Bicycle

My bag that I use for commuting has been getting a bit of love lately. A few months ago, it got new and improved zippers. Last night, it got an inner lock holster. It’s nearing the end of it’s life so I’m getting more inclined to experiment with it. I do a lot  of bike … Read more

Two years ago, the Endor Flow trail at Camp Tamarancho was finished and heralded one of the biggest changes in mountain biking for our area that I’ve seen. In the two years following the ribbon cutting, local riders and riders around the country have been demanding simple to ride, smooth trail free of any rocks, … Read more

I have a love/hate relationship with making bicycle mechanical tools. I love that I’m making something that works great but I hate the fact that it’s necessary. I buy plenty of tools that are ‘supposed to do simple jobs well….and don’t. The Park Tool #827 1.5″ crown race installation adapter for the CRS-15 is a … Read more

The seven p’s. It’s good to keep them in mind as you do anything. I almost got caught off guard. I was getting ready to put a new bike together with a frame I designed and made. Once a finished frame goes to paint and with enough time to get a QBP order placed and received before the … Read more

Setting up brakes on bicycles can sometimes be an exercise in utter frustration. Several factors contribute to setup issues. People will reuse poorly worn pads, use bent rotors, over fill resoviors and just mismatch parts. One issue most overlooked is the geometry of the caliper mount. Some people do take the time to machine the … Read more

The time finally came (again) to have a big trail bike. This happens every now and then. The pendulum is always swinging. Sometimes you want to ride the 29er hardtail and sometimes the DH bike. Often, you want something in the middle…but what is that? After 14 months on the Anthem 27.5 (mod), I wanted … Read more

I can’t remember what year it was. 2006 maybe? I had been building my own bike frames for a short time. A change was coming and something new was eking it’s way into the light. A tire size between 26″ and 29″. The 650b. Kirk Pacenti was pushing this new thing. Obviously, the wheel size … Read more

I needed to do something about my shop air situation. I have a nice air compressor out in the garage but I’m not in the mood to have it in my basement where I do 95% of my work. I’m a little starved for space and the big compressor gets in the way. This is about … Read more

We all think we are so smart. We dream of a new bike and spend weeks getting the parts together or shopping competing models. We are convinced that we know just how the bike should be. We want to crush down every hill, win every climb, and outlast everyone on the ride. We ‘know’ the … Read more

Sometimes, you need to bring some heavy artillery with you out on a ride. A day out riding horrendous trail at high speed warrants this. There’s a new breed of big trail bikes this year and they are quite a bit different than the big bikes of the past. Bikes of old were heavy, pedaled … Read more

Nothing is a more fragile thing than the ego of the teenage boy. Sadly, in cycling, most men fall into the mode of that fragile little boy. These men tell stories that involve a huge amount of imagination. The goal, protect the ego. This is a photo of Joe Breeze. He’s not using his imagination. This … Read more

This past Sunday was the Stafford Lake Wildcat CX race just outside of Novato in Marin County, California. The weather was simply amazing. Just slightly cool in the morning to almost warm in the afternoon. The skies were completely clear and rain from a few days before had left just the right amount of moisture … Read more

Cheap go fast shit. I love thinking about what we need versus what we want. The imagination often gets in our way. It will cost us money and slow us down. It keeps us slow. I see riders in my area all day long on bikes that are too big (travel) for them, too heavy, … Read more

At the last minute on Saturday, I joined the Meet Your Maker Tour ride and picnic set at China Camp State Park. The tour is a great series of bike events that put builders and potential customers together where the action is happening. Riding together, talking about bikes, connecting. Sean from Soulcraft Bikes is the ringleader for the … Read more

This morning I was shocked. The day started like any other. It’s Friday and I’m going to go over to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass after work. Everything according to plan… The computer is fired up after arriving at work. I sit down. I check mail. Huh? An email in my inbox from Jamie Medeiros at Firefly … Read more

Many people were shocked and saddened when they heard about the passing of Robin Williams. I was certainly one of them. To save a lot of useless and cluttered words, simply, Robin wasn’t one of the people who went out and changed the world; he changed the way we feel. I’m grateful for the gifts … Read more

Another round of the McLaren Short Track Challenge. I showed up prepared this year. The bike was perfect. My problem lately has been lack of energy. Still, I pushed as hard as I could with an average heartrate of 170. That’s pretty good as my breaking heartrate is 178. I gave it my all and came … Read more

This has been a particularly hard year for me at Northstar with regard to bike damage. Rear derailleurs in particular. Several of the lines on the trails have been the bane of their existence. I think I’ve gone through at least six derailures in 10 days on the mountain. Horrible stuff. I had started with … Read more

I design and make a lot of parts that I use on my personal bikes. I always want to be riding on the best bike I can. I ride them hard and I get to see what goes wrong and how. This one suprised me. I use a PVD stainless steel reducer on the top … Read more

Riding around the ranch yesterday I screwed up. I broke my heart. I was sucked into a game of Hunter/Killer. It’s the game I tend to play in races and hard rides. I wasn’t looking for that on this day but I found it. I seek my target, overtake/kill it, move to the next. One … Read more

Sometimes on the trail, when discussing with some folks on how to clean an uphill switchback or ride a section of trail fast, the old expression will come up that you need to “put in 100%”. It get’s said a lot. Still, I don’t think people really know what it means. Here’s an example from the Tamarancho … Read more

It was time to replace my old Shimano XC-60 shoes with some new Shimano XC-61‘s. Both size 43, while I could do 42.5 for pure raceday shoes. New shoes, gloves, or grips are always so nice. The XC-60 shoes have treated me very well so I was happy to get the new model. Still, I … Read more

This weekend was the Boondocks race at Northstar. Boondocks is probably one of the most fun courses you can race around here for downhill. It’s so fast but with just the right mix of jumps, rocks, crazy lines and requisite endurance. It’s really not to be missed. Sticks and Stones is the other to get to. … Read more