Salsa Night at NCC

It wasn't long after moving out of town that I came back. Not even a whole damn week. E-Fred from Salsa Cycles hauled a truck full of new 2014 bikes into town for a demo at North Central Cyclery, so I came back to check them out, eat some pizza, drink some drinks, and hang with some of the good folks I had to leave behind. I headed over after work and arrived just as things were winding down. Or maybe not, because the pennyfarthing emerged shortly after my arrival.

Salsa tends to attract a certain type cyclist. These people, to put in the least offensive way possible, are super-nerds that love geekin' out about all the little specs and gadgets and most likely own an REI Visa card. There's nothing wrong with that at all. It's ok to enjoy adventuring by bike just as much as researching bike stuff on the internet. However, if you're that kind of person, this is probably not the blog for you, because you will find no technical babble or product specs here. 

I will say this, though: The 2014 Salsas look like some of their nicest yet, and the graphics on these bikes look better than ever. I like that they decided to add some paint to their titanium frames. I can't deny that a raw titanium bike is indeed beautiful, but after a while they all start to look alike. I think Salsa made a wise choice and avoided the potential boredom. Also, the new carbon Beargrease is light as hell. I took it for a good spin, and when you crank hard in a low gear, the front end effortlessly pops right up. It doesn't even feel like you're riding a fatbike. It handles like a relatively lightweight 29er.

Graphics on the new carbon Beargrease. 

The Double-Wide Boyz

Dang. Wide bars, dude.

Local brews

Joel mounting the pennyfarthing with the aid of the Blue Demon.

Joel's Vaya with Bruce Gordon Rock N' Road tires. One of the coolest rubber things I've ever seen.

Nice blurry one of Darrien shreddin' on the carbon Beargrease.

Joel admiring the new Salsa Colossal.

Custom painted ENVE carbon fork on the new Colossal.

Ti Mariachi

Nice paint on the new Mariachis. 

Titanium Mariachi

Titanium Mariachi's rear end.

Aluminum Salsa Warbird.

Salsa Warbird.

Darrien and "Ross's dad". Aren't they adorable...

Not a Salsa, but pretty rad. Olive drab Surly Pugsley with digital camo frame bags from Revelate Designs.

A new Salsa top cap.

Trans Iowa V. 9

Congratulations to all of my friends who participated in Trans Iowa, the 300+ mile gravel/off-road race, this past weekend: Derek, of the "Double-Wide Boyz", Chad "The Llama" of North Central Cyclery, Agatha (pictured above with their TI bikes), Ari and Jay of the Slender Fungus Cycling Association, as well as all of the other brave souls who fought off the demons through the night. Everyone put in an amazing effort. Derek finished the race on his first attempt and took 27th out of the 36 finishers. Jay took 11th place overall and 3rd in the single speed category. Incredible. I took a few bike/cockpit shots at the bike shop before they headed out to Grinnell, Iowa:

Derek's Singular Peregrine.

The fresh pair of Rock 'n Road tires that took Derek to the finish line at 2:08pm.

Handlebar bag with shooters filled with swedish wormwood.

The Llama's cockpit.

Derek's Cockpit, complete with celebratory cigar.

Agatha's cockpit.

Fantastic job everyone. I'm proud of you all! See the complete list of finishers and more info here.

Adventure in the Black Hills with La Kruz and Agatha

My good friends Jakey La Kruz and Agatha spent their "spring break" out in South Dakota, exploring the Black Hills by bike. Jake posted some fantastic photos on his Instagram feed, so follow @biglucille and check them out, or just visit his Instagram page here. Looking at these photos really makes me want to get out there and have an adventure of my own. 

A couple select photos from his feed can be seen below:

The Great Frostbike Photo-dump

Yet another Frostbike came and went. As usual, it was a blast and I had a ton of fun hangin out with good friends, meeting nice new people, and drooling over some amazing products. I took a ton of photos and I'm too tired from uploading/sorting/editing everything to write much of a description, but they're pretty self-explanatory. A big thanks to QBP for putting on an awesome show and taking great care of everyone who attended. I'm always blown away by their hospitality and thoughtfulness. Also a big thanks to Handsome Cycles and One-On-One Bike Studio for putting on a killer party at the Cutter's Ball, and to Sram for providing the many kegs of beer. I might dedicate a separate post just for Cutter's Ball photos, but we'll see if I find the motivation...

Anyways, enjoy a bunch of photos of cool bike stuff below...

Titanium Colossal/Chalkboard

Yesterday at the shop, we took our giant chalkboard down off the wall to wipe it clean and write down the latest promos and upcoming cycling events. After erasing it, I thought the board would make for a nice backdrop for the titanium Salsa Colossal I just built up, and so I took a few pics. I think I like how they turned out, so expect to see more of this in the future.

The build is mainly a stock Ti Colossal, which is Salsa's new titanium disc-brake-equipped road bike, with a couple of custom touches. We added a black/red Fi'zi:k Tundra saddle and Lizard Skins duotone black/red bartape, to compliment the red accents of the build. I'm usually not a big fan of duotone tape, but I really like the way it looks on this bike. It's a tasteful build that is modern and flashy, yet subtle and not over-the-top. Come by the shop to see it in person and take it for a spin... Maybe even take it home with you.

Check out a bunch of other photos below:

Turbo Tuesday

Went out into the cold last Tuesday with da boyz and rode about 35 miles. A majority of the ride was on local gravel roads, with some pavement. Again, I wore a pair of GORE gloves equipped with Windstopper and enjoyed warm hands for the duration of the ride. (Glove review probably coming soon (but I'm keeping it brief)).

Jakey La Kruz rode his trusty Casseroll and Derek was rolling on his new Singular Perigrine single speed. Note that he is riding the gravel shoulder of the road in anticipation of TRANS IOWA:



Bryce recently had his Brooks saddle stolen from his bike while on campus, and in protest, did not replace it with another saddle, but rather flew the La Omar flag from the seat tube while standing on the pedals or SITTING ON HIS TOP TUBE for all 35 miles. He also supplied us with some top notch whiskeys. I was truly impressed with his bravery and tolerance for discomfort.



Marcus rode his vintage Puch Odyssey, which is set up as a fixed gear. He also lost his only winter hat and still refuses to buy himself a real "jacket".



My trusty Surly Pacer, sporting a new cockpit setup, and a weary La Kruze in the background post-ride:



Good rides have been happening consistently every week now. It feels good. The temperatures are dropping here, but it's been easy to stay warm outdoors. A lot of basic articles of clothing can function as winter cycling gear, as long as you layer up properly. You don't need to look like a pro, but don't forget the wool! Wear whatever you've got and just keep riding.

Frozen Gravel/Starry Skies/Bag Feet

Went out for an ice cold night ride with the crew, SFCA style. Please note how ridiculously awesome Derek looks (on the far right, obviously) with that beautiful "dream coat" and homemade duct tape aero helmet:



It was a cold one and the gravel felt like it was frozen, which made riding on it with my 25mm tires pretty simple. While taking a quick break, I snapped this photo of Jeff and his beloved Chile Con Crosso:



The sky was super clear and filled with stars. It was hard to keep from staring up at them while pedaling.



Having only worn a pair of wool socks and Vans, Derek's feet eventually froze and so he took out these prototype "packable cycling boots" from 45NRTH. Those guys are geniuses...



I tested some gloves from GORE that night and was extremely happy with them. I'll probably post more about them soon, because they really did work well.

Covered in Beargrease.

The shop is currently covered in a thick layer of Beargrease. They arrived yesterday and we've been busy building them up since. They're big, light, and beautiful. Check 'em out before they're gone.















Built with love by Dan, Llama, Marcus, Ross, and myself.