RideFetish.com - Site Updates

[BIKE] Firewood Hauler (Spalding Blade)

Douglas — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:59:58 GMT

I built this one for my Dad. Actually I just tore it all the way down to the bearings, then greased up, polished and rebuilt it. Replacing a couple of things along the way. It needed a crankarm, and I ended up replacing the cranks completely. Unfortunately this resulted in some not very hill friendly ratios (now a 52/40 I think, and just a couple of teeth up from the old ones). I thought about switching it to a triple, but I definately wasn't getting into replacing the rear der with a long cage plus a new chain, and shifters/cog? (then were does it stop...). Plus this crankset was free from my LBS. Then there was some basic things like shifter cables and some seriously tedious adjustments with the (really cheap and over-simple) components. I straightened the wheels and then added all the other fun stuff: fender and rear rack for hauling firewood, the front rack and bag (stuffed with new tire levers, tools, tubes and whatnot) and the pump and bottle cage. He's going to flip when he sees it and I'm sure he'll use it all the time at the campground.

[BIKE] Yaya's Hula (Kona Hula)

bigzee — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:43:42 GMT

This is my sons bike. A 2005 Kona Hula I bought him for Christmas.

[BIKE] Caldera (Kona Caldera)

bigzee — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:38:41 GMT

Before my King Kahuna I owned for a few months a 1998 Kona Caldera. A nice bike for sure but it can't compare with the King. The guys I was riding with at the time were riding King Kahuna frames and I tried one out for a bit and I could feel a huge difference in the amount of control I had. That's why I traded up and I'm glad I did!

[BIKE] The King (Kona King Kahuna)

bigzee — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:12:46 GMT

This is the ultimate bike! Ten years old and still rides like new. It's a shame Kona stopped making them and deprived people of riding the world's best HT. I'm glad I got mine! For a bigger than average bike, it's really light due to all the Ti components. I bought the frame and had it custom built by the great guys at Bicycle Works in Waterdown. I highly recommend that if you are looking for great service you check them out. In 1999 a bunch of us went to Mt. Tremblant and biked there all weekend. It was a blast to take this bike through those trails. But the most fun was taking the access road down from the top. It was fast and scary. I'm glad I went with the fatter tires that weekend.

[BIKE] Cantankerous (Giant Perigee)

Douglas — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:28:54 GMT

This is Lenore's old steel Giant. It was too big for her and has been hanging around for quite some time. I built it up a few times before I got this idea for it. I think it turned out great with the new paint and simple clean look.

[BLOG] Okay, so maybe I am an Ass Hole (Douglas, 1 comments)

Douglas — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:28:37 GMT

Funny how life can bust a mirror into your face once in a while to let you get a glimpse of yourself. It’s only now sinking in that the voice calling me an asshole may not have come from the car stopping at the light. If that’s all it was I would have dismissed it as I darted left in front of it. Had it been just the asshole in the car I would have rode on blissfully on the maiden voyage of my new bike I just built. But no, at the moment I thought to ignore and crank around him, my left pedal took a chunk out of the pavement, and sent me flying up and over the bike onto my right shoulder. Then moments later realizing that me, my bike, and my water bottle were spread out in center stage of the intersection all alone except for all those cars right in the middle of their five o’clock commute home. Right now I’m thinking that even though I collected my shit and hobbled out of the way, part of my brain is still dwelling on that spot. What the fuck was I doing out there? I am 200 pounds and have only been out on a bike maybe 5 times this year. And three of those times I’ve managed to drag the exact same parts of my body along the road, rashing then re-rashing again and again. I got hit head on by a truck a few weeks ago. And had the audacity to think that somehow I could pull off a double century by substituting a dilusional self-image for training. And despite this, for some reason I made timeand spent money to build yet another bike. Maybe I’ve been ignoring this message longer than I thought… I have now fully realized that I am definitely not who I was last year. I have let things go like a landslide. While trying to hold on to an identity that fits as well as last year’s bike shorts. This has been by far the toughest year of my life. From my own persistant medical problems, to the loss of our son. The downward spiral of my business and then the miscarriage of our recent hopes to start again. And so much more that I could write one heck of a country song. But the point is that I am here feeling sorry for myself like an asshole. I have always believed that there is never a way to put things back the way they were. Life would be too boring if that were possible. Only an asshole would dwell on that instead of growing into life as it moves forward. As I sit here reflecting I think that this latest crash might have been what it took to smack my brain into letting go and getting back into the here and now. My identity on the bike as a small metaphore for a larger picture. But, metaphore or not, I really need to stop scraping my body and my bikes along the fucking pavement.

[BLOG] Happening at Huntington (Dirt_Dad, 1 comments)

Dirt_Dad — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:42:49 GMT

Here is what you missed yesterday. Tons of demos from Iron Horse, Cannondale, and Kona! Great prizes, BBQ, and some great riding.

[BLOG] More Freak Juice (Dirt_Dad, 5 comments)

Dirt_Dad — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 03:38:53 GMT

Here are some clips on the Gussy Trail riding my Fixation 69er.

[BLOG] The Upper Gussy Experience (Dirt_Dad, 6 comments)

Dirt_Dad — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:44:25 GMT

Thought I would share some riding scenes from the trail that I am building. And for those of you who have been thinking about trying the koolaid, try this:

[BLOG] Balloon Festival Classic (cprensky, 2 comments)

cprensky — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:41:30 GMT

Saturday, June 8, will undoubtedly go down as one of my most memorable race experiences. Granted, in my short racing career, just about every race of any consequence makes that list, but this race will remain on that list for a long time to come. For starters, it was hot. The weatherman called for temperatures in the low to mid 90's and even by the time we went to breakfast at 6:15am it was warm. The course was also hilly, in a punchy rolling kind of way with very steep little power climbs. The 'big climb' was not so big, but it was a WALL with a little flat section in the middle with neutral water and a feed zone. Oh yea, and there was one tiny dirt section- just enough to add to the memorableness of the day. In the 3/4 field, we lined up with the same squad that tackled Jiminy Peak. Craig, Kurt and George joined me in the heat to battle the assortment of CRCA guys (not interested in ESG qualifiers) as well as upstate and New Englad teams. As we set out, nobody was in a particular rush to kill themselves and the smallish field of 58 riders was more than happy to allow the early breaks to go away. The race was pretty standard fare for the first lap and a half of three. There was the occasional puncture, the occasional yellow line infraction and one incident involving traffic on the course holding up our pace vehicle and the field almost stacking into its rear bumper. At some point before the third lap, George was able to go off the front with a few guys. For a while, it looked promising and I was doing my best to sit in at the front and silently cheer them on. Eventually, the group got anxious and George's break came back. Around this time (20 miles to go, or so) a group of five guys rolled off the front. They quickly established a substantial lead of about 1:30. Once again, despite some teams (including ours) prodding, the group would not chase. I found myself rotating with 3 other guys at the front, trying to make something happen. It was incredibly hard to get an organized effort moving. With about 13 miles to go, I pulled to the front and easily rolled off from the group- nobody would follow, except for Adam Zimmerman of Setanta. I asked how he felt and he insisted that he was not ready for a two man suffer fest. With about a mile to go before the dirt, I thought that I would at least get a nice line by being off the front. By the time the dirt section arrived, I had realized that the break was definitely sticking, and I might as well try a suicide mission to bridge solo. With my earlier observations about the fast line on the dirt road, I drilled it as hard as I could. The group seemed to close in on me, though, and by the end of the dirt road section, I thought that my fun was over. However, with a long descent, I was able to stretch the lead out again. For the next 35 minutes, I buried myself in the pain. I fought to distance myself further, imagining that I would at least finish clear of the field with a top 6 if I couldn't catch the break. Every downhill was an exercise in aerodynamics and high cadence power. Every little climb was a sprint. By the time I got to the 'big climb' (at roughly 5 or 6 miles to go) I had caught some of the 30/40+ masters. As I sprinted up the hill, nauseous and delirious at the halfway point, I noticed a couple shattered 3/4's. They were practically stopped. "This is good" I thought as I meekly called out for neutral water. Dumping the water over my back and head, I powered up the last steep section. "5 miles to go." Another screaming descent and we were on the long straightaway into town on rt.22. I could finally see the red Miata pacecar in the distance. There were two guys left. "Third will be sweet, but I can't let anybody catch me." I continue to drive down 22. The gap was closing. I slowly reeled the break in over the next 10 minutes, catching them with a half-mile to go as we rolled into Cambridge. The last two turns came up fast and we hit 200 meters to go. I lit up my sprint and pulled ahead. As I hit the bouncy, rough pavement of Cambridge, I lost my traction. James Morrison was able to pull up even and get me by a rim width on the line. Needless to say, I have never been happier to earn 2nd place in anything. I was seeing stars as a kindly lady handed me a bottle. And I dropped my bike in the grass... Back at the car, Bob was waiting for the most exotic beer money could buy in Cambridge, NY: a novelty sized Australian lager (Foster’s). Never tasted so good.

[USER] ampersand_jones (Phoenix)

ampersand_jones — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:56:32 GMT

Trying to find the right fixie for me...

[USER] bigzee (Toronto)

bigzee — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:16:12 GMT

I have a '98 Kona King Kahuna that is the best bike I have ever ridden. I'm glad I made the investment back then because I seriously think this is a bike I'll probably have the rest of my life.

[USER] coldawg (tempe)

coldawg — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:56:10 GMT

i use my fetish to work for big papa hpt pedal cab company and it has been great to me and on my off time i go and have as much fun as i can

[USER] StarCyclist (Westbury, N.Y)

StarCyclist — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:30:08 GMT

If you don’t have passion and purpose, greater productivity won’t help you! If what you do with the best hours of your day is not also the thing you’re passionate about, stop right now. Stop right now and confront the cold hard facts for what they are: no amount of effectiveness training, time management skills, productivity tips and tricks or goal setting know-how will replace the critical missing ingredient of your life: Passion. Until you discover your “fire within” you will remain condemned to a life only endured, not lived; to delicacies only tasted, not devoured; to joys only imagined, not experienced. And in old age you will lament the days of your youth, when fears about money and security kept you from taking the leaps of faith and courage in the direction of your dreams. A life lived in moderation is not the stuff of stories told to grandchildren with a twinkle in your eye.

[USER] NeverSaneEver (Portland, OR)

NeverSaneEver — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:28:58 GMT

I've been riding on a variety of surfaces for practically my whole life and I don't plan to stop until I'm forced.