Muddite

Went out to CB as I needed some ride time. And wet conditions practice. Mounted my DH wheels for this.

Yumm mud

Natural chain guide.

The present flat pedal shoes are on their last legs. Trying to get my hands on a pair of 5.10's cheap. Cheap as in Hello Pinkbike. Because people will sell stuff of they don't need or because they want the newest and greatest.

Orange Crush Fork

Ah, new fork. Well used fork for the Dirtbag Roadie. With a side of new brakes.

Rubber and Wood

Prior to today's ride added the freshness of new rear rubber. Specifically a dirtbag special ... Kenda Kinetics 26x2.35 from Crappy Tire.




Getting onto the Log of Doom.

Bashguard rcker of the Log of Doom




Result of a balance failure.........perfect bike parking. Now if only regular drives could park this well.

Altura Attack Waterproof Shorts

As part of the plan to buy gear that actually works instead of making do. Looked again to the masters of filth riding.. the Brits. Especially since it is so difficult aquiring baggy shorts that are actually waterproof. Seems kind of strange that one can't buy shorts like this in Canada. A place where the wethaer can be wet and cold.

Finally got my hands on a pair of Altura Attack shorts . And of course in the only acceptable colour for cycling….black. And hardly had they arrived did they get used as we had a sudden warm day. Which meant lots of slush and wet road. A perfect test for waterproof outer shorts.



And after 2 hours of riding through wet crud.. no dreaded wet riders butt. Which is a good thing. And makes the riding way more enjoyable as a cold and wet chamois is about as much fun as paying taxes.





When inspected closer you see that all seems have been taped on the inside. There is a simple system for waits adjustment in the back. 2 tabs you can adjust to make the shorts a little tighter or looser as needed. And of course Altura provided 2 front zipper pockets. Perfect for say house keys to get in the house when cold and wet without that digging through packs or jersey’s with cold hands




One has to keep in mind that while waterproof and sealed that it will still require care. Not washing with liquid detergents and all the other care requirements of this type of fabric. The shorts will also need once a year getting with the special re-waterproofing stuff like available from companies like Nik Wax.

After 4 months of rain and slush the Altura Attack shorts have done the job. And I will be buying another pair later this year.

Can He Make It

Thanks to the winds a new log of doom is here.



Clearing the log


New rear wheel is happy.

Tuesday Night World's May 10th

As part of the 2011 Team NFI’s goals was to do as many free events as possible. The first being the Buttertart Tour about a month ago.

After getting the info from Endo Racing in Brockville. Info meaning a invite to join in. Amazing how you get stuff like that when it’s time. So loaded up the team car and up the highway we went.

The gathering spot was a old gravel pit out in Limerick. After some random hello’s the plan was announced by those who I think where in charge. One has to keep in mind that this is a free event so it’s closer to old school mountain bike racing. And so we went out on what was deemed a neutral lap to get a rough idea of the course.

After the easy one lap preride we gathered back on the road for the go. The course was 3 laps of the preride where the final instructions. Then it was go. Being the first sprint ype event in years took it easy for a bit. This was after all a short course style race and it’s been a long time since I went that hard and fast. And it was a better plan to save the go harder faster for the last lap. Basically build up the pace over the 3 laps.

Lap 1 was racing pace. Though not as fast as later. Took advantage of the trails little rollers.. pump track method. Looking for extra speed without effort. Rail the mini berms where ever they can be found. Hop the roots and loft the drops.

Lap 2.. Same as Lap 1 but go a bit faster and harder. made one little screw up and didn’t get mad. Misjudged the corner a little. Got passed at the beginning by of the lap by a high school kid. No big deal. Figured I’d end up passing him in lap 3 so let him have the lead. Even though I let him know don’t worry about it just ride. He kept looking nervously back. And after a while this led him to making a mistake. Made a mental note of this.

Lap 3. Same again except all out hard. At the end felt pain in my left knee. And suddenly was done.

After all was done. Good Tuesday night race return. Need to definitely work on strength and speed now. As well as some parts improvements namely.. rear tire, grips, and handlebar. Maybe now I can get a DMR Cr Mo Wingbar.

When I went back to the car the car next to me was the high school kid I passed when I messed up. Asked him how it went and he mentioned he kept looking to see if I was going to pass. He appreciated the info about never looking back. Kind of nice when one is able to pass on the info us old guys learned the hard way.

Next week will have fresh rear meat.

Italian Hoe

Nothing like a day in the woods.


The Hoe.. my favorite tool. It cuts, it trenches, chops, packs, and so on. And even better saves my back.


Not really a berm per say. It's more to keep one on the trail for no. After it gets ridden a bit it will become more of a berm.


Then 2 hours of riding at CB. Nothing spectacular. Though I did realize I need to invest in some knee type armour that is less DH oriented. Easier to haul. Looking at either the Race Face Flank or the Ndura version. More inclined to the Flank though.

Poor Mistress

When I replaced my rear derr and cables I found this lurking under the top tube pad. My poor bike. But after 4 years of riding some scars can be expected.






But in the end... I love the Mistress. She has been there through good times and bad. And will be there for a long time.

Wheel of Truth

First rear wheel build.



After the front is done. The next wheel project is a pair of 29er wheels.