Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde SST Fox Alpha What happens when you forget what you thought you knew? Either you get broke or you break through. This is what’s been going on in my world lately — the latter. Breaking through. Supersonic! When I built RedFive I was pushing the limit of what I ‘knew’ would work on a bicycle. I … Read more
My feet have been hurting in my fancy bike shoes lately. I’m also trying to relax a bit with my riding and get my form back. The girlfriend is riding flats so maybe I should match. I’ve been playing with running flat pedals on trail for the first time ever. For jumps and flow and … Read more
I recently came across an interesting situation with pedals and I figured that this would be a good opportunity to look into some fun topics: blind bearing extraction, slide hammers, and strange bearing sizes. I have a set of Spank Spike pedals. I don’t use them regularly but will on flow trail or jump park days. They are … Read more
I pulled the Fox 34 Grip fork (Part Number: 910-20-400) apart on Windy’s PinkFive this weekend. She’s a lighter rider and isn’t super aggressive. Because of this, I wanted to lighten up the damping to open the fork up for her. She wasn’t getting a lot of travel out of the fork. I removed a … Read more
San Francisco is such a cultural wasteland these days. It used to be a pretty cool place, full of; fags, junkies, losers, anarchists, and a cavalcade of sex workers. Today, almost none of that is left. It’s now the New Church of the Noob. Tech bros that know code and almost nothing else ruling over … Read more
Last Saturday, RedFive died. “I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on.”Shelly I had done a nice ride on Tam. I was playing with some final changes before locking in a geometry for Concorde (the next itteration). At one point on the ride, I stopped … Read more
It’s been a long long time since I built a bike frame for a girlfriend…. Obviously, Pink Five was the only name a girls bike could take following RedFive. You can see the whole Pink Five saga HERE. (or on Amazon HERE) Windy is an excellent rider. She’s strong. She can ride all day. The myth … Read more
Everything is changing so quickly in mountain biking. I can barely keep up with things. Even new models coming out of embargo are two generations old. Some companies get it but are held back by consumers. Other companies are just blind. It’s a lousy time to be cutting carbon molds. I’m in an exciting place … Read more
Bent seat tubes on bicycle frames are nothing new. They have been used for years in both mountain and road bike design. The rear wheel often needs to be forward of what space would otherwise allow. The seat tube is adjusted to give tire clearance. In recent years, it’s become almost impossible to build a quality mountain bike … Read more
After the initial assembly of any new bicycle or motorcycle is complete, the shakedown starts. This is where ridingn starts and problems are realized, fit is adjusted, and tuning begins. On a new mountain bike, the first ride will include a pack filled with 2-3 stems, spacers, shock pump, tools and parts for a chainring swap, … Read more
The Incom T-65B X-Wing Starfighter in the Red Squadron of the Rebel Alliance. The call sign of this fighter in the Battle of Yavin, Red Five, became the ships name. This bird flies circles around Imperial TIE fighters and blows up Death Stars. Boom! I like to think about out running TIE Fighters and blowing up Death … Read more
I had intended to have raced both downhill and dual slalom at the Sea Otter Classic this year. That didn’t happen. Money and time. I’ve been making a push at building a few bikes that is eating up some resources. Whatever. I was able to get down to the event for a quick one day … Read more
Warning! Some of the information below has been superseded by new information. I figured that I’d have a little fun with this since I, once again, worked out this system. I call it StepDown. It allows a frambuilder to design a rear dropout that is a little more compact than the existing IS would allow. … Read more
One of the most important tool in a mechanics toolbox is the hammer. Yes, the hammer. Such disrespect it’s seen in its time that it rarely get’s mentioned. Today, I am sharing three important hammers in my arsenal that make a real difference to me. Two of them have been on my bench almost every … Read more
Brian Tyson called me up yesterday just as I got home from work. I was a little haggard and just wanted to chill. “Pete!” He said. “Let’s do a night photo shoot! I have a shot I want.” I was not in the mood. I protested. “Another day?!” He eventually won me over. I was … Read more
Windy and I went down to UCSC to ride this Friday. I took the day off just to have some fun. She had a rental of a Santa Cruz Hightower 27+ (Large) reserved. She’s been riding lots of modern bikes in her quest for a good purchase. Some bikes are just experiments and good times. … Read more
We got out to one of our favorite trails to do a photo shoot this Sunday. Perfect weather. Great dirt. Much stoke. Ronen, John, Shea, me and Annie the dog put our time in trying to get some good shots. I wish the focus and bounce were as much a match as our efforts. On … Read more
I got the new Reverb B1 170mm seatpost right away. Of course. Riding the B1 is really nice. After riding on Reverb Stealth A2 150mm and KS LEV Integra 150mm posts (until now, both the best in the business), this post is noticeably more solid, smooth, and controlled. It really feels like the great part … Read more
If you hold onto some clothes long enough, they’re sure to come back into fashion. The same can be said for some bike junk. Tools mostly. Air/nitrogen loss when removing the filler from suspension equipment is a big problem when specific internal pressures are required. The part is pumped up to the desired pressure but will reduce when … Read more
NAHBS 2016 was a good show. Lots of cool folks showing cool stuff. Excited spectators. Fun parties. It is always nice when the show is local. This year, Sacramento. It’s a great venue for the event. I like coming to Sac for this. Also, the weather was great. The home town folks really stoked everyone out. … Read more
The Specialized Command post has long been known as one of the worst dropper posts that money can buy. I got this post from a friend in new condition for $80. It was for a ‘C’ bike of mine so I wasn’t too worried about perfectly pro functionality. The post had an offset which was … Read more
The KS LEV 27.2 Integra post is a great problem solver for older fashioned and light bikes that use 27.2mm seatposts. I certainly wouldn’t design a bike with one of these in mind but they do solve problems. These days, 150mm of drop is considered average. 100mm is simply minuscule. The big problem with these … Read more
I love KS LEV and RS Reverb seatposts. They are both the best in the business and excel in different ways. Most people think that the LEV isn’t serviceable. It is. Like anything else. The 30.9/31.6 versions come apart easy enough with a right angle snap ring tool. Functionality is similar to the Reverb. It’s got … Read more
Dropper stems. Are they a thing? Do we need another lever on our handlebars? Will these break at the worst of times? When is enough, enough? Many in the mountain bike world dismissed dropper seat posts when they first appeared. Many swore they had no use for one…until they rode one. Then they had to have … Read more
Rode down in UCSC again. Out on a nice date ride. Distractions galore as there were about a hundred women riding the trails at the same time. Oy. Got 3 crappy videos from the day. I forgot the good camera. Sad face. These shots definitely needed the wide angle lens.
During the winter here in Northern California the mountain bike riding is excellent. Traction is for days, but also slippery roots and moss covered rocks, a little mud and maybe even some rain. Winter storms cut new ruts and change trails into different animals. It’s great. Some of the best riding you can imagine. What these winter … Read more
Yesterday was such an incredible day. I spend from 10am to 4pm in the woods of UCSC. I rode with two different groups. Hit all kinds of stuff. It was one of those incredible days that you just want to squeeze every little bit out of it. It was warn, sunny, and traction was epic. … Read more
Hole punches need to be in your tool box. So often problems with number plates and a host of other race day issues can be elegantly solved with even a cheap hole punch. I can’t count how many times I’ve wished to have one in my hand at just the right moment. A cheap punch … Read more
JIS – Japanese Industrial Standard I work on a lot of Japanese machines. Motorcycles, bicycle parts, cars, and electronics. A lot of people do the same. Here in the United States, many mechanics and technicians use the incorrect tools and cause issue to the fasteners of these machines. It’s a shame. Japanese produced goods use … Read more
What Happens when you put mineral oil (HSMO) in a set of brakes designed for DOT fluid? A lot of people have been talking about how nice the new SRAM Guide brakes are. About how these quad-piston brakes seem to work almost as well as Shimano twin-piston brakes. For years, Avid and SRAM brakes were some … Read more