Happy Birthday

Today marks two years since the first Intense rolled out the doors of Redstone. I couldn't be happier with this bike!

(Notice how nice it was on New Year's Eve a few years ago?)

New Year's Day ride?

What is on tap for tomorrow? I need to get out and ride, and need to be home by 1.

Early(ish) Hall ride? Crossing it up? Singlespeeds to the bar? Anyone?

On the Trail Again

Plans were hatched last night over beers (probably too many) at Oskar Blues. Tree was coming over at 9:30 for a little snow tour on single speeds. When the AM rolled around, I wasn't feeling it. Could have been the too many beers bit, but I'm going to blame it on the spicy curry wings that Arn loves so much. Hot wings are a wonderful thing, but I've reached the conclusion that the greasy curry syrup on these particular wings actually is not all that wonderful. Anyway.
Tree showed up at 9:25 promptly and I was not even close to ready. Like I said, I wasn't feeling it. I had been listless all morning, careful to not awaken the sleeping dragon in my stomach. Thoughts of eating breakfast getting bike clothes on were not helping the nasuea. So I rested on the couch with my fingers crossed in hopes that I'd be able to ride a bike at 9:30 withouth throwing up. 9:30 came and I was feeling just a tad better, so I got dressed, ate a quick bite, and headed out the door to greet my singlespeed. I've been on this Redline Monocog Flight 29er for a couple months now and I've loving it. Chris recently picked one up and is similarly in love. I guess you could say the ride was all about the love. Of bike, of trail, of one gear pain. Love.
Spinning down the road, we decided the ride on the fly. "Want to go to Hall?" "Oh yeah, we should at least check it out." So it was decided that we'd take the long way thru the ghetto singletracks of Lyons and Old South on our way to the trailhead. When we got to the trailhead, it was refreshing to see only 2 cars in the parking lot and no people in sight. The trail was actually quite good. It had been too cold recently for any significant snow reduction and the multitude of hikers had established a very nice 18" wide packed singletrack right up the trail. As long as you stayed on the line, it was easy going and traction was good. Except for a few ice patches, it was entirely rideable all the way up, or at least it would've been if I had the legs to turn the 32x18 the whole way. I had to push a few times, but at least the dragon in my stomach was exhibiting good behavior.

We called it a day at the top by the first bench and pointed our unspuspended beasts back down the hill. The descent was superb. The snow was plentiful and packed in enough that the trail was actully pretty smooth, save the more major of the rocky stuff. Traction was pretty good, but there did prove to be a point at which you could only lean over so far before you'd slip out. I found that point, but was luckily able to ride it out. The rest of the descent was rockin' and we made it down in good time.

All in all, a great winter ride. There were a couple of spots on the trail where the snow was wearing thing and will be very muddy with just the right amount of sun, but it was great today. I'm glad we at least checked Hall out. It felt good to get on the trail again. It's not often that we're blessed with this combo of trail conditions in the winter. It's snowing right now, so maybe I'll be so lucky tomorrow. Got my fingers crossed.

Old Switz

The wife and kid are out visiting the inlaws, so I've been alone the last few days. Besides work, of course. What have I been up to otherwise? A big heap of nothing mostly. No kid herding, no wife list to tackle. I've been mostly lazy, and it feels great to come home with nothing to do but flip on the tv or surf the web.

Today I made the best of a lazy Saturday morning, sleeping in, and then planning an assault on the Old Switzerland Trail. A bunch of yous have been on the section outlined here, but that is just a small sample of what the route formerly was. Today I hit a little used part on the xcountry skis, the westernly most section tucked up under the continental divide, west of the Peak to Peak Highway. Lots of work, kicking through the soft powder of the last couple of storms. All told, I was out for a bit over 3 hours in 15 degree weather without seeing another soul and it was mighty fine. Finished the day with a juicy t-bone dinner. Good times indeed!

Family vacation is over tomorrow at 6, so I've got most of tomorrow for man time as well. I hope it goes as well as today!

I don't think I've posted this one yet. It's of Duane's new Intense Uzzi VPX. One more change (a Rock Shock Lyric 2 Step) and this is going to be a superbad freeride bike.

I think we can all relate to this....

long one for your reading pleasure

Lots of stuff tonight. I hope everyones Christmahannakwansika was excellent. Mine was. Even got a run and a bike ride in whilst out o' town visiting all the mad relatives.

First off, before I forget, how about a New Years Day ride? slowerthansnot is hosting a little ride down in Denver. I'd love to make it, but it's an 11am Denver start time. We'll probably end up touring the North Country up here. This will be a post lunch endeavor, and I'd optimally like to get a few hours in. I'm thinking of frozen torture on the cross bike. You know, snow packed roads, slop, melting snow, and some pavement. We should try to find some mud, too. Let me know if that sounds like fun to you. Anyone worried about being "the slow guy" on the Spring desert ride feel free to come along. Right now, I'm thinking I'll be the guy, but things certainly change in 5 months! At least we'll all be in primo shape for the 8th annual Lyons Fat Tire Fest on Memorial Day '08! Make sure to write 'er down in your calendars. 2008 will be an epic event. Expect LOTS of brutal climbing, sweet, sweet singletrack, and a long descent. I feel like I let some of the expectant deathmarchers down in 2007 so we're going to make up for it in 2008 in a big way. heh heh

And speaking of epic events, check this out. Fixie Dave, aka Whiskey Dave, aka slowerthansnot will be riding in this insane undertaking. Wish that crazy bastard luck! You know I mean that in a good way, Dave :)

And also speaking of an epic 2008, great news on the trail access front. First and foremost and hopefully at the top of everyone's list is that the Picture Rock Trail will open sometime in summer 2008. We all previously know it as the "Lyons Connector" from Heil Ranch. It's almost 1/2way done already distance wise. Time wise, though, county trail crews are further along than that, as the section that's done had the most challenging terrain. The other "sleeper" news of 2008 is that Hermit Park is expected to open to the public. You've gotta hand it to Larimer County. They only bought this parcel of land 1 or 2 years ago and they'll soon have it ready for public use, including 5-6 miles of new trail. Let's hear it for lack of beurocratic bullshit. Is anyone from Boulder County Open Space reading this?

Here's what I know, from a press release that recently went out. "The 2008 Larimer county Dept of Natural Resources' Annual Entrance Permits, for parks and open space managed by Larimer County, are now available for purchase. These permits are valid Dec 2007 through Dec 2008 and allow use of Carter Lake, Flatiron Res, Horsetooth Res, Horsetooth Mt Park, Pinewood Res, Ramsay Shockey Open Space, and Hermit Park Open Space (planned for early summer, 2008, opening." Yeehaw. Anyone ever ride Ramsay Shockey? I'd like to get up there. We'll have to do a few laps there in the spring for a Tuesday Night Ride once it thaws. If you don't know where/what Hermit Park is, just know this. Those 5-6 miles of trail aren't that big of a deal by themselves, but they will allow for some superb interconnectivity with some Roosevelt USFS trails.

I often say that tools are like bikes. You can't have too many. Some of my favorites are like trails - you don't use them all the time, but they sure hit the spot when you're in need. Like these digital calipers, a recent acquisition. Ah, very nice!

Hmm, that sure was a long post. It's about all I can think of for now. Or at least until I hit the "submit" button. :)

Oh, here's one more thing, especially since we were talking about beurocratic bs. This is good beurocracy, though. Check it out if you're interested in garnering some educational materials regarding trail building. Definitely worth the time it takes to fill out the form. Don't think it's free, though, you paid for it with your taxes!

Tuesday night reschedule?

When's the ride this week? I've got full bachelor status til from Wednesday to late Sunday.

Retro Freestyle

I found this old vid of my childhood hero, Mike Dominguez. I used to idolize this guy and he did come to my hometown in 1985 with the Hutch Freestyle team and put on a cool show. I wish I still had my Haro Master with GT fork and frame stands with my Skyway Tuff II mag wheels with green Haro ramp tires. Oh and my Haro Handlebars with the u-shaped bar so I could "surf" my bike from time to time. Ahhh the good old days.

Yeti Test

Trying to post an audio file.

Christmas Cheer

First, get your last minute things taken care of asap. The bike shop will be closed Friday 12/21 thru Christmas. I'll reopen Wed, 12/26, the day after Christmas.

This year, I've received a lot of schwag and gifts for Christmas. This has to be my favorite:
Homeboy Dave, aka FixieDave, aka WhiskeyDave, aka Slowerthansnot brought this bottle of sweet spirits by. This isn't just any old bottle of whiskey, though. It's some fine, made in Denver, CO, Stranahans Whiskey. Dave said that Stranahan's is the first new American whiskey since prohibition! I'm not a whiskey fan normally, but Stranahan's is making me change my mind. But this particular bottle is extra special. After aging, Stranahan's continued to age it another couple of months in a port wine cask.
It's good. Really good. And it's living at the shop right now if you want to try it. I'll have a sip with you, too - after hours, of course :)

Quite a few brave souls came out last night for Cynthia's farewell to CO ride. Conditions weren't great and the riding was only ok, but it's amazing what kind of fun you can have on a snowy flat course with a bunch of good friends on single speeds.

It was great riding with you, Cynthia, just make sure that wasn't the last time. Good luck and have a great time in Alaska. We're going to miss you for sure!

Tuesday Ride is on

The Tuesday ride will be happening. Tentatively plan to be at the shop at 6 on a single. We have to say goodbye to the lovely and talented Cynthia, who is leaving our great state for whiter pastures up North. Come ride your SS thru the slop and give your best farewells!

Oh, the "Tentatively" comment. I'll ride wherever. Anyone got any ideas?

A Pair o Fluxes

GA homeboys Fred and Lewis just sent this pic in of their Redstone built Turner Fluxes in the woods of the south. That's a couple of beauties!

And now for something completely different. The 1999 Schwinn Sting-Ray Punk Bike Enduro. This little gem of a video clip has been hidden away for years under the close scrutiny of trappist monks holed up in the deep woods of Wisconsin. It has only very recently been uncovered and published for all to see. What you're about to witness is what some would refer to as the good old days and what others think the bike industry should get back to... Fun.

1 lap, 1 beer. Relay. 'Nuff said!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqyTwh_LkAk

rockin the crossbah

Got out on the crosser today. What a georgeous day for it, too. Man, there's a bunch of snow out there still. I'd figured I'd see more pavement than I did. I guess you could say I was pleasantly surprised. This shot is of the barren and frozen tundra of Dowe Flats. The wind blowing hard across the snowpacked road created really icey conditions. Perfect for 32c knobbies.

Even got a tad bit of a climb in, too. This is actually a pass called Dowe Pass at 5780'. Guess that's at least a couple hundred feet climb.

And at the top, a good place to take a breather...

It's nice to have a fun guardrailed descent so close, even if it's only a couple hundred feet down. Great descent, though. Especially when the snow is hardpacked and frozen.

Then, it was back to the flats for some more snow flattrackin' action. Totally flat 90 degree corners at speed in packed snow is a delightfull expereince on a cross bike. The views on the way back aren't too bad, either.All in all, it was a great ride. I put off riding because of the cold and ended up being one of those days you only do a couple of times a year. You know, the routes that you only hit those couple of times a year when the snow is packed and temps are cold. The kind that isn't much fun on a sunny summer day but absolutely hits the spot on a cold and wintery one. Today was one of those days.

Indoor racing

And its a dead heat in a zeppelin race.

Yes Virginia, there is a Tuesday ride

The Tuesday ride is on! Meet at the shop at 6pm with lights on your bikes and beer in your backpack. We'll do some ghetto singletrack around town and whatever else is rideable. Who knows, we may ride straight to Oskars. I think SS is appropriate for that challenge.

We got one

Thanks for all your help over the years Dave.

Redstone Represent! It was a great time yesterday.

Great day for racing

That was a mighty damn good time.

I don't think I've seen anyone pass as many people as Melis did today. Damn!

State Cyclocross Championships, Lyons!

Pics now, story later.

Scenery

Mike D

Big Daddy Dale

Whisky Dave, freshly arrived. He took the bus from Denver to Boulder and rode from Boulder. Stud.

Yours truly, er, suffering before the run up.

Melis, on his way to the SS win.

Whisky Dave

Cyclocross. It takes all types.

Pro Women thru the run up and playground gravel pit

Pro men rocking thru one of the fast and fun sections.

Cyclocross Weather is Here!

Conditions in Lyons as of 1:30pm. Currently 3:15 and still coming down hard, too.
We'll be out in full force tomorrow, too, for the 2007 Cyclocross State Championships. Bohn Park. Lyons, CO. Make sure to swing by the Redstone tent and say hello.

41 mpg

Studies show the average American walks about 900 miles per year and drinks about 22 gallons of beer. That’s 41 MPG.

Cool things

Today was a good day. I love when UPS delivers. First box, a little something from Turner to say thanks for '07. I like mud.

Then, just as I started opening the next bike, a couple of cats from DT Swiss walked in. They new I did a lot with DT, so they stopped by to say hey and to say thanks. I asked for a few stickers for my bench, but they schwagged out some socks instead. Nice ones, too. I was in need for some thicker tall boy socks for winter!

Then back to the package at hand. I hadn't had a chance to play with one of these yet...

Cane Creek partnered with suspensi0n legend Ohlins and they have come up with something very sweet indeed. The Cane Creek Double Barrel. If you are the type that really likes to infinitely fiddle with your eqiupment to get that excruciating perfect feel, this is the shock for you.

It doesn't get much more adjustable than this. Fully seperate adjustable slow speed rebound and compression damping as well as high speed compression and rebound damping. Want to tune out pedal bob? OK. Want it to also feel just right on big drops? No problem. Pretty amazing stuff.
Pretty, too :)

New potential colors from Intense

Check the new colors from Intense. These are more or less in a market test stage at this point. These 2 medium 5.5 FROs are the only bikes in these clothes right now (they're for sale with no color upcharge). If folks like the colors, they'll stick, otherwise, they will probably go away. Anyway, check them out.

works black


works blue

Couple more from Tuesdays Debacle

Although the events were definitely not in standard order, we got done all that we needed to get done. beer, food, beer, beer, ride, beer, ride, beer, ride, good views, beer, ride. That pretty much sums it up!

before:


after:

Tuesday Night Ride: Plan C

11 of us arrived in south Boulder to fantastic winds which turned the parking lot into a gravel sand blaster. After taking shelter from the wind behind cars we quickly came to plan B: Southern Sun over some brew & food while we waited for the remainder of the evening to play out. A gooney bird & some Nitro Kind later we loaded the car & headed back to Lyons. Plan C: We stopped at Boulder Valley Ranch to check the wind one more time. Upon further review we decided we would trek back to Lyons & hit the ghetto single track loops that become a staple of winter riding here. What a good time, some small loops through the parks, roads, hiking & some group beer "tasting" sessions. The 4 of us had a good time & were surprised as we rolled into Redstone @ 11:45. Thanks for the good times fella's, sometimes mileage isn't the best measurement. Cheers!

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Cynthia, this one's for you!

http://redstonecyclery.blogspot.com/2007/11/transition-syren-preorder-time-is-now.html

http://www.transitionbikes.com/2007/Syren.cfm

State Cross Championships in Lyons this Sunday!

Hey everone! What are you all doing this Sunday, 12/9? State Cyclocross Championships? yep. Lyons, Colorado? Yep. After finding out a month ago that there was no venue yet to hold State CyclocrossChampionships, the Redstone Crew started a hard rockin' lobbying effort to bring it to Lyons. To say we are stoked would be an understatement. Come out to Lyons this Sunday for some excellent Cyclocross action! Looks like the shop will be closed Sun...

We'll also be looking for some volunteers for Sunday's event. The ball gets rolling at 7am for setup and concludes with tear down that will happen right around dark. If you can help out, shoot me an email (dave@redstonecyclery.com) and I'll help get it coordinated. Let's help make this thing as kickass as we can so we can get it on the regular schedule for seasons to come!

Tuesday Ride, 12/4

We're going way down south this Tues. Well, not WAY down south, but south of Boulder that is. To the HighPlainsMarshallMesaDoudyDrawCowdreyDraw area. Beer consumption will happen at the Southern Sun. This is one for all you southern folk that can't make it up to the North County to ride. Come spin with us. I think the 29er SS is in order.

How about a meetup time of 6:30pm? Where's the best trailhead to meet? We'll shoot for the Lyons Caravan to depart approximately 5:45pm.

wheels new, old, and blue.

The age of the 29er UST is upon us. Say hello to Mavic's new C29ssmax wheelset.
On the official Redstone scale, the front weighed 830g and the rear a very nice 940g. Completely respectufl for big wheels. They appear to be growing on trees at a bike shop near you ;)
Notice the round spokes? A general shop consensus was reached and we already prefer the round over the bladed spokes of the 26" Crossmax.
I got a real beauty in on a trade, too. I have half a mind to keep it but I know I must let it go. It's a great riding little bike, but 46c is too small for me.
Instead, I've got another project to work on this winter. Anybody seen the new ads for Shimano pimping the 25th Anniversary of XT? Here's generation uno, the one and only Deerhead XT. I'll have updates on it's progress over the next couple of weeks.