Introductions - hi to all

hi all,

I've been lurking a bit, and decided to join, since it seems like a really active forum. I followed a link from TrueSport, which was founded by a friend of mine in Dayton, Ohio. I began riding and racing with the Dayton Cycling Club, then moved to Cincinnati in 1995. I relocated to Boulder, CO a year and a half ago, and enjoy the change of pace & much better year-round riding weather.

I've been riding bikes for 15 years and racing for 10. I've been a race promoter, coach, team manager and shop mechanic. My race categories are 4-soon-to-be-3 (road) and Sport (MTB).

I currently own 2 Colnagos: a Dream road bike with Record 10 and a Dream Cross cyclocross bike with Centaur 10. I also have a custom Morgul Bismark (local area frame builder) TT / crit bike with Chorus. My cafe cruiser is an old steel Trek fixed-gear with cool filed lugs and a drilled out NR track grouppo. I had a really nice Klein hardtail for several seasons, but sold it to help save up for an XC dually; I'm thinking Fuel or similar.

Let's see - I despise riding the trainer, and will take the 'cross bike out in the snow before riding indoors, love to downhill ski, even though I suck at it, love my fixed-gear & commuting on it, really dig racing although I'll never be a superstar, and the coolest thing that ever happened to me bike-wise was having Christian VandeVelde drool over my Dream Cross when I met him out riding in Boulder a couple days after I built it up.

Cheers - LFR

Welcome to the forums

Richard

Welcome to the forums LFR. Sounds like you could bring some experience in here. Stick around an keep posting. :beer:

Hey Ranger,,, I've seen you around on RBR's cross forum. Just getting into the sport, myself -- and yes, blasting through the snow is infinitely more entertaining than a trainer... Of course, you don't get numb fingers from sub-freezing descents on a trainer...

Welcome.

Welcome.
VERY impressive stable. :thumbup:

Hey velocipedo, I remember seeing both you and Dutchy on RBR!

'Cross is probably my favorite kind of riding, and I've figured out the trick to not letting your hands freeze: midweight PI or Biemme winter gloves with a silk liner (like the skiers use). I don't like the feeling of non-mobility that the Lobster type gloves give me.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to rig lights (commuting) on a frame with no cage bosses (the Dream Cross). I've got a few ideas; probably will go with a frame-mounted velcro battery pack

Cheers,

LFR

Weasel, I dig your tag line. I've been the poster child for that one in a few criteriums.

:D

Originally posted by lonefrontranger

'Cross is probably my favorite kind of riding, and I've figured out the trick to not letting your hands freeze: midweight PI or Biemme winter gloves with a silk liner (like the skiers use). I don't like the feeling of non-mobility that the Lobster type gloves give me.

Cheers,

LFR

Hi there LFR,

Always good to have another Crosser on the boards....I'm currently riding in the UK, and am thinking about tackling the 3 Peaks in Yorkshire...

Will you be racing in the fall?

Cheers

Rich

"will you be riding in the fall"

Sure will. Top 3 at state championships is one of the goals I listed on my racing resume for this year.

Glad to see another cross rider on the board, too. Do you race?

It seems that the upswing in 'cross bikes in the U.S. has been mostly by folks looking for a better hybrid, commuting and trail cruising bike, not necessarily for racing. You should see some of the singletrack these guys (and I'll admit I sometimes do too) ride on 'cross bikes. They gear them all crazy (with triples and such) and get into bombing some fairly technical terrain.

I personally love MTB'ing in serious singletrack with a hardtail or dually. But there's a lot to be said for ripping mellow singletrack and fire roads on a 'cross bike. Not to mention the looks on the fat-tire boys' faces when a little gal on a rigid, skinny tired "road bike" breezes past them like they're pedaling backwards.

This has led to a big push for 700c wheeled MTB's in the U.S. Personally, I'll stick with the 'cross bike.

For keeping extremities warm, I've had some luck with polypropylene glove and sock liners. On the hands, I'll wear the liners and a very old but still usable pair of Specialized full-finger gloves, though I might try cross-country ski gloves next winter. On the feet, it's the polypro liners under woll dress socks. Works quite well in relatively dry conditions. I'm still trying to figue out what to do when it gets wet.

I'm still new to cross, but I hope to race in the few races in Quebec next fall... maybe look into mixing it up in New England. I have a LOT to learn, though. I'm getting the running dismount all right [thanks for the pointers on your Web site, Rich], it's the jumping mount that I'm having trouble with. :( Foortunately, the second-to-last time I attemted this, I had a drive-side snow bank handy. Unfortunately, the last time I attempted it -- and sort of succeeded -- I landed rather hard. [Note to self: Get a cutaway saddle.]

There are some guys around here who are talking about poaching some courses on Crown lands next fall for pick-up races. Sounds like that might be fun...