Haro 650b Beasley 6 month Review!

I have had my Beasley now for six months and the more I ride this bike the more I love It! It is more responsive in the twisties than my Ol' Karate Monkey. Feels more natural than the Gary Fisher Rig (G1). and it still rolls better than any 26" I have had.

I have done some upgrades, The wheels had to go, they really didn't want to stay true, but now I am rolling on some Phil Wood hubs laced to Velocity Blunts, for power I am running a White Industries freewheel. I also swapped out both the Ritchie seat post and headset, the seat post kept tilting and the headset was pedestrian at best. I installed a Thomson Elite for a post and a FSA Orbit MX for the headset.

The next to get switched was the brakes, the bb5's are fine but I prefer the adjust ability of the bb7's, I also went with 185 rotors just to be obnoxious. For grips I am running Lizard Skins Moab. The WTB saddle was comfy but I swapped it out for a Brooks Swift. For pedals I chose Crank Bros Mallets. I call this bike my Armageddon build as I went for durability with most of the parts.

Like I said I am really enjoying this 650b bike I don't see it taking the place of 29ers but as a nice compliment. But it is a great bike at a great price way to go haro!

Vist to Chateau Aux Arc!

My wife and I recently took a trip to Altus, AR to enjoy some local wines. We got a late start as we took the scenic roads instead of traveling the interstate. We decided to spend all our time at one vineyard as not to feel rushed. We chose to visit Chateau Aux Arc and we are glad that we did.


Their tasting room is at one of their vineyards not along a state highway so there was more charm and less commotion. As soon as we got out of the car we were greeted by a friendly old dog. During our visit we encountered several dogs all friendly and they really added to the charm of the experience.

Now on to the wines! It all really starts with their chardonnay that come from some of the oldest vines in the state and what really started Chateau Aux Arc (C.A.A.) as a true winery. I really enjoyed the chardonnay as it had none of the characteristics associated with its Napa brethren, not in the least bit oaky. It was closer to chardonnays from Eastern France.

The next couple of wines I really enjoyed are labeled as "American" meaning the grapes aren't necessarily from Arkansas but were vinted and bottled by C.A.A. We enjoyed The Dragonfly Red (my wife's favorite.) If I recall correctly it is a blend of Merlot and Zinfandel. We also enjoyed their American Syrah.

During the visit I was told that the owner, Audrey House vowed in 2007 to start producing wines that are only made with Arkansas Grapes! We applaud her efforts.

The final wine I am going to mention is their award-winning Cynthiana, which is grown in Altus; this red had great character and spiciness that I really enjoyed!

We bought a mixed case of wine and it's already gone so we will be heading to Altus real soon!

Their website is www.chateauauxarc.com

NLR Sets Hearing about Bike Ordinance

NLR Sets Hearing about Bike Ordinance

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My New Gunnar Roadie!

This is my new road bike, I sold my Roubaix Pro almost 3 months ago and I decided this time around to go with a steel frame. I went with Gunnar as it is an excellent value for a U.S. handcrafted frame. I also went with a steel fork just because I think it looks good, it has a very smooth ride, just a bit heavier than a carbon fork.

I went with a Sram Red drive train. for parts I used Deda stem, bars,tape & seat post. I went with a Chris King Headset. I am running Mavic wheels,pedals & computer.

For tires I choose to go with Michlein Pro 3's

I m running a Selle Italia saddle.

Extra items are Arundel seat bag & bottle cages.

I spent a lot of time choosing parts I thought would look good and perform well, I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I do riding it!

Recent Find Vintage Cycling Poster

My Wife was visiting the local resale shop and she came across this beautiful poster!

I did a google search for Cycles Auto-Moto and I did not find any info on this print, but I did find lots of other cool prints to look at.
This poster may actually be a catalog cover that was enlarged to poster size.
anyway it will look awesome on the wall....

My first Blog!

Wow, I have entered the world of blogging, I am not sure how this is going to go, or if it will grow into something bigger but I thought I would give it a try.
Right now I am taking a break from building a deck on the back of my house.
It is over 90 degrees so the work is going slow. One of the reasons I am building the deck is to have a train on rollers. (for bike racing) rollers for those that don't know are a training tool that lets you ride a bike without going anywhere, and unlike a trainer your bike isn't in a fixed position so you have to balance helping build your stabilizer muscles. The bike I am currently using on the rollers is a vintage 1997 Barracuda Mountain bike , it has full XT and is pretty cool, I have smooth 1.5 tires on it as I don't plan on taking this bike anywhere but on my deck.

I will post some pics at a later date...