Sven Rides the Fat Tires

Sven riding dugast tubular mountain bike tires at the mountain bike World Championships 2008.  He DNF'd the race, but his tires look awesome.  photo cred.  

BIKE 1

Motivation

Mike Sherer has provided me with some much needed motivation.  I've been seeing little bits and pieces on the order sheets I enter during a hectic week.  TRP, Fizik, 42's, 12-27's, mostly ordered in quantities of 2 or 4.  We open at 11, but Mike has been rolling through at 9 am on most mornings to sneak in a coupe hours of work on his bikes.  Mike is a Category 1 road racer and in the heat of his season, he's had one weekend off in the last 4 months, but he's in early working on these.   They're stunning bikes really, just slightly different, but so esthetically pleasing.  Mike runs one double and one single.  He has the legs and does the nationals where a 42 just isn't going to cut it, wish I had that problem. 

I walk past these two bikes at least twenty times a day, just taunting me.  I packed up both my cross bikes in bike boxes and put them in my basement at home in January last year (this year I guess) but needless to say I couldn't resist the temptation any longer.  They're out and one is all built up, spun it around today, feels crazy strange.  I'm used to SRAM Red now and the DA is so odd, my thumb feels trapped on the hoods somehow.   I have it in the window so I can stare at it while I work.  Two more cyclocross bikes to build, the training bike with power and the A bike.  Can't wait to start gluing up some fat tubulars.

2007 Series Champion

Got this in the mail today.  This is the jersey that is presented to all of the overall winners of their perspective categories in the Chicago Series.  It is an awesome looking piece that has a lot of Chicago Style.  It is kind of nice because it really rewards consistency, it doesn't depend on just one day.  I have to thank my family more than anyone for this.  Getting all these days to ride away from home is truly a gift, and I appreciate it.  Thanks also to everyone involved in the Chicago Cyclocross cup, without your hard work we wouldn't have a series.  I remember 2005 I think there almost wasn't a series at all.  It was mid September and we were still all looking at each other wondering if it would happen.  The cup has come a long way since it all started.  Thanks again.  

PRO Cross Style

It doesn't get any more pro than this.  I have been looking for one of these for years.  Maybe I should run two rings?

KIT

2008 Pony Shop Cyclocross Team.  Jersey pictures, skins will be the standard of course.

Double it up

Since cross season is still a couple of months away I keep my body occupied with the road, but thoughts of the cross bike keep creeping in.  I keep starting to build them back up but something tells me to hold off just a bit longer.  I still have to figure out what I'm building up with parts wise.  Doing new Crank Bros pedals and headsets this year for certain.  These or their white brothas are going to be a must for the stoppers, even though stopping in cross is so not important.  I'm considering setting one bike up as a double and one as a single, ala Mike Sherer.  I am just such a nerd for having the two bikes be the same.  I used the pit bike a lot last year, more than I would have thought, and it was nice for them to be identical.  

Once the parts are figured out then the training has to start.  People are already talking about it.  Mike's lining up parts for the fall even though he has another 50 road races to do this year, Mark and Jim were talking today about when we started cross practice last year and if we could move it up to July this year.  I'm really getting tempted to try and sit in on the Judson ride on the cross bike in lieu of some actual motor pacing.  I was talking with RF today and actually kind of got reminiscent about doing some cross intervals that Brian set me up with last year.  Man those are going to hurt.   Anyone who is new on the BSC Cyclocross train I promise you will be ready for this year after these workouts.  Riders ready.....