Hops, Wurst & Eingang

One of the pleasures of taking a title like a national championship is that for the following season everytime you line up at a race, you get to wear your nations colors. But what if you were able to wear the forever???

The 2008 German Single Speed Championships are offering the title for good, as it is being promoted as the last one. Two weeks down the road on the 3rd of May the last ever German Singlespeed Championships will take place in Haselbach/Rhön (Haselbach, Bischofsheim an der Rhön).

In an email from Phaty, one of the events founders and webmaster for the Eingang forum wrote:

“For years and years we try to burry this event by running it in The Netherlands or on a 1k lap in Nürnberg, giving the title away in a drawing and not to forget last years event that included a 2k Le-Mans-Run to your bike followed by a 300 Meter (that is 900 ft. or so) downhill to the finish line … and that was it!

This year we decided give it in the hands of some real XC riders who are all members of the SRAM Factory Racing Team from Schweinfurt. They make sure you get a real Mountain Bike race not some kind of a “Christopher Street Day meets Oktoberfest” Event
Entry fee is like 5€ plus maybe a donation for the local band – I heard they suck! I love it …

There is no flyer, website, timetable and sure enough there is no sponsor – just pack your stuff drive there, race fast and win … can’t be that hard – really … !
It is your last chance to win this prestigious title, it will stick with you for ever!”

Sandi & I are hitting this event for sure, it will be sweet to meet up with some disgruntled German MTB’er and have a shot at an eternal title. If you can read German, go to: http://www.eingangradforum.de/

EDGE Composites XC wheels

One of the better developments I have enjoyed as of late, is the development of the carbon mountain bike wheel. Reynolds, DT Swiss, Tufo, Fulcrum and EDGE composites have all their own versions of this. And it not just the weight and svelty looks that have me excited – it is more the ride quality.

matched up on KING ISO disc rear hub

My wheels: EDGE Composites has developed a full line of MTB rims, and I have been riding the first generation 32mm profile ones, one set on Chris King ISO hubs and one set on 240s DT hubs. Both are clinchers setup w/ a tubless kit, 28 hole, disc only and the DT’s are about 30g lighter – both top out at just over 1300g (1340 vs. 1310). I have also been riding a set of the Reynolds Topo Tubulars which weigh a whopping 1242g, and are gloued up w/ a set of the Dugast Rhino XL’s.

DT 240s version w/ CenterLock Shimano discs

If you have ever ridden carbon cyclocross wheels, you know their benefits, they seem to ‘float’ on rough terrain, and yet are very deliberate in navigation, cutting with surgical-knife precision the direction they are pointed. This is the exact feeling the carbon mtb wheels deliver, without being difficult to handle. Smooth is the word that comes to mind in their overall performance. The buff out the trail in perfect harmony with well tuned suspension and matching tire pressure (25-28psi). These characteristics rand out even louder on my DT’s with their stout 15mm though-axel, providing an even more positive, solid front end. I am all for a possible new through axel standard.

The whole package

Tubeless compared to Tubular, they both have strong arguments, however, for day-to-day riding, or in a mountainous/ rocky envionment, tubeless not doubt. The weight is all but forgotten with the added security of flat protection on tubeless, and what I feel is a slightly better performing setup. Go tubular if you have no children to save up for college for, and just need to have that sweet set of ‘race only’ wheels. Women would also benefit from the superlight weight, so low rolling resistance of tubulars as well.

This is one of the best applications in the bike industry for carbon. Its strengths are glorified and far out shine aluminum or other materials, and its weaknesses are well guarded and hidden. Besides, who can argue with the sheer sexiness of their appearance. Bonus points for psyching out the competition on the starting line with a set of these.

MTB Fahrtechnik

mittwochs abends

Bundesliga Bilder

My Ride
the conditions
MTB Park Muensingen
The Run-UP
PRO Number Plate

Bundesliga

Having spent the last ten years honing my skills in the Colorado racing scene, I have raced some very fast, strong riders. It seemed like all of those experiences/ skills where lost on Saturday when I took to the line at round one of the MTB Bundesliga in Muessingen.

Foul spring weather had been soaking the course all week like most of Germany, so in my pre-ride, my bike doubled its weight in mud. The course was crazy slippery, riddled with roots and rocks, tight twisting sections and some steep climbs. It felt great to be back after a sabbatical last season from racing.

After being called up to the line, I took position behind the German National Masters Champion, someone who obviously doesn’t have a day job due to his ultra-fit appearance, and dark tanned skin probably courtesy of some training in Mallorca or the Canary Isles. Did I mention he has a PRO German Champion kit from the Dolphin Trek squad???

From the gun it was 100% on the gas, f-ing fast. We slammed into the first major obstacle of the race, a 100 meter run up, and I was going backwards fast. I was thing of Greg as this would be something he would enjoy. At the top we hit a half-kilometer pave section that saw us draw out in a long drafting line. The speed on display was mind blowing, these guys were FAST! Once we hit the woods, I was moving back in the right direction, but I could feel the legs weren’t there for any serious contention, so I set out for a descent finish, or atleast to finish.

I plugged along each lap, my victory was in being able to clean most of the sections on the course while everyone else was portaging their rides. I even threw a couple of cross-ups over the doubles back down in the mtb park in the race village. On the pre-ulitmate lap things went really wrong. I lesser-skilled rider tried an impossible pass to my inside, losing control. The consequences sent me hard over the bars. While trying to get my breath back Paramedics attended to me. I saw blood, and couldn’t feel my left hand. After the leaders made their way by I was able to get to my feet, but it was long over. I limped back to the the base area, and retired my number.

It was not to be, but I still enjoyed the experience and look forward to future races. My homework is clear, speed over here is the trump card, something I didn’t need in my vertically challenging world of Colorado. I am training with a local road pro, he will surely help lead me to the promise land and I look forward to round 2.

Eingang

Sometimes its hard to see the forest through the trees, and so it is with training this time of the year. So many days, kilometers, downloads from the HRM onto the laptap, it is hard to tell where you are. The feelings are good, but until you line up against others, you don’t know.

For me this season is an extra challenge. Last season I took off, with Sandi pregnant, our pending move, racing, let alone training was out. Upside was that I rode a lot new trails… Since moving to Germany, nordic skiing also has fallen victim, normally I am coming off a long nordic skiing season, this year it has been a lot of riding – I am not complaining. Last couple of weeks I have wondered where I am, sometimes not feeling that good, but lately I have felt strong and like I am getting stronger. April 12th is my season kick-off, the first German Bundesliga Cup race in Mussingen, “Das Fruhjahres Klassicher”.

Looking forward to getting out to dice it up and see really where things lie, and to know what work needs to be done. Haven’t decided on Houffalize World Cup, but the first weekend in May is the German Single Speed Champs, that would be a nice jersey for the collection.

Continuing to build the IF Brand over here, 29′ers are of particular interest for the Euro’s – steel none the less, I thought we would be peddaling ultralight ti-lugged/ carbon race bikes…

I have some projects to consume my time, some you all will see soon.

ifbikes.de

www.ifbikes.de

Our new website is now up! We will have an English version to soon follow at www.ifbikes.eu. Give it a spin.

Xterra Winter Championships

So you think you are a badass???

Light bikes and forward thinking

There are some interesting sites out there dedicated to the pursuit of the lightest bikes in the World, and the Holy Grail of websites has to be Light Bikes.com.

On one side I am thinking “would I ride or race that bike?” Honestly, a lot of them I question their durability. Some, are inspiring and I think, “where are Shimano, Sram and others with products like these?” Owners modify and cobble even their own parts and bits to shave weight, take things to the Formula-1 degree. No piece is left to chance. The sum of all of these parts are stunning examples of minimalism and innovation. These bikes are equally intriguing and beautiful.

Here is one of my favorites, SPIN EPO Alpcross, owner Jose Luis Lobo.
Photo courtesy LighBikes.com
The vintage Rock Shox MAG21Ti is the crowning touch on this ride, weighing a scant 849! That is nearly half of a SID World Cup. The Ti cranks are nice piece of bling, but where this bike goes scary for me is with the carbon front and rear ders, along with the front chain rings. Ever had a cross-shift or piece of big debris go up into the drive-train? Two things I noticed he did not go for, which I know would have lightened this thing up more were a carbon chain, yes there is one. And carbon Nokon cables. I pretty sure there are lighter pedals out there as well.

Here is the crazy part on this bike, even at 11.69lbs, it is not the lightest mtb! This one is:

Owner: Heinz Wittmann, 11.22lbs

Devils work is in the details.

Beautifully Fragile

I admire these peoples tenacity to create some one-off machines. I have long been an advocate for a bike show like that of car or motorcycle shows, and these would be great pieces for such an event, even have a light weight category. This would also make for a great reality show, documenting the build of one of these bikes and even showing when things go wrong and they crash or blow some parts up. It happens.

Whatever may come, these guys should take pride in their pursuit, and I will for sure be one who keeps tuning in to see where things go from here.

Sauwetter

Winter is a distant memory of a deafening white landscape, replaced by musty moist scents and stark earthy tones of a maritime early spring. Wind pounds the water through everything, the ground displacing percipitation it can’t absorb.

Tracers fade out behind my wheels as we course through tiny villages and back roads over here. I love to ride in these conditions, thinking of the Spring Classics, or the history of the paths we have chosen. The climbs are a harsh reality of Newton’s theory, steep, out of the saddle, grunts, sometimes stretching on longer than we had hoped.

Upon retuning home, my German Grandfather says, “Das ist kein wetter zum radfahren.”

Genau haben wir gefahren…