Returns

For those going to the DirtWorks 100km in NSW this weekend, keep an eye out for the special ops BigTop on its maiden voyage. I hear an Ex Yeti pro rider is making a comeback.....

Trail Dayz

Back on the bike and getting used to the new ride. After sorting saddle, seat height, suspension air pressures, stem length(long story, when a 100mm stem is not actually 100mm).... So now its Hammer Time!!

Worked saturday and monday over the ANZAC day long weekend so had sunday and tuesday for riding. Joined a select group for a road ride on sunday, up and over the Dandenongs for a couple of climbs to stretch the legs and maybe punish the marathon nationals organiser Rohin...
Up the Devils Elbow and into the hills we headed out towards Emerald. It was then the rain came.... Out came the jackets and on we went towards the Wall. No idea where i was but getting a bit chilly i decided a TT to the base of the climb was in order. All going well till i got a bit crosseyed and nearly towed the eschelon into the dirt. Whoops.

Rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. Apart from being told by bellie we were doing extras.... ok.... Yes coach...

Monday we got smashed all day at Trailmix. Got my dishwashing hands on for part of the day too. Cleaned the last 4 years of bike grease off. Good weather too for those that got out for a ride.

Tuesday was my monday so it was mtb time and Smiths Gully was calling. Great place to get the trail mojo happening.



Railing singletrack in the damp. Still tweaking the setup but loving the ride.

Descending a fireroad somehow i lost all the air from my rear tyre. Boo. no spares... Idiot. A quick call to my trail guru and the quick way home was established. Walking time again. In the rain.


Fast.



its only flat on the bottom


Decided to try some new tredz. Trailmix has Schwalbe tyres and the Yeti Factory Team is on the program so I figure its time to have a go.

First to try is the Rocket Ron. A knobby tyre, not as aggressive as the Nobby Nic. perfect for the slightly damp trails we have a the moment.

So far i'm liking it but i think the Racing Ralph might be better for fast trails with its closer packed center strip, plus it'll probably drift better.....

Only a week to go before we head to Alice Springs for the Red Centre Stage Race. Last year i managed to sneak into the top ten. This year we'll see... Big names are going to be there. Jackson, Mather, Fellows, English......

Last minute training???



THE CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN....... one Big Top has arrived in Aus. More info and pics will come soon. For those that care the frame weighs in at 1.89kg
29ers....

Trail Art....

For Sale???

No Way Mate. Its mine, mine....

put my Gobi saddle on, sweet seat. Put a new drink bottle cage on, drinky drinks.
Time to ride.

Marathon Nationals

well... not the best day for me but thats life and racing. Looking back it probably wasn't a smart idea to race a brand new bike one day after finishing the build. More due to setup than anything else.

I found out that the saddle i'd put on(SDG Yeti in white, limited edition) was not comfortable. The drink bottle cage i used was impossible to get the bottle back in.

And i really wasn't familiar with how the bike handles.



But, really the issue wasn't bike it was rider. cramping early in the race and struggling to climb even the basic fire roads. I went backwards and decided to have a roll around to finish.



No luck there either. after the first section of Walking trail there was a click coming from my chain. New chain, new everything so something was up. Stopped at the feed zone to fuel up and fix the issue. Broken chain. Hmmm lucky. Quick link installed, water in and off we go.



decent, water bars, awesome, feeling a bit better, turn left onto walking trail, flick through a corner and BANG. Clipped something with my pedal went down, hitting a tree with my lower back(got a nice bruise too)



This was the end of my race. 70km in. Got back on the bike and my back wheel is sprung. Buckled. won't rotate through the swingarm.



Took me half an hour to walk and carry the bike back up to the feed zone where i stayed till i could get a lift back.



Tough day. Tough race. I'll be back next year tho....

Yeti 29er

checkout more photos here

Sweet New Rig

Yeti ASR5 Carbon
SRAM XX build
DT Swiss Tricon wheels

Super Mega Awesome......

Just in time for the Marathon Nationals.

And I Quote.....

From AMB mag July/August '99.

....Are disc brakes on an inevitable roll towards everyday spec on our next bikes? Will the average off-road rig of 2002 be a twenty four pound, five inch an end travel, twin pot hydro disc'd, thirty speed job with 2.5 inch tyres and inflatable saddles, retailing at $2500? Will the hardtail fade away into nothing but a display in a Smithsonian Institute for our kids to laugh and point at?.............

Haven't seen any inflatable saddles yet.......

Back then Shogun bikes were hot stuff.