MIGHTY MOBILE

SSWC2012 and other stuff

2012-01-23T07:33:00.000-08:00

So, I see that SSWC2012 is in South Africa this year. Feb 18th. No... I won't be heading down to participate, but if I did, I'd surely be taking this bike. It only has one gear. The video of the bike is sorta sub par, probably the exact opposite of riding the thing, but the description (0-60 in 3.6 sec) is what really makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up a bit and make me curious.

Onto other things; The 2012 mileage tally was coming along nicely until old man winter decided that it was time to finally get down to business here in Tahoe dropping a foot of snow at Mighty Mobile World Headquarters and counting. So, it'll be a bit before I swing my leg up and over the saddle again. It's time to strap some lumber on my feet and ski some powder for a while. However, with 11 rides under my belt (it's a nice lightweight belt made of lycra... and carbon fiber) the mileage total stands at 243.31. No, I'm not posting all the rides. You'll get bored. So will I. If you're really that into it, you can click here and surf my Garmin account till you're blue in the face... and arse.

Another reminder; Mighty Mobile is open for business ALL WINTER. Call anytime to schedule a pick up.

Whadda ya do in the winter??

2012-01-21T06:21:00.000-08:00

A typical mid-summer day for Mighty Mobile Bike Repair usually finds me making house calls in the greater Truckee/Tahoe area adjusting shifting, replacing broken spokes and rebuilding suspension forks. In typical Tahoe fashion, the weather in the summer is mostly predictable and makes scheduling repairs days or even weeks in advance a fairly easy process.

I'm often times asked what I do in the winter. I'm usually quick to answer that question in a caveman-esque style and simply say "ski" as I have a split second day dream of bike repair actually having the ability of providing my sole income as I take the entire winter off from working and spend my time skiing through the day and sipping warm brandy at night. Then reality sets and I give the more honest answer of "... and part time work at a ski shop" as I realize that the electric company isn't really interested in the fact that most people don't think about bike repair in the winter.

But I'm hoping to change that in "oh-12"! Mighty Mobile Bike Repair is O-ficially in the "pick up and delivery" business for the winter. If you've ever thought to yourself "I'm gonna have my bike serviced in the winter so it's ready to go for spring", or if avoiding procrastination is one of your new years resolutions then well.... you're in luck. The time is now folks. Get that leaky for seal fixed. Replace those worn out tires. Get that skipping chain issue worked out before you slam your knee into your stem again. Mighty Mobile is well stocked and can to get your "steed" in tip top shape so the next time you're ready to ride... your bike is too.

Call anytime to schedule a pick up.

your name here

2012-01-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

crickets.
i know.
stuff going on.
work.
birthday.
santa cruz.
more work.
lots to tell...
...later though.
till then, i caught this while working away today. if you have 3:33 i'd check it out for your local chuckle.

Ride #5

2012-01-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

If the thought of hearing about yet another ride off hwy 20 has you rolling your eyes into the back of your head then you might want to stop reading this and just click here to navigate yourself into a different realm of the intraweb. (safe for all ages, genders and sexual preferences)

And with that... on with the show:

Using the knowledge gained after last Thursdays ride in the same area we set up the cars for a solid point to point from waaaay up on the ridge. Like most of my rides down there, this one might be a little hard to follow if you're loading the file into your personal GPS and attempting to recreate the route. If you do attempt this, just trust the navigation as it sends you trail-lessly bushwacking on a few occasions. There's a reason that you're doing this be it avoiding "blown out" motorcycle trails or hopping off one trail system to get to the better parts of another. In any event, be prepared for an adventure.... and bring a spare derailleur hanger just in case.

At this point I'm fairly certain that I'll be able to tie in some classic flume riding with a little more sniffing around... and more than likely quite a bit of hike a bike on my first attempt. In any event, if my hunch proves correct, the flume could be an exceptionally good way to loop back around to other trail options and sections. This exploratory mission will happen sooner than later as the needle on my curiosity meter is bouncing off the maximum position. Riding the flume is always a "special" kind of experience.

The stats at this point:
Rides: 5
Mileage: 111.69
Mountain bike rides: 5
Road rides: 0

And with that, I gotta go.
Till next time kids.

days 3 & 4

2012-01-06T07:04:00.000-08:00

Ride #3

Ride #3 was a quickie on a local loop with my lady. We did have a slight "glitch" in the ride when Megan somehow snuck by me while I was shedding a layer and taking in a view looking south on the 89 corridor. This lead me to thinking she had flatted or laid it down on one of the icy spots on the trail. This theory would prove false however after I backtracked to a spot on the trail where I knew she was still up and running. So.... the chase was on.

Ride #4

Yep. More riding off the 20. I just can't stay away from that place. Why? Maybe it's because after riding down there for 10 years I'm still finding and riding new trail. Sure, some of it sucks, but when it all comes together... man can that shit be magical. I won't put this ride in that "magical" category just yet but the knowledge gained will make an epic soon... very soon.

So... where does that put me for miles in the season? I don't know and I'm too lazy to add up the numbers so early in the game.

New for 2012

2012-01-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

I'd say I haven't done this in a while but it's more likely I've never done this. The "this" in question is tracking my mileage for the 2012 riding season. I'm sure I'll forget my Garmin from time to time which has been the standard mode of keeping tabs on my rides and races in the past, but I'll do my best to have it with me on most outings.
It'll be interesting to see how things look throughout the season and I'll be doing my best to post stuff on here as things get underway. With that being said... here we go:

This was the first ride of 2012 for me. This ride started with the realization about half way to Reno that I had forgot my helmet. A quick side trip to a friends house in Glenshire fixed that little issue up and we were back on track.

It's been years (7?) since I've ridden Cow Canyon and I'd got word that there was some newer trail above the stuff I'd ridden previously. Always a sucker for new trail, I headed down there with some peeps to check it out. The new trail is a ridgline moto trail with some steep, fast sections. The climb to get to this part of trail doesn't come easy and you'll loose your hard earned elevation quickly as you rocket back to the "normal" section. The ride is ok, but for me I prefer the Keystone/Evans canyon sections just a bit to the east.

Ride 2:

For my second ride of the season, I managed to remember all of my gear as we headed to the South East corner of Tahoe Lake for some newer/rerouted sections of Rim Trail and the new Vansickle Trail. We had perfect weather for this one. Amazing to be riding well over 8,000ft in January with no snow!

The southeast corner of the lake is quite a drive from Truckee but rest assured it's worth it. The section of Rim Trail between Kingsbury and the bench at Spooner was as good as I always remembered it. Lots of decomposed granite, fast and swoopy. The rerouted sections of the Rim Trail are going to be great once completed (their close, we bushwacked) and the new Vansickle Trail is a great descent of almost 2,000ft of funloving vertical.

And for now... that's it. Ride today? Not sure, but it's likely.

2-Day

2011-12-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

First day on skis. Yep. Went and "let em run" on some groomers up at Sugarbowl. Good stuff actually.

Thinking about calling (or texting as per his request) this guy in response to this ad on Craigslist. Not sure if it would be interesting, dangerous or some kind of weird mix of both... but I've got some 26" rims he might want. I'm also always looking for some teammates for next season and he DOES say he's fast.

I wonder how many bike parts I'll have to sell to that guy before I can answer this ad. I've seen this stuff on TV and it sure does look easier than racing bikes. Maybe I'll take next year off the bike and get behind the wheel instead?

If you're still not sick of misc. Craigslist ads, you definitely won't be disappointed in one of my favorites: The bike for sale and the salty mechanic from Seattle

Hope this finds you well.

S Yuba Epic

2011-12-14T07:47:00.001-08:00

Sometimes it takes more than excessive climbing, mileage and hours spent in the saddle to classify a ride as an epic. Some rides need events "above and beyond" the norm to help push a ride into true "epic" status. This ride would prove to have the necessary elements to make it one I won't forget anytime soon.

I thought my hands and feet were cold at the start of the ride. I was wrong. They were cold starting out, but within' the first hour we did a nice climb in the sun that brought all my extremities back to a level of warmth leaving me with normal feeling in my feet and fingers that could operate zippers, shifters and other small details of dexterity one usually finds necessary and comforting on a bike ride.

For the majority of the ride we had it made. Sunny skies. Warm temps. For the most part, we were wearing shorts and t-shirts. The trail was in good shape and we were having about as good of time as you'd expect on a ride.

No, it was later.... much later in the ride when things would start to get desperate. I first realized I was a bit "under gunned" with gear while attempting the simple act of applying lube to my chain after climbing the Alpha road. The Alpha road is a fairly stout climb gaining 2,000ft in 4 miles ascending from the quaint little town of Washington to Skillman Campground on Hwy 20. Once at the top of the climb I took off my pack and put on every piece of clothing I'd brought with me. I dug a little deeper in my pack and grabbed a bottle of chain lube. My grunts, groans and other miscellaneous sounds of desperation would leave one to believe that I had just broken my leg, been shot or had some other serious issue requiring emergency help. The simple fact of the matter was that I was having some serious trouble getting my fingers to squeeze the bottle of lube hard enough to get anything to come out! I would eventually "win the war" with the bottle of lube but it would require the use of both hands.

Soooo. It was almost 4:00. We had 16 miles to go with only about an hour of daylight left.
The trail looses 2,000ft of elevation in those 16 miles and, aside from a few small climbs, rolls nicely with good flow. With that being the case it's conceivable to cover the distance in about an hour but the fact that we'd just rode 37 miles and climbed 8,000ft left us with legs that felt anything but spunky. The only option, really, was to GO!

Instantly my hands were frozen as we descended through Skillman Campground. Even more so than when I was trying to lube my chain! Sure. I could've stopped and swung my arms around in an attempt to force blood into my finger tips or put my hands in my armpits but this would use up precious daylight. Nothing to do but push on. Within a few miles my feet would also feel the effects of the setting sun eventually feeling like blocks of ice. For the next 45 minutes we raced daylight but were barely keeping up.

We hit Miners Trail in a possessed state with juuuussst enough daylight to be dangerous. This is a high speed trail with most of its sections in a heavy canopy of trees. Had we gotten to the trailhead 10 minutes later we would've surely had to descend down hwy 20 in the dark to the car. The amount that this would've sucked is beyond comprehension. It would've been a cold, dangerous, dark 2 mile blast on pavement which, as any mountain biker will surely agree, is a really shitty way to end a ride... especially knowing that you're paralleling a ripping piece of singletrack above you in the relative safety of the woods.

Fortunately we made it down Miners without incident. All that we had left to do was ride a short-ish piece of flume trail to the car. By this point it was pretty much dark. I'm glad to have countless trips down this trail. It's fairly straight forward but has its hazards that include water along its entire right side and a couple of spots requiring the portaging of your bike. By the end of this trail it was definitely dark as we blindly negotiated the final piece of pavement to the car.

Changing out of riding gear with cold fingers is always a challenge. The only comforting part of doing it this time around was that it was totally dark as I scrambled partially naked around the freezing parking lot along hwy 20 feeling around for cotton layers that never felt so good.

Shortly after loading up bikes and gear we sat at a nearby bar and waited on our food. I had on every piece of clothing I'd brought with me that didn't accompany me on the ride. The gal behind the bar slid a nice hoppy beverage in front of me referring to me an Eskimo or something to that effect. Meh. Whatever.

As the warmth settled in my thoughts turned to what the next adventure might be. How long? How far? How cold? How hot? Who? What? When? Where?

ski porn

2011-12-12T13:08:00.001-08:00

Not yet, but soon enough, we'll be donning stiff boots and big puffy gloves as we head out into the great white expanses of the Tahoe area to get our "schush" on.

JP Auclair Street Segment (from All.I.Can.) from Sherpas Cinema on Vimeo.

I'm officially making a call out that we'll get 6' of snow between Christmas and New Years. I have absolutely zero forecast knowledge or facts to back up my prediction... but it's happened before. Till then... see you on the singletrack.

More Tools??

2011-12-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

I've got alot of tools in the van but this will surely require the procurement of something I probably don't have on board.

I got a schtick!

2011-12-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

Holy smokes folks. The record setting winds of last weeks storms had people telling stories about surfing on the lake, shingles torn from roofs and downed trees all over the place.

Aside from a bad nights sleep, the winds didn't really have too much of an effect on me until yesterday while heading down to Nevada City for a ride. I thought I noticed some branches and other miscellaneous debris down along the road while driving down the 20 but didn't realize the severity of the situation until I was on trail. The trails down there look like nobody has ridden them in years. Branches and sticks are so bad in spots that you're not even really riding on dirt... just a blanket of pine branches!

So, with that being the case I only rode for about 35 minutes before ripping off my rear derailleur and snapping the hanger in the process. I replaced the hanger with the spare from my pack and only made it another 5 minutes before doing almost the same thing again. Minutes later, after being forced to stop by yet another downed tree, I looked at my computer and saw that in the last hour and seven minutes I'd only covered 3.56 miles. Knowing that I was only heading higher on the ridge where I'd encounter more blown down branches and trees, I turned my bike around and headed back towards the car while I could still at least pedal my bike. Sometimes you just gotta know when to say when.

Since it was only 12:30 I headed out on a hike with "the little woman" and Flash the dog in negro canyon on the Donner Rim Trail. This trail is entirely rideable to the Drifter hut on the ridge. There are some patches of snow but the trails south/west face is melted out for the most part giving riders the option for some riding right here in Truckee. That being said, I'm sure Lloyds is GTG (good to go) as well.... although I haven't actually been there to have a look.

Ridin'!

2011-12-02T06:54:00.000-08:00

Been riding. Shit tons. The weather's been too nice to not take advantage of heading off the hill to ride some classic foothills trails. Also re-acquainting myself with Reno. Haven't ridding down there in a couple of years... usually due to snow.

Mmm mmmm mmm. You're probably sick of me spewing about Nevada City trails but I'm not stopping any time soon. The trail conditions are "all time" there right now and missing out on what that place has to offer is just plain "crazy talk". The ride starts at Omega rest stop and ends in Nevada City proper using a mix of moto trails and the Pioneer. One look at the elevation profile (click on "view details" on the map more info) does most of the talking on this one.

Then there was the "shitty Reno ride". Too windy. Having gotten "beat down" by the wind while riding in Reno more times than I care to admit, my gut feeling was to bail. I'd like to think I'm getting smarter as I get older, but it was probably just dumb luck on the right decision to bail on the ride. As you can see from the stats (1.3 miles/11:28 elapsed time) it wasn't much of a ride. Weird, there wasn't any wind in the parking lot when we got there but by the time we got suited up and clipped in, momma nature's cheeks were puffed up like she was playing the horns. Within minutes my feet and hands were cold.... and we were climbing. Sooooo, we went back to the car, put the bikes on the roof and headed to Galena.

Although this ride is a bit higher in elevation, there was little to no wind. The snow line is just high enough that you can ride most of what you probably want to ride. This is a pretty good ride that leaves from the Chevron as you're heading up hwy 431. We got off track slightly on the way up the first climb because we were thinking of doing a different ride but bailed because I wasn't exactly sure how to link up the trails. We probably could've pulled it off but I didn't want to miss the lunch special at all you can eat sushi.

Too cool

2011-11-26T08:36:00.000-08:00

This was just too cool to not pass along.
As a kid, I used to be easily mesmerized by the visual effects of spinning wheels and this video I found on BikeRumor this morning has to take the cake.

Ahh... this simpler things in life.

Mondayze

2011-11-14T08:06:00.000-08:00

Just got back to town. Me and the "little woman" took a trip to lower lands where the sunshine was abundant, the temperatures allowed the donning of shorts and t-shirts and there wasn't even a speck of snow to look at the entire week. Umm umm good.

Saw the parking lot at Boreal PACKED on our way back into town of Saturday night. They had the snow guns at full throttle. So much so that I couldn't even see anyone doing the actual act of skiing or snowboarding through all the fog and blowing snow, but it's safe to say that at least someone must have been out there with the 200+ cars filling in the parking lot at Donner Summit.

Although I still have an absolutely zero % desire to race the bike right now, if I did I'd surely be heading down to San Fran to do the SSCXWC this weekend. That's sure to be a good time. I actually found the link to the site while checking in on this little piece of hardware. Safe to say I didn't spend many days on the one speed this season but look to change that for 2012.

Speaking of the one speed, I've got my Sniper for sale. Putting this rig up for sale wasn't the easiest of decisions to make but I've got another bike in the quiver that's ready for all the back breaking and knee damaging fun that IS one speeding. Seriously, this bike is sick. If your interested, give a brother a shout and we'll talk.

Asking $675.00

It's light.

It's custom.

It's awesome.

More info here.

Although it's cold enough to make your nose hairs stand on end Mighty Mobile is still out and about doing repairs. I'm typically scheduling work between 10:00 and 3:00 while the sun is shining and it's warm to the point where the tools don't get frozen to my hands like the kids tongue in Christmas Story. If you got stuff broken, get it fixed!

Although you gotta spend a little "seat time" in a car to escape the snow, the trails off either side of the hill are in incredibly good shape right now. The dirt is that dark, chocolate brown color that you dream about when you're riding the moon dust of Tahoe in August with dusty shins and crusty boogers. Get revenge... GO RIDE!!!

Sure, everybody knows about the Auburn trails, but if you wanna try something different, hit up this site for some other stuff off the west slope. Round Mountain is usually free of snow all year long and is a really fun ride. The South Yuba meets this criteria as well although it's not what I'd call "easy trail". Don't forget Downieville either. Although "the downhill" will get shut down with snow, the North Yuba trail has seen lots of work in the past few years and rides really well in both directions. It doesn't stay open "year 'round" but has a long riding season nonetheless.

And don't forget Reno. These trails won't win any "best vista" awards, but there's plenty of little brown ribbons of singletrack to keep you entertained for hours on end. Here's a link to a map, although I think the best thing to do is head out there and just start trying stuff until you get lost enough times that you figure out a ride that works for you. I don't like, or recommend, riding Reno trails when it's windy or muddy. It sucks. Really bad. Don't do it. Trust me. Also, take a couple more layers of clothing than you think you'll need. Most of the trail head access points have this weird effect of tricking you into thinking that you'll be fine dressing in light layers. You'll be fine for a while until you reach the upper elevations of the trails where you'll start to think "hmm, it's a little chilly" then you'll freeze your ass off on the way back to the car. Again, it sucks. Really bad. Dont' do it. Trust me... I've done this more times than I care to admit.

Newz

2011-11-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

Welp. Mark it. November 3rd. That just might have been the last day for riding on the dirt here in the immediate Truckee area for this season. Don't get me wrong, I'm a "glass is half full" kind of guy but I've already mentally prepared myself for a bit of driving down the hill for my fix of riding before it's "full on" winter and we leave the bikes in trade for skis. I hope I'm eating my words as I clip in and pedal from the house a couple of weeks from now, but I'm not holding my breath.

Let's see... what else. Oh yea! Come one out this Wed (9th) to the Cottonwood to support the Truckee Pump Track. This is going to be a fundraiser for what's sure to be THE best way to tire your arms out in less than a minute on a bike. Check out the latest and greatest on their site. This will probably be one of those events where the chances of winning are on your side.

Other goings ons here at Mighty Mobile have been of the tedious sort. I do some occasional product testing and review for Singletrack.com.... sorta like this one. After a summer of testing out gear -that really wasn't mine- I finally got the call. "Ummm... Gregg..... you still out there? Do you think 4 months is enough time to test out those grips we sent ya? You got any stories?" Yea.... I was slackin'. Sorta.

Truth be told I sorta had my hands full wrenchin' full days and trying to squeeze in a ride here and there during our all too short summer. That being said I had adequate time to test gear but lacked the computer time it takes to actually write about said gear. So, this found me spinnin' wrenches on my own rig a bit of Wed night and most of yesterday morning so I could box up miscelaneous test gear and send it back to VeloNews. I cleaned up the Magura Thor 150 fork that I'd had on the front of my Blur for a while. (Sorry 'bout the scratches on the stanchions boys) Uninstalled the M8 Brakes from the race bike. (Damn those things are light!) Then stripped the remaining 2012 Shimano XT componentry from the Blur.

It's funny how fast old parts come off a bike and how unbelievably long it takes to build it back up. Especially when its a bike being "cobbled" together with parts from various manufacturers with various ideas about compatibility. This inevitably leads to shimming, grinding, bloody knuckles and a fair amount of cussin'.

Welp, hunker down kids. The next phase of snow is due through the night. When it's all over, I'll see ya in the foothills for day trips to ride.... just like you'll probably be doing.

Season Finale

2011-10-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

Welp, it's over. A summer full of turning myself inside-out on the bike, downing copious amounts of energy gels & drink mixes and piling a ton of miles on my car has come to an end.

The season finale for the Sierra Cup Series was held at Northstar this past weekend. Fun course. Poor bike choice on my part. Hardtails at Northstar don't really make a ton of sense. I knew this but felt like the 4,000+ ft of climbing would suit the hardtail better and I could just "deal" with the descents and try to not loose any time. Yea. That only kind of worked. The climbs were more manageable on the hardtail, but the descents (especially towards the bottom the the mountain) were really taxing. Don't get me wrong. This isn't a "shoulda, coulda, woulda" story in an attempt at telling you I could've won had I ridden my Blur... but I would've had a metric ass load more fun on the descents on Sunday.

In the end, I lost the battle (Sunday's race... I finished 2nd) but won the war (Sierra Cup Series) in a close battle with Clint Claasen all season long. I haven't seen the points yet, but I'm guessing the championship was down to single digits.

So, now it's time to start working on the "bucket list" of trails that I really want to ride this year. This includes stuff I haven't done in years, trails that are super fun but I haven't got a chance to ride yet this year and some others that may require some travel.... yep.... road trip.

If I were to keep racing this season, it would surely include some cyclocross and wouldn't feel complete unless I checked out this race at least once. Damn... that looks fun. Maybe...????

miss me???

2011-09-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

Since it's been well over a month without a blog posting I figured this might be a good time to get something going so ya'll don't think I packed up shop and flew the coop.

Time's been flying by and we've reached that point in time where the days are officially shorter than the nights. If you're "on the fence" about weather or not to go for a ride, remember.... our days are numbered. Factor in work, firewood and the honey-do list and our potential number of riding days is nearing the endangered list for this season.

Not to fear though, the best riding season is just getting under way. The temps are perfect and the recent rains have left trails in good condition.

If you still have a hankering to get your suffer on you should definitely be thinking of heading out to Northstar for the final round of the Sierra Cup Mountain Bike Race Series . Word has it their using the 2010 Collegiate Nation Course. Seems like a good course with enough varying terrain to suit everyone's style and preference. I'm heading into this race with a 12 point lead in the series. If all goes to plan I should come out on the top step of the podium ensuring me fame, fortune and bragging rights. Well.... at least bragging rights. The action happens this Sunday Oct 2nd. Race starts at 9:30.... sharp.

Hope this finds everyone well... if there's still anyone out there.

And so it begins

2011-08-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

It starts with an email.

Someones burning desire to "get outta' dodge".

Ideas get thrown about.

A plan forms.

Then.... then it begins.

A new day starts in a new place.

You reach new heights

in a new place

searching for.....

....perfection

You explore your options....

....pick a direction

and go deep

loving every minute of it

regardless of how much it hurts

Every day has its end and this trip will be no different

as the sun sets and you begin to plan for your next day and your next adventure.

Here's to road trips.

Not Bikes....

2011-08-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

....almost.

The TS100 Race Report... fianlly

2011-08-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

Ok. This event is O-ficially on the team Mighty Mobile race calendar for next year.
The aid stations were stacked with everything you'd ever want and the volunteers go above and beyond to ensure your day of ultimate suffering goes foreword without hesitation or holdups.

The race - damn hard. Classic Tahoe dust, sketchy descents on both singletrack and Jeep trail. Ridiculously hard climbs. Chilly temps at the start that turned into plenty hot for me by mid day. Mmmm. I can almost taste the warm water in my bottles as I type.

The excitement at the start was electrifying. Or at least it must've been. I was actually at Sakos' truck shedding a layer when I heard everyone hooping and hollering. Sheeiite! I hopped on my bike and made it about halfway back to the start when I saw the pack coming at me full bore. I pulled in between two cars, got myself turned around and hopped in the front third-ish of the pack.

After a mile or so of pavement the course hit the dirt through some of the ski trails at Royal Gorge. Dusty. I was glad I had a bandanna tied around my neck that I could pull up over my nose and mouth to filter at least some of the dust. I probably re-passed most of the people that passed me at the start and was told about an hour into the race that I was 40th.

At this point of the day (7:00am) I was still uncertain as to how hard I wanted to push for what I thought would be about 9 more hours.

I spent the next hour riding at a medium pace and started to feel pretty good. At one point I saw Obie Miller get waaayy out of control on a fast rocky fireroad descent. His bike was swapping so far sideways left to right that I could read the letters on his downtube! I don't know how he saved it but I'm damn glad he did. We would end up riding quite a bit together throughout the day - sometimes talking, other times just pedaling along in survival mode with the classic "100 mile stare" in the eyes.

I didn't have enough time to get my ipod filled with music so I left it up to chance that I'd have some killer tunes in my head. This can be a deadly gamble. Seriously, one wrong thought on a tough climb will have you humming "don't worry be happy" over and over and over again until it makes you half crazy. Fortunately, I dodged that bullet and lucked out with stuff that didn't suck.... at least to me.

So, on and on. More aid stations. More drink mix. More gel packs. A nibble of PB&J. Perhaps a banana. Occasionally, two cookies - one for now and one in the leg of my shorts for later. Hate to eat and run but.....

At some point we got to the section of the course that I'd done a few weeks prior. This was both good and bad. The good thing was that I knew what was coming up. The bad thing was that I knew what was coming up.

All hundred milers (or at least the good ones) have an element on the course that "stands out" from the rest of its route. For the Tahoe Sierra 100 it's the last three climbs that takes this ride to eleven.

After a descent that overheats brakes and tests the limits of suspension you have 15 miles to go when you face the first of the last three climbs. It's 1,600 vertical ft in 1.5 miles. Plenty steep. 75% hike a bike even on a good day. The blood drains from your arms as you push your bike up this ungrateful ascension to Devils Thumb. Sweat stings your eyes as tiny flies buzz your head making an already tough situation even harder. You pray for the climbing to stop - and it will.

You'll have just enough time to get a few quick drinks from your water bottles before a second helping of ledgy, loose and steep switchbacks descend to yet another canyon. You'll need two fingers on your brake levers this time. Partly because it's steeper but mostly because your entire hands will be stinging from the constant beating their dealing with on this downhill.

Not to worry though, the pendulum of gravity will start to swing the other way once again and you'll be faced with your next climb. This one isn't quite as bad as the last but you'll still have to dig deep to get yourself out. 2,000ft in 3.5 miles. You'll be pedalling a little more on this climb but still be off the bike pushing for more time than you probably will the rest of the season. The last "kick up" on this one is a real monster. You round each corner hoping that you'll see the top of the climb... but you won't. Hang in there.

Thank you ma'am may I have another. Yep, one more time. Another descent and another climb. The last climb isn't as hard as the first two but it's still a soul crusher. You'll be glad to see the pavement near the top of this one and even more stoked to see the finish.

Full Epic. The course is hard. The help is amazing. You get fed after the race. There's beer. I mean, what more could you ask for out of a bike ride.

I would definitely recommend this race to a friend.

Results here.

GPS file here.

more ts100

2011-08-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

If you're not into 100 mile races, this might not be the week for you to be reading this blog. Or maybe it is since the race is actually only 89.3 miles. Not to worry though, it still has something like a billion feet of climbing so I'm still considering it an epic.

I couldn't help but notice a tandem signed up for the race while checking out the start list. Not sure if that's an act of burliness, a gluttonous desire for punishment.... or just plain stoopid. In any event, it did make my "wonder which bike I'll race" conundrum seem a bit petty.

Each 100 mile race I do presents itself with the need to plan, pack, plan some more, pack some more and set some sort of realistic goal for myself that I'd like to meet while out on course.

I'm still not sure exactly how I'm feeling about this race. One thought has me on a light bike with the bare essentials in an attempt at posting a decent finish. The other thought has me simply out riding around in the woods for the day with the main objective to finish and have some good fun. I guess I'll have to figure that out in the next couple of days.... or on the morning of the race while making my carpool friends as late for the race as I'll be.

On a separate -but somewhat related- note, good luck to ya'll that are heading to Leadville for the hundo out there. Seems like a good party. No, I'm not racing it. No, it's not because it's the same weekend as the TS100. No, it's not because it's too far. It's the lack of singletrack that keeps me away from that race. I've raced a 100 miles of fireroad before and quite frankly hope that I never have to do it again. If it weren't for music in my drop bag at the 50 mile mark and beer at the finish I'm sure I would've posted a big fat DNF at that one.

2011-08-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

Lagging on the race report from Kirkwood. Sorry. I'm faster on the bike than I am at postings on this here blogity thing.

The race - I took the "W" by 6-ish minutes thanks to quite a bit of techy downhill. Well... that and deciding, at the last minute, to run the 2.35 Schwalbe Nobby Nic on the front of my race bike. Note to self; always... ALWAYS do a "shake down" ride on the race bike after doing changes. After having gotten used to the 2.35 inches of ultra-traction that the Nobby Nic provided me at Downieville going back the the "spindly" 2.1 WTB Prowler -which worked fine in the early season- proved to be quite scary. On my shakedown ride I was questioning my ability to pilot the bike as I overshot corners, had little to no braking power up front and generally had less fun on the ride than I knew was possible. Upon arriving back at home base, I threw the bike in the repair stand and put the Nobby Nic back on the front of my rig. That tire is simply AWESOME in the Tahoe duff and dust.

Fun course. 4 laps. Hard climb to start. Onto singletrack. Then a quick, hard, steep headwall climb on fireroad. Then... then some ultra-rad singletrack. Mostly descending. Lots of off camber sketchy rocky trail. Mmmmm. I like. A typical lap went like so: Get caught on the start climb - recover - drop the guy who caught me on the descent - repeat.

After the race, me and the misses did some investigation of the local campgrounds and decided on Kirkwood lake campground as our accommodations for the night. Super nice site. Out on a point. Killer views. A nice little trail that took us to a waterfall. Mmmm. I like.

Then on Sunday we did a nice road ride on nearby Blue Lakes Rd (Hope Valley). Light on traffic, heavy on views and nice pave'. Mmmm. I like.

Next up was some recon on the last 35 miles of the Tahoe Sierra 100 race course. This thing's gonna be a soul crusher. Steep climbs, river crossings, poison oak, loose trail with lots of rocks, bugs that swarm your head while hiking your bike.... should be a hoot. How hard is it? Well, hard enough to make you look like this!!!

Why do we do this? Because you also get trail like this:

and this

with views like this

and this????

So.... I'm racin'. Or at least going out and riding 100 miles. Should be some tales to tell. Race report to follow.

Ya'll come back now.... ya hear.

The Summer Hump

2011-07-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Wow.

Holy shit.

Ok.

With another long winter that refused to release its grip on Tahoe until sometime in early June ya'll were more than ready to ride once the trails started melting out this year.

Business at Mighty Mobile took off like a team of unruly horses pulling a wagon full of tools and parts. I pulled on the reigns with all my might and yelled most of the curse words I know at those damn horses. They pulled that wagon just as fast as they could with nary a concern for passenger or cargo. After a while though, the horses started to tire themselves out and become slightly more... chill-axed. One by one they started to fall into a groove and work together as a team signaling to me that the flow of a summer in Tahoe is definately upon us.

A three week break in the race schedule has given me a chance to rest, re-coup and ultimately get things caught up with Mighty Mobile. Quarterly sales tax, sifting through long neglected receipts strewn about my desk and other miscellaneous sheeite necessary to operate a business have all been taken care of. i's dotted.... t's crossed.

Good thing too. Round #4 of the Sierra Cup Series is this weekend at Kirkwood and the Tahoe Sierra 100 is juuuusst around the corner with plans already in the works for a pre-ride. Yikes!

I really feel like I've reached "the summit" this summer for all kinds of stuff. Weather you ride on the road or in the dirt it's always the downhill that most of us look forward to. And that time is now.

The Downieville Report

2011-07-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

Downieville.
Wow.
Another year in the books.

First thing's first...Bike selection:
Well, this year was the year of the hardtail for me. I've been racing a carbon Specialized Stumpjumper Expert 29er for most of my races this year and just plain ole' felt comfortable on it. A preride in Downieville 10ish days leading up to the race confirmed my suspicions that I'd be alllllmost as fast on the descent on my hardtail as I would my Blur LT. Sure, without a doubt, there were sections that I couldn't "pin it" on the hardtail that I definately could have on my Blur but not enough to offset the 4lb weight difference (Hardtail=24lbs/Blur=28lbs). I ran Schwalbe Nobby Nics in a 2.35 width which proved to be a really really really good choice. I installed my trusty USE suspension seatpost to "take the edge off". I also loosely installed a blue ziptie to the rear left side saddle rail. What did this do.... absolutely nothing except make people ask questions and laugh. Other than that, I ran the bike the same as I do at most of the other races I've done this year.

Saturday, The XC:
Last year:
Last year I felt like a friggin' hero coming over the top of the start climb. I think I crested the top in the high 40 to low 50 minute mark. I felt great. My breathing was deep... rhythmic. I felt rested and almost comfortable.... sorta. I was told I was in the top 10. With the first bit of single track (Sunrise Trail) in my sights and 5,000ft of descending between me and the finish line a permagrin smile formed on my face and I started into the trail with the speed of a cheata and the tactfulness of a mountain lion.

This year:
This year as I crested the start climb I felt like.... well.... shit. Yea. Shit. Not even the shit from a mountain lion. More like dookie stuck on the bottom of your shoe from the neighbors dog. I looked ahead and saw a sea of riders ahead of me and wondered how my legs, which had already shown signs of cramping, would hold up in the remaining hour of the race. Lingering snow meant no Sunrise trail this year and as the course banked left and started its descent towards Butcher Ranch I let gravity take over and tried to change my mental game and get psyched for the second half of the race. I caught a few riders on the top sections of the course. This helped. I wasn't getting caught. This also helped. I still cramped on the climb after Pauly Creek but not near as bad as last year. The bad cramping happened BEFORE the Pauly Creek Bridge this year while doing battle with Clint Claussen. Dang. Things got a little better as the course went on, but I never had that feeling that I was charging or making up much ground. I continued feeling like shit until some two hours after the race and was rewarded 9th for my efforts. I was 10 minutes off the winners time (Carl Decker). Meh.

Sunday, The DH:
Well geez-o-pete.
Damn.
I was ON!!
Holy shit.
Holding bib #10 meant an early start time for me. The course had a super sweet line/lines ridden in it from the previous days xc race. Riding early meant that things weren't as hot. The course was a dark ribbon of singletrack after having a night of moisture blanket the canyons. With a slightly different warm up tactic today I rolled off the start line with a plan to ride good lines, stay relatively mistake free and most importantly NOT CRASH!! A few minutes into the course I was really starting to feel good. My legs felt way better than I thought they would and the course was fairly fresh in my mind letting me mentally prepare for the next section of trail. I crossed the bridge at Pauly Creek, flipped the Cramp Monster "the bird" while simultaneously dropping his sorry ass climbing to 3rd divide.
So fast. So scary. 3rd Divide is a bench cut single track stuck to the side of a mountain that makes you realize that you are indeed alive. Sure, there are trails that are faster but the fact that 3rd Divide is a bench cut singletrack lined with trees, blind roll-overs and high speed corners with exposure really require you to stay alert. Pilot error isn't something you even want to think about while on your way down this trail.

My efforts were good enough for a 16th place finish for the DH. Still waiting to see how it worked out for an over all once they tally the points for the weekend. Stay tuned for results as well as more gear selection complete with reviews!!

Sierra Cup Rd#3 race report

2011-06-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

Round #3 of the Sierra Cup Series was met with bea-u-ti-ful weather and a stacked field at Skyline Park in Napa.

The start. Well, before the start even started the promoter fessed up to a "computer glitch" wherein he was missing some riders from same day registration. Yes folks it pays to pre-reg. This was resolved pretty quick and it was back to "get nervous time".

Chaotic start. Riders swerving, dodging, bobbing, weaving and everything else that can ruin your day (ain't that right Fowler). Two minutes into the race and I sat in 3rd position with Weir and Cruz setting the pace. I was feeling comfortable and figured I'd have no problem holding that pace for quite a while. Just then about 15 dudes came rocketing by and I found myself buried in the pack with my heart rate monitor displaying a number I was hoping wasn't right. All of the sudden I had a ton of work to do.

15 minutes into the first (of three) laps we reached a clearing and I did my best to count back in an attempt at learning my position and it seemed as though I was 12th.

On and on. I'd pass a guy here. A guy there. Somebody flatted. Another dude crashed. By the end of a hard earned 1st lap I figured I was in 7th... give or take.

I started lap two with one of the Whole Athlete riders. These friggin' guys were everywhere. We swapped back and forth a few times until I finally reached a section tailor made for me... a technical traversing singletrack followed by a rocky downhill. Poor kid never had a chance. I'm now 6th.... give or take.

I'd catch two guys riding together next and get around both on a climb putting me in 4th. At this point we were starting to get into lapped traffic which always seems to have its own set of challenges. "On your left" to a lapped rider can mean anything from "you should move to your left" to "you shouldn't move left" to my personal favorite "you should move left... then right... then left again before swerving off into the weeds and taking yourself out". Ahh bike racing. I love it.

I was setting a pretty descent pace for the remainder of lap two but wasn't catching anyone else in my class. It was starting to look a little grim. I wasn't even in a podium position.

Starting the final lap I was told by a spectator that I was indeed in 4th position. Shit. I got down to business and set a pace that I thought I could endure without a visit from the cramp monster and just tried to ride mistake free. On the first climb I got a glimpse of Clint Claussen (round #1 winner) near the top of some switchbacks. I chased hard and did indeed bridge the gap but it took almost the entire lap to git 'er done. I formulated a plan of hanging with him so I could draft him through the flats leading into the finish and let it come down to a sprint. Then I realized that Clint is a 6'-2" powerhouse and I'd probably have my hands full just hanging on through the last mile of fire road that lead into the finish. So I made my jump and swung around his left side towards the top of a technical climb. I only had about 7 minutes of single track to put some distance between us before the fireroad section started so I made the most of it. I let lapped traffic know from WAAAY back that I was coming through and, fortunately, had good luck getting by without incident. The single track came to an end and there was just 1 mile of fireroad between me and a podium position. I took a quick look back and saw nobody. I topped out on the first small climb looked back and saw nobody. Through the chicanes, looked back... nobody. Now I'm within a half mile. I put the hammer down and entered the grassy finish shoot. Less that 150 meters to go. I looked back... and there he was. Clint. Out of the saddle. Hammering. Bike rocking back and forth. Sheeeit!! I clicked down a couple of gears and pedaled in earnest. I reached the hairpin turn at the oak tree and kept pedaling. I could hear the grass being uprooted as I pushed the limits of traction through the turn. I exited the turn wide... and hot brushing up against the course marking tape as I went. Clint was close, but it was too late. We entered the finish chute and I crossed the line with a three second advantage. Damn. I'm shattered.

I spun around to cool down. Thought about my day and smiled. Racing in and around the Bay Area is hard. The fields are always stacked and if you let your guard down, even for a second, you'll get passed. It's friggin' relentless... and I like it.

I'd later learn that I was indeed the third guy to cross the line. Thing was though that the fastest man of the day turned out to be Anthony Smith, an 18 year young up and comer, who wasn't racing my class. The second fastest rider of the day was Dario Fredrick. How could you possibly be slow with a name like "Dario". Dario really needs to quit sandbagging and start racing the pro class.

So after some quick math I deduced that I had indeed won!! This makes the series interesting as Clint and I are tied with points for the lead.

Results here.

membership has its privileges

the race has been over for hours and I'm still sweatin'!

Clint and I weren't done racing yet. This is me chasing him down the highway on the way home.

More racin'

2011-06-11T06:01:00.000-07:00

Round 3 of the Sierra Cup Series is at Skyline Park in Napa this weekend. This is a love/hate course for me. It's plenty technical (love) and I've managed to do quite well there in my previous two visits (love). The weather always seems to be just right (love) and there's always a good turnout of riders to do battle with. The unfortunate side of Napa for me is that the cramp monster is ALWAYS down there waiting for me.

I remember the first time I raced there. It was the last lap and I was catching two guys. Just as I was getting close to bridging the gap my legs started that familiar feeling of tightening. I backed off my pace, recovered and continued my attack. Again I started catching the two guys in front of me. We were within minutes of the finish. Again I got close. Again the cramp monster came knocking at the door. FRACK!! I had to back down. I'd learn a few minutes after crossing the finish line that the two dudes I was trying to catch were battling for the win. Meh. At least I made it to the podium. 3rd ain't bad ya know.

So, this weekend I've got a new plan to avoid the cramp monster. I'm going to pretend that my legs look like this....

... and I'll surely be immune to cramping. How are legs that look like this going to cramp?! It's impossible.

As always be on the lookout for a race report on Monday... or Tuesday... or maybe not at all.

Just Add Water

2011-06-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

Round #2 of the Sierra Cup Series was officially postponed this weekend due to rain. Thank God. I commend the race promoter on the cancellation of the race. People were/are going to be upset either way but not racing was the better call. Nice job Kevin.

Anyone who's had the unfortunate experience of riding in Reno in the mud already knows that the dirt down there turns into an extra sticky peanut butter type of substance when it rains. Not only does the mud build up on the wheels of bikes leaving them without the ability to pass through the frame it will also suck the shoes right off your feet once you realize that you can no longer ride and start the inevitable walk back towards the car. I'm surprised that NASA isn't down there extracting that stuff for some sort of implementation in a space program. The Peavine race will be rescheduled for a later date. I'll keep ya'll posted on the new date for a race that you should really check out.

As the days of the calender tick away the race schedule is really starting to get busy. Round #3 of the Sierra Cup is next weekend in Napa. Super fun course. This will be my third time racing down there and it's always been worth the drive.

The week after Napa is the Boggs 8/24 hour solo. I'll be down there (Boggs) in an attempt at qualifying for the Tahoe Sierra 100 which is a 100 mile point to point race from Donner Summit to Forest Hill (Auburn-ish). Both the qualifier and the 100 mile should prove to be epic days in the saddle for sure.

The calender only lets up for a couple of weeks until Downieville. No; I didn't make it into the All Mountain Pro. Yes; I really want in. Yes; I need to try and "weasle" my way into a spot. Once again this year snow will be a hot topic on Downieville as another late winter in the Sierra is holding snow on most trails above 6,000ft. No; you can't yet ride from the top... not even close. Too much snow and lots of trees down. The trails are free of snow, cleaned up and perfectly rideable from the Paully Creek Bridge down to town. The N. Yuba trail (downriver from town) is also in good shape and riding well.

Today

2011-05-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

It'll be quiet at Mighty Mobile today.

Headin' to Downieville.

Ridin' the bike.

Livin' the dream.

Work resumes Friday.

See you then.

Sierra Cup #1

2011-05-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

I don't have a ton of time for a quality post on this race but here's a brief description of my day of suffering at the series opener:

Heinous pace at the start. Good Lord people, can't we back it down just a touch, hold hands and tell some jokes. They told me this race was FUN.

Two guys got off the front and were setting a pace I knew I wouldn't be able to hold for 2ish hours. I was in the second group that consisted of 4 riders. Then there was a sea (ok, maybe a medium sized pond) of people behind us.

The first guy in our group dropped his chain at the bottom of a climb and we never saw him again. Yep, it happens just that fast.

On the second (out of three) laps we caught Kyle Dixon (one of the guys out front... who I actually picked to win) pushing his bike up a hill. I asked if he needed help and he said he was "good". There was air in his tires and a chain on his bike. Hard to say what was going on there??

Later on the 2nd lap, another rider in our group would "crack" on the baby head rock strew climb at the far end of the course. I've been in this dudes position before... and it sucks. If you try to keep the pace up you'll cramp so bad you'll need someone to cary you back to your car. The only thing you can do is put it in a ridiculously low gear and slum along until you feel "normal" again. For me, this usually requires a nice long downhill. You can't always count on this (downhill) so it's best to slow down and don't blow it. It's only a bike race.

Then there were two. Me... and Stosh Bangston... again.

Stosh started to put the hammer down on the third and final lap. This move shot my plans all to hell as to the what when and how I was going to make a move on the baby head rocky climb section of the course. In fact, when we got to the baby head rocky climb I was in such dire straights and that not only was the cramp monster knocking at the door he had one foot in and was asking what kind of beer I had in the fridge. Frack.

So, I hung in there as good as I could manage. Stosh gaped me but I was able to make the time back up on the downhill. I can't believe I didn't crack on the two headwalls near the end of the course.

It came down to a sprint finish at (near) the line. I ended up winning the battle between Stosh and I but Clint Claussen won the war taking the podium spot for the day.

Round two is coming up in two weeks. Peavine. I should probably get down there and do a ride... but I probably won't. Meh. Who knows.

Results here if yer interested.

and so it begins

2011-05-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

The first race of the Sierra Cup Series (formerly the Nevada State Championsip Series) is this Saturday. Of course I'll be there to defend my title.

Last year at this race I was suffering around the course on my Blur LT (not that I'd be suffering any less on a different bike) chasing guys off in the distance that I'd never catch. Meh... that's racin'. I remember the temperature dropping each lap and thought it was getting pretty damn cold. Wasn't sure exactly how cold, but cold. Reality struck on the third and final lap when it began to snow! Not enough to stop and have a snowball fight or anything, but definately enough to sting my eyes and make my fingers hurt. It turned out that as hard as the race was the hardest part of the day was trying to get my fingers to turn the key in an attempt at unlocking the doors to my truck.

Will this year be any different? Well, I've got a different bike (not that I'll be suffering any less), the course will be run in the opposite direction (I'll probably still be chasing guys off in the distance) and my new (to me) car has a nifty little button on the key to unlock the doors. Good thing too. The weather calls for some precipitation after 11:00. Race starts @ 10:00. Hmm.

This is probably my least favorite course in the series. I'm not saying it's a bad course. I don't do bad courses. It's got some descent length to it (28 miles) and a fair bit of climbing (3,100ish ft) but from what I remember it's about as technical as riding down your local sidewalk.

Me... for me to have an advantage on a race course it needs to be technical. How about some rocks. I need rocks littering the trail. Enough rocks to make you wonder if you're still on course.... or if there's even a course at all. Even though I'll probably flat.... I love riding in the rocks. How about some roots. Slimy wet roots. Preferably at weird angles across the trail. Even though I'll probably crash... I love riding roots. Throw in some rediculously tight and twisty trail (preferably with low overhanging branches) and some deep wheel swallowing ruts on the high speed sections and I've got myself a course I just might have and advantage on.

Race report Monday... or Tuesday. Or maybe not at all.

A Bad Day For Cycling

2011-05-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

The flags at Mighty Mobile are flying at half mast today after watching the Giro D' Italia this morning and seeing Wouter Weylandt involved in a horrible crash on a descent with about 60ish K remaining in the race.
More info here.
Sad day indeed.

Sqeaky Skewers

2011-05-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

With all the posts about bike racing, beer drinking and other misc rambling you might find on this site, I should probably keep in mind that Mighty Mobile Bike Repair IS actually a place folks might visit to actually learn something about their bike.

In 1927 Tullio Campagnolo invented the quick release skewer and it's been a gracing the bicycle ever since. Quick release skewers are mostly found on wheels and seatpost clamps but can occasionally be seen used creatively for other items requiring frequent adjustment on the bike.

It probably goes without saying but quick release skewers need to be tight for them to do their job. It's probably obvious that if the quick release in the seatpost clamp isn't tight, your seat will "creep down" during a ride. Also don't forget the fact that if the skewers aren't tight YOUR WHEELS MIGHT FALL OFF!!!!

Now that I have your attention, let's get to the task at hand. First of all, not all skewers are created equal or made the same way. If your skewer resembles the one in the pictures below, the following tip will help you out. If your skewer looks different (skewers by Shimano, as well as others, have a different design) this post might not effect you.

It's hard to say which application is more popular for a quick release skewer (adjusting saddle height vs removing/reinstalling the front wheel) but since I only have pictures of the skewer on a front wheel, we'll use that for our demonstration. Regardless of the skewers job, it can be maintained the same way as the demonstration below.

If your skewer squeaks, feels "sticky" or otherwise is hard to operate while actuating the lever... stop right there and go get some chain lube.

The squeaking, sticking and other issues coming from the skewer are coming from the pivot of the lever. The issue is that the lever (the black part) rotates around the main body (the sliver part) of the skewer and friction is produced as a result.

A couple drops of your favorite chain lube is all you need to free things up. Simply put a drop or two of lube in the area where the lever and main skewer body pivot. Note: do NOT use aerosol type lube as any over spray can, and probably will, got onto the brake rotor leaving you with little or no brakes!!

Once you have a couple drops of lube on the skewer, swing the lever from the "open" to the "closed" position several times to work the lube into the pivots.

You'll undoubtedly feel the skewer getting easier to operate as the lube works itself into the pivot of the skewer. Wipe off the excess lube with a rag and tighten down the skewer properly.

When a quick release skewer is properly adjusted you should notice resistance in the skewer lever half way through its swing from the "open" (loose) to the "closed" (tight) position. This adjustment is attained by rotating the nut on the side of the skewer opposite the lever. Righty tighty... lefty loosy is an easy way to remember how this works.

If in doubt of a skewers ability to properly do its job... REPLACE IT!! Although incredibly reliable, quick release skewers can wear to a point where they can't do their job properly.

How often would/do I do this on my own bike? Probably every 8 or so times I lube my chain seems to do the trick on the front wheel since that's the skewer (at least for me) that gets used most often. The other skewers (rear wheel and seatpost) I do less often as those aren't being used as much so I just kinda go by "feel" for them. When their hard to tighten or squeaking while moving the lever to the "closed" position I'll usually give them a little "love".

Racin'

2011-04-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

Well kidz, if you're into the racing scene there's a good one coming up in just over a week (April 30th) in the Redding area. Said race is called the Shast Lemurian Classic and I'm all for it. It contains the key elements that I look for in a bike race; the race takes place on dirt and has the word "classic" in the title. A quick look at the results from last year reveal that you're sure to see some familiar faces on the start line and that there will be pah-lenty of people in your class. Last years results had well over 80 riders listed in my class alone! If you come down the day before and take advantage of camping keep an eye out for our camp which should be easy to pick out in the way of dirty cars, frisbees, horseshoes and a beeramid marking our spot for the weekend.

(note: beeramid may vary slightly from this model)

Continuing on with the bike racing we're also getting close to the Sierra Cup Mountainbike Series. Formerly the "Nevada State Championships", this race series has grown from 4 to 7 races with some really good venues on the docket. I'll be coming out in an effort to defend my title while seeing how much snot and sweat I can accumulate on my top tube in the process. The first race is only a month out so get suffering people!

Sorry Kidz

2011-04-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

FTR is gonna have to wait.

Too much snow.

The route, yet to be unveiled, is AWESOME and will be a "must do" for all you adventure seekers out there. Bring lots of food and water.... and some money 'cause the ride ends at a bar this year.

A quick look into the crystal ball (one of the good ones made in Germany) is suggesting that the ride will have to wait until May 20th but only time will tell.

Bummed. Yea, me too. Get yourself a bag of popcorn and reminisce with pics from last years ride.

The 1.5 Epic

2011-04-17T06:18:00.000-07:00

Raced last night. Kind of an urban road style event. Bonus points for hopping curbs. Got off to a good start. Legs felt good. My bike handling skills weren't as good as I would've liked... but I don't think it made too big of a difference. It's been a while since I've been on the 'cross bike. Although I was sprinting up the hills and railing the corners my rival was marking my every move. I backed off my pace, only once, to put on another layer. At the finish it was almost dark. Hard to say who "took it" at the line. Without slowing down or showing any sort of "good race" camaraderie my rival just kept heading west towards its next race with the next guy with enough time to squeeze in a quick ride at the end of his day.

Pondering...

2011-04-15T06:27:00.000-07:00

If you do intervals

and then come home

and drink 3 beers....

...is it still training

or just breaking even??

The Season Opener

2011-04-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

The Napa Valley Dirt Classic is a race that's been on my radar for a while now and this year I would finally make it. Short-ish course but chocked full of excitement with alot of roller coaster style trail and tight-ish singletrack in the woods that kind of reminded me of something you would ride in Santa Cruz. Fun trail really. I'd like to get back there and check it out again sometime. Short races create some certainties with the most important (and painful) being a hard fast start. This would hold exceptionally true with this event as the course had about 1 minute of uphill paved road that leads into singletrack to get your day of suffering off and running. Ride like your life depends on it for the first minute and you'll be in the front-ish part of the pack with good riders. Lag, even for a second, at the start and you'll be sitting in a line of lycra clad dudes that will show you that even the most trivial of obstacles in the trail are cause for slowing, stopping, dismounting or some other strange lack of bike handling that makes you wonder if you signed up for the right class. Recap: Got into the singletrack at the start in about 10th. Course opened up a bit after a while and I could see a group of 4 about a minute out. Closed the gap but paid a hefty price in doing so. Started getting into these BIG roller coaster rollers on a rough-ish fire road repeating itself for a mile or so kinda like this: Short steep fast descent/"G-out" at the bottom/leg breaking lung busting climb up the other side/ repeat. After about 6 or 7 of these our group was wittled down to just me and some dude wearing one knee high pink sock on his left leg. Hmm? Interesting. After the rollers it was time to do some tight and twisty singletrack radness. I kept catching guys, which is always good, with Pink Sock Dude almost always in tow. I was guestimating that most of the riders I was catching were in the class that started in the group 2 minutes ahead of us which included pro & singlespeed. We were past the halfway point of the race I still had power in my legs and water in my bottles. Ffwd to the longish descent consisting of an overgrown fireroad/doubletrack. Fast. Scary fast! Although I had the smarts to scrub some speed and keep it together in the corners you just KNOW I couldn't resist that little kicker on the left side of the trail. It was perfect. Just a little hump on the outside of a fast sweeping right hander. It's one of those things where you don't really get too high off the ground but nonetheless you seem to float downhill FOREVER. Then... then you touch down. As my bike made contact with the earth I heard that oh so familiar KLANG of atomic #13 (my aluminum rim) making solid contact with a mass of hard consolidated matter (a rock) and for the next few seconds all I can do is keep riding and listen. Although I couldn't hear the oh so precious mix of 78% nitrogen 21% oxygen and 1% other substances escaping from my front tire it was clear that things were getting desperate on the very next corner when my tire nearly rolled off the rim sending me off the main line of the trail. Coincenetally this had me bouncing through rocks in high grass at race pace with the left side of my handlebars tick tick ticking through the overgrowing branches. Scary... sheeit! This was enough to make me realize that even if I was lucky enough to not crash I'd still be changing a tire. When it comes to flatting in races I'd be willing to bet that I'm in the running for having the most flats EVER. Having grown up riding and racing in the Appalachians (oh so rocky/technical) area of Pennsylvania I know a thing or two about fixing flats... fast. Being a full time bike mechanic doesn't hurt either. I've got my system for changing out a tube in a race situation and I'm not afraid to say; it's damn good. I figured that somewhere between 8-10 riders got by me while I performed my nascar style tire change. Of course I flatted at the bottom of one of the hardest climbs of the day. Legs... screaming. It seemed to take FOREVER to get back into a good pace again. I tried to keep count of the guys I was re-catching but can only guestimate that I got by 5ish riders. Once we topped out on the climb we were back in familiar territory and I knew we were within' two miles of the finish. I could see two riders up ahead. I caught them, but it took almost the rest of the course to do so. The finish of this race is Paris Roubaix style wherein you do a lap on a running track. As the three of us started around the track towards the finish the pace ramped up and it was ON! Well, it was on for the other two guys. My legs had no business for a sprint finish today and all I could do was watch those guys duking it out to the finish. A quick look at the results revealed a few things. First thing was that the racing was quite close with podium spots being filled in a minute and a half. Second thing was that Pink Sock Dude's name was Brian Buttler and he won his class (19-34 Expert). The third thing was that if the podium for my class (35-44 expert) had 5 steps instead of 3 I would've juuuussst squeaked onto the platform of victors instead of sitting in the grasses with the masses. Fourth and final thing; even though the raffle prizes were in abundance I would leave empty handed... like always. I suck at raffles.

BB Service

2011-03-13T18:18:00.001-07:00

Imagine if you will that you are a set of bottom bracket bearings in your bicycle. Sounds like a simple job really. You'll get to go on some killer rides with your only responsibility being that of spinning in circles while supporting your good friend and neighbor... the crankset. You'll get to ride all the killer trails, probably travel to exotic locations and maybe... just maybe help your rider stand atop the podium at the local mountain bike race. Ahh, I can smell victory from here!!!

After some time at this "life" you'll probably start to realize that it's not all buff singletrack and long warm summer days. The first of the "rough days" might start with a trip to Downieville early in the season with multiple stream crossings followed by a ride atop a car at 80mph in the rain. The next ride might be an all day epic in the late summer with a group of buds where you'll be stuck behind other riders for most of the day eating more dust than you imagined ever possible. Then there's winter. Don't tell me you've never ridden in the snow. Oh... did I mention that you're "owner" might be a 200lb gorilla of a rider with a propensity for riding 5 days a week, thinks that all bikes make grinding noises from the bottom bracket and has a riding style that's described by his riding partners as ANYTHING but smooth.

Bottom bracket bearings have changed drastically over the years and will probably continue to do so as the industry strives to build a better mousetrap. The bottom bracket bearings live between the crankarms of your bike and take quite the beating during a typical day of riding regardless of rider weight, strength and/or technique. Although many variations exist, it's the "external bottom bracket" that we're going to hone in on this time around. External BB's have been widely accepted by all the "players" in the industry and regardless of the name on your crankset there's a good chance that it has external bearings which can and will fail at some point in their/your life. Fortunately for you and your bike there's a fix for the creaking, squeaking or whatever else might be going on in there and it comes in the form of aftermarket bearings. Mighty Mobile put some bearings on several riders bikes to see how they stood the test of time and after a year of positive results we started placing orders for the bearing kits in the masses. I won't bore you with too much technical mumbo jumbo and simplify things by saying that the aftermarket bearings come with a larger diameter bearings and a secondary seal (most of the time) that will keep your steed running smooth for longer than the stock bearings. But wait - just like buying something off of late night TV - THERE'S MORE!!! Things get even better (most of the time) when it comes to paying the bill. When you replace the bearings and reuse the existing bearing cups you'll be saving yourself some hard earned $$!!

First, out with the old.Close up shot of the bearing without the crankset. Dirty huh.

It's a nasty environment down there. Notice the grime on the spindle.

This is what your bottom bracket (half of it anyhow) looks like out of the bike. The silver part is the bearing cup and the black piece is a seal.

Inside the frame. Yep, that's water in there. With these tools...

... we can go in here. Muwhaahaaa. (to be said sinisterly... like Dracula)

The bearing has already been pressed out of the cup. With the inside of cups that look like this.... .... it's no wonder that your bearings probably look like this. So, at this point you can either buy a complete bottom bracket or just replace the bearings with a new set. How'z 'bout saving yourself some hard earned $$ and just press new bearings in the existing cups. The cups typically clean up just fine. See.

Tahdah! New bearings. I can almost feel the smoothness from here.

Let's clean up some more stuff like the spindle and the inside of the frame. Look Ma... no more grime!

Almost back together. Damn that bearing looks good doesn't it!

Wait. We're not done yet. How about another seal. Yeah... let's hear it for another seal!!!

You feeling warm and tingly yet? Me too!! Mighty Mobile carries bearing upgrades for most popular makes and models. Ceramic and ceramic hybrids also available. And just like everything we do, it's done at your house, on your terms and done right the first time. Call anytime to schedule an appointment.

Training

2011-03-02T06:40:00.001-08:00

With the mourning of Darlas' death behind me it's off the bigger and better things. I'm sure alot of you are wondering how the fastest mountain biker in the whole state of Nevada is preparing for the 2011 racing season. Some riders are out packing in the base miles. Others are hitting the gym for strength training. I know guys/gals that swear by intervals. But me.... I like to think outside the box and I'm going to let you in on my patented training technique that has worked for me year after year and is especially handy in a snowy environment with no trails and sloppy roads. This technique seems to work well on events ranging from short xc races to 100 milers with almost NO modification. I should warn you though, embarking on any new fitness program should only be done AFTER talking to your doctor to see if you're ready for such a rigorous training program. Once you have the "OK" from your doctor get yourself well hydrated, set up your stationary trainer and click here.

See you at the races!

The Death Of Darla pt 3

2011-02-22T07:05:00.001-08:00

I sat on the couch and took comfort in the sound of absolute silence in my living room as I watched the bubbles rise in a bottle of Racer 5 IPA. I reflected back on how I'd spent the better part of my day I came to the realization that, although I'd been out on the road for the better part of 10 hours, I'd accomplished next to NOTHING. Meh... whadda ya gonna do. Darlas condition "is what it is" and it's time to get over it, make a new plan and move on.

Megan came home from work a couple of hours later and as I unfolded the exploits of my day during dinner we came up with "Plan D" which had us both leaving Truckee early the next morning and heading to Petaluma in another attempt to get a new car. Before we settled in for the night I sat down at the computer and posted Darla on Craigslist explaining the fact that the transmission had its issues, among other things, and would "probably get you home but not much further". I clicked on the "publish", shut down the computer and went to sleep.

You can't even begin to understand how elated I am to say that Tuesday would turn out to be the exact opposite of Monday in every way imaginable. No mechanicals. No white knuckle driving. No wind. No rain. NO WORRIES! We made it to Petaluma in the morning and spent little time looking at, driving and buying a Subaru Outback. I was back in Truckee in the early afternoon and by the time I got home I already had more than a few people interested in buying Darla that would help her move on to the next chapter of her life. The first person who came to look at Darla handed over the cash and drove off in her with his friend following close by in another car "just in case".... smart kid. And just like that... she was gone. Darla disappeared over the hill driving off into the sunset. Within 30 minutes it started to snow and would continue to do so for the next four days. Selling Darla proved to be as epic and simple as her entire life with me.

And now it's on to the next car in my life. I can't help but wonder how it'll be. What kind of epic rides, killer ski days, pick-up and deliveries for Mighty Mobile and other countless missions will it take me to. Well, if day one is any indicator as to what kind of life it'll lead.....

.... it's sure to be interesting. Here's my new car in my driveway the very next day after buying it. Whadda ya think? Looks good huh. Not a scratch on it.

The Death of Darla pt2

2011-02-18T06:36:00.000-08:00

2-1/2 hours west of Truckee lies the town of Vacaville Ca. Vacaville can be accessed by 7 exits off of hwy80 with its most westward option being Red Top Rd. It was at this point in my drive to Petaluma I started hearing some really curious noise coming from Darlas transmission. Enough noise in fact that I immediately abandoned the left lane in an attempt at making the exit. After successfully negotiating my way across 3 lanes of traffic with no haste I pulled off the side of Red Top Rd to have a look. With the engine still running I opened the door and realized things weren't good before my foot even had a chance to touch the dirt in the pullout where we'd stopped. I hunched down and looked at Darlas underside inspecting her transmission. Things appeared normal on the exterior but the knocking, grinding and other strange noises coming from the interior of Darlas tranny were telling me that things were obviously in dire straits.

The only certainty at this point was that Darlas transmission was going to fail but many questions remained unanswered. How long would it last? What would happen once it failed? Where would I be and just what the hell would I do!?!? My first option failed immediately (crying for my mommy) so I quickly put "plan B" into motion. "Plan B" was to turn around and head back towards home realizing that my options for help improved the closer I got to Truckee. As I motored down the on-ramp to the highway the tranny begged for mercy as it cycled up through the gears.... except 4th gear. Hmm. That's strange. Shifting into 5th gear was downright frightful and made me wonder if I should even be on the road. I had a concern that if the transmission failed in such a manner that "locked up" the rear wheels at 70mph in the middle of a busy 3 lane highway there was sure to be an accident. I eased off Darlas accelerator and slowed down enough to downshift to 4th gear which made much less noise for one reason or another. I kept driving while listening intently to the noise/noises coming from the tranny. My mind was racing. As the miles went by I mentally prepared for different scenarios of the "what's, if's and how's". Before too long I was in Davis and stopped by an auto repair shop to have Darlas tranny fluid checked. After 20 minutes the mechanic came out with the news that I pretty much already knew which was the transmission was about the fail. The mechanic (Mark) was super cool and had compassion for my predicament telling me that I didn't owe him anything. I slapped a $20 on the counter, jumped back in the truck, got back on the highway and went all banzai style towards Sacramento with "Plan C".

"Plan C" had me going to Fair Oaks to look at a Honda CRV. Even though Darla didn't really sound interested in a side trip, this one seemed ok as it was only 5 short miles off the highway and was potentially taking me to a car that would be more likely to get me home. The problem with this "5 short miles" was that it was littered with red lights requiring Darla to get herself back up to speed from a dead stop countless times. Inevitably there were always people standing at intersections along this busy section of road and the looks on their faces each time I'd start to get Darla moving from a red light were concerning albeit a bit humorous. I finally reached my destination and saw the CRV in the driveway. Although it was black (not my first color choice) the car looked great from my vantage point from the side of the road. I shut off Darlas engine and just sat there for a minute collecting my thoughts and giving my ears a much needed break from the past hour and a half of very noisy driving. I hopped out of the truck and started walking towards the CRV. I got more and more excited with each step closer I got to the car. I peeked inside the window and the interior looked new. A quick lap around the car showed no signs of damage, the tires were good and the.... wait a minute... what the hell?? I just couldn't help but notice that there wasn't a "4WD" emblem on the rear hatch. Hmm. I bent over to look under the car and my heart just sank with the realization that the only thing attached to the rear wheels were the brakes. No driveshaft, no differential, no power to the rear wheels.... NO 4WD!! In an instant any thoughts I'd had of driving this car home were gone... over... terminated. I walked back towards Darla, opened the creaky drivers side door and just sat there. The gal selling the car was foreign (Armenian??) and we definitely had a bit of a language barrier while talking on the phone. I do remember asking (twice) if the car was "four wheel drive" and getting a definite "yes" as her answer. Well, thanx for nothing. I turned Darlas key and filled my ears with the all to familiar griding, clacking, whirring and other fateful noises she had been making for the past 2 hours and started making my way back towards the highway.

Against Megan's advice to NOT stop at any car dealers on my way home I found myself getting off the highway one more time and drove into an auto dealer that was the size of a small city. I drove around until I saw a giant blue and white sign that read "HONDA" and pulled in. I was instantly greeted and asked how I could be helped. I'll save you the full story of how my half hour was wasted with savvy sales guys telling me that "95,000 miles is NOTHING on a Honda", "buying certified pre-owned is the ONLY safe way to buy a used car" and last but not least being introduced to the used sales manager with the outrageous Scottish accent asking "how can I meet your needs?" In the end, I'd leave Sacramento in my grinding, whirring, knocking, clunking truck with my tail between my legs feeling like I'd been chewed up and spit out by the used car market and drive the rest of the way back to Truckee in a, fortunately, uneventful trip. After getting home and parking Darla in her spot I walked in the house, opened up a beer and sat down on the couch in utter amazement reflecting back on my day. It was 3:30 in the afternoon.

The Death Of Darla

2011-02-16T05:53:00.000-08:00

Part 1 of 2... or maybe 3

I used to have a Jeep. An incredibly crappy, unreliable piece of shit Jeep. I truly think that ALL Jeeps are incredibly crappy, unreliable pieces of shit and I think I have a right to say that after laying down my hard earned money for one and then laying down some more hard earned money in a feeble attempt at keeping my incredibly crappy, unreliable piece of shit jeep (from here on to be referred to as: ICUPSJ) on the road. Ever see a broken down car on the side of the road? Sure you have... and I'll bet more times than not... it's a jeep. No surprise to me. Wait... where am I going with this? Oh yea...back to the story.
In the summer of Y2K, I went to Reno (again) to pick up my ICUPSJ from the transmission shop (third time's the charm) vowing to my housemate in the morning that when he got home from work that night he would NOT be seeing the ICUPSJ in the driveway. I headed to Reno and after looking at and driving a few different cars/trucks I'd finally settled on a 1994 Nissan 4X4 pick up truck which I would later name "Darla".
My experience with Darla was incredible. She was always ready to go and never really asked for much other than some basic care and feeding (oil changes, tires, a new headlight... just the basics). Really, Darlas' only bad trait was that she was a tad underpowered. Hypothetically, if you were to race Darla against all the cars in Truckee you would find yourself only besting older VW vans and probably most jeeps (their actually faster but would probably break down mid-race). Nope. Speed wasn't one of Darlas' best features but what she gave in return was the piece of mind in knowing that she would start and finish every journey... every time. I would wear out my keyboard in an attempt at recalling even half of Darlas' outings which include countless bike races, interesting road trips, eipc rides , starting Mighty Mobile and much much more. Instead, I'll keep that stored in my memory as just a smidgen of my lifes unique experiences on this tiny little spinning blue ball we call earth.
However, all good things must come to an end and Darla would be no exception. A few weeks ago, I started hearing some excessive and concerning noises coming from the transmission. The noise was different from that of the partially worn throwout bearing noise I'd been predictably hearing for the past 3 years. I didn't know exactly what it was but I did know that it probably wasn't good. I'd always said that I'd drive that truck until I crashed it or something broke and needed repaired but would exceeded what the truck was worth at the time. I'd always wondered about the latter of those two options and if it was an expensive repair... what might it be?? The thought of rebuilding or replacing the transmission wasn't that appealing to me on a truck with shit tons of miles on it. Ya gotta know when to say when. So I started looking around at new (to me) car/truck options. I scanned the internet for used (or "gently loved pre-owned" as their referred to in the industry) cars/trucks and by Sunday evening had narrowed my search down to a short list that I wanted to go and check out. The most promising option was of course the furthest away in Petaluma (3-1/2 hours west of Truckee) with a few others in Sacramento. I felt like my time was limited by some approaching weather that was forecast to start Tuesday evening meaning two things. The first thing was the fact that driving over Donner Pass in a blizzard is probably THE WORST way to start out an already almost too long drive. The second, and more probable, thing is that after almost 6 weeks with no new snow... I'd be skiing!! I figured that if I left early Monday morning and started in Petaluma I could work my way back east towards Truckee looking at and driving different cars/trucks along the way. If I didn't "dally" or otherwise get too sidetracked I'd be home by the late afternoon or early evening leaving me with enough time to do something other than sitting and driving.
The approaching storm was starting to show itself in the way of winds that made the pines sway in a hypnotic non-directional motion high above my driveway. I stumbled out to Darla through the darkness opening the creaky drivers side door, hopped in and brought the engine to life as I sipped on a steaming mug of coffee. As I'd done thousands of times before, I pushed in the clutch, the throwout bearing whirred, I put her into first gear and pulled out of the driveway to start my days journey to Petaluma. It was 5:30 Monday morning.

Tax Tyme

2011-01-26T06:27:00.000-08:00

Tax time for Mighty Mobile at least. Yep, good ole' California sales tax is due by the last day of this month and I've just sent in my check keeping my "rolling bike shop" in good standing until the next time the tax man cometh. Now it's time to wait and see how well the state manages the money. It is your money after all so you should be concerned about just where your 8.875% of that last tire, chain and/or set of brake pads you bought from me actually goes. I'll settle up with the Feds within the next week and then it's on to more important things for 2011 for Mighty Mobile like....

.....BIKE RACING! Yep, things are "in the works" for this year and I'm currently in negotiations with several manufacturers about the procurement of a new rig in which to stain the downtube with drink mix, ruin the shine of the top tube with sweat and otherwise suffer upon on various race courses in the area. I won't jinx myself with anything too revealing at this stage but will say that it's going to be a hardtail, have big wheels and -if things follow through from yesterday- it'll be red and white which just happens to be the O-ficial Mighty Mobile color scheme. My race calendar is slowly being put together but I can say with some certainty that the first two races of the season will be the Napa Valley Dirt Classic on April 10th followed by the Shasta Lemurian Classic on April 30th.

Nope, won't be hitting the Sea Otter Classic even though it's a classic which seems to be an important part of my race calender selection process this year. Sorry. The timing of this race really sucks for me. Mighty Mobile can be quite busy this time of year and the thought of being at a race that spans four days in length just doesn't work while I really should be working. Plus, this is also the time of year when I'm putting the route together for the FTR requiring at least a couple of trips down to the foothills for scouting the Nevada City areas sweet sweet singletrack.

I'm also looking into the Park Tool Tech Summit this year. What's the Park Tech Tool Summit you say?? This is when a bunch of industry folks (uber tech geeks) get together and rebuild forks, hydraulic disc brakes and other misc bicycle componentry down to the tiniest of tiny parts. I'm a little torn on this one. On one hand, it'd be neat to rip apart a new Campy electronic shiftlever without worrying about losing parts, breaking some really expensive small internals or otherwise wasting half a day tinkering with something that doesn't have a century ride or race in the next 24 hours. On the other hand, I could be riding bikes or skiing neck deep powder... both of which are really, really fun. It's a two day seminar in Long Beach and the dates are coming up quick. If I'm gonna do this, I guess I'd better act fast.

For now that's it, but there's more. Much much more. The next time you read this some of the above questions will be answered with some others brought up for discussion, contemplation, procrastination or ponderance.

The Bike

2011-01-19T06:42:00.000-08:00

Rode the bike yesterday.
Bullards Bar.
Near record high temps.
Lots of ticks. Careful if you're down there right now... their thirsty.

Felt good. Good to be riding. It'd been since Christmas since I'd been on the saddle and I'd almost forgot how I missed the feeling of rolling through the woods on a bike with my leg hairs waving in the breeze. The weather was perfect (read; warm) allowing all of my very very white appendages to see the light of day for the first time in months.

Bullards Bar: We parked at the Dark Day Boat Launch and rode the roller coaster like Bullards Bar Trail towards Willow Creek and then did the climb up towards Camptonville. From there, it's a little bit of dirt road riding back towards Marrysville Rd. Once there, you will see 8 Ball Trail running on the South side of Marrysville Rd. We took this trail to Schoolhouse Trail which drops you back to Bullards Bar Trail for a few more miles of roller coaster type stuff back to your car. There's a couple more trails there, but the mentioned route makes for a nice loop... especially if you haven't been riding for a while.

Things of note: TICKS!! When we rode, they were everywhere! And I mean it! Upon inspection of almost any bush, vine, branch or anything else that was slightly overgrowing into the trail you would see these little bastards hanging out on the very ends of said overgrowth waiting for you come by so they could latch on. We stopped many times to do a "tick check" and were fortunate to only find a few of them actually on us. I think that when your on a bike at speed on the trail they have a harder time grabbing a hold of something and get "bounced off". If guessing that if you were hiking you'd have them pretty much all over you. Keep an eye out... these little bastards can really mess you up if you let them. My advice: Ride fast and check yourself often.
Also, about a 1/4 mile past the Dark Day area heading towards Schoolhouse the trail is severely washed out. It's possible to get through, but you'll have to earn it. The washout is about 15ft across and at least this deep.
One more thing; if you forget the ice/snow to keep your beer cold, initial testing we've done seems to prove that covering said "liquid refreshment" with abundantly found ground cover (leaves, pine needles and the like) does indeed keep things at a nice chilly temp.

ticky tack

2011-01-08T07:28:00.000-08:00

Soooo.... been skiin'. Damn. Sure feels good. Sure is fun. Viewed by some as "hard", the hike up the skin track is -at least for me- very therapeutic (we're talking backcountry skiing here people). It gives me a chance to catch up with friends, get some exercise and sort my thoughts. Countless are the times I've worked out a solution to a problem while hiking up a mountain with skis on my feet and a peak an hour off in the distance. Mighty Mobile's name was actually conceived while hiking up a skin track on the west shore of Tahoe while thinking of Mighty Mouse in some random string of thoughts. Don't ask me how... it just kind of happens that way for me sometimes.
Then... then there's the ride back down. Bouncing down the side of a mountain through snow is something that needs to be experienced to fully understand and appreciate. The freedom of choosing your own lines back down is beautifully unrestricted and sooooo fun with your only boundaries being gravity and the size of your cojones (english usage).
But (there's always a "but") the bike is never far from my mind. I don't think a day goes by when I don't think of an endless ribbon of trail that strings on for miles. Which trail? Where does it go? I don't know and I don't care but I want to be on it! It's been said before that my favorite trail is "the one I'm on right now" and for the most part nothing could be more true.
My thoughts this year are to do some more racing. I had a pretty good go of it last summer and wouldn't mind carrying the momentum into 2011 while I still have the drive, health and time. Been looking at bikes. Been thinking about races. Don't want to "bite off more than I can chew". Gotta be careful. Pick the right races for me. Keep it fun. Keep it real.
Meh... either that or I'll renew my fishing license this year and work on my relaxation skills and ability to drink cheap beer.

hippy hillidaze

2010-12-31T07:45:00.000-08:00

Tell ya what, I'm ready for things to settle down a bit. Ever since signing the lease on a new rental house back in Mid Oct, I've been busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.
First on the list way back when was firewood. After an amazingly long winter last year, we went through wood piles that I forgot we even had. This was kind of OK in the sense that I didn't have to move existing wood from one house to another but the caveat was the amount of wood I felt I needed to cut to keep things toasty inside the house this winter would be rather large. Meh, whadda ya gonna do. I made the best of it "maxing out" my little trucks potential doing loads of lodgepole around here and taking my bike with me down into the foothills for smaller loads of oak.
Next would be the actual act of moving. Man I hate moving. It seems so easy when you look around your house but when you start packing up the last 5 years of your life you realize that your ability to pack things away like a squirrel storing food for the winter kinda turns around to bite you in the arse now that you're responsible for getting all of your junk across town and into a new place. Anyone who visited the Truckee thrift store in early Nov probably scored some pretty neat stuff as many-a-loads were taken there. Then of course there's utility connections, address changes and figuring out just where to put all your junk from the last house.
Not too long after moving, my trucks intermittent inability to start turned into something a little more consistent.... like never wanting to start. After having a look around the engine compartment and cleaning up a few contacts I officially maxed out my electrical troubleshooting capacity and called a professional (or at least a guy with a test light and ohm meter) to get things sorted out. After getting all "high tech" with test lights and remote starting systems it turned out to be a loose screw on my ignition switch. I guess things loosen up after countless turns of the key to start the truck in its last 16 years. Meh, I can handle that since I put almost exactly NO maintenance into that thing.
Let's see, next would an epic trip back east with Megan (girlfriend) for Thanksgiving where we left for the Reno airport in a blinding snowstorm. After almost turning around (twice) on our way out of Truckee, we amazingly made it to the airport on time. Once back on the east coast I would be rewarded for my efforts with the annual Thanksgiving day ride back in the "motherland" of Pennsylvania. Of course, it rained but we still had 12 people show up for the ride which has probably been going on for 20+ years now. After spending about 5 days back in my hometown we packed up and headed to Baltimore Md for the last two nights and spent a day at the Baltimore Aquarium. This place is friggin' rad! If you're ever in the area, it's a must see. Watch out for "giant man eating fish" if you go!!

After Thanksgiving, it was back to "normal" life in Truckee. Super busy this time of year. The ski shop I work part time at is in it's busiest time of the season and there's more work there than you can shake a stick at. Add to this the fact that I'm still doing a fair amount of bike work and it leaves little time for skiing although I've still been able to get out a few times.
Getting out of town for Thanksgiving worked out so well that we thought we'd try it again for Christmas and visit Megans folks in Santa Barbara. Super nice. Warm. Green. Took the road bike. Did a "sensible" ride one day and then a stoopid ride the next which found me on a 45 mile loop with almost 5,000ft of climbing. After riding less than twice in the last 8 weeks, I felt a little out of my element and ate everything I could find in the fridge upon returning back to the house. Ahhh, I can't wait for spring when I can feel like this on a weekly basis.

Whadda Ya Do

2010-12-09T06:59:00.000-08:00

With wrenches spinning and freewheels tick tick ticking away I often get asked the question of "so... what do you do in the winter?" as I'm working on someones bike at their house in the middle of a hot summer day. As cool as it would be to simply answer "ski" the reality of the situation here at Might Mobile is that I DO like eating food throughout the winter, ski equipment requires payment with actual US currency and electricity is really something that I've grown accustomed to would like to keep around the house. All of this stuff costs money and although I'm sooooo thankful that I can make it in Tahoe in the summer months via wrenching on bikes, I still need to work throughout the winter.

The past couple of winters, I've been spending my time at the Start Haus in Truckee. The shop is primarily a race shop, but does dabble in backcountry gear and freeride skis as well. I usually find myself tuning skis and doing some boot fitting.

When tuning skis, I'm usually staring at stickers on various pieces of equipment depicting that even if I read this...

.... and wear these.....

.... I still may find myself like this

Neat huh.

Do I do ANY bike work in the winter? You betcha! If you've got problems, I've got solutions. But, until global warming really takes over and we're riding the Tahoe Rim Trail in January you'll find me at the Start Haus running skis through some sort of machine or trying to contort my hands and wrists while attempting to do a grind within the confines of a ski boot.

Coincidentally, I'd like to give a big ole' shout out and thank you to all my customers that have made Mighty Mobile a success again this past summer! From the guy with the flat tire to the gal that got the suspension rebuild thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! Thanks for letting me help you.

Stuff to do

2010-11-08T06:53:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for something to do next Tue night (the 16th) head on over to the 50/50 Brewing Co and check out a movie about the 2010 Great Divide Race.

Ride The Divide Movie Trailer from Ride The Divide on Vimeo.

If a 2,700 mile race with 200,000ft of climbing sounds like a good time then this race is for you! I wouldn't waste too much time looking for my name to be on the start list for 2011. Hundred milers are the limit for me these days.

Simplicity

2010-10-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

Was thinking tonight.....

....pedalling along the trails.....

....sometimes you don't need much....

....to have a perfect day.

This and That

2010-10-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

You guys still out there? Figured you would'a packed up your stuff and headed somewhere else for some more frequent jibber jabber on the interweb. But, since you decided to stop by, I'll do my best to entertain ya'll for a spell.

Been busy doin' busy type stuff. Although the days of the calender tick away at an astonishingly quick pace, I'm still in denial that winter is bearing down on us and before we know it, the trails will be under knee deep snow. Let's hope my wood pile grows in size quite a bit before that happens.

My desire to ride bikes is at an all time high right now. The recent rains have done the trails in Tahoe justice and the riding is the best it's been all season. Dust? What dust? That stuff's pretty much non-existent which makes riding with friends quite pleasurable... a nice change of pace from brown shins, black boogers and chains that sound like the neighbor kids huffy.
My desire for racing however is still low, very very low. I've shown up to some "outlaw cyclocrosses" in the previous weeks but have taken more of a photographers roll than that of a bike racer. Some current pics here. While the thought of making other people suffer more than I'm suffering myself still sounds neat... it's just not reality right now for me. There will be plenty of time for that again next summer.

Moving on, I was reminded by my buddy (we'll call him Daryn Kratz to protect his real identity) on a recent ride about the "chemtrail conspiracy". He had me snapping all kinds of photos while on a ride last week....like this one here.

I wasn't going to say anything about this, but since it's another unbelievably believable government oriented affair and I haven't heard much from my buddy Tom in a while, I thought I might post it just to see what happens. What the hell am I talking about? I'll leave that to someone with more insight than I have on the subject in the video below. If you're still reading this, you must have alot of free time on your hands so taking another 11 minutes out of your day (or your bosses) won't kill you.

So, as you can see, I've been quite busy lately. Between my unprofessional photography, avoiding aluminum microdust particulates and working on the woodpile I'm still managing to keep bikes rolling for people in Truckee as well as getting out for some rides my damn self. Hope to see ya'll out on the trails.

Yer a weiner

2010-09-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

After a successfull campaign of racing the bike in the Navada State Championship series, I drove east a few days ago to Reno (that's in Nevada) to see how the general population would except their new "mountain bike racing king" while doing a little shopping.

Megan (my girlfriend) and I headed east on hwy 80 towards the state line. Upon crossing the California/Nevada state line, I noticed that the sign you see upon entering "the silver state" hadn't been changed. I was expecting something like "Gregg Stone... the fastest mountain biker in the whole state of Nevada welcomes you". But, no dice. When we got to the state line, I noticed the same sign that's been there for years with the "welcome to Nevada" slogan below the wooden cutout of a shadowed cowboy that suggests it'd best be spoken by the likes of Sam Elliot. No worries. With the economy being what it is, I guess it's probably not on Nevadas "top 10" list of things to do. We didn't drive through the downtown area, but I'm guessing that the "biggest little city in the world" sign probably hadn't been replaced by something more suggestive of my mountain bike racing prowess.

Instead, we drove into the heart of Reno and headed towards where most of the anti WalMart shoppers end up.... Target. Upon entering the store, I looked for "my cart". I was sure that the fastestest mountain biker in all of Nevada would have his own cart. I was kind of hoping for something with lightweight aluminum frame tubing, a basket made of high modules carbon fiber, ceramic bearings in the wheels and adorned with lock-on grips and bottle cages on either side. I didn't look behind the "employees only" door, but an otherwise thorough search of the premises turned up only stock carts with steel frames (non Reynolds), plastic (non carbon) baskets and wheels with anything but high performance bearings in them. Bottle cages.... forget about it. It kinda left me with a feeling like Milton must've had. Nonetheless, I made my rounds through the store, some toothpaste, band aids, misc food storage containers some toilet paper... you know the drill. Upon checking off all the items on my list, we headed towards the checkout counter. The lady behind the counter asked me if I wanted to put the total on my Target charge card. I stated that I had something much better and pulled out my USA Cycling liscense and explained that if she ran my licence number and cross referenced it with the Nevada State Championship website she would see that I was indeed the fastest mountainbiker in the state of Nevada. I was sure that we would receive a hefty discount on our selected merchandise and maybe even get a couple of our items at no charge. After quick examination of my license, I was met with the reality that they probably hadn't yet received word of my triumphant domination of being the fastest mountain biker in all of Nevada. (yes Hodi... even you) I pulled out my other card (something emblazoned w/ the VISA logo) which seemed to have better results with our ability to keep our purchases... that and being allowed to leave the building.

This trend would continue throughout the day as we went on with the rest of our stops. At Trader Joes the denial of any kind of discount, freebie or "atta boy" recognition was quickly shot down. The lady at Whole Foods was somewhat nicer and actually humored me with a closed eye look up at the ceiling as if to search her memory trying to remember if such an in-store promotion actually existed. By the time we got to the gas station my expectations of a discount for being the fastest mountian biker in all of Nevada were low. Nonetheless, I made sure I got in the row of gas pumps closest to the building thinking that since I was driving the title sponsoring van (Mighty Mobile Bike Repair) it may be enough to invoke some sort of "above and beyond" service from the folks at the AM-PM. Still... nothing. Nobody came out to pump our gas, wash the windshield, check the oil... nothing. I paid full retail for my fuel and headed for the highway in a westward direction back towards Truckee.

I had plenty of time to reflect back on my day in Nevada while on highway 80 westbound.... in the construction zone.... traffic totally stopped.... with perishable groceries in the back. Yep.... welcome to Nevada.

The Slow Season

2010-09-08T06:41:00.000-07:00

With the days of summer ticking away things at Might Mobile are starting to slow down a little bit. This is really no surprise and no big deal. In previous years, I've taken the "slow season" in stride and is usually a time to simply...

RIDE

BIKE.

It's not like I don't have stuff going on, but when the only job on the books is installing a new shifter cable one needs to find a way to occupy his time.

Yesterday morning was chock full; placing orders, driving around doing errands, paying some bills and fixing some shifting issues for my first/only job of the day. I was back at HQ right around lunch time. Now what? I reflected back to a day while skiing with Aaron and he was telling me about replacing the belts on his snowblower. "There's belts in there?" Owning a Honda snowblower, I just figured that as long as I kept gas in the thing, it would probably outlive me by at least 20 years. So, after some lunch I rolled up my sleeves (which was really odd since I was wearing a short sleeved T-shirt) and got to work on doing some snowblower maintenance.

First thing's first: After sitting under a tarp for more than 5 months I turned the key, pushed in the clutch lever and pulled the starter rope... one time. That's all it took to turn over the engine now purring like a kitten in my driveway. I'd say this is amazing, but really it's not. After a minute or so, I shut it off and started draining the oil. While this was going on, I brushed off some spiderwebs and did a visual inspection. "Hmm, it's still red and most of the bolts are still screwed in"... seems good. Now, how about those belts?

In the front of the unit, there's a red plastic cover which I assumed housed the belts. After removing 4 bolts, my assumptions were proved correct and the belts were exposed. WOW! Man I'm glad I had a look in there. They DEFINITELY need replaced.

This is where things got interesting. There are two belts inside. One that makes the thing go back and forth and another that engages the auger. The area where the belts and pulleys live is somewhat confined. There are also miscellaneous springs, belt guards, lever arms and other Honda gadgetry in there all taking up precious space. The confines of this area took me back to a time when my Dad had a 1964 Mini Cooper with a magical way of making it IMPOSSIBLE to retrieve dropped bolts in the engine compartment... but that's another story. The odd thing going on here is that it looked like removing the belts would require the removal of some of the afore mentioned pieces. It started innocently enough. I removed a part here and a part there getting closer, but still not enough to remove the belts. Before I knew it, I had something that looked like this.....

Yea. No shit! As bummed as I was/am about the depths that I'm going through to get the belts swapped out, I'm glad (glad to at least the 5th power!) that I'm not doing this in the middle of a snow storm while missing out on a ski day. I guess it's sort of a blessing. I also found a bearing in there that was sure to fail on me this winter as well that would've caused some other sort of hand freezing, wrench loosing, loud cussing sort of scene in the middle of my driveway one winter day. Good for the blog... bad for neighbor relations.

Sooo, it's off to the snowblower shop... again. Let's see what happens this time.

some dayz...

2010-09-02T18:39:00.000-07:00

As much as working on the road in the Mighty Van has it's perks, privlidges and plusses, I do miss the shop environment from time to time. Some dayz, ya just need a laugh.

macanicframa from wolfgang on Vimeo.

sonomas

2010-08-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

Ahhh. Lake Sonoma.
My buddy Ryan told me this would be a good one... and the race at Sonomas delivered. The course kinda reminded me of riding in Auburn and Santa Cruz. A bit more climbing in the beginning, but some fun "roller coaster" style trail in the later stages. I would've liked some more rocks... but then again, I'll probably always say that about a race course.

My strategy of keeping my heart rate below 160 was immediately thrown into a tailspin. I was running closer to 170 just to stay in the main pack going up the start road.... and we were still behind the pace car! Things would get even more desperate once the pace car pulled over and the promoter yelled GO!! I changed my plan of attack to not attack and just try to keep the leaders in sight and stay in the front group being pulled along by some guy named Levi. I could see the first few swithcbacks of singletrack as the course turned right off the pave' and I started counting back to my place in a long line of riders filing into the singletrack.... I was sitting in 23rd. Ideally I would've been up a bit further in the pack, but what's done is done and now it's time to try and settle into a pace that I think I can sustain for the next 3.5hrs.

Over the next hour I'd pass 10 riders putting me in the lucky #13th position. It would take me two more hours to catch the next three riders. Once the course started its way along the south shore of the lake, the longer climbs were over with and all that remained were many, many, many short, steep, punchy climbs. Very east coasty... if you will. I tried to stay in bigger gears and talk my legs into the theory of "the faster you climb this, the sooner you'll be able to take another break" .

In the end, I'd come across the line 10th. Some guy named Levi managed to win the thing giving me a 20 minute beating in the process. Meh. Could've been worse.
I was ridin' good. Couldn't have done much better. I'm probably kinda glad I didn't pre-ride any of the course. I wouldn't have remembered enough to make any sort of discernible difference in the outcome of things. Sure, I got into a few corners a bit too hot, but I'll bet everyone else did as well.

I got to thinking. I was talking to some guy named Levi afterwards and he was saying his bike weighed 22lbs. Hmm. Lets see. My bike weighs27 lbs. That's a difference of 5 lbs (or a 22.73% weight difference). Some guy named Levi beat me by 20 minutes in a 3ish hour race. That's a difference of roughly 10.7%. I think the writing is on the wall here kids. Do the math. If my bike would've been 2.5lbs lighter, I would've been sprinting for the line with some guy named Levi. If my bike was 5lbs lighter I would've crushed the guy!! I might have just missed my 15 minutes of fame by a mere 2.5lbs! Meh. Or I still would've got 10th. Who knows.

But hey, I didn't go down there by myself. I had some great company. First off, meet Sako (in the gray shirt). Sako had a great race. He even won a sprint to the end of the parking lot with a guy that was in his class (guy in the red shirt). Too bad for Sako, the official finish line was 30 meters further into the grass of the park. No worries Sako, there's only 364 more days until next year to try again.

Then there's Daryn, (aka D-Man) my co-pilot for this trip. It took me all week to talk D-Man into coming to this race. In typical fashion he registered the night before the race, hadn't ridden in weeks, showed up confused with two bikes at my house and crashed in a creek during the race drawing blood from most of his appendages, but hey... a hundred bucks for 3rd place isn't too shabby.

Last but not least, mad props to the promoter (in the red beside some guy named Levi). As well, mad props to some guy named Levi who donated all of his winnings ($750.00) to the Lake Sonoma Trails foundation. I've already marked the race on the calendar for next year.

temp trail closures

2010-08-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

I received an email the other day about some temporary trail closures in our area. I guess the woods are getting a "make over" in the Sawtooth ridge area. The following is quoted from the email I received.

"wanted to give you a heads up about some temporary trail closures. During the month of September Bill Banka (our forester) will have crews doing fire hazard reduction work in the areas of the 2 Bridges and 2 Beavers and a Bear trails. Who named those anyways? Nice trail signs by the way, I don't get out there too often. The plan is to not disturb the trail too much but it is likely that there will be some timber across them from time to time. I thought I would give you a heads up and ask for any help you can provide getting the word out to the xc community. The closure signs were put in place today and two beavers was poached within 5 minutes. I wasn't surprised."

Otherwise, I had an interesting time the other morning while riding the nature trail in Tahoe Donner where I managed to tear a hole in the sidewall of my rear tire. Before I rolled to a stop, I remembered that my pump was taped to the top of my cross bike.... miles away from where I was at the moment. Meh. After a nice walk in my super comfortable cycling shoes (I'm kidding here people) I made it out to the rec center and happened across 3 lads gearing up for an epic ride and borrowed their floor pump. Thanx guys! Hope you found the connector to Hole in The Ground ok.

Other-otherwise, If you see this guy anywhere in you travels.....

..... ask him if he's registered for the race yet? Remind him of how much fun he had at that race (sswc05) and how much fun this race will be.

geez....

2010-08-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

So much going on right now. It seems like only a few weeks ago that Downieville happened, but upon looking at a calendar the reality is that it's been a while. As the days come and go summer moves forward like a freight train coming off Donner Summit with a full load and an engineer that has a cavalier attitude coupled with a hatred for the brake pedal (which I'm only guessing that in a train it's more than just a pedal... probably a big lever or something).

Things at Might Mobile are good. Although I still find myself hunched over in the back of the van doing projects that have nothing to do with bikes, my program gets a little more streamlined with each and every hole drilled, hook put up, this put over here, that put over there....it's a labor of love i guess.... or madness??

Work isn't the only thing I've been doing. I've been gettin' after it on the bike. Ridin' like crazy. Doin' some racin' too. Don't know what got into me this year, but I've had the desire to plunk my hard earned $$ on the registration table, zip tie a number plate on the front of my bike and go like hell at the sound of the gun. It's been working out pretty good too. With one more race to go at the Northstar XC series, I'm pretty sure I've got the points to win the overall. I'm also winning the points battle in the Nevada State Championship series with one more round to go. I heard that if you win the series, you're rewarded with a fanny pack, some cigarettes and a stack of poker chips! Can't wait. Later this week, I'll be heading to Lake Sonoma to do battle on a course that's listed as having 8,000ft of climbing in 35 miles! I've seen the elevation profile for this race and it looks more like a readout from an EKG machine than something you should be riding a bicycle over. There are literally NO flat spots on the chart. Meh. I think I'll run some gears for this one.

Otherwise, I've got my dad in town this week. Ya know how cyclist always seem to know about the neat stuff on YouTube? Well, my Dad's a carpenter, so he knows about stuff like this. Interesting.

Also, I did this a while ago but will didn't go public with it until now. I scanned some older pics from way back when and put them up on my online photo gallery. Quite the blast from the past. I'll leave you with that for now.

Enjoy and keep the rubber side down.

hello

2010-08-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

I swear that I'm going to post some meaningful material. Soon. Really. Just hang in there.
In the meantime, check out this video. Make sure you have the sound on. It's in Italian, but still totally worth it.

This Friday!!

2010-07-27T19:29:00.001-07:00

Whadda ya doin' Friday evening? Put down that fingernail file and git-cherself out to the Truckee Regional Park this Friday night for some guaranteed good times.

Since I'm a bicycle industry insider type, I recieved the following email with allllll the beta from a top secrect source.

With Truckee being one of 14 stops along New Belgium’s nationwide summer tour, this unique event includes beers from New Belgium’s Lips of Faith portfolio which features some of their most creative and hard-to-find brews. Amateur film clips range from kayaking buddies navigating grizzlies and whales on a paddling trip from Alaska to Seattle, to an absurdist spaghetti western about a flat tire (and some beer). There are visual odes to people’s love affairs with their bikes, assorted comedy shorts, and thought-provoking environmental pieces. Food will also be available from local vendors. There is no admission fee to enter the event or view the films, just the cost of beer and food. All beer proceeds benefit the Truckee Trails Foundation!

Word on the street is that the Clips of Faith festivals in other cities this summer have been fantastic! Truckee is very fortunate to have New Belgium back in town for this great new event. Bring your friends and join us!!

Details:
When: Friday, July 30
Time: 7:30 - 10:30 p.m. (films begin at dark)
Where: Truckee River Regional Park: Chief Truckee Lawn
Other tips: Outside food is welcome, alcohol is not (leave that to New Belgium)
Bring low chairs or blankets – or lounge on the grass!

Sounds good to me. See you guys/gals there!

More Downieville

2010-07-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

Some links of interest from/about Downieville.

First: Mad props and many thanks to Greg from Downieville Outfitters for letting us crash at his house, use his kitchen and abuse his bathroom.

Here's a write up from a real writing professional from Dirt Rag... unlike the amateur stuff I try and put out.

With Ferrentino, you know you're going to get some "outside the box" thinking. This guy really needs to host the Single Speed Worlds some year.

Mad props to Truckee from Truckee.

And last, but not least: O-Ficial results from the race.

NO MORE!!

2010-07-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let ya'll know that I'm O-Ficially pulling the plug on Facebook as of 5 minutes ago. Sorry. I just wasn't using it to its fullest advantage... much like the elastic on the legs of Sakos' riding shorts.

Downieville, Day Two

2010-07-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

Day two at Downieville is the infamous downhill. People from all walks of life and every corner of the world come here to experience this ride. If you were to sit along the trail on a typical Sunday afternoon, you would see someone come along on an 8" travel downhill bike with its rider covered in crash pads from head to toe. A minute later, along would come a lycra clad xc type rider riding a hardtail. Funny thing is, both of these riders WILL be in their element at some point along the way.

Try as I might, the day doesn't stick in my mind like the xc did (previous post). At the finish, I don't remember hitting anything, but the blood oozing from my pinkie knuckle is sticking my glove to my left hand suggesting that I did indeed come into contact with something along the way. I'm tired, but not shattered. This is probably a sign that I'm not going to see a finish time quite as low as I'd like, but I'm glad to have made it down without flat tires, crashing or anything else that would have made the day a serious bummer.

I remember blowing out of a few corners on Sunrise trail early on while trying to find "my groove". I'd talk to myself quite a bit here with my legs, lungs and attitude all trying to negotiate a deal that would work out best for all parties involved. By the time I hit "the waterfall" section of the course I'd find myself riding and feeling pretty good. I was keeping in mind that I'd have to do battle once again with the climb out of Pauly Creek and that both sections of 1st Divide are more flat than descending. Then, there's the mile of pavement to the finish which would turn out to be waaayy easier with air in my front tire.

Was it fun? Yep. Did I ride well? Sure... but I can't help but think that my potential for a lower time is definitely within' my grasp. In closing, I'll just say that even though the price of registration is steep, the logistics of getting yourself around for two days of racing point to point is less than easy and racing guys like this and this makes vision of a podium blurry.... I'll definitely going back next year.

Downieville, Day One

2010-07-13T06:07:00.000-07:00

For those of you NOT in the know, The Downieville Classic is a two day stage race. XC the first day. Downhill the next. Lowest combined time wins and you've gotta use the same bike equipped the same way. They weigh your bike each day to confirm that you're playing by the rules.

The XC race is epic. 29 miles. Point to point. Always fun. Usually hot. Never easy. After a nice warm up on hwy 49 in Sierra City I pedaled into a mass of hundreds of people gathering at the start. I put all of my Squaw Valley lift line cutting skills to good use while working my way up to about the 15th row and awaited the start. Once we got "the gun", I shoved off and tried to stick to my plan of not "blowing it" in the first mile. At some point around the one hour mark, I'd reached the top and dove into the Sunrise trail (virgin trail for me) in a group of 5 other riders. After some fun twisty singletrack, there's another mile or so of fireroad then it's time to "get yer game on".

At this point, the race changes it's image dramatically. The next 17ish miles looses over 5,000ft of vertical with any trail condition imaginable. At the time, I had no idea where I was position wise but did know that the "baby heads" section was coming up and riding in a group of 5 unfamiliar riders would be dusty, dangerous and not that fun. Overtaking other riders would be next to impossible once we started pointing it downhill as the trail is fast and narrow. So, I did what any self respecting bike racer would do. I "pinned it". I clicked the shifter thingy on the right side of the bars, put my head down and gave it everything I had. And...by damned... it worked. I got a nice clear run into the baby heads and focused on riding clean lines and NOT FLATTING. The next couple of miles was/is kind of a blur. Trail, rocks, roots, water, fast, slow.... then you get to Pauley Creek. As is usual for me, Pauly Creek was a hike a bike through kneehigh snowmelt. I was caught right after crossing the creek on the steep pitch leaving the creek. I could tell by the guys bike that he'd ridden the creek AND the steep pitch... but he was paying the price. The next section of the course was a flattish two track and after getting the heart rate down (slightly) I was able to take a couple sodium capsules and drink some water. With both of us recovering at about the same rate, our speed steadily picked up. I knew the course got skinny and pointed slightly more downhill not too much further up the trail so I made the pass. Just as I started really letting it roll...."knock knock knock". Shit. The cramp monster. I tried to ease off slightly, let gravity take over and ride smooth lines mistake free while trying to forget about the cramp monster knocking at the door. The next couple miles of trail is soooo fun. Fast, swoopy and requiring only the occasionally burst of effort to maintain a high speed. Just the way I like it.

Enter, Pauley creek again. This time on the footbridge. You're 2/3rds done with the course at this point. I know this section well. After crossing the bridge, there's a 3/4 mile climb of a couple of hundred vertical feet. The trail is fairly easy, but it comes after many, many, many miles of downhilling without pedalling. If you're going to "blow up" this is where it's going to happen. I'd prepared for this. I crossed the bridge, yelled at a spectator in a chicken suit and drank the last remaining remnants of sun baked warm water from my bottle. 15 pedal strokes later "BANG, BANG, BANG". Again, the cramp monster's knocking. HARD! He's pissed. I "run for the door" but see that he's already inside. Ahh man! He's got his feet up on the coffee table, his shoes are dirty. He's getting chip crumbs all over the couch....shit! The inside of my thighs feels like someone has a dull fork jammed in them. I'm not off the bike, but I'm damn close. Then... then the inevitable happened. I'd get caught by four guys on this climb. I kept moving forward trying to limit the damage. Mark Weir would be the last guy to get by me and even my best attempts at swerving into him like a stumbling drunk (sorry Mark) did no justice to slow his pace. I crawled over the crest of 3rd divide and watched Mark coast away from me. Meh, at least I probably wouldn't have anybody in my way for the next bit of trail which points yet again downhill in a Star Wars Jedi type fashion.

I'd ride by myself until the end of upper First Divide where I'd be caught by my evil twin (Kenny Burt). He'd drag me all the way to the end of lower First Divide where I managed to hit THE LAST rock on the trail resulting in a front flat. Within' a mile of the finish in town, I'd ride it out but get passed yet again and almost take out a row of spectators on the outside of an off camber right hand corner close to the finish. For my efforts, I'd come across with a time of 2:04 and was sitting in 11th place.

Today was good. Tomorrow is the downhill.

Downieville

2010-07-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

I'm back.
Big weekend.
Big fun.
Need a day or two to get my head around the whole thing before jotting some words about "the experience".
But, before I just let you (all 4 of my loyal followers) go with a feeling of windless sails and another somewhat empty and pointless blog post, I'll leave you with a blast from the past website (link to follow). Well after all the racing was over on Sunday, some miscellaneous chit chat with another rider turned to bikes (as it often does) and the nature of the conversation leaned towards the "back in the day" era. After a weekend of racing with factory teams and a town full of bikes with a street value that would probably feed a nation of millions for weeks on end, it was neat to stumble across this web site while looking for results for Downieville. Now, I never had any of this stuff, but I'd see it at the races every weekend and longed for the day I'd either have enough money to afford it or be fast enough to get it for free in the form of sponsorship. If you rode "back in the day" you'll probably get a kick out of the link. If you didn't, you'll probably stumble across something like this bike some 20 years from now and remember how awesome carbon was "back then" but how even your current townie has better/lighter parts on it now.

Oh Boy...

2010-07-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

As if things weren't busy enough, the fork on my bike decided to "shit the bed" during the final lap of the race at Northstar the other night leaving me with absolutely NO rebound or compression. As my fork "clunked" its way towards the finish line, I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in there and why it happened now.... one week from Downieville.... with little to no "free time" before heading down to the race.

Embarking on an intricate job (which this would be) that you've never done before is kinda like a box of chocolates. For this job, I kinda understand what's going on in there. The new F.I.T cartridges in Fox forx remind me of Showa forks that used to come on Honda CR125's and 250's. When I was doing Race Tech stuff with motos years ago I'd re-built a handfull of these. Their a "bladder style" damper cartridge that houses all the oil, valves, valve shims, port holes, needle valves and countless super tiny o-rings.

I was a bit anxious to figure out what happened in there. Was it a failed o-ring that I'd have on hand, or some "unobtanium wonder part" that Fox would be out of stock on? The first of these options would have me back together in time for the 6 pak super D later that same night, but the latter would force me to "step up" and race the one speed for Downieville.

I gave the fox site a look to familiarize myself with the "lay of the land", grabbed some tools and dove in. I had theories ranging from something as simple as a bad seal to my "outside the box theory" with a more scientific approach like reduced vapor pressure and low humidity coupled with magnetic variance and gravitational attraction. A half hour later, I'd realize that the top cap had come loose from the bladder shaft. I figured that since I rode the last lap at Northstar with no oil in my fork, I'd better have a look deeper inside. An hour later, my fork looked like this.I figured out that it doesn't take a whole lot of time on the trail to ruin the bladder seal when the fork is out of oil. Then, I ran out of time. My 10:00 appointment for a wheel that needed a spoke and a bike that needed a tune was rapidly approaching. I hopped in the van and headed out for a day of work.

During my day I found a replacement bladder from The Backcountry (LBS) while having lunch at one of my favorite spots in Truckee. Once back at Mighty Mobile headquarters, I continued re-building the damper assembly. Slowly but surely, things went back together. It took eight times longer that it will the next time (a common situation with a first time repair such as this). Bleeding the cartridge is a multi-step and time consuming process. Even the directions from Fox say "take a break.... up to 30 minutes.... air bubbles... blah blah blah".... ok, maybe I'm making up the blah blah blah part, but it's still time consuming.

So, the next step will be to get the cartridge back in the fork and put a few miles on it before heading to Downieville for a weekend of pain and suffering. Coincidentally, I was just on the Downieville Classic site and have learned that they have 15 spots open for the All Mountain Pro Class. These spots won't last long seeing as the race sold out in 15 seconds when they first opened registration.

OMG

2010-06-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

Going big.

this week

2010-06-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

This week at Mighty Mobile is seeing a surge of bikes that have had their first rides of the summer with the rider realizing that the bike really isn't ready for a full season of "gettin' after it". As is typical for this time of year, I've been doing quite a few brake bleeds as well as shifter cable & housing replacements to keep things working the way they were intended to.

I've also been dealing with all kinds of shipping snafu's. First we have the bearing & pivot kit that I've ordered over a week ago. Customer still waiting. Fortunately, his bike is still rideable, it's just that you can hear his bike creaking and squeaking from waaayyy down the trail. I won't name names here, I'll just say that the area where the said bike company resides is within' a days drive from me and near the beach. The surfing must be going off right now. Siiiiicck.

Then, there's the rim that I needed (still need actually). It's a silver Mavic. It needs to be a silver Mavic. The job entails repairing some crash damage and I'm trying to match the front rim as best as possible (A.B.A.P.) and a silver rim would really tie things together. I ordered the rim last week and it arrived yesterday. The box looked a little battered. Upon opening said box I found......

..... this! This won't do. The old/crashed rim has its issues, but it's not THIS bad. WTF!!! I wonder if the guys at UPS remember this add from a while back while their handling packages?

So, I guess I should peel myself from the computer and get back to work.

Hope this finds everyone well.... if anyone is still out there.

a day in the life

2010-06-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

Life's been good, but also very busy.

Round two of the Nevada State Championship series went quite well. I don't think I was the fastest guy there, but I did prove to have more luck at keeping the air in my tires than Scott Leland (round 1 winner). This being the case, I managed to come across the line in the #1 spot... much to my surprise at awards. I was sure I got second... meh... I'll take it.

Now that spring has FINALLY sprung (I hope) people are getting bikes out of storage in a hurry. My schedule has been a fairly constant 4-6 days out, so if your bike's in need of some love, don't wait to long to call.

With all that's going on, I've still managed to cram in some time to do a couple more projects inside the van. The past three or so days I've had saws, shop vacs, drills and everything else that's really noisy running at "full throttle". Sorry if I missed a few calls. Even with my ringer on the highest of highs, it's no match up against the skill saw. Hopefully my back holds out for a few more days while the finishing touches get put on the prejects at hand.

Hopefully this finds everyone well. Trails are opening up faster than you can imagine. Get out there and ride people!!!

2010-05-26T07:44:00.000-07:00

In all my spewing of racing oriented stuff the other day, I forgot to put in a link of some epic photos from stage 7 of the Giro. Click on Cadel Evans (below) to see the whole set. The photos are rather large, so give it a minute to load.

On the mountain bike front, I had a precious time slot to do a little exploratory trail mission yesterday. I was quickly denied while trying to ride some favorites in Tahoe Donner fully meeting my low expectations of what I'd find. So, I road across town and did a loop on the 06 trails (aka sawtooth ridge). Good dirt. I was off the bike a couple of times for snow, but otherwise had good luck.

goin's on's

2010-05-25T06:51:00.000-07:00

Although cable television seems to be "the norm" at most folks house, we have no such thing here at Mighty Mobile world headquarters. Gotta say, life's been pretty damn good without it. I hope that when I die, there's no time table chart showing all the time I've wasted sitting through commercials during my life while watching programming that probably wasn't that interesting to begin with. I'm also happy to report that I'm much more happy NOT watching the news on a daily basis. Good grief. How depressing. Oil spills, corrupt business, failing government, skyrocketing unemployment rates.... how much bad news does a person need. How much bad news can a person handle!!

TV was also a fairly big letdown when it came to watching anything cycling related. Sure, you can watch the Tour Dey France five times per day while it's going on, but coverage for anything else is a crap shoot. Cycling can and will get cut short for ANYTHING else that the might be on the agenda for the networks. I can tell you from years of watching (or trying to watch) motocross coverage on tv that you just can't get worked up when shit like that happens. The program listing says there's motocross on from 4:00 to 5:00 and there will be guys airing 85ft gap jumps, banging bars while fighting for position, and otherwise going WFO for a half and hour plus two laps. But in reality, you might be watching live coverage from a nascar race that is running late... during a rain delay, with cars sitting under tarps as the cameras pan between people under umbrellas and shots of raindrops landing on the racing surface. That's ALMOST as much fun as watching paint dry. Friggin' ridiculous.

So, I turned to the interweb to satisfy my cycling needs. I've found some interesting things while surfing around. I found this site that gives a nice quick recap of various races throughout the world of cycling. It's my "go-to" when I'm short on time (this seems to be most of the time, even without wasting my time watching commercials on regular tv) either in the morning before heading out in the big white van to fix bikes or in the evening while kicking back with a fine beverage to end my day.

If I've got time in the morning, I'll go straight to live coverage of whatever might be happening at the moment. Lately, it's been the Giro. This race is epic. It ranks up there with the Tour Dey France, but doesn't seem to acquire the attention that the Frenchy race gets. In any event, go here if you've got time to kill and want to try and catch some live racing. This site is a little hit or miss. I've mostly had good luck finding coverage with English announcers, but have had days of watching the race while listening to two guys spewing some Italian language... which I guess is quite fitting since the race IS in Europe.

Round #1

2010-05-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

Raced yesterday.

Suffered.
Didn't expect anything less.
Round one of the Nevada State Championship series was in Gardnerville yesterday. As the guys to my right talk about their results at Sea Otter and the riders behind discuss training with power meters, I realized I'm in for one heck of a day.

Lap one: Suffer. Chest strap of heart rate monitor immediately slips down to my waist. Suffer some more. Hoping the pace mellows slightly. One hike-a-bike. Realize I can't hold the pace of the leaders and settle in 5th. Get caught. Get passed. Hop on! Still 5th. Following a local. Power course. Lots of big ring climbs. Fast and flowing high desert moto trail in the middle and end of the course. Trying to limit mistakes. My leadout guy blows a tire just before finishing lap one. I'm sitting 4th.. all alone.

Lap two: Laps start with a ripping descent. Then... then you pay. Three steep climbs with the last one having everyone off their bikes. I can see the lead three ahead on the third climb as I top out on the second. Their nearing to top of the hike-a-bike about 2 minutes out. Try as I might, all the teeth gritting, groaning, and digging deep I have in me ins't enough to bridge the gap over the next 10-15 minutes.
"Knock knock knock."
"Who is it?"
"It's the cramp monster."
"Oh, ok. I'll slow down now"
Back off the pace slightly. Force gel packs. Force water. Start "givin' er" again as the course tops out and starts descending. Try and hold momentum. Try and limit mistakes. Breath deep. Starting to struggle with staying in the big ring on the small climbs towards the end of the course. As elated as I was to see Summer with my spare water bottle nearing the end of the second lap, my good feelings were immediately crushed after looking back to see that I'm being caught by Monte running in 5th.

Lap 3: My strategy of riding the first descent like I'm on turrets works like a charm and I keep Monte behind me for another minute or so. I'm able to keep him slightly honest until the hike-a-bike.
"Knock knock knock."
"Oh... sorry."
"This is your last warning!"
Slumming the last lap. My drivetrain sounds bad. We've lost the sun and I've seen a few snow flurries. My hands... damn cold. All I can think about is food. Wish I had some. I roll across the line 5th. Cold, tired, achy.

Fortunately there was food after the race and two cheeseburgers hooked a brother up. This would ultimately lead to a nice "food coma" about a third of the way home on the drive necessitating a short nap a short distance off the highway. All in all... good fun.

Next race: June 6th. Let's hope it turns into summer by then.

Newz

2010-04-10T06:49:00.001-07:00

Operations at Mighty Mobile continue apace... when the weather cooperates that is. I've been spending almost every sun shining minute getting caught up on repairs that were called in just before the last snow storm moved in a week ago. If you called for repair and I put you on "the list", don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you. If you're in need of repair, call now and get some time reserved for your "rig" so it's ready to go when the weather finally clears up.
I've been pushing the "envelope" of the vans ability to travel snowy roadways and let me tell you... it's been a bit "dodgy" at times. Even the slightest bit of snow on the roads pushes the envelope of traction on the Mighty Mobile van.

Parts orders have been arriving daily and I'm well stocked to get your bike ready to roll for the season.

Mountain bike tires from WTB, Michelin, Schwalbe, Kenda and more in stock now. Size ranges from 2.1 through 2.5 to perfectly match your riding style.
Road tires from Michelin and Maxxis
Almost every conceivable drivetrain component. XTR specific (102mm) chainrings in stock. TomiCogs in stock in popular sizes for your single speed.
Brake parts! I ordered an incredibly crazy amount of brake pads this spring. I'm stocking both metal & organic (soft compound) pads for most popular brake systems. The brake parts bins are also stuffed with rotors, piston kits, master cylinder kits and replacement brake lines.
Crud catchers (fenders). Lots of crud catchers. For $12.00 NOBODY should be without one of these babies going into the spring riding season.
Fox fork and shock service parts also abound. Seals, oil, d.u. bushings, air piston seals.... the list goes on and the bins are full. Got a leak? Mighty Mobile's got a fix.
DuMonde Tech lubes in all sizes to keep your chain running smooth and quiet.

Until next time, keep the rubber side down and the chamois butter handy because the 2010 riding season in upon us.

wurdz

2010-04-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

"I love Paris-Roubaix because of the cobbles.

I hate Paris-Roubaix because of the cobbles."

Tom Boonen

Game on!

2010-03-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

January 11th. I remember January 11th. We did a stoopid ride ride that fine day. The kind of ride that reminds you that you don't know the ALL the trails and gravity is, and always will be, king. The temperatures were unseasonably warm as I remember. Apres' ride hanging out, telling stories and talking shit that evening was quite nice as the sun set and bikes lay strewn about along a deserted fire road just outside of Nevada City. As the talk turned from bikes to burritos, we loaded up and headed towards home. I drove the Mighty Mobile van that day. With snow already on the ground in Truckee bike jobs were few and far between. The extended range forecast called for more snow and with it, bike work was surely going to get put "backseat" to waxing skis and making sure things were G.T.G (that's Good To Go) when it finally started dumping. Remembering how worthless the van is in the snow I pulled into the lower driveway that night, got all my gear out and went to sleep.

The weather people knew what they were talking about. When I got up the next morning, snow was already falling. I worked the next three days at the ski shop and I'm pretty sure it snowed almost the entire time. When I was done with my "week" of work, I skied all I could until I had to go back to tuning skis again days later. This seemed to turn into a cycle of "work, ski, repeat" for many many... many weeks. Winter took a little while to arrive in Tahoe this year, but man oh man were things "ON" now. TIME TO SKI!!!

Fast forward to three days ago. Although I haven't put the skis or snow shovels away juuuusst quite yet the sun is out and spring is in the air. With warmer temps and lack of daily fresh snow, the ebb of skis gives way to the flow of bikes and the phones at Mighty Mobile start to ring once again. This makes me happy... and scared. There's a four foot berm at the bottom of the lower parking area and a sea of snow between it and the van. After a few arduous sessions of shoveling, snow blowing, scraping and otherwise unearthing the van; it's finally free.

Next comes some prep work for my "rolling bike shop". Cleaning up the van is kinda like a time machine and in some ways akin to cleaning up after a house party. In place of spilled beer on the floor, there's oil stains on the matting from where the drain pan fell over while rebuilding that fork last fall. Instead of bottle caps, pizza crust and empty beer cans surrounding an overflowing trash can, I find a single brake pad, a stripped our rotor bolt and various scraps of cable and housing. Where you'd normally find chips in the cushions of the sofa I found... CHIPS actually... crushed up in the drivers seat! And on it goes. I spend a day cleaning things up and doing some miscellaneous projects that got put off last fall. I reload the compressor, tools and other miscellaneous items that were pulled from the van over the winter to do various jobs and tasks. Next it's some stocking of parts that have come in orders placed throughout the winter. After a long day I step back, take a deep breath, stretch out my back and know that Mighty Mobile is ready to tackle another summer.

Hope this finds ya'll well.

The Great Ski Race

2010-03-08T07:31:00.000-08:00

This week started off with The Great Ski Race (aka the "Tahoe Olympics"). Me and 1060 of my closest friends on a point to point course stretching 30 kilometers with 1,600ft of climbing. I did this race with only 4 days off skate skiing under my legs this year and as a result I really felt like vomiting for the first 10k of the race which just happens to head in the ever popular, yet oh so demoralizing, uphill direction. My situation actually improved once the course stopped climbing and leveled out a bit. As the Jimi Hendrix came through the headphones I was really starting to think that my day was turning around, my form was getting better and my breakfast had finally worked itself into a spot that didn't want to see the light of day again. Unfortunately, that feeling only lasted for a short time as the reality set in that I'm NOT a ski racer and if I was going to finish this race without totally blowing up and crying for my mommy, I'd better back down the pace and just except the fact that I was going to get passed by other skiers.... and plenty of them. In the end, I managed to cross the finish line with a respectable time, albeit while sliding on my back after crashing at a high rate of speed on the final descent. I still suck at descending on the skinny skis.

The scene in front of me at the start...

...and behind.

Kona Unit 19" For Sale

2010-03-04T06:45:00.000-08:00

2003 19" Kona unit SS Frame
New Kona Project 2 fork
New Kona bar, stem, post
XT Cranks and BB - 32T
17T freewheel
Rear Wheel: Pauls hub w/ WTB Laser Beam
Front Wheel: XTR hun w/ WTB Laser Beam
XTR V-Brakes and LeversSyncross FLT 2.2 Tires
$500.00
email w/ questions

Got a used bike for sale??? Email me w/ pictures and a discription I can copy/paste. Let's make some room in your garage!!

More Downieville

2010-02-23T09:32:00.000-08:00

Still not sure if I'll try and re-sign up for the Downieville Classic.

Last Fridays' sillyness of spending an hour in front of my computer only to get shot down while trying to spend $190.00 as fast as possible still has left a nasty aftertaste. (even after trying to wash it out with beer) And for what?? As if my chances of getting into this thing weren't hard enough, it's trumped by the fact that it would endeed be the "ultimate sufferfest" resulting in a snot encrusted top tube, white salt soaked helmet straps and some seriously dirty socks.

Still though.... could be fun.

neat

2010-02-22T19:44:00.000-08:00

This kid's got way too much time on his hands.

ridiculous

2010-02-20T06:37:00.000-08:00

If you were one of the countless riders (like me) swearing at your computer and cursing Yuba Expeditions while feverishly trying to guess a creative passcode while trying to register for the Downieville Classic last night... you're not alone. The "recent review" thread on the registration site was hilarious though. I'm guessing that Greg Williams (event promoter) had a bit of an uneasy sleep last night after a shit storm of online bickering, threats and other silliness took place immediately after registration opened.

The scenario went like this: While attempting to register online for the race you were prompted for a "passcode". Funny thing was (not really funny, more metaphorically funny), no passcode existed to the public. At about 8:05 a thread was posted in the "recent review" section of the registration site that the passcode was "trailstewerdship". I (along with 1,000's of other riders) typed in the passcode on my form and clicked the submit button. The system was so jammed up that orders weren't going through and by the time I refreshed the page, everything was sold out.... just like last year.

Sooooo, I read this morning that the event promoter is claiming last nights mayhem was a mistake and registration will officially take place NEXT Friday night instead. Meh. Honestly, the prestige and overall feel of the race has a funny feel.... and smell... kinda like ?????

Remember...

2010-02-18T21:09:00.000-08:00

..... registration for the Downieville Classic is TOMORROW, Friday the 19th @ 8:00PM sharp.
Registration is through active.com I'd have your account all set up with those guys if you're at all serious about getting into the all mountain class.
Even website here.
Active dot com here.
Good luck.

Mighty Life

2010-02-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

Life at Mighty Mobile continues apace. The snow I've been skiing the past week has once again made the doors to my service van inaccessible requiring me to do some shoveling. Never know when I'll need parts.

Also got a good head start on my taxes. Blah. This is always a time of love/hate. Mostly hate. In one way it's neat to see what I've done with my money throughout the summer. And in another way, it's scary to see what I've done with my money throughout the summer.

Also dedicated today to check in a couple of orders that arrived last week. All the parts for a Blur LTC build and some misc Campy parts from Sinclair to finally get that lever rebuilt.

Made a few calls and rolled right into the Campy lever rebuild. Got somewhat concerned when I realized that this diagram.....

.... looked nothing like the internals on this lever.... apart... on my bench.

I put the diagram to better uses (a coaster for my coffee cup) and carefully disassembled the shifter cleaning and inspecting all the amazement that is Campy. Seriously. This stuff's cool. A company that continues to actually makes parts serviceable even in today's "planed obsolescence" business mindset. It's amazing to see EXACTLY what happens inside a shift lever. While you're "sprinting for that county sign", there are these....
..... these two little springs.

These two little springs keep a ratchet wheel from turning backward as a result of tension from the shifter cable. The ratchet wheel dictates the tension of the derailleur cable thusly keeping the derailleur aligned perfectly with the cogs. After a bajillion or so shifts with the lever, the springs will eventually break (like the one above) because of being bent a bajillion or so times. One spring does a marginal job keeping the derailleur aligned but can allow the ratchet wheel to slip backward allowing the chain to drop down a cog. This can really suck when your counting on things staying together while doing the aforementioned activities on your bike.

Wow. Quite the outline.

Tune in next time for pfun with pfones... the real life story of the Motorola I80s and Y I h8 txtng.

wurdz

2010-02-01T08:58:00.000-08:00

"...and it took me back to somethin'

that I lost somewhere

somehow along the way..."

Johnny Cash

Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down

Racing Bikes

2010-01-26T07:28:00.000-08:00

What is it about racing bikes that is so addictive. If you were to ask me about racing while suffering up some hateful climb in the middle of a hot sunny day, I'd likely say that it was my last time undertaking such stupidity. Why not. With sweat stinging my eyes, my ass being ground thinner by the minute and my legs feeling like a mega cramp fest is juuuuuussst around the corner it's hard to keep the pedals turning. Hungary? You bet... but you don't have time to eat. That guy just up ahead is probably in your class! Thirsty? Sure... but bouncing down rocky trails on a single speed, blurry eyed on the edge of crashing (and pinch flatting) makes it difficult for one to grasp that bottle on your downtube containing the very liquid you need to survive. I should add that the liquid you're craving is going to be hot from baking in the sun on the a fore mentioned climb and the valve on your bottle, on which you'll be putting your sun caked lips, is covered in.... well.... let's just hope it's only dirt.

Fortunately, there is another side to racing. There are those times when "you're on" and things are going your way. The climb... yea, it was sunny, but that gallon on water you chugged on the way to the race payed off. Hungary? Sure. Good thing you took a few extra seconds to force down a gel pack on that last section of fire road. Thirsty? Yep. And I'm drinking too. Every chance I get helping me stay hydrated and lightening my bike with every sip. It also helps if you're lucky enough to be catching other riders while racing....keeps you're head in the game.

Sooooo, where am I going with all of this since there's 5 feet of snow in my yard and I haven't touched a bike in weeks?????

Ladies first. Let's get all of our collective energy together and focus it towards our local hero Katerina Nash as she prepares for the Cyclocross Worlds in the Czech Republic. Good luck Katerina. Give 'em hell girl!!

Secondly: Start training your pointer finger for ultra fast mouse clicking as registration for the Downieville classic opens Feb 19th at 8:00PM... sharp. This race sells out faster than your favorite line disappears at Squaw Valley on a powder day. Seriously, you've probably got about 10 seconds to do some serious double clicking to secure yourself a starting position for this race. Friggin' ridiculous. I'm doing some pointer finger exercises right after this post so I'm prepared.

Last but not least is The Great Ski Race. Some call it the "Tahoe Olympics". It's a little akin to Single Speed Worlds in that you line up with about 1,000 skiers and see everything from the seasoned pro that's going to beat you by a long shot to... well... this guy.... who may also beat you. In any case, it's a great race (it even says so in the name) w/ a good vibe, great course and free beer at the finish. The race benefits Tahoe Search and Rescue as a little "icing on the cake".

So, common'! Grab some lycra and powerbars and get you suffer on!!

West Shore Pillows

2010-01-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, the skiing's been quite good recently.

Doug from Salem Oregon tests one of the many pillow lines on the west shore.

El Nino 2010

2010-01-24T06:31:00.001-08:00

Digging out the van last night was fun.

Skiing 4ft of winters' offerings is great....

..... but digging out after such a storm is a different story.

yesterdays ride...

2010-01-12T21:07:00.000-08:00

...was great! If spending most of your ride descending steep, fast trails that dead end miles down and 1,500 vertical feet deep in a lonely river canyon sounds like a good idea, then you missed a good one yesterday. Forget the fact that the trails don't exist on your map. (or maps in our case) Forget the fact the you've spent the last 10 fall, winter and spring seasons riding down there and have never ever come across other trails that head in the direction you're about to. Forget that you're about to drag 5 innocent friends into this descent of possible doom and uncertainty.

It's always amazing to me how fast a bicycle will descend a fire road. Even the most beginning of beginners or the Junest of Junebugs can descend a fire road at a blistering pace. Pointing a bicycle downhill and "lettin 'er run" on an unknown trail is a commitment that each rider faces in his/her cycling career. Sometimes you're rewarded with new found trails but more times than not, you're forced into turning around, putting your tail between your legs and pedaling back out. The bicycle itself is ignorant to the fact that the trail may come to an abrupt and disheartening DEAD END at the bottom of a long steep hill. The bike doesn't care that you parked 15 miles away from this trail you decided to explore.... late in the day.... after you've eaten most of your food... drank most of your water.... and already used up a large portion of your energy.

Yea... yesterday's ride was great.

wurdz

2010-01-09T06:43:00.000-08:00

"well, it's kinda hard to
bet against James [Stewart]"

Daron Rahlves when asked who he thought would
win the opening round of the AMA Supercross

Ed note: The first round of Supercross starts tonight (Sat Jan 9th) and
will be shown live on the Speed TV Network

Trails report

2010-01-06T07:49:00.000-08:00

Man this place (Truckee) is soooo friggin' cool. Skied Squaw Monday. Conditions were a solid "meh". Good enough to stay for most of the day, but not good enough to go back the next.

So, we loaded up some bikes and headed down to the foothills for some mountainbiking. Within' 10 minutes from the car everyone was down to shorts and t-shirts. Not only were the temperatures perfect for riding, the trail condtions were also quite nice. Very little mud. No trees down on the pioneer and only a couple trees down on the "secondary trails" off the Pioneer.

The Pioneer trail was pretty much snow free all the way to Whitecloud Campground. I'm guessing you could get another mile or so above that before things start to "fall apart".

We experimented with some new trails behind the Harmony Ridge Market that proved to be soooo not interesting. Enticing single track the quickly terminated into service roads. We soldiered on in hopes that some more single track would pick back up... but it wasn't happening.

We "topped out" just beyond Whitecloud Campground on the Pioneer trail where we were going to try yet another trail I found last year. All four of us stood at the top of said trail wondering if it went anywhere. If it did, where would it go. And lastly, how bad would the "suck factor" be if we had to come back out (it's more than a little steep). After checking the time and realizing our energy level (or lack thereof) we decided that the smart thing to do was to park closer than 15 miles from this trail to try again.

Wow, are we getting smart... or soft?

well...

2010-01-04T07:58:00.000-08:00

....that was interesting.

It's no surprise that the backcountry at Mt Rose looked like a ski area. With most of the locals passes "blacked out" for the Christmas holiday and the last storm cycle ending with rain that went above the 7000ft elevation mark Mt Rose was an obvious target for any skier looking for winter snow. As of yesterday, the snow was still holding up OK, but anything semi-easy to get to is pretty skied out. It was still good enough for three runs off Fireplug.

Maybe Squaw today. Definitely won't be expecting any magic for snow quality but with a pair of freshly tuned skis, a new random mix on the Ipod and some really nice headphones it should satisfy the craving of getting out for some fresh air and making some turns.

whew....

2010-01-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

...it's finally over. My mega work endurance marathon has officially come to a close and it's time to get "ten", "O-ten", "twenty ten", "two thousand ten" (or whatever you're gonna call it) under way.

"What am I gonna do?" Hell if I know.

But it's gonna start with skiing.

Right ding dang NOW!

Many Thanks

2009-12-29T06:44:00.000-08:00

As 2010 waits in the wings and 2009 gets ready to "ride some single track into the sunset", I realized that I really need to take a few minutes and give a big ole' THANK YOU to everyone that made Mighty Mobile a success this year.

I know you have choices when it comes to getting your bike fixed in Tahoe and for all of you that picked up the phone and dialed my number for help... I can't thank you enough.

Have a great winter Tahoe! See you in the spring.

Trails update

2009-12-21T07:48:00.000-08:00

Riding in and around the greater Nevada City area yesterday (Sunday Dec 20th) proved to work out quit well. It looks like you could ride all the way up to Whitecloud Campground but would probably encounter snow further up the trail.

We did a combo of trails starting from town and riding as high as Conservancy Camp Rd. Trial conditions actually proved to be quit good with no snow and very little mud even on north facing trails... until it starter to rain towards the end of our ride.

I would assume that South Yuba, Round Mountain and Bullards Bar trails are all GTG (Good To Go) if you're looking to fill a void in your riding.

dreams

2009-12-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

been dreaming lately. bikes mostly.

in the first one, it starts with me juuuust off the back of the lead group on day three of a multi day stage race. i don't know where we were, but safe to say that i was doing a fair deal of suffering trying to latch back on to the group. my success, or lack thereof, of catching the those guys was cut short by the scraping and whirring of the town of truckee's gigantic snow removal equipment eating away at the shoulder high snow bank that boarders our street in front of the house.

the next night would bring a new adventure. i'm traveling with a small group. ryan, tomi, buck.... all good friends, all good strong riders. we're nearing the end of day one of a two day epic. we ride various narrow footpaths and alley ways as we negotiate our way through a small village where our housing for the night awaits. where are we???... hell if i know, but it's neat. really neat. if i ever find this place... i'm moving! trying to explain this place wouldn't do it any justice. it's one of those "you have to see it" kind of places. we ride single track to within' inches of our accommodations for the night. it's a small bungalow style place surrounded by strategically placed shade trees sitting along a tiny creek that meanders through the town. we're glad to see that the fridge is stocked with some ice cold beers and waste no time celebrating the success of day one. i'm not sure how day two went. this dream ends with bikes and gear strewn about the deck and four dirty riders in lounge chairs with beers in our hands and smiles on our faces. much better than last nights suffer fest.

what's all this mean? got me, but i think that maybe i'll go riding today.

WURDZ

2009-12-11T07:46:00.000-08:00

"you can't fail

if you don't try"

steve-o

squaw valley

change of seasons

2009-12-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

I learned last week that my readership is up to a whopping 7 people (Thanx Jeff!) and figured I'd better post at least little something to keep ya'll amused, entertained or just help to fill your day of surfing the web while at work.

For the latest riding conditions, click here. The last precip we got came in the form of snow and made its presents felt all the way into the depths of Sacramento! One "somewhat reliable source" was reporting 6-8" of the white stuff in Auburn!! Don't kill the messenger, but it just might be time to pack the bikes away..... at least for a little while.

On the flipside, the skiing is ON! Scary coverage, but plenty available to the cautious skier. Seriously, be careful out there boys and girls. I've been out sliding around the past three days and can tell you that if you're one of those "I don't wanna scratch my skis" kind of people, you're a storm or two away from getting after it. On the other hand, if you're not afraid to grab a P-tex candle and do a little base repair (or you work in a ski shop) there are goods to be had. Squaw has a superfragilisticexpialidociously small amount of terrain open for the time being, but with the current weather that's being forecast (snow Thurs night thru Sat) things will be opening up at the speed of an apre' ride 6 pack. Backcountry conditions on Mt Rose were thin, but there are turns to be had as of Wed the 9th. Again, be careful out there. I think most of us encountered at least a couple of rocks each.

Whaddayagonnado???

2009-12-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

I know the skiing die hards will scoff at this post, but the skiing conditions right now are about as much fun as riding a downhill bike on a century ride. People, now's the time when you should be taking advantage of the riding in the foothills with warmer temps and trail conditions that we dream of having all summer long.

For mountain biking, look no further than this website for proper guidance. It will give you plenty of options to keep you busy until the snow gets here for real. I stumbled across this site 9 years ago and it's kept me busy ever since. The Nevada City area is probably my favorite. Ride the Pioneer Trail above Whitecloud campground for the best stuff. Careful with snow levels, it's about 4,500ft on this section of the trail, so you might get skunked. As of this post, things are a go all along the ridge.

Got a hankerin' to get out the road bike? Then you simply must check out the Sacramento bikeway. Don't blow this off as another cluttered bike path full of baby strollers and clueless people in your way. You can actually do a metric century down there with NO CARS for the entire day and I know you think I'm crazy, but people actually DO walk on the left and ride on the right... just like you wish they'd do on the path in Tahoe City. Think of it as single track for your road bike. Try this for maps.

WURDZ

2009-11-26T11:43:00.000-08:00

"I can barely see the road
from the heat commin' off"

David Lee Roth
Van Hallen

had to happen sometime

2009-11-17T07:25:00.000-08:00

All spring I waited. I readied myself for seemingly inevitable. I'd finish up my 12 hour day, let the dust settle and head back out (or more accurately "in") the next day for more of the same.

What I'm talking about here people is the entire month of May that was spent getting the Mighty Mobile van decked out in all of its radness readying it for "battle". The battle of mysterious creaking bikes, building wheels, countless brake bleeds, suspension rebuilds... the list goes on. In the beginning, the van was an empty "blank slate". A blank slate that needed a work bench, shelving, compressor lines routed, a wall of tools..... shit tons of work really. Obviously, with all that needed to happen inside the van, I spent quite a bit of time inside the van. I'm not quite sure of the exact interior height of a 2008 Chevy cargo van, but take it from a short guy... it's less than you need to stand up straight. I'd crawl around inside, carry stuff in, take stuff out, measure, make layout lines.... I'd do this for days on end looking like the Hunchback from Notre Dame . "Surely you stopped to stretch?" you must be asking yourself. Sure. Here and there. But probably not near enough. In the end, the van got done and I got to work in an attempt to pay for some of the many, many, many bills I'd accumulated throughout the project with my back hanging in there the entire time.

Summer came and went so fast it made my head spin. The van worked out well and streamlined the day to day operations here at Mighty Mobile. When you set up and tear down up to 5 times per day stuff's gotta work without a hitch... which it did.

FFWD to last week. I've been riding. Tons! Like almost everyday. Throughout all of Oct and the early part of Nov the phones at Mighty Mobile slowed to a snails pace freeing me up for some time in the woods riding every trail I could as the onset of winter rapidly approached. "Surely you stopped to stretch?" you're still asking yourself. Yea, here and there, but again... probably not enough. My ride of choice these days is a Santa Cruz Blur LT. Riding a bike with endless suspension travel and more gears than you'd possibly need has GOT to be easier on your body. Maybe you don't need to stretch as much riding such a plush rig??? Other than moving the one speed from one area of storage to another, I haven't touched that bike since returning home from a road trip in early Oct. Everything was just "hunkey dorey".....

..... until last Thursday. While moving some stuff around in the storage unit at Mighty Mobile World Headquarters it happened. BAM!! My back finally locked up. Pretty good too. Good enough to force my into an awkward frozen kneeling position. I literally couldn't move! Funny, I wasn't lifting anything heavier than probably 15lbs all day. When things "locked up" I was just reaching for something to my left side that was sitting on a shelf about knee high. Soooooo, I grabbed a pair of ski poles, hobbled into the house and crawled onto the couch where I'd spend the next 6 hours solid before going the bed. The next morning things weren't much different. I'd spend most of the day on the floor where the conditions were nice and flat. To be honest, my entire body was ready for some "down time" and it felt good to be getting some rest. By Sat, everything but the televisions ability to have worthwhile content was showing some signs of improvement so I started working on some range of motion exercises and moving around a bit. It's amazing how quickly things got better. By Sunday evening I felt like I was back to 80% recovered so Monday morning I went back into the storage unit to try and pick up where I'd left off on Thursday.

Life goes on. My back is better. The storage unit is good... or at least good enough. And, I'm back to riding every chance I get.

"Surely you're stretching?" Yea, here and there... but probably not near enough.

My bikes don't hang!!

2009-11-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

Fall in Tahoe is probably my most favorite time of the year. You get escape from the heat, the leaves turn all those fancy colors and you can get in and out of Safeway without feeling like you've spent the better part of your day there. Before you know it the clocks change, the temperatures plummet and bikes get left hanging in the garage as ski season rapidly approaches.

Me...my bikes don't hang (and not because I don't have a garage.... or hooks). Especially now! All summer we ride around Tahoe praying for rain. We theorize just how bad ass the trails would be if the skies would open up every once and a while and graced us with some moisture. Well folks.... that time is NOW! Trail conditions have been the best we've seen all season. Trust me, for the past four weeks I've ridden them almost every day! As the phones at Mighty Mobile virtually stop ringing I've been out trying to get my fill of riding in before we get dumped on with snow and the focus turns from suspension settings and chain lube to climbing skins and fast wax.

I don't rush winter. In fact, I usually wish and pray that the temps stay mild leading up to Thanksgiving and we don't get snow until sometime in mid to late December. I know, I know.... somewhere there's someone reading this with a ski magazine laying next to his/her computer and some new skis leaning in the corner and my blog has just gone from five loyal followers to four, but I DON'T CARE! Don't get me wrong, I love to ski. The thought of bouncing down the side of a mountain through deep, silent powder is something I really do love to do.... I just don't need to do it in November.

Justice!

2009-11-03T06:16:00.000-08:00

Things might be bad, but their looking up.

wurdz

2009-10-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

"I've always been crazy

but it's kept me

from going insane."

Waylon Jennings