The Spider Crawls Along...

So the next big decision to make was what fork to put on the bike. With everything out there, I had a hard time figuring out which way I wanted to go. In my mind, the Spider is a racy kind of bike, and needed some racy features. There are 3 forks that come to mind.

1. The ubiquitous Reba Race. The new updated Push-loc feature is really nice, and gives you that ability to lock the fork out for a hard slog out of the saddle without having to reach down.

2. The new kid on the block, the Fox F-29. It has a lockout, but it is a manual lock out, meaning you have to take your right hand off the handlebar to activate/deactivate it. But it does have some nifty features that make this totally OK.

3. The White Magic 110. White continues to improve the damper, and deliver it in a beautiful, clean package. The Magic uses a magnetic valve that negates the need for any type of lockout by determining where the force is coming from. Bumps from above (i.e.you) are ignored, while bumps from the ground are devoured. I own one of these forks, and love it.

These are 3 very legit choices for anyone who wants a trail bike they can also race. That is the prime directive of this build. It has to be able to handle it all.

Now, here is where it gets fun. Intense designed the Spider with a 73° head angle. For those that don't know, that is steep. Like a road bike steep. Steep = fast handling. There have been a lot of nay sayers about this number, in that fast handling = twitchy, but everyone that has ridden one of these bikes on trail agrees, it flys through the trees with the greatest of ease. I'm really sorry if you don't get to ride your bike through trees. It is fast handling though, but not twitchy.
You'll recall my experience on the 5.5 Proto, similar angles, similar kind of ride.

The really important number is the offset of the forks.
Offset is the perpendicular distance the axle sits in front of the center of steering axis (headtube line), while trail is the horizontal distance on the ground of the center of the tire's contact patch to where the center line of the steering axis hits the ground. Trail effectively is measured backwards because the axle's position over the ground "trails" the center line of the steering axis. Offset is the distance forward of the steering axis but on a different plane. As offset increases, trail decreases and handling becomes more responsive.

The Spider was designed with the Reba in mind, as Rock Shox was the only real 4" fork on the market for the longest time. The Reba has a 38mm offset. The new generation of forks (White, Fox and Manitou) live around 44mm. Quicker steering forks.

I'm not going to get into a diatribe about which is better, that's not what this post is about.

Let's think about the fork for a bit, while we move on...

Wheels.


Every once in a while, you find something that works. When that happens, I run with it. A prime example is the Royale wheelset. I put a LOT of these wheels under a lot of people, and not one person has been disappointed. While they aren't the ultra-lightest (around 1800g a set) they are durable, customizable, and made from the best stuff around. It's the very same wheelset I use, and if a 230lb guy like myself can't beat 'em up (and I try!), well...
So, yeah, Royales with the Arch rims.


Another component of this build, is that I would be "re-introducing" some components back into the wild where they belong. I have a pile of tires that would make you sick. But hey, if you were to call and ask me what I thought about any tire that's out there, I'd be able to answer you. Truthfully too.
My favorite all-rounder is the Bontrager Jones ACX TLR. I had a set laying about, so that's what I mounted. And I'll add that they aired up first time, and have not lost even 1 psi since Saturday.
How about that?

OK back to the fork.

I went with the Fox F-29, for 2 reasons (not really in order)
1. Cosmetic. It looks cool. I don't care who you are, if you were spending your hard earned dough on a bike, you'd want it to look cool.
2. Performance. I know from experience that the Fox is a stiffer platform than the Reba. The offset question was giving me some headaches, so I decided to add King's 5mm baseplate to the King headset (like you thought I'd put something else on there). This effectively slackens the head tube angle, or slows down the steering. We'll see how it rides soon.

While the White fork is the one I'd go with on my own personal bike, it is a little too tech for the average Joe to easily set up and enjoy properly, and as this is ultimately a demo bike, I want it to be as user friendly as possible. I'll be doing a shootout between the afore mentioned forks in the not too distant future, where I can really get into the nuts and bolts of these cool devices.


Up next, the components!

Jay Winter Challenge

Friday February 8th will mark the beginning of the 2nd annual Jay Winter Challenge. I attended the first race lace year, and it was a lot of fun. You have to have a certain amount of crazy in you to find stuff like this fun, but there you have it. I like it because it proves that with the right attitude, the human spirit can prevail in any conditions. It's in this spirit that Dan Des Rosiers created this race.

This year, the event is slightly different.
There has been the addition of n "ice criterium" on Friday night. Sounds fun, but the word "ice" makes me think that some of these will be absolutely necessary. I must admit, I'm tempted to join in the madness. We'll have to see when we get closer to the event. It consists of 20 laps around a 1/2 mile course in the dark. These are the sort of shenanigans I truck with.

Saturday the 9th features the main event as held last year, a 30 miler on groomed snowmobile trails over rolling hills, or a shorter 10 mile race that follows the final 10 miles of the course.


An important note to keep in mind, is that the course is on private land, and it is asked that no one pre-rides the course, or rides it after the event. There is a special arrangement with the local snowmobile club and local land owners that make this event possible. I don't even need to say that anyone disrespecting this arrangement could jeopardize the future of this event.
Lecture over.

Bike 29 will be there for the crit and the race the following day, offering tech support to anyone that needs it. I'll follow up with a full report on the event itself. I expect that turn out will be pretty good. Last year drew 50 or so riders, I imagine that number to double this year. Everyone had a blast, myself included.

Race info can be found on the race blog.
If you want to sign up, the info is on Active.com. You have until Feb 1 to register.

Up next, Spider update!

Decisions...decisions...

Welcome to part 1 of the "Winter Project"-- an experiment in which I examine the different paths and choices involved in building up a custom 29er.

This is going to be interesting, because, even though I know what the outcome is going to be on this project (demo bike for the new Bike29 demo fleet), I'm still on the fence about many of the components that I have to choose from. I'm going to take it one step at a time.


So, for example, let's say I'm looking for that XC full suspension rig of my dreams. I've done a bit of research, and have narrowed my needs down to a few key points. I need a XC rig, am not too afraid of a price tag, as I expect the highest quality for the dollars spent. I don't need to go custom, but I want a bike that I can race, or ride all day. This is a chunk of change, and a bike like this, is going to be ranked highest in the "quiver".

I find the most awesome bike shop ever, and give them a call.....

There are a lot off choices out there, but I settle on a US made Intense Spider. It is geared towards that XC race set, but with 4" of travel, and with correct set up, it can easily accommodate my needs.

So here we reach crossroads #1.

I can have a painted frame (size large) that weights 6.59 lbs. Not terribly heavy for what it is. It's Pearl White, and quite possibly the coolest color I've seen on a bike in a while (next to Atomic Blue of course).

Or...

I can have a Works colored frame that weighs 6.34 lbs. One quarter of one pound. It all adds up you know. Do I pull out the stops and go ultralight?

While I'm not an expert racer, I do like nice bikes, and I need a bike that can be as precise as an scalpel, or as reliable as a hammer. And I like folks to notice my nice bikes, so, I'll go with the white frame. Maybe I'll loose that 1/4 lb of off my winter pelt.


As this is such a high end frame, I'm going to re-use some of the parts from other bikes that I have to keep the overall cost down, but boy oh boy, I am stoked on this thing! I'm interested to get feedback from any readers out there as far as what fork I should put on this thing.


Do you have an opinion? I'd love to hear it.

Up next, fork and wheels and tires!

Procrastination - The Canzo Report

Here is a guest blog, by non other than our very own Dave Anderson, or DA as we affectionately call him. Dave bought a Voodoo Canzo this fall, and this is what he thinks of it.

The original title was to be “The Canzo Report”, but as most people who know me I tend to put things off for a while. So 3-1/2 months later here it is.


I had been talking to George for a while about getting a full suspension bike to go along with my Niner Sir 9….something to fill out the quiver. I was also looking for a full suspension ride to use in the Vermont 50. I was reluctant to just go out and purchase one until I was able to give it a test drive and make sure it was I wanted. Then along came the Canzo.
I was just searching through the Web and came across this bike. A full suspension frame for less than $900… That’s cheap for a full suspension frame! Well, compared to around $2,000 for most others I had been looking at. So after a few emails with Voodoo (very helpful) and talking things over with G, I pulled the trigger (and crossed my fingers) that things would workout.

The Frame:
The bike comes in one color only – Swamp Green, which is one thing that caught my eye. I tend to go with some off colors anyway and just liked the looks. The rear triangle though, has black seat stays and chrome colored chain stays. I think the bike would have looked a lot better with an all black rear triangle. The paint job is not bad on the bike. I did have an issue with a few spots, because of cable routing, where I have already worn through the paint. Then again I have seen this on many other bikes also. The frame comes with a Rock Shox MC3.3 (4” travel) rear shock. See ride report for my thoughts on the shock. As for weight, we did not get a chance to weigh it before we built it up. I have heard anywhere from 5 to 7lbs. The total build when it was complete came in at just under 29lbs.

The build:
Well the build so far is a combo of new and stolen parts off my Niner. Wheel set is a combo of DT Swiss hubs and a Salsa Delgado rim in the front and Stan's in the rear. Went with a Truvative double on the front (hardly ever use the big ring anyway), Sram X9 shifters and derailleurs, Thompson seatpost and stem, old riser bar. Nothing fancy, but that’s the way I like it.


The ride:
First of the geometry of this bike is not to far off from the Niner, so I figured with some tweaking it could all workout. The first ride did not start out the best. George was kind enough to come in after hours to put the bike together the night before our annual East Burke trip. After a few adult beverages and some building fun it was completed, but the fine tuning…handle bar adjustment, seat position were not finalized (not a George issue, just a time issue). So the first ride was spent tweaking a few things and making adjustments. It was also hotter then hell and I was being dragged around by J-pro. The biggest adjustment was the rear shock. For the last 4 yrs I was mainly riding a hard tail, so messing around and adjusting the rear shock was something new to me. After messing around with things I ended up keeping the pressure at 100psi. This gives enough suspension while also letting me stand up and hammer up a hill with out much bob at all. Just to note that the shock has 3 positions…locked out, semi damped, and fully open. I usually have the shock in the middle position and will occasionally lock it out on longer climbs. I found the in the full open position the bike is too spongy. Another issue I had a first was a slow turning front end. With the setup as first built I had the combination of riser bars and a stem with a 10º rise. This put me in a more up right position then my Niner and I believe this was the cause for the steering issues. After getting used to the bike I was able to overcome this. After riding this bike hard for a month ending with the VT 50 I was say that I am happy with the bike. It may not be the ideal bike, but for the money it is well worth it.

Winter Projects

This is the time of year when most of the avid cyclists in my neck o' the woods are thinking about their new ride in the spring. Others are contemplating that big upgrade that will make their favorite bike dance on the trails.

I actually have a lot of winter projects, but not anything I can freely broadcast at this time. But as some folks are making these big bicycle decisions, I thought it might be pretty cool to "build" up a bike over the next few weeks, and share the process. I already know what I'm going to build, I have most of the parts, some are used, some are new. I actually had a little bit of a dilemma about what I was going to start, which I think will be an interesting story, decisions that maybe a potential new bicycle buyer might face.

Anyway, the finished bike will end up as one of our demo fleet, that will be available for use when the trails dry out this spring.

Here is your teaser...

British Invasion II

An overnight trip to London without the kid was a lot of fun. Lots of walking around. Lots of sight seeing. We were spitting distance from St Paul's Cathedral, which is really impressive. I suppose that's why the Royal Family likes to get married there.


We found a great curry in our travels, but were unfortunately very disappointed to find that every "pub" in London is chain owned. Imagine walking in to a centuries old ale house thinking it would be authentic and full of character, but finding it was really something more like a TGIF only pub flavored. We did much better on our second day, and avoided these places like the plague, but were still horrified to see that they encompassed about 95% of what we walked past. We ended up getting the best pub experience at an ultra modern bar along the Thames near London Bridge.


We fit a lot into 24 hours, so here is the summary:
Garden and finding a really good curry house that my brother had taken us to 6 years ago on Portobello Market, Kensington Gardens and Palace, Royal History Museum, pub lunch, London Underground experienced during heavy tourist season, hotel check in (sweet place too!), more Tube, lots of walking around Covent Garden and Leister Square before finding crappy chain pub #2 (this is when we figured it out - same exact menu), walking back to Covent Garden, excellent curry dinner. More walking, then disappointing pub #3, bed.
Starbucks, no drip coffee or tea available (WTF?), Tube, Tower of London, with about 8 miles of tourists lined up at the ticket windows. We skipped it. I thought it would be cool to see the Crown Jewels, and get my picture taken with a Beefeater, but we were not int right frame of mind for queuing.


We did take the tower Bridge tour though, a massive feat of Victorian engineering. It was the one thing I had never done before.

Afterwards, we walked back along the South Bank, and took in such sights as the H.M.S. Belfast, the Design Museum, The Golden Hind, The Clink (yes, really), a bike shop that had never even heard of a 29er, the ever impressive Tate Modern before taking the train from Waterloo to Guildford.


It was all in all a great weekend.

We brought in 2008 with a gigantic box of fireworks, that when lit, shot rockets up into the air for 3 minutes.


Then there was the 18 year old single barrel whisky. Not single malt, single barrel. Oh, it was smooth, and it went down horrifically quick.

We were glad to get back to the states in one piece.

Strange Things Afoot at the Circle K

We have had the wackiest January Thaw in recent memory. We went from 18" of snow, to -30° to 60° in less than a week. Crazy. Most of the snow on the valley floor is gone, and even Stowe has stopped running the lifts.

The worst part is, that the tease of 60° comes at a time when you are already sick of winter, and start thinking about riding bikes again. Unfortunately, it will probably not be 60 on a regular basis again until May. Oh well.

Lots of other things going on at Bike 29 though. We are working on some of the things we want to have ready for riding season, such as a website that will give you accurate and up to the date info on local trail conditions.
Not to mention a few top secret things that I can't tell you about yet. All in good time.

As the mercury drops again, and old man winter slowly returns, I'll leave you with an equally stormy vision of summer.


Up next, British Invaision II

British Invasion I

The story of our trip can not be summed up in one boring post, so I will split it up. I'll do my best to sum up the trip as concisely as possible.

The trip from Pennsylvania to NYC was nothing short of epic. Heavy rain, a wrong turn, and an impromptu trip through Manhattan made for really good moods by the time we checked in to our tiny basement airport hotel room. At least I got to boo both Yankee's stadiums, new and existing.

Christmas Eve
We rallied as a family at 4 AM with too much baggage and an over filled shuttle bus, and got checked it and upgraded thanks to the nice lady at the ticket counter that knew what it was like to travel with a 4 year old.
Uneventful flight, good movies.

Christmas Day
Presents. Food. Drinks. Rain.

Boxing Day
Food. Drinks. Shameless laying about. Visit to the local pub. In fact, the picture in the last post was from the walk back. We did do some walking in between the laying about.


Day After Boxing Day
A trip to a zoo featuring smaller animals and monkeys. Who doesn't like monkeys? I took lots of pictures of monkeys. I love monkeys. Then, due to our proximity to the ocean, and because Keiran had to see the beach, my family realized why I'm not so keen on beach vacations. This is pretty much what I remember it being like (exaggerating).


Following Days
Pubs. A Pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk. I don't remember it this way, but apparently it is a very Christmassy thing to go to. Pantomimes are funny, in that the audience is expected to participate. The jokes are always very corny, and there is always a man dressed up like a woman as a main character. Good stuff.

This gets us half way, will follow up some more later...!

Home Again

It was a long trip, but the time flew by. It seems like we were only gone for a couple of days, when in reality, we were out for almost 2 whole weeks. I just got back from the shop, making sure that I had everything I need to be ready for the onslaught of catch up that begins tomorrow.
Thankfully, many of the folks I need to deal with were just as busy as I was over the holidays.

So what was I up to this whole time?


I was visiting my mom in England. Some folks may know that I grew up there. Since I've lived over here in my late teens, twenties and thirties, I've only been back a handful of times. It was my first British Christmas in 19 years. It was great. Too much food. Too much drink.

Now when we make these big travels, there are three of us, wife and boy and myself. I have never made an Atlantic crossing with so much baggage and stuff. I felt for sure I would have a nervous breakdown.

I'll bore you all to death with how I spent my Xmas vacation over the next few days.

I will say, that I am glad be home home, even though it's -30° right now. I know this because I just walked the dog, who is also glad I'm home! He had a great vacation with a good friend of ours, and he spent it laying in front of a fire the whole time.