Not Feeling It

Well, I’m feeling it, but it’s not good. I’ve been a little under the weather the last few days. I don’t know why, but I guess it should be expected. I usually get sick twice a year, and it normally coincides with the change of seasons. In this case, we’ve had some lovely fall weather here in the mornings, so I was waiting to be sick. I’ll get better soon.

I need some bike time, pronto. I was supposed to go on a group ride yesterday, but it was cancelled. I was gonna go there anyway, but I wasn’t feeling up to it. I should get out this weekend though. I basically have a week’s worth of riding scheduled for Sunday, starting with my now regular road ride. We also have a kids ride in the afternoon. The only downside is that I’m on call for work again, so that might just shit on my parade. I can’t win for losing.



Even though I haven’t been riding bikes, that won’t stop me from talking about them. My friends over at Diamondback have officially joined the full squish 29er revolution. Sure, they were among the first to produce a 29-inch mountain bike (the Overdrive, which I ride), but now they are stepping it up a notch. Take a look.

This is the entry level Sortie 2 29er, which is actually setup pretty nice for "entry level."



Up next is the Sortie 3 29er, which costs a little more but is equipped with full Shimano Xt and carbon bits:



Finally, this is the Sortie Black, the top o’ the line 29er squishy bike from Diamondback. It has Shimano XTR and Fox Kashima-coated suspension. It’s pretty pricey though.




They look really nice, but I’m not sure if I’m in the market for a squishy 29er. I have the small-wheeled version of the Sortie, but after going to big wheels I don’t see the need for all that crazy suspension. Maybe if I see it in person, I will change my mind.


Speaking of seeing it in person, I have a chance to do just that. There is a big bicycle industry trade show next week in Las Vegas, and I have a chance to be there. I’ll talk more about that next week though. See y’all then.

Old Becomes New

"Thank the Maker! This oil bath is going to feel sooooo good!"


I’ve been doing some upgrades lately, and it’s been fun. I enjoy getting new stuff, and I especially like taking a ride with new bike parts freshly installed. That being said I’ve been thinking about a new frame quite a bit lately, so I started looking around. With plenty of races taking their toll on my frame, I figured that I should start doing a little shopping.

Even though I only ride Diamondback bikes, I did have a look at some other brands. The only brand that even came close was Niner. The geometry of the EMD and Air 9 seemed pretty close to my Overdrive, so I knew that there wouldn’t be much of an adjustment. However, the frame size seemed a little small for me (even on the extra large.) With a 21 inch frame, I felt like it wouldn’t be enough to get me to switch brands, plus there is the whole loyalty factor with the fine folks at Diamondback. My extra long legs make me feel like I needed that extra inch of frame size on the Overdrive, and buying an extra long seatpost to jack it to the max on a smaller frame wasn’t really a viable option. I had to hunt all over to find an XL Overdrive frame though. It wouldn’t be easy, and I briefly considered switching brands. Alas, I found what I wanted.



I looked and looked, and came up with a Satin Black Overdrive frame. This frame is on the base model Overdrive, which if you bought it in the store would come with entry level components. The other (i.e. more expensive) models were available too, but the black really caught my eye. The frames are all the same, with the colors being the only difference. I went with the black because I thought that it would look good with my red accessories, and I snatched one up. This is far from the entry level bike that the general public can buy though. It was a pain in the ass to find one in this size and color, but I’m glad I did. I don't like being like everyone else anyway.



It didn’t take long to pull the parts from my old bike, and I didn’t have to make any adjustments at all (since it’s pretty much the same frame.) Total assembly time was only one beer (I measure time in beer), and pretty much hassle free. I like how everything looks, especially with the white Fox fork and shiny red bits. It’s pretty light too (for an XL frame), weighing in at around 24 pounds. I love it, and I don’t feel like it’s too dainty or that it will fall apart underneath me.



What happened to the old frame, you ask? Well, it’s becoming my new singlespeed bike, and I’m hoping to still spend a lot of time on it. Having basically the same bike in a geared and non-geared version should make things easier, with basically little or no learning curve. Well, expect for not being able to shift on one of them anyway. I’ll get some photos up of it one of these days I guess.


The name of the new bike will remain the same. The Big O is still an Overdrive, and it’s still a big ass bike. Its singlespeed brother will need a new name though, so maybe I’ll open that one up for discussion. I’ll get to test out the new build thoroughly tomorrow, when the Dirty Party Cycle and I take a trip to the Forks Area Trail System down near Augusta, GA. I’m looking forward to it, even though the ride would probably be just about the same as the old frame. Well, as long as I put everything together properly. I didn’t drink enough beer during the assembly process, so I have a bad feeling about this.



We’re leaving bright and early, so that means no blog post tomorrow. Stick around though, because the word around the campfire is that Mr. Shepherd will be here making a guest appearance, and he has a story to tell. See y’all Monday.

Don’t Know Where To Go

With this post anyway. I write this shit everyday, and lots of people read it for some reason. Some days the nonsense just spews out, other days it’s kinda like being constipated. Going with that analogy, today feels like I’m just sitting on the toilet waiting for something to happen.




Sure, things are happening around here, but they aren’t interesting to talk about sometimes. Last night, I gave a presentation at a meeting of the local women’s mountain bike club, the Dirt Divas. I got to tell them all about the National Mountain Bike Patrol (NMBP). If you’re a newbie to this blog, then I guess I should tell you why I would talk about such a thing.


In addition to being a below-average racer, I am also the director of our local chapter of the NMBP. Despite what you might think of me by reading the stuff I normally post on here, I really like to help people. First aid, trailside repairs, directions, etc. I do that stuff on local rides, and even help out during events. If something happens while I’m out there racing, I may even help out then too. Well, only if it’s someone that’s not racing against me. Maybe.,,


In other news, I saw some bike porn da udda day that has me drooling. You should know by now of my love for all things Diamondback, so you can imagine the excitement I felt when I saw that they have a new prototype out there.



Photo stolen off the Internets from MTBR


Yes, this is the Diamondback Sortie 29er, but it’s not yet in production. This prototype was displayed out at the Sea Otter Classic last week (but I wasn't there.) It is basically a cross between my two favorite bikes, the Sortie and the Overdrive. I am currently racing an Overdrive, and I still have my Sortie out in the garage. I don’t ride it much anymore since the wheels are too small, but having a big-wheeled version of that bike would be way cool.


Since I made the jump to big wheels, I haven’t given much though to having a full suspension version. Now that Diamondback is working on a 29er full squish, I may just have to rethink my thoughts about thinking about things I think about. The Knucklebox suspension is the best I have ever ridden, hands down. The low center of gravity makes a big difference, and that’s one reason why I loved my Sortie so much. I only wished that it’s wheels would grow, and now it looks like I may have my wish.


I’ll be back tomorrow, where I just might spill the beans about my partner for the Grind On The Greenway. I know I said that yesterday too, but this time I just might do it.

I’ll Take Care Of It Myself

Remember when I told you that I took Lunchbox's bike to the shop to get it replaced under warranty? Well, there’s more to the story. I guess I should start from the beginning. I took his bike to a different shop because it was close to my work, but in retrospect I should have taken it to Ride-A-Bike Bicycle Shoppe, where I got the warranty work done on my own bike. I thought it would be okay, but I have since learned that I made a mistake.


I won’t call out the shop here on my blog (at least directly), but you can find it by clicking here. This particular location is where my problem lies, so I won’t bash the whole organization (although they should pay closer attention to their individual locations.) Why did I take it to a different shop when I had such good service at Ride-A-Bike? Aside from it being closer to my work, I guess it’s because I thought they would take care of me. I’ve been in there quite a bit over the years, but I mostly used them to browse for deals on basics and consumables, and sometimes they had some good sale prices. I like to think that I support all of the shops here in Charlotte about the same, but in this case I was a little limited when it came to authorized Diamondback dealers.


When I originally called Diamondback, they said it would be okay if I took it to any authorized dealer. I didn’t mention before what happened when I first went in the store, but I guess now I should. I brought the broken bike into the shop and stated that I had a warranty claim. When I told the guy that greeted me this he said, “What do you want me to do?” I sensed a little attitude in his voice, but I shrugged it off since I had been in there several times. I figured that they were just messing around with me. They called me a little while later and said that they talked to Diamondback, and that they would send out a new rear triangle to replace the broken one. I was happy, and so was Lunchbox when I told him. I know I already mentioned that part, but after that things started getting strange.


After well over a week, I hadn’t heard anything. I called the shop last Friday and asked what was going on. The guy I spoke with said that he thought that they were sending out the new part, and he said he would call Diamondback right away. After about 30 minutes I got a return call. The guy said that Diamondback didn’t stock the part I needed, but they would gladly offer me a discount on a replacement frame. He gave me a quote of $165 for the frame and $100 for labor to change everything over (that’s what I paid at Ride-A-Bike.) I told him that would be fine with me, and to go ahead and get it going. I couldn’t wait to tell Lunchbox that he would be riding his (new) bike again soon.


A little while later I got another call from the shop. A different guy (maybe a manager?) said that they quoted the price incorrectly for the “warranty replacement.” He then told me that the cost would be $230 for the frame and $200 for labor. Really? All of a sudden it’s double the labor to swap parts to a new frame? The guy also told me the shock isn’t compatible. Bullshit. It is the same size shock (I’ve researched this bike in the past.) They basically sounded like they wanted me to either give up and go elsewhere, or get suckered into getting ripped off. The guy then suggested that I take the bike to a local sporting goods store, and that they should give me in store credit for the bike so I could buy a new one. I was pretty pissed at this point.


I called Diamondback, and they said that dealers basically buy the parts from them and can mark them up for a profit. This must be what happened. They probably thought that they initially quoted me too little, so they changed it. This didn’t explain them doubling the labor charge though. I told them I wanted to see who was jerking me around, and to make sure I should stay loyal to Diamondback. I spoke to the National Accounts Manager at Diamondback, and I was reassured that they were being fair. I thought that the shop was blowing me off or trying to hustle me for ridiculous labor charges though. I asked Diamondback if I could get a new frame directly from them, but they said that I had to go through a shop. That was understandable. I then asked if I could take the bike to another shop to obtain warranty service, and they said I could. I decided that I would retrieve the bike from the clutches of this not-so local bike shop and go from there.


I hurried down after work to pick up the bike, and as soon as I walked in they joked that, “The “local sporting goods store” is waiting for you.” I was pissed but I said nothing. I thought that I had a bit of a relationship with them since I went in there on occasion to buy stuff. They knew me from going in there so much, but that didn’t seem to stop them from trying to give me the shaft. I’ll stick with Diamondback, but I will no longer give my money to this "shop". I buy stuff from shops all over the area, and it’s mostly a matter of convenience. I know most of the shop owners in town, and I enjoy the feel of a “true” local bike shop. Lesson learned I guess.


Now I had a decision to make. I asked Lunchbox what he wanted to do. I actually have the same Diamondback frame (in a different size and color though) hanging around unused in the shop, and I told him he had a choice. We could try this again at a different shop, use the rear triangle of my old frame, or build up his bike with my entire frame. He picked the last one, especially since it’s a larger size. He also told me that since he wanted a 29er, he probably wouldn’t want to ride his squishy bike much anyway. I’ll get him a 29er soon, but in the meantime I had some bike building to do.







These two halves of the bicycle had to be put together, and then I could start building his “new” bike. I also had to install the Cane Creek headset.



This would be a bit of a challenge without the right tools though. I needed a headset press, but I didn’t want to shell out big bucks for something I wouldn’t use very often. After doing a little research on The Internets, I went out and bought the hardware to make this:




After applying a little grease to the headset cups, I lined them up and got ready to press them in:



Using two adjustable wrenches, I carefully pressed the headset into the headtube on the frame:



Success! I spent less than 5 bucks for this “tool”, and it did the job perfectly. I installed the rear shock and seatpost, and I was ready for final assembly:



When I started the build I cracked open a beer (as usual.) However, I got so into this build that I didn’t take a drink of it other than the initial sip. That’s odd for me, but I did get the bike built in record time. Also, I saved myself $200 bucks, and probably did a much better job than the “unmentioned” shop would have done. I’m not so bad at this bike mechanic thing, you know. Here is the finished product:



I rode this frame (built up nearly the same in fact) for a couple of years, and it served me well. Lunchbox was happy to be riding his own bike again, but we both know that this is temporary until he gets on big wheels. I can’t wait to see him out there tearing up the singletrack on his very own 29er, but this bike will do for now.


I will never visit that shop I mentioned again, but I am still 100 percent behind Diamondback. They stood up to their end of the deal, and I will keep riding their bikes. We have a ton of love for the fine folks at Diamondback Bicycles, and I won’t let my experience with one shop change that. I don’t mean to rant here today, but I wanted to share my experience. I’ll be back tomorrow with an actual ride report, and maybe some new product testing. Thanks for playing.

Do I Need A New Wingman?

I didn’t mean to leave y’all hanging yesterday, but I had to cut it short. If your attention span is anything like mine, a big wordy blog post can cause you to lose interest. Okay, I did mean to leave you hanging, but that was only so you would keep coming back here to read my nonsense. I write, you read. It’s simple. When I left off yesterday, I had taken my bike to a local shop, which was suggested to me by the Dirty Party Cycle and the fine folks at Diamondback. The Dirty Party Cycle is a stickler for good customer service, so how could I go wrong?


I headed over to the quaint little town of Lincolnton, North Carolina with my broken bicycle, and hoped for the best. I was prepared for the worst though, when I arrived at Ride-A-Bike Bicycle Shoppe. I had never been there before, so I didn’t expect them to jump all over the chance to help me with my warranty issue. Even though the shop was highly recommended by the DPC, I still thought that there was a chance that I would never ride another full squishy Diamondback again. I reminisced for a moment about my poor little Goose (in it's non-broken form of course.)




The shop was actually pretty cool, and it had that nice home town feeling to it. I was greeted immediately by the owner, Chafin, and he asked what he could do for me. I told him about my bike issue, and that my former shop had closed down. He said to bring my broken bike around to the service entrance, and he would take a look.


I was still pretty nervous at this point, but Chafin made me feel better with his assessment of the broken frame. He said the seatpost height looked fine, and this it was most likely a manufacturer defect. Whew, I thought. He parked the bike in the back and headed over to the phone to call Diamondback. Since they are located in the Seattle area (think about the time difference), the warranty guy wasn’t in the office yet. Chafin left a message, and now I would play the waiting game.


He took down all of my information, the serial number of the bike, and told me not to worry. These things take a little time, so I had to wait. I told him I was heading to Florida for vacation, and that I would call in a few days to see what they would do about my frame. I left the next morning for The Sunshine State, still with the wounded Goose on my mind. Would he be okay in his temporary home?




A few days later, I called up Ride-A-Bike to find out the verdict. Chafin told me that they would indeed do a warranty replacement on the frame, and that it will take a few days for the new one to get there. I told him to proceed, and I would await the next call.


The day after I got back from Florida (last Tuesday), I got a message on my phone that my new bike was ready. I called them back and said I would be right there to pick it up. After a short drive, I arrived at the shop to see my new ride. The fine folks at Diamondback Bicycles had sent me a shiny new 2009 Sortie 3 to replace my 2008 model.



I was so happy to have a new frame, especially since it was nearly identical to my last one. Even though it’s not even close to my favorite color, I really like it. The color is called Metallic Deep Dark Sea Cave Green (WTF?), but it looks really dark so I don’t mind. Since I have an affinity for red, I had to do something about the whole color scheme for this new and improved version of Goose. All of my red accessories had to go, and I replaced everything with black (what I had in the shop.) Lizard Skins chainstay protectors and grips are on every bike here at B-43, so I was happy to have some black components readily available. The red Crank Brothers Candy pedals are still on there though, but the Big Brown Truck should be delivering some new ones any day now.



Everything else was easily replaced, although my headset spacers are not ideal. I had some of the black composite Cane Creek Interlok spacers to put on, but I have requested some shiny black anodized ones from my friends over there in Fletcher, NC. I hope they have heard my pleas for fashion conformity. Luckily, my Awesome Strap has a hint of green, so it compliments the whole “green bike” thing. That color must be a favorite of people in Seattle, or at least one could assume.


So, even though Diamondback Bicycles took care of my warranty issue, I have to give a huge thanks to my new shop, Ride-A-Bike in Lincolnton, NC. The customer service was great, and I was pleased with my new bike build. I’m throwing my support at them from now on, since I was really impressed with the service. I hope you, my legions of followers, will do the same. They’ve been in business since 1981, so I don’t think that they will be closing their doors anytime soon. I’m not easily impressed (unless it involves shiny new bike parts), so it means a lot to me that I found such a great shop. Now it’s time to plan a ride with the new and improved Goose, my Wingman in the Woods.

Search and Ye Shall Find

In my spare time (of which I get very little), I like to peruse the Internets. In this day and age, most people do. Of course, most of my time on the Internets is spent looking for cycling-related things, which is most likely how some of you ended up finding my blog in the first place.


During the course of my surfing, I save the various photos I find that would fit nicely in my Internets Art Collection. While I’ve found some pretty good shit, that’s not what I spend most of my time on here doing. No, I usually check out new products and news from the various companies listed over there to your left on the “Click These and Give Them Your Money” section, like Cane Creek Cycling Components, Middle Ring Cycles, Diamondback Bicycles, DeFeet International, Lizard Skins, Kenda USA, and Crank Brothers, among others. Whew, that’s a lot of links to click. Go ahead, I’ll be here when you get back.


If you’ve been around here for a while, you surely have noticed that I have a lot of love for Diamondback Bicycles, since Lunchbox and I both ride bikes from them (and I talk about them incessantly.) Well, I found a nice video featuring one of their models, the Scapegoat. Even if you don’t share my love for Diamondback, this video is still worth a looksie. Check it.


Freakish good times on the Scapegoat




That ride looks awesome, with instant death awaiting you at every turn. And yes, that kind of fun can be had on any kind of bike, so don’t feel bad that you don’t own a Diamondback. I realize that it’s not the ride of choice for most of you. You can change that though.


While this next link has nothing to do with the companies from the “Click These and Give Them Your Money” section, I still found it pretty interesting. These are trendy, hipster-type bikes, but I liked the idea. Check it out:


Build your own bike


I know, it’s not much today, but at least it’s something. The nice weather we’ve been having is gone for a while, and now I’m stuck on the Internets for cycling entertainment. Hopefully this stuff will clear up soon, since I have big plans for this weekend. More on that tomorrow.


By the way, I’d like to say thanks again to Shane at DeFeet International for giving me yet another shout-out via Twitter. My stats on here are blowing up, and I guess I know now that they are paying attention. Y’all do me a favor and show them some love by checking out their website.


World Domination? Please. It seems that we’re getting too big for our britches around here, doesn’t it? Let’s hope that the Internets don’t swallow us up.