Every Labor Day for the past nine years I’ve gone to the once Busses By the Arch and now Busses Nowhere Near the Arch. This year was the first year I’ve attended without a VW. Last year was in the old Jetta VR6, every other year in a Vanagon or Bus. The Honda was banished to the boat dock parking lot to hang out with the empty boat trailers. I rode in on the singlespeed laden with all of may camping gear plus titanium spork.

The weather was great and it was nice to see old friends. Ed’s TDI powered Vanagon was impressive and fun to drive. Steve’s RC splitty with remote adjustable suspension was also fun. A different Steve’s TDI Golf was there, and of course with more modifications. Brian’s Syncro Vanagon and Eurovan Weekender were both there. Kurt even made it in from Australia and donated some premium Milwaukee’s Best Ice.

Sterance was not the only singlespeed at the event. Ed brought a newly converted singlespeed mountain bike, and there was a nice red low rider.

One of the highlights of the weekend was on site coffee provided by www.volkskaffee.net. This converted Westy coffee house was just what we needed. I especially liked the “redeye”, a double shot of espresso diluted with a big cup of dark roast coffee.

MS 150 Update: I just finished cleaning and preparing the bikes for the MS 150. I swapped the pedals off of the M2 since the 747s are getting a little worn. I also switched to road tires, re-calibrated the speedometer, cleaned / lubed everything and waxed the chain. Rachel’s Specialized received a similar treatment. Also, if you ever get a chance to try Jelly Belly brand “Energy Beans” they are great. An excellent alternative to Gu; what they lack in caffeine they make up for with sugar.

The August numbers are in… 206.98 miles and 14:49 brings us to:

August Summary
Total distance (August): 206.98 miles
Total distance (Cumulative): 1064.53 miles
Total time (Cumulative): 85 hours, 12 minutes

Roughly six months of riding (116 of those days I actually got on a bike) put me past the 1000 mile mark. Not too bad. However, two days in September will likely match all of my August mileage. This may hurt.

What else? I finally fixed the M2. I replaced the bent XT crankset with an ’06 XT crankset. Not much difference between the two, other than the not-bent status of the new one. I also replaced the exploded chain. I was going to get another SRAM or Shimano chain, but Klunk had a nice Wippermann 908 chain in stock. I was a little skeptical at first; the Wippermann was a few dollar more than the Shimano, and a chain is a chain. Right? Well, I’m happy to report that the Wippermann is worth the money. The drivetrain is smoother and the shifting is quieter. I’m sure not of this is because the crankset is no longer rubbing on the front deraileur cage. A word of caution: Be sure to note the orientation of the Wippermann Connex link during installation. I initally installed the link upside down. Some claim this can cause the chain to skip on the 11/12t cog. I caught the error prior to my first ride. I had a 50/50 chance of getting the link installed correctly, but managed to get it wrong on both bikes. That extra XT crankset, bottom bracket and tire were all for Eric. These retina-burning-orange (prison uniform orange, maybe city road worker orange?) Klunk t-shirts are going to become out team shirts for the MS 150, thanks to the logo designing efforts of Eric, the shirt donating skills of Klunk, and the screen printing talents of Amber and Dave (not me).

As I mentioned in the last post, I ordered a FSA Mega Exo Ultra Compact Super Gossamer Turbo Nano Cross Crankset. This crankset is very nice and a good value. The Gunnar also received a chain upgrade. This time it is a Wippermann 808 chain (same as the 908, just for 8 speed systems). The results on the Gunnar are similar to the M2: smooth shifting and little drivetrain noise. One surprise was that the original chain on the Gunnar was very stretched. I only put about 600-700 miles on the chain, but it was in very bad shape. I can’t even use it on the singlespeed. It is not a big loss though, it was a cheap Shimano chain w/o nickel plating. It really sounds like I’m abusing my bikes, really I’m not. They just wear out quickly?!?

MS 150 update:
I have now raised $300 plus an unknown promised pledge. I am now past my original goal when my donation matching is taken into account. However, I am still looking for donations, so click here -> Team 86753O9 MS 150 Site.

Ok, so you made it to the bottom of the post and still haven’t figured out why I am dragging a Wally-world shopping cart up a singletrack trail? Eric and I rode Cosmo on Tuesday and found this cart at the end of one of the trails in an abandoned quarry. It did not prove to be adept at negotiating the trails. Further proof that Wally-world is worthless. Have you ever picked up a shopping cart? Especially one of these carts from a big-box store? They are really heavy. I suppose they are necessary for transporting your 3000 oz. Fresca, 40 lb. box of thumbtacks and 1/2 cow to the checkout. See Eric’s blog for more details.

Over a month ago I trashed my rear wheel (with my leg). The leg healed, the wheel did not. So I had the wheel rebuilt. The old wheel was a DT Swiss XR 4.1 rim with straight gauge DT Swiss spokes, an XT hub and a SRAM 990 cassette. The hub and cassette remain, the rest is new. The rim was replaced with another DT Swiss XR 4.1. The spokes are now double-butted black/silver with black bronze nipples. The pattern on this wheel is different than the cross wheel set. This one has silver spokes on the drive side and black on the other.

Those who are observant, or possibly everyone who bothered to look at the above photo, would notice that the wheel is not mounted on a bike. There is a good reason for this. The M2 still needs a new crankset and chain. So, until I get around to replacing both, the M2 will remain stationary. You would think I’d learn after trashing the last set of wheels, drivetrain and fork. Oh well.

In other biking news: The hitch and Yakima Kingpin 4 rack are now installed on the Accord. Here is a slightly amusing shot of Eric and me dropping the exhaust in preparation to mount the hitch. I ended up with a Hidden Hitch model #60953. This hitch mounted without any drilling* into the body or frame rails and looks as nice as a thirty five pound piece of black steel bolted to the bottom of a sedan can look. The V6 models with dual exhaust require the heat shields over the mufflers to modified (with a hole saw) for the mounting hardware. As you can see in the photo, the bumper cover is already notched for a hitch, which is a nice touch. Another benefit is that the overall weight distribution on the Accord should now be 85/15 instead of 90/10.

It is not really that bad, at least the motor has an aluminum block and heads. Since were on the subject, the rear anti-sway bar is about the same diameter as a toothpick. I’m not sure what Honda was going for here, but I’d imagine it was something along the lines of “who cares”. I don’t think this one will ever see an autocross course. How did I get from a GTI 16v to an Accord V6? I have no idea either, I think there was a Jetta VR6, an Acura CL and a Subaru powered Vanagon involved. Oh well. The Accord is actually very entertaining and does not require frequent cooling system maintenance, a steady supply of window regulators or a bilge pump during rain storms. Running 87 octane gasoline is a nice benefit as well.

Real biking news: Eric and I did a training ride last Sunday. Thirty three miles on gravel, 95-100° heat, 2:10 total ride time. The MS 150 will only be 5.7 times longer, so we should be in good shape. And no, my math skills are not as bad as they appear. If you’ll recall, I am doing the 200 mile option. Sorry, no photos. Just imagine a hot, dusty, sunny and crappy gravel trail.