2011 RACING GREYHOUNDS kit unveil

Dazzam! It's kinda' hard to follow up after the "SHACK" presentation. But hell, we're just a small time cycling club from Michigan. After much celebrated fanfare, press releases and media blitzes it is time to unveil our 2011 Team kit. We (Octane Design) went with a retro look with the Greyhound plaid and cream white color tossed in. Looks pretty good so far...

TADA!

Crank Brothers Take-Two

I totally DIG my Crank Brother Egg Beater pedals! I have 2 pairs of the Egg Beater C and a pair of the Candy's. I don't plan to change over to anything new at this time. In the past I broke a wing on one pedal and it was repaired by Crank Brothers without any hassle. Below is my post about that experience. Good job Crank Brothers!
BLOG post:

Damn, I broke another wing the other day so I repeated the drill and sent the pedals back for repair. These (and all my pedals) have seen a lot of mileage and I'm aware that they are well beyond their 2 year warranty so I wasn't expecting much. Crank Brothers contacted me to advise me they received the pedals and offered me the following options:

Hello,

I have your pedals here and we can def. get these going for you by replacing
the body and rebuilding them. The body is $10.00 and the SPA/rebuild is
$20.00/pair and includes machine cleaning and rebuild kit.

Or we can offer you an upgrade to the new model Egg Beaters and some prices are
below:

Egg Beater 2 $55.00

Egg Beater 3 $70.00

S/H is $9.00 for either the service or upgrade BUT No Charge if we get a c/c #
before this Thursday as a Holiday Special.

let us know if you have any questions and give us a call and the receptionist
can take your c/c info.

Cheers,

Warranty and Service Dept.
rich@crankbrothers.com
Crank Brothers
310 Broadway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
949.464.9916
*Any product left at Crank Brothers for over 30 days becomes property of Crank
Brothers and could result in loss of item.

Although Crank Brothers offer for new pedals was pretty good I chose the Spa treatment for my pedals. My refurbished pedals arrived after a week at the Spa and they appear to be relaxed, rejuvenated and ready for some more miles.

Moose Mitts

I have grown tired of having cold hands. I have been using Columbia ski gloves combined with a thin glove with reasonable success. I found that the bulky gloves was akin to wearing boxing gloves and it was a pain in the ass when I needed to have a minuscule amount of dexterity. I also noticed my hands became very cold when riding singletrack and contact with the aluminum brake levers conducted the cold directly to the hand. Rather than look into another glove I decided to look into the moose mitts or pogies. I saw several homemade examples on the interweb. Yes, those are coffee cans. Brilliant!


I also discovered that Mike Flack over at Trails Edge (right here in Michigan) has developed a cottage industry around this simple concept. He now offers a drop bar version.

Standard Version $59.99 pr.
AMF Threadworks Bike Mits

I checked around and found similar models of pogies for ATV, motorcycle & snowmobile use:

$18.95 pr. + S/H
Ebay LINK:

Moose Utility Division:



I'm all for supporting the local LBS but in this case I had to go with the less expensive option. I rode with them yesterday using a lighter glove and experienced great results. The Trails Edge Moose Mitts go further up the arm but I am happy with the overall size of these. There is plenty of room although they don't seem to be too bulky. So far, so good and my hands are much happier now.

Protecting Your Hands article:

"I gotz plenty of room...."

1990 Miata (click the image to enlarge)

Cyclocross Belgian National Championship Elite 2010 - Final 2 laps

Visit cyclingdirt.org for more Videos

Yehuda Moon...

...Customer? What Customer?



Yehuda Moon & the Kickstand Cyclery

Today's ride...

...was the cats pajamas!


Railroad trestle over the Huron River:


Delhi Road over the Huron River:


The sign eating tree. Seriously, the tree is growing around the sign!


A special package waiting for me...

Fetish Cycles...

...has some mighty fine looking rigs. BUT, after poking around I found their website layout/photos are kinda lame. On one hand I can dig the smaller, less polished appeal of Fetish. On the other hand, I found a mixed bag of frame build photos that appear like customers had sent in to Fetish. IMO, it does little to promote the product. Also, why do companies continue to schlep their products with pretty models posing on their products. Criminy, show us a shot of someone actually riding a bike. Save the models for low riders, motorcycles and hot rods.

Nice.


Nice.


They even have a Centerfold!


Check it out at Fetish Cycles

2011 Tailwind USAC MTB schedule

OK, the time has come to start hatching a plan for 2011. Every year at this time I drive myself crazy with this arduous process. I toss around the idea of trying "something new" and create an ambitious schedule that has me racing every possible event in the country and in the end I'm usually satisfied with whatever I was able to pull off. I cite this mid-winter affliction as a common case of pre-season over ambitious-nous. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there going through the same thing. AMIRITE?


Word on the street is that Robert Linden (of Tailwinds Enterprise) has passed the torch to a unnamed successor. Tailwind is a primary promoter for mountain bike and cyclocross racing here in Michigan. Regardless, it appears as if the schedule is similar to previous years and now includes a relay race. Should be interesting...

Tailwind Enterprises LINKY:

Today's ride...

...was much better than yesterday's trainer ride. Apples and oranges.

Bored:


Not so bored:

More Jens Voigt factoids...

Gawd, I never tire of Jens Voigt and his unassuming tenacity. This site will give you a new Jens FACT each time you refresh the page.

http://www.jensvoigtfacts.com/

My first video...

...is really boring. No fancy kick-ass soundtrack or editing. I'm just happy it works. I have a long way to go.

This video used the bar mount under the handlebar. The angle was kinda flat.

Mr. Midpack

2005 Chequamegon 40

I stumbled upon this result while perusing the Chequamegon 40 website. It was my 2nd year of racing and I recall breaking a rear derailleur cable at the 30 mile mark and finishing out the race with my chain on the smallest cog. What a great event! I had forgotten how detailed the results were and I also realized my status in the pack hasn't changed a whole lot over the years. Still somewhere in the middle...

Folgers coffee can.....

...wind shields!



Seriously, the winter wind can be cold therefore I found myself speechless when I stumbled across this image. Brilliant! Given some time the simple ingenuity of this design will soon find it's way into the market and future models will include carbon fiber lock on's in a rainbow of colors. My suggestion would be to pack the cans with chemical hand warmers.

2010 no mas...

2010 is a done deal. My last ride of 2010 was rather odd. The weather was in the mid forties so I took the CX bike off the trainer and headed out to Dexter, MI. The ride out was great but at the 27 mile mark I felt the first raindrop and realized I was screwed. I turned around and it was a long cold ride back home through the downpour and standing water. I made it back safely with enough time to clean up and head in to work. I killed my mileage goal this year and it is now time to reset the odometer. Overall, it was a great year. I will spare you from all of the details and simply wish you all a fantastic New Year in 2011.

2010 is coming to a close...

...and there is still plenty of riding to do.

Cold Weather Riding article

This is the latest installment from the Dirt Rag Magazine crew. Great article with some very sound advise regarding preparation and the mental aspect of getting out. Read, ride, repeat.

Dirt Rag Home:


Cold Weather Riding: It's All In Your Head
Submitted by Andy on Fri, 11/21/2008 - 05:50


When the temperature drops and daylight wanes, many riders confine themselves to an indoor trainer or hang up their bikes altogether for the winter months. True, winter riding presents unique challenges, but it also reaps great rewards. Aside from the physical benefits of riding all year long, winter riding opens up a world of opportunities for adventure, fun, and natural beauty. Over the next several weeks, the Dirt Rag staff will share some valuable tips, tricks and experiences to keep you riding this winter.

In this first installment in our series on winter riding, we begin with a single step outside. The mental decision to brave the elements is often times harder than choosing the appropriate gear for your ride. When you're warm and cozy inside your bed/house/car, the prospect of getting all geared up and facing physical discomfort in the form of cold, ice, snow, and/or rain doesn't seem like it would be all that much fun. Indeed, often times the first 15 minutes of a winter ride are uncomfortable, but after a good warm-up the fun begins.

I know this fact well, but on some foul weather mornings I still find myself rationalizing about why I'd rather drive to work or skip the trail ride and stay at home and drink coffee. The reason? Inertia or resistance to change your state of comfort. On one hand, you're warm and dry. On the other, you choose to exchange those luxuries to be cold and wet. When I think about it, I know I will be happier if I ride no matter what the weather. But the mental and physical preparation for the ride often times seems insurmountable. Obviously they're not, and what it comes down to is that you just have to push on through and get on your bike. Below are a few tips that make it a little easier for me to get moving during the winter months.


1. If you know you're riding in the morning, get up a little earlier than usual so that you can fully wake up and get your body physically and mentally prepared.

2. Before a ride, I try and warm up a little inside before leaving the house. Not so much that I break a sweat. Something as simple as climbing up and down the steps a few times or doing a few push-ups or sit-ups to increase my heart rate is all that it takes.

3. Get enough sleep the night before a ride. This is sound advice all year long, but it's especially important in the low-motivation months of winter.

4. The more you ride during the winter, the easier it is to get motivated to ride. Again, this is true all year long, but more pronounced in winter.

5. Get your bike and gear ready to go the night before you ride. Riding in the winter takes a little more preparation, so it's best not to leave it until the last minute. That only gives you an excuse not to ride.

Once you get outside, your comfort level on the bike is critical so that you actually stay on your bike and enjoy the ride. The right gear can make that happen. Tune in next week to learn a little about foul-weather footwear. It's always good to keep the piggies happy.

* Andy's blog

Oh Willow

Look what I found....

....under the Christmas tree.



It's a hands free video camera. I have never considered owning a video camera although I have always wanted to share the thrill of the ride to my non-cycling friends and family. I am totally stoked to try this out on some of my favorite trails, events and rides. Hell, I'm ready to bust it out on my Senior walk around the Mall. Cutting edge never got any sweeter.

Contour HD website:



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Criterium Detroit City - July 9, 2011

This looks like it could be a pretty sweet venue for a crit. There is no website for additional information at this time.

Check out the Facebook page here: CriteriumDetroitCity