Speedgoat's commentary and opinion on cycling and the cycling industry.http://www.speedgoat.com/blog.aspen-usTue, 09 Mar 2010 14:20:37 EST Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:10:00 ESThttp://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2180http://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2180
The team set out today from Lisbon under bright, clear skies that hinted nothing of what was ahead along the 225-kilometer stage 1. Rains in previous days flooded the road to such a depth in some places that the cyclists were diverted by local firemen.

Although an occasional sign warned the team of the dunked roads, perhaps a sense of adventure prevailed and the team took their chances with the rain and with their BH G5 bikes, which doubled as amphibious vehicles to get them through the oversized puddles.

In the end, the team added an extra 30 kilometers to the day, which cost them two hours. Heavy rains throughout the Iberian Peninsula this winter have caused problems in nearly every region, which - on the bright side - may result in a more scenic Clásica San Sebastián on July 31.

]]> Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:03:00 ESThttp://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2179http://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2179
Before you get started, please familiarize yourself with the official hub overhaul instructions: http://www.dtswiss.com/Products/Accessories/Hub-Accessories/36-T-upgrade-kit-for-star-ratchet-hubs.aspx (look for the link on the right side of the page called “Manual Hubs 240s.pdf). This blog entry is a brief overview of the procedure; it is not intended to replace precise instructions.

Start by pulling off the non-drive end caps (these may be a bit stuck: hold both end caps and twist several times to warm and loosen o-ring seals).


Stick a Bic pen into the axle and give it a few gentle taps until the drive side end cap pops off (be careful or the freehub and ratchet guts will pop out too).




Dismantle the freehub and ratchet mechanism (pay close attention to the order and orientation to apply during reassembly).




Comparison: 18 vs. 36 steps
36-step star ratchet offers 10 degrees of engagement (compared to 20 degrees from the original 18-step) and additional machining that saves 10 grams.


Don’t forget to clean and lube!








Here is where all of those memory games you played in Kindergarten pay off.

Finesse with a twist and a gentle push to guide the ratchet assembly into the hub shell. Finish off by replacing the end caps on the axle (you have to do this while holding the freehub in place since the springs tend to push the assembly back out until you get the end caps back in place).

]]> Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:00:00 ESThttp://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2178http://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2178
We're glad to announce that Uvex sunglasses are now available here at Speedgoat Bicycles.

Featuring German engineering and styling and ranging in price from $30.00 to $100.00, you don't have to break the bank to get your euro-look groove on.]]> Sat, 06 Mar 2010 08:00:00 ESThttp://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2171http://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2171
The Jet 9 is Niner's lightweight cross-country, full-suspension frame that features 80 mm of rear wheel travel in the form of Niner's own CVA™ suspension system. First debuted in 2008, the Jet 9 has received multiple improvements for 2010.
The head tube is now a tapered 1-1/8” to 1.5” design that uses an integrated upper and lower headset assembly to keep the stack height low and steering precise. Niner includes a custom FSA headset with each frame and also provides both a 1.5” and a 1.5” to 1-1/8” reducer base plate assembly for your choice of running a standard 1-1/8” or tapered steerer tube fork. This new tapered head tube allows for a larger hydro-formed down tube, a larger hydro-formed top tube and a new top tube-to-down tube gusset area – all of which drastically increase the torsional strength and steering response of the frame.
The new hydro-formed top tube and seat mast are also larger in size and have an increased weld surface area where they meet the seat tube.
The entire front triangle is completely reworked and much stiffer than the previous version of the Jet 9.
The swingarm forgings have also received a redesign and the Y-brace from the R.I.P. 9 and W.F.O. 9 has been added for additional strength.
The seat stays have been changed to a square profile and the chain stays are now hydro-formed for additional gains in stiffness and torsional strength.

The most impressive result of all these changes…the weight.

I wish I had a weight for the complete bike, but I forgot to put the bike on the scale. Give a call to Niner and set me straight on that, however we can confirm that the target weight of the frame only is 2810 grams/6.2 lbs for a Medium in Licorice Anodized.

]]> Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:09:00 ESThttp://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2174http://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2174
]]> Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:47:00 ESThttp://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2173http://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2173

When was the last time you read "all expenses paid" with out raising a skeptical eyebrow?

Lower your brow, this is a legit offer from the North American wing of German-based Sigma Sport:

"Do you have what it takes to participate in one of the toughest and most grueling amateur bike races in the world? If so, we want to hear from you.

SIGMA is giving away the trip of a lifetime and entrance into the TOUR TransAlp for one well deserving rider. You will ride for team US SIGMA ROX in the 7 stage TOUR TransAlp.

Submit a photo showing why you deserve the all expense paid trip and entrance into the TOUR TransAlp. http://www.sigma-transalp.com/us

Want to provide even more information about yourself, visit us on Facebook and tell us why you deserve the trip to participate in the TOUR TransAlp.
(Photo submission is still required at www.sigma-transalp.com)"]]> Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:11:00 ESThttp://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2172http://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2172

(TEMPE, Ariz.) Pivot Cycles "walked the talk" in mid February by entering a team of Pivot staffers plus one mountain bike magazine editor into the annual 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. At first they downplayed the event, calling it a "whim" and acting casually about the anticipated outcome. Then, in their own words "once the race started, those old competitive juices started flowing."

The weekend's results equaled a respectable tenth place at the wildly-competitive 24-hour event and an inspired narrative to launch Pivot's new blog. What you'll find in this premier blog article is a report absent of marketing copy but motivating. For everyone who holds down a fulltime job and squeezes riding into the margins of the workday, racing is quite secondary to a career. Racing is fun though, since it allows you to probe deep within and expose your strengths and weaknesses in a way that's privately confronting. You'll learn a bit about that from Pivot's blog and, if all you've ever read about racing is skin suits, power output, speed, cadence, and quirky nutrition habits, you may be missing out. Check out Pivot's blog here.]]> Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:20:00 ESThttp://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2170http://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2170
"Well, do you want the good news or the bad news? The good news is that they didn’t have to amputate..."

After presumably slipping and falling in an icy parking lot in his hometown of Bend, Ore., Craig suffered a blowout to his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). Surgery was inevitable and - based on Craig's dispatch - successful, but as painful as it was, the fact that Craig has avoided such debilitating injuries in far riskier situations, was a harsher blow.

"Now that I’m two weeks out from surgery it’s all starting to sink in. This is a veritable shitticane. A really hard one to accept and understand. You see, I’ve just started to walk around the house on my own two feet without the aid of my lovely Lofstrand (think Forrest Gump) crutches and can spin complete (albeit slow) circles on the stationary bike. Yet, with all of this progress and a knee that appears, other than a bit of swelling and some incisions, to be healthy, I’m looking at not being able to ride a mountain bike in any remotely risky environment for four months from the date of surgery, February 9th."

Ouch.

As a pro racer, last week Craig was scheduled to debut with his new
European-based Giant Bicycles/Rabobank MTB team. Fox Racing Shox needs him to test new XC fork technology this winter and Shimano had him on the docket for a product launch at Sea Otter. Lest we forget the realities of a professional athlete, Craig spelled it out for us, "This is a full time job for me and it requires use of my lower extremities."

To read the full email, click here.
]]> Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:23:00 ESThttp://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2169http://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2169(we know he/she's in there somewhere)

By WENDY BOOHER

Know your limits...but never stop trying to exceed them. -Anonymous

photo courtesy of the Sea Otter Classic

Here we are at the start of the North American race season and, if you've never tried racing, here's a small narrative intended to inspire you to give it a spin. It's true, you are your own worst enemy and if you've always told yourself that you're not fit/fast enough to race, who cares?! Go out and try it anyway, you might just be better than you think.

I started racing in earnest last year, at age 39. I've raced a little in the past and I've reported on seemingly hundreds of races but my dirty little secret was always that I could write about racing in theory but rarely in practice. My excuse for starting to race more last year was that I wanted to be better at my job as a routine race correspondent but truthfully, it was a friend who sampled racing in the beginner class who quite frankly, wouldn't shut up about how much fun it was. She was right. There's little else more satisfying than finishing a race utterly spent but a bit high on the sense of accomplishment. My results weren't bad either - never worse than third in women's expert - but I usually raced my own race and if I managed to pass someone or be passed, so be it.

The greatest obstacle to racing a bike is not trying for fear of failure (which - by the way - is a subjective term) or, in some cases, it is a lack of understanding. Somewhere along the line, racing (and training) evolved into a goliath convoluted by training metrics, highly-specialized equipment, and food created in chem labs. The racing process is simple: ride your bike at a sustainable pace for a prescribed period of time or distance. Consult a friend who races about things to know about racing (when to accelerate, when to ease up on the pedals, what/when to eat etc.) Heed the advice above to know your limits, as they will help you manage risks to your physical wellbeing, but also know them in order push safely past them, otherwise how ever will you know what greatness lies within?

So get out there and step right up to the start line, we've selected these upcoming events with you in mind:

April 15-18 - Monterey, Calif. - 20th Annual Sea Otter Classic, the unofficial kickoff to the North American cycling season, Sea Otter started out as a solid local race in '91 and has now grown into an international event with a little sumthin' for everyone

May 8 - Fort Mill, SC - 6 Hour Grind on the "Greenway," a six-hour singletrack mountain bike race, with 805 ft of elevation per lap, and benefiting the Humane Society of York County, Team Up for Type 1 and Girl Scouts Troop 648.

May 21-23 - Hesston, Pa. - DirtFest 2010, presented by Dirt Rag Magazine. A mountain bike advocacy weekend with a little something for everyone. Group rides, night rides, rallies, and creative competition underscore a weekend aimed at promoting exposure for as many facets of the mountain bike community as possible.

May 22 - Weaverville, Calif. - 6/12 Hours of Weaverville, 11.6 miles/1722' of climbing, which starts with three miles of fire road climbing, 1.5 miles of rollers, then 7 miles of downhill singletrack but get this: no one will ever know your place during the race since everyone from the fastest to the slowest will be riding the same course.

July 18 - Ellicotteville, NY - 6 Hours of Power. Solo riders and two-person tag teams compete for the most laps on a 10-mile course on some of western New York's best trails. A pumping transition area, clearly marked course, two water stations and post-race pasta party highlight this annual event.

Read more on the culture of racing in Speedgoat's next Monthly Newsletter, due out this week. Sign up in the top right corner of this page.]]> Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:39:00 ESThttp://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2168http://www.speedgoat.com/blog.asp?p=2168
Rule 1: On my planet, nobody signs off an email with "Mr." or "Mrs." before his or her name. If you really want to act like a genuine corporation, never give out an actual name. And you know what? When you do, never make it "Joe Smith" or "Alexander Graham Bell" like you do. The only employees at an American company with names like that don't know how to send emails.

Rule 2: If even you clearly lose the thread of the jacked up story you're concocting, just give it up. Don't try to ride it out, thinking if you can't scam a million bucks out of some moron, you might at least accidentally write a Dan Brown novel. So my friend in "CANADA" (logic: Canada is a nation of trustworthy people such that just writing the name in full caps will let me know this is all legit) died in the desert, but his daughter made a fortune with a diamond mine, and he was trying to get this pile of money to me so that I could rescue her from Dante's Inferno and blah, blah. I'm an American. We have icons of types of food on our cash registers. You lost me at "Hello!".

Rule 3: Nobody in America types form crap into emails. This isn't because we don't trust you; it's because none of us can remember passwords or any other relevant information. All that crap is auto-filled on web sites for us by Microsoft or Google. We can't remember which one.

Rule 4: No corporation capable of handling large amounts of money ever "kindly" asks us to do anything.

In a related note, when attempting to commit credit card fraud on the telephone, correcting yourself regarding the spelling of your first name, is widely regarded as suspect. ]]>