MTB

by Molly Hurford In anticipation of Issue 21 of Cyclocross Magazine with our huge women’s feature, we’re taking a look at some of the kit and gear options out there for women these days. The fashion spectrum has improved drastically over the years, and finally companies are making... ...view the full story & post your comments at our site: http://cxmagazine.com

I mentioned that I was already packed for the Trans-Sylvania Epic.On the right is all my gear, clothes, and body armor to protect me from Dejay's latest shopping spree.*On the left, my food. I decided to go the dirt bag route once again and shun the offered meal plan. I ponied up for it last year, and it was fantastic. Being that I have little to no aspirations of glory this year and zero patience to wait until breakfast/dinner is served, I'm gonna take care of myself with the Dicky Meal Plan.BreakfastFour daily chocolate Pop-Tarts deliver the following:800 calories12 grams of protien40% RDA of Vitamins A and B6, 40% Thiamin, Riboflavin, Calcium, Niacin, and Iron108 grams of carbsA laundry list of chemicals involved in making processed foodsPost-raceSweet potatoes. Why? They make up for the guilt I felt all day for eating two packs of Pop-Tarts for breakfast and they're loaded with vitamin A, potassium, and smugness. They're ready in minutes out of the microwave and shaped like turds.For my main meal, I have limited my options. Supposedly Albert Einstein only had five identical suits because according to him, "... I don’t waste any brain power in the mornings deciding which set of clothes to wear."At least that's something I learned from Jeff Goldblum in The Fly.That and the fact that Geena Davis has a beauty that is timeless.So, my main meal of the day consists of...Carbs, easy to make carbs. Between 90 seconds and 10 minutes easy. The Quinoa and Brown Rice pack is loaded with goodness while the Annie's Bunny Pasta with Yummy Cheese is hilariously formed into little bunny-like shapes and profiles. Not exactly a foodies wet dream, but I will be eating within minutes of feeling the need.ProteinTuna. Mother fucking tuna. I love this shit. The beanses were just in the cupboardses, and when The Pie looked the other way, I tooks them. PerishablesFaux butter for my sweet potatoes and making my bunnies all covered in "yummy cheese" (a cheese not recognized by the International Cheese Makers Society). Precooked tofu blocks. All I need is a knife and a beer to wash it down. Three hundred plus calories, thirty plus grams of protein, zero plus effort. Cholula sauce, because it makes the unpalatable meal options slightly more palatable. Not shown is the fresh salsa I'll be picking up on the way home tomorrow night which will be dumped on everything, except the Pop-Tarts which will be moistened with (someone else's) coffee.You may have noticed there is no beer anywhere in the picture. There are two reasons for this.I will be traveling with many souls to the race. Laura, Madonna, Brian, Jana, Sonya, and most importantly, Jordan. Jordan is providing The Hub/Pisgah Tavern sprinter for our journey.The Hub/Pisgah Tavern is very down with Oskar Blues. Draw your own conclusions.Secondly, I just love buying beer in Pennsylvania. They have the most creative rules, laws, guidelines, and mystical methods regarding the purchasing of beer.You can buy a six pack on a Tuesday as long as you also purchase a BBQ sammich.You can't buy a case of beer on a Sunday, unless you promise to finish the entire case before church the following Sunday.Beer may not be purchased for a minor unless said minor has been standing in the parking lot soliciting assistance in the acquisition of said beer for more than 45 minutes AND says he needs it to get laid. This only applies to Friday and Saturday nights. Otherwise it's a felony.You can only walk out with as much beer as you can carry, but you can go back into the store and buy more after dropping your already purchased beer in the trunk.I don't think I'm making that one up.So yes, this is how I will fuel my efforts or lack thereof.TSE is a build up for June, which should ready me for BC Bike Race, which should leave me either fully prepared or totally blown for my final ORAMM... my last attempt at breaking five hours thirty minutes. Stupid, I know, but my guidance counselor told me I should hav

Our little girl keeps making the milestones. This month she went hiking for the first time. Usually I carry her in a backpack, but this time I pulled her out to give her some time to walk. Jia Li spent time looking at the scenery, much like when she crawled on this trail for the first time in the snow, but she managed to make it up an entire switchback before asking to be carried again. We stopped for a quick snack before she jumped back in the pack so I could continue the hike. She loves Annie’s bunny gummies. We stopped at the park to play at the end of the hike. Jia Li loves our neighborhood park. Today she found some chalk that somebody left behind. Park hopping in the Chariot on the weekends has become one of our rituals. Jia Li has become fascinated with my bike helmet. I think it’s time to get her one of her own so she can play on her own bikes.

Daniel Johnson footage is never a letdown. He puts his pegs to work in this, as usual. This is a must watch! © damian for Defgrip, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags:

Out of the Box: DT Swiss Spline 1 Wheels- by Grannygear At Sea Otter we stopped by the DT Swiss booth and got the low down on the new DT Swiss Spline 1 series of wheels (see this article for all that info).  And we came home with a set of the XM 1501 wheels- in the 29″er flavor, of course!  On the scales of guaranteed Precision and Goodness they weighed as follows:  Rear wheel with sealing tape in place and a 142×12 setup (no axle) 890g/1.9lbs.  Front wheel in 15mm through axle with tape as well – 796g.  That was a savings of 79g off the front Roval Control wheel that was stock on the Camber Expert.  I do not have the stock rear wheel at hand right now to compare the weight, but I expect that the DT Swiss wheel will be lighter here as well.  I measured the internal width at 23mm and the external width at 26mm…DT Swiss says 22.5mm inner/27mm outer and I think they are more accurate than my eyeballing.  Very nice.  FINALLY we have a good width rim coming from a DT Swiss for 29″er wheels.  19mm internal width rims have no good place on a 29″er trail bike. So they are wide enough, light enough at 1686g, and have a bomber hub tied to them.  Sweet.  I tried two types of tires that are notoriously tight on some rims.  One was a Geax TNT Saguaro and one was a Conti Protection X King.  Both mounted with little difficulty on the rim.  Very nice.  I swapped the gears, rotors and tires off the Camber and ended up with a 2.3 Ground Control Control casing rear and a 2.3 Butcher front, both tubeless.  Then back on the Camber they went.  First impressions have been very favorable and we are headed to Flagstaff, Arizona for testing.  Be back soon, all covered with dust no doubt. Note: DT Swiss provided the Spline wheels at no charge to Twenty Nine Inches for test and review. We are not being paid, nor bribed for these reviews and we will strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout. Twenty Nine Inches - 29er Bike Reviews, Rumors and News

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So I was pretty excited about joining the modern world and using a clutch rear derailleur. No more dropped chains! No more chainslap!And for a while, it worked out. Then I figured out how to ride Stupidmobile moderately fast and all of a sudden - every ride down Bobsled was chainless. Fun.Sexy LX cranks from 2004 or something...Back to the chainguide, I guess. Chalk it up to the weirdness of the chain angle on a 40cm chainstay frame, or to my incompetence, or whatever you want. I like to be able to pedal...And yes, that's a practically new bike. Matte black. Yet to be washed. Crashed, many times. And I wonder why I don't attract the $10,000 road bike crowd...

That really keep me going. A few rocks in a line, a cairn here and there (never too obvious or JASON might find it). Some folks would not call these trails. Some folks would not want to carry or scrape their way into the heart of darknes. It is in these places, however, that my heart really resides. Hence - the reason I get so emotional about the woods. Some Spring cleaning this am as it were. It is full blossom Spring (although it was 33 this morning) and things are springing from the ground. Coming into a long weekend that will involve camping and lakes and bikes and summer and sun. Embrace every second.

Seems strange to be fishing headwaters this time of year.  Fun to get out on a nice, sunny day and try our hand at some technical fishing in skinny water with very skittish cutthroats.  Throw in a few beaver ponds and it was a nice way to spend the day.

… and John Hicks. Enjoyed. That needle thread. © Nuno for Defgrip, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: edit, john hicks, morgan long