Um wow

So...here's my shot at a bike review.

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The boys at PPC put together a real treat here. Here's the build:



Frame/Fork: 2010 Cannondale CAAD9 in BBQ finish

Headset: Integrated/Si FSA

Components: Full 2010 SRAM Force Build BB30, 52/36 in SRAM Red Rings, PC 1090 Chain, PC1090 11-28 Cassette

Bars: 3T ErgoSum Team Carbon

Setm: 3T ARX Team

Post: 3T Doric Team Carbon Seatpost

Wheels: DT Swiss Mon Chasseral

Saddle: My nasty torn up (but comfy!) Specialized Toupe 143mm width

Pedals: Speedplay X-1 Titanium

Cages: Cateye Composite (plastic I believe)

Bartape: Eleganza in black w/ white stitching


Total Weight : 16.2 lbs as built



So...this review will kind of be in 3 parts...over varying types of rides over the next few days. Today was a nice 1hr interval session on flat/rolling, tomorrow will be a nice 70 miler with some nice climbing, and, Sunday should be a somewhat animated group ride.

So..first up...1hr Lunchtime sweet spot interval session. Up to this point, the only time I'd lifted the bike was by the seat tube to put it on the roof of the car. Now, pulling it down forced me to grab it by the top tube & fork. The first thing I noticed was the tube shapes. Cannondale flared the top tube at the headtube where it's super beefy, and, tapered it down slowly as it reached the seat tube. I also noticed the tube was shaped...flattened almost...in the middle. I know they do this stuff for engineering purposes, but, that's about it. I was about to experience a big difference shortly. As a side note..I was also amazed at how feathery light this bike is when pulling it down off the roof. I've had ligthweight bikes before...but really...not this light. It was amazing.



After ratching the funky DT front skewer, I threw a leg over the bike, and, clipped in. Before even clipping in my other foot, I could already see the difference in geometry between this and my custom Primus Mootry Scandium. The head tube was wayyyy more forward on this one, making it look like it's gonna charge like a pissed off bull. Plus, the rake of the fork was a bit more aggressive so I new this thing was going to handle super tight corners with ease. So...I push off and I am already delighted with the buttery smooth ride of the frame & wheels. The swooped seatstays are flattened halfway up for comfort, stiffness, and, a little bit of aero as well. The DT Swiss wheels lapped the smooth pavement and rolled so sweetly I thought I heard birds singing. As I approached the stop sign out of the office, I had to shift. to a different gear. This was where my world imploded on itself.
For the past 10 years, I've been a Campy guy. Campy ONLY was what I was taught at a very young bike age, and, stuck to my guns. In 2009, I decided it was time to make the leap. To start, SRAM's levers are extremely ergonomic in comparison to Campy. The lever swoops out to accomodate the hand position in the drops, and, you can even dial in the reach of the lever...either drawing it closer to the bar, or, away...a luxury I haven't had in a very long time! Jason & I dialed the levers all the way in, and, it was quite comfortable to not have to reach for them. Anyway...back to the ride. The frame rolled over the pavement utterly fast, and, took corners with ridiculous accuracy. The 3T bars were very comfortable, and, while I've been recently been riding a flat top/contoured compact bar in the Deda Fluida, I gotta say it was nice to return to a normal bar. I got so used to my old Ritchey WCS classics, that, it was a crazy shock to the system when you shorten that lever reach; it screwed everything up! The DT Swiss wheels were super quiet, and, soaked up the bumps nicely. I love the Maxxis Refuse tires because of their tread pattern, and, I've always felt Gatorskins to be a little "balloony" in their ride. As I approached the Cherry Creek Res entrance, there was a slight rise of the road and I got out of the saddle to get up it. Before I even pushed through the entire pedal stroke, the bike was gone. I mean it was like an cheetah pouncing on a small defensless bunny wabbit. The short jaunt up the hill was effortless, and, I actually felt quicker in the accelleration than I ever have. As I descended into the park, there are poorly paved seams in the road that hit you every six feet or so like an unwanted speed bump. After riding here for the past 5 years 3-4 days a week, my body still hasn't quite adjusted to the sometimes cavity loosening shock of these things. However, the CAAD9 soaked up the bumps and rolled smoother than ever over them...I couldn't believe it. My body tensed up and prepped for the first few (which are the worst because they are downhill), but, was not called into action to get rattled. I simply relaxed. Once the road flattened out, I wanted to check this bikes ability to zoom across the flats...soI threw it up into the 52/11 combo and torqued it. Again, buttery smooth and very responsive. The front end was very stiff, and, let me know that it was there, all the while the fork blades licking their lips for what lies ahead. The rest of the ride was absolutely delicious, and I put the bike back on the roof smiling. The SRAM shifted great, BUT, my only beef with it was that with the levers dialed all the way in, the shifter blade kept getting hung up on the brake lever (remember..it was dialed all the way in. I think in their engineering, they need to adjust BOTH levers vs just the brake lever as the force of the brake leaver on the shift paddle isn't enough to keep it hidden/in line with it. Tomorrow's ride up to Jamestown was going to be part 2 of my 3 part test. I wanted to see what happened when we went up! One thing I also noticed post-ride was that my back or legs did not hurt. I think the narrow q-factor of the BB30 cranks really helped my alignment and position.

The next morning we rolled out of Erie around 8:30, and, after a quick stop at Amante, we started climbing up Old Stage Road. Old Stage road, while not very long, is a steep little bitch that makes you want to get your teeth pulled on the side of the road, instead of riding up it. Again, the front end of this bike was steadfast in it's desire to get my ass up the hill quicker than ever before. I could really apprecaite the lightweight 16.2 lbs at this point, and, the high spoke count of the DT Swiss wheels really added a nice stiffness to the package. As I summitted, I couldn't believe it was over. Granted, I was NOT riding fast, but, when the road is steep enough, it's freakin' hard as it is...no need to punch it too much. We stopped to let the Moots contingency catch up, and, the descent was next. Mike has an older CAAD5, which, I've always admired, and, gave me a gentle warning about the bike descending at high speed. Basically he said...get ready for the ride of your life. I remember when I was looking at a new frame, Jason and I had discussed a few handling requirements of mine, and, he always said the same thing "It won't climb like a Cannondale" or "It won't handle like a Cannondale". He was right....nothing handles like a Cannondale! I slipped through the turns effortlessly and the aggressive head tube angle pushed me from last to first in about 5 seconds (I let everyone go ahead of me). I never felt so confident at such a high speed before!Once you get to the bottom of the backside of Old Stage Road, the climbing begins. Here, I'd wanted to try to light it up a bit to see how the bike handled going up, and, the responsiveness. Wow. I pushed ahead effortlessly, and, took some of the corners out of the saddle faster than I had climbed them before. The body just knows...you know?! I sat up at the turn off for Ward, and waited. Wow. Wow. I couldn't believe it. As the group passed me, I climbed at a slower pace, as I watch Mikey P pull away like a possessed maniac. That guy can climb man...sheesh! I cruised up to Jamestown with a nice big smile on my face, and, Amy right behind me. I left her at the coffee shop and continued on to do the traditional mailbox slap at the Jamestown post office. I was so happy to feel so good on the bike! Again, the narrow BB30 really made my body feel good. This is gonna sound silly, but, I really feel like my quads have not been in service for the past 2 years. I've been riding with my hamstrings and glutes. My quads were never really "sore" after a ride...except maybe a MTB ride, but, that's a different bike/different setup. I think I'm finally good. The descent down was extremely hair raising with that bike as it kept wanting to go faster. I did not argue with it, and, let it be. I've never felt so much joy on a descent that long and fast before! As we rolled into Erie, I was excited for the third and final test Sunday am...a fast paced group ride.

I typically show up to WestSide around 9 to bullshit and say hey to people, which meant from the old house I'd leave aroudn 8:30. With our new location, I figured, meh...I can leave at 8:40 and be fine. As I approached the shop, I noticed there were very few people, however, I was planning on meeting Justin for a little bit of pedal power. A few guys that I've ridden with and known for a while said hey, and, then, were shocked to see the new ride. They were impressed, and, thought it was sweet that not only did I go with Alu, but were diggin the overall stealth look of the machine. More people showed up (douches and non-douches), and, the group rolled out around 9:15. It wasn't too animated, but, it was faster than I usually ride which was nice. We climbed up Foothills road past Kip Winger's parents' house, and I felt very nimble on the short power climb. Sweet! As we rolled back to 32nd and into Golden, things started getting animated. One guy pulled off the front, and, Justin joined him. I wanted to see how the bike rolled on the flats when going very fast, so, of course, I jumped over too. ZING. No problems at all. I was able to close the gap with the responsive stiff bottom bracket and the accurate shifting. Once in the group of three, we rotated and things just went flying along. While I did not contest any town line sprint, or, really join in when the rest of the gruop started attacking, I really felt fresh thanks to the way the bike rides and the killer spec. Justin and I finished the day off by heading north towards Stanley Lake, where we bid each other farewell, and, headed home to our respected houses.

My overall opinion? Here goes:
Ride quality : 10/10 (Only thing I would change about the bike, is, give it a taller head tube. That's pretty much all visual, but, it makes sizing options a bit more proportional. )
Components: 9.5/10 (sorry SRAM...those shift paddles were annoying! I finally dialed teh levers back out, and, no issues)
Build/fit quality: 20/10. Jason and the PPC guys really thought this bike out from a spec perspective, and, did their homework on the fit process.

I can't thank them enough...and...always remember folks...listen to the shop guys you trust. They'll never steer your wrong!!!

It's done!

So we sold the house! That was the big announcement. Yeah anti-climactic for some, but, so cathartic for me.

Now....onto life!

Man oh man!

Well, the fall is creeping upon us here in lovely Colorado, and, that means a lot of things...football season (meh), fixie season (yeah!), and, MTB season (DOUBLE YEAH!).

I picked up a Kona Dawg full suspension MTB from my boyz at PPC. Jason & Eric built er up and it just SMOKES! It helps that Eric's expertise is in the suspension business, where, he worked at the world famous PUSH tuning shocks for the likes of major UCI/US pros, and now, little ole me. In the past 4-6 weeks, I've been able to get out and ride it at least one weekend day, rotating in with road riding on the other. I've been heading out mainly with Stefan, Rick, Amy, & Amber (Stefan's girlie), and, have progessively been falling more and more in love with the knobby tires. We hit trails such as Kenosha<->Georgia Pass, 3 sisters/Alderfer, Lair o the Bear, Centennial Cone, and, one or two others that escape me right now. The bike handles very very well, and, I've gained a significant amount of confidence riding the MTB again.

This past weekend, Stefan & I hit Lair o the Bear in a cold wet fall day sorta fashion. The ride is basically a 6-6.5 mile climb up, and, a long descent back. The climb has a few tricky parts, and, has little rollers/uphills scattered through the middle few miles. Techincally, it's not *too* challenging of a trail, but, for someone like myslef, it was moderatly difficult. There were a few rock areas that, in the past, I would have gotten off and walked. However, the dawg just ate it up! One thing I noticed on the downhill is that this thing gathers speed like a rocket. It's frightening sometimes to hear the whir of the tires get higer pitched as the wheels turn faster within a split second. Great fun though!

On other notes, there are quite a few HUGE life changing things on the horizon.

I'll post more details next week, but, for now, live large & in charge people!

Sometimes I just love spam!

Every now and then a spam email will make it through the spam filters in my gmail. It does a very good job, but, these guys are pretty tricky. I get a kick out of these when they come in because they make absolutely no sense. I mean, even if I was one of these people that actually clicks through shit I get all the time, I would read this and think to myself "WTF".

****
You've got the most unbelievable blue eyes I've ever seen. You always over react.Hullo! my new friend! Good looking chick here!I cam accross your email on an adult dating site. I don't remember the address right now.I am coming to your region in just few weeks and I need to find a male partner to show me the place.I hope we can get to know each other and you could show me around.Drop me few lines at xxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxx.com so we can stay in touch. This is my personal mailbox I use for personal correspondence. Please reply to my personal mailbox only, as I constantly check it.I will send my nice pic when you reply. And it's you that I adore. And I know we will survive .

***
First of all, why is she saying "I always over react"? I mean, we've never even met? And isn't it overreact? Does she think I am some sort of substrate, or, chemical compound that is "unstable"... that I "over react"? I mean we've never met and already she's calling me crazy. BITCH!

Second, how can she forget where she saw my "unbelieveable blue eyes"? You'd think that if she were that infatuated with me, she'd email me through the site...immediately, rather than sending me an email, to my personal email, which, usually is not available through online dating sites (we've all been there). So, I'm unforgettable, but, you're obviously not that interested enough to email me straight away.

Finally, the closing statement actually kinda scares me..."And I know we will survive". What does that mean!?!? Is there some sort of impending doom that only she can see? Does she have special powers that can see the future and what is around the corner? If she really did, she'd see that I would quickly check the box that says "mark as spam", and, file this away in the annoying spam email folder.

Clearly, she is a liar.

Oh well...just wasn't meant to be.

Something's up

So, this past weekend I was lucky enough to catch the dreaded summer cold. It worked me starting thursday night into Friday morning, and come Friday evening, I was out of it. Basically, I stayed on the couch trying to work, while drinking gallons of water. Ugh. Felt like shit.


Saturday rolled around, and, we'd had plans with Stefan & Amber to do a mountain bike ride. I was psyched to take the new Dawg out for a play session to really check it out. Riding around the alley and dropping off curbs really isn't a good mtb ride. We'd finally decided on a trail...we'd hit Kenosha to the Lost Creek Wilderness. Basically, it's the Kenosha trailhead on the OTHER side of 285...from the Kenosha/Georgia Pass ride. The trail was really nice. It starts out with a flat/semi-rolling downhill, then, comes to an abrupt uphill about 1-1.5 miles in. This is no ordinary uphill. It gets steep in some sections, and, is very rocky & loose. The thing I liked about it though, is it's rideable. We got bottlenecked climbing up, and we had to bail, but, still, I don't think I coulda made it. Once you hit the top of this little climb, it levels out, and, then, lookout. A killer RIPPING downhill for about the next 4-5 miles. You have all different kinds of conditions. Hard pack to loosey goosey sand, to trees, to wide open 360 degree vistas. It was absolutely gorgeous and VERY fun! There is one short little climb/switchback about halfway through the descent, but, it offered a nice break & challenge from the screaming downhill. Once you hit the end of the proper trail, you cross a small bridge/log, and, climb for about 1 mile. This climb is TOUGH. It's not long, but, it's steep. We hit the Johnson Gulch/Road 260 intersection, continued on a bit, but, the weather started to change, and, we didn't know how much further we could really go. So, after another fast downhill, we had to turn around and climb out. The climb was tricky at first only because it was a bit sandy, and somewhat off piste. However, as we climbed, the dirt got more and more tacky (a few rain drops here & there), and eventually we made it back up to the very top. It seemed a helluva lot shorter than I anticipated it was going to take. I think partly because it really isn't steep after that initial .5 miles back OUT. I was struggling so much on the climb, partly because of the altitude, and, mostly because that damn cold had a hold on me. The finaly stretch of downhill was great. We hit that steep rocky section that gave us fits on the way up, and, I was able to clear it all on the Dawg.

I definitely had a sense of confidence on the bike (thanks to the bike of course!), that I hadn't had before when MTBing. The bike handled amazing, and, the tires were extra grippy. I really enjoyed it! We got back home after a quick stop & shop in Belmar, and, I hit the couch...HARD. I was so achey.

Sunday, I just rested. I headed out to PPC to finalize the spec/build for the new bike, which, hopefully will ship soon. I can't really dig up a photo of the new frame, but, it's either going to be black, or, charcoal grey. I think the frame/fork is only in black or white. Either way, the build is gonna be great, and, PPC is going to build me up some custom wheels to really get dropped on.

More to come!

34-25-36

Oh what?!/! No...that's not my dream woman, however, I did ride a 50/34 up front & 11-25 on the back for 36 miles to Ward. That's right...Amy, Mike & I headed up to Ward today for a cookie. We've been doing no sugar all week, and, I've never felt better (since doing this a few years ago). So, what better way to break the cycle, than a nice delicious chocolate chip cookie at the Ward general store.

The ride started around 8, but, really didn't get rolling until after 8:30 due to some mechanical issues on both of our bikes. Mike's a great mechanic! We headed into Boulder via Neva Road, and, ran into the Half Ironman race. We looked for our buddies Katie Coble & The Winks, but, no such luck. They were probably long gone being all fast and stuff. So, we headed up!

The climb had a nice feel to it, and, I couldn't quite put my finger on it initially. Then, I realized that I was on a true compact @ 50/34 up front. The smallest gear for me to date has been a 36 in the front, and, I love it. However, I think I'm in love with the 34!!! I was able to spin and spin and spin. It was sooooo nice. Turned out we also had a nice lil' tailwind the entire way up. I felt so good (wonder why!?). As we climbed, we saw Jordo & Aaron Bachick descending. I yelled at them, but, was in my PPC gear, so, they prob didn't recognize me.

Once we summited, we chilled out for a bit with our cookies, and, enjoyed the amazing weather. It was perfect! The whole ride home we enjoyed a nice cross/tail wind for a bit, and, cruised back to Mike's house with semi-empty bellies ready to feast. We had a barbecue at 4 we wouldn't miss, so, we noshed a bit on snacks and a small meal. Then, Amy cleaned her bike while we washed. It was quite a sight...lemme tell ya.

This week, we got sushi, yoga, and other things on the horizon.

I will blog more...

Mother F*cker

Long story short...motorcycle clipped me up by the Fort. I am 100% fine. My bike is shaken up and bent. The guy didn't even stop to see if he hit me. I was able to unclip and catch myself before I really ran off the road. Pretty scarey experience.

Stay safe.