it's something

So last week I feel off of the blogisphere due to a conference I was attending.  Sure it was in Charlotte, and sure I could have gotten up early to blog.  But I didn't.  I slept in (since the conference was closer and started later than actual work).  So thank you for being so understanding.

Bombs exploded this morning, so a "real" post won't happen, but I feel so guilty about not posting last week that I'm here.  Briefly.

The other week I pulled out my sweet Southern Wheelworks t-shirt and noticed something.  Fading.

Will I stop wearing it.  NO.  Am I bummer.  Yeah.  

Annie knows how much of a bummer this is to me, so as she looked at my face (as I was looking in despair at my glorious t-shirt) "Well, I guess you'll have to get a new set of wheels."

She wasn't joking.

Bewildered I looked up at her.  "Huh?"

"You'll have to get a new set of wheels so you can get a new t-shirt, right?"

My face was likely enveloped with my smile - "SURE!"

Would I like a new wheel set - who wouldn't?  But I honestly don't need one and wouldn't know what I would get if I did have access to a new set.  I couldn't rightfully do it.  I let her know that I got the t-shirt separate from the wheelset, and that I could likely get another t-shirt (without buying a whole new wheelset).  But man... Just shows how lucky I am to have such a loving and supportive wife.  One that would let me get another wheelset just to get a t-shirt.  I do love me some t-shirts!

Fashion Fridays?

I myself haven't been riding much, so I feel no pressure to find an inspiring clip to urge all you out there to ride this weekend - you are already WAY ahead of me.

Instead, look what I got in the mail yesterday!

Yup, a sweet ass Southern Wheelworks t-shirt. It's casual Friday, so I'm wearing it to work today!  Honestly, I haven't put it on yet, but it feels super comfortable so I'm excited about it. 

In somewhat related news, designs on the Team Glow Worm kit are coming along nicely!  D-Wayne is killing it!  I won't share the proofs yet, but trust me - once you see the finished product you may just want to join me and sport the worm! 

How is that at all related to Southern Wheelworks?  Well, I'm putting 3 sponsors on the jersey. And by "sponsors" I mean: people I believe in. 

Dustin is not only a great wheel builder (solid wheels, easy process that he'll guide you through to make sure you get exactly what you want out of the build) but he's also just a great guy. 

D-Wayne is of course getting his company on the jersey. Another great and talented guy!  Not only is he good at what he does, but he has jumped into this project with genuine excitement (sometimes I think he's even more excited about it than I am!). 

And finally, Dild's Grill. Got to pay homage to where this thing all started. Originally I was going to do two kits, one being the Glow Worm and one was going to be a clean, classic designed Dild's Grill jersey - but I've shifted to full investment in Team Glow Worm with "sponsorship" from Dild's Grill since the other half of Dild's Grill is out of commission until his bionic hip replacement is complete. 

So yeah, go ahead and ride this weekend if you must. I hope to be out there if I can shake whatever has been keeping me ill this week. 

* I've since put on the t-shirt since I had to finish the post at work... feels great and looks even better.  I even did a little dance in it - you can ask Annie about it.

Prep

Yesterday I got some GREAT advice from everyone's favorite wheel builder, Dustin.  Butt Butter.  Yup, it's real.  I've never used anything in my chamois before.  Sure I've gotten irritated here and there (stuff you really want to know about, I know) but for the most part things are good down there.  BUT, I think 6 hours could certainly be enough time to make saddle sores a pain in my ass... yup.


Dustin recommended good old Chamois Butt'r.  I am pretty sure I got a little tube of this stuff at a race earlier in the year... but haven't gotten the chance to search for it in the pile of bike stuff behind the pile of bathroom construction stuff - which, by the way is almost complete.  I will obviously look for it tonight, and if I don't have anything, I'll have to make a late/early run to a bike shop somewhere to get something for my... comfort.



What I already had on the list of things to get for prep was more Osmo Active Hydration.  Seriously, this stuff is the STUFF!!  I plan on loading up bottle after bottle with this stuff and  I WILL concentrate on downing a bottle per lap to stay as fresh as I can be over 6 hours.  While I was at my LBS I picked up a bottle as well.  Some people complain about having too many bottles - I don't have that problem.  You all remember how sad I was with loosing a ratty old bottle, don't you?    So now I have a fresh pretty one to enjoy this Saturday.  Eating will also be a priority.  And in that arena I'm still experimenting on what does the job.



Last night we finally got the washer and dryer hooked back up so I'll be doing stacks of laundry all night to make sure I'm ready for the weekend.  I should probably go ride my bike as well since I haven't ridden all week... who knows if I'll have time.

working progress

Ok... so Team Dild's Grill has been kicking around the idea of putting a kit together for a while now.  We started designing a while back, but let things drop by the wayside.  Details such as cost and minimum order kinda put the damper on things.

Somewhat recently I met the man, the myth, the legend - D-Wayne.  He happens to do jerseys (amongst other things).  The Dild's Grill kit might have some life left in it.

To that end, I've been playing around with kit ideas.  D-Wayne, I will be in contact with you shortly about this.

If might want in, or want your name/company/product on our kit, get in contact with me.  Here are the first (VERY) rough sketches of Team Dild's Grill.

 
I'm also thinking of putting together a "special" kit just for the Glow Worm.

I already have plans for one "unofficial" sponsor - Southern Wheelworks.  Not so much as a sponsor, as I just support what Dustin is doing - and enjoying the wheels he built for me.

F(L)ATS

If you haven't heard of FATS, well it's time you freakin heard about it.  There is a total of 37 miles of singletrack for one to enjoy, although most tourists (us included) focus their time and energy on the bottom three loops which consist of more "bang for your buck" flow.  FATS is designated as an IMBA Epic trail system, so come on down and check that bad boy off your list.  FATS is located in Sumter National Forest in South Carolina, just over the border from Augusta GA.  From Charlotte it is about a 2.5 hour drive.

I suppose I should give you a head up on the list of characters involved in this ride.  Coming from the Charlotte area we had myself, Good Guy Greg, Tom Tom, TheMutt, and Denis.  From "up north" we had D-Wayne.  And we even had a local in our midst, Dustin Gaddis of Southern Wheelworks.  While the majority of us met up in Rock Hill to form a bike caravan on the way down - making it an easy 2 hour drive together - Dustin was pedaling around the trails we would not ride that day so that he could join us for our adventure when we arrived.

A mile into the trail I already had a question: when are we coming back?  Seriously, just entering the trail system and you knew it was going to be a good day.  For those northerners in the group, kinda had the sense of riding Kingdom Trails... just imagine if all the trails were like Kitchel, Sidewinder, or Webs with just a nice undulating flow and a giant pump track feel.

It was also at this time that we heard the trail had taken it's first victim of the day.  Lunchbox got a flat before he even really got into the trail so TheMutt turned around to help him out - don't worry they would catch up.

About 2 miles later DG stopped to hit up a rock feature and I noticed something.

pretty pink socks*

My rear tire was spewing Caffe Latex and didn't seem to want to stop.  I tried everything.  Of course I held it "spew side down" to try to let sealant pool there.  I tried applying pressure like it was a wound.  I tried creating a nice dirt scab over it... nothing seemed to slow this pin hole from flattening my tire.  My new tire.

Eventually I resigned to the fact that I would have to put a tube in.  So I pulled my Awesome Strap from under my saddle and got to work with my tube.

Me and DG coming to the same conclusion... hole in the tube.

No problem, out of all of us we will have a useable tube!!  Not exactly true.  DG went to grab his spare tube and found a hole in the back holding his tube... and a nice corresponding mark on the tube.  NEXT.  Good Guy Greg threw me his tube, we blasted it with CO₂.  As I was yanking the frozen CO₂ cartridge off my valve stem I slam my hand into my brake rotor... fun.

About ready to set off and it feels soft... maybe I didn't put enough air in it... so I pump the crap out of it.  Off we go.  About a 1/4 mile down the trail and I'm feeling squirrely in the rear.  Yeah... slow leak in the tube.  AWESOME.

I'm not sure how many CO₂ cartridges we went through getting me back to the trailhead (THANKS GUYS!!!) but towards the end I was on a blast of CO₂/sprint my ass off until it was flat again regiment.    We finally got back to the parking lot where DG poured some Stan's into my tire to hopefully set it back up tubeless and be done with this tube nonsense.

Thanks to Tom Tom for documenting the tire debacle both on and off the trail.

We take turns trying to set the bead with a couple different floor pumps, blast a couple CO₂ cartridges in there that almost get it there and nothing.  Finally Tom Tom reminds us that if you take the valve core out it won't impeded the air and a cartridge should be able to set the bead.  BOOM.  It works.  Stan's for the win!!  No further issues for the rest of the ride.

Unfortunately, by this time DG's time to ride has expired, and he has to take off.  We will be back, and hopefully next time there won't be time sucking issues getting in the way.  Who knows, maybe we'll hit up all the trails too!  I think it took over 2 hours to ride the Great Wall and get my wheel handled... yikes.

Back out on the trail we hit up Skinny and Brown Wave.  The trails we awesome.  This is the type of trail that wants you to go fast.  But you have to watch your ass because if you go with the trail blindly you will be in over your head (or way off the trail) before you know it.  I loved Great Wall, despite my tire issues.  Skinny felt like it was a connector between Great Wall and Big Brown.  Big Brown was a roller coaster of a trail.  Fun Fun FUN!

By the time it was all said and done I was HUNGRY.  We loaded up the caravan and headed out to grab some food and brew.  The drive home was a rough one... food coma and a long drive isn't always the best combo, but we all made it home safely.

Prior to heading down to FATS I did receive a little something something in the mail.

I had been bumming a 20t off of TheMutt, so I ordered myself up my own 20t along with a new and improved 18t.  I threw the 18t on for FATS and it was much needed.  There wasn't all that much climbing on the loops we rode so a 20t would have been way overkill.

* Thus far the pink socks have been 0 - 2 between my tire debacle and an endo by Little Miss Sunshine.

Obvious

It's Monday and I already have so much to catch up on...

a fruitless quest to find a missing bottle.

a fun race that felt more like a fast group ride.

the start of something new.

I guess I'll have to start with the story that has already leaked by the wonders of social media through no one's fault but my own.  Who can blame me, it's hard to contain a beauty like this.

As you can see from the picture above, it's complete!!  What started way back in October with the acquisition of a One9 frame has FINALLY ended in a complete, and working, bike!!  Yeah yeah, I know.  Having the frame sit for about 5 1/2 months sounds like a sin, but I had to jump on the deal to get the frame and then wait to start spending the monies to acquire all the other beautiful parts.

The biggest purchase (other than the frame itself) was, of course, the wheels.  The wheels in of themselves were a bit of a hard decision - do I go with some stock Stan's wheels and upgrade later - or go for broke from the start?  When I decided to go for the gold I immediately knew who would build them for me - Dustin at Southern Wheelworks.

Crest rims with Hope hubs

I've long been a member of singletracks, a great resource for trail info, gear reviews, and all things mountain biking.  Dustin is a contributing writer there, but I think I even recognized him from around the forums before he got the sweet gig writing.  When I saw that he had started building up wheels I knew I'd go to him if I indeed went the custom wheel route.  Other than being a mountain biker through and through, he's a mechanical engineer - so there is a little extra cred as to why you might feel comfortable letting him set you up.

What can I say about my experience working
with Dustin?  It was phenomenally easy.  The process all starts out with a survey that Dustin asks everyone to fill out to give him a better sense of what you are looking for in your wheels.  If you know the exact specs you are looking for you can add that right into the survey and send them on over.  Dustin got back to me quickly with a few more questions to help him provide me with all my options.  My initial intention was to go the I9 route, but with it being bike building season and a new hub coming from I9 it was like looking for a bison burger at McDonald's.  Dustin provided me with detailed specs on performance, weight, and cost on many of the big name hubs to help me decided if I wanted to wait for the illusive I9s to become available or go with someone else.  He presents your options in a open and honest manner that allows you, the customer, to decide what you want to go with.  At no point did I feel undo pressure to go with any of his suggestions over my own desires.  My final decision was to go with the Hopes, and I couldn't be happier.

The kicker to the whole deal - Dustin doesn't charge a build fee - just what it costs to get your parts together to build.  Once Dustin got my hubs in, the turn around was super quick.  I think he got the hubs in on Tuesday and I got my wheels on Friday - and even that was held up due to a decal issue.  You can't beat that!!  Dustin can also provide you with everything you need to get your wheels up and ready to roll (sealant, tape, stems, and tires).

Maxxis Ardent up front, Maxxis Ignitor in the rear

If you are in the market for a custom set of wheels, road or mountain, I'd strongly suggest you talk to Dustin over at Southern Wheelworks - he's good people.

Ok, to the build itself.  Saturday I headed over to Good Guy Greg's bright and early to get the build on.  Good Guy Greg has all the tools one could want or need when it comes to bike building, plus he's just a good guy and likes to help out.  TheMutt showed up for "advising" purposes.

Bike Buffet

 Although it was on the table to start, no beer was consumed during the build.  I know, sacrilege!  But we started early and time flew by so fast it never felt that we were working that long or that it got "late enough" to start drinking.  I did, however, come away with some nice sunburn on my head, back of my neck, hands, and arms.

think we might have to trim the brake line?

Yup!!  Oh, and check out those sweet zip ties I had to use because I forgot the real clips somewhere (got them on the fork though!)

Good Guy Greg bleeding the brakes until they were perfect.  TheMutt... petting a cat.

 Overall it was a team effort, although a BIG THANKS goes out to Good Guy Greg for letting us invade his space, use his tools, and watch him do the hard stuff.  TheMutt showed me the ins and outs of the EBB and chain tension and showed me how to get a straight chain-line.

All finished and begging to be riddin

The saddle will be switched for something white, hopefully a Selle Italia SLR XC Gel like on the HiFi.

I did an unofficial weighing (bathroom scale) and it came out to 22.4lbs.  That is pretty freakin light compared to the 29 something the HiFi weighs.

For those that are interested, here's a build list:

Headset - Cane Creek 110 (black)

Spacers - Forte Carbon Spacer Kit (carbon)

Stem - Ritchey Comp 4-Axis (white)

Handlebar - Ritchey WCS Carbon Flat 5D (carbon)

Brakes - Avid Elixir 5 (white)

Grips - Sette Type-H Lock On (white)

Fork - Niner Reynolds Rigid (green)

Seatpost - Sette Edge Carbon (carbon)

Saddle - Bontrager take off from the HiFi (black)

Cranks - SRAM X5 (GXP BB)

Pedals - Shimano M540 (I had laying around)

Cages - Forte Omega Carbon (white)

Chainring - Surly (32)

Cog - Surly (20)

We did get out for a quick shakedown at Renni hitting up the short track.  First impressions, I felt fast in the berms and quicker on the exit into the gravel road.  Of course, we weren't at race pace, but this thing flew.  Being fully rigid was just fine as well.  The bike feels so light it's so easy to whip around the trail and lift up and over anything coming my way.  AND nothing fell off.  The seatpost slide down, I had forgotten to tighten that.  Even after tightening it slide... so Good Guy Greg to the rescue with some carbon grip that I later used and seems to be doing the job now.

So, what will the One9 be called...  While we were finishing up the build the question was thrown out there.
Kosher Dill first popped into my head.
TheMutt enthusiastically liked calling it just Dill.
After our first lap at Renni a short discussion about the worms came up and I then suggested calling it Big Worm, which again garnered support.
Annie later suggested calling it The Goblin, but Airborne already has one of those.
With all the green and white I can't help but think about the Celtics.  I did like the worm idea... put that together with Larry Bird (favorite Celtic of all time) and you've got Larry Worm... or The Early Bird (gets the worm).  Or just Bird.
I run 32 up front = Kevin McHale... so... I could call it... Kevin... I guess?

As you can see, I'm not quite there yet with the name.  I'm sure TheMutt will tell you that it's already named Worm, and it may in fact stick... maybe I'll put out a naming poll tomorrow.

the coast is clear

Sunday night/Monday morning I was on doggie stomach/butt duty.  Maggie had some "issues" we'll call them (and you'd thank me for calling it that if you actually knew what was going on over here), so I wasn't able to write anything since I was watching and readying for an emergency vet visit.  Thankfully things rectified themselves...  yeah, I said rect-ified.

Anyway, I'm not sure what the cause was for the stomach/butt action that was going on - but I have a feeling it might have to do with my new wheels... let me explain.

I came home from work on Friday and spotted something on the front porch.

I approve the hiding job of the delivery guy - using the "stone" bench for cover, nice!

I couldn't be 100% sure what it was... maybe Annie had ordered some hats?

Not Annie, Not her hat

Nope, it's them!

I brought the wonderful boxes inside and got right into them.  I found some glorious things... and then brought them right back outside.

Very sexy wheels.  Keepin it classic with the black and white.

during the build I had the original rim decals removed and replaced with wheel builder decals.
very clean

Hope Pro2 EVO hubs

Ordered some rubber with them.  Ardent in the front, Ignitor in the rear.

They look even better dressed and ready to roll!

I carefully put sealant in - didn't want any globby stains on the beautiful rims - and the tires set up with a floor pump.  It was magnificent*.  I have my brakes and headset on the way, and with the arrival of those items I should be able to get the build pretty much done - or at least looking like a bike.  It all came down to getting the wheels in to "get me rolling" on the build.  OOOOOOHHHH hohoho I said it. Wheels... getting me rolling...

yup.

So, how could my wheels be implicated in doggie stomach/butt issues??  Well, not the wheels themselves, but the sealant.  Some spilled in the grass outside the garage as I was measuring it out and I have to wonder if Maggie ingested some - I think that would certainly do the trick in messing up a system.  I'm not sure what it was really, but she never acted like anything was wrong - other then going outside pretty frequently.

Using pillows like people.

*I actually only attempted to set the tires up with the floor pump because on first glance it looked as though the valves did not have removable cores - my air compressor doesn't have a proper bike attachment so I normally just blast air through the open core to set the tires... I must have missed the removable core because they were just so shiny and new I didn't want to mess with them, but upon second inspection they sure do have removable cores.

ETS

Yesterday I put my wheel order in.  Estimated (dependent on the arrival of the hubs) Time of Shipment is the end of next week.  Freakin sweet man!

Again, big thanks goes out to Dustin over at Southern Wheelworks.  He was super prompt, answered all my questions with lightening speed and provided a wealth of information to illuminate all my choices.  He really does want to build the right wheels for you, and it shows.  He takes the time to get to know what you are riding, how you are riding, and what you want out of your wheels.

If you need some wheels built up, I would highly recommend getting in contact with Dustin.  I mean, you can't get better then this; from his website:

Pricing:

Pricing is largely up to you: chances are I can build you a great set of wheels for whatever your budget will allow.  I only charge for the parts used to build your wheels, but no additional build fee.

Mountain bike wheels start at approximately $400, and road wheels start at about $300.

Turn around time is pretty damn quick, as we see by my estimated shipping date - which includes about a week lead time to get the hubs in.  I will be sure to put up some photos of the wheels when they arrive.

Today I'll be hitting up WWC after work.  Not sure if it will be a group thing yet or not, but plan on hitting it up on my way home from work as I just put on my season pass sticker and I feel it needs some attention.   Although,  just checked the trail statue (when I went to post the link) and it says the trails are STILL closed.... let's hope that changes by this afternoon.

mer

as in, BUMMER.

The news I thought I'd have for everyone today was that I have a new singlespeed wheelset being built up as we speak.  As it is, I don't.

I had my wheels imagined - I9 hubs laced to white Crest rims.  Yesterday my wheel guy (yes, I have a wheel guy) tells me he has to check with his distributor about the I9 since he can't get them directly...  I'm sure you can see where this is going.

Later in the afternoon I get a second email informing me his distributor can't get a hold of a singlespeed hub.  Totally bogus, man.

So I'm presented with other options that I must sit with.  Then, all of a sudden, a thought pops in my head.  What if I can find a hub somewhere on the internets?  I could snatch that bad boy up and send it over to my wheel guy, right?  Maybe... if I could find one.  No one appears to be selling I9 singlespeed hubs.  Not online stores, not people on the ebays or other reputable (or less) internet wheeling and dealing sites.  Maybe your mom is selling one, can you check for me?

Will I be happy with a different hub?  Honestly, at this point I'd be happy with Bontrager hubs just because it would mean I'd be that much closer to riding my freakin singlespeed.  What did I like about the I9s?  Well, the engagement - super quick.  I liked that fact that they are built up in my (new) home state.  I've seen The Mutt in action on the I9s and they are sweet for sure... and of course local legend and international nightmare Dicky has some experience on them... but I guess I can ride something different.

I'll stop whining now.

In all likelihood I'll be going with the Hopes.  Don't feel like taking the step up in price for the Kings.

In other news... I do have "ride" news.  I'm riding tonight after work at the WWC, so there's at least that!  Well, that is that IF the trails are dry enough after the wall of water that fell from the sky on Sunday.