"Maxle: the Ultimate QR/Axle?"

Today was my first exposure to RockShox' Maxle 20mm thru axle/quick release combo. I mounted up my new Lyric fork, and of course it has a Maxle. All I can say is, this is it, this is the ultimate axle/QR I've used! It is so darn easy to use, and it seems to combine all the good attributes of any of the other designs. For example, I liked what Manitou did with their hex-axle, so that the axle wouldn't twist/spin. Maxle solves that because it threads in. Maxle's quick release is trivialy easy and nice to use, and there are no pinch bolts, no tools needed, etc. Basically, all the advantages of 20mm thru axles, combined with all the advantages of a standard QR. I love it. Now I can't wait to ride the Lyric. Maiden voyage will be this Saturday (unless I sneak out sooner).

Matt Helping Baja 1000 Trophy Truck Team

Fellow Mountain Monkey, Matt, has embarked a pretty sweet volunteer gig... He's helping the T-Force Motor Sports team in their quest to win the Trophy Truck class of Baja 1000. Their web site, which will feature live race tracking, has gone live. Check out the picture of the sweet truck (and specs, etc.) by clicking on the Team section of the home page. Also, BF Goodrich has a historical film, and full race tracking on this site.

Lyric 2 Step mounted on my Reign

Lyric 2 Step mounted on my ReignOriginally uploaded by Christopher Bailey Today I mounted up my new RockShox Lyric 2 Step fork on the Reign. Easy of course. I have to say, as per my previous post, the Maxle is just amazingly easy and nice to use. See my Flickr photos for more pics if you want.

Loving the Kent Ericsen ti post!

I've ridden the custom Kent Eriksen ti post I got for my Niner a few times now. It is awesome. It has a noticeable bit of flex to it, which I love because my Niner is fully rigid, and I wanted a bit more help :) It also looks really nice on the bike, as the ti color matches the Niner lettering, and the orange head/clamp hardware fits with the orange paint.

Laser Guided, Cost Effective Helmet Cam

The upcoming VholdR's laser guided helmet cam looks extremely promising! It is cheap in terms of such gizmos ($350), simple, and looks very effective. I like my VIO POV.1 a lot, but encapsulating everything in the helmet unit is awesome, and the laser guides and lens tilt adjust are brilliant (this is always a pain when swapping my helmet cam to other people's helmets or what not). I look forward to seeing this when it comes out.

La Ruta de Los Conquestadores - 29er reports

Being a big 29er bike fan, I checked out a new thread on MTBR about folks who did La Ruta on their 29ers. Many of these guys went singlespeed, which is great in the mud, but was probably semi-brutal with the massive doses of climbing. Anyway, some good reports on the abuse to the bikes, as well as lots of photos. The above link to La Ruta also has a photo gallery... MTBR Thread Good photo set on Flickr

Jill Finishes the Iditarod Bike and Writes A Great Story to Boot!

First off, a huge congratulations to Jill, for finishing the Iditarod Trail Invitational! Second, she wrote about her experience, and wow, what a story! This is a must read - great writing, great journey, certainly some crazy, and well, just go read it.

1. Day One: Knik to Skwentna
2. Day Two: Skwentna to Puntilla Lake
3. Day Three: Rainy Pass
4. Day Four: Rohn
5. Day Five: Rohn to Farewell Burn
6. Day Six: Farewell Burn to Nikolai
7. Day Seven: Ghost Trail to McGrath

I've Forgotten How To Ride Casually

I realized today, as I pedaled around town, that casual riding feels completely foreign to me. I've ridden in such a serious, competitive, or hard core way for so long now, that I can't get on a bike and not want to go hard, wear the full gear, etc. I can't seem to bring myself to get on a bike and not be wearing a $100+ chamois, gloves, cycling shoes, and so on. Not wearing a helmet is out of the question (and should be required for anyone whose brain is worth saving; if you think you don't need to wear a helmet...). Anyway, so I'm relearning how to ride "casually." How to ride at a pace where I don't break a sweat, to fully enjoy the scenery, to ride with no intention other than to be on a bike and out enjoying life, ride for transportation, or whatever. It's been fun getting back to this. Don't get me wrong, I am still going to be hammering whenever I can, but this adds a new dimension to my cycling life, and I love it. Today I actually hit the grocery store as part of my ride. Picked up a few things for dinner. It was the first time I've locked up a bike (other than on my car's rack), probably since college!The next phase in this process is to ride into town and work a few hours in a coffee shop ("Wandering Goat":http://wanderinggoat.com/ probably) once in a while. Luckily the big hills are always on the way home, so I can coast and soft-pedal it down to the shop, then get the workout on the way home. This way I also won't be stinking out my cafe mates :)

Interview with Bear Grylls

Outside magazine's latest issue has an interview with Bear Grylls, however the full length interview is??available online. ??The interview covers the controversy over some aspects of filming the show, gives some history and insight into Mr. Grylls, and was a generally interesting read.

Initial Review of Pearl Izumi Alp-X Mid Shoes

I picked up a pair of Pearl Izumi's Alp-X Mid shoes, mainly as a "town riding" shoe. My intent was to have a shoe that could use clipless pedal cleats, but also be comfy to hang out in while sitting in a coffee shop for a few hours, and also not look too dorky. I've had a few hours on these shoes now...First, fit is great, very comfy shoes. They also are light weight, and seem to breathe well. Most of my riding buddies think they're ugly, although they've only seen the online pics. I think they're pretty nice actually, and they're slightly more subdued, and less space-agey than the web site picture.These shoes will definitely rock for riding around town: comfy, easy to walk in, and most folks probably won't even notice they're a cycling shoe, and will just think they're trail running shoes. But, they are NOT shoes to use for serious riding. They're more squishy in the foot-bed overall. So while the shoe sole/shank itself is stiff, they feel squishy when you stand up and hammer on the pedals. If you're spinning, you don't notice it at all, and they're simply nice.Thus, so far, they definitely satisfy the goals I had when I bought them. And, I may even use them for various mtb riding as well, we'll see.

Tags: PearlIzumi, shoes, cycling, bike, review