Busy

I am currently in a professional school and unlike college, I am getting paid.  Because of this I feel compelled to apply myself, again, this is unlike college.  The result is that I am spending many hours a night reading, writing, and studying for exams.  So in my free time I have to make some choices; I can ride my bike, spend time with family, study, or write on this blog.  You guessed it, the blog gets neglected.  The great thing is, I have been working hard on cycling.

Since I am an introvert and borderline anti-social, I typically ride alone.  However, I have changed that up a little bit.  The LBS, Santa Fe Trail Bikes has well organized group rides.  This has forced me  to challenge myself.  My style of riding is push it when I feel like it, slow down when I feel like it, stop when I feel like it......I think you get the point.  However, when I am around this group I feel compelled to push myself, even to the point of racing.  Many of the riders are genuinely fast and I work hard to keep up with them and by the end of the 25 mile rides I am done in.

While pushing it that hard is not my style it has helped me a lot.  Additionally, I entered a cycle-cross race.  I have never officially raced before that, mainly because I don't see the point of paying a whole bunch of money to lose.  I obviously take the Ricky Bobby approach "if you ain't first, your last" since I don't win anything to make the entry fee worth while.  Anyway, I decided to challenge myself and do it anyway.  More on that another day!

In Pain!

I have also been enjoying the vast amount of gravel roads that Kansas/Missouri has to offer.  I had to back out of one great looking event because of the large amount of studying I have.  However, I also entered a ride called Gravelicous.  That was a challenge, more on that another day!

Look at the size of my Quads (in an attempt to get you to look away from the dumb look on my face)!  BTW, that look is pain.        

Overall, I have less time to tinker with bikes and ride, but I have been making the most of the opportunities I have.

Current State of the Surly Ogre

The guys at Surly did an outstanding job when the came up with the Troll/Ogre concept.  So many times bikes are single purpose built.  While they can usually be altered to fit various needs, they don't work very well.  In comes the Surly Ogre:  a Jack of all trades and a master of most.

A few things worthy of note:  1.)  It does not take fenders and 29er MTB tires well, you can use a decent volume touring tire and fenders fine.  I don't use fenders so I don't care.  2.)  If you use a smaller tire there is clearance with the front derailleur, if you use a mountain bike tire it will rub on the front derailleur so you need Monkey Nuts to provide clearance.  If you plan on using both, set it up with the Monkey Nuts for chain length....I learned this the hard way by setting it up for road and and then needed a new chain when I put on mountain tires.  Aside from that the world is your oyster.

The original idea was that I would use a 45c tire and a 48 tooth chain ring so I could go really fast.  This was also done with the intent of riding it on RAGBRAI.  With the swap of the tire, I could also hit the trails if I wanted.  I was concerned about clearance with the 48 tooth setup, but didn't have any real issues since the trails around here don't have big rocks or stair step type drops.  So for the first year I had a more road specific setup with smaller tire and this worked well for me. My concept of commuting bikes has changed.  I will post pictures next week.

Surly Ogre road/commuter 2012 Irish Tsunami edition major bits and pieces:

Crank set/BB:  Shimano Deore 48/36/26:  This has the Hollowtech crank arms and the chain rings are stamped.  Not the smoothest shifting but I it is hard to find a mountain bike crank with a 48 tooth chain ring....plus it was cheap.  It cranked.

Wheels:   XT Hubs and Salsa Delgado Cross.  I love these wheels, I have had numerous sets made over the years. Salsa got out of the rim business so I will be sad when these pass.  They take a lot of abuse and can be used for MTB XC and cyclocross.

Tires:  Specialized Borough XC 700x45c:  Low rolling resistance with some knobs on the side for loose stuff.

Shifters:  SRAM X.9.  Nothing fabulous, I took them off another bike.  I feel strongly either way about them.

Drive train:  SRAM X.9 9 speed rear mech, SLX triple front mech, SRAM chain with powerlink, SRAM 9 speed cassette.  I am not a fan of SRAM MTB parts, the rear mech is weird.  It was laying around and served its purpose.  As far as I am concerned a front mech is a front mech.

Brakes:  I used Avid Speed Levers and Avid Single Digit 7 brakes.  These brakes worked well, which is to say that they stopped the bike.  No real complaints.

Handlebars:  Jeff Jones Loop Bar......All I can say is that I love it.  I will be getting one for the Mukluk!

Cargo Solution:  Porcelain Rocket Mission Control and Booster Rocket.  Great, but I realize I need a little more space for running shoes and boots and uniform.........

A change of attitude:  This past winter I started riding a fat bike to work.  This changed my commuting mindset a little.  I went from a 45c (1.75 inches) at 75 psi to 3.8 inch wide tires at 4-7 psi.  Can you say "rolling resistance?"  This added about 15 minutes to my ride (due to big tires and snow/ice).  This just meant I had to get up a little earlier.  I like the cushion of the ride knowing I would sacrifice a little, but I am only going 8 miles, it is not like I am trying to race or knock out 300 miles.  So I decided to go to a lower rolling resistance MTB tire and I think I have a good speed/comfort ratio.

Surly Ogre Current State of Affairs:

I decided that since I needed to replace the drive train (I put thousands of miles on it), I would spend a little extra and go to a Shimano XT 3x10 speed.  This meant new shifters and crank set, I decided that I would get what I want vs. settling for what is in the parts bin or on sale.  I am pleased with the decision even though it cost a little more.

Crankest/BB: Shimano XT 42/32/24:  This has machined chain rings and shifts with ease.  I was a little concerned about the 42 tooth for commuting, but it has not been an issue and feels light years faster than the Mukluk.  By light years I really mean minutes....but who is monitoring?

Wheels: XT Hubs and Salsa Semi 29er rims.  Even though these said not for tubeless, I did it anyway.  These are considerably wider than the Delgado Cross.  I put some Continental Race King 29er tires on.  They roll really well, at least compared to the Endomorph/Larry combo on the Panzer.

Shifters:  Shimano XT M780 3x10. I love these shifters, I took the little things off that show you what gear you are in.  Personally I think they are stupid and get in the way.  I love the way these shift.  They are snappy and when you push/pull the triggers there is an audible click and a rapid shift. 

Drive train: Shimano XT Shadow+ 10 speed rear mech, SLX triple front mech, Shimano 10 speed chain, and Shimano SLX 10 speed cassette. I didn't specifically order the Shadow+ option which has a clutch mechanism to reduce/eliminate chain slap.  The shop ordered the wrong one and didn't charge for the upgrade.  I may never understand/appreciate the benefits, but I will say that the XT performs so much better than the X.9.  The SLX cassette now has allow carrier for the three largest cogs to cut on weight, that is a minor feature for me.

Brakes: I used Avid Speed Levers and BB7 brakes. These brakes are the industry standard for mechanical disk brakes. 

Handlebar: Jeff Jones Loop Bar......I love it and won't get rid of it.

Cargo Solution:  OMM Rack.  I got a new fit kit for my Mukluk Sherpa.  It works really well.

I love my Surly Ogre, it is the first bike I have owned where I really feel like I can kick around on it.  It is ok outside in the sun and if it gets banged up at the bike rack I will not lose sleep, the Army Green finish is forgiving.  It is durable and overbuilt.....just like me!

Old Man Mountain Sherpa Mukluk/Fat Bike Retrofit for the Surly Ogre

This is something that I am really excited about.  I was pleased to find out that Old Man Mountain racks made a specific rack for my 2011/12 Salsa Mukluk, aka, The Panzer.  I like it when things are purpose built and don't require a lot of manipulation, another word for bending. 

As the winter came to a close I decided it was time to break out the Ogre for commuting.  I love the Panzer it is everything you would want in a bike......except speed.  I loved having a rack and panniers on it.  It made packing simple.  I could take uniform, boots, running shoes, running clothes, lunch, and extra layering for winter stuff.  The Surly Ogre was purpose built to accept just about any accessory made for a bike so finding a rack that would fit was not an issue.  The issue is that I hate to spend a bunch of money on duplicate items.  As a side note, I would have it necessary.
 

In comes Old Man Mountain.  I e-mailed Channing to ask him what the best solution was: to use longer bolts for my Mukluk Sherpa or just by a Cold Springs rack.  He could have easily said buy a new one, but he didn't.  For $21 he made me a new lower fit kit that had a spacer welded on and sent longer bolts.  All I need was to take off the Mukluk fit kit and put on the Ogre specific kit.

Old Man Mountain Fat Bike Edition

The lower fit kit had spacers to make up for the fat rear end of the Panzer

 

 Old Man Mountain Sherpa rack for the Mukluk with a fit kit to fit a Surly Ogre with Panniers on

 From the side

From the front with panniers

Amazing, it required no manipulation.  Maybe a little wider than necessary but hey, it gets the job done.    In the fall I will swap fit kits and throw it on the Salsa Mukluk.