Author: Cris Bloomfield

Missed this morning’s breakfast ride with the South Manchester posse, due to getting a flat half a mile from home from some broken glass. Took it as a bad omen and went back home to bed. To make a mends I’m meeting up with Cortos later to do some roadie mileage.

Saw Matt Szabo this afternoon who I haven’t seen for ages, he’s filled me in on what he’s been up to and told me about this:

The Government’s GM nation debate web site has been live here for sometime, but I’ve only just found it.

The information is pretty basic with views for and against on a variety of topics.

There are only a few days left to respond with your views using the online question form available at the following link

There are 15 statements that you can rate as follows:
A – Agree strongly
B – Agree
C – Don’t know / unsure
D – Disagree
E – Disagree strongly

There is also space to say what you think. So please let them know!

I don’t normally get involved with things like this, but I think that GM is such an important issue (if you’ve read George Monbiot’s Captive State you’ll understand why) that everyone should make their views heard.

Alexandre Vinokourov won today’s stage of the Tour, a stage in which Beloki crashed hard and almost took Lance with him, more from the BBC.

Full Switz trip report now up here. I really underestimated how long it would take to do that, but it’s done now. Those crazy Germans have been finalising their plans for later this year, this came in last night:

From: Phaty
Subject: Singlespeed Made in Germany – GBBC Berlin!

Hello Ladies,

We are done! The website for the GBBC-race in Berlin is online! And it is bilingual! We already got quiet some interest from STW – thanks to the performance of Team Germany in Thetford … Well maybe not! We will try not to disappoint you!

So here is the link and I ask you to spread the word as much as possible! Andy maybe you could write a little on shitshifter.com! And Chipps if you let me I would write something for STW!

Ah yes, as soon as we receive the first registration from the UK – which actually already happened – we gonna call it the “German Open Singlespeed Championships”

Ein verfickter Gang!

Phaty

Bit far away to plan this bad boy, but I’ll keep it in mind. And while I was away Charlie’s Clunker Classic took place, there have been a few e-mails and photos floating about today, most seem to involve fire and flames and not much riding… This came in this morning:

Hi All

Here’s some lo-res pics from the classic. I have these as 5mb hires [when
open], so if there are any you like, just mail me back.

Thanks to Charlie for getting us all together and thanks everyone for making
a great fun weekend.

See you all next year.

Oh, please email me with any good digi photos, I’d love to put them up on my
website. Make sure you give me your name, codename or callsign so I can
credit you.

cheers>

Lonebiker

Spread the word

It seems these days that the mountain bike on-line world has become ratings obsessed, everyone trying to claim their place in the world of on-line rankings for number of hits and most popular. Any way these guys reckon they’re the third biggest in the UK: MTB-Wales. I guess that’s behind Bikemagic and Singletrackworld.

I’m back. Full Switz trip report and pictures coming soon. Meanwhile things in the wonderful world of mountain biking here in the UK and worldwide have continued apace and I understand there’s a load of men on road bikes taking a bit of a jolly around France. Le Tour is in full swing and Tyler Hamilton is riding like a true hero. Should have picked him for the rothar.com team.

The disc brake and quick release saga continues and now there’s some scientifically tested facts to back up the original arguement. An arguement that was really sparked by a rather well-known accident involving a popular British mountain biker. Talking of accidents Big Johnny posted this link a while back and the sad thing is it just sounds so plausible that the driver just blacked out at the wheel.

This weeks recommended link: Carrier (someone’s just earnt themselves a well-deserved new job in the wonderful world of travel)

Pulled a ten hour shift in the bike shop and have just spend the last two hours since arriving home shoehorning a bike in several pieces into two suitcases with all my kit. Undoubtedly there will be something I forget, but right now I don’t know what it is. Flying out to Switz tomorrow morning and looking forward to some epic mileage. I’m outta here.

Four hundred mile round trip down to Tim Flooks‘ workshop just south of Bath today. 5th element shocks will fit the old FSR frame, but 5th don’t make a spring strond enough for the 4:1 ratio that the FSR produces in 6″ travel mode. They don’t even do one that lets in run 5″ travel. Bit of a bummer as I’d managed to line up a buyer for the Vanilla R that was coming off, but Tim had always reckoned getting it to fit was a long shot.

Anyway he had a fettle and has revalved the shock again, this time to what is being referred to as North Shore standard, which basically means its shimmed to the max. Running it in 5″ mode now and the whole things seems a lot better, plus the new internals now have a rubber stop that eliminates the metallic top out noise. Result. More on how it performs when I get back from Switzerland.

The trip was relatively uneventful apart from the usual M5/M6 queues and then some cretin in a SUV who almost took out a BMW on the M56 on the way back into Manchester. Can’t have been concentrating and missed a slow down in the traffic ahead, then only just managed to hit the brakes before ramming up the back end of some of Stuttgart’s finest in the fast lane. I was one lane in from them and the sight of several tonnes of metal getting sideways, one way then the other under braking at about 70 mph had my heart in my mouth, especially as it swerved into and then out of the lane just in front of me. Probably a brown pants moment for the driver that’s for sure.

A few of us have setup fantasy Tour De France teams, and entered them in Cycling Weekly’s competition. Thanks to Chilly and Jed for sending in the link. I’ve setup a page to track team progress and will be launching it sometime after the start of the event and definitely by next Sunday when I get back.

The Germans have organised another mental singlespeed event, this time on their turf, details are on this forum thread. I should have linked to the Russ appeal ages ago. I didn’t but I wish I had. Here it is: Russ Appeal

Singletrack Issue Ten arrived yesterday and has been providing good reading as expected. I’ve updated the ‘bureau and played around with things a little bit here and there, but most of it is behind the scenes stuff that you won’t notice.

Reading Chipps’ article about Jeff Guererro from Dirt Rag’s visit was for some reason strangely inspiring. You can catch up on Jeff’s recollection of events and find links to a load of pictures over on Dirt Rag. The forum entry’s here in fact.

That’s it for tonight. Need to get ready for tomorrow’s Breakfast ride.

As I sit here there is a stadium power light beaming into both the rooms of the flat from the car park outside where some filming is taking place. It’s like it’s 8 o’clock in the morning, except it’s almost midnight. That plus the intermittent crackle of walkie talkies and people shouting through a megaphone. Inconsiderate bastards.

The suitcases which the FSR is going to fit into for the trip to Switz arrived this morning and are now suitably lined with cardboard. The wheels will fit if the tyres are deflated and the rear end and forks are going to have to be taken off the frame to get it to fit into the other case, but otherwise not much more disassembling than would normally occur to pack a bike into a cardboard bike box. It’s a cunning plan that might just work. Plus they both have wheels on which means they can be truckled around unlike a cardboard bike box.

Current thinking is that a trip down to TF Tuned is on for Wednesday and I’ve ordered some stiffer fork springs this morning. Bit last minute but there we go.

I’ve also been working on some team kit and t-shirt designs in preparation for a rothar.com team entry in Sleepless this year. Black and white seems like the way ahead to me, just like Guinness and Team Evil.

Some good results to report. Steve Peat is back to winning ways and Fionn Griffiths and Tracy Moseley are up on the podium too. The national road race results weren’t too surprising and this just goes to show that some people need the sort of assistance that isn’t allowed:

From: cyclingnews.com
Subject: Rumsas fails B test

Lithuanian cyclist Raimondas Rumsas has been confirmed to have tested positive for EPO during the Giro d’Italia. The results of the counter analysis were identical to the first test, which was performed on a sample taken on May 16. “The second test proves Raimondas had taken erythropoietin, also known as EPO. This is very sad,” said Rima Berloviene, a spokeswoman for the Lithuanian Sports Federation to AP.

Rumsas has yet to be sanctioned, but he could be facing a long penalty unless he can prove his innocence. After the first positive test, Rumsas stated that if the counter-analysis was also positive, “I would suspect my doctors…Everyone knows that I am under special observation. How then could I take EPO after what happened at last year’s Tour de France?”

Rumsas finished third in the Tour de France last year, but on the last day his wife Edita was arrested under suspicion of carrying doping substances in her car. She was jailed for two months before eventually being released. Rumsas always denied taking banned substances, and said the products in his Edita’s car were for his mother-in-law.

New revised and hopefully looking better for those of you on smaller screens

I pretty much buried myself this week. Tuesday evening plus the Breakfast ride and a play up in the Hills above Hebden Bridge and Todmorden finally took their toll and I overslept on Thursday, waking up at 09.30. My ability to get my shit together in no time at all meant that I still managed to make it to the Doctor’s appointment that I had ten minutes later.

After almost two years since the RTA that killed the De Rosa, the lower back pain I’ve been having was investigated with an MRI scan a few weeks ago. The results show that I have a couple of discs that aren’t in a very good state. Doesn’t seem to be much that can be done about it, but some physiotherapy may help.

It’s been an interesting week at work, but not always for the right reasons. Some things never change. We had a customer in today that we’d gone out of our way to accommodate and had ended up doing a lot of work for no profit, yet they still queried the bill and made a massive fuss. Some people just don’t know when they’re onto a good thing. Wouldn’t have been so bad had it not been for the attitude, it really spoilt the atmosphere for the rest of the day for me.

Trying to get organised for Switzerland. I leave next Friday. I have a cunning plan for getting the bikes on the plane adopted from this thread on the Singletrack forum. I’m also just about to plough through the multipage small print of the Snowcard insurance that has been suitably recommended.

Bike is pretty much sorted, but I’m still undecided about the rear shock and probably need to get the fork springs uprated. Decisions, decisions.

I always thought the original Ultimate’s were pretty cool, but technology moves on I guess. Oh and a well done to Dave (360) from the Breakfast ride, who set a time for the South Downs Way last weekend, on his singlespeed. A hardest bit? whole thing looks like hell, I reckon it’s going to take some beating.

The Corster and I rode out tonight, managed to clock up fifty miles in Cheshire. Guess we should make the most of this good weather while it lasts and it was good tonight. First time out on the road bike in a long time. Always feels weird going back to narrow drop bars after riding mountain bikes with risers.

Team Jelly weren’t at Mountain Mayhem (I keep wanting to call it the Red Bull) this year, but Martyn was up for another crack at it and managed to pull a team together, building upon his pairing from last years Dusk to Dawn. This race report made its way into my inbox:

It seems that there was some arguing and bitching in the team and the end result was to be placed 129th. Surprising really because with all those e’s you’d be forgiven for thinking they’d be wired out of their heads. Talking of 24hr endurance Jed and I have been accepted into the pairs category at Sleepless in the Saddle. That is going to be either good fun or complete carnage. Hoping it’s not going to be the latter.

5th Element shock for the FSR. Should I, shouldn’t I? Decisions, decisions, if I get it I’ll need it before I head to Switzerland next Friday, which is going to necessitate a trip down south.

Breakfast ride and Calderdale night ride tomorrow. It’s going to be proper ‘bo.

Saab Salomon Mountain Mayhem Results here

Well whilst people were riding all weekend down in West Bromwich, I worked my first full weekend in the shop. No riding, but I have managed to go through all of the various little tasks that have needed to be done. Filing paperwork that kind of exciting stuff.

Bit of fettling with bikes here and there. Talking of which there is a new project to be worked on, it’s of the skinny tired variety and will necessitate some paint stripping and checking the structural integrity of some finely brazed 531. More as and when.

Whilst tidying up I found this collection of pictures.

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Bike Porn from the Plymouth Grundig World Cup Event in ’95.