new arrival.......2010 Formula

Here's a couple pictures of Formula's new 'The One' DH race brake system. Re-designed for 2010 with an emphasis on becoming one of the lightest and strongest DH brakes on the market. 308g , and increased 24mm pistons that should provide enough power to stop an out of control Shrekie coming down Overwhich Falls. Price.....you'll need a loan. $300 per wheel. But o-so-beautiful.

end o' the year good deal

2009 Ventana Terremoto frames with Fox RP23 on sale for $1200 (reg. $2325)

frustrations

i've got a beef with proprietary wheel systems that incorporate their own spoke/rim/nipple designs and then neglect to offer replacement parts to maintain or repair broken parts. In this case.....a Shimano WH-MT75 29er wheelset that recently came in with a broken spoke. I've never repaired a spoke on this type of wheelset before and figured i could just call Shimano to order one of their fancy straight pull spokes to make the repair. Unfortunately the nice fella on the other end of the telephone line had to inform me that they could not sell me such spokes and he couldn't even offer me a solution and even worse, he had no option of even getting some replacement spokes in the future. So essentially we had ourselves a $250 rear wheel that was now obsolete because of ONE broken spoke ! WTF ! So i'm calling you out Shimano, get your heads outtta yer arses or otherwise leave wheelsets alone. Your hubs are fine, regular steel spokes are just fine, regular nipples work good too. How about trying to build a wheel around those parimeters that allow us greasy fingered mechanics an option to repair. I dunno.....seems too simple to me.

results and post report

Another Chicken Crit has come and gone, the fifth annual and without a doubt it was a successful pre-halloween evening. Successful in the regards that everyone was wearing a glow, every morsel of food was devoured, the 2 kegs went completely dry, two new champions were named, and most of all....no one had to make the unexpected trip to the E.R.

The course this year was a bit more technical than previous years....not only did you have to make it down the cattle ramp safely, past that first corner in blind darkness, and eventually into a bonfire cramped crowd that not only heckled each and every rider but would also purposefully get in the way or take part in becoming part of the course. Just to think that folks were lined up just to be jumped/ridden over. Once you made it past the jump a small slalom was next, each corner soft and loamy. Through the gate, around the pole and then the long leg burning straight away that took you over the teeter-tooter at full 16" wheeled speed and to the finish. Average lap times were in that 1min 10sec range and it was obvious that folks were hell bent on winning the titles (sarcastically). Eventually when the dust settled the champs climbed atop the podium and the top three awarded their claim to fame and mixed bag of chicken parts.

your 2009 CC champs in the hen division.

1st place and a winning time of 1:09.93 - Cassie "sweet boots" Buhl

2nd place with a time of 1:11.03 - Groov-alicious Devall

3rd place with a time of 1:22.05 - Henrietta the HAMMER Gier

consulation mention to Jen West for missing out on the podium by .5 sec, she also gets credit for making it to the barn fresh off the plane.

and for your 2009 cock-a-doooodle-dooooo rooster division

1st place and with a winning time of 50.59 (10sec boxer bonus) - Timothy "no shirt-no pants" Buhl
2nd place and with a time of 56.99 - "brokeback mountain" Donnie

3rd place and with an amazing time of 1:00.81 - none other than the guy you love to hate, yours truely F#$%& CHAD !

and also....a few highlights and honorable metions.

sir hanrahanski showing us how real men ride

costumes were optional

so was the drinking

bad choices were made......anonymously left out.

a big thanks goes out to Riley at Tifosi optics and James at QBP for the great prizes that were handed out. Everyone went home with something good. Until next year folks.

Chicken Crit 2009

customer appreciation at it's finest.....we'll get you as much food and drink as you'd like and then send you off on a bike that doesn't really fit any of your practical needs, nor will it fit. But you'll be happy that you did it, just maybe not the next morning......Chicken Crit 2009, Oct 30th. Come and reflect this past year's worth of cycling.

Moosecross

So, this past weekend was spent slumming around the Teton's on both sides of the pass. The hiking in the Park was great, but the cyclocross action on the Idaho side was fantastic. The fellas from Fitzgeralds Bike Shop put on a great weekend of bike racing. The weather was perfect, the courses were tough, and the fields were choked full of fast dudes. I was not in this catagory, but still rode hard and had a great time charging around in the dirt. A few photos.

The Tetons from the Wyoming side.

Jenny Lake mirror

This is what going anerobic and getting dropped looks like and then thinking about stopping in at the establishment in the tan building. Teton Brewery.

Day two was better for me and i ended up having a fun battle with this guy....the mayor of Victor and owner of Fitzgerald's bike shop. It came down to a sprint for 8th/9th.....Scott sprinted and i couldn't cover. Nice work Scott

from Dura Vision

Fresh from Vegas is Dura Vision's new 1 Watt Tactical Torch flashlight and handlebar mounting system. One superbright LED bulb that provides 80 lumens, the Tactical Torch is the perfect spare light to bring with you as daylight keeps getting shorter and shorter. Aluminum constructed, waterproof, and only 150 grams. Price is $60