The Raleigh Technium 26er SS aka "Deth March"

Here is a pic of my new bike.

It was a donation bike to the Trek Store. A repair bike that the customer didn't want to spend the kinda money on that it needed and was too lazy to bring it home. I saw it and immediately saw its growing potential.

I stripped it down cut the chain. Left the 46t chainring on. Tossed on some spacers and a old 17t Surly cog plus donation Bontrager Hardcase 26x2.0 hybrid tires, and was G2G! I didn't even adjust the brakes and its honk is just as good as its looks. Deth March or Lil DM is my new training machine. Its painful, but does exactly what is asked of it. As of now it already has about 300 miles on it. Most of those were Gravel Worlds training day miles.

F the trainer! F a geared bike! I'm going for a Deth March!

-Peat

Dirt Crits Week 6. Another Weenier.

Last Thursday was Week 6 of the Dirt Crits. After testing the water the week before I decided, or was forced rather, to race my All City Purple Nature Boy CX bike. The back story is short. After less than 5 months I already blew out my Enduro bottom bracket. Enduro wouldn't send me a new one without inspection of the blowed out one first. And since I'm racing myself broke right now, I sent it to them in hopes of it getting warrantied. So, my BOCOMO O.R.B. has now become a strider bike.

 

I love the Dirt Crits and figured it would be nothing but a learning experience to ride the CX bike for them. I kinda got the feeling that peeps thought I was out flexing my muscles by riding the Nature Boy, but I wasn't. I really had no clue how things would pan out. It also was really hard to take turns on that thing at speed with the dusty turns. It was fun however! I love doing things that sharpen my skillaz, and doin what I did last Thursday was much of that.

 After a bad start of not getting clipped in, and getting into the rabbit hole 6 spots back made for a tough and mentally draining race. Everything that the fat tires could disrespect, would straight make my rear end pucker.  Not to mention the matches burned in the first 3.5 laps before I was able to make a pass on the top four dudes. Even then Bobelak was still able to ride my ass to the finish.

In the end I still got the WIN. Will I ride the CX bike again for week 7? Yup. I have to, I don't have my bb back yet. So race Thursday night, clean the bike and then off to Gravel Worlds I go.

-peat

Event Horizon. Gravel Worlds here comes Peat Henry

For everybody surrounding me in my daily life Gravel Worlds is now old hat. Despite it not even happening yet. Its the race that I've been bustin' my balls for for the last 2 months, and the race that I mention when anybody asks "Have any big races coming up?"  Have a race Sunday? Oh lets go out and do a 125 miles Saturday. Got friends in town that want to party? Lets just stay out til 3 Friday! Feel shitty on Tuesday? 90 miles it is on Wednesday. I've been burnin the candle at both ends, and now I'm on the event horizon. I feel pretty hella good surprisingly. 

I never like to get my hopes up though. The body and mind may be tip top, but a unforeseen bike failure could sabotage everything when old man Murphy comes to town. I also haven't done this race yet. I've done many similar, but not this. Its totally unsupported with the exception of a few convenient stores and family members of the race organizers  opening up their lawns/garages to us filthy pedal pushers. So only time will tell how many souls I will crush, or how many souls will crush me? It goes both ways.

I'm not nervous. I'm not scared. I'm just excited to see what happens. I'm curious about what this Saturday will bring. I've been going on blind faith since I broke my hip a year and a half ago( man has it been that long?!!), and this is just another step into the darkness. Always having that funny feeling in my belly that keeps telling me to commit and then awesome ass shit will happen!

Life's crazy man. I still don't get it. So its time to give up thinkin', and start doin'.    

-peat

You Dirty Dirty Dirty

 Ok, so my new friend and fellow dirt bag Chris Reichel

is coming to St Louis this weekend.



He has some good association with Reeb Bikes, Drunk Cyclist, Oscar Blues, and he just quit his day job to ride his CX bike across the country towing a bob trailer with his SS ORB set up on the bob via a roof rack tray.


Well Sunday he will be at Hammerstones down in Soulard from 3 to 9ish partying and giving away crap. 

Speaking of crap, heres his Instagram. Its got great pics of his bike set up and him sitting on a tank.

I will be doing the 1gear100 road ride with a whole grip-o-folks, but will be hustling over to Hammerstones pronto after the ride.

Hope to see ya there, its gonna be fun!

-peat

Dirt Crits week 4 and 5

As I've said The Dirt Crits are a freakin good time. What I like about them is how they harness your high speed handling skillaz. I like 'em so much I don't think I have missed one since 2009. For serious! The peeps are also always rad and free sno-cones and beer to the racers.

That being said heres a flyer for it.

And the Dirt Crit fb link. Check it out. Only a handful of weeks left!

Trailnet is also one of the sponsors. They help get St Louis moar bike friendly. 

Oh, and by the way. Week 4 and 5, I nailed 1st both races. I even hopped in the B race last night on my All-City Purple Nature Boy to see how it would fare. I technically wasn't in the race, but I put a pretty good hurt the rest of the field and got a second 1st place of the night. Even though it didn't count for anything.

Why you grabbin' my beard dave?

Also, thanks Struckmans for dinner!

-Peat

SSKC was the SHIT!

   So the race and results was pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things when it came to Single Speed Kansas City. But, for those who are interested I will spend just a moment of time explaining, and then blast you with all my pics. Then maybe just link you to everybody else's photo spots on the interwebs.

I drive to KC Friday night. I meant to get there early enough to do a preride. Nope. I've ridden Swope Trails YEARS ago for a 6hr, but little was retained as far as course knowledge.

I meet Edward from New Belgium Brewing and we drink some coldies and talk about Mike Bussman and SSMTBWC  in Alaska. Then I go to bed at 12:30.

Brian the floppy hat wearing race director wakes us campers up just before 7am. There are donuts and other sleepy eyed one speeded knuckle heads filling into the park.

I've seen floppier.

 Minutes before the start I change into costume. A American flag thong  with flag on helmet. My goal was to win The Joel Dyke Big Grin Speedo Award. I then hustle up to the racer meeting and blow minds.

We roll down to the start which is at the bottom of the driveway for a ferocious up hill sprint into the woods.

Look at Griffs "I'm gonna crush this shit" face!

 After 20mins, we start. I'm right up there behind Griffin Hamilton when we get to the rabbit hole. I gladly let a few folks pass me figuring I'm going into uncharted territory. This place is hella tech, I mean HELLA, and even though I can wield a rigid fork that doesn't mean I can improvise that quick on a course that these guys live at. I'll be honest, I was nervous and was not the most confident I've ever been.

The 1st tech spot. It was way more terrifying at race pace. Look at my face!

The first lap had a bunch of dabs, but I made it through holding onto 5th overall. I pass the dude who is behind me in the photo above because of a flat. 4th now!

One of my dabs. Sorry guy.

Second lap I was familiarizing with the terrain and riding 50% smoother, but got a puncture in my back tire halfway through the lap and rode it at about 10 psi till I was able to borrow Travis' pump at the end of the lap. 

Third lap I was on fire! Unfortunately the rear tire leak came back when I hit a small rock garden at ludicrous speed. I rode that for a bit until I had to pump some C02 in. A couple miles later I  pedal spiked a huge boulder and nose wheelied off the trail and into a tree. A real "oh shit!" moment. My right brake lever got rotated under my bars. I rode like that for awhile until I was able to ham fist-it almost back into place.

As I was gorrila-ing up Heckle Hill somebody yells I'm in 3rd.

Heckle Hill

So I continue to light up the trail. At the end of the last tech section is a right switchback. As I'm working my way through the rocks I see Britton Kosiak pushing his full squish Santa Cruz almost at a defeated crawl.

To my pleasure, I can tell that he is straight up cooked, and I'm just getting warmed up. This last section is where my rigid bike and gear choice was supremo. I get up on Britton's wheel and ask for a pass. Then again. And then since there was no real response I just took the inside line on the next switchback. Sorry dude. Since this last section was all super fast and dirt critty, I railed every turn and mashed my 38/20 thus dropping Britton and his full squish SS.

I absolutely drilled it all the way to the finish in hopes of the "what if I catch Griffin". Well I didn't, but one of the scoring doods said he had only been in for maybe 30 seconds. Griff kinda looked like he had just rolled in, too. Since this is a dirt bag SS race, times were not recorded very well which I wouldn't of had it any other way. Griff's time was 144min and 31sec. My time was non existent, but what ev's. Oh, and Griffin, NICE F-ING work dude! You killed it!

Wheelies at the finish. Its in my BOCOMO contract.

For me the race was a bad ass mental victory/confidence boost. Even though its been mentioned, Swope Trails are probably the most technical/brutal trails in the state of Missouri. During the race I was kinda wondering how many doods have brought their novice as hell girlfriends there on a first ride, and got broken up with that night. That being said, I show up on a fairly big gear to a tech trail with no real course knowledge of and kinda slay it wearing only a very small speedo. 4 of the top 5 dudes were local, and 3 of those were on full squish SS's. If that doesn't say anything....  At the end I also realized that I had only drank 1.5 bottles. I txted Dwayne later and told him that he was becoming a bad influence on me because he is known for not drinking any thing during crazy hot rides and races.

After the race was hang out sesh till 4pm. Then awards. Then Skillaz course. Then slip n slide. Then group ride to Bier Station. And then home.

Here are a bunch more pics kinda in order of events. Enjoy!

T-Ravis on his jenk squishy SS.

 

Look at that SMILE! So good!

Moar Smiles!

Winning Big Grin Joel Dyke Speedo award.

Whats up, pup?

Our shorts were off, hehe.

Dumb self absorbed I'm on a bike riding selfie.

And the spoils.

I am fighting with my self to use this cog or to frame it.

New T's

1+1=1....Ray Porter, and OUTVI stickers

Stock photo of the OUTVI Race Roll. Mine's already on the bike and being put through the ringer.

Hey so thanks ere'body for making SSKC weekend a absolute blast! Brian and White Mike you killed it and everybody behind the scenes, likewise. There's too many to give shout outs and since it was such a rager of a weekend I have forgotten a bunch of names anyways. Nothing personal :).  We really did have a all-star crew out, for real!

And to ere'body who missed this. I will never let you live it down you bleeping squares. We didn't want you anyways. Probably would'a just harshed our buzz. HA!

Also check this stuff out if you get the chance
-Oddity
-OUTVI
-8 Lumens
-SSKC
-ATM 
-Endless Cogs
-Randy photos
-Pete photos
-Sean photos
-John photos
-Chris photos
-Chris Reichel

-peat