winter or summer??

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

Cables and Housing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

getting smarter

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

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

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

newz youze kan uze

well, for those that care, sswc09 will be here before you know it. looks like jan 4th there will be aps at this web site. i lucked into a spoke card, so my stress is a bit on the low side.... especially since there's 3ft of snow in my front yard holding my bike ransome untill the snow melts.... or i shovel the door to the shed out a bit.

the folks hosting sswc this summer are a neat bunch. it might be a long drive to durango co, but if my truck will make it, i'll be there.

happy new year.

waiting

days blend together. fuzzy blur of christmas/new years holiday craziness in a ski town.
working. lots of working. fitting boots. tuning skis.
no time to ski. comforted by the fact that the snow insn't too good right now. warmish days weren't friendly to the snow we had christmas day.... in fact, it's the total opposite. melt freeze cycles turned the 3ft of blower powder we had into a frozen tundra unless the sun hits it juuuusssst right. even then, it's only so so.
so, we rest. recoup. watch some movies. recharge until the next phase of winter blesses us with its next batch.

well.....

..... that was interesting.

Snowblowing the driveway took waaayyyyyy longer than anticipated. The berm at the bottom of the driveway was up to my chest with the rest of the driveway so deep it was alllllmost over the bucket on the blower. To add to the fun I decide I would get just a little bit closer to the woodpile while snow blowing the deck munching the corner of the tarps in the process. That's a fun (not) experience I hope to never have again.

Once dug out, Megan and I decided that even though it was 12:30 we'd still try and sneak a quick lap on Jakes or Hidden peak. After an epic drive we arrived at Hidden to see some parking spots plowed out but no existing skin track. Typically I don't mind breaking trail, but since it was approaching 2 bells, we continued a few minutes south to try our luck at Jakes. We arrived to see one car in the parking lot, skin track installed. BINGO! If you drive a white Astro van with a camper conversion.... THANKS HEAPS!! We owe you one.

Nice hike up. Still snowing. Heavy at times. Turns on the way back down were everything you would expect from waist deep, bottomless blower pow. Moments of no sight... no problems. We stayed to the skiers right of the skin track leaving the steeper chutes to the left for another day when we had more than an hour of daylight left and maybe a little more coverage. Gotta stay smart out there. Even though Tommi will find this slightly amusing, things are still a little thin out there for us in Tahoe.

Ho Ho Ho

and Merry Christmas.

It's days like these that really make me realize just how convenient skiing in the backcountry really is. With over 15" of snow on my deck, driveway, car, and everything else that stands between me and skiing today, there's also that little thing called Christmas. Additionally, getting Megan (my girlfriend) a pass at the resort today would be an exercise in futility as ski areas understandably "tighten their proverbial belt" on cheap tickets during the holiday season. And even if I could get Megan a ticket, we'd need to be at the resort early to ensure some descent skiing as fresh powder disappears faster than a cold 6 pack after an epic ride with your buddies.

Ahh backcountry skiing. Show up early. Show up late. It doesn't matter! I'm going to have AT LEAST one more cup of coffee before snow blowing the driveway. Then I'm diving into that pile of neatly wrapped boxes of who knows what under our tree to see what Santa brought me this year. Then I'm doing some more diving, but this time it's going to be pancakes, an egg and maybe another cup of coffee just for good measure. THEN I'll head out for some turns. Sure we'll see some other tracks, signs that someones been there before us. But who cares! While folks at the resorts are scampering around trying to find a turn or two of untracked powder, we'll be leisurely hiking and skiing our way into contentment by the days end.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is: if you're a slacker, backcountry skiing could be for you.