ArtCrank

I was in One on One last week and now have Art Crank on my mind.  I love the idea of submitting a poster some day.  Unfortunately I don't know how to make posters and have no talent.  They have a nifty little video about artcrank here I think the only part really worth watching however is at about 3:03 in the video.  

Minnesota River

Super fun ride  by myself from the Bloomington Ferry bridge to Nine Mile Creek on Saturday.   A couple miles before the finish I hit this easy seeming log crossing hard as if to do a tiny sort of jump over it.  At the peak while feeling weightless came a bad sound.  I came to a stop with the rear wheel out of the fork ends and the disc rotor bent badly.   I needed to put all my weight on it to straighten it enough to have it not hit the frame.  I had no idea how strong with great metal memory these rotors are. I didn't have a tool to take off the rotor so I pulled the whole brake off to ride to the car.  

Including me there were13 people on the trail ridding with 7 being on fat bikes.  Lots of shinny new Mukluks out and about.  With the exception of One on One yesterday the other bike shops I have recently been in I have seen other people coming in to buy fat bikes and fat bike supplies.  Angry Catfish, Hollywood Cycles, Eden Prairie Eric's and the new Eden Prairie Freewheel.  Sadly I missed out on the Midtown freewheel winter bike expo day and the Moonlander test ride at Hiawatha last weekend.  

It is a fat world and I suddenly fit right in.  

Pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds made. Check
Stomach ache from eating way too many scheduled for about an hour from now.

Image dump. Thanks to those I took them from.

 New carbon belt drive.

The left wheel is like the Larry tire on my Pugsley.  The Right is the new Big Fat Larry.  

Fatback Ti frame, New 45degree North brand/fat tires from QBP and new Eric from the old Epic designs now Revelate designed Salsa frame bag.  

I don't know why I think this is so funny.  

I now have a dog that will need hair cuts. 

 Interesting font

My next phone

The Nexus Galaxy by Google/Samsung  will be my next phone.  The new ice cream sandwich software seems great.  

Fat weekend

 Murphy and Wirth in the same weekend.   Super fat fun.  Of course my fat bike is a skinny 4x29 not an 8x36.  I am kind of a weight weenie that way.

 This one is apparently now owned by a dog.

Pic dump

 Crime stands no chance.

 We celebrated some birthdays a few days ago.

 The farm behind our house.  See the combine just below the farm.

 Our dog Mazy.

As requested on the bike tour

"I can ride a bike! "

Surly's new Black Floyd Tire

Click pic big to see some details.

Hotel coffee is not so bad.

Duluth Radisson and dinner at the Anchor Bar.  

Been playing with the GoPro and ordered three new attaching devices for it.  Bike, Helmet, and bare  head.  When not playing with the GoPro I have been playing the original Portal game on my computer and been loving it.  It is free until the 20th when you get it from the Valve/Steam sites.  Go here and download the game.   Q it reminds me of watching you play the first tomb raiders after work.  I mean without the little dragon charm things to collect that you could never find because of the poor graphics.  

My new dream bike

The Moonlander.  Fatter than fat.  Just like me.  Lots of other cool new bike stuff on the seamingly new and improved Surly site.  

New wheels and bearings

UCI MTB World Championships DHI 2011 Champery Switzerland Danny Hart RUN

The best down hill run I have ever seen. Make sure you listen for the very last thing the announcer says at the end of the video.

Learning to skateboard in fresh powder.

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I painted a banana

wow

New Drivetrain

The problem: I need lower gears.  By lower gears I mean about a 1to1 ratio.  Gears to pull a bob up a long steep gravel back road.  

Solution: Hollywood cycles.  Jay talked me off the ledge of a very expensive Sram X9 Crank and hooked me up with a great Sram X7 (s1400) 2x10 mountain bike crank/BB and X7 front derailleur for about the same price as the internet plus he fixed a loose rear hub and put on a new dura ace chain and ultegra cassette.  As usual it is all working perfectly and all labor done for $20.   Such cheap labor and not a hint of problem with me bringing in the other parts for him to put on.  I now have a 42/28 in front and an 12?/27 in the back.