I am an Ironman....?

Sterling @ Rasmussen Bike Shop found this and showed it to me the other day......had to post it because its HILARIOUS!!!!

Frickin Sunshine & Surly Open Bar

This morning brought a tiny ray of sunshine....so being the rocket genius that I am, I thought that a little early spring cleaning in the workshop/garage was in order. So, brewed up some coffee and added a hefty splash of  Bailey's and headed to the dungeon. Three hours later I've come to this conclusion: I HAVE A ABSURD AMOUNT OF BIKE SHIT!! Here's a shot of the garage with all the bikes in a central location

Don't get me wrong folks there are plenty of people out there with heaps more bikes than this....but it couldn't help but make me wonder two things:

1) Is my wife right? Am I really obsessed with cycling and bikes

2) Do they pay those wackos on that hoarding show, and I wonder if it would be enough to get that custom titanium Black Sheep I've been drooling over for the last 2yrs?

What I'm most proud of is that after 3 months I can finally see the top of  the work bench....so proud in fact, that I'm gonna post a picture of it:

And  as promised a blurb about the new handlebar I'm gonna guinea pig for BRR.....

Product: Surly Open Bar

Manufacturer: Surly Bikes

Price: 60 bones (US)

First let me say....this bar is Really frigging wide....surly claims it to be 666mm (damn number of the beast!) which is about 26.25 inches, but never fear there is a truck load of grip area  (6.5inch or 165mm).....soooo, if you wanna a shorter bar it can be cut down a bit. As a reference most grips range from 100mm to 130mm, add little room for brakes and/or shifters and I figure I could conceivably cut off between a half to three quarters of an inch off each end....I'll post a final width on the bars when i have them mounted and cut. Also, I wanted to post a top view of the bar as it is nigh impossible to find this view anywhere. It is worth noting that the handlebar pictured is the 0mm rise version, its also available in a 40mm rise.....for BRR its going on the Salsa, but the finally destination will be a 1x9 Surly CrossCheck (as soon as the robins egg blue frame comes available in my size).....Anywhoo, that's all I got for today....I'll leave you with a cool picture from a coffee cruz my wife and I did this summer....toodles!

BRR Ride and Thoughts On Winter Riding

Well folks, it is officially upon us...winter. If your anything like me, when sub-zero temperatures hit the first thought that comes to mind is: "Goddammit!!! why didn't i ride more when the weather wasn't freeze your snot cold?" Then like any cyclist I'll spend the rest of the winter waiting for days that the wind isn't whipping to get out for a spin. Most times this means I hit the road for a bit then limp to a coffee shop (usually Mars Cafe) to thaw for an hour or so then brave the elements only to arrive home with a perma-chill and spend the next hour in a steaming hot bath. Yet, there are those rare days and evenings when Pluto aligns with Uranus and a winter ride becomes a portal into another world. That night ride when a light snowfall insulates the city just enough to dull the chill and the street lights shimmer through snowflakes to create a glow the warms your soul. The sound of over sized knobbies hooking up on frozen earth as you rail around deserted singletrack only to find a group of deer more than willing to prance along side you, if only for a moment. These are the moments that keep me coming back for more, and will you too if you have or do ever experience them......anyway, enough of this sappy shit lets get down to it

The 34th annual BRR Ride ( Bike Ride to Rippey)

Kids this is the ultimate winter ride, 20ish miles on Iowa country roads in what can be described as: sometimes crappy weather and most time down right nasty weather. But, i gotta tel ya its a BLAST!!! Billed as "The first Ragbrai reunion ride...." is has none of the pageantry with all the drunkenness one can handle. Its not uncommon to see drunken riders take the ditch or just flat fall over struggling against massive headwinds. My first experience in 2008 was an epic.....20 below, riding my northwest equipped single speed mountain bike, hauling a trailer full of booze. Can you say BRUTAL? Here's a few tips from that year of suffering

1. Those 250 cycling shoes you bought are designed to vent heat not hold it in....so if you don't have winter specific shoes, ditch your clipless pedals. Remember those el-cheapo plastic flats your bike came with? Dig'em out of the spare parts bin and put'em on your bike. Then take those carbon soled wunder shoes and put them in the closet where they belong and put on the warmest, sturdiest boots you own.

2. While Alcohol does offer a bit of warmth, to much will offer you an early trip to the ditch or worse. Alcohol and anaerobic actives generally are not a good mix....so, if your gonna drink (which I do) pace yourself, hurling on the side of the road with no sag wagon in sight in -30 windchill is not a good time.

 3. Keep your core warm, and your extremities warmer......cold hands, feet, and face are best winter riding buzz kill i can think of. As long as your core body is well insulated and you keep moving your legs and torso will stay relatively warm. Hands, feet and face however will be hammered by the elements if not covered. A good rule of thumb is double up on gloves, socks and face covering....shit, if its too warm you can take them off right?

 4. Finally, its 20miles....no need to pack the kitchen sink. If it doesn't fit in a daypack, you don't need it....really. Remember you'll already be carrying an extra 15-20lbs of extra clothing so don't over do it with the carry-alongs. They're are a few places to stop along the way to warm up and grab a snack (bring some cash)......and above all: HAVE A GOOD TIME!

all the information you could possible want, including online preregistration is available at:
http://www.bikeiowa.com/

why i dont race

     why don't i race? at first i thought of all the reasons that liberal white people would approve of .....i ride for the sensation of freedom it gives me, i ride to be closer to my surroundings whether it be the urban landscape or a natural one, racing brings out the worst in the human condition (this has to be a quote, but at 3am i cant for the life of me remember who said/wrote it), I'm a free spirit that cant be contained by the restraints of a race course......these of course are all BULLSHIZNANNY!
     the real reason i don't race is that  for all my love of cycling, there are somethings i love just as much.....stout beer, cigarettes (oh yeah, i said it and proudly at that: i fuckin smoke!!!), bacon at 3am, staying up past my bedtime, sitting on my ass and NOT meaninglessly toiling away countless hours logging "training miles", i could keep going but i think you get the point. the truth is a ride to a coffee shop, or favorite bar, or to the grocery store seems much more appealing than chasing some douche in a 250 dollar skin suit around a generic race course for two hours. and believe me, with my fitness level i'd always be the chaser. i say it alot, "I'm a destination oriented rider" and by that i mean i wanna go somewhere. I don't have a cycling computer on any of my bikes, i go as fast and as far as is fun on that given ride.period....and while im not saying that no one should race, i am advocating that EVERYONE should try to introduce a little more fun into they're riding......insert sappy relive your youth anecdote here.

bike pics and first impressions

salsa casseroll single speed...i switched the bars to nitto nordeast  

 

 

 

 

well.....figured since i was a bike blog writer i should post the bikes i own and a couple that I've built for friend's. you will notice that none of them are fixed gear bikes.....don't own one, and wont ride one (I'll save the fixie rant for later, its a mini novel in the making)

Redline Monocog 29er.....added avid bb7 brakes, shimano dx clipless pedals, jeff jones h-bar (made by titec) and a couple of stickers that you cant see in this pic

 Kona Humu cruiser converted to a 26inch BMX bike: this bike is sooooo much fun to ride, if you don't have big BMX bike....GET ONE!!!! (ill be posting a conversion guide at some point, which will included frame selection tips, parts resources, and some helpful does and don'ts i learned along the way)

 salsa fargo: this is my wife sandy's bike, parts highlights include: paul mtb cranks, avid bb7s, king headset, and nitto albatross bars (even though they're not pictured here, this was the first incarnation of this bike)

 Cannondale R500 conversion a.k.a. "The Purple People Eater"...built this for my friend Buddha, used ODI lock-on grips, Brooks B17 saddle, and threw on some Animal BMX flats. he used it for RagBrai this year and has been commuting on it when the weather permits.

 Paramont MTB single speed conversion....another friend build (you need to ride this more matt!!!!) picked it up from the broken spoke in iowa city....when i test rode this after it was done, the geometry transported me back to when i first started riding off road in the early 90s.....this bike is so quick steering, hence the big riser bars, fit prohibited me from using a shorter stem. the riser bars mellowed the handling just enough not to make it super scary in the technical stuff.

 First Impression: Timbuk2 Hemlock Roll-top Backpack (SM)

Retailer: Timbuk2 online

Price: Small-$59 Medium-$65 (took advantage of a sale price, they're normally $90-$100)

Got this thing in the mail yesterday and was immediately impressed.....got the small, well because I'm not a messenger. The small is plenty big enough to carry anything you would need for a day of commuting, it easily fits all the essentials in the large front pocket and the main compartment would fit a change of clothes, street shoes and a laptop (13-15inch is the recommended size for the small, the medium will hold up to an 18inch). In iowa biking tradition the first ride was a booze cruise....i loaded the front pocket with a small digital camera, bike lock, wallet, keys, phone and an extra pair of  gloves. The main compartment had an extra jacket stuffed in it (and I'm not talking about some wunderfabric shell, it was a carhart fleece vest, can you see bulky, but really warm?), and there was plenty more space in there. Packed it sat great on my back and didn't move at all during my 7ish mile cruise downtown. the straps didn't cut into my shoulders at all....i cant wait to put some miles in with this packed! I'll have a full review after I've really had a chance to test it.

Ride Shot

found this picture from a ride last summer.....for those who dont know ashworth park here in des moines has almost 20miles of singletrack...my hope is that hipsters will start mountain biking before there knees blow out from all those super cool fixie tricks they do

first post

well here goes....hey world! i was inspired to start this blog after a fruitless search for a Des moines IA based cycling blog, i know there out there i just cant find them. anywhoo, i figured i have as much to contribute as the next yeahoo, so why the fuck not. i guess i wanted a forum for our little cycling community, and somewhere to rant. i'll be filling in the blanks of the spot as time permits.....late