c

Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing

Elbert Hubbard

Saturday, May 31, 2008

A Memorial Weekend

Yea, it was a week ago but o'well enjoy my story telling.

It all started on Friday with crusty doing a Friday ride of his own. Roughly two and half hours of spin time.

Saturday's ride was to include some of crusty's riding buddies, but one by one the pussies called it a day because it had rained earlier in the morning and the roads were still wet.  Not to call anyone out or anything but G bomb and Bondo missed out on one hell of a ride.

The Cultural Enhancement Tour(CET) was on the days agenda and low and behold, look who shows up.

                     Is this how this thing goes?  Of course Big Daddy asks this to himself.

Another stranger to the peleton, Tulip, also decides to show up.

The sign says it all!  Lump or Tulip decides on wether his winter jacket is appropriate for a 70 degree day with humidity at 80 some %.

After some finaggling into cycling clothing Big Daddy and Lump/Tulip decide it's time to go.  Of course this means we now have started the clock on Big Daddy time, envision a place where time and space don't exist.  That's Big Daddy time!

We are instructed that the code word for the day 'whiskey' from Big Daddy will be established as the word for 'O'Lord please help me, I suck and I need you to wait for me to not hurt my ego, please!"

The ride commences under cloudy skies with just a bit of water on the roads here and there.  I show the fellows a somewhat new route and cheers are abound.  A couple hours later we arrive at our destination.
A fancy coffee please.  Is that a leaf in my coffee?  I wonder if Mickey D's can do that?
                                                 We also got see this jewel at the cafe.


Lump/Tulip and I got to see why Kansas City is called the City of Fountains after waiting on Big Daddy to demonstrate why it's not smart to ride bicycles on the sidewalk!



Sundays ride started off a little rough when Gbomb thought what he wanted to hear was something completely different than what was actually said.  Bondo shows up with the new toy set up for its maiden voyage.  Very easy set-up punch a few key items in and bang ready to roll and get the data up to date.  A few minutes late Gbomb is ready to go and Bondo has the itch to get the ride rollin.  Off we go, 10 minutes in my toy doesn't read  soooo Bondo reset it and off we go.  The two of them tag team me to death.  Dragging my aching arse body up and down then back again.

But on the way back Bondo makes a discovery...
So beware of the naked doll award.  It can strike anywhere, anytime!

Sunday started out like this...

So off to go get a coffee and then I see this going down the road on a trailer....

After the rain abated I had my traditional Memorial/Fourth of July kit on....

That was quite a Memorial Weekend.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Cycling Geekdom Reaches New Heights

Thanks, Mr Postman.

Now I have hours of enjoyment on those sick days!

Product for the Boys!

Ok, I'm not a big fan of ssshhhiiiiitttteeee added to the chamois, but some of you are sooo....here it is.  

All Good Things Must Come To an End...

And such the life of a Pro must end!

I hope to be able to send out blog's with updates of the events that occur from this time on.

I know how many of you are deeply involved in the 'happenings' of crusty so I hope to continue the in depth stories of nothing and everything crusty!

love,
crusty

NEW 2009 Campagnolo - 11speed!!

Ok  for you Campophags!

Well from many insiders and other sources, we have learned and will tell you for 2009 Campagnolo will release a 11 speed groupsets.


Super Record, Record and Chorus will now be 11 speed.
None of the 11 speed stuff is backwards compatible either!
The chain has been reduced to 5.5mm, and the 11 sprockets fit in the same space that 10 once did.

Yes, Super record is back with Ceramic bushing in the RD and Ceramic bearings among other spots.
Everything is new except the brakes and minor aesthetic changes to the cranks.


Centuar and below will get a complete overhaul, but remain 10 speed.

Wheels:

Bora and Hyperon will both see ceramic bearings.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Only the Goods, Baby!!

Now this is what Chrome had in mind when they designed their bags!!

Your 40 oz, your six pack of girly beer, then one pound of supreme espresso!  Don't forget your tube with 14/15mm combo wrench and pen!

Beer of the Week

For those who thought Pilates was Gay

I have tried to get athletes to try pilates in the past, now this is the way to convince them otherwise!

The Weekend of NOT

Well, I SUCK!!

After getting the Old Skool rig ready to rip up the XC race on Friday, I decided to do the Benetti's coffee ride on Saturday.  Why not?  Nice little warm up before killing the trails in St Joe.

Well, the Saturday started at 8:15 on the creak n fail to make it to the ride at 9.  Well a couple of wrong turns later I arrive at 9:10 to see the ride hasn't started yet!  YEAH!!  We try to put a trailer together to no avail then the ride proceeds to roll.

To my amazement Curbdestroyer laid out one hell of a course for road bikes without trailers and a small child in it.  Poor fellow that towed his child up and down all those bergs, I know his arse had to take a nap after that ride.  After a 20 mile's with ride time of 2hrs we make it back to the cafe.  A 'one of the best' coffee of all time and a tuna sandwich for my lunch and dessert before the ride home.  A little chat time which I had to disspell an Urban Legend about a certain 'list'.

Then Curbdestroyer lead me on a new way home to which we discovered this gem. 

 Man this person did some work on this beaut!  He also had a Air Stream fifth wheel in the back that looked perfect.

After taking some shots CD rolled back home and off I went towards my temporary residence.  I get home with a total of 4hrs of riding time.  OOOPPPSSS!  Not a very good plan I must say if I'm planning on racing the next day.  Oh well, social interaction was good for the soul!!  

I figured I would see how the legs felt in the morning before making the trip to St Joe.  Who would have thought the temp would reach 85 degrees so soon.  Our temp quarters doesn't allow much wind flow, so it was freakin hot as Hades in the house.  Which didn't leave me a restful sleep to get adequate recovery.  

Well, after a little thought and no sleep, along with looking at the wallet I decided to skip it and make the BOSS happy with a little dirt time with her.  First to the store for food, then we ripped it out to the dirt park, where the BOSS absolutely tore it up!  She rode stuff she never rode before and then the stuff she couldn't master she tried a second time.  Nice!! 

 About an hour into the legs came around along with the skills, I was trying my best to run over the worst line possible before that!  Shit, road riding takes the skills out of you fast!  After a hour and half we called it a day and that was it!  At one point of the trail we saw a 3ft Copperhead chillin in the trail.  Sorry no pics, but believe me it was a beautiful Copperhead, I did my best Brady Barr
">and  off we were on the trail again.

My LOSER weekend wrapped up and delivered in a nutshell!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Mechanical Dura Ace 09

Here is a look at what seems to be the final workups for Shimano.  Amazing how some competition jumps into the mix, SRAM (SpRAM), and now the Shimano makes changes that some Pro Tour riders were changing years ago.  

Its nice to see how competition raises the bar.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

The Importance of Pro Tour Athletes

All the engineering in the world still doesn't touch real world, hands on competition that is displayed day in and out by Pro Tour athletes.

Specialized came under heavy criticism first for delivering Tommke a bike that was stock that made him suffer.  He made his feelings known to the press  how bad a fit he was having on the first generation Tarmacs.  Then they made him aluminum versions till he was satisfied with one. Once one was made to his satisfaction they produced a mold just for him, which isn't cheap.  Hence the Tarmac SL2 comes out after testing by Quick Step, then eventually sold to the general public. 


Bicycle manufactures often complain about what it takes to sponsor Pro Tour teams.  But in hindsight these companies do come out with new designs because the athletes demand it.  Then when these athletes win on this bike or that bike 'we' the consumer demand to have it.  That way the food chain is a complete circle from athlete demand to engineering changes to consumer desire. 

Hardtail Course it is!!


COURSE DESCRIPTION:  The course is approx. 7 miles long.  The race loop starts with an open field sprint up a hill into the woods with tight twisty single track for a couple minutes before popping out into a larger open field section that twist and turns through clumps of trees (great passing section for riders). Riders then dive back into tight single track with nice climbs and tight corners. Next comes the nasty climb behind the tennis court and the “Corner of Death” followed by a quick decent to the pond where the trail skirts the pond then up and across the paved road and down a short section of paved trail (another great spot for passing).  Riders will drop off the pavement with a quick drop-in by the creek followed immediately by a leg-bustin’ climb.  The next several miles are fast like a roller coaster with tons of flow and big ring riding for the fast guys.  This section is mostly single track with some open sections mixed in for passing.  Riders will then cross back over the paved road with a couple screaming down hills and killer climbs before reaching the start/finish area.    *Course distance subject to change depending on weather conditions. 

Well let's see how Team ROD does at this one!!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

This left a mark for sure!

The TWC crash didn't look like this but close!

TWC report

Well all I can say is damn it's fun to f#@$ with such serious racers on a group ride!

The pace heats up and the Patron' starts to leave the group, I watch as I'm second wheel as he rides away slowly then My Wife Inc teammate(G-bomb) rolls up on the gutter and screams across to join him. As G-bomb latches on to Parton' I hear from the back "Don't Block" well as I turn around the group is from white line to yellow line, and I'm blocking!  Thanks for the comment Blockhead Sweatamonie!!  Then it's on for some reason. I follow four separate attacks till I'm maxed then the last one sticks and I get swamped.

Sooo, what does anyone with plan do. Resort to the plan. Take the short cut and meet the group for some more punishment.

Now this is where it gets really good. As a small climb comes I take up pole for a little bit up the climb as the Patron' is up ahead and I jump on to help MWI G-bomb close the gap. But, I'm not strong enough with Two Tall taking a massive pull and I have to resort to damage control not to get dropped before the fun really starts through the roundabouts. 

Luckily they didn't run the red light,(imagine that one) well the light turns green and Two Tall and G-bomb rock the roundabouts, me I'm stuck behind the Patron' who decides he's not interested in taking the turns the correct way(following the lines of the road) since the po po was riding right next to us. So as the road opens up we dive down a hill into the next to last roundabout when all of the sudden Downhill Bars decides to dive inside the police man and not ride the correct lane. Being crusty I give him the typical "You dumbass, that was a cop you f'n moron!"

Now it's on, I have officially insulted Downhill Bars, I get the we turn sign and I dive on his inside then gas it towards Patron', Two Tall, and G-bomb which have slowed the pace a bit so I let off a smidge, to coast up to the boys. At this point Two Tall gases it and for some reason Downhill Bars cuts to the inside of the Parton' and BAM, Downhill Bars succeeds in taking the Parton' to the pavement while Downhill Bars rolls over the median.  Priceless!  Shit is strewn all over the road, the median, while Patron' pace's up and down picking up bits and pieces of the items.

At this point G-bomb gives Downhill Bars a sobriety check with the finger to make sure he's not drunk or has a concession.  "I'm not a doctor, I stayed at Comfort Inn last night though!"  Is what I thought I heard G-bomb saying.  After he was officially checked out we left the scene of the crime.

Now I bet I'm not welcome anymore on that one!!  Oooops!
My Wife Inc made it's mark on the TWC, albeit by accident(yea, I said accident).
crusty

LiveStrong Day

Movie Day Part 1

Movie Day Part 2

Movie Day Part 3

Movie Day Part 4

Movie Day Part 5

Just for Bike Week

BMX rules

How it went down!

Here is McGee and Stuey's undoing!

Beer of the Week


Saturday, May 10, 2008

WWLD

This!

Andy Hampstan is Now Drinking Some Wine

Yes,  20 years later an American in Pink!!

Christian Vanda Velda comes through first!!

Is it possible that we might get an American to stand on the podium in 3 weeks?

Signs to Know

These are items I noticed when leaving the burb's and started the slow transition to the hood

1.  Bud Light Bottles switch to Gin and 40's of Mickey's.

2.  House refuge on the side of roads changes to the front yard or sidewalk.

3.  Broken glass on the bike path turns to glass across the entire road.

4.  Short buses trying to run over you become city buses.

5.  The ice cream man rings a bell with some strange music over the speakers to Method Man      coming out of the Pioneer sound system.

6.  From getting the finger by drivers to wave's and other friendly gestures.

7.  No bums to bums on every other corner.

8.  Don't dare try and run a red light(unless your on a group/race ride). It's cool as hell to ride next to deliver trucks who run the red lights!!

9. Not alot of ladies hanging out at the park. But for some reason they hang out at downtown parks. K Jrs would have liked this ride for sure!!

10.  The coffee shop doesn't have as much variety of people to look at as those downtown provide.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Big Pimp'n

I busted out the My Wife Inc long sleeve today for the Cultural Enhancement Tour.

I didn't try the shorts yet because I knew I needed the LSD shorts.  If and when it gets warm I will bust out the whole kit.

The kit was seen Less Scummit, Rougetown, and Klean this City. With no backlash but there could have been some extended stares.  At Broadway Cafe, I did get some stares and a comment about my "Fashion Sense!" from the man with utmost knowledge of style!

Wait til the whole kit is busted out for the TWC next week.  Yea, I have decided to throw down at the chode ride.

Mother Nature has been really kind to me this week.  Again I had to wait for a bit to hit the road.  I missed the lunch rush, but boy did I catch the "Friday Night I got to get my arse home in hurry rush"  Nothing to crazy, due to the fact that no one could miss MWI jersey.

All I can say is good job Endo!!

Oh yea I'm missing this race make sure to look at the results through the weekend.  Two of the crew are down there in AR Kansas kick'n it!  Good luck G bomb and E.T.  Show em city folk can ride!

Oh yea, look for a ride report or something about todays ride.  

Logged 4 and some change.  Pushed around some dumbbells, then this.  Whoa! 

CX News

Are you getting the itch?

Well if not I hope this will start it!

Start Saving your Pennies!

Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 mechanical




STI levers

  • - New shapes, more ergonomical
  • - Under-the-tape derailleurs cable housings
  • - Bars/lever reach adjustement
  • - Right lever shift engagement stroke 20% shorter
  • - Carbon levers
  • - Titanium hardware
  • - Not compatible with 7800 derailleurs





Calipers
  • - Improved geometry, more braking power
  • - New brake pads, 210% better braking performance under the rain and 120% in the dry
  • - Titanium hardware




Rear derailleur
  • - Improved cable pulling system
  • - Carbon pulley plates
  • - Compatible with bigger gear range with no triple derailleur required
  • - Not compatible with 7800 levers





Front derailleur
  • - The plates geometry and width avoid you from trimming, whatever the gear used
  • - No unwanted friction of the chain on the plates
  • - Spring tension is optimized for very smooth chainring shiftings





Crankset
  • - The carbon crankset seems to be abandonned
  • - New alloy cranks:
  •    * obviously hollow, the walls thicknesses are reduced from the 7800 version
  •    * Claimed to be the lightest crankset made by a big manufacturer
  •    * Even stiffer than the 7800
  • - New carbon/alloy bottom bracket for further weight save





Chain
  • - New design:
  •    * quieter chain
  •    * Power transfer increased of 0.6% if used in combination with the newest 7900 chainrings
  •    * No rubbing with the front derailleur if used with the 7900 chainrings
  • - Quick Link for super fast assembling and disassembling





Cassette

  • - Shifting improved
  • - Lighter cassettes thanks to the alloy cogs carrier
  • - Wider offers (11-25, 11-27, 11-28 beside the current offers with 7800 Dura-Ace)





Flight Deck comptuter

  • - Still integrated in the shifters
  • - Additionnal functions:
  •    * hearth rate monitor
  •    * altimeter
  •    * slope indicator
  •    * wireless 2.4GHz frequency
  •    * wireless datas downloading to the PC


7900 prototype levers in alloy
Photo © Fiets.nl



Thursday, May 8, 2008

Shhiiiitttteee Happens

Yea, we've all heard that one before, right?

Well the big epic I planned fell apart after I got a reminder of a couple of life's things I needed to take care of.

I forgot the Boss was off today, and I had to take care of business for the job.  That put a dent into the time frame.

Soooo take two, let's try this gig tomorrow.  

I'm not going to say I didn't do my Pro duty for the day but it didn't entail the epic loop I had blabbed about.  The lake was very pretty with very little traffic and a slight southerly wind.  Which made it a good 'hills' day.

Oh yea, one of the boys sent out this topo of the ride for this weekend.

Hopefully you can get the map to work, I couldn't but I will give you report after I get put through the ringer!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Thank You Mother Nature

Today Mother Nature played nicely today.  

The weatherman said I would have a window from 10am till around 3pm.  Boy was he right on the money.

Checked the thermometer which read 61 degrees with 72% humidity with a heavy overcast sky.  So I decided to throw on the Swobo wool undershirt, light weight long sleeve jersey, euro cycling cap, and my shades with a little old skool balm for the knees.

Got the rig ready to roll in the rain by lowering the pressure in the tires to 90 psi and off I went.

Rolled it out towards Independence and I thought I was going to get nailed by the storm.  It was just right in front of me leaving the road a little damp but absolutely perfect temps with no wind.  Perfect Classics weather, again thanks Mother Nature for another perma-grin ride.

Final ride time for the day: 3hrs and 10min.  Then a nice session of yoga to get everything ready for tomorrows epic.....

Is it possible for three days in a row?

My Theory Coming to Fruition

Ok,  now that I'm starting to lean towards a hardtail for the next race I'm getting way to many signals not to pass up doing it.

Reason #1

Reason #2

The ebb and flow of the Seven is just unbelievable in the singletrack.  Climbing on the technical sections of Landahl were quite easy even on the Maxxis Larson TT  in the rear covered with mud.

Is it time to check out a 29'r built by these guys with this fork and crank?  Sounds like a frankenbike of old, but it does sound like alot of fun!!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

The Life of a Pro (Day One)

Well it begun by sleeping in by over 4 hours over the regular work up and ad-um.

Nice bowl of grits and english muffin washed down with a couple glasses of juice, then my cup of coffee.
             Note the regular sized coffee cup compared to my cup!
Packed up the dog, the mtb and off we went to hit the local trails.

80% of the trails were dry as concrete, while the other 20% was deep arse mud.  Maximilian loved it, jumping in each and every puddle to cool off.  Ten miles later and a permi-grin on my face, this was the end result of a good ride on my hardtail.

I did realize one thing today while cruising through the woods.  I Love my Seven, with v-brakes, semi slicks, with a Fox 80mm fork, and 8 speed twist shifters,  from J.T. (really I bought them from a consignment shop in Durango with some other items of his)

I reckon cutting my teeth will help me ride my full suspension better, although I might race the Seven at the next race after the fun I had screaming through the woods with it.  

Riding it brought back memories of the days when I was riding with a certain special(ized) guy. Watching him tear it up through the woods then following his lines and mannerisms on the bike helped me become quite efficient at trail riding.  

Since purchasing full suspension I haven't had that same flickability that comes with the Seven. Yeah I know it's custom, and it fit likes a glove but I should have some of that moto feel and I don't have it.  

Monday, May 5, 2008

Taking one for the Team

 Well as one team steps out, it's time to train for the second part of the season.

Keep an eye on the blog, there might be some insight into the training plan and workouts coming down the pipeline.

Solidarity for those who have made the commitment to further the cause of others.