Coldsprints

Mpls Bike Polo threw a fundraiser party in downtown Mpls last night... beer, music, racing and a whole bunch of fellow Mpls cyclists.  It was a blast.  The main attraction of the night was the racing, provided by Coldsprints.

Coldsprints are head-to-head indoor roller races... built, developed and run by a couple Mpls cyclists.  It consists of two fork mounted rollers, hooked up to a custom computer program that simulates a track race.  It's a really cool concept, and makes for great entertainment.

And yes, the buckets are for puke.  Fortunately they never got used... but then again, I left fairly early.

Based on the size of the crowd, I think it was a successful fundraiser.  At the very least, it was a great party!

Coldsprints 2.25.12 from Fat Tire MN on Vimeo

Framebuilding Jig

The framebuilding jig is getting closer to being complete... I just need a centering cone to hold the seat tube when joining it to the BB, and a support to hold the seat tube at the correct angle while finishing the front triangle or installing the chainstays.

The jig doesn't hold all the frame tubes in place at the same time, but rather holds a set of tubes so that I can braze a particular joint.  The tubes are then removed, the jig is adjusted and the tubes for the next joint are installed.  This continues joint by joint until the frame is complete.   

The next project will likely be the stand for the jig... which means I might be sparking up the torch sooner than expected!

Wide Load

Over the last month or so I've picked up a couple parts for the custom fat bike; a 100mm bottom bracket and a 170mm rear hub...

The hub is a Salsa Mukluk 3, which is Salsa's "economy" version of their fat bike hub.  I have a pair of ISIS cranks that I'm planning to use, and by the sounds of it, the FSA is the best option for wide ISIS bottom brackets.

Next on the list of things to get are the remaining pieces for the jig.  I've recently found a simpler version of a framebuilding jig and I'm in the process of reconfiguring the 80/20 extrusion.  It will end up being a bit less expensive than the original design, and since I plan to build frames one joint at a time, its modular form should be nice and user-friendly.

After the jig is assembled, I'll order welding supplies and build a stand for the jig.  And then I'll be ordering frame tubes!  I hope to be sparking up the torch sometime in April.  That seems like a long way off, but I'm pretty damn excited.


Stopping is half the fun....  

Stupor XV

The Stupor Bowl is one of the Twin Cities' most popular and well-known cycling events.  Now in it's 15th year, it's an alley cat race held annually on Super Bowl weekend... typically a cold, gloomy, snowy time of the year here in Mpls.  But not this year.  It was 35 degrees with relatively light winds, a good amount of sun, and dry streets.  I've never participated in the race, but after seeing the crowd and the general atmosphere of the event, I'm putting it on my list of things to do next year.

Riders met at One-on-One Bike Studio to get ready, socialize, and register (if they didn't register the night before).

Eventually the crowd rolled out to the starting point under the 35W bridge.

I saw quite a few friends racing, and it looked like a good ol' time.  As you'd expect (especially with the dry road conditions), most racers were on road bikes, but some were running mountain bikes with knobbies.  There were even a few people on fat bikes.

After the race started I headed home, the long way... all the while thinking about the fun the 100+ racers were having while crisscrossing the city on a gorgeous February day.  And the craziness that undoubtedly ensued at the after-party.


Stopping is half the fun...