The Iceman Cometh

Last weekend marked a milestone in cycling - my first mountain bike race! As I've been looking for new challenges since turning 50, this seemed a logical choice. Especially after learning that Northern Michigan's infamous Iceman ride also had a more beginner-friendly Slush Cup (8 miles, instead of the full 27). Sign me up!

I was completely unprepared for the scope of this event. Thousands of mountain bikers blasting through the woods. Races in waves to accommodate all the riders. A huge festival at the finish line. And so much more!

The shorter ride had two benefits - first my slacker training didn't kill me. And second, I've never ridden in a competitive environment on a mountain bike. As a kid, I raced bmx extensively, but the two have almost nothing in common. I had to learn to pace myself. When it was a good opportunity to pass. What it felt like to get passed. And how to spot and avoid other riders who offered the potential for danger (perhaps I was one of those riders to others).

My Specialized Stumpjumper Expert World Cup Carbon bike was awesome. Fast. Stable. Nimble. My only complaint as that the fairly narrow 1.9" rear tire was fairly scary in sandy terrain. Note to self -- time for some bigger tires.

Perhaps the most thrilling part was blasting through the finish area and then hearing my name on the PA as I crossed the finish line. Later I found out I'd scored 13th in my age category -- a nice start for my first race!

I learned a lot about myself. And I learned a lot about the sport. I will be back. Next year - full Iceman! More to follow about my awesome experience!

-Sean-

Product Review: Kool Stop Brake Pads

The real deal - Olde Schoole Kool Stops
from back in the day!

Yeah, I know what you're thinking, "Brake pads? Seriously, that's the most interesting thing you can find to blog about, dumbass?" On the surface, that does seem a logical conclusion. but I've been a big fan of aftermarket brake pads since I first ran the big Olde Schoole Kool Stop's on my BMX bikes. With a fat, tall 2.25" BMX tire, you needed some fairly long calipers to reach the rim. And what do long calipers do? Yep - they flex. And what does flex cause? Sucky braking performance. But with the addition of the Kool Stops, its definitely better. Plus, hey they looked trick...

Fast forward a couple of decades with me. It's 2005 and I purchase my 2004 Giant OCR 3. For some unknown reason Giant decides to position the brake mounts such that they require long calipers. Maybe they thought everyone would want to run 28mm tires? Or fender? Or God-knows-what? Anyway the braking suuuuuuccccckkkkksssss on this otherwise pretty good bike.

A little time with Google reveals that Kool Stop is still around, and they now make brake pads for road bikes. With a few clicks of the mouse, I have a pair of Kool Stop Dura Road Pads on their way. One great feature I notice immediately are that these are pad holders with replaceable inserts -- nice touch! And they include two sets of inserts - salmon for wet and salmon/black for wet/dry. Figuring two must be better than one, I install the salmon/black.

Wow.

Kool Stop Dura Road Pads

Braking goes from fairly awful to not-so-bad. In fact, it's pretty good. Amazing how such a small thing can help so much. A bike that had been sort of scary on descents is much more confidence-inspiring.

This year, I move to the Ultegra grupo. Nice upgrade, but naturally the Ultegra brakes don't fit on the OCR. Crap in a hat. But hardly a surprise. However, when I make the move to the new Giant Defy Advanced carbon frame, I now have normal reach brake mounts - YAY! Bike shop does a quick swap and set-up and I'm on the road on the new bike.

After a couple of weeks dialing things in, I decide to try the Kool Stops to replace the factory Shimano Ultegra pads. The Ultegra's have been fine, but I figure if the Kool Stops can make bad brakes good, they'll only make good brakes great - right?

Well, not quite...

Figuring I might as well install fresh pads, I use the remaining new set of Salmon inserts. From the first ride, I'm not that happy. Grabby (makes sense -- they're for wet conditions), not that much more powerful. And just flat out weird. Now, I'm not so happy. But as a good tweaking mechanic, I remember the Salmon/Black pad inserts. Again, a few clicks of the mouse brings them to my doorstep. A quick install last night and I head out on a ride.

Yeah, baby -- that's what I remember! Braking is now smooth, progressive, and powerful. Tons better than the Salmon inserts, and a nice step forward from the factory Ultegra pads. Now I could stop a freight train. Very happy.

So, if you have a ride with questionable braking, or if you want to make a good stop better -- Kool Stop brake pads are highly recommended. But, I'd just skip the Salmon inserts and go for the Salmon/Black. A world of difference.

-Sean-

The Right Profile

Yesterday was the season's first outing for my Project Singlespeed mountain bike. This was my first ride since installing the Profile bmx crankset and bottom bracket. Holy cr@p!!! I expected an improvement, but was immediately shocked at how much difference it made.

Originally I started this swap to eliminate a pesky creaking/thumping somewhere in the drivetrain. I suspected the stock OEM generic bottom bracket/crankset didn't fit well and wear may have become an issue. With the Profile design the interface is ultra-precise, which eliminates this problem. 

The increase in stiffness was incredible and impacted power delivery and the overall "jump" of the bike. This made hill climbing so much easier. Hills that normally frustrated me weren't an issue. Just powered right up them. A stiffer crankset also provided a handling benefit - a more direct connection to the bike that provides yet one more "steering input". Cool!

My Profile's are a 165mm and replace a set of 175mm stock cranks. The difference in clearance is another benefit. I first noticed it when I didn't need to continually pay attention to my size 12 feet hitting the front tire, but I also found plenty of pedaling ground clearance from the shorter arms.

For those who haven't followed the blog for a while here's some more on Project Singlespeed. The bike started life as stock SE BM Flyer (nice acronym, guys...). My goal was to build up a bulletproof single-speed mountain bike. It started with some simple upgrades - a WTB Laser V saddle and then some Sun Ringle magnesium pedals.  I've always wanted a disc brake-equipped bike and the SE has all the mounts, so I scored a set of Avid BB-7 calipers and discs and installed those. A chat with Steve Sauter, wheel building guru at Great Lakes Cycle, revealed that the White Industries ENO Eccentric rear hub was the solution to effective chain tension, as my bike has vertical dropouts. Plus a 29" wheel with a casette hub is up to 40% weaker than a dedicated single-speed hub, due to the wider distance between flanges. So I had Steve lace up some new hoops with the ENO in the rear and stock Formula sealed hub in front on Mavic TN719 rims. During this process I was also looking to dial in the gearing (when you only have one option, get it right). The final solution was a 31 tooth Graveyard sprocket coupled to an 18 tooth White ENO freewheel (stupidly expensive for a freewheel - and worth every cent). A Wipperman single speed chaing completes the drivetrain.  The Profile cranks and sealed bottom bracket were the final stage.

The resulting bike is amazing. Fairly light for a 29er, handles great, nimble and responsive, and super comfortable to ride for long periods. Sure a single-speed can't go everyhwere, but the appeal of simplicity certainly works for me. Cool ride!

-Sean-