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SteveAustin

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Everything posted by SteveAustin

  1. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    Joker... like you said, XTR is worth it all by itself. All of my bikes have Ritchey WCS on it and its the shit. Super light weight and tuff. I also run the Ritchey OCR wheelset and haven't had any problems. Nice, smooth, light weight and no dish to boot. I don't know a whole lot about Haro. From what I hear they're pretty decent. Maybe a little heavy, but nothing outta control. I hear those Sid forks are a little flexy, but it is the top of line race shit, so should be alright. For $600 bucks it sounds like a hell of a deal. If you get any more details let me know. BTW: Don't race when your sick. Its a really bad idea. I was at home yesterday with a temperature of 102. Hopefully I'll be recovered enough to race this weekend.
  2. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    single speed race report I came down with a cold Friday. Come Saturday, it was a full on phlem doggie, sore throat, back breaker. I didn't feel all that bad Saturday morning, so I went ahead and set to upping my gear ratio. I had a 14 sitting on the hub as a spacer, so I switched things around and voila I had the magic gear without a chain tensioner. Took it for a spin around the neighborhood and decided that 42 x 14 was probably going to be a little much for the woods. I think I went through every bike part I have ever had at least twice. Finally I found a 16 tooth cog. I was hoping to find a 17 or 18, but no such luck. Put it all back on there (including the chain tensioner) and really loaded the tension up on the tensioner. Took it for another spin and decided 16 would have to do. Ended up feeling pretty lousy Saturday night, but since I had spent so much time messing with my bike I decided...fuggit I'm racing. So, Sunday morning we pull in, get registered and changed with about 5 minutes to spare. The short ride to the start had to suffice for a warmup. Single speed race starts have got to be one of the funniest things to watch. The starter sounded the gun and then all of us in slow motion try to start going. After a few revolutions we're all up to speed and right together except for the two guys who went with an easier gear combination. After about a hundred yards or so, I decided to take the front. I rode in front for a little while when another guy broke out for the front. It was almost like a rode race. We had a pace line going and everyone was right on someone else's wheel (we were on a gravel road heading towards the woods). We got about 80 yards from the singletrack when I decided I wanted the front spot back. I swung out to the left, stood up and hammered it. Passed the three guys that were in front of me, hit the singletrack and was headed into the woods in first. At the first drop in the woods my chain fell off. I had it tensioned so high that I thought I broke it. After a few minutes inspection I figured out it wasn't broken, so I set the chain and took off after everyone. Pretty boring after this. I slowly picked off riders while trying to catch back up to the lead three. I tried making up time everywhere. I'd stand and hammer coming out of the corners, long stretches and anywhere else I thought I could get a little more speed, but I was never able to catch back up with them. Finished the race and found out one guy had flats, so he dropped out. This ended up putting me in 3rd place. I think I ended up finishing 3 minutes back...damn that chain. I feel like complete shit today, but damnit...I have to say it was worth it.
  3. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    can't wait to hear about the cruiser rebuild. I've got an old Schwinn cruiser that I need to fix up. Maybe, just maybe....I'll get motivated. Uh, probably not, but here's hoping. Sounds like you had a decent trip. Here's a little belated congrats on the hitching. :p racing single speed on Sunday....rebuilding said bike tonight. I've got a bunch of old road bike parts if you need something.
  4. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    Yeah, I agree. If you can only have one...get the cross bike. Its a helluva lot more versatile. About the only problem with brakes that I could foresee would be different rim thickness, so you might have to adjust them a bit. I have a few different wheelsets I switch out and the difference is pretty minimal. Just adjust the barrel a bit and go. orange revenge it is... I don't suppose anyone has some mustache bars just laying around they wanna get rid of?
  5. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    endurox I've been using the endurox, but I can't say its affected me like that. I use about half what it says to mix with. I went per their directions once and was hardly able to choke that shit down. I think I'm gonna give the revenge a try.
  6. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    Cytomax, Revenge, Endurox Whats everyone using as a drink mix? I've heard good things about Cytomax and Revenge. I've got a little bit of the Endurox left. That shit tastes chalky, but seems to do the job.
  7. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    that sucks. what was the course like...hilly, technical, rocky? I was a bmx kid ages ago...I never got the taste of dirt out of my mouth. Even though most of my riding is on the road now, I still love the dirt. The rockier, more technical and steep it is...the more I dig it. Love the hairy shit. I definitely hear ya on the shade of the woods to the overbearing sun in the fields. All I can think of when this happens is go faster....the faster I ride....the faster I can get back to the shade.
  8. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    logged some nice miles in this weekend. yesterday I got up early (for me) and hit the road. logged about 40 miles in the am. got back just as the heat was really starting to kick in. few hours later, dood I know called and wanted to hit the trails. so, about an hour into this ride I start bonking. that is such an ugly scene. all I could think about was the cliff bar and gummi bears I had forgot at home. lost all flow and sense of picking a line and struggled back to the car. hit the quickie mart and made out with power aid, peanut butter cups and some other crap. ate all that, got home and proceeded to do the same as Tearz and eat everything within sight. Cinnamon...how'd the mountain bike race turn out? that's bad ass tyler got second. its times like these where I really miss OLN. I'll have to get cable hooked up in the new pad before the tour starts. acquired another bike for the squadron. some dood in my neighborhood was throwing out a bike. looks to be about my size. old french bike...Motobecane...with horizontal drops and a bad ass white Selle Italia old school saddle. 170 cranks. not quite sure what I'm gonna do with it yet, but diggin it serious.
  9. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    I hear ya on the speed and efficiency. Thats one of the reasons I love my singlespeed in the woods. For some reason it just feels like it has a better flow. Maybe its because your forced to get up out of the saddle and hammer it on the big hills. Too bad you don't live closer to me. I'd have to make sure you came out for one of our "underground' races. Its always more of a beer fest than anything. Lots of carnage, no rules, sometimes dirt, sometimes road, sometimes drainage ditches. I suppose it reminds me of some of the messenger race gigs. A lot of our race reports end up on drunkcyclist.com.
  10. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    sounds like a bad experience....what happened?
  11. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    I about bet most everyone has at least one good story about falling over in their clipless pedals. Hell, first time I was on clipless, I fell about 30ft down the side of a rocky hill. Landed on my back with the bike still attached to my feet. I loosened my pedals after that incident. Another time I was fucking around skidding as close as possible to some guys I ride with. I had been messing around with my cleat position and didn't get it tight enough. Needless to say...after a few times of doing this it loosened itself enough that my shoe turned but the cleat stayed put. Fell right over, in front of my friends and rush hour traffic.
  12. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    Re: is there anything better.... I don't know why, but I love the smell of the air then. Big greenish gray clouds, tornado in the distance and zero wind. Its just eerie.
  13. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    Joker, the one thing that helps me with my recovery is proper breathing techniques. Make sure you draw air in through your gut and not your chest. Chest breathing will restrict the amount of air you take in. By taking air in through your gut you will get alot more air flow. I know that sounds kinda corny, but it definitely helps. It takes a little practice for it to feel normal. I actually tell myself to breathe after any serious effort. It really helps calm me down and get my heart rate down. That and spinning an easier gear. Your intervals training sounds killer. I think I'm gonna take a few extra days off and then go back in hard. I've felt kinda beat up this week. There is this one guy that keeps beating me, Its driving me nuts. At the end of last season we were right there together...back and forth every race. Since I lost a few months due to injury....he's jumped ahead and I just can't real him in. Cinnamon, congrats on the new sponsorship and apartment. It might not be pro deal, but it still sounds pretty sweet. That bike has to easily be worth more than $500 at the end of the season. Sell it and buy another new one next season. The team I want to switch to next year...every single one of those guys sells their team bike at the end of the season and makes good money on it. You can't ask for much more than that. A brand new bike to race on, good money for it when you sell it at the end of the season, free maintenance, clothes and hella deals. Jan, does it feel like you are supporting your upper body weight with your fore arms? (More so than normal that is.) If so, that would definitely point to the wrong stem size. I'm sure if your in good with your LBS, they'd take a look at your riding position and be able to tell right away if there is something wrong, but like Joker said...its ultimately about how you feel.
  14. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    Back pain on the bike is usually due to the wrong saddle heighth or the wrong stem. Do your knees hurt as well? If the front of your knees hurt then your saddle is too low, if the backside of your knees hurt, then the saddle is too high. If your knees don't hurt then its probably your stem angle and or length. A lot of bike shops have a stem sizer or a complete bike fit kit. I'm sure if you went in to your LBS and told them whats up they'd proabably help find ya one that works. If all this shit is spot on and your back still hurts....do lots of crunches and that will help alot. Another thing that might cause it would be a stiff aluminum frame and thin ass tires. Only options there being a wider tire or a more forgiving frame (last resort). When I first started riding my back hurt all the time. Once I got enough miles under my belt it hurt less and less. Hope some of this helps. I'm real lucky, one of the guys on my team is a doctor. I'm always calling him to get his opinion.
  15. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    my legs are absolutely trashed from mountain biking. when I shave my legs, all these scars from the past magically appear. I think I've been riding my road bike too much. I had a brutal race yesterday. Ended up in 9th or 10th...I was too exhausted to really figure it out for sure. Lots of creek crossings and mud. I'm still zapped today, but looking forward to my nice easy recovery spin tonight.
  16. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    Heres the article in reference to the accident in procycling: http://www.procycling.com/news_main.asp?newsId=3884 I especially like the "two unnamed women" bit. Bar whores? Kick ass. Sucks to hear he's out. Is there going to be any competition for this years Tour or are they just going to give it to Lance? Did my first group ride after being sick for a week. Hi-light: Blasting along at 34 mph. Lo-light: got dropped about 3 miles from the end of the ride.
  17. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    BTW: thanks for the suggestions. I was just looking at the new Fujis. I noticed the cable is routed on top now. I almost bought the Surly Crosscheck last year. Somebody pointed out the weight (not that I'm that big of a gram freak) and I decided to pass and get a little lighter ride. I'd love to get an IF. One of my buddies had a really nice IF...then he got hit by a car. Now, one of my other friends has a really beaten up IF.
  18. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    You have no idea. I was helping out with the medical side of things that whole weekend. We had lots and lots of hypothermia cases. There were a couple guys that wore shorts for the nationals...they had tights the next day. This one girl (can't remember her name) broke her wrist racing. During the race she taped her hand to the bars, so she could keep going. I think she podiumed...can't remember for sure. Another one suffered a concussion and couldn't remember her name.
  19. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    that Empella looks sweet, whats it made out of? I'm pretty dead set on getting a steel frame. I've noticed a lot of guys around here rockin the Redline. Last I heard its a hell of a deal and everyone seems to really like them. How well do you like yours? I used to own a Cannondale with a headshock. I destroyed the shock within three months. After that I've kinda avoided them.
  20. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    Here they are. http://www.freephoto-i.net/users/SteveAustin/OPCross1.jpg'> http://www.freephoto-i.net/users/SteveAustin/OPCross2.jpg'> http://www.freephoto-i.net/users/SteveAustin/OPCross3.jpg'> http://www.freephoto-i.net/users/SteveAustin/OPCross4.jpg'> http://www.freephoto-i.net/users/SteveAustin/OPCross5.jpg'> http://www.freephoto-i.net/users/SteveAustin/OPCross6.jpg'> http://www.freephoto-i.net/users/SteveAustin/OPCross7.jpg'> http://www.freephoto-i.net/users/SteveAustin/OPCross8.jpg'> http://www.freephoto-i.net/users/SteveAustin/OPCross9.jpg'>
  21. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    Thats my goal for the fall. I got a lot of shit for riding my mountain bike, but that was my first year racing cross. Now that I'm addicted....I have to come up with some cash. Any suggestions on a cross bike? I was looking at Bianchis and LeMonds. Nationals and SuperCup were in Overland Park, Kansas December 15-17 2000. It was colder than hell frozen over. I'm just running a little behind on posting things in a timely manner.
  22. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    Cross http://www.freephoto-i.net/users/SteveAustin/Lead.jpg'> droppin the hammer and rollin up front http://www.freephoto-i.net/users/SteveAustin/RunUp1.jpg'> these guys won't leave me alone. http://www.freephoto-i.net/users/SteveAustin/RunUp2.jpg'> all by my lonesome, feeling the pain. http://www.freephoto-i.net/users/SteveAustin/TeamWork.jpg'> in the back doing the team work thing. I'll post the SuperCup and Nationals from Kansas soon.
  23. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    I went out last night with the intention of doing a nice urban spin. Ended up putting 3.5 hours of mtn single time in. I also managed to hit my "first car". I had the light and this bitch pulled out in front of me. I hit her rear quarter (mainly the plastic bumper part). I wasn't going fast enough for it to do any damage to myself or her car. It did however leave a nice "tire print" for when she got home and looked at it.
  24. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    I think wiping out on the road scares me more than on the dirt. I've wrecked so many times on dirt and come out ok most of the times. I've seperated my shoulder twice (same one), but nothing too serious. The only time I ever got a concussion was wake boarding. I can only attribute this to wearing a helmet. I always wear a helmet when I'm riding off road. Most of the time on the road, except for pub crawls and easy recovery rides around the neighborhood. My advice for ticks....shave your legs. I know I'm asking for it, but I haven't had a tick embed itself since I started shaving. I do have a nice collection of ticks that did try to steal my blood. They are forever emtombed in 3M scotch tape. Hopefully I can get some miles in this weekend. I've been hella busy this week. Feel sorry for me...I have to go to a co-ed bacholorette party this weekend. :D
  25. SteveAustin

    bicicletas

    thanks It seems like the only time I ride my mountain bike is when there is a race. I've got over a dozen bikes and the road bike(s) probably get 95% of my time. I have a full suspension mt bike that hasn't been ridden since September of last year. Crazy thing is that its a nice bike. It weighs a little over 23 lbs. which is damn light for a dually mt. bike. I'm beginning to think I should just sell it. Hesh, you outta turn the mt bike into a singlespeed or fixie. That changes everything. Its a whole new ride. I turned my first mt. bike into a SS and that is partially to blame for not touching the dually. Gotta love the rigid single. Cinnamon...you know, riding is a great stress reliever. luck on those finals man. Strato...that festival sounds like a blast. I would've loved to be there. I've got an old tandem I want to make into some kind of crazy ass chopper. I'm thinking ape hangers and riding from the second seat. One man hella chopper.
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