sunday was the first stop in the cleveland cross series and the first race since the payson 24 hour. typically, legs take a race or two to get the speed back in them.
quickly found myself in a small group with mike, paul and shawn. we quickly made a gap and my rear tire slowly went down. with two laps to go, should of switched the bikes out, but i stuck it out on the moots. 4th place.
next week, i think there is a local race in cleveland area - the following week i'll be hitting up the cinci 3 day cross extravaganza UCI event.
redline cross bike now complete - rides really nice (soon will see a write on the 'goat blog) but is super stiff. a little too stiff for me on the sunday course - especially when you got a moots cross to soak up the bumps.
and don't forget to checkout the speedgoat blog - tons of vegas write ups are now getting posted.
sologoat out
9.29.2008
9.26.2008
interbike pics
now all up - sorry, with only one day under my belt at the show, pics are somewhat limited. think i got about 150'ish pics up.
reviews will be up on the speedgoat.com blog in a day or two for:
ergon, princeton tec, tifosi, trp, i9, northwave and a few others.
stay tuned - need to catch up with work and unpack a few bikes.
thanks to the speedgoat crew for letting me tag along for another wild adventure out at vegas. i have said it before and i'll say it again - without a shop like them around to support me, it would 150% be a lot more difficult to race at this level.
thanks guys - see you in PA
sologoat out
reviews will be up on the speedgoat.com blog in a day or two for:
ergon, princeton tec, tifosi, trp, i9, northwave and a few others.
stay tuned - need to catch up with work and unpack a few bikes.
thanks to the speedgoat crew for letting me tag along for another wild adventure out at vegas. i have said it before and i'll say it again - without a shop like them around to support me, it would 150% be a lot more difficult to race at this level.
thanks guys - see you in PA
sologoat out
9.25.2008
interbike ernesto update
whew - one day whirlwind at interbike.
first up - roughly 30 pics up so far, about another 100 to go up in the next 12 hours or so. vegas internet connection is going wacky.
crossvegas - legs were dead, did not race. thanks to the salsa boyz for offering up one of their show bikes. i've actually been dying to ride one, but the legs were burning too much.
congrats to nat ross - now a mountain bike hall of fame inductee.
sponsors - little too early to nail everything down, but tifosi and princeton tec are 100% back, and also picked up a new frame/bike and helmet sponsor within the first hour of being at interbike. needless to say, something i was sweating about for months was resolved in minutes, all thanks to the speedgoat crew -- again.
for more blog entries, check out the speedgoat blog as chris takes apart all the new releases - like the king bottom bracket and the new parlee with the super cool paint. sweetness.
sologoat out.
first up - roughly 30 pics up so far, about another 100 to go up in the next 12 hours or so. vegas internet connection is going wacky.
crossvegas - legs were dead, did not race. thanks to the salsa boyz for offering up one of their show bikes. i've actually been dying to ride one, but the legs were burning too much.
congrats to nat ross - now a mountain bike hall of fame inductee.
sponsors - little too early to nail everything down, but tifosi and princeton tec are 100% back, and also picked up a new frame/bike and helmet sponsor within the first hour of being at interbike. needless to say, something i was sweating about for months was resolved in minutes, all thanks to the speedgoat crew -- again.
for more blog entries, check out the speedgoat blog as chris takes apart all the new releases - like the king bottom bracket and the new parlee with the super cool paint. sweetness.
sologoat out.
9.23.2008
payson stampede - short write up
gun went off, i chased nat with dave harris a few minutes back.
would basically stay that way until nightfall, then asthma hit me pretty bad from the dust. power went way down.
dave caught me, i stopped for awhile until my lungs decided to let me breathe again.
rode until daylight and around 10'ish we all came up with a gentleman's agreement to stop - nat had lapped dave once and me twice, dave lapped me and the way my lungs felt, i wasn't going to pull back any time.
3rd place - now, a brief stop in sedonna arizona and then out to vegas.
sologoat out
would basically stay that way until nightfall, then asthma hit me pretty bad from the dust. power went way down.
dave caught me, i stopped for awhile until my lungs decided to let me breathe again.
rode until daylight and around 10'ish we all came up with a gentleman's agreement to stop - nat had lapped dave once and me twice, dave lapped me and the way my lungs felt, i wasn't going to pull back any time.
3rd place - now, a brief stop in sedonna arizona and then out to vegas.
sologoat out
9.19.2008
last post before race day
today's course markings were a little better - actual arrows on the course.
nat, rebecca, dave harris are in town - toastman may be showing up as the points in the USA cycling enduro series is tight.
more pics up on flickr.
gots to run - see you on the flip side of 24 hours.
sologoat out
nat, rebecca, dave harris are in town - toastman may be showing up as the points in the USA cycling enduro series is tight.
more pics up on flickr.
gots to run - see you on the flip side of 24 hours.
sologoat out
payson
next up - 24 hour payson stampede.
weather is looking perfect, temps in the low mid 50's, highs in the mid 80's.
course - from what i can make of it, seems to be typical west coast rough jeep trail kind of stuff. very similar to what was out in cali last year at worlds, but more rocks.
course markings were nowhere to be seen - no comment in general about this, but needless to say i wasn't too happy. in general, it's nice to know where i'm going.
more updates tomorrow, a few pics up on flickr before my batery died.
sologoat out
weather is looking perfect, temps in the low mid 50's, highs in the mid 80's.
course - from what i can make of it, seems to be typical west coast rough jeep trail kind of stuff. very similar to what was out in cali last year at worlds, but more rocks.
course markings were nowhere to be seen - no comment in general about this, but needless to say i wasn't too happy. in general, it's nice to know where i'm going.
more updates tomorrow, a few pics up on flickr before my batery died.
sologoat out
9.14.2008
how long to grow to a toenail
the "experiment" continues.
first, start by smashing your big toe off a rock about 19 hours in a 24 hour race (big bear).
then, proceed to loose your toenail completely about a week after.
then start the countdown of how long does it take to grow a toenail. it's take waaaaaaay longer then i ever thought. jeez.
for you cross nuts out there, nationals registration goes on-line tonight at midnight central time. i would like to personally kick the person who thought this up. seriously - why couldn't it wait 12 hours until most people are actually awake?
looks like the same type of schedule going on - thursday non-championship race, then friday starts the real deal.
my masters race would be saturday, elite race is on sunday. thinking ahead and may have my dad drive down with the thule trailer with bikes in tow.
stay tuned - got a trip coming up.
sologoat out
first, start by smashing your big toe off a rock about 19 hours in a 24 hour race (big bear).
then, proceed to loose your toenail completely about a week after.
then start the countdown of how long does it take to grow a toenail. it's take waaaaaaay longer then i ever thought. jeez.
for you cross nuts out there, nationals registration goes on-line tonight at midnight central time. i would like to personally kick the person who thought this up. seriously - why couldn't it wait 12 hours until most people are actually awake?
looks like the same type of schedule going on - thursday non-championship race, then friday starts the real deal.
my masters race would be saturday, elite race is on sunday. thinking ahead and may have my dad drive down with the thule trailer with bikes in tow.
stay tuned - got a trip coming up.
sologoat out
9.10.2008
thinking about cross
it's a sad wednesday - spin city wednesday night cross series has come to an abrupt end after one race. they are working on a new venue, if i hear any news i'll post it ASAP.
redline cross is now built up, just got to adjust the saddle up a little and she's ready to roll.
TRP - damn, i wish i had these brakes last year. they took everything that is wrong with spooky's and made it 100% better. spooky's are still nice for light build ups, but the TRP's have way better ease of setting the brake itself up (and actually come with both regular and carbon pads!) and have a super nice hanger and hanger cable.
hanger itself looks like the old school avid hangers, only beefier... and the hanger cable comes with these nice little bolts that connect down at the end of the brake - the one end that holds the cable end on the hanger cable actually is drilled out a little bit so the head on the cable is hidden. just a little detail that i think is a nice touch.
build up came in pretty light (no actual weight) even running full scale skinny 29er tires. (this was going to be my secret weapon setup at the spin series due to the rocks all over).
few more enduro's, then a full on cross season - will be hitting up some of the bigger events with shawn on his new carbon cross rig that qualifies as hella cool.
vegas coming too - should be pretty sweet, still looking like probably no crossvegas for me unless a miracle cross bike appearance makes itself to me when i am out there.
gotta run - actually will be riding single track tomorrow down in the colombus area. nice.
sologoat out
redline cross is now built up, just got to adjust the saddle up a little and she's ready to roll.
TRP - damn, i wish i had these brakes last year. they took everything that is wrong with spooky's and made it 100% better. spooky's are still nice for light build ups, but the TRP's have way better ease of setting the brake itself up (and actually come with both regular and carbon pads!) and have a super nice hanger and hanger cable.
hanger itself looks like the old school avid hangers, only beefier... and the hanger cable comes with these nice little bolts that connect down at the end of the brake - the one end that holds the cable end on the hanger cable actually is drilled out a little bit so the head on the cable is hidden. just a little detail that i think is a nice touch.
build up came in pretty light (no actual weight) even running full scale skinny 29er tires. (this was going to be my secret weapon setup at the spin series due to the rocks all over).
few more enduro's, then a full on cross season - will be hitting up some of the bigger events with shawn on his new carbon cross rig that qualifies as hella cool.
vegas coming too - should be pretty sweet, still looking like probably no crossvegas for me unless a miracle cross bike appearance makes itself to me when i am out there.
gotta run - actually will be riding single track tomorrow down in the colombus area. nice.
sologoat out
9.06.2008
joe's 24 hour write up
hats off to joe from freddie fu (speedgoat's road team) for finishing up his first 24 hour race this past weekend.
and hats off to joe for using it as a fund raiser for a friend with cancer.
his write up seems a lot like my first ever solo 24 race - it didn't go so well either. did 100 things wrong, but somehow i managed to finish.
check it out here
sologoat out
9.04.2008
wednesday spin city cross
ah, good legs last night - got a gap opened up and was cruising, but it was not to be - got a flat. had a spare bike, but i feared the skinny tires would leave me either crashing my brains out or flatting again.
probably a good thing - was supposed to be a rest week. rest is not something to do in a cross race.
enduro season winding down, cross season starting up.
really doesn't do too much to my overall training plan - in general, i don't stray too much from my normal until all my enduro type of events are over.
at that point, i switch over to shorter type rides (maybe a max of 4 hours or so) - but i kick up the intensity about 10 notches. last year i learned that any of the bigger cross events you either go 150% or nothing. it's a crit race on dirt - elbows are gonna fly, tempers will flare, lungs will be coughed out and you will be doing two wheeled slides through the corners.
and that is just the first lap.
i actually look forward to it - i see it as a nice change up on training, racing, venues, race vibe, equipment..
in the spirit of randomness, had a question in regards to what i eat in a typical day... it specifically asked about calories, but i'll let you guys do that calculation...
breakfast:
oatmeal with blueberries and a bannana, glass of OJ. by the end of the day, i've usually finished off a pot of freshly ground starbucks coffee.
lunch:
typically either a subway 6 inch turkey sub with a coke and 3 choclate chip cookies - or - (the option my wife prefers) a big fresh made salad with veggies and some tuna.
pre-ride snack:
usually a bannana with some crunchy peanut butter
on-ride:
typically 1 or 2 bottles of heed, maybe 1 or two gels. typically go kind of low on calories on the bike. i pretty much stick with the hammer nutrition recomended doses on the heed/gels/etc - but i go on the lower side of calories. i'm running around 135-140 pounds and find that if i go with recomendations for 150 pound rider, it's a little too much for me.
dinner:
couple pieces of fish and some veggies is typical - maybe once a week, a big steak and veggies.
that's about it - don't really snack too much at all any more. if i do, it's usually something boring like some soy nut mix or some fruit.
chips, pop tarts and an occasional can of coke makes it in the mix - but that's typically on the weekend.
other junk food (potatoe chips, nutty bars, etc) used to be common for me to eat. now i don't buy them at all - it's a little bit easier to avoid the temptation to eat bad things if you don't have them around. helps to keep off the extra weight too.
bad food favorites - anything with choclate in it (reese's cups are my favorite) and anything cold and refreshing (a good brew, an ice cold coca cola, and sometimes choclate milk)
that's it - gotta get some peanut butter m&m's
sologoat out
probably a good thing - was supposed to be a rest week. rest is not something to do in a cross race.
enduro season winding down, cross season starting up.
really doesn't do too much to my overall training plan - in general, i don't stray too much from my normal until all my enduro type of events are over.
at that point, i switch over to shorter type rides (maybe a max of 4 hours or so) - but i kick up the intensity about 10 notches. last year i learned that any of the bigger cross events you either go 150% or nothing. it's a crit race on dirt - elbows are gonna fly, tempers will flare, lungs will be coughed out and you will be doing two wheeled slides through the corners.
and that is just the first lap.
i actually look forward to it - i see it as a nice change up on training, racing, venues, race vibe, equipment..
in the spirit of randomness, had a question in regards to what i eat in a typical day... it specifically asked about calories, but i'll let you guys do that calculation...
breakfast:
oatmeal with blueberries and a bannana, glass of OJ. by the end of the day, i've usually finished off a pot of freshly ground starbucks coffee.
lunch:
typically either a subway 6 inch turkey sub with a coke and 3 choclate chip cookies - or - (the option my wife prefers) a big fresh made salad with veggies and some tuna.
pre-ride snack:
usually a bannana with some crunchy peanut butter
on-ride:
typically 1 or 2 bottles of heed, maybe 1 or two gels. typically go kind of low on calories on the bike. i pretty much stick with the hammer nutrition recomended doses on the heed/gels/etc - but i go on the lower side of calories. i'm running around 135-140 pounds and find that if i go with recomendations for 150 pound rider, it's a little too much for me.
dinner:
couple pieces of fish and some veggies is typical - maybe once a week, a big steak and veggies.
that's about it - don't really snack too much at all any more. if i do, it's usually something boring like some soy nut mix or some fruit.
chips, pop tarts and an occasional can of coke makes it in the mix - but that's typically on the weekend.
other junk food (potatoe chips, nutty bars, etc) used to be common for me to eat. now i don't buy them at all - it's a little bit easier to avoid the temptation to eat bad things if you don't have them around. helps to keep off the extra weight too.
bad food favorites - anything with choclate in it (reese's cups are my favorite) and anything cold and refreshing (a good brew, an ice cold coca cola, and sometimes choclate milk)
that's it - gotta get some peanut butter m&m's
sologoat out
9.02.2008
got some extra ti bolts?
if so, steve schwartz can use some extras. steve rolled his ankle on the second lap at 24 hour nationals.
best of recoveries out to steve
sologoat out
8.30.2008
it's starting to smell like cross season
ah, the first smells of cross season is upon us - dead leaves. let the pain begin.
more on this later, but in my extreme coffee drinking and web browsing efforts this early AM, i've stumbled upon some great news for the cleveland area.
the cleveland cross series is back in style - 6 races in total. will be tied in with the cross my heart race of team spin and the chagrin race put on by brett.
hat's off to brett - he's having a beer sponsor, a halloween themed cross event and all the proceeds are going towards fast track cycling's effort to get a velodrome in the cleveland area.
i'm strongly suggesting it be in akron - but that's my 2 cents.
and - watch out for a press release coming from them on the build location for the velodrome. should be coming up soon.
also up - my dream mid-week training race - team spin is going to be putting on a wednesday night cross race up in cleveland. 8 races of fun.
and - in a never ending search - if anybody in the cleveland area is willing to part ways with any road tubular wheelsets, drop me a post on the blog.
with that - gotta ride.
sologoat out
more on this later, but in my extreme coffee drinking and web browsing efforts this early AM, i've stumbled upon some great news for the cleveland area.
the cleveland cross series is back in style - 6 races in total. will be tied in with the cross my heart race of team spin and the chagrin race put on by brett.
hat's off to brett - he's having a beer sponsor, a halloween themed cross event and all the proceeds are going towards fast track cycling's effort to get a velodrome in the cleveland area.
i'm strongly suggesting it be in akron - but that's my 2 cents.
and - watch out for a press release coming from them on the build location for the velodrome. should be coming up soon.
also up - my dream mid-week training race - team spin is going to be putting on a wednesday night cross race up in cleveland. 8 races of fun.
and - in a never ending search - if anybody in the cleveland area is willing to part ways with any road tubular wheelsets, drop me a post on the blog.
with that - gotta ride.
sologoat out
8.29.2008
long week
sorry for the lack of content the last few days - been quite a hectic week of work and riding.
no NUE for me this weekend - passing on it to rest up for few more enduro events this year, then hitting up cross races the rest of the year until mid-december.
vegas is on for me, will be heading out with the speedgoat guys. crossvegas, though i am registered may not happen unless somebody out there loans me a bike to ride for the event - moots, redline, bh - can you help a brotha out?
AMC - somebody asked if it was a cool event and if i would go back. location was really cool, but didn't have too much to offer as far as food/restaurant's/etc goes. if you were taking a family, they may get a little bored if you stay in town.
hiking/etc is all around, though i am not sure if you want to be doing all that when you are trying to race - at elevation.
elevation was a bit extreme, but the views and scenery were spectacular. thought they could of used more trails, but seeing it through the eyes of promoter, that could be a nightmare to figure out logistically for 4 days of racing.
beer - better get it before you get in town. that 3.2% beer is just wrong in so many ways.
would i go back - yep. i think it can only get better with time - you just need to set realistic expectations based on the altitude... you also need to consider that the elevation will defintely help your fitness - i just build it into my training program and go from there.
would also suggest you go out with extra time and check out the parks.
now - need to finish up some work.
looking forward to a long weekend of riding, catching up on house work, a drinking a few cold brews.
sologoat out
no NUE for me this weekend - passing on it to rest up for few more enduro events this year, then hitting up cross races the rest of the year until mid-december.
vegas is on for me, will be heading out with the speedgoat guys. crossvegas, though i am registered may not happen unless somebody out there loans me a bike to ride for the event - moots, redline, bh - can you help a brotha out?
AMC - somebody asked if it was a cool event and if i would go back. location was really cool, but didn't have too much to offer as far as food/restaurant's/etc goes. if you were taking a family, they may get a little bored if you stay in town.
hiking/etc is all around, though i am not sure if you want to be doing all that when you are trying to race - at elevation.
elevation was a bit extreme, but the views and scenery were spectacular. thought they could of used more trails, but seeing it through the eyes of promoter, that could be a nightmare to figure out logistically for 4 days of racing.
beer - better get it before you get in town. that 3.2% beer is just wrong in so many ways.
would i go back - yep. i think it can only get better with time - you just need to set realistic expectations based on the altitude... you also need to consider that the elevation will defintely help your fitness - i just build it into my training program and go from there.
would also suggest you go out with extra time and check out the parks.
now - need to finish up some work.
looking forward to a long weekend of riding, catching up on house work, a drinking a few cold brews.
sologoat out
8.24.2008
amc - day 4
just a quickie - need to catch a flight.
pace started a little easier and then picked up on the course that they will be using for nationals.
on the most technical section of the course, i burped my front tire. i'll spare the details, but i got it fixed and lost at least 20 minutes or so.
after that, i started picking off riders again and ended up riding the tech section on the second lap pretty conservatively since i was out of c02's, my pump was no longer in pocket, i left my saddle bag open and lost my multi tool and i gave my only tube to a stranded rider.
ended up in the top 20 or so for the day, think i finished overall 15th or 16th.
sologoat out
pace started a little easier and then picked up on the course that they will be using for nationals.
on the most technical section of the course, i burped my front tire. i'll spare the details, but i got it fixed and lost at least 20 minutes or so.
after that, i started picking off riders again and ended up riding the tech section on the second lap pretty conservatively since i was out of c02's, my pump was no longer in pocket, i left my saddle bag open and lost my multi tool and i gave my only tube to a stranded rider.
ended up in the top 20 or so for the day, think i finished overall 15th or 16th.
sologoat out
8.23.2008
amc - day 3
tough day to say the least.
throw downs began on the first climb and i just tried to maintain a steady heart rate. tricky thing with elevation is that once you blow up, it takes a lot longer time to ride through it then it at a course lower then 7k feet.
i get in a group, make up some ground. repeat for the next 45'ish or so miles.
on the last climb, i somewhat crack probably due to lack of calories. at that point, i was within a minute of pulling back a group of 4 or so riders.
and to top off the final climb, my front wheel washes out leaving me some nasty cuts to bring back home.
next up - 2 laps of 24 miles with tons of climbing and then pack up the bikes and off to the airport.
sologoat out
throw downs began on the first climb and i just tried to maintain a steady heart rate. tricky thing with elevation is that once you blow up, it takes a lot longer time to ride through it then it at a course lower then 7k feet.
i get in a group, make up some ground. repeat for the next 45'ish or so miles.
on the last climb, i somewhat crack probably due to lack of calories. at that point, i was within a minute of pulling back a group of 4 or so riders.
and to top off the final climb, my front wheel washes out leaving me some nasty cuts to bring back home.
next up - 2 laps of 24 miles with tons of climbing and then pack up the bikes and off to the airport.
sologoat out
8.22.2008
AMC - day 2
9am start, 9:05 the throw down begins and the group splits.
i'm around 10-15 seconds back of the second group.
i catch another rider just before the first sections of single track and we make up some ground, but he drops me on the first single track climb of the day.
up down and all around, two feed zones and i end up catching around 4 or 5 guys. for roughly 85-90% day i ride alone.
finish out the day somewhere in the top 20 or so, not too shaby for an east coaster. should be interesting to see how things pan out the rest of the weekend.
tomorrow - roughly the same distance, less total climbing.
sunday - short, but hellish. the shortest of the stages also has the most climbing.
sologoat out
(photo credit out to sager)
i'm around 10-15 seconds back of the second group.
i catch another rider just before the first sections of single track and we make up some ground, but he drops me on the first single track climb of the day.
up down and all around, two feed zones and i end up catching around 4 or 5 guys. for roughly 85-90% day i ride alone.
finish out the day somewhere in the top 20 or so, not too shaby for an east coaster. should be interesting to see how things pan out the rest of the weekend.
tomorrow - roughly the same distance, less total climbing.
sunday - short, but hellish. the shortest of the stages also has the most climbing.
sologoat out
(photo credit out to sager)
8.21.2008
AMC - day 1
short track specialists got their grove on - jerimiah took the win.
very short course with a few techy single track sections.
tomorrow starts the hellish elevation - most of the climbing will come on the first part of the course.
other then the short race only other thing going on today was a brief riders meeting. there's always a fair share of stupid questions.
most classic one today - "will the foods stations have sunscreen?"
heckling started immediately.
gotta rest up - sologoat out
very short course with a few techy single track sections.
tomorrow starts the hellish elevation - most of the climbing will come on the first part of the course.
other then the short race only other thing going on today was a brief riders meeting. there's always a fair share of stupid questions.
most classic one today - "will the foods stations have sunscreen?"
heckling started immediately.
gotta rest up - sologoat out
american mountain classic
got in brian head utah yesterday for the american mountain classic.
field is small but stacked and the elevation starts at around 10k feet. should be two contributing factors to coughing out a lung before the end of the stage race.
today, short prologue, then 3 55 mile'ish stages wrapping up on sunday.
prologue is 7 miles - about half road, half serious single track. has a few sections of rocks you need to watch out for or else you will be on your head in a second.
gotta run - stay tuned.
sologoat out
field is small but stacked and the elevation starts at around 10k feet. should be two contributing factors to coughing out a lung before the end of the stage race.
today, short prologue, then 3 55 mile'ish stages wrapping up on sunday.
prologue is 7 miles - about half road, half serious single track. has a few sections of rocks you need to watch out for or else you will be on your head in a second.
gotta run - stay tuned.
sologoat out
8.17.2008
thule cargo trailer
got a ton of questions on my trailer at nationals and through the blog - thought i'd pass along some info on it...
trailer is attached to my vibe via a trailer hitch i picked up at etrailer.com. hooked right up to my vibe with two bolts. ran about $150'ish.
this one uses an inch and quarter reciever - believe the bigger sized ones are for trucks/suv's.
the thule N1205 with the optional double aluminum side rails.
size is 4 foot wide, 7 foot long, 14 inches high. mine has the double rails, so it is 28 inches high. then throw on the clamshell top - adds probably another 6-8 inches at least.
weight is around 285 pounds with nothing in it, the max you can put in it is around 1400 pounds.
vibe's towing capacity is something like 1500 pounds - but don't quote me on that. look at your car manual.
also needed to get a ball hitch for it - think it was a 2 inch. double check that, i don't remember if it was 2 inch or 2 1/4.
would HIGHLY suggest getting a wiring harness - etrailer carries them. use the harness and you don't have to figure out the brake/turn signal wires. otherwise, watch your father try to figure it out for 3 hours. ran around $40.
as far as driving goes, can't really tell your even pulling anything. car handled same as if it wasn't on, but with the other rails on it, the trialer blocks your view in the rear view mirror.
also, if you are thinking that your local THULE dealer/bike shop can get you this trailer, you may be disappointed. THULE cargo split off from the bike carrier side a few years ago - so forget your pro deals bike geeks as this bike geek tried the same thing.
gas took a little hit - think my dad said it was averaging around 25 to 27 miles to gallon with it fully loaded and two bikes on the top racks. much better then the 10-12 of my sisters SUV.
rough figures, at 650 miles at $4/gallon gas:
sisters SUV one way cost: $260
vibe with trailer cost: $100
so, roughly speaking again - it will pay for itself travel wise in less then 10 trips.
worth it - definetely. fits in my garage with both our cars - that way it will last longer and i can keep it about 1/2 way packed up. may even end up using it during cross season.
sologoat out
trailer is attached to my vibe via a trailer hitch i picked up at etrailer.com. hooked right up to my vibe with two bolts. ran about $150'ish.
this one uses an inch and quarter reciever - believe the bigger sized ones are for trucks/suv's.
the thule N1205 with the optional double aluminum side rails.
size is 4 foot wide, 7 foot long, 14 inches high. mine has the double rails, so it is 28 inches high. then throw on the clamshell top - adds probably another 6-8 inches at least.
weight is around 285 pounds with nothing in it, the max you can put in it is around 1400 pounds.
vibe's towing capacity is something like 1500 pounds - but don't quote me on that. look at your car manual.
also needed to get a ball hitch for it - think it was a 2 inch. double check that, i don't remember if it was 2 inch or 2 1/4.
would HIGHLY suggest getting a wiring harness - etrailer carries them. use the harness and you don't have to figure out the brake/turn signal wires. otherwise, watch your father try to figure it out for 3 hours. ran around $40.
as far as driving goes, can't really tell your even pulling anything. car handled same as if it wasn't on, but with the other rails on it, the trialer blocks your view in the rear view mirror.
also, if you are thinking that your local THULE dealer/bike shop can get you this trailer, you may be disappointed. THULE cargo split off from the bike carrier side a few years ago - so forget your pro deals bike geeks as this bike geek tried the same thing.
gas took a little hit - think my dad said it was averaging around 25 to 27 miles to gallon with it fully loaded and two bikes on the top racks. much better then the 10-12 of my sisters SUV.
rough figures, at 650 miles at $4/gallon gas:
sisters SUV one way cost: $260
vibe with trailer cost: $100
so, roughly speaking again - it will pay for itself travel wise in less then 10 trips.
worth it - definetely. fits in my garage with both our cars - that way it will last longer and i can keep it about 1/2 way packed up. may even end up using it during cross season.
sologoat out
8.16.2008
my garage is now open...
got a new blog started up - need to clean out some schwag, old parts and a few bikes.
check it out when you can:
SoloGoat Garage
thule cargo write up coming tomorrow
sologoat out
check it out when you can:
SoloGoat Garage
thule cargo write up coming tomorrow
sologoat out
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