CX Loop

One of the nicer areas to ride the skinny tired cross bike in the bitterroot valley would have to be the slice of State Land located at the end of Hamilton Heights road called Calf Creek. The trails are numerous and have no official numbering sytem but you can easily put together a few nice loops. It's elevation also allows cycling late into the fall and it's south-west facing hillside typically dries out first, come springtime. One of the reasons it makes for such a nice cross ride is the fact that most trails are lacking much technical difficulty and the buff trails are perfect for the narrow tires which also makes it a perfect place for the beginner/intermediate mountain biker. Be cautious though as it is an area that is also well visited by our equestrian brethren.......if you see a parking lot full of horse trailers be wise on the decents....grab a little brake.

a link if you need better directions or information on the area: http://fwp.mt.gov/lands/site_280490.aspx

here's a few pics taken from a my wed afternoon spin on the Felt F1X:

remnants of Hamilton's once apple orchard boom

new Hadley front

one hub - 4 different axle configurations.

Here's the hub that we've been asking for, thanks to Mike and Suzanne over at Hadley Racing for making it. A high quality front hub that converts to most of the popular fork axles. 20mm thru, standard QR, 9mm thru axle, and now the Fox Shox 15mm thru axle.

Price $160

halloween cross pic

Here's a great picture of Aaron 'Joe Dirt' Riley tearing it up at the halloween cyclocross race last week. Gotta love the front pocket beer cuzzi.

new stuff

Chris King has been promising delivery of a bottom bracket for years. They held off during the Octalink and ISIS years, neither of these were bottom bracket options that they wanted to pursue. Then the new and current external bearing design has taken off and has pretty much been adopted by the world. Now this seemed to be something King could grasp. We even saw some early pics from the FELT designers where they actually had a King headset pressed into a threadless bottom bracket shell. Pretty cool.....it was only a matter of time.





So as a huge believer of their in-house made bearings we're very happy to announce that we have good stock of their new bottombracket. And in true typical King fashion.....available in a plethora of flavors.

Kalispell CX

So the Kalispell events went well......we headed up north this past weekend to race CX on both saturday and sunday. The early morning wakeup on saturday was rough though and then the proceeding 3 and a half hour drive up to race at 10:30 am was even rougher. But it even gets worse when you have a young lad Karl Vanderwood from Helena and now racing for MT Velo kicking your arse in the mens B field. Allthough after a tough course that consisted of plenty of climbing and a bad start i managed to work my way up into a small group which was tailing Karl by 30 seconds. Eventually myself and another fella from Whitefish ended up riding together for the remaining race.....we stuck together tightly and on the last lap i managed to form a small gap and for a brief second i thought i was going to sneak into 2nd place. But i wasn't the one sneaking as the cyclist from Whitefish managed to catch me within 30 yards of the finish and he eventually came around me nipping me at the line. Oh well......i'm just out there for the pain....right ?


On sunday and on a different course, cold weather, and with a smaller field .....Karl-less with his recent departure to race with the fast guys. I managed to get a good jump on the field and took off at a decent pace. It didn't feel as painful as usual and my small gap got a little bit larger. I keep riding hard, enjoying the singletrack sections of the lap and then i noticed that my course flags dissapeared.....i looked around me just in time to see the rest of the field go buzzing by ! Yep.....i took a wrong turn. Maybe i should have prerode the course more than once : ) , so i turn around and ride like hell to catch the new leaders. It took about a 1/2 lap to catch back up and another 1/2 lap to catch my breathe from the effort but i eventually worked my way around and back into the lead taking one other cyclist with me. We worked together for the remainder of the race and then on the last lap on a small run up that i was able to ride, created a small gap on him that i held to the finish line. A win in the b's is a win. But i'd eventually like to suffer in the back of the pack with the mens A group. Maybe soon, maybe in time for the MT state championships.


Matt Baldwins pics from Off the Grind

cyclocross

welp......i survived. I hurt like hell for an entire hour, thought about quitting the race about 15 minutes into it as my stomach felt like it was turning completely inside out. Yessir indeed, pure hell for those first minutes......so, instead of focusing on that damn pain i started to focus in on the fun sections of the course. And there were many as reminded to me by my three kiddo's who were sitting course side with trident in hand. Actually trying to spear me in the arse. Okay kids.....i get the point. (and thanks for instigating the juvenilles Howie)


So, with that in mind i noticed the race beginning to be half enjoyable, and before i knew it the race was down to three very short but intense laps. I was sitting in 7th and just caught by a group of 4. Crap ! I tried hanging on but all four were much faster in the flat sections that required hard pedaling. I ended up satisfied with 11th place out of the forty or so starters. Chalk it up. This next weekend.....Kailspell MT for two back to back days of hellish pleasure. So kiddos......bring on the trident !! Link for this weekend


and thanks to the fellas and gals at Montana Cyclocross for the fantastic, well organised event. You've certainly put on one of the best cycling events in MT.

Rolling Thunder

third stop on the Montana Cyclocross series is tonite and under the ballpark lights.........racing begins at 4pm in Missoula at the American Legion Park. I'm signing up for the pain but am actually going for the good times and free beer. So wish me luck on all three.

check here for the details.

www.montanacyclocross.com

pics from the 3rd annual Chicken Crit

the annual Chicken Crit has come and gone......once again i drew up enough courage to ride the tyke bike as did almost twenty others. I probably shouldn't have rode and just sat my arse to the sidelines to officiate ; ) as i ended up scoring one of my roughest crashes of the year and also managed to come across the finish line with my shoelaces completely wrapped up on my pedal spindle.......thinking back i don't think that's happened to me since i was about 6 years old. Oh well......the things that happen when you tip a few back.

So here's the race wrap up......Dillon, our good pal from Missoula was easily the fastest thing on 16" wheels but with a slight self made course modification he earned a DISQUALIFICATION !!!! Thats right...you heard me correct, first time ever in CC history. But don't worry...... Dillon more than made up for it by being one of the first to go down the cattle ramp, sacked up for the fire jump and easily had the finest dress attire of the bunch (allthough B George's embroidered shirt made for a close second). But anyway......that gave Hamilton's very own Tim " Big Kahuna" Buhl the victory. And we all know how he deserved it......he trained hard all year. Ate the right foods and substained from alcohol and sex. We're proud of ya timmie. Hot on tim's wheel was my beautiful wife Tracy......she was smoking fast and she made pedaling the small bike look natural. Third place was taken by Lance....very well done sir !

AND......the offical standings:

1 - Tim "BK" Buhl 51sec

2 - Tracy D 54sec

3 - Lance P 57sec

4 - Chaybo 1.01

5 - B George 1.03

6 - Dan Gager-bomber 1.07

7 - Alaska Jim 1.08

8 - Cassie 1.10

9 - the flying kiwi Warwick 1.13

10 - Shrek 1.16

11 - Dean the machine 1.20

12 - Jeff 1.23

12 - Shiela 1.23

14 - Jerome 1.26

15 - Thomas 2.18

and a few pics before, during and after:

socializin'

cass & tra

yours truely laying out the course and the rules (which changed by the minute)

safety first.

the course......first you had to chug a brew, and then thread your way down the cattle ramp. Once safely down the ramp you headed off into darkness and around the barn.

if you were lucky enough to make it this far, eventually you were guided by the light of the bonfire, a bunch of hecklers and small jump

gotta love this photo, which gives "trusting in your partner" a new meaning.

after you got past the jump you headed around the power line that Jenny tried taking out with her subie and then back down the road and across the teeter-totter from. A few more feet past this and you arrived at the finish.....and if you made it around the course without crashing you were one of the few. Easy to do......if you didn't par-take in the socializin' : )

and a few other noteable pics, the hecklers:

campfire hucking

campfire hucking gone bad

new schwalbe fat alberts

these are the new Fat Albert front and rear specific tires and an increase from a 2.35" size to 2.4". We also have the regular sized Albert that comes in 2.25"

750 g for 2.4" size

670g for 2.25"

End of the year gathering

Aaron's new CX

Here is aaron's new Fall inspired creation. His new Gunnar Crosshair cyclocross/dirt road bike dressed up with Shimano's Ultegra grouppo and built up just in time for the upcoming cross season. So Aaron.......do you suppose you're going to be in shape in time for that first race over in Butte ??

making hay

picture from yesterday

Motorola classic

Here's a prestine Eddy Merckx with team motorola paint job. It's a new addition to the barn unless of course you'd prefer it hanging from your garage instead of my barn. Size 58, equipped with 8spd Campy Record and aero calipers.

she's a sweetie !

Felt 09'

Felt Bicycles 2009....looking awefully tasty ! Check out the link HERE to see what's in store for next spring.

the $1600 Felt Nine Race

sneak peek 09' Titus

here's a few pictures of Titus's new 09' models.

Titus El Guapo:

the FTM Moto

the New RX

Coeur d'Alene Bike Trail

Spent the past weekend in good company as our small group of 8 decided to ride an out and back along the peaceful Coeur d'Alene bike trail. Putting in at Mullan Idaho and pulling along our camp gear for an overnight trip using BOB trailers was the plan, so we pedaled along taking an entire day to pedal the 60 miles. Taking the opportunity of stopping at every small town and every good view along the route. It wasn't very hard to find the views, plus there was also lots of wildlife abound (sand hill cranes, deer, snakes, turtles, birds).... but nothing near as wild as what we encountered at the sleepy town of Harrison, which also happened to be our lake shore overnight destination. Mix together some cheap beer, some good pizza, and a sock hop and you have yourself the making for a damn good party in Harrison at a bar called 'One Shot Charlie'. I'm still not exactly quite sure what a sock hop is.......but i'm guessing it involves beer, good music and an active dance floor. Good times followed and we stayed out late making the early a.m. wake up and 60 mile return trip a little more difficult.


Here's a decent photo sequence of the entire route: Mullan To Harrison

Swan Crest

This past weekend we had the opportunity to ride some amazing trails near the Flathead.....high alpine riding at it's best with fantastic views into the Great Bear Wilderness, Bob Marshall, Glacier Park, and the Flathead valley. 2 days worth of riding......the first day was a tough 28 mile segment of the crest that had purt near 7000 ft of climbing and almost 10,000 of decending. Day 2 was on the same trail but the northern tier, this portion was also a handful and much different in the way scenery.....overgrown brush, lots of grizz scat, and the huckleberries were soooooo abundant. 25 miles in all and a fantastic 6 mile downhill finish back to the valley floor that left us all pretty darn gitty. I owe Warrick big time for dragging us up for the ride and also for being such a great host for 2 days. Thanks dude !

day one pics:

warwick getting his fix

full moon

Full moon night rides are always a blast......i'm glad Shrekie spear headed the ride this past saturday to ride warm springs ridge on a beautiful full moon night. We started pedaling about 8pm and had about an hours worth of daylight to make it up the 3 mile climb and then on out to saddle mountain where our trail stemmed off. Just as we were about to duck into the trail we switched on the lights and then from there it was about 3-4 hours worth of singletrack bliss. I did manage to stop long enough to soak in the moon glow from the top of Warm Springs Ridge and also just long enough to snap a few pics.

Knolly Endorphin

Nathan's new Knolly Endorphin

random pic

solo bonus

sometimes rolling solo has major perks. You get to see things at what ever pace you like. You can also leave, stop and go anytime you like. In this case my ride down piquett creek was a success due to the fact that i scored some plump morel shrooms. The ride ended up short...... however, the outting was long as i had a very hard time leaving an area ripe for the picking. Morels rock ! Grilled on top of a steak, bathed in melted butter. A cold can of kokanee while tending the barbie.....yummy.

how bout' that front chainwheel

before shimano biopace of the late eighties they had:

happy b-day ride

yessir.....i'm officially 36 years young. My wife Tracy and i had the afternoon to ourselves and decided to invite the bikes along for a little celebration. Willow creek style.

12 mile dirt road climb that eventually leads to trail, but before we could ride trail....2 hours of fantastic hiking through very deep snow drifts.

the bday surprise....yours truely smiling at the thought of dry singletrack and a fantastic 7 mile drop

Tracy

chad

Tracy

weekend

This past weekend was quite interesting and also a darn good time. Friday after work Brian and i headed toward Dillon MT (with our mtbs) to volunteer our services as mechanics for the annual RATPOD road ride which is a 140 mile, single day ride around the Pioneer Mountains and actually up and over them. On our way over to Dillon we stopped at the May Creek trail for a short mtb ride along a nice slice of smooth and mellow singletrack. It was a nice cool evening for a ride until you stopped long enough for the mosquitos to settle in. Damn Mosquitos !! So with pests at hand we quickly loaded the Toyota back up and headed toward the big hole valley.....and of course you can't stop through Wisdom MT without stopping at Fetty's for dinner (and a beer), and finally further down the road we ended up at Jackson Hotsprings to soak (and drink another beer) and to spend the night in one of their more affordable rooms which also happens to be a singlewide trailer parked out (far) back in grass that was 2ft in height. The cheap bed seemed just about right for a weary head.

Next morning came very early and Brian and i were back into the toyoter as we were expected to be in Dillon by 6am.

there was an early morning buzz as 500 cyclists all gathered for the 7th annual ride for Camp Mak-A-Dream fundraiser. Brian and i soaked up the excitement until our assignments were handed to us and then we SLOWLY followed small groups of cyclist until a nice view obstructed our attention and then we'd pull over for awhile as cyclists passed by....hoping that one or another would need our assistance.

an early view from the rearward mirror:

a picture of Joe, Rick, Brett, and Rick.

early am cattle drive

scenery over Crystal Park

so all in all it was a purdy darn good afternoon. Brian and i reckon to have worked on approx 25-30 bikes...some easy and some not so easy repairs. After the ride the ride organisers provided dinner, good music, and handed out awards for the top fundraisers (which was $18,000!!!).

The following sunday afternoon, Brian and i rewarded ourselves with a mtb ride in the Pioneer Mountains and on a trail that neither of us had been on (you know....since we were in the area we kinda felt entitled). And it was purdy darn good too !