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.
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.
