Intro to KVC and cyclocross

Cyclocross is a sport of give and take. You give it your all and it tit can take it right back. It is forgiving at times but humbling and down right brutal on other accounts. The cross hook line sinker for me was the 2001 season when I went to watch cyclocross nationals in Baltimore. I watched local legend Skip Menard take on the national field of heavy hitters like Todd Wells,Mark Gullickson ,Jon Page, T Johnson.. the list goes on.






Up to that point I had raced a few local cross races using my mountain bike, but I wasn't quite hooked yet. I will never forget the crowds with all their energy and how hard the racing looked. Another memory that sticks with me is a popular section of the course that fans placed a couch beside a off camber barrier section for cheering. Everyone was going ballistic encouraging riders as they suffered. Jeremiah Bishop was bunny hoping the barrier and the decibel level increased and so did the consumption of adult beverages. It was the crass culture of cycling that drew me so close.
I dabbled for a few seasons mixing the cross with mountain biking and some very unsuccessful road racing attempts all under Kirk and the First Capital Velo name. In 2005 Dan Warnick invited me to the Hunt Valley Bicycle team to focus primarily on cyclocross. It was a solid run program and I had some of my most successful years under the program. Eventually the team fizzled away and I tried to form a small team of local guys but realized that it just wasn't working out for various reasons.
Fast forward to 2011 and the combined efforts of many to revive the KVC(keystone Velo club) the team includes mostly all familiar faces that i have know for at least a decade and some are new, but I feel like this is a pretty solid team and hope to make our mark on the Cyclocross scene. If you're ever interested in checking out one of our races let us know and we can give you the details. Who knows maybe you'll find yourself getting hooked as well.









Post added by guest blogger Sean Mealey

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Preparation....and I don't mean H!

By this time next week, we will be on the trails of Raystown doing what we love to do. There is a great crew of guys going and it looks to be an even greater time than last year! My rear hub has been repacked, chain replaced and a final tune on the Spearfish. As fpr the Misfit, not a whole lot to do to a single speed except lube the chain and check the tire pressure. That is why I LOVE my single speed. On the down side, I can't find my damn headlight, which is totally pissing me off since a night ride is in the plans.

A good part of the Raystown mob hit up Codorus for some trail time, fine tuning and for Keegan, a rip on his new 29er. I would have loved to join them but I bailed until these stitches in my elbow come out. I do not want to have any issues going to Raystown like I did last year. Going into a trip already injured is no fun!

Come see us this weekend @ Wellspan's bike hike for cancer! We will be turning wrenches @ Indian Rock Elementary and I plan of riding the trail to lend mobile assistance. The girls will all be there in their new Simplicity shirts, thanks to Shannon, riding the trail.

Get out there and RIDE!
Cheers
Mike

Tuesday nite JRA.......w/ pics

Well, I got out of work on time @ my regular job and on an early day to boot! Stopped by the shop to see if I could talk Kirk into a dirt ride. Normally, throughout the summer, it's all road-type business w/ Kirk. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings are reserved to roll the w/ the "civilized" crew. As the weather gets cooler and the leaves begin to change color, Kirk's repressed mt biker comes to the surface. This makes it alot easier to make an argument to hit the trails, because we all know that the trails are way more fun when there is company.
So, the decision was made, Bankert Rd it was. We managed to get there around 5:45pm and hit the trails quickly to take advantage of the quickly fading daylight. Playground to Meeting House to Kicker trail to the Pines to some new trails and then back out to the Playground/Kicker to finish up. Well, we had just finished up the singletrack coming outta the Pines and started riding out the doubletrack/service road when Kirk's front wheel found a eight inch deep hole. I looked over in time to see Kirk's slo-mo endo and as I, as any other self-respecting trail riding partner would, began to giggle @ the impending gravity induced event. Now, if you are a mt biker you know that the safety and well being of your riding partner is foremost, but the guys I ride with do love a good crash followed by some good natured laughs. I began to snicker when I realized that I was in close enough proximity to my buddy that he was going to take me out. So, I jumped on the pedals as he hit my rear wheel, which made for a major pucker factor as tilted me so quickly that I couldn't unclip. The next best thing to do was romp on the pedals and try to ride it out. I made it, but in doing so gave Kirk a souvenir:

Yes, if you look closely that is a 2.1 29er tire sized brush burn from when I got the Hell outta Dodge. Kirk sucked it up and we had a great ride. I can only imagine the carnage photos that will follow out trip to Raystown in two weeks!

And an update on the Spearfish, I dropped the pressure in my tires and the rear shock and the bike came to life. Still sorting it out, but the second voyage was way more rewarding than the first.

Remember GET OUT THERE and RIDE!
Cheers
Mike

WingnutGear Hyper 2.5

My last entry seemed kinda long so I decided to break it up.

For me, a pack is where it's at, Kirk on the other hand hates them and refuses to be assimilated. The biggest complaint that I had w/ my latest bag, the MULE, was how hot I got on summer rides and the fact that if I needed anything I had to take it off. Enter WingnutGear outta NY. These bags are of the lumbar variety, being that they ride low on your back and distribute the weight around you waist. I was aware of these bags for a few years and last year we did a group buy to bring some of the bags in to any of our crew that were interested. My bag of choice is the Hyper 2.5 which is a medium size bag w/ a large main compartment and two "wing" pockets that wrap around your side. The front of the bag also has a bungee system to secures jacket or helmet. The first thing I noticed when I used mine was that weight was distributed so much better. The bag centers the weight around your core, rather than it bouncing around your shoulders. The second thing is that when I needed my multi-tool to make an adjustment, I just reached back to a wing pocket and grabbed it while it was on my back. The wings also have two mesh net pockets that are great to throw gel wrappers or other items into quickly on the fly. The suspension system does an amazing job of distributing weight and keeping things comfy. I usually carry a few C02s and the inflator head, a on trail repair kit and some tape in one pocket & my tools in the other along w/ my car keys. In the main pocket I have a shock pump, two 9er tubes, my spare Oakely lenses in their case and some food. There is a separate pocket that takes your hydration bladder of choice. So if you're due for a new hydration pack, give Wingnut a serious look, I sure wasn't disappointed!

There you have it, a pretty in depth review of a great product. Stay safe!

GET OUT AND RIDE!

Cheers
Mike

Disappointment followed by monotony

I saw a small glimmer of hope, a tiny window of clarity, a chance to get out for a short ride and then it was gone. That pretty much describes Thursday. On to Friday, I'd like to tell you about the great ride that I had @ Michaux on the Spearfish or my epic ride @ Redman on the SS but the only ride I got in was on the Craftsman riding mower. Followed by storm damaged tree removal and then onto finishing up the patio. Sometimes life just overrides the "desire" to go ride. The weather has been bad and I did get two rides in on this four day break, one of them w/ my daughter, so it wasn't all bad. Besides, Raystown mt bike weekend is only a couple of weeks away!!!

On to the gear! Normally I build my single speeds up rigid and a Niner carbon fork was in the BTI cart, when @ the last minute QBP got in some 2012 Rock Shox Reba RLTs. I haven't had a new fork since 07 and I wondered how SS would be w/ a little less edge. Well, this new RLT is lighter, stiffer and way plusher than my old REBA SL. The main difference between the RL and the RLT is the T of course, haha. The T is for threshold which is a fine tuning adjustment on the lockout gate. So, you can set the gate to open if the fork is locked out depending on the size of hit. I have been playing w/ this feature a little, but I admit that I am a total "set it & forget it" guy. As of right now, this fork is truly amazing and blows my mind every time I ride it. Is it the reason that my SS is my go to bike on 90% of my rides? Maybe, but probably not. Stay tuned for a long term review.

I am back to work tomorrow, so you may be hearing from Kirk. Looking to get some rides in @ Codorus on Monday and Tuesday nights. Also, the Tuesday night ROAD ride has officially be come the Tuesday night MT BIKE ride. Please plan accordingly and keep the rubber on road.

PS Good Luck to our racers headed to Charm City Cross this weekend! Maybe Sean will have a race update also.

Cheers
Mike

Hmm....a strange phenomena

Finally got to break out the new Spearfish for it's maiden ride last nite @ Bankert Rd. This is Salsa's new short travel(80mm) full suspension frame built up w/ XT 10sp, Hope/NoTubes wheels and a Reba SL(set @ 100mm). Bike rode great, need to play w/ pressures a little, but the whole time I was riding I was missing my single speed. Is it possible that I have shifted to the darkside completely? I am thinking that the Spearfish is going to be 1x10 in the very near future. When I am on the single speed I have no problem bailing and walking if something is too steep, funny thing is I do the same thing on a geared bike. Enough of my internal conflicts.


Now to the bike business @ hand. The Spearfish is built up w/ the new XT 10spd stuff and a set of Hope/Stan's wheels. I have been riding this stuff for about eight months or so now and I have to say that it truly rocks. The shifting takes me back to my first set of XTR 8spd shifters back in my racing days. Shifts are smooth w/ audible clicks  and dual action triggers are what I feel are the best in the business. The only caveat is I am not a big fan of the new XT chain. I have managed to break it twice, both times it was repaired w/ a Connex quik link(this one is reusable, unlike it's SRAM counterpart) and it has been trouble free thus far. The plan is to replace it w/ a Whipperman before the shop trip to Raystown in October.
As to the wheelset, I LOVE these wheels. The hubs are smooth, easily convertible to different axles and they are not too hard on the eyes either. But, the thing that makes these wheels are the NoTubes Flow rims! These are by far the best rims I have ever ridden. Being that they are a welded joint rim, rather than pinned, they are stiff beyond belief. Couple this w/ the ability to set up tubeless w/ Stan's yellow tape, fluid and valves, you cannot beat this package. I am running them w/ non tubeless tires and have not experienced a single issue once I got everything sealed up. By going to this set up I have eliminated alot of thorn related flats.
That's what I've got for today. If my ramblings detract from your blog viewing experience, just let me know and I'll adjust accordingly.
Up next: 2012 Rock Shox Reba RLT and the WingnutGear hydro pack along w/ some trail musings.

GET OUT THERE AND RIDE!!!
Cheers Mike

Intro

Well folks, this is the beginning of what I hope to be a frequent stop for all of our cycling friends! I created this blog w/ the intent of doing some gear reviews, shop news and keeping the riding public informed on the newly created Team Simplicity/KVC. There were a few grassroots guys in the beginning, but
I think what we have now qualifies as a true team.
As most know, we LOVE bikes! Kirk, the man w/ the plan, keeps the shop rolling along w/ balancing putting the rubber to the road and flexing his new father duties. As for me, well I am the frequent wrench/crash test dummy of the crew always in search of my next dirt fix. Let's not forget Shannon, commuter warrior extraordinaire, she has taken up the torch and started logging the miles on her trusty La Cruz all while keeping K happy. Rounding it all out is the the crazy cast of kids and dogs that you may encounter on your visits to our happy hub.
I hope to have a few guest bloggers: Will? Sean? anyone? and post up what we are up to and currently riding. Look for some great info and hopefully some even greater adventures!