Dear Santa: Jon’s list

Dear Santa,

I know that I rely on my cute English accent to get away with naughty things at times but I think, in general, I tip the scale toward nice. I’ve done my trail days, given to charity, sent my mother flowers on Mother’s day so all that has to count for something.

I could easily write a long list here; something from Kitsbow, the new Giro Empire shoes, a pair of Race Face SixC cranks. There are a lot of lovely things that I’d happily see in my sac this year and being limited to 3 is somewhat restrictive. Santa doesn’t like greed though and after a lot of head scratching I whittled it down. I’d like to claim that at least one of my gifts is practical and will last a lifetime, one is will contribute to my health and well-being and the other is…. well… indulgent. Let’s start there.

Ritchey P-650b

For the type of riding around here the Ritchey P-650b isn’t ideal, but when I saw this P-650b under the hard lights of the show hall at Interbike I was pretty smitten. Those beautiful slim steel tubes initially caught me eye but then I looked closer and started to see some of the nice details. The one that impressed me the most was the neat rear disc caliper mount. The two bosses for the caliper are mounted inside the rear triangle with one bolt on the chain stay and one of the seat stay, that means that a brace between the two stays isn’t needed like on other steel frames as the caliper is effectively doing that job. It’s that kind of detail that gets bike nerds all sweaty.  Add some the classic Z-max tread on the tires to the package and I’m taking a journey to nostalgia central.

In fact to make this bike less practical for my normal riding I would even plump for the carbon rigid fork. I may not go as far as a single speed conversion, but I imagine that this bike could liven up the most mundane trails with a rigid fork. Oh and I’d really prefer the classic Ritchey red, white and blue paint job if you can sort that out with Tom.

King Cage and Stanley Flask.

It’s cold out now and but merino and Gore-tex work even better when enhanced by a snifter of something strong. Last winter I finally realized why I have a hip flask and started putting it in my pack with some scotch in it. The sensation of the golden nectar warming you from the inside out can quickly defrost any numb extremities. Now that bottle cages are back I’d like a flask cage for my bike. Surly makes one that looks up to the job but I am favouring the King Cage as they make one that fits the Stanley flask. If it came full of Yamazaki whiskey that would be the cherry on top.

Silca Super Pista Pump

My Topeak Joe Blow has been filling my tires for 18 years. The pressure gauge is likely questionable by now and, being a nerdy engineer, I like things to be accurate. I also have a tendency towards well-engineered items and the Silca Super Pista LP floor pump passes that test. For starters the laboratory-grade pressure gauge reads from 0-60 psi with +/-1% accuracy which is more accurate than the usual +/-5%, let alone what my 18-year old pump reads. This means that the gauge has the ability to get down to 0.5psi accuracy time and time again. I’ve always wanted to find out what 28.5psi feels like for rear tire pressure.

The rest of the pump reads like an engineers wet dream. The hose has a Teflon core lined with braided steel and coated in red urethane. The hose is suitable for aviation applications and is rated for 12,000 psi. The heavy, brushed nickel zinc base keeps the pump firmly upright. The valve head even has a high-strength neodymium magnet to dock to the base when not in use.

The inside of the pump’s barrel looks more like the inside of a rear shock, with its Teflon-lining, hard-anodized piston rod, and precision IGUS bushing. The cherry on top (literally) is a hand-turned rosewood and steel handle for an aesthetic that would look good sitting on the kitchen counter. This pump will last for generations and will be listed in my will.

And….

If there is room for anything else, or you are now catering to canine gifts too, my trail hound would be a good candidate for the Go Pro Hero 4 Black with the Fetch harness. I think she could give Matt Dennison a run for his filming money with as she chases my back wheel.

I know that there were some lofty requests in there this year, so I would happily settle for the flask and cage if that’s all that will fit down my chimney, but damn that pump is really nice.

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Will any of Jon’s requests make it onto your list?