Internet Free Zone

Not by choice either.
So much of the work I do goes on after store hours, and since the internet has decided not to work at my home, I'm forced to reduce my work load slightly. Apparently, I'll be waiting until they can get a technician over to sort it out. What is even more annoying, is that my Crackberry has also decided to stop receiving emails, so I am in true radio silence.
Stupid technology...

So the Gravel Grinder was a huge success, we have a great post on the Five Hills Bikes blog with pictures, and a video of the descent down Loomis Hill that someone was brave enough to film one handed. Next year, we'll have more room. We had to turn away a bunch of folks, which was a huge shame, but we had planned for a certain number. A huge thanks goes out to all of our sponsors.

I've been building Jets and shipping them out furiously. What an amesome bike. I should be able to get mine dirty this weekend, if I can ever get caught up in here!

The Plane has Landed

After what seems like FOREVER, I finally have my Jet 9.

I'm not even going to talk about what it took to get these 10 frames here, but rest assured, they are here. Everyone that pre-ordered the Jet before 1.31.08, will get their frame before the rest of America. I just need a chance to do final QC before getting them packed up and on their way again. They will leave on Monday.

All I have to say is WOW!


What a beautiful machine. Everything is well thought out and executed to perfection. Typical of Niner. I had a really hard time deciding between the Kermit frame and the ano black, but I eventually chose black. I already have a Kermit, and he has been very good to me. I plan on holding on to my original Kermit for a long time, so it's best not to piss him off. In fact, Kermit gets the nod for the big ride this Sunday.


The Jet is a different beast. For my personal ride, I chose to bling out on the lightweight components, yet go with a beefier wheelset. I'm a trail rat, not a racer, but I wanted something I could duel with at Catamount if I needed to. With my "stock" set up, the bike rolls at 27.6lbs (with pedals and bottle cage). A full 2 pounds less than my RIP. It's set up with a "PUSHed" Fox fork, and an all mountain double (on a sweet set of cranks arms too!). I have a feeling that there are a great many things to be learned about this Jet...


An absolutely gorgeous beast this is.
I have a handful of medium and large frames that don't have homes on this run, but I have another 10 coming. I have a small amount of small and XL frames unspoken for.

Want one?

Call!!

1 Week to Go

This was the scene today.

Sideways snow on the climb up Perry, rain on the back side, and lots of wind.
DA and I checked out the first and last climb of the big Gravel Grinder. The roads are in really good shape and the weather is supposed to be in the 60s and somewhat sunny all week. I think the ride will be really fun. The super-duper long range forecast is calling for good weather next weekend. I had fun riding in the snow today, so whatever the weather, I know I'm ready.

I'm pleased to announce that Pop Soda VT is going to be providing some of their delicious micro-brewed soda for the event. These guys are a small operation on the south end of Waterbury, and they make the best soda you will ever taste. I'm a big sucker for the lemon lavender with ginger, mmmmmm...

The start point will be in the parking lot of the Pilgrim 5 building, just behind the newly refurbished Train Station. The original start point was Rusty Parker Park, but it is going to be used for a wedding. An outdoor wedding in April? Good luck to the bride and groom.
This will not significantly change the route however, as all the aforementioned locations are within spitting distance of each other.

Important things for participants to know:
1. The big hills are all paved, and there are only a couple of spots where poor unpaved road conditions may put the big hurt on you.
2. This is not a race, it is a social event. Be supportive of your fellow rider.
3. The ride is on rural roads, expect to see cars, trucks, and possibly hostile rednecks who are mad that they can't ride their 4 wheelers or snow machines. Obey all traffic laws, and ride single file when encountering any vehicles.
4. This is not a race! TAKE YOUR TIME. Enjoy the scenery.
5. There will be a sag wagon at Hope Davey Field in Waterbury Center. There will be recovery drinks, PB&Js, and for those that can step up, maybe even a few PB&Rs. This is the halfway point. Anyone not feeling up for it has the option of peeling out, but they will need to ride back to town under their own power. It is a flat ride, so if you've bonked, you will easily be able to make it after refueling.
6. We'll have a couple of trucks patrolling the route, making sure that no one gets left along the way.
7. The last hill (Blush) will be optional to those who are not feeling it. It is a steep bugger.

There will be a pre-ride meeting at 8:45am. Participants are asked to be at the start point at 8 for registration, and the following pre-ride meeting. We'll be going over the finer points of the event, so you'll want to be there.

The Monkey Rides Again

After a prolonged absence, the Monkey has been rebuilt to ride again.
It was decommissioned at the end of 06, and it hung in the shop in a place of honor. I felt bad about it's state. I mean, without this bike, I never would have discovered the joy of the big wheels. If I had never discovered 29ers, I probably wouldn't have opened the shop.
Funny how it all works out.


In the process of moving the shop, I found a whole bunch of parts in random boxes that I could use to get the Monkey rideable again. I set it up as a 1x9 with Mary bars and cable disc brakes. I'm going to use it to commute to the new shop, as well as drag the boy to daycare. It's built up with a set of Foundation wheels, shifting coming courtesy of a 10 year old SRAM 9.0SL rear derailleur mated to a new X7 shifter. Also coming out of retirement is a pair of similar vintage SRAM 9.0 brake levers, the ones with the faux carbon print on them. It's pretty cool to have this stuff out getting used again. To keep the vintage theme going, I'm using the first set of Time pedals I ever owned.

I climbed Barnes Hill on the shakedown ride. For the most part the dirt roads are doing well. They had dragged the road smooth today, so it was a little rough going. I imagine that by the time the Gravel Grinder happens, the roads will be fine. Sweet Road on the other hand, is not doing so well. I actually crashed when the front wheel washed into a deep car tire track. Once I picked myself up, I could smell a big animal. It had to be a moose, it kinda smelled like a horse, only really pungent. As I pedalled along, I noticed not one but two distinct moose tracks in the muddy road. Boy, I was getting close, the smell was getting stronger, and those tracks were very fresh.
Alas, no moose sighting for me. I didn't have my camera anyway, but I did come across a couple of people who had actually seen the two moose walking down the road. I must have just missed them. I did see 6 deer though. I also hit 44.7 mph going down Loomis Hill.
More Gravel Grinder updates tomorrow.

Gravel Grinder

No, it isn't really this bad...

Red 5.1 and I took a spin out on "the course" yesterday to see how things are shaping up. Due to time constraints, I only rode hills 3 and 4 (Barnes and Gregg). I was surprised to see that there were some other tire tracks on the road, somewhat fresh too.

Hills 3 & 4 make up roughly 13 miles of the overall ride, and have 1430ft of climbing. It took me 1hr 17 minutes to do on my singlespeed. I averaged 10 mph, and my max speed was a hair under 40mph. Not bad eh? The weather was beautiful, low 50s, no wind. I'm hoping we get some of that for the main event.

I plan on getting out again to check out the conditions on hills 1 & 2 (Perry & Loomis) this week. Hill 5 (Blush) is completely paved, so we're all set there. I also want to see if I can do Perry on Red 5.1. The 35-21 gearing makes climbing certain pitches quite painful, but I've been thinking all along that I'd be riding the single speed. Most of the big climbs are paved, so just about any type of bike will be suitable. I have a feeling we'll be seeing lots of 29ers and cross bikes.

Yesterday's conditions were quite variable. It was really dry in the sunny areas, but quite treacherous in the shady hollows and cold spots. With warmer temps in the forecast over the next few days, I anticipate that the roads will be in pretty good shape by the 20th. I will admit that for the most part, I was surprised at how good the overall conditions were. The bad spots were pretty bad though. There was one nasty part while climbing Gregg Hill where I sank deep into the road and almost came to a dead stop in mid pedal stroke. Shortly thereafter, while coasting down another hill, I sank the front wheel and almost did an unintentional McTwist. Fortunately I held it together.

If you are still on the fence about joining in, just step up! It will be fun. Once again, proceeds go to benefit the Waterbury trails. If you would like to ride, but just can't make it, consider a donation. All contributions help make our trails better and safer.

Closer....

I spent most of the weekend huffing fumes. Last week, Nat built me what will be my "retail counters". These are works of art, and are reminiscent of the counters I built for the old shop. The big difference, is that Nat knows what he is doing, and these are REALLY nice. I forgot my camera today, but I will get a picture of them up on the next post.

I spent a good chunk of yesterday, and a few hours today staining those cabinets to match the old ones, and man! I was on another planet for a while. Even with the windows open it was pretty overwhelming, but they sure look nice.

Also new, are the window decals provided by Great Big Signs & Graphics, expertly installed by our good friend Dr.Jones. Again, pictures will follow. The place is really coming along. Once my replacement slatwall shoes up, I should be just about ready to go.

Speaking of ready to go, the Gravel Grinder is coming soon. Some folks have asked about pre-riding the course, so here is the loop. It will be run counter clockwise from Waterbury Village.


View Larger Map

Don't forget to sign up! We will not be taking any ride day registrations!

Deconstruction Begins

As we move forward with the move, it is becoming apparent that there is more to setting up a shop than I remembered from the first time. There is also a lot more to taking one down, especioally if you plan on being open for business. You can't move everything, unless you plan on doing it all at once.

Because Bike 29 is always open, I can't do anything that will disrupt that side of the business. I still need to be able to ship, which becomes difficult if you have your inventory scattered over a three miles.


Oh well, growing pains I guess.
Now the shop is in a choatic state, which most regulars know is not that far out of the ordinary for me. I moved a couple of large non essential items, with the help of Nat and his awesome Tundra, one of the counters, the large bike rack, the kids bike rack the 3 tier presenter. The other stuff will move when we are closer to "flick the switch" so to say. There is just so much stuff!


So with all the stress of moving and trying to keep it all straight, Nat and I decided to take advantage of the 40° sunny afternoon, and we went for a grind on the bikes. We are nearing true mud season, where the roads will be really soft and gooey. I'm hoping that the worst will be over by the time the Gravel Grinder happens, but you never can tell up here. We could be riding in a blizzard!

The wool jersey is awesome BTW! I wore that with a vest and was at the perfect temperature during the ride, in spite of the freezing cold mud that splashed up.

You can still sign up for what will most surely be the most fun you'll have on a bike in April. Proceeds are going to help maintian the Perry Hill Trail system. These trails see a lot of use, and there are a dedicated group of folks that take care of those trails all summer. They need your support!