2014 Ragnarok 105

Let me start out by saying thanks to the Ragnarok crew for all that they do to prepare the course and the hours that they put in making sure everything goes off right. Also thanks to the Angry Catfish, Twin Six, and HED for sponsoring the race.

This was my 4th time riding the Ragnarok, and by far the hardest conditions. It was raining on the way to the race, it was raining at the start, and it rained till after the first checkpoint

The race started off at the normal slowish pace, but quickly escalated once we hit the first hill. Unlike the LML where I was near the lead pack for a good 8 miles, I was dropped after about 2. From there on out it was a solo ride.

I was wearing bib shorts with some rain pants and 2 base layer shirts, a cycling jersey, and a rain jacket. On my hands I just used my PI spring/fall running gloves. I was never cold, but I was almost always uncomfortable. My hands would go a bit numb and I would do the windmill move and they would come back. My feet went numb and I couldn't really feel them for a bit. They didn't hurt though. I thought maybe my feet swelled up (never happened before) and the shoes got too tight and cut off my circulation, but that was not the case.

I rode pretty well into checkpoint #1 and saw a lot of people people just hanging out. I took a couple sports legs and headed down the road. As I went past the BP I saw even more bikes out front. Weird. 

The course stays flat for a bit so I took that time to recover and eat some food which proved a little difficult to do in the rain. 

After a while I started fantasizing about all that the Lake City Kwik Trip would have to offer. At first I was thinking about some beef jerky and a powerade zero. Then it became beef jerky, powerade, and a red bull. As I was riding the pavement into LC I decided that I'd like a banana as well. I guess my mind was hungrier than my body because I only ate 3/4 of the banana, half the powerade (put the rest in my empty bottle) and put the red bull in frame bag. I attempted to eat the jerky, but I couldn't get it open. I then rolled into checkpoint #2 where Lisa kindly opened it for me. I took off right away and enjoined the flat 4-5 before the climbing started again.

Heath's Hill was extremely muddy. Props to anyone that cleaned it. I'm not sure if I could have ridden it on my MTB if it were 5 miles in.

Going up the long grind that is 335th I had my first "I feel like shit" moment. I got really warm and at one point almost puked, but I just kept going. What I think happened was that the temperatures were rising and there was no wind, so my outfit which kept me stable for so long, was now causing me to over heat. I zipped down the jacket and jersey and got some relief. 

I rode well till the last climb on Lehrbach when the heat hit me again. This time I was forced to walk, ride, walk, ride. Not an ideal way to finish the last climb, but it is what it is. 

I finished in 8 hours 26 minutes. 21 minutes slower than my personal best. Weather was a definite factor, but what can you do?

I felt good at the finish though. Exhausted but not out of it. I took all my wet gear off and sat in the car for about 15 minutes in just my bib shorts with the hot air blowing on me. 

Overall I was very happy with how the day turned out. Hopefully I'll be back next year.

Eastway CX1.0 Review

To start, I call this bike "The Pikey." A co-worker says that all bikes need names and that I should give it an English name since it is from the UK. After going back and forth with some names and then asking a buddy who travels over there a couple times a year I decided on Pikey.

Pikey is defined as "A pejorative slang term used mainly in Britain to refer to people who are of the Traveller Community (Gypsy's)."  So it kind of fits and I like the way it sounds.

Also this:

I've been able to put 50 miles on it this week and so far I am impressed.

I wasn't able to get it out right away because of all the snow and water everywhere and the last thing I wanted was to gunk up the drive train or take a spill on a brand new bike.

The first thing  I noticed while riding it was how light it felt underneath me. I've been riding the Straggler so far this spring so this comes as no surprise. It also accelerates much faster.

The handlebars feel a bit twitchy with the 90mm stem that I put on it so I may swap out to a 100mm. In years past I have not had a lot of flexibility, but taking time at the gym has improved that and now I find myself naturally leaning forward more and am having to have my arms bent to hold me up, rather than a more straight (but relaxed) position. The bike came with a 110mm so I may try that out to see it I like it or if it is too long before I sell/buy a new one.

Might drop the stem a tad

Having some time with the double taps I am getting more comfortable. I like the ease of up shifting, but I still need to get the hang of down shifting while climbing. It can be hard to be standing to climb, and then try to shift down at the same time. I also run into an issue with the front derailleur occasionally. There  is something with the tapping that can throw it off so you can think that you are going to shift to the small front ring, but the derailleur doesn't move. Then you do the same thing and it shifts down. My first thought is user error. My second is that it is a triple ring shifter set up on a double so if it is clicked twice it thinks that it is in an even bigger ring. But probably user error.

My only real complaint so far is climbing. It just doesn't seem to handle well when out of the saddle. Once again I firstly point to my own fitness vs expectations and just not having a lot of time on the bike. Time will tell.

The BB7s have been superb. They stop quickly and even more important, they are quite. Silent. Nothing.

I am hoping to get in a few more rides on it before the Ragnarok, but with the impending weather who knows.

A couple bike related thoughts:

I saw a post about this gravel/dirt race in Florida. Now I wasn't at the start of gravel racing, but have been doing it for 4 years now and have seen a big change in peoples bikes/dress/prep here in MN. This picture from Florida reminds me of when I first started off in 2010.

2 guys had to hop a python,
one says he thinks his rear wheel got him.

This #30daysofbiking thing is going on for April and I am going to try and give it a real go, even if that means that some days I am just going to have to do a quick crit lap or a neighborhood tour. Either way, should be fun.

And finally, I got into the Chequamegon Fat Tire 40. It was the first time I entered the lottery. I was surprised because I NEVER win any game of chance of any type. The two times I got into Leadville I had to use LifeTime connections. That may be why I got in this year as well  since I am already signed up for the Lutsen 99er. Whatever, I'll take it. I just hope that I can get a good gate assignment. I just don't want to feel like I am being held up by a mass of slower riders. Right now I am hoping for a 2h25m time or better. That would put me in the top 20 for my age group in last years race. Looking at a few names I recognized, I don't think it's a long shot.

2014 LML

Took a before shot, but the course was so clean
there was no need for an after shot.

The L-M-L (Lakeville - Milltown Cycles - Lakeville) race was this past weekend. I was a little nervous heading into it for many reasons. Weather being the #1 concern. I was also nervous since I'd only ridden 88 miles in 2014 up to race day. No trainers, no rollers, no spin class. All I have been doing is going to the gym about 4-5 days a week. So I had no idea on my level of bike fitness. 3rd was riding a new bike. Since my ultra trusty San Jose is out of commission indefinitely, I was riding the SS Straggler that I built up over the winter. Not having much time on it I didn't know what to expect.

The race started out fairly slowly and I was about 20 seconds off the lead group for the first 8 miles, then we hit a hill and I think the top guys decided to stop messing around and took off.

I continued to just ride my pace and slowly passed people here and there. Around mile 20 my hands were getting too sweaty and when I would stand to climb I felt like I didn't have a good grip on the handlebars so I stopped and took them off and switched over to the thin gloves.

From there I slowly caught people all the way in to Fairbault. However, my calves were feeling it and I had cramping in my right hamstring.

At Milltown Cycles I grabbed a couple donut holes and took a leak. I then grabbed the second set of directions and a piece of bacon and headed off.

There is a fair amount of climbing once back on the course and my legs were not quite ready for it yet. I slowly slogged up a few of the longer climbs and had to walk the hill to no where and a couple others. The 44x16 gearing was great for the flats, but no so much for the late climbs.

The rest of the time was me fighting off cramps and "powering through" to the finish.

I made a couple of first race of the year mistakes, I'll name a few... I didn't squeeze the air out of the water bladder when I filled it up so there was a lot of air in the hose. I didn't tighten the water bottle mount down tight enough and it rattled loose. I used too big of a water bottle so it was hard to get out from under the frame bag. My seat was a scant too high and  I got some back of the knee pain. There were probably a couple other things that I messed up as well.

It was a great race and I am happy with my time. Thanks to Larry and all the volunteers for putting on a superb event to start the year.

Note the spur to the east between Fairbault and Northfield. 

I don't like how the moving time is highlighted and the actual time
 is stuck at the bottom. Should be the opposite

Back Underground

It has been a while since I was on a adventure ride so when D-Rider posted one up for Saturday morning I decided that I was going, even though I had been to this particular drain before.

We met at Hidden Falls part and made our way to the first drain. It was so cold outside. My face was frozen and my fingers were in great pain by the time we need to make our way down to the drain.

It was hard enough to get down to water level with all the snow, but doing it with a right hand that wasn't very functional made it worse. There came a point where I didn't feel safe continuing to descend while holding my bike, so I gave it a slight push and hoped that it would only slide for about 10 feet. It went about 30 and got a nice scrape on the seat tube. Not a big deal, that's why I have this bike. 

My hands somehow got colder and since I knew I couldn't be any help to the other guys I headed straight to the drain that I knew would be much warmer. Once I came around the corner this is what I saw:

Someone had dragged in some rocks so we used them to make the hole even bigger.

Once past the ice wall we saw these two guys guarding the drain. I have a feeling their not too picky about who they let pass by.

This was one of the better paintings. The picture turned out alright I suppose.

Some water flowing down from up above

There was about 4 or 5 different paintings that looked similar to this one

There may be a fight to the death in here one day

I didn't really know where we were, but this is surely not correct

Uncle Sam? 

He looks unhappy

Someones Selfie

Very bottom of the helix

After a 10+ story climb we were close to street level. I tried to get a GPS signal, but was unable to.

Getting back out was much easier. We rode along the river for a bit till we found a better exit point. We then headed to Chipotle for a nice lunch. We then headed back to the cars to head to another tunnel. I was short on time so I had to bail. It was a fun time and I look forward to exploring some new drains in the future.

I think this is enough

People like to joke that you can never have enough bikes. I am starting to disagree. At what point is it just excessive? I think I've reached that point. I feel as if I added one more bike that it would just be a waste. There's just no reason for it. In the past year I have gotten 3 new bikes. Two of these were replacements, but none the less I think I am at my limit.

However, I am very happy with the 3 bikes that I bought this year and I think that they will serve me well for years to come with maybe a small upgrade here or there.

The two bikes that I could be replaced are the Monocog and the Pugsley. I don't really see an immediate need though. The Pugsley is old and heavy and there are a lot of better option out there at this point, but the truth about it is that despite all that I have only had time to get out on it 5 times this year. Does that justify selling it and getting a new one? Hardly. I think that I'll get myself a new one when I can manage to get out at least twice a week for a winter.

I like the Monocog, but I just feel that I could be riding something much lighter. The bike has served me well and is great for family rides so even if I got a new SS MTB I dont think that I would sell it because it's actual worth to me is more than the $250-$300 that I could probably get for it.

The other issue with so many bikes is maintenance. I wish that I was better at it. I feel that I can get things 98% of the way there, but it never comes out perfect. I always end up erring on the side of caution and bringing it into the shop for a once over $$$.

The Pikey

Pictured above is the latest and greatest. Full carbon frame and fork. Rival everything. BB7 mechanicals.

Holding the frame without the wheels the bike is very light. I was surprised how light it felt. Once I added the wheels it was "heavier." That's OK though. I am sure they will be just fine. I'll upgrade them next year.

I have a Thomson X2 stem and a Masterpiece seat post on the way and I will be moving the seat over that is currently on the Pugs. I need to swap out the tires as well as the ones it came with are too aggressive for gravel/asphalt use. The stem will be 20mm shorter that what is currently on there and has a 10 degree rise to give it more of a gravel bike feel over a short cyclocross race feel. 

If I had to pick one thing that I am not thrilled about it is that the frame says EASTWAY all over it. The one in blue looks cool, but I could do without the white and black ones. Maybe there's something that can be done. 

I'm going to have to put my St. Croix Troy frame bag on this and see if it will work. My initial thought is that it will fit great.

                                       

*Quick Edit*

The frame bag fits perfectly. I held it up to the frame and I thought "No problem" Then I had a moment of doubt when I looked at the headtube. I didn't know if the straps would be long enough since the bike it was originally designed to go on had a much smaller diameter headtube. Once I started velcroing it on I saw that it wasn't going to be an issue. It looks great and fits nice and snug.

Straggler Build Complete

I finished up the Straggler build last night. I really like the way that it came out. I think that it is going to be a nice commuter bike and do just fine for training and some gravel road races. It also looks like a worthy replacement for the San Jose Pro, but time will tell.

Here are some shots and if you want to re-live the 6 week process that it took me to complete the bike check out this link: Straggler Build

Fizik bar tape and Jagwire brake cables

44t Surly Chainring, FSA SLK Carbon Crankset, 16t cog

Carbon Seatpost and Fizik Saddle From The San Jose

Custom Painted Carbon Fork 

Hayes CX-5 Disc Brakes

Surly Straggler Build *1/23 Update*

Back in September I went to the Cottage Grove Bike Park and put down the winning bid on a certificate for a Surly frame.

I started looking at what they had online and there was nothing that fit exactly what I was looking for so I thought I might just get the Pacer and use it for riding around town.

Then I saw this Straggler bike pop up on the Surly website. It met my 3 criteria:

1. Road bikish.
2. Horizontal dropouts
3. Disc brake compatible

Believe it or not this is a very difficult combo to find.

Stock image

So I emailed the Surly and got in touch with Tyler and let him know what size I wanted. From there the frame got delayed (for everyone) and things took longer than expected (It happens).

yesterday I got an email from Tyler that they would be sending me the frame. I jumped online and started ordering the bits and pieces that I would need to complete the bike and have it rolling. At present time I think all I need it a headset and to get the front wheel I have at home trued.

I'm going to post pictures of the frame, parts, and the build process as this will be the first bike that I have put together from start to finish and will post updates in this blog. I'll try and change the title when I add things, I'm not quite sure how it all works out yet.

Hopefully the bike arrives soon and I can get working on it.

***11/30 Update***

Got in the remainder if the parts that I think I will need. Now just waiting for the frame. 

I was at One on One today and saw a complete build in person. I don't care for the glitter dreams color and with black components the bike didn't look that great to me. 

What did look great was this bike, as well as the price tag ($1550) however, no disc brakes and lower level components had me over it quickly. Still a great looking bike though. 

***12/13 Update***

I had to send another email to Surly to see if the bike had shipped or what was going on and it seems like it got forgotten in the basement. Irregardless, less than 24 hours later the Straggler was delivered to my front door. 

I opened it up and found this beauty waiting inside:

Shortly after opening it I had to get Cooper to hockey at West Side Arena, so after I dropped him off I went over to the Lowertown Bike Shop to have the headset installed. This is a volunteer shop and the guy working when I got there said he had never installed one before and that it would be a few days before someone could get to it. I'm not gonna lie, I'm nervous about the bike sitting there for a few days. It's nice to support places like this, but when it takes a while and there are volunteers going in and out of the store who knows what could happen to it. I might go pick it up after work and bring it somewhere else...

I almost forgot. I got a steal of a deal on ebay the other day. I picked up this lightly used carbon crankset and bottom bracket for $61.00. I'm sticking with the single speed build for this bike so I am going to ditch the current rings and get a new 48t to go on it. 

***12/31 Lame Update***

There has not been much going on towards the actual building up of the bike. I got the headset pressed in and then dropped off my front wheel for truing. They called me back and said that they were unable to get it true since it was so far out of whack. So I went online and got a decent set of 29er wheels for $125, about the same cost as getting a new rim, spoke, and having it built up. The one catch is that the front wheel is for a thru axle so I will have to buy an adapter for $21.

I am putting a carbon fork on the bike rather than the heavy steel one. The problem with that is it says "Bianchi" in large white letters on both sides. After inspecting it I could see that it is a sticker that is under clear coat. So I messaged a guy I know from high school because he works at an auto paint shop. He told be that he can strip, prime, and paint is for a bottle of Jameson. Done deal. I should be getting that back soon.

The only thing left that I think I need to buy is a single speed chain ring. The cranks have a 130 BCD so I will probably get a 48t. 48x16 is good for around town and 48x20 maybe if I ride some gravel, Maybe buy a 22t as well since it is cheaper than buying another chainring.

That is about it for now. Hopefully the next post will include a functioning bike.


***1/10 Update***

Almost a month into the build and it is almost complete. The new wheels are in and the 15mm through axles appears to be working great. I taped up the left bar, but still have to do the right. I thought that I would be good at it since I've probably taped a hockey stick 1000 times, but I wasn't the best. The wrap was always even and looked good, however I kept running out of tape. 4th times and charm and it looks good. I kind of messed up the ending though. Hopefully the second one goes better.

I also installed the brake cables. Not much to say about that.

For my birthday I got a new Surly 44t chainring. It is in the mail so that should be installed early next week. I think that the 44t will be more versatile than the 48t and I won't have to ever change it.

I also have a pair of bolt on skewers in the mail. I think that they make for a cleaner look than QR's.

I got the fork back from the paint shop, and it looks great. I think that it will really shine in the sun. In the picture it looks like an exact match, but if you look close there are some blue and silver flakes.

The stem is a little long so I will have to get that cut and have the star nut re-positioned.

I promise the next post will be a complete build...

By the way, the frame bag that Troy made for my San Jose Pro fits the Straggler nicely.

***1/23 Update***

The build is complete! Got all the parts together finally. Had to get the steer tube cut and install the new chainring.