I picked him up a new bed just for the garage.

GRRRRRR this Blog photo formatting is driving me nutz... going to go back the original next post...

Busy Day... YEAH!!! ugh...

Whew, it was busier today then it has been in the last few weeks (thankfully)

After a.m. chores Lennie called, he's heading up to Downieville this weekend, and needed a rear brake bleed... 2 hours later we're over hauling his rear Chris King Hub, after I said it was sounding loud he let it slip he hadn't overhauld'd it in a couple of years. Agh, 2 years, if he wasn't one of my best friends...

Speaking of Lennie he sent me this photo of his Rock Lobster Tig Steel 'Cross bike. This was Lennies first 'Lobster and in true style we built it up together in my garage.

 

He picked up the kit from Excel Sports out of Boulder on a business trip (he travels a lot) and Paul did up the frame build for him. He's had the bike about a year (I honestly don't remember exactly how long) and other then the tension of the wheels loves it. He even bought a Steel Road 'Lobster with S&S couplers we're spec'ing it out with a Force shifting, Campy crank, Phil Wood BB, CK/USA/Mavic MMmmmmm... he's picking up the odds and ends now... build up soon.


Now for something completely different the dancing Llam...ahmen... no we won't go there...

 

Went to the Dr's today too, he was cool, doesn't want me to push to hard yet. 12-16 more weeks for a "full" recovery. The x-ray, only one this time, he wants me back in 6 weeks for follow up and a better view of the over lap.

Made dinner... Then Matt stopped by to hang out/work on/drop off Sara's bike.

Working with Matt was a lot of fun, he's a mechanic by trade too, a BMW mechanic at a quality shop, and knows his sh*t. Details make the mechanic in either business, he's one of the good ones. We ate dinner and hung the components, but it was getting late by the time the first cables were being strung so this will be continued tomorrow... sorry no photos yet, not for a work in progress ;)

Why Don't I Race Cyclocross?

I get this question a lot and believe me it's not because I don't want to. Oh I do.

I found a bunch of old photos that I burned on a CD a while a go. So let me tell you a little picture story. (and I wanna play with the photo formatting)

September 14th 2002, Fairview Dome Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite.
 
The biggest chuck of Granite in T-Meadows. I don't know much of it's history except what it did to me.

The route is called "Lucky Streaks" it's a Royal Robbins classic sandbagged 5.10d that should be a 5.11c (yeah yeah I know the rating system stopped at 5.10 when it was put up)

Bruce, Salah, Wilson "Dokie" and myself set off about 7:00 just after the sun starts warming the rest of the earth up, but we're on the west side of the rock so no sun for us 'till after lunch.
 
I lead the first pitch, it was a sleeper, maybe a 5.8, the rock was cold. I was in to Ice Climbing too so the cold didn't usually bug me but that day was just different.

I was climbing good though, in a good groove, up 10 feet place some pro, clip it, rinse repeat...

Bruce and Salah were roped up, and I was climbing with my bro Dokie.
  You can make out Salah starting the 3rd Pitch, Dokie belaying me up to the Ledge (I'm the third guy in white) after he lead the 2nd pitch. This is the last photo of me before things went wrong. There are no photos of what happened next (although I wish there were).

I took back over the lead and and started up the Crux pitch. I was standing with my left foot in a crack, right flagged out on the face for balance, placing a Blue Cam (can't remember the make or size) with my right hand, when my left hand popped out of the crack. I had a fairly heavy pack on and so it pulled me backwards into a flip. Cool no problem I'd fallin' on rope before was the first thought, then PAIN!!! the next millisecond later... My left foot didn't pop out of the crack causing my Tib/Fib shattered right at the ankle.

I never had an experience like that before, I was in pain I never felt before falling faster and faster, I felt the first peice of pro pop out. I remember hearing Dokie yell "OH SHIT A ZIPPER", then 3 more go, BAM, BAM, BAM. Then I really though that was it, I was going to deck and I knew there was no way I was going to live.

A little yellow #2 Metolius (sp?) cam stuck and didn't pop. I felt the tug on my harness, the force through me in to the wall and I blacked out.

I woke up about 5 seconds later and 60 feet lower screaming my head off. In addition to my left ankle, I had a good concussion, a chuck skin taken out of my right eyebrow and my right ankle. and I didn't know it at the time but one of the three Nalgeen bottles in my backpack had broken 3 ribs when I slammed into the wall. The bottle broke too, yeah a Nalgeen, it's my now my spare change jar.

The luckiest thing of my life happened next, the party that was following us was a couple from Germany and the husband was with their version of YOSAR He quickly got me to the ground and bandaged me up.
 

OH NO! YOU’RE NOT GOING TO CARY ME OUT WITHOUT PAIN KILLERS!

It was a rough mile down hill to the trucks on a "climbers trail" (a few sticks kicked out of the way through the trees and rocks)
 

They didn't give me a choice.

 
We went to an ER (I can't remember what one) and they dopped me up, took x-ray and tried to get me to have surgey that night... Uh no, was I was just layed-off with no medical insurance, I needed to get home and call the family for help.

But there was no way that was going to happen that night so we went back to camp and I started in on the liquid pain killers. It was a really rough night, but good drugs took the edge off.
 
This is the result. A Titanium upgrade, 7" plate with 7 screws, two more on the other side and one in my hip from where they needed to take a bone plug to patch up the smashed bits.

I don't run anymore. You might see me in a fast walk or a kinda Skip run Skip Run limp, but nothing I could race Cross with, and jumping over barriers forget it, my ankle would be swollen up the size of a pumpkin the next week, I know I DNF'd the two races I tried to do.

So now I wrench, Cross is so much fun with such a great group of people I couldn't stay away and hands in the pits are needed.

But there is always Single Speeding, Road and Track... You better believe I'm going to start training as soon as this collar bone heals up and I can get back on a bike.

Monday morning a time for changes... "a (late night many beers) rant"

Wow a blog post I don't have any pics prep'ed for... cool let's wing it...

Let's start off with the real news... I'm no longer a Mechanic with Trail Head Cyclery... OUCH!!!!! yeah that hurt, no sh*t, I really like working there... for the record I left, they were really trying to keep me on (even when I got the 10 weeks disability from the Doc.)

THC is a great (MTB) shop, it's just a little to far for me to get to every day (20 miles one way + a broken collar bone on top of it)... yeah right, reality sinks in and I need to find work closer to home.

I really liked working for Lars, he's by far one of he better bosses I've worked for. Cool, Calm, 100% behind his employees (wrong or right), a "make it work RIGHT" shop owner/former wrench. I never stressed about time with Lars, he just wanted his customer’s bikes to be 100% when it left the door. If it took me 3 hours or 3 days he didn't care so long as it was right/perfict.

 

Ride'n off in to the sunset...

 

Bontrager, Keith made it, hopfully people will see me as the guy who took the family name and did my own thing with it....

 

I love my pup TEX! he's the best!! Just the right size to hang out with anytime.


 

A rare shot of me in a race these days... hopfully that will change in the next couple of years... 2009 I become a 35+ :) heheh

Team USA Guerciotti?!?!?!

Darrell also brought over his "Guercotti" for me to take a look at for a full restoration protject, back to "ALL ORIGINAL" for the bike his brother-inlaw gave him for free... the story is that Darrell's Brother-inlaw got it from one of his clients as a "tip" for seling a house.

To preface this, my first real road bike was a Navy fade to White Guercotti 58cm that I LOVED! so I have a really soft place in my heart for them.

 

Things from the start just didn't looks right, the paint was crap no clear coat, sticker all in the wrong place, wrong fork etc...

 

It had a really wacky mix of componets... well I was running a mix of campy, shimano and mavic on my Guerch. but not this wacky...

 

Then I saw this under the crapy paint job...

 

with a little finger nail work I uncovered this little number.

 

Well Well Well... What do we have here?!?!?!

 

A HUFFY!?!?!?! OR IS IT? Now being a roadie from the 80's I know that Huffy was on a major marketing campaign re-badging Serotta, Landshark (Andy Hampsten rode this if I remember correctly) Raleigh, DelSavo, Motobecane, etc... for 7-11, Crest, the USA Olympic team, Greg Lemond etc... (this one is a? I don't know... never seen a silver one)

 

There are just too few Braze-on's not to be a race bike... these BB cable routers, the Number Plate holder, and the water bottle bosses are the only extra ones on the frame (not counting the necessary shifting/braking ones). No rack or fender mounts, no pump boss, nothing extra and for an early 80's frame (with a 63cm seat tube and a 60cm top tube) it isn't that heavy

 

When did Huffy spec Campy drop outs??

Looks Like I have a project on my hands... stay tuned...

Retro Sunday

After a dry dusty day in the hell of the north of the 1990 Paris-Roubaix, Eddy Planckaert and Steve Bauer showed the world why cycling is the toughest sport with a 1cm difference in the final sprint on the Roubaix Velodrome, In Kansas there were only two races I could see on TV, the "Wide World of Sports" would show weekly highlights of the Tour de France in July and in April 2 hours of the Paris-Roubaix. Although I had seen the race (on TV) 6 times before this was easy to spot this as a defining moment of the sport.

That was first thing came to mind when my neighbor Darrell brought over his wife Mary's Panasonic for me to re-cable and give it the first love in 15 years.

 

Although this Panasonic has never seen roads anything like the Pave, it still brings back those memories.

Asides from the Johnnie Holmes stem, the Terry saddle and standard replaceables this baby is all original and in VERY good shape.

 

SN# right up front, no one will argue it's your bike.

 

I love the detail in this shot, a first gen. 600 SIS rear derailleur and almost a perfect Panasonic stamp on the chrome drops.

 

ROTTEN EGGS!!! The reason I switched to Campy in 1988.

Ti One On... a rant

Titanium Spokes

Everyone seems to have their opinion on Ti Spokes

 

To quote Wheelbuilder.com
"Exotic materials have been successfully used in spoke manufacturing, however cost and availability can sometimes be limiting factors. Titanium, and Carbon/Kevlar spokes are currently in use on several manufacturers production wheels. Titanium spokes weigh significantly less than stainless spokes. Due to their inherent flexibility the Ti spokes give a very unique ride sometimes described as comfortable, plush, soft, Flexi, and even sloppy by some riders"

On Cane Creek's web site they have this to say about their Ti Spokes.
"Cane Creek Crono wheels with optional titanium spokes have relatively lower radial stiffness. These wheels provide a noticeably more comfortable ride, especially after hours in the saddle." and then have some calculus to back it up...

and it would almost be sinful to leave out this from the bicycle mechanic's web guru "Titanium is also used for spokes, but, in my opinion it is a waste of money. Titanium spokes should only be used with brass nipples, which makes a combination that is not significantly lighter than stainless spokes with aluminum nipples."

DT Swiss made their MMC spokes in the late 1990's with mixed reviews, the UBI/DT Swiss take on Ti is that it is not as reliable of a metal or ride as Steel and they no longer offer a Ti Spoke... The word in the shops is that DT Swiss was using a different composite of Ti then we are currently building wheels with today.


 



I have some pretty solid experience with building 26" wheels with Ti spokes, I haven't kept records but I would say about 45% of all wheels I built at Trail Head Cyclery were Ti spokes, primarily USA Spokes and some Marwi. Although I have built only 5 sets of Ti spoked 700c wheels (4 road/cross, 1 29er). All were laced 3x all around, shop standard was to build all wheels to keep with Chris King's warrantee and they like Ti Spokes laced 3x... "Due to the increased tension required by titanium spokes, titanium spokes should only be laced in a 3 cross pattern." to quote KCG's Hubset owners manuals ... and sorry Mr. Brown but all were built with aluminum nipples, THC's standard is to use 12mm DT Swiss nipples with standard rims and 14mm USA (or other) nipples with UST rims. However I'm starting to use 14mm with all Ti spokes. And I have never experienced any ill effects of the fabled Ti / Al electron sharing… i.e. the Al nipple fusing to the Ti spoke… Yeah for Boiled Linseed Oil... More on aluminum nipples in a future rant...

Specs aside the most important thing is the...

RIDE

If you thought weight go play in traffic RIGHT NOW!!!
(frick'n weight weenies)

I own 2 sets of Ti wheels.

SS MTB 26", Chris King SS Disk Hubs, USA Ti Spokes, Mavic 717 Rims.
700c, Chris King Classic Hubs, USA Ti Spokes, Mavic OpenPro Rims.

I have over 3 years on the MTB set mainly weekend rides, a few races, and 1.5 years on the 700c, with over 10,000 commuting/training miles. The best way I can describe it is, the same properties that make Ti frame riders fall in love with their rides are at work in wheels with Ti spokes. To expand on Wheelbuilder.com and Cane Creek take on Ti spokes, the sloppy/plush/flexie feeling from a Ti spoked wheel (namely a 700c) tends to come from low spoke tension i.e. lower steel spoke tension, 90knf ish for you nit pickers. Michelle's 28 hole and my 32 hole 700c sets are both very highly tensioned, pushing 140knf.

A Bad EARLY (4:30 am) pic of my front 700c wheel...
 
You can kinda make out the brake pad ware on the rim at each nipple from the high tension flexing the rim a little at that point.


Something I would only do with quality parts that can take that high of force. Anyway I really like the feel of my 700c wheels, at speed they are very stable and for most bumps they seem to dampen the hits. Michelle and Jack from THC said the same basic thing. I feel Sapim CX-Ray's build a better/stiffer road racing wheel but for 'cross or my riding (commuting/training) Ti spokes wheels cut the shock factor that helps save enegry. For 26" wheels the shock damping is pretty much a mute point with mtb tires on but the rotational weight savings and higher tensions allow for seeming quicker accelerations and less wheel wonder in tight berms. Ti spokes wins out here over CX-Rays because you can cut Ti spokes down to custom lengths (I could get spokes down to the .5mm on the cutter at THC) where CX-Rays only come in even lengths. Better spoke lengths mean more even tension beeween the two sides of the wheel, better tension means a stronger/ stiffer/ less flexie wheel

I have only seen one questionable failure of a Ti spoke in 3 years; it broke right at the base of the threads inside the nipple. Lars and I think it was from the spoke cutter mal-rolling the threads, and one off thing. The other failures have all been from derailleurs, sticks, pumps, rocks etc... Mostly bends and a few brakes, I have bent one spoke on the front of my SS MTB from an o'shit stop in a blind corner into a rock.

All in all I love Ti spokes, yeah they are pricy but if you spend a lot of time on your bike they are worth checking out.


 

oh yeah almost forgot for the Weight Weenies... a set of Chris King Hub / Mavic 717 Rim... Steel DT Swiss 14/15 V.S. USA Ti 14... Ti wheels were .5 lbs lighter...

Idle hands beget the devils work

I know I'm not 'suposta be doing anything right now, tomorrow marks week three of this broken bone. From the war stories I've been hearing, between now and the 5th week are when more re-injuries happed from guys doing too much. I can see why.

Ok on to the bike stuff I managed to get done

Julie’s bike,

 

I like the setup she uses, 1x9... simple pure 'cross racing bike, my faviorite setup.

She dropped this one off for new cables/housing, yearly love and to remove the chicken levers. I just need to work out what I’m going to do with the rear brake… Farid used a seat mounted stop last year, I tried three others this year so far and I think I’m just going to go back to his set up for it, seems to work the best.

 

While I had it in the garage I used it as the sponsor’s sticker guinea pig. Nothing to new here I pretty much copied Josh and Simons from the last couple of years. Running a little shy on Mavic and Bell stickers, SwiggCo is going to call in the Calvary later this week for more.

Speaking of the Team, I got Michelle to pull on her kit from last year to show off her...
 

NEW WHEELS!!! (get your mind out of the gutter)

I know I said we were going to get the rim's power coated pink but I couldn't help myself, I had to lace them up!

They came out good too. Brian cut the spokes for me when we stopped by Trail Head Saturday, and nailed the lengths.

The Specs.

Pink Chris King 28 hole classic road hubs
Blue USA Ti Spokes,
Front: 297mm 3x (nailed it)
Rear: 295mm 3x Drive (could have used 294mm) 297mm 3x Non-Drive (good)
Blue (and a couple of black) USA Al Nipples (14mm)
Black Mavic 28 hole OpenPro
Velox Rim Tape
Specialized Houffalize CX 700X32 S-Works Tire

 


Even the more harden fans seem to approve of them

Not Much Do'n Today

Ugh Lots O' recovering from the last two days of the adventure known as life. Damn these injuries take a lot out of you.

BUT...I have no reason to bitch

Just some for the record today, cleaning up the photo dump.

 

Michelle's little Seven. I didn't do the build up but I have serviced the hell out of it, damn that little girl puts on the miles...

The guys at Richardson Bike Mart in Dallas, TX did an awesome job with the original build, and the bike has a killer build spec'd.

Campy Record
Easton
Mavic
Salas

I do want a Ti bike of some form, most likely a road frame, the reviews from rides (exp. old steel riders like myself) I know who own them are outstanding. Michelle loves this one.

Although it is the only bike she gets toe/tire over lap on...
Score Rock Lobster 2, Seven 0 ha-ha


 

Ah My favorite part on any bike... (and judging by the selection, Keith's as well).

WHEELS!!!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE building wheels!! It's like my golf, my zen garden, my after dinner Porto. There's no greater joy for this mechanic then that one magic second, just after the three to five turns on each nipple to bring the spokes up to working tension, when I spin the now finally something of a solid creation in the truing stand and I know I nailed the spoke lengths down to the 10th of an mm. That my friend is a true bike mechanics orgasm. I was up to 83 built this year when I broke my collar bone, I SO want to break 100 for the first time this year. Riders lust for new bikes HA! INFIDALS! I would kill for this Holy Grail

Ok, Ok, I'll quit ranting and get on with it...

So we had a few (3) Reflex rims left over from the very generous contribution Mavic made to the team last season, and Paul kicked them over to me (with a few stickers). My task, Pit wheels for this season and you all now know how I feel about building wheels... Hubs are my Crux, I have this Chris King High Flange “Single Speed” hub I'm going to cut out of the old OpenPro hoop I currently have it laced to and re-lace it to one of the Team Reflex'

1 Down 2 to go...

 

Speaking of Wheels... Well Well Well what do we have here???

28 hole OpenPro's, Thanks Paul!!!

Going to use a 3x/3x lacing on these... sigh.... I wanted to do a 2x front / 2x/3x rear but Chris King likes Ti Spokes laced 3x/3x ok ok I'll play by the rules...

Don't think I can wait for the powder coater I gotta build these babies up!!!

 

HELP THE GIMP FUND!!!

For Sale one Santa Cruz Juliana Extra Small

Perfect for the petite girl looking to get in to cycling...

I hear through the grapevine that it was cared for by an ok mechanic ;)

The Specs
Shimano XTR 950 Drive Train
Avid Ti Brakes
Chris King/Dt/Mavic Wheels

Includes an extra Fox Float Shox!

e-mail for the other bits etc... asking $1200 o.b.o.

If your a Velo Bella or VeloGirl or a Rock Lobster Rider Let Michelle and I know! Hint Hint


That's all for today, time for a glass 'o Porto and an ice pack for the busted limb