We-viewz

So now that I've spent a good bit of time on my new stuff, I figure I should write about it.  Really, I'm just super bored at work and need a distraction during my lunch break.

The Bike: Specialized Epic Expert 29er

First of all, this bike is amazing.  Huge thanks to Auer-Power at Twenty20 Cycling for hooking me up with this ride.  I'm glad we were able to make it happen.  Super-great bike shops are just that.  If you're in the Baltimore area and need anything bike-related, they'll hook you up.  The bike is Specialized's new carbon-framed full suspension 29er.  This specific model actually has a carbon front triangle with an aluminium rear triangle.  A good trade off to take a thousand dollars or so off the price.  Specialized is pushing the technological limits by making the dropout spacing 142 mm (as opposed to the usual 135 mm) and including fitments for a 12 mm through axle (a.k.a. the Syntace X12 system).  Their goal was to increase the "lateral stiffness" of the rear end of the bike, whatever that means.  I was initially a little put off my the rear through-axle, thinking that it would be burdensom during races when trying to change a flat.  It's definitely not.  You unscrew it, and the wheel comes out like usual.  Plus it includes alignment tabs so it is impossible to put your wheel in out of alignment.  No more franticly fixing a flat, throwing your wheel back in only to find 10 feet down the trail that your wheel isn't in straight.  Very good addition.

The rear suspension it dampened by the Specialized/Fox Brain shock.  Active when you want it, locked out when you don't.  I'm running mine at "fully firm" which means that the bike feels like a hardtail when your up on the pedals, but like a smooth full suspension rig when your in the rough stuff.  The trade off is less response on smaller and slower-speed hits.  I am fine with that, because I, you know, know how to ride my bike.  Plus everytime I stand on the pedals the speed and acceleration I get washes away all my concerns about lack of plushness.  Travel and dampening is matched on the front of the bike with the Specialized Reba Brain fork.  It's a Reba with a Specialized tapered crown (mine is aluminium, the top end is carbon) and the Brain damper.  I'm runing that at fully firm dampening as well, with equal air pressure in the positive and negative chamber.  The result is a fork that is rigid fork-firm when you're on smooth terrain and wide open and smooth when things get hairy.  The Brain in the fork is tuned slightly softer than on the rear end, meaning that it opens up for a smaller hit even when both are set to firm.  It works very well; much better than I expected when I first got the bike.  The only complaint I have about the bike is that I wish they had included a through-axle up front to match the stiffness and rigidity of the through-axle in the year.  You can't have everything right?  Maybe next year's model will include such a thing.

The rest of the bike is just parts.  Durable, reliable, light (enough for now) parts.  X0 rear derailleur, X7 front derailleur with X9 shifters.  2x10 drivetrain with a Specialized specific 24/38 chainrings, and a regular 11-36 cogset.  Personally, I could care less for the 24/38 rings and would rather have the standard SRAM 2x10 26x39.  Unfortunately the removable spider kit is not available aftermarket yet.  C'est la vie.  Maybe I'll pick one up once they exist.  The other parts on the bike were stock Specialized stuff.  I haven't changed much, just dropped a cut to 660 mm ENVE Composites Sweep Bar on the front end.  It's super pimp.  Subtle, strong, and light.  Eventually I'll put a full set of ENVE cockipt stuff on there (stem and seatpost), which will drop some static weight off the bike., which weighed 26 lbs 2 oz when I picked it up.  With the race wheels as pictured it's probably 1 - 2 lbs lighter, although I have not actually weighed it yet.

The bike rides very well.  The first time I jumped on it (a singletrack ride on packed/unpacked snow) it felt like I had been riding it forever  The geometry is very neutral feeling.  Snappy when you need it to be, and super stable on long fast descents.  Once the suspension opens up, the bike just floats over everything.  I had a bit of a learning curve while I readjusted my riding style to doing certain technical moves such as logs and rock-overs on the full suspension (adding about 10 psi to the rear shock helped a lot).  At speed the bike is a dream.  It's like riding on a cloud.  Going slower, the bike (probably because I have the Brains set on fully firm) actually feels awkward.  You can actually feel the brains opening up and hear the definite "clunk" coming from the rear end.  It's not a problem; it just means that I have to go faster, and since this is a race bike faster is better.

New Ergon Stuff: GS-2 grips and GX-2 backpack

New Ergon stuff is always appreciated.  I grabbed myself a pair of the new GS-2 grips this year.  They are a cross between the GX series, which fit my small girly-hands very well, and the GP series, which are a bit more comfortable.  The result is a grip that is still small and light, but offers a bit more padding for the long haul.  They also have the new GFK bar-ends, which are much more comfortable than the previous carbon ones that I had, although a little heavier.  Meh.  I'll take slightly heavier for more comfortable hands.

The BX-2 pack is Ergon's newest pack.  They're other packs are very comfortable (I also have a BC-1), but because they have a plastic frame and are meant for carrying a day's worth of gear, are too big and too heavy for racing.  The BX-2 fixes that issues.  No frame.  Light weight.  8 L capacity as opposed to 14 L on the BC-1.  Now I can hear you now.  8 L is still pretty big for a pack I plan on racing with.  Yup.  But the pack is pretty light and from the one time I've ridden it, super comfortable and stable.  Plus I can carry 1.5 L more water than my previous pack I wore for long races as well as all the tools and flat stuff I need.  Hey if Brandon and Rob can rock packs this size for 100 milers, why can't I? 

Heading to Danville this Saturday (not Friday, mind you) to race up some mountains.  Should be fun.

Mid-Atlantic Monuments

Fair Hill XC is a Monument.  At least around here.  Like the Marysville Relay, Greenbriar, and Granogue.  Classic bike races that should be on everyone's calender every year. I didn't race last year (some college-related musical commitment I believe... psh) so this was my first time rolling with the Elite Field.  It's been a while since I've experienced Spit-Out-The-Backitis (probably since the U23 Elite race at Kansas City CX Nats).  I got a very good taste of it on Sunday.  Second row start (same as CX Nats)

Where am I?

But got spit straight out the back at the start.  I definitely don't have the snap I need to hang with guys like that at the start.  Normally I would make the excuse that these guys train for short XC events, but 4 of the top 5 guys will be throwing down hard at NUE races this year.  I think this start may have been faster than some 'cross starts I've been a part of.

Zero to what??? in 10 seconds

Rest of the race went pretty well.  Entered the singletrack behind Madison, passed him, rode in no mans land on the climb.  There was a huge group right in front of me, but I couldn't seem to grab hold of them. Got caught by the Madison group again.  Destroyed some people on the gravel road starting lap two, Yada yada...

Bike Racing Ensued...

I felt super-human on anything uphill, but it took me a lap to get my flow on the downhills together.  I guess I stiffened up with racing nerves or something, because I couldn't keep off my brakes and I had to think about leaning my bike over in the admittedly slick corners.  That was the worst part of my race.  My third lap was fun, pretty much alone the entire time because I managed to catch a guy who was cornering slower than I was in the slick tight Fair Hill-ness, so I could put enough gap into him on descents that I could extend it on the climbs.  Rolled across the finish in 1:43:35 with 3 very consistent laps.  Good enough for 24th place.  I'm going to have to work hard if I want to see the top 15.  Being able to make enough money to cover gas or maybe lunch would be cool.

The new bike performed fantastically in its first real racing test.  Having my race wheels on there drops almost 2 lbs off the bike and made it really fast.  The rear end is much stiffer than anything else I've ridden thanks to the 142x12mm through axle.  Picked up some super-bling XX brake rotors to keep the weight down.  New Ergon GS-2 grips are much better than the GX's that I was running last year.  Thanks Ergon!  I'm proud to say you'll be keeping my hands happy for another year.  And thanks to all my  C3 teammates that were out there cheering.  Heading up to Danville, PA for some more XC racing next weekend and the first real test of my climbing legs. Mmmmmmm climbing...

Best Scotty face ever!

End

The ways of things...

It's a wonder that anyone can get any bike racing done with all the work that has to get done.  Work, work, work.  It seems to be all that I've done for the past few weeks.  Work seems to have surely picked up, and I have again started bouncing between COT and Environmental, which makes for a weird work schedule.  Some days I'd work until 6 and other days I'd work until 7:45 (AM that is...).  Messes up your sleep, messes up your riding (clearly messes up your blog output), and pretty much messes up your entire mojo.  I tried to fix some of that mojo with a trip up to Michaux to visit the Weiser's, build some wheels and ride.  Donna is training for TSE, so she's been putting in a bunch of hours on the bike.  I'm really excited for her and will live my TSE-jones through her.  It's an event that, while not on my calender (see right) this year due to monetary/work constraints, it will definitely be in the future.

Fortunately, my calender does include cool events like being a counselor/ride leader at the MACDC.

This kid is going to be a rock star very, very soon.  He's like 8 and he rips already.  Photo (c) A.E. Landes Photography

It's a lot of fun just to get to go to Michaux and lead rides and hang out with really cool people who are passionate about mountain biking.  And also kids.  The C3 Dark Side loves kids:

See??? C3 loves the children! Photo (c) A.E. Landes Photography.

Chilled around (a.k.a. worked) for a week or two, then, scratched together a team of my favorite people for the Marysville Open Relay, one of the best events of the year.  Kyle, Jeff, Forrest and I teamed up and went out to have some fun for the day.

All loaded up and everywhere to go

I had asked Tom if he wanted to come race with us when Jeff, Kyle, and I were trying to find a fourth, but he abstained and decided that he could come with Der Crafter and provide some support for the weekend.  He ended up not being able to come, but gave Jeffy the Crafter anyway, plus all the necessary stuff with it.

The big unpack

We had an awesome race.  Ended up putting in 16 laps, good enough for 10th in lap time and 14th including the handicap points.  The team really pulled it together to get Jeff out on his fourth lap.  Kyle docked a few seconds off his time, I dropped about 15 seconds, and Forrest rolled a sub-15 minute lap (about 30 seconds faster than his other laps) to send Jeff of with 30 seconds left in the race.  Jeff was pissed, but it all was better in the end.  Coupled with a FatRide on Sunday, I definitely had a good weekend.  Now that racing has started up I'm excited to keep at it.  Next weekend is Fair Hill.  Successful Elite Racing (a.k.a. finishing an Elite race) here I come!

Kyle is sad for running... and rocking a sweet new team kit

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Guns are the best way to start a bike race.  Especially muzzle loaders...

Miniature Mode on our new camera is soo cool...

Off on my first lap

Going to start playing with Picasa now that we have a pretty nice camera.  One my my first attempts.

Air... Space... Rattlesnake

Sometimes one just needs a break from bike related stuff.  Ms. Geology and I took that break in the District a few weekends ago.  Used her teacher discount to get a night at 3-4 star (depending on who you ask) hotel, and a Living Social coupon to get an expensive dinner at a fantastic eastern Mediterranian restruant.  Best hommos, lamb, bread, food, I have ever had.  Got to try some pretty damn good Turkish red wine.  It's totally different from anything coming out of western Europe (i.e. Italy, France, and Spain) and complemented the dinner perfectly.  It seemed silly, actually, that the place had Italian and French wines on their menu at all actually, since their selection of Turkish, Lebanese, and Greek wines would have probably complelented the food better.

We were planning on spending the Saturday and Sunday down there, but I got pulled into work last minute on Saturday, so we went down for the night.  Sunday we went to the Air and Space museum and ended up spending all day there instead of trying to go anywhere else.



Live feed of the NASA control center for STS 133

 The moral of the story is I like airplanes.  And spaceships.  I hadn't been to DC (and the Air and Space Museum) since fifth grade, so there were a lot of changes.  My favorite was the now completed UAV exhibit.

Darkstar... what would you do if that snuck up on you... This is one of the formerly top secret drones that was frequently mistaken for, and reported to authorities as, a UFO



The X-45 drone



And the now infamous Predator drone.  This is what usually performs all those "drone strikes" you hear about on the news.

Pretty cool stuff if I do say so myself.  It was good to get out of town with Ms. Geology for a while, and both of us had a really good time.  Last weekend, I got to spend some time in Michaux building wheels and hauling firewood at the Weiser residence.  Rode one of my favorite trails, Rattlesnake, twice!  It was a true treat.



Looking back before the drop off into v.2

 Rattlesnake is the perfect combination of big rocks to ride over and fantastic outcropping to oggle at.  It appeals to all sides of my personality.  The new bike is amazing.  Having a rear hub with good engadgement has made it so much better.  I think I figured out why the bike felt weird handling wise: I was riding too slow.  The Epic is a bike that laughs at you and feels unstable when you're just toodling along.  When you push it through corners it sighs with relief and gives you everything you'd ever want from a bike.  I am amazed.



Not for toodling... Looking over the drop in to v.2

 Heading back to Michaux for the MACDC this weekend.  Weather looks good so it should be a blast!

On Facial Hair...

I think Mark Weir summed it up best in this interview:

"What is it with your facial hair? You trying to make up for a lack of something somewhere else?


The beard is a powerful tool. Scary when you need to be and also easy to talk to when you want it to be. Maybe it’s the hair I lost at 18 or the overwhelming feeling to fill in my face like an etch a sketch. It also is the gift that keeps giving. I just had dinner twice. It’s a great place to store leftovers."

All in a Day's Work

Had one of the best weekend of riding so far this year.  Saturday, I packed the car early and headed up to Palmyra, PA to drop Ms. Geology's frame off at it's maker's shop to have a set of disc tabs installed.  A much better investment than trying to find/build a rim break rear wheel.  It would be a shame to break up the sweet wheelset that is going on the bike.  Once it gets built, and I get a few more parts for my Epic, I'll have to put up a bunch of photos here.  After dropping that off and getting throughly checked out by Ken's huge dogs, I headed to Shippensburg to join Zach and Joe on Zach's much talked about Coffee House Loop.



Food stop after we found the headwinds in Adam's County

 The Coffee House Loop is a ~ 68 mile loop from Shippensburg, over Big Flat (the longest climb in the Valley), through the awesome Adam's County back roads (kinda like riding in Lancaster County... huge rolling hills), then up and over the short side of Whiskey Springs Gap, and into Boiling Springs for a coffee/pastry refuel. 



Zach

 


Joe

 

If that's not a perfect road, I don't know what is.




Gaggle of bikes outside the coffee shop

 Once we head out again, we fought a stiff headwind pretty much all the way back to Shippensgburg.  That would explain why we felt like superstars on the way out.  Winds turned what should have been a 4-5 hr ride at our conversational "no douche bag" pace into a 6 hr, rolling in just as the sun set adventure.  A truely epic ride.

Sunday I headed again to Fatmarc's place for the seemingly annual Turkey Point Ride-a-thon.  Turkey Point is pretty much an out-and-back to, you guessed it, Turkey Point in Elk Neck State Park.  One of my favorite rides because it includes a lot of great climbing.  It's a pretty easy pace with many regroups out to the amphitheater just before the point.  From there it's all out if you want out to the point, enjoy the view, turn around and ride back to amphitheater, regroup and stay together as much as possible back to the base camp.  Made it to the point just behind Kid Chris, who is less of a kid than I am technically...

View from the point... my appartment is over there somewhere



I'm gonna call this one "Peaches... Fat"




It's all Kurt's fault...



Travis contamplates the brakish water below



Travis says: That's a hiking trail? What?



The majority of the group made it to the point.  The road is long and hard and always turns some back.

I'd say the nap I took yesterday plus the awesome pot roast dinner were well deserved after the weekends riding.  Heading up to beautiful Waterfall, PA for another training camp this weekend.  If there are trails we will ride them, but since there probably won't be, we'll just ride the road.  Roads up there are pretty damn good so that's not too bad.

Still hoping to get some trails in MD soon.

Everyone should keep Marc and Diane in their thought as they mourn the loss of Riley, their lovely dog.

End of the Year, End of the Line PART II: 'Cross Edition

New season, new team, same old bike. <--- This was written like 2 weeks ago.  Shows my commitment to keeping up this blog over the winter when I really have nothing to write about.  Whatever.  I retroactively and proactively use my 45+ hour a week job, plus all the riding I have been doing as an excuse.  So there blogosphere, take that.

So far, I'm enjoying riding this year.  I got a new bike.  I've ridden it a handful of times, although not on open (i.e. snow-free) trails yet.  Therefore I have yet to completely dial in the suspension.  I'll post pictures of it once I get some more parts swapped on (got some ENVE bars coming) and race wheels finished.  Hopefully the weight will be between 24 and 25 pounds, which is pretty awesome for a FS 29er with second shelf parts.  Top shelf parts are a project for next year, since I have officially spent all my extra funds for the year on this bike.

I've started my training a fair bit earlier than I usually do.  I think that's a good thing overall, since I'm planning on doing a bunch of NUE races this year.  I've already signed up for the Mohican 100 and the Lumberjack 100 (which sold out in 14 minutes... WTF...), and am planning on hitting the Wilderness 101 and Shenandoah Mountain 100 as well, once those reg pages open up (if they are not already).  Not that I think they will sell out as fast as Lumberjack did... jeez.  So those four races are going to be my focus for the year.  I think that it should be good fun season.  Already looking to stay with some good friends for the Lumberjack.  Needless to say I'm really excited.

I need more of this in my life. (c) A.E. Landes Photography.

So anyway, I had a really good ride with Fatmarc.  He tells all about it so I don't feel the need to.  It was good to get out with some good friends on a nice mellow road ride.  Perfect way to start the week in my opinion.  Anyway, as promised, I'll leave you with some pics from 'cross season.  Not as many as I originally planned to, but some...

First cross race always hurts... but hey, all cross races hurt right?

Whirlybird 'Cross was the muddiest race I did this year.  So sad...

First, and last, time I cleaned my bike this season.

Me and my Crossresults.com Top Victim... MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA *cough cough cough*

Tom being creepy at Super Cross Cup... creepy, creepy...