Magic Gear...maybe?

I completed my new single speed build this evening, although I neglected to take a photo of the entire bike. That and a complete build list will be in another post.

For now, I stuck with the same gearing as the Monocog, 32x18. However, I also picked up a new Sram PC1 which I plan to use as my dedicated 32 x 20 chain when I anticipate more climbing. A difference from the Monocog is that instead of a dedicated single speed free wheel, I used a kit to convert one of my back up wheels, a WTB Laserdisc laced to an XT hub. I topped the kit off with a Surly 18T cog.

I plan to pick up a 20T cog at some point as well.

Since I’m using a Sette Razzo 29er frame, I lost the chain tugs and horizontal dropouts on the Monocog. I anticipated needing a chain tensioner. But, when I installed the chain, this is what I saw:

The chain tension actually looked close. I installed the chain tensioner, but it was parallel to the chainstay and wasn’t added much to the tension, but was adding a lot of noise. I removed it and took a spin around the driveway and it seemed to work. Perhaps I’m close to the single speed “magic gear.” I’m planning on a test ride before work tomorrow so we’ll see how it holds up.

Oh, and this bike is light! Makes the Monocog feel like a bus. The only heavy part is the RS Tora. I can neither confirm or deny that I am considering a search for a black and white rigid carbon fork….

French Lick DINO Race Report

Well that was fun.  I would say that French Lick was the most technical course on the DINO series.  The result? One badly cut up arm and a screwed up rear wheel. But still, fun was had.

My wife and I arrived in French Lick on Friday night and stayed at the West Baden Hotel, a true architectural marvel and a historical landmark which was a less than five minute ride from the race start. If you are in the area at least stop by and see the dome at the center of the hotel. Quite spectacular.

 

 

I also finally got a chance to ride the French Lick trails for the first time. The trail started with a “green” loop which was fairly easy and then to the “blue” loop which was noticeably more difficult, including a long extended climb. Lots of fun, and numerous cool trial features including several rock features and caves.

 

On Saturday morning I did a nice warm up by hitting several gravel road hills near the hotel. Of course, my heart rate was still going to be back to normal at the start but oh well.

I lined up on the inside line of the Cat 3 30-39 group, right next to a single speeder, who following a quick chat I found that he was using a 32 x 17 ratio. He had also ridden the course Friday night, but with a 32 x 16. After the preride, he decided to bump up the ratio to 17.  I wouldn’t want to ride these trails with either of those ratios.

My start was good and I got into the singletrack in third place, with the aforementioned singlespeeder in first. The course starts on a steady, uphill with rocky singletrack. The singlespeeder started to slow and he had to drop back.  I was in second when we came to a narrow and rocky section of trail which was fairly level. All of the sudden my back wheel washed out and I went down hard on my right arm. It didn’t hurt too badly, but I had to haul myself off of the trail to avoid riders behind me and was passed by several.  I got going again and caught up with two riders who had passed me just as we left the “Green” beginner trail and entered the Blue trail, which is the more advanced section. Immediately things got interesting. The already numerous rocks multiplied and the trail became quite rough.

I stuck with these two riders until one bobbled on a tech section which allowed me to pass. The next guy bobbled going through a creek crossing and a series of unfortunate events occurred. First, I couldn’t around the fall rider on the bike, so I dismounted and tried to walk around him. I then slipped on some mud and fell right on top of my bike. My right knee went straight through the rear wheel and actually impacted the ground. I extracted my knee from the spokes and got up and without really looking at the wheel leapt back on the bike to try to get away from the chaos at the crossing. I was expecting to have all sorts of nastiness, including rubbing discs, a wiggling out of true wheel, and crap shifting. But I found nothing. The wheel was spinning just fine and everything seemed fine. So on I rode.

Following this crossing was the largest climb in the course, a seemingly never ending climb of almost 300 feet. I tried to accelerate, but was gassed. I was starting to wheeze and the legs felt heavy. However, I was able to gap the riders behind me, and noticed another rider well ahead of me. I used him as a carrot and despite feeling absolutely wasted, I continued to gain ground. The climb tops out near where the trail crosses a utility easement and travels through a pine forest. Just before this I within about 20 feet of other the rider when we started a descending section. As in the past, I was slower on the descents and he got away. However, the trail turned upward again and I spotted him and continued to chase, got close again, and then watched him slowly gap me on the final descent. I pushed hard, and put in a nice sprint coming out of woods towards the finish, but catching him was not going to happen.

I crossed the line at 48:10 and placed 13^th overall and 5^th in the 30-39 age group. An inspection of my wheel showed one broken, and two badly bent spokes. Still impressed that it held together, but when I took it into the shop to have it checked out I found that the rim was cracked. One of the spokes which had not broken actually partially pulled out of the rim, warping and cracking the area around the spoke hole. The shop had a Stan’s Arch rim in stock so the wheel will be rebuilt in time for Muscatatuk in a week and a half.

Overall I was happy with the result, which is my best overall finish in a DINO race to date. A top 10 finish and a podium place was likely if I hadn’t had my little encounter with the ground, but still a solid effort. I was a bit more winded in the first half of the race than I would have liked, but I settled down in the second half and felt pretty good.

So to sum it up:

The Good: The French Lick trails, my sturdy rear wheel, and my new IndyCog jersey.

The Bad: My torn up arm, needing to get my wheel fixed, and 19-29 age group riders who will do their best to impede a pass

In a week and a half will be the races at Muscatatuck Park in North Vernon. Saturday includes a short track and downhill race, while Sunday is the XC race.  I’m planning on participating in all three. The downhill event should be…..fun?

Race week, new frame, and snakes, oh my.

Ok, race week is here and it looks like the weather may actually cooperate. This week’s race will be at the French Lick Resort in French Lick, Indiana. The word is that this is a rain or shine course, so I was operating under the assumption I would be riding in a downpour and three inches of mud. However, the forecast for the next few days is calling for mostly sunny skies, with race day also being clear with a high of 82. Sounds perfect.

The plan is to leave work early on Friday and we’ll drive to FL and stay the night at the West Baden Springs Hotel.  I’m going to get a quick pre-ride in on Friday night and then enjoy the hotel and relax Saturday morning before the race.

I went for a ride this past weekend at Fort Ben and used my geared bike there for the first time in several months. I almost always use my single speed, but want to make sure the geared bike was working well on the more technical Ft. Ben trails (geared bike has been fine at the flat and easy Town Run). All was running smoothly, and even though I felt slower than when I’m on the single speed, my lap times were all personal records per Strava, even with my yielding to hikers and being courteous to slower bikers. My only conclusion from this? I must be really slow on the SS. Anyway, the bike performed flawlessly and I think it is ready for Saturday.

Speaking of the SS, here is the frame for that project:

                               

Not going to win style points, but the Sette Razzo is light, the price was right, and the online reviews are stellar. Plus, it continues my tradition of building off brand bikes, as my geared bike is built on a Performance Access frame. I’ll probably start building it up next week, or as soon as I gather enough courage to dust off my homemade headset pressing device.

Also, since the “Identify this Fungus” game was so much fun a few posts ago, here is a new one: Name that Snake:

Ran into this guy on a paved trail at Ft. Ben. Due to the large number of families out riding, I attempted to usher him off the path, which resulted in numerous strikes on my front wheel. Ultimately I picked it up with a branch and laid him safely in the bushes. I assumed it was a rat snake, but its color seemed off. Anyone know what kind it is?

A Sign of Things to Come

Had this arrive in the mail today:

 

It is the first step in a new project which will come to fruition in the coming weeks. A larger, more significant part arrived as well, but it is still in its bike frame sized box in the garage. That reveal will be in a later post.

So what is the project? Well, I love riding my singlespeed and I like tinkering, despite the detrimental effect on the wallet (hey, I sold my car and ride my bike everywhere so it kind of evens out).

And while I have loved riding the Monocog, it is an awfully heavy frame, although it parts are quite usable and can be easily transferred to a new, perhaps lighter (albeit not SS specific) frame.

So, the plan is in motion. Just need to get a headset, and a few cogs for the rear wheel to test gearing combos. The plan is for the project to be finished by July for the Planet Adventure Night race series where I will race the singlespeed division.

Rain Out and belated Memorial Day Riding Report

Memorial Day weekend turned into a fantastic riding weekend. The forecasted rain did not arrive on Saturday and Sunday allowing plenty of singletrack riding. While I had planned on traveling to French  Lick on Saturday, reports from the ground suggested lots of mud.  I didn’t want to travel to BCSP due to the high traffic on the trails from the holiday weekend.

Instead I went to Versailles State Park in south eastern Indiana. Versailles has 13 miles of fantastic trail but only a fraction of the use that BCSP gets.

 

The bustling Versailles State Park trailhead. All two of us enjoyed the trails.

I saw only one other mountain biker on the entire trail, plus three BMX’ers with no helmets. I also saw several campers in jeans and windbreakers (and no helmets) out for a spin and about to get into some of the more serious singletrack. I tactfully suggested they be careful and wear helmets before trying those trails.

Versailles is also a DINO race later in the year and I wanted to ride the course which runs opposite of 24 Hours of DINO route. I’m glad I did as there were a few places in the trail that I’ll keep in mind for the race. The trail itself was a bit muddy in spots, but generally very nice and the ride was a blast.  I put particular emphasis on pushing any descent that I came to since I tend to be a bit too conservative on downhills.

I ran across these interesting…things near a picnic table on the Grandview Loop:

I’m guessing some sort of mushroom or fungi. Each one was the size of a dinner plate and about five or six inches high.

And of course, the obligatory single track photo:

 

And the remains of the best post ride snack ever:

 

 

I was expecting rain Sunday but the morning dawned cool and partly cloudy but with no rain in sight, so  I took the singlespeed over to Fort Ben for a few laps. The Fort had been a mud pit last time I was there, but trail work targeting the muddy spots and warm weather had mostly resolved this. Overall a nice day, although I saw very few bikers. Heck, I even saw more birders than mountain bikers. Of course, the Indianapolis 500 was that morning so people may have had someplace else to be.
 

Monday morning a heavy rainstorm came through turning the red light on all local trails. Instead, I went for an early ride over to Crown Hill to beat the Memorial Day crowds. The cemetery was beautiful and the weather was perfect for an easy spin. However, I ran into many signs like these:

 

I ride through Crown Hill quite often, but rarely do I see more than one or two cyclists in the cemetery. I chased down an employee in a golf cart and asked why the signs had been posted.  He said that they had been having problems with large group rides and impromptu racing recently (although I suspect they were assuming a group ride was a race). He specifically noted a 20+ group ride earlier in the week which interfered with a funeral procession. He said I was fine since I was riding by myself.

However, another employee in a huge Mercedes (manager?) stopped and said that he had kicked out a group of four cyclists yesterday for riding too fast and cited liability issues related to potential injuries. He also emphasized that Crown Hill was private property. No need for further explanation of that statement. Memorial Day is a busy day at the Crown so I can understand concern for that day, although it sounds like there might be a crackdown on group rides (small ones included) even outside the holiday. Plus the guy driving the German tank seemed to be keen on lecturing me about the problems with cycling and kept talking over me whenever I tried to say something. I got the feeling he was looking for an excuse to kick me out so I wrapped up my ride and got out of there. I actually went back to Crown Hill on Wednesday for a ride, and although the signs were still there, I s no employees patrolling and only three cars from a distance.  Hopefully Monday was a one time experience.

And now the rain out portion of the post. As of this afternoon, the Brown County DINO race for this Sunday has been rained out. Besides being a great race venue, I was anxious to get this season going after the two previous races were also rained out so I am in a bit of a pissed off mood. Is it drought time yet? Anyway, now the race season will begin in French Lick in two weeks. I will be there come hell or high water. Seriously. Even with high water they will still have that race.

And among other things, Bike Week 2013 happened

Whew, that was a long two weeks. Work got a little nuts and last week was Bike Week in Indianapolis which included a busy schedule of events so no time for updates.

Bike Week started  on Saturday May 11 with IndyCog’s Two Wheels One City festival which celebrates and promotes bicycling in Indianapolis. The event included bands, vendors, beer, and various cycling related competitions that seem to be won by the same three bike messengers each year. This also coincided with the opening of the Cultural Trail, a dedicated pedestrian and cycling path which loops throughout downtown Indy.

 

SIDEBAR RANT: While I have been using the Cultural Trail for the past two years, the official opening was on Friday May 10. That same day, as I was riding to work on the Monon Trail (which connects with the Cultural Trail), I happened to think how I had not had any close calls with cars lately. Not 5 minutes later a woman ran a stop sign at an alley that crosses the Cultural Trail and I came within inches of going over her hood.  It was the closest call I've had in a while, and my legs were actually shaking afterwards. No way this could happen again right? Wrong. On the way home, not far from the morning incident, a woman made a much too fast turn into a parking lot adjacent to the trail, just as I was passing. Two times in one day was too much and after barely avoiding her front bumper and riding through some trail side landscaping I turned and let loose a string of profanity at her open window. Not terribly civilized, but at that point I did not care about maintaining cyclist/motorist relations.

Anyway, continuing with the Bike Week events was a special showing of the movie Reveal the Path presented by both IndyCog and the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association with proceeds from ticket sales going to both groups. The movie was produced by the same folks who did Ride the Divide, and followed a group of mountain bikers as they rode through several countries in inhospitable terrain. While the scenery was nice, I liked the added drama that the racing atmosphere brought to Ride the Divide. Reveal the Path was heavy on deep thoughts about cycling, but was a bit light on the thrill aspect. Still, the event was well attended and I met many new cyclists as I was working the IndyCog table.

The final event of the week was Bike to Work Day on Friday May 17. My wife had been helping to organize this so I had seen this thing from the inside out. Despite the stress in planning and watching the weather, Friday dawned with perfect weather and a great turnout. Here are a few pics from the event.

 

 

 

 I also ran into this little piece of history (excuse the poor photo):

 

 

A 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper. A classic early mountain bike in great condition. In speaking to the owner I had mentioned that I had seen one on Craigslist in Fort Wayne earlier this year and had considered buying it. Turns out this was that bike. Wish I had gotten some more pics.

 

Overall, Bike Week was a great success, although the organizational aspect was at times stressful. However, I do have a few ideas on how to improve the events for next year which hopefully we (IndyCog) can incorporate as we plan for 2014.

In race news, this season is starting out with sort of a whimper. Following the Barry Roubaix, the next race was the DINO series practice race at Town Run. Unfortunately, this was canceled due to water logged conditions from recently receded flood waters.

The next race was the DRT XC Time Trial at Brown County State Park on May 5. But, since the weather gods are not being kind, rain moved in and the outlook was bleak. At first the rain was positioned over Bloomington and seemed to spare the park. However overnight the rain pushed north and that was it. Two weekends in a row with a cancellation.

Fun note, the time trial was rescheduled to the same weekend as the 24 Hours of DINO at Versailles State Park in September. The DINO event is on Saturday, while the DRT race is on Sunday. I'm planning on doing the 6 Hour DINO race on Saturday, which ends at 6 pm. Considering how destroyed I was last year following the 6 Hours I'm wondering whether I will be up for both races.

The next race for me is the Brown County DINO race in a week and a half.  I plan to get several hill workouts in before then, primarily at Crown Hill Cemetery. This holiday weekend I am planning on driving south and hitting the French Lick trails for the first time, with a stop off in Bloomington to ride their Wapahani Mountain Bike Park on the way back.

 

Springtime Singletrack (now with less flood water)

Not much new, but spring single-track is certainly a welcomed sight. The above is from Southwestway Park in Indianapolis. Only about 3 miles of trail now, but construction is set to start on new trails which will expand the system to over 8 miles.

 

I have planned a riding trip for later in May, which is significant since I rarely have time to get out Indianapolis except for races. This past weekend I had a work retreat in French Lick but due to various circumstances, primarily lack of time, I was unable to ride the mountain bike trails. I’m planning on hitting the DINO race at French Lick this year so a pre-ride is necessary.  Over Memorial Day weekend my wife is going on a mini vacation to Florida with friends, so with unfettered use of the car, I’m planning to head back to French Lick for a morning of riding and then hittingthe  trails at either O’Bannon Woods State Park or Wapahani in Bloomington in the afternoon.

 

First things first though, as there is a race at BCSP on Sunday. We’ll see if this gets rained out.

And one more just because.