They Call Me Boots

Day 44...Exhaustion

2012-02-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

Man! Ive heard stories about it. Ive seen it in parents' faces. We've even suffered from it, but its been awhile. True exhaustion for me comes from lack of sleep, and I dont sleep much anyway. The boys were especially feisty today. Nothing like a 3yr old and a 2yr old "feeling their oats" on the same day. Usually one is more submissive than the other...not today. It was tit for tat pure and simple. The odd thing is that for the most part it appears at times they know when they are pushing each others' buttons. Pretty perceptive at that age. Anywho...we got out the park this morning to help blow some of that steam off. Good lunch and then nap time came for at least one of them. My youngest is notorious for "moving furniture" during nap time, and do that he did today. He's super awesome cuz he sings to himself about everything, especially when he's content. He just sings this lil diddy type of a tune that he sometimes bobs his head to.

Other than that not much else went on. More than likely going into the shop an extra day this week. Work is piling up, which is awesome cuz it means $$$$ coming in the shop, which means more days for yours truly. We're also going to be getting a visit from Karen Rake at Pedal Dancer dot com Friday. She's originally contacted Kirk about his Steel Shop...if memory serves from what I was told. Now he's working on getting people down there who've helped him out to spread the love through Karen and her blog. If anyone deserves it, its Kirk. Man, he is the shop owner everyone should have as a boss. Just an honest, sincere, dedicated, trusting...and then some...Man. He's got a clear vision and knows what he knows, and believes that if you do what you love it'll all work out. Honest product, fair price, great service...thats his philosophy. Go figure right, especially in today's business world. Anyway, its going to lots of fun and Im looking forward to it.

Alright...its time to take a load off and try to fight my night time insomnia so I can get some sleep tonight. (side note...a few mins have passed since that last sentence due to a story on the nightly news about a "Hammer Attack" at a high school by a 14yr old! WTF?!") Stay tune for pix of the 2012 Colnago CLX3.0 w/Ultegra Di2 by the weekend. Should be a fun build to play with.

...boots out.

Days 42 & 43...Oops

2012-02-12T06:51:00.001-07:00

Ok, its first thing on Sunday morning and I am truly sorry. I wound up not feeling too well after dinner last night and wound up passing out early and not sleeping for shite due to intestinal issues. Ugh...

So its all good news on the Colnago front at the shop! We sold out first bike yesterday! A CLX 3.0 w/Ultegra Di2. So excited to see this thing come in and get the gentleman out on the road in style and comfort.

Today, well, its gotta be better than last night. Ive already been to the grocery store for the fam and am now sitting here drinking some coffee(to hopefully get things "moving"). The TODAY show is on and all their talking about is the death of Whitney Houston. I understand she had her moment, but over the past decade or so shes been out of the positive spot light and only really known for her crack- smokin ways with Bobby Brown. Why do we as Americans choose to completely revere people who were once a great thing, but in the recent past have all but faded? I think there are better things to do with our collective energies than concentrate on something like this. I know I sound "harsh" and "uncaring", but really? Just sayin...

Today is going to be a mellow day. Cook some breakfast for the family and get the house cleaned up. Its friggin colder than snot outside. Speaking of snot, it literally started to freeze outside going to the store this morning. Man...Im sick and tired of this cold, non riding outside weather. I dont own a trainer so I cant do the whole "sit in the basement and suffer" thing. The plus side is that I stripped my old cross frame and am ready to build up the Colnago sitting at work with my name on it.

Alright...im done for now and again, am sorry for not getting at least a lame post up in my quest to write every day this year. Ill take the hit and we move on from here...

...boots out.

Day 41...I Gots Sum Pix 2day

2012-02-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, so yeah, no post this morning as the wife and I woke up late and had to get the kids up, get ready for work, get the kids ready and feed everyone in less than an hour! Holy schnikies! So it all went well and everyone got where we needed to be at the appropriate time.

Work was great overall. All our new Colnago's showed up. Kirk and I got an Air built and an Ace built. I got to pull out my new World Cup Cross frameset! So super excited to build it up. Did LOTS of gluing...again...and nothing new there.

The one hitch in the day was a Pinarello Paris build. Everything went well until... I measured all of the housing and got the rear derailleur cable run and routed through the internal routing via the downtube and did 3 test shifts then...SNAP CRACKLE POP!!! Suddently the shifting went to shit and I cussed myself. Thinking I missed something in the setup I retraced my steps and found that the internal housing stop on the downtube, the one that is made of aluminum and simply bonded to the inside of the frame via some sort of resin/adhesive, had broken free and dropped into the downtube. BUMMER! After attempting to fish the stop out for about a half hour I decided to call it. Its a brand new frame straight from the distributor so a phone call was made and replacement is on its way via 2 day air from NC. So...all good in the hood.

Tomorrow its another day at the shop with more gluing in store and stripping the broken Paris down to ship the frame back. Also doing a fit for a friend of mine on his new Cannondale EVO...see previous post.

The BB of the Paris with the lil grom just out of reach

These 2 guys got some new rubber today...all glued and ready for some TT fun

In case anyone wants my opinion..this is the only stuff that should go on your tubies

Here's the NEW RIDE! Cant wait to build it

We can thank Mr Nys and Mr Albert for those stripes

such a thing of beauty

not a great photo of the rear cable hanger integrated into the seatcollar

no doubts here

perfect place for your shoulder to go

Colnago Ace w/105 comes in right around $3000

Great graphics on every Colnago we see

Day 40...EPS is so Awesome!

2012-02-09T09:23:00.001-07:00

Ok, yesterday was an awesome day. The Campagnolo EPS training was sick! If youve been thinking about an electronic shifting group, Campy is the ONLY one you should consider.

The 2 lightest electronic groups out there...yes both Super Record and Record are Lighter than Dura Ace
Completely WATERPROOF to 1 meter below water
Does NOT crap out due to vibrational issues like Di2 does(shimano cant run it during the cobbled Spring Classics due to this issue)
Multiple shifts up and down...thru the ENTIRE gear range if needed!
Onboard computer monitors the system constantly to keep track of problems that may arise
Movistar Team only charged their battery unit 3 TIMES last year...for the entire year! The battery is good for 5000 cycles before it needs charging. In other words, you have to use the buttons 5000x before the battery needs some juice
You can charge the battery at any point in its life, not like others where you must run it out in order to get optimal performance
Setup is SUPER EASY...once the wiring harness is run and connected, setup should only take a few mins.

Those are the highlights of the Gruppos. I tell you what, if I had the $$$$, id have ordered one yesterday. If youre looking for durable, you want the Record Gruppo, NOT the Super Record(its the lightest, which for racers can be an issue down the road as they are using the hell out of the system). Man...I cant say enough about this component group!

If youre looking for a great Century Ride this year and dont want to pay an arm and a leg, and the money you do pay you want to KNOW goes to a great cause, then check out the "Dirty Century" sponsored by Kirk Webster and Creekside Bikes. Yes, its shameless promotion, but honestly this things sounds awesome! I've cut and paste the info via Kirk below...if youre in Denver, this is a great thing...especially for all you Crossers who miss the dirt come spring time.

"Friends,

Last year about 50 riders from the Creekside Community gathered together for an early season Gran Fondo in Elbert County.
We had a fun time together, despite the wind, out the rolling Peaceful Valley climb to Peyton and back.

This year, Creekside is hosting the ride again...free to everyone...with four routes, a post-ride beer garden, and a good cause.
The Black Forest Classic, Sunday, May 27th will offer 25, 40, 65 and 88 mile out-n-back rides from Elizabeth with an exciting 8am mass start.

Our good cause is supporting the Zimbabwe Mission Partnership. 100% of riders' donations from The Black Forest Classic will to go to needy children.
100% of your money goes to the kids.
I am respectfully requesting ZumXR team members come and share in this event...pls ride and pls assist. I will be sending out small tasks to the team I hope persons will volunteer for such as; creating maps, organizing several rest stops, and helping with the donations.

Team Numb Nuts is hosting the Beer Garden...maybe with pink brew on tap??

Thanks to all,
Kirk"

So come on out if youre interested. Its FREE for cryin out loud! Your donations go 100% to a charity and there's Beer!

Ok, so that concludes today's shameless promotions...

...boots out.

Day 39...Its A Campy Kind Of Day

2012-02-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, this feels much better. A bit more lucid and definitely more awake at this time of day. It started early, like 5am early. Woke up and couldnt go back to sleep, so I decided to get some things done. Went to the grocery store, caught up on some Anime via Hulu Plus, made coffee, gave the youngest a bath(he was up early and needed one) and made the wife some lunch(sorta). Oh, got some loads of laundry folded and in the washer.

So yesterday at the shop we got the complete 411 on the new FIZIK Custom Insoles, which are a joint venture between Fizik and Sidas. Click HERE to go to the FIZIK page on their shoes, and at the bottom youll see info on Sidas. These things are amazing. Ive had a pair for almost a year now and all my hotspots are gone! Kirk...aka Bossman...got himself a pair via the tutorial yesterday. We, Creekside Bikes, are one of 4 dealers in the Denver Metro area now to carry the insoles. The process takes all of 15mins from start to finish(compare that to Shimano which makes you pack a lunch), and the price is very right...$85!!! So if you want to give your feet new life, or make an old pair of shoes feel like new, come by!

Today is an uber cool one for sure. Campagnolo USA is coming to Denver to do in info session on the new EPS drivetrain. Kirk and I are going down to The Curtis Hotel downtown for the seminar at noon. Im so excited to see this stuff. Aside from the fact that Campy is my 1st choice for components, and I LOVE to fix it(which saves people LOTS of $$$$ compared to Shimano when it breaks), getting to see the new EPS in person and take that knowledge back to our customers will be awesome.

Also this week, if things go well and there are no major snow storms between here and Chicago this week, the shop should see its shipment of Colnagos! Theres a World Cup frameset in there with my name on it...tee hee! Stay tuned for photos on the bikes as they arrive and I get them built.

Alright, hopefully this shift in posting time will work out for everyone...everyone who takes their time to read my rants...THANK YOU!

...boots out.

Day 38...Change of Venue

2012-02-07T20:50:00.000-07:00

Change of venue, but not in regards to work or anything like that, its more of a figurative type. Im so exhausted at this time of night, that no matter how much I want to write a "piece", or something of "substance", but I start to fade a see double. So Ill try and write in the mornings.

Today was a great day at the shop with yet another addition of a great product from the FIZIK family. More on that tomorrow.

Tomorrow is also the training for Campagnolo EPS downtown in Denver. Im super stoked and cant wait to see this gruppo in action in person. We're going to try and get some photos if its allowable.

Stay tuned...

...boots out.

Day 37...Colnago is Coming

2012-02-06T21:24:00.001-07:00

After last night's "awesome" post and super lame day(yes hanging around football all day was getting boring after a while), I got some great news today from the shop. As of today Creekside Bikes is the newest Colnago dealer in the state. That makes us 1 of, I believe, 4 dealers in the Denver Metro area. The initial stocking order has been placed, and we should be seeing the bike rolling in towards the end of next week.

The coolest part is that we're getting a World Cup CX frame in to build! Its a 2011 model since the 2012's arent ready yet. The key differences in the 2011 model and the 2012's will be the rear end spacing. Last year's is the standard 130mm road spacing sans disc tabs. The new 2012 will be 135mm spaced and will come with disc tabs ready to go.

The downside to all the new disc ready cross frames will be the ones like this that come 135mm in the rear. If you have an older bike, you wont be able to swap wheels out with the new frames. Overall, Im glad to see disc here and personally hope it stays.

Alberts' Winning Bike

We're also getting a new SRAM Red 2012 group in to build one of the Colnago's with. Stay tuned for pics on all of them. Please know this...Colnago's arent super crazy pricey like most people assume. Understandable that there's the assumption they are...afterall its one of the great pedigrees of bikes around the world. However if you compare to Pinarello and Merckx, they are right in there. Just a lil FYI...

Stay tuned!

...boots out.

Day 36.5

2012-02-06T00:30:00.001-07:00

Fell asleep on the couch post game. It sure was s good one. The ads were kinda eh, but fun at the same time.

Good night all...boots out.

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Day 35

2012-02-04T23:08:00.001-07:00

I'm going to bed...exhausted.

...boots out.

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Day 34...#snOMG

2012-02-03T21:51:00.000-07:00

Yes we got lots of snow. No I dont have any pics to show you from the day. I know, I know, lame. I have bad luck with using my phone/camera any other time than when inside or outside standing in sunshine. Ive dropped my phone across 3 lanes of traffic trying to take that "cool riding shot" so many out there seem to manage wonderfully. There's the inevitable "toilet dunk" which has cost my wife a phone(my fault), and very thankful for the extra $7/mo we spend on insurance for the damn things. Then there are the numerous "walk-n-drops" Im famous for. So, when its remotely wet, sandy, snowy...etc, I err on the side of caution. Now that being said, I think the wife got some video we'll post up on the YouTube acct for family and friends to watch.

The snow was pretty crazy at times, and I did have to shovel the driveway, and sidewalk, 3 times. When we lived in Charlotte a couple years ago there were a couple of "big" storms that winter. Big for Charlotte NC is like 3 inches. The whole place shuts down and people go to the store for bread and milk, kinda like they do when a Hurricane rips through. Somehow the hashtag for the snow storm of the decade was #snOMG and impressively it stuck around...and in my head. I think its better than the #snowpocalypse one that Denver has used since the blizzards of 2006(yeah it was pretty bad that year). Anywho...

Moving on to the Bike Front...anyone like SRAM Red? Well, if youve been keeping track of it, there are some changes for next year's line. Here's the YouTube video that followed the press release. Home wrenches, if you have never done it, and youre going to try...good luck. Guys like me, with private clients/teams...etc...hope you enjoy and that Im not just sending something out there that everyone has seen before.

Make sure you pay attention to the Front Derailleur setup. Honestly, thats the only thing that is really new. Its a pretty cool concept, and Im really interested in setting it up the first time. It actually does have some Yaw!

...boots out.

Day 33...This Makes Me...

2012-02-02T20:54:00.003-07:00

...pretty upset to be honest. A personal client, and personal friend, just picked up his new rig from a shop in town. It was thru his team deal, and part of that deal was paying for a "Pro Build", as that is what the shop "specializes" in high end road bikes. There have been a few red flags from a couple of the other teammates as to some of the work performed on their newly purchased bikes.

I went thru the bike, from ass to front, and these photos are the findings. If you click on the photos below youll be taken to the Picasa album with captions that describe the issues.

The problem I have with this, is that many times this is what happens from shops that put themselves in a certain light and wind up skimping on that "pro" service they advertise. The part that really gets me going is that the wrench that went through this was obviously NOT thinking about the Human Being who's going to be riding this bike, or the way the bike is going to be ridden. Its going to get trained on daily, raced weekly and beaten into the ground. So, all these little things add up. Seriously...the old adage "its takes twice as long to fix something as it does to do it right the first time" just screams at me from this thing.

Now please dont think Im out to get anyone, otherwise Id have named names, and the like. My point is, you as the customer deserve to get what you pay for. Please trust your shop. Please vote with your money and your purchases if you arent happy. One thing too, you are more than welcome to go in to the shop and let them know these things are happening. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, and hope that most businesses would want to know, and would want to make sure their "A" game is constantly being aimed for.

The beauty of this whole thing, is that I got to play with this beautiful machine. I really enjoy Cannondale as a brand, and as a bike. Pretty darn nice stuff.

...boots out.

Day 32...Lil Bit O Physics

2012-02-01T22:56:00.004-07:00

Tonight just concluded with a lil bit o physics. Building wheels is something I truly enjoy. They are so simple yet if a few things dont go the right way, complications can occur. By the "simple" part I meant, if you break it down, its simply taking a nut and bolt and screwing them together. Now, youre using lots of long, skinny nuts and bolts together, but if kept in harmony, they will balance each other out...and they must, or else your precious little creation wont be worth much after the first few rides.

Im rebuilding a Williams wheel and hub for a client who's selling it off, along with alot of his old Tri stuff. I really enjoy building wheels, kinda like I actually(yes I must finally admit) enjoy gluing wheels. Theres alot going on, but if you stop thinking from a linear point of view(which is what most of us do), and begin to take a "Cyclical"(pun intended) approach towards it, its actually aims to be on the side of easy. One thing you do on one part of the wheel in the building process, directly affects what is going on on the opposite side. Much like life, or at least my point of view. We cant do an action without an equal and opposite reaction somewhere else in the universe. So, the point of that ramble...I like to build wheels.

Now switching to the side of product pushing. Sapim makes the nicest spokes out there, IMO. There nipples are beautiful...nicely shaped heads and the threads are great. The spokes themselves have wonderful tensioning properties. They are very predictable to use. Ok...done with the product plug.

The wife had a Dr's visit today to get the monthly check up on the lil bun in the oven. In 2 weeks we head back to get the official(as much as ultrasound can be trusted) finding on if its a lil penis, or a lil un-penis growing wonderfully in there. Bets have been made, im saying its the former, and the wife wants the latter.

Tomorrow I get to go over a friend's bike which he picked up today. It will be a lesson in patience, as he paid for a professional build and several members of his team have experienced "issues" with their builds. Im hoping its not as bad as initial inspection leads me to believe...

More to come on that.

the Only spoke to use...IMO

the "patient"

prepped and rolled, ready to go

ready for the final truing tomorrow. its nice when things line up together...its the lil things

if you paid an extra $120 for a "Professional" build...lil things matter. So whats wrong with this pic?

...boots out.

Day 31

2012-01-31T22:02:00.001-07:00

This post will be a joke. I had a migraine for the most part of the day, so im a bit foggy at the moment. On the plus side, its pretty much gone. That being said...

...boots out

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Day 30...Productivity

2012-01-30T22:01:00.000-07:00

Well, to quote Ice Cube..."Today was a good Day". Got to run around all over town all morning, literally. I went from one end of north west Denver down to Parker and then back home to Stapleton. The boys came along as usual, and they were pretty good overall. We went to Rise and Shine Biscuit Kitchen, Highlands, to get some grub and I could meet my newest client to give her her freshly glued wheels/tires. Then it was down to Parker to Creekside, the new job, to grab a couple things and chat with Boss Man, Kirk Webster, about his decision to carry Colnago! Holy crap is that gonna be an awesome addition to his shop. He already has Pinarello, Merckx, Tommisini and Bianchi, and adding Colnago will take his shop to the next level. So excited! Not only that, the new Cyclocross World Champ, Neils Albert, won it onboard a Colnago Prestige. We will be getting a Cross bike in, frame perhaps, maybe around a certain mechanic's size...hmmmmmmmmm.

From that bit o good news to driving back home and giving the boys some lunch and then nap time, we fast forward to my first official bike ride of 2012. It wasnt impressive, but it did feel good. They piled into the Chariot and the Stigmata got hitched up for the jaunt over to the park. The boys love the trailer. I hear them having conversations about the bumps and which ones are fun and which ones are hard. The "bigger" bumps are typically the fun ones!

all ready to roll!

I also got some spokes ordered from Alchemy Bicycle Works for a build this week. Thats going to be fun for sure.

boots out...

Day 29...Damn Blogger!

2012-01-30T07:38:00.003-07:00

Ok, so I had a post and it was set up to post, when the blogger server on my computer wouldnt update. It was too late and I was too tired to worry about trying to save it. Today will make up for that...

boots out...and is sorry

Day 28...A Couple Photos

2012-01-28T23:01:00.002-07:00

Today was a day, great day at work, boss is super super nice and completely different from any shop owner Ive worked for. Came home and hung out with the boys and the wife before they all went to bed. Just got done gluing up my last set of tires for the week. Im exhausted...

Tomorrow morning Ill be heading down to 3 Lions bright and early for the 7am showing of Cyclocross Worlds. Interested? Come on down and head upstairs.

Most of the Service area at work. Me likey da bench.

Doing with what space he has, and he has some nice lines to show off!

Boss Man is an old skool Campy lover. Im new skool...it works out.

what I just got done doing in the shop here at home.

The finished product...aaaaaand Im done

boots out...

Day 27...Adult Time

2012-01-27T22:12:00.002-07:00

Today was a work day. Creekside was hopin. Helped a Jr racer set up his garmin and put on his "Jr Gears" for going down to Arizona and racing this weekend. Thats part of the "new rules" post integration of the ACA and USAC. Started building up a nice lil Soma San Marco only to realize that they shipped it with a 650b fork...OOPS! So thats on hold until they send out a replacement. Glued up 3 more tubies at the shop as well. Seems like I should maybe open a custom wheel workshop and only specialize in building/fixing/gluing wheels for all...hmmmmmm. Figured out a "problem" for a customer who's son "fixed" her bike. Adjusting the front derailleur high limit screw got it all worked out. Thats about it. Tomorrow is another day at the shop, and so appreciated "adult time" with others who dont run around in diapers and drink out of sippy cups. After that its back to the Real job of being with the boys full time during the week.

boots out...

Day 26

2012-01-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

Pretty eventful day, if you look at it from the standpoint of 2 little boys who decided today was the day they'd break dad like glass on hot pavement. They succeeded, a little. In the end made it through. haha. Took them to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and after finally coming to grips with the sad fact that their favorite Dinosaur exhibit was gone for good, there was bucket-o-tude. After taking them through the Space Journey area they quieted down enough to get home for a lil more R&R.

I remember my parents telling me, "Youll get yours one day...", and shit like that. I remember thinking "haha, whatever...blah blah blah" to myself, imagining it never happening to me, especially since I was 1 of 4 giving my parents grey hair prematurely. Well...its coming, and its coming hard and fast. "Karma's a Bitch", and I got it comin. Should probably sit down with the wife and figure out what she's got comin too. That way we can at least build our bomb shelter properly.

I Love those boys of mine...

Did more glue work today. Pulled on the Classics wheels today, and gave the ZIPP's their 2nd coat(rim and tire). Tomorrow is pull up day for them. I think I should invest in a respirator. Seriously, that stuff is not right for your nasal cavities. Doing it in the house has really shown me just how noxious those fumes are. Good thing its been warm out and I can turn on the attic fan to speed up the process, as well as get the boys outside for a bit. Maybe Ill rig an exhaust fan to the basement window above the bench....hmmmm

Thats it. Work tomorrow at the shop, and Saturday. Going to watch Cyclocross Worlds at 3 Lions Tavern this Sunday morning. Thanks to Frites.

boots out...

Day 25...I Have Pics 2nite!

2012-01-25T22:47:00.001-07:00

So Im not even going to talk about the "goals" thing tonight. Its too much of a sad state of affairs, that I think until I have something concrete to tell Ill continue the posting. Albeit it will be more along the bike stuff that takes place in my little world.

On that note, today was a pretty productive day in the home shop. 2 sets of tubulars, 2 diff clients, got their first coat of glue, and are curing as "we speak". One is a pair of "Classics" wheels. Nice low profile alloy rims w/traditional 3x spoking, and a set of Vittoria trainer tubies. They are going to one of the "heads of state" over at Frites En Mayo. The second set is going to a new client who races for the Pro Design Cycling Womens' Team. She has a set of, fresh out of the box, ZIPP 303 Firecrest wheels, and Vittoria Evo's for tires. Once permission is given to use her name, Ill throw it out there for everyone. Definitely devoted as she works fulltime and just CAT'd up to a 1!

The other project was for my man Pete Lopez. This guy has more Independent Fabrication bikes than most shops! He broke a frame and found a replacement while the original gets fixed at IF HQ. Nice lil Reynolds 853 rig.

One project left, respoke a Williams Cycling Wheel w/its original hub. Waiting on spokes then that will be a fun couple hours.

Tomorrow will be more glue and the finishing work on Pete's bike.

Day 24

2012-01-24T22:54:00.001-07:00

Youngest is up and not sleeping. All the while crying...boy this is gonna hurt.

boots out...

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Day 23...Wagon? What Wagon?

2012-01-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

Im posting while standing so as to negate the effects of being exhausted. The boy feels much better today, although his appetite is for shite due to his coughing. In the end, he was in good spirits and went to bed without incident.

Got productive and got a couple of documents made up Ive been wanting to do for some time now. One is a list of rates for my private client/team members and the other is a description of whats gotten deemed "The PRO-gram". Essentially is service from the standpoint of someone who either needs, or wants that same type of personal service Elite riders get from their mechanics. In this case its a weekly service, ass to front, pick/drop off if needed for a small fee...etc.

Other than that...not much to report on the training aspect. Ive fallen off the "bicycle wagon" as a twitter peep put it in regards to his own training. Time to get back up, dust off the pride and get back to it. I knew it was going to happen, I just didnt think itd be this soon. I suppose its to be expected seeing as how I havent committed much to any sort of physical training regime in a few years.

boots out...

Day 22...Ear ache

2012-01-22T23:16:00.001-07:00

I had quite a bit to say...I think. The day became a bit of a blur starting around 530MST when my oldest son started crying with an ear ache. It stayed pretty steady in the inconsolable genre until about 15 mins ago. He finally passed out from crying. Drops haven't seemed to work so far, well maybe a little. Kinda weird since we've been relatively lucky in the health dept for the boys. This is the 1st ear ache we've had to deal with. Its tough, cant do anything for them, and you cant do anything to mute the crying that just rips at your heart strings. Hopefully it'll drain(crossing fingers that its not an infection) while he sleeps and he wakes up tomorrow in a better mood. Otherwise I believe a trip to the Dr's office will be in the cards, at least thats what the Dr "on call" told us to do when we chatted with them.

On that note, I'm gonna go relax a bit and let my ears stop ringing. Lets think thoughts of a restful night...boots out

Day 21

2012-01-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I can only say its been a busy past couple of days. The workouts have not happened...disappointed in myself. Must figure something out in order to get a schedule going when the personal/family schedule doesnt really exist some days.

The party last night at the shop was such a success! So many people came out, as well as the reps for the major brands the shop carries. All the reps gave the rundown on their product, which is always cool for customers to get to see first hand.

The diet is holding to itself...mostly. There have been a couple slip ups but mostly in the sense of missing a meal then trying to "makeup" for it later that evening. Doesnt sit right...

Im passing out for the evening. Hope everyone out there has a great rest of the weekend!

boots out...

Day 20

2012-01-20T22:39:00.001-07:00

Exhausted...almost fell asleep before realizing I hadnt done this thing id promised I would do. So...now I've done it.

boots out...really out

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Day 19...Wheels Anyone?

2012-01-19T21:19:00.002-07:00

Today was so nice! The weather rocked, mid 60's last I checked here in Denver. Took the boys to the park down the street and watched them do laps on the slides. It was awesome! During the day I tended to a couple wheel sets from a client who's going to be selling them. Pics are posted below, and Ill share the ad when he gets it out. Easton EA70 tubulars. 1 pair sans tires, but with cassette(Shimano 12-27 Ultegra 10spd), and a 2nd pair w/Challenge CX tires, and same cassette.

Tonight was #bikeschool over on Twitter. Ive really gotten into it. 1 hour a week, Thursdays at 9pm EST, 7pm MST. Click the link above and itll take you to the explanation of what #bikeschool is. I must recommend.

Tomorrow its back to the shop and the "Bikes and Beer" Open House Kirk is throwing. Its BYOB and the shop is providing food stuffs. I just hope the drive home doesnt take as long as it did on Wednesday!

boots out...

dont give yourself blisters, use a hairdryer and hot that glue up!

Here they are, ready for sale

the aforementioned cassettes

1 w/tires, 1 sans tires

Day 18...Tough man

2012-01-18T22:32:00.004-07:00

The title in not is supposed to indicate that yours truly is one. Its more along the lines of "its gonna be tough man" to keep true to my #nyrevolutions when work hits full time and Im running the kids to/fro daycare. Ok, I just reread that sentence and decided I should have my foot chewed on for a bit. StayAtHome Moms have been doing this forever...MUCH Respect! Having the boys in the car in the middle of the worst traffic ever was nice. They sang and made jokes...kinda cool when they start having their "conversations" and laughing about it. Very cool actually!

Did some nice tickets at work today. Glued up a set of tubies(vittoria evo cx/reynolds carbon) then slapped them on an EMX-3 for a gentlemen. Got the pres' Custom Trek Rd bike of Team Numb Nuts dialed in. Mavic's hubs blow...IMO...as the interface of rubber on plastic just inherently doesnt seem smart on any level. Once dirt attracts it turns the damn things into semi-fixy mode. Luckily my ladies and gents at Dumonde.com make a Freehub Lube that reduces the drag by up to 60%...so says an unnamed source in the industry, allegedly. Its killer stuff. Anyway, those were the 2 most rewarding tickets of the day. "Bikes and Beers" this Friday, which is essentially an open house for the shop If youre in the area feel free to stop by. Gonna be some nice eye candy there...bikes that is.

Tomorrow its wheel work here at the house. Gonna be getting a couple sets of wheels ready for sale for a client. Easton alloy tubies, 1 sans tires, the other w/Challenge cross tubies and cassette. Ill throw the link up once he's decided on price and what not.

boots out...

I miss mountain biking...gotta work on that

Day 17...Photos This Time

2012-01-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

Yep, I actually took photos today. Bit of a busy one, errands w/the boys, then Dr's office for Zach's 2yr check up, then making bread, and giving it a go at roasting a chicken officially from scratch for the first time. After all that, doing some work on my friend's Custom Pegoretti. Its going down to the shop tomorrow for the "Bikes and Beer" event this Friday...5-7pm for any who are interested...to hang up for some oooo-ing and aaaaah-ing.

Later skaters...boots out

turned out pretty good. The wife was happy!

good ole country white bread fresh out of the oven

Custom Pegoretti from The Man himself

Freshly installed Arione 2 add some pop to it!

The same color tape..as that is The Rule!

You dont get to chose what he does to your frame...beauty

Front and center

Like i said...Beauty

Campagnolo Record Drivetrain

nice lil touch

Love the blue

Day 16

2012-01-16T21:50:00.001-07:00

Crazy day...just life and family stuff. Tomorrow is reset day. More to come.

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Day 15..."say something stupid"

2012-01-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

Ah, this day is coming to an end, as is the weekend...sorta. The wife has tomorrow off in honor of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, which means its still the weekend for her. In turn since she's home the day, itll still be the weekend for me since I wont be on solo dad duty with the two tornados of love...aka...my sons. Grandma Gayle left today after being here for Zach's birthday, and helping us by entertaining the boys, her 2 favorite grandsons(theyre the only two).

Resolutions are tough man, now I know why I havent attempted any in years! Im gonna try a couple new things next week in the routine category. Will report back on that.

Should be able to get out and ride after monday, and my tuesday, as we're supposed to get some snow tomorrow. I need to loosen the legs up slowly from the hiatus theyve had. Not looking for any kind of performance from them, just wanna get the engine moving more and seeing what hurts the most!

I thought of the picture below today. Usually that happens when I feel like saying something out "loud"...ie...the twittersphere, and I offend someone in the process. I mean no harm, as a matter of fact its quite the opposite, Im all about love and peace. Unfortunately i suffer from "foot in mouth" syndrome at times. When that happens I remember this picture from a shop I worked at early in life. It struck me as quite the "common sense" way of thinking and acting, but we're all human and some of tend to lack the brain to mouth filter of which so many out there have. Anyway...apologies to anyone I set off, please lets talk about it. Enjoy...

Boots out...

Day 14

2012-01-14T22:22:00.002-07:00

It was my son, Zach's, 2nd birthday today. So the "regiment" has been neglected for a couple days now. Im going to have to hit "reset" Monday and push myself. I knew these days would come, the thing called "Life" does what it does and you have to deal with it. Have to do small things to keep everything in perspective and in sight so as to be able to come back to it with full conviction when the time comes. So, thats what Im going to do.

Tomorrow we're taking the boys to Monkey Bizness in Parker. That place is awesome. Indoor inflatables for kids to jump, climb, slide there lil bums off! After that, Grandma leaves in the afternoon so im sure the boys will go into some sort of withdrawl that will no doubt be super fun to experience.

Calling for snow this monday, and then warmer by the end. Me thinks I need to get the bike dialed in, and put together a trailer kit of clothing for the boys to go out in. Might have to make a trip to the museum too.

Thats whats up! Boots out...

Day 13

2012-01-13T23:24:00.001-07:00

Long day, worked, dinner out with fam. Mom in law is asleep. Now I'm going to veg out. See u ladies and gents tomorrow. Boots out...

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Day 12

2012-01-12T17:15:00.001-07:00

Today was a whole bunch of prep work for the arrival of Grandma Levine tomorrow, whos coming in for my youngest's second birthday this weekend. So, the training was limited to lots of running around town and house chores. The diet maintained for the most part...Coca Cola is my weakness, and yes I know its probably the one thing I should cut out of my diet the most. Losing weight isnt so much the goal as it is to just get some strength back and clean out the pipes for when I can ride outside again. No, I dont have a trainer, or Id for sure be riding inside. So if anyone out there lives in the Denver area and has an extra one, id be more than happy to take it off your hands for a few months! Going outside would be an option if I didnt have to worry about the kids being in a trailer behind me on slippery roads with crazy drivers. Anywho...itll work itself out one way or another.

Tonight is #bikeschool on twitter, starting at 7pm my time, which is MST. Thats going to be the highlight of the evening!

Day 11...Gettin It Done Early

2012-01-11T10:42:00.004-07:00

Well, Im not changing the name of my post, as I really did start it at 630am. Then as I started to actually sit down, the computer started telling me I needed to update all kinds of stuff. In that process, I deleted all my Apple software that was left remaining from my past days of being an iPhone owner/user. By that time the boys were up and it was full tilt to get some food going/and in them, and get some snow shoveled and the wife to work on time. It started snowing last night, and since we've been so warm lately it melted first, then turned into ice under the later snow fall. I mean ICE, a good 1/2" of the stuff. Denver is notorious for having some crappy drivers, and this stuff just brings it out even more. The normal 15/20 commute wound up taking about 50mins! Ugh...

So onto the subject of why Im writing these daily posts...working out. Yesterday I started doing "dry land" stuff, and my poor planning with the boys still up, made it more like time for me to be their jungle gym. Needless to say the time spent was more playing with them, which Id rather do anyway. None the less, today Im waiting till they go to bed for their naps before I do anything. Pushups, situps and stretching. I figure Ill gradually add more reps to each exercise as I get stronger. Even from the brief workout yesterday, I felt sore this morning. Sign of things to come? Me thinks yes! OUCH!

Hope to start posting more in the mornings from here on out. By the time I get to it at night, Im so wiped that I feel like Im not doing justice to my "literary skills"(i dont have any dont worry). Its more like Im so pooped, ive got energy for a few sentences and those are elementary at best.

Have a great day out there!

Day 10

2012-01-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

Today wound up being pretty good overall. Took the kids to the park, mid 50's weather and sunny, did some core work and upper body work(reminder to self, wait till kids take a nap next time, they were climbing all over me) and found out ill be attending the Campagnolo EPS course when it comes to Denver! Im super stoked about that. Getting to learn about my favorite component group's new electronic shifting system from Campagnolo USA itself, and on home turf will be awesome!

Day 9

2012-01-09T22:46:00.001-07:00

I'm posting and going to bed...nuff said.

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Day 8...CXNats

2012-01-08T20:47:00.001-07:00

Today was the last day of the "warm up" as I'm calling it, and by "it" i mean my goals/resolutions for this year. Tomorrow I start actually doing some physical work, on top of the changing of the diet this past week. Core work and some upper body workouts will be a daily occurrence from here on out. I'm aiming for the mindset from back in my swimming days. Yep, did that, year round for about 8 years in Jr High, High School and college. Keeping basic strength training going on a daily basis was everything then. So, i figured Id aim for that mindset and just suck it up and go for it.

Also today, the guys over at Frites En Mayo managed to procure a room upstairs in The Wynkoop Brewery for a viewing of Cyclocross Nationals. I managed to get there for the Mens' race, and saw quite a few friends, as well as met some twitter "friends"(which is kinda weird when you actually do meet someone from online in person). It was great and I hope they manage to do more stuff like that! Next year, it'd be nice to actually be there, or at Masters Worlds/Elite Worlds in person!

That's it...putting the pregnant wife to bed, then I'm gonna enjoy my last few hours of being "pain free". Boots out...

Day 7...We Got Some Snow

2012-01-07T21:40:00.000-07:00

Yep. It started about an hour before the shop closed, which is 4pm, and got heavier as the drive home got underway. It was pretty intense at times...down right sketchy.

As for the #NYRevolutions go, Monday will start some physical workouts on a daily basis. I'm not thrilled about it at all, cuz its gonna hurt...REAL bad. Ill really feel just how much Ive been slackin when I start to use this mass of flesh Ive become. Oh well, dems da breaks!

Tomorrow are the Womens', and Mens', Pro races at US Cyclocross Nationals. The guys over at Frites En Mayo Club have managed to convince some "powers that be" at The Wynkoop Brewery to stream the races live in a private room! I thought I had to work, but I was mistaken, so i gots the permissions from my wife to go down there for a bit. It'll be cool to see just how many people turn up, seeing as how Colorado has had some awesome results so far at Nationals.

On the plus side, a buddy of mine brought parts in to the shop for some sweet wheels to build. Alchemy Hubs(if you don't know them, you're missin out BIG TIME!!!), Sapim spokes and HED Belgium hoops. Don't worry Ill take some pics.

Well, pregnant wife passed out and is in bed, so now I'm gonna get some "quality" TV time in for myself. Boots out...

Day 6...Trabajo

2012-01-06T21:55:00.001-07:00

Ok, I'm worked, literally. Today was the first day of work at a new shop in Parker CO, Creekside Bikes. The owner sells road bikes, and a few Cross bikes(that'll change if I have my say...crossing fingers), and that's it. He knows what his niche is and is dialing his shop in.

So, between running the wife to work, kids to daycare and working then driving home in Friday traffic(I don't do well being surrounded by people in our private coffins) and an eldest son who didn't want to leave school(which made me secretly smile) and threw a tantrum of EPIC proportion most of the way home..I'm worked. I'm so worked I'm typing this post via bloggerdroid on my phone. Oh...and the eldest was chilled by some cheese-n-crackers I didn't eat at work.

I get to try and turn my new boss on to Dumonde Tech lubes and greases. That's gonna be fun!

I'm gonna go put the phone down, for the moment, and veg out...later #NYRevolutionaires

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Day 5...

2012-01-05T21:08:00.003-07:00

Today was pretty darn nice for a Jan winter day. Took the boys to the park via bike trailer, and they got to do laps around the place. Other than that...not much to say. Lame post, but its a post, and thats what I gotta do to keep the goals I want this year to come true. Have a great night!

Day 4...Dinosaur Day

2012-01-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

Lets see, the eating better went well today. Not as well as I would've liked...my own weaknesses. I gotta get those damn Minis out of the house!

The boys and I went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. We're annual members, which is awesome cause you get a card that gets scanned whenever you go, instead of waiting in line for tickets. Then there's the part about your admission being free, and you get into all the exhibits except their imax/planetarium shows, but those are discounted. The boys love the T-Rex exhibit. This thing is actually pretty cool. The animatronic Dino's have cameras in their eyes and run on motion recognition software and "react" to your movements! Wish I had these things when I was a kid...I'da been in heaven. Much like my boys are every time they go. Its going to be gone soon, so I'm hoping there's something else opening that the boys will get into just as much.

Saw this bit on the TODAY show this morning with Dr OZ, the dude who was on Oprah's payroll with all the crazy info. He was on doing a piece about how to keep your New Year Resolutions from a weight loss standpoint, but his points can be translated to any NY Resolution. Click on his name and it ll take you to Hulu for the clip. It was good to see that my ideas were pretty much in line with his, especially the "write it down" and "declare it" points. Puts you in the hot seat, because at least 1 person will know you flaked out. So, that's that.

Have a great night...I'm out!

Day 3...OK, I think I Can(Definitely)

2012-01-03T21:46:00.001-07:00

There's not much to report today. The eating better went well till just after dinner, had a lil binge of Reese's minis...so evil, yet so yummy. I did, however, rekindle my love of Gardenburgers, Original. Forgot just how yummy they are, just wish they sold more than a 4 pack. Used the new blender to make some smoothies for the boys and myself this morning. Its so nice to know they like stuff like that, my youngest actually digs crystallized ginger!

Starting next week Ill add physical working out, some conglomeration of core work and strength training for the upper body. Keeping to it will be the key week to week, especially for me, cuz im completely guilty of slackin up once the first benefits are seen. Dont ask...just gotta change that habit. So writing down daily here will be something that gets tried out. Thought process is the same as writing down your goals whether it be a daily goal or a weekly posting about your overall goal(s) are going, and having it sort of keep yer feet to the fire, so to speak.

New Year Revolutions is getting a couple more people interested each day, even though its only been 3. Thats encouraging in its own right. Im hoping more people will join in the sharing of posts, and that it will grow by simply turning into someone(s) actually getting in to, and seeing the benefit and the change that happens over the year. Granted, it will take longer for some than others, but thats the beauty of it. You WILL see change for those who keep at it, and that motivation could push someone who's feeling a bit run down by it all. So...Fingers Crossed!

Alright, Boots out...

Chili...Its Whats Fer Dinner

2012-01-02T16:50:00.001-07:00

Posting again...yes, I know, hold the phone call Guinness. Over the past few months I managed to acquire some cool toys to help around the kitchen, since I do most of the food prep its awesome. Tonight I'm making Chili(thanks to the Crock pot) and Beer Bread(thanks to the Bread machine). Ive been working on this recipe, chili, for a few months now. Here it is in case anyone wants an easy slow cooker recipe. Don't worry, I'm not gonna go all Le Cordon Bleu on you! You can substitute anything you want in, use organic ingredients...whatever, this is just a nice lil recipe Ive managed to get dialed in for my taste buds.

1 Crock pot or Slow Cooker
1.5/2lbs of ground beef(I use 80/20)
1 large green pepper
1 large red pepper
1/2 white onion
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 large can(the kind that look like 2) crushed tomatoes
2 cans diced tomatoes(I get the Rotel w/green chilies)
1-2 green chilies(if you cant find the Rotel w/green chili)
1 can yellow corn
salt
pepper
cumin
chili powder
chipotle Tabasco sauce
cheese(garnish)
sour cream(garnish)

Brown the ground beef in a skillet till all the pink is out. Drain the excess grease and add it to the crock pot. Add all the cans of tomatoes. Open and drain all the cans of beans EXCEPT for 1(add it with the juice) and add them to the crock pot. Chop/cut/dice the onion and peppers to desired size, just keep in mind bigger pieces cook longer...I like mine on the softer side...throw'em right in. Same thing with the corn, drain it though. Once everything is in I start with 2 tablespoons of chili powder, 2 tablespoons of cumin, salt and pepper to taste, and 3 tablespoons of the chipotle Tabasco sauce. If you cant find this stuff you can find chipotle chilies in a jar or can typically in the "Mexican" aisle at the store.

After everything is in, i give it a good mix then put the lid on and turn the Crock pot to "Low" and walk away. Ideally 7-8 hrs is best, but I've stopped at 6 cause the family was getting hungry. The only difference is the veggies aren't as on the soft side as I like...personal preference. Finished product below.

Now if you're a veggie/vegan, you probably know better than I what to substitute for the meat.

This is a first posting for me in the arena of food, so lemme know if you need clarification on anything.

im not sure how i feel about photographing chili...hmmmm

Day 2...Food Is Tough

2012-01-02T06:45:00.000-07:00

This food thing is gonna be hard, changing what I eat that is. Doing the physical workouts are the easy part, as they are tangible, you can feel and see what youre doing to your body, and the results that come. Food? Its easy to see how people slip up, because that is such a personal thing, as well as the fact that you can really see what your body is doing on the inside. You can feel it, yes, and you know what you should eat, but when bad eating habits have set in, its pretty hard to change.

Im thinking I might have to actually keep a food diary to keep me "honest" during this process, at least until the good eating practices become habits in the long run. We're making a grocery store/Costco food run today...should be interesting. On the plus side, my wife has been in the fitness industry for 15 years and can definitely keep me on the straight(er) and narrow!

We all have to fight our "Inner Homer"...

This Time Next Week...

2012-01-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

...Ill have completed my first 3 days at my new shop gig. (oh yeah, 2 posts in 1 day is a new record for me!) When I left the new shop I opened at the beginning of last year, I thought "this might be it for me" as far as working in shops goes. Being happy in the industry had taken on such a dark overtone for me, and the love of the 2wheeled machine thats kept me sane for years had started to fade.

Long story short, and thanks to my local SRAM/ZIPP/Merckx/Pinarello rep for referring my new shop to me(which is unheard of typically...usually we're referred to shops), Ill be back in "the biz" at a place where I truly have a "glass half full" outlook.

Ill be at Creekside Bikes in Parker CO starting Friday Jan 6th. The owner is a great guy to date, he even sent the family and I an Xmas card before even starting, and Im stoked to be taking over his service department. Its a small shop, really small, but well utilized space and definitely aims for a certain niche. That niche being road and some cross(hopefully more cross as I get settled in tee hee). He doesnt even touch mtb's, and thats ok, because you cant be everything to everyone these days unless youve got major coin, or work for a chain store.

Anywho, check out the links in the post, come find me and say HI! Ill be there 3 days a week, Fri/Sat/Sun, for the first couple of months until "The Season" starts, then fulltime.

Day 1 w/New Year Revolutions

2012-01-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

Good morning 2012. You came in quietly in my house and now Im getting ready to go help everyone soak up some of the partying from last night at Rise and Shine Biscuit Kitchen. This first post is a promise to myself Ive been meaning to keep for a while, as well as the fact that I havent made a "Resolution" in years. So, I figured Id do it and hold myself accountable by make blog posts daily, or at the very least weekly, so that anyone who actually wants to keep up with my goals, can hold my feet to the fire if I become a bit slack down the road.

Its also the start of a "brainchild" I had after a post, and comments, on Google+. Ive been purposely treating my body like crap, and not riding my bike, for at least 3 months now. Due to a very intense 2011 year, and some circumstances that life just throws at you, id lost my "Umf" when it came to riding. I made a comment about this over on G+, which has been an awesome experience so far, and others made comments back in regards to their own wants/needs to see their bodies come back to them in the New Year. I got to thinking..."would anyone be into a place where others can share their goals/resolutions there and people can keep up with one another, offer encouragement, suffer together through the hard spots or just simply read along?". After asking if anyone would, I was surprised at how many people said they were game. The only problem was coming up with a name for it. Names are so hard. Ive never been good at them. If it werent for my wife's girlhood dreamings, we'd probably still be picking out names for our boys, but her book came in very handy!.

The idea was there, and there was enough interest from cycling peeps, that I got a little bit of help from a friend of mine on twitter, Mike Osbourne...aka...@egggman. So, New Year Revolutions was decided upon. You can click on the name and go to our G+ page. There's also a Twitter account, @NYRevol, and hopefully the hashtag #NYRevolutions will catch on as well. Simply put, I want as many people who are into it, to keep daily, or weekly blogs(either online, or email posts to NYRevolutions) and we'll put them up on our G+ page. Send photos, stats, training rides, anything you want. Even if a handful of people do it, that is going to be a success to me! I always wonder with many of us having jobs, families, LIVES, how they keep up with a goal and training throughout the entire year! I hope this will shed some light on it, and give others, especially myself, to stay on the path we envision for ourselves at this time of year.

That being said, if you'd like to share your journey, then please email me your blog links, or posts and photos via email at NYRevol@gmail.com. Ill post them on the page for everyone to read. Id also like a little bit of background info from you, name, age, what you do for a living, and your "specific" goals/resolutions. Personally I believe writing it down, and stating it, makes it that much more tangible of a thing.

Now, my goals...ugh, this is gonna hurt, but a little bit of catharsis is a good thing. My name is Chandler Snyder. Im 38 years old, and live in Denver, CO. Im married, have 2 little boys, and one on the way which is due in July. As far as "career" goes, Ive been in the cycling industry as a mechanic for almost 20yrs now. Ive raced road, track(briefly), cyclocross and mountain. I was also a year round competitive swimmer growing up, and into college. I started a non-profit in college with 2 friends to advocate for alternative forms of transportation. At one point in my racing/training life(i wont say career cuz it was never consistent enough) I couldve made the decision to take it to a more "professional" level, but squandered it in return for lots of fun and a more "no-responsibility" outlook on life...needless to say I passed up some good chances. When we got pregnant with our first son, I told myself Id not let myself go, as I was getting back into some decent riding shape at the time. Well, that didnt work out. I just quit thinking about myself in any sort of way that would keep me fit. I started eating like crap(ive a fondness for fried food, im a southern boy afterall), and my riding pretty much went in the pooper. Im also over 200lbs, when my "fighting weight" from back in the day was always around 160...you get the picture.

Fast forward 4 years down the road, and 3rd child on the way, Im tired of feeling like complete crap, and seeing/hearing friends/customers of mine talk about their riding and me, secretly in my brain, telling myself "I could beat that guy", but then going out on the bike and getting my ass handed to me. So...its time to change, and by putting this down on "paper" I plan on changing it.

This year I plan to lose weight, clean up my eating practices, and ease up on some vices which contribute to all of the above. Typically I throw myself right into something and make all the changes at once, knowing that its gonna hurt and I probably wont make it last. Sorta like throwing darts at the dart board blindfolded and hoping you hit the bullseye. It always failed and I got discouraged. Id be hard on myself about it, harder than anyone really knew...until now.

So...this year my motto is "baby steps". Im aiming to race some cyclocross races this year, which means I have some time before I have to start "base miles" on the bike. I plan on starting with my diet and some basic physical strengthening. Afterall, if my engine isnt running clean, all the physical work I do wont matter for shite. So, for the next couple months I plan on putting away the McD's, candybars, fried foods, and aiming for a more balanced diet. Also, ill be starting my old habits of daily pushups, situps..etc...basic strengthening exercises so that when its time to put miles on paper, I wont feel AS bad the next morning as when I was eating all the crap and just getting off the couch expecting it to "just take".

In the coming weeks, Ill share my experiences and put them out there for others to see. As I said, even if a handful of people stay the course, this will be a success for me. So, bare yourselves with me, and lets make 2012 a great year for our riding, no matter what it is...racing, tours, group rides...whatever!

Hope to see you on the flip side!

Cannondale Prototype Crossbike in Colorado

2011-10-29T09:26:00.001-07:00

Just got to Colorado Cross Classic in Boulder CO. I saw the Cannondale team truck and walked over to see the new Prototype Super X cross bike.

I talked with the mechanic who was building up Tim Johnson's bike on the spot. He said this was the 1st race for them today!!! So awesome for Colorado. When asked about weight difference he said its only 1/2 lb difference!!!! They are running mechanical Avid BB7 disc brakes for road bikes.

Pretty sweet!!! Ok, now I'm going to go watch some racing!!!

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Broken "Leg" Update

2011-10-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago I posted a pic of a patient in the office. Victim of a "rack-cident", this Wound Up fork was done! Here's the new ENVE fork Dr +Peder Horner scrounged up in a jiff. Gotta say these things are a pretty darn nice. The only bit of modifying that had to be done was to one of the brake bosses. It needed a bit of sanding down so the SPOOKY brakes slid on, and moved freely.

Not a bad 2nd bike for the pits.

Nice addition. Much better handling fork than the Wound UP

just in case you werent sure...

Primus Mootry Single Speed

Secret Sealant Tip

2011-10-26T18:50:00.002-07:00

The conversation I wound up having over on Google+ w/Byron, from Bike Hugger, and Geoff, from New England, about FMB's tires and cyclocross got me thinking some. Just now there was a question about goatheads...those nasty little thorn-balls from the vine-y ground cover plant out here in Colorado, and I'm sure other parts of the country. That one really got me thinking about sealant and punctures and how much of a pain in the ass they are during this part of the year.

I ran a shop a few years ago that was very very very into cyclocross. The owner was from Mass, just outside of Boston and was, probably still is, a cross fanatic. He is also one of the best mechanics Ive met and was privileged to work for him. Anyway...

We made our own sealant for the shop and sold it. I feel safe giving out the "recipe" now that the shop has been sold to new owners and is a totally different place now. This stuff worked so good, people would come by it from the other side of town. Now, please don't think I'm going to rewrite the book on anything here or blow your minds. Sometimes its the simple things that make a HUGE difference. With that in mind...here's the recipe for the Secret Sealant:

Sealant of choice: Stans or Caffelatex
Glitter...that's right Glitter: as fine as you can buy at your local craft store

That's it! Seriously. Glitter is great stuff! It helps to clog the holes faster, hence using less sealant and not allowing as much air to escape. Caffelatex wasn't around then, but now that its here and doesn't use Ammonia as its anticoagulant, which will degradate latex tubes over time. Instead they use CO2. Stans is great stuff, and my personal choice if asked, with the exception of the latex rule.

Take whatever amount you use for the tire setup, road, cross, mtb...etc and pour it in a cup before you put it into the injector. Pour in the glitter and give it a good mix, then put into the injector you're using. Ive found that the syringes used by EMT's/Firefighters that are full of saline and have a screw on/off needle tip, work the best. The only thing is, you have to have a tire/tube with a removable core. The Caffelatex injector doesn't require removing the valve core, which for using sealant by itself works great. You can custom widen the opening/tip so that the glitter moves through easier. Then gently, and firmly press the injector on, make sure theres a good seal, and plunge away. This is where you'll know if you found the smallest glitter possible. There's super fine stuff out there, just ask your local club kid friends! Once its all in, give the injector a couple of pulls and pushes on the plunger so the sealant doesn't backfire on you when you pull the end off. Wrapping the coupled valve and injector with a rag while pulling off helps to keep from making any mess as well.

Give it a try if you're having trouble, or just want to see if it works for you. Hopefully you'll enjoy the same results so many riders did when we sold it.

Kool-Stop "Cross Pad"...a "review"

2011-10-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

We've all heard the sound, that horrible banshee shrill that comes from a nicely dialed in set of cantilever brakes. Yes, i said "nicely dialed", cuz no matter what, they always start off super sweet, then after the 1st big race and the 1st big cleaning that sound comes out of no where.

Then there's the "chatter", or "shudder", from those stupid things. You know, you've taken it to your mechanic 12 times, or you've tried to adjust it on your own 50, and no matter what you've tried, whether its pads or toeing or different brakes...etc...theres still that ever resounding vibration that drives you crazy going into the 1st corner of the next cross race, you loose focus and BAM, wash out in front of 100 of your newest, closest friends.

At this point I'm going to pause for a little Disclaimer: There are always LOTS of variables that go into dialing in canti brakes for a cross bike. Theres the distance from the hanger to the yoke, widely spaced or narrower spaced brake arms, long pads, short pads, thick pads, thin pads, threaded(adj angle pads), solid post pads(usually can adj the toe on the brake...or not) so on and so forth. The Only, knock on wood and to date, set up from the factor I've seen that works GREAT with any type of brake and shoe, came on a Stevens frame. They created a bolt on hanger that attaches to the fork, thus lowering the distance between the hanger and yoke. Now TRP has come up with their own retrofit version of this, but you have to have a fork that allows for this thing to be bolted on. Braking with that set up was awesome, and felt as safe and secure as any road caliper does. So...the following "solution" is one I came across based on my own "philosophy" of how things work. There are plenty of other ways to do it, and the aim is the same in the end, NO NOISE/CHATTER, so continue to read on with an open mind...and heart.

my new best friend...the pad, not the dude

I run Paul's canti brakes and on one i had the stock "Slim Line" pad, which was long and narrow, on the front, on the rear I ran an Avid Std Mtb threaded post pad. With the Paul's brakes they come "front and rear", which I switched up, putting the narrower armed rear brake arms in the front and wider spaced ones in the rear. The reason for this is since the front brake is the one that mostly gets all the bad press with noise and chatter, by putting the "shorter pull" of the 2 up front, you decrease cable length across the yoke which in turn should reduce the amount of flex the cable can have which in turn again can create all the problems of chatter and noise.

No matter how much I toed the pads, or cleaned them, I either had some noise come from them both wet and dry, and when they got the slightest bit of moisture on them, the shudder was damn near unbearable. I bought these Kool-Stop Cross Pads at my old shop before I left after looking at lots of pads out there. I knew what I didn't want, something long and without grooves, or channels, since its like taking a blade of grass in between your hands and blowing hard on it, similar to braking. You get lots of loud noise from the harmonics produced. So, I knew i wanted something shorter, i also knew i wanted something with replaceable pads. Shorter pads mostly cause as a mechanic i HATE working on my own stuff and going through the motions of setting up new shoes every time wasn't fun and took too damn long.

sssshhhh...do you hear that? Me either!

I saw these guys in a couple places and thought id give the a whirl. They matched all my criteria, shorter, replaceable pads and channeled. They also have a compound that is broken up into, hard-soft-hard, which makes sense in my head due to the fact that it doesn't grab "evenly" at once, meaning that the forces and harmonics wouldn't have a chance to settle in and create the "noise".

Last week Id finally worn thru my old pads to the point where any normal person would've changed them out a while ago. Like I said, being a mechanic and working on everyone elses' stuff, I rarely wanted to work on mine, and I've got enough tricks up my sleeve to limp stuff along for quite a while.

just so you know you got the right thing, here's the pertinent info

The pads went on and adjusted just fine in the Paul's brake arms. Side note, just to let you know what I'm running wheel wise, Campy Eurus Alloy clinchers. I went out on a ride the other day, the inaugural ride with these new pads. The first time I went to stop, I was waiting to be let down...again...as most stuff out there doesn't impress me much anymore. That sounds like a completely elitist statement, and apologies if it does, but Ive seen enough "disco ball" "whiz bang" stuff out there, and then watch it fail after a few rides, that my skepticism is a bit deeper than most.

Thus I digress...

They were AWESOME! No chatter, no noise, positive and progressive stopping power, and the beauty of it was, it lasted the entire 3 hour ride! I like the feeling of that "clank" most people want in a brake feel, when the pads are completely in line with the rim...ie...no toe. This definitely opens one up to the noise and chatter, but there was none of it! I was so happy, and the whole ride kept saying how much "I love these damn pads!".

they fit just right on my Paul's

Now i know they're not for everyone, and they re not for every brake, and there's LOTS of other options out there. I'm simply saying, if you've tried almost everything and you are getting close to throwing your bike down a flight of stairs because it wont shut the hell up, go order a set of these and give them a whirl. Ive put the packaging and the bar code on the back so when you do order them, you know you're getting the same thing. Both QBP and JB, national distributors, stock these(click HERE to go to the JB page to see stock at their warehouses). If they don't work for you, then id love to know why, as I truly believe you learn more from "mistakes" than you do from "successes".

On that note, thanks for listening/reading. Boots out...

Tech Hint: Many Wheels? One Bike? Let's Do This...

2011-10-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

One issue Ive seen come through the doors of shops Ive worked in over the years has to do with 1 bike and multiple wheels. This is especially prominent during cyclocross season since most people cant afford 2 fully decked out bikes, but can, and do, over time accumulate different sets of wheels.

Most people think they can just switch wheels out without any problems. What they find in reality is that wheels are just as different as frames. Even if they're keeping with road wheels at a 130mm spacing, or mtb wheels at 135mm spacing. With cross I've had people just get new wheels and expect them to work. Here are some things you need to keep in mind about wheels.

Rims are different widths. Especially the new carbon tubular wheels. They are getting very very wide.
Hub spacing is different from the inside measuring area. In other words, yes, the drop out width is going to match 130mm in order to fit in the frame. However the flange distance, body, freehub spacing are all different for every manufacturer.

Now the easy way to "fix" this "problem" is to run the same hubs on all your wheels and to run the same rims, cassettes and chains. That way you stay with the same spacing that a single manufacturer uses.

Some companies space their freehub bodies wide, so the limit screws/adjustments are further out than if the spacing was closer to the "center point" of the hub body. This requires that you make adjustments every time you swap wheels out...supposedly.

Rims are the same way. Many aluminum rims tend to be a bit narrower than carbon rims(either tubular or clincher). However some companies, such as HED, is making their aluminum rims wider now in response, as well as the fact that it give a more sturdy surface for braking. Cantilever brakes tend to fit this wider profile a bit easier than road caliper brakes. My feeling, hope is, that in the near future road calipers will allow for easier spacing of wider rims.

Having 1 rig can make using multiple wheels a bit tricky, but NOT impossible

Getting all these to work on the Jamis was a piece of cake

Keep a mental note of how this hub is sitting in the frame, you'll see a BIG difference with Matt's new wheel

Add caption

His new wheels/hubs, the spacing was much narrower

after swapping out his old pads to some carbon/alloy friendly ones, brake adjustments had to be made

What you want to do to dial in your braking when using multiple rims is to measure the rims' widths. Then you want to dial all of your barrel adjusters down to "zero", or the starting point. Put the widest rim/wheel in the frame and set the brakes to that rim width and pull. After you're done with that, it "should" be as easy as just dialing in the barrel adjusters on the narrower rims so the brakes will pull the same.

Make sure you re check your brake pad/brake track heights. Some rims have a bit more variance in the high/low setting of the pads. If you have a rim that has a narrow brake track, then I try to split the difference as best as possible. Just make sure you remember which rims were narrow and which one was wide, so you don't get flustered in the middle of a wheel change with undoing and refastening the cables.

The next part is to check the shifting/high/low limit screw adjustments. Now, let me stop you here. As a mechanic, if you DO NOT know, or understand high/low limit screws and how to set them...DON'T! Ive seen it too many times in a shop where someone thought they "knew what I was doing" by setting them, and in the end me, as the mechanic, is the bad guy when I tell them they set them wrong and that's why they ripped their RD off into the frame/wheel and now new parts are in need. So, if you don't know how to dial them in, take them to your trusted LBS/mechanic(or if you're in Denver, call me, I'm a free agent), and have him/her get it set for you.

IF you do know how to set them, and play with cable tension, then my next step is to measure all the wheels in the frame, with the chain shifted to the outer most cog. This will show you distance inside the dropouts and which hubs are wider/narrower than others.

If you look at the pic above of Matt's older wheels in the frame, the spacing is wide. Now, if you look at the pic below, with his new wheel/hub in the frame, the spacing is much narrower. This can lead to a couple issues. Which hubs do I set first? Will I throw a chain either to the inside or the outside of the cassette hence damaging either the frame or the wheel?

Add caption

First thing to do is undo the cable fixing bolt on the RD so the cable hangs freely and you can manually move it with your hands up and down the cassette while pedaling the bike in the stand. I personally like to start with the widest of the hubs in the frame. I set the limits to that cassette first, pedaling and manually "shifting" the RD up and down with some amount of force to make sure it wont ride off the inside of the cassette or the outside. Setting the limits with a bit more room than normal on the largest cog at this point allows me to compensate(hopefully) for the narrower spaced hubs on the other wheels.

Add caption

Once the manual adjustments have been made, and Ive checked all the wheels in the frame separately and without the RD cable fixed to the Derailleur itself, I go back to the "First" wheel, the wider one. Fix the cable in the RD bolt, and get ready to check shifting while using the shifters now, and not my hand. At this point I adjust the shifting as I would any other wheel set up, by making sure the FD/chain alignment is right and that it wont jump off while shifting from either big ring to small ring, or vice versa.

After the first wheel is adjusted, its time to adjust and check the other wheels. If you're lucky, and you made the correct adjustments with the limit screws in the previous steps, it should just be a matter of some slight cable tension adjustment to dial in the other wheels. If you run into any shifting problems, then stop what you're doing, and go to your LBS/mechanic and have them go over it. Take ALL of your wheels in you're using. It doesnt help the mechanic to guess which ones are wider and which ones are narrower.

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In the end, its all about patience, and I realize there are other methods to achieve the same outcome. This is the method I use, and hopefully have explained in some sort of coherent manner so that you actually understood what I meant above. If anyone out there is in the Denver area, and wants to help me get some video shot for this type of stuff, I'm all ears! I just cant handle a video camera and do the adjustments at the same time, and Im not one for the Go-Pro head-cam set up. Thats doesnt do justice.

So, hope you got something out of this post, and I managed to do some good. Boots out!

Firehouse Fun w/Uncle Neal

2011-10-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

This morning I took Neal...aka @true_cycles...his Ibis Mojo that was a "fun" piece of work. He wanted to swap out his XTR 9spd for XX 10spd, which didnt work due to Ibis' design in their seat-tube. You need a direct mount adapter for the Front Derailleur, and you CANNOT run anything smaller than a 29t small ring, which is pretty stupid in my opinion. So, after taking it apart and finding all this lovely information out, I put the XTR back on.

Zach, my youngest, got to go with me to take Uncle Neal his bike back. Oryn, my oldest, was too busy throwing tantrums so he missed out. Miss out BIG he did, cuz Zach got the full tour and got to even wear the headphones and sit in the trucks! He had fun and hasnt stopped saying "coooool" since we left.

Uncle Neal and Mr. Nick let Zach in the Ladder truck and let him turn on the lights

we got to talk to each other with the "coooool" headphones

Zach posing on the Ladder truck while Uncle Neal found him some stickers

Thanks Neal and Nick...Zach had a great little visit.

I Aint Got No Shame...Get Biscuits!

2011-10-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me, knows that when i like something, I really REALLY like it, and more often than not will let everyone I come across know about it as well. Ive become friendly with the owner of a local breakfast nook in Denver. His name is Seth Rubin, and he's the owner of Rise and Shine Biscuit Kitchen. He's also a cyclist, CAT 1 here in the state of Colorado, and a fellow transplant from North Carolina.

This morning Seth and I went out for a slow ride, which is funny, cuz I'm about 35lbs over my fighting weight, and he's fast as shite. The beauty of riding with someone at that level, as has been my experience more often than not, is that they're not out to start "waving their dick" at the drop of a hat. They're not out to crush a guy like me simply cuz they can, instead they know the opposite is true. Just riding to ride is a great thing. So, point number 1, go ride with people way faster than yourself cuz its fun, and it pushes you more than you realize. Honestly, I'm pooped from the ride!

The main point of this was to tell all you folks out there in the world of the "ether", twitter, and blog-o-sphere, about his businesses! That's right, plural. He started the biscuit cafe in Crestmoor(3rd and Holly) and its done awesome. This morning there was a line out the door! The second location is up in the Highlands 'Hood on 32nd Ave and Perry St. He shares both spaces with Basil Docs, a local pizza chain...which rocks BTW!

Anywho...I digress. He does standard buttermilk biscuits daily and then a Biscuit of The Day, BOD for short. There's a calendar up on his website that you can download to your Google Calendar, if you're a Google-phile. You can follow him on Twitter too, @riseandshineden, which will give you daily updates for the BOD and he actually responds to people! He does the Facebook Page thing as well.

All that being said, I'm not sure if this came off as a total promotion, but I figured Seth deserves it. Great product, fair price, great guy, great people, great coffee(oh yeah, he serves Pablos! Best stuff in town...IMHO), and killer biscuits.

Go get your biscuit on people!

Boots out...

Das Auto? No...Das Speedvagen

2011-10-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while a bike catches your eye. You think, "id love to tune that thing up!". This is one such bike. Yes, its the "factory" made one, but its still awesome. Vanilla Speedvagen Cross w/matching integrated bar/stem, SRAM Red, Edge rims, DT ceramic hubs and Dugast Flying Doctors as your rubber of choice.

This thing is sweet and the Doc who owns it can ride it to its full potential. New rubber with fresh Caffelatex are ready to hit the dirt, snow, whatever you want.

Ok...now I have to go glue some more tires...enjoy

Those Wheels I Was Telling You About...

2011-10-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

As promised to one of my Google+ peeps, I took pics of the Edge wheels w/custom painted DT Swiss hubs via Vanilla Cycles. The Andre Dugast "Flying Doctors" are new for @denvercx and the irony of the whole situation is that he plays a Dr in real life! All thats left is some Caffelatex for some added security.

nice set of carbon and rubber

i think thatll do

awesome touches from Vanilla Cycles

yum

fast tread, and perfect for our Colorado courses

Primus SS Whip

2011-10-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

This was a nice little project that just got finished...minus the bar wrap(owner's choice of course). Primus Mootry SS conversion. Fresh glue job on the tires, new bars and stem. Have fun Peder!

Going To USGP Fort Collins CO?

2011-10-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

If so and youre looking for some wrench help, pit help, whatever help, feel free to hit me up on twitter, @chandlersnyder. Ill be in the team area under a CU Tent. We're paying for the weekend, and all we ask in return are TIPS for "Services Rendered". Both days should be amazing fun for everyone, whether youre racing or cheering/heckling your favorite racers!

Tubies Made Easy...Needs Help

2011-10-02T22:03:00.001-07:00

After the 2 previous posts on tubies, ive run into a bit of a production issue. Trying to use my camera while doing things like, stretching, cleaning, pulling tires on, doesnt seem to work so good. Im putting feelers out there if anyone in the Denver area wants to help me make some video "How To" segments hit me up here. Must have your own equipment, and must be cool with getting tips in soda or beer.

Thanks in advance!!

Tubies Made Easy...Gluing

2011-09-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's the next step in the gluing process after cleaning and stretching(still to come, dont worry). I would refer to my Disclaimer from the previous post in regards to this. This is the way I do it, so please again, feel free to add/subtract/multiply how and what you do.

First thing I do when its time to glue is place the wheel in the truing stand, or other appropriate device. If you are using a truing stand with adjustable sites, apply just enough pressure to the rim to keep it from moving. Theres no real reason to do this except it keeps the wheel from moving on me and makes my life easier.

Align the valve hole as a "starting" point for the glue application. This obviously serves as a reference point for anything wheel oriented, truing, building, tire/tube installation and gluing.

Now its time to get out your brush and glue. I realize not everyone uses a brush. Ive gone through a few evolutions in figuring out what works best. Ive seen different brushes used, fingers(in glove or plastic bag) and various other items. My reasons for choosing these brushes are that the bristle width is pretty spot on for most rims out there today, and with a little trimming(which i do) I can get the brush to pull and lay the glue in just such a way that works great. Also, you can reuse these things over and over. Just take a small cup and put enough paint thinner in to cover the bristles and leave over night. After some rinsing the next day, its all ready to go again, and again and again. Then there's cost...THEYRE CHEAP! A buck or buck and change per brush, so youre not going too break the bank on something thats gonna get used alot.

As for applying the glue to the rim, again different strokes for different folks. Im not a fan of putting the glue on the rim THEN spreading it around. I put just enough glue on the brush to spread the distance between valve/spoke holes on the rim. This comes from gluing over and over and playing with the amount of glue. Paint the glue on in nice smooth even strokes. "No Clumps" is the key here. It uses less glue and also allows the layers to "mate" as you get into the 2nd and Final coat.

Try not to get too clumpy at the spokes holes. Its super messy, wastes glue and makes for extra cleaning when replacing tires, or truing internal nipples. Also, DONT be afraid of going all the way to the edge of the rim/tire interface part of the surface. You want to utilize the entire surface of the rim as there's nothing worse than a tire slowly working itself off the rim then suddenly failing on a tight turn. If you go over the edge of the rim with glue, just take your finger, or rag, and wipe off the excess immediately.

Once the rim is done, give it a spin. It probably doesnt really do anything overall but in my mind it helps start the tacking process....just sayin

Now to the tires. As stated in the previous post(link above on "Disclaimer"), I like to inflate the tire enough so that when laid on a flat surface the base tape is facing up. Again, start at the valve, that whole point of reference thing. I take the tube of glue and gently press it until the glue starts flow, and then lay the end of the tube on the tire and let the capillary action continue to pull glue out. I lay just enough down so that "the run" doesnt happen too fast before I get to it with the brush. I use short strokes and use the edges of the brush to get the edges of the base tape. Ive seen too many tires come in where the glue wasnt distributed over the entire surface. That can lead to the obvious "roll" of a tire which in turn can lead to a bad situation for everyone.

Nice even coating is what youre looking for.

One last point on the tire is to not be shy around the valve stem as well. This is the one place you dont want and movement as it can lead to tearing of the valve stem from the casing. Apply the same amount of glue there are you did on the rest of the tire.

When everything is done, hang the tire on the same hook as the wheel. I place the valve stem at the top since theres less base tape to have issues with if some air comes out over night and is easily re-glued. If you only have 1 set of tires/wheels to deal with then it doesnt matter where you hang everything. This is a good practice if you have multiple tires/wheels and you have to keep track of what tires go on certain wheels.

That concludes this portion of "Tubies Made Easy". Its looking like Ill be able to do the removing/cleaning/stretching part in the next day or so. Final Coat and Pulling on will come in a couple days as well.

Thanks for coming by....Boots

Tubies Made Easy...hopefully: Materials/Layout

2011-09-27T21:09:00.000-07:00

I'm going to take couple of entries to go over how Ive done my tubular cleaning, stretching and gluing. Partly comes from me going to the cross race at Xilinx last weekend and see some riders I've done work for, and them asking me what I do to it, and if I could do a few more. So, I figured Id take a couple posts to make it a bit easier to do than Ive seen some people do it.

DISCLAIMER: This is how I was taught to do tubies, and how other talented wrenches I've worked with have done it. There ARE NUMEROUS ways to glue tubies and the opinions stated here are of this blog and its owner. Feel free to take, or leave, anything you wish. This will go over a "best case" scenario which means you have 3-4 days to do this.

This post will go over the materials I use for cleaning, stretching and gluing a wheel. The cleaning aspect will be done when I have a used rim that needs a new tire. Unfortunately the customer brought me a pair of new ZIPP 303's he's putting old tires on, so the stripping of old glue and removal of tire will have to wait till another time.

Now, onto the items I use for the whole deal:

Paint Thinner(not acetone)
Acid Brush(es)
Plastic tire lever, or something you can use to work the base tape away from the rim without ripping, or tearing anything...NO METAL
Glue/Mastik: I prefer Vittoria Mastik, Continental Standard Glue(the "carbon" only stuff I think has a bad consistency)
Rags(for cleaning)
Extra wheel/rim for stretching a new tire
Truing Stand, or something that can be used as such
Pump
Broomstick, or something that resembles a broomstick
Water bottle...one you will never use again
Hairdryer
Gloves for cleaning, Nitrile Mechanics gloves are what i use

If you have a new tire and rim Id recommend stretching the tire for at least 24hrs in advance to when you need to start the glue job. As for the "time frame", I've been asked about for gluing, this is what Ive come to use as my rule of thumb(for perfect conditions meaning in a shop, or you have a few days to do the job)...Carbon rims = 3 days to glue, 1 to set...Alloy rims = 2 days to glue, 1 to set. Carbon is much for porous than alloy, so when the first coat is applied to the rim, alot of it gets "sucked" up by the rim itself. Conversely an alloy rim isn't porous at all hence the lack of need for extra glue. In an ideal world, you would let the glue sit up for about 24hrs between coats. If you're in a hurry, I try to let the glue get tacky enough that I cant make runs in it by pressing on it with my finger. Please at least give yourself 24hrs from the time the tire is mounted until the time you intend to race or ride it. Ive seen it work out with less time, but in general I recommend 24hrs.

Tomorrow Ill go over how I apply the glue and why I use only glue and NOT tape as some people do. As for the question of is it ok to reuse an old tubular, the answer is yes...as long as the casing and base tape are in tact and the glue is not too terribly chunky and the chunks that are there can be removed without doing any damage to the tire. Some customers I have don't have tons of wheel sets laying around, and have me remove and reuse tires for road and cross season.

Standard Paint Thinner you can buy at any Home Depot, the Acid Brush you can get at a modeling store and glue from your local LBS

to keep the wheel from spinning in the stand, i gently apply pressure with the truing gauge

This is a new rim. Depending on the manufacturer some need very little to no buffing with an emory cloth to get the surface slightly rough for the application of glue.

The tire is inflated just enough so that when it sits on a table or this case a bench, that the basetape faces up.

There aren't too many big chunks on these tires, as I used a hairdryer to heat the glue up to get them off the rim.

Thanks for coming by and letting me ramble...

Shimano PRO PU Tape

2011-09-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

I did a bar/stem swap out on Ryan's bike today, and the tape he wanted was the Shimano PRO PU tape. It had all these fancy marketing bits on the packaging so i was a bit skeptical. After the job was done, I must say its pretty cool stuff. Personally, Im a fan of the polyurethane stuff, as I dont wear gloves and I sweat quite a bit. That being said, this tape is perfect for that as the PU gets tacky when wet. As for the wrapping aspects, its pretty spot on. There's plenty of stretch, and length to make the wrap smooth and to do the "double x" around the shifter(which i prefer when possible, I dont like the cheater pieces they send with tape). It also says its "rewrap friendly" so we'll see if thats true when I switch out the cables/housing in a couple weeks.

This is what you want to look/ask for at your local LBS

theres a bit of underwrap from the shifter as he sits there mostly and likes extra cushion

the finished product, new bars/stem/wrap. the bar end plugs are nice little bits as well

CX Love

2011-09-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

Getting a bike ready for cross is no small task at times, especially when you get into something and find that things havent been done, or they are just plain ole dirty. After going through my boy, Matt Klick of Frites-en-Mayo, bike, he should be all ready to roll this weekend! All new Jagwire cables and housing, new bar tape, and a fresh coat of grease in all the right places.

Have fun Matt!


After a good bath, his steed rested peacefully in the stable overnight


cleaning and grease are a must for Cross season

this was the lower bearing in his headset...sad sight and much better now!

after cleaning, its all ready for a fresh thin layer of grease...those "creaks" you hear in your headset, check to make sure its all greased. most shops dont double check it from the factory

clean, inflated wheels make the world go round...literally!

even though they will more than likely fall off, its the little touches that make prepping a bike super fun and rewarding

fizik bar tape is not my favorite, but ive managed to become friendly enough with it so it lets me wrap it nicely

Everything on this frame is toptube run

nice new cable/housing set works pretty good actually, and im not a fan of Teflon coated cable...Jagwire Race Cable/Housing set

I removed the water bottle bolts and replaced with bits of electrical tape...no sticking into the ribs when carrying now!

not the best photo, but heres the finished product

that fizik bar tape, a love/hate relationship

Avid Ultimate Canti's are the choice for Matt

Representin local team love here!

Fathers Day Art

2011-06-19T15:08:00.001-07:00

This is a lil bit from painting time for fathers day.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.1

The "Short" Long Commute

2011-06-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

The commute home tonight sucked...period. Ive been giving it a good go the past week and a half with the new commutes, and today I put them both together. The morning was great. Sunny, wind at my back, no traffic. The commute home was the complete antithesis of that. 30-45 mph headwind from the shop to the golf course at Cherry Creek Res, lightning overhead, thunder so loud it drowned out my headphones, a flat tire right as the light went down, and then pouring down rain the last 3 miles.

The plus side is that im feeling like the bike isnt riding me, and Im riding the bike for the first time in a few years. Tomorrow I think will be an easy day...the "standard" commute in with a stop at Rise and Shine Biscuit Cafe(which was started by a fellow NC'er out here) at their Crestmoor location to visit with Greg, who's back from his trip to Spain and has gone down to part time since starting Grad school recently.

Anywho...Ive got a couple months to put down a good weight-dropping base before cross season, and then im hoping to use the first few races as my "interval" training.

Here They Are...

2011-02-22T21:33:00.001-07:00

In a previous post, via Posterous, a set of wheels was mentioned. Here are the complete finished products mounted with the FMB Competition CX tires. We were all pretty impressed with the total weight of the wheels with the tires mounted. A respectable 1770gr!

These tires, especially the ones mounted with silk base tape, pull on so nicely after being stretched for at least 48hrs. For those who might even be remotely interested, with carbon rims I do a 3 coat/3 day glue job. With carbon I've found that the first layer is essentially sucked up by the carbon due to it more porous nature as opposed to it's aluminum counterpart.

The Alchemy hubs we used(and we'll use on all of our demos at the shop), are all made just up the road in Broomfield and are amazing. Inside the rear hub youll find 5 bearings dedicated to making your wheel experience as best as it can be!

The machining is top notch. Every part of the hub has been thought out from top to bottom.

Heres the set ready to go at University Hills Crit tomorrow. For those wondering about flat protection, we throw in about 30cc of Caffetlatex sealant. I don't like to use Stans due to trace amounts of ammonia which will degradate(sp) the latex tube over time.

Better Late(& Lame), Than Never

2010-12-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

I was going through my Picasa stuff, and came across the only 2 pics I managed to get from Colorado CX States. First one is the parking lot view...now everyone say ooooooooooooooh, aaaaaaaaaaaah. The second one, is a bit more of a true bike related/involved photo, and is from the pits, where I did most of my hanging out. The other place I hung out was the free Frites spot. There was no food for sale "allowed", due to a last minute bit of contraversy that only allowed the hosting site(a local high school) to serve food as a "fund raiser". Well, nonetheless, they failed to do research on what their clientele would eat, and failed to sell much, if anything. Then this guy shows up Sunday with FREE FRITES, and Mayo. There was a line for them, and I must admit, I enjoyed a bit of the lopsidedness in the situation. Anywho...I digress. Here are the pics...

quite the view I know

at least there are bikes in this picture

Something's Missing

2010-12-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

Where's the rest of the rider...insert bad joke drum roll

It Doesnt Take Much

2010-12-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

All you have to do is clean ur stuff. In some cases, its tough, for example, the pics below. Brand new wheels(1st season), handfull of Cyclocross races under his belt, and this is what the internals on his "sealed" hub look like.

After cleaning everything, and applying some Dumonde Tech Freehub lube, he was rolling in style, and coincidentally had some podium finishes.

it wasnt even that messy of a season at this point

he's all better now

i love my Dumonde Tech oils/lubes

Wheel That Got Built...

2010-12-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

After the onslaught today of the eager beavers going through the tools that were for sale at the shop, I got the chance to sit down and unwind. One of my good customers got a new wheel today, via his current Powertap hub, and new rim and spokes. I took a basic progression of shots, as its kind of hard to hold the camera and get "action" shots while building a wheel. Enjoy...


Prepping the spokes with Linseed Oil...its perfect for wheels

1st set of spokes, dropped in non-drive side

2nd set in a progressive pattern dropped in the drive side


3rd set, 2 cross pattern begins

4th set is in, and now its ready to be tensioned/dished

Its the little touches...making sure its lined up

The completed project.

Im Paying What???

2010-11-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

It just hit me(and yes this is a rant of a post), that when we start to send our 2 sons to daycare, more than likely within the next couple of weeks, that we will be paying just under the amount of tuition that a student attending Denver University(privately funded college) is shelling out! That number is $35,000/year! WTF people??? All I have to do is add another $5000 to that and my 2 yr old, and 11mos old sons should have Freshman year wrapped up in a short period of time!

Someone I know recently said..."im tired of hearing about this healthcare reform that we need, its more like we need some CHILDCARE REFORM"! Amen to that brother. Seriously, what am i getting for the what the average college student is getting? Some fat old ladies playing catch, feeding my kids, wiping their asses...all the while HOPING that they arent some sort of closet child molester! Damn...Im done...talk to you all later!

View From The Pit At USGP In Fort Collins

2010-11-15T10:16:00.001-07:00

I went to the USGP in Fort Collins yesterday to help one of my riders and to see a real cross course come to Colorado. This is a quick 360 view from the pits yesterday.

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Sunday "Trail" Ride

2010-11-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, the wife kicked me out of the house for a bike ride...solo. I was a bit reluctant at first, and then I remembered the Sand Creek Trail is right around the corner. Ive wanted to explore the southern half of the trail as it goes from being all nice and paved to sandy, gravelly, cyclocross potential type surface...so I headed out.

The weather was perfect...started in the mid 60's and by the end of the ride it was in the low 70's, which for Colorado this time of year is a gift from the weather gods indeed(to contrast that with waking up this morning to mid 20's and a light dusting of snow on the ground).

The pics below I took on the ride. I managed to tool around some and figure out a nice steady route that took me east/south on the Sand Creek Trail, and eventually wind my way back towards the house on the Highline Canal Trail.

If you've got a 'Cross bike and enjoy just going out for a "cyclocross" type ride, then these 2 trails are perfect. There were also lots of sections(ill check out later), that have some single track that runs along both creek beds.

For my friends back east in NC, Ill be posting pics of the upcoming snow soon. Ive actually missed riding in the snow, and I thought that wouldnt happen again. Looks like I might get a chance tomorrow, for a commute in the snow home!

Next time I go out, ill fire up the GPS and route it out. Im curious to see if there's workout potential on this ride.


Sand Creek running low

you can sort of make out the downtown & mountains over there

Sun and gravel for lots of the ride

there's trailer parks out here too!

considering the creek is directly to my right, i hope these things dont leak!

there are some paved sections on the southern part of the sand creek trail

the "Green Machine" wants everyone to know the Lottery pays for CO trails!

rolled through a beautiful nature preserve

those clouds rolled in right as I pulled into the driveway

yes, this will be an "indoor mall" in the near future(old Lowry Airforce Base)

great CO day for a ride

little bit of desert, little bit of grassland

Falling In Love...

2010-11-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

...as a bike mechanic happens so rarely for me. Im jaded, getting stubborn and extremely picky Ive found over the years. Every once in a while though, something comes into my stand that makes me really really want one. This past week, my benefactor brought in his new cyclocross build...a Stevens Cyclocross Team Frame. The build was SRAM Red with ZIPP 303's(due to be glued up this week with Dugast), and let me tell you what...it was flawless.

Most frames that come in, need prepping and chasing, facing, in general...some work that doesnt get done at the "factory". This bad boy came in, and as I started to pull the little things off, like the barrel adjusters, rear derailleur hanger, to prep them, i noticed everything on there came out of the factory(whether its in east asia, or eastern europe) in great shape. The bottom bracket was threaded and clean as a whistle and it just got better from there. The ONLY thing Id like to see Stevens change, is the downtube cable routing. In super muddy and frozen conditions, I could see this becoming a source of shifting problems. Maybe they'll give it a whirl in the next gen of frames.

Below are some pics I took with my CAMERA PHONE(HTC EVO), so bare with them as the quality isnt the best.

The baby before the work started. Notice the indented right side chainstay...super tight chainline

The front brake mount is the best thing ive seen to date on cx bikes.

The new owner stated there "absolutely no brake chatter, and i even laid on them hard a few times!"

The rear brake housing/cable mount w/barrel adjuster is pretty stout and in just the right spot to not have to worry about an overly aggressive bend in the housing.

Here's the front brake hanger mounted, prior to cable installation. The 2 holes at the bottom of the hanger, have a threaded spike, back-threaded into the hanger that act as "stabilizers" laterally for the hanger itself. They are super sharp, so dont go puttin your eye out with them playin around. You need a thin/narrow flat-head screw driver to back-thread the spikes in(they do not come installed).

Since there's almost no excess amount of cable between the hanger and the yoke, the potential for front end brake vibration is virtually eliminated!

Couple the hanger mount set-up with the enormously large fork(which is still light), and you get a front end that has been quoted as, "it slowed down just like my road bike...", which in cross can be an issue for some frames.

The folks at Stevens definitely gave thought to the fact that there's lots of hopping off and on cross bikes. The oversized seatpost junction, along with the massive bottom bracket, dont give any vertically, which means you keep that speed going when mounting your rig.


Here's the completed gem...

Yes, the Zipp's arent on because they are still in the stretching/gluing phase. Mr. Owner is going to swap a couple things out, like the seatpost(for a bombproof Thomson), and a stiffer stem. Now, for those of you who know me, and know where I work, you might be wondering why I did this overtly slack "review" of this bike given that we arent dealers. My answer is simple...its in the future...along with all of the other changes going on.