Post Peach Tree Road Race Update

The 6.2 mile jaunt that is the Peach Tree Road Race proved to be much easier for both Theresa and I than we expected. We weren’t sure how things were going to end up considering the run/walk routine we’ve been using for training. We started the race with the intentions of running as far as we could without the walk breaks, but were pleasantly surprised when the only one needed was at “Cardiac Hill”. “Cardiac Hill” isn’t much of a hill by most standards, but it sure is for us flat landers here in Florida. We made it about half way up the hill before needing a short brake. After getting back up to speed the rest of the run was smooth sailing. We finished it in 1:30:45, which isn’t the fastest, but hey, we’re training for a Marathon not a 100 meter sprint.

With the Peach Tree out of the way the rest of the week was open for activities. Most of our days were spend hiking in and around the state parks near Helen, Ga but I did manage to get a short 12 mile ride in with Theresa’s step father, Ron. The plan was to ride on a few miles up a forest service road and back. It didn’t get off to a good start though. A few yards from the cabin my chain jumped off the large cog and ended up between the cog and the spokes. Luckily I wasn’t moving very fast so there wasn’t any damage. I quickly pulled the chain back up on the large cog and took off. A few miles down the road the chain jumped ship again, but this time it really lodged itself between the spokes and the cog. It took me about 15 – 20 min to work it free. Everything seemed to be in working order so I made a slight adjustment to the low limit adjust screw on my rear derailleur and took off again. I didn’t have any more problems after that. The rest of the ride was great. I could definitely tell that I’m loosing my base when it comes to mountain biking though. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s completely gone by now as I haven’t ridden since.


The plan for now is to concentrate on my marathon training. The hardest part is consistency. We have a tendency to want to skip a lot of runs which really hurts us in the end. I know that if we’re gong to make it through these Disney runs we’re going to have to get into a routine.

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55nine Performance & Wobble Naught

-- UPDATE --

It is with the deepest sadness that I am writting to inform you of the cancelation of my Wobble Naught fitting. I thought I'd have the funds but things aren't looking so good on the financial front. I'll have to hold off for while. Please join me in my mourning process.



A couple weeks ago I had decided to sell my Superfly and order a custom frame. The reason behind this was simple, I wanted a frame that fit me better than the Superfly. The Superfly is an amazing frame with the G2 geometry and the custom offset Fox fork. I simply felt that it was a bit small for me, specifically the stand over height and toptube length. Even though the frame is an XL it doesn't fit me too well due to my abnormaly long wingspan and very long legs.

After some careful considerations, like the fact that I'd be without a bike for 6 to 9 months, and a few discussions with Eddie O'dea from 55nine Performance I decided to hang on to the Superfly and get a Wobble Naugt Fitting. I'm confident that Eddie can adjust the bike to properly fit me despite my previous concerns regarding the size of the frame and my abnormal wingspan and leg length.


The fitting is schedueled for July 9th. This, of course, is durring our annual 4th of July Georgia vacation so I should be able to get some good miles in right after the fitting.

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Boeshield T-9: Interim Review

I’ve been using Boeshield T-9 for just over a month now and I must say that I’m not as impressed as I thought I would be after my First Impressions post. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great chain lube, but it’s not quite a great as some other reviews had let me to believe.

Boeshield T-9 does a great job of creating a nice even coat over the chain which I would assume aids is rust prevention. I’m saying “I would assume” because I don’t know for sure how it handles rust due to the severe drought we’ve been having here in Florida lately.

Where it falls short of my initial expectations is with it’s ability to keep the chain quiet, specifically the squeaking noise that chains often make when they need another application of lube. I have found that, although it does prevent noises for a little longer than the Clean Ride, It’s not by much. I might get an extra 10 or 15 miles of squeak free riding and that’s about it.

To get the best results from T-9 you have to apply it the night before a ride to give it time to “set. If you’re a procrastinator like I am you probably apply the lube right before you load the bike into your vehicle or even a few seconds before you hit the trails. This won’t fly with the T-9. It needs those few hours of “setting”  time to be effective.

I’ll keep using the T-9 for a few more months so I can give it a proper final review, but I think my next chain lube review will be the Epic Ride that The Naked Indian suggested when I first started this review.

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Boeshield T-9: First Impression

For the past few months I’ve been using White Lightning’s Clean Ride to lube my chain and it has served me well. It wasn’t until about a few months ago that I heard about Boeshield T-9 for the first time. My friend and fellow rider, Luis, uses it and swears by it. So, I decided to give it a try. I called around to a few places and found a West Marine store that carried it. The only problem was that the store closes at about the same time I get out of work and I always seem to forget about it on the weekends. Fortunately for me Crowder Brother’s Ace Hardware in Bradenton also carries it. I was there last weekend picking up a few odds and ends for the house when I stumbled upon it. So, I bought a can.

 

Last night I removed my chain, degreased it to rid it of the White Lightening lube and all the crap that it had attracted, re-installed it, and applied the Boeshield T-9. I had heard rumors that it needs to set overnight to get the full benefits. So, I left the bike alone until this morning. I rode a 12 mile route in to work this morning and the lube seems to be working quite well. With the Clean Ride lube the chain would start to get a bit noisy around 10 miles but with the T-9 it was quiet sailing the entire 12 miles. The real test will be the ride home. I’m curious to see what another 12 miles and 80+ temperatures will do. I’ll follow up after a few weeks with a final review.

 

What do Y’all use and how often do you apply it?

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