Back into riding a bit again and update

It's been sometime since I've posted or ridden. In the time since I last posted, I've lost my job, moved back to Texas, got another job, had a full suspension carbon fiber beast and sold it, sold my Lynsey Cooper, sold my Monocog, purchased a Neilpryde Diablo road bike in a bike shop trade, sold my first house, moved into a new one, and most importantly became a dad.

Finding any time to do an activity has been difficult with a little one, so I have been trying to run a bit and got a Garmin Fenix 2 that helps me track anything I can think of as exercise. In the last two days, I've ridden about 18ish miles. My new neighborhood is flat in a small area and hills everywhere else.  I took it easy yesterday and beat the crap out of myself today. This week, I'm sitting in an online training for 8 hours everyday, so I definitely needed to work out some stress. I should sleep well tonight.

Not about bikes, but still cool anyways

So, my wife was awesome this year (as always) and gave me a new DSLR for Christmas with a new lens. I also borrowed my brother-in-law's lens to do a comparison of what each lens looks like at a set distance. Here's how I took the pics:
1. Set the camera to the lowest aperture and set the exposure via the meter
2. For the 2 zoom lenses I took pics at each of the marks on the lens. This will help me reference things a bit when trying to compare them.
3. For the zoom lenses I also zoomed in all the way to focus and kept all the settings the same across shots.

The shots do look pretty washed out, but my idea was to show what perspective each lens gives. The last shot is at night after I was able to borrow a 35mm lens from my brother-in-law.

First up is the 18-70mm 3.5-4.5 kit lens that came with my previous DSLR.

18mm

24mm

35mm

50mm

70mm

55-200 mm lens 4-5.6

55mm

70mm

85mm

105mm

135mm

200mm

50mm 1.8

50mm

50mm 1.4

50mm

35mm 1.8

35mm

Lynskey Cooper First Ride

First, a little history. Whenever I went into a bike shop before, I always felt like I was at a disadvantage not knowing what the differences were between bikes, their components, and accessories sold to me.  I felt like either the employees could care less that I was in the shop or I was being sold something I didn't understand fully, just to get money flowing into the store. I was once even told I would be fine doing road rides on a tri-bike. That's not the case with Knobbies and Slicks. The first time I came to the shop, the owner Bud stopped working on a bike and walked me around the store, showed me titanium spokes (I was amazed), carbon cranksets, the cycling studio, and didn't mind spending an hour, just talking about what I could get out of riding my bike at the time (Redline Monocog Singlespeed mountain bike). He and Carl didn't know me from anyone. I hadn't promised to buy anything, but they both just wanted to share what cycling was about with me, a total stranger that didn't look like he had any money to spend at the shop. 

I ended up buying a frame from the shop on New Year's Eve 2010. I was so freaking excited about my glow in the dark frame, I couldn't believe it. My job has kept me out of town for the last several years for sometimes months at a time. I was able to build up my new frame in March, and I told them I'd like to learn more about their shop and help them out whenever I could. A few months later, with flooring finally completed at my house, Jamie gave me the ok to help out at the shop. I've been helping out at the shop since early summer 2011 every weekend except for a few here and there and have learned quite a bit, but understand that there's so much more that I don't know.

Onto the the ride. I took home a new Lynskey Cooper about 3 weeks ago. The weather here in North Texas hasn't been the greatest and I've been working like crazy lately both for real work and at the shop. Excuses, yes, but it was enough to keep me from riding since I actually have no cold weather gear right now... or so I thought. Using 2 short sleeve jerseys, a someone loose long sleeve under armor shirt, Mechanix gloves, and my new woolie boolie socks, I thought I'd give 50 degree weather a shot. It went pretty well, except for the fact that it didn't stay 50 degrees because I began riding around 5 pm 10 days before the shortest day of the year. I also wore my camelbak with just some tools and my phone in it to keep the somewhat loose shirt from blowing all over the place. It worked. All of it worked actually. My toes (just my toes) were chilled, but still fully functional and could have ridden another 30 minutes or so without issue. My upper body was perfect, if not a little warm. My ears were a bit chilly, but not too bad. Legs were no big deal, although knee warmers would probably be a really good idea for me. My Mechanix gloves from Lowes worked out great too. I just wish I would have washed them before I rode because  I ended up getting dust from the tile removal all over the black bar tape.

So what about the bike? I know, I know get on with it already. Well the bike is in a word spectacular to me. And I know it will only get better. My main problem with road cycling has been that I have never been very comfortable with the bike. It was either too large (Trek 1500 54 cm) or I felt like I bounced all over (Fuji ACR). Both previous road bikes were good bike, just not good for me. The Cooper fits me well AND it's smooth. I've ridden quite a few bikes up at the shop made from materials ranging from stainless steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber, but nothing has felt like this (titanium) before to me. Aluminum gets the job done, and is pretty darn stiff. Carbon is stiff and light and felt better to me than aluminum, mainly less harsh, and awfully quick to transfer power. I've ridden a Pegoretti inside the shop a bit too, but I didn't want to be constantly worried about scratching beautiful paint on a bike I couldn't replace. I'm not a flashy guy, so the satin Ti finish is awesome for me. It is more difficult to tell when it's dirty and there is no paint, so I am not too worried about scratching it ever. The frame is within reason for me if I ever have to fix it or replace it as well.

Specs The Cooper was a kit bike built from parts supplied from Lynskey. The parts aren't the greatest, but they do the job and allow mere mortals like myself the ability to afford (MSRP $3200) something quite remarkable. 

The Cooper is equipped for me as follows currently:

Medium Cooper Frame, satin finish

Easton EC70 fork

Fulcrum Racing 7 Wheelset

FSA Orbit Equipe 1-1/8" Headset

FSA Gossamer front and rear brakes

FSA Omega crankset

FSA Omega compact bars

FSA aluminum 20mm setback seatpost

Shimano 105 shifters and derailleurs

90 mm 3T stem

Cheap plastic bottle holder (aftermarket looks ugly, but I needed a bottle holder right away)

Shimano PD-R540 pedals

Selle Italia SL saddle

Bottom Line Impressions The bike was smooth and responsive for me. I was very comfortable in the drops (I never felt safe in them on previous bikes) and I think the compact design lends itself to comfort. The same can be said for the saddle. I never felt any discomfort on this saddle, which I usually feel very quickly on most saddles. There was nothing wrong with the bike at all, except for the bar position, which was my fault for not adjusting when I swapped out the stem for a shorter one a few weeks ago. 

I am going to say this again, this bike is comfortable. In my little 50 minute, 12.88 mile ride, I found myself going faster than I usually had in several sections on my Trek or Fuji. I rode on a bike path down a busy road along the Arlington, Fort Worth border and didn't feel the constant jarring between sections of concrete. I knew they were there, but they just weren't nearly as harsh as other times I've ridden those sections. I know this bike isn't designed for racing, but for long comfortable rides and I am completely fine with it. I hit up a few hills on the way back and killed my average speed and left me sucking air at the top of each hill, but the bike ran like a champ. I also got a chance to test the brakes when 2 cars in a row decided that they had the right of way making a right turn when I had the crossing sign for the bike lane. The brakes locked up and I skidded  about 2 feet along the paint on the crosswalk. Oh well. The bike shifted reliably every time and like any other bike, extreme cross chaining will yield some noise. I didn't notice a lot of flex in the bottom bracket area, but I was mostly concerned with how comfortable I was. I didn't feel like I put in any more power than normal, but I felt and at time saw on my Garmin that I was going faster.

I think the Cooper is going to be a great bike for me that will last for a very long time. I have enjoyed aspects of other road bikes, but none have made me want to keep riding like the Cooper does. It may not be the fastest bike around (yet), but it's certainly the most enjoyable bike to me. The build list isn't amazing, and there's certainly room to improve the components, but for now, I'm comfortable just getting in some miles on the bike and enjoying an experience I've only been able to hear from others.

Links

Lynksey Cooper

Knobbies and Slicks

4th of July 2011

I have been really really bad about updating my posts. I did recognize a connection to my posting and my riding. If I was posting, I kept riding. When I didn't post, I didn't ride. With that being said, here's what's been going on:

I've been home since mid-February with a couple of trips to Florida for work. I expect a few more in the next few months, but nothing crazy like it has been for the last 6 years. I have started riding more recently thanks to the people at Knobbies and Slicks. When I bought my Niner, I asked if I could come up to learn about bikes and how to work on them. Bud probably thought I was just another person  blowing smoke until I started coming up every Saturday for the past month and a half to help out. The store recently grew to over double its original size and they seemed to need help in getting stuff set up in the new much bigger store. Jamie is working most weekends, so going up there isn't a big deal because I have no pressing projects at home right now.

For my work, I ended up getting a fantastic deal on a Fuji ACR 1.0 frame that fit me much better than my Trek road bike did. I am also learning a lot about how bikes work. I'm getting the most out of it by just helping out where I can, which is mainly organizational stuff, right now and the occasional customer. I'm not getting paid or anything, but its totally worth my time, because I'm learning a lot.

Yesterday, I did a ride at Cedar Hill State Park. Here's a link from my Garmin:
Cedar Hill State Park by cherokee9040 at Garmin Connect - Details

Today I rode River Legacy twice. It was HOT!:
River Legacy Off Road 4th of July 2011 1st Lap by cherokee9040 at Garmin Connect - Details

River Legacy Off Road 4th of July 2011 2nd Lap by cherokee9040 at Garmin Connect - Details

I was sore from yesterday's ride, but forced myself to get onto the bike around 10 to commemoreate my ride last year on the 4th that got me back into riding. That's all for today, but I'm ready to keep getting out there again. It's just too much fun not to ride for me.

Home, floors, New bike build, Car, New toys

Yep,
I couldn't keep up with my daily updates on my phone or even regular updates on the blog, so I'm going to share what's happened in the last month or so.  I'm going to do my best to explain through pictures, so here goes.  I've been home so far for almost a month and a half and I'm loving it.  This is the longest I've been home in many years.  It feels great to be normal and be home with my wife and family instead of being 1500 miles away.

Flooring
I've been particularly busy ripping out and putting in hardwood floors into my home.  I had a lot of help from my family, especially my Dad in putting the floors in.  I literally don't think I could have done it without my Dad and it was a great experience to work together with him on a project as large as the floors. The project took about 6 weeks in which my house turned from normal, to abysmal, to awesome.  We ripped out tile and carpet, I smoothed out concrete until it was worthy of my floors, we made crazy cuts to make pieces fit and at one point, I spent 4 hours putting one piece of wood down. Crazy, but worth it for sure.  The house looks great, the only thing left is to do the quarter round which I plan on doing as I get to it.

New Bike Build
I also had my Niner built up.  It's awesome and I really like it for the small amount of time that I was able to ride it so far.  I was able to take it to Big Cedar after several incident with trying out different chains and setups of the EBB.  I had to send it to Florida, thinking I would be leaving a week later to ride it only to find out that I would be staying for at least several more weeks in Texas. This extra time has allowed me to finish the floors, which I am glad to get done and have my house somewhat back to normal.

New Car
I've had my Jeep for 18 years now and it's been great.  I have put nearly 150,000 miles on it, but being our only car for over two years has taken its toll on the older vehicle, so we decided to buy a new Kia Sorento, which absolutely rocks. I love riding in it and making excuses to do errands in it.  That being said, my Jeep is now completely in its element with its top and doors off, ready to cruise around till the end of the summer.

Toys
I had a birthday.  My wife was kind enough to get me a Go Pro camera to record my bike riding adventures. I also got a new computer. I'll report more on these later.

It's been a crazy month and a half and although I haven't been able to ride much, I'm happy I've been able to accomplish so much with my house with the help of my family.  I'm hoping April brings me an opportunity to put lots more miles on my bikes.

Another week, another 79 miles

2-7-2010

2 laps today at Pinehurst, 12 miles total. 868 overall. First lap was 27:04 and second was 28:44. The first lap I hammered down pretty hard until I ran up on a couple about 8-10 min in. I slowed down and they let me pass. As I took a longer route through some of the red trails, I ended up behind them again about 3/4 of a mile from the end of the trail. I decided to wait a couple of minutes and just let them go ahead of me instead of trying to pass again. On the second lap I took my time through the trail as the sun was setting. I did get a little too aggressive when I was trying to get back into my pedals and ended up hitting my shin pretty good with my left pedal. It hurt pretty bad with each pedal stroke for about 10 minutes. Both times through the trail as I was coming to the end, I got my speed up through some smaller roots and sand. It's much easier to get through that portion when I put a lot of power to the rear wheel and pick up the front end a bit.  The trail here is washboard style and has become one of my favorite parts of the trail. I'm going to attempt to get out there a bit earlier tomorrow and ride the trail once or twice more than today or head across the street for some road riding. There was a good wind blowing out of the south that definitely affects me on the road a lot more than the trail, so I’ve been inclined to stay on the trail a little more than I had been before.

Yes, I'm a big baby cause this did hurt.

2-8-2010

Another 2 laps at Pinehurst. 12 miles again. 880 miles on the Cog. First lap 27:12, 2nd lap was probably 31 min. It's just a guess ‘cause I took my time and forgot to stop my watch when I ended. My bike needs a wash, so I'll probably do that tomorrow afternoon. I have to say my favorite parts of this trail are becoming the open parts with the small roots going across it. They're fun to fly over going fast. I've noticed I'm not really using the front brake much at all in favor of just grabbing my rear brake hard enough to lock it up and adjusting my body in the skid to make it around quick turns. Unfortunately, this wears on me quickly as I have to put quite a bit of power back in to get going again. Fun ride nonetheless.

2-9-2010

8 miles at Pinehurst. 888 overall. 1 lap only. I ran up on 2 groups of people and they were all over the trail. I don't mind sharing the trail, because everyone should be encouraged to try the sport and enjoy things at their own pace, but when 6 or 7 people in a group decide to stop at a very wide point in the trail and spread themselves completely across it, I was a bit annoyed. They probably didn't even realize what they were doing, so oh well. I was able to finish in 26:13, which is probably my best time yet. I was pumped up throughout the trail and I was pretty tired after the lap. After the ride, I cleaned up the Cog well. After about 2 weeks of riding, it was filthy and almost completely covered in spots with sand and dirt.

2-10-2010

It rained starting in the early afternoon till I was done with work, so no ride this afternoon.

2-11-2010

More rain today and I think it's gonna get a little cooler tonight as well. 

2-12-2010

My Timex Ironman died on me today. I'm getting a new battery to see if that's the issue, but it had no fading of the display 2 days ago. So I did about 20 miles at Okeeheelee, followed by 1 lap at Pinehurst and back to the apartment for 26 miles on the day and 914 miles overall. It was a cold (for South Florida) day at 60 degrees and quite windy with wind out of the north at about 14 mph. This wind made keeping my average speed above 15 mph difficult for me and I was only able to manage about 13.85 mph average while on pavement. In the trail, I slowed down a lot and finished at about 32 minutes. My toes became numb at about mile 15 from the cold. I’ve tied my shoes the same tightness virtually every time and I've yet to have this happen before even when I did a lot more pavement last year. It was a good workout and I definitely am feeling the burn this evening.  It turned out the battery was the issue and was about a 3 min fix.  Yay!

D-E-D, DEAD!

2-13-2010

Ok, well I woke up very late today (1 PM) and found Jimmy gone from the apartment. Being hungry and knowing I wouldn't be returning to South Florida trails for over a month, I decided the most sensible thing to do would be to put my bike inside the car, eat on the go and drive to Quiet Waters park in Deerfield. What a great idea!

I was able to fit my wheels in the trunk and the bike in the back seat without an issue. I would have been doing this sooner except the last time I put my bike in the car, it was a huge mess. It was a mess because the rear wheel needed to stay on the bike or I would have to bring a wrench to remove and put it back on, as well as the adjustment of the chain, which is a pain to me with the bolt on wheelset I had. The quick releases make life much easier for transport and putting the wheels back on quickly and with minimal fuss.

I did 3 fun laps at Quiet Waters and really enjoyed the new section of trail that has been put in since I was last here a few months ago. It's only $1.50 to get into the park and I've gotta say that improvements have been made all over this trail. It seems to flow quicker for me than before. I am so happy I'm running tubeless now. The trail is still one of the rockiest I've been on and having the extra cushion of a 2.3 tubeless tire really helps relieve some of the jarring.

I was a bit worried about the weather today at the park, especially the wind, which was blowing again out of the north at 15mph. Last time I was here, the wind had carried across the lake and zapped my energy very quickly. This time however, the wind either died down or I just didn't notice it as much. I am definitely coming to Quiet Waters more often from now on. It was an awesome 21 miles today. 935 miles on the bike total.

I went to Jims for them to look at my bottom bracket (BB), since I felt it was creaking on me at the end of my 2^nd lap. They were almost closing and tried to tighten the pedals and the cranks, but the creak remained by the time they closed. Since I had the tools at the apartment to take it apart, I figured I'd take a look later.

MAP

View Quiet Waters Lap 3 of 3 in a larger map

2-14-2010

There was no ride today. I wasn't able to sleep until about 4 am and really didn't have it in me after getting maybe 3 hours of sleep last night. I did remove my bottom bracket and reinstall it last night and cleaned up my bike. I didn't think I'd be able to get the BB off at first, but after some elbow grease and luck, both sides broke loose. I rode the Cog around the neighborhood and it wasn't creaking anymore this afternoon, so I guess it worked.

Has it been this long?

Ok, it's been nearly a month since I've updated and I've been a bit busy finishing up stuff for a project that is wrapping up at work.  Like I've stated before, I keep my notes and most of what you see below on my phone so I have a record of what I've done almost as soon as I finish riding, but putting it up on my blogger account takes some time for me.  I'm hoping to add more multimedia stuff to my blog to make it a bit more interesting and maybe help people understand what the heck I'm talking about.


1-12-2011

Today, I had fun with my laptop that needed a new hard drive. It still was working, but was making a popping sound every once in awhile that could be solved only by powering down and restarting. The install was simple and only took about 10 min to swap the actual drives. It did take about 9 hours to move my data back over, reestablish my Bootcamp partition and setup VM Fusion as well as the gigs of updates. Needless to say, no ride today. 

1-13-2011

2 laps at Pinehurst. I didn't record my times and I just played around a bit. Jordy and I met a guy named Keith on the trails today who said we should go to Balm Boyette. I did clear the hardest part of the trail (to me) finally after I realized I'd never make it past without building up the backside of the logs. I would always high center myself on this set of logs, so I added a bit to the back end and I cleared it. After seeing my bike stuck on top of the log without touching it, I realized I've been an idiot about this part of the trail and so I made it so I could get by. I finished with 12 miles on the bike and 767 total.

1-14-2011

I chilled out and relaxed. Jimmy brought my new 18T cog from Texas with him. I thought I ordered a 20T, but oh well. I already have a 20T. Hopefully, the 18T will help me build up more strength considering I'm going from 47.8 to 53.2 gear inches. I'm looking forward to getting a 32t chainring up front instead of a 33 to make it a bit easier.

1-15-2011

I rode Jordan’s bike around Pinehurst once. His bottom bracket is loose and his bike is too big for me. I got to ride my bike with the i9 wheelset and it was good. It was much stiffer than my stock wheelset. I could feel a lot more, but I was tired even before I began. I don't know if it was Jordan's bike that wore me out or what, but it took a toll on me. The 18T cog was tiring, but effective on the flats. I finished my lap at 28:10 and I wasnt feeling great before, during, or after the ride. 8 miles on my bike today, 775 total.

I did go to Jim’s Bicycles in Deerfield to get my stock wheelset trued and order some tools. I didn't pay a dime since I bought the bike there. They are a good shop that definitely stands behind what they sell. Also, I found out Jim has i9 wheels on his downhill bike. I figure if they are good enough for him, they will work for me for quite a while just fine.

1-16-2011

There was no ride today. I spent the first half of the day fixing computers and ripping DVDs. We ended up at Heather and Trevor’s house at about 4 and had a great time eating leg of lamb and playing cards.  We ended up backing up and ripping 157 DVDs in about 3 weeks. I'm glad it's over and they're done finally!

1-17-2011

I woke up at 5 am still not feeling 100%. I read online about the Tour Divide race, which inspired me to get off my butt and to ride at 8. I did 1 lap at Pinehurst and came back to the apt so I could get some work done. My top end is much higher on the 33-18 setup. Unfortunately, that means acceleration is not as good as the 33-20 setup. So, I'm going to stay 33-18 until the One 9 gets here and then it will be 32-18. Not a big difference, but it will make it a bit easier. In the meantime, I'm going to focus some on road and keeping my cadence above 110, which is about 17-18 mph. I will get another 18Tcog for the Monocog and use it to "train" on when the Niner is assembled.

This bike is still awesome and the new wheels are definitely stiffer than the stock redline ones. There is virtually no flex that I can feel. This does tend to wear on me a bit, but I'm hoping on the lighter One 9, with the carbon fork and bars, it won't be bad at all. 8 miles today, 783 total.

1-18-2011 and 1-19-2011

No ride, just work and Everette's.  Here's a pic of our lovely fire! Yes, it was warm with the fire, very very warm.

1-20-2011

I went for a quick ride at Pinehurst before we went to Cheryl’s kids' football game and then on to Everette’s. My time was slow at 29:10, but I should have it back down soon. It may have had to do with the fact I took a few videos and stuff. Good ride overall. 8 miles today. 791 miles overall.


While Pinehurst may not have elevation, it does have obstacles, like man made log overs and natural beasts like the palmetto trunks across the trail.  Brutal, I tell you! Brutal!

1-21-2011

I had a good lap at Pinehurst. Pretty quick today at 27:51. I think my tire pressure is pretty dialed in now at 27 psi in the front and 30 psi in the back. I had tried 35 in both at first, but with the stiff wheels, it was a beating. Second ride was 30 psi, third was 25 psi and it felt really sloppy. I am very happy with the i9 wheelset which is an i9 hub laced to a Stan’s Flow rims. The spokes are way thicker than traditional stainless. It's super stiff compared to my previous stock wheelset. I'm also lovin the tubeless setup on the bike even though getting the tires on was a little difficult. I have had to watch the tire pressure quite a bit. There is a slow leak, so I'm checking it before every ride. I will probably get a new floor pump and a portable presta gauge soon. 9 miles today, 800 total on the bike.

1-22-2011

Lazy laaaazy Saturday. No riding today. Slept late due to not sleeping until nearly 4 am. I did manage a cool sunset pic though.  I took this in a moving truck, so cut me some slack on the framing and steadiness please.  The colors were phenomenal!

1-23-2011

I felt kinda bad most of the day. I did get one lap in at Pinehurst and I did it in 26:53. I think I've really dialed my stuff in lately. The tires and wheels rock, I raised my seatpost considerably and it helped me pedal hard on the flats. I'm hoping to get word back from the bike shop about prices for the components of the one 9. I'll be coming back to Texas in mid February, so I can see my wife, pups, and family again as well as build up my new bike. 8 miles on the bike today. 808 total.

1-24-2011

Worked like crazy.  No fun.

1-25-2011

I got a relaxing lap in at Pinehurst while it was nice enough to start raining. I started out timing myself, but it was slow going through slippery logs and digging through the sand hence my time was over 30 min and not really worth it. I cleaned my Monocog really well, especially the drivetrain. 8 miles 816 total.

1-26-2011 to 1-28-2011

I worked like a dog to finish a project before the deadline. Glad it's over. Now for the exercise on Monday in the Keys!


Jordy hitting some balls at the range:

Ladderball at Everette's:

1-29-2011

To make up for my last ride's slowness, I decided to do two full out laps at Pinehurst. My first lap was a respectable 27:01 and my second, a glorious 26:51. My goal is now sub 27 min laps from now on. 12 miles today, 828 total on my bike.

I'd like to make some videos of the trail. I have taken one of me going over a few logs, but it took 10 min to set up and shoot twice to get the right angles and set my phone up in a tree. The iPhone makes a great camera, but not for a point of view riding style, since I've yet to find a way to mount my phone that I did suitable for it's “well-being”. Finding a place to put the phone along the trail is difficult as well, but I'm working on solutions like a gorillapod for my phone to mount to trees/stand up on the ground easier. 

I did talk to a few guys between rides and they filled me in on how awesome the Santos trails are. I can't wait to go. Hopefully, I can make it up there in the next few months.

1-30-2011

We took a trip to the keys for work on Monday. I took some pics of the water and dinner at sunset. We ate at Lazy Days in Marathon. This place had huge portions! I was only able to eat about half my meal. It tasted awesome and the view was fantastic. Our hotel, Boatman's Sombrero was a really nice place to stay. Hopefully, I can have Jamie come out soon and we can enjoy the views together. Some great pics of the Keys below, including the end of the world in the middle pic.

1-31-2011

We ate our breakfast at the Stuffed Pig with Jordan, Jimmy, Mitch, and Cindy before setting up for the exercise today with Monroe County's Emergency Management. Good food but be warned, like many places in the Keys, it’s a cash only establishment.

It's awesome to see how many bikes there are here. It seems everyone has a bike, whether they are actually riding it or it’s stored next to their house.  I've seen tons of Dahon-style folding bikes as well.

The exercise went off without a hitch. We had on hitting up the famous (to me) No Name Pub for dinner this evening, but with the sun getting lower in the sky, we decided it would be better to head back and make our trip back be as short as possible, which ended up being about a 4 hour journey.


I had seen this at the checkout line at grocery stores in both the Keys and West Palm. They're really going there!

2-1-2011

I was psyched to ride today, that is until after lunch. I was ready to ride and enjoy myself until I became ill.  I felt this way for about 6 hours. I won't get into details, but it probably had to do with something I ate over the weekend and it probably wasn't my lunch at Subway, because I ate the other half of the sandwich at 8PM with no effects. Needless to say, no ride.

2-2-2011

I got to ride today! I've put off riding in January because of laziness. No more I tell you! February is here and I’m ready to rock. There's much more daylight out vs the end of the year and the weather in South Florida is really nice right now, especially when the rest of the country is in a giant snowstorm. I did one lap at Pinehurst in 26:56. I ran up on several people this ride and may have been able to finish a little quicker if I hadn't, but it can wait for another day. I did 8 miles today, 836 on the bike.

I love this thing! It's simple, it's reliable and it works great for me. I'm almost afraid I wont like the Niner because I like the Monocog so much. I'm hoping to hear soon from Knobbies and Slicks if they can order my parts so I can put the bike together when I get home.

2-3-2011

No ride today, we ended up going to our friend Everette’s house right after work.  I do listen to a few podcasts during the day to break up the monotony of coding and I recently stumbled onto a mountain bike podcast called "The Mountain Bike Whisperer Radio Show."  I've listened to the 3 episodes they have out and it's pretty good.  It's a little rough around the edges, but I have faith it will get better.  The great thing about this show for me is that it's made in DFW, so I get some good info on riding at home here's the iTunes link: ITunes Mountain Bike Whisperer Radio Show.  Give it a listen if you're into mountain biking, especially if you live or ride in DFW.

2-4-2011

I ordered the components for my One 9 build today with Bud from Knobbies and Slicks today. Unfortunately, the fork, crankset, and bar are all on backorder. Argh! I'm excited that I did get to order the rest of the parts, but bummed I have to wait another 4-6 weeks till I get everything in. Oh well.  Here's my list of the parts I'm building up the One 9 with:


1.  e.13 XC SS Crankset w/BB 175mm
2.  Niner 32T chainring
3.  KMC Z610GHX 3/32" chain (I already have this chain)
4.  Shimano SD-M520 White
5.  Avid Speed Dial 7 Levers
6.  Avid BB7 Mountain 160mm Rotor
7.  Jagwire Ripcord Brake Kit-Red
8.  Thomson Elite X4 Stem-31.8 mm 100mm 0 deg
9.  Niner carbon flat top bar-Red
10. Ergon GA-1 Grips black
11. Thomson Masterpiece Seatpost-31.8mm wide 350mm length
12. Salsa Lip Lock Seatpost Collar-Red 35mm
13. WTB Rocket Race V-Black
14. Cateye Strada Wireless Computer RD300W-Black
15. Salsa Flip off Skewers Pair-Red
16. Niner Carbon Fork 1 1/8"-Nude
17. 4 Chainbolts-unknown brand at this time but probably something red
18. Niner One 9 frame Atomic blue
19. i9 Wheelset with 2.3" Tubeless Exiwolfs

2-5-2011

I rode Pinehurst 2x. The first lap was a leisurely 28 something minutes and the second I decided to take some video. I shot about 5 or 6 places today and it took me nearly half an hour. I wasn't even 2 minutes into the trail at this point. I'm going to look at making a chest mount for my phone so I can do POV stuff easier and I won’t have to worry about knocking the phone out of my hand or off my bars. 12 miles today, 848 miles. I need to be doing some 20+ mile rides soon.  Here's a short compilation of some portions of the trail I took today and a few weeks ago.


I've choosen to use VIMEO because the quality on YouTube was significantly less than VIMEO's.

Pinehurst Trail from Pete Weydeck on Vimeo.

2-6-2011

I rode Pinehurst twice today. Once on the Monocog and once on Jimmy’s full suspension (FS) 26er. I finished in 27:34 on the Monocog and 33+minutes on the Jimmy’s bike. 8 miles on the Monocog today and 856 overall. Jimmy had some issues with it, so I wanted to ride it to see what the problems were, so when we go back to Texas in a week and a half, I can start fixing stuff as soon as possible.

I initially assumed that FS would make the ride easier. The FS did make some parts smoother, but I was never able to make it work well for me. Obviously, my time was much slower. I wasn't used to the bike, and I'm sure in part some of the difference in times has to do with that, but I believe wheel size gave me the biggest problems. You see, I don’t have problems clearing many obstacles when I ride my Monocog. I pick pretty good lines and follow them. I pick up my front wheel and bunny hop my 30lb bike over some of the logs in the trail so I’m not bashing my rims on logs and I don’t slow down. 

I do get slowed down a little bit on tight S-turn and U-turn areas on a 29er, but I can make up for it when my wheels hit the hills and flat terrain. The 26er was not noticeably quicker on stuff I thought it would excel on, like patches of trail with small exposed roots. I thought I'd fly over these areas and I just didn't. It was slightly smoother on these parts with the FS, but with my large width tires (2.3 Exiwolfs), the difference was negligible. I wasn't able to clear some things because the largest chainring kept me from getting over. I can tell you the wider tires are a blessing in sand.  I can’t believe how much I was getting stuck and stopping in the sand with the 26’s 1.95” tires.

Am I saying that a FS 26er is worse than a 29er SS rigid? No. I'm saying for this park (and I would imagine many others in the country) a 29" tire helps out a lot with overcoming obstacles and reducing wear on the rider.

In the future, I may put a suspension fork on my bike, but I'm very happy with the feedback and overall feel of my rigid SS 29er.


Side note:  22-25psi is pretty rockin' awesome at smoothing out the trail and it's not as uncontrollable as I thought before.

To Texas, Christmas, New Years, and back to Florida

12-14-2010 

No ride today.  Just getting things ready for the trip back to Texas.

12-15-2010

Today, I worked till 5 then headed to Everette’s for smoking of the pork shoulder till midnite. We made a large fire (for a driveway) and had a good time.  We left a little after midnight in hopes of getting some rest before leaving for Texas.

12-16-2010

I made chili for the EOC potluck and had a good time.  We packed up and headed for Texas by 4 pm. I'm already tired and we just started. I pulled over after Pensacola because of a lot of fog.  Jordan ended up driving most of the time on this trip, which marks the first time I haven’t driven my share on any trip back and forth to Florida.  I know being sick did not help at all and I felt the worst during this time.

12-17-2010

Jordan and I made the trip back to Texas with a few wrong turns and me being pretty sick and not driving much.  We arrived at about noon. I had some delicious Taco Bueno with my brother then passed out until Jamie came back home at about 6. This cold is kicking my butt.  Jamie asked if I wanted to go to see Black Swan with her friends in the evening, but I was exhausted and just felt like sleeping.

12-18-2010

It was my boss' annual Christmas party and I had a good time seeing people I hadn't seen for most of the year from work and SCUBA. I did have an issue understanding people because I couldn't hear well due to the cold.

12-19-2010

I went to the gunshow with my dad and brother. We didn't find anything that we just HAD to have, so we left after about an hour.  I did see Jimmy, Chas, his family, and Jim though.  Later I went shopping with my Mom for presents.

12-20-2010

I went riding finally with my brother! This is the first time since may we've been able to work our schedules into a ride since April or May this year. We went to River Legacy where we lost each other within 5 minutes. I did get to do the new EKG portion of the trail. It is awesome! I realized that I lost Ryan here and spent the next 25 minutes looking for him in the 7 miles of trails. I did 5 miles today and How did I only do 5 miles when the trail is 7 miles long?  There are several loops off of the main trial.  I skipped all the loops hoping I'd catch up to him.  708 total on the bike. I can’t wait to go out again!

12-21-2010 to 1-3-2011

I took a break from riding due to cold weather and trails being closed. I had a great Christmas and New Year.  All of these days kinda rolled together, so I'm making this one big post.

My friend, Eric got 2 tickets 6 rows up at the Stars game at center ice.  It was my first time to a game.  I guess I thought it would be more fun in person. I was a bit disappointed especially after the fight in which the Dallas guy got his face beat in, but stayed up (won) and the opponent lost after falling down from exerting himself beating the other guy.

On Christmas, We watched my nephew open up presents and he had a blast!  He was smiling like crazy running all over opening up his stuff.  It reminds me of how important family is during this time.  Jamie and I got him a slide.  I think he likes it.

Gage slide from Pete Weydeck on Vimeo.

I ended up getting a new i9 wheelset for Christmas from my family and wife and a Niner One 9 frame, as well as a Chris King headset from my brother.

I purchased the wheelset from a guy on the dorba2.org website.  He had changed the front quick release to 15mm through axle for his fork.  I needed a 9mm quick release put back on, so I took it to Knobbies and Slicks in Colleyville.  I also ordered a Niner 20T cog for the new wheels, as well as a spacer kit.  I ended up talking to the owner Bud for awhile and mentioned the closeout price on the One 9 I had seen online.  He offered to match the price with what he could order from 2010 and what he had in stock.  He had only 1 One 9 in stock.  It was blue and medium.  I loved it and told my wife about it jokingly thinking that she’d say go get it.  I got a great surprise when she gave me the ok.  I headed right back and picked it up and had the headset installed into the frame.  I can transfer all of my current components from the Monocog except for the bottom bracket (I got one that would fit for $5 on sale) and a 31.6 mm seatpost.  I decided not to buy parts to be “until I can afford good ones” on this bike.  I will buy the parts that I want when I can afford them.  That being said, I hope to get a Niner carbon fork for Valentine’s or my birthday. I can’t wait to start the build!

I'm pretty happy with my new purchase

The beginning

Yeah, it glows in the dark!

Jamie and I relaxed at home for New Year's Eve and I was asleep before 11.  Jordan and I ended driving back to Florida on Monday January 3rd, so we'd be back in time for a training class in Palm Beach. I was able to fit the new wheelset into the car, but not the bike.  It was a bit of a shock when I found out it wouldn't fit, so I'll either be shipping it to Florida or bringing it back on a trip to Texas.

1-4-2011

I went riding with Jordan for a short one at Pinehurst. Only 8 miles on the bike today. 716 overall. I can definitely feel that I didn't ride much over the holidays.

1-5-2011 to 1-7-2011

I had no time for a ride with training class that lasted from 8:30 to 4:30. Next week should be much better for riding time.  At lunch one day, I did find something interesting.  I'm not sure what the purpose of mounting a shovel to your motorcycle is.  I can only imagine it's for burying rivals or bashing in zombie skulls on the highway.

1-8-2011

I did 2 laps at Pinehurst. The first with Jordan to show him how to do portions of the trail. He was able to make it over some pretty difficult objects today. At a double set of logs he got his handlebars twisted and went over them pretty hard, which took the wind out of him. I found out a few days later he bruised his ribs and it still is bothering him. Second lap was much faster by myself and ended up with 28:12. I may have been a bit faster, but I ended up running up on a rider who I saw start to go around an obstacle and then turned back towards it at the last second This would have been ok if he had not crashed right in front of me, which caused me to lock up my front wheel and eject me over the first log. I also missed an easy obstacle early on. I'm hoping to get sub 28 min laps soon. Total miles for the day 16. Total in the bike 732.

1-9-2011

Miami Oleta River Park with Jimmy and Jordan. I had a great 2 hours and did some trails I had never done before. I goofed on a few that I knew I could do and finished several that I had issues with before. Oyster Ridge gave me multiple problems and may have just been a body english issue with climbing/ tire combo. I also did the back part of the park, which was awesome although it was longer than I thought it would be. This extra time left Jimmy and Jordan waiting awhile at the truck. I did 15 miles for the day. 747 total.

1-10-2011

1 lap at Pinehurst. 27:07. Fastest lap by over a minute. I was movin’ today! I went hard and I believe my rear wheel paid the price for it. I haven't looked at it much since I trued it the last time about a month ago. Over the last few outings, I've felt my spokes and been able to tighten them by hand. I knew I should have done this sooner, but I put it off. Alas, I had to true them up again tonight. I'm excited to put on the new rims that I got over Christmas when Jamie sends me my new cog.


1-11-2011
No ride today.  It was a little cool today at 55 degrees.  Funny thing is that Florida is the only state (including Hawaii) that doesn't have snow today.  I also waited most of the day for the website I am working on to come online and find a replacement hard drive, since mine has begun making not so nice sounds every once in awhile.