Willow Lane Dirt Jump Park

Moving dirt to facilitate broader use of the Boise City Parks Department sport facility at Willow Lane this week.



Equipment work will conclude Friday.
The weekend we shape and pack.

World IMBA Summit

We are going to Park City Utah for the International Mountain Bicycling Association World Summit. Check it out:

2008 IMBA World Summit.

Mountain biking enthusiasts from around the globe will gather in Park City, Utah, June 18-21, for the 2008 IMBA World Summit.

IMBA Summits bring mountain biking advocates, land managers, ski resort professionals, trailbuilders, park and urban planners, tourism officials and the bike industry together for collaboration, planning and celebration.

The gathering will be based at the Park City Marriott. We have lots of opportunities for outdoor workshops, guided networking rides, and other field sessions so you can embrace all that Park City has to offer.

Apply online For a World Summit Scholarship

The deadline for scholarship applications for the 2008 IMBA World Summit has been extended to Tuesday, April 8. Those interested in reducing or eliminating the cost of registration to the summit can apply online. IMBA has a limited number of scholarships available and applicants will be notified of a decision in time to register for early bird pricing or canvas their local bike shops, organizations and other businesses for funding. We want to see all of you in Park City!

2008 - In with the New

New job; Computer Systems Analyst technical support for HP.
New Snow, shoveling almost daily.
New VeloPark construction progress.
Focus on contributing to the greater good.

Hope your year brings new focus as well.

ThanksGiving 2007

Much to be thankful for. Safe return from California visit. New job. Progress on the Cycle Idaho web site and MapMojo technology. Friends and family. Dogs as companions and unconditional love. A cool 34 degrees today just right for a cruizer ride with my dog Harry. Cooking up the side dishes of mashed potatoes and yams for dinner later. Hope yours is good too.

Go for a ride !

Home again...

Today I woke up in my parents house, Redwood City California. This trip to visit my family and friends comes before starting a new job next week.

We are looking forward to seeing old friends in Marin researching the resurgence of Vintage Mountain Bicycling- Klunkerz; Bombers and how it all started "back in the day".

Aging has never been so fun. Looking back and forward to find ways more people can experience fun and fitness on a bicycle.

How high to go?

This is my current set up. The stem is above the head set using 4 spacers of 20 mm each. Now add the stem and the leverage on the steer tube is a cause of concern that the force will cause a break. Currently the spacers move around some as I ride, making noise.

I started on my quest for the answer by talking to Josh Coaplen Director, Research and Development for Cane Creek Components. He suggested using the part of a Cane Creek head set that holds the steer tube tight against the head set bearing. This is a tapered split ring. (compression ring) Other head set makers like Chris King do not take advantage of this feature. The benefit is a tight interface between the top bearing and the steer tube. I was already using an S2 with this feature and am glad because it works very well.

Next we discussed the slight but perceptible amount of flex in the steer tube and the effect it has on the 4 head set spacers stacked on top of each other before the stem.

We discussed how interlocking spacers would help and perhaps 4 interlocking aluminum spacers would also add structural integrity. Adding 4 interlocking spacers will be my next task when they arrive from Cane Creek.

Then we agreed that the issue is really one for the fork manufacturer. I am running a Kinesis Max Light After a lot of internet searching I was able to find two for my ERB bikes.

I tracked down the engineer of Kinesis at Interbike and he told me the fork I am using is about 3-4 your old model they no longer make. Because it is aluminum it should be run at less than 80 mm from the head set. If using a chro mo fork/steerer then 100 mm should be the max hight. Aluminum would crack or sheer all at once causing a catastrophic failure when steel (chro mo) would bend first before breaking.

On the plane ride home Martin Stenger (engineer for Bob Trailers
and NORBA Pro #10 1990) and I talked about the physics involved.
This set up by VooDoo bikes is a great way of solving the problem:
So when the new Cane Creek interlocking spacers arrive I will put them on and cut down the seer tube to get it under 80 mm.

07Interbike

Swag from the show.

For all the photos go to my Album