2015 Riding season....Yeah!

Sorry for my long absence, last year was fairly odd and tumultuous. It's over now and we are getting ready to enjoy an amazing 2015.I won't be getting any new bikes this season but I do have some new odds and bits I'll be reviewing in the next few weeks.

First I'll be converting my Singular Gryphon from a singlespeed to a 10 x1, Using a SRAM Rival Shifter mated to a X-9 Derailleur.

I will also be reviewing the following products. Kask Mojito Helmet, Scorpion Bike Stand, Feedback Sports work Stand, Serfas headlight USL-505 and a set of Wheels from Neugent Cycling!

This year I am planning on running a few MTB races and I am registered to do the RAIN Ride this year. I promise I will be more active on my blog this season.

Cheers!

Mountain Bike Racing Season is finally Here!!!!

Its been a long Winter, and Spring hasn't really co-operated, but its time to go out and race!

I took my trusty Singular Gryphon to Bendix Woods in New Carlisle, IN. The race was part of the NIMBA Series  info here!  NIMBA Page

NIMBA stands for Northern Indiana Mountain Bike Association. It is a local Chapter of IMBA, Their focus is building and maintaining trails in Northern Indiana. Currently the maintain the following trails.

1) Rum Village -South Bend
2) Potato Creek-North Liberty
3) Bendix Woods- New Carlisle
4) TK Lawless- Vandalia MI ( I know MI is not Indiana, but it is just over the Border!)
5) and Coming this Summer Bonneyville Mill-Bristol

NIMBA operates a Race series to raise Funds to build and maintain these trails.

So this Sunday I got to participate in my first MTB race of 2014 at Bendix Woods.
BENDIX TRAIL MAP

The start of the day was cold, cloudy 40 degrees and the wind was blowing. The Trail was in awesome shape!  there was a decent turnout considering the weather, and it appears the long winter has made some folks still sluggish. I felt great, I ran my Single Speed Gryphon in the 40-49 sport class, I did well and snagged third! Even won a T-Shirt in the swag raffle and enjoyed some free hot dogs! Great Day, Great Race and Great Fun! The next NIMBA Race is at Potato Creek on June 1st, this is an awesome trail, has a great flow and is fast! This is a race you'll want to make if your anywhere within driving distance!

Seasucker Hornet Winter update!

When I first was interested in a seasucker rack there was some concern of them not working in Cold Weather. well the do! Just make sure that your Vacuum cups a warm when you put them on, and they will hold all day!

I took my Singular Gryphon to Potato Creek to ride in the snow, it was 28 degrees and at least 3 inches of snow on the trail, sun was out and it was a great trail ride!

Wider is Better! Looking for Mr. Good Hoops!

Ever since I was a little kid on my P.K. Ripper, I have believed better wheels are the key to performance. I  have been using the stock wheels that came on my All-City Mr. Pink. The stock set up was Shimano 105 hubs laced to Mavic CXP 22 rims. A very durable wheelset but heavy and definitely no bling either. I wanted something sub 1600gram, but still able to support my 200lb body.

After looking and reading on the Web I decided I also wanted my new hoops to have a wider rim. The basic road rim is 19cm wide, but lately there have been some rims that are 22-24 cm wide.
The wider rim offers a better contact patch, allows you to run a slightly lower tire pressure, which will add comfort and prevent flats. HED and Zipp have been pushing the wider stance rim, and even though they are known for carbon they both offer aluminum wheels, Hed has the Ardennes and Zipp has the 30 clincher.

Another source for wider rims is Neuvation, I looked at the R28SWCX, which is really a great value. Neuvation has some great pricing and other wheel options. I also looked at Novemeber Bikes, when I first looked at November their wheelset  FSW 23 was listed as using a Velocity A23 rim, but for 2013 they changed rims, I believe they are using Kinlin's I am not sure which model. I also looked at Velocity as I heard they now offered complete wheels, through the Wheel Department on their website. I looked at the Velocity A23 Comp.

Here is a rundown of the 5 wheelsets I considered,

HED Ardennes CL           1642 gm  $850
Zipp 30 Clincher              1655 gm  $850
Neuvation R28SWCX      1470 gm  $495
November FSW 23           1570 gm  $525
Velocity A23 Comp          1580 gm  $550

And the winner is!!!!!!

VELOCITY A23 Comp

I went with Velocity for several reasons, as you can see they were not the lightest or the cheapist, (Neuvation won both those claims and probably my runner up)

1) The A23 Rim is made in The U.S.A. ( I like that)
2) The A23 Comp wheelset is Built in the U.S.A. (Grand Rapids, MI to be exact)
3) Velocity lets you choose Rim and Nipple colors!! (the Old BMXer in me is a sucker for ano!)
4) The A23 can be run as tubeless
5) Velocity lets you use Billmelater to pay

So I went and place the order, about 5 days later they show up at the house, perfectly boxed and package no damage! I noticed that each wheel is signed by the builder (McBryde) which is cool.
the spin well and seem nice and light, When I ordered the wheels I paid for rim strips and valve stem to go tubeless, Prior to their arrival I picked up a set Bontrager R2 TLR tires and some sealant.
In my excitement to get the new hoops on my bike I didn't pay attention and I over tightened both valve stems ( I know rookie mistake) I have done dozens of Tubeless conversions on MTB's and have only done that once before. So for now I am running tubes but will try Tubeless as soon as I get more stems.

So far I have about 350 miles on the A23's cornering is much better than with stock rims, the spin up quickly, and I haven't had any pinch flats (even running tubes)

I will post a long term review after the have been setup tubeless and have many more miles on them.

Rode to the Beach, or the Accidental Century!

 Went for a ride today, plan was to ride 80 miles and and stop by Lake Michigan and snap a photo.
Well the first part went smoothly, Made it to St. Joseph MI, had lunch and took this pic...

Then on the way home made several wrong turns  and ended up doing  a century plus 1 mile.
My All-City Mr. Pink is awesome on long rides, I am so happy with the quality and feel of this machine!

SeaSucker Hornet Review

Today I am reviewing the Seasucker Hornet. I was looking for a rack to use on my Jeep Liberty. My needs for a rack were simple, carry one bike to the trail head with out damaging the bike or the vehicle, and if possible I prefer to keep the front wheel on the bike.

I didn't want to go with a roof mounted system as the Jeep is fairly tall and it would be a chore to mount a bike on the roof after an exhausting ride. I also didn't want any rack that holds the frame by the top tube, which eliminates most Trunk mounted styles and all the lower priced hitch mounts.

I currently do not have a hitch on the Jeep (and that's not a deal breaker to get one just the added cost) There are a lot of good hitch mounted racks out there.
But I wanted something that wasn't bulky like a Yakima or Thule (Both great racks and would buy if I needed to carry multiple bikes all the time) I looked at the Saris Thelma, and I just couldn't do it. The Bike rack I almost bought was the 1up USA Single Bike Rack. It looked clean and not overly bulky, The 1up rack is $299 plus shipping and I would need to get a hitch installed $179 plus tax. So I was saving up $500 for this project when I stumbled across the Seasucker Hornet.

I had eliminated the Seasucker racks from my search early on, It had nothing to do with my faith in there suction technology but all the 2012 designs required you to take the front wheel off. When I came across the Hornet I was immediately curious about it. I Read some reviews and found there website helpful.(SeaSucker Hornet) 
and at $175 it seemed to be a bargain!

Another feature that sold me and I didn't think to add as a requirement is the flexibility to use on several vehicles (Between me and my wife we have had 6 different vehicles since 2009!) This little rack would work perfectly on My Jeep and Her Honda (which has since been traded into a Chevy Spark which the Hornet still works with!)

I have used the Hornet at least  ten times already, no super long trips yet, but I have had it a freeway speeds for 50 miles and taken it on some bumpy road and on real severe train track and it hasn't budged! It easy real easy to keep an eye on your bike while driving by using your rear view mirror.

And putting the rack On and Off is so easy.

You start by opening your hatch and installing the tether strap, which is really only there to be a back up fail safe if both Cups become unconnected. Incidentally each cup is rated for 140lbs, so carrying one 25lb MTB or a sub 20lb roadie is not going overload this system.

Then you attach the suction cups to your glass I have been carrying windex just to make sure the glass is always as clean as possible!

Then you place your bike handle bars on the cradle, it works with both flat or dropped bars.

Then you close the cradles with U shaped locking pins.

And then you simply tie on the strap and you are ready to go!

It works with my Singular Gryphon and my All-City Mr. Pink.










So in conclusion I am very happy with it. And feel this rack fits my needs perfectly, your mileage may vary.....

PROS.... 1) Easy to Use
             2) Affordable
             3) Versatile (different bikes & different cars)
             4) Quick to take on and off 
             5) Front wheel stays on
             6) Whole system stores in small pouch when not in use  

Cons.... 1) Can only carry one bike
            2) No way to lock bike to vehicle ( I wouldn't recommend this rack if you needed to leave the bike on the car over nite.)

             


 

All-City Mr. Pink 500 mile Review!

I finally got 500 miles on my All-City, Mr. Pink! and here in Michiana in April, that ain't easy! First off this bike is a blast to ride, It is not a true race bike, meaning it's not twitchy at slow speeds. It is not a touring bike, meaning it is not sluggish in handling. Could you use either way? Sure! But the real purpose of this bike is to be ridden!

All-City went out on a limb creating the Mr. Pink, but hey what else would you expect from a Party Brand! The Frame is finished beautifully it makes you feel like it is a custom, but its not! The attention to detail is awesome and you can just tell the folks at All-City are paying homage to the classic Italian steel steeds from the past. I am not going to take time to brake down piece by piece the spec list as it is a solid no-nonsense build that flat out works, and is fairly priced. If you want to see the stock build wander over here...http://allcitycycles.com/bikes/mr_pink

I haven't' owned a Shimano equipped roadie since 2008 (Ultegra) This Gen of 105 is crisp and is very very precise. And the ride quality from the Columbus Zona Frame is amazing, I almost feel like it gets smoother with every 100 miles I put on her!

The only negative is the 28c Conti's although very smooth are sluggish at speeds higher than 20mph ( I am planning on switching to 23c but just wanted to try the stock combo first) Also the Stock wheels are are a super solid build and very durable (105 hubs and Mavic CXP 22 rims)but are fairly heavy, they are awesome for randonneuring, commuting and credit card touring and really are a great wheel,but I am planning on putting on a sub 1600g wheelset, just to liven things up a bit.

I am currently planning on attempting to Ride Mr. Pink in the Ride Across Indiana (or R.A.I.N. ride)
which is a one day, one way 160 mile ride across Indiana, and I am positive the Mr. Pink is definitely ready for the task!