They are playing my Tune

It was a very sad moment. My favorite hub had just broken. A slight buckle in the wheel had caused me to grab a handful of spokes to check the tension.... then plunk! A big piece of flange from the non-drive side had pulled away. I was mortified, I'd had that hub since 2003...

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Single speed worlds

This photo shamelessly stolen from NZ MTBing entity Freditor Christiensen's facebook. Single speeds worlds is done. What a cool event, like the rugby sevens, minus the rugby! Perfect. Wicked costumes all round and some seriously cool bikes. They managed to get 900 riders...

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These are a few of my favourite things....

These are few of my favourite things...  A lunch-time lap of Dry Creek now that Danzig is pretty mucky. Podcasts Ideal for when you are doing a long ride (yeah right), or gardening, or painting the house. This is one of my favourites, with US Legend Steve Larson, who...

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Its raining... and I dont care.

There is an MTB race on at the Wainui Trail Park on sunday morning. Its raining. Its been raining off and on all week, all month, all spring, all winter. Its poo! But I dont care. I dont know why. I used to sit around freaking at the prospect of bad weather before a race. Maybe its the advent of disc brakes? Maybe its full supension? Maybe its contact...

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Oonce! Oonce! Oonce!

Pre-ride briefing in the Cafe Lembas How many times do you get to do a cool ride with your buddies and have a tail wind for 154 kilometres? Not many, if any! Oonce! Oonce! Oonce! It was Matt who convinced us it was a good idea to enter in the "Road to Erewhon" event, not...

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It wasnt that bad!

Crusties 2 race report. What a bunch of nutters. 170 riders turned out for the 1st round of the PNP MTB series today in Makara, despite the pounding rain. I went for the singlespeed because I figgered it would be less expensive in the wear and tear department. It was a mild...

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Random stuff.

Some cool stuff for the week. Ex Olympian and NZ Yet importer, Kashi Leuchs has unveiled his mount for the singlespeed Worlds in Roto-vegas in october. Its a Big-top 29er. See the photo here by Derek Morrison. He reckons he will have some more in the country for sale soon. Some...

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Roto-vegas and placebo braking

A break in the weather My second single-speed road-trip took place last weekend when we hit the road for Rotorua via Taupo. It pretty much rained continuously the whole weekend. Not Wellington styled horizontal rain, but gentle, not-so-cold vertical rain. This time it...

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MCM hammer.. Singlespeed version 3

What a minter. In the early 2000's this was the frame to have. Its been hanging up in Franicis's laundry since about then. It did the 2002 Nationals XC season under Rob Scott in Vet 1. Rob was a hard core weight weener and the whole bike was a sub 20 pound hardtail with some...

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A slow learner

I had a good Single Speed ride in the weekend. Rather than do another CX race I thought I would have a bit more fun and get more familiar with the SSer at Makara Peak with Austrian Pro Sepp Hribar. I was trialing a 32-18 ratio and it was pretty sweet anywhere we went. By...

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Cyclo-cross number 2, bike number 2.

Another Cyclo-cross race, another single-speed build! I converted my trusty 1996 Diamond back Apex using the singulator that Mike Thomson gave me. I worked out that with a 16/18 sprocket range on the back, and the 32-34 on the front, I could get a big enough spread to cover...

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Taupo (pronounced /ˈtoʊpɔː/, TOE-paw) Rotorua Single-speeding weekend

I am not sure whose idea the trip was? Sepps or mine, but before long we had a full van and a professional driver (Peter Reynolds) and youngster (Ed Banks) for company. The BS flowed freely, Ed said nothing the whole trip, but took it all in, to be used against us all down...

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If a man takes a nap on the couch......

.... and nobody sees it - did it really happen? After getting home from the BikeHutt Cyclocross race today, hanging out a load of washing, and letting out the chickens, the chickens started to taunt me by prostrating themselves in the sun. It was too much. I was severely blown...

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I once was lost.....

I admit, I had back-slid. I was spending more time on the road, on the track, and on the TT bike than was healthy. I had lost track of my MTBing whakapapa. But I became saved.... I had known my saviour since 1996 when I met him at the Ohau round of the MTB nationals. He was...

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Single speed version 2

Okay, I admit it I am soft. My first ride up a muddy danzig on my SSer was horrible. It was also wet and pretty dark. I added a smaller ring to the inside, so now I have a 34-32 on the front and a 19 on the rear. Its easy enuff to swap the chain with fingers while I am learning...

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Single speed version 1

Its made up out of bits of junk from my shed... but its pretty light. I will have to see how it works.... one fine day! ...

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Single speed worlds brings out the big guns!

I have my name down to do the Single Speeds Worlds later in the year at Rotorua. I dont actually have a singlespeed yet but I reckon its worth it to make one up for the weekend.... I mean any race where you are encouraged to dress up and drink beer during the race has got to...

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What's that big yellow thing in the sky!

If god had wanted me to sit at home on a saturday watching the morning sun high-light the amount of dirt I needed to clean off the floor, he wouldn't have invented the Wainuiomata Trail Park! I hadn't been there for a while and was impressed that there was hardly any sign of...

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