ugh, bike troubles

im back at school and i rode some real nice trails in pittsburgh's Frick park but i noticed that my derailleur (i dont think i spell that word the same way twice) hanger was bent and that my bike was not shifting great- its actually really bent. im ordering some extras from derailleurhanger.com just in case i bend them. ive never bent a hanger on any bike until this one, its somewhat humbling to know that im not a god at bike maintenance (even though i claim i am). i did however put on some new nevegal tires and theyre awesome! ive been using them for 3 years now but i did not put them on my GT because i wanted to wear out the stock tires and some spares i had in my basement. the nevegals are slightly heavier but my bike (stock) weighs under 24 lbs with pedals so i figure a few grams wont hurt. i cant wait to take part in western PA's month of mud (MOM) races. the races are the best (and possibly only) in the western (and more crappy) part of the state. i may even do some MOM cyclocross races on my bike because it is so light. then after that ill be ready for the ECCC races in late october, i hope i can get to nationals this year and finally get to ride somewhere super cool like colorado and utah.


ive seen some bent hangers and people claim they were just riding along (JRA) but i honestly was just riding along and after a few months this happened. its pretty bent and i wont be riding my bike until i get a new hanger. its a sad sight to see such a nice bike out of commission for 5-7 business days.

more bike failures

pre-race- I felt AWESOME. everyone wanted to know how i was lucky enough to get #50

post-race- I felt like a big idiot and my bike wasnt too happy either. i wanted to know why number #50 was so unlucky




i had real high hopes for my race at french creek, but my dreams were shattered by a broken pedal. the night before the race i got some new shoes and fixed my bike up and it was PERFECT. when i got my bike off my car my friend and i rode to the table to check in and get our numbers. as im riding up the hill in my crocks i notice that there is nothing under my foot- the pedal had come off the spindle and it was on the ground. i found my pedal and picked it up and continued to the registration tent. i frantically went through my shops team's tool box and found a 8mm socket and i fixed my pedal (or so i thought). the race began and i immediately made my way to the front of the group. everything was going good, the course was the hardest course id ever ridden but i was doing ok. as i neared the home stretch (last few miles or so) my pedal once again fell off and i was stuck with the pedal on the bottom of my shoe and the spindle in the crankarm. i did not have time (or the tools) to do an on-the-trail repair so i stuck the pedal, which was clipped onto my shoe, back into the spindle. i rode but couldnt push myself or the pedal would fall off again. i got passed first by singlespeeers... and then by the women (i dont dislike either group, i just should be able to ride faster than them). i came across the finish line in almost double the time it took the winning pack, but at least i finished.

my failure in this race happened because when my pedal initially fell out the bearing races spilled out. i was riding with plastic on metal and after a few miles of riding it was too much for my makeshift setup. i love my crankbrothers pedals, but i probably should have serviced them once over the last 4 or 5 years.

race day

in about 25 hours ill be racing my bike. i just got it somewhat clean (not super clean, because itll be re-dirtied in the first 1/2 mile) and its working pretty good. i got my new specialized carbon pro shoes which dont feel nearly as comfy as my 3 year old pair. i got some hammer gel and some new socks (wool=awesome)which should hopefully be enough to propel me to victory... or at least finishing the race.

training

ive been doing a LOT of riding after work in preparation for lengthy fall schedule of collegiate and M.O.M. mtb races. its been super wet in philly and the trails are all washed out, but bad conditions wont stop me.

today i realized that i should have bought a Chris King hub because my Mavic wheels are awesome, but Chris King is just awesomer. ive been riding my king wheels on my road bike for about 3 weeks and theyre amazing... and speaking up bike parts, my Xt brakes already need to be bled, after 4 months of use. good think im a bike mechanic, i guess.

updatez

i finally got a sweet new chain (sram 991- the toughest one they make) and i rebuilt my crank bro pedals. hopefully my bike will be working well. i havent got much time to train in recent weeks due to work/heat/rain but i have a few days ff and i think tomorrow (like 7 hours from now) im going to do my own 50 mile epic philly mtb ride... rain or shine.