Wednesday, October 28, 2009

THANKS HYDRAPAK!



I handed over my new, Interbike-brought Hydrapak Morro (best frikkin pack EVER!) to a racer this week. In dire need, I called Matt at Hydrapak to inquire when this new UBERPAK may be available again (they are new).
He said "Did ya get the care-package we sent you yet?" I said no, and then told him I'd order my new Morro next week. I arrived at work today to find a large box from Hydrapak with my name on it. Inside it was a Cornucopia of hydrationy goodness. Like the water-proof covers! It was packed to the seams with Gel Bots, insulated tube assemblies, new FLUME paks, and a couple of STREAMLINE paks. WOW, these guys are just frikkin amazing. They take such great care of us, why WOULDN'T we want them in our booth hangin' out at Interbike? LOVE these guys, and their products. You do too, don't you? Yes, yes you do.....

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Oh My God.


This is Backboner and DH racer Austin Benge. This is how he was dressed for his high school homecoming activities. This is frikkin awesome. Sponsors take note: You too can reach this prime demographic! Sweet Moses I can't wait to blow this up and send it to everyone he knows. Love it.

Almost Ready; First Look At Sean's Carbide XC1



All I have left to do is run the front derailleur cable and bleed out/install the rear brake..but here's the ALMOST finished project. Sean is away in PA today racing on his hardtail, completely unaware of how bad-ass his new rig is going to be upon his return. With 4" of travel in the rear, this bike will weigh what his hardtail weighs..if not a touch less. That is SWEET!




The SUNLINE portion of the build kit keeps this bike durable and light, with things like the rarely seen aluminum flat XC bar, V1 stem in 110mm, Sunline seatpost and black saddle. The grips are the color-matching-to-our-jerseys light blue Sunline lock ons! The stuff looks great in the grey color.


The bike is a mix of XT and STX parts, with some spendy new XPEDO XMF4AT Ti xc pedals thanks to Ken Yamakoshi and Xpedo. roll: bikes in Columbus helped out with the drivetrain parts, and SIGMA graciously provided the BC 1706 super-computer. Tires are the new-favorite KENDA DRED TRED in the rear (1.8 casing) and the KENDA BLUE GROOVE up front (2.1 casing).


How do you make a TOMAC CARBIDE look frikkin mind-blowing and give it a huge performance boost? Add a set of RED spoked SPINERGY DISC wheels to it, that's how! So here she is guys. sad thing is, Sean's season all but over after this weekend, so there may not be much but some sick winter riding reports from him on the new bike until May!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

'Cross Bob!




Hey Chris!
These are some pics from the Long Beach CX race, taken by PMBC member and TransWorld Motocross stud "FoFo" Forrest Hayashi. I finally broke my 14 streak, but with a 13! I got a good warm-up in and even got to the start early. But with 53 guys fighting for position before the first turn, unfortunately trying not to get involved in a crash is just as important as getting out front. The hot 70 mile ride I did on Saturday didn't exactly make me spry either (to quote some old guy I know). Lot and lots and lots of turns and super-lumpy gopher-holed grass made passing tough as well. I lost a few places on the 3rd lap, and had trouble with the sand pit, but I was able to rally back and pass 4 or 5 guys on the last lap. Brant ended up 2 places ahead of me in 11th. Thanks to Rog, V, Cheyne and Keyontae for cheering, see you next time!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Dirt Bags In Dirt Rag!


Thankfully, this is NOT the photo you will see in NEXT MONTH'S ISSUE OF DIRT-RAG MAGAZINE! One lucky Backboner's picture has been selected from a fistfull I sent in last week. I don't know which one it will be yet, but it's probably one of Darter's photos and it will be in the back of the mag, in "Rider's Eye." Look for it freaks!

Jim Roff's Childhood Dream



When Backbone's very own cracker-ass-cracker Jim Roff was a young boy walking the streets of Eagle Rock, he dreamt of one day becoming the greatest break dancer that ever lived. He spent hours strolling the barrio with his 4' X 4' square of double laminated cardboard, just in the off chance he could imitate some of the moves laid before him in his favorite film (even to this day), "Breakin' 2, Electric Boogaloo." It was during a dance-off that Jim would suffer a major injury that would never again allow him to partake of the street-side voodoo that was breakin'. While performing a perfect "inch-worm" maneuver, Jim's spine severed so badly, he had a mass of convulsions that actually would win him the dance contest! Unbeknownst to the spectators, who had simply thought he was "popping and locking," Jim was permanently damaged. The shame of not earning that trophy would haunt Jimbo for years, and led him to cycling in an attempt to forget about his past as the greatest caucasian break dancer of all time. Please take a moment of silence for Jim and all the other white break-dancers out there who's dream were dashed. They are not alone...

Monday, October 19, 2009

The Tookie Ride!




This week Tookie and I are desperately trying to get together for a ride half way between place and mine. Scioto Trails are located about halfway between his place in Kentucky, and our home here in C-Bus. It's supposed to be a great place to ride, and rarely ridden because of it's location. Lots of mud, roots and rocks await from what I have read...and that makes me smile...even if just for a little bit. The weather here has turned, and it has been in the low 30's all week. As long as we don't get ICE..we should have a really fun ride. Wish you all could come!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

B.A.C. Welcomes KMC Chain!





Bentley over at KMC Chain just e-mailed me back, and was happy to say that he and KMC's world-renowned and super-bad-ass chains will be sponsoring Backbone Adventure Cycling for 2010! Most of the team riders already use them, so it won't be much of a stretch for them. Stop them at a race next season and ask about the durability and smooth shifting of the KMC chains. Thanks to Bentley and KMC for the nod of approval!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

'Cross Vegas (Bob)!



Here are a couple of GREAT shots of Vegas Bob racing another Cross race on a mountain bike mod. The photos were snapped by Joe Lawill during last weeks' race. Bob is sweeping the course on purpose, just to make sure all the guys get in safely...or at least that's what he told me. For a guy who got top five at Sea Otter in Short Track, he sure is having some trouble racing 'cross. Maybe it's all those nights out at the Rick Astley concerts....

Monday, October 12, 2009

New Pic Of Randy!


Here's a shot of Randy "Fecal Freak" Rush lined up at the Bonelli unification race for the U.S. Cup! He is apparently either:

A) Crapping his pants

B) Realizing that his liver just failed

C) Watching his wife make out with the pool boy, Sergio

D) All of the above

Natural Solvents





In elementary school we all learned about "natural solvents." These include wind and water, which given enough time can move (or REMOVE) mountains. Scraping away and eroding solid rock, natural solvents peel away the surface of just about anything given enough time. As a cyclist, I feel that the scientific community has left that list a wee bit short. There are numerous other things out in the great wide world that cause scrapes and the peeling back of flesh and bone. For me, water and wind only begin to scratch the surface. Hey! See what I did there? "...scratch the surface," get it? Wow...just amazing really...ok, back to the story.




**The hike to Cascade Falls near Navajo Lake, Utah is a prime example of natural forces at work.**

Asphalt should be upgraded to the list of natural solvents. While blasting down the back of Highway 33 from Big Bear to Redlands, I peeled a tire off a rim at about 60 mph. I can assure that the "erosion" of my shorts, gloves, hair, skin and muscle tissue happened on a much faster scale than the marching of the glaciers. Asphalt is often misconstrued as bowel trouble, but it is in fact a very dense and scrabbly form of roadbed. I liken it to a bunch of broken bits of glass while my helmet is skipping across it at stupid speeds.

Tree bark is also in need of some upward mobility. Long destined for it's job as protector of the tree, this splintery and jagged surface should also be moved into the realm of "natural solvent." As a mountain biker hurls his/her body through the woods with reckless abandon, the aforementioned item stands in silent opposition to the intrusion on it's turf. It waits patiently until that anodized purple ONZA H.O. bar end you have had since 1993 bull-horns it's master. It springs to life, separating skin from sinew and turning what was once a single collar bone into two entirely different things. Bark's work as a natural solvent happens significantly faster than the wind and sand eroding the great temple of Karnak.

I am not able to change such things as the table of natural solvents, but when I do get that invitation to Geneva for the scientific summit, rest assured that I will be well prepared to argue the case for all cyclists.

Oh..I forgot one. Front bumpers are also damn fine natural solvents. I think we can all agree on that!


**The 1955 Mercury Montclair in Sea Foam Green. My first car, and the last thing I would want to see on a bike ride.**

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Love For Isaac.



Remember The Love Boat? What a great show, seriously. I always loved how every time the guests would arrive, and a woman of ANY ethnic variety would appear in front of cruise-director "Julie," the show's title ended up being "Love For Isaac." You remember Isaac, don't you? He was the small and funny bartender who seemed to have a secret Wonka-vator behind every bar on the ship. Martini on the Lido-deck? He was there. Margarita in the Ballroom? On it! Well...Vegas Bob is kinda' in "the same boat." OK, that sucked, sorry..but hear me out. We all try very hard to get Bob some action, and so every time we see a photo of him with a woman (real or imagined), we post a blog entitled "Love For Isaac." Here he is at Interbike with his new lady-friend, Birch. They will live very happy for some time, as witnessed by Bob's creepy man-stare at what he mistakenly is assuming are her two faces. Look up, Bob...look up!

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Randy Checking In...Hammered.



Captn. Douche nozzle,



What going on man? I would imagine that it’s getting a little cool in your neck of the woods just like it is at Timari’s trailer park, anyhoo I wanted to send a note because I went riding this past weekend at mnt. Laguna (and not noble canyon) were I have never ridin before. About eight guys and girls from our Wednesday night ride group went early Saturday morning which made it that much more fun it was absolutely outstanding riding.



I can’t tell you any of trail names because I drink to much and can’t remember things like that but it was about a sixteen mile loop and 90% of it was single track with 1727’ feet of elevation gain (sigma Roxy 8.0) with killer downhill and at one point we were at the top of noble canyon but then went off in another direction.



One thing I wanted to right up was I got to use my Hydrapak Laguna for the first time (thanks Matt) and everyone on the ride was saying how bitchin that thing is and how big it is (the pack knucklehead) so I told them I had a pizza in it for any break in the riding but I wasn’t sharing, anyway the Laguna was awesome and my new computer was way cool to, to be able to see the amount of accent was cool. Man we have the greatest sponsors thanks for everything to all off them. And of course my Snyper was just badass as always.



Hope you enjoying the new ride yourself.



Talk at ya later Captn.



Randy

What's Old Is New?

The SIMON...a direct link to U.S.E.'s early 90's offering showcased at Anaheim Interbike?

In cycling, as in fashion, what's old is often new again...given enough time for people to forget about the original designers and designs. VPP rear ends? Most think of Santa Cruz now, but it started at Outland. Single Pivot rear ends have also had a HUGE comeback thanks to stable-platform rear shocks. Don't even get me started on fixies..
As I walked the show this year in Vegas, I saw much to-do about the new front fork from Cannondale, the "Simon." My mind immediately raced to where I had seen that thing before (albeit with one more leg). At one of the old Interbike shows in Anaheim, U.S.E. had a very modest booth showcasing a triple-clamp DH fork. It was crazy. I always remembered this thing, thinking it would revolutionize suspension forks. I never saw it again after the show, and figured they had just run into some design flaw they could not get over at that time. Walking by the Cannondale booth sparked that memory like wildfire. The U.S.E. shock looked EXACTLY the same (control button on the bars, wires leading into the top of the fork, etc.) with two legs. The dampening leg that the wires fed into had a gas-filled chamber. When the button was depressed, it took about a millisecond and the gas was fed a positive charge, binding the molecules together and making the fork rigid. Simon is clearly technologically superior since aboutalmost twenty years have passed..but it IS interesting to see what looks like another sweet old design coming back again...you know..like when Bert lines up to race xc! ooooohhh...burrrrrnnn....

Anyhow..if anyone has any photos or info on that old fork, PLEASE send them to me, I'd love to see how similar they actually are!

Website Back Up Tonight!




FINALLY! After dealing with every Pakistani in "customer service" who said our domain name wasn't in their hands (it was), we FINALLY managed to get it transfered to girlmuse.com for it's new hosting home. They have assured me that it will be about in about three hours. Note to corporate entities....outsourcing your "customer service" is beginning to wear on the public at large.

"Hello. My name is Steve, how can I help you?"



Funny...you damn sure don't sound like a "Steve."

NOW when I need help (via girlmuse.com), it's "Hello, this is Lydia!"


That's better....:)

Monday, October 05, 2009

The Hydrapak Morro



OK, so I must say that the new MORRO from Hydrapak is evolution at it's finest. I hate chest straps on hydration packs, and typically they are met with a sharp knife blade right out of the box. The MORRO's chest and waist straps ( I NEVER use the waist straps. Ever.) were so perfectly placed and comfortable, I actually forget I had them buckled up after I began my ride this morning. Coming off the old (four years now?) Hydrapak I have, the new MORRO's design upgrades and materials were startling. From the design of the interior spaces that held all the metal bits and tools tight and quiet, to the shape of the shoulder straps and narrow pack layout..the MORRO was the most non-hydration-pack-hydration pack I have ever used. Oh, and the magnet-thingy that keeps the hose in check and easily accessible? Money.

Thanks for making the best packs on the market, and for continuing to let the delinquents here at Backbone Adventure Cycling be your test-monkeys.

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Take Me With You!


Winter is fast approaching here in CBus. The temperature has dropped thirty degrees in the past four days, and we had a frost advisory this morning. Out West, it's about a bazillion and a quarter degrees and the riding is probably perfect. Here it's pleasant...but not for long. A cold wind is blowing down from the North and the winter's drapery will be upon us sooner rather than later. While the tasty singletrack of home beckons me in my sleep, the thought of sandbags in the truck bed for added traction are looming in my reality. Having to stare longingly at a bike destined for several months to sit on a trainer whilst football is watched is a sad story. You guys will be chillin' at Sycamore, drinking a beer and staring into the sea near Pt. Mugu for a glimpse of the elusive Humpback Whale on it's voyage south. Please take us with you..Luka doesn't eat much, and I think Lyd eats even less (yay for me!). Please....




"Bueller?"

Vanessa & Cheyne IN For Vision Quest!

The view from Upper Holy Jim Trail



Once here, the only way to go (for now) is DOWN....




Stream crossing in Black Star Canyon.



The event sold out in about five seconds again this year, but we got TWO Backboners in for the crazy death-march! Starting at 5a.m on Saturday MARCH 20th, the riders will embark on a journey through the Santa Ana Mountains that would crush mere mortals....except Vegas Bob, who's Ultra Quest race is by far the more demanding of the two. the ride covers 56.5 miles of fire-road and singletrack, with an elevation total of 11,000 feet. It sold out in an instant. The photo ops in those mountains (between the Pacific Ocean and The Inland Empire) are numerous and worthy. This is the playground for MANY top Pro DH and XC racers, so it's gonna be a BLAST!