NEW BIKE DAY! Lynskey R210 with Shimano 5700 105

Let's say you're looking for an excellent bike to train with on the road.  You already have a triathlon bike for racing, you already have a cyclocross bike, but you want that one single go-to road bike that will do anything.

You need your road bike to cover century rides, it needs to keep pace in a pack, it may see some gnarly road conditions, probably see it's fair share of winter, it has to do everything.

When you come to us with something like that, we recommend titanium.  It's durable, beautiful, timeless, easy to maintain, but most importantly, it rides oh-so perfectly.

This bike was built just for that person.  Someone who will log long miles, group rides with friends, commute, it'll do it all.  And after a quick wipe-down 10 years from now, it'll look brand new.

Here's another breakdown from Lynskey on what they say about the R210:

Ride in any condition, anytime, anywhere with comfort and style while enjoying a geometry that puts you in a slightly less aggressive riding position yet maintains neutral, stable and predictable handling.

The tubeset consists of double-butted round 3AL/2.5V aerospace grade titanium that will give you the look and lines of a true classic U.S.A. handmade ti bike frame, providing you an all-day supple smooth ride.

Worried about tire clearance? Don't be. There is plenty of clearance for a set of durable and comfortable 28c tires.

The hooded wright style dropouts provide the classic look and strength while allowing you to easily replace the derailleur hanger if need be.

A small from Lynskey has great dimensions and their geometry lends itself well to 700c wheels.  Some bikes this small ride and/or look funny with 700c wheels instead of 650c, but we've had great response from the shorter riders.

Have to love the classic hooded Wright-style dropouts.  The welds are top-notch as always, even on an "affordable" hand made frame from Lynskey.  Don't let their pricing fool you, their products are incredible.  Finish is always the best and the ride is dialed.

I may be wrong, but the matte satin appears a little different than it did when we started with Lynskey.  From our early days with them, we strongly recommended the upgraded finishes, but the matte satin that's rolling out these days has been getting rave reviews.  I've had a number of customers who've recently seen this finish comment that it's their favorite.  It's very similar to another titanium builder out of Steamboat Springs, CO.

Easton EC70 fork really helps the ride of this bike and helps to keep the price under control with it's alloy steerer rather than the carbon one that's becoming more and more popular.

Mavic Aksium wheels and matching Mavic tires complete the rolling stock on this bike.  Incredible durability and great performance for the price many brands try to get for just a rear hub.

Shimano shifting, especially the front, is the best in the business.  105 doesn't disappoint with light-action and accuracy day after day.  For someone who is using their bike for training miles, 105 is the go-to gruppo.

NEW BIKE DAY! Lynskey R230 with Shimano 6700 Ultegra

Lynksey has hit another home run with the R230.  Lynskey describes the R230 rider:

I want my bike to be instantly responsive, but also ride comfortably and smooth. Even though I race on the weekends, I still enjoy the occasional century ride with my local club. I’m aware that tube shapes mean increased performance, but I still like something conservative. The R230 is the perfect choice for me.

This bike is stiff without being harsh.  It can be raced or ridden 150 miles at a time.  It's not as stiff as a carbon race bike, it's not as light as a carbon race bike, but it's stiff enough to be sprinted on and will be the smoothest bike in your stable most likely.

With as many as we have built, our customers are trying to find ways to make theirs a little different without moving away from the classic design of a bare titanium frame.  This particular build went for an extremely subdued look, maintaining all of the class of a handmade frame.

Shots from above aren't easy to capture with an XL frame!  Shimano Ultegra shifts as well or better than just about anything out there but costs a fraction of the highest-end gruppos.

The fantastic hand-brushed finish on this titanium frame is set apart with etched logos that are incredibly subtle.

The brake bridge on Lysnkey's frames has a beautiful touch with this clover taken from the Lysnkey family crest, which happens to double as the head tube badge.

Beautiful brass badge with the Lynskey script is classic and perfectly suited to their frames.

The etched logos do add a $250 premium over basic decals, but they are done beautifully, and really finish off a handmade with another touch of class.

Shimano Ultegra cassette is nearly as light as the Dura-Ace version while being a fraction of the price.  We rarely spec the Dura-Ace version because Ultegra is just so good!

No one rivals Shimano's front shifting, and Ultegra is no exception.  Mechanical Dura-Ace and Ultegra both shift as well or better than even their Di2 counterparts in the front.

The Ultegra rear derailleur is an exercise in function.  While I do love the new gray finish, this derailleur was designed to shift first and be sexy second.

Another spot where Shimano shines: their braking.  For 2013 they've changed their design, which is why I predict we'll be selling a lot of these 6700 and 7900 Dura-Ace brakesets for a long time to come.

Ultegra shifters have the same ergonomics as Dura-Ace, and the same shift quality, but only give in to Dura-Ace on weight.  At close to half the price of Dura-Ace, Ultegra is a very enticing offering.

Lumberjack 100 Follow-up, Part 3

In this installment of my Lumberjack 100 follow-up, I'm going to cover the final bike setup I used.  Having ridden the course last year, I knew it was pretty smooth single track, but last year I didn't even manage 50 miles coming off of a cold.  I decided a hard tail was still the way to go, even though I was spending 8+ hours on the bike.

Looking back, a very efficient full-suspension bike probably would have been a better choice for me, but not by much.  The hard tail offered incredible climbing, but a full-suspension frame would have offered a bit more comfort on the last lap.  I did lose some time on the last lap from cramping legs, so I'm split on whether or not I could have made up for some of that lost time with more comfort.

Regardless, here's the bike from my 2012 Lumberjack 100 campaign:

Niner Air9 Carbon RDO frame, large, licorice.  PressFit 30 carbon bottom bracket, Rock Shox SID XX World Cup fork with 15mm Maxle.  This frame and fork combo is as light and stiff as anyone could hope for right now.

New ENVE 29er XC carbon rims came in slightly lighter than their claimed weight and much stiffer than anyone could have convinced me of.  After getting used to riding light alloy rims built with light spokes, it's amazing how stiff a set of 29er wheels can be when made from carbon.  Sapim CX-Ray spokes were used not because they are bladed, but because they offered the best platform for building and keeping the weight low.

American Classic hubs were chosen for their light weight and adaptability.  These wheels will most likely see some cyclocross duty and the front hub can easily be adapted from 15mm thru axle to a standard QR.

The tires may or may not have been the best choice, but I went with Schwalbe Furious Fred 29x2.0 tires.  They are shockingly light, hundreds of grams lighter than most other 29er tires, and they roll as fast as a CX file tread.  The down side was the low-volume casing which didn't offer the kind of float a 2.1 or 2.25 tire would have given.

Crank Brothers Egg Beater 11 Ti pedals were chosen again for their light weight.  Their ability to clear mud is great in cyclocross, but in a super-dry cross country race that didn't matter at all.

My favorite saddle of all time, but custom.  Fizik's custom program is awesome when you get in on it, it's quick and doesn't add an extraordinary cost to the saddle.  The Aliante has made it's way onto all of my bikes at this point, and even after 8+ hours in the saddle I didn't have a single saddle sore, no numbness at all, and no chafing.

The only cage anyone should trust, a King stainless.  King Ti is a nice touch, but it doesn't save much weight at all and gets really expensive.  The King stainless cage has a classic look and at $20 it has no match.  I've also never lost a single bottle when using one, which is the most important aspect.

Thomson X4 130x-10 stem has made it's way onto a number of my Niner bikes.  Puts me in a riding position I feel powerful and in control of the bike.  I also like knowing that it'll survive any situation I find myself in when on the trail.

Rock Shox has an excellent hydraulic lockout as part of the SID XX line.  I was skeptical at first, wondering why I'd need something other than a cable-actuated lockout, but once I used it I understood.  Smooth, light action to open your fork or lock it out.

Shimano brakes, XT to be specific currently.  They just can't be beat, and I've tried a lot of disc brakes.  Shimano has no equal in power, modulation, or ease of set-up.

Shimano XTR rear derailleur.  After 8+ hours and countless shifts in the sand, it still worked perfectly.  I didn't miss a single shift all day and after a quick wipe-down with a wet rag the derailleur looked brand new.

There you have it, my 2012 Lumberjack 100 race rig.  I'm not sure what 2013 will see me riding, maybe a Jet9 RDO or a Felt Edict 29?  We'll see.  If my fitness comes in better next year than this year, I'll probably go full-suspension.  Use my fitness to get me up the hills and let the extra squish get me downhill faster.  If my fitness comes in the same or less, I'll probably use a hard tail and hope it climbs fast enough to make up for that lack of fitness.

Lumberjack 100 Follow-up, Part 2

Part 2 is going to follow through a little photo montage of the weekend.  There are huge chunks missing since I wasn't taking a ton of pictures while racing (duh), but let me share a few things:

First, the pre-ride.  This time I DID have my phone with me to snap a couple of shots of the course.  Much of it looked just like this.  There were a few miles of sandy fire roads, and a TON of singletrack.

My wife was kind enough to grab a couple shots of Kenda course tape.  What we do without pictures of course tape!?

We missed some shots of the mass-start, which I can't help but to assume was fun to watch.  400 or so people buzzing down the road on knobbies at 25+ mph had to be kind of neat.

Luckily there were a few shots snapped coming in after lap 1.  Think it was a but dry and dusty out there?

Here's Rob coming in after lap 2.  Still in good spirits, it's all about getting out for lap 3.

Barry Wicks is a nice dude, but when someone is able to win a 100 mile MTB race in under 6:30 and have a smile on their face at the end I just want to punch them.

And then there's me, rumbling through the finish at 8:27.  Exhausted, but I had a great time up there.  I'll be back again.

In Stock: Tifosi Podium S Sunglasses

I'm not too proud to admit when I am wrong.  Well, I'm not to proud to admit whem n I'm wrong sometimes.  And I'm wrong here.  I've sworn by Oakley for years, but I've recently put them away to try out the Tifosi Podium S.  The "S" stands for small I assume since these are the more narrow of the two, the standard being the base Podium (no "S").

When you first lift these you'll notice how incredibly light they are.  I haven't had a chance to weigh them, but they are shockingly light.

Second thing I noticed was that the glasses come with three lenses, which is part of what sold them to me.  I've been thinking of using some rose-colored lenses for mountain biking for some time, I guess this is serendipitous.

After only a few rides with these glasses and I'm sold.  The frame-free lenses provide unparalleled sightlines.  The light weight provides glasses you can't even tell are there.  The rose lenses give incredible contrast.

Did I mention they retail for $70?

Welcome to Lumberjack 100!

The drive is done, the training is in the books, my bike is ready, now it's time to find out if my legs can make it. 

I've just returned from about 15 miles of riding on the course and it's exactly as I remember it.  Plenty of going up, a ton of sand, ferns galore, and a lot of fun.  This is my kind of trail riding, very little fear of smacking into a huge rock and a lot of speed.  The trail is very buffed out for the most part with the sand smoothing it out, but it's easy to find yourself drifting off the trail if you aren't paying attention.  Much like a cyclocross race, sand can push you around, and if you work too hard against it you'll end up on the ground.

For me, I've found a really smooth tread has made the trail feel fast and the smooth tread doesn't dig into sand.  If you stay light on the bike it glides through the sand and doesn't push you too much.

Enjoy these couple of photos, I wish I could have talked myself into stopping to take more.  The vast majority of the course looks just like this, smooth and fast.

Wish me luck tomorrow as I come back to this race.  Last year I was coming off of a nasty cold and the climbing got to me.  This year I am coming back to show myself I can do this.

I also want to wish all of my comrades out there the best of luck tomorrow.  Ride hard, have fun, and I'll see you at the finish.

New Build: ENVE XC 29er Carbon Clincher to American Classic Disc Hubs

Everything from basic 26" mountain wheels, bomber touring wheels, and even the occasional carbon mountain race wheelset, we build our fair share of wheels.  There are pros and cons to building wheels on a regular basis.  On the pro side I get to practice and improve my skills routinely.  On the cos side when it comes to building wheels for myself I usually rush through it to get it done.  I have an attitude when building my own wheels akin to stopping when they are "good enough" rather than done right.

This wheelset, after thinking about the components of it for quite some time, needed to be done right.  I don't build a ton of ENVE rims, but so far every one of them has been a pleasure.  They handle very high spoke tension, are perfectly finished inside and out, and are perfectly straight right out of the box.  To be honest, it's almost like cheating they build so nicely.

The rims came in at 379g and 381g, both under the claimed weight of 385g.  I love when manufacturers can actually be honest with their claimed weights.

Internal nipples aren't my favorite in any wheel, but I've grown to like building with them recently.  They offer a very secure connection between themselves and the nipple wrench which all but eliminates any opportunity for rounding a nipple.

Spokes are Sapim CX-Ray, an industry standard.  They are outrageously expensive, but in my opinion well worth it.  A bladed spoke won't offer any aerodynamic benefit on my XC wheelset, but it does allow me to easily hold the spoke straight while building to prevent any spoke wind-up.

Hubs are American Classic Disc.  This is a controversial choice, but not one made without much deliberation.  I would have preferred DT Swiss hubs, but the 240s front 15QR hub doesn't convert to a standard 9mm QR, and I hope to use these wheels for cyclocross, so I needed a hub that's convertible.  In strong contention were Chris King hubs, which are easily converted, but I had a strong ambition to build these wheels at or below 1400g and the King hubs wouldn't allow that.  Here is where the American Classic hubs shine: they are light, really light, and can be converted from 9mm QR to 15QR Maxle in the front, and many different rear axle configurations.  We have a winner.

Front hub came in at 118g, rear at 234g.  Claimed weights were 116g and 225g, front and rear respectively.

Here's the completed wheelset.  So close to managing the 1400g goal, I finished up at 1410g.  There are lighter wheelsets out there, many even cost less, but what those wheelsets really give up are stiffness.  Super-light alloy wheelsets are great to save weight, but those light rims are flexy and prone to denting (so I have found).

Lumberjack 100 Weather Update

This weekend will see my second attempt at The Lumberjack 100.  Last year I went into the race after 2 full weeks off of the bike and about a week in bed.  A nasty bug of some sort got me and left me out of the game.  I attempted the race, finished the first lap and started my second, but knew there was no way I'd finish and pulled the plug.

More recently, Coach Ted has had me training consistently, I've stayed healthy thus far, and am amped to give this another go.

Here's the weather forecast for this week, going into this weekend, in Cadillac:

Since this will (hopefully) be my first completed 100 mile MTB race, I'm in it to finish it.  Awesome weather means everyone will be fast, and I'm fine with that.  I want to get this one under my belt so I can come back next year and race it.

But, let's focus on next weekend first.....

New Build: Stan's NoTubes Crest 29 to DT Swiss 240s Mountain Wheels

When an email came in for a new Niner Air9 Carbon, I knew special wheels were needed.  This bike is going to a great home that already has a beautiful Independent Fabrication SSR that we built a while back.  That SSR is sporting some DT Swiss wheels we built (not pictured), and since the rider was so happy with them the natural choice was 240s hubs for this new build.

Actually, lets check out this IF SSR.  Custom paint all over, tons of little custom touches, Super Record:

Now you see where we were starting and why these wheels needed to be something nice.  The choice of a rear 240s hub is simple.  DT Swiss engagement and quality are well known, there's no debate there.  The front 240s hub is also a perfect match for the SID XX fork since it has a 15mm Maxle thru axle.

The wheels were built with DT Swiss Competition spokes laced 3x all the way around.  Competition spokes offer light weight and excellent durability and stiffness.  DT Swiss ProLoc black brass nipples were used to match the black theme and to provide a solid base to work from.

Rotors are Shimano IceTech XT, which in my opinion are setting a new standard.  I've never used a brake set that was so powerful and so functionally flawless.  They are a little heavier than some of their counterparts, but will more than make up for their weight with their unbelievable performance.

Cassette is also Shimano XT, an 11-36.  Wide range cassettes have opened the door to 2x10 drivetrains and Shimano has provided on that front.  With excellent shifting and a light action, XT shifting provides great feedback without too much effort placed on your thumbs.

The bare wheelset came in at 1,580g, about 30g lighter than I expected.  Always a welcome surprise!