Rants from a 29er guy, halfway up a mountain...

2009-08-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

I’d like to make sure I am clear on this. None of this ever happened. There was no crazy plan, there were 0 hours behind the wheel of an old VW Bus tramping down hundreds of miles of “primitive road“, no trails scouted or poached. Especially not on the Appalachian trail. The absurdity is smothering. The possibility of pulling this type of ride off would be up there with knocking of 3 Vegas casinos in one night-just you and a buddy with a plan. Impossible. Never happened. Just so you know.

2009-08-06T17:14:00.001-07:00

2009-07-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

Another fun ride tonight. Lots going on inside the ol' attic...good to get out and get a bit beat up. hit the eject button once, rather abruptly, but all seems well...new lowers on the Lyrik did the trick. A+

2009-07-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

2009-07-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

Well folks, it's been an EPIC weekend already and it's only Saturday night!

As the week drew to a close I was worried the forecasts of rain and general nastiness were going to come down on Highland Mountain Bike Park Friday Night and through Saturday during the Claymore Challenge. The weather down here on the Coast was great as I headed out, but by the time I hit Exit 19 off of 93, it was raining in sheets. As soon as I rolled in, Bruce and Sasha loaded up into the Van and Pags followed us in his truck to the local 99 for beers and burgers...Not a bad way to start the weekend!

After finishing up at the 99 we headed back to highland where things were moving along nicely now...The band was still playing and there was a pretty serous Beer Pong tourney going on. Bruce passed out from exhaustion (he thinks he has bronchitis, I'm fairly sure it's a succubus draining his life away) and Sasha and I headed out to see what was good. Long story short, Shaums march was no match for Demo Dave from Trek. Shortly after my eleven-teenth beer I headed back to the vanagon for sleeeeeeep. Of course that didn't happen. The Vermont hill billies next to us (That is a term of endearment when coming from me...) were up and having fun. So I had another beer and then went to bed. The Van was great. Dozing off in the queen sized bed while listening to some Frampton Comes Alive was nice.

HUGE deluge around 1 AM kept me up with the rain thrumming on the Van's roof for an hour or so. I counted sheep and tried to figure out how to go pee without getting rained on (turns out with a Vanagon it's easy!).

Up at 6am. Feeling a bit banged up. Feed self one Redbull, one Water and one Beer. All is well by 9:30 AM. Spent the early morning chasing down some Dunks and then back at the Sinister tent wrenching on my bike and then helping Sasha get his bike set for the Claymore. the day started grey, muggy and foggy....but by 11 it was clearing up and we ended up with a phenomenal day.

We had three of our riders entered in the Claymore for the qualifiers on Friday...by Sat AM, it was Sasha left. Dane and Dan both gaffled themselves up pretty well and bowed out (Dane with a hurt foot and Dan with an ankle injury). Sasha had destroyed his third rear wheel of the week so we were getting him set of for the comp.

With Sasha's bike good to go and him sleeping in the van, Bruce, Frank Diesel and I headed out to get a few runs in.

Managed a bunch of runs, met tons of cool folks and really pushed my riding up a notch...like to 11. (Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?)

had a ball and am home now and bed SOON! Have to get up early with the kids and get them ready for the Clayton Assault on Mt A!!!!!

Abusing 26" wheels....

2009-05-17T06:42:00.001-07:00

So all the Folks behind Sinister converged upon Highland Mountain Bike park today. While not a violent man, I beat the piss out of that Gruitr. Not because I'm awesome, but because I'm not. That bike saved my arse so many times. I ab-so-fucking-lut-ly womped on that fork. It loves me. I set the monarch at 250psi and never clanked it. I rode, dragged and modulated the ever fucking christ out of those brakes. I could feel the heat coming off the rear 160mm. It looks titanium now LOL. I'll likely upgrade to a 203 up front and move the 185 to the rear. The brakes NEVER got soft and if they ever would it would have been today, on my first day at the bike park.

That said, for big stuff like that, at the speeds we were runningt them at, I need more travel. Going to have to bump the bike to 6.5"

SO...my review of the following...

Avid Elixir Cs...HUGE thumbs up.
Rock Shox Pike...marry me? I'll move to Utah...
Rock Shox monarch 4.2...braaaaaaaap

And keeping with the title of the blog...a 29er has no business at Highland. I'm hoping we can prove this wrong, but as of now, no way.

2009-03-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

Yo folks...what does a 29er guy do all winter? Sit and stew on a trainer in front of Seasons? Well yeah...but I also ride lots of park down at Rye Airfield. This On One Gimp has been on a cool journey...first to a friend, Drew, then to Darrell, then me, then away and now back! I snagged it back because I always regretted selling it. I was stoked to get my mitts back on it for some Rye sessioning but the day it showed up in the post, I got a call from the boys in Gloucester informing me I'm the new owner of a DNA...I guess it makes sense. Sooooooooooo the Gimp frame is now up for sale again. It would make a smashing park/dj/trail SS. In fact Drew used it on a trip to Fruitia as his sole rig.

Anyhow, the frame is raw Cro-Mo and it pretty dang cool. You can see the heat remnants at the joints from wleding and some cool veining under the clear coat from the normal corrosion (stuff you wouldn't see with a painted frame). The clear coat is nicked and scratched here and there for sure, but it's a solid frame. One ding in the top tube.

Here's a shot of it when Darrell had it built up as a snow rig...that he rode twice LOL.

I was going to run my blessed Pike on it while the Gruitr is down at the Dirt Rag HQ for testing, but the new DNA is just too sexy to not build....the Gimp is on my office wall! If someone wants to save it from this fate, hit me up and it can be yours for an unreasonable cheap rate!

Been A While!

2009-02-18T08:19:00.000-08:00

Well It’s been a while since I posted…doesn’t look like anyone is missing it but I figured I’d start up again.

Firstly I think I’ll start in on the new ride.

The new bike is an ’09 Sinister GRUITR. Aside from getting that built up with HUGE amounts of love from BTF and SRAM, we’re eagerly awaiting the first few Prototype full suspension 29er frames. That should be fun, but I have to say, I’m really loving this GRUITR, 26” wheels or not.

Having time on this bike and getting it setup just for me has given me the chance to see that while I love 29” wheels, the 26” stuff mustn’t be passed over. Different but good.

The frameset is a super nice piece. Welded up for us by hand, in Canada, just a road trip away. Ultra-clean welds and sick geometry from Bruce blend to form a high end package. We ship the frame with the venerable Fox RP23. The bike has a second shock mount on the swingarm so you can run 4.5 or 5.5” of travel. Or you can move up to a longer stroke shock for 5.5” or 6.5”. I’m currently running a Rock Shox Monarch 4.2 with a custom tune from Nick. It’s the longer stroke so I’m running it in the 5.5” setting…it pairs well with the 145mm Pike up front.

The build on this GRUITR is a bit extreme. The first thing most folks notice is the TruVativ Hammerschmidt.

I’ve been a 1x9 guy for the last 3 years or so and I was a bit indifferent about putting gears on the front of my new rig. Traditionally, I’m all torque…not a spinner, so 1x9 with a 32 up front and an 11-34 out back has been all I’ve ever needed or wanted. With the Hammer that changed. The FR setup I have, runs a 24/38 so it’s the polar opposite of my old 32 1x9 setup. With a 1x9 you obviously never shift up front and I tended to really just use the average cogs out back. With the new setup I’m shifting up front often for the big ratio changes and fine tuning out back. I shift way more. Thank goodness the Hammer shifts are INSTANT. The rear XO shifter, XO Super Short cage Derailleur, with the PG990 and PC 991 Chain shift ninja-fast and perfect. The Hammer is FAST. SUPER FAST. It makes the rear setup seem slow, whereas a traditional front derailleur was always clumsy at best for me. The HS lets you shift anytime so that is kind of cool…I find it helpful at the bottom of a nasty climb. No worrying if I’m in the right gear etc, just click the shifty and it’s there whether you’re moving or not.

While the Hammerschmidt is cool for sure, the crown jewel on the bike is the fork. It looks like an average ’08 Rock Shox pike. It’s not. Sinister’s SRAM liason actually sent me the fork back in December so I could get it on the bike etc. Being that it is my Third Pike (second coil sprung) I was already pretty familiar with the unit. After installing an extra firm spring to match my weight, the fork was sent back out to Rock Shox for the Black Box treatment.

I must say, WOW. The fork now has High and Low Speed circuits for compression and rebound damping (like Mission Control but not adjustable). The fork now moves through the travel amazingly. Doesn’t blow through the middle at all. Then when you nail something big, it’s there ready to rock. Takes the hit like nothing I’ve ridden. Just an amazingly fast and responsive fork.

So yeah, that is pretty cool.

Then there’s the Elixrs, the FSA Gravity Light wheelset, WTB Devo Ti seat…all stuff that would normally be interesting, pales next to the Fork and Drivetrain.

New ride...not a 29er! Oh My!

2008-12-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

This came into my stable via Gloucester...

'08 Sinister GRUITR. Rocking the new Hammerschmidt front gear setup and some other fantastic SRAM stuff (Avid Codes etc etc...)

Just finished the build last night so ride report soon.

Hope everyone (or just you, dear reader, forget the rest) is keeping warm!

The Ususal Suspects

2008-11-30T13:28:00.000-08:00

Had a great ride out with the Usual Suspects today. I really can't get enough of the Single Speed deal. I'm faster and that combined with the rigid setup, I'm much more fluid. Some great terrain just down on the other side of the Watershed. Similar to the Animal trail side but much more mossy and moist.

Tom and Evan both flatted within 100' of the trail (Tom pinched and Evan had caused his own flat when adding air before we headed out.)

We came across some old stunts built quite some time ago. The old Teeter-totter was falling to pieces but looked like it was well built back in the day. Just all rotted now. The ladder bridge was in much better shape but still a bit hairy. The pics don't do it justice, but you can see the speed Chris carries down it. All he did was clip in at the top, no run up to it.

The Teeter

2008-11-23T08:10:00.000-08:00

Well, the Usual suspects all bailed on today for whatever reason (kids Bdays, work, Vomit, etc) All had legit reasons to be honest. Out of principle, I rode. It was 23° when I got home. Most of the normal water crossings had frozen hard enough to ride over and all the rain last week made the leaves and dirt freeze in that way....you know like they're in clumps separated by veins of ice. Like things had been undermining the trail...you'd just drop through randomly.

Good Stuff.

few Tweaks to the Sinister....

2008-11-22T21:16:00.000-08:00

On my last Simon bar I rode a Fleegle and LOVED it. I had a feeling I'd end up back with one but wanted to give my old Mary a fair shake (LOVED her on my Rita, but was just too ADD to keep them on Simon Bar 1...new Frame, new fork etc...wanted to baseline the bike with something less dramatic than a Mary. Never got a chance to put them back on because the Fleegles were so great but I always regretted shelving the Marys.
I was a stone Mason for the last 8 years so my hands are really sensitive to bad positioning. For this Simon I went from a Low Rise bar with about 5° of sweep and with the rigid fork I was noticing plenty of numbness a day or two after my rides. I swapped to the Ergons last week (Thanks Mark!!) and certainly noticed a difference, but that really got me thinking...so on went mary with my old lockons. We'll see how this goes after tomorrows ride.

A tale of Two 29ers.

2008-11-16T11:28:00.000-08:00

My friend Chris has a Niner 0ne 9. He's had it for some time and has just recently changed the setup a bit. I rode it when I had my last Sinister with the Maverick and 1x9. Then his Niner was sporting Bontrager XXX bars, Stem and fork. Now he's running a Soul Cycles fork, titec bar and stem. The bonty bar was installed by a pro, using a torque wrench. It was ridden about 9 months. After pulling the bar a month or two ago Chris was shocked to see the carbon fiber was destroyed. All Cracked. Off goes the Carbon LOL.

Anyhow the point of this isn't about carbon, it's more about me getting to ride his bike and the Simon back to back. Now the bikes are even running the same exact fork.

We're about the same size and ride similar setups/cockpit. The biggest difference is his 90mm stem vs my 70mm.

Hopping from the Sinister to the Niner my immediate reaction was that it was twitchy....for about a minute LOL. The difference in stem length; bingo. I felt a bit more "on" his bike rather than "in" but that can likely be attributed to the fact that the Sinister was built, literally, for me and it's my Zen. The geo on both is fun, just a bit different. Both are running the Exiwolfs out back (admittedly I have long loathed this tire but it's been GREAT save for the soup and wet leaves). I'd say the Sinister dealt with some of the tighter sections while climbing much better (for me).

All in all I liked how it rode and it was snappy for sure but it was also very harsh. Both frames are aluminum with the same fork...well the Niner is Scandium, "aluminum with an additive" as they say. While neither bike would ever be called flexy, the Niner had no give. Nada. and I'm 230#s. The Sinister uses the straight gauge tubing and gussets to add strength at joints or stiffness where FTW felt it was needed. I guess I am just used to the whole shebang because I was just blown away with the sting of the Niner. I can see why the XC racer guys rock these things. Very high strung, ready to rocket feel with no relief. Reminded me of my old Jake the Snake Cyclocross frame. If I owned that bike it would NOT Be rigid. Now I'm obviously partial to my Simon Bar, but the ride was just much smoother. No flex (ever LOL) but just not an exercise in punishment.

All told, both bikes are fun as hell, but now I know why there are folks out there who hate aluminum/scandium. That said, they should ride other options because a good builder or shop can really tune a frame to you. I think That is Niner's gig as well...they have such a variety of frames there should be one to fit your tastes. I'd really love to try a MCR now.

What a great Fall!

2008-11-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

Been having a fantastic time. Getting a good split between family time with the kiddos and time on the bike. When it's combined, that is even better!

Last weekend Liam and I hit Rye Airfield for some indoor fun. Had a fantastic time and once Liam got used to it, he had a blast too. Not bad, kid is off training wheels for about 4 weeks and he's off to the skatepark (he'd been before while on training wheels but this was the first time on the 2 wheeler.)

The next day was a great ride with Chris and Evan up third Hill.

This weekend started out with a Saturday ride here on Mt A...Left right from the house and down to the watershed and
back up onto the Animal Trail. The trail is my favorite. I've ridden places that have better sections but as a whole it is the top of my list.

Sunday we headed up to our friends place in Enfield NH and did a short hike with all the kids. I had Grace in the backpack and she was a GREAT co-pilot.

Get out there and dig the last of the weather before the snow!

Speaking of snow, I think I'm going to try to ride through the winter. Hell I missed most of summer and I think it will do me should I not go to Iraq.

What is on out here in the shop?

2008-11-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

Mostly the new Oasis but I keep coming back to Tim by the Replacements. Every day i thank god they did what they did.

here's the words from "here Comes a Regular"

Well a person can work up a mean mean thirst
after a hard day of nothin' much at all
Summer's passed, it's too late to cut the grass
There ain't much to rake anyway in the fall

And sometimes I just ain't in the mood
to take my place in back with the loudmouths
You're like a picture on the fridge that's never stocked with food
I used to live at home, now I stay at the house

And everybody wants to be special here
They call your name out loud and clear
Here comes a regular
Call out your name
Here comes a regular
Am I the only one here today?

Well a drinkin' buddy that's bound to another town
Once the police made you go away
And even if you're in the arms of someone's baby now
I'll take a great big whiskey to ya anyway

Everybody wants to be someone's here
Someone's gonna show up, never fear
'cause here comes a regular
Call out your name
Here comes a regular
Am I the only one who feels ashamed?

Kneeling alongside old Sad Eyes
He says opportunity knocks once then the door slams shut
All I know is I'm sick of everything that my money can buy
The fool who wastes his life, God rest his guts

First the lights, then the collar goes up, and the wind begins to blow
Turn your back on a pay-you-back, last call
First the glass, then the leaves that pass, then comes the snow
Ain't much to rake anyway in the fall

I love my Simon Bar Sinister!

2008-10-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

Been riding a lot of different bikes the last few weeks and had some amazing Bike Bling offered out and I have to say, I love my old bike!

A friend came by with a brandy new El mariachi in that beautiful red and I was just so happy to see such a beautiful bike. Even better was glancing over at my stealth black trail weapon and just feeling even more blown away and stoked even more. Can't say that about every bike...there have been times when I'd glance over a different steed and think, "ah...I wish My bike was that nice..." Not so much with this Sinister

thanks boys!

Mike Aitken Crash

2008-10-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

Horrible to see a guy go down like that and sustain injuries of that magnitude...sponsored or not.

Here's my beef...not with Mike, but with the BMX and riding community....Google the crash and read how all these folks preach about health insurance and how the BMX industry makes all this money from these guys and doesn't hook them up with insurance etc. You're starting to see this more and more (the crashes I guess, but more the posts and blogs) from bloggers and riders alike.

Mike is in the hospital for a severe head injury while riding his bike on the 4th while filming a vid. He received breaks/fractures in his orbital bone, cheek, both sides of his jaw, as well as throughout his sinus cavities. Since the accident he has been unconscious since yesterday (the 26th!).

He wasn't wearing a helmet.

Maybe the bloggers and folks doing the filming should concentrate more on eliminating preventable injuries instead of insuring someone who rides their bike for a living...

This is a hot topic and I don't want this to be some Helmet Nazi blog but the fact is this rider is FUBAR because of that crash...he almost died. A helmet would have helped and it's amazing what folks focus on when they want to turn a blind eye.

maybe these riders would be more "insurable" if the actually wore protective gear instead of nothing more than jeans and a Tshirt.

When I was younger (teens) we never rode with helmets and looking back it scares the crap out of me. Someone was watching out for me. Now Liam knows whether he's just cruising with me around the yard or if we're at Rye Airfield, he's got that helmet on.

Ride your bike. Take responsibility for your choices. Have Fun.

Get well Soon Mike.

Moving towards winter

2008-10-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

Well as I listened to the news in the Lag Wagon, heading home from work today I heard the call for some flurries here in York, ME. WOW. Not too long ago I never had a chance to enjoy my Falls and Winter as being a Landscaper, they were viciously stressful...this fall has been rough financially (for everyone!) but it was nice to be working a 9-5 and spending time with the kids as the leaves changed and the days got shorter.

The call for a few flurries is moot as we tend to ride here until we're packed in and then I just switch to Rye Airfield to keep sharp. Unfortunately I had no park bike built for this winter and certainly no cash to build a DNA even if one came my way. Even more alarming is the fact that the season was already woefully short for me (hence the fact that I could pass as Artie Lang!).

Interestingly enough a buddy swung by today on his way back to VT and dropped a park bike off for me! STOKED!

Anyhow, if anyone actually reads this, be sure to get out there and groove on what fall has left for us!

2008-10-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

Had a great time at the NEMBA Wicked Ride of the East. A bunch of great folks showed up...lots of new folks and a bunch of the regulars.

Perfect Fall day for a ride....

2008-10-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

Busy weekend with the kids...Gracie hasn't been feeling her best so she hung home while Liam and I were out and about grabbing a few things for the car and the ride today.

Chris showed up around 8:30 and we headed up to 3rd hill and had a great ride...

2008-09-22T05:25:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks

It’s been a while since my last post ( not that anyone is paying attention) I figured I’d get going here again since I have some time, a new Single Speed and I may be leaving for a while (leaving the Mountain). While away I figure I may be able to use this as a way to update folks on what’s going on around me. I’m not going to say where I’m heading yet, but once things are set in stone, I’ll post it here.

Let’s start with that new Single Speed! Sinister Simon Bar with some special touches for me….this is the Raw frame I posted about below, but now it’s done and being abused. It’s geared ridiculously low (32:22!) I did this in part because, well, let’s be honest…I’m not in the greatest shape after this summer with no bike. The other reason is I tended to use the last 4 gears on my old 1x9 a lot when on the Animal trail and a few others. The 29er with this gearing was actually a blast. The bike climbs like an old Farm All Tractor…it will go straight up! I think I’ll put the wide Fleegle bars back on to open things up a bit for me. The short stays and the 70mm stem are fun combo.

It’s a low budget build because I have a low budget LOL…working with a bike company doesn’t lead to many financial windfalls so you’ll see surly hubs on the beast and a rigid fork…my old Juicy 5s etc.

All in all, it’s great to be back on such a fun bike.

Time to get back....

2008-05-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

Well, it was a season in hell. Not a good Fall or Winter by any stretch of the imagination. Actually, I'm not too sure how we made it through, but we did. Time for a new Spring and a new Riding season.

Thanks to the AMAZING folks at Sinister Bikes, I've been riding a Ridge to tide me over until I got back on a Simon bar (Whenever that would be....Zero funds (remember; season in hell...financially busted) was the first stumbling block. Well, Frank and Bruce at Sinister sent me a gift I will never forget today. I received my new Simon Bar frame while at work. What a great surprise.

Thanks SOOOOOOOOO much guys, you have no idea how much this means to me...

SO NICE to be back on the bike today!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-11-18T12:24:00.000-08:00

After battling Walking pneumonia for the last few weeks it was great to get back out on the trail today. Did about 11 or 12 miles on Mt Aggie, including the Animal trail...best of all, the whole thing was about 4 minutes from my house...

Cool to check out the boulders and caves...the glaciers really had their way with maine way back.

Above is Chris avoiding getting his pic taken.

Very happy with the new Hope Mono Mini Pros (and the new 11-34t Cassette!!! I still have no lungs and the bail out was nice with my 1 x9!!! )

What's on the sound system?

2007-11-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

a little Chris Cornell....

on a cobweb afternoon
in a room full of emptiness
by a freeway i confess
i was lost in the pages
of a book full of death
reading how we'll die alone
and if we're good we'll lay to rest
anywhere we want to go

(chorus)
in your house i long to be
room by room patiently
i'll wait for you there
like a stone i'll wait for you there
alone

on my deathbed i will pray
to the gods and the angels
like a pagan to anyone
who will take me to heaven
to a place i call
i was there so long ago
the sky was bruised
the wine was bled
and there you led me on

in your house i long to be
room by room patiently
i'll wait for you there
like a stone i'll wait for you there
alone

and on i read
until the day was gone
and i sat in regret
of all the things i've done
for all that i've blessed
and all that i've wronged
in dreams until my death
i will wander on

conflicted....please buy my bike...or don't

2007-11-15T19:29:00.000-08:00

man these days it can get tough...I mean REALLY tough. The company just isn't going crazy like it was and money is tight...add in the fact thatboth Nick and myself are just getting over walking pneumonia, it's REALLY tight.

Enter the Sinister 29er. Figured we could use some extra income in a big way so I listed the bike for sale. Every day I badly want someone to buy it, make a nice easy mortgage payment for us....then I get home and fight the urge to ride (Still not 100% lung wise...) There are days that that bike is my only stress relief...it makes time with Kel, Liam and Grace just THAT much better when I'm diffused with the nice post-ride calm.

UGGGG.

If someone were to make an offer on the bike, I'd take it and pay some bills (Christmas IS coming...) but boy, I can see this one hurting a bit.

Be well.

2007-11-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

So here's a bit about me for those that work in a cube and would rather read crap, than do their spreadsheets.

I live in York, Maine with my two crazy children, Liam(3) and Grace (1) and ruthlessly patient wife, Kelly. I own my own Landscape Construction business and most days I like it, some MONTHS I hate it LOL.

I used to be a surfer...I rode for Shane Smith Surfboards/2si and still miss the water...unfortunately it just doesn't fit right now...so I ride. Anyone who knows me will know I've been a bike geek forever...it has ebbed and flowed over the years but the last few- since buying a cyclocross bike a few years back- have been pretty intense.

We've moved from York Harbor, up onto Mt Agamenticus...from the surf to the trails so to speak.

In what very little free time I have (did I say 'ruthless'? LOL) I help out the folks at Sinister Bikes. This past winter/spring, Ninja Exterminator/Hep Cat, Frank The Welder began
building Me and my friend Darrel some 29er frames...it sort of went from there.

tap tap tap....is this thing on?

2007-11-09T06:22:00.000-08:00

Well...welcome to my blog....I guess...

I've enjoyed reading other folks musings and ramblings recently and decided to give it a go....

If you're into bikes, then you may or may not find my semi-coherent stream of conciousness thing interesting. If not, and you're still here, I'm assuming you're a stalker...that's cool, just stay away from my family and please don't kill me and wear my skin...I'd never fit you, trust me.