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

snow ridin'

looks like winter is here early this year....lake como loop with 3" of fresh snow

and last wed. night ride of the year.

Bike advocacy

went here

to talk to this guy

about bike access in these places

kinda bizarre....you have to go all the way to Wash DC to talk about access in Montana's public lands.

#106 to Idaho

a few pics from last sunday's ride into Idaho.

whirlwind

Interbike trade show.....and unfortunately a lack of indoor photos, but we did make our rounds in the three days that we were there. Saw some cool stuff and met up with some old pals and met a few new ones along the way too. So.......Here's a few pics that i did come back with:

Chub Hubs and the Hive along with the entire Formula brake line looks very promising. We also noticed Formula spec'd on quite a few bikes this year including Turner.

a big dumb pug (the bike)??

bamboo by Boo

Raleigh SS CX

speaking of cross....it appears Matt S. is the new queen of cross.

29" wheeled BMX (and i thought my Koz felt big) ??

cross vegas

Crit Championships

what happens in vegas

Welp....it's that time of year when bike geeks like mysef head to the city of sin to take on the behemoth we call interbike. Rows upon rows of bike paraphenalia from the world over. Some exciting and new and some that just make you wanna scratch your head and wonder WTF??!!

But before we actually get to sift through all of this stuuuuuff.....first we have to get our vegas strip stretch going on. You know, to properly break in the legs (and livers) before the actual first show day. We hoof down the strip in constant search for the next drink special, the sweet smell of fresh septic lingers. Rows upon rows of prostitutes and dope dealers, and even those wacky card flippin folks line the street handing out postcards of sultry promise. Lights. Explosions. Sirens. And of course the never ending ding-ding-ding from the millions of slot machines that are so cleverly positioned right near the casino entrance as a lure. It's a cerebral overload as we soak this stuff in......our rural habituated lifestyle takes a backseat as we try our hardest to keep up with this mess of a place. Wish us luck ! And more fotos to come ..... Interbike starts today.

pic share

Minor Lakes in the Big Hole Valley.....

riding up from the valley floor takes you along wide open, sage covered plains

up into rock strewn, tree covered trails.

and eventually topping out at a scenic lake that makes you upset because you didn't pack a fishing pole.

Deuter packs

This past labor day weekend i had the opportunity to try out the new Deuter EXP 12 hydration pack instead of my old trusty Deuter Crossair pack on some longish trail rides over in the Big Hole valley. The EXP 12 is a little smaller than my crossair but still large enough (850 cu in) to pack plenty of food, a 3 liter bladder which comes with the pack, a few trailside repair tools, a rainjacket, and of course a full sized camera. The pack sat nice on my back once i had all of the straps properly adjusted and their Airstripes comfort system was pretty comfy too. Price - $99

another nice feature is their built in rain cover that sits in a small zippered pouch at the very bottom of the bag. Perfect for keeping gadgets safe and dry.

youngster devall rockin' the Larry Creek loop

cool.....he choose to go over the waterbar : )

see ya in Lima !

i'll be heading on over to Lima this coming weekend with the whole fam-damily for the 2nd annual Backcountry Bicycle Festival, which has rides planned within the Italian and Lima Peak areas of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. Both of the planned rides contain miles and miles of the infamous Continental Divide Trail. Those in the know-know that the trails down in this region are remarkably good and the scenery, breath taking. Also, in between rides there will also be live music, good food, and locally brewed beer. I'm expecting a fantastic weekend of bike riding and hanging out with good pals and we hope to see some of you over there. I'll be the guy in the over stuffed VW van full of kiddos, firewood, and 5 gallons of Bitterroot Brewery's IPA !

check HERE for more details

also this weekend is the Bitterroot Classic Triathalon and we will have our very own Red Barn Riley in attendence to provide mechanical support for the racers. We wish all of you racers good luck in the Valley's premier triathalon race.


and if that's not enough entertainment for the weekend....there is also the York 38 Special which is over near Helena.....check HERE for details on this ride.



what ever your plans include this weekend have a good one.

email i recieved today

here's a great email today from a so called customer in Japan that wanted our service:



Hello,Here is my order :DELUXE TUNE UP ............. 30 in qty COMPLETE OVERHAUL............. 30 in qty Please get back to me with the total cost estimate for this order sothat i can make my payment via my credit card .I am an American but I live and work here in Japan and I want theseproducts here .Do not worry about the shipping , I will make arrangement for the pick up of these items from your place thru my shipping agency . PLEASE LET ME KNOW THE GRAND TOTAL WEIGHT OF THESE ITEMS FOR SHIPPING REASON .



does any one know a better spam/scam filter ? hahahaha

1st Annual Skalkaho Mt Tour

the innagural ride went off without a hitch, was recepted very well and i'm positive the second incarnation will be even better. The 56 mile loop which started and ends right from the shop climbed 3500ft before topping out deep into the Sapphire mt range and had fantastic views of the Bitterroot Range. The decent back down was a little loose since it's been fairly dry but i heard folks kept it safe and just about everyone kept the rubber side down. Once back at the shop the riders were awarded free Bitterroot Brewery beer and grilled food by our pal Paul Weese. For the full story....here's Ravalli Republic's version

here's a few pics

tracy and dad at the start of the climb

maureen eyes some bounty

so does Joe

Maddie and g-ma posing next to the newly fabricated hitch rack adapter...perfect for running mech sag support.

seems like i've posted something like this before

Twenty 6

so, about a month ago or so Bret and I headed over to Bozeman to hook up with good buddies, meet with MMBA, and also sample some of the super fine singletrack that is in their backyard. While we were there John P gave us the tour of Tyler's machine shop where Twenty 6 bicycle products are born and bred.

first the pictures from within the twenty6 compound.

blocks of aluminum take shape

bozeman ride