so i was...

about to crack on sunday, so i took the slider out for a ride. i took a ride down to the valley, and up some hills into the metro-parks near there. i put down my head and just started to climb. with the forty up front it gets kind of challenging. so in fact that i didn't see the two hikers coming down the hill, that i almost hit them. it wasn't until one said hello, that i knew what was going on.

i climbed to the top with old school pantera screaming in my ear, and then i turned towards the bike and hike, and i said what the hell. time to take this c-cross bike off road. so i took the nuthouse; can't call it a loop anymore, there's nothing to loop too.

it was a great time taking a c-cross bike onto what most only take their mountain bike. fresh leaves on the ground so finding the trail was a hard thing to do, but i've ridden it so often that i kind of know where to go. only got off the trail once. following the fallen leaves that are on the ground that makes a dip pattern from falling on the trail. it was beautiful.

the slider took it like a pro. only fell off one time. good stuff. climbing over logs, and riding over logs too. i noticed at the last race that some guys that were running the single up front had a bash guard on the chainring. sissies. the only thing that is going to dig in is your chain, and that will eventually wear out anyway, so take it. not like there are many log crossings in c-cross. but who am i?

i had a good ride. my work was still there when i got home, and it's still here, so i guess that i ought to go do it.

namaste...

and so my season...

begins. my c-cross season. it was at kirtland park in cleveland, near east fifty fifth street. near the ghetto. so if you wanted an ice cold colt forty-five, you'd get hooked up.

i rode the slider. the good news is that my solution worked. the chain didn't move during the whole race. it could use some modification, but i'm not an engineer.

the pics are not of me. i took these after i was done racing. most of them are of the a class and the lead group; which had solo goat in it. i put these in order of the course, instead of the order i took them, so you get an idea of the course.

after the start there were a couple of switchbacks, and then we have the first run up at the start...


went around a baseball field, and ran into this switchback...

yes, that's a blanket wrapped around a tree. much help. this was a very sharp one-eighty down hill turn. after our race, it got really slippery; that rear tires were falling off the course. luckily no one hit the tree. i was doing some skidding around this turn, and once i passed a racer here. they got off there bike to run it, and i grabbed the inside, and kept going. got complimented on that one, that's what cool people do.

this is the barrier right after the tree...


jump the barrier, run down and keep going...


then the next run up after the switchback section, and down the hill to the right...


around the statue, and up this little hill...

(this woman was in the b class, and i was behind her most of the time. she was riding a single speed surly cross)

and then into this open field with more switchbacks...


here are the 'standings'. i put this in quotes, because i think they screwed up the c class. the woman i was behind got in another two laps after me, and she is listed with eight, and i have five. something is not right, but i don't care. i felt really good. i should have done the b class for a better work out. i don't know what my problem is...why is it that i catch and pass people on the run ups? i started near the rear of the pack. hung on to a couple of wheels around the switchbacks, and on the run up i passed two riders, and then again on the next lap on the first run up i passed another two riders. then the single speed woman and i played cat and mouse all ride.

it was a great time. i counted about four single speed cross bikes there.

so as i have encountered a problem...

the solutions to the problem
Originally uploaded by divine_gear.

i have not found a solution to that problem. my problem is that my chain on my cross bike keeps slipping off my chainring during hard riding, and falling to the inside of the ring, and we can't have this during the ride, much less during a race (not that i'm looking to win, but at least look like less of an idiot). i've looked for answers far and wide. from mechanics, bike guru's, and cross communities. none of which have been able to help me out. there must be something out there. so i thought about it.

and this is what i came up with. one suggestion that kept coming up was to use a front del. just to keep it on. well that didn't work, because of the range of gears in the back. so i though that if i had something like a front del., but without the outside of the cage, that would be great.

and presto changeo...here is what i have. a one zero five, with the outside cage cut off. keeping the top of the front del. in tacked. pushing the del. down close enough to the chain, and over far enough to the chain so when the chain jumps it has no where to go, but back in place.

so i'm going to try it out this week before the race next weekend, and see how it goes. it ought to work, because the chain jumps into the inside of the ring, and this should keep it down and not slip to the inside.

my luck it will fall to the outside now, but we'll see...

namaste...

so here it is...

basket trailer
Originally uploaded by divine_gear.

my new basket trailer. i saw an add for this a while ago, but couldn't find it anywhere, until one smarter than i found it for me. i went home, and ordered it, and it came on friday. put it together yesterday, and it is ready to go. i got it from bike trailer shop. it attaches to the bike through the rear skewer, and has a saftey strap. it only weights about ten pounds, and can carry up to one hundred pounds. this thing is going to be great for shopping. d. said that i might feel funny the first couple of times, because she has a basket on her bike, but she assured me i won't feel silly when i've got beer in there. so i might have to buy beer everytime i go shopping, and not just a little six, but a couple of cases. that would be hillarous. but then people would not wonder why i was riding a bike, and not driving, because i might have a yellow plate, and not because i want to, but have to.

so enjoy the ride.

namaste...