muldman profile

I carry a minimal first-aid kit:

• A couple of LARGE bandaids (10cm x 10cm)
• A couple tabs of Ibuprofen
• A small roll of gauze
• A bit of moleskin
• Some antiseptic wipes and small packet of polysporin (there is a LOT of cow shit on the local trails this time of year…)
• Gorilla tape (also part of the tool kit)

This all packs up into a very small, very light package. The bandaids are the largest thing in there.

Slings, etc. can be fashioned out of backpack straps and tubes when need be. Larger bandages can be fashioned out of jerseys, etc. (If you need something more than the basic kit, sacrificing some riding clothes will be the least of your worries!)

I've used this more than once this year…

The larger first aid kit stays in the vehicle, but this minimal kit gets you back to the trail head.

Fezzari lets you swap out absolutely anything on the bike (start with one of the 2 or 3 off-the-shelf specs, then modify away.) I think they can do this as every bike is built as the order arrives. No idea if it would scale to a larger operation…

Fezzari.

A couple of comments on this:

First, "you can’t tell how good a bike is from the computer screen." True. It would be ideal to see the bike, take it for a test ride, and be able to make a decision that way. Except that the last 2 bikes I have purchased at the LBS I needed to pre-order several months in advance sight-unseen, hope my decision was correct, and not have any idea of when the bike would actually show up. All I could go by was online reviews and the details on the manufacturers website. So not much different from a pure "online" bike company.

Second, it appears that most of the new direct-to-consumer companies are not shipping you a bike that needs assembly, like the majority of brands do when they ship to the LBS. They are doing full builds of the bikes just like your LBS would, then taking off the wheels and handlebars and shipping it to you. There is less assembly involved in one of these bikes than there is when you pack your bike to ship it on vacation.

Third, if a component craps out under warranty, I would expect the direct-to- consumer company to deal with it. Yes, I have bought a bike like this in the past. A shifter died. I send them a photo, they FedEx'd me a new one and offered to refund the cost of having it replaced at a bike shop if I couldn't do it myself. I doubt all companies have that level of service, but it's not an insurmountable problem. (I don't know if they would have been as accommodating if it was a shock that died, but it couldn't have been worse than the 4+ weeks it took to get it repaired through my LBS and distributor when it happened at the start of the season…)

I absolutely, 100% want to buy my bikes from my LBS. I want them to be there when I need service. I want them to be a part of my community. But the direct- to-consumer guys are making it so easy to stray…

6.25″ wheels are the new 27.5.

Unless your house only uses 200Whr of electricity a day, this isn't going to let you go off grid. A single bright LED light bulb (9W) requires 216Whr to run for an entire day.

I find that being really out of shape and a kinda shitty rider in my 30's has made my 40's much more enjoyable. Fitter and faster every year!

The AC policies will absolutely evolve from this. Now when you pay $150 to check a bike, there will be a waiver you need to sign stating that they are not responsible in any way for any damage whatsoever.

Hmmm, the MTB industry was started by baby boomers. The YOUNGEST baby boomers are in their mid 50's right now. They are retiring en masse. It's the Gen X'ers with the money and power right now. At my last race the largest category was Masters 40+…

Yup, the Canadian premier was here in Calgary last night. You need to see this film…