SuperFly 100 Dream Come True

Those that follow my blog or at least know me as 29er guy will remember 8 months ago when I wrote my first impressions of my Gary Fisher HiFi 29er. I loved the bike, but couldn't help but wonder how much nicer it would be if it were a few pounds lighter. I had been riding a Superfly hardtail for a year and loved the way the carbon bike climbed. I sent an e-mail to my "inside guy" at Fisher saying how much I liked the full suspension HiFi, but how I also thought it was the perfect platform for a carbon 29er. Well low and behold the SuperFly 100 is born. The first "spy photos" of the bike are all over the Internet and it looks great. http://www.velonews.com/photo/92616 The bikes shown have the RockShox Sid fork and rear shock, but my guy at Fisher says the bike will probably be speced with the Fox F100 RLC and Fox rear shock. I hope to see the new Fox 15mm thru axle fork, as I think this would really help the handling of this big wheeled bike. Dont worry, 29er guy will be one of the first to have this new beauty and I will keep you all posted.

Taint Paint - Great Name

If you have a tweeter acount with any activity you get a bunch of what I call Spam followers. I ususally just delete the notices but you got to love the twitter name of this guy:

Taint Paint (FrictionFreedom) is now following your updates on Twitter.

To bad they did not have the guts to name the product Taint Paint. I bet it would sell better.
http://www.frictionfreedom.com/

Would you take your bike if you had to evacuate?

Saw this picture (LA Times Bike Photo from the Santa Barbara fire). Started me thinking about which bikes I would take if I needed to leave my house in a hurry....

Free Tubeless Tire Conversion Seminar @ El Camino Bike Shop

Wednesday April 29th from 6-8pm
Here is the link:
http://tinyurl.com/cyzomo

Join Our own 29ER Guy (Will S.) and find out how to convert your Mtn Bike wheels to tubeless technology. Bontranger & Stans conversions will be presented.

What you need:

• Very little mechanical ability to install.
• Your existing non tubeless wheels or tubeless ready wheels

What you get:

• Fun evening with the mountain biking gang - AKA Swamis Gets Dirty
• 29ER Guy showing you the secret ins & outs of perfect tubeless conversions.
• Your lightweight wheel set can be converted to a tubeless set up with only 56 grams of added weight per wheel. Saving hundreds of dollars over purchasing new wheels.
• You will be able to keep using your lightweight tires and not be limited to buying expensive and much heavier tubeless specific tires.
• You can lose anywhere from 100 grams up to 400 grams of rotating weight per wheel set.
• Lower the air Pressure of your tires for better traction and ride and not worry about the dreaded pinch flat.

Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill April 2009

This guy is way out there...

Sunday Short Vista Twist Route

People are asking for the basic Vista Twist Route. I am not totally sure as I do not do the whole thing. Here is the ~40 mile version. I just learned how to us google maps to make courses that are more circluar and you can print these as apposed to www.mapmyride.com, which I paid $25.00 for and still do not seem to be able to print without a charge...


View Larger Map

Head Missing for weeks - Spotted in Cancun

The Head was last seen in Cancun, possibly finding work as a "Beach Braider." NY Times reporter not knowing The Head was missing, discussed the world economy. The Head being a PhD Economist was able to fool the reporter into thinking The Head knew something about something. The reporter was able to take this pontient picture of The Head looking for work.

Friends and relatives of The Head continue their search. If you have any information please contact The Head's Foster Dad Will S. Here are pictures of the friends & relatives discussing their next move to find The Head

Gary Fisher Superfly SS are all gone

Sorry - But there are no more Superfly SS frames available... They are all gone

Limited Edition Gary Fisher Superfly SS Available NOW!

You heard correctly! The famed carbon 29er is available in very limited quantities as a single speed. Will S our very own 29ER Guy has secured a very limited quantities of sub 18LB 29ER SS Framesets. Check it out here.

29ER guy has a nice write up on the bike here.

Bontrager Saddle helps Lance

Press Release - Bontrager inForm® Technology Aids Armstrong's Recovery

04/01/2009

Lance Armstrong and Bontrager today released more details regarding Armstrong’s recent collarbone surgery. While it was previously reported that Armstrong’s right clavicle was screwed and plated back together after his March 23rd crash at the Castilla y Leon stage race in Spain, Armstrong and equipment sponsor Bontrager, jointly announced that he was the world’s first recipient of an inForm® CarbonClavicle™ Upgrade.

Originally slated to be released at the AAOS (American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeon) Convention May 18-24th in Las Vegas, Bontrager moved up the launch date of the inForm CarbonClavicle to aid the return of Armstrong to the peloton.

“The original intent of the Bontrager inForm line was to use medical research to aid us in creating better cycling contact points, such as saddles, shoes, and grips. But when we did the research into the most common cycling-related injuries, the broken collarbone proved to be an area where we could actually help cyclists get back on the road sooner,” relates John Balmer, head of Bontrager Development.

The CarbonClavicle, available for both left and right shoulders in four male sizes and four WSD (Women’s Specific Design) sizes, is an actual carbon fiber replacement of the clavicle. Developed with the aid of Sports Medicine Specialist Dr. Mark Timmerman, a Bontrager consultant, the inForm CarbonClavicle has greater shock absorption, greater impact strength, and a greater tensile strength—all while being grams lighter than the OEM bone.

“The installation on Armstrong was completely coincidental. But I must admit, the Bontrager marketing team was doing high-fives when we heard about Lance’s crash. It really was a marketing god-send. I mean, could there have been a better way to launch the new Bontrager medical Upgrade line?” explains Chris Clinton, Bontrager Marketing Manager.

The installation procedure is substantially quicker than the conventional collarbone repair procedures of stabilizing, drilling and pinning, as this is a full replacement. Essentially, the broken bone is completely removed and the CarbonClavicle is anchored in place. Armstrong’s procedure took approximately 30 minutes and will reduce his recovery time from 3 weeks, to 5-7 days for the sutures to fully heal.

The delay in releasing details was due to an extended approval process with the UCI, which has now ruled that since this piece is structural yet provides only minor aerodynamic advantage over the traditional ‘bump’ of a healed broken clavicle, it falls with the current parameters of the UCI rules.

Future sponsorship plans include full support and pre-emptive upgrades for the full Trek-Livestrong U23 team. “These guys are early in their careers, and if averages apply to the team, we think we can prevent about ten or more future breaks across the 12 members of the team,” adds Clinton.

Backed by Bontrager’s best-in-industry 5-year warranty, inForm CarbonClavicles will be available through referrals from Trek and Fisher dealers exclusively. Retail prices will be set by the retailer.

For more information, please download the complete press release attached below or visit Bontrager online at www.bontrager.com.

Gary Fisher Superfly SS - First Ride/Review

I unveiled the new ride this morning on the Friday morning executive ride. Mike M, Dave C and I met at 6:30 sharp in La Costa. I gave Mike the privilege of lifting the bike out of the back of my truck. He was in awe. He could not believe the weight (or should I say lack of weight) of the new ride. He commented on how it felt like a road bike.

Thanks to Mike W for dropping off a rear cog for me to complete the project. It was not the 20 I wanted, but a 21 proved to work just fine. I went with a White Brothers Carbon rigid fork for the front. I also added some nifty Bontrager Race-X-Lite carbon bar ends that I discovered the last time I was in Wisconsin at TREK. Shimano XTR brakes, Truvative crank and Bontrager wheels round out the package. I was very pleased with the maden voyage. No mechanical problems and no adjustments were needed. I was pleased to see how well the rear wheel held even with the horizontal dropouts. I had been concerned that it might pull sideways under a heavy load, but it was not a problem.

I think I am going to have a lot of fun on this thing. It acceclerates out of the swith back turns effortlessly. The rigid front fork is great for out of the saddle climbing and bar-ends are great for yanking on the bars.

And the best part we found out we can get a few more.... Check it out.

Wednesday Night After Party

If you have not been to one of our Wed night rides, you should come just to be served by the host. Look how I welcome our new rider Connie after she has a hard ride with the boys..

Connie wants Red wine at a Beer party and I bring it. How can the W5 boys do better than that.

So remember - If you want it, we will give it to you.

Superfly SS Still Not Ready For Prime Time

Us 29er guys have it hard. I am having a tough time finding a rear cog that will give me the correct gearing for my new ride. There are plenty of cogs out there for the 26" wheel guys, but I need something a little bigger to go with my BIG WHEELS. Some people have been asking me about the Superfly SS frame and how it works so I thought I would share a few more photos.

The frame has horizontal rear drop-outs that allow you to slide the rear wheel back and forth to get the correct chain tension without using a heavy eccentric BB or a hokey chain tensioner.
The frame also has a slick "sliding" mount for the rear brake caliper so that you can re-position the brake after moving the wheel. I have seen this on some custom made steel frames from small builders, but never on a carbon frame.
I wanted to ride this bike tomorrow night on the Wednesday Night Mt. Ride, but I am not sure it is going to happen. Stay tuned.

Superfly SS - FINALLY HERE

After 7 months of waiting the GaryFisher Superfly Single Speed frame has arrived. I ordered this frame at the TREK dealer show in Wisconsin last August. It is a limited edition "not for the public" frame based on the very popular carbon 29er Superfly from Gary Fisher.

I will be building it up over the next few days using various parts that I have picked for the occasion. What I can tell you now is that it is going to be extremely light. My Carver aluminum 96er frame was light, but this thing is silly light. I think the built bike will be around 18lbs. Oh yeah.

W5 Attitude at the Gran Fondo

Nice video from CNN of the 2009 Gran Fondo starting from Little Italy in San Diego. Check out the Swami action around 1:48 minutes into the video

El Camino Bike Shop riding Palm Springs Century

ECBS was out in force at the Century. Robin & Dave Goehring, Ernie E, Michealangelo P and Mike T were out at the Tour de Palm Springs. Robin heard many shout outs for El Camino Bike Shop along the way...

W5 meets Gary Fisher @ Competitor's Film Festival

Will S, Joe Pusl, Ann Z, Tony B and I went to see Gary Fisher and the movie KlunkerZ.

Competitor Magazine and Bob Babbitt put on a great film festival with an assortment of cycling/multi-sport related films and end tonight with Breaking Away at the La Paloma. Plus, Dennis Christopher, the star of BREAKING AWAY, will be at the showing of that classic film that evening.

One of the films will be KLUNKERZ, was followed by a Q&A from Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly along with the movie producer Billy Savagedoing.

The big sound bite was that the first downhill Mtn Bike race was where the winner won a bag of pot and Gary Fisher won... Oh the '70s.....

Ann was the only one who got a good picture with Gary Fisher.

Observations of a 53 yr.old virgin 12 hr Mtn Biker

OK - I am back at my house, had a nice night's sleep in a comfortable bed. If you had ask me if you should start your your career in long distant Mtn Biking when you are over 50 I would have told you, only if you want to hear your back pop ever time you bend over at the end of the race and ask your younger racers to pack your car with the heavier stuff. But now that I have had almost 12 hours to recuperate I say HELL YES...

So with my first 12 hour race under my belt what are my observations...

Use Rock, Paper, Sissors to select who go, 2nd, 3rd, 4th

Make sure you have your proper belly dancing belt on so all those riders you come up upon know you are about to pass....

There were a lot of Gary Fisher Hard Tail 29ERs (Mostly Superflys, but some Paragons) in the race. This maybe because I was riding one, but I hope it is because I picked the right bike at least for 12 hours of Temecula.

For the first couple of laps I loved the Paragon (Hard Tail). As my legs got tired and the sun went down, I may have been better off with a Full Suspension Bike. My suspension legs that I used to good effect at first, sometimes did not work very well on my last lap. Maybe a Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL that Lance Armstrong and Jose Q rode to great results should be my pitch hitter bike.

Take the time to demo products from the vendors at the race. Troy from Cannondale gave John Abate a cool Cannondale Scalpel for the day, and he was shaving 2 minutes a lap after changing from his Specialized bike...


I need all the light I can get at night. I demo'd a Niterider Tri Newt for my bike and a cool dual beam CREE Q5 helmet light from AYUP for my two night laps. I was glad I had both. Light is so touchy for me that the first lap my Tri Newt was off center and did not work as well as my 2nd lap where it was pointed straight ahead.

Keep hydrated, but it may not be smart to drink a Coke just before your lap. My last lap had me wishing I would stop, pee and burp. But I just could not take the time....

Have a bunch of Swamis around in a great camp site and lots of Teams riding in the race. I think we had over 30 riders from Swamis or FOS. We were everywhere on the course and at the Start/Finish Line

If you want to see all the pictures I took with my crappy camera phone click here.

6:30pm it's dark and still 2 and a half hours of racing to go. It's crunch time! This is when they seperate the men from the boys. Come on you guys, I am sick of seeing us finish this race in second place.

Will

I don't know about doing Jose's last lap, but if your going to get naked and dance by the fire than I am there.

Will

Wow looks like the A team has a good chance with Skyler and Jose turning some fast laps. How did they get behind? Did John Abata crash? Half way through the race at this point, still a lot can happen. Hope everyone has working lights.

Will

Dave from the field

• I am back at the Vail office. Here is what I know.
  The conditions of the dirt is perfect. Everyone is talking about how great it is.
• 
  The long sandy road area has a series of boards so you can make the sandy sections as long as you stay on the 8-10 inch wide board.
  There are atleast 5 swamis teams.
• 
  The moms are wearing their belly dancing belts and they jingle as they go down the dirt.
• 
  Skyler had a faster second lap than his first
• 
  Jose is not talking much between laps, just texting some secret sweet heart.
  Great turnout for the race, I hear there are 600 people. I believe there are around 20 4 person team.
• 
  Swami A is in 2nd place - Swami BEES are second to last place. Swamis are the bookends of the 4 person teams.
• 
  Talked to Tory from Cannondale. He and Tori are going to be at the Park Tool training in Ontario and Troy wants to do another "W5" ride.
• 
  About 10 minutes ago, Mike Wiley came to our camp to finally be social. I didnot want to be social, so I left to blog....
  
  I will tweet the results next... Off to the start/finsh area

Dave in a bathing suit? Sounds like the beginning of the end for the Swami B team. Please no pictures.

Will

Dave I just read your twitter about Jose getting "puffed up". Remind him not to get his arms to "puffed up" His arms get tired out easily and he wont be able to ride.

Ok Dave the teams should each have at least 3 laps done maybe 4 so how about some hard data. How many 4 man teams are competing? What are the laps times like? How about the conditions? Did the rain make the dirt perfect? And what about those single speeders is it hard for them to push their bikes in these kind of conditions?

Will

Check out Dave's tweets on the right side of the blogg

Hopefully Will S. is blogging so you will not see this at the top of the blog soon. If not check out all the "tweets" on the right side. Ann Hall and I are taking lots of pictures.
We have a huge group of people racing today.
Skylar B just won the parade lap ahead of Tinker J.

Follow my tweets at:
I will put you on the list only if you:

Follow me on twitter and our blog.
http://twitter.com/swamiscycling

I am leaving the Vail Lake Office now to get back to the race.
Dave

Predictions for the 12 hours of Temecula

As a now veteran of two 12 hour races at Temecula and having ridden the course for the upcoming race this Saturday I thought it might be fun to give my predictions.
First the Swami A team. I feel they have a good chance to win the 4 person open. Historically the January race has had fewer entrant's so the odds are with them. When we raced last November there were 24 four man teams. Last January only 6 teams signed up for the event. The event has been gaining popularity though so maybe this weekends race will see more four man teams than last year.
I rode the upcoming course last weekend with two of the riders from the Swami A team, Skyler and Jose and let me say they both are very strong. I predict Skyler to do a sub 40 min lap and perhaps even have one of the fastest laps of the day. Jose on the other hand has come a long way on the mountain bike. If his arms or (guns) as he calls them hold up he should be able to turn very respectable lap times as well. I have also had the opportunity to ride with both John Abate and Bob Winston and both of them can ride a mountain bike and should be able to turn sub 50 min lap times on this course. With a little luck I see this team taking home the first place medals.
Second is the Swami B team or Bee team as Dave Callender is calling them. Here is a team that has some experience, but they also have Dave. I predict that Dave will drive them all nuts with his rambling about blogging and twitter (you know I love ya Dave) or perhaps Jose will sabotage Dave's bike after the comments Dave made about Jose being the team mechanic to everyone and ultimately the team will implode before the 12 hours are up. Sorry guys 12 hours is a long time to hang out together.
Third up is the "fun loving" team of Ann, Mike, Mark Yap and Fred Muir. I think Ann has enough experience and grace to hold this team together long enough to end up on the podium. I know Mike Martin and Mark Yap are fit enough to compete so if they can keep out of trouble I see them in the top three.
The IBR team is an unknown for me and who cares about the single speed idiots. As for the people going solo, more power to ya, my back hurts just thinking about it. Good luck you guys. I look forward to following the race this Saturday.

Will

26 and counting people racing at 12 hours of Temecula

Saturday is the day of the race and we have a huge contingent going to the race. Many have gone to the course in the past few weeks, many of us have no expectations (except we all expect Swami A to kick butt). Here are the team as of today....

Teams
Ann's Team: Ann Hall, Mike Martin, Fred Muir, Marc Yap
IBR: Mike & Lisa Jennings, Peter Plaisance, Darrel Divine
Ridgid 29er SS: Tony Breunig, David See, Mike Wiley
Sub5 FOS: Andy Green, Mark Budds, Rob Moffit, Scott Klotzback
Swami A: John Abate, Jose Quintero, Bob Winston, Skylar Bishop
Swami Bees: Jack Guenther, Ann Zevely, Dave Callender, Dave ?
Solo Riders: Carrie "Mom" Hammond, Shelly "Mom" Spnani, Tony Barghini, Tim Duncan

If you want to keep up with the minute to minute go to SwamisCycling on Twitter and get the complete moment to moment feed...

What would a couch potatoe ride?

I guess when the weather gets cold bike builders get silly....



What do you think?

Lance's new ride - Trek Madone 6.9 unveiled

Just saw this on Google Alerts.

.....In contrast to the blue and white rigs piloted by the rest of his teammates, Armstrong’s bike is a decidedly more somber black and grey punctuated by a bright yellow ‘Livestrong’ logo and band on the top tube.

Littered throughout the graphics are a number of “hidden messages” though we’ll have to wait until the rest of the bike is unveiled in Australia to see exactly what they are. According to Trek road bike marketing manager Scott Daubert, lying beneath the custom finish is a fully standard 58cm Madone 6.9 frame pulled directly off the production line..

Click Here for the complete article

I am finally here

Dave has tried to sabotage me both on Get Dirty and on this blog. But after hours of effort I am here. Listen to me roar...

Inauguration Festivities on January 20

Saw this this morning - For all you guys who do the Tues/Thurs ride we can go from the ride to the Inauguration at La Costa UltraStar...

Ultra Star Theaters will broadcast ABC's coverage of the Inauguration Festivities on January 20. FREE

UltraStar Theaters will officially announce today, (Jan. 15) that its theaters in Oceanside…Poway….La Costa….Hazard Center in Mission Valley and Chula Vista will Broadcast ABC's Inauguration coverage all day including the Ceremony, the parade and the entire day's events from 7am until 2pm on Tuesday, January 20 2009. Information and instruction for obtaining tickets will be at http://www.ultrastarmovies.com/ The picture and sound in High Definition/ Pure Digital format should be exquisite on the big screen. It will be free and open to the public but tickets are required and limited. Doors will open at 6:30am.