CCVA.org On your desk.

Calling all attention whores or free ride wannabes

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:48:37 +0000

so, i have this coworker that is an aspiring videographer w/an HD camera and professional grade software that is willing to shoot us at places like Freedom or other locals.
let me know if you're are interested and we can make this happen

Out west ride Sept 12/13

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:43:13 +0000

Anyone want to go? CRANKEE, can you give me a list of the trails we rode last time we were out there. I have some buddies coming in from NY in a couple of weeks. I want to recon some good trails for them.

I have next Sunday and Monday available.

Cyclocross Season is Approaching...

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:31:21 +0000

So fall is approaching and with that comes Cyclocross season.

Personally I've never done it, but since last year have been considering taking a shot @ it. Not to mention and for some reason, it's completely fine to get all sorts of stupid muddy in this sport when in mountain biking it's completely taboo! Anyhow, Since I'm unsure of what to expect, I'm wondering what kind of information might be needed to get into the sport?

Where should I expect to be competing? Cyclocross is Richmond, Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, Williamsburg?
Bikes: Can we use converted mountain bikes? Limits/restrictions on equipment?
Gear: Any special gear needed that we might not find in a mountain bike or road race?
What to expect? How long is the average cyclocross race? minutes, hours?
When: is the first race? How many are there usually? How long is the season?

I'm thinking of looking for just about any cheap cyclocross bike, my thought is that since it seems P.C to get completely doused in mud, I'm thinking it simply doesn't matter what you ride as long as it works.

Oh to ride again

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:00:52 +0000

So I have ridden twice now on my new ride. I can not express the feelings that I had running through me as I got back on a bike after almost a year of not owning one. I think the only word I can think of, as corny as it may be, is magical. And all I can think of when I am work and at home in bed is being back on it again as soon as I can.

Some thoughts:
-There is no device or piece of equipment at any gym that can prepare you for trail riding. Despite several cardio machines, spin sessions, and leg excercises, my entire body was pleading for me to rest more than I anticipated.
-Going from a 37 lb. AM/FR bike to a 20 something lb. bike has quite a learning curve. I struggled to keep the front end down many times. Not having a 5" fork with 36mm tubes to hold me down means more leaning forward on bumpy climbs.
-It appears I need to work on my finesse. Seems I can't rely on just barreling over sh!t anymore. Now I have to avoid it!?
-Wow...a third chainring! There were times that I wanted to go fast and stuck it in the big ring. After awhile, I would forget and look down and couldn't beleive I was still hauling a$$ in the big boy. On the flipside, no bashguard. Damn. Again, no barreling into things and just sliding over log hops.
-Boy is my a$$ feeling the learning curve too. I think I need a gel cover. LOL
-Not too keen on the brakes so far. Not sure if they need to get broken in or there's just that much difference between the Juicy 3's which are on it, and the Juicy 7's which I had. They feel kinda soft and less responsive.
-This bike is very well balanced. i took my hands off while goin down the canal trail so i could adjust my ipod and I immediately found my balance on it. This carried over into the trails as I would shift my weight back and forth in tight situations and the bike seemed to know what I wanted from it.
-Gotta love bike companies always skimping on the grips. That'll be my first replacement part.
-I need more practice on this pony. I ended up endoing b/c I was going too fast around some obstacles and got a pedal hooked on a root. Ended up nailing my shin so hard I thought I was going to piss in my shorts. Gotta mouth full of dirt too. Still, even though my leg is all f'd up looking right now, I am still loving life. Can't wait to get out and ride again.

LBS or Internet?

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 02:17:37 +0000

Having my Lyrik funk out on me got me thinking. I purchased all my parts online when things went on sale or were last years. I also got a Titus, which I wouldn't have gotten locally. However, in dealing with warranty, I am left wondering if it wouldn't have been easier buying from a shop. It would have cost a little more, but would have also been easier brokering the warranty.

That being said I have a decent relationship with most of the LBS's here and they are all helpful and awesome.

Also, I couldn't afford a rig all at once, so buying parts as I could afford them was a simple payment plan.

So if you were buying frames, forks, wheel sets, etc. which do you prefer?

The best of both worlds would be if there was huge demand for parts, and LBS's could afford to have many of the exotic things on hand. Most things I need (at least here on the coast) have to be ordered anyway.

Taking mechanical issues into my own hand.

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:54:43 +0000

After having a bike sit for a few weeks, I finally took matters into my own hands. I had that issue with my Rock Shox rebound assembly, and have been calling RS to see what to do next (their first solution didn't work).

I wanted to do the work with materials I have, but didn't want to not be able to service the fork, so I extended the bolt, and then put a nut on it (I thread locked it internally into the rebound shaft). This way, I can take the lowers off no mater what, because I can grab the end with pliers and loosen the bolt if it spins on me (the issue is not being able to get a press fit).

For version 2.0, I am going to redo it, but put the bolt in a drill press and hopefully make it hollow so I can adjust my rebound (I set it at 8 clicks for now, as it is inaccessible). At least I can ride this weekend and get out to Douthat with EVMA next weekend!

tubeless

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:40:24 +0000

OK who is using the No tubes convertion kits? do you like them? thinking about switching my DH ride over to them. easy to mount? messy? etc......

Long ago and Far Away

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:41:59 +0000

A while back I had mentioned on some forum thread that I was somewhat familiar with 29er's from many a year gone by. Well, I just stumbled on this site http://oldbike.wordpress.com/1917-schwinn-the-world-motor-bike-model-1760/,
it was indeed close to 48 years ago that one of the bikes I routinly rode was a 28" Schwinn "World" that was salvaged out of the neighbors back yard. I didn't learn on this bike, but I sure remember riding it at around the age of 10 - on my toes, crotch stretched over the top tube.

Some memories are good! Those with bikes in them, even better.

bike ride to day care

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:25:38 +0000

he loves it

SM 100 roll call

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:42:15 +0000

What are you riding?
How many pint glasses do you have?
When do you plan to bang the gong?

Who's riding where

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:17:15 +0000

OK, I see that some of you are heading out to do the SM100, and some out for a imprompt to SM 100 ride. so where is everyone else going?

DHX AIR 3/4/5, Any Thoughts?

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:45:51 +0000

I'm looking into a new "ISH" All-mountain bike and wondering about the Fox DHX Air line-up.
Does anyone have any opinions of these rear shocks? Suggestions for others?

Frame to be used on: Santa Cruz Nomad
Ride Style: Mountain biking both in terms of XC & more aggressive All-mountain riding with doing some technical riding like small to med. drops, etc.

Ride the Divide Movie at Capital Ale House

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:10:09 +0000

Anybody attending this event tonite (Wed 9/1)???
Link

Forest Hill race

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:30:04 +0000

Maybe I overlooked it but I didn't see any talk of these weeknite events on here so thought I'd give it a bump to help mark out

Bike Reg

Passing of a legend...

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:04:49 +0000

Laurent Fignon dies @ 50

Link fixed...

POMOFO 100

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:01:19 +0000

So, the SM100 is upon us again, and again I'm not registered due to poverty and procrastination.

A couple of us are planning to do our own self supported version on Friday. The POMOFO 100.

I was wondering if anyone else may want to join us? Planning our own mid course aid station/campsite to re-fuel and such.

Group Ride Sunday 9/5

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:33:10 +0000

How about a holiday group ride this Sunday at 11:00 from the Heritage Center at Poca?

Social pace with plenty of stops...

Meet 10:30 - 11:00 ride AT 11:00.

LV I II III.

Fall Douthat Trip 2010

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:50:40 +0000

I've always enjoyed the fall Douthat trip. I remember in past years having a pretty good Richmond crowd, but in the past couple of years it seems only a couple of us are interested.

Anyone interested this year?

http://www.more-mtb.org/forum/showthread.php?t=19220

Rotor Q Rings

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:10:47 +0000

Has anybody tried these rings? They offer some pretty interesting information on their site, but does it really translate to the real world?

Thinking of trying a set of these on my 2X9 build (if they make the correct sizes for me that is). Wondering if they are worth the extra money.

SM100 - Holding a camping spot

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:22:37 +0000

Hi - If anyone is going up early on Saturday, would you be willing to save a spot for two people and a 4m tent? My buddy (Shane Cusick) and I can't leave now until the afternoon on Saturday.

Thanks!
Chris Eklund

A Singletrack mind

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:56:25 +0000

Spicy bike lust!

Tell me that sh!ts not dead sexy. Yeah yeah yeah I'd swap some parts too and I would never take it to the mountains for fear of carbon and wrecks in the gnar but in the "Trophy Wife" sense of the bike world how about a 2nd look?

If built properly I bet that would easily be a Jerry Fisker Supa Fly slayer.

Still won't ride like steel though.

Hmm Lefty on an El Mariachi? I bet it can be done.....hmmm

Niner Carbon fork

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:32:09 +0000

Several months ago there was a lot of chatter about the new Niner Carbon Rigid fork. I�m just curious if anyone who was talking about it ever bought one and has been thrashing it since. I�d like to hear some thoughts on it from people who don�t race for the local dealer (possibly slightly biased opinion) to see if your hard earned money was well spent.

Skills

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:24:40 +0000

http://vimeo.com/11782596

Bushwhack Adventure Race Crunch Time

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:38:43 +0000

Ok Racers, it's crunch time. Time to put your money where your mouth is. Today is just three weeks away from race day for the Bushwhack Adventure Races (24 hr and 8 hr). There are only two teams signed up for the 24 hr course and none for the 8 hr. Maybe everyone is raced out this year? Maybe that's just a bad weekend? Whatever the reason, we've got to draw a line in the sand and decide whether to push forward with race weekend, or postpone it.

Here's the line you have to meet - if we don't have 75 racers registered by 5pm on Tuesday, Aug 31, we're going to postpone this event. The new date will most likely be in 2011. If we don't meet this goal, all paid registrations will be refunded.

The goal of 75 racers is a total between both the 24 and 8 hour courses. Note that the Confirmed status on Checkpoint Tracker is a setting we have to make manually, so that indicator of the current count may be delayed in being updated. We'll do our best to keep it accurate.

If you know you and your team is not going to race, please reply and let us know that too. We don't have to know why, we're just trying to get an idea of how many teams are procrastinating, and how many can't make it.

What are we going to do?

Thanks!
-Patrick, Don, and Jeff
_________________
Bushwhack Adventure Racing
www.gobushwhack.com

Saturday 08-28 rides?

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:20:17 +0000

I'm doing mid-morning downtown; probably from Tredegar

263-188 five

The Dos Dos but Uno @ at a Time

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:23:33 +0000

So I�ve been thinking more and more about playing around with some more SS gearing options for the MTB. Locally 34tx19t (on a 29er w/2.4� tires) feels good when I�m not trying to race it but I spin out super easy on the road. Yeah yeah yeah that�s how it goes with the SS right?

Well White Industries offers the Double/Double setup with 29er specific gearing. Being that I�m cheap, already own cranks and rings and a few extra rear cogs I�m tossing around the idea of ghetto rigging my own Dos/Dos.

The W.I. gearing uses a 31t/34t combo up front and a 16t/19t rear setup. So you�d be running 31tx19t on the trail and 34tx16t on the road. A 31x19 on the trail seems a bit under geared for stuff around town. 34x20 is about as low as you really need to go.

The 26er configuration uses the same 19/16t freewheel in the rear but mates a 35t/38t front ring combo. That sounds much better. 35tx19t on the trails might take a ride or two to get used too but a 38tx16t sounds much better for commuting around from trail head to trail head or to work.

Still I wonder how close of a gear combo and chain length combo I could get with a 34t/37t ring up front and a 20t/17t in the rear. Running the normal 34x20 for trail and 37x17 for road? Do any of you math loving types feel like crunching some #s today?

Bystickel custom bikes

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:18:50 +0000

By:Stickel (Steve Stickel) builds custom bikes down in Asheville, NC....
http://www.bystickel.com/

awhile back I was conversing with him on a demo frame he had built (29er all-mountain hardtail) that was built for a 120mm fork...

Well, I decided not to proceed with it as funds are tight and my mountain ride time isn't really worthy of such a bike right now, but anyway, thought I'd share....

pix from bRAD's photostream of one of his bikes:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brado1/4912118688/

more build pix:

Cy Ed and ASR

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:25:50 +0000

Sounds to me like we need to do a test run this November.
How about it folks?

Can we pull together and do the 6 Hours of Scout Camp Experiment the first weekend in November?

I am thinking some good old fashioned grass - roots stuff.

Maybe 4-10 PM with fun, games, a little music, a winner purse, a Scout Camp donation...

All for fun.

Health Benefits of Cycling Outweigh Associated Risks

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:23:57 +0000

From THIS ARTICLE

The editor's summary stated...

Quote

The authors conclude that the health benefits of cycling are on average nine times greater than the risks associated with driving a car.

29er suspension fork

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:39:15 +0000

Well, I'm coming to the realization that rigid front-end riding and my arthritis are not mixing well....riding rigid is becoming more and more painful, and thus I'm in need of a suspension fork again....

Forks have become quite expensive in the last couple years, but I want to get something decent, smooth travel with small bump compliance and a stiff chassis...need 100mm travel, and QR lowers...this will also be on a singlespeed, so I'm not looking for a pogo-stick. I'm picky!

my short list includes:

White Bros Magic 29
Manitou Minute29 2010
Rock Shox REBA 29
Fox F100 29

Prices vary quite a bit on the above, but all are over $600 new!

I've had experience with the REBA 29 only at this point, but was not overly impressed with the stiffness....

thoughts/experiences?

thanks