Fixed Gear-less, not for long!

Here is the Stinson, almost complete. I removed the Marin Comfort Stem and went with a longer, shallower angled stem and my FUBars that I traded my Nevegals to get back from Pete. He tried it on a few bikes and I think his sun even tried them but they were never a hit. They are perfect for this bike!

Cranks are Sugino 175mm with a 48t front ring, that I think I took off the Nishiki Cascade. On the back I have a 17t sitting on a an Alexrim RP15E. As of Sunday night I put on Salsa Pepperjack grips, a SRAM brake lever and a yellow brake cable. I want to get a yellow bottle cage but for the moment I am settling with a red one to get the job done.

Last night I took it was a quick test run down to the cul-de-sac and back and it's a fast bike! The 48:17t ratio is powerful in the flats and down hill. Climbing might be another story. I am going to ride this work on Monday and on Tuesday I will give you the full report on how she rides. This is going to be fun bike!

Newtown Mountain Biking Collective Ride Clip

YouTube clip of Rick riding the Log Ride Short and the new Roller.

Day 13: Life without my Edge; laps at the Racebrook Tract

I got a buyer for the 'Stone from Craigslist and planned on meeting him in Orange at 9 AM, so I got up at 5:30 AM Saturday morning and headed down to the Racebrook Tract to test out the Qball with some new equipment. After two weeks, I think who ever found my GPS has decided to keep it. Looks like I am going to have to replace it because as you can probably tell I am having some withdrawl issues.

For one, just look at the map above. That's the quality you get from the GPSMAP60 unfortunately. Granted In comparisson to the map I made earlier this year. Clearly this GPS is not made to record points as fast as the Edge and that is probably why the quality of the tracks are so low. I did, however, mount an odometer on the Qball but I am not sure how accurate it is. My wheel and tire size wasn't listed in the chart so I measured it out manually and punched in the values. I probably need to test it out on the road and see how accurate it is indeed.

Still on the fence whether I will be doing any more races this year. Not because of an ailments or injuries, rather time. The only free weekend I have at the moment for a race is the Landmine Classic but that is a long one and I really need to start training for it. So that's what I did today here at the Racebrook Tract. I don't think Wompatuck is flat as this place but it was good to get out and get some miles in.

Pictured above is this four point buck that I came upon under the power lines. I stopped to take a picture of him and we was looking at me the whole time and twitching his tail. I got the feeling that he was trying to decide whether to charge me or flee. His lady was off to the right nibbling on some berries.

Never saw any other mountain bikers on the trail but I was there in case they needed help, wearing my Trail Ambassador jersey. Of course by the end of the ride, it was a little muddy. The section in Woodbridge was well drained, still greasy, but really good overall, but everything else was still kind of sloppy.

First time riding with B66 was great, although it started out like I was planning on getting rid of it after the first mile. It just felt off, that is until I raised the seatpost another inch and that made all the difference! It creaks alot but it provided some nice cushion.

I picked up another Brooks Saddle the other day, a brown leather Brooks Professional that I put on the Stinson. Have not tested it out but I am sure it will be different. Still I love the classic look of these saddles. I did end up selling the 'Stone and now I am fixed gear-less! I am in the process of building up the Stinson and I might have it ready for Monday's commute. If not, looks like I will be riding the 'Goose.

The Newtown Mountain Biking Collective: Innaugural Ride

Rick and I started a riding group called the Newtown Mountain Biking Collective. You don't have to necessarily live in Newtown to be a member, rather just live in the area and want to ride. We started a Google Group, where membership is by invitation only. Right now, it's just Rick and I but we have invited others. Not sure if they received their invitation and thought they were spam or what.

I met Rick at the Echo Valley for a loop on the Upper Gussy and boy was it greasy! There were many blow downs, some I took care of and others I left like the one show above. This will make a nice little up and over. I did a little work at the up-and-over just past the log ride short, too. The benching here needs a little more work and the armoring above and the horse re-route also needs some attention.

The blue trail up from the parking lot is blocked by a fallen oak tree. The tree is so big that I think the trail needs to be routed.

The Friday Fix: Commuting and Mechancial Problems

While commuting to work the other day I discovered that my overly preparedness for ensuring that I have the proper tools to fix just about anything came through for me. I was about a mile from home when my chain made a popping sound and then later fell off the cogs. I should have realized what this meant, having experienced it on my single speed mountain bike last year, that a chain pin just popped. I tried to ignore and that wasn't a good idea because later down the road, the chain came completely off. I am just glad I have a hand brake because there is nothing more scarier on a fix geared bike than realizing you have no means of stopping once your chain has fallen off.

I first tried a quick link but the old Crappy Ten Speed chain I was using was just too wide for it (note to self - keep the quick links in the other pack). Now that I think about it, I think this chain came from the Raleigh. Fortunately, as I mentioned before I never ride without tools to fix just about anything and in my tool bag I had a few pieces of other chains. Only, I found I had to take the wheel completely off in order to get the chain back together due to the nature of this bike having vertical drops.

I was able to make the repair without having to unass any of my paniers. I think I lost about 20 minutes in my endeavor. Riding the rest of the way to work I took it cautiously and didn't hammer the hills, rather just powered up them while still seated. Very interesting way to climb.