Does a bear shit in the woods?

My Dad had been visiting with us for the past couple of weeks. I had to drive him back home over the holiday weekend so I wanted to stop over in NJ to visit my friend Rich and his wife Katie. Thught it would be a great opportunity to ride too. So on Monday he and I drove over to Ringwood Sate Park. Hadn't been there in 10 years so I was stoked to go. We didn't really know the trails and the maps we had sucked but we found some good sections but there was lots of climbing.So about 3 plus hours into the ride we are really starting to feel it but we finally found the Skyline trail which is supposed to be one of the best trails in there and it did not disappoint. I only wish we had hit this wen we were fresh. So we finally figure out which way is back to where we parked and were finally getting into riding the trail when I come around a corner and BAM! There's a black bear on the trail...with two cubs...and there all about 15 feet in front of me. "HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!" Must have said it a few times "...an effing black bear with cubs, go back...go back!!" I told Rich. I have never been more ready to shit my pants than right then. Then we had to back track the difficult terrain with our bikes between us and the bears. We waited a few minutes and watched them move off up the hill. With a huge sigh of relief we moved on back the way we were going and made sure to hoot and holler the rest of the way. For while we were still on our toes and vigilant but eventually we relaxed and laughed about the whole thing. Rich asked me "Does a bear shit in the woods?" and I told him I wasn't going to stick around to find out. In the end I guess that's what mountain biking is supposed to be...fun and memorable.

Rear Hub on the Switch is Toast!

So had a great ride Tuesday during lunch at Schenectady Central Park with some of my co-workers. Trails were in great shape too. So we rode did log rides, skinnies and the ridge drop...no problems. I got home that night, took my bike off the rack and started wheeling it into the garage. It was then I noticed the rear wheel really dragging, looked like bent rotor. So I was going to swap it for a new one when on closer inspection I found that the hub is actually split at the drive side and has propagated more than half way across! The last thing I would expect is spitting my rear hub...at SCP no less. Not sure if this is just from age but I have never seen a failure like this. Too bad too cause I really liked this hub. Had to put on my rear DH wheel for now. Thank God for spare wheels.

Damn ticking on the SS and new tires on the Switch

Still dealing with some ticking noise on hard acceleration with the SS. I took the bike out today at lunch and everything else worked fine. I had to lower the bars by swapping a spacer but that was it. Bike rode pretty solid. Will probably have to replace the slightly used cog for  new to see if that is the problem. Too bad....the bike looks and otherwise runs perfect but little problems like this really annoy the hell out of me. Makes we want to buy a new SS..almost.

I picked up some Bontrager Big Earls from a friend for the Rocky Mountain. These are the GumBi compound wet versions. The front is supposed to be 26 x 2.5 but it looks just like the 2.35 on the rear. Doesn't matter, I think I'd prefer that anyway. These are probably the best tires I've ever used for NE riding. They shed mud well and stick to wet rocks and roots provided the air pressure isn't too high. I also have a set of the 26 x 2.5 Big Earl dry versions which work great as well but are a bit heavier and slower. I am looking to lose some weight on the bike. The tires are always an easy fix and these Bonty's will roll faster than the Stick-E Kendas I had on there previously. Going to try them out tomorrow. Next will be a lighter bar and stem combo and hopefully something not as stiff as the El Norte setup I have now. This will be predominantly for trail riding. For DH riding I typically swap the bar, stem, wheels and tires for something more heavy duty.

Singlespeed parts swap...part V

I got the bike back and the headset looks nice. So much smoother too...guess that's the difference between ball and cartridge bearings. Riding this weekend is out since the wife is working nights. Looking forward to riding next week.I'd like to set up a weekly singlespeed ride like we used to have a couple of years back with the SMBA crew.

Singlespeed parts swap...part IV

Had a friend make me spacers that were the proper size and installed them on the back side. This allowed me to mount the fasteners flush to the cog which just looks better.

I still have a problem with a dull knocking noise that sounds like it's coming from the rear hub but could be that the new chain is not meshing with the slightly used rear cog. I am going to bring it in tomorrow to have the headset replaced so I'll see if I can have a new rear cog ordered too. The chain line seems to be off ever so slightly and I have adjusted it as much as I can. It should work fine and I don't think this is a cause of the knocking.

Rode SMBA for the first time this year

Had a half day today so I went and picked up a membership and drove up to Saratoga to ride. I took a co-worker of mine who just got a new Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC. Nice bike and perfect for these trails. We rode Pilgrim, 107, Bee, Ridgeline, High Noon, and a portion of the Carriage trail. The weather was perfect but I am soooooo out of shape and sooooo not used to riding up there. Definitely a different type of riding than what I normally do here in the Albany area. I really miss riding over bridges, rocks and logs...I love that type of technical riding. The climbing I could do without...just kidding but it just tells me I need to get out there and start riding/running/whatever to get in better shape. I am sick and tired of being the slow guy.

Singlespeed parts swap...part III

I picked up my new cog from High Adventure Ski and Bike on Monday. It's awesome having them so close to my work that I can run over during lunch and get exactly what I need. I am glad I went with the FSA over the Salsa because the look of the black with machined raw areas really tie into the Race Face crank I am running. I installed it last night and re-sized the chain to account for the extra two teeth. Two problems with this chain ring, it wants to mount on the opposite side of where the old one was which changes my chainline and the chain ring bolts I have are too long. I did find some spacers I could use and they work but I would rather get the proper sized bolts for this setup. Also, I'll need to adjust the BB cup spacers to try and shift the crankset over and try to maintain the original chainline.

I replaced the brake cable housing to the rear brake with some Jagwire housing I had lying around from previous bike builds. This cable is much stiffer and doesn't compress like the old one so response and brake feel is improved. I decided not to use the full length housing and utilize the interrupted cable guides on the frame instead. There are a couple of reasons fro this, they are tucked under the top tube so there's less chance of me catching the zip tie with my leg (I done this too many times and have bruises to prove it) and separates the movement of the handlebars and front cable housing from the rear caliper and rear cable housing. This eliminates the caliper engaging with the handles cranked to one side or the other.

One other thing, while adjusting the headset I noticed that it wasn't as smooth as it used to be. The setup I have now is cheep Aheadset with ball bearings. This headset has been on there for like the past four years and I think it's time to replace it. I have an old Race Face Team SL headset with cartridge bearings that I may put on there. It would be a huge upgrade to what I have on there now.

So I need to reposition the crank to improve the chain line, get the proper chain ring bolts or shorter spacers, and replace the headset. Good thing it's still raining here, otherwise I'd be pissed that I couldn't ride this now.

Singlespeed parts swap...part II

So I replaced the worn front cog and chain which according to my Park Tool chain stretch tool needs to be replaced. I also removed the Bushnell EBB and replaced the BB. Not sure which change fixed the knocking but its gone and that's all I care about. I am still waiting for my 34T FSA singlespeed ring to arrive at my LBS so for now I have a fairly new ramped and pinned 32T installed temporarily.

I swapped out the 90mm x 7 degree Bontrager stem for a 105mm x 10 degree Titec stem. So far it feels good, may have to adjust the height but the length seems good. This will also be stiffer than the Bontrager stem.

I also swapped the plastic water bottle cage for a couple of swank Bontrager carbon ones. These look really nice...almost too nice for this bike. I may try and pick up some carbon headset spacers to replace the steel ones. They'd be lighter and would tie in with the cages.

Next I need to replace the brake lines. they seem too flexible and engage the rear caliper when I turn the handle bar too far left of right. I am sure I have some lying around, just have to be sure it's stiffer than what I have now. Can't wait to get some free time so I can get a couple of rides under my belt with the new setup.

Singlespeed parts swap...change for the better?

So I've been running my singlespeed as a 69'er, at least until the start of this past winter. I liked the big wheel up front helping me roll over things but with the the suspension corrected Surly fork and the 29" wheel just raked out the bike too much and handling suffered. I decided that I would bring it back to a 26" SS but try and make it better. I can still use the 29" wheel with the suspension corrected 26" fork if I want and may still do so. We'll see how things go.

First I got rid of the old wheelset. It was cheap and the front hub was wasted. I pulled an old set off my geared winter beater to use. The rear hub was also wasted so I had a Surly SS hub laced up to it with DT Swiss spokes (Thanks CK Cycles!). The rims are Mavic 221's and are light as hell. I have had good luck with these hoops and I think they will serve me well. I had a 17T cog on the back but it was killing my fucking knees, especially this early in the season. I swapped it for a 20T which feels just right.

For the front chainring I have a 34T SS chainring. Both this and the chain are showing signs of wear so I will be swapping them out for newer ones. Hopefully this will take care of the knocking/ticking noise I hear when I put the hammer down. I also removed the bash guard. One because I want to go with the minimalist approach and two I am selling the crankset the bash guard belongs to. The minimalist approach sounds more like I have some intentions so I am going to stick with that. I found some small Aluminum spacers that work perfectly.

One of the big problems I was experiencing was the harshness of riding a rigid Aluminum singlespeed. I had a set of 26 x 2.1 Kenda Kharisma II's on there last year and they worked really well but I had to pump them up to 40psi so I wouldn't pinchflat. Probably something to do with the 200lbs rider but I digress, let's stay focused on the bike. I swapped the 2.1's for a set of 2.3 Kenda Nevegals. Looks like this is the fattest tire, besides the one around my waist, I can fit on my frame. These tires are the dual tread compound so they're not super slow and roll fairly well. They really do a much better job of taking the edge off a rough trail. My wrists and knees told me so. I can also run lower pressure in these, right now they are at 30psi.

Rider position has always been important to me. How this bike handles when climbing is a big deal when you only have one gear. I've been playing with a few different stems to see what works and what doesn't. The shorter stem definitely makes more precise handling on tight trails and makes it easier to lift the front end but can lead to the front wheel coming up on tough climbs. Right now I have 90mm Bontrager stem and it feels fine, plenty stiff and responds well to rider input. It does tend to dance on the tough climbs so I am going to have to lower it or switch to a longer stem. I have a 100mm x 0 degree and a 105mm by 10 degree. Not sure which one to use yet but I don;t think I want to go longer than 105. Just a word to the wise, always leave a little extra when cutting your steerer tube. You can always cut it more if you find you don't need it but you can never add it back.

So far I like the changes that I've made. They all seem to improve on the ride with the exception of the stem maybe. One thing I don't like is the Bushnell eccentric I purchased last year to replace the one piece Aluminum eccentric that came with the frame. I cannot get the EBB to stop slipping. I followed the directions to a T and I made sure to measure the BB housing to be sure it was within spec to work with this EBB. I'll be removing it and sending it back to Bushnell and see what they say. I have to replace the BB anyway so I will do them both together. Anyway, looking forward to dryer trails and more sunlight afterwork to see how this newer version performs over the old.

Fresh new look to my blog

It was time for a change. I think I finally found a template that is easily customizable and well thought out. Just a few more changes and I think it'll be done.

FOR SALE: Lezyne Allpack Hydration Pack

I bought this pack but it just doesn’t fit me comfortably. I am very picky when it comes to fit. It’s an awesome pack and a shame I can’t keep it. I can bring it in if you’re interested in trying it on and checking the fit. Let me know if you are interested or know someone else who is. It’s going up on craigslist this weekend. Currently this pack sells from $60 to $90. Condition is brand new and still has the tags. Price is $60. Click here to more...

FOR SALE: Bike Parts and Apparel

Just cleaning out my garage before the Spring so I have more time to ride. I'll be adding more in the coming weeks. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or want to see more detailed pics. Local pick up only - Albany area. Click here to see more..