ergon grip review up

check out the Cycling News Review on the ergon grip line up. nice write up with some good photo's. check it out.

Justin from Princeton Tec will be at big bear 24 hour race. haven't got a kewl lighting system? stop over and see my man justin and he'll hook you up with one of their rental units - they are so awesome that just recently he was offered up moon shine and cash during a princeton tec trade in program.

check out their full selection of other lights: Princeton Tec site here

check out their full selection of bike lights: Switchback Site here

my normal setup is the switchback 2 for my main and either an EOS or a Princeton Tec Ernesto rigged up Apex special.

interestingly enough, since switching over to princeton tec, i have noticed several other blogs/pics/riders running headlamps -- lighting systems that in the past has not been associated/used for mountain biking.

cost of lighting systems can be a huge factor for many a rider. headlamps are a nice option to keep the cost down as they generally run off of batteries you can pick up at a grocery store.


in other news... my pink surly 1x1 single speed is still up for sale, parting out, or trade for high end cross parts.

cross parts i am looking for: alpha q or wound up cross fork (any size), dura ace two piece cranks (rings not needed), d/a shifters (only need right lever). if interested, post a comment with your email and i'll get back to you.

that's it - back to the jobby job.

sologoat out

bike build up - woman moots ybb

standard moots frame for my other half - in this woman specific size, the bent top tube was a free option.

parts are a mix of new and some off of the 2006 asylum builds.

sporting a SID with a lockout option, mango king headset, xtr brakes, dt swiss 240 stock wheelset, 1.8 irc tires, king stainless cages, sram x0 shifters/rear derailler, thompson masterpiece post, terry butterfly saddle, easton monkey light bars.

stay tuned - moots sl cross build coming up in a few weeks after my next race which is...

sologoat out

carl mesta pic from conyers

thanks to carl mesta of Mesta Photos for sending along what i think is the best night photo of me that i have seen to date.

check out his site for pics of both the conyers and burn 24 hour race.

a weekend at speedgoat

has come to an end.

thanks to jeremy, dan and the crew at speedgoat this weekend for getting my wife's moots together and for being my "host family" for the weekend.



while out at the goat, i got a chance to sneak in a road ride and a mountain ride.



one of my favorite "am i going good" tests is how i feel going up a sustained climb of over 20 minutes.



i believe lance used to test his fitness up a climb in france - i conduct the same "test" up the linn run climb behind speedgoat.



after that ride on saturday, got to do a short ride on the salsa mamasita.

while my ride time was very limited, a few things i did note:

1. very rigid side to side - felt like you could throw it around quite easily
2. back end was very light, getting over logs/bunny hopping was no issue at all

great bike, can't wait for the shipments to start rolling in.



then on sunday, the mountain demo's were the name of the game. in the above shot, dan is rolling through one of the more popular sections of the trails - wolfs rocks.

dan is rolling on the limited edition salsa el mariachi - this version is single speed only.

that's it - gotta roll. yard work done, now going to sneak in a ride.

sologoat out

speedgoat demo rides this weekend

demo rides this weekend at the 'goat. come and check them out - and if there is a medium mamasita from salsa, keep your hands off it as that sweet bike is mine all mine...

just joking. but maybe i am not.

either way, come and check them out - got a full range of bikes from the guys at salsa and bmc. saturday will be road, sunday will be mountain. check out the above link for the full details and check out some sweet singletrack, a cool bike shop, and some pro mountain biker that will be hanging out at the shop....

i'll be out both days, and saturday we are doing the customary early AM road ride out of the shop. come out early and i'll subject you to repeats up linn run. up down, repeat. hellz ya.


in post conyers news...

check out Mark James Blogspot for a very nice write up from a non-racing bike rider at conyers - with pics AND video. very interesting perspective - most times write ups are from the side of the rider, not the observer.

and, check out the photographers website - Carl Mesta. don't know if you seen any of his work at this event, but he did a great job.

he probably took one of the best night race shots of me to date - check it out.

with that, it's friday. tgif as i need a vacation.

sologoat out

conyers write up - long version

the event - conyers 24 hours

competitors - 7 male solo's

weather - near perfect. rain earlier in the week kept the dust down, temps would hit high's in the 80's, low at 40.

trails - local trail builders SORBA done fantastic work on the trail. a lot of trail sections have been re-routed for the better.



start at noon on saturday. rob l (otherwise known as "vegan rob") lines up next to me - he's been riding well this year, 4th at the DSG and 2nd down at the 12 Hours of Razorback.



the start line - not many teams showed up, but those who did had a hell of a time. if you missed it, you missed a good one. stay tuned as this event is going to get a huge ramp up in promotion for 2008.



the start is always hectic and there is always a few riders who can run like hell, this was no exception. i was about 6th or 7th to the bike - and this is where my mad cyclocross skillz come in handy. cross re-mounts really help make up a lot of places -- you may be a faster runner and get to your bike first, but i can beat most to be the first one pedaling.

by the first section of single track, the field is strung out. i lead out to the first section of single track, then josh takes over. i chase, keeping him in sight.



my pit crew was flawless handling my feeds, lights, clothing and time splits. pits are critical - every second counts in a race of 24 hours.



the dreaded 2nd loop rock section - this section eats rides alive. the bumps are rough and the rock itself holds heat. it could be 85 degrees in the pits - on the rock, it feels more like 100.



2:30am - team pit crew member "cousin it" makes an appearance. i have been fighting off josh lapping me for the past 4 1/2 hours. at 8pm, he was 3 minutes behind me.

he passes me shortly after 2:30am, we go back and fourth until about 4:30am, where he passes me for good.

at this point, we now have at least 2 laps on all the male solo riders - josh and i are in the top 5 overall for the race.



after josh passes me, i go into conservation mode. i change clothes, put on some extra clothing and eat some eggs and soup.

by 9:30am, i am figuring that i'll need to do 2 more laps and i head out. half way through the lap, i meet up with my pit crew and rob's wife. i get the word that rob, josh and a few other riders are stopping - this is their last lap. nobody can make up places at this point.



two years ago, i rode the last few laps of this race with rob. this year, i got to ride with him the last mile.

in dramatic conclusion, we "sprinted" to the end.



competitors for the past 24 hours...



and a fellow rider at the end...



so how did i feel at the end of the day? i think this about sums it up.

overall, the body held up pretty good - other then general tightness and legs feeling like they had some water in them.

and - for those of you not on ergon grips - get some now. this is the first race i've done it 7 years that i could actually feel all my fingers after the end of a 24 hour race. amazing, needless to say.

thanks go out to all my pit crew members and for those who cheered me on during the event. see you again next year...


and the next picture, i just couldn't pass up not posting.

taken by my dad, i would like to entitle this one:

STILL LIFE WITH SOAP:



rock on conyers, SORBA and sologoat fans.

sologoat out

brief post race update - conyers

quick recap before packing up.

early pace was stupid fast, josh and i both did 39 minute laps our first two laps. previous course record was 42 minutes.

i stuck with josh for awhile, he pulled away. at night, i kept him at bay. at around 4:30am he lapped me.

josh won, i got second, rob l came in third. mechanicals were huge today, and it left eddie o pulling out early.

pics and longer write up coming by tuesday.

sologoat out

update from conyers 3

last post until sunday.

course conditions dry and it looks like it is going to shape up for a nice weekend.

i am guessing the temps will hit higher then expected, and the rock on the second loop will get screaming hot. i am hoping not.

watch for hella fast laps all day long.

good luck to all out there tomorrow...

sologoat out.

update from conyers 2

last minute run the local bike shop this morning. the old owner has been a bike shop dealer for over 30 years. small shop, old bikes and parts - looked like most of his business was probably repairs.

inside, was this bike:



this bike was built around 1890 - if you notice, no chain. i've only seen bikes like this in a few picture books i have. very cool.

the "chain" is actually a metal rod that runs inside the drive train side of the rear triangle of the frame.



a section of trail on the first of the figure 8 loops...



another shot of the huge rock...



and a shot of one of the new sections. where the arrow is placed is actually where the trail used to run - down and to the right. full of ruts that left your speed very low at the begining of super steep climb. nothing like making a tough climb even tougher by starting it out at basically a stand still.

now, the trail basically cuts off the section - the trail circles around in an "S" shape to same climb, but gives you a chance to ramp up your speed a little before it begins.

once again, hats off to the local trail builders. nice job.

sologoat out.

update from conyers

arrived early today to 80 degrees and sun. ohio was 60 and overcast.



got to the course, not many people out though later in the day some riders started filtering in.



trail conditions are dry, laps times are sure to be stupid fast. weather is going to be clear for the weekend - perfect racing weather.



one of the climbs on the first loop of the figure 8 course - for you 24 solo fans out there, jayson filmed a shot of me coming up this climb.



and i think he also filmed the shot of me on this section as well.



one of the new sections of trail on the course - the local trail crew has done a ton of work. any where there was a section that brought your speed down, the trail was re-worked and re-routed so it flows. nice work.



ah... and the rocks.

that's it - gotta run.

sologoat out.

off to conyers

9am - sitting in the akron awaiting departure.

bikes and pit crew are awaiting my arrival in atlanta.

3 pit crew members, one huge tent.... and 24 hours on a bike...

the adventure begins.

sologoat out.

and then there were 7

7 solo's now signed up for conyers - looks like the field is really starting to fill up.

total entries at this point is still pretty slim... too bad, cool temps this weekend should leave race temp's bearable and the rain today should keep the dust to a minimum.



was browsing through some shots from worlds last year - this sequence came out pretty cool.

gotta run - pit crew has now arrived at conyers and is offically holding down the fort, scoping out the trails for twigs, mapping everything out on gps units, taking soil conditions so i can inflate my tires to prime traction pressure...

or maybe just watching tv... thanks for driving down guys - see you tomorrow.

possible updates coming at you live via the sologoat pit... stay tuned!

sologoat out

granny gear - conyers solo division update

1000 watts for 4 hours

is what this sweet baby can do - welcome to the newest member of the sologoat pit crew. should fit right in with our hotel sized e-z-up tent and massive lighting system.

packing has started for conyers, pit crew SUV is coming by and picking up the bikes and stuff later on tonight - sooooooo much easier traveling when you don't have to carry 95% of your stuff.

last year turnout was pretty low for this event and it looks like this year is turning out to be the same - word on the street is that there are a lot of quality events in the general area this time of year, so i don't know if that has anything to do with it.

but, eddie o and josh tostado are signed up so far -- so no slacking at this event, for sure. just hope some other teams/riders sign up.



that's it - gotta roll. t minus 5 days and counting....

sologoat out

wobblenaughted - again

with conyers less then a week away, the final tweaks on the asylums are now finished.

the 2007 build up issues have been worked out by dan the man earlier in the week - had major shifting issues during the dsg race with bike #2 which appears to have been caused by a bent derailler. belive it or not, it was actually caused by the bike falling in my basement on the drivechain side before the first ride on the new equipment.

once again, jim baldasare (cat 1 a&f team member/former cat 1 crit champ/wobblenaught guru) has worked his magic. congrats go out to his team who came up with some big wins the past couple of weeks.

and fast recovery wishes go out to two riders in the cat 3 RATL race yesterday - one guy left with a broken collarbone, the other went away in an ambulance. 'twas not a good site. the crash delay the 1/2/3 long enough that although we got 15 minutes into our race, there was enough craziness (some cars got out on the crit course) going on that the organizer decided to stop the race. it was probably for the better - was one of those times when there was just too many bad vibes going on and something bad was going to happen if we continued.

though, there was enough time for me to try what i have come to call my reverse ekimov move (ekimov is well known for launching an attack in the ending kilometers of a race when the pack is moving at 30mph+ -- the "reverse ekimov" is basically the same thing, but it is done in the open kilometers of the race -- starting when the gun goes off).

there's no better time to start the lactic acid pain other then immediately.

with that thought, gotta ride.

sologoat out

his - and hers

say hello to a 53.5cm moots cross. stock frame geometry, one "customization" - no water bottle mounts. this frame is the real cyclocross deal and will be my main ride during my 2007 cross season which is fast approaching.

frame is already a collectors items of sorts - the sl (super light in their terms, stupid light in my terms) shaves about 1/4 pound off from their standard frame.



now, say hello to my little friend - a ybb. in the 16 inch version of this frame, it is an option to get the curved top tube for greater stand over clearance. this will be my other half's top bike for the year and will be set up with a sweet dt swiss wheelset, a rock shox sid with remote lockout and a kewl mango chris king headset.

stay tuned for the build ups - for now, i gotta get a short ride in and then go mess with the roadies at the local yocal crit.

sologoat out.

ride with ernesto

on may 26th and 27th at SPEEDGOAT. demo days are here again, and on these two days you can check out bikes from BMC and one of my favorite bike companies Salsa Cycles. One day is dedicated to road bikes, the other day is for the mountain bikes.

check out the site for details - my personal dream for this day is to have a sweet azz medium salsa mamasita waiting for us to ride. there may just be a fight for that first ride.



also got to check out speedgoat mike's new PINK BIKE RAFFLE PROJECT in the form of a custom painted pink bmc mountain bike, with a sweet pink fox fork.

you have to be fast to ride a pink bike, so here's your chance to win it for 10 bucks.

that's a bike for the price of a venti latte, a choclate chip cookie and 4 dollar tip to the cute girl working behind the cash register.

time to ride - 85 and sunny in ohio. finally...

sologoat out

the times are a changing in ohio

lately, as some may notice, gas prices are rising and people are freaking out. optional modes of transportation come to mind.

bikes, of course are a good example. if you follow dave on the speedgoat.com blogs, he offers up several blog entries in reference to hauling groceries and such.



and then, there is walking. just food for thought on a sunny tuesday.

sologoat out

one of those days

happened on saturday. local yocal RATL crit was a complete disaster.

big ring decided to wear out on me at approximately 2 hours into my AM ride, which happened shortly after me almost getting hit by some dork in SUV which happened shortly after my car not passing inspection due to a hole that needs fixed in my fuel line.

sweet. a fantastic saturday.

today, things are much better - put on an a "new" old big ring and todays ride was skip free. new drive train is ordered - after much debate, i went with the FSA's. next crit, expect my classic off the gun attack. roadies take warning.

that's it - gotta run, lots of work to do today as i have a client going live with their system tomorrow AM. this marks the first Great Plains software client that i have taken from zero knowledge of the product to a full blown live install. should be exciting stuff this week.

next up on race wise.... hmmm... usually i like to build a little suspense... this time, we'll make it a guessing game.

clue #1 - i am heading south

sologoat out

back to basics

remember the days of when it didn't matter what bike you were riding, as long as you were riding?

there was a time not so long ago when the majority of my bike parts came from kmart. my dad helped me take off 3 piece cranks with a wedge, a block of wood and a hammer.

my first ten speed was an experiment - i tore it apart, only to find that i couldn't figure out how to put it back together.

my first real bike was a bmx bike from haro called the fst (freestyle, street, track) - long story on this one, but my family still tells stories about this bike every christmas as my dad kept insisting i was getting a pinball machine and not a new bike.

after opening every present (except the "pinball machine") i opened up the box and couldn't of been more surprised.

i rode that thing into the ground - no suspension, no titanium, one gear.



skip forward a few years - a salsa mamasita 29er single speed. no suspension, some titanium (saddle) and one gear.

back to the basics - pedal, pedal, pedal.

sologoat out

dsg post two - pics and links

these photos are coming at you from mr ergon, jeff kerkove.

more pics can be seen at his site

or his mass postings of pictures here

justin from princeton tec also got some pics up on his site living on the dash which includes a pretty cool one with tinker in tow...



here's the race start - sologoat in 2nd chasing a flying nat ross, brett davis right behind.



ernesto, sloane and brett on the first lap - all riding in comfort. why? must be those ergon grips, hells ya.



dan the man contemplating the next 12 hours of bike repairs, sleep deprivation and deep conversations with my dad questioning his repair techniques and my racing tactics.

(dad advice/race tactic #107 - to win, you just need to pedal faster then everybody else)



shot of the hammer nutrition fuels and bike parts one needs to get through an event.



since i have a smile on my face, i must be enjoying the event. thanks to race organizer grant, this event was top notch.



hammering on - jersey unzipped to cool me down. temps hit in the mid 80's - that's sweltering compatred to the mid 50's i have been riding in.



all business through the pits.



this gets the cool shot award.



since the course doubled back in some spots, double and triple feeds on one lap was an option.

here, i get some much needed water on a un-typical flat spot on the course.

or, was this just an opportunity for ergon to get a great shot of the much desired green grip i have come to love?

sologoat out