Update and I've found my Mo

Life has been busy.  If I am not at work, I am working in the house.  Two bedrooms completely done and I've begun another with a huge fireplace job looming in the not so distant future.  I did find time to do something bike related though - got my work/waxing/bike bench built.  Haven't put up my tool board yet or sorted out where everything is going, but the big part is done. 

I also created a manageable and space saving bike storage area in the workshop as well.  Two hooks on the end?  Future purchases perhaps. . .

I'm so fugging sick of painting. I did manage to get out for a road ride last week.  26 km along Ottawa's bike paths.  It may as well have been 100 by the way I felt.  Why is it it takes so long to get fitness, but you lose it so fast!?!  Same with weight . . . I've already put on my winter insulation.

Puppies!  Two weeks and Churchill comes home.  A litter of ten, four our males, one is ours and we have second pick. This is one of the reasons I've been working like a madman - so the house is ready to go and so that I'll have more time to spend with him and training.

I've been dealing with and trying to heal some injuries that have occurred, none bike related . . . cause, I haven't been riding. I've got pulled/strained left ankle ligaments and tendons from a roll over that happened while playing ball hockey.  I have a pulled left outer bicep head - an old nagging injury that has reoccurred.  And I have a broken small bone in my right wrist which was a result of a work injury.  I thought the Fall was a time to take time away from the bike to allow it to heal. Fak.

Last year's Movember stash.

This year's.  So far I've raised $250 in support of men's health, specifically prostate cancer.  I'm particularly interested in supporting this cause as it is dear to my heart.  My Dad had prostate cancer which he beat, but ended up losing the battle to cancer later on down the road.  Please help me raise more money by visiting my donation page.  And a huge THANK YOU to all of you who have donated already.  By the way, Canada is kicking arse in money raised globally for men's health.  Whoot!

All work

If all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy then I must be a very boring person.  Since returning from Colorado I've been on the bike once. Yes, once.  And that was 2 days after stepping off the plane an easy country road recovery ride. 

My plan was to dive head first into working on the house - painting, dry walling, a little construction, some vegetable garden preparation, winter yard work and spring preparation, hanging new interior doors . . . and the list goes on.  So, before shift, after shift and on my days off that's what I've been doing.  I've been outside mind you . . . if you consider walking to the car and driving to Home Depot exercise. 

I had the best intentions to keep a positive attitude and just get it all done before the snow flies.  However, after spending all weekend painting I'm beginning to feel a little bit like Jack - ready to fugging kill. 

Life is only going to get busier in the next few weeks as a new addition arrives to our family.  It's nearly three years since the passing of Jacks and my heart is nearly recovered.  The Peanut is getting bigger and older and we want her to experience growing up with a dog.  Come December 3rd Churchill (yes, we have the name already picked out) will be coming home.  He is a wired hair Pointing Griffon.  Bred for hunting, but they make excellent companion and family dogs.  They're also f-a-s-t and I am looking forward to him becoming my new riding buddy in the future.  Yes, life is going to be busy.

I'm still trying to sell the Niner.  It's a tough time of year to sell a high end bike.  Please help!  If you do, if you refer someone who actually ends up buying it I will pay you 10% commission (roughly forty bucks).  Funds will go to pay for a new steely ride and Project Snow-bike. 

Finalist

Since my recently purchased, most awesome'ness condition and narely even touched 2011 Niner Jet 9 is for sale (yes, I was serious - a few e-mails thinking I was joking - TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!) I have short listed it's replacement.  There are a few criteria that must be met:

• 1st - it must be steel
• 2nd - it must be have the option of running it single speed or set up as a 1x9
• 3rd - a tapered headtube would be nice, but not necessary

My four finalist (I'm open to suggestions if you have any) below all have pro's and con's.  I am not completely sold (yet) on any of them and am having a hard time choosing.  A custom build or titanium frame is sort of out of the question despite loving the idea of a custom/ti built mtn bike.  Sale of the Jet 9 will provide more money than I actually need to purchase a new steel frame, however, some of that money will be funding another project (hint hint: think snow-bike).

I will be riding it mostly rigid single speed.  I will, however, be getting a suspension fork for it and a 1x9 drive train for big hills early in the season or even bigger rides (ie. Colorado) later in the year. 

The finalist in no particular order:

Niner Sir 9

Salsa El Mariachi

Canfield Brother's Nimble 9

Singular Swift

You may have noticed that a Misfit diSSent is not in the list.  Well sir, that's because a steel version does not exist.  And yes, I do already have an ALC version, but that is going back to Misfit world headquarters once my review is up and published - not because I didn't like the bike (on the contrary) but rather that was the agreement with the Dark Lord. 

Suggestions or advice?

Tour de Goat - Day III to Day VII Photo Dump

Like last year, three weeks after the trip I've lost the enthusiasm and motivation to document the 2nd Annual Tour de Goat.  Settling into daily routines again, not riding much, working on the house, a newly sprained ankle, eight straight days of rain and cool temperatures . . . . maybe it's fitting as this blog nears it's expirary date.  A few things still yet to post up, but the end is near.

Let me finish up Tour de Goat with a last few photos.  

Day Three - The Whole Enchilada started with a shuttle, then a climb, then long descending from alpine to low desert.  I'd go back to Moab just to do this ride.  Epic.

Hazard - I never would have believed that you'd find such colour in the desert.

The Goat and Curvy were ON the entire trip.  Fuggers rode some crazy shit.

Is that a banana in your pants or are you just happy to see me?

Curvy got Dicky back with his lower GI and oatmeal.

I seem to bring out the worse in Dr. Claw.  He bit it hard on Jackson's but prevailed with stitches (chicks dig scars on middle aged guys with three kids, a wife, house and 9-5 job) and a good attitude.

Jackson's

While Curvy, Goat and I were tending to Dr. Claw's medical needs and making sure he was okay, he thought it would be a good idea to document the crash so others in the future would know.

Another use for a broken water bottle cage.

Curvy cleans off Dicky's wheel for him. 

Spent after a long, long hike a bike Curvy had no fight left to fend off a hungry Goat.

Bike bike outside of Poison Spider.  I bet I was the first person to ever think of sitting on it and getting a photo.

Fruita

Buffalo Creek

Seven days in a row of riding and we was spent.  Seven days.  Curvy and I came in third and fourth place overall on the stage race.  We got no prize, no jersey, not even a lousy waterbottle commemorating the event. 

Did you know that if humans didn't eat lobsters they would grow to be huge and live forever. (you had to be there)

"Larry is my friend.  He dances on rainbows." (again, you had to be there)

Niner Jet 9 For Sale

2011Jet 9 large frame

Fork: Rock Shox Reba RLT Ti, 20mm thru axle

Crankset: X9 10 spd (26-39 T)

Cassette: PG-1070

Chain: PC -1091

Rear derailleur: X9 medium cage

Front derailleur: X9

Shifters: X9

Front brake: XTR race

Rear brake: XTR trail

Rotors: XT Ice Tech

Handlebar: Easton Haven Carbon

Stem: Thomson Elite X4 0 degree x 100mm

Seatpost: Thomson Elite layback

Seatcollar: Thomson

Saddle: WTB Silverado Ti Rail

Headset: FSA – zero stack

Grips: Oury lock-on

Wheelset:  

• Front – pink Chris King 20mm thru-axle laced with DT Comp spokes to Stan’s No Tubes ‘Crest’ rims

• Rear – pink Chris King 135mm laced with DT Comp spokes to Stan’s No Tubes ‘Crest’ rims

Tires: Front – Racing Ralph Evo Tubeless 2.4; Rear – Kenda Karma 2.1 tubeless

Frame retails for         $1749.99

Build Kit                     $2199.99

Wheelset                     $949.99

Fork:                           $801.00

Total:                           $5700.97

I paid $4144.11 USD for this frame (and saved $1556.86) as I bought it through a friend in Colorado, who is a friend of a shop owner who got ten Jet 9’s in on a deal and blew them out.  I also got a wicked ‘bro deal’ on the build, nor paid tax on the bike.  In total, paid at the time with the exchange, was $4265.33 CDN.  Buying this same bike in Canada, after taxes and duty, would cost you in excess of $6500.00. 

Based on the seven rides I had on this bike, the exchange rate, no taxes or duty paid and deal I got I am selling this bike for $4100.00 (firm). 

Reason for selling: I’ve ridden hartail the past five years, the last four on rigid single speed.  I thought that I was ready to make the jump back to full suspension and gears, but it just wasn’t for me.  The bike is an amazingly fast descender and climbs like a caffeinated mountain goat.  I'm going back to full rigid.

E-mail (under my profile dealie --------> ) me if interested. 

Tour de Goat - Day II (Vail, CO)

Riding Vail was our first day at 'altitude'.  Here in Ottawa we're at 246 ft (74 meters) above sea level.  The approximate altitude of Vail, Colorado is 8150 ft (2484 meters).  That's a difference of . . . . 7904 ft (2409 meters).  Fugg me!  Needless to say I was sucking wind and sucking wind hard.  It didn't help when Jeremy punched me in the nose when I 'mentioned' that I missed the single speed.

Despite hardly being able to breath due to the height and fatigued from a cold I was in good mood - how could you not with views like this all day?!? I've never seen skies so blue as I have in Colorado. 

The Vail ride was memorable - ribbon like single track, wide open vistas, beautiful aspens changing colours, super high speed descents, technical downs along the river, good times and non-stop laughs, farting, and bbq lunch.

The Goat should be a tour operator as he does not disappoint in finding stellar routes.

There were plenty of opportunities to stop and take in the scenery on the climbs.

Photos stolen from Dr. Claw and The Goat - check out there fab photos.  Dicky has also been posting up a play-by-play of the week.  

Tour de Goat - Day I

We arrived in Denver last Tuesday and immediately began to feel the affects of altitude after playing musical arrival pick-up gates at the airport and were picked up by the Goat & Dicky. Rich got a head start to the trip by arriving earlier in the day and getting out to ride a 36" with someone he met on Plenty of Fish who didn't turn out to be a stalker. We would hit the trails the following day, but first we would begin loading our systems with beany burritos which would fuel flattulance fun the entire week.

The Goat's cat Marmalade sleeping in a hypoxic tent.  Apparently we should have done the same to acclimatize.  Pets in Colorado sleep in them all the time.

 

Wednesday morning we were up building and adjusting our bikes before heading over to Golden to pick up Curvy Butt's rental that he would end up beating the living snot out of during the trip.  Curvy Butt's eagerness to ride was preluded by giving a grizzly in downtown Golden a rogering.  

Curvy attempted to give the griz a good donky punch, but was met with great ferocity.

Our first ride right from Golden Bike Shop in downtown Golden proved dizzying and difficult.  At only 6000 feet or so at the beginning of the climb the lungs, legs and head revolted against attempts to pedal my new geared bike upwards.  I figured riding with gears would be easier, but that proved to be wrong. 

View from nearly the top of Chimney Gulch on day one.

My first ride on full suspension in nearly five years.  Blechk.  I knew that it was going to take time to get used to it.  The downs were fun for sure, but uphill pedaling, popping the bike up onto techy bits and figuring out how to shift into proper gears felt foreign and awkward right out of the gate.  I really wanted to like full suspension/gears, but it just ain't for me.

Curvy with his headdown, sucking wind.  He fared far better than I did on day one as I began suffering a nasty cold that would linger for the next three days or so.

It's Thanksgiving this weekend, so I will be too busy stuffing my face making up for all the calories I burned while riding seven days straight. No time for blogging. I will put this out there though, my new 2011 Niner Jet 9 will be officially up for sale next week. It will be a killer deal on a bike that was only ridden seven times. Nothing against the bike - it rocked the trails - it's just full suspension and gears are not for me, at least not until I am too old and fragile to pedal a rigid single speed any longer. I thought that I was ready to make the move back to full suspension/gears, but this trip (even with it's very technical trails) has made me realize how much I love riding SS.  More on the sale of the bike next week. 

Clicky clicky my FLICKR sidebar dealie for all my uploaded photos of the trip ------------>

Colo-freak'n-awesome

I'm back from the 2nd annual Tour de Goat. My legs are spent and I am tired. So much to say, so much to show.  This year's trip was even more fun than last year.  More to come later in the week.