"You need to shave"

I got exactly this far on growing a beard before bureaucracy got the best of me.

When I got better (as opposed to being sick) last week, I had some good face scrag going on and felt it was time to go for a beard. I claimed I wasn't going to shave until it snowed 6" on our deck at the house.

Unfortunately, the "higher ups" at Sugarbowl (where I work to pay bills, rent, get money for food...ect) reminded me of the dress code and something about being clean shaven. So, i shaved. I left a little bit.... just until we get the snow.

After I shaved, I realized that my hair (on my head) was a bit long. There must be something in the dress code about long hair!

So I cut it. Can't wait to get back to work tomorrow to see what they think of my new respect and compliance of the dress code.

finally...

....some new snow!
took an hour or so break from the shop to get some turns today. not enough new snow to shave, (more on that later) but enough of the white stuff to put a smile on my face and some sting in the legs.

hour (or so) break from work: check
charged ipod: check
fat skis: most definately check
good times: oh, you know this.

worlds registration

in the mail.

brought back some memories. maybe for you too. need more??

sometimes you're the windshield....

......sometimes you're the bug.

so, santa cruz didn't happen. dreams of warm sun, siuous single tracks and good times with friends got traded for a tight chest, achy muscles and congestion as my body decided to get sick instead. seems to be a "rights of passage" at the start haus recently. (ski shop where i work) so much in fact that the owner of the shop bought everyone B-12 booster shots at the docs office across the street. got mine yesterday. must say, i do feel better, but you probably won't see me out on the hill this week. i'll be spending my two days off watching sub-par tv while coughing, whipping my nose and generally feeling the opposite of good.

registration for sswc09 closes this friday!! i still have some coloring to do on my regi form, but i'm well on my way. my artwork should be hitting the mail tomorrow. durango. never been there. can't wait. hope darla (my truck) makes the trip.

tahoe is finally breaking from its high pressure weather system. probably not enough to get too excited, but at least it's cloudy today with moderate precip in the forecast for the next four days. a glimmer of hope at least.

winter or summer??

No new snow. Bluck. sure, you can head out and find some corn skiing... like yesterday at negro canyon. But it's January!!! Corn snow isn't something we typically think about until April or May.
It's no secret that Tahoe hasn't had a dose of winter in quite some time. Since Christmas to be exact. The past few weeks have been spent skiing some groomers, getting the legs in skiing shape in anticipation of some big ski days and listening to some music on the new i-pod. It's been fun, but not what I'd call ideal.
So, Thursday I loaded up the bike and headed down to Auburn for a ride. With temps in the mid 60's and a solid crew we set off on a 35ish mile point to point. It felt good to be turning the pedals, sweating and not having to pile on the layers to keep warm. I don't necessarily think I forgot how much fun riding bikes in the dirt really was, but MAN it felt good!! The riding in the foothills is ALL TIME right now. You can't ask for more traction laden conditions, little to no other riders on the trails and temps that are so much more welcome when compared to Truckee.
Sure, I can't wait until "old man winter" shows his face again, but until that happens, I think I'll touch base with some friends in Santa Cruz and maybe do a little road trip next week to do some more rides.

Cables and Housing

Ahhh, cables and housing. Nothing gives your bike that "hey it's new" feeling quite like fresh cables and housing. As manufacturers continue to add more and more gears on bikes (now up to 11 speeds in the back) the condition of the cables and housing is critical for precise shifting. If your brakes are still of the cable variety, new cables and housing will give your brakes optimum power and good modulation.

In the picture above the bike seemed fine and shifted great upon the initial test ride but once I got it in the stand I noticed the cable was failing. It was probably only a ride or two away from complete failure. This guy would've been stuck in his "granny" ring after the cable failed.

Before I get into "this is how I do it" mode, let's have a look at what's inside the housings. I've cut some of the casing away so you can see what makes this stuff work.

The housing on the left is brake housing. The steel in brake housing is flat and rolled into the proper diameter (usually 5mm) then the black cover is applied. The flat steel is flexible and allows for a slight bit of compression under braking.

The housing on the right is shifter housing. The steel in shift housing is round and runs straight in line with the housing. It's done this way to eliminate compression within the housing.

Weather it's brake or shift housing, they both have a teflon tube under the steel that the cable rides through. This teflon tube is what breaks down and causes poor shifting and braking performance. Additionally, a housing ferrule (end cap) is added on the end of the housing to keep the ends from splitting.

When the housing gets cut it's uneven. It usually leaves a sharp steel end sticking out and always crushes the teflon tube inside the housing.

You really want it to look like this. I file the steel flat so it has a nice interface with the housing ferrule and open up the teflon tube so the cable has unrestricted flow inside the housing.

For mountain bikes I like to add a housing seal in any area where the possibility of dirt and/or water could get inside the housing and compromise performance.

After I get the new cable and housing on, I'll pull on one of the exposed sections of cable to "seat" everything as much as possible. I'll also lube the pivots on the derailleur and check the main mounting bolt and jockey wheel bolts for tightness while I'm back there looking around. This way I know that everything is G.T.G. (Good To Go) for the next ride.

getting smarter

The new calendar year makes me think back as well as look forward. I guess you could say I have some "new years resolutions" but I try and not limit myself to setting goals to one time period in any given year.... although i might have a better success ratio if i did.

My easiest resolution for 09 might be more fun for me than the other party involved. Don't get me wrong, I'm not turning to robbing and looting for 2009.... the bike repair thing should keep bill collectors off my back. No friends, my easy resolution will be more akin to the kid looking up to the dad asking "why's the sky blue?" I probably have the government to thank for this one. As I paid my last quarterly taxes for 2008, I asked myself "why do I have to do this" and "where is that money really going". Am I funding for things that will make a difference in my town and my country or is my money being used for a day of golfing for our elected officials. Don't worry Arnie... I paid my California sales tax for the business as well so you can buy some more of those fancy cigars you smoke as you drive around in you're HUMMER (big car/big text).

So, with all the "why's, where's and how's" I'll be asking this year, you can expect more in depth blogging from me.... or maybe I'll just blow it off and write funny jokes instead. In any event.... stay tuned.