WOOOOO HOOOO BIKE TOUR

I'm outta here.  SF, Redwoods, Oregon south to north on dirt.  Umpqua river trail.  etc. etc.  Of course I had to build myself something new for the testing on the tour so here's some pics of that.  It was a fun project and this will be an option for future builds (or for retrofitting your existing Moustache!)...after proper testing of course.  

Cowboy Dan next door helped me out with the woodwork.  He has a fabulous wood shop and makes custom Dorys in his spare time (don't even ask how much he gets for one of these).  The slats are walnut treated with Dan's home concocted 3 part solution (it smelled really good).

This is the snake that is living under our front porch.  4 1/2 feet or so.  He's eatin' up all the gophers.

Exciting reports to follow y'all!! BYE!!!

Colestice

So I finished Cole's bike today.  Summer solstice.  Happy solstice.  Here are some build pics.

post braze pre soak

defluxxed no filing yet.

full polish

Sweet stays.  These are asymmetrical for clearing the disc rotor and all the stays started as straight pipe.

a little better idea of how the seat stays are worked.

shop pic.  On the wall is the fork for my next bike to be.....float 36 thru axle!

A Brief Summary of a Long Month

I've been laid up for most of it.  Darryl came to town and I decided to go big and really messed my ankle.  That's been going on seven weeks healing up now.  I'm back to doing most things now but in the meantime I had to find some things to do to keep it happy and life low key.  So we (myself, Roni, Dre) made a great road trip to Texas to send this lovely pair off right into marriage.  Thanks Will and Laura for an amazing time, tons of fun on the farm, and so many fine memories.  Best wedding ever!

Did YOUR wedding day feature a topless shooting range in Texas?  Doubtful.  But I bet its a little more likely to now.

Then this dude that I used to ride mountain bikes with in high school decided that after spending the last eight or so years somewhere off the face of the earth that he would turn up in Arizona to ride some mountain bikes.  He was sort of left to his own devices for this mountain biking as I was not yet, so we managed to put in plenty of time on the water.  Above, Robert shows off his amazing paddling skills by flipping Roni's kayak before even leaving the sand bar.  

McHood Reservoir in Winslow--water solo climbing to be done here, and the only kind I will likely ever do.

I decided that to properly show Robert some of Arizona a trip to the strip was in order for some Rainbow Rim and Lee's Ferry.   Bison live on the strip though they are not native so hunting tags are issued and that's the carcass of a bison that someone shot last fall...check out the sail of a backbone above the rib cage.  The rainbow rim trail is an 18 mile point to point trail along the North Rim on the Grand Canyon. Yes there is singletrack on the canyon rim.  No there isn't anybody there.  Yes you have to drive a long way to get there.  Yes it is worth it.  Yes I rode my first ride in five or so weeks.

Lee's Ferry.  I've never had such a hard time catching trout that were small enough to keep.

We floated the day section down from the Glen Canyon Dam in my canoe.  Its completely flat with a current, but as we found out is also subject to some massive spring headwinds.  The Colorado River coming off the dam is very cold and is only this clear because all the sediment settles in Lake Powell.  Recently this settling has caused the rise of sunken boats to the surface.  

I turned 30 last week and have been living off of nothing but chicken for the last four days as a result...better than any birthday cake.  My housemate threw me a surprise party right under my nose and I didn't even know what was going on.  It was ridiculous of course.  Then after that was the ain't no thing but a chicken wing ride....a booze cruise out to the Ski Lift Lodge for wing night.  It turned into more of a mountain bike ride and it felt good.  It was the largest gathering of Moustaches to date.  5 out of 6 on the ride.  numbers 000, 006, 009, 011, 013 all showed up and it was a cool sight.  Thanks all for the good times over the last 30 years.

Odin - The Beginning

This bike has been brewing in my head for a long time.  Its finally coming into form but it will probably take a while before its done.  I've never done something so demanding in a frame.  Michael the Boy told me the name for a bike idea and I immediately knew who the owner would be (Boy...Do you have any more bike ideas for me?).  Odin is the commonly accepted English spelling for the ancient Norse god of war and spirits.  This bike is going to reside at the VIKING RANCH and will be ridden by the VIKING himself.  This VIKING is fluent in the arts of medieval weaponry with a particular regard to slaying zombies.  In his collection are numerous battle axes, a crossbow mounted on a turret that fires 1 inch steel rods across the yard, a full size trebuchet, numerous clubs and bits of armor....etc.  I'll have to make a trip out to the ranch for some proper documentation.  

The bike to be will certainly be pounded on.  The original request was for a 29" single speed with my standard options of versatility, but knowing the VIKING, this would have to be something extra special. He's about 6'3", can weigh in at up to 220 or so, and is trials inclined.  His riding style involves power moves resulting in nose wheelies, rear wheel hops and manuals as much as he can find excuse for.  The chainstays would have to be short to be able to keep this bike performing like it should.  So I start here with the drive side chainstay.  To keep the option for full gears as well as clearing a 2.5" tire with room to spare and tucking it all into 420 mm stays, I decided to fab up a yoke of sorts for the drive side.  Its made of 3/16" plate chromoly and will be shaped and added to as I get a little further in.  This configuration will cause the front derailleur to rub the tire in the granny ring, but the dropouts have an inch of throw that should take care of that. Or you could run a skinny tire (?!?).  It would be nice to see a 2 chainring crank say 28/40 that places the two rings as a middle/big ring from the BB.  The chain line would be a little off but those 142 rear ends are starting to look nice too. What ever happened to adjustable chainline and different length spindles?  For some I guess square taper is an option but not for this one.  Both stays otherwise are made of 7/8" straight gauge bent and squished for clearance as necessary.  Here's some pics of the bending and fit up of the chainstay assembly.

All told this will be a slow build because I did the above trying to ride a steep downhill trail on my steep angle single speed.  I can't put too much weight on it for too long and it keeps wanting to bruise and swell up if I do.  :-{(

Friday Night. Virgin, Utah

I had just come off a backpacking trip in Zion that had happened somewhat at random with a man of many aliases up in SLC.  We go way back.  High school.  Bike shops.  Tailgating even.  We were three or so beers into our post hike celebration when our take out shuttle brought us past Virgin BMX Track.  There were cars  in the parking lot and before long I found myself there too.  I walked up to the registration tent and asked if there was an "Idiot's Class."  The lady said "sure" and I was signed up to race before I knew it, pants and sleeves and a borrowed full face helmet.  I was describing to her the General and wondering if he would qualify for cruiser class.  He fit right in despite his 26" wheels.  People were were most friendly helping me get acquainted.  One dude even offered to let me borrow his "real" cruiser.  I told him thanks but I only knew how to ride mine.

My competition was a man by the name of Quentin, owner of Over the Edge Sports in Hurricane, UT.  Quentin would quickly teach me the difference between "motos" and "motos," yet I'm still not sure I understand.  We wound up waiting on the mound until our moto (?!?) came up.  There would be two motos and then a main event.  The winner of the main is the only one that counts.  I was to line up at a different slot every time. 7-2-4...or something like that.   I took my position against the start gate, staring down the start slope to the straightaway ahead of me.  A large step up off the starting gate then a tabletop before the 180 degree bank turn.  Some sounds were made indicating the get ready.  I stared down the track.  Just me, the track ahead and the noises inside my helmet.  The gate dropped and we launched, both of us clipping in rapidly to our pedals.  Quentin was riding a proper 24" crusier, built light with mountain bike parts and semi slick tires.  It was his turf.  I had him going into the first turn but blew it when I came unclipped and never managed to chase back.  Two and a half more straightaways and two more bank turns.  I was winded.  And...I was hooked.  Speed and flow and momentum.  Smooth is fast...and fast is oh so smooth.

Next Moto:  I managed a track stand until the gate dropped.  I was actually slower out of the gate but managed to make up my gap by pedaling into the step up.  I had Q into the first turn but stayed too close to the bottom of the bank and killed my own speed by washing out my tires only slightly.  Chased.  Out of breath at the finish.  Stoked.

Main Event:  Gate Drops.  I didn't manage a track stand but my riding felt on.  I had Q going into turn one but he took it on the exit.  I rode smooth through the second step and table and took back the lead.  Into turn two and out.  Short table top.  Check.  I lost it in the rhythm section and Q darted across to the other side of the track to dodge my loss of flow.  We were neck and neck into turn three.  He took the exit and I chased him into the finish with a cheering crowd.  Later folks would tell me it was good race.  It felt good and I was winded deep deep down.  Hooked on BMX.

I congratulated and thanked my competition.  I'm ready to go again.  At race end I mowed down a plate of dutch oven chicken and scalloped potatoes from the concession stand.  $6.  Seriously people, this is the next big thing.  It'll sweep the nation.  Just you wait.  I still can't stop talking about it.

The Beast

Its here again.  Hope to see you there.

I ended up with this today

....well really I first drew up this design around xmas time.  Then after I drew it I saw something similar on a bike shown at NAHBS, on something respectable like maybe a Black Sheep.  This was my first attempt and there will surely be more to follow.  I made up a plywood jig with a removable steerer on a slide so you can adjust reach.  The steerer is fixed at 71 deg with the bars on a 20 deg backsweep and I added 4-5 deg of upsweep by placing a shim at the ends of the bard.  I'm very pleased with the result.  Good brazing too.  The alignment is better than all but one of the stems I did two weeks ago.   On a quick early morning spin up the the mailbox they feel stiff and solid.  Can't wait to ride tomorrow.  Its been good here.  The thaw is coming about nicely.....RICHARD

I think I will call them the MOOSE-STACHE bars

somethin' like that