Busy bee.

Less blog posts usually means ive been doing more stuff. I have. Been pondering: i want to muck around with bigger/lower pressure tyres. To this end, i have ordered a 29er uma rim from speedway cycles, alaska. This, built onto a currently unused dt 240 i have sitting around (i know, i know) will allow an experiment in low pressure. How low? word is <20psi is possible in the dirt with the bead glued. We'll see.

Why? well, doing shenandoah again is the primary reason. The ti fork i recently received is beautiful. To look at and to ride. There is plenty of steering accuracy, with a subtle give afforded, i think primarily, to the crown arrangement. There is a little more offset than the pace to, to sharpen the steering a touch. Darren crisp has hit the nail squarely on the head with this one, and if anyone is looking for a forgiving, well made, light and beautiful rigid fork, id heartily recommend him. He is an artisan. But with shenandoah, the search is on for even more comfort. Indeed, i even mooted a bike frame for a suspension fork, or down tuning a reba or fox to 50mm travel to work with the non-suspension corrected geometry.



Once i get the wheel built ill decide.

What else~? riding...where? not telling. I reckon the trails im riding on at the moment are particularly sensitive to increased use. So, either you are reading this and know where i am riding, or you arent living anywhere near, or maybe you are reading this on a random. Whichever, all i can say is steep, slidey, tight trees and quick moves. Nice.



Leave has been organised from work and so far, bristol 12 and the worlds, and shenadoah are all on the cards. Kirroughtree is probable, and Chris and myself have some unfinished business to attend to in Knoydart. Then in may biff and myself are hitting the picos de europa in northern spain for some bikepacking/refuge stuff. Maps procured, and all i need is some time to look at them and start the mind wandering.

Also im in bike lust mode. As part of poking around at snow rims, i found this...9:zero:7. Built by merlin. snow bike and can be run with 29er fats too. Imagine....



Cooking. Trying a few new things. Pasta with italian wine, spicy sausage, venison and rosemary today in a tomato based sauce. Good. The other day i made a peach and southern comfort sticky goo, which i splooched over smokey, griddled meat and with a warming salsa boracho it was super. Along with this, rice, with cilantro, red pepper, green onions, peas and pineaple which had been griddled in kahlua. This is part of my january assault on veggies and carbos. I have a winter coat i need to lose.



Im also going to be doing another sports science project with esteemed andy cathcart. This time aerobic versus anaerobic sprints. Sir Chris hoy had better watch out, im comin'.



In the odd "i was looking back at you to see you looking back at me to see me looking back at you" files....we have this from arctic glass blogger and ghost trails author jill homer....

Strathpuffer

As ever, weather, darkness and hard riding for 24 hours. Enojoyable riding initially with the trails highly improved and team singletrack/savalas running around 5th for the first 14 hours. Then we discovered a healthy stash of beer, and so slipped out of the top 50 by the end. Still, we proved fixed riding in snow is not only possible, but good fun. Photos to follow.

Anja and Shaggy won their solo races. Epic, no other word. Both of them rode determined, intelligent races and in the end were out of sight of their competitors.

The new fork arrived for the tIF today, courtesy of artisan darren crisp. Check his work, it is beautiful in person.

I shall report fully, but it feels stiff and light.

Singlespeed world championships, 09: Durango.

Oh yeah.

Oh yeah, baby!

Oooooooooooooooooh Y e a h !

Janu-tachery

F.B.R.O.T.Y

First big ride of the year and it wasn't exactly 'planned'. I dallied on google earth this morning, as im trying to find a way out to mugdock area, without using the road. I got pretty close today, though at times i felt i was (or maybe actually i *was*) in peoples back gardens. Still, no one threw a golf ball at me - at least one that got close...



I eventually found my way onto the Allander Walkway. This trail is a nice singletrack that runs along side the high flowing Allander river. To go to mugdock, you have to follow it towards source, which i did before jumping onto the west highland way and out trough Milngavie. I then headed out to the park proper, before taking a north towards the campsies, over the Dumbrock Moor.



It was here that Adrian, Mr Chops and myself rode the other night. At one point the trail goes down a series of 3 steps, the last being the biggest. As it was raining, at night and there was a steepish drop to the right, i decided against riding it (fixed...) Adrian seemed keen enough to ride it that we had a small coming together. He managed to get up on his front wheel, burl around, and sort of side swipe me as i stood like a buffoon at the top of the drop. Needless to say we went down in a heap. Bruises were handed round and we limped off to take the dyke road.



I decided today that i was going to ride it. Hey, it wasnt raining eh? So i came into it cautiously, aligning my pedals, and .... stalled. Nuts.

And again. This time i rolled the bugger, with only a near cataclysmic release of adrenalin. Up the dyke road, and then onto the singletrack section that climbs back from the corner of the woods towards the WHW. Then i saw a wee glimmer of a trail. I followed it and lo' and behold found another area with some nice rooty/rocky steep and slidey track, including one drop im going to have to go balls out for.



Anyway, tidying things up i spent a little while wandering around on what i can only assume are poachers trails, before finally making it back onto the WHW and into mugdock again. Thence back to the Allander water path which i decided to follow to its conclusion.



Interestingly enough, although the path is in disrepair, it is good riding. But then, at the last, just as i was about to duck under the bridge into Dawsholm park, the path stopped. Seems someone decided that when they built their new house, the path was just so much to be ignored. Large baskets full of stone dumped into the river, acting as a wall behind which the foundations could be laid. I had no choice other than to go back (not so easy given the dimming light, and the lack of knowledge as to my exact whereabouts) or to climb up, and into the property. At that point i only new that it was a building, not a house. Turns out its for sale, with 24 hour security, and a big electric gate. Welp, i was reduced to shimmying up the fence, and dropping my bike over. Calories were depleted despite a late in the day mule bar, and i needed to get home and eat.

Up the road, through the Vet school singletrack and back.

A good ride and 5 hours of pain on the fixed. Not one dropped chain, and only 1 crash. Woop!

Chainline

So after footering around to try and find a way to get the chainline sorted, i looked up old friend 63xc. Matt chester may not be flavour of the month, but he describes very nicely how to measure chainline. You need vernier gauge and a good ruler. ideally mm measurements.

Taker vernier gauge and measure diameter of seat tube. Half it. This is A.
Measure distance from middle of tooth on chainring to edge of seat tube. This is B.
Add A and B.

Then with ruler measure distance from inside of drop out to middle of cog at rear. This is C.
When measuring, measure with all bolts/creaks tight as they would be riding.

If you are using a 135 hub spacing, then the number to note is half this, or 67.5mm. Adjust for hub width as required.

C+A+B should equal 67.5 or as close as dammit.

So as there is limited movement with a screw on rear cog laterally, you are down to adjusting the B number for chainline. If you use a tomicog or london fixie cog then you can alter both.

Russian salad.

I like cooking. Last night i marinated lamb chops in red wine vinegar, hot smoked paprika, garlic and thyme. Then with a little russian salad: peas, capers, waxy small potatoes, tarragon, parsley, red onion sliced fine, and a dressing made of 0% and redwine vinegar and a little mayonaise. Recommendo...

I will kill yaaww monstah...

Where have i been? Ardnamurchan mostly, with several trips to edinburgh to see family and friends. I guess now the festive season is over, and its time to get a routine back. However, heres a summary:

Crimbo: top food, pub quiz game and merry families.
Hogmanay: Facadale, ardnamurchan for some remote scottish scenery and some drinking with friends. Good kite flying too...
Back in Weeg: having put 650b wheel together, there was a brief delay until it could be put to use.

Headed out to local trails and everything seems good. Better than with the 26", though traction not quite as good with the neo moto as with the maxxis DH tyre, i guess thats to be expected. Wheel built nice btw, the sun equalizer rim (27mm wide, 510g or so) seems nice. the weld was a bit uneven, otherwise probably my fastest wheel build ever.

Ride-wise, the bigger wheel steepens things up and overcomes what i have concluded is the effects of the width of the front endomorph coupled with the pneumatic trail (ie caused by the tyre being low pressure)

Ace fun. I also seem to have got better at riding fixed off road, the trick is a little rear hop to try and get the cranks in the right place. Concentrate, and you can make anything thats not huge...really...

What else? apart from sighing and shaking my head at the situation in gaza, i missed the tod cross, which i would have liked to have been at. Sounds like chipps did a grand job. Photos on flickr, linked through my contacts if you want to footer about.

Got some good scrambling in, and some pretty hairy little climbs in ardnamurchan. I had taken my rock shoes, and with the traction on the superb rock you can get pretty high and cornered before you realise. The ice could be skethcy too. Prolly just need to man up a little.

Anyone know any good mustahce wax?


Also, toddle over to sswc 2009 get yer crayons out too. Im number 33...

Ouch.

So there i was, balanced at the top of a 2 foot drop off, following a steep slider down from the tight singletrack through the woods. It was the first time i had ridden the fixed off road in anger and a couple of issues had plagued the ride so far. Firstly, the dreich. Fortunately i had a pair of pearl izumi gtx shoes on - winter boots lined with thinsulate, and wrapped in goretex. Toasty tootsies, despite the wet.

Secondly, having changed the chainring that morning, i had not considered whether this would change the chain line. Which, due to several dropped chains i had found it did. All that for 1-2mm. Ah well. Schoolboy error/live and learn.

So there i was.

The riding at mugdock is not epic. It is a small park area on the outskirts of glasgow. However, it is both close to my home, and the trails there are good. Woodsy, tight, slippery, rocky technical with grunts up and steeps down and enough exposure to keep you interested.

One of those sections runs down a fall line, the over a collapsed wall. Hence the 2 foot drop.

The learning curve i am on for riding fixed off road seems to be steep. Perhaps exponential. I came off the bike more today in 2 short hours than i have in the last 2 months of riding generally. Several of the falls hurt bad enough for me to question my reasoning and longevity. Still. I want to do this. Not least to boost tecnique, but also out of sheer bloody mindedness. It *is* fun, just in a grunt grrrr exhale BAM ouch sort of way.

So there i was.

On the edge. I knew my cranks would rotate and the pedal would hit the ground just as i tried to roll the edge. This would perhaps launch me sky ward. So, experimenting with new technique, i decided to hop the rear wheel up and counter rotate the cranks before taking the drop. This would leave my cranks enough room to rotate around the drop.

As i hopped, the front wheel started sliding forward over the edge. No way i could stop it, so i jumped over the front of the bike. The run out is short and has a number of rocks in the grass. These allowed me to use my shins to arrest my forward progress quite quickly. Somehow, i had caught the saddle behind me as i jumped, and dragged the bike with me. Good:- it missed the rocks. Bad:- it hit me.

Ouch. That hurt.

As blood oozed out of my leg, and after a quick check of my other limbs, i went off to find the other techy bits.

Peace, love and death metal.

I know you love it, so - eagles of death metal are touring next march in the uk.

We saw Gogol Bordello last night. My ears may recover, and its true to say the gypsy punks from the lower east side via ukraine are tremendously entertaining. Catch em if you can.



After mull, it took a fair amount of time to reaquaint with this time zone. Nevertheless, we are finally beginning to see a slight drop in demand at the surgery, which is good. Its like a pile driver at the moment. Always is at this time of year.

Riding? PAH! not a bit, though the pacenti neo moto and the equalizer rim arrived c/o Kirk Pacenti and they are a nice combo. It should pull the fixed/fat back a little as its a trifle slow steering at the moment. Not so much on account of geometry, more as the enormous contact patch creates enough steering drag when turning that a 1/2 degree more head angle will help.

Really liking the fixed off road. I guess its mostly people like Tomi of cog fame, and the harrisonburg massif (the old hugh jass lives on) and endurance man dave nice who have inspired this. Also, it will give me a chance to enjoy slow and slippy, technical rides in winter that would usually become a little dull.



Ive ridden those trails and they are fun. Riding them fixed? you have to see it.

Anja is staying at the moment, having finished her tenancy and being pre a london move. She dominated the socttish female riding scene, and now shes comin' to gitcha. We'll all miss her, but its one of those things isnt it? having friends all around the world is a beautiful thing.

Im eagerly watching jeff's blog at the moment. Things seem to be pretty dynamic there and, in keeping with a lot of folks i know, moving towards 'bike-packing' type riding is becoming the thing. Check the truss fork bags. Ace.

Feel the need to rest and relax. Soon i will spend a bit of time with friends in ardnamurchan. A remote spot on the west coast of scotland, ill try and gather some thoughts, make some plans and try and read some books that might inspire me. There doesnt seem to have been any time to take stock, let alone sit still, for so long now im not even sure i know how to do it anymore.

So. enjoy the coming week as things (hopefully) wind down to geamhradh proper and we try and get everything sorted for the puffer.



Physics? dont need no stinking physics...

Mull

Back. What a week end. We owe davey graham and crew a thank you for putting on a great event.

There were a few casualties from the excess of booze consumed on friday night, as the cold rains lashed the island, but the race was fantastic with good performances from the vc moulin squad and the usual suspects.

I managed to get round on the fixed blob-o-bike and actually enjoyed it.

Picture is marty's. He needs to work on his heckling though, what does clown bike mean eh?

Cross season is over. It was great.

Dundee and fatitude.

So, we decamped for dundee and the cross championships. After 13 races, there is but one left. This race crowned the champs and ross creber stormed the course like, well, like a pro. Even with his eyes shut.



Anja continued her winning streak and all in all it was a reasonable race. Some fool raced in short shorts and a hawaiian shirt as a nod to the man with the best 'tache in the business - magnum, PI. Most of the usual suspects were in attendance. Well, i say most, because the mo'vember challenge for the cross finals was attended by ..... me. Does that mean i win, despite my rather wispy effort?

Who knows...



I also spent today making the roshambo into a fat front/26" rear bike. In order to do so i utilised some london fixed kit. The ratio is 38:18 and it seems good. I spent some time on some steep slidey trails and some stairs today as a 'feasibility' ride. Onwards...



At the moment i am investigating some wtb 27mm wide/550g rims due out soon, according to mike at black mountain cycles in point reyes station, CA, as i think the ultimate set up for this type of bike might be a 650b rear wheel. We'll see...

Just asking

Are some things still worth dying for? Is the American idea* one such thing? Are you up for a thought experiment? What if we chose to regard the 2,973 innocents killed in the atrocities of 9/11 not as victims but as democratic martyrs, “sacrifices on the altar of freedom”?* In other words, what if we decided that a certain baseline vulnerability to terrorism is part of the price of the American idea? And, thus, that ours is a generation of Americans called to make great sacrifices in order to preserve our democratic way of life—sacrifices not just of our soldiers and money but of our personal safety and comfort?
In still other words, what if we chose to accept the fact that every few years, despite all reasonable precautions, some hundreds or thousands of us may die in the sort of ghastly terrorist attack that a democratic republic cannot 100-percent protect itself from without subverting the very principles that make it worth protecting?
Is this thought experiment monstrous? Would it be monstrous to refer to the 40,000-plus domestic highway deaths we accept each year because the mobility and autonomy of the car are evidently worth that high price? Is monstrousness why no serious public figure now will speak of the delusory trade-off of liberty for safety that Ben Franklin warned about more than 200 years ago? What exactly has changed between Franklin’s time and ours? Why now can we not have a serious national conversation about sacrifice, the inevitability of sacrifice—either of (a) some portion of safety or (b) some portion of the rights and protections that make the American idea so incalculably precious?
In the absence of such a conversation, can we trust our elected leaders to value and protect the American idea as they act to secure the homeland? What are the effects on the American idea of Guantánamo, Abu Ghraib, Patriot Acts I and II, warrantless surveillance, Executive Order 13233, corporate contractors performing military functions, the Military Commissions Act, NSPD 51, etc., etc.? Assume for a moment that some of these measures really have helped make our persons and property safer—are they worth it? Where and when was the public debate on whether they’re worth it? Was there no such debate because we’re not capable of having or demanding one? Why not? Have we actually become so selfish and scared that we don’t even want to consider whether some things trump safety? What kind of future does that augur?
FOOTNOTES:
1. Given the strict Gramm-Rudmanewque space limit here, let's just please all agree that we generally know what this term connotes—an open society, consent of the governed, enumerated powers, Federalist 10, pluralism, due process, transparency ... the whole democratic roil.

2. (This phrase is Lincoln's, more or less)
by David Foster Wallace

Gratuity

Looks like the piccies are sorted, eh?

Beer me.

Been drinking beer from the Williams Bros brewery in Alloa (a~LOW-ah as some would have it ;-)~ ). They have a couple of gems. The good times, and seven camels particulary. What interested me was their grozet initially, a beer using goosevberry as part of the preservative.

Tonight, im on joker, a premium pale ale, and very nice it is too. Dark golden, zesty, not too hoppy but with floral hints and a profundity to the taste that is very satisfying. Recommended. 5% 500ml costs you £1.89.

Waltz with Bashir.

We saw Waltz with Bashir last night. A moving and thought provoking film, that also acted as an education for me. I had no idea about the massacre at Sabra and Shatila, 2 refugee camps for Palestinians in west Beirut on 15-16 september 1982.

In essence, the Israeli Defense Forces allowed Lebanese Christian Phalangist militiamen to enter two Palestinian refugee camps, where they massacred somewhere between 800 and 2000 people. Women, children and men.

It has been said that it was some form of revenge after the killing of Bashir Gemayel, who was looking likely to become president and was the Phalangist leader. It has also been said that the motives were more complex and politically driven. Whatever, another dark hour for humanity.

If the human race ever ends up in the dock, we are going to have a hard time persuading the jury we are anything but a selfish, nasty, power hungry group of xenophobic arseholes.

Go see.

Slack

Raced at plean. One of my favourite courses. Fast, twisty, through the trees. Even better, it was cold. As in c o l d. Minus 5. Needless to say the slack babbath t (sleevless, natch) was the purrrfect choice. Dunno where i came yet. If you separate the seniors out from the vets and juniors and women, im sitting in 10th for the season. Happy enough with that....next week - the champs in dundee. The tache is nearly there...i think i might keep it at this rate.







I used some embrocation at the week end. Good timing for that purchase eh? Its pretty good indeed. Infact, i'd say its indispensable for the winter rider....



The day prior i made a new chilli con carne. Pretty simple, so i'll run through it here. Worth a try. Cook onions slowly. I used a mix of bacon fat and olive oil, which worked well. Add good quality beef mince. For 4 people id use 2 good size onions and 500g meat. Then, colour the meat, add mexican or normal oregano, some heated and ground cumin to taste and chilli powder. The recipe calls for quite a lot - half a cup. I used slightly less with success. Then a cup of beef stock, 3 cans of beans (i used 2 black beans, and 1 baked beans) and some tomato or passata - maybe 400g or so. A healthy table spoon of brown sugar and a few glugs of red wine vinegar.

Cook it down for maybe 1/2 an hour and have with corn tortillas and a fresh salsa (in this instance evil jungle prince - mint, cucumber, radish, habanero, white onion, tomato and cilantro doused in some lime juice) or maybe rice.

Blammo.

Fatty

So, if i put my chunky rear wheel, with a london fixed cog on the 6 bolt disc side on my roshambo, itll run the fat front wheel and fork with good geometry...

Killing 2 birds with 1 stone? try fixed off road, and check out a lower bb frame with the fatty? the stays end up being 1/4" longer, the bb 1" lower, the head angle may be as much as 1/4" degree steeper...

I think its a goer...

I know you know i know...

SSWC09.

For it is a human number...