Mooseknuckler Cycling Alliance

The Mooseknuckler Alliance used to be a great site. I’ll be the first to say that I read it on a regular basis. But as of late it has been lacking in quality and quantity… (more…)

This month’s issue of Cycling Utah is superb. It is rare that you find a publication that so fully expresses the feel of the ride.

It all starts with the cover photo, by Bryce Pratt, of a Mooseknuckler rocking a most famous trail. Kathleen is seen riding a curved section of singletrack on the Goose. But it doesn’t end their, flip to page 20 and you will see a write up about the Goose with more fotos from Sir Pratt and some verbage from Knuckler himself. Scroll down a little farther and their is an amazing write up on commuting in Cache Valley, with plenty of tips on how to stay warm and keep your steed pedaling smooth.

If you didn’t already, check it out.

I just got one of these a couple of days ago so this is just an initial review. My first thoughts were that the front was too short and the arms would never keep my wrists out of the wind while riding. I felt it was not very well designed for cycling. I actually thought about sending it back for a size bigger, which probably would drown me but the arms would be long enough. (more…)

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About two years ago I purchased a compilation cd from G7 Welcoming Committee Records, the label of my favorite punk band Propaghandi. The second song on said compilation was titled “We Conquer” by a band I had never heard of before and that was definitely not punk, Warsawpack. I became fond of the song, listening to their politically charged lyrics about western civilization. After a few months I began to check the group out. (more…)

I rode the Feline Races Saturday on my new KHS Flite 100 and I’ve been riding it ever since with a big dorky smile on my face. Now having been a wrench since 1995, there aren’t many things that get me excited, but this bike has done it. I spend more time riding circles around the shop and practicing my track stands than actually working, just don’t tell Keller. I feel like a teenager with a new girlfriend who I just can’t keep my hands off of. I guess all those women I dated were right, I do love my bikes more than them. (more…)

Cabaret Punk, if you haven’t heard it there is something grossly normal about you and you should probably get a mohawk or stop watching television. I was over at Kevin’s house sometime last week and Peter, his uncle from Germany, popped in a dvd of the Dresden Dolls live. I have to admit I was mesmerized. A girl on a piano and a guy banging on the drums mixed with aggressive lyrics seemed to be the most amazing music I have ever heard. I have listened to them ever since. Their recordings don’t seem to be as vibrant as the live concert but I still enjoy their music. And it is quite different than most things out there bouncing around in the air waves. I strongly approve.

“Pedal Damn It!”

“I am,” I scream back at my top tube. When I first ordered this bike I thought it would be really cool and hardcore to have such a motivational thought written on my top tube. Now that I have more than realized how fat, old and slow I am, it’s just annoying. It’s kind of like that guy who tries to talk to you the whole time you are climbing and you can hardly breath but he just keeps bantering on and on and…

I guess I’m getting the complaints out of the way. The only other thing this bike does that I am not totally stoked on isn’t its fault. I’m the idiot that loves the idea of an eccentric bottom bracket and demanded one on my singlespeed. Yes, like any other eccentric bb this bitch creaks. Functions very well, but creaks. I have found if I clean the thing, grease it, including the fixing bolts, it will stay creak free for a couple of weeks.

Beyond those two things, the Niner One9 pretty much kicks ass. The Scandium frame rides like a dream. It’s smooth as butter and light as silk. My build brings the bike in at 20 1/2 lbs. You would think that a light bike would be easy to pedal up, but not for me. Down is a flash of lightning, the low bb allows for screaming down alpine singletrack. The light weight and bb height keep this bike agile but pinned to the ground. I have broken personal records on trails here in Logan on this bad boy, going down of course.

In my humble opinion everyone should own a Niner.

I’ve added another category. Working in a shop, as all shop rats know, requires us to filter what we say about products with the understanding that not everyone can afford or wants to spend the amount of money on a bike to get what really works, really works well. So, to help me deal with not being able to always voice exactly what I want to say, I shall say it here. Note: This doesn’t mean I am a bike snob.
As an inauguration of this category, I wanted to offer the praise that is greatly deserved for Hope brakes. They work, perfectly.

Their superiority become blatantly obvious the other weekend when I rented a bike that had some Hayes Nines on it. They had plenty of stopping power but they had no modulation. You were either skidding or not slowing at all. Hopes strength becomes apparent when one is bombing a steep downhill where you don’t want to skid but you need to be able to keep your speed down a bit. The Hopes can do it all, slowly bring you to a stop or bring you skidding in right behind the other brakes.

After riding Hopes for the past 4-5 months, I will never, I repeat never ride any other hydraulic brake system. Hopes are expensive but they are worth saving your money for. They are bomb proof, have perfect modulation and will cut time off of any descent due to added control.