Heading to Zion

Today (update I'm leaving today Sunday 5/31, some delays) is it, last day in Cailfornia (for this year anyways) were just finishing up the packing and getting read to head out. Our first stop in Zion national park (the first yellow pin). Our plans are still pretty up in the air, but I plan on posting some updates along the way, with any cool photos I might take. So that's it for me, but if any of you have any suggestions for our trip, stuff to do along the way, or know good places to stay please give me a shout out. Any suggestions will be apperciated. Till next time have a good one.

SRAM XX = SRAM Red for Mt bikes

These are some of the first pictures to surface of SRAM's new 2x10 mt bike group. I'm stoked on it. Being an owner of a 2x9 set up using a road crank I think this race group is a total step in the right direction. I can wait to get my hands a 29er equipped with these goodies. More of Bikerumor

It's done

My new bike is now finished, and it is siiickk. Obviously the wheels are total overkill, but they are just too much fun to not ride. In the interest of sensibility I've also got a set of generic silver track wheels which I can switch out for every day regular around town use. Another nice thing about that is the Zipp wheels have a 16 cog and the cheepos have an 18 cog. Making it a double speed single speed with an inordinately difficult shifting process. But for right now I'm ridding it with the Zipp wheels and they fast. I'd also like to reiterate that everything you've ever heard about the ride of carbon fiber tubular wheels is true. It's just indescribably awesome, smooth, velvety, and magic carpet like. When you pair them up with the nice ride quality of a well built butted steel frame you get one smooth ridding bike. And I mean smooth! I don't feel anything uncomfortable ridding over rough pavement, especially when comparing ridding the same stretch of road on my road bike with ksyriums.

So last saturday I took this beauty out for it's first real road ride. It was a fairly big group ride about 30 people, at an easy pace. About 20 miles and all flat until the last few miles. It's very interesting ridding in a pelton style pace line on a fixie on an open road. I have to say I kinda liked it. There were a couple time when the pace picked up a little bit and I was spinning a ridiculously high cadence. But over all I did pretty well. I should also note that this was my first group ride back since the accident, so I was stocked to be out on a bike no matter what. One thing that was interesting was, when we would start ridding up small inclines I would inevitably drop the group. While everyone ells was down shifting, I just stood on the pedals and and cruzed up to the front. This of course was only true to slight inclines. When we got to the last leg of the ride and had to traverse a series of big rolling hills, well that kinda just sucked but I made it over them. but I definitely wouldn't recommend that to anyone.

Because I love you . . . dear reader

Moving sucks, and its what I did for the better part of the weekend. Except for Saturday which was reserved for the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the LBS. There was lots of celebrations, and big 20 mile group road ride (which I did on my new fixie by the way, more on that latter). Plus live music, free food & beer, and lots of prizes and give aways. One of those prizes happened to be this lovely Electra beach cruiser. So since it's Tuesday after a holiday long weekend and your probably back at work (like me, last week though at current job) I bring you this post to help cheer you up. This is the lucky winner, proudly displaying her winning ticket.

As for the rest of the week, well I'm very busy and I don't know if Ill be able to keep up the regular daily posting but I will try to sneak in some more. Next Saturday / Sunday I'm hitting the road. Im sure there will be plenty of cool photos from the trip, but obviously ill be traveling so internet might be patchy so I don't know how many updates ill be able to manage. so until then just enjoy this post which is what you really want to see anyways.... girls on bikes.

So long and thanks for all the fish...

I'd like to start today off by thanking everyone who's ever come to this blog, taken a look around and decided to stop by again at some point. K-wall blog's been rolling on now for about a year and half and it's got many more years to go. But at least for the immediate future, the next couple years wont be in California. That's right I'm packing up, and heading east. Back home to Massachusetts. So what's that mean for me well I quit my job(s). My real one as a graphic designer (payed the bills) and my pretend one at the bike shop as a bike blogger (pay for all cycling related shwag). I also applied to grad school, and got accepted to Umass Dartmouth. So what does that mean for the blog? well I don't know. I never really know where this whole thing has been headed, it's just kinda been happening. I'm usually pretty surprised myself. But once I pack up and leave the high end bike connection and all of the awesomely over the top photos that come with it will end. So, as for what is to become of this blog I'm not sure. Only time will tell. But I can tell you what's coming in the immediate future. Next week ill be packing up, and there's allot of that to do. So I wont have much time for blogging, but I've got some post's planned so I'll probably sneak a few in. After that were hittin the road, and headin out east'. That's right driving right straight cross the country. In Jully I'm gettin married and then were headed to St Martin for the hunnymoon. Then come september it's back to school. I'll fill ya in more on the details latter. So again, thanks for reading, or just lookin at the pictures (sometimes there is no words- ok most of the time) and I hope you'll come back soon.

First ride

Took this beauty for it's first real ride last night and it feels like a dream. The back wheel is getting glued up today. I'm looking forward to givin it a test ride with the 404 set. The steel frame with carbon tubular wheels equals one smooth ride.

Doin it right

"Research reveals that there were no genetic modifications which could have contributed to the longevity of a 114-year old Spaniard. The research team, directed by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona professor Adolfo Díez Pérez, pointed out a healthy lifestyle, a Mediterranean diet, a temperate climate and daily cycling until the age of 102 as the reasons for his excellent health." - More here

Rockin the bike path

A Man and his bike

This is Tanner, and that is Tanner's new bike. It was officially born yesterday. He's one of the guys who worked with me on the bikeshop website. This is his first fixie. He used to work with me at Fuse and commuted to work a 20 year old clunker, which he repainted and restored. Once we started this project that bike went up for sale. I remember how this bike began, a smiple idea, "I think I just want an alll black bike, no logos" Well now Tanner's got it. He's stoked and I'm stoked to be able to help him out. He's takin this bike to Siwiterzland for a 3 month sebatical with his wife starting in August. After that they are both relocationing to New York City.

Go to 11... for cheap (er)

Campy Athena is back. This time it's packing 11 gears, in an all aluminum more budget oriented package. Perfect for rain bikes or cross bikes. No pricing yet, but let's hope some manufactures pick up this stuff in their OEM specs come next years models. More on BRIAN

Something Different

Loud & Proud

Encore

New baby on the way

Proudly sporting' a reverse Mancebo Mullet. This bike was born yesterday, and it was briefly ridden slowly in circles around the parking lot. I feared not do much more as the front tubular tire is not yet glued on. It's mine by the way, and all of the other bikes belong to my friends. Who worked with me, on a web project we did for a dude who owns a bike shop. Pretty simple, we made him a website and he built of bikes for us in return. So were all stoked, the owner was even getting so amped on the fixies that he went ahead and built one up for himself (the on with red grips). My bike still needs some fine tuning but I think it's come together nicely.

Clean with Giant Pipe Cleaners

Nice day for a stroll

So here is the rest

This is the rest of the bike. It's a Delta 7 road bike, the same company that makes the similar IsoTruss mt bikes. It's pretty darn light, like 14.5 pounds. It's also stiff and rides smooth. But at some point your going to have to look down at the damn thing. Pluss it's top tube is pretty wide and it doesn't feel so great if you bonk your knee on it. But for most people that's probalbly not much of a big deal. I gave it a pretty short test ride around town, but I didn't really get to go for a real ride on it. My friend Mark rode it in food park on Saturday morning. He said he thought it was stiff enough to race on, but still really comfortable. But he made a point to say it wasn’t anything that was especially more comfortable than any other high end comfort oriented performance carbon frame that he had ridden.

I stole this from spiderman