Damn.
Last night we had the first real night of RockySprints. And like Rocky Balboa defeating Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, and Ivan Drago the bikes kept dishing out punishment to anyone foolhardy enough to ride them. About 20 people stepped up to the stage at 317 to get another dose of ass-kicking, including some random people at the bar. Glitches were mercifully minimal and everything seemed to work pretty well together.
There's a few mods to be made, a few refinements and such, and we'll be back at 317 next Monday the 10th.

Big thanks to Wiley, Adam, C-Note, Paul, Steve, and Faunce. This wouldn't have gotten off the ground without ya's (as well as anyone my still-recovering brain has forgotten).

See you there!

Here's some pictures.

Sunday night, after hours of working around ever-increasing piles of empty PBR cans we finally have Rockysprints up and running. Adam, Seth M, and Wiley came by last night and helped get the last few details hammered out before running some full-speed tests. To be sure, there are some details to work out, and some issues we will have to work around but as things are right now it frikkin' works! And don't worry, both bikes will be identical fixed-gears.

I'll see you tonight at 317. 9pm.
Tonight's races will be limited to one-on-one sprints, without much record-keeping. We'll keep track enough so that someone's got bragging rights, but I've got no prizes yet. Winners get to bask in the satisfaction of being the first Rockysprints champions.
There's no cover. Sweet, huh?

Some of you regular readers know Maya.

Unfortunately, she passed on early Friday morning.

Maya was one that helped to reinforce my propensity to trust and like dogs more than most people. In the six years we shared together we had traveled to hot springs, breweries, mountain bike trails, mountain peaks, lakes from Washington to Vermont, ski trips, and countless everyday mini adventures. I have not known a dog that conveyed more intelligence and feeling than her.

I have more to write but I can't seem to get the words through my fingers, so here's a few pictures.New World Gulch

North Cottonwood Trail

With Ursula, tired of posing for the camera.

This thing, this Goldsprints, (or Rockysprints, as it may be here) is eating up Nerd-Hours faster than a hipster fixie rider goes through rear tires after watching MASH SF for the eighth time.
The usual crew came by my place tonight; Wiley, Adam , and now Paul to stay in the basement to play with code; Sethanol to talk music and help drink beer (and pedal the bike when needed); and Captain Entropy himself to eat, drink, and make things fall apart.
This time, 'the usual crew' does not imply 'the usual results'. Oh no, we've got ourselves a veritable roller-racing extrapolanza one tiny step shy of being ready to drag on downtown. We rebuilt the second sensor board. We made lengthy twisted wire leads (with a drill...fun!). We even got the computer to work properly, mostly. All we need to do now is to find out why the computer is getting noisy results from one board, then we're on to mounting the stuff on the rollers. Done.

Tomorrow........

After extensive breadboard testing, the first actual sensor board is complete. One more to do, then Adam gets the computer and boards for final testing. Friday night we try everything out at my place, then itls on to the 317 on Monday!

OK, here it is folks, there are some minor details to work out, but the gist of it goes like this.

The code monkeys seem to have the software/hardware interface...ahem bitwacking. I think the problem had something to do with the Flux Box. Frankly, all this business about 'open source' is great and all, but it took not one, but two of the most savvy computer geeks I know to get all this to work...not exactly plug and play, more like plug, eff with it a bunch, swear a lot, drink some PBR, discuss, rewrite the code, play.



Geekery, Bikes, and PBR...somehow it just works.

I think bit whacking the flux box became less of an issue when they double teamed it.



Anyway the long and the short of it is we have the computer side of it 99% up and running.

As for the bike interface...

Steve's got the fork mounts welded up, to which we have affixed some bike tights.




and fabricated-ish with some rollers to mount the bikes to. It ain't pretty, but it does work.



So for now, the tentative plan (as opposed to the firm plans we've had thus far) is to meet Tuesday night (Mañana) at 317 at nine PM for some real world testing of our handy work. There very well may be some bugs to work out, but the question remains...Do you has?!?!



Any questions? Leave comments, or get ahold of DNA.

Cheers,
Crystal

Goldsprints Status:
The software is on my computer and seems to work
The hardware is assembled (on breadboard), firmware updated and seems to work.
Computer and Bitwacker seem to talk
I can't get the software to work right, I think it's just a setting thing in a conf.yml file but I'm lost.
Fork mounts are welded.
If we can get this stuff to work today we can race tonight.

Here's where we're at:
Electronic components are ordered and should be here by Friday, when Wiley and I will solder everything together. Once I have the BitWacker I can download and install the software.
Saturday night (hopefully) will be testing night. Sunday night (hopefully) we can Steve's rollers and try everything out at my place. Monday we race!

Or something along those lines.

So here we are:
Steve said he was going to make the fork mounts.
Casey and I have bikes
Steve and I have rollers
I am ordering the hardware for the computer interface today
We've got a lot of people really anxious to get this going.

My projected date for the first race is Feb 25th, assuming that I can get the hardware talking to the computer and that I can successfully solder stuff without letting the magic smoke out. There's no way I can get it going this coming Monday. Sorry.

In other news, I FINALLY BUILT MY CROSS BIKE!
Sorry for the shouting, but I'm pretty damn excited. Here's a pic:
It's an '05 Cannondale cyclocross disc built with Tiagra. My favorite part about it is the Captain America theme. I swear I can hear the "Star Spangled Banner" while coasting.

How about Tuesday night (tomorrow) at 8pm we meet at 317 to figure out who's doing what, who can help how, who has parts they'll donate.........and maybe we'll drink some beer.
Good? Ok. See you tomorrow. 317.

Cycling has lost an icon, a leader, a friend. Sheldon Brown helped countless cyclists become true bike geeks with his voluminous stores of knowledge and a gift for sharing that with others. He knew about bike minutiae without coming off as cocky and had an infectious passion that kept our bikes rolling.
Have a good ride, Sheldon. We'll miss you.

Here's a link

Ok, I've been saying for a few months now that I'm going to get goldsprints going here in Bozeman. We've got one set of rollers (mine) and a location (317). The Opensprints site is up and running and much more complete than it's been. It has plenty of info on the hardware and software setup, but frankly, it goes over my head AND I don't have time to get it going. The bikes/rollers/location I can do.
If anyone wants to help, leave a comment or email.

Thanks!

No, my dream is not (merely) attractive ladies on bikes. Trust me, it goes a bit deeper than that.
I've been an avid cyclist for something like 17 years, more than half my life. I've got fixed gear bikes, single speed mountain bikes, a dedicated bike polo bike, a cyclocross bike, soon a 5"travel mountain bike, and Xtracycle. I love bikes, they're my passion (shared with food and beer) and there are few things I love more than sharing this passion with others. For example, my favorite mountain bike ride I can think of is a short 3 mile ride that takes two hours because I am bringing someone along for the first time. I like to think my passion for riding is contagious.
But what would make me happiest is not making more people into cyclists, it's simply getting more people on bikes. Normal people, who just want to get to work without wasting money on gas. People who know there are better ways to save the earth than by buying carbon credits, or by buying a Prius. Earnest folks who do what is within their immediate capacity to pull their own weight.
And that is what I like about this blog, Copenhagen Cycle Chic. Yes, it's a bit voyeuristic. But it gives a glimpse of my dream: A culture with citizens who ride bikes who aren't cyclists.

Today I woke up to sun and warmth (and some dreaddy guy on my couch, but that's another story). Just a few days ago I had finished building up my new everyday steed, the KHS Winner. This puppy is a early 80's cheap lugged steel frame, completely free of any kind of strong and light steel alloy, like chrome-moly. Now, I'm absolutely NOT complaining about this, I'm grateful to Sethanol for sending this thing my way free of charge. It's just heavy, like 25 lbs in fixed-gear trim.
Anyway, I'm pretty damn excited to have this built after cracking the frame on my previous daily commuter and it really is the perfect daily commuter for me. It's a 56, with a 56 top tube, the parts from my grey bike (like the XC Pro bottom bracket) fit and it was designed for use with 27" wheels, so with 700's there is plenty of breathing room for meatier tires and full fenders.
I had considered skiing today, but when the warmth arrives I think more about riding, doubly so when I have a new (to me) bike.
So I went for a damn ride.
Embarking on my trip I thought "Oh, a nice easy 20 mile spin would be nice". As soon as I started up Story Mill Road past the dump I realized that I had not had a good ride for too long to go easy. So it was on past the dump into the Bridger foothills onto some nicely packed snow roads. Traction was adequate until I started down Sypes Canyon Road. I found that despite retaining my strength by commuting all winter by bike, I had lost my high-rpm form. Choppily descending at about 40 rpm faster than I could really handle I came upon a slick patch of snow- I couldn't hit the front brake, and I've got no rear brake, so I was left with trying to slow through pedaling. With limited traction this technique is not as reliable as on dry pavement as the rear wheel started locking up and sliding to one side or another with every pedal stroke. The passing car did nothing to calm me, so I had one option left: Accelerate. I got on the gas, the rear straightened out, and I managed to spin smoothly enough to get past the hazard. Yikes!
From then it was pretty uneventful- I made a left on McIlhattan back to Story Mill to 86. WHile at the intersection of SM and rt 86 I made the (masochistic)decision to head left towards Kelly Canyon. Climbing up most of the dirt road was fine until the final half mile of 14% packed snow. At points riding my bike was more like rowing, I had this amusing lunge-pull-lunge-pull thing going on. Halfway up the hill my normal motorcycle noises and primal grunts changes to a high-pitched wheezing. It was probably good that I was alone. Anyway, I made it up without walking and stopped for a few minutes to let the pounding of my heart calm down before heading back into town.
A great early ride!

Here's a little something coming up next month. On the 15th of February at the Emerson there's going to be a gallery event. There's a traveling photo display featuring shots from Greg Siple from Adventure Cycling, and he'll be there talking about his travels. They're also taking submissions to display five interesting/eclectic/weird/funny bikes in the Jessie Wilber gallery for a month and a half. Send them a pic of your bike if you think it's good enough.
Click on this link.
4:30 PM Friday, Feb 15th. The ballroom will be open, so you can bring your bikes inside during the social hour before the actual opening. There will also be beer. Maybe wine, too.
See ya there.

I've got a few things to cover here before the battery dies on my computer.
First, I've started a new blog dedicated solely to the reporting of trail conditions around here, check it out at bozemantrailreport.blogspot.com. I've sent out invites to a few folks and am looking for more people who are willing to take a few minutes to post some words about the condition of wherever they rode. I can't offer you anything in return other than greater knowledge of where to ride. Think of it as giving back to the cycling community. I put my email on the profile page so if you're interested send me a note and I'll set you up.

Second, as some of you may know Wiley and I are working on getting a Goldsprints-like thing happening here. I can't guarantee that it will be easy or that you won't throw up, but I can assure you that it's gonna be fun. Ryan at 317 has given us permission to set it up on Sunday or Monday nights and we have some of the equipment needed. Any equipment donations will be greatly appreciated by all. When it's going I'll post it here first.

Third, there's going to be a bicycle-themed event at the Emerson in February. I'll put up some more details here as soon as I get them.

For now, that's about it. Keep riding, stay strong, and keep the bike scene alive in these frigid winter months!

Sorry to say. The snow, while welcome, has put a significant damper on mountain biking, polo, and really, any kind of cycling other than assertively taking up space on the road while riding around town. We had a good bit of fun this last Sunday with Wiley, having a Ridiculous Cycling Photo Sesh at Gus's place and Cooper Park. Oh, good times were had by all...Xtracycle surfing, Xtracycle power slides (with passenger!), snow racing and crashing, and more. The funny thing is that this all happened without the aid of the most powerful silliness-inducing elixir for bike geeks like us, alcohol.
I won't drone on here, this really is a 'you had to be there' kind of a thing, but here's a hint of what happened. Hope to see you next time!

Ahh...the start of something beautiful.
Tonight, after a couple ofyears of dreaming and a couple of months of sweet-talking I finally have, in my kitchen, a good and proper kegerator. The fridge, free. Kegs, procured cheaply. CO2 tank, regulator, and faucet, borrowed. RaceFace Turbine LP tap handle, well...good friends forgive.
I now have an IPA in the keg, intended to be a moderately strong (6%) and hoppy beer. However, I made two changes from my normal fermentation routine. I lent out my normal 6gal primary and had to use a 5gal with a blowoff hose. No big deal. I then left the carboy in the kitchen instead of the basement, subjecting the beer to 20 degree temp. swings throughout the day. Anyway, the result is a sweet, viscous, incompletely fermented beer that falls well under the legal limit in Utah. Damn. At least it will make a good breakfast beer.

A little something in my email inbox this morning:
"

Pilgrim Pillage 2007 Bicycle Race

November 17^th 5p.m. North Park . Alleycat style open road race . Fixed gears, Single speeds, and Cruisers highly encouraged. To enter simply show up with $5 and 3 cans of non-perishable food. For more info please email billingsironcan@yahoo.com Hope to see you there."

Again, I'll try to get off of work early so I can make it. Who else wants to go?

In other news, Captain Entropy's last alleycat brought the most participants we have yet had, with something like 35-40 showing up to throw down. Dallas, Other Seth, and I made a pact to have a shot at every bar we entered. This meant shots of JD at the Hideaway followed by more shots at Plonk. I think the heat of the competition and the self-induced fuzziness from the Jack (and the two pints of Tetley's Ale before the race) kind of altered my decision-making processes:

Steve at Plonk: " Hey John, what can I get for ya?
me: "uhhhhhh......uhhhhh.........ThreeShotsAPatronWe'reInARaceblahblahblah....."

Pricey, but well worth it. And I made sure to take the extra moment to savor that fine nectar, race be damned!

Plans were made to also stop at Ale Works and Bozone Brewery. I was relieved to learn they were closed.

Anyway, the race went smoothly (aside from Mason's riddles and momentary confusion between east and west), nobody got hit by a car, a couple of guys showed up from Billings, and C-Note won. I forgot who won the Women's race. Sorry. Big props to Steve and Katie for racing on the vintage Scwhinn Tandem and to Ryan for racing in the, uh, phallic costume.

I think that's going to be it with the Alleycats until spring, unless this summer weather sticks around for a bit.
BUT that does not mean the bicycle hijinks are going to stop. Plan on pub rides and Ice derbies and crits this winter. Bike Polo is still happening, now at the Basketball Court on campus by 11th and College. Wednesdays at 7:30.

Big thanks:
Steve at Plonk- Go there, this guy has done a lot for our races and pub rides. And not all their stuff is highfalutin either. They've got plenty of $3 beers, you dirtbags.

Stan Smith with Team Native- not only did he race on a purty Salsa cross bike, he also supplied the bulk of the prizes.

Ryan at Rockford Coffee- Rockford has been supporting the general cycling and racing scene in Bozeman for about the whole time they've been around here. Don't forget to watch the Giro and Tour de France live there on the big tv.

And thanks to everyone who showed up- you're helping the illicit cycling community grow in this town.

PICS HERE!

Yet Another Alley Cat is here. Sunday November 4th 3pm @ Cooper Park. Bring $5, A bike and a bag. Be prepared to bring your A game, or B game, or really what ever game you got. All bikes are welcome; cruisers, fixies, tall bikes, mini bikes.