Don’t know how many people on this site will really appreciate this but I am pretty stoked on one of our new bikes here at VooDoo.  It’s called Nakisi which means sacred medicine in Voodoo religion.  The bike is an all purpose rigid unit that takes fat 29′er tires and whatever bars you feel like.  I put an original set of WTB drops on mine with our high rise stem.  Then I decided to put my Pugsley fork and front wheel on it to see how that rode.  Then I went out and rode a new section of AZT here in Flag that I had not been on.  Answer: had a friggin’ blast!  Now I don’t like it better than my Canzo 29 but it sure does make me want to ride it again and again!  Take a look:

Amazing what a few years can change.

Brian Holm has admitted that doping was a widely accepted, everyday activity back in the late 1980s and early 1990s when he was riding as a pro cyclist but insisted that riders’ attitudes have changed greatly, with doping now being the exception, rather than the rule.

He knew nothing about doping when he turned pro in 1986. “But then you heard more about it and eventually it became so commonplace that we thought that it wasn’t banned any more,” Danish website spn.dk reported him as saying.

. . .

The Dane now sees more self-discipline amongst riders today than when he was a rider. “During my time as a rider there were rumors about those who had never used anything, but I never got to meet any of them. Today it is just the opposite. Now one hears rumors about those who do (use doping).”

“The new generation of riders look down on those who use drugs as if they were a bunch of criminals. They simply do not like them.

www.cyclingnews.com/news/holm-says-todays-riders-have-a-different-view-on-doping.

Whiskey Off Road 2011

(Tucson, Ariz.) Nov. 1, 2010. . . . Registration is now open for the pro category of the 2011 Whiskey Off Road endurance mountain bike event located in Prescott, AZ. The online registration form can be found here.

Registration opened at 9 a.m. Arizona time on Monday, Nov. 1. Event organizer, Epic Rides, expects the pro category to fill up relatively quickly; it is limited to the first 100 entrants and boasts two days of racing and a $20,000+ cash purse attached to the Sunday, May 1st XC race; unique to the mountain biking industry, the cash purse will be split 50/50 between men and women.

Returning 2010 male and female champions Gretchen Reeves (Team Tokyo Joes) and Andy Schultz (Team Kenda-Felt) are confirmed to race. When asked if he planned to return in 2011, Schultz stated, “I had so much fun last year I would be there regardless of the purse size.“

Other pro’s confirmed to toe-the-line on race day include Amanda Carey (Kenda-Felt), Barry Wicks (Kona Bikes), Dara Marks-Marino, Jay Henry (Tokyo Joes), and Tinker Juarez (Siemens-Cannondale). In addition to the above confirmed athletes, there has been an overwhelming amount of interest from other professional level mountain bikers plus non-mountain bike specific professional level athletes.

The 2011 Whiskey Off Road will take place Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1. All amateur level athletes will enjoy their choice from the graduated distance options including a 15 Proof, 25 Proof or 50 Proof course (1 proof = 1 mile). The Pro athletes will participate in a two stage weekend. The first stage will be a Fat Tire Criterium held Friday evening, and the second is the 50 Proof endurance XC course on Sunday morning. All events will be based in the center of downtown Prescott on Whiskey Row, which receives an estimated 10,000 visitors each day during tourism season.

Pro registrants will need to attach a race resume to their registration form in order to gain entry into the 2011 Whiskey Off Road. When completing the online registration form, it will prompt the applicant when appropriate to attach their resume.

Amateur registration will open Monday, Jan. 3. The amateur category will be limited to 1,400 participants.

For complete event information and a breakout of the cash purse, visit www.epicrides.com.

This weekend rediscovered the joys of being off the bike, and Sunday was perfect.  I have since Saturday been deep in the finer side of maintenance camp.

I’m at it with two bikes on the stand.  One is a 54cm Tange rig that will utilize some idle road parts and go on the market.  And, the LaBan needed the dock for a while, so I hung ‘er on the wall with a stuck seat post until it bothered me, this status, as it had stuck in a matter of months.  I was able to get it out without the use of the pro tool or last resort which is: A:  A 13/32 hole drilled in the center of the bottom bracket.  B:  3/8″ steel rod long enough to reach the edge of the post and C: Hammer.  Now you know how to get ANY seatpost out.

She's getting a new bb and crankset, all the rest is DA 9 speed.

Being down to one bike gets me nervous.  Here’s a reflector bracket that I machined:

I like aluminum. Aluminum belongs on a bike.

Another interesting image, this one of some equipment that I’d like to get into using someday:

Courtesy of Rodriguez Custom Bicycles

These days of all day rain yield to the sunny days being truly enjoyed.  Lance loves to run across wide grassy spaces more than anything, and I let him.  I play sneak-away and pedal as quick as I can.  He catches me pretty quickly.  Very fast dog.

I suppose I should instead be running a register at QFC right now?

Going out when it is raining this hard means walking with an umbrella.  It’s big enough that he could stay out of the rain if he walked right by me, like he is supposed to.  But little Lance hasn’t figured it out.  He’s felt the larger drops from the edge of the umbrella, and is too afraid to get under it.  Yes, this has potential to be a parable.

Our man of the world, Dirty Biker, is planning to go big again. All he does is go big.

Heading down to quintana roo and the yucatan to drink cheap beer and chill on empty beaches. This world ain’t gonna see itself.

I wished him well, asking only that he takes only photos and leaves only black eyes.

Don’t need much more than this.

Drunkcyclist.com and Surly. Lord help us.

From: Response
Subject: Free beer
So I was tearing up the local hills on my china 28″ with my 90 lb. Munchkin riding shotgun onna rear rack, and I sees a BBQ grill fo’ sale.

Webers are impossible to find in china cause no one grills that way. (they do it more open flame Korea style) I picked it up for a mere $6 usd, cause they couldn’t find a home for it after 2 years of collecting dust. I stopped by the outdoor market and bought onions, squash, mushroom, potato, coal, chicken and two beers fo $6 us.

I grilled up a feast and dined better than kings. Also both of my 600 ml beers had magic bottle caps that are worth a free beer apeice!

Surprisingly, the free beer bottle cap thing has been going on every day for a week now. I havent spent a dime on beers. Even the guy at the beer store is raising an eyebrow about my luck.

I am living the dream!

None of us who put fifty bucks into the pot won the Coconino Cycles custom frame that was raffled off last Thursday at the Paul Benton Fund Raiser. Damn. Not that there’s anything wrong with someone else winning, but just say’n, it would have been tops to have the win come from DC.

6 thousand dollars was raised for Paul B that evening along with the 5000 raised from the Garro frame give away for a total of 11k. DC contributed 700 dollars to that effort thanks to everyone who bought tickets through the site. On that note, thanks to all of you who dropped quan on the opportunity.

As it happened, the day after the sales were final, Paypal locked down the DC account. Apparently “raffle” is a gambling term with them, and I’m still sorting out details so the account can be “released”. As it is, The dull edge of Paypal intellect seems not to understand human language. When I tell them it was a fund raising effort in which there is a chance to win a custom made bicycle frame but it was not a gambling event per se, they then ask for DC’s non-profit status documents. To that, I say, “no, no, no” this was a one time situation to help Paul B. We were just helping out. We’re not non profit. Upon that, they say: gambling is not allowed… and around and around it goes.

Regardless of our now being in paypal detention – which seemingly has no effect on how the store works – I’m happy we could be a conduit for the effort. I personally sank a c-note into the chance. And, of the 12 tickets sold here, one was sold up in Canadia, and six were sold in the Far East of America while the others stayed local. Heck yea.

As it stands, Paul B. is now chilling in a neuro-rehab facility of some sort in Sacramento, Ca. He looks good, and I bet the 11k his family received on Thursday will be a needed drop in the proverbial healthcare bucket.

BUY THIS T-SHIRT PLEASE!

The teammates of Ali Delgado, who was hit by a car while riding her bike on 10/16, have made up these t-shirts to sell for her never-ending mound of medical bills that are piling up. You can order one online here.

Ali has a long way to go. If you have a few extra bucks, go here to donate directly to her fund. All donations are tax deductible.

Thanks in advance. Ride safe.

drinking, riding, texting. (cause i don’t give a fuck about laws, so just chill. . . til the next episode.)

One firm hand on the tiller

The past seven days have been a blur of mountain biking, driving, and trying to look busy at work. My nerves are shot, my knees are sore, and I am consuming way more coffee than any human ever should. I guess that means it was a good road trip.

The plan was to get six guys together for some kind of “Biketoberfest” to celebrate Scandinavian Jesus’ birthday. We chose Durango, a town filled with great beer and even better trails. Three guys from the group went up early and called in the bad news. Durango was getting rained out in town and all the higher trails were going to be covered with snow soon. We decided to meet up in the parking lot of Phil’s World trails in Cortez to get some riding in and to come up with a plan. Turkey and I left Friday night and detoured through Flagstaff to break up the 7 hour drive. This little stop turned into a very late night (or early morning?) on the town. That’s right about when everything started to feel like a movie. The next morning, with heads pounding from too much scotch, we pushed on through the rest of the drive. We met up with the crew at the trailhead just as the rain and hail started. This left us with nothing left to do but get a room, put on your best cowboy shirt, and hit the town…

On this trip I learned that no matter how little sleep your crew has had, it is really easy to get them to the trailhead at 9am when you promise booze and singletrack. After a nice little ride, we checked the weather and saw there was no rain in Moab. We decided to motor on over there but not without first stopping to stock up before crossing into Utah.

We set up camp down by the river and settled in for a fine night around the campfire. The camp host was even nice enough to stop by and inform us of all the “violations” that we were committing. That was awful nice of him. We awoke at 4 am to a storm howling through the valley with crazy wind and rain that all but destroyed our camp. It knocked down or flipped over everything we had out except for one thing…

You can always count on the Sailor to weather out a storm.

The rest of the time was spent emptying our coolers and riding for hours on end. It’s rare that you can get six guys together and not have a single inflated ego amongst them. But that was in fact what happened for this little trip through the Four Corners, and it was a damn good time. As you can see the views were terrible too

Have a great weekend everybody. As for myself, I’m heading down to Mexico with the touring bike. I’ll see you in a couple weeks

Keep it dirty.

From: The Ethnic
A bit of good news, for a change of pace.

http://www.denverpost.com/extremes/ci_16314083.

From the article:

Kate Rau hasn’t exactly reinvented the wheel. But she has taken a popular sport and created a new niche. It would seem the creation of a high school mountain bike racing league in a state such as Colorado is an idea long overdue. And Rau, a zealous believer in bikes and kids, couldn’t agree more.

Rau, from Boulder, is the catalyst behind the Colorado High School Cycling League, which brings together budding mountain bikers from across the state to ride and race, and represent their schools. Modeled after a successful program launched a decade ago in California (where bike team rosters sometimes outnumber those of the football teams), the Colorado league is the first outside California and sets the table for a national program.

“It’s a no-brainer for Colorado,” Rau said. “It’s going off. We’ve had more than 180 kids register and 144 competitors at both of our first two races. I can pretty confidently say our high school races in Colorado are historic in that it’s the first that many kids between ages 14 and 18 have raced at one time.”

We could all use some good news once in a while.

From: Stevil Kinevil
Subject: I wanna join the party too.

I’m a drunk cyclist, except for when I’m not.

Which was once.

It didn’t work out so well.

Colt 45. It works every time.

Happy Friday, everyone.

At that Vegas Cross, as the ladies and gents twisted their inner throttles, I did get the jones. I think that jones lasted for another month as I railed the Pines to the mines. Then it came to a close as I floundered at the Tour of the White Mountains. That’s the way it rolls in Gnomesville. Short and fierce from top to bottom. Now it’s cold in Flagstaff and there’s no doubt. It is driving me bananas and I need to sack up. No more sleeping until 11:30 all huddled up like a springer spaniel on the bed. No more worky-no-playie. No more no-shows. No more non-riding. Time to put an end to the annual affair of nothingness. Time to dig around for a bit of inspiration and turn the wrenches on a good idea.

It has been heard over the wires that 16 year old Tyler Coplea clean house in the Pro event at last weekends azcross races. Nice work young jedi. Very nice work indeed.

Tyler up on the front. Drunkcyclist in the rear.

That’s pretty good success. It helps to rebuild stoke for others anyway. To see all the heads out there, putting in the time no matter the clouds or the rain. That’s where it’s at. They must be listening to Snake.

Then I check this pic out:

Girl Do Work

Oh fuck, girl. Better? Fuck yea, better. Top notch. Absolutely top notch. You know what’s up, and you make that club cut look GOOD. Make a grown man want to get up, go out and ride.

On those notes, I’m inspired. I’ll miss the cross this year, but the inspiration from above has helped piece the monster-cross back together and now, a couple long off-road tours loom on the horizon. First will be a multi day ride down to Cottonwood. Close, but not too close to the Verde Hot Springs. Things just get wierd there. I’ve been there plenty. This time, I’m going to take a day to gander at the scene, or the lack thereof, in Clarkville and points further northwest. I’ve never been to that side. I want to roll around the hoods, see what’s what, then weigh in on moving there after next summer. Above all, I want solitude to come along for rides that last the daylight, and sleep in turn for the dark time. This is my steed:

Lil Monster

The coolest thing about the bike might be the Chimay bar corks. This bar cork in particular is nostalgic of a recent ex. We drank a lot of Chimay and other Belgiums. Drunk, we we’re cyclists. Thus, I love it as if it can do for me what I cannot do for myself, but it’s only a cork at the end of a handle. I must then, put my hands on that handle, and make the choice, for her, and for me. say la vee.

corkage

Although in order to shift, the Suntour shifter up on the top tube is very catching. It’s so ahead of its time, that as you shift the rear, the front lever gets trimmed automagically. If only I had video, I could capture that magic.

Suntour to Death!

And I’ll note, that shit clamped up on that top tube like it was meant to be. Like Joe Murray knew I’d dig around in the spare junk box to find that suntour shifter all alone. But there’s more. The top cap of the stem can mount a water bottle cage. I think that ought to come in handy. I got it from Ron of King Cage while I was out at Leadville this past August. As I’ve said before, that shit is American worth paying for.

bottle on top

With that, the steed is almost ready and so am I. I’ll make a few more tweaks to the bike and my gear, then I’m gone. Here’s to the winter, to the cold, and to the riding.

I like where this one is going… but I have no idea where it is going.

Damn if this one didn’t just about ruin my morning.

An 11-year-old girl on a bicycle ride with her family was hit and killed by a teenage driver Tuesday night, according to the Mesa Police Department.

The girl was behind her sister and father on the 3200 block of East Brown Road around 6:30 p.m, said Det. Steve Berry of Mesa police. The family tried to cross the street as two vehicles approached them. The vehicle nearest to the family slowed as the bikers crossed the street, Berry said.

The 16-year-old driving the second vehicle, a Dodge truck, was unaware of the bikers, Berry said, and attempted to pass the slowing vehicle. The teenager hit the girl, according to police.

Police said the teenager was not at fault and is not being charged.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/10/27/20101027mesa-child-killed-bike-abrk1027.html.

I have a hard time seeing how the driver of the second car is not at fault in this instance. Was the family at an intersection? Were they in a crosswalk? Who had the right of way?

I cannot fathom how you are not responsible for taking reasonable precautions regarding avoiding impact with any object on the roadway in front of you when you pass a slow moving vehicle. If you initiate the passing manover, you take the risk. You cannot assume the vehicle is front of you is slowing for no reason and just gun it, consequences be damned. It is reasonably foreseeable that danger may exist; there may be something in the roadway, such as a box, dog, cat, another vehicle, a fallen tree limb.

In this instance it was an eleven year old girl.

This new Wilderness B = Wilderness with Bikes is starting to take off, like Snake Hawk’s VDB has a posse movement.  I first came across it on the Facebook, and slowly have been able to see it gather some steam.  From what I can tell this gang of intelligent people, are all about modifications to pre-existing Wilderness restrictions, so that bicycle recreation could take place within Wilderness boundaries.  While this is not a new concept, I dig what they are all about, and suggest you give them a quick view, and maybe hop on board.  While IMBA and other Bicycle Advocacy groups have been on board with this concept for a while, the more organized groups the better.  Having seen the shitstorm that went down this past April when Montana mountain bikers lost over 150 miles of singletrack because of “solitude”, I’m of the opinion that the more organized groups working around the country for this common goal, the better.  Remember, if it can happen in one state, it can happen in the other 49.

Less signs like this….

More like this

A March 2010 article from Outside Magazine summed it up nicely, what almost all mountain bikers go through when they start to think about planning some rides in wilderness areas:

Through years of misinformation, mountain bikes have gotten lumped in with ATVs, snowmobiles, and other maligned vehicles by people citing environmental concerns. But on several different metrics—erosion, runoff, soil compaction, loss of vegetation—study after study has found the trail impact of mountain bikers to be equal to or less than that caused by hikers, and far less than equestrians. A 2006 study by the National Park Service concluded that “Horse and ATV trails are significantly more degraded than hiking and biking trails…[T]he proportion of trails with severe erosion…is 24% for ATV trails, 9% for horse trails, 1.4% for hiking trails and 0.6% for bike trails.”

Of course, the authors of the Wilderness Act never meant to ban any of these. A 2004 review of the legislation by a staff attorney for California’s Supreme Court found that “Congress did not intend for the Act to prohibit human-powered transport…Accordingly, the regulations of the Forest Service…prohibiting mountain bike use in Wilderness require reevaluation.”

In fact, bikes weren’t even banned until 1984, when the U.S. Forest Service refined regulations prohibiting their use. Depending on whose boundaries they overlap, Wilderness areas come under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, or Bureau of Land Management. When the Forest Service moved against bikes, the other agencies followed.

Since we all got our two cents about bikes in the wilderness (and I plan to provide you with mine), I will also give you my background as far as Wilderness goes.  I spent the Summer of 2003 living in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in Idaho and Montana.  I don’t know the exact numbers as far as its size, but it’s pretty fucking big as far as Wilderness goes in the lower 48.  I spent the better part of 12 weeks “working” for the Forest Service doing an inventory of noxious weeds, slept out under the starts, bathed in rivers, picked wild huckleberries, all the shit that an 18 year old who was raised in New Jersey should do at some point in their young life.

Prior to packing up my car and heading out west, I tried to get an idea of the mountain biking that I’d get to do in the Selway.  Government regulation then came forth and smacked me in the face, I would not be riding my bike in the Selway that summer.  Pay no attention to the men at that ourfitter camp loading up a string of pack mules with their camping gear, then getting on their horses so they could head off into the woods to go shoot bears, you on your bike is a greater threat to the overall ecological health of the wilderness.  As a mountain biker am i biased regarding this topic?  Yes I am, but that doesnt mean the cause I support is not some combination of reasonable and correct.

With that, if you are in favor of changes and modifications to the rules that are presently enforced regarding this topic, I suggest you go take a look at Wilderness B = Wilderness with Bikes, if you are on Facebook, go ahead and show your support by liking them.  The more people who get on board with this movement, get organized, educate people who do not have all the facts, practice safe multi-use trail use, the more likely it would be for mountain biking to be allowed in designated Wilderness areas.  With that I will leave you with a final image of why bikes should be allowed in the Wilderness.  This comes from the Black Bicycle Corps which in 1897 rode from Fort Missoula to St. Louis.  Montana in the late 1800’s is pretty close to a wilderness if you ask me, and here you have people riding bikes, looks like something that should be allowed again.

I snap out of a daymare. The chair slides out
No telling the time gazing at the yuck brown sky
Nine o’clock? What? No, it’s only 7:30.
We love green. We accept green. We want our green superimposed
with a blue white. And bright. We don’t complain about the blue, but gray…
Gray we get. All of a sudden. Gray and wet.
A million shades of gray. Dark gray, sad gray, calm gray, dirty gray…
but it’s all wet gray.
Gotta accept the wind, too. Cold, leaf stripping wind. Trash bin tipping wind.
Gotta accept all the wet garbage superimposed on the pretty green grass.
On the chair again.
An unwelcome entry to the dry solace of this basement. He comes in.
The visitor is the inner demon, the tax collector, the assessor, and an impudent

imp in character. His grin is sickening. His hat, upon my nail, intrudes.
“Hey hey brotha man. How’s it going?”
“I should learn to expect you, I guess.”
“Yep! Every time the sun goes away. I guess I’m pretty regular!” He chides.
“Hey there… what are you drinking?” I show him the chipped teacup half empty,

the cup I’m already tired of.
“Vodka and cranberry juice.” I say. “You want some?”
“No thanks. I don’t drink!!” he smiles…. “You know that. You’re funny, dude.”
“What do you want now?” I ask, defeated.
“Well… it’s time for you to talk to me.”
“Talk about what?”
“You know….” He leads in, sarcastically. “A nice long good talk.”
A long pause ensues. I sip the teacup and decide to finish it off.
“Fuck you, you prick.” I say.
“Hey hey there buddy. You gotta face me sooner or later.”
His shoes tap simutaneously, and he folds his harms confidently. I hate him.
“Are you here to tell me what’s wrong with me?” I ask.
“Fucking hell yeah! That’s a part of it!” He chuckles, and his eyes brighten.
“Are you here to tell me what I need to do to get my act together?”
“You bet! And if you don’t get right with me this time, I’ll come back!!”
“Really? Can’t I just tell you to go fuck yourself?”
“No! You can’t” He chuckles with glee. “I got all the answers.”
“Fuck you.” I say, and start to shove him out the door.
“I’m your key to success!” He splurts, as I violently eject him. “See! The key!” He pulls out a golden key, and holds it up, as though it holds total importance.
I pull the key out of his fingers, snapping it between my thumb and middle finger.
“It’s plastic. Fuck you.”
“It’s not the real key! It’s, it’s… symbolic. You know that!”
I shove the silky wet fucker out the door. He puts up no resistance.
“I’ll be back next year you punk!” He yells.
“Ok! I can’t wait. Bring beer.” I say, then go pour myself another drink.

Gray becomes the aesthetic

Just a quick note before work:

I’ve sold out of the SHIFT, HIPSTER t-shirts twice, but I’ve got more in. If you’re interested in buying one, go here:

D2’s ETSY SHOP.

Don’t EVER fuck with a guy who has his own gimp…

—bp.