MTB

I go through a conversation about dropouts with pretty much everyone I build a frame for - and this isn't meant to replace that conversation, but it's a good background on what I usually use and what the pluses and minuses are for each option. This is rear (frame) dropouts only, fork dropouts are a lot less interesting in general (if you disagree I'll do another post on them, just let me know in the comments).Dropouts I commonly use now:-Paragon sliders. These are a mainstay for folks who want to singlespeed, singlespeed/geared, or use an IGH like a Rohloff. They allow all kinds of axle options and are super reliable - they won't slip, creak, break, or get scored up by the clamp bolts. In short they are pretty much set and forget. Back in the day they were cool and sexy, now they're everywhere so nobody will be impressed. If I were building myself a singlespeed, these are what I'd use. They will add about 150g of weight to your frame over a non-adjustable dropout.-Paragon rockers. Another singlespeed/geared option from Paragon for folks who don't like the look of the sliders or just want the brake caliper tucked between the chainstay and seatstay. Also pretty reliable though they are a bit more complex than the sliders and don't have a tension screw for fine tuning chain tension (IMO not a big deal). Adds 150g or so as compared to a non-adjustable.-Paragon DR2010. The plain-jane basic disc dropout that I use for almost every geared mountain bike I do. Light, strong, reliable, easy to work with - nothing to hate here. If you want to carry loads on a rear rack or mount fenders, these aren't ideal - go with the low mounts.-Paul Horizontals. If you're old school and want rim brakes, or you want a track bike or fixie with no brakes at all, these are super cool and scream street cred, since PaulComp makes badass stuff. They also feature a TON of adjustment (something like 40mm) if you never want to have to add/subtract chain links when changing gears. Note that I will do these with a disc tab if you insist but it's really better to just use some dropouts that are intended for disc use.-Paragon low mount. If you like the disc tab tucked into the gap between chainstay and seatstay, and/or you want to carry racks and run fenders, these are great since the caliper is out of the way of the eyelets. They have a replaceable aluminum derailleur hanger, which is a bit of a bummer since steel dropouts really don't need replaceable hangers, but c'est la vie. Available in "expedition" versions with extra material if you're paranoid or carrying huge loads.-Paragon Polydrops. These are currently only useful for geared bikes but they offer a couple of axle options, a split for future belt drive compatibility, and the cool factor of being the newest thing to come out of Mark's (Paragon owner) crazy brain. I have a set on Stupidmobile and I like them just fine, though I'd probably just use the low mounts or 2010s for a plain-jane geared hardtail. Not great for folks with heel/chainstay strike issues as they are super long and will be right at ankle-bone distance for some riders.-Paragon DR2007 (and variations). For road or 'cross bikes with rim brakes. These come in a variety of angles for different sizes of frame - nothing special to say, they just work.Other stuff I've used in the past:-Breezer vertical dropouts. I used to use a ton of these but I don't much anymore because A) they're more work for me than plate-type dropouts, and B) many people end up having problems with compatibility for trailers (or axle-mounted racks) and apparently a lot of my customers now have kids. Still available if you want the hooded dropout look, though.-Surly horizontal dropouts. I used these for some singlespeed/rim brake frames back in 2004 and 2005. They are still made and I can still build with them if you're looking for a hooded horizontal dropout.-Surly Instigator dropouts. Used on some long-travel full suspension frames I built a long time ago. Canyonero!Stuf

Filmed and Edited By Logan McLennan, this kid must have been all over the place because he didn’t miss much of the action or any of the course features – a hard thing to do when you’re filming a live event and setting up shots.

by Molly Hurford I know it’s silly to be writing about this: blogging about being unplugged from phone, Internet and even cameras? A bit of a contradiction. But nonetheless, I learned a kind of cool “life lesson” out in California last month. Working from home (or wherever I am)... ...view the full story & post your comments at our site: http://cxmagazine.com

The used to be a front derailleur here. I've been doing a lot of hand sanding lately. Chasing irregularities and finding new ones along the way. I probably could have taken the frame somewhere and had it bead blasted, but for me, there is something.... Well, there is something about hand work and metal that I like. I used to be a bench jeweler, and I got to polish up a lot of gold and silver, but I also would polish up about anything metal in my down time. I once polished a prong file's back side to a chrome-like, mirror finish. It's kind of a mental clearing activity, and I suppose I have something wrong with me.....But you all knew that! Anywho, I enjoy the hand sanding, and I find it rewarding when I can make something look better than it used to, if it is metal. Maybe I should have built custom cars or something, I don't know.... But the point here is that I have large areas of exposed metal that I needed to cover up, and all I have around to keep rust at bay right now is some Pepto Bismal Pink spray bomb paint. So, most of this rig looks mighty bright pink at the moment. Might just incorporate that color with another really bright hue and do some masking and....well we'll see. I am getting ahead of myself here. I sanded off the down tube decals, just because, and I think I am going to sand all of them off. May as well, and that will leave a cleaner looking frame to lay ones eyes on. Stay tuned, this could get real interesting....

After the OOB and the Midterm, the first ride I had on the Stache 8 was over a few miles of multi-user, technical single track that climbed and dropped through the course of three canyons in the Santa Monica Mountains of SoCal.  It set the stage for me for the duration of the test of the Stache, for if this bike were only ridden on smooth fire roads and buff trails, it would be a shame.  That first ride was a few hours of steep on-the-nose-of-the-saddle climbs, switchback turns, rocky creek beds, and swoopy blind turns on scrabbly dirt.  From the very beginning to the very end of that ride the Stache was balanced, composed, and fun.  And ‘fun’ was a word that I used a lot whenever I talked about this bike to others and within my own fevered little brain.  This is a fun bike to ride.  This is why, or at least, why I think it is so. Bikes have become pretty well niche these days.  There is something for everyone no matter what you like to do or aspire to be.  From full on XC race to All Mountain work, the 29″er hard tail is a pretty versatile beast and those big wheels can do a lot to make you wonder if you really need full suspension.  But at the extremes…say a stiff carbon, steep angled race bike book ended by a 140mm fork equipped, short stay-ed steel beast of an AM hard tail, lies a broad range of uses that just requires a bike.  Nothing fancy or dramatic in intent…not niche.  That middle section between the bookends is a fat cut of the trail riding pie and that is where the Stache sits, topped with a nice dollop of Cool Whip. Ed The Tall on some buff trail, high in the backcountry of So Cal. From the beginning I liked the way the Stache was on-trail.  My weight was back off the front wheel and yet I was not feeling like I was balancing over the rear wheel either.  It was cockpit rear-ward if that makes sense but it felt better to me than anything I had been on lately.  Picking down techy sections was a notch above what the ‘normal’ 29″er hard tail would be in the same situation.  In the past, I have not been particularly impressed with G2 ‘equipped/designed’ Fisher bikes.  The Hi Fi left me cold and the Rumblefish was so so.  But I suspect that the G2 approach with the 51mm fork offset is a good part of why this bike comes together for me.  I am becoming a fan of slacker head tube angles if you can keep the bike from getting too long and keep it from flopping around when speeds are slower.  The 68.6° HT angle on the Trek combined with the 120mm G2 fork, and, with the stock bars and 100mm stem, seldom gave me anything but good results and when speeds came up, it was calm and fun.  There is that word again.  A 72° seat tube angle helps pull the front center in a bit so even though the wheelbase on the 21″ is getting a bit long at 45.71″/116.1 cm, it was an easy bike to get around tight turns and felt good at slow speeds as well.  The only time I felt the rearward weight position and the slacker front end working against me was on very steep uphill switchbacks where, if the soil was loose, the front tire would want to push.  It took a more aggressive position on the nose of the saddle to combat that. So while any skilled rider can ride a trail on a ‘typical’ 29″er hardtail (71°/73° head tube/sest tube angles, 100mm fork etc) just as fast as they can on the slacker Stache, the Stache gives you a bit of grace and feels just great when the ruts come along, the whoops get deeper, or the grade gets you off the back and past the dropper post.  The 120mm fork pays off and sucks up a lot of trail nasties.  So while both riders may be riding the same trail at the same speeds, the Stache ride is not working as hard to do it.  I am willing to bet that means more fun. Some bullet points: 120mms for fork travel and a slack HT angle on a hard tail 29″er means that you can go pretty darn fast until the amber warning lights start flashing in your

Even Bob Barker is psyched. Enjoy! © Nuno for Defgrip, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: animal bikes, BMX, the price is wrong, video

On Tuesday morning in my yoga class, my yoga instructor talked to us about approaching our yoga practice with a beginner’s mind. Essentially this means, leaving ourselves open to possibilities, opportunities and discoveries. To not get caught up in repetition or routine. I found this to be an excellent reminder of how to approach my yoga practice and so many other aspects of my life. Often our lives become so routine – we repeat patterns over and over until things generally start to feel mundane. Remember your first few weeks at your current job? Everything was so new – the people, your role, the way the company operates, etc – after a while this changes and it is so easy to get sucked into not being as stimulated and challenged as you were in the beginning. Or think of your training rides – you likely have one route you choose for short intervals, another for tempo rides, another for threshold efforts and then your favourite long ride loop – some days it seems so boring to go out and ride those same roads. If you find these patterns and routines happening – try to remember what brought you to yoga or to your bike or to the new job in the first place. Remember how excited and challenged you were in the early days of your training routine and day-to-day life routine. This is something I’ve been trying really hard to embrace. On the bike this is still quite easy for me since last season I wasn’t able to ride any of my favourite training routes – this season I’m making up for it the best I can. As for work, well one of the good things about being a technical writer is that I’m challenged everyday – to write documentation that explains complicated concepts to others as well as to learn and understand the software I’m documenting. On the yoga mat, I try to really listen to my instructor and understand how I can “release my shoulder blades” or “tighten my triceps” or “use my core”. I suppose the beginner’s mind really comes down to not losing sight of why you’re doing what you’re doing. Remember why you chose to do it in the first place.