New Projects...

I hope to spend some time this weekend working on a couple new projects.  I'd call them spring projects, but unfortunately I think that would just be wishful thinking.  I love spending time working on bikes, which is why I'm a chronic project seeker - always changing set-ups and configuring new bikes.  I'm looking forward to a couple beers, some music, and time with bikes and tools...

The first project is disassembling my Fat Front MTB and turning it into a beater/ice bike.  I've always really liked the Fisher GED frame due to its long (25.7") effective top tube length, but I'm baffled by the fact that frame designers put such short head tubes on XL frames.  With a "normal" mtb stem on the GED, the bars end up further below the seat than I'd like... so this frame will be getting a high-rise stem and riser bars.

The other project will be the replacement for the GED - a new mountain bike built for singletrack.  More posts on this one later.  Here's a hint...

We had a glimpse of spring a couple weeks ago... multiple days with sunny skies and temps in the 40s and 50s.  Then it snowed 14+ inches last weekend.

I'm ready for clear bike paths and dry singletrack...

Errand Bike Update

After 2 weeks of not riding, I finally got out for a spin today...

The City of Lakes Loppet is happening this weekend, so I decided to head over and check out some of the events.  I rode my errand bike since I didn't want to subject my fat bike to the mixture of salt, sand and water covering the roads and bike paths.

I made some changes to the errand bike last week... most notably the handlebars and brakes.  I've always been a fan of monstercross bikes and drop bar 29ers, and after seeing some pics of a really cool drop bar Karate Monkey over on MTBR I decided to dig my On-One Midge bars out of the parts bin.  I could never quite make the bars fit other bikes, but I figured with its tall front end they'd work well on my errand bike.

I installed All-City track grips on the bars, then wrapped cork bar tape over the grips.  Nice and fat, with some extra padding.  I like the flare, shallow drop and width of the Midge bars, but I have to agree with the opinions of some riders that say the straight section at the bottom of the drop is too short.  So far I like the Midge bars - no major hand pain, yet.  I'm hoping it won't be an issue since this bike will only see short trips and errands.

The brakes were switched to a mullet set-up... disc up front and v-brake in the back.  The brake levers are just standard road brake levers, not the v-brake compatible type.  The combination of a shallow drop bar and big hands make it work.  The levers are positioned on the bars so I can pull a lot of cable before the lever swings far enough to hit the bar.  One-finger braking was not a problem.

I also picked up a cool, new seat bag from Hiawatha Cyclery a few weeks ago.  It's a Banjo Brothers Saddle Trunk... 400 cubic inches of behind the seat awesomeness.  

My first stop was at the Ice-Cycle Loppet - a bike race that's held on the lagoon between Calhoun and Lake of the Isles.  The course is mostly on the ice, but also has a section of dirt/packed snow.  Some of these guys can really haul ass.

After watching the race for a bit, I headed for the beer tent... Surly Brewing was the beer sponsor.  Before I left, I walked down the mall to check out the snow sculptures.  This was one of my favorites...

It was good to be on a bike again...