23

Like I said, it all adds up. After a handful of upgrades and part swaps I managed to drop about two pounds off my stock Epic Expert 29er. It sits in at just above 23 pounds. Some of the major weight savings came from going tubeless, switching over to the SRAM XX cassette, carbon post, carbon bar, and carbon-railed saddle.

Upgrading your bike can be an expensive hobby, but you learn and appreciate the details about your ride, fine-tuning every last bit so it fits to you and your riding style. Two pounds may not sound like much, but you definitely feel it when accelerating and climbing, especially if it's rotational weight.

Nuts and Bolts

Mmm… titanium. Just got my titanium brake bolt kit in the mail today. I'm an unashamed weight weenie, but you know, it all adds up. I got this kit off of eBay for $40, which isn't too bad for roughly 40 grams of saved weight.

Early Spring Ride

What a gorgeous day in Brooklyn today. It was sunny and close to 70º. I took advantage of the early spring weather and put in close to 50 miles around Rockaway Beach and back. I wanted to push myself harder, but needed to back off a bit to soak in the views of the ocean. There was a slight headwind on my way back, but not even that could dampen my spirits. It was also the first time I wasn't in my deep winter gear, riding only with shorts, a base layer and jersey.

The view of Jamaica Bay was stunning. This is what I ride around. Just on other side is the Rockaways. You can also see the wind making its mark onto the water's surface.

It's Just a Water Bottle, Right?

How can one be so excited about something as simple as a water bottle? Well, this is no ordinary bottle to me. Gone is the nasty aftertaste of backwash water from the weekend ride, half-baked in the sun, the hint of melting plastic and potential mold. Specialized developed the Purist WaterGate Bottle that's engineered with a special plastic that resists taking on odors and flavors of popular sports drinks. It's as if it were made of glass, leaving water tasting pure and fresh. It's easy to squeeze and features a nice open and close valve. I may never use my hydration pack ever again, and opt for carrying these bottles instead.

11th Overall

Today was another glorious early spring afternoon in New York. My legs were pretty sapped of power, but I couldn't help myself on a sunny day like today. I decided to take it somewhat easy out to the Palisades. The further I went the stronger I felt. On a particular section of Henry Hudson Drive I decided to give it 90% of what I had left in my legs. To my surprise upon uploading to Strava I'm climbed up to 11th overall on the leader-board. We'll see how long that lasts, but I felt really proud of myself to see that kind of progress.

The climb is pretty well-known in the New York area. It's the first real hill outside of the city. I remember the first time I rode it thinking how much it kicked my ass. It was also the first time I had to use my smaller front chainring to keep a steady spin.

At the end of the climb I was gasping for air, and my legs were full of lactic acid, but all that training was for something. I quickly shed the acid build up and regained my breath, hopped on the bike and bombed down the same hill I just conquered. It turned out to be my second fastest time on the ride.

Tall Bikes

Gotta love the tall-bike. Rode past this guy who was cruising along Riverside Drive on a Sunday afternoon. I've ridden one before, and it's pretty scary at first, but once you get rolling it's just like riding any other bike. They're mostly hand-crafted, as I've never seen an official line of tall-bikes for purchase. Safety hazard? I think not, just pure fun. Look at the guy's expression.

Upon approach of a tall-bike it's hard to misidentify.

Two New Favorites

Just picked up an issue of The Ride and Rouleur, respectively. They both feature gorgeous photography and/or illustration. I haven't read any of the articles just yet, but they both just eek design and high-quality content. They remind me of Monocle. Rouleur is especially collectible. The Ride provides a good mix of road, mountain and lifestyle while Rouleur caters more to roadies. Definitely both worth checking out if you're wanting an alternative to Bicycling, Bike, or Velo news.

More Power

So I'm back to doing power intervals. Not my favorite thing in the world, but I do see quick results after a few workouts. It's also interesting to see actual wattage versus just measuring my efforts based on heart rate. Now with my PowerTap G3 and Garmin Edge 500 I have some serious tools to better training.

With spring just around the corner, and my first block of races looming overhead, power intervals are the perfect way to prep my season. The downside is that I have to do them indoors for consistent efforts and results, which is hard because the sun is shining more often than not.

Mmm… Titanium

It was a gorgeous day for riding today. It felt like spring. I went down to Coney Island and back on my Epic with my friend, Fred.

A very fun package was waiting for me. A little piece of titanium goodness that is the quick release skewer. I found this RavX titanium skewer on eBay. It's roughly 40 grams for the pair. They're SUPER light. Because my suspension for has oversized end caps I figured I wouldn't be loosing much in stiffness. It's these small inexpensive personal touches that make your bike your own.

The Big S

I have a soft spot for Specialized. My first mountain bike was a Specialized I bought from R.E.I. with my Dad. My first bike ever stolen was a Specialized I built up from spare parts. I now own two Specialized mountain bikes, and a custom IF road bike. I have mostly Specialized branded components, with the exception of a Bontrager water bottle cage and a Ritchey Superlogic seat post. Normally I like mixing and matching parts, but I really like how most everything Specialized goes well together. You either love or hate the big S, but I have history with the brand.

Renegade Recap

After my first ride I can easily say that this tire is FAST. I even have proof. Maybe I picked a perfect day for trail conditions at Cunningham Park. It was hard-pack with hardly any mud. I've ridden the park countless times with similar conditions, but lately it's been rather slippery. I wasn't even pushing myself that hard, and felt I could have shaved off a few minutes if I really hammered. The tires hooked up flawlessly. I noticed the quicker acceleration. On the downside, because of its lower air volume, I noticed the need to put more PSI to keep the tire from rolling of the rim. I'm now tempted to try them on the front…

Birthday Present

For my birthday I treated myself to a new Ritchey SuperLogic Carbon seat post. It's super light and easy to adjust. I'm also able to use my carbon railed Specialized Phenom Pro saddle, previously on my road bike. I probably saved close to half a pound with this upgrade. The finish on the post is quite nice. It's glossy black. Even thought I'm a purist when it comes to brands and their respective components I think the mismatch is justifiable.

Renegade 1.8" Tire

So I just received my new Specialized S-Works Renegade 29x1.8" tires in the mail the other day. They're freakishly narrow. So narrow in fact I only decided to mount one tire on my rear wheel to see how they hook up. Putting one on the front just seems crazy, at least for the kind of trails I'm riding now. I'm sure if it [trail] were fast and flowing hard-pack they'd do just fine, but on first impression it does take some time to get used to.

Not only are they narrower they happen to be not as tall, perceivably. They have quite a bit less volume than their 1.95" counterpart. I was expecting them to be slightly bigger, but as a rear tire it won't matter as much. They look more like a cyclo-cross tire than a mountain tire, but I guess I'm just used to the bigger volume tires I've been riding.

The tread pattern performs really well as a rear. Hardly any slippage on most terrain. The biggest gain besides less rolling resistance is how light they are. At 430 grams they spin up really fast, which is important to me considering I'm on a 29er full-suspension bike. We'll just see if it's worth the tradeoff.

I also put on a new 1.95" S-Works Renegade on the front, which I love, almost as much as the Fast Trak. I figured I'd better start getting used to my race set up now.

Ok, time to hit the trail for an extended test.

Leap Year

It's my birthday today, which means I just turned 8! I was born at 5am on February 29th in Vancouver, WA. It's been 5 years to do the day since moving to New York, and so many great things have happened to me in the relatively short time. I have a wonderful wife and family, a great dog, my health, a successful career, and incredible friends. Thanks to everyone for wishing me a happy birthday today. [Photo by Jenny]

So what did I do today? Not much. I decided to take the day off from work, did some indoor training since the weather was crap, finished re-watching Mad Men in anticipation of the new season, watched a movie, took a nap, and walked Marlow. The night will continue with my wife taking me out for a surprise dinner and end with cake and birthday presents. Overall a low-key and relaxed birthday.

Stillwell Woods

Did Bethpage to Stillwell for the second weekend in a row. It was a cold yet sunny ride at 35º. Everything was going great till I encountered an aggressive hiker who taunted me while nearing the top of a climb, acting as if he were about to push me off the trail. What a jerk! We exchanged words, and he wanted to go at it. I just kept riding hoping this crazy wouldn't start chasing after me. He looked like the kind of guy that just wanted to fight someone. Scary. It didn't stop me from doing two loops before heading back.