Uphill or Downhill. It's all good

Black Magic - The Finale

2011-12-26T03:15:00.000-08:00

For the last 6 months or more I have collected parts to create my dream bike. I'm proud to say that I have done all the assembling and wheel building. Doesn't sound that exciting until you take a hacksaw to a brand new set of forks worth over $1000 or land your first jump on a set of wheels you have built yourself.
I have been able to do about 5 hours of riding on it and the bike has met all my expectations. I wanted it to be a bike that would push me on the technical side of riding and so far I have not even come close to it's limits. The bike should eat up my favourite haunts - Mt Joyce, Spring Mountain, Castle Hill and Nerang.
The detailed specs are below but a quick summary is Carbon hardtail (67.5 degree headangle) with 120-150 mm dual position suspension fork and a 2 x 10 drive train = 11.5 kg.
Feel free to ask for mini reviews of any of the parts.

Frame: On-one Carbon 456
Fork: Rockshox Revelation RLT Ti Dual Position with tapered steerer and 15mm axle
Seatpost: Thomson 31.6mm
Seatcollar: Hope 34.6mm
Seat: Syncros FL (pictured) to be replaced with Chromag Trailmaster
Handlerbars: Easton Haven Carbon 710mm
Rims: Spank Oozy 28mm wide
Spokes: Sapim double butted
Hubs: Nuke Proof Generator F & R
Tyres: Panaracer Rampage set up tubeless using Stan's No-tubes tape and sealant
Brakes: Formula Oro K18
Rotors: Formula F(180) R(160)
Cranks: Shimano XT Dynasys Dual ring (36,26)
Chain: KMC X10SL
Cassette: Shimano XT Dynasys (11-36)
Pedals: Spank Spike pedals
Shifters: Shimano SLX Dynasys
Gear Cables: Jagwire Ripstop
Grips: Spank

Black Magic Part IV

2011-11-07T01:46:00.000-08:00

Another batch of goodies arrived.
The bike is actually starting to take shape now.

Panaracer Rampage 2.35" 66tpi 700g

Shimano XT Dyna-sys cranks 38/26


Spank grips

Easton Haven Carbon bar; 20mm rise; 170g; 710mm wide!!

Black Magic Part III and a half

2011-11-05T00:36:00.000-07:00

I promised in the last post I would reveal the wheel building stand I built.

I take no credit for the design since I found a great wheel building book which not only gave incredibly detailed instructions on building wheels but also how to build the tools you need. Such as...

The nipple driver made out of tent peg and a chisel handle...

Home-made nipple driver

The dish measuring tool made out of cardboard and a old spoke...

Checking the 'dish'

A timber wheel building stand...

Wheel building stand

Checking radial trueness

Checking lateral trueness

All of which worked faultlessly and created the tightest and straightest (and whitest) set of wheels I have seen. The real surprise was the resonant properties of the timber stand made equalising spoke tension as simple as playing a guitar - for those with musical skills.

More goodies on the way.

Black Magic Part III

2011-10-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

This has been a while coming...
Wheel building.
I've been doing lots of homework and research on parts selection for this stage of the build. This is a hobby / project so there has been no rush. I have even been building some of my own tools and gearing my workshop. But I'll save that for another time.

Here is a run down on the wheel components I have selected.

Deliveries are like Christmas come early

15mm / QR convertible - groovy!

Spank Oozy EVO rims 25mm OD; 21mm ID

Sapim spokes; brass nipples; Park Tool spoke key

I received the spokes today and I couldn't wait to lace them up. Dinner had to wait.

They look spank'n! Front 850g Rear 980g

After I finish crafting my wheel building stand, I'll tension these hoops up.
The next post on this build will be focused on my homemade wheel building stand.
After that I'll be shopping for handlebars, seatposts and saddles.

Bovine Groove

2011-10-12T04:18:00.000-07:00

QLD 2011 State DH Championship - Mt Joyce

2011-10-11T03:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my better snaps for the Queensland 2011 Downhill Championship held at Mt Joyce on Sunday 9-Oct.

The speed and courage of some of the riders were pretty impressive and had me stepping away from the sidelines a few times.

Double trouble

If you could see the landing zone for this it would be even more impressive.

This bloke fell hard and ended up lying sideways between the tree on the left and the rock on the right!


Why are you running??

This is why! This bloke rolled his tyre of the rim on the last corner and he was in the running for a podium finish as well.

August

2011-08-27T20:12:00.000-07:00

A spectacular month of riding around South-East QLD.
Here's a glimpse.

Black Magic Part II

2011-07-29T00:19:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to obtain a unbelievable deal on a new frame which you saw in my previous post. A ON-ONE Carbon 456.
The 456 stands for the suspension travel it is designed to handle up front. i.e. 4", 5" or 6". Total weight 1.5 kg.

So my project for the next six months is to assemble what will hopefully be my dream bike. A bike designed for my favourite riding haunts; Spring Mountain, Nerang, Castle Hill and Mt Joyce.

I plan to hand pick each part and assemble this beast myself.
Does it make financial sense - NO
But... it will be fun.:)

Part II arrived. A ROCKSHOX REVELATION RLT Ti DUAL POSITION fork.
With the flick of a switch, travel can be adjusted from 120mm to 150mm. Sweet!
It weighs approx 1.8kg with a tapered steerer tube and 15mm axle.

Part III is hubs, spokes and rims to be laced into a new wheelset by me!!!

Black Magic Part I

2011-06-24T05:15:00.000-07:00

Stunning.

It's like trying to photograph water!

My Backyard

2011-06-20T05:54:00.000-07:00

I have a challenging off-road loop near home that I have ridden too many times to count.
Today instead of blasting around as usual I took the time to capture some of the features I enjoy on video.
It was really great just to pause and spend time repeating each feature.
A slow spin... Ferris-wheeling...
So here is my backyard.

Laughing in the middle of nowhere

2011-06-16T06:10:00.000-07:00

It is definitely a highlight for me to reveal to a fellow rider some hidden, remote but perfect single track.
I got the chance to do this recently resulting in the most fun section of riding we had both done in a longtime.
We were going over-the-bars and bouncing down the trail like we were riding wild brumbies and laughing.
Laughing till I couldn't breathe.
The only sound for miles was laughing.
How good is that?

Further evidence that it was a good ride can be found in the small number of photographs.
But what I do have I hand over to you.
BTW you should have been there.

A perfect May day

2011-05-17T05:39:00.000-07:00

Rotorua in better quality

2011-03-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

With some advice from an expert I think I have worked how to produce and upload a better quality version of my rotorua video.
Let me know what you think both good or bad.

NZ on video

2011-03-12T04:46:00.000-08:00

Sparky and I came back from mountain biking in Rotorua and Taupo with 35GB of video.
I was able to boil it down to under 4 minutes!
This video editing is great fun.
Hope you enjoy it.

The New Rocky

2011-03-05T00:16:00.000-08:00

In preparation for my NZ trip I revived my old steed - Rocky Mountain Hammer 2004. After a mechanical problem free trip it is time I gave it same fame and glory. This machine was a blast on the trails around Rotorua and Taupo.


If you ever want to impress Customs officers at the airport get a $4 bottle of tyre shine/foam.

18" Rocky Mountain Hammer 2004 with Reynolds 725 steel frame. The frame and wheels are original. The paint job is original without a single chip! The wheels were hand built in Canada and have spun true for a lot more than 8,000kms. I threw away the computer about 3 years ago. So who knows how many kms since then.

Hayes Nines

Other original equipment is the Hayes Nine levers and calipers. These were bled for the first time about a month ago. Bombproof brakes with excellect self adjustment. Much better than the Avid Juicy 3s on the other bike.

The recent upgrades included a new Manitou Minute 100mm fork, replacing a very worn out Mazocchi Bomber 80mm. These forks are incredible stiff with a true lock out for the tarmac bits.

1x9 = 10 out of 10

A spontaneous change I made about a year ago was to dump the front dérailleur. 1x9 is perfect for me and yes that is a 32 tooth front cog. Looks small doesn't it. I had no problems with the crazy climbing at Rotorua even when I was full of the flu. The MRP guide is a bit flimsy and will eentually replace it with a sturdier looking E-13 XCX guide.

WTB Stout 2.3

WTB Stout

Another surprise: I bought these WTB Stout tires at a bargain price of $14 just to see what it would be like to ride a 2.3". I love them. They get a bit skatey on loose over hardpack but I just drop the pressure and they're fine. Tubeless as well without a problem.

WTB Weirwolf 2.1

An old favourite. I reckon I have done more miles on weirwolfs than any other tire in the last 10 years. Excellent rear tire but a little heavy. I run them tubeless but their sidewalls must be thin because they squirm a fair bit at a low pressures unlike other tires. Heaps of grips though.

Crankbrothers SL eggbeaters

I bought a pair of eggbeaters about 7 years ago after my Shimano pedals jammed up with dried-like-concrete mud during an endurance event. Result? Bad dismount and a 3" scar that took 2 years to disappear. Hello Eggbeaters.

Syncros FL saddle and Thomson setback post

After a really bad run of uncomfortable saddles I read a favourable review of this saddle in WhatMountainBike mag. They were spot on. It is real leather as well!

So thankyou Rocky. Hammer-time! :)

NZ

2011-02-28T01:35:00.000-08:00

DIY captions.
Don't forget to click on the ones you like to zoom in.

Poor video. Great memories

2011-01-29T01:58:00.000-08:00

Poor video quality, lame riding skills, amateur video editing but great memories.

I can't work out the age of this video but I recorded it on cheap digital cameras with about 60 seconds of recording time. I'm guessing about 6-7 yrs old or more.
Many of these trails are no more :(

Lucky!

2011-01-27T00:17:00.000-08:00

This did not puncture the carcass - lucky!

Another Saturday

2011-01-22T03:19:00.000-08:00

Today was a trip to find the summit of Spring Mountain. Enjoy.

Lots and lots of sand.

Next time it is to the top of this.

My new favourite spot.

.... and wetter

2011-01-12T02:48:00.000-08:00

Brisbane Convention Centre [12-Jan-2011 4:30pm]

Ryan St, West End [12-Jan-2011 8:30am]

[12-Jan-2011 8:00am]

12-Jan-2011 8am

Southbank [12-Jan-2011 8am]

Montague Rd, West End [12-Jan-2011 8am]

12-Jan-2011 8am

Riverside Drive, West End [12-Jan-2011 8am]

Orleigh St, West End [12-Jan-2011 8:30am]

From Montague Rd looking towards the River which is usually beyond the furtherest tree [12-Jan-2011 4:30pm]

Cordelia St, West End [12-Jan-2011 4:30pm]

Wetter than wet and probably getting wetter

2011-01-11T01:58:00.000-08:00

Here is some video and snaps of my commute home this afternoon.

West end, looking towards Coronation Drive.

A grand Moreton Bay Fig is no more.

Bike path near the Modern Arts

A pontoon has gone AWOL

Riverside Drive, West End

Orleigh St, West End

1/1/11

2011-01-01T01:57:00.000-08:00

While everyone was recovering from New Years Eve I headed out to Spring mountain.
Three days of sunshine had left the trails perfect although there was still plenty of creek crossings to negotiate.
Spring mtn is a pretty amazing place with sandy hills, rock formations and perfect single track. Although you have to work hard to reach the trail heads.
I was lucky enough to locate another fantastic single track - and I mean single track. It was like being on rails the trail was about the 1.5 times the width of my tire.

I also got to scramble to the top of White Rock with some excellent views as the reward. Unfortunately badly bruised my thumb and wrist coming back down - it was still worth it.

Anyway here is my first attempt at video - please be patient.

And some kodak moments.
BTW the last rock garden in this sequence needs a bit of scale. The boulder at the top middle is about 2 ft high.

Muddy Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.

2010-12-22T17:25:00.000-08:00

Why would anyone want to do this to their mtb?

click for a closer look

The famous Wed Morning Daisy Hill Mtb Riders Christmas Party (for short).

Highlights including:

Riding along listening to a cordless iPod stereo playing "Driving Home For Christmas". Thanks Neil
ODG finally mastering the skid.
MaxR's cooking skills.

Thanks to the usual suspects for a great year.
May Santa bless you with new drive trains. You'll need them after that ride.

Christmas Ride 2010

Summer in the city

2010-12-16T02:54:00.000-08:00

I must admit I'm excited about the predicted stormy summer. Sure the rain interferes with riding but at the same time it brings back really strong fond memories of my childhood summers.

I snapped this awesome storm on Wednesday riding home.
The media was calling it a 'super storm cell'.

Unfortunately the media peaked too early because early this afternoon (Thursday) a massive storm front hit - 'really' super storm cell. :)

The sun was beaming after the storm and I hit some of the 'wet weather' trails on the way home. It turned out to be a great ride with waterfalls, fallen trees, koala bears and a rib bruising fall on wet roots. A classic trail ride.

This tree fell a couple of summers ago but it was still worth a picture.

Water everywhere

2010-12-05T00:36:00.000-08:00

Waiting for the rain to stop or the trails to dry out was driving me stir crazy. So I hit the bike paths leading to the Gateway and look what I found.

More water!

I finally found a bit of concrete not covered in water or moss - thank goodness.

Tough week - time to head to WhiteRock

2010-08-30T03:01:00.000-07:00

MTBing is my escape from the 'rat race'. It was definitely time to head back out to White Rock / Spring mountain to hit the reset button.
I love this place. So different from other areas around Brissy.
Guaranteed hike a bike sections, lantana wrestling and sand riding.
Oh and peace and quiet.
The P&Q can have its down sides as well.
I was exploring a a narrow rocky single track not far from White Rock which eventually reached a climbing section I couldn't do with the bike. So I turned around and headed back the way I came. And I found this curled up about 30cm off the track I had just ridden through.

"Thats okay", I thought, he is probably a bit dopey since it is early in the season. He then proceeded to take off like a low flying rocket across the trail about 2 metres ahead. He was a probably ~1.5m long. Gulp!
Anyway the rest of the ride was great and I'm now really good at bunny hoping a metre sideways whenever I see a stick. :)

This is the minimum distance I prefer from the CBD. :)

Longest climb

2010-07-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

Well today was about the most perfect weather for this type of ride.
Fantastic way to blow away the stress of a working week.
The climb that started around 25kms was the longest 'serious' climb I have ever done. Followed by a big plate of bacon 'n' eggs at Mt Nebo cafe and some much shorter but steeper climbs - up to 20% gradient. Top day.

White Rock

2010-07-09T02:41:00.000-07:00

It was time to get away from the local groomed trails. And White Rock is perfect for that. Here are some photos from an old haunt. I used to ride and camp in this area - White Rock - about 25 years ago. Check it out.
Best part was finding only one other set of tyre tracks on the way out - they were mine. Oh and some skill testing trails were just what the doc should have ordered.

Mt Perry – bliss!

2010-06-16T02:48:00.000-07:00

For the 3rd year running, I teamed up with my mate Graeme for the 6hr Mt Perry Goldrush.

Our plan? Ride faster.

1st year – 8 laps
2nd year – 9 laps
3rd year – 10 laps

I happy to say we ticked it off.
10laps, 110kms, ~2600m of climbing, 13th mens pairs.

Highlight 1: Starting the 10th lap with only 2 ½ minutes left on the clock after my team mate had the most amazing lap involving multiple cramps and a big off and still returned in 43 minutes! Fantastic effort, Graeme.

Graeme, Flyboy and AndrewBQ psyching each other out before the start.

Highlight 2: Keeping the wheels down and not walking anything for the first time.

Flyboy and Jaman leaving the batcave, ready to fight evil.

Highlight 3: Spending time with fellow riders/friends from the Daisy Hill Wed Morning Crew. (Need to come up with a cool acronym. Suggestions??)

Just to prove I entered

Highlight 4: Scotch fillet steaks at the Mt Perry Pub after the Country Cruise the day after the race.

"Graeme, it's okay they're just bats. They don't bite."

Highlight 5: Seeing the incredible efforts of the elite riders. <28 minute laps!!!

There's gold in dem dar hills.

Burping my way to a podium

2010-05-24T02:52:00.000-07:00

Old Hiddenvale 3plus3 is a great way to spend a weekend.
http://www.tailwindpromotions.com.au/fiesta/index.html

It involves 2 races with the total number of laps/times added up for the result.
The first race is on Sat from 3pm to after 6pm and the second race on the next day from 9:30am - 12:30pm. Each day on a different course. It's a great unique event.
The race course had an amazing storm hit it the night before, turning the usually rock hard surfaces into a fantastic grippy course.
At the end of the lap the tailwind promotion guys had included some brand new obstacles, including 3 of the best berms I have ever ridden. There was also 3 jumps to choose from.
Saturday went without a hitch although I really slowed down in the last 2 laps, finishing 6th on 5laps (~54kms in 3:28). The best part is I didn't collapse at the end. Sunday's course was more challenging with steeper gradients and some really rough sections - which I love. Even rougher when I forget to unlock the fork for 4 laps. Doh!

About 2-3 kms from the end of my 3rd lap I got a small tear in the rear tyre's sidewall after I sent a medium size rock ricocheting into the bush. So my tubeless tyre now had a slow leak and I had some very tired arms. So I decided to ride it back to the tent where my floor pump was waiting. Coming down through the berms with a rear tyre burping and nearly rolling off and fishtailing for 1km is exciting. I stomped on the pedals as I went past the timeline letting off a huge burp and the wheel spun inside the tyre. Awesome fun.

Unfortunately the tube change wasn't quick thanks to a short valve stem and a deep rim. After 8 minutes I was back on the track. I was hurting but I wasn't getting worse so I picked the pace up and on my last lap I was pretty determined to pass everyone I saw no matter what and even as I passed them I wanted pass fast.

The result 3rd in 40+ solo men. My first podium in about 6 years and a fantastic surprise when they called my name because I was thinking probably 5th or 6th. Turns out I was 4+minutes behind 3rd at the beginning of my last lap and finished nearly 2 minutes up. This last lap was only ~1 minute slower than my fastest first lap! All up 6hrs45mins to do ~105km/10laps over the 2 days. I'm stoked!

22 yrs old and still rolling.

2010-04-10T01:05:00.000-07:00

My first mountain bike was a 24" wheel, five speed with silver and blue chrome frame and parts.
This bike is not it. It was my second mountain bike and would probably better fit the typical definition of a mtb. A Repco High Sierra bought around 22 years ago.

Eighteen speed, 26" wheels but with a few special design features like biopace chainrings and a 'under the chain stay' brake. Very cool! Gotta love the top tube angle. The big triangle was fantastic because most courses back then had hike-a-bike sections delibrately included and I could easily shoulder this frame. There was even a technique published in overseas mtb mags back in the day on how to dismount, hike and remount effficiently! And then I had to ride 400km through the snow to get back to my home. :p

This bike completed two mtb events that were held in SE Qld at Anzac Park, Toowong and Mt Tambourine. It even had my name hand detailed on the top tube. :)

No longer in my care but still in the family.

DirtFest without the Mud

2010-04-10T00:28:00.000-07:00

Well the 50km DirtFest is done and dusted after being postponed a month. I had to remind myself how to ride in dust after about 3 months of continual damp conditions. My bike computer gave up the ghost on the first lap so I have no idea of time or average speed. I'll just have to wait for the results to be posted. Didn't stop me from having a great time.
Top 3 moments:
1/    Had a fantastic sprint to the finish over the last 1-2 kms with a fellow competitor with both of us coming in side by side on the fastest corner of the course - off camber!! I had the inside leg out of the clips, motorcross style and then a absolute sprint across the line. Most exciting finish in years. See picture. Applause to my fellow competitor. We really pushed ourselves and past ~ 4 people when I would normally have just rolled through to the finish. Digging Deep!
2/    Feeling the momentum in the 29er through the two long fireroad gullies. Catching at least 2 people on every lap on the upside of the gully!
3/    Having my family there and watching my daughter 'bust-a-gut' in the 400m fun run. You're a champ Lily.

Wagon wheels are light!

2010-03-26T03:16:00.000-07:00

My american classic 29er wheelset finally arrived and they looked amazing in white. I quickly realised that they were not the new 2009 model. There were some significant upgrades from 2008 to 2009. Wider rim, tubeless ready and a fraction lighter - for roughly the same price. So back went the white wheels.
In their place I got the other option (black wheels) for ~$100 less. These things are amazing to look at and they are very light!
Rear wheel = 900g. Front wheel = 780g. This means I lost 1100g, replacing the old wheels.
The first ride off road on familiar trails felt great and a lot stiffer sensation. I also found myself over-steering a lot and lifting the front and hops are a lot easier. Fantastic!

8 days to a Feast of Dirt-Fest

2010-03-03T14:59:00.000-08:00

My next race is coming around real quick - 8 days to the In2Adventure DirtFest
Link - DirtFest
Sounds like fantastic organisation.
Even my daughter is excited about doing the Mud Rats Kids Fun Run.
I hate to say it but I suspect this could be another mud race. Which is great I can test out all the new things I learnt during the muddy mebbin marathon last weekend. Hope to see you there.

New american classic wagon wheels - Yeehar

2010-03-01T02:13:00.000-08:00

Not often I get to spend some moolah on things other than repairs. Nothing has changed - I didn't spend the money my wife did - seriously. :) My awesome wife ordered a set of these for me and they should be here anyday. Woohoo!

Here are the details (for those interested) from www.amclassic.com

SPECS:
DISCIPLINE MTB Cross Country
WEIGHT Front 738 gr Rear 842 gr Pair 1600 gr
HUBS Front Disc 130 100mm Rear Disc 225 135mm
BRAKE INTERFACE 6 Bolt International Standard
LOOK & COLOR AC Alphatype White

DETAILS:
American Classic has been building 29ers from the start and now it’s time for improvements. A new set of light wheels is the key to improved performance of your bike. This is especially true for cross country riding on 29ers, where riders search for more acceleration on climbs, speedy descents, decisive handling and faster rolling on the flat. Bill Shook dialed in this concept with the design of the new tubeless 26mm wide × 22mm deep rim which is wider, stiffer and supports the tire better for more ground control. Tubeless ready with a 25mm tape and valve, and either a tubeless or a regular tire with latex sealer. Bead barb technology hooks on the tire bead seat to help keep the tire in place. Riders seek American Classic for the best 29ers available.

RIMS MTB Disc Tubeless Aluminum 29”
SPOKES AC 14/15 Gauge Spokes Black
NIPPLES AC Aluminum Nipples Silver
32h 3-Cross Front and Rear

Muddy Mebbin Marathon

2010-02-28T13:40:00.000-08:00

We arrived at our camp site at Mt Warning Holiday Park on Saturday at around 2pm and the familiar pattern of camping started. Pull out the tent and... the rain comes down and it didn't let up. I decided to go for a drive to see where the race start was and headed to mebbin nat. park via Uki. I ended up on this section of dirt road that had been graded recently and now it was 3-4 inches of sloppy and very slippery clay. My hands were sore from gripping the wheel so tight.
Until I went to bed at about 9pm it drizzled continuously, increasing to a downpour at least twice. At this stage I was seriously considering pulling out of the race the next day. Sometime during the night I looked out the window and saw the moon and stars clearly and we woke in the morning to an incredible thick fog which would have created some amazing scenery shots.

So off to the race.

The race briefing was the most memorable and funniest one I have heard. Some of the points raised by the organiser included:

"As muddy as you think it is, it's worse."
"I won't be having the race at this time of year again."
"After a easy grassy downhill, it becomes a steep very slippery grassy downhill, which then turns into a rocky creek crossing which is very deep. I fell in it last night"

My favourite was "If you can't do the first 3km loop in under 15 minutes you should call it a day". After only a half a dozen or so of the best riders came through before 15 minutes he revised his comment. :)

My first time DNF. I was feeling great and enjoying the slop but the bike didn't. The Voodoo 29er has some very fine tolerances between the rear wheel and bottom bracket and I could not get my rear wheel to turn more than 3 or 4 revolutions in the thick mud/grass before it locked up. I spent 2 kms walking with my rear wheel locked solid, looking for one of the promised 8 creek crossings to wash the homemade bricks out of my rear wheel. I eventually reached a decent downhill that would normally have me reaching for the brake. I was actually standing in granny gear pushing as hard as I could to go DOWN a steep track!! I was laughing the whole time but I knew I had to turn around at the 8km mark.
Two hours later I was back at the start after travelling about 13 kms! Still had my smile though - quick dunk in the creek, packed up and was in the pool by 12:30pm.

Renovating "The Hammer"

2010-01-29T02:32:00.000-08:00

The Voodoo Dambala (aka the tractor) is in the shop for some repairs. So it time to turn my attention to my other bike which is a fantastic Rocky Mountain Hammer. With Reynolds 725 steel tubing it is an awesome smooth ride.

It has taken a bit of a back seat since the 29" Voodoo arrived. Which is a crime. So it time I think it was taken for a run. Before this it needs some love. Since this photo was taken it has received a new SDG I-beam seatpost and seat, ERGON grips, FSA cranks and IRC Mibro tyres.

I've wanted to simplify the drivetrain but was a bit scared of going all the way to single speed on a bike I use for commuting. So a compromise is a change to 1x9 drivetrain. Today I picked up this - a MRP chain retention system for XC use. Tomorrow I will install it ready for a night ride Monday night. Stay tuned.

Aussie Day - Ride to the beach

2010-01-25T22:42:00.000-08:00

Finally got to tick off a ride I have wanted to do since I was about 15 yrs old. A bunch of friends were having a day at Southport beach and I decided to do the solo ride, have a swim and drive back. 80km and 3hr10min later it was done. A little easier than I imagined but the heat on the open road made it a little uncomfortable. All on my Voodoo Dambala with fat mtb tyres. I love that buzz sound.

Locked in - 1st race of 2010

2010-01-24T16:56:00.000-08:00

Just registered for the first race in 2010.
Mebbin MTB Marathon
Never done it before and never really been through the area. Scenery looks stunning!
I'm going to be attempting the 45km version. I went in the Lunatic Fringe 6hr event last year organised by the same bloke and the atmosphere and track was fantastic. Here is one of the photos of the track courtesy of summerofcycling webpage.

Comment if you're going too.

First ride with new lights

2010-01-09T02:28:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas I bought these New Lights and promised to put up a bit of a review. After what seemed like months (more like 2 weeks) I finally got to take them out last night at Daisy Hill. What a hoot. I saw that much wildlife (2 foxes, 1 rabbit, 1.5m carpet snake) I began to wonder how many things I must have ridden over while using my old lights.

These lights are perfect for me. I took about 15 minutes to get used to the very white light and the extra weight up higher than my older lights (see above photos). With some creativity a mount with a lower total height might be possible since I didn't notice an excessive amount of heat that might melt a helmet moulding. This is a minor grievance and the higher centre of gravity wasn't noticeable after 15 minutes. Just watch out for low branches.
The loop was 22km long and we completed it a lot quicker than normal (~1hr40min; could it be the lights?) So I didn't get to test the burn time but I saw no change in the brightness during this time. This was really obvious when I rode all of Ground control and second coming with the lights on half beam by accident.
We also went down one of the longer trails (pineapples) in Daisy where previously I would have to ride the brakes for lack of visibility at night. Not this time absolutely flat out to the point I was pushing the limits of my tyre grip!
Best 160 bucks I have spent in a long time.

2010-01-09T01:56:00.000-08:00

So begins a new year of wednesday morning rides at Daisy Hill.

55kms later (35km onroad 20km off-road) I was at work and hurting. My legs were paying for all the Christmas eating and lounging around.

15km of road/bike path from home to Daisy hill,

20km of social paced off-road riding with 20+ like-minded mtbers and a

20km road/bike path ride to University of Queensland.

Hopefully this will become a regular Wednesday ride and hopefully easier.

The Daisy Hill tracks were super grippy with some sloppy corners. Anyway I couldn't complain about grip when one of the riders was riding this ->

Favourite sound

2010-01-06T16:49:00.001-08:00

Random thought: I love the sound of new chunky mtb tires on concrete.

New lights

2009-12-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming early.
I'm awaiting the arrival of this light set. After a ride the other night on new trails I realised it was time to upgrade. A 20W halogen is fun on familiar trails but as soon as you hit new tracks it can be a bit treacherous.

After the last few hot days I'm planning on doing a lot more night rides and the old lead acid battery was taking too long to charge for just 2hrs burn time.

I'll post up how these babies go.

4 days to go.

2009 Christmas Ride and rare sightings

2009-12-08T22:08:00.000-08:00

The official 2009 Daisy Hill Morning Ride Christmas Ride with Swim and BBQ breakfast. Top morning thanks to the generosity of friends. Here are some shots when the camera actually worked.

This was the winner for the best dressed bike of the ride. A Rocky Mountain Slayer with the latest bling - baubles!

A photo of incredibly rare creature. The locals call him ODG. But be warned this creature very rarely holds its line. :)

A second rare sighting in one morning. A Garyfisher Superfly actually in contact with dirt! This 29er is unbelievably light!

First Night Ride for Summer

2009-11-23T16:10:00.001-08:00

Last night was the first night ride in almost a year.

My lighting system is pretty bad (20W halogen attached to 6V lead acid battery).

But it didn't interfere with the fun and probably added a bit more excitement. :)

Coming down 'Ripleys' (at Daisy Hill) relying mostly on memory was like riding a rollercoaster in the dark. Which way next!

I couldn't keep up with the rider in front but I was still having a blast.

Having lots of lights or very little lights might affect your speed but not the level of fun.

I reckon this probably applies to many aspects of mtbing not just lighting systems. e.g. single speed vs gears, hardtail vs dually.

So take what you got and get out there.

Another Favourite Destination

2009-11-19T02:15:00.000-08:00

Another favourite destination for me and my MTB. I haven't been to this one for a number of years. Just inland from Byron Bay is this 'get-away-from-it-all' ride which has lots of climbing, spectacular lookouts, leaf lined trails and some challenging log rides, jumps and mossy rocks.

Here are some of the better photos. This is the first lookout you come to.

Amazing leaf lined tracks with large mossy boulders to navigate.

I found the most amazing downhill/freeride run. Which I cleared all on the first attempt. :-p This jump had a runout amongst palm trees.

This was a steep drop further along which was too steep to walk down and just out of camera shot was an incredible log ride with multiple turns and chicken mesh for grip. All below a canopy of palm trees to keep things cool but steamy.

I think it's time I made another trip there.
Hmmmm.

Karingal 4hr

2009-11-16T23:38:00.000-08:00

Well the final race of the year for me fried me, flipped me over and fried me again.
For the 2nd race in a row by error and/or poor PA systems I was on the front line at the start where I definitely do not belong. There was a lot of starters and I didn't want to hold anyone up so I hammered. It is only 4hrs anyway. This course rewards speed with big smiles ... for awhile.

The first 2-3 laps were great fun but by the 4th, around 11am, the heat flicked on. The track had almost no long climbs but with 200+ metres of climbing there were many short climbs with only short rest between. With some amazing G-outs. The course builders had added a lot of new single track since the last time I had been here and they are really special. Highly recommend this course. I give it a 8 out of ten.

At the end of the 5th lap I was messed up but I had a number in mind and 5 wasn't it. By this stage I felt like a passenger on the bike and at the end of the 6th I was struggling to keep my head up and my stomach contents down. I love finishing after the cutoff so at 3hrs45mins I went out for my last lap. My body had no reflexes left and the exits of the G-outs had me walking because I was losing balance. Half way round this lap I think I had a micro sleep or something because I had the sensation of waking up and finding both wheels in the leaf litter heading off the track. Very weird.

Ended up with 10th place in the 40yrs+ with 27 competitors.
The highlight of this race for me was being surrounded by so many people I knew (outdoorgaz, flyboy, rich the stitch, neil, nitronic, widseth, kevinj, chris, dean0). For some reason this year I have been in many races where I only knew a few people. Thanks Daisy Hill Wed Morning Crew for the laughs and cheering and it was fantastic having my family along as well.
Summer is here!

2009-11-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

Just been organising my photos and ended up reminiscing about some of my favourite rides. This ride was the out-and-back ride along the Noosa Trail 4 starting near Lake Macdonald and turning around at Kin kin. This photo is looking south from the Twin Hills lookout. The photo at the top of my blog is from the highest point of the ride Cootharaba Views Lookout just before the descent into Kin kin. Top cruisy ride.

First Attempt

2009-11-08T01:50:00.000-08:00

My very first attempt at blogging. Let's see what happens!