utahdog!

And the one that got away...

2012-01-28T06:19:00.000-05:00

Drat.

FleaBay

2012-01-27T11:13:00.005-05:00

Loot for the in-door here at One Utahdog Center, World Congress of the Americas.

New-Old-Stock DX clipless pedals complete with cleats.

King Pretty and Strong pink headset, dated 2007 so pre- 'Sotto Voce'. Thanks be to god, because Sotto Voce is uglier than Uma Thurmon. Uma Thurmon is U-G-L-Y!

Genuine Land Rover cargo nets for the beast.

And a useful shop manual for a car I don't own.

Yet.

A 29er?!? Redline Monocog 29

2012-01-21T10:35:00.007-05:00

My friends are going to kick me in the Johnny Bucket for this one for sure. Rumors are true. I took leave from work on Wednesday and picked up a 29er from Zencog. $499. For that price it is NOT made in Pennsylvania!

Then I took it completely to pieces and put it back together for my own sanity. Now it is all my fault if the thing explodes under my feet. When I was through, I had these turdish bits left over.

And no, it did not get Crank Brothers pedals.

737's baby. The original SPD's. The Porsche 911 of clipless. OK, that last bit of hyperbole may be a little too thick. I probably should have cleaned them before I installed them, but come Sunday they will just be dirty anyway!

Done and done! I swapped out the original bits for some goodies from the stash; Control Tech post, SDG saddle, the 737's, Altek levers, and various tweaks to fit my knuckle dragging Roswell Alien physique!

The Redline has a big challenge ahead of it. One of the reasons I picked the Redline over say, a bike like a Gravity or Dawes from Bikes Direct, is that I want to give the 29 concept the best fair shake I can without buying a Turner Sultan! The Monocog is a well regarded 29, and I think I can give the 29 experience the trial by fire it deserves. I've ridden a few 29's on the trails before, and I've universally thought them to be cumbersome and slow. Will extended 29 use prove to be something I get used to? Or will the Redline just show up as another too-long, too-big 29 made for folks who can't steer around roots. We'll see!

Now I'm going on eBay to find a "Save the Ta-Ta's" pink King headset for it. I'm a pimpy tramp. Pretty and strong.

Yes my wife wonders aloud why I need an 11th bike, but she is very understanding of my 'problem'. Plus, I sent her pictures and auction links to stuff like this all last week.

This old Scirocco even has a salvage title, so bringing home the Redline instead is a win/win for all...comparatively speaking!

That car is pure Sex. For a child porn dealer maybe.

The Robinson Project, Part 6!

2012-01-10T13:32:00.003-05:00

Update!

Wheels and headset fitted. Little girls love purple. Old dads love purple too, because it isn't PINK!

Ho Ho Ho!

2011-12-24T11:20:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!... But mostly to me!

Beat 737 SPD's, 99 cents!

Sakae TI Powerbulge handle bar.

Happy Holidays to all my pedal powered friends!

Life, Love, and LOOT!

2011-12-18T21:23:00.002-05:00

Inbound, no pirates.

Continental Mountain King 2.2. New shoe for the white EWR.

Red Altek's. Fresh for the Christmas season. Ho Ho Ho.

eBay Oy Vey Fail!

2011-12-17T19:25:00.007-05:00

Still aint snapping up everything on eBay, just most things.These are auctions that wandered astray.

Deore DX group.

Red SDG Comp.

Stars and Stripes SDG Comp (AKA Ventura).

Spare Turner bits. Fat people like me stock up on crap like this.

Spare Turner. Fat people like me buy whole spare frames. As a bonus, this one comes with severed human feet free!

XT pedals. First gen goodies. Useful as boat anchors.

Flea

2011-12-12T07:30:00.001-05:00

Fleabay bonanza of the weekend!

Shimano SPD 737 pedals.

Purple threadless headset; 3 guesses what little chrome monster gets fitted with this sucker.

440 atc Kona P2II fork.

And thems that got away... Altek levers that sold for 144 to some other sweaty tramp for CNC'd goodness. So goes the interwebs shoppage.

The Robinson Project - Part 5

2011-12-11T15:57:00.002-05:00

Decals are eradicated, courtesy of a razor blade and some Goo Gone. The fork goes to the polish first.

Like I said earlier, there is a bit of pitting here, typical of chrome work from imported vendors. Spinner makes a great fork though. It has nifty little Robinson dropouts too, which I'll show in a bit. This picture also shows the only true issue with the chrome, in the the inside of the right leg (on the left in the picture) is a little foggy, and the Robinson decal outline can be seen in the fogging. Once built, only I will know its there...

Boom! Twinkles like a diamond.

Robinson drops on the fork blades.

Robinson signature seat-stay arrangement, and again, Robinson stamped drops. Neat!

And yes, those are cantilever rim brake posts. I'll fit the hand brake and keep the coaster for her to start, but the coaster will go away after a while when she is comfortable with the hand brake.

On to parts!

The Robinson Project - Part 4

2011-12-10T15:29:00.010-05:00

Packages have been arriving here at the spacious shipping and loading terminals of One Utahdog Center, World Congress of the Americas. I've been cutting open boxes all week it seems! Time to see, in the daylight, what the Robinson looks like...

And it looks good! A few surprises, not problems really, but indicators of how long I've been away from a BMX shop. First, yes that IS an 1.125" thread-less headset and fork setup on there! Nice!

The chrome looks good too! Some very minor pitting on the Spinner sourced Robinson fork, but the frame is nearly flawless it seems. I'll have to get the thing cleaned up though, to know more.

Here's the actual Surfer Girl that the poor kid has been using so far. 12" wheeled bikes are really suited only for training wheels. The cranks arms are so short that leverage is really challenged. There are no parts to carry over from this sucker. It has been a fine kids bike though, so to the spacious storage warehouse on pier 104 of the Utahdog World Shipping Emporium of the Western Hemisphere it goes!

And here is the boat anchor whore-in training labeled Hannah Montana donor. I already de- Hannah Montana'd it, but it is still just a POS. Just not as offensive a POS. It is SO heavy though. Shockingly heavy. I have no scale to gage where we start from, but I would love to know what the pig weighs, and how much weight I save the child from grunting around, but I will have to just judge it by hand. Not too hard to tell the difference in weight though. I'd think, like the difference between hoisting my Turner vs. lifting the Phoenix, it will be easy.

Cleanup starts. All decals will go, and the frame will be fully polished with Blue Magic Chrome Cleaner, which should tidy up any pitting spots and protect the frame from additional issues for quite a while. "And what is that little blue thing in the corner?" I hear you ask.

Just some new goofy little skulls for the bike fleet. A little VooDoo-ish maybe, but Bicycle Religion keeps me safe.

The Robinson Project - Part 3

2011-12-10T08:13:00.001-05:00

So that's it right? Time to swap parts and get the girl riding on a bike that weighs less than she does. She's already ripping along on the Surfer Girl in the sand on the roadside yelling "I'm like a biker in the woods, I'm like a biker in the woods!" So I'm pretty sure she's motivated! (I almost typed 'stoked' there, but I wussed out)

So last week I'm on the couch clickety clickin' on eBay again, doing my usual search for Altek brake levers and SDG Kevlar saddles, and I decide to run the BMX searches again. Dyno VFR, Dyno Nitro, Robinson SST.

Ding!

Robinson SST for sale. Again, with a BIN price of $20!

Click!

Now I own TWO chrome BMX frames!

More to come! Stay tuned as we take useful purple bits from the whore-in-training branded Hannah Montana Huffy and build up a suitable shiny silver and purple bike for a sweet little girl who will, I'm sure, love to bike with her old man. I can only hope!

The Robinson Project - Part 2

2011-12-09T08:01:00.002-05:00

I worked at a shop back in the early-mid 1990's that specialized in BMX goodies. I was never a BMX dood myself, but we sold and serviced hundred of Dyno's, GT's and other brands from back in the day. Nicely made 4130 cro-mo frames much lighter than the department store Bicycle Shaped Objects that most kids rode. They were business built machines, always with full chrome finished frames. Most of all though, they were fun as hell to ride.

Seeing the video reminded me of all of that, and an Idea was born.

I need a Dyno VFR. Even better, I need a Robinson SST.

I needed to get on eBay! So on eBay I went!

First pass, I popped in on a Dyno VFR from the mid 1990's. Chrome frame and fork. Cantilever rear brake ready and already fitted with a headset. BIN price, 20 bucks plus shipping! Woot!

A few clicks later and its on the way to the gleaming towers of One Utahdog Center, World Congress of the Americas!

The Robinson Project, Part 1

2011-12-08T07:11:00.003-05:00

Seeing a coworker's daughter racing BMX in a video that we played at the SORBA-Jax Pedal Driven movie screening that we held a few weeks back got me to thinking again about a looming question I've had rattling around in my head as I stroll the marble floors of One Utahdog Center, World Congress of the Americas. My daughter is 5, and is nearing 4 feet tall, so the Trek Surfer Girl bike she's been using is getting a little tight for her to say the least, especially in crank arm length.

Here's a picture of a comparable Surfer Girl that I shamelessly ganked without permission from the Interwebs.

A friend of mine has a daughter that rode this interesting lump of poo for the last few years, but she is old enough now to know better, so he gave it to me. It has both a coaster brake as well as the most sloppy rim brakes around. It also weighs, and I'm not exaggerating here, MORE than my Turner 5 Spot. Unacceptable. Don't get me wrong! I like free, but I'll never understand the point of introducing your children or your wife or significant other of best friend or whatever, to the sport of cycling and giving them an inefficient boat anchor to ride. I bet 90% of guys can't understand why their wives won't ride with them, when the man has a 4$K uber-bike, and the chick has a Murray or a 60lb Diamondback.

If you are introducing anyone to the sport, they deserve the best chance available to have fun. Period.

So THIS boat anchor, is not acceptable.

So the Surfer Girl Trek is too small, and the Hannah Montana bike is a POS boat anchor not even suitable in build quality or materials to be substituted into a road construction project for use as concrete reinforcement. I don't want to spend $250 on a bike before we even know if she likes to ride, but I don't want the bike to be the reason why she doesn't like it, so there is a line to toe here...

Lets take stock. The Hannah Montana bike has black tires and purple painted steel rims with the coaster brake. It has a white handlebar and stem and a one piece crankset with a single pie-plate chainring that has a purple flower sticker on it. I also have a purple flower print handlebar pad and purple plastic pedals, a chrome seat mast and a chain. All reasonably useful parts in good shape, just bolted to the heaviest girls frame ever to sport the name of a budding porn star.

Lets be honest here... I hate how much it weighs, but even more than that, I hate Hannah Montana. So I've got the parts. Time to shed the porn star.

What I need is a new frame...

Says-It

2011-12-06T16:45:00.002-05:00

http://www.says-it.com/

Interesting bit of marketing gizmology. Enjoy!

Lily the OBAC!

2011-12-02T15:57:00.005-05:00

OBAC - One Bad Ass Critter.

Utah would be proud!

Goodies in the Mailbox

2011-11-30T13:37:00.001-05:00

Shimano Deore DX pedals.

Come to Daddy... and I don't mean that in an uncomfortable or inappropriate "Penn State" kind of a way either.

Who's the twit...

2011-11-29T14:03:00.003-05:00

...that built this thing!? I'm no engineer but there may be a little adjustment or two needed on that fork alignment there...

http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_435853_-1?N=86154594+4294963200

Gotta love big box stores and their "Bicycle Shaped Objects"!

and thems that got away (eBay!)

2011-11-28T19:47:00.012-05:00

Weekend of weirdness here at the gleaming towers of One Utahdog Center, World Congress of the Americas. I can find and bid on worthless crap better than any lonely fat bald man alive! But much like my way with the ladies, I am utter fail at closing the deal. These beauties slipped through my fingers like spilled malt liquor and tears.

Dean stickies. Feed the lonely geek within. $8.49.

SDG in dirty red. This one was advertised as being "perfect for that fixie project" so you know I had to try to save it from hipster oblivion hell-fire and damnation. $55.

Grove Hammerhead bar stem combo. Rough but sweet. $100 bones.

Boom!

Last but not least, Salsa Ala Carte, unmolested by the minions of the Debil from Wisconsin. $305.

Fear the Debil!

An eBay Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:49:00.006-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! To celebrate the holiday I bought some worthless crap off the interweb.

Black Altek levers. I'll ride these like a lonely chihuahua rides a throw pillow.

Classic Continental Navigator tire.

XTR m910 rear hub. The prettiest hubs to ever strut the XTR moniker. Sweat it.

Now get off the computer and go eat some turkey with your family already.

Santos in October

2011-11-19T17:29:00.001-05:00

Rolled into Santos on Halloween weekend to do the unofficial Ride of the Living Dead. We didn't get too far, as my riding partner pooped out about 15 miles in, so it was a stretch to get to 30 much less 50+ miles. Oh well, everyone has a crappy day on the bike now and then.

Entering Christmas yellow alternate from the new Ross Prairie trail head trail.

Lots of flowy pine needled trails in Santos. Its a hoot!

I was on the Phoenix.

Open fields near the mid point trail head.

Not all marked trails get full maintenance it seems. This one is over run with black berries and prickly pear cactus.

I posted a while back about "Scrub Restoration" at Santos, and here is the result. Apparently 'scrub restoration is a euphemism for rape and log the woods.

Random reinforced concrete in search of a well meaning artificial reef program perhaps?

30 miles isn't as far as I'd wanted, but hey, everyone has a bad day on the bike now and then.

EWR update!

2011-11-13T17:38:00.002-05:00

Spent a little chicken on the EWR to determine if it lands on the eBay out door or if it once and for all finds a warm fuzzy place in my heart. Early feedback is positive.

New 9 speed Sram chain and cassette update the drive train.

Truvativ Noir carbon (eek!) crankset and Team GXP bottom bracket bearings

Then I got down to the glamor side of the weekend... Now you see the cheap-ass headtube sticker and...

...now you don't!

I marked the holes to drill and tap, and then a little double sided tape to hold it in place as I set the stainless hardware with a bit of Lock-Tite. Note that the screw heads are properly clocked, thank you very much.

The done deal.

The drive train.

The Rock Shox Valdez.

And to top it off, a fresh 100mm 5deg Thomson stem to shorten the front end to the prescribed measure from the EWR folks.

Next stop, Dirt!

So Small

2011-11-08T17:46:00.004-05:00

We went to Crescent Beach late October to close out the summer. It is always a pleasurable trip, and the South Beach Grille provided another great lunch prelude to our shell-picking stroll on the beach.

They start out so small, these children things. Ten years from now she'll be yelling, "I hate you! You ruined my life! Why can't you understand that WE"RE IN LOVE!!!!"

Then I'll have to lock her in the shed until she's thirty-two.

Meh! I've seen bigger... !

2011-11-01T08:51:00.001-04:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45083208?ocid=ansmsnbc11

So it ate a whole deer? I mean, big deal, right? I could eat a whole deer too.

Titanium and the Drop Bar

2011-10-28T07:06:00.001-04:00

It has been a good week of riding for me. Four days of commuting, for a total of nearly 50 miles, and great North Florida weather for all 4 days. The drop bar TST titanium non-road-bike-road-bike is a great success. As the sun gets lower in the sky and the days get shorter, I will need to update my lights, but otherwise, I wouldn't change a thing. Even the stem which seemed like it may be too long has proven to be very comfortable, although I suspect that if I put in a 60 mile ride on the bike I may feel it in my hands.

I took today off from the commute because tomorrow I will be doing 50 miles in Santos, off road. Resting my butt up for that one.

A few pics of the TST. It is no Potts, but it is nicely made, here in the states, and it rides very well, off road, and now, on road. I've considered selling this bike before, and In all honesty, I'd not been using it at all since the Phoenix took it's place as the geared rigid bike in my stable, but with the drops, it has found a new home. I dig it.

It is not a Triumph. I saved the head badge from my childhood bike and it has lived on this sucker since I purchased the frame from Cambria online, for the closeout price of $350. Can't beat that price with a stick. $350 may get me a Potts fork.

Nice looking drops, and the welds are very even. I've done other posts on this frame so I won't go into the whole who-does-TST-make-frames-for thing again, but lets just say they do a good job. It is a well put together frame with a nice drop to the top tube, thoughtful features and sexy s-bend stays.

Bottom bracket area. Many frames get a little muddles in here as there isn't much room for the welder to work his magic, but the TST doesn't disappoint. I've built up this frame in 3 configurations in the 6-7 years I've owned it, and I've always been pleased.

Road Bike?

2011-10-25T07:03:00.001-04:00

When is a road bike not a road bike? When you hate road bikes and people who like road bikes, so you take a mountain bike and road bike - ificate it. And that's what I did, but if you piss me off I'm putting on a set of Nevegals and hitting the trail.

Drop bars and associated stem, bar end shifters and drop bar brake levers that work with side pull brakes.

Drop bar flare. The hoods are nice and level, the picture leans... I promise. Either that or my right arm is longer than my left.

Where's this little sucker?...

S-Works forged cranks. M900 XTR are through the roof, and the equivalent Sugino made models like these Specialized arms, and Ritchey Logic arms, are lagging behind in popularity and price. I buy good stuff cheap. Cheap is good. Your loss my gain.

All in all, 4 days on the commute and I like it. No it is not a road bike, but I can't stand the idea of having all that dough wrapped up in a bike I just hate. Still, aero and slick are necessary evils on bikes meant for pavement. I will conform, if only ever so slightly.

Cost, after marauding through the parts bins? Nitto bar - $60, Civia stem - $25, Dia Compe brake levers - $45. The rest I already owned...

...best bastard road bike ever.

Cheaper than the Turner.

Mo No-Flo Culture

2011-10-24T08:22:00.002-04:00

We are our own microcosm of inbred weirdness here in North Florida. For example, we may have a million folks in the metropolitan area, but there are not enough educated and employed people to support a Starbucks downtown...

CLOSED!

We may know that we want to ride to work occasionally, but we have no idea what off the rack POS we ought to ride on. A knock-off Turner 5Spot? Really?

And we know that you should never bring a handgun into the Federal Courthouse. However, nobody said anything about TOY handguns, as evidenced by this little bit of packaging lying in the landscaping right in front of, you guessed it, the Federal Courthouse.

North Florida is a hoot. You should visit. We have football.

'Nooga Too!

2011-10-04T07:39:00.001-04:00

Tennessee day two... Raccoon Mountain.

A shot of the city from Raccoon.

Old plates. On a modern Audi Allroad.

More hills than Enterprise, and rockier.

View of the river from the generating station lookout at the start of Megawatt trail.

Rocks on Laurel Point trail.

And after...to BED.

Last morning's fire.

Harrison Bay Lake.

The doods.

Nutrition to go. We stopped in on the Terminal Brewing Company to eat on Saturday, and I scored a nice fat growler of their IPA, cleverly named "Magnum PA"! Get it? HA!

Higgy Baby would be proud.

Fall in Tennessee - Part 1

2011-10-04T07:18:00.000-04:00

Spent the weekend in Tennessee with the Appalachian peeps. It was a great trip, and the weather was perfect. We were in Chattanooga... or 'The Nooga' as the hipsters call it. (Nooga.com!)

Culture was the order of the day on the drive up. No word on if Chicken Blast is where you eat or what happens to you after you eat it.

We camped at Harrison Bay State Park, right don the road from one of our weekend destinations; Enterprise Park, and not far from the second; Raccoon Mountain.

First stop... Enterprise South trail system. Built in conjunction with the new VW plant in 'Nooga, these trails were a hoot. Not very difficult, but very fast and fun.

Enterprise South is built on an old munitions storage site, so there are these munitions bunkers all over the place. Cold War infrastructure is creepy.

Inside the bunker.

Pump Track right outside the bunker.

Directional trails in Enterprise. A nice idea to keep you from eating the face of another rider smoking up around that blind turn up ahead...

Carbo-loading! "From the glass lined tanks of Old Latrobe we tender this beer to you as a tribute to your good taste..."

Fall colors. I wont get to Tsali this fall, so I got my fix in 'Nooga.

Next stop... Raccoon Mountain.

Creak Abatement Phase 4 - Atlas

2011-09-18T02:53:00.000-04:00

Coupled with the teaser bottom bracket from the last post, I'll be installing these Race Face Atlas cranks on the Turner. These Topo Atlas jobs have seen limited duty on the blue EWR and are pretty low miles, so coupled to the new bottom bracket I should, *should*, have a lot of riding from this set up in store. We shall see...

EWR been in storage for about 8 months, so a little of this is dirt, and even more is dust.

Arm pulled and cranks on the way out. I will not be removing the Race Face bottom bracket.

Gutted like a trout on a summer creek fishing trip.

Phase two of the gutting starts here. I'll be canning the three piece cranks and moving on to the Atlas. Ironically enough, it was HERE that I found the creak, I'm sure. The DRIVE side cup was loose in the frame. Finger tight to boot. Must have happened when the plastic cup split, and the wallowing motion of pedaling allowed the drive side to back out. Dammit.

Removed and cleaned.

Cups going in. There is of course, a special tool...being that it is a Shimano part, there is ALWAYS a special too. Bastards. Don't forget the bottom bracket on the drive side is reverse threaded!

Cup in, chain on the outside of the bottom bracket spindle, ready for the drive side arm.

Done and done. Lets ride! (how many times have I said that chasing this damn creak?)

And the tools used for the job. Note on the top of the picture the Thomson post, yet to be installed, but if I STILL have a creak, then I'm throwing in the post. If it STILL creaks after that, then I'm burning the whole bloody mess to the ground and getting a moped.

Creak Abatement Phase 4 - Prequel!

2011-09-17T18:51:00.002-04:00

Cliffhanger Alert!

The creak continues, and in case you haven't noticed by looking at the dates of these posts, I am not troubleshooting this over a period of hours, this is instead a long process that I've been working through over a few weeks, and I'm only now sending all this worthless information to you.

Now to explain the pic. I no buy too much from the LBS. My LBS is good for cables and ferules and housing and spoke nipples and crap like that. OR, if I want a $9400 carbon mountain bike from China, then they have me covered. If I want parts though, I trust my own fingers and eyes, and I do my own legwork, and I hit the usual suspects on line. I know it's a weak way to be, what with the economy being in the toilet and all, but the reality is, my LBS second guesses everything I ask them to order, so for example... Here I want a black Thomson post in 410mm length and 27.2mm diameter, and an external bottom bracket cup set from Shimano. Had I gone to the LBS, then I would be presented with a Truvativ post of some ilk and a Token bottom bracket cup set or some such crap that can be easily ordered with one phone call from the QBP catalog. AND, I would have been keystoned over the head in the cost department to boot! No thanks, I'll order it myself...

And that Cliffhanger part!?... Well, why would I need external bottom bracket cups if I have a square taper crank set on the Turner? Hmmm...

Creak Abatement Phase Three - plastic bottom bracket cup failure?

2011-09-16T18:05:00.000-04:00

Creaky bastard.

I aint a smart man, but I know that the Turner was not engineered to creak. I also know it aint the pivots or the shock bolts, or for that matter the seat post (fairly certain). SO, the search continues.

Post ride inspection yielded this...

Shimano UN-54 bottom bracket cup failure. It is the plastic non drive side cup. Typical for UN-5*, but finding a UN-7* bottom bracket is getting harder and harder to do, so I threw the LX grade unit in there just to get the bike rolling.

The tools... 14mm socket and a wrench, and the trusty Park crank puller. Actually, this is a new Park crank puller, as the old one has flared too much to use. Not so trusty, maybe?

Old and new pullers. Quite a flair on the old one. This is how they wear out.

Twist out the 14mm bolt, check to make sure there isn't a washer in the crank arm still, and then thread in the puller. Twist.

We're fighting creaks here, people. So inspect that crank arm taper after its off the bike. Here the Turbine arm looks perfect.

Splined bottom bracket sup tool. Remember that removing the bottom bracket cups means turning toward the front of the bike on both sides. Drive side is reverse threaded... Unless you're name is Pinarello.

The offending crack. What a cheap POS. Shimano should know better than to make this part from plastic, and I should know better that to buy the LX grade part.

Actually, I own quite a few of them, so I should have known better more than once! Here, like an Arkansas Governor's cigar, the new retainer cup is liberally greased up and ready to go.

Thread it on in...

And snug it up! Next stop, install the arm, and then hopefully enjoy the sounds of silence!

Creak Abatement Phase Two! - Race Face post?

2011-09-16T06:41:00.000-04:00

The new Turner collar is in place, and it done be fitted much more snugly than the original collar that came with the frame. I had hopes that the issue would be resolved, but no dice as yet. SO... creaky post?

5mm Allen twisted to the left and I'm post free from the frame, clean the seat tube and post, regrease and re insert. The Race Face Diabolus post has these nifty little markings so I can asses where I had the post before I took it out, and then I can reinsert to the same saddle height. Science is neat!

Sink to the 40 marking, and then snug the 5mm allen and wipe the excess grease. Ride and pray!

Seat Post clamp replacement - AKA Creak Abatement Phase One

2011-09-15T06:55:00.000-04:00

The Turner creaks. Aluminum frames make for excellent resonance chambers. So while most bikes have a chirp or pop here or there, they are usually masked by the materials that the frame is made of. Big-tubed Aluminum does not afford that luxury at all. This is one of the main reasons that Cannondales have always had a reputation for creaking. Their reputation for snapping in half though, is another story.

I digress.

Back to the Turner.

I've regreased the bottom bracket and the seat post where it inserts into the frame, and I've greased the saddle frame rails where they contact the seat. The pivots are greased. After a while of riding , the chirp returns.

SO...seat collar maybe?

On the right, the original Turner 5Spot collar, and on the left, the new style Turner collar.

And again. It's a stretch, but I'm desperate. Stop that infernal creaking!

Hot Sauce

2011-09-09T16:12:00.006-04:00

Loves me some cheap nasty Hot Sauce! We're talking Janeane Garofalo nasty hot!

Rockers explained...

2011-09-09T04:35:00.001-04:00

Not all Turner 5Spot rockers are created equal. There are three legths from Turner, evolved over the life of the TNT/HL four bar bikes. 5.5 inchers, 5.3, and 5.1 with and without cutouts on the non drive rocker for the air valve on a Fox shock. I posted earlier about rocker failure at the air valve on my original set of 5.3's. Since then I've been stocking up and running different links...

The relieved and unrelieved 5.1's

My loots...5.5's to the left, and two sets of 5.1's. The lone undamaged 5.3 is at the top. Another set of 5.3's is on the bike right now.

The three lengths, side by side.

5.5's, on the scale at 155gms.

5.3's, 134gms.

And the 5.1's, logically the lightest of the group at 114gms.

Final Score...USF 23 - Notre Dame 20

2011-09-08T03:57:00.001-04:00

It has taken 5 days for the beer to wear off... Fun game!

Toad Details - First post using the new format...

2011-09-07T14:19:00.000-04:00

This sucker closed on the flea a few months ago (or at least it was ended by the seller....the punk), but before it did I shamelessly ganked all the pictures from the auction. Fillet Brazed steel is beautiful. We're talking Janeane Garofalo hot here, people. Lusty, but in an angry tattooed sense of the word.

Off Road Toad - Team Toad, from about 1989 I'd guess...

Damn...hide the goats.

Spotted! - Bike Tampa?

2011-09-07T06:46:00.000-04:00

License plate on a car in front of the NOC, Nantahala River Gorge, North Carolina

Seasons

2011-09-06T10:33:00.006-04:00

Let the Michigan Board of Tourism try to spin this...

Widget

2011-08-23T07:01:00.000-04:00

Attention vintage EWR fans! If you are mounting a front derailleur to your OWB, and you are confused by the cable stops and locations, and the cable anchor bolt located down at the bottom bracket, then this little widget is the gizmo you need to track down from your otherwise hideously overpriced and under-performing LBS.

It aint a complicated little spud, and certainly nothing that would get your nibblets stiff. You can actually make one by chopping a cable stop off a road bike center-pull brake, but they are, as you can see, ready-made and generally available from the spare parts bins locally.

If you find a stash of them new, then snap them up and swap them on the street. Cash money!

Tsali in July!

2011-08-19T11:44:00.018-04:00

Hotter than Fire, and the crappy Coleman family tent leaked something horrible, but a good time still. Wife, child and yours truly hit Tsali for a 4 day trip. Coleman is garbage.

Ubiquitous truck-in-picturesque-spot pic.

The Turner on the trail. I love the Double Barrel shock that replaced the DHX Air. My rockers survived the trip, although a shock bolt did not.

Beer was involved.

And like my prom night, there was masticated garbage all splayed out on the table for public spectating and random pictures. Wait. Scratch that. This is a family blog.

The lake. You know what's next.

I couldn't find the tennis ball, buried in all the crap in the truck, so the little girl volunteered her super ball, and a couple of pen strokes later I had a toy for my old friend.

Out Door

2011-08-19T11:29:00.003-04:00

Yeah I know...I jut GOT this damn thing. What can I say. We are a fickle bunch of investors here in the gleaming towers of One Utahdog Center, World Congress of the Americas. In case you hadn't noticed, we grab and dump stocks at an alarming rate also.

Sweat it, poor people.

It arrived here, I hung it from the rafters, then I got a PM from a dude on MTBR (who was a previous owner of my WTB...small world!) He paid me what I had in it, and since the Turner was a bigger PITA to put together than I expected, I dumped the Boulder.

I'll regret it I'm sure. Always do.

Maybe.

Probably not.

Early AMP fork

2011-08-05T17:09:00.008-04:00

Funky early AMP fork on the flea a while back. I've been trapped under an old Chevy Nova out in my carport in front of my trailer for the past two weeks, so sorry for the no update thing. Good news, though...I'm much thinner now!

Linkage is familiar.

But the crown is not squared off, rather more unicrown-ish. Neat.

Upskirt shot.

Welded cantilever hanger.

Fleabay. It aint just for breakfast anymore.

Out Door!

2011-07-14T12:26:00.005-04:00

I should do an inventory of the stuff that comes in, how long it stays, and when it goes back out...

Avid levers...

Specialized carbon bars...

...and an A-TAC stem long enough to put a big grin on even the most jaded pole-dancer's face.

The Failed Experiment - Flux update...

2011-06-27T08:43:00.003-04:00

I mentioned a few short weeks ago that I had purchased another Turner off the flea, this time a Flux. Turns out the Flux experiment was a short lived one. The adoption if this silver beast was cut short when after opening the box I discovered...

That the rear end was from a Nitrous! The Flux and the Nitrous share many geometry characteristics so fitting the Nitrous seatstays and chainstays would work and ride fine, and some weight conscious folks may even see it as an upgrade. See the Nitrous is a race frame with a max rider weight of 160lbs, made for shaved legged twig-shaped folks who don't eat. I am hairy. I eat...a lot. I am not twig-shaped. So the Flux-Nitrous mutant had to go back.

You can see in this picture that the bridge of the seat stay pivot is very relieved of material to shave weight. I would imagine that Nitrous fanboys would have noticed this feature. Turner newbies though, sailed right over it and went leaping for the bid button.

That would be me.

You are HEALED!

2011-06-24T06:54:00.001-04:00

Two rides in and doing fine. Cross your fingers and toes!

Broken Turner

2011-06-23T09:38:00.005-04:00

Not everything about the FATS weekend went well. For example, had a good old fashioned argument with an old friend, complete with mutual screaming and threats of violence.

Even worse though, I broke the Turner!

That aint right. This is the non-drive side rocker and the break is just above the shock where the rocker is relieved to clear the air valve for the DHX shock. This is what happens when fat men ride with an under inflated shock.

Fresh from eBay. More 5.3 rockers, with unfortunately, more relieving for the DHX air valve. I'd like to dump the DHX (and I will) and get a set of non-relieved rockers. Good to have goals in life.

Turner with her pants down. An easy job after all. Turner provides great technical documentation at turnerbikes.com, and even a ham-fisted monkey like me can do it. Bushings look good so I did not replace the hardware, just the rockers. POS DHX is in this picture. Hunk of poo that it is.

Comparing the old rockers (bottom) to the replacements. The older ones had faded to a cool bronze color, but apparently they should be black.

Ride on, Turner!

FATS!

2011-06-23T06:27:00.000-04:00

Forks Area Trail System, in scenic Modoc, South Carolina.

The trailhead.

The trails were super smooth. SORBA locals get militant with trail closures and maintenance if the weather is bad. It pays off.

Turner on a tree.

Back down the trails.

Campground views of Strom Thurmond Lake.

"Clarks Hill Herring Hut"

I'm sure the food is great, but I didn't try it. You first....

Out Door

2011-06-22T12:12:00.009-04:00

Heading out...some stuff I don't use and some stuff I shouldn't have picked up off the flea in the first place!

LG Composites post.

TTT Status stem.

ITM bar.

I.25" threadless headset. Fat sucker.

AMP to IS disc brake adaptors.

M910 rear derailleur.

Look Moab S2R cleats and Y clips and assorted clipless hardware. Hey...if you have a pair of Moab pedals, these may very well be the last pair of cleats on earth!

Turner Flux

2011-06-08T22:24:00.007-04:00

The latest adoption...

Who's your daddy.

Evolution of the Turner 5Spot - HL vs TNT

2011-06-06T07:13:00.000-04:00

HL vs TNT, or Horst Link patent vs non, or Turner vs Ellsworth.... whatever side you land on, there still exists two versions of the "Walking Beam/Four Bar" 5Spot.

The HL frames. 2003-2005. Pivot on the chainstay just ahead of the rear wheel axle. The "Four Bar" frames.

another angle

again

and again.

And the TNT relocated pivot, in line with the seatstay and not the chainstay. The "Faux Bar" frames. These are the "stick-your-pirated-patent-in-your-pipe-and-smoke-it, Tony!" frames. That is my pivot in this picture. Probably the one creaking up a storm and driving me insane.

again, TNT faux bar.

So not all Turners are created equal, but nearly so. I'm not getting into the HL/TNT vs DWLink 5 Spot issue here. You'll have to head on over to Turner Bikes to get the DW scoop and draw your own conclusions...

Shocker

2011-06-04T06:07:00.000-04:00

The most disgustingly rude glove design ever...

...and I love 'em. Hello eBay? Please send one pair, size XL...

(file under Goats, Lube and... oh what the hell...Dwarfs)

Tale of Two Fitty's

2011-06-03T22:16:00.003-04:00

Altek goodies on the flea...

Black, $133.Fitty - FAIL

Silver $122.Fitty - PASS!

I'm batting .500!

Fixie Kids

2011-06-03T06:04:00.001-04:00

Sure its in German!

...but you still get the point! The little goobers...

There are no new ideas.

2011-06-02T15:55:00.006-04:00

Nice looking GT Avalanche from 1988 made the rounds of VRC-dom recently. Look closely and you'll notice some new technology making an early appearance on this 23 year old beauty...

Pinch bolt cranks! Circa mid 80's or so, from longtime component maker Sakae Ringyo (aka SR.) Old timer BMXer doods will recognize these babies, and while that's all well and grand, these did come spec'd as standard equip on the Avalanche in ''88

All we need now is outboard bearings. Oh wait...the big "S" already moved away from that right? Press in bearings are the shiznit now right? New tech? Poor Klein/Fat/et al.

and from the GT catalog. Dig the mushroom cap helmet in the lower left picture. I'd sport that.

The End of the World...

2011-06-02T15:37:00.003-04:00

The world did not end last month, and there was no rapture (or if there was, I was left behind! EEEK!) There are recent developments however, that leave me to suspect that we are not far from that event coming to fruition. Get your KoolAid ready!!

You are not imagining things. These really are jeweled bar end plugs. Somebody out there needs to either put down the malt liquor or the Bedazzler, either or.

Even comes in colors. Shame.

Kill me now.

Turner

2011-05-26T08:29:00.007-04:00

In a period of about a month, I'd talked to my buddy Matt in Atlanta, convinced myself I wanted an early Turner 5 Spot (what the "Homers" on MTBR call a TNT or HL or something, suspended Turner...aka not a newer DW-Link frame), and found one on eBay and had it built. Total cost, around a grand, thanks to the piles of unused weirdness that crowd my palatial corner office here at One Utahdog Center.

Before, sitting on my den floor.

And after, shown here at it's maiden voyage out at Hanna Park. It's a fun bike, and when ridden with a little finess, such as that which comes from being an offroad cyclists that prefers rigid bikes, should last forever. The feel is like riding a couch, which should be nice for my aging back, and yet not nearly as vanilla boring as my Cannondale Rush 5, which was my last experience with suspension. Don't get me wrong, the Cannondale was a decent bike and I can't complain too much about it because I made money off the thing, but the Turner is more nimble, even with 5 inches of boinginess out back. Actually the Turner is more nimble than the blue EWR, at least in it's current configuration. I need to sort that EWR. I don't think it likes the Fox fork.

Hanna is a good test for a bike like this too, because the trails are tight and twisty and require mobility and squirtability that many suspended bikes simply don't have, and the trails and parking lot are never far apart, so shake-down rides that expose loose bolts and the like don't leave you stranded and walking 10 miles. I never carry tools or water at Hanna. Just swing back by the car and take a swig after every lap.

As for the build cost tally sheet, see below...the ones marked "$0" were obviously not free, but rather come from the hoarded stores of weirdness...

Frame - $575 shipped

Easton Mountain Two wheels - $275 from Pricepoint

Avid BB7 brakes - $110 from Pricepoint

Kenda Nevegals - $60

Shimano Deore XT rear derailleur - $55

Race face Deus headset - $40

Shimano UN-52 bottom bracket - $25

Sachs Extreme front shifter - $19

Oury grips - $7

Rock Shox Revelation coil fork- $0

Sachs Wavy 8spd rear shifter - $0

Altek levers - $0

SDG saddle - $0

Race Face System stem - $0

Race Face Air Hardened bar - $0

Race Face Diabolus post - $0

Race Face Turbine cranks, RF rings, RF bash - $0

Shimano Deore XT pedals - $0

Shimano IG90 chain - $0

Shimano Deore XT cassette - $0

Shimano Deore XT front derailleur - $0

More goodies that got away

2011-05-24T21:33:00.010-04:00

While they all earned 'watched item' checklist membership, only a few of these garnered bids to join the overstocked shelves here at the gleaming towers of One Utahdog Center, World Congress of the Americas.

Early Z2 Bomber, $90.

Control Tech 1" stem, $44.

Paul front derailleur, $248.

Race Face System stem, $15.

Race Face chainring set, $88.

Off Road Toad in Team Toad regalia. This little hottie made it all the way to nearly $800 before the auction was ended early by the seller...undoubtedly due to a side bar deal made outside eBay by the winged crankarm brigade.

And a nice little NOS Deore XT front derailleur, $26.

We can't have everything, and I've got too much as it is right now anyway, so I'll sit and watch. The Toad was tempting... at least until it 'disappeared'.

12 Hours of Tsali

2011-05-23T08:43:00.002-04:00

My good friends Paul and Caroline were up in Bryson City, North Carolina for the 12 Hours of Tsali race this past weekend. Caroline was competing, and Paul was along to push out a few odd laps as time allowed, and to offer support and encouragement as necessary, (translation, his job is to clean and maintain the bike!) So a nice weekend of mountain biking and camping for them, and you know they had to send their Floridian friend a scenic picture to rub it in.

No word how Caroline did yet, but I'm sure she laid waste to the females and probably chumped out a few dozen dudes to boot. She's a beast.

Founders Bridge where the AT crosses the Nantahala River. BYOB!

Boulder Defiant

2011-05-20T15:59:00.004-04:00

She had a pained expression. "Good Lord, Dear! Must you buy every frame you lusted over in your youth? Can't you just be happy with one? A nice one? Like the one you had when we were in love, in Pamplona? Drinking chianti and fishing for trout in the river? With the sun and the river and the green hoppers?"

The hoppers were good. She was right. At least about that. About the hoppers. And the chianti. As for the rest, not as much.

"Hmmm?" I replied.

Her face twisted into a maligning and aggresive snarl, "Please don't be such an arrogant sot!"

"Yes" I said.

She hit me with a shoe.

"Hmmm?" I replied.

Hanna on the Phoenix

2011-05-20T11:17:00.006-04:00

I've launched a new riding schedule since I can't seem to get myself comfortable with commuting to work after my hospital stay. I surely cant sit around and only ride 2-3 times a month off road and expect to not turn into a complete fat slob, so something must be done. I say that like it is a crappy experience to ride the bike!

New schedule is...7:30-4:30 work time, I bail out of work and beat the going home rush hour traffic to the park and I'm on the trails by 5. Two hours and about 12-15 miles later and I've gotten in a good days work. Twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) makes for a nice compliment to weekend trips around the state that I have to make to hit the trails.

Yesterday was a beautiful afternoon on the trail. I took the Phoenix out, for a little comparison ride to my Tuesday ride on the blue EWR. The experiences were very different, and not really in a good way. I'm beginning to wonder something about the EWR (at least how I have it built). Does a long travel hardtail really make sense? Am I the only one who feels like the front of the bike wants to take big hits and drops all day and complains about technical riding and tight trails? While the back end wants to hit the twisy stuff all day long, but still seems to buck you occasionally as if to say "Don't get too frisky there pal, I'll still spit out a dropout if you ride me like a full susser"? Compared to the flickable WTB, the blue EWR feels like riding in a bowl of pudding. My white EWR never felt sluggish. Is it the fork? The travel? The general concept? Do I have to be Jordie Lunn to appreciate a long travel hardtail? I'll have to give it some thought...

...Jordie Lunn I am not!

Anybody else mildly questioning the worth of their long travel hardtails? I'm thinking I may buy a rigid fork for the EWR and give it a fling. The Turner is built now, so I don't need this bike to be suspended.

Lust-less Flea

2011-05-19T21:54:00.003-04:00

Utility goodies. Not sexy, but purposeful. Like Me!

31.8 top pull STX front derailleur. As I mentioned in an earlier post...these suckers are nicely made, and a crap load lighter than many modern derailleurs. This one is headed to the TST. Buy now and save!

Shock pump. I own a shock now, so you know what that means....

Turner 5-Spot

2011-05-18T09:05:00.004-04:00

Closing in on completing the Turner.

Here, sitting in the weeds of my overgrown lawn, sans brakes and drivetrain.

And Complete!

Avid BB7 160mm rear brake, Deore XT 8 speed drivetrain, Easton wheels with Nevegal tires...

Race Face Turbines and bash guard, Fox DHX shock, more Deore XT in the pedals and front derailleur...

Rock Shox Revelation coil fork, BB7s with a 185mm disc up front...

Race Face bar, stem, headset and post, Sachs twistie shifters...and an SDG saddle and Altek levers to tie it all together. I'm waiting on a shock pump, and when that comes in I'll take it out and let you know what I think!

Speaking of taking it out...I went to Santos and did 30 miles with a fella from the SORBA-JAX crew on Saturday, and then yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) I went to Hanna and did a few laps. I'll be flexing my schedule this summer and riding Hanna twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays to keep myself from becoming a complete potato. Godspeed.

Double Bogey, inbound!

2011-05-18T06:19:00.000-04:00

Ratio of inbound to outbound packages is running about 1-1, but we're still generating income and the number of frames I'm falling over is decreasing, so power on I shall, single-handedly floating the economy I am, such as it is.

Sachs Quartz shifters. Twisties are good, just ask your local porn addicts.

HG70 cassette...headed for the Rocky Mountain. I might actually RIDE that bike soon...

More tasty bits to take a pass on...

2011-05-16T16:08:00.004-04:00

More flea goodies floating around out there. If you've healed up from your lobotomy, then you'll appreciate these fine levers...

Alteks with a stratospheric BIN of $199.

Grove Hammerhead bar stem combo. Sold for a nice plump $125.

And the Grove fork to match the hammerhead. Where's the Grove?

Inbound bogey, 2 o'clock!

2011-05-16T06:55:00.004-04:00

Incoming!

Sachs Power Grip front shifters, total 3, to match some Power Grip 8 speeders I ganked a few years ago, cheap.

Rocky number 1

"We're getting low on gas, Mav, let's land this sucker!"

4

"Cougar's in trouble!"

LX grade bottom bracket, for Race Face Turbine application...73x110mm

XT rear derailleur, Turner bound.

"You're writing checks your body can't cash!"

old school XT front top pull. Guess where THIS picture came from.

XTR 900 front, with a bottom pull to top pull adaptor, which is nearly as valuable as the derailleur itself if not more so.

"Ghostrider 3/4 of a mile, call the ball."

"Roger, Maverick has the ball."

More missed potential...

2011-05-15T21:38:00.007-04:00

Goodies on the flea. These are file-able under "Them that got away!"

Kona O-Beam titanium post. Kona didn't always churn out gutless inported crap. Back in the day they were responsible for some pretty swanky stuff. This here be a very very nice titanium post. $202

Paul brake brace, in green. I'm a slut for green anodizing. I'm not a slut for Paul stuff. $75.

Ritchey 2X9 Sachs shifters. Proving once again that there are no new ideas, Sachs made these 2X shifters long before SRAM regurgitated the idea back in our laps with XX. Of course, Sachs became part of SRAM, but still....there's shame here somewhere I can smell it.

And this little sucker? Well, it hasn't closed yet...and I won't tell you what it is until it does. But I can say that it looks to me like it could be cracked in at least two places, and it is STILL north of $400 , with 7 days to go.

Get your popcorn ready!

Flea Action!

2011-05-11T09:43:00.002-04:00

No I don't buy everything I watch on the flea. Some things fall through the cracks, and some stuff I just let slide. The quality of my judgement though, and the true value of what I haul in versus what I let pass, is up for debate. John Boehner, "Tan-In-A-Can" style, blame riddled, myopic debate. These three either slid, or will.

The fabled Mantis Pro Floater for example. This one sold for $585, which is a pretty good buy for a bike with all the goodies this one has...IRD brakes, Kingsbury/American Classic Ti post, AC cranks, early logo-less King headset, M900 XTR bits and a Ringle freewheel hubset. Too bad these frames are so brittle and prone to cracking that they are practically perforated...

This SDG only sold for $10.49. I forgot it was even out there on the flea, and it closed at like 3am, and for a pittance, so apparently most everyone else forgot about it too. The porno-gone-wrong, red tint, camera filter doesn't help.

And this one is from the WTF files. A titanium road bar, mitered and welded at all the typical turns and drops instead of mandrel bent and swagged. You'd have to be puffing the chiba big time to buy into this logic. Can those angles be comfortable at all? Meh! (still on the flea for sale though, so smoke up, Johnny!)

New Duds

2011-05-10T07:52:00.000-04:00

Did a little clothes shopping a few days back... picked up a new t-shirt...

Front

Back

Never let it be said I'm not sensitive.

Holy Crap!

2011-05-09T09:34:00.002-04:00

More Danny MacAskill

2011-05-05T13:23:00.005-04:00

Over 9 million views on YouTube for this one. I'm not sure when it came out, but it's a good-un!

Clicky da picky!

Does he have teeth anymore?!

Fence

2011-05-02T07:20:00.004-04:00

We had the house behind us sell, and overgrown camelias and ferns and cherry laurels cut down and heavily pruned back by the new owners. Previous owners enjoyed the privacy that the overgrowth provided, and so did we. Recently, we've had the feeling that the new owners just sit in their backyard and watch us. It is a weird feeling to say the least.

Plus they have some loud pit bull mix dog that charges the fence out by Jane's playset whenever we're over there...so the time had come for us to erect a bit of privacy of out own.

So stick that in your obnoxious pit bull and smoke it, bitches!

Syncros

2011-05-02T07:10:00.002-04:00

Syncros cranks on eBay.

These forged aluminum cranks were on eBay a few weeks ago, and sold for a whopping $257. I was so impressed and amazed that I decided to list my Syncros Revolution steel cranks, which are more valuable than the alloy cheapies, and see how they'd roll...

...and roll they did! $305 shipped! God Bless America.

OUT DOOR!

2011-04-27T21:09:00.009-04:00

The next installment of the out door extra extra!

AMP F3 Carbon fork...the last of the Benz bits.

Red 1" threaded 2 Nut Chris King headset.

Carrera relisted...and sold on a BIN for 179.00, sans fork and headset. nobody has paid anything yet, so stay tuned...

XTR M950 hubset.

105 front derailleur (FD-1050)...

...and the rear 105 derailleur (RD-1050), both from the Carrera. I will clear over 1300 for the road bike, by busting it up and fleabaying it, so I'm happy.

eBay insanity

2011-04-27T07:37:00.001-04:00

I ganked this pic, shamelessly of course... like a rabid stray cat lurking about in the night looking for a can of dried tuna in a wire box... not because I'm a rabid stray cat, but because SOMEBODY has to point out the selling price of these well worn Syncros cranks. Keep in mind that back in the day these were the CHEAP Syncros cranks, second fiddle to the much more costly Revolutions. These closed on the flea on Saturday as I recall. The low low price?...

...$257 bucks! No word if a lobotomy was included in the deal for the buyer, but the least the seller could do is throw in a few drill bits for a home lobotomy experiment, or maybe a heavy rock that the buyer could pound on himself with.

$257? I should sell my Revolutions. I just may sell my Revolutions. I would pound on my own skull with a heavy rock for $257.

The Out Door Returns!

2011-04-25T21:10:00.015-04:00

Do not be distracted by the recent In Box activity, we are still in purge mode here at the World Congress of the Americas. A new policy of Frugality, lets call it....

Which means I'm selling my shoes...Shimano R-085 roadies. Shave your legs for the full fashion statement.

Hella 550FF Driving lamps.

SDG Kevlar shouldered saddle. I only do full Kevlars and the occasional bass boat glitter jobs.

Suntour Mountech rear derailleur...sans pulley bolt.

Speedplay Frogs and cleats.

Akona diving gloves.

1995 Zaskar frameset, size 18"

1989 Team Avalanche frameset, 18". Get your popcorn ready!

Holy Crap! In Box!

2011-04-25T20:56:00.004-04:00

Stuff goes out AND stuff comes in here at Utahdog Center. The bins are still less full than before, but that doesn't mean that I can't buy stuff that pops up grabs my grapes of interest.

Sakae Powerbulge Titanium handlebar, uncut and the medium length of 22 inches. The 23 is an elusive bugger, so I'll give the 22 a go and see what ho. Narrower than my shoulders though...

Turner 5 Spot, size large. Yes you are not seeing things, there's a bunch of pivots on the back of that thing, and that means I'm taking the full suspension plunge again. Lets hope it creaks less than the Cannondale Rush. Who the hell am I fooling...EVERYTHING creaks less than a Cannondale.

Out-Door-Bike, and a sprinkle of Retrotech!

2011-04-19T22:26:00.007-04:00

Wonkiness Incorporated here at One Utahdog Center, World Congress of the Americas. We gots a little bike stuff for sale, and the IT department, located in the hallowed halls of the rat infested basement (where IT Techs belong, I mean lets face it, people) has selected another item for the big eBay clean-out. Rumor has it they are hoping to raise money enough to buy cadaver meat for their annual department cookout. IT freaks do wacky shit like that.

Syquest Sparq drive, external 1GB cartridge hard drive system. Does anybody even REMEMBER these weird things? Well, if you have a CNC machine, then yes, you probably remember these suckers, and you may actually want to buy mine. Fully functional, so act now!

Race Face 110 BCD chain ring guard, bash ring. Clean and kooky.

And an Avid BB7 160mm disc brake. Reasonably fresh pads, so buy now an save. We need more cadaver meat!

Techno Blast from the Past!

2011-04-18T07:23:00.000-04:00

Yestertech! For sale on the flea....CHEAP!

***

Palm III - circa what...1997!?

And a Zire 31, *yawn*. I hear kids are reprogramming these things to be used as smart remotes and other stuff, utilizing the infrared transmitting capabilities. As long as it leaves my house, I don't care what they do with it. You could bake it down to a fine white powder and shovel it into your head for all I care.

Carrera bits on eBay

2011-04-17T06:56:00.004-04:00

Remnants of the glory that was once Carrera. I'm off the road bike for a while. Obviously. I'm probably off the road bike period. Road bikes suck anyway, probably the least fun you can have on a bike. I've never really been a big fan of miles on the road, only enduring the experience in order to be quicker off road.

***

Ultegra hubs laced to Mavic Open Pro rims.

Dura Ace Octalink bottom bracket. Italian threads.

Ultegra Octalink cranks.

Frame thru the Out Door

2011-04-16T22:07:00.006-04:00

Furst, yes I have been drinking. We picked up the seasonal Infinium from Boston Brewery this winter, and what with me being off the sauce for medical reasons since the end on January, we were concerned that consumption would be a scheduling problem. Problem no more! Popped it last night, and it was some tasty stuff.

***

Matter of fact, I got so poo-faced that I put the Carrera on eBay.

Make me proud!

Even More Out Door!

2011-04-14T22:01:00.008-04:00

Chucking it off the loading dock from the gleaming towers of Utahdog Center, into the digital abyss...

Shimano 105 Single Pivot brakeset.

Dura Ace 9 speed STI

Deore XT V-brakes.

Buy now and save!

Out Door

2011-04-14T06:38:00.006-04:00

Heading out the doors of One Utahog, World Congress of the Americas.

Campy Chorus post, from the Carrera.

Ultegra 12-25 cassette, 9 speeds, again from the Carrera.

Deore LX crankset, originally from a bike I parted out about 2 years ago, polished up by me, and spent a year or so on the commuter. A good looking crankset, but the nonstandard spider pisses me off.

Syncros post. 330mm length, and original 2 bolt no setback style. This was originally for the Brodie, but it will have a setback post, so the Syncros hits the streets. You know you want it. OK, maybe you want it, but either way, you want it more than me.

More on the way out!

2011-04-02T16:20:00.005-04:00

Goodies on the way out. What on earth am I selling all this stuff for I hear you ask? What am I doing, planning to buy a Rolex? A KelTec PF9? What in the world is going on in the gleaming towers of One Utahdog Center, World Congress of the Americas?

*HP315 digital camera, complete with all the fixins.

Thomson 31.8mm post

And a Bad Ass Specialized JIS threaded 1" headset, complete with little allen set screws on the locknut to hold it in adjustment. Very cool little piece, without a home in my quiver though, so time to move it on out!

Out Door - O- Rama!

2011-03-30T21:38:00.005-04:00

Headed to the eBay out door... an 18" Independent Fabrication Deluxe frame. #153...a 1995 frame and one of the first year IFs. Paint is pretty rough, but the frame is straight and ready to go, so we'll see if I can get my dough out of it. This is another victim of my eyes are bigger than my shop, or as Fred Ward says in Sweet Home Alabama, "You can't ride two horses with one ass, Sugar-Bean!"

Buy now and save!

SOLD!

2011-03-25T17:28:00.003-04:00

After fishing patiently on Craigslist for a good long while, trying to trickle down to a fair price, the VW finally sold. I didn't quite get what I'd like for the car, only $4500, but to have it move on, and to another VW fan who seems likely to treat my old girl with respect and affection, is a relief.

Here's to a happy home, VW. We had a good 20 years together.

more missed eBay potential bliss

2011-03-21T18:01:00.005-04:00

I spent 2 weeks in the hospital, as I said before, but then after only 11 days at home, I found myself back in the hospital for another 10 days ending just this afternoon! I won't get into the nitty gritty details, but I think we've got a handle on the whole illness, and I'm hoping my hospital days are behind me for a long time to come!

On to the eBay goodies that set sail during my absence...

These Altek levers have been drifting on and off eBay for the last 4 months or so, with a crazy BIN or BO price of $350. Seller cancelled the auction, so maybe they will reappear with a little bit more realism applied to the asking price.

And this tidy SDG Comp Ti saddle in black sold for a fairly low price of 44.37. I think I would have jumped in on this saddle had I been able to watch it through to auction close. There were not a lot of black Comp saddles made (most Comps are red) and this clean example would have been a good addition to the SDG quiver.

There it is!

'Dillo Tough

2011-03-04T18:00:00.006-05:00

A few of the UK folks were surprised to discover that we had armadillos living in Florida. They are all over the place, even living in a hole in the corner of my yard.

These little beasties were snapped in Fernandina, at Ft Clinch State Park, but trust me, his cousins plow up my back yard every night.

Them that got away.

2011-03-02T13:39:00.005-05:00

I spent the last two weeks in the hospital with atypical pneumonia! Well, I'm home now, and that means I'm able to log in to the old fleabay account and see what carnage I've missed in my absence. Not too bad, it seems.

Altek rim brakes, full bike's worth. these sold for about $105, so somebody got a good deal, but they look pretty well used, so I'm not throwing myself off a cliff for missing out.

Blue Altek levers, these also have some miles on them, and sold for $91. I have two sets of blues, so I'll live. Would be nice to have a third set though.

And an SDG Comp Ti saddle in blue. This sucker sold for $50 bucks. Again, a good deal, but I won't be draining my blood out onto the hospital floor for missing out.

Some action missed, but I'll live. Now that I'm out of the hospital anyway,

Out Door!!

2011-02-04T18:22:00.006-05:00

More for the out door! I told you the parts boxes were deep. There's plenty more where this came from too!

28 hole, NOS Shimano Deore XT M730 front hub.

Tioga Tange Prestige stem.

Real brake levers.

And a KORE stem, made in the USA.

Money, roll on in baby!

Progress?

2011-02-01T18:56:00.003-05:00

I'm not a weight weenie. That is, I've never subscribed to doofus slogans like, "take care of the grams and the pounds will take care of themselves". I figure, if you select quality components, and your selections are based on your proper riding style, (no downhill stuff for the cross country bike, for example), then you'll wind up with a bike well within the range of "acceptable weight".

I recently swapped out the single front ring on the EWR for a double, and therefor I needed a front derailleur. I have a billion front derailleurs, so the question is, which one.

I have the XT that I originally put on the TST/Sandvik, but something about it seems so, well...portly!

So I threw it on the new digital gram scale. Results?...Shimano 9 speed XT - 178 grams! That's for a part that was one step down from the top! Holy crap!

Lets move on. I have a SRAM X-Gen, from back when SRAM only made one front derailleur for every group. So for a time, because it was the only front derailleur SRAM made, it was the top of the range by default. Its always looked like a porky hunk, so I've never liked it, even though it was 3 bucks on closeout. So how porky is it?...

Pretty damn porky! Sram X-Gen...188 grams! (pork!)

Those were my best choices, at least out of my supplies, overpopulated with vintage goodies as they are. So I shift gears a little and start looking outside the keeper box...and instead I look in the box of stuff heading for the eBay out door. My guidelines are simple; must be functional, must be well finished, and it must be free of pressed metal stamped bits.

I found one. 8 speed STX-RC - 13 years old - polished aluminum and very nicely finished - 4 steps down on the shwing-ladder from the top (XTR, XT, LX, STX-RC). Hmmm, I wonder how much it weighs?

STX-RC...128 grams.

So how is it then, that a mid range derailleur can be so much lighter (50-60 grams!) than the top-ish offers from manufacturers in more recent times? Is this really Progress? Of course, the new XT front derailleur (152g), and the SRAM X-0(137g) would be lighter than the SRAM and XT derailleurs described here, but still not as light as the pedestrian STX-RC.

Something to think about.

In Box

2011-01-30T08:09:00.001-05:00

New arrivals to the spacious corporate offices of One Utahdog Center World Congress of the Americas.

New Old Stock Sachs Bicycle Components sticker. I had a bajillion of these from the Interbikes of my past, but they are all gone. 3 bucks later and I can relive my irresponsible past. Now if I could just talk my wife into letting me put my big red rolling toolbox back in the kitchen where I used to keep it...

And this little item. It is actually a breast awareness (or breast cancer awareness for the rest of you. I'd rather just be aware of the breasts!) helmet. I've got a friend who is a die-hard Lions fan. Of course the Lions stink, and pretty much always have, (at least since they fired Wayne Fontes and the karma from that ill advised move bit them in the ass) and this little beauty will be the centerpiece of a wee bit of taunting.

More Out Door

2011-01-28T09:22:00.002-05:00

More bits from the bottom of the bin. "Bin Sweepings" as my grandfather would say...

Kona Velocity stem.

Red Shimano DX pedals.

Race Face SRX ISIS bottom bracket.

Orphaned Dia Compe SS-5 lever.

Kona K-9 steel ISIS cranks.

28 hole XTR M900 hub.

Tange Switchblade fork crown.

And a well used Race Face bash guard for 110bcd cranks.

So buy now and save already, because these goodies are hotter than a goat's ass in a pepper patch! My grandfather never said that, by the way...

The ones that got away...

2011-01-27T07:20:00.000-05:00

Specialized S-Works Steel - $260.00

Fishlips Toxic Tuna Titanium - $319.52

WTB Phoenix Titanium - $1750.00

I was following the three of them, and while I wasn't necessarily ready to spring on anything, I must say that I did figure out in my head what I could sell the parts on the WTB for were I to pull the trigger. Cooler heads prevailed though, so my kid can still go to college.

More Out Door and a few Never 4 Sale bits

2011-01-26T08:24:00.001-05:00

Out door...Marzocchi Bomber EXR fork. This was from my wife's bike, and briefly the white EWR single speed. It aint light, and the wife now has my Revelation fork, while the EWR is sporting vintage AMP goodness. Out it goes.

And from the going nowhere files...

NOS Deore and Deore XT rear short cage derailleurs. These are from my stores of NOS short cages, and because these no longer have their boxes, they live on a shelf in the den next to a nice set of Cook Bros CBRs , a ceramic elephant, and a 10th anniversary Land Rover Discovery badge. I'm a goober.

---

The shelf was flat. It was flat and brown. The brown, flat shelf was good. Good and packed with bits. Bits one might find on travels to Pamplona, for the bull fights.

"Do you love me dear?" she asked.

"Hmmm" I mumbled.

"You trite little man!" she blithered " Why must you be so hurtful? Why can't it be like it was in Pamplona? Surely you remember how happy we were, back in the spring, in Pamplona, before all these little worthless trinkets cluttered our lives and diluted our love!"

She was work. Too much work. Women should be ripe fruit, not work. The bits and trinkets would stay. They were good bits. Good trinkets. They were not work.

"Enough woman!" I barked. "Enough with this hateful rot!"

Out Door - Ground Control

2011-01-25T06:11:00.000-05:00

Today, skinwall tires are hard to come by it seems...

...and I pulled these old girls off a bike that I recently parted out. I'm not going to use them, so you know what happens next...

eBay out door!

2011-01-24T06:48:00.000-05:00

Sifting through the bins, I uncovered some spares that I'll never use, so out the door they go!

A fine specimen of the Deore DX long cage derailleur...

And a fine specimen of the Deore DX long cage derailleur.

You are not seeing double, I just have deep parts bins and no idea what sits at the bottom.

Scenic Jacksonville

2011-01-23T06:37:00.003-05:00

Soooo.... you're pretty much just like every other shit box rental community in Florida?

Mo Betta eBay Booty!

2011-01-22T09:39:00.000-05:00

Shopping for a handlebar and you know what that means...

It means I found a handlebar... an LP Composites bar, made in the USA. Me shopping also means...

... collateral damage. In this case, an LP seat post...

...and another spare set of Turbines.

Me Be Geek.

Buell Paramount

2011-01-20T22:21:00.000-05:00

Hanging on the wall in Greenway cycles, Santos Florida... Paramount full suspension.

GT RTS my ass... Leave it to Buell to come up with the weirdest rocker driven linkage suspension bike I've ever seen in person. It had great paint, and decent build quality. A funky little piece, and nifty to see hanging on the wall.

Full frame view. Weirdness incorporated.

And of course, you know I had to try to buy it. No dice.