No motivation at all

Yesterday I tried to go outside and ride I really wanted to but I couldn't bring myself to dress in all the layers to go suffer for an hour in the 12 degrees. I looked at my bikes and my cycling clothes but was uninspired. I think riding on ice covered bike trails has grown old this month and at 12 degrees it is too far to gravel considering I would be frozen by the time I got to booneville road. I am so ready to hang up the studded tires. Next week looks like more snow but 30 degrees would be nice. Where is your global warming now!

Busted

the derailer cables broke a part.

Not a real blizzard anyway

Yesterday was a good day riding 25 miles in our so called blizzard. Some drifts were 2-3 feet deep

Sweet!

I got to ride my new 29r (well for like 10 miles) on saturday night and it was awesome! It's is a little larger than I'm used, and the shock on the front will take some getting used too, but overall it was great. If I would have read the fine print on the other set of directions on no-tubes.com and seen that I was suppose to install some weather strip foam on my rims before mounting the tires I wouldn't have flatted my front tire either.

Now there is 3 inches of fresh snow on the ground and I will soon be riding in it :)

New Bike Day and some Tubeless mounting

Without Tubes, Dorkdisk,reflectors,plastic pedals,Safety Stickers

I finally decided on my race bike for 2010. Well the pricing and steel frame of the Raleigh XXIX +G decided for me. With Sram X5/X7 it leave a little to be desired on components but also leave itself open for some upgrades next year. I decided after much facebook research to go tubeless. The simple install of Stans tubeless kit makes this a no-brainer. I actually might tubeless my touring bike when my Marathon extreme tires come in. This 29r is a little heavy at 29lbs but I'm a little heavy at 200 lbs so we are well matched. Now I just need some weather to get out and ride it in. I'm now up to 3 bikes at my house with less than 1000 miles on them so some nice weather is in order.

The compressor is too loud.

Foamy...

Cirrem

I'm in registered today CIRREM now only a couple questions? New 29r mountain bike, Single speed cross bike, Fixed gear cross bike, New touring bike? These are the hard questions that need to be answered hopefully by carefull thought (macho bragging after beer usually decide these things) and not weather putting me on a studded snow tire hell ride.

Time for Dirt yet?

http://www.centraliowatrails.com/blog/

Summerset Shootout in May can't wait. Hopefully not a rainy spring this year.

First Metric Gravel ride for '10

Saturday 12 of us started out around 9am for a 62 miles gravel ride. It was around 20 degrees and a fresh powder coating of snow on the ground. I took the knife for a challenge and I wasn't planning on any super fast riding. We took the north loop out through woodward and back into west des moines stopped at a couple caseys stores for food and to warm up a little. I did ride the last 28 miles without a stop. At the end of the gravel (59 miles) there were 2 of us left me and Steve Fuller. Everyone that turned off early missed a good muddy ride at the end.

Dirty Bike

This Dog ran with us for 3 miles or so at 12-15mph so he is Gravel Dog.

Sun Dogs in the morning

A few miles in the snow

Went out for a Downtown-Johnston loop today. It was nice to be out in double digit temps for the first time this year. Got 25 miles in the most in one single ride so far this year. Stopped at AK's for a couple beers and warm up before I went home for the evening.

After 15 miles or so I was thinking why the hell is it so cold and why can't I move to another state.

New Toys

the light not the helmet

Winter Riding :)

Yesterday for the third week in a row I got out with Rick and A few others for a couple hours of White label mountain biking. This week we took the clive greenbelt up to country club then the Wdms Trail back around Jordan Creek mall and back to Giffs. I had a couple of close calls with the ground but didn't make contact at all (2 weeks in a row). I also learned about "sidewalk singletrack" I never ride on the sidewalk but in the snow it is kind of fun, every street there is a pile of stuff to jump over and some places its so narrow you scrap your feet on both sides.

I haven't really kept track of "Snow miles" this year but I have in at least 250 since the first dumping of global warming. I am however taking tomorrow as an off bike day, something about 5 below of a high for tomorrow. I am hoping for the heat wave this weekend to make it till tuesday for my "weekend" and get in some good miles. I have managed to keep a good attitude this winter and get out when I can and fix things in my house when I can't.

Look no hands

ugh!

The Great walk-out freezer

Took a short ride today 6 degrees seemed warm enough. I made it for a little over an hour and about 10 miles (all the way around waterworks) I really wanted to hit the connector and get in some good hill climbs but the weather and wind chill was too much. So I came home warmed up and now am going to do intervals on the trainer. This is a comparison of the worst outside conditions I've ever rode in to the best inside conditions (a draw I think).

Yesterday I did the coldest ride I have ever done -16 with a wind chill -20. It is only 3 miles to work on 8th street but I have never had the pleasure of temps so cold that the trigger shifter mechanisms stop working and the extra tears that my eyes produced froze onto my face. My mustache iced down to my beard pulling hairs when I tried to open my mouth. All in all a great winter ride.

Full Moon.

+2 degrees and a full moon its was perfect this morning to bad I had to stop at work I was ready to keep riding

Happy new years.

First ride of the year

New Year - New Look

Enjoy the new look, even though blogger doesn't have any really cool templates this is okay. I'm now ready for another great year :)