I'm sure a few of you fellow 29" riding freaks have already heard about WTB's new 29" x 2.3" tire that is currently available. We've been anxiously awaiting it and it looks pretty cool so far. Since I mounted a bunch of different front derailleurs on the Karate Monkey to see what works and what doesn't on SPEW# 12, I mounted this tire up to see how it fit.

For the record, this is exactly what is used on this bike:

• Salsa Delgado X rim
  
• WTB Exiwolf 2.3" tire
  
• 20" Karate Monkey frame
  
• Shimano LX M571 front derailleur with button head cable pinch bolt
  
• Shimano LX M572 crank
  
• Shimano LX ES51 73x121mm bottom bracket
  

As you can see here the tire rubs on the derailleur at both the derailleur cage and the pinch bolt. So this next image below is the exact same components with a Shimano LX ES51 73x126mm bottom bracket to move the crank out 2-3mm and Monkey Nuts to pull the wheel back 5mm. As you can see, it works just fine now. So when using this tire on the back of a geared Karate Monkey, use the longer BB, a button head cable pinch bolt and Monkey Nuts.

Today's impending doom is
The Mustache Ride, put on by the nutjobs at Cat 6 Racing. False mustaches, including the Sharpie 'Stache, have been pre o.k.'d. Even doping is allowed, so no problem if you test positive for Rogaine.

Although he doesn't have a mustache, Dave Cory took second in his field riding a Long Haul Trucker in the Salsa Chilly Chile Ice Race last weekend here in Minnesota, where it gets cold in the winter. You mean it does more than touring? I don't get it. And no, we don't make it in that color. The guy in the background, staying on Dave's wheel, is Barry. I hope he doesn't come on the mustache ride. He's a great guy, it's just that he's a little too good at growing facial hair.



And finally, a happy ending (depending on your perspective) to the news story I linked a few days ago about the guy selling advertising space on his forehead.
Who'd a thunk?

In a case of either reverse marketing or just plain innocent Engrish, this product caught my eye this morning. And it's damn tasty.

The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.

The crack news team here at the Surly blog has just been informed that a certain MPLS bike culture icon's birthday is tomorrow, the same day as the infamous Wednesday Night Ride. Prudence restricts me from mentioning exactly which icon it is, but it ain't Gene O. Come on out, getcher swerve on, and buy the icon a beer.

[2 hours later] This just in: Sources report that one Mia J, an aspiring MPLS cycling icon, also shares a BDay with the aforementioned reprobate. Is she woman enough to go toe to toe drinking beer with Mr. Mystery (well yes, but that's beside the point)? Will she show for the hi jinx? Show up to find out!

What happens when the thermometer drops below zero degrees Fahrenheit for the HIGH temperature? Water freezes all over and creates a new network or "trails" that are otherwise unrideable the rest of the year. Saturday morning was about -8F, prefect for an ice ride. From my house, I ride two blocks onto Lake Hiawatha, which connects me to the Minnehaha creek and Mississippi river. With the homemade studded tires on my old Rat Ride 1x1 I rolled down the creek for the first time since I canoed it in June. It was cold and sunny with sundogs in the sky. The thin layer of snow was so dry it sounded like styrofoam.

The first big patch of ice was so hard from the cold that my studs wouldn't grip, sending me onto the frozen creek and with my bike sliding away from me. I sat there and realized it was a stunningly beautiful moment, so I took a picture (will blog it later). I then rolled almost to the edge of the Minnehaha Falls, which drop 53 feet. The ice slabs in the valley below the falls are a highlight. They are off-cambered and flow right out of the ground and into the creekbed. Imagine white slickrock-like slabs of ice, studs are mandatory here. Then I stopped short of the steaming Mississippi river and took another picture of the ice chunks floating by. Some people might freak out riding or even walking on ice, but 2 inch thick ice will support a human easily.

From the river I backtracked to the falls and into the original Homie Fall Fest course people now refer to as the dogpark. Since it's become a dogpark, the population of users has probably increased 500% in the last few years, so riding in control is necessary. But when it's this cold, people are smart enough to keep their dogs inside. With the combination of no leaves on the trees and almost no people, it's time to rip it fast. The dog poop was frozen also, so that makes it a cleaner day.

What made me go home was not cold or hunger, but fatigue. I actually rode long enough to get tired. By the time I got home it had been 2 hours. I took some pictures on a disposable camera and will try to blog them soon so you can see what we have here. Total number of people I saw in this time was about 10. If they only knew...

We are out of stock on alot of items and we're doing our best to get them made. As soon as we know approximately when the following items will be available, we'll announce it here. Thanks for being patient!

• Cogs, all sizes, 3/32", 1/8" and freehub splined
  
• Wool jerseys
  
• Nice Racks, front and rear
  
• Stainless steel chainrings
  

Wednesday Nite Ride Report:
I arrived about 10 after 10 thinking the gang would have taken off already, but found Grave Day and the Wrex of the Ol' 97 chatting by the picnic tables. A few slugs of whiskey must've tickled the bloodhound nose of BrauerPower because he showed up shortly thereafter. A false start and some roundy round later, we set out, deciding to hit Lake Calhoun and ride it north for a while. Minneapolis has a chain of lakes running through it, all connected or damn close, so we rode frozen water all the way up to Wirth with a couple of pit stops along the way. The ice was grippy (for ice) and fast, though we were riding into the breeze. Still, no mechanicals or flats (despite hitting a couple of the frozen mini-volcanos left by the slush scooped out of ice fishing holes, and these were covered by a layer of snow. If you pay attention, these can be differentiated from other irregularities in the ice and can be avoided -if you pay attention. If not, it's sort of a crap shoot whether you'll make it over with no problems, maybe not such a big deal if I had been riding a Pugsley, but I had the Steamroller fixie with 700x32s...bit sketchy) Dave did seem to need to pee a lot along the way for some reason, which has nothing to do with anything, I just thought it was weird. Wound our way along the creek by Glenwood Springs, which had wide open portions of exposed running water, so we alternated riding and walking sections as close to the edge as we could get, dragging our bikes behind us as we crawled under branches along the shore. Ended up eventually at the Power of Brauer Bicycle Dude Ranch and Home For Wayward Boys. After a beer and some convo, Wrex took off and Dave and I did too soon after, finishing the last can of Guinness (it's good for you) on the railroad bridge off Boom Island. I ended up getting home at 2:30 feeling awake and refreshed despite the dropping temps. Beautiful, moonlit, wide open.

In other news, Joseph at Ahearne Cycles (www.ahearnecycles.com), the person behind the flask holster, tells me he's working on a lugged stem. Set your Phasers to 'drool.'

One Leo Twiggs wrote to let us know that the new bike advocacy group in Miami, FL, has a website. I've never ridden in Florida, but I'm told the riding scene there is picking up quite a bit in the last couple of years. A group like this was the next logical step. Keep it up, folks.
Leo also let us know that "P.S. Its 75 degrees in Miami right now. And my singlespeed is salt-free. Sorry to rub it in, but I grew up in Minne so I feel for you."
Yeah, thanks Leo. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's sunny and 85 here right n...aw crud, that was the dream i was having last night.

This has nothing to do with bikes. I just thought it was funny.

"Andrew's always been the creative one in the family," she said.

I could have easily drove my car to work this morning. It was cold even in the bedroom, meaning it was really cold outside. I didn't sleep well, still felt a cold from the holidaze and when I finally got out of bed at 5a.m., the temperature gage read about 0 degrees.

I quickly tried to get dressed because it was so cold in the house. Layer after careful layer of clothing. Then tried messing with my bike. That heavy, reliable dirt and salt encrusted beast. It needed work, but would get me by another day. Let's face it, I was just crabby, cold and trying to make excuses to drive the car. This time of the year can suck the energy and happiness right out of you, if you let it.

After denying that anything was going wrong and ignoring those little signs that tell you to take the easy path, I lugged the Long Haul Trucker outside on the icey sidewalk I should've shoveled and got the legs moving. For a moment I felt depressed.

As I warmed up and felt comfortable on the bike, my crabiness eventually went away. My thoughts turned to more important things. Then my thoughts turned to the tsunami affected areas in the Indian ocean and all the people who died or are suffering. People who share a bowl of water to wash the entire communities dishes. People who are ecstatic to eat rice day after day. People who lost their entire family, all their belongings and most of their friends.

I can't imagine what that is like. And here I was feeling sorry for myself. I've got a home with modern appliances and heat, a bunch of nice bikes, a nice community, a hot girlfriend and a good job. The moral of the story, don't let the little things keep you from going forward in life. If you're reading this, you've probably got a pretty good life. You should feel fortunate for what you already have. I know I do.

On the commute home last night I found myself a little bored with the same old route home, so I took another route. This route has a long stretch without turns for over a mile, so I try to ride no-handed for the entire way. It's the commuter geeks equivalent to dabbing your foot on the ground during a mountain bike ride. Aside from touching the bars once because a car slowed down way too much to see what the hell all my flashing lights were attached to, I made it all the way. Hands on the bars for just one sketchy icey corner and another 6 block stretch sitting upright. Once I got to Lake Nokomis, the paths were plowed and I found myself in awe of the lights from downtown Minneapolis popping up from beyond the frozen lake. There was nobody out on the trails and it's was a nice crisp 12 degrees F. I'd gotten halfway around the lake without touching the bars and my mind had ventured away from balancing and onto something else, like how my homebrew was bubbling at home. Then a clear glass bottle on the path wrecked my flow and made me touch the handlebars, but I didn't crash. I got one more 4 block stretch of no hands before arriving home. Who knows why this is such a therapeutic way to ride home? Perhaps it's because you take it a bit slower and look around more. Or because you can stretch your arms out. Or because you did it when you were a kid.