Altura Attack 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.

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. AAnd I will be buying another pair later this year.

OCA Kills The Joy

So, it has finally happened. I have been robbed of the joy of being involved in a sport by the attitude of a governing body.

In the last few years it started as amusement then moved to frustration in dealing with the OCA. For a business, yes that is what it is. It is a business that runs a sport in the province. Yet time and time again the decisions made are not only baffling yet if this was in the real world they would be seeking protection from creditors.

A few years ago when finishing up my coach's stuff I thought it was a one off situation. At that time I was submiting the final paper work for my level one. Looking for some info about the process I go by the office to ask what needs to be done. You know, to make it easier. I get told that all I needed was to provide letters of refrence of 2 people I had coached. Easy enough, I even asked do they need to be licensed as members and if so what license must they have. I get told none.

Thus begins the circus.

A few weeks later I submit the paper work including the references. I included mailing address, phone numbers, and emails of those people in case they might be needed. Next thing I get told was those where now not good enough. I needed some one with a license.You gotta be kidding me. Even after submiting the new requirement it took nearly a year for it to be processed. And that was taken care of by the temp guy visitng from Australia. He wasn't impressed by this.

Flash forward to the last couple of years of cyclocross. Which I took up because it's fun. Yet the race fun began to dissipate. A large reason for that is the draconian rantings of the commissaire. Sure I understand there are rules but it does not require one to be continously ranting and yelling at people during a race. We race for fun not to be berated and yelled at. If we wanted that we would go to work that day instead and get paid for that.

I have raced for years Triathlon and Duathlon yet have no memory of this level of nonsense. And if there was the races would be far closer to empty of participants.

Then let's add the joy of dealing with the office. First try looking for a membership fee on the website. If you are a lowly Serf non card carrying point chaser there is no cost listed. And no response to emails. I know what the excuse will be.. they where overwhelmed by workshops.

Last fall 2 weeks before Cyclocross season began no schedule was up. And the excuse was beng overwhemed by Ontario Summer Games. Gimme a break. The summer games is every 2 years and if there is no plan in place by now then the entire office should be canned. This is simply a failure. And when you point out all this...heir response is to blame the member for not showing up to a committee meeting.

It's startig to look more tempting to give m membership money for 2011 to Tri Ontario for a coaching license. At least with them I'm not left feeling like a lowly Serf. To bad there aren't more non OCA approved "training" events.

Best of 2010

It's the last day of the year and it's that time to look at the best of 2010. Well the stuff that stands out that I used this year or events I took part in.

Best Components:

Hope Stainless BB: What can one not say about this bottom bracket. It has stood up to the dust of summer and now is taking on winter. And proof that the masters of riding in mud, filth, and grime know what needs to be done.

Marzocchi Drop Off 4: Not new but was a major upgrade in the fork department. Solid with little flex. And it met the finance committee's cost cutting requirements.


Best Clothing:

Endura Singletrack Shorts: Simple black shorts that are great. Well stitched and comfortable. Pretty adaptable to riding in spring, summer, and fall. One big bonus is that they do dry quickly.

Wool Socks: Keeps you warm even when wet. Doesn't stink the car up like a bag of 6 month old hockey gear. Is cool in the warm of summer and warm in the cool of spring and fall.

Yaktrax Sport: Simply put, I would have spent half of last winter doing head dabs as I ran or walked. Just don't try to walk across a tile floor with them on your shoes.

Events:

Paul's Dirty Enduro: Good local event that supports a good cause. Chili post race with lots of fun singletrack. Laid back race crew.

Dundas Monstercross: Fun non race event. New place to ride as well as meeting new people. Good pumpkin soup and warming beverages for post ride festivities with good people.

Hope Stainless Bottom Bracket

Last June I finally picked up a new external bottom bracket from Hope Components.

What can I say. This BB has impressed me to no end since it was installed. Other then a couple of tightening the crank bolt to remove a little play. This BB has been rock solid since it was installed.

The first thing while installing I noticed was that the plastic piece was simply a cover for the bearings. Unlike Shimano's or Race Face BB's where the cover also acts as a shim between the bearing inner race and the crank axle. Hope went a different route. They went with a bearing that when you install the crank actually is in direct contact with the inner race of the bearing. No plastic shim that can crack or start creaking after a while. It's a good tight fit.

The other change is that tube piece that one installs between the 2 BB cups that one installs in the BB Shell of the frame. Again no plastic here. This comes as a tube made of metal. A much better alternative to the plastic pieces that others use. It is also has O ring seals to help seal the unit even more from the crud and moisture of the world. And Hope offers this piece seperate from the BB. Even in different lengths depending upon you BB being either 68, 73, or 83 in size.

As I mentioned already about the seals. This BB is built to deal with crud, nud, and nasty winter. Should be no surprise as Hope comes from the land of filth riding. And have learned what it will take to increase the longevity of bearings. So far the seals on the Hope have exceeded those on Race Face and Shimano BB's by a huge margin.

As a former mechanic and a coach, I would be installing this BB on anyone's bike who was either doing and adventure race or a off road triathlon. Simply because I know it can take the abuse. Which even in Canada faced with our Canadian muck and grime plus add winter crud. Well, only something good and sealed can fit the bill.

Duffins Creek Pizza Ride

In the continuing mission to ride new places and explore. Hooked up with my buddy Nick to attend his Duffins Creek Pizza Ride on the last weekend of October. So again on a over cast day headed out to the meeting loction. Both bike and pizza fixngs in tow. At least this drive was short with Pickering nearby.

We gathered at Nick's place and like any group ride it took the usual extra time to get ready. Add the usual attempt to figure out what gear to wear. Nothing like a fall day to make gear selection fun. Part of the problem being it was forecasted to rain. Plus waiting for Ilan and Wayne to get there as they where a little late due to the GO Train being delayed. Then it was off.

Nick led us down a couple of streets then into his local trails. Which like the Dundas ride I still have no clue where we went. Lot's of rocky hill climbs and some fun descents. Though sadly I had to walk some of the descents as my front brake decided to take a vacation- no power at all. But after a bit of tinkering was able to ride some DH. Though did figure out that hydaulic brake seals in the cold tend to leak.

At one point while moving at speed watched Wayne do the front wheel mud slide to ricochet into the brush. Proving again, that easier sections lead to lack of trail focus which leads to crashes. I say that as it occured while riding 4x4 track towards more singletrack.


During the ride back to Nick's place he showed us his little downhill run he built. Nothing big just a simple little line. Some of the best times can be had on the simplest of lines. The we continued back to Nick's place. Which after 20 minutes of riding we returned to his place. After 3 hours of in the woods riding it started raining.

Then it was time to crank up the oven, crack open a beer, and make pizza. And for the record Nick makes a good pizza dough.

In The Snow

Working on something... pic's of the snow today to fill the gap.

Anti Shopsmas Ride

Headed out to ride CB for a bit today. Ground was nicely frozen and it was a balmy minus 6




This section of new trail is a marsh in the fall and spring. Yet ridable in winter.




Clan approved anti freeze.