Killer Hiller

Uh, yeah...

2011-12-21T09:14:00.001-07:00

Five Guys makes a healthy burger. See, there's tomatoes, lettuce, jalepenos, that's at least 3 veggies...

More pics for nails.

2011-10-19T19:27:00.001-06:00

You can have a lot of fun with a big old' drill and a holesaw.

Taillight upgrade

2011-10-17T14:19:00.001-06:00

This blog is dead.

2011-07-15T14:31:00.003-06:00

Well, not really. It's more that my cycling life is dead.A year ago this weekend, I raced the heck out of the Breckenridge 70, knowing my fitness level would be dropping as I entered law school. What I didn't know is that my fitness would spiral out of control and plunge into depths I've never known.I'm kind of fat now. Not in the obese sense, but I weight 10% more than I did last year. Yes, that

Whiskey Pics

2011-05-15T20:30:00.002-06:00

The Reward

2011-05-04T10:13:00.002-06:00

After 50 miles and 7000 vertical, it doesn't get much better than green grass in the shade:

I like the tail light one.

2011-03-10T09:17:00.003-07:00

Via www.systemcomic.com.Or, if you're fast enough, you could chase them down for 10 minutes and lecture them like someone phast in Provo does.

GF Pargaon

2011-03-02T11:03:00.003-07:00

2009 Gary Fisher Paragon, size 17.5 (Medium)Fox F29 G2 forkStan's NoTubes Crest rims on ZTR (stan's) hubs with DT revolution spokes and blue alloy nipplesXT cranksetSRAM x.9 shifters and rear derailleurXTR front derailleurTruvativ Stylo Seatpost and Stem (white WC stem) Avid BB7 brakes with 160mm front and 140mm rear rotorsXTR brake leversContinental Race King 2.2 tires, set up tubelessWhite

Dawn, Dusk, and Finals

2010-12-09T15:32:00.003-07:00

So, it's finals week for me. I'm done with two, have one to go. Anyway, that's boring. Where it gets interesting is during the part where 3 months ago, before I knew how much work finals were in law school, I signed up with Dan and Nails to do Dawn to Dusk on one of my reading days. By the time raceday came around I was burned out on studying and ready to ride pedal bikes. I was also behind on

Denial

2010-11-15T18:10:00.003-07:00

Sure, I tell people that I'm not missing racing cyclocross this season. Given the Arizona climate I live in, I ask rhetorically, "Why would I want to go race on a dry grass field at a city park when I could go mountain biking?" Tame cyclocross over real mountain biking? Mountain biking, of course! But, my true feelings come out, and show that I'm in a state of denial. In the last week, I've

Flagstaff and Sedona

2010-11-01T10:57:00.003-06:00

Brother-in-law Tim and I met up in Flagstaff last weekend to do some mountain cycling. We had originally planned to go to Moab, but the weather forecasters thew us off. Cutting 6 hours off of my drive time and a couple hours off Tim's was a bonus too. From the looks of everyone's Fall Moab pics, it seems like we went to the wrong place. Nonetheless, we found ourselves in Flagstaff. I rolled in

Niner Fork for sale

2010-10-31T12:43:00.003-06:00

So, rocky Arizona has turned me into a wimp. I'm selling my rigid carbon Niner fork. For a low, low price of (email, call, or leave a comment, and we'll discuss prices in the range of $275) this fork can be yours. This isn't just any niner carbon fork either. It has a resume. Like, winning the inaugural hell-o-ween hillclimb, coming close to the podium repeatedly at ICUP and Sundance races, not

Which is better?

2010-10-30T13:11:00.001-06:00

Cactus Cup

2010-10-06T13:19:00.004-06:00

I remember reading about the Cactus Cup back when I was like, 14 years old, I guess. It was held at McDowell Mtn. which is about 45 minutes away from our home in Arizona. Ashleigh and I made it out there last Saturday and got a good morning of riding in. It's been 15 degrees cooler this week than last so we'll probably start riding mountain bikes a lot more, since we won't have to get up as early

Upgrades

2010-09-23T23:00:00.004-06:00

Ashleigh's single speed had a terrible gear ratio (39x18!) and she was spun out all the time. So we decided to get some fixin's. The handlebar is a downhill bar and I had to cut almost 7 inches off of it! My favorite part is the machining on the back of the chainring:

Flagstaff

2010-09-11T13:43:00.005-06:00

We made it out to Flagstaff for Labor Day Weekend. And we got on our mountain bikes which was excellent. We had a good ride in the hills. We were climbing up and I was thinking, 'oh man this is great I haven't gotten out of shape because I can hammer up these climbs'; then we came down and I was in that awkward too-fast-to-pedal-but-too-slow-to-be-fast place that you get in sometimes on a single

Happy Anniversary Ashleigh!

2010-09-01T08:21:00.001-06:00

My tough little Ashleigh and I have had a lot of great adventures over the last 3 years. Here's to many more adventures to come!

One Month of Commuting by Bike.

2010-08-31T21:35:00.005-06:00

I came in just under my goal of 200 miles in August. I know, I know, 200 miles isn't that much, but I wanted to do it all commuting. I got in about 195 this month. Pretty good, considering that school didn't start until the middle of the month. My commute to school is just over 10 miles round trip. I can also ride around Tempe Lake to get a few more miles in if I have the time. Over the summer I

Update

2010-08-26T10:17:00.002-06:00

So, it's been almost a month since we moved to Arizona. Doesn't seem like it, but it has. Not much action on the biking side, although I have put a bunch of commuting miles in. I went out on the road bike once on the hottest, flattest ride ever, only 200 feet of elevation in 25 miles. Plus I broke a spoke, although I have no idea how. No mountain bike rides yet, but we are headed up to explore

Friday the 13th

2010-08-13T09:29:00.003-06:00

Happy Friday the 13th.

Called It

2010-08-10T09:21:00.003-06:00

After watching Lance suffer through le Tour, I predicted this. It's too bad some people won't do a race if they aren't sure they can win. Anyway, look at this!

Arizona

2010-08-03T22:13:00.003-06:00

We made it here. Although the darn federales sure tried to keep us out. It's funny that they wouldn't let us in with our moving truck while on the other side of the state... Anyway, apparently young college students with a moving trailer pose a major national security threat and are not allowed to cross the Hoover Dam. Unless they are willing to unpack the trailer, allow all the boxes to be

Bike Lust

2010-07-28T17:19:00.004-06:00

My appreciation for 29ers runs pretty deep. That's all I've ridden for a few years. But then Felt announces this:2011 Felt Virtue LTD. I'm in love with that Yellow over carbon. After suffering through 70 miles of rough rigid riding in Breckenridge, I think this might just be the ticket. I think I've probably stared at this picture for 15 minutes today.

Race Report - Breck 68

2010-07-19T13:49:00.003-06:00

At the startFinishing Round 1Round 2: What? 30 more miles?I'll keep it short and sweet, and just say that if you haven't done this race, and if it's not on your future race calendar, it needs to be. This is one of the best run, most fun, hardest races out there. Dan said it well: it's full of ups and downs. And the ups and downs are both amazing. A 10 mile singletrack climb right of the gate,

Breckenridge

2010-07-15T18:46:00.002-06:00

A few months ago, I was applying to law school as part of my application, I submitted a personal statement. I wrote about a certain race I did last year (It's about 1000 words, you don't have to read it: When I was in first grade, I started riding my bicycle alongside my dad as he would run. We would usually go five or six miles five times a week. Sometimes I would get tired, and my

A Mechanic's Wife

2010-06-30T22:45:00.002-06:00

So, I started swapping parts this morning on Ashleigh's commuter (bar, stem, etc.) because it is on it's way out the door. I left it halfway done, totally forgetting that she'd want it for school as well as a ride to 7 peaks she had planned. She sent me a text asking if she should take her mountain bike (no) or what? I told her to drop the seat on my commuter and use it. She didn't like that too

Wednesday Night Worlds v.9

2010-06-30T22:35:00.002-06:00

Woah it was a good one today. I really struggled the first two laps today, after my brief break from riding the legs felt pretty low on power. Any time it started getting steep (which was twice) my legs would start complaining. Luckily it's a pretty flat course so I was mostly okay. Brandon, Stuart, Kenny and I grouped up towards the end of the second lap; Brandon came by along with my second

3 races in 2 days is a lot...

2010-06-21T21:23:00.002-06:00

Last Wednesday was the Deer Valley Pedalfest, which is one of my favorite courses of the year, as well as one of the most painful. Aside from Little Stick, which is the most brutal climb anywhere in the world, it is full of fun, fast, sweeping singletrack. We ended up racing in 45 degree weather that was on the verge of a thunderstorm the entire evening. It was cold but the course was perfect:

Dilemma

2010-06-14T21:33:00.000-06:00

The Deer Valley ICUP race got rescheduled for this Wednesday evening at six. Which is great, racing on Saturday would have been miserable. There is only one problem, there's another race Wednesday. And it's weekday worlds. And now I don't know which one to go to. There are a few pros and cons for each race. At the ICUP race I get to race in the single speed category, which means I don't get

Pre-Race Mentality

2010-06-12T21:07:00.001-06:00

A race postponement is always bad for me, especially when it's weather related. I've usually spent the last few hours getting psyched up for a race, and then all the sudden I'm wondering whether the race will happen or not. Every change in the weather makes me more or less prepared for the starting gun. Luckily today, the race was postponed to another day, because by the time the anticipated

Motor Dope

2010-06-02T23:25:00.002-06:00

Yeah, coz if anybody needs some extra wattage, it's Cancellara:This is like a conspiracy theory gone wrong.

Best Ride Ever.

2010-05-25T21:44:00.005-06:00

I got 80 minutes on the bike last week (Not including the Thursday Night Race - 2:20 total) So to make up for that, I did this:I've ridden Hobble Creek a lot over the last few years. I've always gone up Left Fork because that's where everyone rode when I started. Right Fork is a lot better. Nice road, no houses, much more serene. About 9 miles from the bottom of the canyon the road turns to dirt,

NOT racing bikes

2010-05-22T21:07:00.004-06:00

With the last two Wednesday Night World's races being postponed to Thursdays, I've been too torched for racing twice as much two days later. So I've skipped the last two ICUP races. I know, I know, they were two of the races I wanted to target this year, but the Wednesday (err, Thursday) nighters are so fun and sometimes you just got to take the weekend off from racing bikes.Last week, I put in a

Photo Dump

2010-05-22T20:51:00.007-06:00

These have been sitting on my phone for a while and I finally figured how to get them off faster than emailing myself each one individually:Our 2008 Subaru has been through a lot. That ticker past 50k a long time ago. (It just passed 60). The first pic is deer damage that happened 7-8 months ago.My BMX bike had Dura-Ace cranks on it for a while, and clearances were tight.Racer's will fix your

Wednesday Night Worlds

2010-05-13T09:34:00.005-06:00

So, I used to run in high school and stuff. I was decent. I ran cross country in the fall and track in the spring. I was competitive in CC but track was where I came alive. I was much better (relative to others) at the 800m and 1600m than I was at a 3000m CC race.That said, I'm kind of the same way on the bike. Which is why Wednesday Night Worlds is the greatest race series ever. The races are

Better a saddle rail than a collarbone.

2010-05-03T09:06:00.002-06:00

5 Mile Pass. Not one of my favorite races.Last year, I had 3 flat tires. I finished my 2nd lap when the leaders of my category were finishing their race. I had the slowest time of anyone, including the pros (who did more laps than me).This year started out better - with dry dirt, but went south quickly. About 15 minutes into the race, I took a wrong turn. Didn't realize it for far to long. This

Race or Ski?

2010-04-29T21:28:00.002-06:00

It's a three option weekend.1) Mountain Bike Race at 5 Mile pass2) Road Race at Antelope Island3) Snowboard at SnowbirdWith rain and cold forecasted all weekend, racing doesn't seem like the funnest option, especially after last year's debacle at 5 mile. Antelope Island in the rain isn't all that great either. With 7 inches today, 8-12 inches expected tomorrow, and more Friday night, some spring

Squaw Peak

2010-04-20T19:35:00.003-06:00

Squaw Peak is ride-able, although there is some snow on part of the road around mile 4. I was so excited I had to do it twice. Get it while the gate is closed, and the gettin' is good. To celebrate, I started a TT page for the climb. And the descent.http://squawpeak-tt.blogspot.com/

Sea Otter - The Race

2010-04-20T16:38:00.002-06:00

So our race start was scheduled at 7:30. Monterey is 45-50 minutes from Santa Cruz, and Ashleigh's parents live 15-20 minutes from there. Which means we woke up at 4:30 to get there and set up on time. I started out driving and made it about 25 minutes before I started zonking. Thanks Dan for driving the rest of the way.The race started a little late due to the Gran Fondo that took off right

Ocean Otter

2010-04-19T22:16:00.004-06:00

This weekend was the Sea Otter Classic. Which is like, the most awesome race ever. For several reasons:1. It's close to Ashleigh's parents so we get to visit them.2. There's like a million people there and a huge expo with all the new stuff.3. The companies bring their employees that are actually fun to talk to, since they are meeting end consumers. (Unlike Interbike, where drab employees are

Arizona State University

2010-04-19T22:08:00.003-06:00

So, it's decided. We are going to Arizona. I'll be attending law school at ASU in Tempe. Pretty rad. 2 weeks ago I visited the University of Colorado in Boulder and ASU. I was really impressed with the city of Boulder, and the campus. Not so much with the school itself though. ASU was sort of the opposite. The law school is housed in an older building that reminds me of the Flinstones, or a

Dana Point Crit - hopefully this video stays up.

2010-04-13T22:08:00.002-06:00

Dana Point is a beautiful area in Southern California. For me, it marks my failed attempt of surfing. However, this past week there was an NRC criterium (the pro level crit series in the US) there. Apparently there was a bit of drama. With five laps to go there was a big crash. The issue is whether Bahati (#5, the guy interviewed in the middle of the video) was intentionally crashed out, or

Bike Change

2010-04-05T13:28:00.002-06:00

It's classic's season, but this video makes me miss 'cross. The few times I've done bike exchanges for racers has been pretty exhilarating, but not so much as racing. Definitely not as much as winning Flanders, not that I'd know anything about that.

Computer Dependent

2010-03-30T21:36:00.002-06:00

So, I'm pretty good with the google. Or at least people think I am. At my last computer using job I always got asked to google something or other. Anyway, the internets are pretty rad since nowadays you can get info on just about anything in just a few clicks.Well, yesterday afternoon I was looking for the marinade for some chicken. I knew it was in one of our cupboards, but Ashleigh manages that

Nuevo Mexico

2010-03-27T17:03:00.002-06:00

My brother in law spent the better part of last week trying to convince Ashleigh and I to move to New Mexico with them after law school. All he would have had to do is show me this video...New Mexico's BEST | Vital MTB...and that would have convinced me, at least enough to visit!

Crashing

2010-03-25T07:35:00.001-06:00

I've been thinking about crashing lately- and how I rarely do it. I'm scared of crashing, probably coz I broke my jaw in a bike crash when I was in 2nd grade. I think that fear keeps me from doing stupid stuff. Anyway, here is a video with a guy crashing a lot.WTF with Watts | Vital MTB

Geek

2010-03-05T09:13:00.003-07:00

Why I'm going to law school: Because this kind of stuff is super intriguing to me...The author spells it out, but, what incentive does one have to go to court if the state is going to take all of the settlement. As a lawyer, why would you represent someone knowing that all of the settlement is going to the state? By allowing the state to take 100% of the settlement, it takes away any

Preparations

2010-03-04T13:59:00.004-07:00

Over the last few weeks everyone has been preparing for the wonderful upcoming event, the Desert Rampage. At least, everyone should have been. I'm sure half a dozen people will show up at the shop tomorrow wanting a full overhaul of their bike so that they can race on Saturday. Which is great, and I encourage you to do so if you happen to be one of those people. That is how bike shops stay in

Spamnation

2010-02-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

Apparently this blog has become a target for comments regarding Unicorns, Enhancers, Online Casinos, etc. So I'm changing the comment settings. Unfortunately you'll now have to log in to ??? (no anonymous comments), and do one of those word verification thingys. Hopefully this won't deter the 3 people that actually read this blog from still reading it.

Finished product

2010-02-23T19:11:00.002-07:00

About a month ago I finished up the Buenos paint job. People have been asking what kind of paint I've been using. I used a $3 spray can from Jones P&G. The reason it looks so good is because I put in over 8 hours of prep work, and then was careful with the paint application. Five coats so thin that that it was still transparent after 2-3 coats. The matte finish hides the imperfections better

2010-01-28T11:06:00.002-07:00

The hockey player didn't seem to surprised when he yelled "car." Kind of like Garth in Wayne's World. But they were playing in the street.Formula One is cool.Driving on ice is cool.

More DH

2010-01-13T21:48:00.003-07:00

Here is another video from the 2008 World Championships. This one is Gee Atherton, who won the overall. Ashleigh and I met him and his sister (also DH WC that year) at Interbike that year. Ash had no clue who they were and kept asking about some orange goo they were playing with. It was D30, the stuff that 661 put in knee pads nowadays. They thought she was crazy and gave her an autographed

Sam Hill

2010-01-12T17:48:00.002-07:00

Sam Hill is fast. If'n you didn't know. At the 2008 World Championships, he was up 6.5 seconds on the current leader (who ended up 2nd overall), before that crash. 6.5 seconds is an eternity in a DH race. He recovered and still finished 3rd, just a bit more than 3 seconds behind. That is pretty incredible. 9 seconds is a lot of time to lose (it was the difference between 1st and 9th at this race)

Intervals

2010-01-09T11:59:00.001-07:00

I have committed myself to riding slow until March. I want to have a good base for this summer and going fast now won't help. I saw this on the interwebs and am now very excited for March. I have a few really good interval workouts planned for March-June, and can't wait to do them. Things that are going to make me super fast. Probably not as fast as Levi though: I am also very excited for

Squaw

2010-01-07T22:03:00.003-07:00

I haven't ridden a bike since Friday, I really messed my back up racing BMX and could barely move Saturday or Sunday. I started feeling more normal on Tuesday and today Dan and I went for a ride. I had heard that Squaw Peak road was rideable, and I thought it would be super great to get back on my mountain bike. Squaw Peak road is my favorite road ride too so it was a good mix.The road was packed

Booties

2010-01-07T21:51:00.003-07:00

A couple weeks ago on the group ride, Jason asked me if I duct-taped my shoe covers to make them wind proof. While that was a secondary benefit, I taped them because the soles are worn out. I've spent the early spring and late fall mountain biking in them and have worn away all of the bottom of the cover. If I don't tape them they flop up over my toes. These have lasted longer than most of my

BMX 1.1.10

2010-01-01T22:51:00.003-07:00

Happy New Years.

A very rough first draft

2009-12-15T00:35:00.000-07:00