Niner Review & Bike Obsessions

Before I get to riding the Niner on Sunday, I had to post a photo of Christopher sledding on Friday. I had to go to Morton Grove in the afternoon & initially felt bad that Christopher wouldn't be able to go sledding 'cause we'd be running errands. The snow had all melted by us when I picked him up around 3 p.m. so we were very pleasantly surprised when we found there was still snow in Niles, where this photo was taken.

On Saturday, I rode at Palos in the morning and then we decided to stop by Goodspeed Cycles since they had finally built up the small Niner E.M.D. I rode it around the parking lot & thought the geometry was a little better for me than the Ferrous. Christopher really didn't want to leave because there were some other kids there. They swapped the handlebars and stem and rearranged the spacers while we were there. I kept telling them they should do a demo on the trails so I could have a better feel of how it rode. I was very, very excited when they said I could take it and ride it on Sunday. I'm not sure if it is their normal procedure or because I've been in there several times for LIB as well as doing a fix-a-flat workshop in their old location and manning a table for Active Trans there last year. I almost wanted to skip the PSIMET team party so I could ride. = )

On Sunday, I set my alarm for 6 a.m. so I could get some time on the trails before they thawed. I spent about 3.5 hours out there. I really enjoyed riding it -- obviously, since I didn't leave until the dirt had just started sticking on the tires.

The geometry was still slightly off but fit me pretty good and it was so fun to ride. The one thing I wanted to see was how it was on steep climbing -- That is my main issue on the Ferrous. If I have the stem/handlebars at a good riding position, then I can't keep the front wheel down on steep climbs. If I have it so I can handle steep climbs, I'm a little too upright when riding on flats. But, with ice and permafrost, it was really hard to tell as most of the steep inclines weren't rideable.

The bottom bracket is a little lower than on the Ferrous and it has a triple in the front as opposed to just one chain ring on the Ferrous. The chain ring hit one log pile that I usually don't have any issues with. Probably partly lower BB, partly extra chain rings and, possibly, also a change in the log pile since I last rode there in the fall.

We weighed the bike with my seat on it and a bottle cage and it was one pound heavier than the Ferrous. But, they had heavier wheels on the Niner and not as nice components so it would probably be slightly less than the Ferrous if I built up the frame.

Awesome, right? My dilemma --I have also been obsessing over the Specialized carbon hardtail women specific 29er since I read about it last year. Any time I was in a shop, I would ask about them and no one ever had any info. I was beginning to think it just never made it into production. At the team party, Karrie tells me they were produced, she had one and sold it and is not sure when they will be available again.

They should be available in April. Only complete bikes -- with SRAM 2x10 (which Tom & I are both totally lusting after) and 165 cranks (which are on my CX bike and which I like). I could get a team deal but still a heck of a lot more than the Niner frame. Niner also makes carbon frames but only offers a XS in the EMD model.

So, I've been torn and obsessing for at least the past 24 hours now. = ) Tom also suggested custom titanium but that is really out of the budget and I don't think I could wait that long.

One thing is for sure -- we will be selling quite a few of my bikes and frames to pay for a new 29er. If you know any short riders -- send them my way. We're selling my Schwinn SuperSport DBX frame (size XS), my Trek XO (size 47) either as a frame and/or wheels or how it is currently built up with the Shimano stuff that had been on the Schwinn, my Gary Fisher Hi Fi full suspension mountain bike, an old hybrid bike and a small Santa Cruz Juliana full suspension frame that has a stripped real derailler hanger but that a bike shop says can be fixed (we still have to bring it to get an estimate for that though). We'll be posting info. on CraigsList hopefully very soon but shoot me an email if you know anyone who may be interested. = )

End of year/CX season report

The past month has been kind of crazy. After the Afterglow, was all the craziness of Christmas. Christopher got way too many toys, I was able to go ride singletrack on Christmas Eve -- so mainly good stuff but very busy.

New Year's Eve & New Year's Day I did the CX races at Indian Lakes Resort. I was able to get out and preride on that Friday. A course that helps if you have a lot of power, which is something I do not have a lot of. On Saturday, the 3/4 race could have gone better. But, it could have gone worse as well. I was 9th out of 23. I then volunteered at a course crossing. I looked ridiculous but I mainly stayed warm and I got to watch the women's and men's elite races at the same time. = )

After I was done volunteering, I got ready to do the Women's 2/3 race. There were seven starters with two breaking derailleurs. I finished 4th and was happy with my racing. After crossing the line, I grabbed my pit bike and immediately hopped in the car to go celebrate Christmas with my mom's side of the family. I arrived late and muddy but was happy to see everyone and eat way too much food.

On New Year's Day, we had a much smaller turnout. There were only 12 starters for the Women's 3/4. I raced really well and took 4th. The only bad part was I mistakenly thought I was in 3rd so it was a bit disappointing to realize I missed the last podium step. However, I got another upgrade point!!! Woo hoo! Granted, not that I think I'm Cat. 2 caliber yet but I'm still pretty excited that I now have 2 points.

Tom & Christopher showed up after my race. I was able to see them, volunteer and watch some of the men's & women's elite races. Only Ellie and I were signed up for the Women's 2/3 race. We were able to just do a parade lap and she was nice enough to let me win. That was very fun. = )

Then, it was off to Madison for Nats. We got there Tuesday. I prerode the course and was in an excellent mood. The morning of the race was just too hectic -- as things can get when you have a five-year-old and spouse with you. I did a lot of stupid things -- such as forgetting to change shoes, or at least clean out my cleats, before the start. I kept unclipping at the start and was almost dead last by the time we hit dirt. I would gain some spots and then either slide out or have a mechanical. I ended up 12th out of 19 finishers/23 starters. Bleah. Since that was the B race, I had hoped to do better.

Friday (Jan. 7) was the 35-39 Nats race. There were some Cat. 3's but an awful lot of Cat. 1 and 2's so I was hoping to race well for me but not expecting to place well. I was 12th out of 16 finishers/18 starters and was mainly pleased with how it went. I seemed to keep being attracted to poles/stakes however and felt a lot like a pinball bouncing around the course. It took me forever to track down the gloves I tossed during the race but I then scored a six-pack of beer. It would have been better if I actually drank beer but that's okay.

Not quite a full week later and we were trekking down to Kentucky for Worlds. I was excited for the opportunity but also not very optimistic. There were barely any other Cat. 3's registered and I came down with some type of stomach bug Wednesday night, spent all day Thursday in bed and went 24 hours without eating. Luckily, I was almost back to 100% by Saturday morning. Since you had to pick up your number the day before your race, I had the opportunity to preride the course on Friday. Lots of frozen ruts in what would have otherwise been a power course. The officials did, unfortunately, take out a technical section that I could ride.

The course stayed frozen for my race. I went back and forth with a couple of girls for most of the race. One got past me but I held the other one off. I did slip on the ice going over the barrier and went down hard on my left knee. Lots of blood on my skin suit and it is still actually sore. I ended up a lap down but was still very happy with how I did. I was 14th out of 17 out of a field filled with pros, speedy girls and an Olympian. A huge thanks to Tom who took off work Friday so we could go and who made sure that I could warm up and get ready for my race. = ) Another huge thanks to Rob Curtis who was in the pit for me in case I needed to switch bikes, cheered and, of course, gave me some awesome wheels to race on.

On the way home we stopped at the "Midwest's Largest McDonald's" which had an indoor tree-house playground. Christopher was a happy boy. We then stopped at another eating establishment before getting back on the highway so I could get a veggie burger and fries.

Last week was spent trying to catch up on various work projects. Sunday, I was able to try out a fat bike at 2Bici. My first time out I couldn't understand what all the hoopla was about. I came back tried the same section on my 29er and realized there were some perks. I went back out on the 15 Salsa Mukluk with the seat dropped more and forward and some air out of the tires. I liked it a lot more the second time around. I think I would definitely need a 13 or, more than likely, the XS 9:Zero:7. Unfortunately, a fat bike is not in the budget. I'm still trying to catch up on work stuff and have barely given much thought to 2012 except for realizing that my CX age will be 40.

Plowing Snow from Trails

 

Photo credit: Tom Cherry, Normal Parks Maintenance Supervisor

Does your community remove the snow from your trails? If so, you are in a lucky minority. Many cyclists who use paved paths will be waiting for the warm weather to thaw the mixture of snow and trampled down ice.

The town of Normal decided, in September, to begin removing the snow from some of the area trails. “We have been receiving a lot of requests from trail users who use the trails in the winter months,” said Garry Little, director of parks and recreation.

Normal has about 13 miles of trail and just began clearing the snow from approximately five miles of the Constitution Trail, Little said. “We did trail counts at various locations to find out which segments of the trails were the most used for recreation and for access to schools,” he said. “Some portions of the trail are used as sidewalks to get to schools – elementary, high school and also Illinois State University – and, also, for people getting to places of employment, either uptown Normal or the University.”

The snow will not be removed from the trails until plowing of the streets has been completed and only during regular work hours, Little said. With a small amount of snow, a sweeper will usually be used. “We already sweep the trail a couple times a week,” he said.

Some other communities that remove snow from all or some of the trails include Cary, Chicago, Decatur, Oswego, Springfield and Urbana. The University of Illinois also removes snow from its paths. Madison County Transit will remove snow from trails in rare instances. “MCT does not remove snow from its bikeways, unless the bikeways are in the immediate area of the Park and Ride lots. Although most of our urban trails are asphalt, some of the rural trails are limestone screenings. Plowing limestone trails would damage or remove the surface of the trails,” managing director Jerry Kane said.

“Residents in the community use the trails for winter recreation and enjoyment that may include walking, running, and cross country skiing. It is important to us to maintain these resources for our residents,” said Katie Hughes of the Cary Park District, which removes the snow on the entire 5.5 miles of trails it maintains. “The type of equipment we use depends on how much is accumulated during a snowfall event. The vehicles and equipment in our fleet that are used to plow include a tractor with a snow blower, a John Deere gator with a plow, a skid steer with a plow, and a truck with a v-plow,” she said.

The Springfield Park District removes the snow from all of the district’s trails “because we still have people that walk on them and ride their bikes on them,” said Jason Graham, assistant superintendent of park maintenance for the Springfield Park District. The trails are wide enough to use a truck with a plow attached and the snow is removed from the trails once the park district in finished removing snow from the district’s parking lots, Graham said.

The Chicago Park District removes snow on trails they manage, such as the Major Taylor Trail and the Lakefront Trail, spokesperson Zvez Kubat said. “We remove the snow as often as possible just because there are so many people that use the Lakefront Trail and other trails,” she said. “We have a lot of runners and cyclists that use that trail year round.” Like many of the other communities that remove snow from trails, how Chicago removes the snow depends on how much snow there is. “For light snow, we attach a broom to one of our lawn mowers,” Kubat said. “If there are a couple of inches, a plow is attached to a smaller truck.”

In 2005, the Northeast Regional office of the Rails to Trails Conservancy did a survey of 100 rail-trails from across the country. Almost half of the trails were asphalt and, of those, only about one-third did snow removal.

Some communities may believe that the cost of removing the snow from trails would be too expensive. But, the cost may not be as prohibitive as you would think, particularly if no additional staff is needed.

Gary Little estimates that it will cost Normal an additional $3,500 a year for the trail snow removal, which includes the “cost for fuel, supplies, maintenance and repair of equipment.” The Friends of the Constitution Trail donated $8,500 for a snow blower attachment for the city’s Bobcat.

LIB urges trail-maintaining agencies to plow at least half of their trails’ width, benefiting both those who want a clear surface and those who prefer the snow (e.g., cross-country skiers). Priority should be given to the most popular trails and to trails lacking bike-friendly road alternatives for transportation.

This article was originally published in the quarterly Winter 2012 issue of  Illinois Bicyclist.

Mud, 2nd trashed derailleur of season & rides

(Photo credit: Melissa Kelly)

Saturday was the Afterglow CX race. It was odd to go to a Chicago CX race & not be doing registration. I had the luxury of sleeping in until after 7:30, when I was woken up by Christopher. = )

I did not get to do this race last year. I had gotten the doc's okay to be on the bike but not race CX yet; so, I rode at Palos. The course was great. Some climbs but sand, cornering, mud and fun.

I lined up and started like crap, which has been a trend this year. I was then starting to do quite good for me and was going back and forth with some ladies but kept making stupid falls in front of Kristina Young. After the second dumb crash/fall in the sand, Kristina ran into the back of me. Soon after, I realized that my rear derailleur was screwed up. If I tried going into easier gears, it started acting not happy and I knew I was in danger of a major mechanical. I kept contemplating switching to my pit bike but opted to mash the harder gears. A.) I figured the disc brakes had an advantage on the course. B.) My pit bike has bad toe overlap which would definitely be a disadvantage on that course. And, C.) Last time I rode the Trek, the brakes were barely working. Tom had adjusted them but I had not had a chance to ride it since then -- meaning, the brakes could be working perfectly OR the brakes could not be working at all.

I soon lost a few spots and finished 16th out of 20. Could I have beat a few other ladies? Possibly but not swapping was a good decision. After the race, I noticed that my bike had a lot less mud build up than ones without disc brakes. I also rode the Trek after the race -- the brakes still definitely needed tweaking so that would not have been good.

It was depressing to get the mechanical but great to start to feel like I was racing well again -- even if it was only for part of the race.

On a good note, Tom found a shop on the way home -- Kozy's -- that had the derailleur hanger. I was able to buy 2 so I have a spare. On a bad note, this is the second race this year that has killed a derailleur hanger on my bikes, with the other being the USGP when I had to run my bike for more than half a lap to come in at 40th place.

I didn't stick around to cheer so I could get to Kozy's. On Sunday, I had the prospect of not having to get up early to go to a CX race. I thought briefly about sleeping in but the chance to ride my mountain bike won out. I set the alarm for 7 a.m. (which was not terribly early, at least) so I could get in a ride at Palos before the trails thawed. It had been way too long since I was on my 29er. It was a mellow ride but a lot of fun. I also had perfect timing. On my last bit of single track, some mud was just beginning to stick to my tires.



The decision of the day is whether to sign up for Worlds. I found out this morning that the registration fees go up tonight.

Cold, CX & my Crux

This weekend were the Badger CX races in Verona. Saturday was brutally cold. When I got there it felt like 12 degrees. It felt like 8 degrees at the time of my race. The course was bumpy, bumpy, bumpy. My hand was not happy and the bumps made some of the turns very difficult.

The course has been described elsewhere, such as The Bonebell, in greater detail so I won't give a big description here. There were quite a few aspects that did not make it particularly suited for me -- namely there were two climbs, a run-up and a couple paved power sections. However, there was also some tight turns, dirt and/or rutted downhills & a sand pit. I prerode and warmed up with multiple layers including gloves with mittens over them. My fingers were numb for a bit of the race but, otherwise, I was okay temperature-wise. There were 10 of us at the line. It wasn't a great race for me. I managed to get ahead of some girls and then they would power past me or run past me on the climb. I was 9th, with Melissa unfortunately dropping out after a crash in the sand drew blood.

Sunday, I was hoping for a better performance from myself. The course was mostly the same. A few of the corners had been tweaked. The big change was a longer sand pit with a turn. I was psyched about the longer sand pit. My start was not horrible but definitely not good either. Again, I would get past a girl, only to be passed on a climb, run-up or power section. I ended up 8th out of 9. I had been hoping to reel in the 7th place girl and then almost ate it on the run-up. I avoided going face-first into the stairs but lost time. Still, I felt faster/stronger out there and managed to beat a woman who I have never beaten before, which was a personal victory.

I still don't feel like I'm at my A game and can hopefully still gain some more fitness by nationals. I keep going back and forth on Louisville from "definitely not doing it" to "possibly."

While I may not be at my A game, the bike is. The disc brakes were not essential but great to have. And, with the new PSIMET tubulars, it was not that noticeable of a weight penalty. I know I have said this before, but the geometry of the bike is great for me. In particular, I noticed it during the run-up this weekend. I can actually shoulder the bike and run. With the Trek, I could not grab the handlebars while shouldering and the seat would usually smack me in the head. The bike fit is in good form; now, I just need the motor to get there. I still have to experiment a bit with the tire pressure as well. I think I had it a little too soft on Saturday & I may have had it a twinge too high on Sunday.

Saturday is the Afterglow. I'm psyched. Last year, I had just gotten the okay to ride outside but not the okay to race CX yet. So, instead of going to the Afterglow, I rode at Palos -- still a great way to spend a day on the bike. = )

Montrose

(Photo courtesy of Amy Dykema.)

Sunday was the last CX race in the Chicago series. It is always awesome. I was bummed to not be able to race last year and so excited that I could do the last race in the series. So excited that I decided to race four times. I preregistered for the 30+, Women's 123 and 4B races. When I started volunteering at registration, I started a 4A wait list with my name on it and snagged the first DNS spot.

It was actually above 50 degrees in the morning, which was incredible and wonderful for a December race. I squeezed in one lap but was, otherwise, at registration until lining up for the 30+ race. The course had a gazillion sand pits, tight turns, a short muddy hike-up and climbing up the sled hill. It was mainly a good course for me -- except the sled hill climb and short run up. My hand was not happy with the bumpiness of the course but is very close to 100%.

The 30+ was really just a warm-up for the women's race. I definitely warmed up and wasn't last. I ended up 16th out of 21 (with 1 DNF) in the women's race. I think I could have snagged 15th if we had another lap. It wasn't an awesome performance but definitely good considering my time away with my broken hand.

After the first two races, I was back at registration until I lined up for the 4A race. The temperature had dropped 15-20 degrees. I decided to race with my heavy jersey underneath my PSIMET jersey and definitely was too warm. It's easy to forget how much body heat you generate doing a CX race.

I had decided beforehand to use the 30+ as a warm-up/pre-ride, race my butt off in the women's race & then have fun for the 4A & 4B. So, I did race. But, I also did stop several times for $ hand-ups. With my gloves I quickly found out that it is really hard to grab money while riding. So, I stopped and, at times, backed up to collect $. I ended up with $4 from the 4A & $8 from the 4B. Since I volunteered, I only had to pay $5 to race which meant I ended up $7 ahead. For the 4B race, I actually ended up in 52nd place.

(Photo courtesy of Amy Dykema.)

I felt fine afterwards but was exhausted by the time I got home. My body is definitely sore today.

The new bike & the new tires/wheels are totally awesome. I had several people tell me how hot my bike is. = )

Next on tap is Badger CX, which I had preregistered for before I broke my hand. I'll likely do the Afterglow as well. Nationals reg rates go up at the end of the week so I'll have to try to figure out what I plan to do. I'll likely reg for the age group race, which is Friday afternoon. The B race is early Wednesday morning and I'd likely have to drive up that day so I'm still going back and forth. I'm at 27 CX races for the year. I love, love, love CX.

(Thanks to Ronit Bezalel for making me appear fast.)

Jingle CX

On Wednesday morning I drove to my doctor's appointment as nervous as I am before a race. I was so happy when I found out I could ride outside again and race. I know the trainer and running are good for me and was really hoping it would help even out the six weeks of not racing.

We took the RV to my cousins on Thanksgiving and were on our way that evening with lots of leftovers, which was awesome. We got there between 12-1 p.m. on Friday. It was so great to be back on my bike and the new frame is awesome. The hand was sore and it was still difficult to brake with my right hand. Early in the race, I was able to pass a girl on the downhill, which rocked. As the race went on, the hand hurt more and I found that, if I didn't brake early on the downhill, I couldn't get my right hand to squeeze the brake at all. I didn't place well, which was disappointing, but was overall happy with how it went. I got some ice and iced my hand for the rest of the evening.

Saturday, it was raining. I rode the course, including Mt, Crumpit, and then found out that we wouldn't be going down the hill. I was ambivalent about it, knowing how much I suck at going up hills. The hand felt a little better. My start sucked almost as bad as it had on Friday night and I definitely could have raced better. I was okay with how it went but was hoping I would miraculously be back at my A game.

After my race, Christopher did the kids' race. This was a highlight of the weekend. He opted to ride his balance bike instead of his bike with pedals, which was a good race move. = ) It was much easier for him to get over the logs. He won a stuffed reindeer -- Clarice from the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer cartoon. He loves it and put the teddy bear he got at Jingle CX two years ago in the box with Clarice.

Then, things went totally downhill. The awning had blown off the RV before Christopher's race. Water started leaking in the RV and got into the electrical system, shorting out everything. No power to the fridge, no lights and we couldn't bring the slide out in. Tom was able to manually get the slide-out in but, he had been miserable the whole trip. We left to go get some caulk to fill the hole and ended up just driving home instead. We got home around 8 p.m., I think.

I decided to go back and race on Sunday. It was probably not my best decision but I have always loved this race. I was so bummed that I couldn't go last year and so excited that I had gotten the okay to race. Plus, I knew we'd probably get to do the technical downhill on Sunday. While my speed sucks, I am usually good at the technical aspects.

After loading up the car and getting Christopher to bed, I went to bed late and 3:30 a.m. came way too early. I got there earlier than I expected and, as a total bonus, found that my rain jacket and water bottle were still at the start, after forgetting them there the day before.

I prerode and found my hand was feeling better and that my brakes needed tweaking. The SRAM guys tweaked them three or four times for me. My start was a little better but then I just kept sliding backwards. I have the hardest time getting up Mt. Crumpit. Even walking, I have to really concentrate to keep from sliding back down. I braked way too much on the downhill but I was still concerned with the braking power of my right hand. I figured going too slow was better than taking it too fast and then not being able to use my right hand to brake. I wasn't dead last but I was only one off. I was pretty disappointed but knew that my exhaustion definitely didn't help.

Tom had decided last week that he didn't want to race since he's been sick and he didn't want to take parts off of his road bike to fix his CX bike. He couldn't get a refund so he transferred Sunday's entry to me. I sat in the car shivering with the heat on until everyone was lining up. We started and it was so obvious that my body was not up for another race. I figured I'd do a lap or two, get lapped and get pulled. On lap 2, I got lapped and happily thought that would be my last lap. I didn't get pulled. That last lap was so painful. I was DFL which I was totally fine with and was happy I came back and raced.

The Specialized Crux frame is awesome. I have no toe overlap and the frame seems to fit me so much better. I had no issues braking or shifting during the races -- well, except for hand-related issues. My old Crosswolf tires, however, sucked in the mud and I can't wait to get my PSIMET wheels. = )

I got home exhausted and then decided to check CrossResults.com. Even with the six weeks off the bike, I've done more than 20 races this year. I knew I had raced well that Friday night at the Golf Barn and CrossResults.com confirmed it. I actually have an upgrade point! Then, I got hyper which made sleeping difficult and Monday even worse. = )

I'm psyched to do Montrose. I'm going to do the 30+ as a warmup/preride, since it's hard to sometimes get those in when I'm volunteering at registration. I also plan to do at least one of the 4A & 4B; and, hopefully, both.

I'm registered for both days of Badger CX and the New Years races. I'll likely do the Afterglow. I'll probably do the age group race at Nationals but am unsure about the B race. If I did it, I would likely have to leave really frigging early that morning and I'd have to figure out how to get Christopher to school.

For biking, I think my hand is quite close to being 100% back. Now, if the rest of me could hurry up and get there. I still am having issues typing but realize that it will take a little time since I couldn't move two fingers for six weeks.