Friday, April 24, 2009
Sympathy weight...
Ugh... my wife is pregnanct and I am not riding nearly as much these days. I need to get back on the horse before I become a horse.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Oh, how times change
I'm very grateful that this is not my situation right now... It's funny, seeing things from the other side of the coin.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Wow... I feel stupid.
The Tour of California came to Escondido today - yep, that's where I live. Holy !@#$%& - I feel like a little girl at a Hannah Montana concert. Seriously, I feel stupid. Why do I care so much? Why am I so hyper about seeing these guys up close and getting their autographs? I have no clue, but I'll sure look at things differently when my kids go berzerk over stars as they get older.
Toady I went to the finish line of the Tour of California and hung out by the 500M mark on the final stretch. It was the first time I have ever been to a bike race and it was SO COOL! It was such a mad-house downtown today; there must have been 30,000 to 40,000 people there. Christina and I rode our bikes to the event with the kids in-tow in the Burly trailer. We set up and watched the riders whizz by and just enjoyed the excitement of the moment. Later, after taking the fam home, I ran over to Chipotle to grab a burrito and a few sigs from the Garmin/Chipotle team... I thought that would be the highlight of the night - I was wrong! You see... I live 2mi from Stone Brewery and I'm on a first-name basis with many of the bartenders there (they yell "Norm!" when I walk in... know what I'm sayin'!?) I found out that a few of the riders would be heading to Stone after the race. HOLY !@#$% again! This is like the Perfect Storm or something! Seriously... it's like the intersection of passions! Ughhhh! (Ok, school girl... chill...)
So, 8pm and I head over to Stone. I was under the impression that team Garmin/Chipotle would be there, nothing else. Man was I wrong! I get there and find out that ALL of the Garmin team was there plus former US Postal riders as well as Phil Ligget, Paul Sherwin and Bob Roll (the three guys that announce the Tour de France on TV every year) and even FLOYD LANDIS (2006 Tour de France winner... for a week anyway). I walked right by him... he's just sitting there eating dinner and chatting with team OUCH. I'm beside myself. I have never been the kind of person to get star-crazed and I always looked down on 'those people,' but this time it was me - I didn't know what came over me.
So the day turned out to be a highlight I'll never forget. It was seriously something that I'll remember for a LONG time. Man... I want to be in the industry. Ughhh. :-)
Toady I went to the finish line of the Tour of California and hung out by the 500M mark on the final stretch. It was the first time I have ever been to a bike race and it was SO COOL! It was such a mad-house downtown today; there must have been 30,000 to 40,000 people there. Christina and I rode our bikes to the event with the kids in-tow in the Burly trailer. We set up and watched the riders whizz by and just enjoyed the excitement of the moment. Later, after taking the fam home, I ran over to Chipotle to grab a burrito and a few sigs from the Garmin/Chipotle team... I thought that would be the highlight of the night - I was wrong! You see... I live 2mi from Stone Brewery and I'm on a first-name basis with many of the bartenders there (they yell "Norm!" when I walk in... know what I'm sayin'!?) I found out that a few of the riders would be heading to Stone after the race. HOLY !@#$% again! This is like the Perfect Storm or something! Seriously... it's like the intersection of passions! Ughhhh! (Ok, school girl... chill...)
So, 8pm and I head over to Stone. I was under the impression that team Garmin/Chipotle would be there, nothing else. Man was I wrong! I get there and find out that ALL of the Garmin team was there plus former US Postal riders as well as Phil Ligget, Paul Sherwin and Bob Roll (the three guys that announce the Tour de France on TV every year) and even FLOYD LANDIS (2006 Tour de France winner... for a week anyway). I walked right by him... he's just sitting there eating dinner and chatting with team OUCH. I'm beside myself. I have never been the kind of person to get star-crazed and I always looked down on 'those people,' but this time it was me - I didn't know what came over me.
So the day turned out to be a highlight I'll never forget. It was seriously something that I'll remember for a LONG time. Man... I want to be in the industry. Ughhh. :-)
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Tires, tires, tires...
I'm a huge fan of Maxxis tires... I have used the Ignitors, the High Rollers and now the CrossMark. (All UST and about 2.1 - 2.3.) Recently I tried the Schwalbe Racing Ralphs and noticed a HUGE improvement in rolling resistance from the High Rollers (duh!) but never got comfortable with the way they cornered. I tried several different PSI settings to see if that was it, but invariably I always felt like the front would lose traction in the turns unless there was either a) a bank to the turn or b) the trail was just a tad damp or at least hardpack. Riding in SoCal is often on decomposed granite or semi sandy, loose-over-hard and rarely that sweet, packed down, just a touch moist singletrack. I think the tires are designed for the latter because I never had any confidence on them. In their defense, no tire I've ever ridden has as little rolling resistance, weighs as little or feels as supple. But if you can't corner or don't have confidence, none of it matters because you're not as fast and the ride isn't as much fun.
Enter the Maxxis CrossMark UST 2.25 - holy @#$^!! What can I say but "exactly what I was looking for!" The CrossMark are perfect for the SoCal trail conditions. They have a single enter ridge for rolling fast and aggressive nobbies on the edges for cornering like you're on rails. They're a little heavier at 850gr each, but the fact that I can scream up and down the mountain with confidence more than makes up for the weight savings of the Racing Ralphs. I think they have a tad more rolling resistance than the RR and they're not quite as supple, but you really don't miss it. Honestly, I feel as though I have the best parts of the High Roller without the weight or rolling resistance penalties. And as for the Ignitors, I think the CrossMark corner better, climb better and roll easier.
So, hats off to Maxxis for my new favorite tire!!
Fox Talas: 36 or 32 Q15?
I have a dilemma... I own a 2009 Talas 36 RC2 and friggin' love it! However, when I caught the SS bug I converted it to a SS. Now I have an odd mix: AM up front and XC SS in the back.
Pros: It rides awesome, I can change the travel to 100mm and climb like a donkey, I can change the travel to 160mm and descend like a banshee, it's super stiff and supple for little bumps and I never have to worry about breaking it or bottoming out.
Cons: 1lb heavier than the 32 version, no lockout for long technical climbs.
I'm a 185lb rider and I love to take my SS everywhere from flatland pace rides to steep technical climbs to swwet SoCal singletrack downhill runs. I will probably be getting back into the race circuit later this year, too (but just for kicks... not too competitive). My dilemma is that while I don't want to give up what I love about the 36, I think I may benefit from the weight savings and the lockout of the 150 32 RLC QR15. I get enough out of the 36 to make the swap with nothing out of pocket, but I don't want to commit to the 32 only to find that the 36 is really my pick.
Got an opinion? I only have one mountain bike and I love riding aggressive and fast. I am afraid that I'll really miss the 36, but I'm enticed by the potential advantages of a lighter fork with a lockout.
Pros: It rides awesome, I can change the travel to 100mm and climb like a donkey, I can change the travel to 160mm and descend like a banshee, it's super stiff and supple for little bumps and I never have to worry about breaking it or bottoming out.
Cons: 1lb heavier than the 32 version, no lockout for long technical climbs.
I'm a 185lb rider and I love to take my SS everywhere from flatland pace rides to steep technical climbs to swwet SoCal singletrack downhill runs. I will probably be getting back into the race circuit later this year, too (but just for kicks... not too competitive). My dilemma is that while I don't want to give up what I love about the 36, I think I may benefit from the weight savings and the lockout of the 150 32 RLC QR15. I get enough out of the 36 to make the swap with nothing out of pocket, but I don't want to commit to the 32 only to find that the 36 is really my pick.
Got an opinion? I only have one mountain bike and I love riding aggressive and fast. I am afraid that I'll really miss the 36, but I'm enticed by the potential advantages of a lighter fork with a lockout.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
My knee hurts...
I think my ride today was a little much. I hit Daley Ranch for just over 12mi, but charged up all of the big hills on the back side of the park. I did much better this time and cleared said climbs (ok... 95% of them...), so I'm definitely getting stronger from the riding. Strong or not, my left knee is pretty sore now. The right knee feels fine - like I never rode. But the left just hurts... on the 'inside'. I don't know how to describe it, but my wife thinks it may be cartilage damage. We'll see - it usually gets better when I lay off of it for a while. I probably just pushed it too hard for the 'ol knee on those climbs today.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Road Ride
I threw in a road ride today... trying to mix things up a bit. I'm noticing that the 'ol legs don't have as much endurance as they did last season. Even though I can crank up the hills on my SS, the strength I'm building doesn't transfer too well to pure endurance on the road bike. I think I'll split things up a bit and throw down a few long road rides each week to build the endurance base in addition to the strength training I get on the SS. Also, I think I'm going to start training in a 3/1 format: 3days riding, 1 day resting. That and make sure I get more consistent sleep... it all adds up.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
My next epic ride
In a few weeks I'll be "home alone" (wife and kids will be away) so I'm planning an all-day epic mountain bike trip up to the Santa Ana River Trail in the San Bernardino mountains. It's a 30-mile ride with about 28-miles of singletrack through the woods, giving me about 6,000' of total climbing! Starting at about 5,000' of elevation and running to about 6,500' at the highest point, it should give my sea-level lungs a good run. I've never ridden the SART (Santa Ana River Trail) before, but it comes highly recommended by some guys at the local bike shop (Bike Bling) and by Mountain Bike Bill. My biggest question is whether or not to hit it singlespeed... :-) I've been SS-ing for about 6 weeks now, but I haven't tackled that kind of distance or elevation gain in a SS setup yet; I'm not sure how the ol' legs will hold up yet. I have an 18-tooth cog on my standard cassette, so I think I may go with a 32-tooth chainring in a 1x9 setup just in case. (I'd feel horrible if I held up my riding buddies on the day of the "epic".)
So, here are some stats, courtesy of Mountain Bike Bill:
Elevation profile
TOPO! map (1.8mb)
Santa Ana winds and a 32/17
Probably not the best day to try out the 17-tooth cog... the Santa Ana winds were in full form this morning, blowing at ~25mph straight off of the desert. The dry wind made it a little harder to get oxygen on the hills because I continually felt like I was drying out my lungs. :-)
Anyway, the 17-tooth cog was actually pretty nice, despite the head/crosswinds. The change was noticeable on the climbs but equally noticed on the singletrack and flat sections. It's amazing how much difference a single tooth can make. Matched with my 32-tooth front chainring, I was running a 3.6 gain ratio. Not too bad - I think I'll like it.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Today's ride
I spun for about 50-min down at Lake Hodges today. I put in about 10.5mi on the 32/18 gearing. Interestingly, using the Schwable Racing Ralph's today, the ride was much faster than normal and I was definitely spinning out more on the flats. I think I'll try my 17-tooth cog next time - those Maxxis High Rollers have a lot more weight and rolling resistance than I originally thought.
More SS goodness from Surly
The Surly Singlespeed Spacer kit... infinite alignment possibilities (ok, I guess there's a limit, but it's way out there!). I use this on my converted Santa Cruz Chameleon SS. It allows me to run SS cogs on my normal Shimano-style freehub body and get perfect chainline alignment. There are several other alternatives out there, but those alternatives set the cog into a central position, leaving the chainline alignment to the bottombracket (if you have an EBB, you can get about 2.5 - 5mm of "adjustment") or the crankset that you're using. It's well worth the investment and comes with a nice set of instructions to help you find that perfect chainline the first time.
Made of CNC'd aluminum and engraved with a killer "SURLY" emblem for looks.
Image courtesy of Surly (www.surlybikes.com)
SS parts
I have been using the Surly cogs for a while now and have been quite impressed. They're made of SCM415 CroMoly steel and are beautifully machined to perfection (none of that stamped crap from China). They're 4.5mm wide and the teeth are offset to one side so you can flip it over to get a little better chain alignment. Tall teeth and super-strong steel mean long life and no slippage. It's a gorgeous addition to the beast.
The regular ride
The regular ride: Daley Ranch. It's 11.5mi and has almost 2,000' of climbing. If you add in Stanley Peak, you get another mile and 400+ feet of climbing.
View Larger Map
Here's a picture from the top of Stanley Peak
View Larger Map
Here's a picture from the top of Stanley Peak
...and a panorama from the top, looking south southeast.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Gearing
As a new singlespeeder, finding the right gear was a bit troublesome. I didn't have anyone to 'mentor' me and provide recommendations, I just had to figure it out on my own - which is half the fun anyway! I started kicking around in a 1x9 setup, just pedaling in the middle ring and trying the different cogs to see which seamed rideable for the whole course. (More on the regular ride in a later post.) I've been riding for the last decade and I love to tackle big hills, long courses and pretty much anything that friends think is unrideable or crazy. (Naturally, SS was simply a progression and bound to get me sooner or later.) I found that since I had a few front rings from old bikes lying around that I could swap out 32-, 34- and 36-tooth rings on the front and get the feel for several different gain ratios with the same cogs in the rear. (BTW, gear inches - though common - leave one crucial element out of the equation: the crankarm length... you can read all about it on Sheldon Brown's incredibly helpful page: http://sheldonbrown.com/gain.html.)
Anyway, I was able to see what various gain ratios would feel like under foot before buying a rear cog. Most people in the SS world seem to go with a 2:1 ratio - i.e.: a 32/16 or a 36/18 (which are the same gearing, anyway) or 3.8 gain ratio. However, here in SoCal where the hills are steep and often long, I have found more people recommending a 3.4 gain ratio. When it comes to SS, what you gain on the climb, you sacrifice on the flats. It's simple math: you can't have an easy gear going up that's also fast on the flats. So, the 3.4 seems to give me about 16+mph on the flats (in a dead-out spin) and yet let me climb 80% of the hills I encounter. Of course, over time I should be able to clear > 98% of these as my strength and endurance increase, but for now, I can get a darn good workout climbing until I'm about to pass out and then hike-a-bike the rest.
So for me, I've settled on the 32/18 as my gearing of choice for now. I'll be playing around with a 32/17 soon to see if the advantages on the flats can be coped with on the climbs. But regardless of the gearing, I just love SS. For me, it's simple, straightforward, get-out-and-ride fun.
The new blog
I've had a family-oriented blog (thenorwoodfamily.blogspot.com) for a while now, but it wasn't really the right place for posting blurbs about what "I" am doing and the things I enjoy... just a place for pics of the kids and keeping family in the loop. So, this new blog will be where I get to wax on about the things that make me go - the other side of my life (aka - the stuff I bore my wife with!).
Why One-Speed Life? Two reasons: my mom always said that I only had one speed (on) and because right now I'm really into singlespeed mountain biking. I love biking in general (road & mountain), but I love singlespeed. Sure, it's harder, but it's simpler, quieter and just more enjoyable all around. It's a rush flying up a hill to the point of passing out and totally rewarding at the end of a hard ride (they're all hard!). I don't hang with many people that really appreciate this, so I figured I can just blog about my fun times and at least the computer will listen. :-)
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