Done

Another Niner makes it's way into the home stable. Current weight is 24.5lbs with pedals, but we are still waiting for the Niner Flat Top bars before we get everything into it's final position. Then we'll cut down the steerer again, and shorten the brake lines and derailleur cables.
Still, a very respectable weight considering that we didn't build it up to be light.

We built it up to be guch.





The SRAM X0 Mid Cage derailleur is about as decadent as you can get, not to mention the Chris King hubs. The cassette is a SRAM PG990, which features a machined billet aluminum cog carrier. It's anodized red.




The tires are Maxxis Ignitors, almost as wide as the Exiwolf 2.3, but about 100g lighter.
If the rain holds off, it gets to go for it's maiden voyage tonight. We'll get to see how it measures up, and more importantly, we'll see just how comfy that WTB Deva saddle is.
It certainly looks sweet....

Success!

In about 5 minutes, my set screw problem was solved.
Not even I could have predicted it would have been as easy as it was.
The non drive side set screw came out easily. The drive side needed a bit more work.
I drilled a hole in it with a sharp, new TiNi coated bit, used plenty of cutting fluid, got the Easy Out in place, and presto! The stripped screw backed right out with minimal fuss.
When originally putting the bike together, I used a ton of Ti antiseize compound, to which I attribute the ease of this operation.
I used 2 tons when I put the new screws in...just in case...

A picture perfect day

For a weekend that was forcast to be rain rain and yet more rain, it certainly turned out pretty good.
Last night we did some exploring on the Waterworks trail network. Much potential exists up there, it is in need of serious work. There are trails that simply start and end up nowhere. Really. You find these disjointed gems by luck. We found most of them because the trails we did try dead ended. We'll be making a push for more and better development up there. It's nice to have fun stuff in your back yard.





This morning we did a Niner ride. DA, Ponte and I took off early morning to Millstone, to go and see the trails that we have been hearing so much about lately. A 1x9 SIR 9, a rigid One 9, and my One 9.
We were not disappointed at all. We only had a few hours to play, so we tried to keep things mellow, but it was very easy to get carried away. Pay the $8 daily trail fee, it is worth every penny.

Millstone features a long network of rolling singletrack trails that weave in and around old granite quarries. While the trails aren't extremely technical, they are hard to ride fast. They are very rolly, and dart around trees and granite blocks. I call it big grin singletrack. Amazingly fun, it reminded me of a flat Perry Hill, only with lots of nice water filled quarries.


There are lots of cool old quarry leftovers dotted about the trails. Besides seeing the old water filled pits, there are chunks of granite everywhere, from small to huge. Every once in a while you cross a buried anchor cable. It all adds to the experience. These trails are very well mapped and marked.

The only cloud that passed over us during the ride, was my poor bike. I have been too lazy to replace the stripped set screw for my EBB. I clipped a couple of rocks which caused the EBB to rotate, which in turn, pretty much eliminated any chain tension I had. Needless to say, I kept dropping the chain. Not so good.

We finished the day with some fun little bridges, some exposed granite slickrock, twisty tight singletrack, and a trip up a giant rubble heap that overlooks more giant chunks of rock.






























I managed to get back to the truck, and open the store, just in time.
Tomorrow we will be performing surgery on my One 9. It will involve drilling, cursing and other ugly stuff.

An upcoming build

We aren't messing around with this one.
This is going to be a hot bike when finished. It will be a Niner EMD, that we are building up for the wife. She has put many long hours into this project, and it's time she had a fitting reward. She deserves it.
Drivetrain componenets will be all SRAM X0, with Avid Juicy Carbon brakes, Truvative Stylo Carbon cranks, Thomson stem and seatpost, Rock Shox Reba 100, and the super nice wheelset I built her for Mother's Day. blue Kings on Delgado rims.
I hope to have it finished by next week, all the parts are en route.

Father's Day Hoo Haw

I was very fortunate to be able to get a ride in with the "dads" this morning. My wife left for a week of lame trade shows yesterday, leaving me and the boy to fend for ourselves. How will we ever manage? Beer/milk, meat and baseball of course! Shaun's wife offered to watch the boy so we could sneak out a ride in the AM, before it peaked out at 92 with 80% humidity.
Shaun was also kind enough to snap the pictures on this post too.
While it wasn't the first time I've ridden the Perry Hill trail network this year, it is the first time I've climbed up the front side on the single speed. Ouch. Now that the KM is rigid, it will stay parked for the more serious off road excursions.

Basically, you climb about 900ft in elevation in 1.5 miles. It sucks on a bike with gears too. But the rewards are well worth it, because the grunt up the Hill is a ritual we repeat over and over and over.
Today's route took us down 6 Flags, where DA drew the blood that qualified this as an actual ride. I'm pretty sure it was because he rode his 26er full sus. He ate it on the rock that I previously posted a picture of him making it look easy.

I rode it.

We then proceeded to thread the needle though all the tight, twisty and wicked fun singletrack that exists on the lower section of trails on the town side of the Hill. Sections called Taint, Butter, Jedi and Barbwire. Don't even ask us how we come up with these names, they are super fun trails, and it helps us keep everything straight when enjoying "recovery" beverages post ride.

This is a shot of E-Dog ripping through a section called 1/2 Stick (it's the lower half of Butter). E-Dog has a brand new baby girl, and I'm pretty sure this is the first ride we have done as our group since he became a dad. 1/2 Stick winds through a section we call the Pine Barons, it's a fast hard cornering ribbon of singletrack, on a bed of pine needles. Payment for carelessness usually involves hitting a big tree, or sliding off the trail in a pile.
Big fun.

All's well though, we got out of the woods alive and no worse for wear (except DA). I had a toast (beer at 11AM is fun!) with the dads and went off to work.
The One 9 gave me an awesome ride today. I recommend this bike to everyone that wants a lightweight single speed that handles the way a good bike should. I like this bike so much, I've even named it. Red 5. I am a true Star Wars nerd.

End of an era

Today, my last Ellsworth frame went home with a new owner.
This will be the first time in over 8 years I have not had at least one in the stable. Since I've been riding 29ers for the better part of 3 years, the 26" full squish was being used less and less. Finally, I decided it was time for them to move on. Ellsworth was once known for high aesthetics and quality workmanship, and that, over the years has gone severely downhill. A flourishing company was devoured by arrogance and greed. What happened to that business is not only really sad, it's the very definition of tragic.
I gave Ellsworth some good years, and the bikes have always been there for me, but now I feel that it's time for this chapter in my life to finally close.

07 Fisher line up

We have just had our first look at some of Fisher's new 29ers, the X-Caliber and Paragon.

For the most part, the most striking difference is the new paint. The X-cal has a beautiful metallic silver paint job, with red and orange graphics. Very clean.

The Paragon is bright fricken Fire Engine Red, with a white Reba Race. You have to see it in person to believe how red it is. We all know that red bikes are the fastest.
Parts appear to be the same as last year's model, with the exception of the Paragon, which gets a new and very cool flat handlebar, but down spec'd brakes. It now features Avid's Juict 5s vs the 7s that came on the 06.


I have a feeling that this could change, it is very early for a definitve 07.
Overall, I'm glad to have them this early. The 06s were tough enough to get.

Long Term Update....White Brothers BW 0.8 Fork

Well, I figured it might be about time to post my thoughts on the fork that has kept me rolling on my Karate Monkey for over a year. I've ridden many, many miles with this fork, in all sorts of weather. I will have to go ahead and give it a grade, C.
This is how I have come to this conclusion:
Asthetics:
Overall, it is a beautiful fork. Machined aluminum crown, brake arch and dropouts press fit into anodized aluminum lower legs. It is easy to see that this guy spent a while in the CNC lathe. It looks as good today, as it did the first time I took it out of the box.
Initial Performance:
Lots of stiction, and somewhat of a harsh ride. I originally chalked this up to new fork shenanigans, but the stiction and harsh ride would never quite go away. Getting the air pressure right was time consuming, and I still don't think I ever got it nailed it. The lockout feature was great, but hard to use, and hurt my fingers to activate. The action on the lever was stiff, and required more effort than I thought necessary to use.
Tracking is excellent. The fork goes where pointed.
Travel:
Nowhere near the advertised "80mm". Actually 65mm of active travel, with 10mm being handled by the bottom out bumper, still falls 5mm short. When I learned this, I was very angry, considering that this fork costs a lot more than a Rock Shox Reba, that gets the advertized travel, and is as smooth as butter, and has a handlebar mounted lockout.
Service:
Top notch. Anyone that has ever had a White Brothers fork before, will be amazed by the level of support that the new product line has. I called in during the winter to get some tuning tips to try and make my 65mm fork feel more plush, and was expertly helped. Despite the fact that the fork still had serious stiction issues, I felt like I had been helped. Good guys there.
~~A side note, White Brothers (bike stuff) has changed hands a few times since the olden days. I had an SC90, that required rebuilding every 3 or so rides, that I would not part with. I also had an upside down 150mm fork, that lasted approximately 4 hours of moderate riding before failing, where I was on a training DH run, the fork blew its oil, and seized halfway through its stroke, the stanchions turned blue from heat. Somehow, according to the company at the time, this was my fault. Well, needless to say, that was the last fork I bought from these guys until this one.~~
Current Performance?
After a solid year's worth of riding, the fork let go. One of the seals blew, is leaking oil, and it still feels as sticky as a Wal Mart shock. I've not been blown away by the performance of this fork, however, I have been stoked on the support the company gives their customers.
New technology exists.
Not only are we sending in the shock to be rebuilt, but we are upgrading both the travel (to 100?mm) and the damping circuit (to the new Magic Valve).
For now, I'm back to riding the original fork that came with the bike, an unyeilding piece of CroMo.

Stay tuned for the first impressions of the "new" fork.

I've also opted to change the cockpit at this time. I went from a Thomson X4 stem 110mm x 5 degree stem with an Easton Monkey Bar, to a Thomson Elite 120mm x 5 degree stem with an On One Mary Bar. Everything lines up, and seeems good for now...

Eat My Dust

Niner Bikes has a cool new and inexpensive bike!
The Eat My Dust or E.M.D.9 for short is crafted from a proprietary 7000 series aluminum tubeset, and has the same quality and attention to detail we have all come to know and love from Chris and Steve.

It fits nicely with everything else I carry, and helps fill the void left by the lack of high end Fisher availability. As built, this bike is $2100, and features a 100mm Reba with Poploc, Avid Juicy 7 brakes, SRAM X9 drivetrain, Thomson seatpost and stem, and Bontrager Superstock wheels.
Sure, it's a little bit more expensive than a Paragon, but you are getting more than a few component upgrades. I am a little embarrassed to admit that I ran out of derailleur cable housing to finish the bike. D'oh!


Incidentally, right after I ordered the parts for the EMD, my in-house Fisher rep calls me and tells me I can get my hands on some 07 X-Calibers and Paragons.
Stay tuned for pictures of those, coming very soon.

First race of the year

One of the longest running, local weekly races in the region went off without a hitch last night, unless you count the total downpour that the camera didn't pick up. Although attendance was way down, there were still enough folks to make this a race.
Catamount Family Center is a non-profit family organization that has secured an original Vermont farmstead for recreational use in the face of the ever encroaching sprawl. This is in the same town that box stores are popping up almost overnight. Family farms being replaced with clone homes, needless development, and the sort of consumption that is rotting this country's soul. Yes it's even happening here in Vermont. The biggest tragedy is that there is still no In N Out Burger.
Oh well, maybe next year...
There are 2 alternating courses, the "Hill" side and the "Woods" side. Until it stops raining, we will be on the Hill side, which this year, is actually fun. Being the high spot on the plot, it drains better than the wooded side, but it also means that there is a lot of climbing.
One of the coolest things, is that over the years, you get to know folks through the race. I sat last year out, as I was away most of the time, but I saw most of the regulars I have gotten to know over time. They were all surprised to see me. Not only because I have in years past, I have had a terrible attitude about racing in general, but because I also showed up in the pouring rain, with a 29er single speed.
I did the 3 lap race (15k), and remembered to pace myself for the climbing. That is the biggest thing I have learned this year riding the single speed. I metered my efforts to match the terrain I was riding, and essentially I "idled" the entire race. So much fun!
Everyone I passed, I never saw again, which was a brand new experience for me. Maybe it was the conditions. They weren't good. I somehow got a really perverse sense of enjoyment out ot it. Riding in the rain is naughty. But I was also passing people in the tight and very muddy singletrack sections with my giant wheeled "poor handling mountian bike". Many of my tiny wheeled co-competitors has trouble with parts of the course. I was expecting more myself, as I ran Exiwolf 2.3 tires. Needless to say, they are my new favorite tire. Even in MUD.
I ended up 11th overall in the 3 lap category, out of about 22. So I'm in the middle. If I can, I will try again to race the 3 lap, and beat my 1 hour 2 minute time. With one gear.

Still Punk, after all these years...

This band never ceases to amaze me.
They consistantly turn out he same tyoe of music over and over again. Does that make them boring?
I think not.
These guys have been around longer than lots of other "FAD" bands. They have more punk cred than Green Day, BLINK 182, and other weiners ever had, and they have remained true to their roots, releasing records on their own label, whenever they get the money for it.
Their music has outlived 3 Van Halen lead singers, 3 Metallica makeovers and 4 US Presidents. They have plenty to be mad about. This new album is the pinnacle of their efforts to date. And I hope they can keep going.
These guys are made of the same stuff that Iron Maiden is. They do their thing, and aspire to nothing less than what they can deliver.
I guess that's what we do here...
Or try.

WAY off topic...

So I had my first filling ever this week. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'm 34, and have never had anything more serious than a "long" dentist appointment that involved a belt sander to get the junk off my teeth.
This was invasive!
Rubber things shoved in my mouth! Drilling! Chemicals! All with a clinical impersonal coldness that I couldn't quite get my mind around.
Well, I was beside myself for a day or so. I felt like I was in the movie Fight Club, and not quite sure what to do next.
Anyway. Good weather turned to bad before I could get out on the bike again (snow above 3500ft). Rain rain rain down below...

OK Computer

The great (ultra lame?) power ballad "You don't know what you got, til it's gone" by hair metal superstars Cinderella was the song of the day today. No email.
Super bad news for an online retailer.
Fortunately, we are back and communicating again.
I kept myself busy in the store today, getting everything ready for our Grand Opening this weekend. I have just realized that it has been a while since I last posted, what have I been up to all this time?
We now have slatwall panels on some of the walls, which I spent a few hours tonight merchandising with all the stuff that has until now been crammed into the back of the shop. We had a few more bikes show up today, which needed to get built. Still not done though.
Tomorrow is another day...