GNAT LIKES BIKES

Photo Friday

2008-11-07T05:06:00.001-06:00

Nice bike. Nice parts. Nice ride. Nice natural light. Nice rest time.

On your next ride, stop and look around. Who knows what you'll find?

Ride your bike.

A big change - Moving Gnat Blog to Wordpress

2008-11-06T09:21:00.003-06:00

That's right. My first big change on my road to 40 years old. The Gnat blog is moving and I'm putting this blogger account to rest.

New Address - GnatLikesBikes = http://gnatlikesbikes.wordpress.com

Please update your link if you have linked to the Gnat Blog.

Why am I moving to Wordpress?

It give me more control, flexibility and options for the future of Gnat and the Gnat Blog.

I've imported all my old posts and pictures. I'm working on updating the image sizes from the imported posts so they fit with my new site. I'm working on that now so some of the pictures don't fit my template yet.

So...Please click on the link above or cut and past the address into your address bar. Again, please update your link to the new Gnat Blog.

I'll be updating my links as well, so if you want to be linked to the new Gnat blog, head on over to the new site and leave me a comment. I've got a list going already, but I know there are other good folks out there that have linked to the Gnat site.

A little gathering

2008-11-05T15:47:00.004-06:00

We had a little gathering this morning. Left the house at 6:00AM to meet up with some friends, make some food, drink coffee and ride the bottoms.

I wish all days could start this way!

The Road to 40

2008-11-04T05:00:00.002-06:00

It's only been a few days since I turned 39, but I've been thinking about this Road to 40 Years old post for several months. Yeah, I know, I'm a bit of an odd duck. Who in their right mind thinks about turning 40? Who focuses on turning 40 and writing a blog post? Many folks are looking back when they think of turning 40. I'm not, I'm looking forward. My year leading up to 39 was my best ever. No question. Now what about the road to 40 and how do I improve on 39?!

Click on image to blow up if you can't read text

2 days after my 39th birthday, I got this in a fortune cookie. Pretty darn cool if you ask me. While I don't want to get into all my personal beliefs, I do think this stuff happens for a reason and at times little things and messages like this are words of grace.

For some of you that know me, you may know I've been thinking about the coming year. In some cases, a few of you might even know a thing or two about some crazy ideas I've got for the coming year. The thing is, some of those things are big, but this fortune really could mean something else entirely. I can't share all my secrets and thoughts, but it really could mean something else that would impact my life in a big way. I love the mystery of it and at the same time it scares me.

So with that, I'll leave you with this picture.

I took this picture while on my Alaska to Utah bicycle adventure trip. I've used it before so if you've been around reading my blog that long, you've probably seen it once or twice. It was taken just outside of Fruita on my way to Moab. This image is more telling in more ways than you might know. It's a powerful picture to me.

So with that, happy Tuesday. Stay tuned in the coming days and weeks as I lay out some of my plans for 2009. I'm pretty confident the road to 40 will be my best year yet.

Just can't get enough

2008-11-02T17:08:00.010-06:00

One taste of riding dirt last weekend was all it took for my kids to get hooked. Today, the Gnat family hit the south side of the MN River heading east toward the Sibley House in Saint Paul.

They wanted to go further and further. I think they must have read Guitar Ted's post on the 320 mile Trans Iowa 5! We ended up with over 5 miles of dirt trail. My boy wanted to go 8 miles - 4 miles out and 4 miles back.

Today, I changed it up a bit and rode my custom S & S 1x9 El Mariachi. It was a nice change. Man I love my El Mariachi. The Fargo has really cut into my El Mariachi ride time.

As the sun lowered, the shadows got long and we rode out.

Another amazing fall day with the Gnat Family and our bikes.

Friday Photo

2008-10-31T05:00:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday was an incredible fall day - blue sky, late season color, sun, and the smell of dry leaves. My wife reminded me that when we were in Utah we had discussed taking the kids on their first official mountain bike ride. We've done countless rides through the neighborhood, but we've never done a family ride on single track. Great idea!

About an hour later the entire Gnat family was rolling out of the Murphy-Hanrehan parking lot to hit the dirt ribbon. Murphy has a .8 mile beginner loop through the rolling prairie. After a little fear followed by encouragement on lap #1, the kids got the hang of it and really had a blast. In the end, we did 5 laps (4 miles) and both kids were so proud of their accomplishment....OK, mom and dad were too. Incredible day and one I'll always remember.

These are pretty good too.

Kids Rule! Get out and ride!

More Salsa Fargo Pictures!

2008-10-29T05:00:00.002-05:00

I've said it before, but someday I'll tire of talking about how much I love this bike. I'm sure some of you are sick of it, but for me I feel like this bike inspires me and feeds my thirst for exploration and photography by bringing me places and connecting trails and roads.

Yesterday on my commute home (my 39th birthday I might add!) I ran across a section of trail with really good natural light. I stopped and experimented with my new camera. Enjoy.

Finished the day with 4:45 minutes of riding - Almost 40 miles of dirt, 25 miles of pavement, and about 50 new pictures. Fun stuff.

Olympus E420 Initial Review - My first 1000 pictures

2008-10-28T05:00:00.003-05:00

I've taken nearly 1000 shots now with my new Olympus e420. Thus far, I've been really happy with my purchase. Now...Before I go any further, if you ended up on the Gnat Blog because you are a professional or aspiring photographer looking for a painfully detailed and opinionated e420 review, look elsewhere. I'm just learning photography. I chose the e420 because the size really works well with my active outdoor lifestyle, it's price doesn't break the bank and most importantly, I think it has very good image quality.

One of the things I really love about this camera is that the start up time and the focusing are really fast. I've been able to get shots I missed with my old DSLR and my old point and shoot. The layout of the buttons is really nice. I haven't had to stop and look at the controls too many times.

My initial set up is with the Zuiko 25mm pancake lens. I chose this lens for its size and functionality. I don't have to fuss with it. I just stop and shoot, stop and shoot, occasionally ride and shoot, and so on. One detail regarding this camera is that for any given focal length, it has a 2x magnification factor. Thus, the 25mm pancake lens is really a 50mm fixed focal length.

So far, the Zuiko 25mm lens has proven to meet my needs. With the 2x magnification factor it is a bit narrow at times, especially when I was in the Utah mountains and wanted to capture a wider view of the environment. Getting used to a fixed length also requires you to look at shots differently as your position will greatly dictate your image. Beyond that, the image quality is pretty good and it is great for candid, quick shots.

One of the reasons the camera is smaller is that the Olympus e420 is a 4/3rd camera. This relates to the aspect ratio (dimensions) of the image. It also does a way with a conventional mirror system, thus making it smaller than a traditional DSLR. True image quality folks quickly point out that these 4/3rd cameras have image sensors that are much smaller than most, if not all, true DSLR's. It is true, but I will also point out that they may be missing the point because these cameras have a much larger image sensor than a point and shoot AND they have lens interchangability along with a slew of other benefits. I see and use this camera as an advanced adventure tool and due to its size, I compare it more to a smaller point and shoot. Yet, it's image quality doesn't look like a point and shoot.

Overall, I've been happy with the color. It's got different settings for vivid, natural, monotone, etc. I usually shoot in natural.

I really like the quick menu. Touch the button and navigate directly to one of about 25 different functions that appear on the screen. Once you learn the symbols it's very easy to understand and easy to navigate.

I've got a couple of niggles with the camera though. In all honesty, the functionality might be built into the camera, but I can't figure it out. I don't like that when I turn off the camera, I lose the settings I'm in. When hiking in Utah, I had gotten everything set up for the conditions. I accidentally turned it off a few times and when I restarted, the settings went back to default start up settings and I was forced to navigate through and change settings. I'd really like to be able to at a minimum save my preferred and adjusted metering mode so every time I start it, I don't need to change it.

I also don't like the view finder...well maybe I don't. What I mean by that is that the sides of the image are blurred. Maybe it's the lens and camera combo as I've only used it with the pancake lens, but I don't like that when I use the Optical View Finder the very outer portions (the sides) seem out of focus. This isn't what I learned with on my old film camera. I don't like it here and it give me the feeling my pictures aren't going to turn out. I'll report back after I check it with a different lens. One last little niggle is that the LCD monitor is a bit dull as well. Makes it difficult to a good preview when in bright conditions. It's OK if you are in the shade, but overall it feels a bit dull compared to my old Canon LCD.

Beyond that, I think I'm still in the getting used my new camera phase. It works pretty well in most conditions. I'm still struggling with getting good exposure in high contrast situations. Many of my first shots in contrasty situations did not have blue sky.

I adjusted the camera white balance and exposure compensation and had better results. This shot was 4 shots later. Granted, I'm out of the shade, but still it helped.

A few last notes.
- All shots were with no filters and no modification in any software. These are straight up JPEG downloads.
- I haven't started shooting in RAW and manipulating with the software. I want to learn the camera first and then start playing with that.
- I haven't played around with it in low light situations. Many reviews have commented that the e420 doesn't have image stabilization and that it doesn't work in low light conditions. I'll report on this later.

Overall, I love this little camera and am very happy with the purchase. Can't wait to keep learning and making my images better. With that, I'll just take a quick rest here and get back to shooting and learning.

Stay tuned for Photo Friday. I'll be posting up my best image thus far with my new e420! Might even be my best shot this year.

Salsa Fargo Update

2008-10-27T05:00:00.001-05:00

A while back, I posted a few pics of my newest Fargo configuration featuring a new SRAM Rival 10 speed kit. Essentially, I wanted to see how to make a lighter, faster and STI/Ergo/DoubleTap shifters. Why? Well....That's just what I like to do. More importantly though, I have some ideas about next year and I will want/need a bike just like this for what I have in mind.

The crux of this build was the front derailleur set up. The road Rival front derailleur didn't have enough throw for a Mtn Chainline. Because I wanted to ride the bike, I ended up with a 22-36 SLX crank...Notice the nice bashguard. Nice drop bar 29er with roadie stuff and a freeride crank!

Well, I have finally solved the problem and the results are in the B to B+ range. I'll put out the required disclaimer here stating that super quick or road shifting snobs will probably not like my solution.

My end set up is as follows.

- Surly Mr. Whirly cranks
- 36-48 Shimano 110mm bolt circle 9 speed rings - $$
- SRAM X.7 mtn front derailleur

This set up is sweet. In all honesty, the shifting is a bit slow going up into the 48 tooth ring. Thankfully, Shimano rings have pick up teeth and they lift that narrow 10 speed chain right into the right place. Besides, when are you shifting into the outer ring under full power? OK, someone will need that and that's why I put out my disclaimer. It's a B to B+ performance. It works for me and if you are not too picky, it will likely work for you too.

Beyond that, this is my first experience with Surly Mr. Whirly cranks. They are working really well, but I was shocked at how many pieces are in the kit. I had some difficulty getting the chainring bolts to snug down. Not sure what is up here but I'm guessing it is just tolerance stacking and that the 2 rings and the spider all add up to the low end of the tolerance scale. I also set up the external BB with only 1 spacer between the BB shell and the cup, this means two are on the left side. This gives a narrower chain line and works really well.

I've got about 400 miles on this set up and I'm pretty pleased. Now that I've got this one running perfectly I'm converting Fargo prototype #1 into an off road warrior. Stay tuned.

Salsa Fargo + Going Far = Fargoing

2008-10-25T09:18:00.010-05:00

I got back in the bike groove yesterday. I left at 5:00AM in the rain and headed to Minneapolis for breakfast with the FMBC (Friday Morning Breakfast Crew). I had zero cash and the cafe only takes cash so I made quick detour. I don't think this is what they had in mind when they installed drive up ATM's.

Sorry it's blurry, it was dark & cold and I was wet so I snapped a couple and got back on the road. My legs felt a little tired after 2 weeks off the bike. Thankfully, I was alone and just pedaled my own pace to the cafe.

After breakfast, we headed for work. Unfortunately with the rain, this meant we'd be riding pavement. I was on my Fargo with Maxxis Crossmarks, quite a disadvantage compared to the skinny tires the rest of the crew was on. The 30 psi in my big 29er tires along with a faster than normal pace just made my legs feel worse. Still, felt good getting over 30 miles in before 8:00AM!

Thankfully, the rain didn't last long and the wind picked up. This meant I could ride some dirt on the way home. On top of that, I had a tailwind for my commute home. Man I love tail winds on Friday's. I dropped in and hit the dirt. I even threw in a little adventuring (off trail excursion).

After almost 13 miles of single track and dirt road, I traversed the river through this urban art corridor and then finished my journey on pavement.

In the end, finished my Friday journey with just shy of 60 miles. Rain. Sun. Wind. Pavement. Food. Friends. Gravel. Singletrack. Art. Nature. Photos. Exploration. It had it all. Now that's what I call Fargoing.

Hope to hit dirt today as we are expecting snow on Sunday!

Photo Friday

2008-10-24T05:00:00.001-05:00

I took this photo in Utah last week. We started hiking on the cool shaded side of the Wasatch mountains. The trail quickly went up. We had been hiking for about 2 to 2.5 miles climbing up through the trees the whole time. Then with little warning, the trail opened up and turned to rock. These little trees stood alone in the sun on a rocky point.

Enjoy your weekend. Snow is rumored to be on the way!

I Fly Utah

2008-10-22T11:54:00.007-05:00

While in Utah, we were really taken and amazed by the natural environment. However, it wasn't the only thing that amazed us. We were lucky to get a couple of passes comped by the city of Ogden to I Fly, an indoor sky diving experience.

I know what you are thinking after seeing that picture, "How did a girl like that end up with Mr. Potato head?" Well...I guess I just got lucky.

After a little instruction, we enter the wind tunnel area and waited our turn. The wind tunnel shoots air straight up at about 100 mph (depending on the sky diver's weight). Jen went first and made it look too easy. Here she is floating about 10 feet in the air.

I went next and after a little help from the instructor, I was floating on air. So cool. I was a bit nervous at first, but that immediately went away after the instructor helped me with my position. I tried to give the thumbs up for this picture, but even that subtle little hand change dropped me out of the air.

We each got two turns in the tunnel. On the second run it was easier to get situated and then a professional instructor came in and floated us up about 20 feet. We went up and down like a yo yo. In the end, it was quite a bit of time for 2 minutes of floating, but it was worth it. Certainly one of my favorite things I've ever done.

Eden, Utah - Aptly Named

2008-10-21T05:23:00.009-05:00

As the title says Eden, Utah is aptly named. The picture below is what every morning looked like from our lodging. In all honesty, I don't think I could tire of sipping coffee in the early morning hours looking at the Eden valley. By the way, that dot floating in the air is a hot air balloon.

This trip wasn't my typical business trip. Not only did I get to bring my wife with me and spend a day or two almost solely with her, we were put up in executive housing out at Wolf Creek. Our 2800 square foot house was comped to us by the resort. I think they are a little bit off with their market research of bicycle industry wages. For anyone looking, this house is for sale and is priced just above $600,000 fully furnished....Did I mention the view?

The first couple of days were spent hiking and hanging out with my wife. This was only the second trip in just over 6 years that we have taken together without our awesome kids. It was nice to hike and talk like the old days. Our hikes were the best part of this trip. Not only were the views amazing, but we got to talk about things that mattered to us instead of just going through our typical day and routines.

I also played with my new camera quite a bit. I took over 500 photos. I deleted almost 250 of them. Not all were deleted by choice, I did not bring the proprietary cord to hook it up to my computer and I needed to delete images to take images because my memory card was full. Yeah, I know that I should plan these things and have more than one memory card, but I didn't. Drat! That will teach me! Oh well, I learned a lot. I even got a few good pics. I'll likely have a separate post on my new camera, until then here are a few images that I like. Nothing too great, but some with things I like.

Stay tuned this week for some high flying adventure, some more mountain views and a little Utah history.

A Little R & R

2008-10-19T22:30:00.003-05:00

I've spent the last 4 days in Eden, Utah returning tomorrow after some glad handing with some important people from the city of Ogden. I was invited out here for some business and took a little extra time on the front end of the trip for a little R & R. This time, R & R did not include riding AND my wife joined me on this trip. It was a much needed change up to my now typical business travel.

I can't wait to share my stories. Until then, I'm going to sit back and enjoy the view.

Friday Photo

2008-10-17T05:06:00.000-05:00

I took this photo while having dinner in Decorah, Iowa after the first day of the 2007 Big Wheeled Ballyhoo. It ended up on the cover of the 2007 Salsa catalog. What's better than riding followed by good food with good friends?

Enjoy your weekend. I'm in Utah.

OK, enough camera stuff. How about a Fargo custom pack?

2008-10-15T05:06:00.003-05:00

Things are happening quickly this fall. No rest. Just planning followed by action. Enter custom bag #1.

There will be a full post in the future on this, but I am so excited I had to show a pic. I've always used racks with stuff sacks. I can't wait to try a custom frame bag.

Special thanks to J.M. for letting me tag onto his project and to E.P. at Epic. Sweet.

More to come.......

A small wonder - Olympus E420

2008-10-14T05:00:00.003-05:00

Here it is. I found one in stock and it should be here Wednesday. I can't wait.

Blog Reader Warning: Be prepared for camera geekdom.

Photo Courtesy of Let's Go Digital

So...Why did I choose an Olympus E420? Great question with a longish answer.

Size - Currently, this is the smallest DSLR camera in production. I think this may be rivaled by the upcoming Panasonic G1. Many folks have really put down the small DSLR movement. For many of those folks, I'm guessing they've not had to fit days worth of equipment into a couple of small packs. I'm also guessing they've never ridden a bike with a full size SLR for 100 miles or for multiple days. For what it is worth, my favorite picture of the year was taken with my full size digital SLR in the middle of North Dakota. I lugged my full size Canon & bag on this ride. In all honesty, it was this trip that made me really want a better camera while on my bike rides.

It's a DSLR - I've ridden with a point and shoot Canon camera for several years. While I love the size concept and simplicity of a point and shoot, at times I really wanted a higher quality image that I couldn't get due to the small size of a point & shoot image sensor. While the Olympus isn't quite the same size as a full size or full frame DSLR camera, it's significantly larger than a comparable point and shoot. This means higher quality pictures that if desired, I can do more than just post blog pictures. Additionally, if you want to take action shots, point and shoot cameras are pretty much a joke due to their focus (in)ability and their shutter lag.

Lens interchangeability and quality - Lens interchangeability and quality were critical points for me. In addition to lens interchangeability, the lenses for the Four Thirds system are smaller without sacrificing quality. The stock Zuiko pancake lens is a killer lens for all around use. It's mighty small too.

Expandability - Someday, I'll add a nice short fish eye lens and a short zoom to the mix. The prices are somewhat reasonable. I'd say very reasonable given the quality and reputation of the Zuiko lenses. This should be all I'll ever really need unless my hobby becomes a profession....Which, frankly speaking, I don't think could ever happen because I'm average at best at photography and I don't think average pays the bills.

Battery Life - Once broken in, I expect to get almost 500 shots from a single battery charge. That's up from about 100-125 with my current aging DSLR and about 10-20 shots from my dead point and shoot. It's much less than 500 if using live view for composition. While live view is something I've grown accustomed too on point and shoot, my old DSLR doesn't have live view and I'm learned to take pictures with a view finder.

Image Quality - In all my research, I've found this camera to be one of, if not the, best at this price range. I also like that it shoots Raw + JPEG. Makes it easy to view and put up JPEG blog pictures while still capturing and having higher quality RAW images.

While I don't think this camera is perfect and I know hard core pro photographers have ripped this thing to shreds, I think for me, it is the perfect little big camera. It could only be made better (for me) by having a fully weather proof body. Time will tell of course. I hope all my research, testing and discussions actually work and prove my decision to be a good one.

Change is a comin'

2008-10-13T06:42:00.004-05:00

Well....Change is finally coming. My Willits sold in record time and as a result, I'm jumping ship from Canon. While Canon and Nikon are duking it out on top, other camera makers are making some pretty cool little cameras. Where I end up may be a surprise to some, but this new camera should add some real capabilities to my riding and adventure photos. You'll have to wait and see. Assuming I can find the exact set up I want in stock somewhere, I should be taking pictures in Utah later this week. Sweet.

Until then, enjoy your week. Change is coming in our weather too. Enjoy it while you can.

Photo Friday

2008-10-10T05:06:00.003-05:00

This past week we got some much needed rain and the fall colors popped here in MN. I don't know how folks that don't have 4 full seasons live where they live. Fall is the best time of year for riding. Sure, the days are shorter, but as I've written before, fall is wool clothing riding season. I can put on my wool and ride comfortably for a long period of time. My Wingnut back pack is lighter too as I usually use water bottles in the fall and my pack only needs to carry my camera and a few supplies.

Yesterday, I was trying out a Sigma DP1 camera. The DP1 is the first pocket size camera with a full size DSLR image sensor. It's known for it's color capabilities, has full manual controls and shoots RAW. It's a powerful pocket camera, but it's a bit quirky and slow. Folks are starting to unload these cameras now that Sigma announced the DP2 at their annual trade show in September.

I rode my Dos Niner. My ride sort of stunk as I wasn't feeling very good. I cherish fall riding. It's so good. I didn't get the shot I was looking for either, but I got this. Not bad detail and color for a pocket point & shoot camera.

Enjoy your weekend folks. Ride your bike. Go for a walk in the woods.

Another Shameless For Sale Post - Willits 29er

2008-10-09T19:40:00.006-05:00

Well, I've got one more on the block. Two down, one to go. I've been saving in hopes of replacing my broken and/or dead camera(s). We've also run into some unplanned expenses, car repairs and water softener replacement.

So...Here goes.

Used Willits New Sheriff with Paragon sliders. Steel w/2 tone paint. $650.

It's a bit old school in TT length and feels Ibis like. It's also a little tall too due to the extra tube and styling. It's a 23" TT (About an 18" equivalent). Has internal rear brake cable routing. I've also got all the extra frame tubing bits that Wes cut off the tubes when mitering. Hey, it was part of the package. I had the bike set up as a flat bar mtn bike and also as a drop bar 29er.

Price includes: Frame, Type II rigid fork, and custom Hope black/gold headset. Freight and any extra Paypal credit card fees are extra. The bike is shown with wheels and BB cups. Those are not included.

This is one of Wes' newer frames built down in Austin. I acquired this in a trade in March or so and have ridden it twice. It's a beauty, but I have no need for it. Bike fits Weirwolfs with adequate clearance.

The paint is far from perfect but the bike still looks really nice. Here's a pic of the paint wearing out on the TT. It's also got a couple of chips on the down tube.

Email me at G N A T at L I V E dot COM.

Gnat's Theory of Relativity

2008-10-08T05:46:00.009-05:00

Lately, I've been spending a lot of time thinking and planning. This is occurring both at home and at work. Sometimes what you are doing or what you want to do don't require much planning at all. While at other times, they require a lot of thinking and planning.

Over the past year, the Gnat blog gave me the opportunity to explore, to learn, and meet new people. It also rekindled my love for riding and taking pictures.

This is where Gnat's Theory of Relativity (GTR) comes into play. My theory is that somehow, whether we know it or not, we pick hobbies and have passions that are relative, similar or supportive of one another. I'm sure some folks will likely point out that they they have hobbies that are not connected, say like bike riding and stamp collecting. However, I'd bet that somewhere, some how if you look hard enough there is a connection.

For me, bikes have consumed my life. Bicycles have been my passion since the first day I pedaled my first red 20" Schwinn. I still remember my mom and my aunt Bev pulling that bike out of the back of my Mom's wood paneled silver station wagon. I still remembering hitting the lilac bush in the back yard trying to learn to ride. I still remember doing endless laps around the house. Bicycles gave me freedom and allowed me to explore and get to places I couldn't get to before.

As I look back at my memories, I also see that I had one other passion that is as strong as my passion for bikes, photography. I still remember taking black & white photography in college. It was the only semester that I didn't purchase and/or build a new bike. It consumed me. I spent every waking moment riding around the Minneapolis taking pictures and then spent every single evening in the dark room. That said, I never did anything with it. In all honesty, back then I could never afford two hobbies on my bike shop income and I just let it go and stuck to bikes.

So where am I going with this? Well, this past year has been one of the best years of my life. I could spend hours and days talking about that and why I think that. But, in looking back over the year, I see lot's of things that I wasn't connecting are really connected.

For me, this past year has finally connected my passion for both photography and bicycles.

Bicycles gave me a vehicle to explore and meet amazing people.

The Gnat Blog gave me the opportunity to learn and share my stories.

My job gave me the opportunity to ride and take pictures all over the world.

No wonder this has been such a great year. So...Where am I really going with this? Well, I've been thinking about what grand vision I have for me and for the Gnat blog. While I've been doing this unintentionally already, I'm going to focus the Gnat blog on the things I love and that are connected.

Bicycles - People - Photography - Exploration

They are all connected by Gnat's Theory of Relativity.

N & N turn 6!

2008-10-06T18:15:00.007-05:00

I can't believe my twins turned six today. Amazing. I also can't believe how much fun kids can be. This year's theme was "Apples" and we held it right after the neighborhood bus unloaded. Thankfully, they meant the real apples and not the little ipod thingies that I'm sure they will ask for soon.

Thankfully the weather held out and we got a beautiful fall day. I think the high point for my boy was bobbing for apples. We were pretty certain he was going to drown himself, but he ended up coming up with an apple. Focus and commitment. I like it.

This one was pretty funny too. The kids did an apple relay where they had to roll the apple with their nose.

Birthdays come down to cake and ice cream. My wife crafted this fine apple from home made cup cakes and home made frosting while Culver's supplied the ice cream cake.

In the end, it was a fun time had by all. No one got hurt. No police or child protection showed up. No crying kids. All in all a great neighborhood party. Happy Birthday N & N. Mom and dad love you so much. You are awesome 6 year olds.

Rainy day musings

2008-10-05T10:29:00.012-05:00

I'm still in my after Interbike purge. And by purge, I mean I'm still purging the stink and filth that is Vegas. Man I don't like that city. The whole family is sick. It's cold and rainy outside. My body hasn't recovered yet.

Thankfully, I got a couple of good rides in this week. In fact, on Friday, I got my first long adventure ride in quite some time, ended up with almost 60 miles. It had it all; pavement, double track, & single track. Yes, I rode my Fargo.

Even though my body is still purging, my legs felt good. Really good in fact and as a result, I'm pretty spent today.

Beyond that, I've got a lot on my mind. These are random thoughts and not necessarily connected. That's just how the brain is working today.

- My twins turn 6 tomorrow! I can't believe it.
- My cameras are both busted up so my picture taking is suffering....and that means my blog pics for both my work blog and the Gnat blog are suffering.
- I'm still digging out at work and I've got another work trip to Utah coming up next week.
- I turn 39 later this month. What will the road to 40 bring?
- Bikes. Packing up one that is sold and prepped another to sell.
- Our coffee machine broke down yesterday after cleaning and descaling. Man, our old one lasted 8 years. This one lasted about 8 months. Drat! I had to go buy coffee from a store.

Yeah, that's what's on my mind today.

Edit: I'm almost finished with my slide show on my new Salsa Pistola. Here's a sneak peak. Complete write up available Monday or Tuesday here.

Photo Friday

2008-10-03T05:06:00.001-05:00

Looking back over the last two weeks, I've got a lot of fun and great memories. Today's photo is taken from a play ground in Estes Park, CO. I was spinning the kids on this fine & potentially dangerous piece of play ground equipment and taking their pictures. I never got the exact shot I was hoping for, but I can't look at this picture without smiling. It's just what I need today.

Enjoy your weekend. Ride your bike. Laugh with your friends, family or kids.

Introverted Tendencies

2008-10-01T12:04:00.008-05:00

I'm still coming down after Interbike. I've written about this before, but whenever I have these big weeks with large physical and emotional efforts, I need my space. I'm a strong "I" on the Meyers Briggs preference indicator. Some have told me they think I'm an "E" and don't believe it, but its true. I certainly can be a practicing extrovert, but deep down, I'm still a strong "I". Weeks like the last 2 weeks really bring it out in me.

Thankfully, I rode by myself in the early AM on Tuesday and I took today off to spend time with my family and to think. I got a little time to work on my own bikes too. I've got a lot to think about. Honestly, pretty much since June, I've not had much extra energy to think about things that need to be thought about. So....Over the coming days and weeks, I'm looking forward to getting back on my schedule. I'm looking forward to getting some down time and some stuff done that is long overdue.

Over the coming weeks and months, I'll be laying out my plans for the GnatLikesBikes blog and a little bit about my personal plans. I assure you, it should prove interesting....At least I think it should prove interesting.

Until then, I leave you with this. This is what I'd like to do for the next few days.

Sleep....I guess even a super hero needs sleep.

Wool Riding Season

2008-09-30T08:04:00.007-05:00

I said it my last post, it's wool riding season here in MN. I woke up today to see mid 40 degree temps. Perfect. I wore my wool arm warmers, wool knee warmers and my favorite wool jersey. I did the cobweb ride again this morning. For those readers that are just getting on board with the Gnat blog, the cobweb ride is an early morning ride where you are the first rider on the trail. You get to clear the cobwebs from the trail that all those diligent spiders built the evening before. (look closely)

I left mighty early too. The 9 Mile Creek raft looks a little bit sketchy when illuminated by bike light.

I'm still adjusting to riding with lights again. I know folks love night riding. I used too, but honestly I've lost my passion for it. I really like riding in the early morning light without lights. I feel like a Jedi Master flowing through the single track. At one point I stopped, hiked down to the river and took a few pics. That is a nice way to start the day. I'm so glad I'm back.

Hope the skies stay blue for my return trip home later today. Enjoy your day.

Back Home!

2008-09-28T14:43:00.009-05:00

Well, I made it back. From a work perspective, it was a great trip. From a personal family perspective, it was a long and difficult trip. From a health perspective, I came home more rested than years past and I was actually lighter than when I left.

Since I got home last night, I've been enjoying all the things that I love; My kids sitting on my lap in the morning, two rounds of coffee with my wife, church with my friends, & my morning oatmeal. One other big difference is the moisture in the air here in MN. Ahhh! The temps are fall like too. This means three words....Wool riding season. So good to be home.

With that....I'll leave you with a few more shots taken from the last 2 weeks. I'll apologize in advance, both my cameras are busted up (hope to get that fixxed soon) so you need to make do with these.

Here is my brother on the last climb before a short descent into Ward, CO.

Made a short pit stop on the ride to Dirt Demo in Boulder Canyon, NV.

Look for some some fun stories here on the Gnat blog and here later this week.

Photo Friday

2008-09-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

As yesterday's post indicated, JMKM and I got a great ride in on Tuesday. It was filled with road, bike paths, dirt and two track. Here's a little shot of my Fargo I took while JMKM was changing a flat.

Enjoy your weekend. Ride your bike.

3 down, 2 to go....

2008-09-25T09:14:00.005-05:00

As the title says, we are just over half way through our Interbike week. It's been so fun thus far. Can't wait to see the last two days play out.

I'm doing things a little differently this Interbike. I'm taking better care of myself. It's a hard week of activity. This year, I'm not going out at night if I don't feel good. I'm drinking way more water. I'm trying to eat better. Most importantly, I got to ride my bike this year. JMKM and I rode out to the Outdoor Demo on Tuesday. Got up early. Enjoyed the road...and then dirt. It was an awesome way to start the day.

More to come, but until then....Here are a couple shots of our ride out.

Yeah....I know. Joe's tape is coming undone and the pull strap got into that first picture.

Outdoor Demo - Day 1

2008-09-22T23:40:00.006-05:00

Good evening folks. Finally back to the hotel tonite and wanted to share a few notes from the day. Sorry this is so short and bullet point like. I'm tired. Very, very tired and I need a good night's rest.

I had lot's of fun today. I got see a lot of old friends and meet some new friends. A few were even Gnat blog readers. All in all a great day. Here is yet another use for a Salsa Fargo - 6 pack holder. While this Fargo was only set up with 2 bottle cages, a fully set up Fargo could easily carry 6 of your favorites cans home.

Gnat blog readers are probably tired of reading and seeing the Salsa Fargo here on my blog, but I'm so smitten with this bike. I promise I'll be moving on from it sometime....Say in about a year or so. Seriously, I am planning some non Fargo material. In fact, it kept me awake this morning when I should have been sleeping.

Other observations from Outdoor Demo Day 1.

- Lot's of 29ers - even a few good ones
- Lot's of carbon fiber
- Lot's of renewed interest in steel
- Lot's of cool paint jobs. I was impressed this year as many brands are doing a better job with graphics.
- Not much blood yet, but tomorrow is the busy demo day and I'm sure someone will lay it down on the rock and come back bloody.

Anyway, I'm pooped. Going to sleep now.

Peak to Peak Highway

2008-09-21T16:37:00.008-05:00

What had I got myself into? That's what I thought as I hit mile marker #8. More specifically, that is what I thought after almost 8 miles of climbing out of Estes Park, CO. Starting at rougly 7500 feet and going up for just shy of 9 miles was hard on this flat lander. However, I had to push on so I could meet my brother. He was riding up Highway 7 to meet me and we were going to ride the Peak to Peak Highway.

After miles of this......

We were rewarded with many views including this view of Longs Peak, one of Colorado's 14ers.
I've got more to this story, but not enough time today. I'm off to the airport in a few minutes to head to the arm pit of the USA, Las Vegas.

Planning Tomorrow's Ride

2008-09-19T22:08:00.005-05:00

Ahhhh....I love the mountains. This trip has been good for me. I realized today that I've been so busy that I've forgotten how to rest and have fun. So....Today we played and rested. Tonight, we hung out with friends and family. I did manage take in the view and plan tomorrows road slog through the Rockies. It was rough. Real rough.

Enjoy your weekend.

Photo Friday

2008-09-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

I'm keeping the Colorado theme going this week. Here is one of my favorite bike photo's taken during our family reunion in Winter Park, Colorado.

Enjoy your weekend folks. Ride your bike.

Colorado, Here we come

2008-09-17T06:50:00.000-05:00

Heading west for a little pre-Interbike adventure with the family. 2 days of driving is rewarded with this view.

Yeah, it's a nice view. Incredible actually. Heck, I might even squeeze a road ride in. I might not either. We could just end up drinking coffee on the deck taking in the view and breathing in the cool mtn air. Ahhh...I can't wait.

Another Project - Salsa Pistola

2008-09-15T19:05:00.006-05:00

I'm working on this tonight. Pretty fun. I've ridden this bike a bit and now I'm tearing this down tonight and rebuilding it with some specific component specifications. This is the before shot.

Can't wait to feature the finished bike because this build is sweet. I did install the swanky Handspun custom wheel set.

I'm taking this bike to Colorado later this week on my way to Interbike, the annual bike industry trade show. More on that later.

Back to the work shop.

Rainy Day Musings - Finished my Salsa Fargo

2008-09-14T15:43:00.010-05:00

Despite the last couple days of rain keeping me off both the roads and the trails, it still took me 2 and a half days to get my new Salsa Fargo built. It's built, rides great, works great. Even so, some of the parts are only temporary. First, take a look and then I'll discuss why the bike is built the way it is and why it took me so long.

This one is a bit different than my expedition tourer Fargo. I wanted a lighter, faster, dirt/gravel worthy bike. Essentially, a heavy duty La Cruz. I also upsized to a large on this one as it is just a bit more road bike like. I also just wanted to try getting road STI, Double Tap, or Ergo 10 speed drive trains to work....That is why it took me 2 1/2 days.

The crux of this bike and the reason it took me over 2 days is the crank/bb/front derailleur set up. You see, the Fargo is not designed for road style cranks and chain line. To date, there are no 10 speed mtn cranks. Yes, I know that 9 speed, or even 8 or 7 speed, may be more appropriate for this bike. I just wanted to try it and I really like the new SRAM stuff with the 1:1 actuation ratio. I wanted the 1:1 actuation ratio because I think it will work better and shifting will last longer in the elements of mud, muck and wet gravel.

In the end, I got it to work with a 22-36t ring set up and an 11-28 10spd cassette. It's the only thing I could get to work with adequate chain line and to work with the throw of the SRAM Rival front derailleur. This will work great for all around, but I still need to find a way to get bigger road/gravel road gearing on this bike. I wanted to do a 36-46 or a 36-48. I can get larger rings on here, but then the Rival front derailleur runs out of throw. If I use a different front derailleur, then the double tap shifter doesn't work. If you have some ideas, let me know.

So here are the rest of the components.

RD = Sram Rival
FD = Sram Rival
Crank = Shimano SLX 22-36=BG (This will be replaced, possibly with a Surly Mr Whirly with a 110 spider.
BB = Shimano SLX
CS = Sram Rival 11-28 10 Spd
CH = Sram 10 Spd Chain
Brakes = Avid Road Mechanical
Shifters/Brake Levers = SRAM Rival Double Tap (unfortunately carbon)
HD = Cane Creek S3
Post = Salsa Shaft
Bar = Salsa Pro Bell Lap, 26.0 x 46
Stem = Salsa CroMoto
Tape = Salsa Leather, black
Saddle = WTB Rocket V with Ti rails
Tires = Maxxis CrossMark 29"
Tubes = Salsa 29"
Rim Tape = Rox Super DutE 19mm
Rims = Prototype Salsa Semi
Hubs = DT Swiss 240, 32 hole
Spokes = Competition Black
Nipples = Silver alloy with 4 red alloy over each of the Salsa pepper decals
Skewers = Salsa Stainless Flip Off's
Housing = Jagwire Ripcord compressionless for brakes, stock SRAM for derailleurs

So...The crank/chainring set up will change and I haven't mounted all my bottle cages and pump, but this bike is lighter and feels like a heavy duty La Cruz. Should just rip on my off road/road combo commute to work. Just what I wanted.

Photo Friday

2008-09-12T05:49:00.007-05:00

Regular readers have seen this photo before. It is one of my favorites. It was taken a the Ju Ming Museum in Taiwan. The difference here is that these were taken in B & W. These sculptures are massive and I love how B&W captures the tones and texture.

Have a great Friday and a great weekend. Ride your bike!

A couple new shots

2008-09-11T20:06:00.007-05:00

I'm building a few new Fargo bikes tonight. I will be riding one of them to the breakfast ride tomorrow....At least I think I can get one done tonight. Thought I'd share a couple of pics.

Better get back to the workshop!

Edit 9:30PM

Well, back in from the work shop. I won't be riding this bike tomorrow. I was trying something new and thought I could make something incompatible compatible. Component 1, me Zero. Oh well, looks like I'll be riding my La Cruz in the morning.

Getting Lost with the Fargo

2008-09-08T19:42:00.009-05:00

First, thanks to all for the kind words and encouragement from Sunday's post. Sincerely, thank you. It means a lot to me. I'm looking forward to seeing those of you going to Interbike. Seriously, I can't wait.

Some of my excitement for Interbike is because of the Salsa Fargo Adventure Touring Bike. For readers that have been reading my blog for a bit, or since the beginning like a few of you, you all know how much I love bicycle touring and the adventure that comes with it.

The Fargo really makes me look into the horizon and think about pedaling to where ever I see or to where ever my mind wonders. It's been a labor of love. It's been an inspiration. I've said it already, but someday you will understand what this means.

So...For those blog readers that know me and read the Gnat blog, here's a sneak peak at a few images I've taken over the summer while riding my Fargo prototype. I'll be posting a long story with some technical features on the Salsa blog later this week. Consider this a preview just for friends.

Thanks again and enjoy!

One note: The greenish play button isn't loading in it's correct spot. On my computer, a small corner of the play button is showing up in the upper left corner.

Sinusoid Wave

2008-09-07T09:04:00.005-05:00

My week resembles the above sine wave diagram. The top image represents the high's and low's of the week while the bottom image represents that a bicycle wheel rotates and that time waits for no one. Regardless of your high's and lows, things move forward.

This past week at my day job, we launched some new products. Honestly, at least in my opinion, the 3 new products are all really, really cool. This was the high point. I've been part of this annual product launch pushed by our industry for something like 4 years now. Every year I learn something. Every year something new surprises me.

This leads me to the low point. Last Thursday, someone told me on the phone that I stole all his good ideas. I've never been called a thief before and frankly, it hit me hard. I'm not going to go into the details here but I will say that it saddened me a great deal. I have worked with this person before and frankly, other than a similar passion for bicycles, our worlds, our beliefs and the products we make for our companies could not be further apart. On top of that, we make products that make his product better. I thought it was a symbiotic relationship. I thought wrong.

I do believe that the issue will die away. I have spoken to the person and told him I'm disappointed in him & a bit shocked. I also told him where and how we got to the solution and the final design & product. I was truthful. I was honest. Who knows if he believes me?

Thankfully, I do not need to work with this person. Thankfully, he is not the one who judges me. Thankfully, I know where every idea came from for the design he accused me of stealing. Thankfully, I don't work with him and I am doubtful I ever will. I will say that I no longer want one of his frames in my bike collection. Too bad, they are pretty cool bikes.

In the end, time and things keep moving forward. Tomorrow, next week, next year this will be forgotten and I'll be riding my bike somewhere amazing.

Photo Friday

2008-09-05T05:00:00.004-05:00

I've been waiting for this Photo Friday for a long time. Over the course of the summer, I've taken a couple hundred pictures of my favorite bike. A bike I could not reveal. Well, it's finally public knowledge. I'm working on a story about the bike along with a slide show but those are not ready yet. Today, you get two of my favorite images.

Have a great Friday folks. Ride your bike.

And so it begins.....

2008-09-04T06:54:00.006-05:00

About a week ago I posted about seeing the light. Today is the day I was referencing in that post. The industry I work in is buzzing over at Eurobike. The Internet chatter and forum boards will be filled with new pictures of the next amazing thing. The marketing campaigns get launched. New websites. Lots of schmoozing. This crazy game lasts for a month.

Right now, I'm playing this game too. It's my job. I do love it. But right now, I really long for this.

Or this....

Or this.....

It will all make sense someday. Today marks a big day in my future plans. Go Far! Fargo!

A better 29er Front Derailleur

2008-09-02T19:42:00.008-05:00

Recently, SRAM did their public launch of their new internal front mechanism, the Hammerschmidt. With that came a bunch of forum and blog chatter. However, I've seen little on the new Shimano SLX dual ring front derailleur and it just might be one of the coolest little items on the market. Maybe I've missed it. Maybe this is old news. Just maybe what I'm about to write will be new news.

Before I get into the details, you will need a little back ground info to appreciate and understand my perspective on this new product. Think about 29ers. Think about big 29er tires. Now throw in suspension. Now think about the 29er crowd's thirst for more travel and even bigger tires. Now make the chain stays as short as possible. Now add in the requirement to properly design and position a front derailleur. There is a lot going on down there in the crank, bottom bracket and front derailleur area of a bicycle.

Back in February I was in Southern California and had the opportunity to see some prototypes of Shimano's new SLX group including their dual ring front derailleur. Since then, I've been excited to install one and test it on my own bike. I received my SLX group back in June, but unfortunately Shimano only supplied a triple front crank and a triple front derailleur. Recently, I got my hands on their new dual ring crankset and front derailleur and immediately installed it on my full suspension Big Mama prototype play bike.

Before I installed the new stuff, I took pictures of my Shimano XT front derailleur and triple crank set up. Here is a top and a side view. Notice that the rearward, lower portion of the front derailleur cage overlaps the big 2.4 Schwalbe tire mounted on Salsa's 35mm wide Gordo 29er Disc rim.

Now, take a look at this set up with the new SLX Dual Ring Front Derailleur and crank set.

Amazing. To top it off, the front derailleur cage is designed with almost the exact radius as the outer bash guard. The system virtually eliminates the possibility of throwing the chain over the outer bash guard. Wow, a drive train optimized for dual rings, big tires, a 36tooth max chain ring. That sounds good to me. It works great too.

In addition to all this, the system is optimized for a Shimano dual ring crankset. Yes, I know it is currently only available in a 104mm bolt circle and a 22-36-BG. But I would argue that this is the ideal set up. I've been running my "Play" bike with a 22-32 for over a year. It does work great, but in reality when I rode this bike in the Colorado front range, in Fruita, in Grand Junction and in SoCal, the 32tooth was too small. When I'm climbing those big long climbs, I'm dropping into the 22 anyway, especially on my 30 lb play bike. For me, the 22-36 is an ideal set up.

All I can say right now is that I'm smitten with this set up. I really like it for how I set up and ride my 29er. I also think it opens up some new possibilities in 29er design and bigger 29er tires. We'll see.

Eurobike - Bikes, Coffee, Food & People

2008-09-01T12:05:00.011-05:00

For the first time in several years, I'm missing Eurobike. It is true a joy being home with my family. In fact, this three day weekend has been incredible as I've gotten to hang out with my awesome family, do a family bike ride with the trail a bikes and assembled & rode a new prototype bike. However, there is a little part of me that is already missing being part of the song and dance known as Eurobike.

I'll be missing a lot of things this year that I've grown accustomed too. You see, in the industry I work in, being part of the mix is sometimes as important as the product you are showing. Most of all I'll miss these things.

Cool bikes that you don't get to see in the US Market.

Coffee everywhere!

Great food!

People watching in the Plaza!

I can't wait to watch and read about Eurobike. It's going to be fun week.

Photo Friday

2008-08-29T05:45:00.000-05:00

I did the cobweb ride again on Tuesday. I have been denying the fact that the days are getting shorter. I protested by not bringing my headlamp. As a result, I spent the first 30 minutes in almost complete darkness. I had two good pedal strikes while my eyes were adjusting to the darkness. One jarred my back pretty good. What was my reward for this Jedi like ride through the dark? The sunrise. I stopped and spent about 10 minutes just watching and breathing in the damp, cool morning air. I also saw 3 deer and almost ran over a raccoon.

Last week I posted about rebuilding my beloved Dos Niner. It's been my bike of choice of late. I love this bike.

Enjoy your long weekend. I know a bunch of the bloggers reading this blog are racing this weekend. Good luck.

I see the light!

2008-08-26T17:56:00.004-05:00

I know some of you have sensed it. Some of you have even sent me email or left comments here about it. I've been a bit distracted and it shows here on the blog. Thanks for your encouragement during this time. The great news here is that the end of the mayhem is near. I see the light.

Photo taken this morning on my off road commute to work.

There is a light on the horizon. I can feel it. I can see it. Hold on! It's going to be a wild few weeks.

Shameless Salesmanship

2008-08-25T18:38:00.009-05:00

Folks, as I've mentioned before I'm very busy with work. Much of our new stuff is set to be released on or about September 4th or 5th. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. At least the items I'm trying to sell are bike related.

In the meantime, I need to sell some stuff to make room for some new stuff....OK really it is to pay bills and replenish the checking account. I don't have an ebay account and I don't want one so here goes. Thanks for humoring me.

Asylum OCD - Titus made 29er. Details. Size Large (24.75" effective TT). Check Titus site out for specs. Near mint condition. Black Ano front with polished rear. $700 frameset plus shipping. Includes Easton 31.6 post and seat clamp. Why did/do I have this? Well, Salsa didn't make 29er a full sus model just over 2 years ago when I found out I had a crushed disc in my back. Chris at Speedgoat-Asylum hooked me up with a nice Asylum to help me ease back into riding until I got my Salsa Big Mama Prototypes. The Asylum hasn't been ridden since in about 18 months. Honestly, I bet it has less than 15 rides on it.

Salsa El Mariachi Frameset. $275 plus shipping. Green size Medium (23.5" effective TT). Price includes frame, matching CroMoto Grande ridid fork, EBB, & seat clamp. I bought this bike 2 years ago in June of 2006. It's been ridden quite a bit and has one deep scratch in the TT where my Avid Speed Dial Ultimate scratched the TT when it swung around. Other than that, it has the usual cable rub marks and wear and tear that comes with riding bikes. I haven't ridden this bike since last October as I've got other bikes.

White Bros IMV 100 with 20mm. Had on above Asylum and for a short time on the El Mariachi. Ridden less than 15 times. $150 plus shipping. Picture above in El Mariachi picture.

Email me at GNAT at LIVE dot COM with questions. If I know you, I'll send the stuff to you for inspection followed by payment. If I don't know you, then I'd like to use Paypal (Add the CC fee if you are thinking of paying by Paypal). I'm an honest guy with a lot to lose so I'm not interested in trading, bartering, bickering or having dis-satisfied folks. I assure you, these are great bikes. I take pride in my bikes and how I maintain them.

Anyway, sorry for the lame attempt to sell stuff here. More good bike stories and stuff coming soon.

Photo Friday

2008-08-22T05:00:00.003-05:00

Feats of Strength!

Todays feat: Toast and drink with each table, and in some cases each member at each table. Once the first task is completed start lifting other men in the room. This feat attracts women.

In this photo taken while at the Alex dinner, Jim from Surly gets lofted by a large man. With all those woman watching, this is clearly a great way to get their attention. Jim was unharmed in this activity and since he was the one being lifted, not one of the woman talked to him after this feat.

Drinking followed by some feat of strength is a typical dinner scene while attending the Taipei Bicycle Trade Show. Thankfully, I had my friend and translator let folks know that for medical reasons I could not drink. Apparently, no drinking for medical reasons means "He is a weak drinker, please serve him Taiwan beer". To read the most thorough and accurate Taiwan drinking rules I've ever seen click here.

Have a great weekend. I'm heading north again with 60 or so folks from our church.

Dos Niner - Hello Old Friend

2008-08-19T21:51:00.003-05:00

I've been nostalgic lately in so many ways. I've also been looking for motivation. With that in mind, I took it upon myself to bring my old Dos Niner back to life.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I haven't ridden this bike more than a couple of times since last July. It's last long ride was Maah Daah Hey last July in North Dakota. I've just been riding other bikes, mainly my Salsa Big Mama.

Tonight was a bit of an eye opener for me. I've pretty much only ridden full suspension for the last 13 months. Seriously, I love suspension. The Dos felt hard and a few of my lines that I've trained myself to take on FS only brought pain and clunking to me and my Dos. That said, the Dos surprised me tonight. Besides a few product spec issues (an old fork), it went pretty darn well. I did crash after stacking a pedal on a root. But, by the end of lap two my mind remembered just how to ride this bike. Once my mind was there, the speeds picked up quite a bit. We ended up ripping out 30 miles of glorious single track. Awesome.

Thanks old friend.

I got tagged

2008-08-17T20:22:00.001-05:00

So...thanks to Martini, I got tagged. I feel a little bit like a kid getting my first chain letter. Oh the excitement. I mean really, what would happen if I didn't do it? Would more of my hair fall out? Probably. Since I can't afford to lose more hair and I certainly don't want to look more like Martini, here goes.

If you could have any one — and only one — bike in the world, what would it be?
I'm riding it now, only I might consider making it out of titanium.

Do you already have that coveted dream bike? If so, is it everything you hoped it would be? If not, are you working toward getting it? If you’re not working toward getting it, why not?
I don't like the question. THAT is singular. Even though I answered the above question, how about Do you already have any coveted dream bikes? I have many dream bikes. But yes, I do have THAT bike. I'll just pick one of THOSE dream bikes.

This one.

Or this one.

Or this one.

Or this one.

Ok, I feel better now.

If you had to choose one — and only one — bike route to do every day for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why? I'm having a tough time committing to all these questions with "one" in them. So.....I guess I'll describe my current commute to work, with two big difference. Currently, my commute is about 20-25 miles each way depending on route. My favorite route is a mix of road, gravel, & dirt single track. It's also got options to add dirt to it since there are offshoots on the MN River Valley and it also goes right by Lebanon Hills mountain bike trail. The two big differences are: Add some Hills/Mountains and no more itch weed/nettles. That would give me 50 miles per day.

What kind of sick person would force another person to ride one and only one bike ride for the rest of her / his life? Us. Bike geeks. We always seek the one ride. One bike. One this. Yet, we never find it. If we do, we'd likely force it on the rest of the world.

Do you ride both road and mountain bikes? If both, which do you prefer and why? If only one or the other, why are you so narrow minded? I ride both. That said, I prefer riding dirt because I don't like or trust automobiles on the same paths/roads as I am riding. If there were no cars, I'd ride road A LOT MORE than I currently do.

Have you ever ridden a recumbent? If so, why? If not, describe the circumstances under which you would ride a recumbent? Yes. I've ridden more than one. The first experience with them was when the HPV championships were here in Mpls. I was in engineering school at the U of MN. I was asked to try racing in a full fairing recumbent. I tried it, but it just didn't work out and did not end up racing.

Have you ever raced a triathlon? If so, have you also ever tried strangling yourself with dental floss? No.

Suppose you were forced to either give up ice cream or bicycles for the rest of your life. Which would you give up, and why? Stupid question so I'll pass on answering this one.

What is a question you think this questionnaire should have asked, but has not? Also, answer it. What hobby or passion could pull you or overtake your love of bikes if given enough time, money or resources and support from your significant other. Photography. No question. I'd love to commit myself to photography. I still remember taking photography in college. I think it was the first quarter (We were on quarters back then) that I did not build a new bike.

OK....I'm calling out Mahokey and Gersib and Elvis down under.

Photo Friday

2008-08-15T04:30:00.001-05:00

Last weekend was a joy. For the 4th year in a row, we went up north to a cabin with 2 other families from our church. Sunday morning was incredible. I will always remember this view.

Enjoy your Friday and your weekend.

Bike Twin Cities - My New Project

2008-08-14T06:00:00.002-05:00

Thought I'd take a moment to introduce all of you to another little project I've got going on. Yeah, I know...I probably shouldn't be doing this right now. I just think it's needed and I think it's a good idea.

biketwincities

Biketwincities is a new blog dedicated to bicycle related news, advocacy, commuting and transportation in the Twin Cities.

Ramblings from down under

2008-08-13T20:24:00.001-05:00

Just received an email from a friend down under about a new blog. Elvis is still alive. Who knew he likes the same things I do. Check it out for yourself.

Mudsweatngears

Ride on Elvis. Ride on.

A snake swallowed an elephant

2008-08-12T20:46:00.005-05:00

I started this blog last year with the following goals.

1) Give me an outlet for thoughts beyond my work
2) Have fun
3) Learn about websites, information flow, networking, search engines, and think about the future
4) Share my 2 wheeled experiences and passions

So far, I'd say that it has done just that...and more. That said, this time of year its adding stress. Here's why.

My day job has a natural ebb and flow. This time of year is certainly the ebb because there is little flow. Tradeshows. Catalog. Issues. Planning. Discussion. Missed discussions. Frustration. Really the best analogy I can give is called out by the title, a snake swallowed an elephant. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. It's just really hard this time of year.

This time of year all I can think about is the coming month and half. On top of that, what I want to talk about here to help me process and deal with my stress, I just can't talk about. I've got so much bike stuff on my mind....Most of which I can't talk about until after Eurobike. Some stuff I won't be able to talk about until after Interbike. It's also cutting into my time to do some long overdue and ongoing product reviews on some products I really like.

Thankfully, I went to the Chiro today and got some ribs put back in place. Helped me a lot and gave me some peace that I'm still taking care of myself during this time. Also, I'm still managing to ride at least twice a week. Tonight I got out to Lebanon Hills. They've (MORC) added another mile of amazing trail. It's so fun. Fast. Flowy. Berms. Jumps. Totally sweet. You'd have to be dead to not smile and laugh through the new section. I'm guessing that with the new addition, it makes the loop I do almost 10 miles per lap.

I'm riding my fun bike lately because my main ride and personal bike is making rounds to Salsa dealers. My fun bike is a very early prototype Big Mama. It's changed quite a bit since this picture was taken.

It's got Shimano's new SLX group on it and a new Fox F29 120mm fork. It's also got some prototype Gordo rims (35mm wide) with some Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.4's on it. It's about 30-32lbs. My friend, Big29 on mtbr, was riding with me tonight and he was just laughing out loud at how I purposely hit everything and launched the bike off every rock, root, log and jump. Thanks Big29. It was a fun, fun night. I needed it.

Nature and greenbacks!

2008-08-11T10:27:00.004-05:00

I was out in the north woods once again. It's our 4th year in a row with some family friends. Beautiful place. Beautiful weekend.

When I returned today I had this message in my inbox. "Please send me your mailing information so we can send you some greenback for those images."

The story behind this is that I supplied some images to a magazine. You mean I can get paid for images? Holy cow.

China Slide Show and a little anniversary

2008-08-08T05:00:00.002-05:00

I feel lucky that I had an opportunity to visit China earlier this year. It was too short and too rushed. Yet, I still feel fortunate that I got to see China with my own eyes. I was on a research trip looking at carbon fiber manufacturing. Here are a few of my favorite images.

Also, August 8th is my two year anniversary of breaking my a bone at my elbow. We moved into our new house just days prior and it was my 3rd day in a row riding the sweet single track by our house. Gluttony I guess? It was the first bone I had ever broken.

My boy wanted me to have a black cast. Man, my kids look little while I look not so little. FYI: I've lost 25-30 lbs since that picture!

Have a great weekend. I'm heading out of town again. Back on Monday.

Wednesday Wanderlust

2008-08-06T19:12:00.011-05:00

I've got a bad case of wanderlust. My mind is jumping from riding trip ideas, to bicycle product ideas, and then back to bike touring equipment.

From North Dakota

To the Alaska Highway

I've been looking for inspiration for a project I've been working on.

I think I found it in a 1922 Montgomery Wards catalog while I was at the "Cabin" last week.

"The boy who puts his bike to hard and continuous use...."

I love the lines on this old Hawthorne.

I'm still testing those Axiom bags. They are working really well.

Oh and for good measure since it makes me think of Japan. Here's one last photo taken by Koichiro, a great cyclist and new friend from Japan. Yes, that is me hitting the ground.

And to top my wanderlust off, this guy that I know contacted me today to see if he could stop by tomorrow. Sure thing. I'm sure it will help me stop thinking about travels and bike products. Yeah right. I'm sunk.

New slide show coming 08 08 08.

RE-ENTRY

2008-08-04T20:55:00.013-05:00

Whoa! Re entered the work force again today after 8 amazing days with my family.

This image is a pretty good representation of my day.

1) I was not able to check email from home. I wasn't sure why. When I got to the office I could hear my computer from way down the hall. It sounded like someone was using a grinder to cut a fork steerer tube.

2) When I finally got my computer fixed and got into my email around 10:00, I saw that I was scheduled for meetings from 11:00 to 3:00 and each of those meetings required prep. I also had roughly 600 unread emails. Yahoo.

3) We've got 2 very important deadlines tomorrow.

4) I did manage to delete about 500 emails and read the other 100 or so. Lot's of fireworks while I was away. My mind was going in as many directions as the sparks in this picture

5) By the end of the day, like all fireworks, the fire had died out signaling the point that my brain turned to ashes and could not be restarted.

All that said, today couldn't erase the awesome memories from last week. I love vacations....and family....and riding.

Coming this week - I've got a look back at bikes of the past as well as a slide show featuring some of my China pictures planned for the 08-08-08.

Memories of Maple Lake

2008-08-02T11:07:00.009-05:00

This last week was filled with family and with memories, both new and old. Part of this trip included going to my grandparent's old lake cabin on Maple Lake. My grandfather built the "cabin" in the early 1950's. My mom lived here in the summers with her family. At that time, it was a single room. It was my first visit in 15 years and the first for my wife and kids. It was also the first time my mother had slept at the cabin in over 20 years.

I was a bit nervous going back. The "cabin" is the place that I remember and cherish. It represents so much in my mind. It was a place of laughter, great food, peace, silence, fun, games, and family. My memories of the "cabin" are burned into my mind. I always remember Grandpa Wally and Grandma Ruth when I think of the cabin. When I am stressed, it is the place I go to find peace. When I can't sleep, I think of sleeping in the hammock in the shade beneath the trees. When I close my eyes, I can still hear and feel the sound of the wind. It is a place that I only remember great things. It is my safe place.

Thankfully, the "cabin" still felt like the "cabin". My family enjoyed it too. We had great weather. We had fun with Grandma Linda. We ate great food. We capped the trip off with a traditional stop at the Mentor DQ. I don't know when I'll be back, but I will never forget the last couple of days.

Photo Friday

2008-08-01T06:02:00.000-05:00

Just a couple of last shots from North Dakota. Took these from playground just across the street from my wifes parents house.

Looking South

Looking North

Enjoy your weekend. Ride your bike.

Big country makes me smile

2008-07-29T21:33:00.011-05:00

What a great day. Yesterday I did some scouting and then this morning my father in law helped me map out an epic ride. The ride consisted of pavement, bike path, gravel and dirt. I left from Minot and rode up to the Souris National Wildlife Refuge. Once there, I'd then cross over the river and ride back to town on the other side of the river. Here's my story.

I headed out into the wind today. Wind was blowing about 15-20 mph. I just kept a steady pace. Beautiful day. Grand scenery.

Pavement turned to gravel. Gravel turned to dirt.

I've lived in the city too long. As I rode through the countryside, the smells of the crops brought me back to my youth. The golden turned barley just swayed in the wind.

Just a few more miles north and I'd be turning east. The bad news was that the bridge was out so I had to back track about 6 miles. That's OK as I got to see more of this.

As I turned back to town, I had a wicked tailwind. I was spun out riding along comfortably at about 25mph. Then I met up with this guy. Wow is that a big combine!

As I rolled back into town, I was all smiles. 4+ hours and 55-60 miles of big country. What a perfect day for riding.

Greetings from North Dakota

2008-07-28T18:10:00.003-05:00

Another week out of the office. Ahhhh.......This time I'm in Minot, North Dakota visiting family. We'll be heading to northern MN later in the week to visit my side of the family. So far it's turning out to be a great trip.

Today, I got almost 40 miles of pavement, gravel and dirt. Felt like more due to the rain this morning and the softness of the road surface. Some of these roads would make G-Ted proud. I'd say they fall just between Iowa B roads and Iowa C roads.

I just rode solo today. No worries. No stress. No pushing it. Just riding for the love of riding. Sorry no pictures today. All we brought was the big 35mm digital and I don't like carrying that one on my bike rides. Maybe tomorrow I'll take it. I've got one last 40-60 mile gravel/pavement grinder planned and and a 15-20 miler planned with my wife. I'm thinking I might just plan a 100 mile gravel grinder next year up here in North Dakota. Based on the few scouting missions I've had the last two years, it would be a doosie. Who knows who I could get to show up?

Anyway, have a great week. I'll likely not post until Photo Friday unless I get some good pictures tomorrow while out in this beautiful big, big land.

Photo Friday

2008-07-25T04:47:00.001-05:00

Lately, it's been pretty hot and super humid here in the Midwest. My body isn't the best in the heat. I'm not craving winter, but I am craving cooler riding temps. This picture should cool you off and hopefully make you smile.

Axiom Cyclone Waterproof Handle Bar Bag

2008-07-23T20:42:00.009-05:00

So....last week I was preparing for going to Iowa for the GTDRI. My plan was to ride out to the Hickory Hills Campsite with all my gear, camp with the crew and do the Death Ride on Saturday.

On Thursday night, I got all my gear ready. Now I just had to prep my bike. I was hauling everything I needed for a comfortable night. I also planned on a few extra luxury items since this trip was about fun, not survival. I've never used a handlebar bag before. Thought it might be nice and convenient. I could load it with my cell phone, my digital camera, wallet, and a little bit of food. I could also put my map and cue sheets right on top. So, I thought I'd try this.

It's pretty light, not that expensive at $70-80 when compared to others like Ortleib. What the heck, I'll give it a try, at least for the road/pavement portion of my weekend. It's got a nice clip on mount so I could easily remove the bag for the gravel vibration fest if needed. As I went to mount the bag, things went awry.

Take a look at this picture.

Missing anything? Yep, the lower pivot pin wasn't installed and the bottom portion of the left clamp fell to the ground. Strike 1. I then looked to the instructions and parts just to make sure I wasn't supposed to install the pivot. Strike 2. Crap. It's not going very well. I could have modified it and made it work, but since the bag is brand new, I decided to forgo the handle bar bag for this trip. I also want to test out of the package stuff before I start tinkering and making things work the way I want them too.

In the end, I mounted my Nitto front rack, loaded a dry bag and strapped it to the rack. I also managed to strap a map carrier to the bag. Nice. You can see that set up in the slide show.

I did end up using the Axiom Typhoon water proof rear panniers with good success. I'm going to do a few more long commutes (50+ miles) on them before reviewing them as well a few off road commutes. Maybe I'll have the replacement bar bag as well. If I have a problem with bar bag number 2, it will be strike 3 and I'll move on to another brand.

More touring product reviews coming.

Now What?!

2008-07-22T06:27:00.006-05:00

As you've seen, my first GTDRI is over. What you don't know was that the GTDRI was one of my main 2008 goals. You see, I haven't done a 100 miles since I completed the Leadville Trail 100 over 10 years ago. I wanted 100 miles and I didn't want a traditional road/pavement hundy. Thankfully, it all came together nicely and I felt strong all day.

But now what? Where do I go from here for goals? I honestly don't have anything driving my riding right now other than my health and my weight. I'm tired of doing lap after lap at our metro mountain bike trails.

What to do? Got any ideas? I've been thinking of rebuilding my flat bar La Cruz and mixing some long rides in with some dirt.

Destination riding but with riding to the destination being the focus. It's not the fastest but I can tackle almost anything with this bike. It's faster on the road than my El Mariachi.

Anyway, short post today. Should have something up tomorrow on some touring bags.

Back from my first GTDRI

2008-07-20T16:56:00.006-05:00

I survived my first GTDRI and 100+ miles of Iowa gravel. I'm pretty excited. We all started together and finished together. This poor guy wasn't so lucky.

It was a great time. The whole family came down and we are now back in MN. I'm sorting through my thoughts and pictures. I'll have something up here or on the Salsa blog later this week. I've also got some great shots to choose from for Photo Friday. Stay tuned.

Hope your weekend was as good as mine.

Just got a slide show up and running. Check it out.

Photo Friday

2008-07-18T07:22:00.006-05:00

Taken just a few weeks ago on the 4th of July in our neighbors back yard. All our kids were lined up watching the Apple Valley fireworks.

I also like this photo because they are all looking to the south towards Iowa. Why do I like that they are looking towards Iowa? Well, this weekend I'm heading to Iowa for the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational. 100+ miles of Iowa gravel. Can't wait. Should have some good stories, hopefully some good pics, and I'll also be testing some racks.

Have a great weekend everyone.

This just in....

2008-07-16T20:31:00.015-05:00

Alan Davis, from Bike Magazine, just put up a new slide show from the Salsa Sol Sessions. He's got some great shots. There is even an appearance by Gnat himself.

Check this out

I tried embedding the slide show here as www.bikemag.com gives the code, but it currently isn't working for me.

Enjoy!

Perspective

2008-07-16T06:09:00.005-05:00

No bike stuff today. I'm working on some rack stuff, but it's not ready yet so today I thought I'd share a little bit of fun stuff about kids.

You always hear parents talking about how smart their kids are. Kids are smart. However, in some cases, I think one of the reasons that parents, including me, say this is that we aren't so smart.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've learned some things from my kids. Two weeks back my wife took a much deserved vacation and I got to spend a lot more quality time with my kids. As a direct result, I already blogged that I need to laugh more. I also got this gem that week.

Take a look at this picture.

One day when I was at home with my awesome kids, they asked me if we could do something. I don't remember what it was, but that is not important. I gave them the thumbs down, meaning that we couldn't do what they asked. My boy immediately flipped his thumb down and twisted his body looking up at his downward pointed thumb.

"Daddy, when you look at it like this, thumbs down is thumbs up!" After quite a bit of laughter, I confirmed that he was right.

How right you are. I don't know about you, but his perspective made me laugh a lot. Throughout the week, both my kids were doing this. Sort of became our little joke. And you know what, it's true. Thumbs down can easily be viewed as thumbs up. Our interpretations and world views are shaped by many things. One of those things is perspective. Sometimes, I know I see what I want to see. I pick my way to view a given situation. But, you know what? If I change my perspective, I just might see something else.

Touring Frame Details

2008-07-14T18:49:00.002-05:00

I've gotten some very interesting comments on my bicycle post. I'd like to take a few moments to discuss a few of the interesting and challenging ones.

First, I'd like to address what Mikesee is doing. Mikesee is a category breaker. He's obviously doing expedition touring, but I also see him doing ultra lite off road touring. Just enough stuff for a few days. I don't know how he can stay out for 3 days with that little of food and water. That guy is a camel. I really respect what he is doing. He's certainly an influencer in each of these areas.

Second, I want to address the poster that appears to be from Australia or New Zealand. In his comments on the touring bike post, he mentions the Salsa El Mariachi, the Surly Karate Monkey and Surly Pugsley. I'll start my comments with the El Mariachi. It has many of the attributes I want, but one big one I don't on a tour, the EBB. I've ridden the Bushnell EBB all over the country and its good, but I don't want that on my tour bike. It is just another thing to potentially creak. On my 3 month tour, the SIS shifting went out on about day 3 or 4 due to rain, mud, & dust. Throw in snow a few weeks later and you can see why SIS shifting may not be the best for a tour. I always remember this and simply don't want to deal with an EBB. Besides, it's an extra 150 grams I don't need. 150 grams is a small bottle of good cooking oil and some good spices! Regarding the KM and Pugsley, both are great bikes, but for me they have little issues in the details. The Pugsley is an amazing expedition bike, especially when thinking about both sand and snow. What don't I like about these proven steel designs? Well, I don't like the rear dropouts on either model. They get the job done, but when you have to change a flat, and you will on a tour, there is too much fiddling. I know there are ways to work around this issue, but I don't like work around solutions. The drop out also requires you to adapt a rack to it because the disc brake is in the way. The KM is an awesome choice and had it not been for the drop out issue, it would have been higher up on my list of bikes. I just can't get over that issue. It also has a BB height that isn't perfect for me for longer luxury or expedition touring.

Trailers. I don't know why, but I don't like trailers. I still remember pulling a trailer in a 100 mile charity ride I did where I was a rolling mechanic that helped people on the ride. I just don't like them. I don't want to worry about working on a trailer. That said, I've seen a couple of sand type tours where I certainly think trailers would be better as you can spread your weight over more surface area. That said, I think trailer design still has some room for improvement and development. Its still very early in the design phase/cycle. The one big advantage I see with trailers is that if you are off road riding, you can simply remove the trailer and ride your regular bike. That is a huge bonus.

Now....remember, I am a bike guy. These bikes called out above are great bikes, just not right for me. That is why I quickly move to a wanting to build custom one off machines for most of the touring categories.

Photo Friday

2008-07-11T05:00:00.006-05:00

Photo's can make you laugh. Some make you cry. Some bring you peace and happiness. Some document tell stories. Some document history. Some, well.....I'm not sure. With that, I bring you this shot I got while attending and working Sea Otter 2008.

Enjoy your Friday and weekend. Ride your bike. Enjoy your family and friends.

Tour Bikes

2008-07-09T20:45:00.003-05:00

I thought I'd dig into tour bikes a bit. Again, I'm not talking about that French tour that's going on right now. I'm talking about loaded touring bikes.

My last post outlined a few self proclaimed categories for tour bikes. They are Ultra Lite, Luxury and Expedition. This blog is about bikes so I thought I'd start off my touring equipment reviews with what bike I'd want to use for each of these categories.

Now, asking a bike guy to outline what bike they'd want is a difficult task. My tendency is to go into every painful detail. I'm going to to save that for another day. Today, I'm going to share a few good representative bikes for a few of these categories.

One last detail before I get to bikes. Depending on the category, I may be listing one, two or three bikes depending on the surface of the tour. Gravel? Pavement? Singletrack? For others, I may not list any because I am not aware of a bike that fits my needs & wants.

So....onto bikes.

Ultra Lite

For a pavement Ultra Lite tour, I'd probably use my Salsa Casseroll. The bike isn't built to carry panniers with more than 15-20lbs. But for Ultra Lite road touring/riding, I think this bike would be great. It is so comfortable. I could easily put together about 15-20lbs of stuff to do some ultra lite road stuff. Heck, Gran Fondo Fixies rode this bike in RAAM 2008 with great results. It's one sweet and versatile bike.

For a gravel Ultralite, I'd probably pic my Salsa La Cruz. I'd set it up with a road triple and modify some custom racks. You can fit some big and comfy tires in this frame and it's been proven in miles and miles of gravel throughout the country. It's also proven itself on some mild single track. It's not quite enough bike for GDR, but for many, many lite gravel based "tours", I think its hard to beat this bike.

I'm struggling to find the right Ultra Lite Off Road touring model. In my mind, this bike just isn't out there yet. Right now, I'd have to build this bike from the ground up based on the desired route. It would have 29" wheels, would likely be titanium, and would have a slew of attachments points for bags, straps, and water bottles. It would also likely have some serious custom racks to meet my packing needs.

Luxury Touring

Looking back at my tour, I rode a 26" off road bike that I modified with braze ons for racks and what not. It was a great bike because I knew it and it was comfortable. That said, I'd never do that again. I'd take a bike with a longer wheel base. Again, I'd now choose 700c or 29"wheels. Many folks are pulling trailers. I think that is great, but in my mind I'd have to carry extra parts, tubes, tires, etc for a trailer. This is the luxury category so extra weight is OK, but nope, I'd use a single purpose built bike.

So...what are the options here.

Pavement and/or mild gravel Luxury touring. One of the nicer and proven designs is the Co-Motion Americano.

* Pic from Co-Motion website

This bike has been ridden all over the world with great results. Its simple, durable, innovative and unique. Still not quite the right bike for me and a luxury tour. For my big tour, this bike would have been great until we hit Utah. It would have gobbled up the gravel and rough pavement between Alaska and Utah, but I can't even think of riding the Kokopelli trail, loaded with this bike...which I did at the end of my tour.

For the sheer fun factor, I'd seriously consider this.

* Photo from Surly website.

You can carry everything with this. Surly's are built to last and its steel meaning you can repair it if absolutely needed. It would be just a bit heavy, but fun. Turn that luxury tour into a little bit more of an adventure. Besides, you could pick up the occasional hitch hiker. Now that is luxury.

Expedition - Currently, I wouldn't use any production bike on the market. I'd have to build this bike from the ground up. The Americano listed above is proven as is the Surly Long Haul Trucker, but those are both primarily pavement and mild to medium gravel bikes. When I think expedition, I think foreign, remote, survival & ready for anything. Ideally, they'd also be serviceable and wouldn't require custom parts.

So...there you go. My 2 cent opinions. I really don't want to offend those 650b touring and Rivendell super fans. Please don't take my opinions as what is best for you. I'm sure some of the readers here have nice touring bikes and do some of the stuff that I call out above. I'm not trying to say other bikes aren't capable. I'm saying they aren't what I would personally want.

Anyway, I'm calling it a day and I'm heading to the garage to clean my La Cruz and make it gravel worthy. This is long overdue. Stay tuned for a blog entry dedicated to the La Cruz.

Back on Tour

2008-07-06T07:02:00.003-05:00

I figured since "The Tour" has officially begun, I better get back to my tour stuff too. Yes, I know this is long over due.

Before I get started, I want to share some thoughts on where I think loaded touring is going and explain a little bit about the products I'll call out over the next week or so. To be clear, I'm not talking about touring that involves riding from hotel to hotel and eating at restaurants. I'm writing about loaded touring where you carry all your gear and camp each night.

Loaded touring is difficult. Think of all the stuff you generally like to have to get by when you are home. Now think of taking all that stuff and strapping it to a bicycle. Yikes! Yes, think about that. Got an image in your head? How are you going to pedal that thing that used to look and feel like a bicycle?

As I've been researching new equipment, I've been seeing a lot of stuff that I think falls into one of three categories, Ultra Lite, Luxury and Expedition. Some products do cross over into other categories. These classifications aren't just about product. They are about intention and how much product you bring. Let me explain.

Ultra Lite - Ultra Lite touring is touring with the bare essentials. Usually, the Ultra Lite folks are going for the most miles in the least amount of time. Right now, I'm seeing more of this happen off road. Just take a look here and look at the bikes and set ups these folks are using. Ultra Lite tourists have the lightest and smallest equipment. Super lite shelter. Minimal cooking supplies, usually titanium. Just enough food to get to the next store. Just enough water to get to the next water stop. At times, their bikes don't look like traditional touring bikes. This is probably the fastest growing area of touring and often involves custom products made to solve specific problems or needs.

Luxury - This is the category that my Alaska to Utah adventure tour fits. Luxury touring is taking some items that aren't essential for "the tour". When I look back at my tour, I'd say my large tripod, my spare bike parts, my padded frisbee, my kite, and some other luxury camping equipment weren't 100% necessary. Luxury tourers generally find ways to pack or strap more stuff than they really need. In the end, they haul a lot of extra weight around but find ways to use it.

Expedition - Expedition touring is taking a tour through incredibly remote territory where your life is likely in danger. It requires highly specialized equipment, often times made specifically for the journey. It also requires you to take everything you would need to survive. Just click here and page down to the February 10th blog post and you can see what I mean. Survival and function are keys to the Expedition category.

My personal experience lies in the "luxury touring" category. That said, I will be looking at products and discussing items in the other categories. Additionally, the Ultra Lite category has caught my fancy so I'll be looking at a lot of product that falls into this category. Ultra Lite is bringing new technology and products into the market and folks are doing things that they never thought possible.

Stay tuned.

Photo Friday

2008-07-04T05:31:00.007-05:00

When I think of the 4th of July, I think of lakes. Here's a fun shot taken by a lake in northern Wisconsin. I took this shot at about 5:30 AM. I was experimenting with taking photo's shooting directly into the sun. This one turned out pretty good.

In other news, my wonderful wife is back from vacation. I did my best to make sure she won't leave again. I'm pretty sure showing my 5 1/2 year old kids to ride a Teeter-Totter will keep her home with the family from now on! True story. I can't believe how easy they make riding a 2x6 look. I'll post pics when I get them on the skinnies.

Also, check out my new slide show on the right. I put together a collection of photo's of my favorite bikes. Most are still in my garage, basement or hexical(work).

Have a great 4th of July. Ride your bike. Have fun with your friends and family. Be safe.

Mid Season Change Up

2008-06-29T21:52:00.008-05:00

I've been home this week. My wife is on a much deserved vacation with her mom and sister. Being home has been both glorious and at times, painful. Glorious because I've gotten to spend so much time with my awesome and amazing kids. Painful because I just came off the biggest week of my working career and I've got 1000 things to do at the office. Glorious because I needed a break from work. Painful because at home I just eat and eat and eat. Glorious because I've prepared and eaten some really, really good food this week. Painful because my riding, or at least my motivation, is suffering. Glorious because there are so many amazing people in our lives. Painful because my wife/best friend is away. Glorious because of choices we've made and what that means to us and our kids. Painful because my time at home with my kids is almost over. Glorious because there is so much more to life than I've been seeing lately.

Life has been pretty high paced lately. I need to slow it down. I know I've said this before. I need to change it up a bit. I'm going to make some changes in the coming days. Consider this my declaration. Some of you reading this know me and see me. Please help keep me honest. I need the help. Seriously.

- Sleep more. I'm working with/on my Sleep Apnea. Hopefully, I will see progress soon.
- Make sure I play at least one game with each of my kids when I come home from work.
- One coffee per day. Down from 2, sometimes 3 and the occasional 4.
- Eat more fruit.
- Eat fewer crap calories (sugar, beer and sweets). Max 1 per day.
- Ride because I love riding. I've been doing a lot of laps on our metro off road trails. I need something new. Ride more. Just ride.
- Stop to take more pictures.
- Call some old friends.
- Laugh more!

Enjoy your week. Have fun on the 4th.

Photo Friday

2008-06-27T04:50:00.007-05:00

Spent some time at the MN Zoo. The Aveda Butterfly Garden is amazing.

Mission accomplished - Back up bike completed

2008-06-26T19:50:00.006-05:00

Well, between kid activities and a few chores, I managed to get my back up bike finished. All I need to do now is polish it. My back up bike is an original Salsa El Mariachi prototype. This bike is unique in many ways.

The first thing folks notice when I ride this bike is the dual crown plate fork with curvy fork blades.

It also has some old school Salsa down tube decals and cantilever bosses.

I built this bike with a mix of old and a few appropriate "new" parts. I'll call out a few notable parts; M950 8 speed XTR, Avid Ulitmate brakes, Hope headset, Salsa ProMoto Carbon bar, CroMoto stem, Shaft post, & DT 340 hubs with Salsa Delgado X rims. I topped the whole build off with some NOS WTB Nanoraptors. The only part I didn't have that will change from the following photo is I have a gold Salsa Flip Lock seat collar at work. I just forgot to bring it home.

This bike has been built in so many ways. This bike has seen single, fixed, 1x9, rigid, & front suspension. It was even built as a back up bike for Arrowhead. It didn't get used because my buddy chose his Pugsly because of fresh snow.

In the end, I think it is one sweet bike. Just right for just about any trail or gravel road I'll ever ride here in the Midwest. It's so nice to have this bike up and running again.

Salsa Sol Sessions 2008

2008-06-24T09:28:00.005-05:00

Just trying something new here. Take a look at a brief Salsa Sol Session slide show.

Have fun.

Backup Bike

2008-06-22T14:37:00.005-05:00

Backup (disambiguation)

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Look up backup in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

backup may refer to:

in reference to information technology:
- Backup - The concepts behind backing up data to enable recovery from data loss.
- Backup software - The software that performs this function.
- List of backup software - Specific software packages, loosely categorized.
- Backup site - Part of a disaster recovery plan.

in reference to electrical power facilities:
- Battery backup - The use of batteries to contiune operation of electrical devices in the absence of utility electric power.
- Backup generator - The use of a generator to achieve a similar purpose.
- Backup battery - Similar (see also Uninterruptible power supply or "UPS" for short).

in reference to music:
- Backup band - A band who plays music in support of a lead musician.
- Backing vocalist - One who sings in harmony with a "lead vocalist."
- Back Up (song) - A song by girl group Danity Kane from their debut album Danity Kane.

in reference to motor vehicles:
- Backup camera - A camera on the rear of a vehicle, used while moving backwards.
- Backup accident - A type of car accident.
- Traffic backup - A traffic jam.
- Backing up - Driving a vehicle in reverse gear

in reference to television:
- Backup (TV series) - A BBC series about a police Operational Support Unit.

in reference to tactics:
- Backup (tactical) - A military or police contingent dispatched to be ready to provide additional support to the primary force in an engagement

Lot's of different references here. I'm wondering why there is no reference to Bicycles?

Over the past 3 weeks, I've prepped and built a whole bunch of bikes. While it's been fun, I unfortunately haven't been working on my own bikes. In fact, I've been ignoring my own bikes and it shows right now. My main ride needs some bike love. Even my back up bike isn't working.

What is a back up bike? Here's my definition.

Backup Bike: The one bike you always keep in running order. This bike must be fully functional at all times. If you take parts from it or break something on it, you must repair it the same day and put it away each and every night in fully functioning order.

A Backup Bike is used when:

- Your main bike is inappropriate for the desired ride
- Your main bike is in need of repair or service
- You have a friend of family member that wants to test ride your main bike, forcing you to ride something else
- It's raining out and you don't want to ride your nice bike in the rain or mud
- Your main bike is stolen
- You need to run errands

I've been lazy and my back up bike is now in a total state of disrepair. I'm going to fix that this week. I'll share some info over the course of this week. Here's the only hint. It's steel and has 29" wheels.

Can't wait. Stay tuned.

Photo Friday

2008-06-20T06:37:00.003-05:00

Just back from the north woods. I've got quite a few great photo's from this trip. Here's one. More to come.

Going to the woods

2008-06-17T05:38:00.006-05:00

Folks, I'm checking out for the week. I'm headed up to the north woods to ride and camp for a few days. I'll be riding this, Salsa's new Big Mama. It's my all day trail bike.

I plan to have time to ride, camp, eat, have fun and of course, stop and take pictures. Hopefully, I'll still manage to get a Friday Photo up.

Have a great week. I need dirt.

Photo Friday

2008-06-13T04:47:00.005-05:00

I took this photo last year. It's taken on the MN River Trail. There is a rope-pull raft that crosses Nine Mile Creek that connects the east and west portions of this trail. It was a beautiful and peaceful morning. I stopped pulling and just enjoyed the peace and the silence.

I hope your weekend is as peaceful as this picture.

Taking a moment to reflect

2008-06-11T20:16:00.003-05:00

This past week I've talked to several friends who are really stressed right now. Rightfully so. These folks have some big decisions to make. I've also read a few friends blogs and I'm picking up on their stress too. To top it off, I'm stressed. My day job has a big to do starting this Sunday, Father's Day. While this event does involve seeing friends & riding sweet bikes on amazing trails, it is still very stressful and hard on my family. Who works on Fathers's Day?

I've also been working on a post regarding touring bikes and racks. I've worked on it all week and I just can't hit the "PUBLISH POST" button. I keep saying I'm going to post this, but I just can't.

Twice just today, I have told friends that things happen for a reason. That probably doesn't help much because when you are right down in the thick of the stress or big decision(s), you don't see it. When you are "in" it, this statement is not something you see or you think about. I'm guilty of this all the time. I don't see it because I'm down on the ground fighting battles. I get caught up and I typically miss the reason.

But...It is true. Things happen for a reason.

So...With that, I'm writing today about taking a moment to step back and reflect. Put what you are doing down or caught up in away. Who knows? It might help. It might not. I know I need it.

Friends, hang in there.

Gear

2008-06-08T07:09:00.010-05:00

Bicycle touring isn't just about the adventure. It isn't just about riding. It isn't just about seeing amazing new things. It isn't just about meeting new people. Nope. It is also about gear. I'm not saying everyone who bike tours loves gear. Not at all. I'm saying that to actually do a long, self supported bicycle tour, you need gear. For some bicycle tourists, gear is the motivator. I love gear...Especially bike gear.

Looking back at this photo taken the first morning in Alaska makes me laugh a lot. While I could pick the obvious things to laugh at in this picture, I am mainly laughing because of all the gear strapped to those bikes. I wonder how many first time cross country bicycle tourists bring too much gear? It also makes me laugh to know that just 2 days later, we sent home 20-25 pounds of junk.....and we still had too much!

I'm going to share most of the things we packed on this trip. You might not believe it. All this stuff was pretty small and at the time, fairly high tech. So...here goes.

Bikes
1 Bridgestone MB-1
1 Bontrager OR (I modified mine by adding braze ons for racks)
Both bikes were outfitted with complete Deore XT group
Blackburn Low Rider front racks
Blackburn Expedition rear racks
2 each Blackburn heavy duty water bottle cages
4 Madden Panniers (I don't remember the model names)
1 handlebar bag

Gear
1 Eureka tent - 3 person dome
Small tarp
1 full length Therma Rest pad
1 3/4 length Therma Rest pad
2 sleeping bags
1 MSR International Stove - can run on almost any fuel
1 MSR Whisperlite Stove
4 small fuel bottles for the stoves
1 Pot/pan set
1 cookset - spatula, forks, spoons, knives, pan scrubber & pot holder
1 spice set - Salt, pepper, minced onion, and a few others
1 PUR water filter - self cleaning, iodine impregnated carbon filter. We could drink almost any water.
2 small candle lanterns
2 small flashlights
1 small back pack
2 water bottles on bikes, 2 nalgene large bottles
1 journal
1-2 books each
1 swiss army knife each
1 pair hiking boots
extra bolts
extra rack mounting hardware
spokes
cassette cracker
1 spare tire each
2 sets of brake pads
2 extra shift cables
2 extra brake cables
Allen wrench set
Tire Irons
patch kit
2 spare tubes each
matches
duct tape
small spade

Clothing (We each carried the following)
Rain Jacket
Rain pants
Fleece top
2 baselayers
2 long sleeve long underwear shirts
1 pair long underwear
several pair of underwear
3 pairs of biking shorts
3 pairs of riding socks
2 pairs of warm, wool socks
1 pair neoprene shoe covers
1 pair casual short*
1 pair casual pant*
Hat
Beenie
gloves, warm
Lot's of stuff sacks and straps.

Now the crazy stuff
Pentax 35mm mechanical camera
1 small point and shoot
28-105 zoom (2.8) - Heavy
Camera bag
About 20 rolls of film
1 medium size tripod
1 granite gear frisbee pad
1 Crazy Creek chair

In the end, we had trimmed down our gear list considerably. I've shown this picture before, but it does show how I managed to get almost all those things in my bags and on my bike.

In this picture, the only things not packed on that beautiful morning are my sleeping bag, my pad and my tripod & camera. This picture is taken several thousand miles later than the first image shown above.

At the start of the trip, we had never packed our stuff in our bags AND packed those bags on our bikes. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. As you can see in either photo, we had stuff everywhere. And while we did send stuff home, we still carried too much. At the time, I was young and strong so I could do stupid stuff. Now, I'd do it much differently. Stay tuned as I dig into some of my gear choices and talk about what I'd use today.

Photo Friday

2008-06-06T04:57:00.005-05:00

Riding season is in full swing so I thought I'd share one of my favorite riding photos. This photo was taken last July while riding the Maah Daah Hey in North Dakota. It is 110 miles of epic single track. I was riding solo and took this shot while riding. This was an incredible day.

Have a great weekend.

Edit. You get two photo's today. Rode past this on my Friday morning breakfast ride. It was a beautiful contrast to the gloomy sky.

When it rains, it pours

2008-06-02T19:21:00.006-05:00

It's been a crazy year. Lot's of riding and lots of crazy weather. This past weekend brought both to the greater Minneapolis area. Just after getting a good ride in on Saturday, a good size storm blew in.

When it rains (yes, that white stuff is hail)....

It pours.....

My Fox 120mm F29 showed up on Friday. That's two new forks in 2 weeks. Yeah! Can't wait to do back to back comparisons.

While all this new stuff is fun, it is a busy time for me and it isn't leaving me much time to do some of the things I want to do.

I really want to jump into touring equipment and discuss some of the equipment I used on my Alaska to Utah jorney. I've started my research on racks. I'm also digging into touring frames. In both cases, I'm looking at it from a then and now perspective. In both cases, I think I know what I'd choose today. It might surprise you. Stay tuned.

Friday Photo

2008-05-30T05:40:00.006-05:00

Today is the first Friday Photo. I'm going to try to post one of my favorite photo's every Friday. Some will come with words. Some will not. So, here's to a great Friday and to photography.

I took this image on a recent trip to China. It was my first trip to mainland China. I took it through the glass while in the back seat of taxi.

I love the color in the background and it's contrast to the bland colors of the motorcycle & driver. I love the old helmet strapped to the side of the bike. I love the fact that this guy is riding one handed and smoking a cigarette on a street that I wouldn't even dare drive on.

To me, this picture represents the image of China that I had created in my head.

There you go. Photo Friday. Have a good one.

Eat to ride or ride to eat?

2008-05-28T05:39:00.006-05:00

Lot's of cyclists love food. I am one of those people. I love food. This is probably not surprising considering I've been documenting my weight loss here on the blog.

Now that riding season is in full swing here in MN, I am craving food. Even with all this riding, I've actually put a few pounds back on. I'm still under 200lbs, but some days I go back to the rock crusher or clydesdale class. These up and down cycles have resulted in some crazy weight fluctuations. I had a 24 hour period where my body weight fluctuated 10 lbs!

I, of course, look at this and over analyze it. One thing I find is that all this bike riding is making me fall into old habits. At the beginning of 2008, I was eating right. Now that it is riding season, I'm making some bad choices and I am riding to eat. Hmmmm? You see, with all this riding, it is just too easy to justify bad food and bad choices. "I rode 3 hours today, I deserve an extra treat or dark beer!"

So, with that, I'm documenting it here in an effort to call out those bad habits and get back to business.

And....Since all good blog posts need a picture, here is a picture from my recent trip to Taiwan. If you've never experienced "Hot Pot" you are missing out.

I love hot pot. You sit around a table that has a burner in the middle of the table that boils a giant bowl of broth. The picture above has a hot (redish) and mild (white) broth. You probably don't want to know what is in the hot broth!

After preparing your sauces in a small bowl, you cook the food at your table. You remove your food, swirl it around in your sauce bowl and eat it. It is incredible and the flavor(s) are amazing. Top it all off with a little tea or Taiwan beer. It is my favorite meal in Taiwan.

So, here's to better habits. Eat to ride!

You must mean this....

2008-05-26T09:19:00.011-05:00

Got my new long legged toy mounted to V2 last Thursday evening. I couldn't wait to test it at Lebanon Hills, my neighborhood single track. This 3 day weekend also brought the T-R-E-K demo event to Lebanon Hills, so I had to be careful as I didn't want to share the trail with a bunch of other people. I also didn't want to explain this.

I did the cobweb ride this morning. The cobweb isn't a specific ride. The cobweb ride means you are the first person on any given trail on any given day. At least here in the Midwest, the first person on the trail that day cuts & clears all the cobwebs laboriously built by all those important spiders the previous night.

It is amazing that almost no one rides the trail or enjoys this amazing park at 5:00AM. I rode about 20 glorious miles of Minnesota's best singletrack. You know how many people I saw? One hiker. I also saw a few deer and an owl. The morning air and temps were incredible.

I cruised home by 8:00AM and made 2 rounds of coffee for my wife and I. Nice!

Here's to a great 3 day weekend

2008-05-24T10:29:00.005-05:00

Hope you all enjoy this 3 day weekend. Here's a peak at what it's like here in MN. As I rode to work yesterday, I saw piles and piles of petals along the roads, sidewalks and bike paths. Simply beautiful.

Have a great weekend. Ride your bike. Enjoy your family.

This just in....

2008-05-22T20:19:00.003-05:00

Just in time for a 3 day riding weekend!

Settling Back In

2008-05-20T05:53:00.004-05:00

After 3 months of bicycle adventure touring, I returned to Minneapolis with no job and a mountain of school loan and credit card debt. I had a $50 uncashed check from my sister. Many of my college friends had moved on. My stuff was scattered throughout MN. I had some stuff at my sisters. Some gear was at my mom's house in northern MN. My trusty old Malibu Classic station wagon that could haul 8 bikes on it's roof was at my dad's farm. Returning to Mpls felt good, but really I didn't know where to turn nor what to do?

I cashed my check and took a bus to northern MN to see my mom. I stayed with my mom and eventually picked up my car from my dad. I think I shocked my mom because for the first time in my life I had a full beard....at least full for me. I was also super skinny as I returned to MN weighing about 185lbs. I'm not sure what it is like in other parts of the country, but when a mom sees her son and he looks a bit hungry and unhealthy, the mom wants to cook & feed. That's what she did. I ate and ate and ate. I also shaved off my beard and started making a plan to find a job.

The part of the plan I didn't plan for was that it was now November. When your primary desire and skill revolves around a bicycle, looking for a bike shop job in November in MN is no easy task. I needed money badly. I had to do something else. Looking back, it's crazy to think that you looked for jobs in newspapers. Seriously, no internet. No looking at websites. A newspaper? I walked down to Widman's home made candy shop and bought some chippers (chocolate covered potato chips) and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. I looked at every job posting and starting making calls and appointments.

I returned to Mpls to stay with my sister. I put together a resume and then went to a couple of interviews. Turned out this bicycle tour thing was kind of a cool thing to talk about at the interviews. I had a perfect 3 month gap with the dates on my resume. I still remember this guy asking me what I've been doing for the last 3 months?

"Well, you may not believe this, but I flew to Alaska, rode my bicycle to Utah unsupported, and then met up with some friends and drove back to MN."

"What? Seriously? Did you stay in hotels?"

"Nope, camped almost every night."

It was the easiest job interview I've ever had. I walked out with a job as a prestigous telemarketer for Nordic Trak. Sweet, I had a job.

Later that same month, an old friend of mine got me hooked up with a second job at a food company. I put my biology degree to work and ended up doing food quality testing on exotic meets. I also picked up the occasional bicycle mechanic teaching job back at my old shop.

Two months later, I ended up moving to Columbia, MO to build a new bike shop for Walt's Bike and Fitness. I loved Columbia, MO. Great town. Great people. Great riding.

Kind of strange looking back. I got back into my life pretty easily. In less than 6 months, I had 3 different jobs. I ended up making enough to start paying back my debts. I still felt like I was missing something. However, at the time I was simply enjoying my life. I put my serious plans on hold.

Bike riding and racing has a way of helping you escape. At least for me, when I am riding two wheels, preferably on the dirt, my worries, wants and desires just fade away. Riding is a gift and no matter what my circumstance, I feel free when I ride. Luckily for me, my circumstance and my choices allowed me to ride everyday. Luckily for me, the bicycle was my vehicle that grounded me and allowed me to move on and settle in.

Can't a guy get a little sleep?

2008-05-15T19:37:00.005-05:00

Regular readers probably know that I've been working hard on my health this year. I've shared a few times regarding my weight loss and some of my goals. However, that is only part of it. Good health is always more than a single issue topic. In my case, it isn't just weight. In my case, I have other stuff to deal with.

On Mother's Day, I finally spent the time and money to participate in a sleep examination. Specifically, I participated in an examination/study for Sleep Apnea. With sleep apnea, your airway gets restricted and you essentially stop breathing. Eventually, your body reacts and forces you to breath. In the process though, you end up not sleeping very well. In some cases, you wake yourself up. In severe cases you rarely go into REM sleep. Over the long haul, your body takes a beating. You don't feel rested. Sleep apnea puts you at a higher risk for heart disease and high blood pressure.

Some of my friends know very well that I have sleep issues. My wife knows all too well. I've rarely been able to watch a whole movie without falling asleep. Snoring. Blow hole (That's the sound I make when I eventually start breathing again). Some of my coworkers that travel with me get a kick out of me falling asleep (still in my cloths) at the end of a day or in the middle of an airplane take off. My kids know it because I can't finish reading a kids book without falling asleep. I often fall asleep during night time prayers too.

All in all, it is tough to know the severity of my case. I've done OK and have found ways to keep my energy high. That said, by Friday evening, I simply can't stay awake. Something has to change. My driving motivation is that I want to be able to read to my kids and watch a whole movie with my wife and/or kids.

So....I got help. After meeting with a cardiologist, I filled out some paperwork and got scheduled for the study. It was sort of a crazy experience. You get hooked up to a lot of equipment. You sleep with just about every body function and brain wave being monitored. You are also under 24 hour video surveillance. All this takes place in an uncomfortable and sterile environment. Not exactly the recipe for good sleep.

This picture shows some of the equipment. It does not show the 2 different sensors they stuck up my nose to measure temperature, pressure and humidity. Looks easy enough to get a good night sleep doesn't it?

I was afraid to see this picture. Look, I still have some hair up there!

Depending on the results of the evening, you could end up staying for an all day nap study. Lucky me, the Dr wanted me to stay. Who knew naps would be exhausting? I took 5 naps at specific 2 hour intervals. As soon as you fall asleep, they wake you up and ask you questions. I didn't ask what this part was for until the end of the study because my analytical mind would likely give me the energy needed to think too much about it and ruin the results. The nap test was to measure degree of sleepiness. I ended up getting home for dinner that night and I was completely exhausted.

I'll be meeting with the Dr later this month to review results, ask questions and see if there is a good treatment program. Who knows? I'm just excited to get some answers.

So...why am I sharing this? Well, I'm encouraging everyone to find a way to deal with the things they've been putting off, especially if it involves your well being. It's hard and at times scary. Next up for me, the dentist!

The End - Road to Minneapolis

2008-05-14T19:50:00.003-05:00

We spent two more days in Canyonlands ripping up the jeep roads playing our little two track cat and mouse game. I didn't take my camera on these last days. We just rode.

Highlights include:

- Hiking back to a very cool little natural spring to get water. The ranger gave us the coordinates on our topo map. It was fun putting the bikes down and going on a search for this little natural spring. There was a rusted out half barrel filled from trickling water and some old horse tie downs in this little shaded cove. You could just imagine cowboys refueling themselves and their horses here. I filtered the water and we were off.
- Seeing all the pictographs and old ruins. Unbelievable. The natives were so gifted in understanding the environment and finding ways to not only survive, but to prosper. We as modern Americans are so weak.
- Our campfires and time in the desert. Nothing like riding all day and then spending the evening under the stars in the company of good friends.
- Finishing my trip. I love things that have a starting point and an ending point.

With that, we rode back to our cars at the Flint Overlook and headed back to Minneapolis. It was the end. I was gone just shy of 3 months. Thousands of miles behind me. More memories than my brain can remember.

So....Where is this blog going? Great question.

First, I'll be digging into the gear that I used. What I used and why? I'll also be commenting on some of the newer gear out there for travels such as this. I'm a gear snob. Lot's of good stuff, but still lots of product opportunities for the right brands.

Beyond that, you'll have to wait and see. I'm still mapping out my plan.

Thanks for riding a long with me on this journey. I've met some new friends as a result of this little experiment. Also, for many of friends and family, this blog has inspired some folks to journal, look at old photo's, and dig back into their own tour memories. At least that is what they tell me.

Anyway, stay tuned. Thanks again.

Amazing Canyonlands

2008-05-10T12:01:00.009-05:00

Our journey into the Canyonlands began with a very tough and long downhill called the Flint Trail. One rider stayed with Skippy to help him navigate with his 4-Runner. While I love riding, it turned out to be a pretty cool task. I had never seen 4 wheeling, or crawling, before. I could not believe what Skippy was navigating.

Once we got down the Flint Trail, we headed for the Maze district. In the process of riding, we ended up creating a new game. Many jeep roads look like two singletracks flowing side by side. Our game consisted of riding and racing side by side. You couldn't change lanes to the other side to avoid rocks or to avoid whatever obstacle in your track. Turns out, it usually ended up being pretty even. One rider would get way ahead and then hit some rough stuff and the other track would catch up. We had so much fun that day.

We ended up camping at a great spot. Other than the kangaroo mouse that got in Skippy's truck, the night was calm and beautiful. That evening, we hiked out to the famous Anasazi pictograph "Harvest Scene".

With that, I'll leave you with some of my favorite pictures of Canyonlands.

If you ever have a chance to see the Harvest Scene in person, it is well worth the effort.

The Final Days - Canyonlands

2008-05-06T06:23:00.007-05:00

After riding in Moab for several days, some more of our friends arrived for our trip into Canyonlands and the Maze District. Our crew consisted of Kevin, Robert, Art, Jeff and Alise. We also met Skippy near our campsite on Potash Road. He ended up coming with us and he would be our 4 wheel drive support vehicle for the rest of our trip.

So long Moab......Canyonlands here we come!

We loaded up on food at the supermarket. I spent my last dollars. It was hard to go into a week long trip without proper food. I had the check that Jackie sent me, but I could not cash it. Besides, I had promised to cash it when I got back and pay a portion of gas from the return trip to MN. After a long day of driving, we arrived to Canyonlands. Our first night was at the Flint Trail Overlook. This is where we would drop down into the Maze District and leave our vehicles for a few days. While prepping our bikes and preparing for the following days, I found out I/we had made one critical error. My food was stored too close to the extra gasoline and all the rocking in the vehicle had caused some fuel to leak out of the cans. The result? All my food had sucked in the gasoline fumes. I couldn't eat it. I tried. Now, I'm out of money AND out of food. It is going to be a long week.

Moab

2008-05-04T07:35:00.008-05:00

After staying at the Colorado National Monument, I headed for Moab. My side trip through the park meant I needed to ride to Moab in 1 day. I decided to cut out some serious pavement and took gravel that later hooked up to the Kokepelli to Moab. The Kokopelli is a 142 mile off road trail. Most folks call it a multi day trail while others race it. I call it a tough but amazing day.

This ride happened on October 28th, my birthday. This is where I'll pick up the story from my journal.....

Nov 2, 1993

Sorry I haven't written in the last 5-6 days. A lot has happened. On October 28th, 1993 (my 24th birthday) I met Jeff (a Cat 1 roadie and fearless mtb rider) on Highway 128 just outside of Moab. We then rode to a campsite on Potash Road. It was the greatest B-day I have ever had. For the first time in my life, I spent my birthday riding in a place that I have always dreamed about.

On October 29th, Jeff & I went into Arches and hiked around. We hiked Delicate Arch (2 thumbs up) and Landscape Arch (1.5 thumbs up).

The following 3 days have been gonzo abusive rides. Day 1: Hunters Canyon, a highly technical hike-N-bike ride. Day 2: Schafer Trail with a roller coaster ride down Pucker Pass, 4200 feet of climbing and a 45 mph downhill. Day 3: We rode out to Gemini Bridges, back to Gold Bar then down the Portal!

These have been some of the best days of my life. I have realized I could be a very good rider. For once I can climb with the guys.

Colorado National Monument

2008-04-30T06:33:00.006-05:00

October 27th, 1993
Colorado National Monument
Fruita, Colorado

Hello. Sorry it's been a couple of days. I got into Grand Junction about 3-4hours late. I went to the post office to get my stuff and did some odd ball stuff. Mostly, I'm stressing about NOT being able to cash the money order Jackie sent me. I left for Moab with no money. I decided to make the trip a little longer and ride through Colorado National Monument.

Wow! I rode through the park really late. The temp was getting cool and an almost full moon lit the way. I climbed to approximately 6600-6800 feet. Colorado Monument park road is essentially a climb up and then a beautiful ride on a plateau. Absolutely incredible. This is by fare one of, if not thee, most beautiful National Park in the lower 48.

I glad I did not ride around it just because the route was shorter. After climbing and suffering with from the elevation difference, I was astounded by the deep canyons, the lighting & rock formations. I finished the ride by moonlight. The sky was so clear that the near full moon illuminated the road perfectly.

This picture was taken in the early morning hours. However, now all you bike and gear geeks can blow the image up big and look at the gear. For those wondering what the red circular disc is inside the straps of my pannier, it is a Granite Gear butt pad that doubles as a frisbee.

I ended up stopping around midnight in the park and camping. I was the only person in the park. I had no tent. I did have my sister send my 30 degree sleeping bag because it was smaller and lighter for the solo part of my trip. I slept on the picnic table and pretty much left all my gear on the bike. It was October, and my 30 degree bag was at is limits. My water bottles had just a hint of ice on this morning. Looking back now, I realize this was the first night I had spent camping alone in over 2 months.

Oh how I love the darkness!

2008-04-28T06:46:00.005-05:00

October 25th, 1993

Tonight I sit on the train staring out the window. I don't know what I'm looking at or into. I don't know what I'm looking for. It's pitch black outside. I keep looking. My mind plays tricks and imagines what the terrain of Nevada looks like. Someday I will return to if my mind was correct.

By sun up tomorrow, I will be in Utah. Nevada will be lost as I soak up the surroundings of Colorado. I look forward to seeing Utah once more. There is something that always calls me to Utah. I hope one of these times I find the source of my search. It is possible that I may just wish to ride my bike out there. However, I doubt this will solve anything. Actually, I predict that it will make it worse.

Also I want to study the south and the Indian ruins so I can return to these places when I'm more educated about them. Tim from Eugene really got me interested in the southwest. Maybe thats where I'll spend next winter. But then I again, maybe I won't be back for a long time. I just can't tell where my heart will lead me.

My consistent stare out the window is much like the continual blending of thoughts in my mind. I can only imagine what is out there? Nothing seems definite. The neat thing about looking into darkness is that no one area looks more dangerous than another. All the land seems to be manageable. That is the way life should be. No one area should seem that difficult. Nothing to fear since all the areas of interest and intrigue seem to be of the same challenge. Nothing seems more difficult than the other. Why can't I feel this way? Why can't I pursue something without fearing what lay ahead? Why not just go and do what you are interested in? From now on, I am going to do just that. However, I must first accept that to do what I want, I have to sacrifice some things and I will likely work in some half ass jobs.

Well, I'm going to go stare out the window. I want to imagine what is out there and challenge my mind to see images and boundaries. Only in darkness can I see how life should be. Not in a morbid way do I say this, but in a positive way. The darkness makes everything look the same. All objects seem to be of equal task. That is why I like the darkness. Stressed out people should have to spend time in total darkness. This will allow them to actually feel their natural rhythms. They need to see how their instincts will get them through tough situations. Bodies are designed to respond to all sorts of situations. If only people would let them happen without trying to control every aspect the world would be better off. Lord knows that I don't always follow my own advice, but I think that in the future I will remember starting into the darkness. Oh, how I love the darkness!

Back to the Tour - Colorado Here I Come!

2008-04-25T05:06:00.005-05:00

That's right, Colorado. For those keeping track, yes I left off in Eugene, Oregon. How did I get to Colorado? If you remember my post about John leaving, I was writing alone at the Amtrak station. I was waiting for a train too. One that would come several hours later than John.

I boarded the train in Eugene. My first leg was Eugene to Sacramento, California. My second leg was from Sacramento to Grand Junction, Colorado. I was alone. I wasn't riding. I was nervous about being alone with no tent and little money. I have 3 distinct memories from this part of the trip.

First, I remember the an empty Sacramento train station. I walked around a bit outside. There was a little tourist town just outside the station. I don't remember the name of the town. I just know it was empty. I put a penny in a machine that flattens, stretches and imprints a penny. I sure wish I could find it.

Second, I remember 2 funny and eccentric guys from Seattle. They were train buffs that both worked as coffee bean buyers for some little coffee franchise in Seattle. These guys were a hoot and simply entertained me for hours with their constant joking & picking at each other along with their diverse knowledge of trains and rails.

The last thing I remember is looking out at all the roads wishing I was riding. While I had never been on a train before and I was having fun, it just wasn't the same as riding "IN" the environment. Touring is special. You are not protected from the outside world. Wind matters. Rain matters. You can smell the soil. You can smell the flowers you see. You can feel the road through your tires and bike. I sat on that train looking out the windows wondering where all those roads, paths and rivers I could see led too.

I made it to Colorado. My next adventure is about to begin.