the price was right...

dream shoes...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

so i had to pick up a pair of my dream shoes. sidi dragon.

features include; carbon sole, replaceable tread, anti-slip insert in the metatarsus area of the bottom of the foot, the buckle is re-designed (at least from my other pair), softer closure system (not the hard plastic from my other pair), adjustable heel retention (for a snug fit in the heel).

my pearl's are already taking a crap on me, and their not even a year old yet; and i saw these at a really good price (these are the thousand eight model, and i think their changing up for next year), and picked them up. i've always loved the fit and comfort of sidi's, and i've always wanted a pair of dragons. just in time for the race this weekend. so the question becomes...do i get a fresh pair of sidi's; which are white, full of mud and crap at the races this weekend?

man i love the smell of italian leather.

amitabha...

not to be...

an egoist; however sometimes i feel like a prophet. a while ago i posted this about ovalized chainrings; and their benefits.

well, as i'm going through the new issue of cyclocross magazine they have an article on rotor q-rings; which are oval.

just to reiterate...the elimination of dead spots, better pedaling efficiency; in fact michael galinger (who reviewed the rings) suffers from slight knee pain in his right knee, and when he installed the rings he 'didn't feel this pressure.' because of the elimination of the dead spots the pressure was gone.

so instead of going the old bio-pace route, i'm going to look into fitting these on one of my mountain bikes, and trying them out. and i'll get back to you on this.

in the meantime...like jg states...let's get out and ride...

amitabha...

every year in...

KLD 2008
Originally uploaded by ariff budiman

the summer i want to pick up a downhill bike. however i know that i'll never use it to its purpose, and i'd end up doing shit like this just to get some use out of it.

amitabha...

todd fields...

the hill that sucked...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

cross race. good times. the course was great; however it depends who you ask.

it started off with a straight way, and then zigged zagged in and out of a couple baseball fields. and ended up on the hill that is pictured. up the side, down the side, back up the side, down, one eighty turn back up with a barrier around and down. good times. around another baseball field. down next to a stream with a mud pit. no chance of staying clean on this one. out and around another baseball field. over some barriers. up a small incline. through and around the parking lot, and back.

fast hands jon came out of nowhere, and came out on top of jacob and kenny. kenny did not have fun on this one. ben came in second overall in the b's. i have no idea where i was, since they didn't want to post past fifth place in the b's.

personally...good ride. i had a good start, and stayed with the pack that i wanted to. on the first lap of the hill i had to run it, because too many people were 'washing' out. after that i rode the whole thing. up, down, and up again. i made some room at this point. there was a log barrier (if you will), that was smooth for me. i was really good on the barriers this time. i caught some people here too. the short run up, i rode; and then there was a pole where you had to dismount...that was unless you knew the secret place (and thanks to matt i did); where over on the far right you could hop it, because there was a dirt mound on the other side that aided your ride. and other than my chain popping off, and a fisherman getting in my way on the course; i had a good ride, i felt good, and i stayed with the group of guys i wanted too. overall the course was good to me, and i to it.

amitabha...

again i remember...

cockpit of the tequila...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

why sram kicks ass. i upgraded the tequila just recently. changed it to a nine speed. i was having trouble with the whole grip shift/eight speed set up. so instead of 'fixing' the problem; i fixed the problem.

x point nine is the goal. shifters. rear derailleur. is the set up so far. i figured that these are the most important now. and holy shit. is the shifting so exact. just one push of a button, and i'm in. great craftsmanship. i didn't go x point zero, simply because it is not my intention to make this an all out kick ass cross country bike. plus i could not justify the price jump. (this coming from a guy who owns two moots)

also; new stem, and brake levers. when this bike is finally done (which won't be for a while) it will be kick ass. hell, it already is.

big note...have you ever been on your bike, and have pulled something so cool off that you had a hard time believing it? well, that happened to me today. i went out on the tequila for a 'test ride' (first ride with the x point nine) to the post office, and i was coming home. i was stopped by a red light; which i didn't know how soon it would turn. so i decided to kick into a track stand. and wouldn't you know it...i held that track stand pretty damn well on a freewheel. didn't move. just held it. it seemed like a minute, but it was probably more like twenty seconds. pulled up to the next light. and held it again. how about that shit? learn something new everyday.

also my riding philosophy has changed. i'm taking up the philosophy (or at least the idea behind) kierkegaard's quote of: ‘you must, with the same humanitarian enthusiasm as the others, undertake to make something harder.’

that worth having is not easily gotten.

amitabha...

and when...

'mainstream' media catches up to the curve; the curve is gone, except for the masses.

as the new issue of bike arrives at my door, one of the 'headlines' on the cover is 'fixed gear mountain bikes?' i turn to the article, and i find that it is about a small company called smoke; who specializes in fixed mtn bikes. nice.

now from here on out; i could be a nice guy, and give a hand to smoke for what they do. i do. checked out their site, and what they're about; and it seems like a really cool company. just a couple of guys making some really nice things. enough about smoke...

that didn't last long, but what can i say about a company i have no knowledge of, but it is so nice of bike to present this to me. this is such a new concept. so different. so fresh. maybe next month they'll do an article on fixed cross riding. i wonder what that will be like?

'the whole world is passed through the filter of the culture industry.' -horkheimer & adorno from the dialectic of enlightenment

amitabha...

it has taken me...

after the destruction...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

a while to comment on the last cross race. simply because i am so disappointed in myself. in my performance. or lack thereof. i even took half a day off of work, to work through it.

i wasn't last, but i was lapped. i lost touch with the group i wanted to hang with. and over the last couple of days, i've been beating myself up over this. i could go down the list, but it's too long. and in the end, nobody to blame but myself. the things i did. the things i didn't do.

the course was mostly flat, with a lot of really odd switch backs, and a maze (which sucked). they really had to work on this course to make it a course. and that's all that i'll say about the course. cause then i'll just get into a really long self-indulgent rant.

so why put this up? well...if i admit to reading from the big 'book of suckatude' (and it's a big book, believe me), then maybe (just maybe) it will be more fuel to the fire for next time.

amitabha...