[divine.gear]

cycling sucks...

2010-08-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

you read that right. now let me tell you why i make this statement.

i pick up another magazine about cycling, and in it i find another article relating cycling (in this case mountain biking) to meditation. i find a problem with this, because (knowing what i know, or do i?) meditation (i believe) is removed from 'magazine mountain' biking. this is why...

what do you see when you open the pages of a mountain bike mag.? glorious pictures of biking at places that i will never be...check. doing things on a bike that i will never do...check. riding bikes and components that i will never ride...check (and i work at a shop)

meditation being closely related to Buddhism and Hinduism; as a religious aspect. now, taken from there...what do these religions teach us? to, in essence, detach from the material. now, i believe if Siddhārtha (the man who became the Buddha) would walk the earth today he would be riding a bike. a simple bike. maybe even a single speed.

the problem...we glorify our single speeds (number one). number two...think of the sweetest bike you own; is it simple to maintain? for me...the answer is no. my bushing are gone on my full-suspension, work, time, money; and not to mention that it is hanging up until i am able to get this done.

is this a detachment? is this a letting go of the material?

in the spring i built up a monster cross bike. some of you may have seen it; either in person or on my flickr page. in any case...people have asked me about it, and my only reply is 'it's fun.' meaning...there's no fuss. i get out on it and ride. now i have realized that since i am an old man, a rigid fork is hard to take, but in any case...it's a great ride. nothing to really worry about. i don't have to mind the air in any shock, or fluid in any disc brake...just ride. and that's a good thing.

in the computer world there is a term (and shitcakes if i forgot it now) that there will be a time when we cannot fit any more info onto a computer chip and the industry will crash. meaning we will not be able to make computers any faster or more compact. then what? well...i'm waiting for that time in the bike industry as well. when will we reach the limits of carbon? when will we reach the limits of weight? of shifting? which remains our biggest problem. metal to metal. when will the hype run out? ten speed (mountain or road), eleven speed, electronic shifting...what's next?

don't get me wrong...i'm not above this. i'm not one of those pseudo intellectuals riding a single speed/fixie for political reasons (which is bullshit), making fun of you because of what you ride (unless you're really riding shit, and thinking that you're hardcore), i'm not shitting upon you because you watch tv, read these mags., or buy into it...hell i'm with you (i want to re-do my full suspension)...i'm part of this too, but there becomes a point where we all need to let it go.

let the weight of the bike go. let the 'pimp' parts go. remember, unless you're getting paid to ride...it's not the ride that sucks...it's you...

amitabha...

no time for a test ride...

2010-02-07T12:28:00.001-08:00

no time for a test ride...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

on days like these. this is the second time i took the monster cross out. the first time was to the mtn bike trail, and said to my self; 'self, we need a pure mtn cassette on this thing.' and so be it.

what we have here are some parts from other bikes (xtr crankset, xtr rear derl., salsa bars, shim. one zero five sti's, sram cass) voodoo aizan frame, kona project two fork, cane creek one hundred headset, bonti stem, xt hubs, cheap mavic rims (yes, they are rim brake, i said cheap), conti race king tires, avid disc brakes, voodoo saddle, egg beaters...and my monster cross dream is here.

the over all ride is very smooth. i was surprised about this, seeing as how the drivetrain is ninety percent 'used'. being a scandium frame it is very forgiving. not the ride i was expecting. the fork takes up the slack on this front too.

nice and solid on the decent, and very compliant on the up hills.

this bike was a total shot in the dark, since you can't go to your local shop and ride a monster cross...good stuff.

amitabha...

when are you considered...

2010-02-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

vintage? this has been the way i'm feeling as of late; in regards to my bikes. you know that old guy at the shop or riding guy who proclaims 'screw dura-ace; sun-tour rules.' and you ask your self...'self, why isn't sun-tour around anymore? oh, that's right...it sucks.'

well...i'm starting to feel like that old guy. all i wanted was a stem. just one stem with a twenty-five four diameter clamp. that's all. i don't ask for much. oh, ninety mm; mountain style. not too expensive. i didn't want to spend thompson money, but i didn't want cheap either.

in comes ebay.

hell; that was even a task. thankfully i found a bontrager race lite; exactly what i wanted for fifteen bones.

i'm turning into that guy...

amitabha...

during the fall...

2010-01-28T12:28:00.001-08:00

baby in tow...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

i picked up a burley trailer for rides with lydia, so i'm able to at least get out for some riding when i'm with her. she's such an easy going girl when it comes to such things (not so much sleeping), that was able to strap her in, and she just goes along. lucky for me, she loved it.

during the fall i didn't push it. kept the speed low. found hills to get the heart rate up. and tried to keep it about an hour out.

we stayed around the neighborhood most of the time. one time we made it to the tow path. she does fall asleep in the back, but that's o.k. just gives me more time to ride.

i'm already looking forward to the spring with her, and the trailer. there's enough room for supplies for her, and i where i think i might be able to push some longer rides. she loves the outdoors, and watching everything, so here's to hoping...

amitabha...

have some...

2010-01-25T08:25:00.001-08:00

new bike stuff going on, and thinking about posting again.

so i'll see what happens.

amitabha...

ever think about...

2009-07-09T16:16:00.001-07:00

ghetto ride...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

what bike you could do without, if it was ever stolen? cold hard fact...it happens all the time, hell, even to lance. he's the lucky one, and gets it back (but if he never did, i'm sure trek would have given him a new one); however we (the common people) are not so lucky.

well, i faced this question a few weeks ago. i was sent a letter for jury duty, and i didn't want to drive and park in downtown. so what bike to take that i would feel 'safe' that it would be left outside all day, and not be stolen, and if it was i wouldn't care as much. i thought about the fixie, but that's brand new, and so cool. i thought about the trek vw, but i've got too much money invested in that. then about my flat bar road bike, but that is really my wife's, and then i'd have to get her a new one.

so i sat down and built up this little ride. a trek twelve-twenty with downtube shifters. dia-comp all over the place, sram four.zero rear, one zero five front, ritchey/mavic wheelset (old school), ritchey headset, mich. tires, and some saddle. the mix of the front shifter, and rear derl. was fun to play with. the front shifter has a index and friction setting, so having it on the friction setting made it work with the rear derl. not a bad set up.

all parts were either given to me or taken off of other bikes. the only things that i paid for were the tires, tubes, and bar tape. not a bad set up for locking it up somewhere for a long time, and not really worrying about it.

although it does ride pretty nice (i have to really get use to down tube shifters), the frame really is small for me, toe overlap, and knees hitting the handlebar when i get out of the saddle and stomping on the pedals going up hill.

oh...i didn't get call for jury duty.

amitabha...

new parts...

2009-06-29T06:31:00.001-07:00

new race face deus crank set...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

begin to accumulate in the workshop. no time to put them on, because of the little one, but no worries there.

one such part is this little number. the race face deus. this will be put on the smoothie. i've been looking for a good reason to take off the xtr, and this seemed like a good enough reason to me.

light and stiff. can't wait to try these out...if i ever put them on and ride, but i've got more important things to spend my time with...

amitabha...

been meaning...

2009-06-14T07:12:00.001-07:00

new steamroller...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

to post this for a while, but due to our new family member; i've had more important things on my mind...

anyway; this is my new steam roller in the new cream roller color. all of the parts are from all my other fixies:

ritchey bullhorns, cane creek tt brake lever, salsa stem, surly hubs to salsa rims and matrix rims, dura-ace crankset circa seventy-four, time pedals.

the new stuff is the headset, the hope headset i had on the gristle, tektro front brake (required the long arms), easton seat post, and a serfas saddle.

after many attempts at other fixed geared frames, i woke up and said the steam roller is the way to go (again). sold ride quality. it is set up as a forty-two/sixteen.

took it out last night on the shops first ever single-speed/fixed gear shop ride around chagrin falls. it was almost thirteen miles. hellwig and i were the only fixed geared guys. (missed you ben). everyone else was on freewheels (we allowed two to be on geared, they just couldn't shift; cheaters)

the ride started out great out of the shop down three zero six, and onto savage. we lost two right out of the gates (due to wrong gearing, and first timer single speeder). i leaped out to the front right away onto savage. there then came a right turn off of savage, and i started to mix it up with the group b.s.ing with everyone. i can't tell you the rest of the route simply because i don't know my way around chagrin falls like i ought.

however; jacob took us through some alleys, and some trails that i didn't think that my tires would hold up.

i'm not sure what it was; but going up all but one hill, i was up front putting the hurt on. i think part of it was that i wanted to put the hurt on jg (see what talking smack gets you); until he made a wrong turn. but more importantly, the surly handled great.

after the ride it was drinks and food at trifles. good stuff...

it was great to get out for a ride with the guys. the rides are few and far between...quality over quantity.

amitabha...

yesterday...

2009-05-25T12:14:00.001-07:00

parade bike...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

was the annual blossom day parade in chagrin falls. the shop takes part in it every year.

a lot of drink was had by me. and it then became very difficult to steer a front loaded bike down and up the parade route, on a hill no less. needless to say...this is the last time this bike will be in a parade. not a good drinking bike; plus it is heavy as hell to carry on and off the car.

set it up with the pizza basket with a pizza box, and a whiskey container (both empty). mashed a cage into shape for a flask (filled of course; but not for long), man sized beers in the rear basket, and all personal fx's in the bag.

children cramming the route, all wanting 'hi-fives'. candy thrown out on the street. keep the bell ringing just to make sure that they heard you, and i circled around the truck. stayed up front with the rest of the drunks in our line.

good times were had by all.

amitabha...

on tuesday...

2009-05-13T06:28:00.000-07:00

may fifth my wife and i welcomed our new edition to our family...

lydia poppy hamad

amitabha...

the tequila...

2009-04-27T06:16:00.001-07:00

new parts on the tequila...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

is coming along quite nicely. i've upgraded some parts recently to get a couple steps closer to my vision for this ride.

first up the headset. there was aheadset on there, but i switched to a crank brothers directset cobalt sl headset. smoooooth. as far as functionality goes, i think the headset is one piece you should not skimp on.

next the crankset. i forgot when i upgraded the shifters to x.nine the chainrings were still indexed. oops. so i went with a race face evolve xc crankset and bottom bracket. good stuff. shifts much better (obviously), light weight, and good looking.

along with worrying about the front shifting, i upgraded to the x.nine front derailleur. much better here.

for the rear brake i went with the avid ultimate brake. light weight, and stiff.

and since a long tow path ride on this, i put on a pair of cane creek bar ends.

more to come on this ride throughout the summer. including a new wheelset and fork.

amitabha...

here is...

2009-04-02T04:58:00.000-07:00

a hit for the race that took place in sikkim just recently. who's going back? this race might be dead in the water...

amitabha...

last month...

2009-03-10T05:30:00.000-07:00

i sent along some emails to camba; and i did receive a response shortly after, and i quote:

As far as your other question about urban mountain bike parks, we've been approached a few times about things like this. A few years back the city of Cleveland had a project to build a mountain bike park in Midtown. We talked with them a few times to provide some expertise around the situation but it would not have been a CAMBA built trail. A similar thing is going on in the Old Brooklyn area right now.

For the time being we're not giving up on making our 100 mile trail vision a reality. We've been working long and hard on the three park systems to show them that Mountain Biking is a legitimate and desired recreational activity in North East Ohio. They know we're not going anywhere and changing our focus now would jeopardize all the hard work. Personally I think the urban parks are very cool; I've been to colonnade in Seattle and it's really impressive to see what they've done there. For CAMBA though, we owe it to our members and to the region to make sure we make the best out of the situation. That means taking advantage of the massive potential that exists in our park systems. Don't worry, we're making progress, and this will all be worth it when we've got 100 miles of single track.

Please let me know if you have any other questions. If you can do me a favor too, I'd appreciate it. Our membership numbers always drop a bit over the winter months. Make sure all of your riding buddies are CAMBA members. We need to be sure that our voice is as large as possible. Strength is in numbers.

:end quote.

this came from brett. i guess i understand their position/view. two points i take away from this; (one), it is true that all cleveland/northeast ohioians need to join. as i have stated before this is political. even though you don't want to admit it; it is. re-read his last sentence. (two), urban 'sport' parks are important, and are a really good idea. this is the place were kids are able to hang out and play in their neighborhood. they can't drive miles to go play, so why not use some area in the neighborhood to do so? so, i'm going to see what i'm able to do in my neighborhood, and go from there. esp. since there is something being planned in my area. more on that once i get it...

amitabha...

the farfignugen experience...

2009-03-08T11:40:00.001-07:00

new look for vw...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

expands. i've put a lot of money into this bike; in fact, more than i'd like. however the pay off is...it handles beautifully now. and i'm really happy with it. the fork was a bit of a worry for me. i was noticing some rust, and such...and come how; how old is this thing? so, it was time for an upgrade. new fork meant new headset, and stem too.

i settled on the race face ride stem. it is on their low end, but that wasn't a concern for me, plus the cool 'three-d' face plate sold me.

for the headset i went with the cane creek one-hundred. same functionality at their one-ten, but not a much money. little heavier. same concept, and functionality. smooth in its use. and it feels really snug to the fork, because of its compression ring. really like this headset.

fork. this took some time. i really didn't want cro-mo, and no disc...right from there my options were limited. a carbon fork with canti's...is there such a thing? only one, with a reasonable price point. so i picked up the origin eight black-ops carbon. not the best carbon fork out there, but it will do the job for me. the thing about their forks...depending on the length, they are able to be set up for a twenty-six or a twenty-nine inch wheel. it comes out of the 'box' set up for twenty-nine; however some simple turns of the screws, move the bosses down, and i'm set up for twenty-six. nice. lightweight. solid.

together...it all feels really nice, and smooth. the front end is lightened up. more responsive. just an all around smooth feeling, rigid, stable feel to the front end.

took it out for a long ride yesterday, and handled beautifully. like i said before...i have put too much money into this bike than i would like. other than what was mentioned...tires, wheels (not a set, mixed and matched), bb, chainrings, rear derailleur, freewheel, brakes, i put on a different saddle for more comfort (and i just wanted to save, as much as possible, the original), this i had lying around.

so, yeah, quite a bit of coin that i was ever intending to for this bike...but i have to say that the end justifies the means. this is a really nice ride. responsive. who knew that it would cost so much to not be extravagant?

just a really fun, all around, mountain bike; for 'kicking it'.

oh...this is goes out to kenny...when are you going to post, man? stay away from facebook...that will rot your brain...

amitabha...

um;...

2009-02-21T10:45:00.001-08:00

mill run city path, also...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

where am i?

i took off for a ride today. i went down to the metroparks mtn bike trail; i figured that it was going to be closed, and it was. so i was thinking of how to get home other than just turning around. my mind wondered to taking the path that lead me to harvard, and go from there.

i got up to harvard, and noticed that the trail continued to what is called washington reservation. now...i don't get that north/eastish way, so i never knew that it was there. so i took that. next thing i knew i was heading north on east forty-ninth street. then that to what was called mill run. the next thing i knew...i was at harvard and union; going east. i finally turned around at east eighty-eighth.

for those of you not familiar, this is not the best part of cleveland to be in. esp. for a guy riding a bike all decked out in winter gear. i might have taken it all the way, if i had a bike with gears. the headwind was getting to me, and i was on fixed today. but there is always another time. gears, and a nine.

amitabha...

p.s.; after i posted this, i did some research from one of my other photos, and found this from the cleveland planning commission; which gives me more of an idea of where i was.

thanks.

as you know...

2009-02-14T11:22:00.001-08:00

over the last couple of months i felt compelled, and ethical bound to join camba. well a few ideas hit me in these last two days that i wanted to send along to them, and if there are any answers/thoughts/comments for anyone else i'd love to hear. below are the re-prints of the emails i sent:

and i quote myself:

Sent 2.13.09
Dear CAMBA:
I just got done reading an article in the newest issue of Dirt Rag about (i guess the best way to put it is...) outside urban mountain bike parks in the city; through the League of American Bicyclists. Is this something that we are able to do, get involved in, build; whatever the case is? since we are always getting screwed by the park systems in this area? just a thought.

oh, and while I'm thinking about it...is there anything illegal with riding along electrical lines? I just keep seeing the 'trails' along the lines in Independence, and was just wondering what the legality of it was. and if so; why?

thanks.

Sent 2.14.09
another question:
I had:
what about the little parks in the cleveland area? i know some parks where kids build their dirt jumps, and such. and there are trails there; why not take some time, clean them up and then there could be a up-kept trail? also by my house is the treadway trail which (i don't know if you've heard of it) links old brooklyn to jennings; which is right by the entrance to the tow path. well, right by this little paved trail (maybe a half-mile) on the other side is nothing but trees and such. a quick little trail could go there. i see kids play there all the time during the summer. i could take just a weekend to do something little. some bridges over the 'crap', clear away the fallen trees and there you go. i'm not talking or looking for any huge project. just some little things to get going, and then maybe the city could see what a job CAMBA does, and push then for something more. some good publicity; since all i see in the paper is us getting slammed.

i believe these to be some great ideas that could take root. also, by doing this type of stuff, i think kids would be more inclined to get out and ride. they don't have to be technical paths. just something. we're not moba, north shore.

just a few suggestions...

:end quote.

i'll post replies from them if i hear anything. my point becomes, small steps. is the trail in the metroparks great? sure. it's really nice to have something in the city limits so close. so my theory becomes this: have a bunch of little trails set up throughout the community which would make for a wonderful urban mountain ride. i'm not talking something epic, we can't do that without the national park; however, i am talking something fun. become creative. work with what we have. build a portfolio, if you will. these are just my thoughts...

amitabha...

for some time...

2009-02-13T12:12:00.000-08:00

time now i've been meaning to get these up for a little review. these are just some products that i've picked up that i have really enjoyed so far.

first up is castelli's rosso corsa bibs:

i picked these up at the end of the last season, and never really got a chance to wear them until this season. they have wider straps the 'hug' around the chest, instead of coming straight up over the chest. what i've noticed is that they feel less constrictive in the chest area. the inner padding feels great. multi-layer, and all that other fun stuff. the cuffs at the bottom of the legs are snug, without being overbearing. it just feels great. and rides great. the only 'issue' is the logos are coming off, just after a season; but no worries there. oh, they are also surprisingly warm too. they feel great in the mid-thirties weather.

next up is pearl izumi zephrr shell glove:

these go on great right over almost any existing glove. they are wind and waterproof, and they work great. keeps your hands warm and dry during the ride. however; i've found them to be a bitch to get on, but once they are on, they work great. another thing too is, i wear a medium glove...so i picked up a medium here, and they are a little too big; but i suspect that they would work great with a heavier winter glove. even with this issue; once i'm riding i don't even notice it. hardly any pading on the palm of the glove; another good thing about them.

speaking of wind and water resistance; we have the endura stealth softshell jacket:

fully waterproof, and breathable. i just can't put into words how great this jacket really is. two rear pockets, one is ipod compatible. zippered cuff. underarm vents. just a great jacket. i've been wearing it in thirtyish degree weather with a base layer, and a light wool jersey; and it has been great. nice and warm. highly recommended.

another product that i highly recommend are the pearl izumi barrier gtx winter shoes:

these are nice. gore tex lining for waterproof protection. nylon sole. thinsulated for warmth. internal lacing for a snug fit, and zippered exterior with a velcro ankle top. they came with toe spikes; which i always welcome. these shoes fit and feel great.

amitabha...

please read...

2009-02-10T07:34:00.000-08:00

and take part...

national park action

we need this, we deserve this...

amitabha...

i did these...

2009-02-03T06:29:00.000-08:00

over at obanicon; where you just upload an image, and pow...

i stumbled upon it through doc pop's flickr.

then you are able to print it as a shirt or something.

amitabha...

keep track of...

2009-01-27T07:33:00.000-08:00

what obama does with his promise of accommodations for cyclist. this is from the obameter, that was set up by the st. petersburg times.

amitabha...

as the snow begins...

2009-01-10T10:42:00.001-08:00

snow ride to the video store...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

to fall this weekend, michelle and i thought that the best idea was to rent some movies and munch on some pop corn. so instead of digging out the car; i took the bike to the video store.

staying on the main roads wasn't too bad. i just had to find a groove made by a car and i was set. as i started bouncing between streets; that's when it got tricky. i was sliding all over the place. as i came to a main road, i was lucky enough to draft behind a post office vehicle to the drive just before my turn. i hung on him like stink on shit. drafting behind the cars today was good. they weren't going that fast, so i was able to anticipate where and when they would turn. as long as i followed their tire path; as it kicked up snow and left a small 'path' of road.

took a longer way home...which sucked. back to a main road that i knew would be plowed somewhat. then i hit a part of the road where the plows just came from; so that was good.

took a spill just as i needed to turn into my drive, but snow is soft. although if i keep this up...a thunderwing would be a good idea.

now...time for some drink and a movie.

amitabha...

i was able...

2009-01-07T12:38:00.001-08:00

rear brake view...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

to take the new shorty six's out for a little ride. some minimal off road testing as it were.

the conditions were pretty crappy. hard mud, mixed with softer mud. the temps have been around thirty to thirty-four. so you are able to guess what i was dealing with. rode over some ice which would have gone up past my rims if it broke. snow-like conditions. slushy.

the bike felt great, and i'm very happy to have it back; but also...the brakes operated like a charm. responsive, yet not too grabby. and no front end vibration. sweet.

amitabha...

got back the...

2009-01-06T16:00:00.001-08:00

reincarnation of the planet cross...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

planet cross over the weekend. had rear brake bosses put on for single speed freewheel action.

took it out the other day on a forty-four/twenty. good spin. however seems like a high gear for the road; which is o.k. by me. i am looking forward to taking it out for a cross ride (pictured wasn't really a good cross ride) and seeing how it handles. the bike felt great; as usual.

put the new avid shorty sixes on there. work great. set up nice. no vibration. good stuff.

amitabha...

from a different...

2009-01-05T13:22:00.001-08:00

flat bar fixed...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

perspective; and that is riding a fixed road bike with a flat bar (o.k. really it is a riser, but we won't squabble over that).

the frame set was a 'gift' (i still owe beer) from diamond dave. a trek twelve-twenty. it came with seatpost, saddle, headset, and stem (crankset and pedals too, but not in use right now). i put on my seventy-four dura-ace crankset, time pedals, brake lever, front brake, and wheelset. real cheap handlebars, and money into grips. it is set up forty-two sixteen. it was a little tricky getting the gearing set up simple because of the dropouts, but with a chain that i'm able to shorten with half-links; i was good.

this is so i am able to look cool when i roll down into tremont with the hipsters. otherwise, i have ritchey bullhorns on it with a different stem; so i'm just able to do a quick switch and go. i'm not completely sold on the saddle yet, but i'll see how it goes.

but set up in hipster mode, is fun. it's something different. so soon i'll be able to do the tricks i see in the videos. i think the blue to purple fade with the green and yellow grips just make it stand out. don't you?

amitabha...

on january second...

2009-01-04T06:20:00.001-08:00

first ride of thousand nine...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

we hit west branch for the first ride of thousand nine. we were at first unsure of such an adventure, simply because of the 'mixed' signals of the sign postings. the main sign stated that the trails were closed; however the other signs (and site visits) stated that the trails would be open again after december thirty.

so we took a long drive to the park office, and wouldn't you know it...no one was there. mine and your tax dollars at work. so we hit the trail anyway.

the ground was hard, except in some very few spots; namely where all the hunters were walking from the previous days. the trail itself was slow. we really felt like out-of-shape slobs; which we might be. it was not as cold as i thought that it would be. in fact i had to shed a layer.

i stayed in the granny gear the whole time, and just played with the rear. we only rode half of the trail, simply because of all the gun shots we heard...the semi-automatic rifle shots were not comforting at all. got to love hunters. don't get me wrong...i have no problem with them, but really?

anyway...here's to another year...cheers...

amitabha...

from the last ride of the year...

2009-01-01T06:42:00.001-08:00

rest break...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

happy new year...

amitabha...

since i have had...

2008-12-29T12:26:00.001-08:00

should have stayed home...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

a back lash from some readers...i'll bend and put up posts every once and a while.

out at reagan park" this morning, and (as the caption reads) i should have stayed home. i knew it was going to be muddy in some spots, but i didn't think this muddy. felt like i was riding trough sand. no traction. no gas.

on the plus side...i found the second trail entrance. it seems i only get out here when the conditions suck. i really need to get out when they are better.

amitabha...

well...

2008-12-04T04:30:00.000-08:00

i think i'm done...

i've had a long run, and i think i'm just tapped out.

i will keep my other blog up to date (which you are able to find through my profile); and in another couple of months, i may be starting up another one...for those of you that know what's going on in my personal life...i think you understand what i mean by that.

i'll keep my flickr up and running, and just post captions to pictures i take.

thanks for reading this one...

take care of yourselves...

with palms together...

amitabha...

my crime today...

2008-11-26T13:05:00.000-08:00

was not taking a camera with me on my ride. i took off in the late morning for a quick ride to the post office, and i thought i'd hit some park areas on the way back...just to 'check' some things out.

my friend used to say (and i'm sure he still does); as we zipped by some random stretch of land on the side of the freeway...'why can't we have that? there's nothing there.' meaning; that we ought to be allowed to 'build' a trail and enjoy it. no matter how small.

first park i found on the way to the post office was behind a school, and apartment building. i saw a 'trail' and i took it. i immediately saw the dirt jumps that the kids make for the bmxing, so at least i know others are here. nothing big, but a fun little 'park' (we'll say). as i rode around on the trail that was 'there' (snow and leaf covered ground makes riding interested, esp. if you have no idea if you're on a trail or just random ground, coupled with the fact that i took no tools or supplies) i saw huge potential. riding on a ridge. over some logs. just a good o' kick around place.

second park i knew about, but i never had the 'correct' bike when i went to explore. this time i did. i found the spots where the kids hang out. dirt jumps and such. empty beer cans. oh, and i loved this one, an empty box of cold medicine. yeah, cause you're out in the woods, and say to one self...'self, it's time for your cold medication.' stupid kids. just stick to beer. then i headed over to the 'walking' trail; which was really fun and fast...and as i got deeper into the woods i noticed that i was at one of 'those' spots that my friend talks about. so i kicked around the freeway for awhile, and headed back home just a little more muddy than when i started.

so what becomes the point of all this...well, kick around your local park system, and see what you are able to find. you just might find something worth hanging out at for awhile.

amitabha...

as the snow...

2008-11-25T04:59:00.000-08:00

begins to fly out my window; i sit down and watch roam. that was lent to me by norm.

to begin with...good show. great shots. and just a really cool watch. a great way to start my day, with coffee in hand. again the only bad thing is, is that i start to have thoughts of a downhillish bike. a riding style that i don't do, much less have the time to. i'd just become an urban assault rider, if i got one.

another sad thing enters my mind...here i am in cleveland. the home of the only indoor mountain bike park...ray's. and from what i understand; it's pretty popular. this tells me that there are quite a few mountain bikers in our area, so the question arises...why does our mountain bike scene really suck? really...it does. we have a few places to go, but that's it. we have a beautiful national forest area, but it is not used to its potential.

is it political? are our voices being heard? no. instead other riders are pushing for a velodrome...for what? so we can watch track racing? now if cleveland was a major hub of cycling, i'd understand. then supports of this bring up the point, well...it will be big enough to have an indoor soccer field. um...i'm not sure if you noticed, but nobody cares about soccer in the cleveland area. nobody. a few people make it down to catch the cleveland city stars, who won a championship (which i didn't know until i just checked their site)...so who's going to care about an indoor soccer field?

if it is political, then jacob was right when he said that there is strength in numbers. to join camba, and make our voices heard. now some of you know i'm not a big fan of camba, just because they tend to be too much of a trail nazi; which i am not for. however...i keep thinking about the numbers deal. if it is a political game...become political. the disheartening point becomes the bad rap that mountain bikers get, as was read in the pd (local paper) a few months ago. i don't have the date on me, but jim nichols wrote the piece. where it seems that the metroparks would rather let the horses have it, and tearing down trees and placing paved 'trails' in 'nature' and calling it conservation. even though mountain bikes leave less of a mark in nature than either of the former two things. my point becomes we are not north shore riders. i believe that the majority of us just want a sweet cross country trail that we could go out for hours, and get 'lost' as it were.

is it political? then become political.

to pull from my hip-hop influence...don't hate the player; hate the game. i remember one of the lessons that ice (to the mother fucking)-t taught me...to change the system, you need to become part of the system. so join...why not? i just did...

amitabha...

this is a re-post...

2008-11-18T07:06:00.000-08:00

of a post of mine that i put up in september zero five. i've been thinking about it lately, and wanted to put it up again just for information sake. this is able to be found in my archives if you are that interested, but here you go...

"what's my frame made of?
upon inspection; there are many different metals that your bike is able to be made out of.
here is what i found out about some of them...

scandium- silver-white metal; which turns yellowish or pinkish when exposed to air. relatively soft. resembles yttrium (with in this there are two compounds used to make the red in your tv) more than aluminium or titanium. rare material, very light metallic. often used to make high-intensity light. often found in scandinavia. never found as a free metal. interestingly it is found more abundantly in the sun and stars.

titanium- light, strong, corrosion resistant. strong as steel, but is 45% the weight; however 60% heavier than aluminum. it has a high melting point. all these things make it resilient to usual metal fatigue. after being bombarded with deuterons it will admit gamma rays; use caution if this happens, you know what happened to bruce banner? often coupled with aluminum to refine the grain size.

nitanium- from what i found; it is a nickel/titanium compound. its what is know as a SMA (shape memory alloy) metal that "remembers" its geometry. after it is formed it is able to go back to its original geometry after being heated. not a lot found out about this metal specifically.

aluminum- silver metal part of the poor metal group of chemical elements. major resistance to oxidation, strong, & light weight. one-third dense as steel. easily machined and cast. its resistance is due to its oxide layer. and remember if anyone tries to sell you a bike and states that "this aluminum is the same aluminum that NASA uses on their aircraft." so is the pop can or beer can in your frig.

steel- its major component is iron mixed with carbon acting as a hardening agent. the amount of carbon controls the quality of the steel keeping the iron where it needs to be. it is an iron based alloy that can be plastically formed, or if you will molded into shape.

i hope this helps if your looking into bikes and say to yourself what the hell is this? what the frame is made out of is a major factor to your bike. it dictates the feel of the ride. do you want something that is stiff or something more forgiving. the ride is personal, so should be the feel."

in this original post i left out carbon, i know this; but do i need to get into carbon?

amitabha...

last friday...

2008-11-11T05:47:00.001-08:00

clown bike...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

we were cleaning out at the shop, and we came across this little number...

a clown bike; which i was able to procure. this little thing is so much fun to ride. dangerous though.

after riding it around on friday, i woke up the next day with my hips hurting, but a small price to pay to have so much fun.

amitabha...

a weekend of...

2008-11-03T07:22:00.001-08:00

tight one eighty down the hill...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

racing takes a toll on my body, and mental state.

saturday was spent at the chagrin river cyclocross race. course description...flat, field, with some 'technical' sections. my philosophy in this race was, set up out front, and kick some ass. i did. start out up front. i lead the pack for a quarter of the lap. then, over the log i bashed my rear wheel on the log and jumped my chain. and watched half of the pack pass me. other than that, i was just 'hanging' on to my place. which i don't even know. beer was had o' plenty after the race.

sunday was spent at kirtland park with another one from team lake effects. now if it wasn't for it being at kirtland park, i would have stayed home and watched football. but since it was at kirtland park i went, simply because i enjoy the course. and what a course that was. they made it longer than the last time i raced it. the obvious one eighty trek down the side of the theater is always a joy. no barriers; however three run-ups of stairs. this was hard on me. i messed up quite a bit...one wash out on a up hill switchback, one chain jump (pilot error again), should have passed when i had the chance, mashed the boys, should have used 'butter'; so by the third lap, it turned into a 'training' ride as it were.

for some more pics check out the flickr. there are some more from saturday, and fast hands took some real nice ones from sunday; however i only put up a few simply because i didn't want to 'overload' sunday...

thanks for reading and viewing. time to do some soul searching...

amitabha...

the price was right...

2008-10-29T14:14:00.001-07:00

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...

2008-10-28T06:11:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-10-24T05:27:00.001-07:00

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...

2008-10-20T07:36:00.001-07:00

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...

2008-10-16T07:15:00.001-07:00

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...

2008-10-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

'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...

2008-10-08T07:50:00.001-07:00

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...

in my...

2008-09-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

attempt to provide more 'knowledge' to those who i'm trying to 'wrangle' into cross; you need to check out this link about being a 'new-be' to cross for some pointers. after watching these; the sad thing is, and the reaffirming thing is, i do have o.k. skill; i just need to be faster.

next race is on sunday; check it out.

the best time to get into cross is while the weather is good, because when it gets too cold/muddy/icey, you're not going to want to come out into the real cross weather.

amitabha...

first cross race...

2008-09-28T15:31:00.001-07:00

end...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

for thousand eight is in the books.

upon initial inspection of the course, technical. not much room for mistakes. the b group (as we later found out) had fifty riders. yeah, fifty. ben was in front of me by a couple of guys, we all just jammed in together. about a hundred yard sprint, to start. i was on the inside, and a couple of guys jammed in and started kicking up the cones to denote the course. thanks.

a couple of 's' turns later and up the first climb, i noticed guys dropping back (there were a lot of flats, i may have to start brining extra wheels). i caught a couple of guys up the first hill, and around to the technical 'hill'. the course took us onto the side of some hills, always tricky. up the side, and into a one eighty dirt turn. a lot of guys had trouble here. i held it pretty well. down the dirty and dusty side and around onto a gravel road [ninety degree turn into gravel; good times (hug the grass and keep going)], around a field, onto a road (some guys had problems here, i just lifted and went) that took us out to an old light house, round-a-bout, and back, either run or ride up the dusty hill (i choose run, and again where i caught people), into some more 's' turns out onto the beach (some muscled it, i ran it; again catching people), over some barriers, more 's' turns, over gravel, and back to the start/finish.

played cat and mouse with one guy on an ibis, but then i lost him. last lap...i noticed i was alone. no way of catching the guy in front of me, and if i held on, no one was going to catch me...i was wrong. on the round-a-bout one of the women caught me, and then we bounced on and off of one another till after the beach. and at the beach another guy (we'll call him fifty-three eleven; because that's what his jersey said). i knew i could pass him again. the barriers came, and i was going to try there, because i was so good on the runs; but he was too big to get around. just massive. caught up to him on the 's' turns to the finish. i was going to take him on the inside, but he hugged it too much, and i didn't think i had a shot on the outside...i was wrong. mashed to the outside, i heard ben yell, and i went for it, sprint finish, and i got him. i was so freaking happy.

final results...out of fifty; twenty-sixth and ben was fifth. man can he ride.

it pisses me off...i'm good on the technical stuff, but i lack speed. something to work on.

looking forward to painsville next week. hope to see you there.

amitabha...

think you...

2008-09-24T06:21:00.001-07:00

know your favorite trail? every nuance? every turn? think again...

because of my messed up schedule, and recent lack of riding, and cross season is here (first race this sunday); i have had to resort to some unusual riding. night riding.

no worries; right? just put on a twenty to thirty dollar light, and have fun. wrong.

how good are these lights? not real good when you ride on paths (metro or tow) that are pitch black. so enter the more expensive lighting systems. for me, my hope and nightrider. one on the bars. one on the head. one for where i am. one for where i am going. (i know theres some deeper philosophical meaning there, somewhere; but that's for another day) now lets have some fun.

hit the road last night. now you have to be careful; you don't want to blind drivers. so i keep it low key on the road. just one light, flashing. as i got down to the tow path, and away from traffic, both lights; solid beams. headed down the path to the metropark mtn trail (hell, i don't even know if this is legal. i suppose i ought to check that out). through the entrance the shadows play tricks on you. how close something is. how deep is that groove. how quick something comes up on you. needless to say the rabbits jumping around. i see a lot of them. the small insects and arachnids that litter the ground. hell, i think i built up some bad karma. how the rocks sit in the trail. how the roots are. it plays with you. the turns. the blind turns. the flow of the trail. everything just 'comes up on you' pretty quick.

during the day you are able to look ahead a little bit. to see where you are going, and how you are getting there. at night, you are only as good as your light. side-note: i loved the way the shadows played off of the trees while i was riding. side-note aside; i tended to forget where on the trail i was. i kind of had an idea, but where and how soon the next turn was...no. i tended to forget, because i was concentrating so much on where i was at that moment. the initial climb seemed to be shorter than it feels during the day.

another thing to take into consideration...the cars are not aware of you. more so at night. be aware. be safe.

so...anyone up for a night mtn bike ride?

amitabha...

Blogged with the Flock Browser

waiting for this video...

2008-09-19T05:35:00.001-07:00

Embedded Video

Blogged with the Flock Browser

enough said...

2008-09-18T07:15:00.001-07:00

in moots i trust...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

i'll admitt it...

2008-09-18T05:32:00.000-07:00

i'm not a smart guy, or at least a hip guy. a student admitted to me yesterday that i am more geek than she initially thought [she was in one of my other classes, and i get to know my students pretty well when that happens (at least better than if i only had them in one class)].

so pardon the scratching of the head when i read and see this...now it's not the jones bar that i take issue with; rather it's the comment about no top cap. is he serious? so i mosey on over (yes, you can mosey on the internet) to his flickr to the page of the picture, and it is labeled "faith fork". a quick search on yahoo brings up nothing.

so my quandary deepens (how about that for a metaphor?) the top cap 'brings everything together'; headset, fork, stem...so how are you able to go without one?

i'm confused...

amitabha...

and new for...

2008-09-17T04:52:00.000-07:00

zero nine:

giant has their next years models up on their site now. gone are the ocr's, and now we have the defy series of bikes. different set up from last year (thanks to this whole re-vamping of their line thing) i built up one last week, it doesn't look bad; but i am interested in how it rides. the one i built was a little too big to take for a spin. as stated before giant has four new fixed bikes this year.

and kona has had their new line-up up for awhile now.

nothing new on the felt site yet...

just an update...

amitabha...

just a couple...

2008-09-13T06:10:00.001-07:00

trek after night ride...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

product notes.

first the lezyne l-caddy seat bag. we got some of these at the shop. the l-caddy is lezyne's bigger version. it's big enough to hold everything you need in a saddle bag. however the big plus is that everything is kept separate from everything else. there are two 'compartments' to the bag. the upper portion holds a couple of tubes (mtn or road), tire levers, patch kit, and a place for money/credit card. the lower half holds a multi-tool, and a pump. now the advantage to this bad is that everything has a 'place', everything is kept separate from everything else. there are little compartments and sleeves for the appropriate thing.

why is this an advantage? as tools and such are able to rub against the tube or tubes in the bag, then you compromise the integrity of the tube; which would lead to possible other problems with the tube when you need it.

the bag fits under the saddle rather well (it's been used on the vw and the slider). it's not bulky, but it is 'long'.

i also picked up a new light...the hope vison two led. great light. i was planning on using it today at a twelve hour race, but other circumstances took precedence; however i did go out on a night ride the other night and was really impressed with it. it has a wide beam. three different beam strengths, and a flashing mode. i kept it in flashing mode while i was on the road, low beam on the tow path, and bright when i was riding off road at the tow path/metro-park trail (i'm not sure what they're calling it); i would have done more except i didn't have a head light for going around corners.

as you may (or may not) know the hopes are made in england, and they demand strong stuff...therefore this light is strong and stable. a good investment if you're looking for an awesome 'to see' headlight (this is different than the 'to be seen' headlights). it does come with a price though...the price. it's expensive, but if you plan on doing night rides where there are no lights (i.e. mtn or other paths) it is well worth it.

well, i'm going to see if i am able to get out on this rainy weekend for a spin. enjoy...

amitabha...

new for zero nine...

2008-09-12T15:35:00.001-07:00

bowery seventy-two...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

is giant's bowery seventy-two. their retro fixed/singlespeed with flip-flop hub. leather saddle. double strap pedals. old school style stem, and handlebars. seventies style bar tape (only half wrapped). gold chain.

nice bike.

quick handling. great feel.

it's at the shop, and ready for a ride. check it out if you get a chance.

amitabha...

i am not...

2008-09-10T05:26:00.000-07:00

surprised. and i really don't care.

here is the story if you want to give it a read.

at a time where ever other freaking athlete retires, and then comes back...insert name here.

and as i've stated before...lance isn't a great cyclist. he's a great tour rider, maybe the best. but what else has he done? the only thing that he has ever trained for has been the tour...if it's the hardest, why not prove that you are the best ever, and go out and win the other grand tours? compete in other races. go out and beat the field.

my wife said that he wants to bring more awareness to cancer. my retort was that if he didn't have cancer no one outside of the cycling world would know who he is. and that's true. in america people enjoy that comeback story. a beat the odds type of thing. if he didn't have cancer, and still won the tours, he'd just appear on a late show somewhere, and be done.

not to sound too much like a prick...but i hope he does do great things for cancer. but i still remain un-impressed with the rest.

amitabha...

september sixth...

2008-09-07T07:17:00.001-07:00

early morning fog...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

two thousand eight. four hours. six minutes. thirty point four miles.

the mohican ride: the four of us met at the trail head at about nine am. headed out from there. the morning was a little cool, so we all started with some sort of shell/warmers, but after the first climb...we started shedding.

the mix of fog, and morning light presented some wonderful scenery. the trail was just a little tacky...you know the not-dry/not-wet feeling. the grip of the trail was wonderful. everyone was riding great. ben stayed up ahead (like the hammer that he is), followed by a mix of ken, jon, and myself.

as the morning went on, so did the heat and humidity. no major issues. always a plus. one spill from jon, and one from me. at mile nineteen there's a bridge crossing followed by some rocks. well in my excitement i forgot that rubber and wet wood really don't mix that well, and down i went. big bruise on right knee, and some messed up fingers later.

and never say to jon or ken that this is the last hill. never. because if it isn't...you'll never hear the end of it till the end of the ride. so be sure.

after the twenty-four miler, ben and i hit the wilderness for a loop. as we pulled up and got ready we saw an ambulance pull up. not a good thing. from what we gathered...some kids were doing the downhill, and one messed up a jumped and broken his collar bone. other than that he seemed to be o.k.

the trail seemed to be a little messed up as far as the direction was going. we missed the 'rock garden', and the bridge leading up to the second half of the loop was gone, and the 'last part' of the loop was taped off (which i thought we could ride after labor day), so we just finished up and took off.

good times...

amitabha...

so as the...

2008-08-28T16:48:00.001-07:00

weather begins to cool, somewhat (go global warming). and i, for whatever reason, get the race bug...cross season [by the way...crc; is having their first cross race (i was worried that i wouldn't have a race in october)], and also i got an itch to do the twelve hours of mohican; race solo...don't ask me why; i'm just going to go for it and see what happens.

i begin to think of winter, and what often comes with the winter months...the winter project. i do have somethings that i want to do to some of my bikes, but i don't consider them projects. but i now feel that i have a great winter project in mind, and now my winter months are complete. this ought to be fun...

amitabha...

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so i've been...

2008-08-27T07:10:00.001-07:00

street version of i.f....
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

contemplating of a new fixed street bike. there are some nice things coming out for the new year. kona's paddy wagon. giant's bowery seventy-two. but the question comes up...am i willing to spend the money? do i need a new bike? do i have room?

the answers to all these questions were 'no'...money/need/room.

option two...slick tires on the i.f. i had a wheelset built up and ready to go, and i love bull horns on a street fixed. so some simply changes to the i.f. and here we go...

forty-two/fifteen gear ratio, surly hubs, ritchey bull horns...and yes...brakeless.

this is really going to help since my riding time has been cut down to nihil. because of the start of the new semester. the equation of quality over quantity. so if i'm able to get out on this thing a couple nights or mornings a week for about an hour, i think i'll be in good shape. especially with the gearing that i've got going on.

i will have to adjust or change saddles. i'm not sure which yet. and the candys have to go. i'm not a big fan of the candys. eggbeaters; sure. i'm going to be doing some pedal re-arranging, so i think a pair of times will be going on here.

amitabha...

new cross...

2008-08-26T05:46:00.000-07:00

tire by kenda that two directional. one way for soft terrain, and the other for harder packed surfaces. also being marketed at puncture resistant.

upon initial inspection...it seems like the knobs reach around the tire for some decent traction. but my inquiry bring me back to the middle of the tire, and if that is enough traction in muddy conditions. it does look like a good tire for hard/dry riding...maybe the early part of the season, before the mud; or late season when the mud is frozen.

amitabha...

observations...

2008-08-17T04:59:00.001-07:00

during the week at the shop:

so i've noticed some things during this week at the shop that are driving me nuts, and these are some things that people 'ought' to take notice of (notice the word 'ought'; not that they do). two things in particular:

one: quick release levers. these have come around to get us away from the fifteen mm wrench. an 'easy' way to get our wheels off, or even adjust our seatpost. we just pull a lever, release tension, remove wheel; or even the reverse to put the wheel back on. to help the general public with this difficult task the industry has put two little words on the quick release lever...open and close. meaning if you are able to see any of these words that means that the quick release lever is 'preforming' that function. so if you look down at your wheel, and you see the word 'open' on your quick release skewer that means that your lever is still open. meaning that your wheel could loosen up, and fall out of your fork, and you could hurt yourself in a very bad way. so if you are confused about the quick release system...please talk to somebody; come into the shop, and we are able to help you.

two: headsets. i have noticed a lot of loose headsets coming into the shop over the last week. and not just a little loose where a little tightening is in order, but rocking back and forth. this is a very bad thing. your headset is a very important functioning part of your bike. it holds the fork, cockpit system altogether. now, the question may come up 'how do i know if i have a loose headset?' valid. answer; apply your front brake only, and rock your bike back and forth. if you feel something loose, or moving around...it maybe your headset. if this is the case...get it tightened. a loose headset could result in harm to yourself.

speaking of harm to yourself...i've also noticed a lot of crashes coming into the shop, mostly road bikes. what are you people doing? now if you're a roadie, and come in with a great crit story of a race, i am able to understand. however; if you're j.r.a. (just riding along), and crash; i've got to ask...what the hell were you doing? i've been riding road bikes for over ten years now...and i've never had an accident on one (knocking on wood, or whatever my desk is made of). now if you're hit by a car...that's one thing, but to be j.r.a. in a park/on the road and crash...what's going through your head? the bike is not a toy. it's not a game. if you want a game stay home and play your three sixty. know your limits. know your bikes limits. if you can't take corners well...don't take them at thirty to forty miles per hour. i am under the belief that there is a relationship with your bike. that you 'ought' to know (there's that ought word again) your bike just like you know the love of your life (assuming that is a person, and not some material object...if that's the case i do do philosophical counseling sessions on the side if you'd like to talk). what is your bike able to do and not do. more importantly (because i believe that it should never be the bike holding you back, meaning your bike should exceed my next notion) what are you able to do? what is your skill level? should you push your limits? yes. should you push your limits on a curvaceous forty mile an hour downhill? maybe not. unless you've been on that downhill many times and know it.

just be smart out there, and pay attention.

amitabha...

Blogged with the Flock Browser

to ride, or not to ride...

2008-08-10T07:06:00.001-07:00

to ride, or not to ride...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

that was the question, but it was soon answered.

(jg) and i were to go for a ride last night leaving the cleveland hts. area. this was the sky near eight pm. soon after this, the rain came. put the bike in the back of the car, and got some drinks instead.

glad no one else was able to make it. i would have felt bad if we got a group to go and then we weren't able to do it.

next time...

amitabha...

remember these...

2008-08-09T14:37:00.001-07:00

biopace...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

it's the old biopace chainrings. for those of you who do not (for you are too young to), the rings are not circular, but rather an oval shape. why oval?

because in all circular chainrings there are two dead spots where power is lost. the twelve o'clock position, and the six o'clock position. this is just the nature of a circle. and because of these 'dead spots', power is lost, you are in a sense not 'actually' putting power into your stroke.

the oval shape eliminates that. there are no dead spots in an oval shape chainring.

now why didn't these catch on? well...pour shifting is the only answer that i have found.

i did have a chance to take these for a little ride around the neighborhood, and i've got to say, it's a shame that they don't make these rings anymore. they felt incredible. smooth. fast. really nice. they had to come off of this crank, because some teeth are worn, unfortunately. if i could have, i would have kept them on.

now; bobby julich's bike of team csc does ride something similar to the oval. he rides o'symmetric chainrings on his road bike for the very same reasons stated above.

i'm sure with computers the way they are today, somebody is able to come up with a better design than the old biopace. any mechanic engineers what something to do in your spare time?

amitabha...

it is finally...

2008-08-06T05:35:00.001-07:00

rincon...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

done. i waited about two months for the shifter to come into stock, and it finally came in early this week. and after a few beers, i decided to put it on monday night.

one problem...sram doesn't give clear instructions on how to 'cut down' the length of the cable/housing. their instructions are basically 'put it here'. their method is very different from that of shimano's internal hub. they just run a cable to the hub itself, and attach it to the hub; just like you would with a derailleur. not with sram. they have a not so little do-dad (and yes, that is a technical term) that connects to the hub, and the cable runs in that where then you are able to adjust the tension [this can be seen better in another picture i have up in flickr (follow the link to the right)].

so i began to take this thing apart to fit it properly on the bike, and again after a few good beers (try stone's bitter chocolate oatmeal stout). i pulled the cable out of the (for lack of a better/technical term) adjusting/fitting end, removed it from the gold do-hicky (another technical term), cut the housing to length, and zipped tied the rest; because the adjuster end is way to long to fit properly, at least on the rincon.

the rear brake lever is a little out of alignment with the rest of the handlebar, because of the length of the shifter. no worries.

i took it out the other morning for a test ride, and to take the recyclables to the dumpster, and it road great. it cornered better than i thought, esp. with the basket on the rear. wait till friday when my wife and i have pizza. i picked up a front mounted pizza basket for it too. that will be fun. there will be pictures of that.

amitabha...

here we have...

2008-07-31T06:08:00.001-07:00

cross wheels...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

my new cross wheelset. i'm going with a new set up this year, since my rolf wheelset had 'died'. john laced them up for me, since the aero rims were pissing me off. i can't tell you how many nipples were all over my floor for the cats to play with. keep it clean...this is a family show...

the hubs are dt swiss two-forty's laced to a dt swiss rr one.two aero rim. i picked the aero rim for mud shedding capabilities. the two-forty's...well, they're just better than the three-forty's, and i don't have the money for the one-ninety's. i took them out for a 'round the block' ride, and they feel great. nice and stiff. just the way i like my wheels. thanks again john for your help with these.

also, for the cross season, i'm going with a more aggressive tire. the panaracer cider-x. i had these tires laying around for a couple of months, with all intentions of putting them on the rolf's, but...well like i said before. the michelin tires that i used last year, i felt really didn't grip in the muddy stuff. it worked great on a hard packed course, but i'm going for grip this year. i know these are not the best for asphalt, but i could just hammer through that. last year i felt as if i didn't have the grip in the turns. so that's my goal this year.

also, my gearing has changed. i used to ride an eleven/twenty-nine cassette. now, i've upped it to an eleven/thirty-two. and i have my white industries singlespeed forty-four tooth crank. so i think that will give me a wider range, and be able to spin/crank/mash/hammer through the mud, and keep up with ben.

i can't wait for cross season. damn this weather.

amitabha...

went on an adventure...

2008-07-28T05:44:00.001-07:00

rest stop at mohican...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

on friday. randy was in town, so we hit mohican (the twenty-four mile loop), and vulture's knob in one day. good stuff.

first mohican. if you have not made the drive to loudonville...make it. it is worth every drop of fuel to get there. the twenty-fourer is amazing. but if you don't like going up hills or going down, then don't go. however, the effort to go up, is well worth the decent.

we picked a great day to go. the weather was perfect. just a little over cast, and not too hot. we both climbed really well. the course was dry, and fast. there's not a lot of pics, because we just rode. words are failing me here, because it was such a good time.

the knob was a good time too, but we could feel the fatigue from mohican, and then sitting in the car for about forty minutes.

i remember one of my very first times at the knob; at least ten years ago. the course was pretty difficult, you either rode what they had or you didn't. now they give you choices? novice one way. sport/expert the other. getting soft on me.

despite the fatigue, i remained focused. i made climbs that either were hit or miss, or climbs that i never made before. there's a switchback climb after the 'launch bridge' that i finally made. always had a hard time with that one. made the climb after the one bridge, but before the 'rocky descent' section. that one is always difficult. you cross the bridge along side the hill, and then one eighty straight up. seemed a little more rocky then i remember, but i jammed up on the right side of the hill where there were less rocks. after the furnace, zipped down the hill, and a pricker bush was hanging over the trail, and caught my nose. so i've got a nice scrap right on the tip.

only a few days later, and i want to do it again. anyone up for a saturday adventure?

amitabha...

this was posted...

2008-07-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

on a bulletin (the person will remain anonymous to protect their identity) of a myspace page. i won't post this on myspace, because even though i have one, i don't like it. i just keep it to stay up to date on music. my comments will follow.

legal note...this is an exact copy, just copied and pasted. i even took the time and included the pics. that were on there...

enjoy...or not...

and i quote:

"Fixie Is A Fad !

Did you know it was the first type, dating back to the 1890's?
The technology for freewheel was not there as of yet.

Fixed gear was popular in the 1920's for track racing.

Did you know that Cleveland had a velodrome during that time of fix gear popularity?

Now it's a fad.

Don't get me wrong- I will get (had been planing on) a fixed gear bike (Kona Paddy Wagon of course), for a different type of ride sometimes. But I'll be freewheelin' it mostly.

Some of my friends ride fixed gear on the cross country trails (mountain bike).
Been there yet? It could be the new fad!
What happens when you need to hold your pedals for clearance? Mmm.

It (fixed gear) is not for cross riding, that's for sure. I guess it's just cool for commuting to college and the store for a 40 oz.

"

my comments to this:

one: if you pick up a paddy wagon and ride it with a freewheel, then you're not riding a fixed. that would be a singlespeed.

two: fixed mtn bike riding is not a fad. there used to be a site called 63 xc that was around for years. this is nothing new.

three: dictionary.com defines fad as a temporary fashion...manner of conduct. since fixed gear riding as been around since the conception of the bike, and is still around; i would hardly call it a fad. it's not going anywhere. now has it become more popular in recent years? yes. i see the hipsters out in tremont riding them in their cool cloths going to cool places.

fourth: fixed is more than welcome in a cross race. as well as the aboved mentioned 'two'.

fifth: to answer the question about pedal clearance...it's called skidding or setting up your pedal rotation.

sixth: do you know the 'training' benefits to riding fixed? when i don't have a lot of time to ride, even a little on the fixed helps tremendous amounts with my other riding. this goes hand in hand with my personal notion of quality over quantity. i ride about five different styles of bikes, and each one gives me something that the other is unable to. so consequently my skill level increases. now, this is not a universal law (you don't need to go to the shop and buy five different bikes, but i'm sure we'd be glad to help), but this is something that has worked for me. i see cross skills in my mtn riding. cadence skills in my road riding. you get the idea

seventh: this is going to be a personal experience one; so bare with me:
i've been riding singlespeeds for well over eight years now. i was on single before it was popular (and that is the correct word to use. not fad). i've been on fixed for about three to four years now. riding it off road about two years. the first time i road my fixed cross bike off road...it was a religious experience. and those don't happen too often. it changed my view of riding. my style of riding. the feeling that you get from riding fixed off road is beyond compare. you feel the 'flow' of the trail much more. it's not just pedal, pedal, pedal, shift, shift, pedal. there becomes an almost (for lack of any better term) 'unity flow' to the trail.

so there's a short list of responses. i could go on, but i won't. to me this bulletin sounded like it was an attack against fixed riding, and if it was please don't get one. a wise man once said 'if you're not now, you never were.' think about it. these seven things were not put here to convince you that you need to pick up a fixed gear (be it road, cross, or mtn); nor is it here to self justify why i do it (well, maybe seven was). it was however put here to show the idiocy of your own statements.

amitabha...

my new goal for fixed riding...

2008-07-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

amitabha...

finally...

2008-07-10T06:49:00.001-07:00

internal...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

able to build up the internal hub for the rincon. i had everything laying around (hub, rim, tire), but no spokes.

i was going to do a three cross pattern, but the spokes never came in. well, we took a look and found out that they weren't making the spoke length that i needed for this. so, it was on to a four cross pattern. spokes in stock. wheel built.

i wasn't so concerned about any weight issues with the four cross...have you held an internal hub? weight is not a concern.

now the only thing i need is the shifter for this hub (because they only make one kind, and you need that one for the hub), and i'll be set. the shifter is in stock from out distributer, so i should see that next week. and by next weekend i'll be riding.

i modified my travel along basket to fit this hub, and with a basket on the back...watch out. no really...watch out. all that weight and basket can really throw off my turns.

amitabha...

as i've been riding...

2008-07-09T04:59:00.000-07:00

my bike to more places, and not just going for a ride, i feel safer on my bike than i do driving my car.

the other day i was in my car, and i was stopped at a light. i was making a right hand turn. the lanes to the left of me were full. meaning that there were cars there that were planning on going straight. the traffic straight across had the right of way to make their left hand turn. so common sense dictates (and so does the law) that they have the right of way before i am able to make my right hand turn, on red. now from here on in, i'm going to be nice...a gentleman on a motor bike decides that both laws (the law of common sense and the legal law) do not apply to him. and he decides to pass me on the left, and cut me off and make a right hand turn. i'll give some time to let that sink in...

yes, 'pass' me on the left and make a right hand turn. just like something out of grand theft auto. i am able to catch up to him at the next light. i shrugged my shoulders and give a 'w.t.f.'? and he starts bitching at me. at me! i'm not the one who cut anyone off. i'm not the one who broke any laws. i wasn't a ass. but he starts bitching at me. for doing nothing. i could have argued. i could have bitched right back. but two things popped into my head: one this guy is always going to be a jerk, and nothing that i say is going to change that; two, my wife reminds me these people might be packing, and you never know. so i moved on.

but it keeps going through my head...why would that guy be pissed with me? why? i didn't do anything. i wasn't wrong. then i remember the 'philosophy' that has taken over the american people...subjectivism. relativism. my truth is the only truth. my right is the only right. me. me. me.

i wanted to stop driving. i feel safer on my bike. more control. cars seem to be more aware of me, and want to avoid me. to get away from me. my wife thinks i'm nuts for saying this, but then i remind her she doesn't know what i experience out on the street on the bike like i do.

cars have become too safe. and with this safety people forget, or don't care as much about their driving, and what they're doing. they just don't pay attention to what is going on. cars that now alert you if you are too close to another car. what? multitasking while driving. no. just drive. that's all that you have to do.

anyway...be safe out there.

amitabha...

are you...

2008-07-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

taking up the challenge?

i've been doing this for a while now (i'm open to more than two though), but once my rincon is up and running it ought to be more efficient.

i'm waiting on a shifter, and spokes. there'll be a big basket on the rear, and i'm going to modify my basket on wheels to fit the sram hub. all that; together with my bags...the car will be able to stay parked, except for getting to school.

nice.

amitabha...

felt...

2008-06-24T05:47:00.000-07:00

gets more aero with this little number. i can't help but think that it looks more like a tt with drop bars. i bet this is fun to ride.

giant is coming out with new road bikes for next year. nine to be exact. intergrated seatpost looks like will be the big thing on their top end. different 'tubing' and angles. stiff head tube. upon first look...i'm glad i got my ocr this year.

[amitabha...]

finally...

2008-06-05T05:48:00.001-07:00

muddy moots...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

able to get out on the gristle for some real riding. went out with the guys from the shop last night, and it was muddy fun.

despite the twenty-nine front; the gristle handles rather quickly. i was able to turn and move quicker than i thought i would be (i'm not sure if any of that was due to the carbon bar too). i felt rather confident rolling over things with the twenty-nine (that just might be the confidence i gained in ct, but still...) up front. i thought that it would be a little more difficult pulling up the front to get over things (pulling up a twenty-nine vs. a twenty-six), like rocks on short rolling terrain, but i had no problems there. the only 'problem' that i had was the fact that it does take a little more to get moving, but once i got it moving i was able to 'catch-up' to the leaders rather quickly. either it had to do with the twenty-nine, or i just might be in decent shape this year.

the fox is nice and stiff/solid. just how i like my forks to handle. so that's really good news.

i don't think i need to say anything about the performance of the ybb...that just kicks ass; period. however, i would like to 'sing' the praises of custom geometry again. the bike just feels right. i felt like i climbed better than before on a single speed, and it just really responded to my movements. i'm really happy with it. there's a lot to it. so if you are able...go custom. granted; it has to be a bike that you do not plan on getting rid of...and i don't; not this one.

i rode it free last night, but i will begin to play with it fixed; once i'm in dryer conditions, and by myself. i don't want to play 'catch-up' on a fixed with a bunch of people...that might be bad.

i look forward to many more rides on the gristle. great bike.

namaste...

this is my...

2008-06-04T13:15:00.001-07:00

new project...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

current project that i am embarking on. i picked up this little giant rincon from shop's donation 'bin'. it was my size so i said what the hell.

then it hit me what i wanted to do with it. eight speed internal. nice.

so that's where the bulk of the money is going to go. i've got the cockpit figured out, changing the crankset to a single up front, singlulator in the back to pick up the slack. the brakes and levers were taken off another donation...some old dia-comps. i'm going to throw a 'new' bb in there...i have a couple laying around, so i'll try a few and see what works. and finally...i would love to load this thing up with baskets and such for shopping and getting around.

good times.

namaste...

just like all cycling magazines...

2008-06-04T05:27:00.000-07:00

i am asking this question way too early, and i don't even know if this has been brought up; simply because i stopped reading cycling magazines.

but like i wrote in another post; what if contador goes after the vuelta?

first off that would be amazing.

second...if he wins the vuelta; is he a better cyclist than lance? (or at least could he be, obviously).

my argument is, and has always been, lance has only trained for the tour, and no other race. so lance ought to kick ass at the tour, since that's the only thing he has ever done, and been concerned with.

whereas contador is competing in all the grand tours; i believe makes him a more of a well rounded rider; esp. if he wins on a consistent basis.

namaste...

i've been looking at these...

2008-06-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

since i picked up mine...

obviously i enjoy the twenty-niner/twenty-sixer platform; however...have you seen the freaking price tag on these things. really who is going to spend this amount of money on a singlespeed? i understand that the cost is all wrapped up in the fork, but holy shit! i'd be interested to see how their sales do this year on these.

put a different fork on, lower the price, sell more...i ought to be an economist.

or pick up the geared version, and make it a single speed after you sell off everything else.

thanks to lance...trek is just overpriced bicycles. man, that's just unjustifiable. at least mine's custom ti.

namaste...

ben's big dummy...

2008-06-02T05:55:00.001-07:00

ben's big dummy...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

in action.

congrats...

2008-06-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

to contador. you deserve it. kicked ass where and when it needed to be kicked.

ricco...what are you thinking making those comments? you're not too smart. i'll have to chalk that up to 'best young rider' mentality. what if csf group was helping astana? who cares? they are allowed. speaking of csf group...sella kicks ass. it was great watching him win three stages.

that being said...will the tour officials come around? maybe. i know that they do have the 'right' to allow one more team in. worst case...astana doesn't get in, and there is one more grand tour after that...they could kick some ass in that one too, and make the tour officials really look like an ass.

team highroad did well. that's good news for an american team, and i really think slipstream did well too, for what they went through. i look forward to seeing them in the tour. and at least now when sports 'conversations' go on around me, i am able to ask...'name the two americans to ever wear the maglia rosa'. try that at your next cocktail party...as long as you are not surrounded by roadies.

namaste...

any who rides...

2008-05-29T05:21:00.000-07:00

must read this book. it will not only give you insight into the mind of a roadie (if you are not one), but you may even come away for a greater appreciation of the 'roadie world', or even cycling in general. even though i'm not a roadie, i came away with greater insight into myself as a cyclist.

if you have someone near and dear to you that doesn't quite understand your 'hobby'/sport...buy this book for them. so that they are able to understand you, as a cyclist, more.

jamie smith writes in a style that is clear, and humorist to get the world of the roadie across. and jef mallett does the art for the book (hell, mallett is just awesome for his work in frazz, who is a cyclist too...if you haven't read this comic...do so).

smith answers the question of why roadies are the way they are. and even working in a shop, and going to cross races i've asked myself this question...'what's up their ass?' maybe because i consider myself more of a 'general cyclist', and not limited to one style of riding...the roadie is a confusing thing. when a roadie comes into the shop in peak wrenching season, and wants his bike back in five minutes...when i know the problem is more than that even if we were dead, much less packed. i now have an idea. so thanks for the enlightenment.

namaste...

a few notes...

2008-05-27T05:32:00.000-07:00

from my point of view...

it seems like contador is the rider that i thought he is. it seems that last year at the tour was not a fluke; like phil and bob said he was. a couple of weeks ago on versus they said that it was a good thing that contador and the astana team won't be at the tour, because contador is such a young rider, and how could he deal with the responsibility of being last years champion? that the only reason that he won was because of the mis-hap of rasmussen.

well before that, correct me if i am wrong, wasn't contador in second place? so if he couldn't handle the responsibility, if he couldn't be a great cyclist, then how the hell was he in second?

last year wasn't a fluke. contador is able to handle the responsibility. he is a great rider. if he couldn't handle the 'pressure' then wouldn't he have 'cracked' by now? why is he in the lead? hell...go for it.

new product...

i picked up the gel-bot the other day, and tried it on the ride home from the shop. it's a water bottle that has a gel flask built in. so you are able to get your gel and water from the same system. not a bad idea. you are able to 'squeeze and suck' (keep it clean...) the gel from the flask, and then open the top for water. the flask carries about three gel packets, not a bad number for a ride. you are obviously able to carry less for shorter rides. it's not a bad system. you are able to get away from carrying multiple packets on you. to get away from carrying gel flasks with you. and from what i understand that they will be (if they haven't already) selling just the tops/gel flask separately so you don't have to buy a whole new bottle. these tops work with any specialized bottle. the whole system cost about eighteen bones; that includes both bottle and system.

i'm not sure how much i'm going to use it, maybe often/not, but i enjoyed it on the ride. you able to take small 'sips' of gel as you go, instead of a whole one or nothing. you obviously able to do that with a flask too, but then you are dealing with two systems. this seems like a nice combination/ratio of gel to water.

worst case...this will make a great gift idea for the cyclist in your life.

namaste...

able to get...

2008-05-25T05:24:00.001-07:00

road riding in ct...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

away for a few days to ct to do some visiting and riding. have not been doing a lot of riding recently because of school and the shop, so this was a great chance to do some of that.

got out there wednesday night, and thursday hit the ground running...a sixty-seven miler road ride. mind you i haven't been on this bike not more than ten miles...what a break in ride. the giant ocr c two road great. and other than dealing with some cable tension, the sram rival was amazing. i have to say...i'm a convert. not only is sram crisper than the others, but i think the shifting itself follows a more 'natural' hand flow than anything else. the bike itself is light, responsive, and comfortable. it's not a 'stiff' racer, but that's not what i want. their tcr series is stiffer and 'racer'. don't get me wrong...the ocr is stiff, but not racer stiff.

than after that we hit a local mtn bike trail near the house. so for the whole day we, maybe, close to eighty miles.

light day on friday. we went to hartman park, and did a couple of hours out there.

saturday was our trip to r.i. to arcadia wildlife management area. what a great day of riding.

one thing that i learned really quickly during my mtn biking adventure...how to ride rocks. uphill and down. in ct and ri you can't get away from them. they are such a natural part of the trail, that you either learn really fast, or you walk; and where is the fun in that?

some amazing views, great riding, and great company. thanks for the hospitality.

namaste...

seatpost, saddle, and jersey...

2008-04-13T10:52:00.001-07:00

seatpost, saddle, and jersey...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

the gristle is complete with the arrival of the new moots cinch post.

now for the weather to break to try everything out.

namaste...

i was able...

2008-03-28T14:56:00.001-07:00

version one.two
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

to take the gristle out today for a short ride. i was hoping to get out to the trail, but it was way too muddy.

what we have here (not only a tribute to the slider and the smoothie but shot the other way) is a new version of the gristle. it now has a rear brake for when i use the freewheel. and because of this i was able to get a better sense of the bike as a whole, because i'm not used to fixed mtn, yet.

first off, i played with the cleats for the crank brothers pedals (i switched the cleats around to allow greater degrees, and put the little plastic piece under that, and i enjoy the pedals much more), so they get an 'a'.

second; that two-niner front is a bitch to get rolling, esp. with the thirty-eight/sixteen gearing, but once you get that turning...it goes.

climbing was a joy with the custom geometry. i also notice this with my i.f. there's something to be said for custom geometry.

my first time with a carbon bar; which feels so nice. it took out a lot of road vibration.

i was also taking 'risker' turns on this than i would on the smoothie. i could feel the twenty-niner just carve the turn, keep going, and the twenty-sixer said 'oh, o.k.' and followed right along (like it had a choice in the matter). it is a quick, but stable bike. i can't wait to really test it off road.

the bike will go through one more transformation once the cinch post gets here, and moots claims that they are being shipped out. then i'll be able to get the proper height (this is the seatpost off of the i.f., and is not really set up for the gristle, and the saddle is a selle itallia gel flite which is good on the i.f. too, but not here) then with the cinch there will be selle itallia yutaak; which i've been waiting about a year to try. then it will be complete.

i did realize something though that sucks. my front wheel could use some tweeking with the true, but the damn thing won't fit in the stand with the tire on. bastards. so either practice with it still in the fork, or take off the tire, or to hell with it.

until next time; which i hope is a 'review' of it off road...

namaste...

upon further consideration...

2008-03-24T13:44:00.001-07:00

upon further consideration...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

i built up a freewheel wheel for the gristle. i figured i needed a rear brake.

be aware...

2008-03-18T15:19:00.001-07:00

namaste...

got out...

2008-03-02T14:29:00.001-08:00

winter in the park...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

again today for another fifteener. i couldn't decide where to go, so i just took the route from yesterday; but backwards, and added a little on like getting into the tremont area. don't know why, but i love riding in tremont on sunday.

heading south i had a nice headwind. that was fun. and now i've got to clean my bike. damn.

yesterday, and today i tried the motor tabs in the water. i had these free samples in my bag since the show back in sept. the company states that they turn 'ordinary water into a smooth, refreshing sports drink.' bullocks. i didn't like them. it wasn't smooth. it wasn't refreshing. they were too effervescent for me; which made it unpleasant to drink. the taste was weak, and i really didn't feel any benefits to the drink.

however...

get out, and enjoy the weather...

namaste...

was able to get out...

2008-03-02T05:16:00.001-08:00

who needs a trainer?
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

the other morning for some city fun. hit a park near the zoo, then headed north a little and down into steel yard commons, and then home. just a quick fifteen miler. not bad for a cold ass saturday morning.

who needs a trainer anyway, when you have snow/ice covered streets; to the point where there is no black top? that's fun. that's honing your skills. in-door bike park? for what? icy, slippery streets of cleveland. that's my park. i may not have speed, but i stayed upright; and that took some skill...

namaste...

a bike revolution?

2008-02-23T08:35:00.000-08:00

i'm not sure what this means?

so i come across the b.i.k.e. movie, and i sit back and watch the trailer. then i hear a woman telling me that 'black label is not for strangers.' so why did you make a movie/documentary?

'the only real outlaw bicycle club.'

you want to live without a car? that's great. i'm happy for you. but don't force it on others. don't do violence against me, because i have/want to drive a car. that's just wrong.

you then become no better than the nazi's of world war two. an oppressor. you're using violence to get your point across. and what does government do to deal with violent behavior?

they makes laws against such behavior. restricting such behavior. then restricting my behavior. my behavior to ride a bike.

even to make it un-safe for me to ride. i am already aware of people in cars that don't 'trust' me, or even like me because i ride my bike on the road. so is that what i want...more pissed off drivers? no.

these pseudo-punks (that's right pseudo...punk is dead) think that violence is the way to get your point across. i have to ask...what's your point? it is not to 'live by the bike,' by any means. your point becomes violence for violence sake. there's talk about community. well, if anything you are creating a 'dis-community' by segregating yourself from others.

to be a community we need to live together. community.

is this just another way of disconformity, but yet at the same time to conform to something else? you just want to belong to something so bad, but you still want to be 'different', and then get pissed when people single you out? jackass.

get a clue. grow up. take responsibility for you actions. here's a concept...know yourself. understand who you are. have a sense of identity. or just be another sheep in another flock.

i hope this is not the way the bicycle revolution is going. i'd hate to hang up my wheels.

an eye for an eye; makes the world blind...

namaste...

so here we have...

2008-02-19T13:00:00.001-08:00

gristle...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

the new gristle ninety-sixer. i thought about taking a nice 'basement' shot, but decided against that, and opted for more of an 'riding' shot.

below freezing today, so i figured that the ground would be frozen; thus safe to ride on. it was. see what logic is able to do.

quick run down of specs...
frame: custom moots ybb gristle w/ single speed slider drop outs
fork: fox f29
wheels: surly hubs laced to salsa rims
drivetrain: white industries double/double (free) surly dingle (fixed)
hope headset, and stem
salsa carbon bar with salsa lock-on grips.
old avid ultimate front brake lever
egg beater pedals.
the seatpost and saddle are not what is staying on there. i'm just waiting for the seatpost i want to come in.

i had them put on all the cable guides, for when i get old, and want things like gears or even a rear brake.

it rode pretty well at the local trail (i love saying that). i felt like i was 'fiddling' too much with the pedals though. so i'm going to play with those some, and get all that dialed in. the saddle isn't quite right, but that will work out once i put on there what is going on there. the gearing was too high, but i didn't want to change it in this weather, so i just left it and mashed through. and that's the other thing...i'm out of shape. but other than that...the ride was great. i can't wait to get it going in the proper gearing, and see what it is able to do. esp. fixed.

namaste...

all i am able to show in good conscious...

2008-02-13T16:23:00.001-08:00

all i am able to show in good conscious...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

it is here. it is technically built up, and ridable, but i must hold off right now. for it to really be complete, i am waiting on a seatpost.

namaste...

quick winter loop...

2008-02-08T11:50:00.001-08:00

mud and tracks...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

today down into the valley and the tow path. it rained pretty bad at the start of the week to the point the valley was pretty bad off. about three miles from here the roads were flooded, and you are able to see that from some of my other pics.

just this thick goopy mud covered parts of the trail; where there ought to be pavement.

mother nature is pretty awesome. we were lucky...we just got rain, and some snow. not as bad as they said it was going to be. but it wasn't too bad out, so i took a quick loop and came home.

namaste...

a philosophical question...

2008-02-02T06:43:00.001-08:00

forty-four tooth crank...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

what makes your bike yours? or better yet...what makes your bike you?

there is a belief that the bike is just an extension of you, at least physically. this i can't argue. however, when/if the bike becomes an extension of your personality?

here i am making reference to my slider cross bike. why do i bring this up? well; when i was working at another bike shop, a friend of the owners came in and they started talking, and it came out that i rode there. the gentleman stated that 'this is your bike. isn't it?' and he pointed at the slider. i asked, 'how did you know?' he replied 'it just seems like your [(personality/style) paraphrased].' now how is the slider my personality?

i believe that there are key things with a bike that maybe only you know or have done, that does not necessarily effect the bike, but may affect you, in some way. my examples with the slider are the fact that i have carbon spacers. why? the frame set is steel. i'm not saving weight. other things that i have done/changed if not only for my eye...i have a king headset that is their rasta color set [the paint job is called rasta flame] to match the frame; well i changed the top cap color (which should be green) to blue. no reason. just something different to look at. i recently put on a dura-ace cable gear thing. you know...the little gear guide that the cable feeds through to tell you what gear that you are in, that all the hard-core roadies get rid of...yeah, i put one on. xtr rear del. when i was asked about that, my response was 'well, if xtr is able to take mtn biking, it can take a cross race.' meaning i'd rather have that level of reliability than something made for road riding. i have old school xt brakes. one inch headtube. one-zero-five brake/shifters. my cross wheelset is old school rolf vector pros. my bar end plugs have lights. an i.f. fork, which is white to off set the rasta flame paint job...also i'm not rasta, so why that paint job? i just saw it in the vicious paint list, and said 'hell ya.' so how does all of this 'explain my personality?'

is it the fact that all of this is non-conventional? and i didn't go out and say 'this' is what i'm going to do. i sat back and made choices that made sense to me. i know that there are 'better' parts out there, but i chose to go this route. i could have a sweet pair of zipp three-zero-three cross on here, but that wouldn't make sense to me.

so why bring all this up?

well, for a couple of reasons. one; i take what the gentleman said to be a huge compliment. because who else has ever heard that? sure, we've heard things like 'sweet bike', 'nice ride', and those types of things, but to say that a bike brings out who you are? second; the frameset is working on ten years old. it's steel. this is not going to last forever. what am i able to do next that will still bring out my personality? all parts are able to be transfered over, except headset; but what frameset would bring about the same affect? yes, affect.

i would stick with vicious; however, what about ti w/ painted panels? panels that are painted rasta flame? to keep the 'soul'.

these are the questions that plague my mind. even though i'm well steeped in philosophy, the big questions don't plague me as much. this is what plagues me. nice.

namaste...

mmmm...shiny...

2008-02-02T06:17:00.001-08:00

double/double...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

here i am some more parts closer to the new singlespeed. this is white industries' double/double drive train. the crank is a thirty-five/thirty-eight tooth set up. then the freewheel is set up as sixteen/nineteen tooth. no more wondering what gear ratio that i need. too hard, simple switch. too easy, simple switch.

the freewheel is on the other side of the hub from last post.

i put the bottom bracket on order, and the stem. so the only thing that i will need will be the headset; which has been backordered for some time now, seatpost; which is also backordered till mid feb., and brake levers. oh, and the frame. it's the little things. the frame should be here early feb. no worries.

right now i'm also just putting more effort into the slider, since that will be my 'main' bike. i also put a w.i. singlespeed crank on it. that's a forty-four tooth. two more teeth than what i had on there. and i am also putting in a higher quality bottom bracket. because that will be the bike that will always be ready to go.

namaste....

this is just a picture...

2008-01-19T09:24:00.001-08:00

mtn fixed...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

of my new mtn wheel, that will go on my new singlespeed some time at the end of next month.

it's a fixed/free surly hub laced to a salsa disc rim. the new singlespeed will be able to be flipped or flopped. i'm only going to run a front brake (as if you couldn't tell). i have some of the parts already, but most are on back order of what i want. like headset, seatpost, and stem. after the frame gets here, i'll figure out the length of the bb. the crankset and freewheel is on the way. everything else i have, bars, grips, saddle, fork, wheels, and pedals.

both the steamroller and monolith are gone, and the warrior is on its way out. the stable is settling down.

namaste...

update...

2008-01-10T12:37:00.000-08:00

on the stable...it is now cut down. two bikes on on their way out, and another one will be out soon (depending). no word on the new toy yet, but that will put me down to four bikes. two geared. two single/fixed. what more could anybody want? i'm also updating the slider, because it will become my road/commute/cross-race bike, and i'll need that thing in perfect condition if i'm going to ride it that much.

there is a new cycling club in town. it's free to join for zero-eight. i stumbled upon their site, just by chance; and found out there there are going to be cross races at reagan park down in medina. so my thought on joining would be to maybe be kept informed on races, so i don't miss any. there are three remaining that i'm going to try and hit. the reason not to join is that their sole sponsor is the shop i work at, so i'm not getting any benefit there, and i'd rather support the shop itself through racing than going through a second party.

namaste...

so my...

2008-01-04T06:13:00.000-08:00

transformation of my stable has begun...

here and here. however i feel good about this. i'm changing the stable due to philosophical reasons rather than money reasons.

damn that whole reading, and belief thing...

namaste...

unite...

2008-01-03T06:33:00.000-08:00

on the last day...

2008-01-02T06:54:00.001-08:00

an enjoyable day out...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

of the year; randy and i were able to get out to westbranch. we pulled up and the sign said that the mtn bike trails were closed. we then pulled around to the parking, and that was closed. checked out the sign that said that deer hunting season was over the day before. so we thought that it would be o.k. to ride. took a tour around the boat parking lot, and a ranger came up, took down the hunting signs, and the 'no riding' signs; and we were off.

the weather was great. not too cold. i would say when we started it was in the upper thirties. it ended in the low forties.

the entrance to the trail was a little muddy; however the 'lake side' of the trail was great. not muddy at all. covered in leaves though, which made turning a little tricky. i was taking the trail pretty hard, like it was dry; but i quickly learned, and slowed down a little. however as i warmed up...i gained back some speed.

this day i did get my quota in for flats. three in total. my first flat was the front; a thorn. new tube, and off. later on...we're going down a hill side, and into and across a stream; which was very slick going over the rock. because of this; i had to push up the other side, and i started hearing the 'spiss', 'spiss', etc...as the wheel turned. yelled out...'another flat.' it comes back 'are you serious?' 'yup.' rear this time. torn again. patch kit this time. as we were repairing the tube, a guy came by with his dog. which it was at this point i made up my mind...when/if we get a dog...i want a trail dog to ride with. anyway...we chatted with the guy, and he was off. so were we.

we took the loop up, and skipped the 'expert' section; however on the way down, on the other side of the loop, we took the 'most difficult' section back. coming through the rocks i noticed that my rear tire was slipping off the rocks. oh well. not enough air, but i'll get through. then i noticed that my front was really slipping. flat. 'are you freaking kidding me?' 'nope.' jammed a bunch of air in there and took off. 'screw it. we're almost done.' and that was the case. took the long out, and headed down towards the fields. saw some hunters, got covered in slop from the fields, and back to the car.

good times. great ride for the last day of the year. the next day (new years day)...snowed like a mother. nice. i may have to shovel my driveway. oh well...

namaste...

so yesterday i took a look...

2007-12-16T06:57:00.001-08:00

out for a winter ride...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

out my office window, and saw the snow a flying, and said 'what the hell.' grabbed the smoothie, and headed out for a winter wonderland ride.

the snow was pretty bad that i grabbed my lights. i had my 'disco' rear and my night rider minewt (this light kicks ass, the strobe feature is a little too intense that when i used it i actually got an headache, so i keep it solid) for visibility issues at three in the afternoon.

i headed down to a park that is near the zoo; where there used to be some trails around the park. the only bad part of the ride was when i went down the hill past the zoo; the snow was stinging my face, but the climb up was fun. however; when i reached the park there has been much work down there; baseball fields, houses going up, 'multi-use trails'; so needless to say the trails that used to be there are gone.

i rode around the park, and then headed home; for an overall ride time of about an hour. not bad.

clean up wasn't that bad. i let everything melt. came back to it later that night, checked the brakes, cleaned and relubed the drivetrain; good as working order (not new).

[namaste...]

a quick shot of my new work area...

2007-12-01T10:21:00.001-08:00

messy, but new work bench...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

too much time...

2007-12-01T09:29:00.001-08:00

and you thought you were fast...

2007-11-12T05:48:00.000-08:00

nice...

this being the...

2007-11-11T11:51:00.001-08:00

mud from cross...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

aftermath of my drivetrain from the cross race this weekend that was put on by team spin. i hope that they put up pics., because this race was sick. toughest course in a long time.

the mud was only half the issues. they had a lot of zig-zags. a 'natural' barrier, in the name of a downed tree. and an enormous run up. this adjective doesn't even to being to describe it. we ran up the side of a massive hill. it was only supposed to go up half way, but the park system cut the grass all the way up, so that's what we did.

not only did i have trouble clicking in, i also had some trouble clicking out, as you are able to tell from the pedal. new pedals for me. this was a great time.

my problem was that i had a hard time telling what lap i was on, or how many more i had to do. so on two of the laps (both of which i thought were the last ones); i kicked it into overgear, and over took the guy ahead of me. needless to say on the last lap i couldn't keep up with him, and finished in fourth. first and second place took off right from the start. so bad in fact i didn't see them the rest of the race. so if i would have played a more conservative game, and understood what was going on through the start/finish i think i could have at least finished third, but by my last and sixth lap, i was spent.

i look forward to many more cross races, and thanks to mtn road cycles for the support.

namaste...

so here i have...

2007-11-03T08:44:00.001-07:00

new version of the vicious...
Originally uploaded by divine_gear

the vicious with the twenty nine inch wheel on the front. doing some researcher on this, this type of bike is able to be called a sixty niner single speed; however i like to think about it as an ninety sixer. i just want to get away from the sex reference.

i noticed the 'change' immediately. i felt more upright, taller and rolled 'smoother' (this is the best word i am able to come up with). i often heard that the twenty niner is 'slower', this i noticed on turning into the corners on the road, but i think that is due to the thickness of the tire, and not the size of the wheel.

when i hit the trail i noticed the difference, and it took some time to get used to. but once i got it, i got it.

it rode kind of like a c-cross bike. the twenty niner flowed with the trail. down. up. over. i just flowed. flowed better than a sixer. however my rear end was 'jumpy'. 'skiddish'. but once i learned how to 'control' this, it worked out to my advantage of moving around on the trail.

in the last post i spoke of how the trail is quick. well, that was on a fixed cross bike. now on a single speed free-wheel; i've got a new view. not a bad one, but a different one.

after the 'climbing' it's down the side of the hill, and it's freaking quick. you are able to 'bomb' it; however with quick forty-five degree turns, ninety degree turns, one eighty degree turns...control becomes key. at least skidding. things come up on you fast, and you better be ready, if you are taking the hill.

with the rear end 'jumping' i was able to vary my skidding around corners. more control, sit down. less control stand up. next week, i'd like to take the smoothie out there and see how that handles. but i think the trail is best suited for the i.f., but the vicious is fun as hell. i'm going to take this out on other trails to get a better/different feel for it. trails that i am familiar with, and see how it handles.

namaste...

i'm not one...

2007-11-01T05:21:00.000-07:00

to give camba props, however i've got to in this case. it is often the case that i curse them as i ride. 'why the fuck did they put that rock there? wait, that's not a rock, that's a boulder.' 'bastards.' 'what do i need north shore shit in northeast ohio.'

however they have done a great job on the new metroparks' trail that i was able to ride the other night. this trail is about ten minutes from my house. so last monday night after teaching, i got home, and grab the bare minimum, grab the i.f., and out the door.

dashed down the hill into the valley, and hit the tow-path. as i got closer to the trail; i started looking around. i knew where the trail head was, but i didn't know where the trail went. question started to fill my mind...'is it over there?' 'it could go that way.' like a little kid on christmas. i get to the trail head, and begin to read the sign, but then like a new video game i rode with the 'who needs to read the instructions?' mind set. what i did grasp was that there were two trails. an easy. an intermediate. fine. i'll be riding them both.

the trail is quick. for both sections, it's about three miles. i did three laps in all. and that was only because i wanted to get home before the sun went down. like i said...'bare minimum'.

quite a few switchbacks. and on the fixie...fun. since i didn't bring a camera, i'll try and go through the ride. it begins with a small uphill. and then a left turn down into the woods. because of the location, they have many signs up warning you of what was coming. which makes sense. because of the 'novice' people in the area.

i hit the first switchback, grabbed the brakes, and skid around the corner. after you make the 'climb' up, and all down the side of the hill, and switchbacks. there were quite a few tricky turns around the hill, so i was able to skid my way around. also with the 'tight' course, i was able to skid on my non-dominate side; which is a great feeling. on the road i find myself skidding with my left foot forward only. but here i was able to do it with my right foot forward.

one corner i came in too fast, and up on a bank, and spilled. nice. on one of the laps i came upon a 'bridge.' they have many of these wooden bridges pressed against the hill side; which i assume is for erosion purposes. i came upon it hard on the bank of the hill. too hard in fact. since i was on the i.f. and the skinny tires, there was the possibility that the tire would get stuck in between the bridge and the hill; which would not be good. so i un-clipped my right foot (hill side leg) and pressed it against the hill side; all the while pedaling with my left. i kept pushing off the hill on the down stroke of my left, until i was pasted the bridge, and had the 'safety' to clip back in. i have to say...i was amazed by myself.

down some more into a built up bank, and on to a bridge (hammer, hammer, hammer) and out of the woods, and onto a gravel road, and a quick loop around the easy track, and out. just a great time. i even had thoughts about joining camba, with the intent of helping on upkeep of this trail. the jury is still out on that. i hit my pedal quite a few times on rocks and things, so on the next off-road fixie, shorter crank arms.

i'll be hitting this trail many times. if fact i'm going to get my wife on it. next time; which will be soon, i'll take my camera to get some pics.

until next time...

namaste...

these are just...

2007-10-26T05:05:00.000-07:00

some artsy pics of the twenty-nine inch wheels that i am building up.

another note with these...i finished the front. for i have a 'plan' for it already, even though i've got nothing in the way of a frame, but i'll put it once i get it finished. i'm waiting for a tire.

however; i spent the other night truing it, and getting all the spokes tensioned up. and yesterday i took into the shop to check the dish, and wouldn't you fucking know...perfect. it suprised the shit out of me. i checked it once. checked in again. i said 'no, that can't be. i must have done something wrong.' nope. checked in a third time. holy, shit. so, i'm pretty stoked about it.

namaste...