Around the shop

Andrea

CX Tire Swap

I’m currently in search of UCI-legal (33mm wide or less) CX tires that will set up tubeless on either my Dura Ace or Stan’s Alpha 240 wheels. I currently use Hutchinson Bulldogs, but they’re too wide to take to Master’s Worlds in January. I’ve tried both the Ritchey Speedmax and the Kenda Kommando- neither of which would hold air.

So, instead of going through the expensive process of purchasing and trying tires that may or may not work, I was hoping that some of you, my new/loyal readers, would have some tires you’d be willing to trade for a set of new Speedmax or very lightly used Kenda Small Block 8 tires. I have a bunch of other random tires around the garage as well- I’ll just have to dig around and make a list.

What I’m looking for is anything 33mm wide or smaller that doesn’t appear on the “never works” section of THIS article from CX Magazine. Lightly used is fine (lightly being the operative word here). I’ll pay to ship tires to you, you pay to ship tires to me, and we both save on getting to try out new cross tires without the expense of actually purchasing new cross tires.

If you’re interested, email me- andrea @ brickhouseracing.com or comment below.

Andrea

Another Sunday

…another long ride. This time, Kenny (co-worker extraordinaire) joined me for 5 hours of (kinda) easy riding. I picked a route that hit most of the gravel roads in northeast Shelby and west Fayette counties. Kenny rode his singlespeed MTB (34×11?12?) with road tires. The roads and the weather were stunning…

In other shop-related goings-on, watch out for those random “JRA” wheel taco-ing:

Also, Indy and Marley are best buddies:

Andrea

Now with Smoother, Younger-Looking Skin…

 

This post really doesn’t have anything to do with skin improvements, but that phrase has been stuck in my head ever since I decided it’s time to moisturize on a daily basis.

Unlike last year, when I took a good chunk of time off following the NUE finale, I really only laid low for a couple of weeks after Shenandoah. I’m not complaining- I don’t like the “starting from scratch” feeling that it gave me, though it was a really good way to begin laying the bricks that became the foundation for the fitness I’ve been adding to since then.

The last few weeks, I’ve been getting back on the CX bike, though, as I mentioned before, I’m not racing the first CX race of the season. Instead, will be heading to Nashvegas for Crush and Run. The handlebar mount dork-pack is in full effect. Maybe next year at this time, I’ll be at Pisgah with the Cool Kids.

Speaking of next year… the sponsor hunt is still on. I’m still working a few things, but so far, the lack of responses is putting chips in my motivation. I need someone to work for other than myself.

Also, here’s a cool bike that came by the shop a while back…

Andrea

w00t!

Yesterday was pretty boss. I kicked things off with the Trinity Group ride. One of Ryan’s Marx & Bensdorf teammates was getting married in NOLA, so a lot of the M-B guys were out of town (congrats to Will & Kelly- sorry we couldn’t make it!) It gave me a chance to occasionally drive some of the pace of the ride, which resulted in a big split in the group somewhere around the west side of Arlington. Boom.

After the ride, Ryan and I had some delicious Mellow Mushroom pizza, did a little shopping, then came home to relax around the house. I worked a little on my road bike to prep it for Crush & Run next weekend. It also needed a little bottom bracket love to get rid of an obnoxious creak.

Later on that evening, I found out that this guy had won a local 24 hour road ride fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Hospital:

That’s Jim. He rode 308 miles from 6pm Friday until 6pm Saturday. He’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, but his sweat is weapons-grade corrosive. I know this because I overhauled his bike on Thursday. Any mechanic worth his/her salt will tell you that when you do major pre-event work on someone’s bike just before they have a major success, it makes you feel warm & fuzzy inside.

You know what else makes you feel warm & fuzzy? Homemade risotto. My first attempt at making the rice dish that Gordon Ramsey has made infamous on Hell’s Kitchen was wildly successful (I used Alton Brown’s recipe from Foodtv.com)

Today was a shake-down ride for the setup I’ll be using for Crush & Run. Fashion conscious individuals beware- it includes a handlebar map holder and MTB pedals. Other than a nagging 15mph wind, it was great. I rode through the woods in Germantown to test out my hardshell tires. Everything seems spot-on.

Then, I came home and saw this awesome article on MTBR: Female Bike Mechanics on the Rise in NYC
I can definitely relate to the part about answering the shop phone and having the caller ask to speak to a mechanic. There’s also a customer who comes in and “secretly” requests that one of the guys works on his bike instead of me. Newsflash, hon… we’re all friends. It’s not a secret that you’re a sexist D-bag. It’s all good, though- 99% of the customers who come through the shop are just happy to get their bike fixed, no matter what the chromosomal makeup of the mechanic.

 

 

Andrea

RDO- Almost…

After going to bed thinking that I’d stripped the threads of my rear triangle, I was relieved when I found this morning that I was mistaken. Since my dad always told me that I could mess up a crowbar, I’ve decided that this bike’s name is “Crowbar.” Along the same lines, the reason why I’ve built this and have not ridden it yet is because somehow, I don’t have the correct front derailleur. I’m not 100% sure I ordered the wrong one- I’m suspicious that my bottom pull was somehow mixed in to a customer’s purchase last month.

Either way, it’s going to be a few days before it’s ride-able…

Jet9 RDO size Small
SRAM X0 shifters/derailleurs/crank/cassette
Hope Race X2 brakes
Arundel side-exit carbon cage
Thomson stem/post
Chris King Headset
Niner Carbon bar
Hope Seatpost Clamp
Nokon Cable housing
KMC 10 spd SL gold chain
Selle Italia Lady SLR saddle(customized through RecoveredSaddle.com)
Notubes Crest Rims/DT Prolock brass nipples/Hope Pro II Evo hubs
Fox Talus fork

Andrea

RDO Update

I’m accumulating a large number of parts at the shop, and, as of Tuesday, the only thing I lack is a headset, which I’d ordered a couple of weeks ago from Chris King through their employee purchase program. Sometimes manufacturers sit on EP orders a little while, so I haven’t been in too much of a rush for parts since my frame currently looks like this:

However, I figured yesterday that I should call and check in on it just to make sure the fax didn’t get lost or rolled into a large joint and smoked by the employees of the King company. Turns out, they didn’t have the shop address I’d put on my form listed as an Outdoors, Inc location (we have a main warehouse, which they did have on file), so they just didn’t process it. No call, email, or other attempt to contact…

It’s straight now. My headset should be shipping today.

Other than being severely over budget, this is going to be the most awesome build I’ve done to date.

 

 

Andrea

MTB Whizard

I’ve got 11ty other things to do right now as I’m preparing to leave for the Fat Tire Fest weekend after work, but instead I’d rather write a blog post full of interesting things. And by “things,” I mean stuff like this…

This little gem of technological innovation allows women to urinate whist standing up. “Being hydrophobic, the Whiz repels all liquid- just flick to dry!”   No one wanted to purchase this from Outdoors, so, of course, the logical choice for who to give it to was me. Now I just have to figure out what camelback pocket it fits best into… probably the large mesh one…  I’ve yet to use it, and, well, when I do, I most likely will not post pics. Sorry to disappoint. Here’s an illustration for you, though:

 

In other “cool stuff” news, I should soon see a shipping notice for something big, black, and carbon on its way to Memphis from Niner Bikes in California. The only problem is that I have yet to get an update from Fox as to when they plan on shipping me something long, black, and squishy that I ordered more than a week ago. Unlike previous bikes, this one won’t be an immediate build/ride since I’m doing something fun and awesome with the red anodized bits that hold the rear triangle on the frame. It looks like it should happen before the end of the month, though, and it will be totally worth the wait…

Andrea

Addendum…

You may remember I recently gave you the Summertime Guide to Bike Shop Etiquette. I need to add something to this:

7. On tubulars… if you want to use tubular wheels, we would be more than happy to glue the tires for you. If, on Thursday, you bring in tubular wheels that currently have tires on them and want them stripped, re-glued,  and ready to race this weekend, we’ll do that, too, but just so you know, we’re really fvcking busy right now, and you’re guaranteeing that a mechanic stays late/comes in early to get your tires glued and other service completed. Also, we hate you. No, not really, we actually care a lot about you, which is why we hate doing a skill-sensitive thing like gluing your tires when we’re really damn busy and you’re wanting it done yesterday.

Beer tips highly recommended.

Andrea

Introducing… Endo Machine

Early last year, someone abandoned a bike at the Union Avenue bike shop. When I started working there somewhere around October, the bike immediately caught my eye, and I decided to call the “owner” and inquire about it. He informed me that he’d “wised up” and didn’t want to pay that much for a bike (repairs included new wheels, cables/ housings, tune up, and tires, among other things).

We’ve dubbed it the “endo machine” since it’s a 26er with a failing headshok fork. Also, Matt endo-ed it inside the house the other night…

Andrea

A9C Shift-Mod Update

I almost forgot to mention…

Today I rode the Air 9 for about the 5th time since I modified the shift cable routing to include a liner through the FD side of the cable guide and a solid piece of housing though the frame. I must say, even though it’s NOT RECOMMENDED by the guys at Niner, my shifting is absolutely like butter now- fast, ultra-smooth, no half-shifts, dragging, or creaking. Here are a couple more photos to include the headbadge routing and the liner through the BB: