2010 Sponsor Update

I am excited for 2010!  I was lucky enough to line up every one of my first picks when it came to companies and products this year! My goal was to build the sweetest bikes possible after looking at all Interbike had on display in September. Thanks to every company listed on the right side of this blog I was able to do it!

Cannondale and Incycle are my title sponsors, most of my other sponsors will remain the same as in 2009.

New Frames:  For 2010 I think my hardtail will weigh ~ 17.5lbs and my full-suspension ~19.5lbs. hmmm that will be really cool! Of course this is on paper, we'll see what the scale says. My 2009 S-Works carbon hardtail was raced just over 19lbs and I thought that was light!

 Flash Frame

 Scalpel Frame

Picture them with the Lefty forks, Cannondale Hollowgram SL 2x10 cranks, SRAM XX drivetrains and the rest of the builds looks like this:

White Jagwire Housing with red bits

 1210g Podium NoTubes Wheelset

 Kenda Small Block and Kenda Karma tires

 Magura Marta SL Mags

 WTB Silverado Saddles

How to plug a tire with Genuine Innovations plugs

What do you do when you get a puncture in your tubeless tire during a group ride and the tire keeps spewing Stans? Well, if you are riding with us, you get a quick plug and you are on your way. Last week we plugged two tires. First Todd's, which he continues to run. He has put ~ 200 miles on it since and doesn't see the need to change a "perfectly good tire". Then Saturday we pre-rode part of the Kentucky Camp course and Todd plugged Mike's tire. Although we had plenty of CO2, neither of them had lost enough air to bother with it.

Happy Mike.

Marty Mares, CEO of Genuine Innovations, was kind enough to give us a tour of the facility a couple of weeks ago. Todd and I met many of the employees, saw the operation and got a sneak peak at some new products. It was interesting to learn that they do more than just bicycle products. article here

Some Goodies from Genuine Innovations:

Check out my red and super-custom pink nozzles!! And Todd's Niner 25g CO2s.

New pumps. Todd loves the Campione with simple press-on/replaceable brass fitting. I like them both, I am guessing the Campione will be with Todd's gear next time I go to look for it...

Visit to Genuine Innovations:

Posing with Marty in front of the cases of past and present products which, among many other items, include a CO2 self tanning applicator, a gun barrel CO2 wad shooter (a device to clean gun barrels) and something that helps doctors open up clogged arteries during angioplasty procedures.

Touring the facility

Checking out the Big Air label process

Reviews: FRS, ipod Shuffle, Compression Socks, Hydrapak, ZeroGoo, The Stick, Handlebar pack, etc.

Of the new small items I have been testing this is a list of my favorites: FRS drinks and chews. I got hooked on the FRS drinks at interbike when I was running on no sleep and had the typical Interbike all-day/all-night schedule. I used it after Interbike while trying to fit too much into a family week complete with training, wedding, lunches, dinners, and nights on the town. Now I use it for training and recovery. Basically, it gets me going and keeps me going. Try it if you are heading into the conference room and know you are about to fall asleep, or before getting on your bike to do intervals at the end of a draining day.

Zerogoo's Fuel Injector is a great gadget. It allows you to regulate the quantity and timing of gel and water mix. I have even used it on hard group road rides (no, I don't look roadie with my pack, but I can get to my gel when no one else can). Zerogoo is working on perfecting this system with various size re-fillable/collapsible gel containers. I have ridden ~1300 miles with this setup, I don't even notice it is there and actually prefer the way the hose is now mounted. The pack and Fuel Injector are usually left in my car (with gel) between rides (25-120 degree temps). If you do this a lot, and never clean it out, eventually the gel will clump and not flow through the valve, my solution was to just shake the entire thing, pack and all. I should probably clean it at some point... But it still tastes good, so I haven't. . Next I plan to try it with other gels. I hear it works just as well with CarbBoom, GU, Clif, PowerBar, and EFS gels. Another thing to try is Gatorade powder, fill the bottle with the dry powder and screw it on, sounds cool.

Here is my injector pictured with Hydrapak's new magnetic hose holder and Surge bite valve. The magnet is great, just place the hose close to the right spot and the magnet "grabs" it. The Surge bite valve is great, no more leaking; if you have the old one replace it now, see details below. .For a $1 deal from Hydrapak:

"How to get the Deal: Click to order our old Easy Flo Bite Valve You will see the $1 Dollar Price Add to shopping cart When checking out use the code: surge (case sensitive) You will then see the Free Shipping applied We ship the Surge!"

Close up of new Surge bite valve:

New ipod shuffle. I do love the controls, they make sense and are easy to use. The pink Shuffle is pictured here tucked in my helmet with the extra wire wrapped up and the controls left in easy reach. No more wires to get in the way. However, I do not like the ipod ear pod (it falls out of my ear). I plan to cut off the ear pods, shorten the wires and replace with a single Memorex EC100 Sport ear piece. That is the issue with placing the new controls inline with the headphones. Although there are adapters, I will just cut and solder it the way I want it. . . The Stick Wheel (for feet). This is one of those things you never knew you needed. I have never cared to have my feet massaged, but this makes me realize I have tight muscles or small knots in the bottom of my feet. I now leave it by the couch and use it when I watch TV, I just leave it on the floor and roll my foot back and forth on top of it. Swiftwick's arm warmers. I really like these arm warmers, they do not fall down and are not tight, they have a perfect level of "compression" which is not noticeable (unless you add too much of a new electrolyte product and your arms swell up, don't ask...). They seem to be warm in cold weather but don't get hot in warm weather, I'm not sure how that works but I like it. Guys, if you have really muscular arms they may be too tight, so try them on first if you can. .

I love my pink Recovery Socks. Turns out these guys are out of Tucson so I have been seeing other people running around in "my" socks. These are the first pair I have tried that are long enough, don't feel tight at the top, don't fall down (ever), and hold up to washing and drying. They recommend not drying the socks, but since our washer automatically dries after washing, I never get them out between cycles.

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JANDD handlebar pack. This is a really functional pack and great for extras like gloves, arm warmers, jacket, map, etc. I can stuff a lot in the pack and get in and out of it while riding. It's great for the road bike, but I had issues off-road on the MTB. First, the straps loosen. Second, although it doesn't move around too much, when full it was heavy enough to bounce up and break my handlebar computer mount. For the MTB I am going to try the Mountain Feedbag by Epic Ride Research.

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US Cup Unification Race, a Kitty and Interbike

Thursday Sept 17th: Todd tried to catch a lost 6-week old kitty in the woods at Bonelli (San Dimas, CA). The kitty loved Todd's Power Bar balls and drank a good bit of water but would not be caught and found a great hiding spot in the cactus. Friday Sept 18th: Todd spent another 3 hours and finally caught the little guy who wouldn't have lasted long in the extreme heat. We took him to Citrus Veterinary Clinic in San Dimas, CA. If anyone wants a new cat please give them a call.

Sunday Sept 20th: US Cup Unification Race at Bonelli Park in San Dimas, CA. It was way too hot for a race. Luckily I had enough points to win the Unification title by just showing up. Only three pro girls started and I think half the guys DNF'd. I had goosebumps the entire race, we basically rode around just under the overheating threshold and it became a road race, waiting to see what the other person would do. It ended up coming down to a sprint in the last 5 minutes, but as I changed gears getting ready to go I dropped my chain and the race was over. Congratulations goes to Allison for winning the one day race. After the race we packed up and headed to Vegas.

Monday Sept 21st: Finished the drive to Vegas, ~ 2 miles from the RV park the slide-out awning broke and fell down. We took it off, checked in at the RV park then hit Dirt Demo day 1. . Tuesday Sept 22nd: Dirt Demo day 2, 8:00am Dirt Demo (HUGE) road group ride. We thought it would be a chill early morning spin, I had only eaten one hardboiled egg and drank a 25 calorie FRS before the ride. I started mid-pack which was a mistake, my legs felt great and I started bridging from group to group, it was a great power day. The rest of the day was spent riding every Specialized bike I could get my hands on (Era, Epic, 29'r, Tarmac SL2). The Era actually rode the best. Most of the bikes had the new SRAM XX drivetrain, wow! I need that drivetrain... I wish I could have tried the 16.6lb Cannondale Flash! Once Todd figures out how expensive Interbike is in the long run, I think he'll try to keep me from going.

Specialized 29'r Carbon HT

Specialized Carbon Epic

Wed-Fri Sept 23rd-25th: Interbike all day, dinner industry parties, Cross Vegas and Gold Sprints at night. I was on my feet for almost 18 hours a day!! Pink recovery socks saved my legs and had style!

FRS kept me going. I had never tried the FRS drinks, but I scored a give-a-way case and got hooked on it... .

Here are a couple cool items:

Ergon Cork and Grass Grips

I am going to try this new ZeroGoo product on my next ride, it mixes gel with water for a constant flow of pure gel, pure water, or any mix in-between. It was super light and easy to adjust.

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Saturday Sept 26th: We put in a new fuel line, luckily that was the ticket! Hit the road to NM with A/C!

Sunday Sept 27th: Todd stopped off at the Albuquerque, NM airport and flew to MD. I continued on to Santa Fe, set up the "house", got a fix of NM chile and visited with Todd's family.

Specialized Trail Crew

I just saw a listing looking for Specialized Trail Crew members. It sounds like they figured out a job title (albeit non-paying) for what I do when I am not racing, travel the US in search of new trails and new cycling friends. I already have the Specialized gear. I already lead rides for my clinics as I travel, and join group rides in each town I visit. Leading rides without the clinic part would just be, well, a pretty normal day.

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Having a title may justify my passion for attracting unsuspecting people to this addiction called cycling. They may not quit their job, sell their home, buy an RV and travel the US in search of new trails, but then again maybe they will... I love getting out on the trail with guys, girls and kids of all levels. Going for a super slow spin or a long epic ride, showing someone how to bunny hop or use clipless pedals in the park, joining a singlespeed hammer ride or trying to follow a DH rider down some drops is a great day on the bike.

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just another excuse to post a picture of my race bike (which now has S-Works carbon cranks).

Specialized has solid products, it seems they put a great deal of time into their research, design and testing. The carbon hardtail is an awesome race bike, there were a few races where I could have used an Epic, but the hardtail performed very well. Even the smaller things are done correctly, I did a short review of the helmet, shoes and gloves last year. Basically the women's gloves actually fit, I haven't found any other gloves that fit this well. Specialized also offers extras like the Riders Club website, clinics and demos; and now ride leaders, this is something I would love to be a part of.

Specialized S-Works Crank Review

Specialized S-Works Carbon Cranks:

This review is after one month's use. Out of the box these cranks are very pretty. As you can probably tell I added a bit of red.

Replacing my XTR cranks with the S-Works Carbon Cranks saved ~71 grams. Following the directions and recommendation of Specialized I opted to install the bearing sleeve (if you decide to leave it out you'll save an additional 30grams).

If I ever decide to go to a 2x crank, and save even more weight, Specialized also sells just the spider.

The new cranks were professionally installed by Ryan at Mountain Bike Specialist. Ryan is Todd Wells' Durango Mechanic and has seen the only issue with the S-Works cranks that I know about. Todd had an internal crank nut come loose. To prevent this see "Installing the Carbon Crank" step 2, make sure you add loctite to #9- Steel Retainer Nut as shown. Ryan used red loctite on this one place for me since I was overly paranoid. I recommend using blue or green loctite everywhere else as recommended.

I wear all cranks like this, my XTRs look the same way. I should have used a crank protector.

The first ride with the new cranks was a ~3.5hr 38-mile race (Hermosa Classic) where I hit a million rocks with the brand new cranks. If I could not crack them in that race, not knowing the course and hitting every rock in the trail, then they are good to go.

Shifting between the small and mid chainring is pretty smooth, but trying to get into the large chain ring is not as quick or smooth as with the XTR. It may shift right away or it may take up to three pedal revolutions. This seems to be common with other racers as well. But to save ~71 grams I will take a less smooth shift to the big ring.

For the first couple weeks my chain would stick to the chainrings, occasionally to the point of getting chainsuck. I had the same issue using a (6 week old) used chain and a brand new chain. Both Ryan and Specialized recommended running the cranks (with either chain) a few weeks to see if the chainrings would wear-in, they did. It took up to two weeks and I no longer have any chain sticking issues. I would recommend allowing 2-3 weeks before a big event in case you need this break-in period.

I think these cranks spin more freely than the XTR cranks did. (The XTR cranks were installed with the S-Works bearing adapters, not the XTR bearings.)

Bottom Line: Buy these cranks for the weight savings, bling, 2x option, and stiffness (although I can't tell the difference in stiffness). Remember to follow installation directions. If you are picky you may notice less smooth shifting vs. XTR.

WTB Saddles and NoTubes Raven Tire Review

WTB Saddle and Demo Program I have always been a fan of WTB saddles. In the past I used the Rocket V SLT with ti rails (210g), this year I opted for the Devo Carbon (190g). Now I am looking at the Silverado (also 190g). The Silverado is a bit narrower and longer than the Devo.

If you are in the market for a new saddle, WTB now has a demo program! I was able to try the pictured saddle at the Firecracker 50 race. I'll try to get more demo info and post it here. NoTubes Raven As everyone knows I love my lightweight Kenda tires, but since NoTubes is also a sponsor I have been able to try out the NoTubes Raven 26x2.0.

Todd has been a fan of the 29" Crow for some time. I have now put ~ 1500 miles (including pavement miles) on my rear mounted Raven in various conditions from SoCal's loose-over-hardpack to New Mexico and Colorado's high-desert and varying mountain terrain (everything from sharp loose rocks to east coast-style wet-roots and rocks). Under very close inspection I have a few superficial slices, more than a couple goathead spears, no sidewall wear, almost no tread wear (!), and the tire holds air from ride-to-ride so I only check the pressure every few rides. The Raven is an great XC tire. The sideknob is perfect and I have only missed the extra tread a few isolated times; once on a really loose up-hill switchback and another time on a ride with some downhillers on a true DH course I had no business being on. The Raven seems to ride everything including the loose climbs and wet roots very similarly to how my Kenda Small Block 8 does, but with less weight and I assume less rolling resistance. If I am worried about extra flat protection I run the Kenda Small Block (see all the closely spaced knobbies, top photo). I haven't tried the Raven on the front, I really like the Kenda Karma as an all-round tire and continue to use it as my front tire. Todd may try the Raven as a front tire and keep his Crow on the rear.

Specialized vs. XTR Cranks

I will have a set of Specialized MTB Carbon cranks waiting for me when I get to Durango, after I ride them a bit I'll write up the comparison.

Reviews: Bike Rack, Brakes, Grips.

Raxter Bike Rack: Old non-Raxter hitchmount 4-bike rack problems: 1) It held bikes by frame - with three carbon bikes, I didn't use the rack any more and loaded all bikes inside the van or coach. 2) Once all bikes were loaded on the rack, it was a pain to unload all the bikes if I wanted to ride the first one I put on. 3) It was a puzzle to actually get 4 bikes on the rack without having to loosen and turn the bars. Towels were needed to keep the bikes from scratching each other. New Rack Solution: 1) Holds bikes by the wheels 2) Easy on/off of individual bikes. 3) Allows for bkes to be shifted around so bars don't interfear with each other. 29rs, downhill, road, and MTBs all fit easily (witout any towels). 4) It is quick to assemble, I think it took us longer to figure out where to put the sticker than to assemble the rack (had we read the directions this too would have been a quick task). 5) The swing up version is great for stowing it (see picture) and takes just one second. 6) Mix and Match to get a personal rack. We have an extra hitch piece so the swing up 4-bike rack can be turned into two 2-bike racks. This is what you call versatile! Usually Todd and I are together and share the van and bike rack, we then need the 4-bike rack. However, this month we are each in different places. Todd took the van with a 2-bike swing-up rack and I have a 2-bike non-swing up rack. It takes only a few minutes to swap back and forth. 7) Support from Raxter is by far better than any other brand I have found. . . Magura Mag SL and SL Brakes: I love the way these brakes work, everything is quickly adjustable which makes it easy to swap wheels. The lever is easily adjustable and when the reach is adjusted in, it doesn't then pull in so far as to hit the grip. The brakes are powerful, solid, and have a great feel to them. I haven't had to bleed the brakes (any of the three sets), just cut the cable, don't let the fluid flow out, put it back together and it works perfectly, so easy, good directions. I have never had brakes whose cables I can cut (as often as I want) and turn around and race it, no bleeding required and without worrying about the cables pulling out. It is awesome to have that much confidence in a set of brakes. Again, the absolute best support of any brake/fork manufacturer I have ever used. (I'll review the forks in the next review post I do). . Ergon Grips and Carbon Bar Ends: These are my favorite grips and bar ends for both looks and comfort. I did run non-Ergon light foam grips and the lightest bar ends trying to save every last gram. Bottom line: for total of 88 grams more I can run some bling and be more comfortable . At this time I won't go back on the bar ends, I think I am faster with these. I thought I would get used to the non-Ergon super light ones, instead I found I wasn't using them simply because I didn't care for the shape/feel (so what was the point of having them?).

more Racing and Clinics

Another big week of pre-riding, racing, traveling and clinics. The US Pro Tour Race #1 was held in Fontana, CA. It was great to see friends I hadn't seen since last year, I spent all three days at the venue and had a great time.

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Saturday's race clinic was good with about 15 people, lots of questions about racing and preparing for races.

Saturday's Fontana Race Clinic

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Sunday's race was hard, visit Brian's blog or Amanda's for descriptions of the race and course. Videos here: http://www.cyclingdirt.org/. For whatever reason my legs weren't all there, I placed 14th, not my best race and not my worst. Great race to a lot of the girls: Amanda, Chloe, Kathy, Melanie and Allison!

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Monday we moved to Alpine, CA for the US West Cup #3 race.

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Tuesday I drove back up to the LA area for some skills clinics. Both of the 4-hour skills clinics were a blast, nothing like meeting new girls, riding new trails, sharing and practicing skills and techniques! There were no crashes on the technical stuff, but I still managed to cause a wreck or two. For example after watching a few death grips I talked about a relaxed grip, one rider took it a bit too far and said the bars slipped right out of her hands. I'll clarify a bit better next time. :)

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Tuesday's Women's Skills Clinic #1

Tuesday's Women's Skills Clinic #2

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Wednesday was a pre-ride of what I hope is something close to the course. More hike-a-bike sections, hope my hike-a-bike muscles are recovered by Sunday.

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Thursday was a birthday party in San Diego for Pete Masiel, whom I haven't seen since before I turned pro. He is one of those guys who helps out anyone (on a ride or otherwise). I still remember him letting us (Todd, my brother Mikah and myself) crash his hotel suite when the weather turned horribly cold and rainy at a race in Texas. I was racing Expert, it was both Mikah's and my first race back after our broken collarbones (poor Todd had to drive from GA to TX and back while we slept on the bed the whole time). If you haven't heard the story we broke our c'bones on the same Tennessee 4x track a few weeks apart from each other. Anyway with no muscles in my right arm I felt horrible during the super crazy cold and muddy race, Pete was on course and cheered me on to a first place finish in my age group, after that a hotel room never felt sooo nice.

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This weekend US West Cup #3 in Alpine, then we are headed up to Sea Otter. We'll make a few stops along the way to visit Todd's Mom who is vacationing in CA and then to get some automotive maintenance taken care of. I should have some new toys waiting for me when I get there. A Magura Durin fork for the singlespeed, a Raxter rack and hopefully a set of white and red Magura Mag brakes for the race bike! The red SLs are amazing and will be part of my super sweet Singlespeed setup as well as the full suspension, but I need the white and red ones to match my race bike. How cool is it that Magura understands this? I have the best sponsors!

New Bike and Incycle DH team

My 2009 Race Bike!

Lala (Incycle) brought a white stem and bars to the race, Todd and I got them on in time to race. The warmup was a bit short, but I had a white stem! Incycle can get anything quickly, they usually have it in stock and can ship out same day (or if you are lucky, bring it to you at your race). The final Shimano Winter Series Race (CA) was this weekend. I was the only Pro Woman, but that didn't matter to the Incycle DH team who cheered from all parts of the course, thanks guys! Blair heckled a guy in front of me then yelled at me to go catch him, Jason followed me up a singletrack climb (on his DH bike) and coached me to the top, of course Lala screamed from the Incycle pit.

Another race picture by Eric Foltz

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My picture on the Downhill Team Race Trailer (and van). The Team Chillin' Jason 4X Race Jason Post Super-D Race Brothers Jason and Joe Simpson