Lazy’s guide to chain maintenance…

Lube and chain…

I used to obsesses over having a clean chain. Then I stopped caring and you know what? Nothing has changed except that I have more free time to ride my bikes instead of cleaning them. I’ve outlined below how I look after my bicycle chains broken out by derailleur and IGH drivetrains.

Derailleurs

• buy the cheapest 8 or 9 speed SRAM chains I can find easily [I don't have any 10 speed setups]
• usually I buy a few at a time so I have stock in my garage
• lube the chain on the bike about once per month or after a particularly heinous ride
• let the lube penetrate for a few hours and then wipe down chain with a rag
• measure chain wear every time I lube
• when my chain starts to wear I replace it with a new one
• inspect the cassette and rings when replacing a chain to ensure they are serviceable
• if needed replace cassette and rings [generally not needed if you stay on top of measuring the chain wear]

Looks terrible – spins around just fine…

IGH

• buy the cheapest 8 speed SRAM chains I can find easily
• usually I buy a few at a time so I have stock in my garage
• lube the chain on the bike a few times a year
• let the lube penetrate for a few hours and then wipe down chain with a rag
• almost never bother measuring chain wear
• when I get embarrassed enough about the state of my chain [say once every few years] replace it
• inspect the cog and ring when replacing a chain to ensure they are serviceable
• if possible flip cog and ring so you can wear them out in the opposite direction

This methodology is easy, cheap and I’ve never had a chain let me down in the field. It should be clear that if you hate chain maintenance get an IGH. You can virtually ignore the drivetrain and it will keep turning despite all the abuse. If you can be bothered to lube and wipe the IGH chain down once in a while it will last a very very long time.

Ok…that’s ridiculous…time for another $15 chain…

Cleaning?

You’ll note I don’t mention cleaning my bike chains. That’s because I don’t ever do it. The time vs. benefit ratio is not worth it frankly. Especially when you buy low cost chains to begin with.

PNWet

Keep in mind that I ride year round in the PNWet and before that rode my winter bikes through the usual Canadian winter nonsense. So my chains aren’t treated with kid gloves.

Drilling My Fatbike Rims…

Sharon’s front Pugsley wheel…

I’m [slowly] working on building up Sharon’s Pugsley from the parts Kurt gave me. The frame has been powder coated and new headset installed. The next move was cleaning and drilling out her Surly Large Marge rims. These Large Marge DH rims are heavy – very heavy, but they are paid for so rather than replace them I decided to drill them out.

Just a reminder where we started…

I’ve got Sharon’s front wheel drilled out and looking back I gotta say this is not a DIY project I would recommend unless you are totally motivated to get ‘er done. It’s noisy, messy [you'll be covered with tiny metal shards] and you can potentially trash your rim. If you own some fat rims and want to drill them fair enough. I’ve warned you!

I’ll finish her rear rim, but I won’t drill out my Surly Large Marge DH rims. I have enough leg power that it’s not vital and when the time comes I’ll just buy some new single walled Surly rims that are already cut out. When I can afford it the price will be worth the hassle I’ll save plus I’ll use light weight hubs for a really killer weight savings and keep my old Pugsley wheels for heavy duty use.

Sharon won’t throw money at bikes like I do [silly!] so one set of wheels has to do it all.

The hole saw – your friend…

I have very few powered tools so here is what I drilled out the rim with:

• electric drill
• small drill bit for pilot hole
• 1.5″ hole saw attachment
• marking tool
• ruler
• dremel tool with grinding bits
• needle nose pliers
• eye protection
• 6 ice cold Mexican beers and a fresh lime

Yikes!

This wheel has been used a lot over several years so I gave it a once over only to discover the aluminum spoke nipples are corroded to the point of self-destruction. I replaced a few with bronze nipples, but at some point this wheel will need to be totally rebuilt.

Oh well. You aren’t riding hard if you aren’t breaking things…;)

Measure and mark…

First thing I had to do is pull the tire, tube and rim tape. Then I marked halfway between the spokes along the centerline of the rim.

Drill pilot holes…

Next up drill a pilot hole at each mark.

Test fitting the hole saw…

I had room for a 1.5″ hole between the spokes.

Raw hole cut into rim…

Start the less than fun process of cutting out holes. This will generate a ton of tiny metal fragments so do it outside if you can or at least not in the living room on your lovely deep shag carpet…=-) I braced the wheel up against the steps of my deck while cutting out the holes. You can use a wall or work bench. Other folks have built jigs to hold the wheel or put the wheel into a fat bike frame that was secured to something else.

Upgraded hole saw…

I foolishly bought the cheapest hole saw at my local hardware store when I started this project. It lasted about halfway through the first rim before it was toast. So I went back and got a better quality hole saw which should get me through the second rim. As soon as you notice the cutting performance of your saw changing swap in a new one.

Holes cut…

Cutting the holes is not tragically hard, but I’ve done more fun DIY bike projects.

Rough edge…

Once the holes were cut I used a dremel tool to smooth out the rough edges. I may use a round file for wheel #2 as it was hard to maneuver the dremel around the spokes.

Smooth edges…

These rims are old and this bike will actually get ridden so I didn’t waste a lot of time trying to make it look bike show perfect. Note the self-destructing middle spoke nipple.

Weight savings = ~200g…

I collected all the big bits of metal and weighed them as 195g say ~200g savings with all the smaller bits included.

Truing the wheel…

After all the cutting and grinding was done I replaced some corroded nipples and gave the wheel some love. I’m not looking for perfection. I just don’t want the wheel to exploded mid-ride.

I should note that given the double wall construction and amount of material used in these Large Marge DH rims I don’t think the drilled out holes will compromise their strength in any meaningful way. Big guys are rocking the single walled cut out Surly Marge Lites so we shouldn’t have an issue.

The purple pugsley starting to come together…

It took me a solid afternoon of futzing with this one wheel to get ‘er done. I’m not fast at these sorts of projects so you may do better.

I threw some white duct tape in the rim to cover the new holes so I could mount the tube and a skinny 3.8″. Sharon will probably come up with something a bit more “pretty” at some point.

Front done…now for the rear rim…

So a few warnings:

• don’t hurt yourself [wear eye protection]
• don’t mistake the valve hole for a pilot hole and cut it out
• don’t get too enthusiastic pressing down on the hole saw or you can take out a couple spokes

Selle Anatomica Saddle Squeak…

Squeak fix!...

I love my Selle Anatomica Titanico saddles. I own a few of them and will happily buy more. One issue though is they can squeak. On a 300K that can drive you nearly mad! I’ve heard of some DIY fixes including lubing the nose of the saddle frame. I’m happy to report SA has a permanent fix they are offering for free. If you have a squeaky saddle contact SA.

My butt loves this saddle...

DIY Truck Bed PT1…

Step 1 - storage...

I’ve been working on a sleeping setup for my F150 where I can actually stretch out. I’ve slept in the reclined driver’s seat and across the passenger’s bench in the cab. They work okay, but don’t result in an awesome night’s sleep. Here is my current MK1 F150 bed arrangement. First step is to grab some Rubbermaid bins. These will support me off the generally filthy bottom of the F150′s cargo area and they will give me a place to store gear I need to bring along.

Note – I could fit 6 large bins in easily. Here I am just using 2 at each end with some random stuff in the middle for this demonstration.

Step 2 - plywood...

I cut a sheet of plywood to ~6′ x 32″ and painted it. This sits on the bins to provide a sleeping platform. It’s wide enough for me to sleep on comfortably. I also have an extra 6′ x 17″ sheet of plywood I can place next to the larger one on 2 more bins to make a double bed for two people to sleep on if needed. If you place the gear you need frequently in the bins along the edge of the bed you can slide them out easily for access without taking the whole setup apart. Reaching the bins at the far corner is harder so I put stuff I only need occasionally back there.

Step 3 - bedding...

I have some old pillows and comforters I can use in the truck without worrying about them getting gnarly. I’m not a princess so a doubled over comforter is fine for sleeping/sitting on. You can of course add a camping style sleeping pad or some memory foam  on the plywood as needed for comfort.

Note – the rear of the topper opens as does a “window” on each side for tons of ventilation. However, there is no bug protection.

Step 4 - add in more gear!

With the single bed I still have room for some gear along the other side of the truck. I’ve thrown a bike in to show you how it would look. I have some plans to build a removable shelf system that would go where the bike is and would hold a stove, water jug as well as a couple marine batteries to power interior lights, stereo and other electronics [cameras, computers, etc..]. I’ll eventually add solar panels to the roof to allow me to be fairly self-contained.

Given my current $$ situation anything requiring a cash investment will have to wait a while, but I can work on the no/low-cost items like building the shelving and installing stove/water jug.

What I like about this concept is that it can get setup or removed in 15mins.

Birth of our Bike Friday Tandem…

Cutting tubing...

These are some photos the kind folks at Bike Friday took for me when our Tandem Traveller XL was being built. I meant to post them last year and misplaced them for a bit. I won’t say too much about them as I don’t understand all the details of the construction process very well, but I thought it would be fun to share and to get a sneak peak at how these bikes are made.

Selecting some more tubing...

Prepping each tube...

Time to drill...

More prepping...

Welding jig...

A big bike needs a big frame fixture...

Welding the rear triangle...

Rear triangle...

Rear triangle...

Captain's seat mast opening in front TT...

More drilling...

Rear triangle fittings...

Rear V-brake posts...

Rear dropouts...

Stoker's BB...

Stoker's seat mast tube...

Rear triangle fittings...

Kickstand plate...

Cable guides...

Fork...

Frame parts after powdercoat...

Assembly begins...

Installing the headset...

A box of tandem parts at my house...

The finished product...

Basic Kiteboarding Info…

The Kent Peterson Effect…

My Bike Friday Tikit at MEC...

I was  on my way to a business dinner/seminar thing downtown when I had a flat front tire on my Tikit. Bummer! I pulled out a CO2 canister from my seatpack and got the tire firm again so I could keep rolling and made it to MEC [Mountain Equipment Co-op] which is Canada’s REI. They let me use a repair stand, a floor pump, sold me a patch kit and lent me some pliers to pull out a super tough thorn. They also offered help at least 3 times and when all was said and done let me use their washroom to clean up so I could go to my meeting looking decent. Thanks MEC – you guys rock!

I got to my meeting with time to spare thanks to Kent Peterson. I read Kent’s blog regularly. He got me interested in randonneuring and bikepacking with his tales of LD riding and ultralight touring. However, Kent’s main contribution to my bike lifestyle is simply the no nonsense way he gets on with riding his bike for transportation.

One Kent Meme I have learned from his blog is to factor a flat into every commuter bike ride. That way you always have time to fix the flat and still get to your destination on time. I do this a lot and often plan a quick non-essential stop along my route or near my destination so that I can get some extra things done on the same ride and if a flat happens I just skip the non-essential stop.

In this case I planned to stop at MEC and grab a few items I’ve been needing for a while. So when I got the flat I just re-inflated the tire for the ride to MEC where I could repair it in comfort. I ran into a couple snags with a pathetic tube of glue and a lame patch that didn’t want to stick as well as a thorn that was really really really eager to stay in my tire. By the time I was done I was dirty so I washed up and figured I had to rush to my meeting, but I was pleasantly surprised that I still had time to roll over there at a normal pace which made for a pleasant evening.

That’s the Kent Peterson Effect…=-)

Staying Organized…

Rubber Maid Action Packer...

With all my sporting interests and limited storage space it’s vital that I keep stuff organized. That way I can pack my garage efficiently, but still get out what I need without a lot of hassle. The mainstay of my organizing system are Rubber Maid Action Packer bins. I use the large and medium sizes which will stack with one another. They are tough – having endured many months of Baja abuse [ie. being used as cutting boards for cleaning fish!] and UV on the beach. They hold enough to be useful without holding so much you can’t carry them. They’ll slide in the back on a pick up truck so you can reorganize them on the fly. I’m building a bed in the back of my truck that uses these bins for support. They are strong enough that I can use 4 of them to sleep on and then lift a piece of plywood and grab what I need from a bin during the day. The plastic used doesn’t get brittle in the cold and they’ll dent or bend if you stress them rather than crack. If you ever do thrash one [I haven't yet in 15yrs+] you can easily recycle them. They aren’t cheap, but they do go on sale and they are a long term investment. My pro tip buy as many different colours as you can then mix and match lids for an easy to spot identifying system. You can also write on them with a thick sharpie marker.

BTW – in case you are thinking clear plastic would make spotting what you need inside a bin so much easier keep in mind that clear plastic is brittle and will shatter if dropped from say carrying height at room temperature or banged around in the cold

Plain old laundry basket...

Another Rubber Maid product I use a lot is their laundry baskets. They make great short term storage bins for wet and dirty gear like your MTB shoes and pads after a ride. They mostly keep the nastiness in while letting the gear breathe so it doesn’t get crazy stinky if you forget it in the car for a day or two! They sit nicely on top of the Action Packer bins shown above. When you don’t need them they’ll stack with another basket for easy storage and you can use them for dirty laundry as well…=-)

Cat litter boxes...

For some storage jobs you need smaller bins/boxes. Sadly buying them new is expensive since the price doesn’t come down to reflect the size of the box…sort of like women’s lingerie…=-) Using random boxes that come your way is cheap and works, but it has the downside that you end up with a ton of mismatched non-stacking boxes. Stacking is key for efficient storage use or you end up with a frustrating game of Jenga in your garage! Happily I found that one brand of cat litter my kitty likes comes in plastic stackable boxes. It even comes in a few sizes. I go through a large box every month or so which means I am slowly organizing my bike parts more effectively as time goes on. I currently have larger bins with several types of items in it. Great for storage, but hard to find what you want without unpacking half the bin. Using smaller boxes I’ll be able to home in on what I need faster.

If you’ve got a cunning storage tip for bike parts please share in the comments section.

How to lube your chain…

Don’t watch these videos if you consider yourself politically correct or you are under 16yrs old. You have been warned. There is a ages safe bicycle link right here.

Santa Cruz Bike Torture Testing…

Photo: Pink Bike - click on image to jump to original page...

Click on the image above to read a cool Pink Bike article about testing AL & carbon Santa Cruz Nomad frames to failure. I think it’s neat to see some of the tests they run. However, I would caution that these tests don’t tell the whole story. What they say is that carbon can be very strong in the face of some specific forces. What they don’t tell you is how happy you’ll be with your carbon MTB frame 3yrs into your expensive relationship.

For example what happens when you crash 4 or 10 times onto some sharp rocks cracking the surface of your carbon frame and then you ride it hard for another year? Will the crash impact combine with the repeated stress cycles to cause a frame failure?

We have a pretty good handle on how steel or AL MTB frames respond to typical use and abuse. I don’t feel the same level of confidence with carbon. That’s not to say you’ll never see me on a carbon bike, but it does mean I’ll be hesitant to throw down the big $$$ to run my own torture tests!

Don’t take this to mean I am anti-carbon. To me it’s just another potential frame material that deserves due consideration.

What would really be interesting is if Santa Cruz would release their warranty/crash replacement stats for the AL and carbon Nomads. That would clearly demonstrate how each frame material performs in the real world.

Big Dummy DIY Tail Wheels…

Photo: Everyday Adventures Blog

Click on the image above to jump to the Everyday Adventures Blog and read about a DIY tail wheels project for enhanced Surly Big Dummy mobility. Even if you don’t own a Dummy you’ll appreciate how simple and smart this concept is.

Stan’s NoTubes Tubeless Setup

Stan's ZTR 29er Flow rim and Schwalbe Racing Ralph tire...

I’ve been tubeless curious for a while. I was thinking of setting up my Surly Pugsley and Santa Cruz Nomad tubeless, but I’ve heard both really positive and really negative tubeless experiences which made me hesitant to start my tubeless career with a ghetto tubeless setup. In case you don’t know – ghetto – refers to a setting up a rim/tire combo tubeless that wasn’t designed to be run that way. So being a bit cautious I decided to try tubeless on a rim/tires combo designed from the get go to be run without a tube.

Stan's Sealant - click here for some home brew recipes...

My first opportunity was the wheelset for my 29er hardtail mountain bike. I used a set of Stan’s Flow 29er rims because they are wide and strong – plus they have bead seats designed to lock in a tire easily when run without a tube. Some 2.35″ wide Schwalbe Racing Ralph 29er tires offer a nice wide supple rubber carcass without being terribly heavy and they are also designed to be run tubeless.

Here are the things I gathered to do the setup:

• Stan’s ZTR Flow 29er rim [white for max BLING!]
• Schwalbe Racing Ralph 29er tire [tubeless ready]
• Stan’s 25mm rim tape [yellow tape]
• Stan’s sealant [16oz]
• Stan’s MTB valve stem
• Wheel truing stand
• Scotchbrite pad
• Rubbing alcohol
• Scissors
• Round file
• Exacto knife
• 29er tube [to seat tape]
• Tire levers x 2
• Floor pump
• Paper towel
• Glass cleaner [lubricate seating of tire beads]

Steps I used:

• I followed the first video about how to install the yellow Stan’s rim tape.
• I installed a 29er MTB tube for ~2hrs at 40psi to ensure the tape sealed to the rim well before installing the tire tubeless.
• Deflated the tire and pulled the tube out.
• Then I installed the Stan’s valve stem and the tire – inflating to 40psi to seat the bead using glass cleaner as lubrication.
• Once I was happy tire was holding air and seating well I deflated and added 3oz of Stan’s sealant by removing the valve core.
• Tire was re-inflated to 40psi and rotated slowly to plug any leaks.
• I had to re-inflate and spin wheels several times and left them overnight then more air + spinning in the AM.
• I rode the bike the following day with no issues.

The “Help” articles and videos on the Stan’s website are worth checking out before you start.

We don't need no stinking tubes!

Overall the process was fairly painless although I probably spent 3-4hrs spread out over an evening and the next morning doing the setup. I did take my time and checked twice before each step so I’m sure that will be the longest it ever takes me. Using a full tubeless designed setup definitely helped everything click together for me with no problems. I was particularly surprised that I could easily seat the beads and inflate the tire with just a normal floor pump. Sweet!

Benefits of Tubeless:

• puncture resistance for both sharp objects and pinch flats
• ability to run low pressures without pinch flatting
• very supple tire with low rolling resistance and improved traction
• possibly lower weight depending on specific setup

I like running wide rubber at low pressure and I ride in terrain with poor traction, Being able to use soft tires that really conform to the terrain is awesome and I don’t have to worry about pinch flats. I’ll write up a review after I have a bunch of riding on these wheels and let you know what I think of Stan’s NoTubes tubeless products.

Going Ghetto

My buddy Scott reports having no issues with a ghetto tubeless setup so you don’t need to buy new wheels/tires if you want to try out tubeless. I’ll try my hand at ghetto tubeless on my Nomad next since I’m not spending $$$ on new wheels. I’ll let you know how it goes.

How to make a frame bag pattern…

Chromag Surface 29er Build…

I’m waiting on some parts to build up my own 29er hardtail [not a Chromag Surface sadly!...=-(] so this video warms my heart on a cold winter day. There is no sound in the video above so start the video below first then start the video on top for the Lazy Rando Mash Up.

The build video is kind of short so hit repeat a few times to enjoy it again and again until the song runs its course…=-)

Tweak your ride…

Winter mountain biking on Vancouver Island...

My Santa Cruz Nomad mountain bike is about to wrap up its 3rd year of trail riding under my butt. I got the bike back in Calgary and immediately took a long road trip down to Moab & Sedona. I setup the  bike nicely for fast chunky desert riding and left it like that for a while since that suited the smoother, but equally fast riding around Calgary pretty well.

Kurt rolling some moss...

When I got to Victoria I struggled to make my XL sized bike work in the tight twisty steep techy forest trails. For a while I just suffered. Then I started working on the skills I required to make the most of my bike in these conditions. What I was slow to do is to accept that I needed to alter my bike [as much as is practical] for riding on Vancouver Island.

Enjoying the green loveliness....

A big part of that hesitation was due to my lack of Jedi MTB adjustment skills. Modern full suspension bikes are complicated and it’s a bit daunting to mess with them. Once I got over my initial concern and started tweaking things I realized it’s not too bad as long as you only change 1 thing per ride. That way you know what you did to get the effect you experience and if you didn’t like it you can always move back to the previous settings. It takes quite a bit of time to make progress 1 tweak at a time, but at least you know you are making progress and what it was you did that got you there.

What goes down must go up...

So far I have changed my stem/bar position, my saddle height and fore/aft positioning, my rear shock pressure and tire pressure. Some of these adjustments took a couple iterations until I got a positive result, others were great right off the bat and one resulted in a positive, but unexpected change in how my bike rides. Beyond the instant gratification of having a bike that performs better for me on my local trails I’m slowly, but surely learning how my Nomad works so that when I head to some new trails I can adjust the bike to suit those conditions betters.

It looked steeper when I was riding it!

Another benefit is that I’m paying more attention to what is happening with my bike which has allowed me to alter how I am riding it to help my adjustments along. Front wheel not digging in on a corner?…a little body shift forward to add weight to the tire’s knobs lets them bite in better. Rear tire spinning out wet roots?…a bit of a lunge when my tire touches the root gives me enough momentum to roll over it. Combine some tweaking with some riding skill improvements and you can really amp up your riding.

I love my bike...=-)

So far it’s been a viciously positive cycle as I have more fun on my MTB I want to ride it more which lets me learn my local trails better which makes me want to ride them more and so on. It doesn’t hurt that winter MTBing on the South Shore of Vancouver Island rocks so much. Mild weather. Limited rain. Trails that soak up any precipitation that does fall and stay rideable all year round. And some good friends that like to ride. Simply awesome!

Our ride was golden!

Sure I’m still a little jealous of folks who live in Sedona that commute to work on red desert singletrack, but at the same time I’m pretty stoked to be living in a mountain biking mecca as well. South Shore Style baby – that’s how we roll…=-)~

Of course it's about the bike...

As I prepare for my Baja kiteboarding get away I’m trying to fit in as many rides as I can before I leave. Flying high over the Sea of Cortez and slashing the swell on my surfboard will be super fun, but I will miss the dark, moist South Shore forests and their deviously cunning trails.

Good friends = Good times....

At least I can rest easy knowing the South Shore Noctural Missions Crew will be Shredding The Gnar while I am gone. Keeping the animals wondering what all the bright lights and whooping/hollering in the forest is all about…=-)

How to pack a kiteboard golf bag?

My kite gear...

Flying with your kiteboarding gear for free inside a golf bag is awesome. The only trouble is you have to get quite a bit of gear in there and transported to your destination without damage. Here is how I packed my Naish Golf Bag for a 4 week trip to Baja coming up this winter.

Tried kites loosely rolled, but the bag's not big enough!

Gear List

• OR Mako 140
• OR Mako 150 [had to drop this as my golf bag isn't long enough!]
• 8m & 10m OR Rise kites + bars
• kite pump
• Promotion wetsuit
• impact vest
• harness with spreader bar and leash
• Vibram 5 fingers water shoes
•  helmet & gloves
• water sunglasses
• screwdriver
• wind speed meter

2 bars with lines in an external pocket...

Get Organized

• find all your gear and golf bag
• inspect for damage and repair before you leave
• clean your stuff getting rid of sand and rock that’ll wear at your stuff in transit

Board underneath & soft goods on top...

Boards

• pull fins off all boards
• if you are carrying two boards pull straps/pads and handle off bottom board
• place bottom board in bag
• pad top of board lightly with something [I use a 4' x 4' piece of fabric I take with me to sit on]
• put smaller board on top
• strap down if your bag has internal straps
• layer soft items under and on top of your boards to pad them and make best use of your space

I found out that my golf bag is too short for the Mako 150…=-( Damn! No problemo. I’m just going to have to live without. I actually wanted to take my Slingshot Tyrant surfboard so this might motivate me to pay the extra baggage fees and have it down there for the trip.

Kite laid out for inspection then rolling up small...

Soft Goods and Small Items

• pack your wetsuit, impact vest and other soft items on and around your boards
• get creative and put sunglasses and wind meter under the binding straps to protect them a bit
• the goal is to get a soft level surface about even with the top of your bindings
• I had some extra room so I grabbed 4 pairs of surf shorts I’d otherwise pack in another bag and found room in the golfbag

On a roll...

Kites

• pull the kites out of their bags
• strategize how they’ll fit best in the golf bag
• I tried rolling them long and skinny then I tried folding them in half after rolling them
• I went with the later option, but there is no wrong answer as long as they fit
• you might have to roll them up a couple times to get the air out and make ‘em nice and small
• have some string handy to tie them up once you get them packed down
• fit them into your bag
• my kite bars have their own pocket on the outside of the bag

Rolled up and folded small then tied...

Closing the Bag

• be nice to your zippers and don’t get too aggressive closing them…if you break ‘em you could be screwed just before your trip
• as you are slowly closing your bag look for any sharp edges or empty spaces you can throw some extra stuff into
• I ended up adding another towel at the end of the bag since I had some space
• I used a TSA approved lock on the main bag to keep the airline folks from looking inside the bag and finding my kites [security doesn't care what's in the bag if it's not a threat to flight safety]
• I used a black ziptie on the external pocket that is holding my bars and lines for the same reasons

Closing the zipper gently...

Stuff Leftover

• I didn’t fit my pump, harness/spreader bar/leash or helmet in the golf bag
• I didn’t want any sharp/hard edges damaging my kites or boards so I stuff soft items in the golf bag
• I’ll find room for the leftover items in my duffel bag which is my second luggage item

Golf bag packed with kite gear...

Now do it again!

• if you are motivated unpack most of the bag and start again
• you’ll figure out ways to better use the space
• you can probably roll your kites tighter
• I’m done for today, but if I have time later in the week I’ll repack this bag and see if I can get a few more items inside

TSA approved lock...

I generally don’t lock my luggage when I fly. I’m not particularly paranoid about anyone wanting my dirty underwear and kite gear is next to impossible to sell for cash if you aren’t a kiter so the baggage handlers don’t want it. On the other hand I don’t want a snoopy airline check in counter staff member finding out I have kites in my golf bag so I use a TSA approved lock. Security can get inside, but that’s after I checked in and paid any baggage fees – plus they don’t work for the airline so they don’t care what’s in the bag if it’s not dangerous. You can use zipties to achieve the same affect if you don’t have a lock handy.

Got Standover?

I'm still smiling!

One issue I don’t really understand is the obsession with standover clearance. On quite a few of my bikes [both Surly LHTs,  my Pugsley & my Boulder Bicycle All Road] I have no standover clearance at all. When I straddle the bike with both feet flat on the ground I get light contact with “my boys”. In years of riding, crashing and falling off my bikes I’ve never hurt my groin due to smashing into my TT. In particular I ride my Pugsley on soft sand/snow where, in theory, I should have a ton of standover problems as my feet would sink in to the ground reducing standover even more. Yet it just never happens no matter where I stop or how I crash – and I do crash on my Pugs – a lot!

Now you might say standover can’t hurt so why not make sure you have a bunch of it just in case?:

• People buy frames that are too small for them to achieve the stand over they feel is essential when really the effective TT of the bike they are looking at is what’s important.
• In order to achieve standover designers have to make frames very small with sloped TTs.
• Small frames mean loads of seatpost stuck out which leads to other problems and much less space inside the frame if you want to use a frame bag or if you want to carry large water bottles.
• With 29ers and full suspension the efforts to lower the TT start to drive bike designs to the point of compromising them.

Okay let’s say you must have 2″ of standover clearance on a bike:

• Look at the geometry charts for bikes you are interested in and find the frame size that gives you the effective TT you need with a 100mm stem.
• This will give you +/- 1cm of TT adjustment when you actually get the bike while keeping the stem at a reasonable size.
• Check the tires they used to measure the standover clearance and adjust the stated TT height depending on what tires you would like to run.
• Measure yourself by sliding a book up between your legs until you get light contact – don’t jam it up into your groin or you’ll be cutting down the standover you’ll actually experience on the bike.
• Measure with your feet about 18″ apart….like you were straddling a bike…not with your feet together or you’ll get less standover than you expect on the bike.
• Add 2″ or 50mm to the measured value and check that you have that mid-TT on your bike of interest.
• If yes you are solid.
• If not don’t buy the next size down as you’ll mess up the more important TT dimension. Instead skip that bike as the design doesn’t work for you and look for one with a more radically sloped TT.

Following this approach I couldn’t ride an 18″ Pugsley and a 16″ Pugsley would have a TT that was too short. I could fit on a medium Salsa Mukluk though. After all my fun adventures on the Pugsley I am glad I didn’t let standover clearance drive my decision process.

That’s not to say I don’t care about standover at all. I find light contact with my boys the practical limit for TT height. Not because I’m worried about injury, but because that’s how high I can swing my leg over my bike without too much trouble.

How to manual…

Adjusting Santa Cruz VPP Bearings…

Click here to jump to Pinkbike and watch the video...

If you ride a Santa Cruz VPP bike this video is a must watch to ensure you know how to adjust your pivot bearings when they develop some play. I recently had some play in the rear of my Nomad Mk2 and a LBS recommended I buy a $120 bearing kit to rebuild the bike. My bearings are fine I just needed to adjust them properly. The more I appreciate some of the design elements [ie adjustable pivot bearings, grease ports on lower pivot, etc..] that went into making my Santa Cruz bike the more impressed I am.

That’s a good thing because I was playing around with a MTB builder program recently and it spat out a $6K price tag – yikes! I’m going to keep my Nomad rolling for a while longer. I’m glad I bought a quality bike to start with…=-)

Tubeless Larry

Photo: Phat Divide Blog - Gorilla Tape Method...

I’ve found a couple methods online to setup Pugsley wheels without tubes. Given how much a fat tire tube weighs and how much hassle it is to change a flat this could be a very sweet idea – especially for riding in thorn country!

• split tube method
• gorilla tape method

I’m going to give this a shot with my Pugsley wheels as I rebuild the beast and see what happens.