fixed impressions

End light decreases
shorter rides, cooler, sensing
the change, fall breezes

OK. I’m back in the proverbial blogger saddle. Nothing like having one of your bosses away to blow your whole avocational world. No energy for blogging, riding, or yoga. I’ve been tweaked enough lately to not even want to eat. If you don’t know me, trust me, it’s not a good sign when I don’t want to eat.

Pre-dawn assault on the keys this morning ticked off previously disclosed authoring deadline. Writing can be work, especially with one new full-time job with a boss or two out on vacation, year-end mumbo-jumbo, and still learning. Compound that with a weekend trip to see family. Add one part web developer, one part video editor, and one part “life coach”.

Ouch.

I’m hangin’ tough. Producing good work on a number of fronts and mostly enjoying the ride(s).

The Uniscorcher is now juiced with the addition of a 35-year-old Brooks Pro saddle and by virtue of the formerly-scorned-and-now-adored “half-link” I have front and rear 44/44 mutano 29r’s. I made some other top secret adjustments. I could tell you about them, but then you’d know too many secrets. Unacceptable. You’ll have to learn them from someone else. Or wait for the movie. Many secrets of fixed-gear tuning will be revealed!

Anyway the Uni looks pretty pumped (juiced) up, huh?

Regular fixed gear blogging is back.

Over and Out

G

The effects of doping are obvious. The only question is who: the bike or the gonterian. The transformation is noticeable, eh?

Here she is in her updated trim.

• Univega, Late 70’s touring frame, “light” steel.
• Surly XCheck fork, Mafac Canti, Nitto Moustache.
• WTB 44/700c F, Very Worn Ritchey 35/700c R.
• SR 170mm Crank, 40T SR Ring, 21T SOMA cog, PC48

SIMPLE. Works.

Yours truly has an authoring assignment with a peer site that needs my attention, so I won’t be able to post much for a bit. Bear with me as I try to harvest the fruits of a Jonny Appleseed whirlwind tour. I scattered seeds for this upcoming article to the wind, and now must collect my divers harvest. Hopefully it’ll come together this week. I’ve had a fine headstart on this piece but am continuing to struggle with it. Be back shortly.

G.

Cool, early clear bright
translucent sunshine later
morning caught a flight.

On the waterfront today, breezy. I found my breathing zone quickly and did a 10 minute trackstand with some no-hander and a fair amount of one-hander. Ujaii most of the way. Maybe all the way, but I was so far in there today, I can’t really remember if I kept the pranayama together or not. It felt great. Easy non-pedaling. Not too much leg work. Then, I reverse 360′d out after 10 minutes and stuck it. It was a good session. Or waste of time. Perspective.

to ralphy: “what about disc brakes?”
…pause….
ralphy: “well, they’re really cool to look at….”

Running on the red line. It’s a steamy Saturday in VT. Ralph sends us blind up a sick only-in-VT road climb to try a section of new single track trail built last year. We start from Stowe Village and ride north. With an easy non-speed pace, Nate and I make small talk. We carve a right turn in to a WALL. I’m not sure if they “belay” the paving machines or what. The road goes right up the fall line farther than you want to be able to see. Ugly. One of the most intimidating first 1/2 miles of a road I’ve seen. And I’m riding 32/16 with 26″ wheels. Should kill a road climb with that gear, eh? Damn.

Forty minutes of suffering witness the pave turn to gravel briefly, then NICE fireroad. Some easier climbing. HOT. The road is muddy in spots. I like mud like that. We turn left and right, then go straight up again. Fading beyond overgrown double track to jungle, the road goes away. Next it gets swampy, and then there is an interminable straight up hike-a-bike. REALLY HOT. It keeps going up. Ridable maybe, if the many springs that seem to be right in the middle of the road ever dry up, possibly in September? Fortunately we have many excuses pre-approved and walk most of it. We top out finally. We can’t immediately find our way. Then, we see it. The beginning is really leafy, and the trail is new last year so we knew it would be faint. Fired up.

We drop in almost immediately. This is a made by mountain biker trail. Rocks and rolls, left and right. Very technical, with off-camber rooty sections. Sketch drop options. Stair steps. It’s rough from the beginning. I’m getting pounded and I’m thinking I’ve got more air in the rear tire than I’d like. I decide to try a STEEP drop in. I get in well. But I’m pogoing and leg locking in the middle. I get gripped in the stutter stair step at the bottom. I decide I can make it by lettin’er run. So I let go of my only brake. Didn’t make it. Over the bars. Landed on my bike.

I walked away without a scratch….

I’m getting a new Vulture steel frame. I’ve got a Vulture cross bike that has really dorky features that I spec’d myself. Anyway, there was no question I was going Vulture. I’ve known Wade since ‘98. We’ve done some riding together. He took me in once when I had to move on 2 days notice. We go back a bit. He can even make tele turns that look like a vulture. Seriously! Anyway, I decided on another 26′er. I’ve got both a scorcher and a commutin’ fendered fix that are 29′ers. But I’ve been on a 26′er single speed coaster since ‘98 and I’m good at it. So, I chickened out on the fixed specific. Wade had some thoughts about building the ultra simple braze-on free frame. I’d like such a frame for sure. But 29′er that would be. Maybe someday! Fork will be Wade specific. I’m not sure what he’ll make. I left it up to him. Steel, that all I spec’d. Not ISO. Canti bosses, baby. Clearance for 2.4 tires and I’m good to go. Got most of the terrible old kit ready to go back on. Only the seatpost and BB are going to get changed. I’m going with a fatter seatpost to see if I can keep one straight for more than a season. Maybe if I just lost some weight?

I got some filming in tonite with two local scorchers, Jeremy and Ralph. Jeremy fixed an Indy Fab short-1″-headtube-p23-ish, finished it with a cross check fork and 29′er hoops. Smart. Tonite he was working an iffy magic gear, but he’s on the ENO hunt. He’s a shop mech so I think he’s just waiting for the right time. Ralph’s deal is well documented elsewhere in previous posts. He killed it, as usual. I suffered the post walking-pneumonia blues, but slugged it out on the Kona. That bike has been so righteous in my neglect, coming off the proverbial couch to rock any ride that i manage to get my sorry ass through.

I’m fed and fading.

Over and Out.

G.

On Gonterian Radio currently is about an hour-long mix of some b-side breakbeat records I dug out. Enjoy. I’ll be changing the show pretty regularly. So listen often. G.

PS. There is a stupid delay at the beginning of the mix, about 20 seconds that I removed from the final version, then uploaded a previous edit with silence at the beginning. Sorry, just be patient.