The course is a decent cyclocross course. Admittedly, it is not as technical as many of the twisty and tight courses that utilize off camber features to strike fear in the hearts of roadies, but it is still a technically minded course. In fact, it is safe to say that compared to the entirety of the Chicago Cross Cup, it is a course that stands up to the series and even is better in racecourse features than a few of the races in the series. The course when previewed via YouTube is as deceptive as the course actually is when you race on it – while seemingly mundane at first glances, the notion is quickly stripped at the first jarring thuds your wheels take when hitting the bumpy grassy knolls robbing you of speed and reminding you to keep your wits about you.

The course is most definitely a European style cyclocross course, make no bones about it, it is indeed a reflection of St. Wendel’s course. The technical adversity on the Badger Prairie course does not lay in the individual technical sections, of which there are few, but as the sum of the total of the features put together. It was evident after a few laps at full on race pace, the riders that excelled were the ones who could capitalize on key points of the racecourse that were deceivingly simplistic but critical for maintaining a competitive position. The course is wide and has many wide enough berths both on the straightaways and on the climbs to easily get past traffic, if you can’t pass someone on this course, either you are truly on one of the few tight turns of the course, or you simply don’t have the fitness to make the pass count. It’s that easy to pass someone. The turns may be uninspiring in many parts of the course, especially in the transition turns from gravel to pavement or gravel to grassy climbs. The thought of uninspiring may turn into frightful as the winter introduces gnarlier elements to the already gravel strewn transitions. The climbs are substantial and weren’t very evident in the video, and at race pace, will be a deciding factor on whose fitness can sustain the punchiness of the elevation changes.

Rundown
Start is a typical paved start on a wide road with a 100M lead out to a soft right turn going into the course full speed from pavement to grassy transition with immediate bumps, possible hooked turns here depending on final course selection but the course changed from Saturday to Sunday by softening those chicane turns to minimize crashing at the very start. The grass section is deceptively bumpy and bucked every rider into finding the smooth line for another 200M to a 90 degree right hand turn for another 100M to a quick twisty right hander onto another straightaway leading to a right hander into the first introduction of tight turns through very rough terrain. It navigates leftbound pass the pit for the first time, and straight ahead 50M to your introduction of the first climb.

A 90 degree left embarks everyone on a 200m false flat (3-5%) to an 80 degree right onto a 10-12% 25M climb that really starts the grind onto yet another false flat for (3-5%) for another 100M. A right hand turn to a quick left downhill on a gravel strewn descent excellent for recovery that takes you to a fast flowy right hand turn, in all about 400M of fast descent before a turn into the first actual dirt of the course in the form of an uphill soft dirt introduction to a rail tie step feature of approximately 15 steps widely spaced apart. This section immediately ends at the top of the hill with a quick remount on a bumpy section that leads to a soft s curve transition to a 50M fast descent onto a paved road transition that immediately points upward at 5-7% for another 150M then slopes down slightly after a soft left curve onto a dirt transition once again that points upward another 5% for 25M before a hard 90 degree left onto one of the most gratifying long descents as your reward.

The descent is incredibly fast and met with many bumps and dips that with one misstep, you may find yourself in the thickets along side the 10 foot wide section. The descent lasts almost 400M onto a sharp right 5-8% climb into a double barrier with a sharp left turn into one the courses only tight sections that leads back past the pit area, and into twists and turns going left and towards a short sandpit, which no matter how it’s used, should not be much of a challenge given its quick 10M distance. Beyond the sandpit, the back section riding continues with a 100M straightaway that parallels the paved road from where the start was. The straightaway takes a sharp 90 degree turn into some very bumpy sections that follows alongside a pond that hopefully no one takes a dive in.

The course follows the pond shortly before going into the next climbing section which is about 5% for the next 100M and then rises a bit to 10% for 5M, and then continues for another 50M before arriving at a 15% pitch for 8-10M. After that immediate pitch change, you hook right for another reprieve on a downhill that cross a paved road section and maintains the bumpiness, into a very fast right hander that if miscalculated will lead you into the thickets again. The speed is very important to maintain as the right hand turn glides upward slightly into a left hand turn onto pavement, the turn here is critical for the entry into the grassy bumpy section again to keep at high speed to navigate the final twisty sections that will inevitably slow everyone down to their rough state and tight turning, this then leads to the lap leadout on pavement back to the start finish. In all, the maximum length of a CX course is raced at just over 2 miles.

Technicality
The degree of technical difficulty for this course is low – however – the true technical nature of this course has to be valued at the sum total of all it’s components. It’s not unlike an MTB course where the climbs are meant to separate people, and the downhills are not just the recovery but the ability to carry speed through the next section while maintaining the best line to keep that speed as every bump and hole scrubs speed. Taking the turns at the highest speed possible is going to be critical for conquering the laps on this course. There is little room for actual rest as the name of this cross game is getting up to speed and maintaining that speed as much as possible to not let the weight of the grinding climbs get you too far down. It was evident in how strung out the field was in every category at the damage the punchy climbs had, in addition, to the incredibly bumpy descents and straightaways. Power riders do not necessarily excel on this course, but neither did the incredibly technical riders as there was little to interact with and gain momentum on in technical sections – this blended the saavy of reading the course, attacking on the climbs, and being fearless on the descents.

Weather
Day 1 was 18 degrees and dry, with slight wind and no sun. It was a cold reminder of what we’re in for Nationals. Day 2 was a sunny reprieve at 40 degrees and perhaps the thank you we deserved for being out at the course both days. Two hours of full on racing on the course, and it’s evident that if this is the best that it will ride in good conditions, than come winter, with snow and ice, the course will take on another technical capability that can only be imagined as difficult climbing situations, slower and more cautious descents, and even scarier gravel to paved road transitions. The snow, if it comes, will hopefully smooth out the bumpiness of the chopped grass course which would be very welcome, but will pose challenges such as the steeper pitched climbs that were easier to hammer out of the saddle, but will prove meddlesome with ice and snow under our rear tires, especially the sharp pitched ones. The cornering, though in small quantities now, may still prove troublesome depending on conditions as they are in tighter areas with little room to pass causing traffic if a rider goes down. The rail stair run up – will be amazingly frightful if it freezes over. These are all good things to look forward to for a true CX course in the midwest.

Recommendations
Cross NEEDS to remain spectator friendly. If not for our friends and loved ones coming out to cheer for us and of course heckle us, we racers, do experience moments of mental weakness when we are exposed to the elements on our own in long lonely and desolate parts of a course. This is rare for over 90% of all the cross courses in many of the series across the midwest. A national caliber course should have mandatory access for spectators to get to various parts of the course without much hindrance. Especially in the conditions of January, the racers need spectator support and providing that access will be key to fully qualifying the event as spectator friendly.

The pit area should be reviewed for better placement for ease of access into and out of the pit in two viable directions that allow for an easy transition for racers to switch bikes or wheels. The current pit experienced definitely made for some cramped quarters that made for some sketchy transitions (don’t put the pit into a transition on a turn!).

The transitions should be reviewed closely in the coming weeks as the weather turns to snow and ice, gravel descents onto grass won’t be a major cause for concern, but the gravel descents onto pavement are a definite cause for concern. Icy pavements are no place for downhill transitions from an off-road course in the winter, and in the European races, they do pour sand over this transitions to ease it up. This should highly be considered to avoid any unnecessary carnage at critical areas.

Warming tents – this can’t be stressed enough – keep the spectators happy, not just the racers. Leaving folks from the ‘warmer’ states happy can go a long way in leaving a great impression on our hospitality.

Final Thought
The course is worthy. Granted, I, have only read and heard from friends experiences at National CX races in the past decade, so I do not have a first hand experience in how it can compare to those races. However, from what I do know is that every CX Nationals race isn’t without it’s challenges from both the promoting venue and mother nature. Cold weather racing is not for the faint of heart, and I’ve never known cross racers to be faint of heart. The conditions can be as gnarly as what has been experienced in epic cross nationals such as Tim Johnson racing to victory in a blizzard, or it could be a soupy wet and cold mess like Kansas City Nationals. The midwest brings you cold, icy, and a technically demanding course. If you truly believe that this is course is not worth the Nationals course, you haven’t given it a chance. We have two years to deal with Nationals at this course and we can make things accommodating and better for racers and spectators between now and January 6th – and even moreso next year with this year’s run.

We are all in the midwest together – and this is our gem we can highlight as ‘our own’ and we have the ability to make it shine despite any circumstance and put our best foot forward for our visiting racers. We are a great racing scene when spread across WORS, ChiCrosCup, DINO, ICA, WCA, etc. – let’s not let initial opinions misguide the effort to produce one of the best cross racing experiences this part of the country can offer. If a Californian thinks its retarded to race in sub-zero weather – well kudos to them for living in California. This is how we roll, let’s roll proudly and let’s roll together on this race.

Continuing in the tradition of cycling plus good food and brew, the 2011 Bonebell crew met up at the new West Town gastropub Frontier.  Now those of you who know me are saying “Gastropub? Aren’t you a vegetarian, Amy?”  To that I say (1) Greg chose this location prior to his unfortunate malady and (2) I’m not really a vegetarian (I eat fish).  However, Frontier surprisingly had several veggie-friendly options, one of which I selected.

Here's a picture of us looking quite austere shortly after the food arrived.

With the whole Bb crew in attendance (minus Greg, plus one Alicia Norton) we sampled a large portion of the game-heavy menu without duplication.  Being of Michigan descent, Brian chose the blackberry BBQ rabbit and most enjoyed the succotash garnish.  Amy D experimented with the wild boar strip loin which came with a tasty sweet potato puree with homemade marshmallow on top!  Dave selected the vension cheesesteak which he thought both looked and tasted delicious.  Alicia chose the black angus burger which she said was a bit bland, and the fries that came with her meal and Dave’s were extra salty to which Dave made some strange reference about the deer in his vension meal having ingesting a salt lick… you know, one of those “stuff Dave says” references.  Julia got the ahi tuna sandwich that keenly reminded her about the painful powers of wasabi.  Paolo had eaten ahead of time so stuck to a “liquid diet” of Makers Mark and water.  And I selected the goat cheese & beet salad – love panko crusted goat cheese and the roasted beets were flavorful.

On to the beers… I got the Firestone Walker’s Reserve stout (tasty), Alicia the Two Brothers Domaine Dupage, and I forgot what everyone else was drinking.  But we did notice that their menu stated that Bell’s Oberon is 8% alcohol to which we all agreed was incorrect.  So we turned it into a contest about who could guess the closest to the actual alcohol content of Oberon and Brian won within 0.1%… actual content being 5.8%.

But the best part of our night by far was the fellowship and conversation. Topics included: local trails (duh), recent and upcoming races (double duh), the website (of course), a secret new Bonebell frame (oooh!), kidney transplants, the possibility for Bb skinsuits (if you are interested, reply to this post), advancements in prosthetics, cussing on the Bb Twitter site versus keeping it clean on Facebook, and the best butts in WORS.

Yep, good friends, good food, good beer – good times!

I am a Bontrager fan, and have been ever since I fell in love with the XDX tread. It is a great 29er tire that offers lower rolling resistance, great cornering, and decent handling through most conditions when used at the right pressure. In fact I had them in two sizes, 2.0″ for cushiony float, and 1.75″ for faster non-technical racing. The XDX was in my opinion an enhancement of the Kenda Small Block Eight tread pattern – wider spaced knobs, made for better traction and grip on the rooty and loose soil mix at Palos, Kettle, and beyond. I tend to gravitate more towards the compounds that Kenda offers in their tires. For both weight savings and racier grip, I did rely on the XDX almost entirely – that is until now.

[Disclaimer: The process I am describing below is not advocated by Kenda and performing the conversion will void any and all warranties with your tires, please do so at your own risk and understanding of this]

I have been converting non-UST tires to tubeless since day one. There weren’t many offerings of UST specific tires 7 years ago, so rather than waiting for a tire to be available, I’d use Stan’s No-Tubes to seal tires up and run them tubeless. I haven’t looked back since. It is very effective method of riding tubeless and running lower pressures without fear of pinch flats. Every tire had it’s limitations due to the softer beads and compounds interacting without internal support of a tube – so not every tire converted absolutely well. The few that did became staples in everyone’s rigs and those that come to mind were Kenda’s, Schwalbe’s, and Maxxis’ line of tires. This is by no means an exclusive list and everyone’s mileage and opinion varies because it is highly dependent on the type of riding people subject the tires to and in what conditions they ride them in. For Kenda’s, I have found the magic solution to work best was Effetto Mariposa’s Caffe Latex. What I appreciate the most out of this solution is it’s ability to seal more effectively with less concern of ammonia eating away at the inside of the rubber casing of tires that haven’t been certified for UST use. All tires are porous, and to make a tire non-porous, material is added to the inside lining of the sidewall to offer protection and durability to the sidewall casing. The Caffe Latex I have run in previous Kenda tires has run incredibly well and have two sets of complete tires that are still in use after hundreds of miles through all four seasons for two years running, they are still in great shape internally.
I received the Kenda Slant Six five weeks ago and promptly put them on my bike. I immediately ogled the tread pattern and knew right then I was going to love how they were going to feel. They are advertised as the love child between the Small Block Eight and the Nevegal, however, when viewing the treads closely compared to the actual tires mentioned, it is more of an interpretation of both – in fact, I think the better definition would be a melding of the Small Block Eight, the Karma, and the Nevegal. Low middle ramped knobs with a pronounced rectangular and angled knob on the sides that maintain the rounded shape that the Small Block Eight and Karma are known for but with the biting knob the Nevegal has on the side.

I have since put over 20 hours of ride time on the set of Slant Six’s and have indeed put them through all conditions – wet rooty conditions, mud, loose rock, gravel, loamy grass, steep pitched dirt climbs with roots, and loose gravely and technical descents. The tire has become my new all time favorite, replacing the XDX as the champion of my collection and heading to the race start line for endurance racing. The rolling resistance is instantly felt, the weight for each non-UST 29er format tire was between 590-620 grams a tire. This is not uber light like a non UST Schwalbe Racing Ralph in even a 2.4 size (they are low 500 gram tires!) – but it’s not bad compared to their Nevegal brethren at 880-915 grams a tire. The weight range is not a surprise, every tire, especially MTB tires, have a variance in the amount of rubber composite used for each, so they will vary though not greatly. I rode the tires through some thorny sections of trail and even received a few minor scratches on the sidewall as a result, but nothing damaging or penetrating past the rubber. I can say with confidence that the rubber compound on the sidewall, in spite of not having a more built-in protection, are not delicate either. They will sustain the abuse of the midwest arena very well and provided that you don’t jab them directly into sharp rocks on the sidewalls, you should be fine. The middle knob section rolls with low resistance as expected, but at 30/32 PSI front and rear respectively, they were as grippy as I’d liked them to be on the rooty sections and the demand of fast turns and loose sections. These tires don’t designate a rear or front tire tread usage, I installed them with the chevrons pointing forward, including the rear – I don’t abide by the principle of reversed chevron for the rear typically. On several particular climbs on loamy wet grass mixed with some mud, the rear slid but caught traction quickly. In the mud, the rubber compound sheds the sticky peanut butter consistency very well and still manages to dig in whatever it has to keep moving forward. I was very surprised with how well it handled even the thickest of muddy conditions and it wasn’t entirely intentional either, I was able to maintain traction and control in thick muddy situations.

The side knobs are the magic to this tire. They are perfectly placed at the outer edge of the rounded surface where the tire meets a curve at it’s sharpest angle – the knobs are rectangular and spaced appropriately to provide a rail of knobs that continually hold onto the surface. I purposely tried to break the strides of a turn on fast corners on gravel to see where the breaking point of the front and rear would be – taking corners at 20+mph on gravel digging the front tire in hard and nary hitting the brakes. I was surprised that even at a 24mph turn without hitting brakes, the rear never once provided even so much of a fade of control. On a more sandy doubletrack with ruts, at 20+mph, I hit a section where the front did want to go in another direction and slid away from me, but it was easily controllable to get back on track and not lose my front end. On straight up curvy singletrack, the knobs really shined. I railed many corners digging the front tire deep into the dirty pockets with confidence knowing it was tracking well and accurately. I could point and shoot the front with ease and without concern to the minor obstacles or looseness of trail debris. Where the tire especially shines is in hardpack as to be expected providing a phenomenal center line grip and cornering prowess of a velcro strip.

I took a stab on at least 15 times going up a particular section that transitions from a downhill fast gravel section onto a very loose railroad rock upshot – this transition is tricky at speed and trickier when your tires lose 100% traction due to the small rocks immediately shifting under you. The rear slipped and slid out on 90% of those efforts. This is not a negative but definitely worth pointing out that they will not hold a loose rocky ascent very well if you don’t grind the climb or transition smoothly – the low knobs are a fatal flaw for any loose rocky uphill section. Once seated onto loose rock, they are manageable and still predictable. The front is very stable at speeds and responds well to body english and steering input, never did I feel a time it wanted to drift into another particular direction in a non-controllable way. This inspires confidence, thus speed.

Currently, Kenda is not offering a UST version of the 29er tire, and this is not news as they are slow to produce those offerings large scale, most likely because of the greater weight disadvantage it makes a 29er tire no doubt. However, and again with the large caveat about Kenda’s warranty, running them tubeless works out very effectively and run above the 30psi range very well without issues. If you run lower than 30 psi I would caution that you monitor how much the tire may squish against the trail and objects to see where they flex most – this is where your burp point is and for the safety of yourself and the integrity of your rim, don’t push it lower than you have to. At 165 lbs., on a dual suspension, I’m pushing 30 up front and it’s plenty of great grip and less rolling resistance. If you are looking to outfit a fully rigid, I’d opt for a larger size for greater float and cushion. The 2.0 size is what I’ve been running and it’s true to size and plenty comfortable. I’m looking forward to racing this tire at endurance MTB events this year and I’m sure it will shine in every course I can point it at in the midwest.

I’ve learned over the past decade of epic mountain bike riding from the midwest WEMS Series to riding across venues in Utah like Moab and Park City, that nutrition intake is absolutely critical to measure out carefully to sustain the experience of multi-hour rides effectively. Basic principles of electrolyte replenishment, caloric intake, and hydration all need to be balanced out appropriately to give you the greatest performance benefit without disrupting your your body’s normal feeling – i.e. that bloaty-I’m-so-hungry-I-can-eat-three-cheeseburgers-but-can’t feeling. Mountain biking has some specific intensities that throw a wrench into the standard routine of ‘add two scoops of this and one shot of that’. Every rider responds differently to their efforts, and mountain biking provides many performance peaks and lows and the pace and temperature outside at which you take them may also directly affect the tolerance of what you ingest. Here’s the breakdown, unlike road riding where you can measure effectively a sustained effort over time relatively well most times, mountain biking (especially racing) may depend greatly on the course you are tackling. Your nutrition and hydration for a three hour ride at Moab is vastly different than a three hour at Kettle Morraine. So getting to know what and how you ingest your nutrition is key to being successful at racing. Part of this exploration is finding the product that agrees with you and the other components you add.

I was given a 25 serving bag of Carbo Rocket Raspberry flavored sports drink by Brad to try out for a few weeks on my daily routine and racing. I have been using it for six weeks now and even did two races with it and have formed a solid opinion on how my body has been handling it and how I’ve performed as a result. I expressed to Brad that I had a similar experience to him last year, where, I hit a discomfort level in what I was ingesting previously during endurance mountain bike races – so much so, that I had to desperately figure out why and change my routine that I was used to following for a few years. He said he had the same experiences and those experiences led him to create the specific mixture found in the Carbo Rocket lineup. I was eager to try something that was created based on my personal experiences with other products.

Off the bat, it passed the very first test of solubility as promised. The powder dissolves quickly without clumping. This is very important as it helps avoid the nasty concentrated flavor clumps that surprise you when all you want is a swig of satisfaction on a hot summer day. A few hard shakes and you’re pretty much set on your way. This is very effective for hydration pack users where clumping most always is an issue.

The recommended mixture is 3 scoops per 20-24 oz. water bottle and for my weight at 165 lbs. – this was a dead on measurement for a bottle that lasts one hour. In endurance paced riding, especially when cooler, I don’t drink or ingest calories as much, but the mixture is satisfying enough to have on it’s own with few other calorie sources. I used the mixture at the Barry-Roubaix race which is a good indicator of how well it would help prevent cramping as the rolling hills at threshold pace would naturally bring this out. A 35 mile lap in just over an hour and forty five minutes only took one 24 oz. bottle with three scoops still – though I did take in some gel source in addition to the bottle. The drink mix was not only tasty, but definitely effective in a harder paced effort, my stomach was receptive. I used it again in the latest race at the Leland Kermesse – and this was a true test of how I’d feel about the product in a longer close to four hour threshold effort, a time and distance where the stomach really does tell the tale afterwards or during. I consumed two 20 oz. bottles of the mixture at the steady three scoops each and only used one other calorie source in the form of gel blocks and gel shots for the entire race. I have become very much in tune with my body and can feel when I’m hitting a calorie deficit and dehydration. This particular race was very windy and cold but I finished both bottles completely by race end, including all my additional calorie sources which didn’t amount to more than 500 calories beyond the bottles of Carbo Rocket. I felt replenished, fueled, and satiated for this type of effort and it was tempo to threshold paced effort the entire four hours. Temperature definitely had a play in reducing my need for more hydration – but I was very pleased that after the hard effort, my stomach was non-plussed and very willing to ingest three cheeseburgers and a beer without the thought of hurling it up. In fact, about 45 minutes after the race, I was able to sit and eat a decent meal without stomach troubles. I’d expect that after another few hours of using this sports drink would most likely leave me feeling just as comfortable.

The Raspberry taste was very pleasant and not too sweet for palate, however, a friend I gave a few scoops too had said he was very surprised at how sweet it was and that it was a bit too much for him. This only proves that everyone has a different taste for sweetness, but compared to Hammer Heed, and Clif Sports Drink equivalent, I’d rate Carbo Rocket as inbetween the two where I feel that Hammer can be syrupy and sweet, and Clif very transparent watery. Your mileage may vary on the taste, but the consistency is most definitely drinkable and not syrupy where you feel you’re working to ingest a drink rather than just swig from your bottle.

The Carbo Rocket Sports Drink is very well worth considering and picking up a few samples from your local bike shop or ordering online. In the large amount of offerings on the market, we proudly encourage giving Carbo Rocket a try as like other products we enjoy using and reviewing – it’s a company that is supporting the Chicago cycling scene and especially the dirtbag scene. It’s a good energy source, cramp preventor, and tasty drink to boot without ruining your appetite after the long haul. The pricing is just right as well for less than .90 cents per serving – compared to lesser quantities and higher pricing to their competitors.

I’m looking forward to using the Carbo Rocket 333 mixture soon for endurance events starting in May and will write-up my report on that. The 333 product is more of a carbohydrate replenisher in addition to the benefits of the sports drink to truly be an ultimate fuel source with a predetermined calorie per serving (you guessed it, 333 calories) to help take the guesswork out of figuring out your solution mix. If the Carbo Rocket Sports Drink was any indication of how receptive I should be to their new calorie enhanced product, I’m safely assuming it will be well ingested and comfortable.

The Build
The Titus Rockstar was a new development for the 2010 product line from Titus. Introduced at the beginning of the 2010 year at the typical outdoor bike demos and product launches of the MTB scene, it was met with fairly decent acclaim among the already widening berth of 29er offerings from every brand across the country. It was almost a johnny-come-lately moment for Titus, if it wasn’t for the obvious standards they hold of building a quality mountain bike still made in the US. The boutique nature of Titus in print ads alone have garnered the Titus image one of upscale nonsense aimed towards the blue collar Joe who would most likely save up their money and sell all their bikes for the opportunity of owning just one ultimate bike. I fondly remember admiring the over the top ads in print magazines that depicted a father showing his son a community college brochure with a huge grin on his face as he spent his son’s college fund on the latest Titus offering. Some Titus models, in full titanium, exogrid carbon, and custom build, very well could have set back a year’s worth of Johnny’s college tuition. Yet, in spite of the flashy ads, the US made bicycle bling, and MTB rockstar imagery the brand conjured up – it fell victim to business bankruptcy and the sale of it’s assets to a foreign company.

This was a tragedy, and definitely one felt close to home as I stood next to my newly purchased gem that appeared to have lost value as fast as the stock market dive in the past two years. Did I buy a bike from a company that would no longer exist and was an immediate relic? The personal irony was that prior to this purchase, I sold a made in the U.S. steel Gary Fisher frame of which parting with, was not easy but necessary to keep the bicycle stable fresh with new U.S. made integrity. Was I that blue collar joe schmuck that got had? No.

Titus Bicycles is now 20 years old. It has gone through iterations of and a generation of craftsmen, welders, and business leaders that have taken the company through the ebbs and flow of the market worldwide. The fundamental basis of the company is to build the best quality stateside built bicycle your money can afford. They did so for many years with little more than print ads and word of mouth. In Chicago, specifically, not a single dealer in the tri-state area of Wisconsin, Indiana, and Illinois even carried Titus Bicycles on the show room floor. Yet, on a local group dirt ride, I can see that Titus was a very popular choice among the seasoned MTB veterans of the midwest. How does that come to be that a brand has such a solid reputation among the forums and word of mouth that buying a $5K bicycle sight unseen is a commonality among this boutique bike brand. The answer was simple – they are built incredibly well and they ride as if they were built to make you a more confident rider. The build of the company was built on the ride quality of their bikes, and it is evident to this very day. As the company floundered for success late into 2010, the relationships between online retail and local brick and mortar bike shops had been strained in trying to deliver this quality product. Speaking with Ben Webster at Titus, he elaborated this predicament with a simple example that the local bike shop felt abandoned by the approach to offer boutique bikes through online retailers in addition to their showroom floor offering. A combination of market glut of product, and unwilling dealers to compromise their sales force against online retail. Titus met it’s bankrupted demise in November of 2010.

The Ride
The Rockstar 29er does as I presumed what all Titus’ do, and that was roll effortlessly through the singletrack. It carved turns and technical sections with the precision of a smaller wheeled bike, and with the grace of a cross country specific geometry while exhibiting an all mountain demeanor when it counted. It was a proverbial jack of all trades with a few compromises here and there but at 27 lbs., it proves that 29er dual suspension technology has gotten into the realm of veritable endurance race machine. It can get lighter with more specific components choices. I didn’t bother, sticking to tried and true ‘all americana’ Thomson bits, and Chicago based SRAM X0 (9 Speed). With suspension provided by Fox Racing, I had a mostly entirely built or engineered U.S. made bike. The selling point to this bike was spot on – Saj Rudolf of Get A Grip Cycles, from where I bought the bike, had a Titus as his main MTB, and it was the only one in the shop. I didn’t have to test ride it to witness the flawless execution of the bike build up close. Saj’s comments of ‘despite the weight and what you think of the build, it rides like it’s a lot lighter’. This is a very interesting concept, a bike that rides like it’s lighter, tells me that it’s purpose built. Saj has a solid reputation of being one of Chicago’s premier MTB mechanic specialists and is an ardent supporter of the off-road cycling scene as well. Hearing this level of opinion was valuable, and I became one of the many that bought a bike, sight unseen.

The ride of the company is much the same as their bikes – steady, adaptive, and even when it crashed, it managed to get picked back up and thrown back onto the singletrack with confidence once again. This is due to the purchasing of the brand by On*One, a UK based company. The reception to this news was not taken well in the various MTB forums of public opinion. Then again, many armchair small business administrators seemed to have an opinion on the demise of the brand and why and how it could have been prevented. All the public opinion aside, I was intrigued by the happenstance purchase to see which direction the company would go. I called Titus up and spoke with Peter Hollingsworth shortly after viewing the liquidation process of selling remaining frames at close-out online through the Titus site. I did have a minor sadness as I now saw the same frame I had purchased 60 days prior at over 45% less than what I paid for – so my conversation with Peter was more investigative for my own curiosity. Hearing the positive and accented voice on the other end of the line gave creedence to the fact that indeed, a European company is now at the helm. Despite any of the negativity flowing through online forums and internet chatter about the fate of Titus – Peter gave a refreshingly forward view of the American brand and how happy he is to be continuing in the tradition of great American built mountain bikes. Peter offered calm view of how things were to be handled with warranties, the attention he and the new additions to Titus are striving to give to loyal Titus product owners, and the plan to how Titus will recoup the loyalty of those who were swayed by the change or on the fence of what to do after they had purchased a new bike in late 2010. I won’t be an armchair small business administrator on this topic – but I will say that the plan was sound, and the focus was genuinely on the consumers that made the product great. Much like the Rockstar’s 1/8″ to 1.25″ headtube that provides stiffness and control to maintain the most demanding lines on the singletrack, the company is poised to the same, very much in line with the build of their own product. If the quality of their builds are still integral to the quality of the employees and leadership they align themselves with, there is only one way for this mountain bike company to go – up.

The Final Thought
I raced my Titus Rockstar at the Iceman this past year. I did the Iceman in 2005 on a 26″ dual suspension MTB that weighed 27 lbs. I toed the frosty line in icy Michigan in 2010 with the 29er dual suspension weighing in at the same weight. Testament to the forward advancement of lighterweight components for MTB and the more solid introduction of carbon materials mated with aluminum have helped bring the contention of weight down to a minimum. Yes, I know that fitness is the key to improvement and not necessarily just the bicycle, but I did improve my time by over 20 minutes from 2005, finally making into the upper echelon of the 3,500 competitors of the race. This is by far a hardtail’s race – and I felt that the dual suspension (not locked out) handled it superbly while defining some of the greatest characteristics of this bike. The bike is designed to be ridden fast regardless of the terrain. Every acceleration on the flats of the double track, proved to be a positive push forward as opposed to the sinking backwards into suspension bob or loss of energy – it was propulsive.

The climbing is where it shined, traction was there in spades and with certain climbs lathered in mud were met with my stand and mash upwards with aplomb as it tracked through the mud with nary a spinned wheel and neatly carved through the minor singletrack effortlessly to the dismay of hardtailers being left behind me. I know that I can drop at least another 2 lbs. off of this bike making it a true weight contender amongst the full carbon 29ers on the market – but why? It handled with aggressive quality and accelerated out of turns and on the flats without feeling like a mushy representation of a hardtail. The bottom bracket is lower than most 29ers on the market and that is not entirely bad, considering it lends itself to divebomb through corners and the singletrack as aggressively as you can handle it and leaning forward and spinning provides ample power to climb up the most steep gradients without lofting your front wheel. I’m 5’8″ and its the first dual suspension MTB that I felt that I was riding ‘within’ the geometry of the bike and not ‘on top’ of the bicycle. My Titus is a size small and I have no toe overlap or overextended reach on the handlebars (110MM stem with a 6 degree sweep back on flat bars). I’m looking forward to tackling the season of endurance and marathon mountain biking events on this bike and perhaps the only lightweight option I’ll add to the bike is a lightweight race wheelset to further amplify this bike’s racing capability.

Titus the company is on the upward slope to redefining who they are and getting back to the roots that made them so popular in the first place. If their upward trajectory is anything like the ride quality of their bikes, they will get to the top safely once again. Speaking with Ben Webster on the future of the product line, I was happy to hear and report to all of you that the 29er is going to be a bigger route for their new product lines – so expect to see announcements of their new product offerings. Titus has learned their valuable lessons of boutique brand volatility in the market place. They aim to reconnect with the core of their products’ success which originally was founded on Titanium builds – expect a regression to and progression of titanium product offerings with the help of another core American builder, Lynskey Performance. The headquarters of Titus will move from Tempe, Arizona, but it won’t leave the US and neither will it’s locally sourced work, materials when available, and ultimately the craftsmanship behind the frames and builds. The brand will focus less on keeping up with the chaotic outdoor demos and trade show bandwagons by introducing changes to their lineup on an as needed basis and not a pressured-to-show-new-ideas format. There are quality bikes that thousands of riders across the US are still riding on with the Titus name, and Titus clearly wants to maintain and rebuild that relationship with you. I am still glad I bought a Titus and I thank the company for spending time with me to talk about these topics – they are showing the quality of resources behind the brand and look forward to seeing the new 2011 lineup.

News March 30, 2011: Titus most recently made the move to start accumulating financial resources to purchase Canadian mountain bike legendary product company ‘Race Face’. They are devoting certain sales of remaining Titus stock to help finance this endeavor – yet another sign that On*One is serious about being a great product for the true mountain bike crowd.

Some information I gleaned was that old leather shorts would stiffen up but would easily become supple with the treatment of oil to feel soft and supple against the skin – the combination of the two made for a self healing process that would allow the hardcore of yore climb to the heavens with comfortable grit. The concept of chamois cream is no different – you are applying a layer of healing lubricant against your skin to provide a smooth experience for the most sensitive regions of your body. It’s one thing to have hands like a mechanic, rough, dry, and tough from hours of abuse changing tires, dealing with solvents, and greases – your hands don’t necessarily benefit greatly from being soft when bar tape and grips do wonders to keep your hands comfortable, gloves withstanding. Your taint, quite fortunately, does not receive this type of day in and day out punishment, unless you subject it to unlubricated riding for hours and days on end with no love in return. It’s a perfect mix for the dreaded saddle sore, raw skin, and sometimes more than any cyclist will admit, a urinary tract infection. That’s right – sweat, heat, and improper cleanliness can lead to some serious discomforting experiences if not taken seriously. Enter the white cream that may save you from a horrible experience.

I’ve tried many a chamois cream, in fact, the choices on the market aren’t that plentiful, so trying them all is easy in one season – but here I’m going to review and highlight a product very well worth knowing and using for two great reasons: Enzo’s Buttonhole chamois cream works incredibly well without making you feel like you’re wearing a medication, and it’s a local Chicago business run by a local racer who supports the cycling community. The second reason alone is worth the product to be at least tried.

Enzo’s is pretty straight forward – it’s white cream. You dip two fingers in a jar and then apply to the area that will come in contact with you and your chamois. Some folks spread it on their chamois first and then put their shorts on, others like the ol’ dip and dunk into their bib shorts they’ve already put on – whatever your method, be generous. In fact, Enzo’s price point makes it so that being generous in the application isn’t such a pain point or a push for the product to be replenished often. You get a lot of cream for the buck, something else worth noting when compared to the competition.

Dirtbaggers can benefit from chamois cream, speaking from experience in training and racing endurance mountain bike events. The baggy shorts that come with the chamois liners, though comfortable for the short hauls, will inevitably, feel pretty uncomfortable after three hours of constant pedaling and standing up and down on your bike. I do fault a lot of the MTB market for producing a great baggy short with a sub par chamois liner that can’t perform like a champ after many hours in the saddle. However, to counteract that sub par chamois performance, is to supplement with chamois cream. Your buds don’t have to know about it if you feel you’re going to get laughed off the trailhead, but if you are a wearer of the baggy shorts and have privately been bothered by chafing and skin tenderness in these shorts – protect yourself with Enzo’s.

My endurance training takes me long miles in the saddle both on and off-road, and I couldn’t think of one thing that I would sorely miss more on a training ride or race, pun intended. I did a 3 hour race once without chamois cream, after years of having used it and I swear it felt like my anatomy disagreed with me for a week after the race. It’s a small price tag for the Enzo’s when you compare it to other products on the market that are marketed towards your skins’ benefit; afterall it is designed to go near the holiest of holy places on your body and protect them from bacteria and friction, so why would anyone balk at the cost of protecting it?

Enzo’s has been great to use in any type of temperature and hasn’t become greasy in the warm summer months, and hasn’t congealed in the colder months, an experience that I can say does happen with one other competitor’s product. The smell isn’t chemically either making you feel like you’re shoving a handful of medication down your crotch. The active components that give you the minty tingly feel aren’t overwhelming and does well not to react like embrocation. The ingredients are health minded with protective and curing properties so that you can treat skin inasmuch as you’re protecting your skin. The hardcore of yore would put a slice of flank steak on their saddle sores and ride it out – if you can fathom the disgust of the bacteria and feeling of riding on steak, then you can probably appreciate just being able to slap on some cream instead.

If you’re a serious dirtbagger about putting on long miles through the singletrack and care about the health of the area that provides your seated pleasure – you should seriously care enough to invest in chamois cream to keep you protected and comfortable for months to come. We spend silly amounts of money for the fluids and lubricants that make our whips roll, we should pay the same quality of attention to our little friend the taint.

Enzo’s makes a great product at a great price and being a local business makes your selection a bit easier, if you don’t see it at your local bike shop, ask them to order it up or simply order it up online.

Paolo Urizar (El Maya)

Photo: Amy Dykema
Paolo has been dirtbaggin’ since he first learned to ride a BMX bike along Chicago’s lakefront in the early ’80s. When he met Brian Parker and Dave Norton, the three of them knew they had to spread the gospel and goodwill of dirtbaggin’ to Chicago lest anyone forgot that riding a mountain bike is one of the greatest escapes available providing more than just a sporty challenge, but renewing the sense of belonging to nature and the outdoors. Notable accomplishments have been creating the Mountain Bike Program for xXx Racing-AthletiCo in 2006 and as Director of the Juniors Development Program from 2008-2010.
Paolo will be racing as a privateer but also in representation of the famed dirtbaggin’ stylists better known as Twin Six for 2011. Paolo will be concentrating on his major love of endurance mountain biking throughout the year culminating into his other love of Cyclocross in the fall/winter season.

Brian Parker (Stiggity)

Photo: Michael Young
Brian raced mountain bikes competitively for his college team at Ferris State in Michigan. Already a fierce competitor with a wrestling background, Brian’s calm demeanor belies his intense racing focus. Brian has been the director of the Mountain Bike Program from 2007-2010 for xXx Racing-AthletiCo. He was a member of the Elite Development Program from 2009-2010, and his hard work has garnered him a spot on the team’s Elite Squad for 2011. In fact, he’s the only dirtbag on the Elite Squad who almost exclusively does off-road races. Brian is known as the ‘human GPS’ for his incredible ability to recollect trail systems and roads with an astuteness matched only by Garmin. Brian will be focusing on increasing his competitive edge to compete as a Category 1 Mountain Biker and as a Category 2 Cyclocross racer for 2011.

Dave Norton (Nevada Dave)

Photo: Mike Campbell
Dave Norton is a seasoned veteran, to say the least, in the world of competitive dirtbaggin’. An accomplished racer at all levels of XC mountain biking from short distance to 24 hour racing, and not a shabby racer at cyclocross in his off-season. His most notable accomplishment also highlights his youthful and adventurous soul, of trekking across the United States by bike on a solo journey. Dave is the fella everyone learns a thing or two about inner peace and hardcore competition in beautiful balance. Dave is taking a break from racing almost entirely in 2011, using his time to work towards preaching the dirtbag gospel at charity rides, group rides, and getting more people involved on dirt bikes by way of example. Look for new feature articles by Dave that will focus on his solo trek across the country in addition to his thoughts on the greatness of life by bike.

Greg Heck (DaDoubleG)

Photo: Nikki Cyp
Greg Heck has been ardent supporter and volunteer extraordinaire for the cyclocross racing community. He has led one of the most successful season starting races in the history of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup by way of thoughtful organization and extensive knowledge of course design. He was the founder of the Cyclocross Program on the xXx Racing-Athletico squad and led the team to continued recognition for involvement in the cyclocross community. Greg will be racing for the juggernaut cyclocross powerhouse Pony Shop team for 2011. In addition to his cyclocross love, he will be participating in some seriously long foot races and events throughout the spring and summer along with his dirtbaggin’ routine to prep him for his goal of CX National Championships this coming season. Greg has a great love of delicious plates and brews that he will be bringing to the site this year in a new feature to bring a different flavor to our readers.

Julia Daher (Julia Goolia)

Photo: Nikki Cyp
Julia Daher is one of the strongest up and coming racers in both mountain biking and cyclocross in the midwest. She took the womens field by storm in her rookie year taking wins and podiums spots handily in every event she entered, all the while focusing on her studies at medical school! Julia provides the interviews and articles for women racers to be noted and to incorporate a diverse viewpoint of female athleticism in Chicago. She is continuing her studies this year and will be looking forward to providing more guidance on the Women’s Trail Days this year, training and racing her MTB in the summer and of course, continuing the dirtbag theme through cyclocross. She will be racing proudly for Johnny Sprockets in 2011.

Amy Weik (A-Dub)

Photo: Luke Seeman
Amy’s roots in cycling are deep, not only through her family, of which founded the Apple Cider Century, but through her own dedication and participation in racing and promoting mountain bike racing in the midwest. She was involved with helping build trails and maintain the website for the DINO race series in the 90s. She has participated in just about every type of mountain bike race and cyclocross race available in the midwest, and now most recently, an indoor MTB bike park. Amy will be providing articles with her added perspective to the dirtbaggin’ scene overall. Amy will be racing ‘The Bonebell’ colors exclusively for 2011!

Amy Dykema (Velogrrl)

Photo: Christine Czarnecki
When Amy first saw a mountain bike, it was knobby love at first sight. She has been photographing cyclocross and MTB racing at the national, regional and local level. For the past few years she has been team leader for the Clif Bar Midwest MTB team. She has been racing the WORS series (several time WORShead), the WEMS series, and events such as Chequamegon, Fall Color Festival, Iceman, and the Chicago Cross Cup. For 2011 she will be racing MTB and cyclocross for Half Acre Cycling. We are proud to have Amy onboard as our photographer at large to contribute her awesome skills to show you great shots of the scene.

I recently headed to the newly-opened Ray’s MTB Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with Regina Campbell where we met up with her boyfriend Chris Volbrecht and friend Cale Wenthur.  I’d been literally dreaming of this place over Christmas so was quite excited to finally arrive!

This is Ray’s second location – the first is in Cleveland, Ohio and is the first indoor mountain bike park in the world!  When you roll up to Ray’s you will notice that it’s HUGE (~110K sq ft).  It’s in an old Menards building in a large strip mall.  Upon entering the building, you get an even greater appreciation for the size of this place… and on two floors!

Pre-Ride Preparation

First things first: leave your attitude and inhibitions at the door.  Next, sign in at the computers, then pay at the front desk.  Pretty easy.  The crew at Ray’s were very friendly and seemed stoked to have people from Chicago visiting.  They were welcoming, attentive, and repeatedly throughout the day asked for our feedback – now that’s some great customer service!

Next, if you didn’t bring your own ride, go to the rentals desk.  My suggestion is to use their rentals as they have a great deal – only $10 for the day.  Available for rental are Mirraco BMX bikes and Trek dirt jumpers.  Sidenote: Trek now owns and backs Ray’s financially, although Ray still runs the parks.  Trek also has a special demo area set up next to the rentals where you can test ride most of their off-road line. If you are going to rent, get there early to ensure best selection.  I selected the Trek Mullet which suited me well for the day, and Regina chose the Trek Ticket Signature (after the bottom bracket malfunctioned on her new Kona Shonky – doh!).

If you bring your own mtb, put the saddle down all the way as you won’t be using it much.  Also, take them up on their free shin guards and elbow pads, especially the shin guards – you’ll be glad you did.  They also offer free helmet rentals, and have armor and other gear for sale.

Beginner / Sport Skills Section

After getting my ride I spent a little time getting the feel of it.  After using clipless for more than a decade, the flat pedals took some getting used to but proved to be an asset for this venue.  If you are not used to dirt jumper bikes, ride around a bit before hitting the XC loop or skills sections.  After getting comfortable with the Mullet, I headed for the Beginner / Sport Skills section.  Ray’s did an excellent job duplicating varied outdoor terrain – climbs, rocks, logs, off-camber trails.  They also added super fun extras that you don’t typically find in nature like suspension bridges, teeter totters, and balance beams.  Their skill sections were challenging and fun and had something for everyone.

XC Loop

Next I headed to the Cross-Country (XC) Loop which had just been completed that week.  In a nutshell, the XC Loop is AWESOME!  It includes a little bit of everything – fast downhills, climbs, skill sections, bridges, log crossings including a log bridge, a pump track and more!  My favorite ancillary part of the loop is the pool of what appeared to be dried blood just after the pump section – a bit disconcerting but radical!  The loop is about 0.3 miles and you can ride at high speed for most of it – my kinda cardio!  I rode many, many laps until my legs began to fail me.

There are plenty of entrances / exits from the XC loop, including an exit onto the Beginner / Sport skills ramp.  Based on your skill level, you may need to gather some cojones to ride the loop the first time around.  There are a few alternate paths if you don’t want to attempt some of the more advanced sections – but for other sections you just gotta man up and do it.  I’ll admit that there’s one elevated climb section that I didn’t master on my first trip so I’m looking forward to going back and showing it who is boss.

Expert Skills & BMX Sections

Other sections of this MASSIVE indoor park include the Expert Skills section, which includes an incredible bike “elevator”, several balance beams, and a pivoting bridge.  There are also Sport and Expert Jump sections that are suitable for bmx or mtbs.  For bmxers there’s the “Super Rhythm Jumps” (ride at your own risk!), a ramp into a foam pit (radical!), and an amazing Street Park.  I took some time watching folks ride the street park and was so impressed with the skill level displayed.  I can imagine that this park was long awaited by the local bmx crowd.

Riders

Looking around, it seemed as if there were two distinct types of riders present at Ray’s – bmxers and mtbers (imagine that!).  Although there was some mild intermixing, the bmxers mostly stuck to the street park and jump tracks while the mtbers mostly stuck to the mtb sections.  While I witnessed some mtbers wearing teeth guards, I spotted at least one bmxer proudly donning a toothless smile.

One item of note: There were lots of little riders on bmx bikes all over the park.  I’m talking small fries, like 4-6 years old.  Some fearless, some totally green – just be sure not to run them over as Ray’s has made it clear that they want their facilities approachable for riders of all skill levels.

Facility

Both downstairs and upstairs there are SRAM-sponsored lounges with picnic tables, including a big screen TV with comfy couches.  The only food available at the park is from vending machines so pack your own grub as you don’t want to waste valuable cycling time leaving to get food.  There are currently no lockers so everyone grabs a spot at one of the many picnic tables to stow their gear for the day.  Seemed pretty safe as everyone respected each other’s stuff, and there are Ray’s employees walking around the park all the time.  As this is a new facility, the restrooms are clean, and they have three water fountains.  The park is a little cold indoors (I think I heard 55F) but you get warmed up quickly when you’re riding.  Tip: I also learned that it clears out just before a Packers game!

Final thoughts

My first overall experience at Ray’s was awesome!  They’ve done an excellent job laying out the park, making every use of the available space, and giving everyone something fun into which to sink their knobbies.  The employees were welcoming and friendly, the costs are reasonable, and I can’t wait to come back!

While Ray’s does include beginner sections, this park is probably not meant for the true first-timer.  I’d advise spending some time out on the trails to get used to varied terrain – hills, rocks, roots, rocks, logs, etc – on your own time and while you do not have a large audience.  Unless Ray’s start offering skills classes at MKE (as they do in CLE), first-timers may feel a little intimidated.  However, if you are new, fearless, and shameless, then jump right in!

A word about safety: While it’s cool to be cool, it’s NOT cool to get injured.  Save yourself and Ray’s the headache and wear protective gear – period.  And while it’s good to push yourself to learn new skills, it’s also wise to know your limits.  Just play it safe so you can come back and ride more!

Pack List: Money, ID, helmet (bmx if you have one), gloves (full finger best), armor if you have it (otherwise free to rent), long sleeve shirt, long pants / knickers, street shoes, food / snacks, hydration, pain medication, camera, good attitude, cojones, smarts.

Upcoming Ray’s MKE events to put on your calendar:
Grand Opening Weekend – Jan 29-30 – food, raffle, pros on site!
Women’s Weekend – Feb 25-26 – women only, bike demos, pros and more!

Ray’s has lots of great info on their website as well as their Facebook Page.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The fit process now highlighted my Central American genetics – I am a short male with even shorter legs, with one leg still shorter than the other. However, my upper body is long from the waist up, and the majority of my 5’8″ height is comprised of my torso. This means that my top tube size is 54CM but my seat tube sizing is best at 49.5CM max. This is not an out of the box geometry that is found in most bikes – in addition to having me sit in the optimal position over the bottom bracket with those two tube lengths means moving the seat tube forward to 75 degrees from a traditional stock 73 degrees. Oh – and move all these tubes around without affecting the headtube angle all to much to ensure great handling with no toe overlap. This is not an easy job and its best left to a quality builder to specify this geometry out.

I had three very strict prerequisites for building this bike. Frame and Fork had to be well under $2,500. At least the frame had to be built in the USA. Frame and fork had to be a true race pedigree bike that should stand the test of time under hard racing, training, and yes, commuting. I don’t race road races but I do go out for very long road rides and training for the mountain bike season in addition to cyclocross. I emphatically believe that a cyclocross bike is the best option for dirtbags who don’t race road but still need a great performer for the occasional hard and long road ride. Light weight comes second to durability – but the right builder can negotiate that fine distinction. The bike fit was performed by Get A Grip Cycles, who are also the distributor of several custom manufacturers. My price point was not high enough to indulge in a titanium or carbon custom endeavor – and that was fine with me as I am an aficionado of the steel material. I knew that steel would be more than sufficient to meet my needs – the question was which builder can make the finest investment for what I was looking for. The word amongst the shop members were that they honestly felt that no builder handled steel builds near the quality of Independent Fabrications for steel cross bikes – this was a tall statement given that they also represented other fine builders who met my same pricepoint for a steel build. I didn’t immediately jump on their selection, I did some internet research and spoke to friends and bike shop mechanics to get a truer sense of what was out there. The good news is that there are many steel builders out there to select from, and from all parts of the country. The price points were all also favorable. I had gone into several conversations that with two specific builders for a good while as well as delving into their processes’ and how they would achieve what I was looking for. Those conversations went well – the timelines unfortunately did not.

Getting a custom bike requires a sincere conversation with the builder as well as a good dose of patience. Custom ‘anything’ requires meticulous attention on the part of the buyer and the builder to meet your specifications. The builder may also have limitations that you find out through the conversation process. There’s lead times on tubing if they don’t stock them. There’s limitations on what kind of tubing they can get, or if they manipulate the tubing altogether when they do receive it, or if it’s a very specific material and batch they need, all are subject to availability. Then there’s the limitation of staffing – some builders, even the most respectable builders in the US, are a shop of ‘one’ person. This can lead to a 6 month to sometimes a 3 year lead time for some of the smaller builders. After discussing my ideal bike to a variety of different builders and listening to their process and registering the lead times to get something built – I had decided to go with a well trusted American builder that had the experience and the bonafide experience in cyclocross builds. Independent Fabrication was chosen.

The hardest part they say is usually picking the color for the bike after you come up with your specifications. You can get quite exotic with the different options such as lugs, bottom bracket options, cable holders, brake guides, etc. Those options jack up the cost as well. My needs were simple – no water bottle mounts – light as effectively possible while remaining durable for my 160-170 lbs. of abuse – and race nimbleness. Indy Fab recommended some very thin walled steel tubing for the main portions of the tubes they’d select – the thicker walled tubes would be saved for the chainstays and the rear triangle to make a very stiff but compliant rear end to deliver the power to the rear wheel. Steel has a natural give and the emphasis was to highlight that give without robbing the power delivery. The front end was angled to accommodate the longer top tube but at a headtube angle that would keep the front wheel controllable in very tight and twisty cross racing without any toe overlap. To get the top tube enough space to be able to be shouldered comfortably, they recommended an ever so slight top tube but keeping it as relatively straight as possible. The nature of the shortened seat tube was not a challenge to the experienced builders as they also explained that the compromise would be a short headtube to keep the bars in their optimal position – this meant no custom IF badge on the headtube as it wouldn’t fit, so a painted headbadge would take its place. I was bummed about this but knew that this was an aesthetic limitation and not a functional one. The frame was mated and designed around the rake of an Alpha Q CX20 cross fork – the bonafide carbon racer of the cross circuit. Together the frame and fork would deliver the steel cyclocross racer I always dreamed of.

Get A Grip kept me posted on the build process relaying information from the builder to me as various parts of the process. I even received photos of the unfinished frame after it was assembled at the factory as the shop sent some of their crew to the IF factory to get a more in depth review of their processes to stay up to date on their techniques and quality program to relay back to their customers.

The build time was a mere 6 weeks from start to finish and I ordered it on the 1st week of February and received it in mid-March. On time – with no delays and with progress reports every two weeks unsolicited. The entire process was professional through and through and the completed project, was astounding. The shop called me with great delight that a very beautiful bike arrived and that they were wowed with the color outcome of the bike. I had been told and seen for myself, about the quality of the paint jobs that come from Indy Fab and seeing up close in person on my very own bike made me want to lick it like a lollipop it looked so stellar.

That was just the frame and fork and now came the job of finishing the bike up with it’s components. In the vein of keeping all things American made, I naturally chose Thomson seatpost and stem bits. The handlebars were a carbon FSA bar that I had on my previous cross bike. I ordered up the SRAM Force group, road standard 130BCD/172.5. I used my 4Ti Crank Brothers eggbeaters from my previous bike. I selected TRP EuroX brakes as I’ve been using them for two seasons with great success, so I stuck with something I knew well. The saddle was custom ordered from Fizik direct (Fizik Aliante) – and the colors were chosen from a computer screen. Oddly and thankfully, the saddle colors matched the frame and fork ‘exactly’ – it was a very happy coincidence. Headset was easy, Chris King. To keep the American mojo going, I did matching Chris King hubs laced to Kinlin TB25 rims with Sapim straight gauge spokes (28 hole front and rear). Glued to the Kinlins were a set of Challenge Grifo XS filetreads. The resulting build – Quetzalcoatl.

Quetzalcoatl is as beautiful as she rides and is as stellar as I’ve dreamed it to be.

The Quetzal is the national bird that represents Guatemala. It’s also the name of their currency. It’s the shortened name for Quetzalcoatl which was the Mayan man-serpent god. The traditional color of the Quetzal is vivid green – which is why I named the bike that. The bike was delivered in full by the end of March and I have been riding it since then on 100 mile training rides, epic long distance road racing, commuting to work, cross practices, and cross racing. It has seen about 1,500 miles on it and every mile has been an absolute pleasure to ride on. To say that it met my expectation is putting it lightly and too cliched of an answer, but it did. I am not afraid of hurting this bike. I have put it through its paces and it responds to everything that I can subject it to both on and off-road and it makes riding off road an incredibly fast experience. It has made me a faster rider, but only in that I’ve excelled my personal ability through training on it more. I hope to really make the bike stand out more in the front of a group rather than behind a group!

A custom bike is not out of reach. Laying down your expectations and being realistic of how you intend on using the bike will truly help you decide if the money is better spent on a custom build. The price of many stock bikes with chi chi components already can number into the $2000-$3000 range – at that price point – a custom bike shouldn’t be overlooked. Stock bikes and frames – they are for the masses. If you want a unique experience, start a conversation with a builder, or at least through your shop if they are a custom bike shop dealer. Custom bike purchasing has a niche among the crowds that truly love the art of the bicycle as well as its utility. It doesn’t have to be a $10,000 Serotta to be admired. Your bike purchase is a personal decision, and you should know that the selections are vast and shouldn’t be limited to what’s in stock on a bike shop floor. If it’s out of reach now – then save your money. The custom bike purchasing experience is very well worth it and rewarding. Custom bike builds start at $1100.00 with many builders in the US of A in aluminum and steel. At those price points, you should consider all your options. A custom bike build is not just meant for those who have odd geometries. A custom build can wonderfully highlight what you like about your current bike builds, add new features, or simply attain a new feel for a quality material suited for your liking. The cost of the frame and the fork may be higher than what you feel is worth for a complete bike, but remember that components come and go – and you can always swap your components to the new frame and fork until you can upgrade those if even necessary.

My new bike has garnered great compliments and lots of photo ops for the bicycle admirers out there – Quetzalcoatl is as beautiful as she rides and is as stellar as I’ve dreamed it to be. If you see it in person at a cross race or other event, feel free to ask me about it and even give it a test ride to see for yourself what steel can feel like and weigh in at. In full race mode with aluminum tubular race wheels – the Quetzalcoatl tips the scales at a scant 17.5 lbs for a steel cyclocross racer (20 hole F/24 hole R with Alchemy Hubs and Dugast Tubulars). That is very respectable and could be further reduced with a carbon tubular wheelset – but not until I get significantly faster will I go down that route again! Sure – a full carbon racer out there may be a full two pounds lighter – but I guarantee that it won’t turn heads like mine will, nor will it grow lovelier with age. I hope to someday have my kids ride this bike.

Thank you to Illinois Cycling for featuring this bike already on their first feature called the ‘Supermodels of the ChiCrossCup‘.

Women are Awesome.
Women on bicycles are doubly awesome. Women on dirt bikes getting dirty racing – is especially awesome. We’re not surprised and definitely elated to see that a strong showing of women are coming up in force to give cyclocross a shot in a competitive field! The current field limit is 40 women in the Category 4 group. This limit ‘may’ be increased and word will definitely go out when that fact is confirmed. This participation is excellent for the future growth of the sport in addition to keeping the competition growing to get more speedy women into the ranks of the 1/2 division. Support this category – and come out and heckle them with glee to praise their efforts and get them to come back for the rest of the series!

The Trails Are Alive
Just because it’s Cyclocross season, doesn’t mean we should ignore our fabulous trails. In fact, it’s with 100% certainty that we state that mountain biking is a great way to keep your fitness up for Cyclocross and enhance your handling skills at the same time. The fall weather makes the trails come to life with the colors of the fall and the new sounds and challenges that crisp leaves and soft dirt mingling with our tread on familiar trails. Everyone has a CX practice on a weekly schedule, but some trail action should be thrown in to keep your skills fresh and give you an advantage over other timid riders who may rage hard on the flats, but get squeamish on off-cambr wet turns dropping speed and places as you zoom by them with grace. The nation’s top CX pros are avid trail riders and have incredible finesse and agility on the singletrack. You don’t need a mountain bike in fact, just ride your cross rig at Palos or on the DesPlaines River trail to practice your skills once a week to increase your confidence in your handling. Remember – these races are very fast and furious and every second counts, taking chances on corners and technical sections is the difference between a winning position and a coulda-shoulda-woulda position.

Upcoming Interviews and Reviews
We’ve been getting active again on the review and interview front to bring you some good articles and insight from our local racing scene and products. Part 1 of the 2 part article on ‘Fit to Finish’ is the exploration of going all the way down the custom rabbit hole and what we’ve learned from it. Product reviews are coming up as well! We hope to shed some light on some equipment and supply choices to keep you rolling happily along the dirt!

Mud in Guatemala
This isn’t new – Guatemalan mudslides will happen every year and every report is just as disheartening to hear about. I was even more in tune with the recent happenings as members of the Chicago Cuttin’ Crew made the trek down to Central America to represent Chicago in the Cycling Messenger World Championship event in Panajachel, Guatemala. I was happy to have friends see my homeland and venture bravely into a very dangerous area known for prolific landslides. They have made it back safely, in time to be at Jackson Park racing on north american dirt once again. When you see them – give them an extra congrats and pat on the ass for braving seriously treacherous grounds to represent Chicago and also to bring the championship event to Chicago for 2012! The track they raced on in Guatemala, was in fact, made of dirt. Consider they coined the phrase – do it in the dirt! – it’s no surprise they did so well in the land of mudslides. Good job guys – The Bonebell tolls for YOU!

CX Practices
Speaking of CX practices – there are many – get onto our Facebook page to get updates as to when and where they are. The locations change as do the times as people host them in various parks throughout the city. We’ll keep the more static practices up here on our site – but many of the sessions may be announced the week of the practice.

CX Women Rocking It!
Motivation for all the lovely ladies to rock out Jackson Park.