Another Clip

I am digging the new camera angle. The mount is super steady off the chin of my helmet.

I got some good vid of my favorite descents in Granite Basin, but no time to edit, etc....

I love the Milk Money, now resplendent in King/Flows from Mr MC. The silence compared to the Hopes is deafening.

Still recovering from Swine Flu which sucked.

Little Granite Loop

I don't do this ride nearly enough.





Coming out of the hole we were in was a good gauge of my fitness which at this point is about as good as it ever gets for me. I cleaned some crazy stuff on that climb.

A great day. With a great friend.

Dan is on my loner Moth, and all he could keep saying is: "These bikes are amazing!"

Dan is a hard core hardtail/rigid guy most of the time.

A few more added:

Willow Dells Trails

Lakeshore Trail

Slow and chunky. One of my favorites.

Smith Ravine

Go Pro is fun.

56 hours of Interbike 2009

I arranged for a few days off to visit with friends at I-Bike this year. I had hoped to attend the dirt demo, but alas, was needed on the home front, so I have zero riding impressions of anything.

Personally, I find the indoor show a bit of a drag, but I was hanging with friends and thousands of other bike geeks, so it worked out.

What follows is a bit of a trip report with photos of anything that caught my eye along the way.

I drove across four hours of desert only to find myself lost in Vegas. Luckily Foshizzle called me just when I most needed directions. This is even more remarkable because I have never before spoken to him. He sounded suspiciously like a 12 year old girl, but he was able to guide me where I needed to be.

My buds were busy, so I spent a few hours wandering the convention hall.

Banshee Paradox:









Sick bike. Sick build. Make mine orange please, sorry Fred. Unfortunately, Keith did not make the trip from Scotland as I would have liked to talk with him.

Lenz PBJ was at the MRP booth, sporting a Groove 180mm unmodified fork:

















I ran into Devin Lenz here and he seemed pleased with how it turned out. This bike is different from the one Mikesee rode at Whistler, I believe the BB is 1/2" lower (13.75" IIRC), and slightly slacker. I thought the new shock mount worked out nice, but can't believe how much work it must be to fabricate this stuff.

White Bros is sporting a new forged crown on their products (but not the 150):



I then met up with my buds and we proceeded to wander around until show close.

Hincape seemed thrilled to be working the show:



Cavendish Tour Bike



Killer paint on that one.

One of my buds is shopping for a new XC race bike. He's 5'5", so I recommended various 26" options for him, believing him too short for the big wheels. Chris at Niner begged to differ...





Yes, that bike is as bitchin as it looks. The fork feels hella stiff as well at least to the fore/aft flex I could apply to it at the show.



I was sooo tempted to buy the above frame, but successfully resisted:)

We strolled over the the Turner booth and ended up talking with Dave Turner for about an hour.



He's super nice, knowledgeable and friendly. I don't think you could go wrong with any of his frames.

I liked this one at the Sram booth:



Not available to the general public unless your name is Tyler Moreland.

At this point the show closed. Both my buds are racing geeks, and they had tickets for us to the Cross-Vegas CX race. I had never been to a pro-type CX race, so I was looking forward to it.

The other two guys flew in, so I had brought up my bikes for some after show riding. This evening's after show ride consisted of getting lost on the mean streets of Vegas riding full suspension bikes on perfectly flat, traffic filled streets for an hour. Of course I forgot my lights, so we had two headlights and one rear blinky for the three of us. This was possibly one of the more terrifying rides of my life until I remembered that no one drives the streets of Vegas impaired :rolleyes:

Anyway, we got there safely and observed the races. The pro guys and gals simply haul on these cross bikes. Very impressive to watch. We ran into DT again and talked for probably another hour. We also ran into Devin Lenz again and I think he was please to see three of his frames rolling around the infield of the race.

I found it interesting that with thousands bike nuts, only a very small percentage bothered to ride their bikes out to this race. I believe many were too intoxicated to ride safely anyway:)

We rode home a little more safely and crashed into bed.

Stuff from indoor day two:





I liked the Pashleys








I like folders:



I could never in a million years ride this thing, but it looked cool:



Lots of Sportmobiles in attendance:











Rawland stuff looks good





Some sort of electric monstrosity



Love Calfee stuff



This Davinci had the coolest drive system to allow captain and stoker to pedal independently. Lots of White Industries stuff.







I'm not short and I have no clue how I would mount this without a ladder



Gravity Dropper is introducing a 30.9 post with 5" drop.



Photo does not do this bike any justice at all.



MMMMMMM Tasty Retrotec





Leaving the show that day, we observed a few hearty souls venturing out onto the strip.





That looks safe.

Walked home to the hotel, crashed for a bit, went out for a very long dinner, then crashed for the evening.

The next day we had to leave after two hours, but I noticed one of the highlights of the show walking past as we were hurrying down the hall, so I had to stop:



I just bounced around on it in the hall, but I liked it a lot. Probably this frame or the Paradox were the two highlights of the show for me. The Canfields seem like nice guys as well, and it was good to meet them.

After that, I drove the other folks to the airport and headed home.

Prescott Monstercross

I have been fascinated by this 58 mile loop of my town for the last couple years, but never really felt I had it in me to actually ride so far, for so long, and climb so much. 58 miles, 8800ft vertical, and somewhere near eight hours of riding is chump change for many folks, but it is downright intimidating to me. My longest rides have been in the four hour range, but usually last 2-3 hours and go 25 miles maximum.

There was a loosely organized group of folks who developed and rode this loop earlier this spring.

I wanted to try it then, but did not have the time. I finally got around to this ride today. I had the day off, the temps are cool, I have been riding a lot over winter/spring, and it was time to give it a go.

Beyond my expectations, I finished the entire course, and it is a stellar ride. I would estimate you get to spend 45 miles on singletrack. It samples almost every cool local singletrack/riding location in this little town.

Highly recommended if you are up for a ride this long and want a taste of Prescott.

Since it is a loop, you can start anywhere on the loop, no need to start at the official spot. I rode from home and picked it up at its lowest point near Willow Lake.

In the course of the ride, you get to ride past all the local reservoirs as it loops around the town. I tried to get photos of each, but missed one in a bonk induced brain fade (Lynx Lake.)

Pre Dawn Willow Lake



View toward Thumb Butte and Spruce mtn where I'm heading.



Granite Basin Lake:



View of Granite Basin and Granite Mountain, just before completing the circle around Granite basin. (remember this view for later)



Thumb Butte on Right, Spruce peak way off in the distance on left. I'm heading to both.



Columbine





Aptly named Quartz Mountain





Looking back towards Thumb Butte from the other side, with Granite Mountain way off in the distance (remember what I told you to remember)



Goldwater Lake



No photo of Lynx Lake

Willow Lake...almost home free at this point.



AAAHHHHH



Time: 7:40 on the XC/Freeride suspension single speed.

I was impressed with not exactly how easy it was (it wasn't), but how [I]possible [/I]it was for a rider like myself with so little endurance experience. It just takes a little persistence/patience.

I ate two granola bars, and apple and 1/2 a PB&J. Not enough, but I just had no appetite.

Amazingly, my neck is a little stiff, hands and butt a little sore, but otherwise I feel great, so I think I have my bike set up nailed (hear that Dave C!).

Maybe it is time to consider a White Rim in a Day ride?

Highlights for me were cleaning the switchbacks on the climb into Granite Basin, and not walking the Spruce road climb (total mind game, that hurt).

Today

Up Smith Ravine, up Spruce, down Spruce, up Spruce, down Spruce, down Smith.

Got rained on.

Cleaned Smith Ravine...again on the big bike this time.

One dabbed Spruce three mile climb.

This is cool because I thought I would never clean either of those climbs when I first moved here.

Memorial Day Weekend Sightings

Spring Photo Post

I suck at blogging, so here is a bunch of random photos from rides this spring.

Buy this.

Brilliantly done.

The Long Way

I had a late start today, so I took the long commute in to work. Chris wanted me to check out the rideability of some new trails he has built off the Peavine, so I looped around to try them.

After six weeks on the SS "training", the geared mushy Moth was a new (and enjoyable) experience.



Went down an arroyo.



I startled this guy



Or maybe it was the other way around. I was 15 feet away when he launched, and did not notice him before that. That bird was huge.



Just typical views in the city park.



I don't know what sort of cactus that is, but it is beautiful.









Riding no handed along the RR grade, I was beginning to think I had brought too much bike.



Maybe not...







Bike is on the trail above.







Sometimes I think I live in a Coyote & Roadrunner cartoon.

Playtime over, it was back on the road to work.











Repeat on the ride home:)

No photos because I was in a hurry.

More Climbing

In addition cleaning Smith Ravine, two days later I went out with Dan and cleaned 62 (the Ranch).

Including this monster.



It was an unbelievable ride. I almost cleaned all of 299 up to go with it. Messed up almost to the top of the power line climb.

I am pleased.

Man I have missed riding with Dan. Here's to a lot more Sunday dawn patrols, dude.

That is all.

Milk Money Pivot Service

I am the owner of Milk Money #1. This bike served at I-bike Dirt Demo, then as Mikesee's personal ride for 6 months or so, and now as one of my go to rides for the last nine months.

This particular frame probably has more miles than all the others out there combined (not by me mind you), so I would expect it to show problem areas first as well.

This thread basically documents the innards of the main pivot as a reference for other owners.

The Milk Money has its main pivot concentric to the bottom bracket to allow for single speed with suspension and no tensioning device.



The pivot is a plastic bushing type popular now a days on Turners and Banshees. It needs to be greased periodically via a zerk fitting on the underside of the bottom bracket.

You will know when it needs grease because it will creak incessantly until it gets it.

I have noticed that the time between greasing for me has been shortening and that when greasing, it seems the grease is not coming out of each side evenly, so I dismantled it to get a good cleaning and inspection.

Basically, the system is two plastic bushings pressed into the frame. Running inside of these as an axle is a hollow cylinder that the BB threads in to. The frame's pinch bolts grab the ends of the BB cylinder and it pivots inside the bushing.

Removal is pretty straight forward.

1. Remove cranks.
2. Back off one external BB cup (if that is your system, an internal BB could probably just stay there).
3. Loosen 5mm pinch bolts on the swing arm.
4. Whack with a rubber mallet to get it started out, the remove the loose BB cup completely.
5. Turn the other BB cup with the attached BB pulling gently and it will work its way out.

Here is the Axle with attached BB cup almost out of the pivot.



The BB axle is 73mm.

This is a look inside the pivot bushings and you can see the zerk at the bottom.





This is the swing arm with the axle almost out.



You can see some wear on the axle. The threads inside the bushing were shallower in a couple places corresponding, I assume to those wear points on the axle. Not enough grease there.

If one needed to replace the bushings, I imagine the process would be similar to the one nicely demonstrated here on a Turner.

My pivot was dryer than I would like and there was a bit of wear on the axle and the pivot. No slop in it at all.

Not sure why, but I suspect I have been greasing it with too heavy a grease (it was random wheel bearing grease I had laying around). Turner recommends Prep M which I think is a fairly light grease (please correct me if I'm wrong). I might need to pick up some of that for this frame. Also, I think next time I grease it, I will loosen the pinch bolts, and put a BB wrench on the cup and spin the BB axle around a few times to better distribute the grease. I usually cycle the suspension, but that is only a few degrees at most of movement.

I had some lighter "white" grease laying around, so I slathered that in there and reassembled. No problem getting it together. There is about 3mm of extra axle width which you can use to mess with chain line slightly. I just opted to center it.

I suppose you could fairly easily replace the BB axle and the bushings with new ones, but I saw no need here. It came together with no slop, and no creaking.

We'll see how long it lasts.

305 and Spruce

Good news in the fitness arena.

Hit 305 Wednesday and set a solid best time from the China Buffet to the top: 50 minutes on the rigid Zion SS. The trail is in beautiful shape and was a super fun and smooth on the ascent and descent. The Zion continues to impress given its price point.

So much for my one rigid ride a month:)

Today, hit 305 to Smith Ravine then down 299 on the Black Moth. This was its first ride up.

I have been trying to get up Smith Ravine clean for 7 years and probably 40 attempts. It is a difficult, steep trail that usually blows me up before I can make it.

Today was my day finally. Didn't stop, dab, walk or anything, top to bottom.

Interestingly, I was not feeling very stron at all at the beginning. Just goes to show that how you feel is not necessarily how you will perform.







Glad that monkey is off my back.

Lucky Friday the 13th:)

Black Canyon

Went for the first time Sunday am.

Well worth the trip. I will be back. Ridiculous that this is only an hour away and I had not been there yet.

























I suspect in about two weeks the flowers will really be going off.

Climbing was really fun. We were at it three hours and I could have doubled that easily. Part of the fun was being 2k lower in altitude.

Ethan hits it

Nice time working skills at the Dells with the offspring.

He is starting to get it. Certainly balance is there. The full face and pads help with courage.

He just does not have the oh so important ability to lift the front wheel at any time...yet. He is practicing it on the younger sibs 16" bike and it is easier for him.


Grom Attack from Enel on Vimeo.


Grom attack from Enel on Vimeo.

We had the entire fam on the Peavine on wheels the other day (mom and dad walked). Baby in the jogger. Joel on the Strider (8" wheels). Abby on the 12" wheels, Rachel on 16" and Ethan on 20". Good times.

I am going straight to 26" for the next bike though.

The Weekend

I had the opportunity to go to Mammoth with Chris this past weekend. This is special because Chris lived there 15 years and was a snowmobile guide for eight of those years in winter.

What this means is that he got our group of four guys the hook up, bigtime!

My saint of a wife gave the thumbs up and we were gone on Thursday afternoon.

What is the best way to break up a drive from central AZ to East central CA:


Bootleg:



A couple hours riding really gets the kinks out of the legs.



I was again reminded that slack angles and high bottom brackets are a good thing.



Sadly, I think Brent Thompson was in the process of dying as we were enjoying his super trail system. RIP Brent, and thanks for this legacy.

Hitting Mammoth, I was shocked:



I am not much of a winter sports guy, and while I have survived many a midwest winter, I was unprepared for the massive amounts of snow that accumulate in real mountains.

First up was snowmobiling. This was a first for me. Chris got us hooked up with sleds and we were off (very slowly for me at first!)

First it was packed trails, then he took us out to experience a "powder" field.



This consists of attempting to control a machine with almost no directional stability while trying not to get stuck. We all failed, even the big cheese occasionally, but I learned that apparently, getting stuck in powder and extricating oneself is all part of the fun of snowmobiling?!?



This is how you are supposed to do it


Chris in Powder from Enel on Vimeo.

I never got that competent.

Amazing how fast four sleds can tear up a powder field.



I was told conditions were perfect, snow storm two days prior, then a day of sun to let the pack firm up just a little. I was certainly not the least bit cold.



Chris showed us the crater where his wife fell off the lip 9 years ago almost killing herself.



Another view. That is a big fall. Straight down.



Nice scenic views.





After three hours I had had enough of mechanized travel. My impressions of snow machines are that they are a fast, noisy and efficient way to get some place if you have to travel over snow. Fun? Not really for me. Too noisy, too stinky, just not my deal. Fun for the price (free), but I would not go out of my way to buy or rent one unless I needed it for transportation.

We grabbed a quick lunch and headed out of town, down 4000 feet and 45 minutes to bike again.

This is more like it:







I loved the Jeffrey Pines. Beautiful trees.





The trail was mostly smooth with occasional techy rock piles to keep it interesting.











The name of the trail is Lower Rock Creek, and it is a gem. We eventually were turned back by snow, but it was great while it lasted. Need to find this in summer some time.

After that we did a quick shuttle run down "Wagon Wheel" as daylight was fading. It shakes you like a paint shaker, and is recommended.

I would say we fully extracted the juice from this day.

Next day Chris got us the hook up for lift passes at the mountain.

There was a lot of this:



And this:



People actually pay to do this?? I hadn't downhill skied for a decade and it made me remember why. The skiing is fun, but the trade off in line time, crowds and dollars simply does not compute for me.

People who think this is the ultimate fun experience have never mountain biked I think?

Still the views were killer:



Bike helmets work fine for skiing.



Just a little wind at the top of the mountain:


Mammoth Peak from Enel on Vimeo.

Skied until the lifts closed, got some dinner, then headed home early the next am.







This little trip confirmed that, for me, nothing beats riding a mountain bike; certainly not snow machines or downhill skiing. Probably not flying, racing cars, or any of the other throttle sports. Biking on the trail is just that perfect combination of technology (but not too much), solitude, exercise, adrenaline, speed, challenge and beauty. Can't be beat IMO.

It's still nice to broaden your horizons, especially when the price is right.

The Ledge

I find myself browsing for info on the Reign, Reign X, Firebird, or ideally a DW Spot. They have the geometry I like, and I have been pretty wowed by the mini link designs I have ridden.

They have everything but the wheel size right.

The Sultan and RIP have the suspension, but the geometry...gaaack.

Must resist. I have gone this way before and it sucked. Little wheels suck.....Right?

Why must the "dog return to its vomit".

Sigh.

Must be winter.

On the ride home from work flatted, then chain sucked under full power in tech, bending the chain on the Moth.

Will be reaching for the Milk Money for a while I think to clear the head.

Today

You know what they say about weather you don't like.....Just wait.

What a difference a week makes.





My highlight today was passing two raised, diesel 4X4's belching smoke as their high volume, high flotation tires could not get enough traction to climb a hill. I just waved as I cruised by.

My skinny tires did quite well, I had to watch my weight distribution, but never had to dab.

Today

Today was brilliant again, so I had to partake...again.



Of course I had to work today, so all these photos are taken during my commute. (On the way home as it was too dark on the way in).



My house is yonder in the distance somewhere.



The bike is sitting in the middle of the "trail" in every shot below.









Here's one for those of you suffering back East.



The temp swings right now are pretty wild. Over 30 degrees day to night. Nights just below freezing, days in the 60's.

I had multiple layers plus face mask on the way in, and had to literally disrobe to no shirt at all because I was cooking in my thin long sleeve base layer on the way home.

Weather

Is brilliant!

Hit 60 today. At 5000 feet elevation, even in Arizona that is unusual for February.

I was sweating in shorts and sleeves.

Some pics for those less fortunate:

Leaving town.





smooth and curvy. A little moisture added unusual amounts of grip.



Sure glad I brought all that travel.



Mint Wash is slowing down as the snow melts off



I knew there was a reason I brought suspension.



One for six on this sucker today.

Looking back down the wash.



In to the woods a bit.






Enjoyed hopping over this so much I did it twice.

Hangover

First ride in Sedona in seven years for me.

There is a rider in every photo but one although sometimes dwarfed by the landscape.























































World Class!

Progression

Ethan hits the rock pile for the first time.



Progression from Enel on Vimeo.


He did way better than I expected given the dinky wheels. Given a kids COG to WB ratio, I think it is next to impossible for them to endo unless they do something really stupid (not out of the realm of possibility.)

Neuhaus

"The great conflicts in American history, especially slavery, civil rights, and abortion, have been unusually hard fought and passionate because they cannot be understood as symbolic fights over different worldviews or cultures. Instead, they are better understood as clashes over how common liberal values should be extended to different categories of humans. These conflicts have been disagreements over who counts as a human person."

While not his quote, this article shows again what a giant Neuhaus was.

Of Wheels and Racks

Bad week for wheels on the commuter last week.

First, I notice the rear wheel is out of true. Go to true it and notice this:



That would explain the ticking sound I have been ignoring when laying down the power the last few days or so.

Talked it over with Mikesee, apparently this is a common problem with 24 spoke count light weight roadie rims.



Too bad because they looked bitchen. Not worth it to re-lace, let me know if you want the hub which is very, nicely built. Good thing they were free (thanks Dan).

Put Josh's old wheel on that I acquired with his Monkey frame (these are also a set of Dan's old wheels ridden for thousands of miles by him, and many hundreds by Josh).

First ride:



Hit here at about 30 mph:



Didn't see the hole since I was tailgating a car to stay safe from side road traffic. The impact was impressive and almost knocked me off the bike. Instant pinch flat as well.

It looks so innocuous in photos:



Anyway, I'm trading Ed two sets of Mary bars and $25 to build me up another wheel with that old Dura-Ace hub.

This weekend, finally got around to building a more workable bike rack for the kids bikes.



Best thing is it cost nothing. Totally built with scrap 2X6 lumber I had.

Works like a charm, and the garage is a lot neater. Now to train them to use it.

Snow

It's everywhere, mud everywhere else.

I did get to ride 3 hours starting pre-dawn on Sat and praying for very cold temps to keep the mud manageable.

The riding was better than not riding, and the scenery was worth it.





Climbed road up to 37, down a very snowy, but luckily not icy 40, into Granite basin, up and back Mint Wash, then hit nearly all the climbing I could find on the way out.



Riding in snow is novel, for a while, then the novelty quickly wears off. Speed are slow, slow, slow, even downhill.

The Moth is living up the the hype. I was finally able to open it up on lower 40 to see how it handles at speed for a minute or two. It is nice. Not quite as adept as the 5" Box/135 on the descent, but a more balanced climber. Until we all have Bionicons, compromise is the name of the game.

There is nothing I can't climb with it (that I can usually climb), and it excelled in the techy rock work on Mint wash.

All in all, it feels like the Milk Money with extra gears and slightly more cush. This is a good thing.

Hit the Dells tech trail today for an hour on the MM and see that I have lost power with all these other rides. Handled the tech wonderfully.

Grown Men Behaving Like Children

That's what it's all about right;)

Dan and I had a hootin good time today. Enjoy.


Granite Dells Fun from Enel on Vimeo.

If the Video demonstrates anything it's that the bike really has little to do with it. Luckily with my technological advantages, I can make up for skill deficiency....a little.

I will note that Dan is riding a specially set up "Rock Monkey" with 26X20 gearing, super short cockpit, etc. He says his other bikes are too pretty to ride out here.



Also note that after trying various set ups, he prefers the shortest chainstay possible (around 17" on the Monkey).:eek:



"Do you boys need a refresher course, It's all short chainstays now";)

15 degrees

Dawn patrol Saturday in Prescott.



Not too bad really if the wind stays down.



I hate cold, so I was a bit proud of myself for getting out there.



Needed to complete the ride while it was still freezing or below to avoid killer death mud.



Main complaint is that everything rolled slow. Very slow. Good work out, beautiful scenery, but not much rippin type fun.



For me, a full face, base level long johns, and two wool base layers on top were more than enough. Feet still got cold by the end of the 2 hour ride, otherwise I was perfect, just on the verge of sweating, but not quite. How can the rest of you be great and the feet cold? (Had thick woolie socks). I'm open to ideas.



What's up with -18 degrees at the Grand Canyon Sat???

Spy vs Spy

A Pictorial comparison.























It is hard to believe these bikes essentially share the main triangle because they ride nothing alike.

Black

New Frame arrived:



Feels bunches more solid than the Niner. Verdict is out if it is any more competent, but it feels better to me and how I ride.

Rode the Dells and manages to put my foot into the same puddle over my ankle three times before getting around one obstacle.

Shot a little video of probably one of the hardest moves out there. Defeated me today.







I did manage to clean this last week for the first time while riding the 6" Box.