Guess I picked the wrong day to quit sniffing glue...

Sure everything is fine when I'm doing stupid hill repeats



but when it's time to go and have some fun, I slide spectacularly on a root creating a debris field of epic proportions.

After I wandered around zombie like and Neal picked up all my scattered pieces the idea of riding comes back to the fore.

But wheel no turny?

Try and adjust the brakes; still no workie.

As I wobble out of the woods I notice a great oscillation in my front wheel.

Aha!  That must be the problem.

Get home and put my other wheel in the fork.

Nope, still not turning.

Good thing I have the expensive tool drawer.

Don't Ask

Perfect

Another TdT.  I never get sick of this ride.  What used to seem like THE EPIC now is almost a regular morning ride.

Weather and trail conditions were ideal.

No mechanicals

No "F"s

Good friends and a comfortable tempo

It was so perfect that a new term was coined:

HC Ultra Fun
(a reference to a couple of the most awesome descents)

Have I mentioned the water fountains are on!!!!

We needed "headshots" for the team blog, so we checked our hair and makeup and struck poses.

James

(should I show off my locks?)

TJ

(does this chimney make me look fat?)

Moi

(can we get a close up?)

The Interloper

(honorary team member)

I had a whole post all ready to go about tires, sealant, bearings and all sorts of truly exciting stuff.

But it all culminates in me going for a ride on my bicycle this afternoon.
So I'll just cut to the chase.

Seriously?

Am I asking too much for Stan's to seal this?








I thought it was going to be one of those pull the tube out and just air it up jobbers.
Instead it was more like this:

This might be the problem

I went out for a quickie before picking up the kids from school.  After flatting out of Domnarski Farm, I felt it would be prudent to add a little extra air to my tires.

I could barely ride.  I was bouncing all over the place, slip sliding on all the damp rocks and roots.
I lowered my pressure to what I felt was a lower, yet safe amount of air.

This is what I thought felt "safe"

After playing with pumps and gauges, squeezing tires in new and exciting ways, I caressed it up to compromise between  wickid hawd (in my perception) and what my Winter tires had spoiled me with.

We'll see how that works out...

Another issue I've been having is there has been a terrible "click" in my drivetrain of late.  I thought it was my rear hub as the freehub bearings needed to be replaced and there was quite a lot of play there.

The non-drive hub bearing in a DT Swiss hub is pretty conventional in it's removal and replacement.  The drive side is held in by the "ring gear" which needs to be removed with a proprietary tool.  The DT Swiss pdf doesn't address the removal of the freehub bearings, and the only information I found on the interwebs was people ruining their freehubs by hamfisting the bearings out.
So by my logic I see a "ring gear" on the freehub, maybe it holds the bearings in like on the drive side of the hub?

ah no

DT Swiss freehub and tool are strong than my vice (thankfully)

David at DT Swiss was quick  responding to my inquiry on just what the fücke I was doing before I employed a method that would overcome the now well proven strength of the hub and let me know they just push out from the center.
(duh!)

Hub is good as new, but the damn click is still there (I rode with a different wheel & cog today).
Hopefully it's a bad link on my chain, cause the only other part left is the Pretty Things...

Domnarski Farm 2012

Well, I can't say I wasn't warned.

I was trying a couple of things different this year at Domnarski Farm.  I went with a spinny-er gear than I usually run, and I had a suspension fork.

9/10ths of a mile in I was questioning the latter.
With a suspension fork, I get a little carried away, over cook turns and, well I guess slam my rear wheel into rocks that my front was saved from by said suspension fork.

After working my way up to 2nd place behind a hard charging Josh Wilcox, I found myself on the side of the trail watching the rest of the singlespeed class, and then the 50+ class go by as I went about making the repair.

Just down the hill from me Mike Rowell was busy fixing his first flat.

I had brought two Co2s and a pump.  Hit the tire with the first cartridge hoping the Stan's would do it's job; no workie.

Put in the tube and fill it with the other Co2.  Feels pretty hard to me and I'm off.  Thank you to Aleksandra Mooradian for holding my bike while I replaced the wheel ( she had already double flatted).

I'm starting to bring back the 50+ group and by the power line climb I'm starting to catch singlespeeders.  I'm really digging the spinny gear in the singletrack, but not so much on the fireroads.

On my way down I pass Mike fixing another flat.

Get through the start /finish and head up the first climb, tire feels a little soft, but it's held this far.  Maybe it's my imagination,  and there's really not much I can do about at this point.

I make it to the top of the climb, start descending, and there it is; the soft tire squirm.  I get off and easily push my palm to the rim.

The plug is pulled.
I'm done.

I limp down, making it about a half mile from the finish before it's completely flat and I have to walk.

Fabian on the other hand  podiumed.

When in Mass...