Today, the trusty L’B’ truin’ stand is getting all tricked-out.
Our friend (and fellow Kernville supporter) Paul Morningstar, has sent over some upgrades for the ol’ TS-2 stand.
Paul owns Morningstar Tools, and he thinks beyond the ’typicals’ in his field. (And I’ve said it before // I’ll say it again, we’re big fans of that kinda thinkin’).
If you’re interested in smart, beyond-conventional, and lifetime quality… drop Paul a line.
Meantime, back to the L’B’ Hot Rod story…
Before: (Yes, this thing got to leave to workbench for some glory in “the studio”. It was a BIG day for this stand in many ways)
After:
Sick.
What is all that stuff?
The first system is called ROC2-Tech:
These are the x & y axis rim gauges. I actually already tested ‘em out on the latest DJ build yesterday.
These things get amazingly precise trueness/roundness, and save time too. There’s just no way a wheelbuilder can eyeball these micrometer adjustments. (Save your comments, other wheelbuilders… you can’t… and you know it.)
The third gauge is for brake rotor truing. I have none damaged, at the moment, but this system is sure to prolong the life of any bent rotors that roll up our way.
Lastly, you may have noticed the stylish storage happening on the opposite leg.
Ingenious little add-on ‘block w/ hook’ (it’s beauty is in it’s simplicity), and the tools needed for rotor truing “Drum Stix”. Of course, it’s a hook. Hang whatever you want on it.
Based on the quality and thoughtfulness of these systems, I’m lookin’ forward to seeing the rest of Morningstar’s offerings. Watch for those reports soon.
Filed under: Just Updates
In case you’re a roadie, and like wheel prn (I can’t spell it out or L’B’ gets a whole new class of web-searchers)… as I learned after I reported the “naked dude” winning the hill climb contest at the FatTire Fest.
Anyway, hows about a deal on these?
$899.00? NO WAY JOSE!! More like $695! (While hub supplies last)
Get on ‘em here!
If you’re lookin’ for the roadbike upgrade to make a difference, it’s tough to beat this’un:
M5 Hubs (SP Front & Shimano/SRAM or Campy Rear)
KinLin XR-300, XR-270, or XR-200 Niobium Rims (You choose!)
DT Swiss Areolite bladed spokes
DT Swiss alloy nipples
Skewers? Included! Rimstrips? Included!
Set weights start at 1250 grams! (for the XR-200 set) <– Yummy!
Tim B. is a Likin’ Bikin’ customer. He lives in the land down undah, and rocks the XC scene there.
As one of our first MTB Tubular guys, Tim built up a set of DRC Tubolites for XC racing.
Tim’s build specs: 2 DRC Tubolites, DT Swiss 240s disc hubs, alloy nipples and Sapim Laser and CXRay spokes came to…. 1340g! (We got all that here… I’m just sayin’… in case you’re interested…hmmm?)
Well last week, at the 2009 Highland Fling endurance races, he killled the age classes and was even mixing-it-up into the Elite riders’ ranks!
Tim’s class: (by the way, only the first page of results is shown here. 223 riders finished the race in the class… 44 did not)
The whole field!:
Nice work Tim! Congrats and schwag earned!
Filed under: Just Updates
…And so should you.
That’s right. At Likin’ Bikin’, we’re not just about the Misfits, we got plenty of luv for Geax too!
And we just got some more models in. Check out the new Geax AKA Tires. Get it?
BTW, how did L’B’ end up luvin’ Geax tires so much, anyway?
Story time!
Once-upon-a-time, a guy (let’s call him “Stan”) was holding a 320g 26″ rim made in Italy by a company called DRC (that’s a much longer story). This rim required a tubular MTB tire? Huh? “They make those?”, wondered Stan.
Well with that, Stan started lookin’ for more info on this MTB Tubular movement. Stan found only a handful of tubular MTB tires, most of which were closer to CX than MTB. However one, called Saguaro, was different. It looked like a tire Stan, and Stan’s MTBin’ friends, would ride. But who was the maker of this ”Saguaro”? Geax? Instantly, Stan wondered, “what has THAT company been up to?”
So Stan set up an appointment to talk to this man from Geax over breakfast one day. He got to meet the supplier, and go over rest of the Geax line, as well as see some of what was on the way. And hey, to Stan’s delight, that non-tubular stuff was impressin’ the shiza outta him as well!
This was looking perfect! Geax seemed to be thinking the way Stan liked. With a sort of, “what if we made a Y instead of an X?” mentality.
Not only was this Stan’s way of thinkin’ too, but this Geax company was in northern Italy, a mere 25 miles from the factory making those DRC rims that started this whole search of Stan’s in the first place! This was too weird. It was a sign… kismet, if you will. Alright Stan!!!!
Well, that was then. Nowadays, Stan… er… L’B’ happily stocks more Geax Tires than we can shake a stick at. To see them all, here’s a good place to start.
Most recent additions have been the AKA (shown above), and the two you see below: The Neuron (of screamin’ DH awesomeness), and the Tattoo’s (sticky-street tires in black OR white)
While I personally run the 29er Saguaro TNT’s (below-left) on my own Misfit for ALL types of riding, Bri likes the super-lightweight Barro Race Folders on her’s (below-right).
Yet, for future 29er loose trail fun, we’re looking forward to the next addition to the line-up: The 29″x2.30″ Gato’s. These are sure to be excellent AllMtn performers, and will go bitchin’ with any rugged 29er build. AND will go even bitchin’er with the bad-ass 29er XD-280’s!
Some of our other available favorites… Booze Lt, LoboLoco, and DHEA.
Want tubeless? All Geax treads also come in 3 construction options.
1. Folding – Light, 2ply 120 TPI Nylon casing (Requires Tubes)
2. UST Tubeless – 2ply + butyl inner layer and tubeless talon (bead)
3. TnT (Tubes no Tubes) – As the name suggests, these can be run with tubes on standard clincher rims, OR tubeless on sealed rims. (120tpi casing, 2ply with 3rd ply sidewalls, and tubeless talons)
Note: Geax TnT Tires are best sealed with Geax PitStop… and we got plenty of that for ya too.
It’s finished – done – gone – finn’ito – wheww…
We arrived at the venue early Saturday morning, after a comfy night at the Wilcox house, and set-up the L’B’ home base.
This consisted of a tent for sleepin’, the car for power and heat, and the good ol’ Hoss tent for relaxin’, eating, decorating, accommodating trick-or-treaters, and wrenchin’ on the bike (of which, by-the-way, the diSSent needed NONE – I’m convinced, it’s immortal)
3 hrs ’til race time, I attempted to inhale 6 pancakes. I managed 2/3 of them and felt “ready” for my planned 5 lap start…. which I actually did complete.
The start was “Wheel-Off-Le Mans” style. Go set your bike down with the front wheel removed. Foot-race it outta the gate to the bike, get that wheel on, and go! Costumes were encouraged, and about half of the racers Halloweened-up. Of course, Bri and I were pirates for the duration of the first lap. Yo-ho-yo-ho!
Now, 5 laps in and with the sun setting, it was time for the second set of nutrition-bombs… Cold pizza and this stuff?… a meal to which I give full credit for the stomach pain of laps 6, 7, and 8.
Thankfully, these were also the early evening laps, during which plenty of friends, visitors, trickortreaters, and general party’ers were there to greet, encourage, and just spread the spirit-liftin’-love!
After lap 9, it was time for more food, more layers, and more importantly, MORE rest. By this time, the temps were getting down to about 37degs. So I hopped in the car and ran the heater for a little while. Then, reluctantly crawled out, and shivered over to the timing tent from where laps 10 and 11 somehow developed.
After those, it was about 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning.. I think? And I was just gonna take a short break while NiteRider-Tom refreshed the charge on my lights. So those batteries went to him, and I went right back to that heated car.
I was in there for about 5mins, when the passenger door opened. Yes! I was happy to see my ever-amazing wife joining me. She must have heard the car start and left the snugness of her sleeping bag to come hang out… in the front seat of our car…in the middle of the night…with her husband who’d gotten her into this cold sleepless mess.
Well, we both nodded off for about 3 hrs. I woke up in a complete daze. It was still dark, and I had no idea what or where I was supposed to be. I jumped out of the car (extra freezing out there now), over to NiteRider, picked-up the batteries and just started pedaling.
It took about 2miles before I figured out what was going on. I stopped. Straightened the clothes I’d been sleeping in, fastened the all the straps and those little plastic buckles that had been dangling since battery pick-up, generally regrouped and rode on while watching the sunrise.
I knew I wanted to do 15 laps of this thing, and that I was 4 laps from it. A mere 36 miles from my goal. (“mere”, ha!)
The rest is history.
After all was done, and in 25hrs, my trusty Misfit and I managed 15 laps (135 miles) of some lovely, pleasant, warm, pain-free, SS riding time. Ahhh… like a day at the spa.
Maybe not QUITE like that.
I do have to say, to all you’s out there solo racing these 24hr events, you’re sick. <– (period/full stop)
That said, whatta way to test yourself! I’d never been in the predicament of riding to the point of complete leg failure, and determining whether to rest for an hour (presumably to ride faster thereafter), or to keep slogging along at bare-balance speed for one more time around. It became a 25hr chronic mind-game of, “what should I be doing right now?” to gain what seemed to be the most important thing on the planet: MORE LAPS.
(Thanks SO much you Wilcox’, you all are the most thoughtful “race crew” a soslow SS rider could have!)
Photos!
-
- All dressed and ready
-
- Pirate Bri, with spooky spiders!
-
- A little last minute advice from Canyon
-
- Our little race headquarters
-
- Kona, the scurvy dawg
-
- Ready for 25hrs of abuse, and it never complained once
-
- Tannenbaum and his fellows
-
- Jeanie… Gene’e, actually
-
- So we’re really gonna do this, right?
-
- Make sure it’s the hardest one to get to?
-
- Must-catch-lance
-
- Just put this here… as mnaww.
-
- almost done
-
- All set
-
- Now there’s somethin’ you don’t see every day
-
- Pirate on course
-
- Underestimating the noon heat, pirate costumes are really warm.
-
- 1 down, ?? to go?
-
- I remember Mike (with the mic) saying something, but that’s some odd use of a helmet cam.
-
- Lap sign-in/sign-out sheet
-
- Always nice to let go the brakes!
-
- This short little steep climb was just enough burn the legs right before finishing each lap.
-
- Somewhere in the first 5 laps
-
- If you’re gonna dream of Jeanie, dream of “her” with a huge can of Tecate!
-
- Lookin’ sharp and alert for the long night ahead?
-
- Sunset
-
- Making the rounds at the camps
-
- Notice Marshall and Canyon at the Niterider trailer gettin’ lights and candy. Trick-or-Treat Tom!
-
- Marshall, Jana, Mr. Rollins, the boys
-
- Auggie and the jacko that the Wilcox family made. How great are they?!
-
- Aug supervisin’ Bagger and Bat
-
- My pit crew, Bagger Vance and Batman
-
- peeling off the “Kneeckers”, the last of lastnight’s layers
-
- snipers?
-
- cruzin’ thru before more climbin’
-
- More closing lap shots
-
- Bri with the telephoto… you never know when you’re being watched.
-
- Gettin’ close to done
-
- Last little climb of the last lap
-
- Speedy-B!
-
- Auggie gettin’ better and better
-
- After I finished, I think I’ll sit here and watch Canyon
-
- Canyon rockin’ the pumptrack, like he does
