Planet Cross..

Greetings Readers!

If you’ve been frequenting this site you know I’m a big Independent Fabrication fan. As a Planet Cross owner myself I can appreciate the craftsmanship that IF churns out with every frame they build. I was on there site and cherry picked these photos of this sick ass Shot Peened Ti Planet Cross. I just had to share. Not only is the frame exceptional, but the build is top notch as well. What an absolute thrill racing this fine steed would be! And yes, the bike does make a differance!

I love all the little details, the Kent Erikson seatpost, the Spooky straddle carriers on Paul Neo brakes, and the FSA Ceramic Bottom Bracket. American Classic carbon tubulars, with Dugast Flying Doctor 32’s. SRAM Force drivetrain, and a Ritchey WCS bar and stem.  I don’t know the owner, but congrats to him on one hell of a build!

This is one Mighy Steed!

Ohh, how I would love one of these! I’d change nothing but the pedals and saddle.

Cheers!  

Today’s Ride

Greetings Readers!

Ok, so it’s been a few days since I’ve posted. Truth be told after getting rained on during Wednesday’s ride home I was pissed. Stinkin’ weather man called for a dry day and I rode my “dry day” bike. So’s after getting soaked and seeing the forecast for Thursday and Friday I boycotted. Sick of it. It’s June and I’m tired of the full fender getter! I’ve been commuting in the rain, and in bad weather since February. I want to ride my road bike in bib shorts, short sleeve jersey, fingerless gloves, etc. I can deal with the bad weather in January, its expected,  but it’s June, not Junuary! I stayed off the bike and drove to work in defiance of the crappy weather. Pissed and fuming, I refused to get on my bike. As if by my boycott, the sun would reappear and apologize to me for not doing it’s job of giving me my just vitamin D. I want some sun!

I spent Yesterday entertaining my beautiful better half and had a fun dinner with all the family last night. Today, for a day, the sun returned and I went out for a spin. I hadn’t been on the bike since Wednesday and expected some lathargic legs. I actually had a pretty good ride today, despite being solo and fighting some wind. I won’t complain, it was at least dry. Tomorrow and Tuesday, we’ve got more rain. Make no mistake readers, any of you outside of Portland, it sucks here. Rains all but the months of July, August, and Sept. The other 9 months you can expect rain. The only variation being how much rain, and the tempature with which the rain falls. The current forecast calls for dry weather after Tuesday thru the weekend, yeah, I’ve seen that before. I’ll not get my hopes up.

Something happened to me today thats never happened to me before in all my years of pedaling. I suffered some severe knee pain after my ride. Now I’ve had knee pain before, and all the other aches and pains associated with cycling, but not like this. I was damn near limping for several hours afterwards. Crap that’s all I need, a knee injury with summer approaching and cross season just a little more than 3 months away. I took some Aleive right away and later this evening it’s subsided some, but still damn sore. What the hell did I do? I don’t remember tweaking it? We’ll see what happens over the next few days. It’s going to rain again tomorrow and Tuesday, so I let the knee rest. Cuz, I don’t know if I mentioned it, but I’m boycotting. I really hope I don’t have a knee injury to screw with my best months of summer training! I’ll be livid!

I suppose I may have to go do something that I’ve put off for some time…. getting a proper fitting. I’ve been fit before using the KOPS method, but not on this particular bike. I suspect the knee pain is partially due to improper fit. The longer miles may bring out the issues that shorter rides do not. I dunno. I feel a lunchtime chat with the wobblenaught fit specialist tomorrow is now on my schedule. I just can’t afford a setback now.

Miles ridden today, 53

Miles ridden 2008, 1741.

Cheers!

Commute 6/4

Greetings Readers!

Had a fun ride in today as I met up with Speedy on the MUT. We chatted like old pals for most of the way riding in. I of course, started working him to give cyclocross a try this fall. He laughed. Speedy doesn’t own a cross bike and told me I’d be dissapointed. What? Dissapointed? In what? That Speedy couldn’t win the “A” race? Please! I’m racing Master C Speedy, you don’t have to talk to me about dissapointment! Speedy could start in the “killer B’s” and do damage. Having no cross specific skills what so ever. The guy has an engine. That’s all that matters.

At lunch, a neophyte at work solicited me for a lunch time spin. I gotta give him credit, that takes guts. It’s not easy asking someone whom is faster and more fit (cycling wise) than you for a ride. It would be like me asking Tonkin to go out for a ride knowing he could kick my butt in spades. Thanks Justin for the lunchtime ride! Anytime Bud.

Other than that, not much to report today, me pedal in, me pedal home. That’s it.

Miles ridden today, 25

Miles ridden 2008, 1688.

Cheers!

Track Bikes

Greetings Readers!

From a purely aesthetic vantage, there is nothing cleaner and more pleasing to the eye than a fixie. The absence of brakes, brifters, derailleurs, and cassettes leave nothing but frame/fork, cranks, and wheels. Exquisite in its simplicity, the geometry is left uncluttered and there for all to see. The lines are beautiful.
 
I love single speeds, and the absence of brakes takes it even further. This is a mix of old and new, Track style. There is roughly 60 or 70 years difference of time in-between these two frames. Yet very little has changed.
The Bicycle in its purest incarnation, speaks beauty in an artistic form. Note the spacing in-between the fork and tire, downtube and tire. The machine is pure function, yet airs a subtle elegance all its own. 
 
Having stumbled across these, I had to post them. Maybe I’ll take up track racing, as a secondary mistress to cross……. :)

Old…..

New….

Click on the pics to enlarge them.  

Cheers!

commute 6/2

Greetings Readers!

As promised, I ran into “Aussie” (I’ll call him that as I don’t know where his accent is from, but I know the bike is Austrailian) this morning and I had my camera with me this time! My fellow commuter was gracious enough to stop and let me take a pic of his trusty Paul Taylor.

I love it! “Aussie” is running a lugged steel frame with Track bars and Paul cross tops. I love the Kangaroo on the top tube. I flat out dig this bike, and long have I wanted a single speed. Thanks for letting me take a pic bud!

On a side note: I’m frickin sick of this effin weather! AAHHHH! I”m an Oregonian, and I’m sick of it! Please! Stop already! Can I put my rain bike away for Christ’s Sake?

The legs were tired today after being sedentary over the weekend. I’ve got family commitments over the next few weekends so getting training miles in will be challenging. Not to mention, more rain. Currently my goal of 2000 miles by the end of the 2nd quarter is in site. I’ve just got to be fastidious in my riding and close out June with miles to spare. I’m hoping for a few more commutes this week and a 50 miler on Sunday, I hope. Forecast calls for rain, and a 50 miler in rain is no fun at all.

Is it cross season yet?

Miles ridden today, 21

Miles ridden 2008, 1663.

Cheers!

Himin’ and Hawin’

Greetings Readers!

I’ve been Himin’ and Hawin’ over some Dugast Rhino’s for about 5 months now. It’s been sitting in the back of my mind driving me nuts. I’m in constant turmoil over tiyas. Why  the turmoil? Other than the expense, why would any cyclocross racer not want Rhinos? They are THE tiya for Mud, Period.

I’ll never forget it, sticks in my mind like it was just yesterday. It was the Battle of Barlow, it was raining (pouring) and the course was slop. Guys were sliding around like kids on a slip-n-slide. There was this section after the runup, the railroad tie runup, where we zigged and zagged around the woods before we went up this little rise and rode around this little nursery. I was running my green muds at 35 psi and was hooking up decent, but still all over the place. I was heading up the little rise with my ass (weight) as far back on the saddle as I could push it while giving myself maximum power to the pedals. Trying to get weight over the back tiya. Precious wasted energy is lost on tiyas slipping in the mud. I remember this 50+ Master rider, he was riding Rhinos, (I saw his bike after the race) don’t know what pressure he was using but he came around me like he was riding on dry dirt. He was hooking up and the mud from his rear wheel was hitting me in the face. He leaned over and drove through that corner like he was on a road bike on tarmac on a sunny day. I on the other hand was gangly, sloppy, and sliding all over the place. Cursed him I did.

Again at Hillsboro, I pay attention folks, to what the “A” and “B” racers are riding. Rhino’s. As we suffered through that mudfest I watched the Masters B race and was amazed at the traction they were getting. Like Velcro I tell ya. Hillsboro was like snot, that was mud! Last season taught me one thing: tubulars.

Being the sponge I am for all things cross, I’ve learned a few things about tubbies. Flexus are the preferred dry weather tiyas, Grifo’s are great do it all tiyas if you can only have one set. Rhinos rule the mud. I live in Portland, need I say more?

So this brings me to my turmoil. Keep in mind I race Master “C” not the “A”s and not even the “B”s. Master “C”. There are no guys riding Deep V carbon tubular wheels in my class. Now the actual cost of Dugast Rhinos is really only $17 to $20 dollars more a tiya than say a Flexus or Grifo, so there not that much more exorbitant. But Rhinos are somewhat of a commodity. It’s not like they are a dime a dozen and easy to obtain. Dugast and FMB’s are produced buy 1 and 2 man shops, they only produce so many a year. Last year I couldn’t even get my hands on a set of Grifo’s, my less some Dugast. So there’s that. The other being: does a guy racing in the “C”s really deserve Rhinos? Would I be a Fred if I showed up to race the “C”s being the pack fodder that I am?

Will I get those snickers from my fellow crossers? “Hey, check the guy pulling 30th place in the C’s sporting Rhinos!” This is my fear. That I’ll be:

1) Taking a pair of Rhinos better left to someone who can really race in the “B”s and or, “A”s. 

2) Will I be looked down upon for having equipment that I don’t deserve?

Where the turmoil comes in: Doesn’t a guy in the “C”s deserve to race? Shouldn’t a guy in the lower classes have the same oppurtunities as the guys in the upper classes? Does the “C” rider race with any less heart than the elites? Or is it that were just slower? I’ve seen guys that would fight you tooth and nail, and give up a left kidney just for 50th place in the beginners class! Most guys/girls are serious about cross, no matter the class or division. I’ve been riding all year trying to get my ass in shape for cross, I’ve been putting the time and miles in, (as much as possible) even during bad weather, shouldn’t I put the same effort into my racing equipment? Tiya choice is critical in cross. I know, with absolute certainty, that having some Rhinos while at either Barlow or Hillsboro would have made all the differance in the world in my racing for those two events.

What is the derermining factor? Would Rhinos have gotten me 2 placings? 5 placings? 10 placings? Who knows? Is the extra $17 a tiya worth it to me to get a better result? That’s a diffinitive yes, Hell yes. So why haven’t I bought them?

Again, the turmoil. It’s now June, and although Cyclocrossworld and Worldclasscycles both currently have them in stock, they won’t for long. If I’m going to have the ultimate advantage in the mud I need to pull the trigger soon, or they’ll be none to have. Simple as that.

It’s going to bug me. It will bug me for the rest of the summer, then It will bug me all through cross season. I’ll regret not getting them, and I’m fairly certain we won’t have a ”dry” season. Problem is: if I quench the thirst, will I be able to live with the guilt?

One thing is for sure, this turmoil isn’t ending anytime soon. Cross season starts in 3 months and 3 weeks, I can’t wait. Hood River is the opener, and it’s going to be a party!

Turmoil, I’m in constant turmoil…….. 

Cheers!