tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330667.post4009827445235953253..comments2024-03-25T12:22:52.998-05:00Comments on The DirtBlog: Tagged -- Here it Is...MGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00377768960221628840noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330667.post-86488790589526837572008-10-20T08:58:00.000-05:002008-10-20T08:58:00.000-05:00And a Ti La Cruz... Can you say, "ultimate Dirty K...And a Ti La Cruz... Can you say, "ultimate Dirty Kanza 200 bike?" I can. Because that would be it. <BR/><BR/>For those racing at TransIowa, it would be "the one" as well, but for those doing it as more of a dirt road randonneur, I think the Fargo might be a better choice, simply because you can do the full fat tire and get the cushy ride going. That said, I just fit a 700x40 Michelin TransWorld Sprint into my La Cruz, tubeless, and at 30psi it's a plush fast roller. Heavy yes, but plush and fast too.MGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00377768960221628840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330667.post-41112769250933273482008-10-20T08:54:00.000-05:002008-10-20T08:54:00.000-05:00Cue the Van Hagar... 'Cuz that's what dreams are m...Cue the Van Hagar... 'Cuz that's what dreams are made of, good buddy.<BR/><BR/>A ti Fargo? Oh yeah. You'd have do make it out of big main frame pipes and chainstays to be stiff enough under a load (with flattened center sections of course to smooth out the ride a bit), but man, you could do it. Put some relatively svelte, slightly swept seatstays on it... That'd be the ultimate long-haul adventurer if otherwise set up like a current steel Fargo in terms of geometry and fittings.<BR/><BR/>That'd skate onto my "dream bike" list immediately, no doubt. It just did, in fact. We just dreamt it up...MGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00377768960221628840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330667.post-15865479890525537662008-10-19T22:51:00.000-05:002008-10-19T22:51:00.000-05:00I'll take one of each. Steel. Ti.La Cruz.Fargo.Oh...I'll take one of each. <BR/><BR/>Steel. <BR/><BR/>Ti.<BR/><BR/>La Cruz.<BR/><BR/>Fargo.<BR/><BR/>Oh wait......GNAThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11030083238539453615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330667.post-28245279272352967662008-10-17T20:10:00.000-05:002008-10-17T20:10:00.000-05:00I totally agree with you Steve. I do like them bo...I totally agree with you Steve. I do like them both, for totally different reasons. The 12/24 races are all about community, even when you're racing solo, you're still a part of it. You still know stuff is going on around you. In some ways it's a bummer when you're riding because you see all these campfires and all these people cracking beers and cooking up steaks, and you can't be a part of that crowd... It's a bit depressing at times. In some ways I hope to be able to experience that someday. I know my good friend Dave Chase just did that at Moab for the first time and really enjoyed it, so perhaps I'll have to try it. Shit I don't know? I'm too competitive...<BR/><BR/>But even up front, in a race like the Kanza' or T.I., you're alone alot. It's just a part of the deal and while I do enjoy that to a certain extent, I can only handle it in measured doses. This season just about maxed me out. I'm longing for singletrack... I'm ready for the Fargo, simply because it's trail-ready, so it'll be just off-road bent enough for me to be able to rip it with a bit fatter tires than i could on the La Cruz, and that'll be the difference for me. Where for many, the La Cruz is enough around here, I want something that can run a 52-55mm tire with clearance.MGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00377768960221628840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330667.post-45347653152616054452008-10-16T21:22:00.000-05:002008-10-16T21:22:00.000-05:00Mmmmm.... bikes. I might have room for one more he...Mmmmm.... bikes. I might have room for one more here in the garage, but I think the wife will put her foot down after that. Gonna almost have to be a Fargo just to keep me from wanting anything else at this point. <BR/><BR/>MG, good "unasked" question. Lap races present certain challenges, and events like the TI present their own challenges. An XC / 24 hour type event at a place like Boone gives you multiple opportunities to get the course right. 15 times over the same log or barrier, and you're gonna learn something. Having the crowd there to cheer you on at regular intervals is good. OTOH, it's a bit like the movie Groundhog Day. The same thing over and over, with the big difference being how tired or injured you are at any particular point. If you know the course, it can become a bit automatic. To me, this type of event is more of a physical challenge. <BR/><BR/>A longer event like TI, DK or GDR is a completely different animal. You have one pass over a particular section of the course. You pick your line and you deal with the consequences. You're by yourself a lot (at least if you're in my part of the pack), and that means a lot of time to think. I found parts of my mind and psyche that I don't particularly want to find again during DK. The long events are more difficult mentally than they are physically. <BR/><BR/>That said, I like 'em both.Steve Fullerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330667.post-77299190250591569482008-10-16T09:09:00.000-05:002008-10-16T09:09:00.000-05:00A ti Dos certainly would be a super sweet ride, no...A ti Dos certainly would be a super sweet ride, no doubt. It'd be a lifetime investment, but it'd probably cost like a lifetime investment as well. Doing drawn titanium flat stays wouldn't be inexpensive to do, and I know Salsa wouldn't do a second-rate job on it. Either that or they'd have to redesign it to make it more ti-manufacturing-friendly, because I doubt they'd just do round tubes.<BR/><BR/>I'd ride one...<BR/><BR/>Guitar Ted, I could see that, for you, perhaps a well-built steel bike might be a better choice anyway from a ride quality standpoint. To built a Ti bike that would be stiff enough under your massive power might not ride much differently. But for my spindly legs, I can take a nice springy ti frame that is ultra sweet riding... a distinct level of springiness over what you can durably achieve with steel. Also at a weight that you can't touch with steel... but can easily with alloy or Scandium, but not with quite the same ride quality perhaps, but at a better cost-to-weight ratio however. <BR/><BR/>You see, it gets complicated... I should've been an engineer.MGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00377768960221628840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330667.post-68754071213295786012008-10-15T19:46:00.000-05:002008-10-15T19:46:00.000-05:00i constructed and test rode a sweet recumbent tand...i constructed and test rode a sweet recumbent tandem towards the end of my career at the shop. they owner asked me to outfit it with the parts i would outfit it if it was my own. i did. it was sweet but reasonable. it would kick ass to tour with the wifey on one. i didn't spend alot of time on it. but it seemed like it would rock for the above stated purposes.mwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04850174876026340203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330667.post-247052726104091032008-10-15T19:10:00.000-05:002008-10-15T19:10:00.000-05:00Titanium: I guess I am non-plussed. I rode a titan...Titanium: I guess I am non-plussed. I rode a titanium hardtail at Interbike last year and to me it felt like a steel rig- a good steel rig, but a steel rig all the same. So, titanium doesn't do much for me. It just never enters my mind to want one.<BR/><BR/>Now steel on the other hand.......Guitar Tedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10960580677548417562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330667.post-72763360754966563992008-10-15T18:26:00.000-05:002008-10-15T18:26:00.000-05:00Funny, MY ultimate would be Ti Dos Niner. There ar...Funny, MY ultimate would be Ti Dos Niner. There are Ti softails out there, but as of now they are worth about THREE Dos Niners. So I guess I'll stick with what works for now. ;)Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10931403291668582311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330667.post-1763099744740283372008-10-15T17:23:00.000-05:002008-10-15T17:23:00.000-05:00Man, wouldn't it be sweet?!! I just got a Moots t...Man, wouldn't it be sweet?!! I just got a Moots ti seatpost today for my red El Mariachi, actually. It's about as close as you can get to the ride of ti without actually having the Ti frame...<BR/><BR/>Thanks Jason,<BR/>MGMGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00377768960221628840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7330667.post-2021689268525900062008-10-15T15:07:00.000-05:002008-10-15T15:07:00.000-05:00Yummm....A ti El Mariachi. Sign me up too!Yummm....A ti El Mariachi. Sign me up too!GNAThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11030083238539453615noreply@blogger.com