Back from the dead

I'm still alive, in case anyone was wondering. I know it's been a long while but things are happening and stuff so, you know, not too much typing has been happening. Anyways my friend Simon is back in action, this time as a single speed with a 120mm fork. This is the lightest sled in the closet right now and it's geared to go at 32x19. I'm such a tough guy, right?

Thanks to Mike Iafrate and Mike Leblanc for raking almost all the trails at Lincoln Woods over the last few weeks!

Lincoln Woods 'Cross is a go

Cross Post from the P Bike site:

Hi all,

Can you believe it's almost 'cross season? I know, summer has just now reared it's sweaty head and all but, yeah, it's that time of year again. I can already hear Geoff talking incessantly about run ups, barriers and the agony of tire choices..

To help folks get in the mood we are hosting two days of 'cross training at Lincoln Woods. The course consists of some fun windy singletrack, a ripping descent and two nasty run-ups. There are no barriers because we feel that the MRC and NBX guys have that covered in spades. There is one lonely downed log roughly at regulation height. Feel free to practice your dismounts/remounts there or just ride around it.

The focus of our events is on bike handling and run-ups. For some inspiration we looked to the old timers and realized that those of us in this day and age really can't complain about a few rocks, logs and a smattering of roots.

By the way, this course is extremely singlespeed friendly because when you aren't riding you're slogging up hill on foot. The trail sections are flat, fast and flow really well.

Anyhow, the official press release is below. Keep in mind that you can stop by Lincoln Woods at any time in the future and ride the course on your own. Because it is situated in a State Park it will always be open. Oh, and if anyone wants a tour of the trails be sure to email me in advance and bring your mountain bike. There are some great trails in LW! If no one RSVPs I'll ride over on my 'cross bike and won't have my MTB with me.

This is listed over at Bikereg as well.

Join Providence Bicycle on August 22nd and 29th at 9:00 AM for some old school cyclocross training in the woods of Lincoln Rhode Island.

The course features good old fashioned woods riding with the longest run up you've ever seen followed by some beautiful winding singletrack and a ripping descent followed, naturally, by another run up. Rinse and repeat.

There is only one natural barrier on the course with a "B line" included to allow you to opt out if you so choose.

The focus of these events is to work on handling skills and the dreaded run ups we all love to hate, that's why there's only one barrier. You'll get over it, I promise.

The rides will run for 60 minutes. After that feel free to take your mountain bike
for a ride on the trails in the park or take a dip in the lake. The beach is just down the road from where we are parking.

Cost: $10 with proceeds going to the US Open Cycling Foundation

Things to bring:

Your bike, a helmet, some fluids, $10 and a positive attitude and a racing license*.

* Please note that all participants must have either an annual USA Cycling license
or purchase a one day license for $5.

Directions:

Take Route 146 to the Twin River Road Exit. From 146 N take a left at the end of
the ramp (opposite from 146 S) and drive into Lincoln Woods State Park. At the
kiosk take a left and park in the big double lots roughly 2/10ths of a mile up on
the left.

Get on your bike and take a right out of the lot, pass the kiosk on your left and
proceed carefully past the gate and take the first left. Be sure to watch for
oncoming traffic. Follow the road to its end and the registration tent will be on the
right. Shortly before 9:00 AM we'll head into the woods and meet at the start/
finish area.

P.S. Big thanks to RI NEMBA, Lincoln Woods, Providence Bicycle, USA Cycling, Dick Durishin and the US Open Cycling Foundation, Mike Iafrate, Mike Ferraro and Leo Corrigan for helping to make this happen!

Thanks and Happy Trails,

Brendan
401 331 6610

Woods 'Cross is (hopefully) coming soon...

I've been working on getting an honest to goodness old time 'cross training race established in Lincoln Woods. This is in conjunction with my employer, Providence Bicycle, RI Parks and Recreation and The US Open Cycling Foundation (insurance and officiating). I'm still waiting to hear about the insurance, and I still need to secure the permit with Parks and Recreation, but things are looking pretty good. If anything the insurance is the one thing I'm still concerned about...

Me, Mike Iafrate and Mike Ferraro cleared out some very old trail in Lincoln Woods off the end of Quinsnicket Rd. There's a pretty damn nice section of trail that runs into a ripping descent prior to one of the longest and nastiest run ups you've yet to attempt in your life. The dates will be in August. Early? For sure. Worth the trip? Yes, assuming you enjoy singletrack and suffering.

Even if the planning hits a snag and doesn't "officially" happen I'll try to organize a race/ride and show the course to whomever wants to ride it. At the very least it will sharpen your 'cross bike handling skills and you might enjoy it. And, if you're local, it'll be a nice spot to practice driving your 'cross bike on dirt without worrying about aggravating dog walkers over at Chase Farm.

The course lends itself well to singlespeed 'cross bikes as all the climbs require most normal humans to dismount and run/slog/deathmarch to the top. Whenever you are on your bikes it will be fast, rolling and flowy. There is but one lonely natural barrier in the form of a downed tree with a B line around it. Why no "real" barriers? Because you'll be suffering enough, I promise.

Things to bring:

Your racing license.

A bike.

A helmet.

A positive attitude.

Things not to bring:

Your "A" bike.

Bitching and moaning.

Carbon wheels.

Expectations.

Let me explain the last one. This course is decidedly NOT a grass 'crit! I want to make that 100000% clear from the get go. There are NO paved sections and no grassy fields. It's all in the woods and it's a wee bit like a short MTB course just without any real technical riding.

When did I move to England?

I know, it's been a while since I've posted anything here. I'm just stopping in to say hello from the damp and swampy denizens of RI. Gloomy as that sounds the sun finally made an appearance last Friday afternoon and again on Saturday. The above photo more or less sums up my feelings on the weather situation of late. It's either that, or I had just realized that I rode through a pile of horse crap at Lincoln Woods. Either way it's a fitting sentiment.

Anyways, the sun was there, and here's the proof:

The Knave of Burlingame?

Soooo, yeah. No mug for me this year. Enjoy it guy who beat my ass like a dirty rug on the first nice day of spring. Speaking of rugs, or carpets, I was told by Adam St Germain that I should have approached the race as if I was one. Well, one that unfurls and rolls out faster as it goes along anyway. Yeah, not so much. Either my magic carpet was broken, or, more likely, it was really, really short and more like a welcome mat. It ran out somewhere around the horrible dirt road and it was all downhill from there. Come to think of it, that's not accurate at all and if it was then the second half of the race would've been a lot more enjoyable. It was more like I had two flat tires and legs full of battery acid. Yep, that about sums it up. The post race ride with Adam was far more enjoyable as we rode out to the extension for the Sammy C trail and rode it, and Sammy C proper, in a clockwise manner that maximizes the flow factor. It was nice to get in a good ride in some great weather after the beating I took in the race.

The Sinister was not a factor in my implosion and it worked great. Not too surprisingly the low tech and old school shifting department worked flawlessly. Little did I know the recently rehabbed Manitou Minute was on it's last legs and that it would cease working during a great ride with Frate later that week (on Thursday afternoon to be exact). Two weird cracking noises during a climb were all the warning I had before it promptly lost almost all of it's travel. Awesome. Luckily Matt Green of super fast Spooky bicycles fame had hooked me up with a Fox 29er fork at KOB, and after a 10 minute switch over at home we were back riding a bit later at Lincoln Woods with Mike F. The Fox is phenomenal and now I know what all those professional bike reviewers mean by the feeling of "bottomless travel". Over the course of two hours worth of riding in Lincoln Woods today I managed to dial it in and it pretty much rules. The bike as a whole reminds me of my old Santa Cruz Chameleon only with big wheels and that is a huge compliment. Basically any bike that even I can kind of wheelie is all right by me! As a card carrying member of the "can't really wheelie to save my life unless there's a damn good reason" club I gotta say this frame is the best thing since sliced bread. Manuals off of drops are almost too easy and it pops up and over stuff incredibly well. Hopefully Frank makes another batch so other folks can get out and enjoy the Simon Bar.

It was good to see everyone out at the race and I hope a few folks come out to the annual Big River Cleanup scheduled for April 25th. Ah yes, who could resist picking up the detritus of the slovenly residents from the times of olde down at the Big River Management Area in the springtime! What's not to love? But seriously, if you can come and help out it will be immensely appreciated and always helps with our relationship with the trail committee and Water Resources Board. Peter has been busy meeting with the new WRB director and keeping tabs on things in that neck of the woods. A good turnout at the cleanup helps demonstrate how seriously we take our roles as stewards of the area, and it doesn't hurt to meet the other trail users and groups interested in preserving one of RI's best networks of trail and open space.

Brian Chapman, AKA the nicest guy in Providence, (seriously, anyone ever see this guy NOT happy?) took the below shot. A true meeting of the minds if ever there was one, eh? Sort of like Churchill and Roosevelt, or Tom and Jerry...

King of Burlingame

It's coming up soon, will I see you there? I hope so because it's going to be a blast! I know I haven't posted in a while, and I must apologize to the one or two of you who still check this page on occasion. I've been riding, working, sleeping, driving an awful lot and riding some more. I actually rode bikes with gears twice in the last week to boot!

Things are coming along nicely and the Sinister is freshly geared with the finest 1997 technology (1x8 XT cassette and XTR mech mated to a 7/8spd thumbie), and it's also sporting a freshly rebuilt Minute up front so things should be good. I will be leading a post race ride on the super fun and great trails that exist in the regions beyond the race course. I'll likely be sporting an orange long sleeve NEMBA jersey if it's colder, or a ratty looking short sleeve RI NEMBA jersey if it's warm. Come find me if you are at all interested in the post race ride. It will be a good time at a nice pace with plenty of time to fall off the techy stuff Lennon designed.

Yardsale Time

Help me clear out some stuff!! It's high time I cleared out the spare parts bin. Help a brother out and buy this stuff at deep discount prices while stimulating my local economy.

Parts seen below:

XTR 8 spd rear derailleur ($15), XT 8 spd rear derailleur ($15), Selle Italia SLR ($25), LX 8 spd cassette ($10)







And some more parts: Race Face Evolve Low Rise ($15), Race Face Evolve 27.2 post 330mm ($15) XT Front Derailleur top pull 28.6 clamp ($10), Race Face Bashguard 4 Bolt 104 BCD ($15), New R/C road post and 120mm stem - from my San Jose ($10 each), Generic stem 120mm, 25.4 clamp MTB stem. Truvativ Stylo triple MTB crankset with Bottom Bracket, pedal washers and chainring bolts. 175mm length ($50).








All this stuff is in good to great shape. The R/C post and stem are basically brand new and were taken off of my Bianchi San Jose. The SLR saddle is petty darned light and in really good shape. I just don't really dig it, maybe you will. The Race Face bar saw one ride on the Sinister before I realized I really needed some more back sweep. The Stylos have some miles on them but the BB has life left in it and the arms are in great shape. The cranks and bashguard go together like PB&J, or Turner and Hooch if that floats your boat.