Long Weekend?

Monday is a holiday here in ‘Merica.  Veteran’s Day, to be exact.  As a veteran of the United States Army, I plan to not be here that day.  In the past I’ve posted up stuff here and here regarding those that serve our country, but this time I’ll just take the day off all together.

I’ll just ride my new bike around as a tribute.

This weekend is sorta up in the air.  It’s the first time in a while that I haven’t had something planned in advance, so I probably should get cracking.  I’m thinking of heading here:

Rocky Knob Park up in Boone will be a great place to take my new bike, and I can’t wait.  Even though I sorta built it for Pisgah-type riding, a place like Rocky Knob will be perfect.  I’ve been riding this thing enough around here to get used to it, so hopefully I can unleash the beast when I take it up to the hills.  I’m looking forward to it, especially since the local rag here in Charlotte just published a story about it.

Read it here:

Take your mountain bike to Boone for bumps and jumps

Good stuff.  I've been there before, but I’m so stoked.

Stoked?

Who the hell still uses that word?

Maybe a guy like me that still uses “rad.”

See y’all Tuesday.

More Stuff

In case you were wondering, I think my knee is back to normal for now.  I’m not sure what was going on, but a little rest, some ice, and lots of beer may have had something to do with my recovery.  And I guess my Highly Classified Electrification Torture Device may have helped too.  Nothing like a little shock therapy to tell my body to shut the hell up and quit hurting.

I didn’t really get to ride Sunday at our party (other than the tricycle race), but I did have a good ride on Saturday with no pain whatsoever.

It’s time to have fun this “offseason”, and make sure all my wounds are healed so I can be ready for next year.  Or, maybe I’ll just hurt myself worse riding on all these “dangerous” trails.  Whatever.  Our social ride this past Tuesday was pretty good too, even though I wouldn’t call the place we rode “dangerous.”  I rode a couple of laps with no pain, even though it was a little chilly out and I thought that would affect my knee.  I guess I’m back to normal now, unless I do something stupid.

Never mind.  I'm sure I will.

In other news, I got some more goodies that I nearly forgot to talk about.  Since the cold season is pretty much here, I made sure to get another version of one of my favorite socks:

The Cyclismo now comes in toasty-warm wool to keep my feet warm (and yours too.)  Just like the ones I’ve talked about before, these have extra padding underneath to make clipping in more comfortable.

This ain’t old-school wool though.  They are light, not itchy, and easy to put on and take off.  They will get plenty of use this winter for sure.

Since a package was already heading my way from the hills, I made sure they threw in a pair of my best buddy’s new sock.

Yup, the Trail Ninja socks.  These are a new design of the Levitator Trail sock I’ve been wearing for a little while now.  Snazzy new designs on a super comfortable sock makes this one a winner.

And my legs look better in them anyway.

Now, where’s my new sock design?

Probably in the trash can over there at DeFeet headquarters. I’m a nobody, but you never know.  Stay tuned.

Playing Catch Up

It’s now the “offseason.”  That means that I’m no longer racing, which may also mean that my posts could get worse (or better.)  I usually like to make little equipment changes when I’m done racing, but after recently building a new bike I didn’t think I needed to do that just yet. 

Except when I realized some new stuff showed up that I mentioned, but hadn't used yet.

I finally got around to installing/testing these out, so I figured that I would cover it really quick.  I’ve been using Lizard Skins lock-on grips for so long now that I wondered if I could stand anything else.  I briefly tested out some grips on my rigid SS bike from another brand (thanks to a recommendation from a friend), but that little experiment went over like a fart in church.  It stunk, but there’s no need to bash them here.  It’s all personal preference, you know. 

Anyway, these DSP grips are super light (30g compared to the 130g I had before), but since they aren’t lock-ons I wondered if they could be installed in such a way that would keep them from slipping under normal riding conditions.  Would it be like the old days of using hairspray to install grips just to have them slip on the first ride?

Well, no.  These were a little different.  The good kind of different too.  Not like your cousin that shits on himself and acts like no one else can smell it.

The tiny little package came with grips, bar plugs, and two pieces of double-sided tape.  There is an installation video on their site, and after watching it for all of about thirty seconds I was ready to go (I got the crash course already at Interbike.)

Step one, clean the handlebars with alcohol.  Not beer or whiskey, that’s for drinking, dumbass.  Once the bars are clean and dry, apply the double-sided tape.

Leave a bout 7mm hanging over the edge of the bar (yes, I measured), peel the paper off the other side, and tuck the remainder onside the bar end.

Not tucked in yet, I know.

Step two, spray glass cleaner inside the grip and all over the tape.  Push the grip on the bar, slowly twisting it until it goes into position.

Step three, let that shit dry completely and go ride.  I let it dry for a couple of hours before I tested it out.  Your results may vary.

While I may have saved a few grams and all that, it’s not important.  What’s important is that these have wayyyyyy more grip than anything I’ve used in the past.  They feel solid under my hands, and even without gloves I feel like my hands are secure on the bars.  They come in two sizes, so even if you have smaller hands they have something that will fit you.  Initial testing tells me that Lizard Skins has hit a home run with these, so expect to see me talk about these a little more in the future.  You can probably also expect me to get another pair for my Enduro™ Bike

Maybe.  Let's not get crazy here.

A whole post about new grips?  Well yeah.  They are kinda important.  Try riding without them and let me know how that works out.

A Party Like No Other

A few things happened over the weekend, but nothing that's worth mentioning before the Tarheel Trailblazers/Dirt Divas Year End Party.  Lunchbox and I got down to Fort Mill plenty early to setup things, and to be quite honest I was nervous as hell.  Months of planning for an event that I wasn’t sure would be any good, and once we started getting everything together my nerves were shot.

We setup the stations for the games, and also I had to find a spot for the band.  While we figured everything out, most people went out for a group ride.

I brought my bike, but I was too worried about getting things right to even think about riding it.  Lunchbox setup the course for the tricycle race, and he got to go out and ride on the trail at least.  Once I saw how everything was coming together, I calmed down a bit (and had a beer.)

Once people started coming back from the ride, we fired up the games.  There was a bike toss:

A log pull:

And a trike race:

Photo cred:  Danielle Suprick

Three rounds, with four teams of two going head to head until there was a winner.  I found it odd that I was able to run the event and enter it, but Little Miss Sunshine and I teamed up to destroy the competition.

Photo cred: Eastwood

Yeah, that’s Lunchbox behind me.  He can’t beat his old man…yet.  We made it to the finals, winning easily over Jen and local shop owner Mark Sullivan.  I didn't have time to celebrate though.  It was time for the bike derby.  I was nervous again, probably because I had to emcee the thing with my less than stellar public speaking skills.  Plus, people seemed reluctant to participate.  Eventually we had a good lineup, and I got everyone rolling with the crowd cheering them on.

Photo cred: Danielle

It was a tough battle, and once the first few fell they started dropping like flies.  Lunchbox got caught playing nice trying not to run over someone that fell in front of him, and he was out.  I had high hopes for him too.

Suddenly, it was down to two men.  Dicky and Irish Luke played a game of chess for a while, then they fought it out to the finish.  Having a cool Irish accent wasn’t enough to win, so my man Dicky walked away with the championship belt.

Photo cred:  Danielle

Success, I think.  Everyone seemed to be having a good time, but the party wasn’t over.  After the food and the raffle, I helped set the band up and they came out and rocked the shit outta that place.

CroMoly, cycling’s only rock band drove down from the hills to cap off our party and they were pretty damn awesome…and loud.  Headed by DeFeet founder and CEO Shane Cooper, they made it a party to remember.  Big thanks to those guys for coming out and supporting us.  It was much appreciated.

In the end, all the planning and stress was worth it.  While I may have had a big hand in it, I didn’t act alone.  Many people there helped make this a great party, including those that participated in the events.  The parties down there have sucked for years, but it looks like we may have set a new standard.

I can’t wait for next year.

A Whole Lotta Somethin’ Going On

Let’s cram a bunch of shit into a weekend, shall we?

Tomorrow morning, I’ll be sitting at my computer with a couple of hundred other people trying to get into the biggest event to kick off next season.

Registration opens up for the 6 Hours of Warrior Creek and I don’t want to miss it.  Last year it sold out in a little over thirty minutes, and I bet they break that record this year.  I haven’t missed one since I started, and I don’t plan to miss one now.  Feel free to log on and try to sign up too, but wait until I get in.  I mean, it won’t be worth going if I’m not there.

That’s pretty much it for Saturday.  I’ll probably start drinking beer at 9:05 a.m. either celebrating the fact that I got in or drowning my sorrows, so either way I most likely won’t be worth a damn the rest of the day.  If I’m able, I may just head to the hills on my new bike.

Maybe.

Sunday will be the busiest of days.  In the morning, I’m heading to this:

The Big Stampede has been a disappointment the last few years, but like a car wreck I just have to stop in a take a look.  The venue has changed this year (back to where it all started), so maybe I’ll have something nice to say about it this go round.  I don’t really need anything since I just built up a new bike, but you never you.

I could walk away with something I can’t live without.

I’ll have limited time to spend there, because I’ll have to high-tail it down to Fort Mill, SC for the Tarheel Trailblazers /Dirt Divas Year End Party.  I have to setup shit, run shit, and keep shit going.  There won’t be any room to slip up, so I hope everything goes smooth.

Games, rides, and a live band?

I’m ready.

So ready that I won’t be here Monday to tell you about it. 

Let’s meet back here on Tuesday, shall we?

I Should Celebrate

I guess this is some kind of milestone or some shit like that.  This is my one thousandth post, which means that I’ve been spewing this crap and nonsense for quite some time now.  It also probably means that only about ten percent of those have been anything worth reading, so I’m glad y’all continue to come back here every day to read it (or look at the pictures, whatever.) 

I didn’t really have any kind of plan for a celebratory post on this day, so I guess it’s just business as usual.  I could take the time to thank all those companies that have supported me over the years (most of which still do for some reason.)  Maybe I should take the time to list my newest supporter, The Cycle Path.

It shouldn’t be a surprise at all, since I’ve talked about them quite a bit lately.  The fellas there have been good to me over the years, and since I’ve made the full on jump to Niner they’ve been giving me tons of support.  It’s the kind of shop you can stop in after a ride and have a beer, providing you bring your own.  They like to share, so make sure you bring extra.  There are a lot of fine shops here in NC, but this is the one that gets my full support.  Maybe you should stop in and say hi if you’re in the area.

In other news, the big party is almost here.  We’ve finished the championship belt for the bike derby, and I’m pretty pleased with how it came out. 

Check it.

Not bad for an amateur welder and a guy that drinks way too much beer I guess.

Since it’s my one thousandth post today, I’m taking the easy way out and quitting while I’m behind.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more party talk and whatnot.

Holding Pattern

Even though I didn’t race as much this season as I have in previous years, I’m really worn out for some reason.  Of course my shoulder is still bugging me, but that’s not really the issue right now.  I feel like my legs are pretty much dead.  I have no power, and they get tired pretty easy on even the shortest of rides.  And a new issue has popped up…

Knee pain.

This is a new one, the likes of which I’ve never felt before.  It feels and sounds kinda like I have a bag of potato chips under my kneecap, but with a lot more pain.  On our social ride last night, I had to bail after only one three and a half mile lap while the rest of the group did another.  That sucked, but at least I got to enjoy some post ride grub and beer.

Photo cred: Des

So yeah, I’ll stop whining now.  As much as I probably should stay off the bike for a while, I can’t.  I have some new stuff to review.

Like these brand new grips that just came in the mail from Lizard Skins:

I got a chance to check these out at Interbike last month, and they’re finally available to those of you in the general public.  The new DSP (Durasoft Polymer) has an exceptional grip, and I know this because I’ve used their bar tape made from the same material.  Now it's available for off-road use, and I'm pleasantly pleased.   

They’re pretty light too, which is a plus for a weight wiener like me.

They just showed up last night, so I haven’t had a chance to test them out (or even put them on the bike.)  Don’t worry, I’ll risk further injury to myself to give them a proper review.  I’m pretty excited about them though, so it will be worth it methinks.

Also in the category of new shit I just got are some stickers.

My man D-Wayne (from my number one sponsor Dwayne Hunter Design Company) hooked me up with some new stickers with the logo he did for me a while back.  If you’ve been here a while, then you know how much I love stickers.  These are really high quality, and as a bonus he delivered them to me in person down here in Charlotte.  You can’t beat that kind of service with a wet noodle.  If you need some artwork done for you, check him out.  I hear he works for beer and doughnuts, but money works too.

Want one?  Make me laugh the next time you see me and I’ll hook you up.