Friday, July 21, 2006

pro cycling question...

is johan bruyneel really that great of a team manager, or is everybody claiming that he is great because of lance? lance goes on to win seven tours, but is that really because of bruyneel? or was bruyneel just in the right place at the right time? sure he came up with new ways to train and things to look at for riding, but what did he really do? i make a parallel to coach jackson; he used to coach the bulls, that happened to have jordan on the team. now would that team have won as much as they did without jordan? no. the team was good, but jordan was the man, just like lance was the man. without jordan, jackson isn't that great, and neither is bruyneel. a great manager will win at any cost. but bruyneel is not doing that. he went into this year's tour without any direction. an 'experiment' as he called it in a interview. well, the 'experiment' that he had going for seven years was lance. a team built around one 'player.' i believe his fault this year was not building a team around one 'player.' he has some great cyclist on his team- azevedo, hincapie, popovych, savoldeli. all great cyclist, but there is no one leader, and without a head the body will die, and that is just what has happened to team discovery. bruyneel is just like jackson without jordan...just a regular manager trying to figure out how to win. there never seemed to be a game plan...just go out and ride, and see what happens. lance trained for the tour all year. focused on it. said to everyone else on the team you are here for him, period. they didn't have that this year. thus the implosion. until they step up and state here is our team leader, we will ride for him, they will just be another team in the tour. not a great team.

she's back in my hands...

my new/old stead. the slider is back home, and up and running.

the history of this frame set...

i picked it up a long time ago, and used it as a single speed c-cross bike. did a couple of races with it, and got hammered. i eventually converted it to a road bike. it didn't feel quite right as a road bike. so i picked up the warrior, and she then ended up in the hands of roguemechanic as his c-cross/road bike. he treated her well. i then came to the realization that i couldn't let her go, so i took her back, and built her to this present state...



the high lights...
vicious cycles slider frame in rasta flame paint
if c-cross fork
chris king rasta headset
salsa cockpit and seatpost
xtr rear del.

and yes, a single chainring up front...forty-two tooth...



this is what a true c-cross machine should be. nine in the back.

i put those new lights that go in end of the handlebar as plugs just for some safety...



she'll not only be my c-cross bike for this season, but she is also one hell of a commuting machine too.

these handlebars are pretty cool too...



they are the salsa bell lap for c-cross, and they flare out in the drops. i really like the salsa tape too. it's their goma tape. it has a great feel to it.

just a shot of the fork and frame...



it is such a great handling bike. i've been riding it this whole week to school, and it's been a blast. i am still on a set of freaking mavic wheels, but i had these left over so i wanted to conserve money, so i'll beat these into the ground; and just put them on, same with the crankset, and one zero five sti's.

so the stable has changed yet again. the ybb is gone. it's been sitting around for about a year and a half, so it was time to go. the slider is going to be my all over and around bike for now. once i fix the wheels on the steamroller, i'll juggle between the two, but for now...it's the slider all the way. this was my first vicious frame, and i've been hooked since. two other vicious's later. i went with the if fork to add some bling. i might have had an if c-cross back then, but i couldn't justify the cost difference between the two. it really is amazing what some companies charge for steel. not so much if, but companies like steelman, and pegoretti. i once asked a shop owner why should i pay the price for a steel pegoretti bike, and this was the answer..."it's welded by pegoretti himself." we'll kiss my ass. my bike was welded by carl the snarl himself. in short i highly recommend vicious for anyone looking for a great steel bike.

take care, enjoy the ride...

shalom...

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

here are some...

personal notes on the tour so far...

first: i told you all that hincapie wasn't going to do anything, much less the entire discovery team.

second: in conjunction with the first, the best american hopeful was landis.

third: boonen is not the next merckx as procycling stated.

fourth: i knew that valverde was not going to do anything in the tour again as procycling thought that he would; he's never finished a tour yet, why would they think that he was going to do something?

fifth: csc kicks ass even without basso.

sixth: leipheimer has nuts.

seventh: i've always liked pereiro, menchov is terrible, and rasmussen should just kick ass for the king of the mountains.

eighth: i am beginning to hate the championship strips; unless they are worn by the world champion, like boonen. seeing the strips on former world champions is just plain boring. yeah, o.k. you've won it in the past, now stop. its over. and then you can't get away from them on clothes and products. i think that's my next tattoo, the world champion strips around my wrist.

ninth: i love the fact that nobody is wearing the yellow bands, except roll who is wearing one on each hand.

tenth: i hate trek. every freaking time they talk about the bikes it's about how you can buy the exact same one that the pro's ride. i get. you've been telling me that for the past seven years. also about how they keep on saving weight...now they are using some special paint that weighs less...here's a thought...stop painting the bike altogether then...that's a weight saver. i would love to see the spotlight on other bike companies. that would be cool.

eleventh: saunier duval needs to change their colors, at least for the tour. when i look for the yellow jersey in the peloton, i have to make sure that it's not one of the saunier duval riders. i think it cheapens the yellow jersey.

twelfth: saying liquigas just makes me chuckle.

enjoy the tour....

Thursday, July 13, 2006

welcome to...

the the divine gear one hundredth posting. thanks for reading.

today i'd like to reflect on sentiment, or being sentimental. we are all sentimental to something in our riding lives. be it a piece of clothing, a part, or even a bike. a friend of mine once asked what it would be like if you were to hold onto every bike you've ever owned. forget about the space it takes to store all the bikes, and the money that we may need when we sell them. what would your stable look like?

a ninety seven trek eight thousand; bright yellow (my first real mountain bike)
a ninety eight/nine trek two thousand road bike (my first road bike- that i had a bigger cass put on, because i was such a hammer back then)
a two thousand moots ybb
a voodoo nzumbi (my first single speed that started the addiction)
a two thousand and one lemond charmbery
a something trek x o one
a vicious slider (i set this up as a single speed c-cross, that was pain)
a two thousand and five moots smoothie
a two thousand and five vicious warrior
a two thousand and four surly steamroller (first fixie)
a two thousand and six vicious monolith

what a list of mine. i contemplate this as my stable becomes too full, and cash is needed for another toy that is not cycling related. my point is that it sometimes hard to move past these sentimental feelings that we have, but it is necessary to move forward. creator willing...you don't drive looking in your rear view mirror, but looking forward.

what would your stable look like?

forward i go...

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

i just have...

a cycling question for those of you out there...is the front wheel supposed to wobble back and forth as you ride? i just figure that it's one of those new suspension wheels, you know the ones that give the wheel more flex if it hits a pot hole or something. needless to say, i've got some maintenance to do soon...

Monday, July 10, 2006

i have...

taken down my 'good riding' links. i've been called a purest. which means a lot to me. i am. change is fine, as long as it is for the right reasons. as long as it makes sense. but for the life of me i cannot figure out what in the hell moots is doing. both of their full suspension bikes have an aluminum rear end. why?; i scream to zeus. if i'm dropping that much dosh on a moots it better full ti, and nothing less. that shepard as lost a lamb. i'm just really happy that i got my smootie before they stopped production on them; which hasn't seen a ride yet this year. i'm thinking that i'm an idiot for picking that bike up, but that's my cross to bear. anyway...maybe this is in part why kent eriksen left, but it looks like he's using an al rear end too.

so why pay the price of a ti bike when it isn't a full ti bike? just pick up an al, or steel at a cheaper price. or i guess the big thing now is a full carbon bike; which i'm sure rides great, same price as something like a full ti. so maybe that's what making the full ti obsolete now.

so what's the point? i still believe in vicious; great stuff. it looks like no one is using full ti on any full suspenion bikes anymore, oh well. i'm glad i got mine...i think...

ride on...

just a note on the tour...

has anyone noticed that no one is wearing the 'livestrong' bands. last year everyone was. i have not see one, except on roll. so last year, everyone was just kissing armstrong's ass, and wearing them, and now no one gives a crap. nice. i don't know why you would wear them while your on the bike, aerodynamics and such. things i pick up on...

Sunday, July 09, 2006

finally...

got the single speed dirty again. edmund and i headed out to west branch for some good old fashion mountain bike riding. good times were had...

i got far enough away from him to grab this shot of him coming around the corner...


rest time...


simple, but fun...


through the mud, the pic didn't turn out the way we wanted, but...


he's going so fast through the crossing...everything else is standing still...


west branch is getting crafty with their rock gardens...


to end the ride...

this is the first time i used my bottle opener. hell yeah!

we met a guy there who had a vicious motivator single speed. freaking nice. when he pulled that thing out of his car, my jaw dropped. great freaking bike.

we had a good time. mud was where it always is. got banged up a little, nothing too bad.

and here's to the ones that did the crackpipe...