Doors Close, Doors Open

Break out the hammer and WD-40. Time to chip away the rust on this frozen blog and portion of my brain that allegedly enjoys writing. Listen closely and you can hear the cracking and groaning across the Internet, last post nearly a year ago. Life is busy, morphs and moves on.

After a series of misadventures, I find myself unemployed after 15 years with same company. Considering I wasn't exactly digging the last year or so, probably a good thing in the long run. Interviews and poking at possible jobs in progress, looking forward to something new. Having a few weeks off to clear the brain also not a bad result of this opportunity, though loss of income certainly a concern. Hopefully, something cool on the horizon.

On the bike front, been getting out sporadically on the 29er. At times solo, other times with my 16 year old son, the former semi-serious racer. Me on the now 5 year old bargain Sette hardtail that still works for old school me. With 80mm of fork travel and 72 degree head angle, outdated compared to modern trail oriented bikes currently on the market. Feel free to snicker at the 120mm stem and bar ends while you're at it. Son Ian piloting the Santa Cruz Bronson we picked up last summer, great bike and worth considering if you're so inclined.

To finish off this post on a cool note, pictured is a friend of my son with the vintage '97 Specialized FSR he purchased off us a few months ago. I picked it up from coworker pal quite awhile ago, thinking someone on my former junior high mountain bike team would be interested. That never happened and the bike collected dust in the garage.

After loaning the bike a few times to my son's pal to share rides, his dad came over and bought it for him. It's since been used almost daily, with occasional visits to the Stevens Pass mountain bike park. The kid is digging riding and that's all that really matters.

It doesn't matter what you ride, just ride.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Scored some free Mariner tickets at work for the Friday night game. Baseball fan I'm not, but son Ian is and I knew he'd enjoy going. He's only been to one other MLB game and was so young, doesn't remember any of it. Boss Man at work was giving away 4 tickets, so a coworker and I split the booty.

Super nice weather, great seats, stuffed our face on overpriced food, had fun with coworker dude and his girlfriend, since we all sat together - really nice people. He also shares the New Jersey homeland experience, so we get a kick about sharing NJ stories. Ian had a good time and actually paid attention to the game - as opposed to me - who was just enjoying the scene.

On the way home, stopped by the used car lot that's offering the boat sized Chevy wagon I tested a few days ago. Lot was closed, but the car was unlocked, so Ian and checked it out once again. I crawled under there once more with a flashlight to convince myself it's too rusty to purchase. Everything I see is just surface rust, no structural damage. Yeah, eventually there will be - years down the road. Still weighing it out, but I've already dismissed it - I guess.

On the bike front, can feel summer drawing to a close. One commute last week in 55 degree temps and pouring rain. One ride home finished in darkness after getting stuck at work late. Yup, will need to charge up the lights soon. Summer went by quick. Too quick.

Solo mountain bike ride this afternoon. With the rain - dusty conditions have improved - trails in great shape. Solo ride means I could push the pace a bit, so I did. At speed, the 29er still works really well, even with a hardtail. Besides the rolling smoothness of it all, you can feel the cornering benefits over a 26 wheel bike. It just plain works. Sure, I wish it was maybe 3 pounds lighter at times - but that just being picky. Overall, it rocks and so did the trails today.

Over 'N" Out.....

The Tour - Double Meaning

Ian and I played tour guide today for a ride at St Ed/Finn Hill, our local wooded stomping grounds. Fellow bike nut and work pal, Brian, scheduled to met us, along with his pal Rob - new to mountain biking, but has been hitting the road a bit and comes complete with a BMX background at no additional charge. Brian and Rob are also band mates, playing in a band titled Fall on Fall. Brian actually plays in a few bands - pretty cool.

When Ian and I headed over to the park, cloudy and 63 degrees - a nice break from the 90+ degrees we experienced last week. I bike commuted almost every day last week and was dragging by Friday. Took two days off and today I felt pretty good. We gave Brian and Rob the full tour, about 12 or so miles of fun singletrack. Newbie Rob did just fine, as did Brian. Despite a mid ride upset stomach, Ian rode great today. He has a habit of almost draining his entire Camelback in the beginning of the a ride (burp). He wound up with a 15 mile day, almost all of it singletrack. He continues to impress me with his riding, especially for a 10 year old. That's my boy!

My 29er experiment also continues and I dig more after every ride. I'd now consider myself converted - for hardtails - there's no going back to 26" wheels. The 29er rolls faster, feels smoother, and is more stable. Sometimes on a really tight switchback, you can feel the extra length - but not a big deal. For my alleged riding style, it all works great. This was maybe my 10th ride on the rig and it's flowing nice. I can even wheelie it now, which felt a little weird before. Overall, I'm totally digging the 29er deal. Yabba Dabba Do.

After heading home, we checked out the other Tour - the real one - as in France. Watched the Verses coverage and Lance take a beating - 3 crashes in one day. I don't think Lance crashed 3 times in the previous 8 Tours. In any case, he is out of the running now - many minutes down. It was cool to see Andy Schleck take the stage win and Cadel Evens get a yellow jersey. Lance will presumably work for Levi now, who is still in the GC running.

Seeing Lance continue on in his battered and beaten state, actually makes me more of a fan then when he was untouchable. Say what you want about him - the doping allegations, only focusing on the Tour, whatever - the Lance version 2 has proven to be the real deal, bad-ass, pro rider. I doubt we'll see anyone else pull off 7 Tour wins in a row anytime soon - if ever. In some ways, Lance is the Eddy Merckx of our generation, and there's no denying what he's contributed to cycling - especially in the U.S.

I for one, will miss him in next year's Tour.

Race Day at Duthie Hill

Yesterday was officially declared race day. Ian and I did battle at the kickoff race for the spanking new Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park. First race ever held at this very fun facility, so maybe we're now part of history - mountain bike history that is.

We hit Duthie Hill last weekend for some exploring and trail recon for the race. After seeing the trails, we were looking forward to racing on 'em, and so we did.

The race was part of the Subway Washington Games and benefited the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance - some of the folks who put Duthie Hill Park on the map. They deserve some support after all the work they do, keeping local mountain bikers happy.

Ian's race kicked off at 9:00 AM, good and early. We were out of the house with enough time to allow for the usual pre-race festivities - breakfast, drive over, unload bikes, register and warm up a bit. Weather was in the 50s and damp, with a few sprinkles thrown in, but no real rain. Great racing weather, but maybe not so great for spectating.

Ian turns 11 next month, so he raced in the Junior Boys 11 - 14 age bracket for this race - first time with the "big boys". I also didn't follow behind, as I have for the last two seasons of racing in the 10 and Under class. Ah, they grow up so fast.

Boys and girls, aged 11 - 14, scheduled to race 5 miles, two 2.5 mile laps. The younger kids, 10 and under, do half that - so one lap at 2.5 miles. After scoping the place out last weekend, I had no reservations about sending Ian out to race on his own. Impossible to get lost and easy to reach in case of flat or crash. I popped his cell phone in the Camelback for emergency use. No real worries, but of course I was a little nervous while he was out there.

Ian stares me down from the center of the start line. Nice turnout of kids for this race, always great to see, since they're the future of this sport. Kid on Ian's left, Scott, is insanely fast for an 11 year old. We know Scott from the Indie Series over the previous two seasons. Not to spoil the ending, but he easily won this race as well - no contest.

I recognized this kid, Aaron, from the Indie Series as well.

A few racers from the Boys 10 and Under class. Kid in green rounds the last corner for the win.

Scott powers his way to a win in the 11-14 class. Looking good.

Young girl hitting the course with the boys. Always cool to see girls racing, sport needs more of 'em.

Ian out on the course. Go Ian go.

Ian comes around for the last lap. The new bike I built up for him has been working out super - even better then I expected.

Post race drink, courtesy of free PowerAde given away at the race. Ian finished back of the pack in this race, something like 14th place of 16 racers. He's only been on the bike a few times this spring, so a little out of practice. Plus, both his shoelaces came untied during the race, requiring a stop to untangle and tie 'em back up - whoops. I honestly could care less what place he scores, as long he had fun, didn't get hurt, and it remains a positive experience. After the race, he asked when is the next one - so all is good in Race Land.

Short video clip of Ian in action. I've had hit and miss results of posting video directly to Blogger, so giving Vimeo a shot. Take a gander.....

Untitled from Dan O on Vimeo.

Later in the afternoon, I was scheduled to race in the Mens 45+ Sport class. Race is a relative term, at least when I'm on the course. I'm slow - not being modest here - if I can finish anywhere in the middle of the pack, I'm doing better then usual. I've been dragging for weeks with work, home and other family festivities - combined with riding quite a bit. I'm just not recovering or resting enough. Simple fact. Oh, and I'm getting old - can't forget that.

While I was warming up, I knew I was in trouble. I had nada, zilch, absolutely nothing in my legs. It's gonna be a long afternoon. I could have bailed, but went for it anyway and headed to the start line. We were scheduled for three 5 mile laps - so 15 miles total. Start line official mentioned they would stop recording times after 2 hours. Lucky for me, that little bit of info stuck in my defective brain for later use. On the start line, about 16 guys in the 45+ class, with another few in the 55+ class to leave with us - but scored separately. Behind us, Sport class women ready to rock after a minute interval.

Boom, well maybe a shuffled boom, and we all pull away from the line. I'm already off the back as we complete the gravel road drag race to the singletrack entrance. I catch up in the singletrack section and hang on to the pack for a short distance - remember passing one dude - then I'm dropped for good. Race now turns into a solitary time trial grind through the woods. I see no one except for a few women racers who catch and pass me later in the race. On my last lap, some Expert level dudes come up behind, warming up for their race. They politely hang back, until I let 'em pass - with them thanking me and offering encouragement.

I only race occasionally, so you almost forget how painful it is. Yeah, it's fun - in a sick twisted way - but make no mistake, it hurts. If you've never raced, but think your "training rides" are hard, it's not the same until you pin on a number and really race. Trust me on that. Give it a try.

The Duthie Hill course was big fun - lots of singletrack, a few short steep climbs, and a gravel road or two. There's really no rest though, even on the descents, due to the technical singletrack. By the third lap, I felt like pummeled dog food and couldn't wait to finish. By now I was crawling a stupid, slow pace. Finish line, where are you?

As I was limping along in survival mode, overheard the race announcer through the woods, mentioning someone crossing the line at one hour and something minutes. I glance at my watch and resolve to finish before the two hour cut off, fried legs and burning lower back be damned.

I crank it up a bit and rail the last singletrack section, then pop out into the clearing and cross the line in one hour and forty seven minutes. A pitifully slow time, but a personal victory for me. Out of the twelve 45+ Sport racers posted on the results, I come in 12th place. Lame, I know.

I don't know how many DNF'd or missed the cut off - maybe none. In any case, for how crappy I felt, I'm glad I finished and pushed it a bit at the end - even in my toasted state. I'm not complaining and still looking forward to the next race. Yeah, I guess I'm loopy. Pay $30 to get pummeled and come in dead last. And I wanna do it again - soon.

Race featured some great singletrack. Here I'm sampling a section and pondering why I race.

Cruising around for yet another lap of fun, frolicking and pain.

Video proof of me in action. Ian pulling off a nice job manning the camera......

Duthie Hill Race from Dan O on Vimeo.

As a side note, the 29er experiment continues, and the new Sette Razzo 29er worked great on the course. The stinging lower back did remind me however, that a hardtail it is, despite the 29 inch rear wheel. Overall, it felt just fine, thank you. The RockShox Reba SL fork works fantastic. The Kenda Small Block 8 tires continue to impress. With that tread pattern, you'd think they would slide everywhere, not the case - and they roll really well. The Razzo, complete bike at $1200 is a screaming deal.

One last video clip. Some Expert level dudes rocking a sketchy section of singletrack. Pictures lie a bit - it's steeper then it looks.....

Duthie Hill Race - Expert Class from Dan O on Vimeo.

Overall, even though Ian and I both got our asses kicked - we had a great time. Stopping at our favorite Mexican place on the way home was an added bonus. Awesome father/son day out.

Also have to mention how well this race was run. Everything went off on time, race results posted in minutes. Race fee included a t-shirt, PowerAde, Clif Bars, and bottled water. Medals for the kid racers, no matter what place they scored. Food and beer also available for purchase. Great job all around.

Like father, like son. Cool, eh?

And with that - adios. Thanks for reading. Now go find a race to enter and create your own story.

Sunday Ride

After a hectic weekend, quick ride at St Ed/Big Finn Hill, late Sunday afternoon. Nothing exciting to report, just a few pictures to post......

Ian checks out the sunset over Lake Washington. One trail at St Ed State Park heads down to a small beach type area. There are other trails that lead to the water, but only one that allows bikes. Nice wide downhill, but needs to be crawled down due to hiker, dog walkers, and other folks out as well. Pretty decent climb to get back out, the only real climb of the area.

Me, sitting on a log, looking pretty goofy - my speciality.

Ian eyes up the bikes, in case they make a run for it. Under the log, a mouse poked his head out a few times, but disappeared once the camera came out. A rare camera shy species of rodent, only found in the Pacific Northwest. Look it up. It's true, I swear....

Second dirt ride on Ian's new steed. Tweaked front derailleur shifts much better, but still not perfect - a few dropped chains while hitting the small ring. I've never had this much hassle setting up a derailleur before. Might be a LX crank/chainline issue. I'll tweak it some more before the next ride. Since I swapped the stem over, Ian mentioned the lower handlebars feel better.

Overall, he's digging the bike and cleaned a few technical sections, where he'd stumble on previous rides. He also mentioned this bike climbs better then his 24" wheel Specialized. New rig is also really light, I need to weigh it and find out the actual poundage.

Second real ride on the new Sette Razzo as well. I like it - a lot. Handles and feels great, the 29er wheels do seem to roll easier. So far, so good. I need to get more dirt miles on it - some faster solo rides as well. I still plan to pick up a seat post with a little setback, as well install my bar ends.

That's all for now.....

New Bikes Hit Dirt !!

Coming off a crazy 60+ hour work week, complete with 15 hour Friday to top it off - including a 1:00 AM bike commute home - no time to tweak the new Sette Razzo 29er to my specs until Saturday afternoon rolled around.

Why the long hours? Side project at work editing a corporate video soon to be shown at a large meeting. Pro editor I'm not, but have done a fair amount of editing at home, so was drafted into action. Adding that project to my normal workload was nuts, but the editing was fun and we'll see what kind of reaction it gets. Lots of goofy humor involved - not the usual corporate deal.

Late Saturday afternoon I finally had time to swap some parts on the Sette - seatpost, saddle, stem and handlebars. Some neighborhood buzzing around confirmed a better fit. Bike felt good and I was looking forward to hitting some trails on Sunday. Ian was looking forward to riding his new rig on dirt as well.

After killing most of Sunday looking at cars to replace my dead one (didn't buy anything), Ian and I hit the local woods late in the afternoon - just a quick singletrack cruise to feel out the new bikes. Having woods rideable from the house - man, we're lucky.

Ian races the pilotless Sette. Dude, 29ers rolls so well, they can win on their own. All the marketing shtick is true....

In the end, Ian pulls away on his new steed. Go Ian go.

Repeat official sign shot, this time with new bikes. The 29er wheels still look weird to me - they're just plain big. It rides well though - really well. Compare 'em against the 26" wheels on Ian's bike. Freaky, huh?

I am SWOBO man - hear me roar.

Swapped the Sette branded 'bar and 100mm stem for the 120mm Race Face stem and LP carbon bar that I was running on my Cannondale. Fits better and a bit lighter to boot. I plan to pick up a new flat bar, slightly wider, then install with the stem right side up. The Sette has a short 3.5" headtube which helps lower the front end, since 29er frames are a bit tall in the front. This lets you get the bars a little lower - what I like. I'll probably reinstall my bar ends as well - call me Dork Boy - I miss 'em, even if currently unfashionable.

Sette branded seatpost and saddle swapped out for my old Thomson post and old school Flite saddle, both off my Cannondale. I'll replace the seatpost with one sporting some setback soon. The Razzo frame has a steep 74 degree seat tube and I want the seat back about 1/2 inch to get my knee a bit behind the pedal spindle (my usual set up). Saddle is currently slammed back as far as possible.

Sette ready to roll with bottle cages and spare tube under the red saddle - not sure if I dig the red on this bike. I may search for a black Flite saddle. Maybe not. Cast your vote now.

Ian's Access with a mixture of new and used parts finally gets dirty. A few tweaks still needed in the shifting department and handlebar width - a tad too narrow.

The Sette Razzo felt great on the trails. Steers well, feels snappy, and the 29 wheel size does seem to roll faster. Just a short ride, but I dig it so far. The SRAM drivetrain shifts great and the RockShox Reba SL fork is like buttah - nice. It's a great bike and a killer deal - can't beat that combo. I'm looking forward to spending more time on it.

Ian's first ride on his new steed went okay - some adjustment needed. Ian mentioned it felt bigger then his 24" wheel bike and a bit harder to corner. Towards the end of the ride, he was readjusting his cornering style and getting it. He mentioned the bike felt smoother then his old bike, no doubt the Fox fork playing a part in that.

Shifting woes marred Ian's ride some. Partly the bike's fault - bike shifted fine in the workstand and during test rides - but not in the woods. Rear shifting went off, later corrected by me in the garage. Front shifting was off as well, still need to sort that out. Also a learning curve for Ian moving from his old Gripshift setup to the XTR paddle shifters. With practice he'll get it and I'll sort the front derailleur out during the week. Once fully sorted and a little more riding time, this bike should work well for him.

We took a few short videos on the ride, but Google Blogger ain't happy uploading 'em for some reason. I gave up after a few attempts. I wonder if the Amish have these problems?

We'll hit the trails again next weekend and continue to "test" our new bikes. This is one test I don't mind studying for.

Sette Razzo 29er - The Big Wheels Arrive

As mentioned ad nauseam over the last few blog posts - Project Access and me scoring a 29er - the wait is over. The new and very shiny Sette Razzo 29er arrived last Thursday. Late Friday night Wrench-O-Thon brought it to light, as well as Ian's Access - hence the 2:00 AM finish for both projects. Yes, I said "hence". My 8th grade English teacher would be proud.

A few reasons and thoughts on why I went with the Sette....

1. Killer price. Cruise through catalogs or the Internet and price out the build kit. I challenge you to come up with the same build for less. A similar spec'd Specialized Stumpjumper Comp 29er is $1850, though I had a local shop quote me $1650. The Scott Scale 29er I also checked out lists for $1650, though REI sells it for $1500. Niner with a similar build is over $2000. The Sette delivered to my door was $1240. See what I mean? Plus I have 30 days to ride and return if I don't dig it. The frame itself also has a 5 year warranty. Great set up.

I hate to harp on dough as I have over the last few posts, but being the single paycheck family of four dictates I do so - especially for bicycle related gear. Bikes are important to me, but so is feeding the family and other normal expenses. You get the picture.

2. Curious about the Sette business model. I've kicked around the online bike company idea in my head for quite awhile - pipe dream for sure - but fun to research. When it comes down to it, for production based bikes, most are made in Asia - even the U.S. boys do this - Trek, Specialized, Kona, etc. Designed here and made off-shore. Sette does this as well, but sells direct, offering big savings. I'm completely overstating here, but in some ways, you're paying for paint and stickers. Sounds sacrilegious, but when you dig into the industry a bit, there is some truth to this - especially at this price level. So, I was curious to order one up on my own dime and check out the experience.

Official Disclaimer: Sounds contradictory, but I'm all for the local bike shop as well - especially if they support the local riding scene. I personally don't really need shop support - I do all my own work, I'm the ex-bike shop rat myself, and feel I know quite a bit about all this bike tomfoolery - but I do appreciate what a good shop provides to the local area. In the past, I've done the full on custom build from a local shop, and bought bikes off the floor as well. I also try to steer folks to shops I think are cool.

However, where bikes are manufactured and how they're sold has changed greatly over the last 10 years or so. I think really successful shops may require a blend of storefront and online sales. Speedgoat would be a good example if this. The online business model does fit some customers, not all - but some.

3. It's all about the frame - right? In a lot of ways I agree, the frame is the soul of the bike. In the past I've owned and still own bikes from Fat Chance, Ibis, Bridgestone, Cannondale, and Ellsworth. Not exactly the low end lot of bikes, nor without character or soul if you will. I've read good reviews on the Sette frame from actual owners. I'm curious to see how a lower cost frame stacks up against what I've ridden in the past.

The whole branding and marketing aspect of the bike industry also interests me greatly - so a little experiment for me to ride a "mail order" bike. Will I be allowed to sit with the cool kids at lunch?

Man, how was that for a psychotic Ramble-O-Fest of an intro? I think about and analyze this bike stuff WAY too much. I'll shut up now, call around for a shrink, and finally give a little a tour of the new wheels......

Big brown box arrived in a big brown truck. Box even say's "Sette" on the side, so it must be a real company.

Bike was impressively packaged for shipping. Double boxed, everything zip tied, bubble wrapped and correctly done. Awesome job - I'm serious. Kudos to Sette on shipping.

Easy assembly: Swing stem around and tighten, install handlebars to stem, install front wheel and pedals, grease and slide seatpost into frame (saddle already attached). Bike shifted fine right out of the box. I had to adjust the front brake to remove a little drag, set correct air pressure in Rock Shox fork. That's it - nice job again Sette. Of course, I've assembled loads of bikes in the past. Still, anyone with a bit of riding experience and minor wrenching ability should have no problem.

Rock Shox Reba SL fork, FSA Orbit headset, Deore hub laced to Mavic 719 rim (double butted spokes and alloy nipples), Avid Elixir CR brake, and Kenda Small Block 8 tire complete the front end.

SRAM X.9 derailleur handles the rear shifting duties. Shimano cassette, complete with 11 - 36 gearing - nice touch for a 29er, since you lose some low end gearing with the larger wheel. Plastic spoke protector will soon become a Frisbee.

SRAM X.7 front derailleur and Truvativ Stylo 3.3 crankset. Both budget minded, but work just fine. Bike also came with Shimano M505 clipless pedals. I installed my well worn 747 pedals instead. I'll give son Ian the new 505s when he's ready to go clipless.

Avid Elixir CR brake lever and Sette branded lock on grip. Not bad at all.

Sette branded stem and handlebar. Light, decent parts - similar to other branded stuff and probably made in the same factory as bigger brands.

Sette branded saddle and seatpost. Seatpost ain't bad, saddle will be swapped shortly.

Curved stays to allegedly soften the ride of aluminum. Kenda Small Block 8 tire for smooth rolling action.

Frame is polished 7005 aluminum, simple graphics (clear coated), 3.2 pounds with double butted main triangle. Pretty damn light for a 29er frame. I'm not big on polished aluminum, but it looks better in real life, then in photos. It looks good - polished with black parts.

Head tube detail - welds won't impress anyone at Moots - but not bad.

Interesting gusset on seat tube area. I also like the top mounted cable guides.

Detail of BB area and rear Mavic 719 rim. Looks cool to me.

Avid disk and frame brace to gawk at in the rear - along with double butted spokes and alloy nipples - same as front wheel. What a coincidence.

Underside of BB shot, complete with "Made in Taiwan" sticker. At this price, thought it would be China. I'm curious to know what frame manufacturer in Taiwan this actually comes from. I'll do some digging around. I'd bet many other brands ship from the same door. See, there I go again...

With Ian's Performance Access and my Sette Razzo completed - we are now officially "Team Mail Order". Yes indeed.

I wanted to photo the bike as it arrived - so there you have it. I plan to swap the seatpost, saddle and stem to better fit my goofy ass body. That will happen this week. I'll hit dirt this weekend to give it a roll. I'm itchy to see if the 29er hype is all true or a figment of marketing imagination. I've only buzzed the bike on the street for a few minutes and it felt pretty good.

As usual - poor photography and miscellaneous rambling to follow. Stay tuned.