8 September 2009 - 2:33T-minus…

SSWC is looming.

I still have to make some definitive tire choices as my bike needs to be in a box and on it’s way to Durango no later than Wednesday. I haven’t managed to figure out what gear I want to run either, but part of me just wants to say “screw it”. I have a 35-21t set up, on old XTR M952 cranks. They are creaky, but still good, plus the OG Spot Brand Spiderless 35t front cog is practically a bike geek’s collector’s item. I also have a Boone 21t rear cog, which I am not about to give up so lightly either. What to do…?

The whole tire thing is a problem for me as I have an entire shelf of tires that I like to put on my bike at any given time. I run Nevegals pretty much exclusively on my “fun” bikes – bikes that I set up one way and forget about. They work awesome here, but out there, I know I have something on the shelf that is better, or at least faster, and maybe even lighter. I may go back to my “dry” set up that I used in AZ, or I may go back to old faithful.

Everything else though, is pretty much set in stone.

The wheels will be my “prototype”  I9 Classic SS hubs laced to Stan’s Arch rims with DT Aerolite spokes. Yeah, Aerolites. For those that don’t know, they are bladed, and are typically found on road bikes. They are 100g lighter per wheelset when compared to similarly built wheels with standard spokes, and I’ve found them to work very well for me so far. This event will really put them to the test.

This seat and seatpost have held my fat ass up ever since this bike was new and ding free, so no real reason to change a good thing.

I was very generously given a nice new set of Magura Marta SL brakes by master Magura tech guru Jude Monica. I have always liked and traditionally used Magura brakes pretty exclusively for several years, but when the Avids came out, I sort of faded into their camp. Aaron gave me the full on pro set up. Mine have Magura’s performance pads, which hit really hard, making stopping a one finger affair. I feel it gives a little less modulation, but damn these things stop you fast. 180mm rotor front, 160mm rear. I still really like Maguras… I could easily be swayed back…

The front of the bike has a Reba Team on it. I’ve been super happy with the performance of the newest Reba platform, and I have several at work in my stable. I really like the tuneability of the dual air spring, and the Black Box damper has allowed me to find the sweet spot when dialing in the high speed compression adjustment. It’s great for riding the singlespeed, and I pretty much have mine set up in a way where I don’t mess with it during a ride.

I was also very generously given a few pairs of grips by Jeff Kerkove of Ergon, one of which is now on the bike. I had been using the GX-1, but have made the move to the GX-2. The big difference is the little carbon flavored bar end. My bars are the same width, but these extra little hand holds really make the difference when climbing, and we all know there is going to be a lot of climbing in my future.

The bars are my ever present Easton EC70 Monkey Lite low rise bars, this time left at their full 660mm width. A Thomson stem holds it all together.

Purple King headset, 2009 vintage (heh heh heh, sorry G-Ted). Look at it shine under that black stem!

I’m feeling really good about the bike. Despite my physical setbacks I’ve had this year, I think I am as prepared as I can possibly be for this trip. I know the bike is going to be up to task. With the exception of the wheels and grips, Kermit is pretty much unchanged from the slap upside the head that was SSAZ09. He’s ready for battle.

I now I have no choice, but to fulfil the triple destiny of the single speed. Pedal. Walk. Stop.