[Irishbuddha]

It's that time of year when we all sit around thinking about what to buy that special biker someone in our life or to just give thanks for a great year of biking. Thought it might be a good idea to list things we found useful or great products others might like to find under the tree.

I am blessed with a wonderful wife that loves to bike and tolerates my bicycle spending habits. What follows is a list of things my wife has allowed me to buy and things I found stood out as great products or useful.

Wipperman chains - they seem to last a little longer but the connector is worth the extra money! The connector makes it really easy to take the chain on and off for cleaning - a must with the new 9-speed drivetrains.

Habor Feight Ultra Sound Cleaner - I got tired of having greasy hands from constantly cleaning the chain. Now I just disconnect the Wipperman chain, throw it in the ultra sound jewlery cleaner with a little Dawn detergent and within minutes you have a spotless chain. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=3305 No more greasy hands to spoil the next circle jerk!

Blackbottom nickers - They are just the right weight, great pad and reasonably priced at Bob's. They fill a big nitch in our biking season. They give you that special big ass look!

Chris King rear hub - I love the instant engagement. It has saved my bacoon more than once on technical moves at Gooseberry or Little Mesa. They cost more but you are supporting a great company that is environmentally sensitive.

On-One Inbred - I like the frame but love the single speed. If you are tired of spending the money on drivetrains and want to make the foothills exciting again, try single speeding. Buy what fits your build and your budget.

I would write something about Kenda (B.G. & Nevagal) tires being great but that would start a war about which tires were good and which ones suck!

Guinness Beer - If you suffer from a delightful metabolism that is painfully slow, try a Guinness - low in alcohol, calories, carbs but loaded in flavor!

Well, that's the short list of products I thought worthy this year.

Now for the important part, I would like to thank all those wonderful people and dogs I got to ride with this year. Mark, Jack, Fred, George, Scott, Pete, Doug, Mark (again), Ryan, Jim, Sue, Deb, Megan, Molly, Karmin, Pete (the dog), Twisted, Earthpig, Flipp'n, Al the Poo man, and all those folks at Barbie Camp - can't wait to ride with everyone next year. Thanks!

 

[Markv]

Nice list Mike....

Have two products that are worth pimp'in because of the improvements they made in my riding in 05.

Sram X9 triggers.......I really don't like gripshift but Shimano's integrated stuff made me start looking elsewhere (I know you can still find Shimano shifter pods if you look hard enough) and the 05 X9 triggers beat anything Shimano has made. Combined with an X0 rear derailleur......the best drivetrain combination I've ridden.

PUSH industries......the guys I ride with are tired of me saying this but the $150 PUSH upgrade to a Fox rear shock is the biggest performance upgrade you can make with rear suspension.

We're just doing this because the trails suck right now......glad I rode both days this weekend.

 

[Visicypher]

Your welcome....my gift to you is that I wont spackle on your floor.

Thanks for letting me ride with you, Jack, Mark, Fred, and George. I do really appreciated that...

Next year we'll have to ride together more often. Happy Holidays and may your chute always flow freely.

 

[mtnbkrdr98]

Okay I'll Play too

It's that time of year when we all sit around thinking about what to buy that special biker someone in our life or to just give thanks for a great year of biking. Thought it might be a good idea to list things we found useful or great products others might like to find under the tree.

I am blessed with a wonderful wife that loves to bike and tolerates my bicycle spending habits. What follows is a list of things my wife has allowed me to buy and things I found stood out as great products or useful.

Wipperman chains - they seem to last a little longer but the connector is worth the extra money! The connector makes it really easy to take the chain on and off for cleaning - a must with the new 9-speed drivetrains.

Habor Feight Ultra Sound Cleaner - I got tired of having greasy hands from constantly cleaning the chain. Now I just disconnect the Wipperman chain, throw it in the ultra sound jewlery cleaner with a little Dawn detergent and within minutes you have a spotless chain. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=3305 No more greasy hands to spoil the next circle jerk!

Blackbottom nickers - They are just the right weight, great pad and reasonably priced at Bob's. They fill a big nitch in our biking season. They give you that special big ass look!

Chris King rear hub - I love the instant engagement. It has saved my bacoon more than once on technical moves at Gooseberry or Little Mesa. They cost more but you are supporting a great company that is environmentally sensitive.

On-One Inbred - I like the frame but love the single speed. If you are tired of spending the money on drivetrains and want to make the foothills exciting again, try single speeding. Buy what fits your build and your budget.

I would write something about Kenda (B.G. & Nevagal) tires being great but that would start a war about which tires were good and which ones suck!

Guinness Beer - If you suffer from a delightful metabolism that is painfully slow, try a Guinness - low in alcohol, calories, carbs but loaded in flavor!

Well, that's the short list of products I thought worthy this year.

Now for the important part, I would like to thank all those wonderful people and dogs I got to ride with this year. Mark, Jack, Fred, George, Scott, Pete, Doug, Mark (again), Ryan, Jim, Sue, Deb, Megan, Molly, Karmin, Pete (the dog), Twisted, Earthpig, Flipp'n, Al the Poo man, and all those folks at Barbie Camp - can't wait to ride with everyone next year. Thanks!

First I think there are so many innovations in categories pertaining to our sport it is amazing: apparel, components, suspension, etc.

The Salsa QR. I have had one of these little gems on almost every one of my bikes. They are machined like a piece of metal art, never slip, work perfectly, nothing to break or crack like cheaper ones, and work awesome.

Simple Green. If you have a cassette type chain cleaner, this stuff works awesome, is safe to use for your chain, and is waaay cheaper to buy than the other types of stuff

Heat Paks. I'm probably one of the last on the board to try these. I got the foot warmers and man they are awesome! I am riding in complete comfort in sub 20 degree temps where before the toes would go numb

Pearl Izumi Insulated Tights. Ultra comforable, flexible and warm in very cold temps. Don't go for the intergrated chamois; rather get without and then wear your shorts with chamois underneath, that way nothing will "ride up" on you no pun intended. I was skeptical at first of getting these without chamois, but the sales person at Georges was correct...

Thule Rack. I really like the quick release mechnism on the front - it works awesome and looks good. This is a quality piece - was pricey, but IMT did a great job installing for me and it makes it easier and more convenient to use space, since I don't have an SUV or truck.

and to thank those for riding with me:

Nels, Smilycook, Craig, Geoff, Brett, Brad-Lyndsey-Ian, Justin, Cbro, Dave (IMPdude), Sagerash, , There's more I know it, and I hope to meet/ride with more of you in what is going to be a good 2006!

Those are a few little things I thought to share, thanks and Happy Holidays

 

[CBro]

It's that time of year when we all sit around thinking about what to buy that special biker someone in our life or to just give thanks for a great year of biking. Thought it might be a good idea to list things we found useful or great products others might like to find under the tree.

I am blessed with a wonderful wife that loves to bike and tolerates my bicycle spending habits. What follows is a list of things my wife has allowed me to buy and things I found stood out as great products or useful.

Wipperman chains - they seem to last a little longer but the connector is worth the extra money! The connector makes it really easy to take the chain on and off for cleaning - a must with the new 9-speed drivetrains.

Habor Feight Ultra Sound Cleaner - I got tired of having greasy hands from constantly cleaning the chain. Now I just disconnect the Wipperman chain, throw it in the ultra sound jewlery cleaner with a little Dawn detergent and within minutes you have a spotless chain. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=3305 No more greasy hands to spoil the next circle jerk!

Blackbottom nickers - They are just the right weight, great pad and reasonably priced at Bob's. They fill a big nitch in our biking season. They give you that special big ass look!

Chris King rear hub - I love the instant engagement. It has saved my bacoon more than once on technical moves at Gooseberry or Little Mesa. They cost more but you are supporting a great company that is environmentally sensitive.

On-One Inbred - I like the frame but love the single speed. If you are tired of spending the money on drivetrains and want to make the foothills exciting again, try single speeding. Buy what fits your build and your budget.

I would write something about Kenda (B.G. & Nevagal) tires being great but that would start a war about which tires were good and which ones suck!

Guinness Beer - If you suffer from a delightful metabolism that is painfully slow, try a Guinness - low in alcohol, calories, carbs but loaded in flavor!

Well, that's the short list of products I thought worthy this year.

Now for the important part, I would like to thank all those wonderful people and dogs I got to ride with this year. Mark, Jack, Fred, George, Scott, Pete, Doug, Mark (again), Ryan, Jim, Sue, Deb, Megan, Molly, Karmin, Pete (the dog), Twisted, Earthpig, Flipp'n, Al the Poo man, and all those folks at Barbie Camp - can't wait to ride with everyone next year. Thanks!

Good post. I'm thankful for a great wife, and good kids, (even though they're teenagers and love to test their old man). Thankful for the beater fleet of different bikes, good health, steady business, good friends, a reliable old Dodge pickup, SRAM, Race Face, Azonic, and a free country to live in.

So join me in a toast:

Here's to a great life, and a long one.
A good wife, and a happy one.
A cold beer, and another one...

Merry Christmas guys and gals.

CDB

 

[TwistedCrank]

Here are my Holiday gifts for those of you I know and some of you I know only on this forum. My apologies to those of you I forgot. There are just so many of you and the lines are long at the mall.

Earthpig: The perfect bike and desire never to buy another one. Never needs upgrading, never needs maintenance, is always fun to talk about.

flipinidaho: A retirement party

Ivan the Terrible, bikemech24 and Zebdi: Each get a stupidlight Ti XC hardtail racing machine with an 80mm fork and a complete wardrobe of teamwear lycra

Smilycook: The complete works of Leo Tolstoy and a class in technical writing.

CBro: The complete works of the Dead Kennedys and a bottle of Chardonnay

Visicypher: A bar of soap to wash out your mouth and no more obsession with spackle whateverthehell that is

Irishbudda: A lifetime membership to the Curves for Women health club (sorry, I panicked, waited until the last minute to shop and the stores were closing)

Nels: Some ranting and raving to share with us here

mtnbkrdr98: Satisfaction that you own a good bike, that your riding skills are excellent, and that you life in a great place

Markv: severe time constraints

BelaySlave: A night with Brandi Swindell

Ryman: 4130 Natch

Crash_Burn: Leeches to leech your art

westin: wool, antifog, KY and Chardonnay. Duh.

smoking39: A clue. Duh.

boisematt: A long travel flat pedal sled and a whole buncha air

 

[Visicypher]

Soap.....only if it is made in the fashion of Fight Club. You are not gifting me a spackle knife!!! Awww...I am let down.

TC - for you....a Giant Carbon road bike...since you were eyeing that last I saw you...or was that you??? And more sarcasm. Also, in all honesty, thanks for being not serious.

 

[mtnbkrdr98]

I saw that movie!

Soap.....only if it is made in the fashion of Fight Club. You are not gifting me a spackle knife!!! Awww...I am let down.

TC - for you....a Giant Carbon road bike...since you were eyeing that last I saw you...or was that you??? And more sarcasm. Also, in all honesty, thanks for being not serious.

Those dames had no idea what went into that soap that Brad Pitt manufactured!

trippy movie!

 

[Earthpig]

Here are my Holiday gifts for those of you I know and some of you I know only on this forum. My apologies to those of you I forgot. There are just so many of you and the lines are long at the mall.

Earthpig: The perfect bike and desire never to buy another one. Never needs upgrading, never needs maintenance, is always fun to talk about.

...

westin: wool, antifog, KY and Chardonnay. Duh.

Is this one of those parties where you can steal somebody else's gift? I want westin's! That said, can you upgrade KY?

 

[CBro]

Here are my Holiday gifts for those of you I know and some of you I know only on this forum. My apologies to those of you I forgot. There are just so many of you and the lines are long at the mall.

Earthpig: The perfect bike and desire never to buy another one. Never needs upgrading, never needs maintenance, is always fun to talk about.

flipinidaho: A retirement party

Ivan the Terrible, bikemech24 and Zebdi: Each get a stupidlight Ti XC hardtail racing machine with an 80mm fork and a complete wardrobe of teamwear lycra

Smilycook: The complete works of Leo Tolstoy and a class in technical writing.

CBro: The complete works of the Dead Kennedys and a bottle of Chardonnay

Visicypher: A bar of soap to wash out your mouth and no more obsession with spackle whateverthehell that is

Irishbudda: A lifetime membership to the Curves for Women health club (sorry, I panicked, waited until the last minute to shop and the stores were closing)

Nels: Some ranting and raving to share with us here

mtnbkrdr98: Satisfaction that you own a good bike, that your riding skills are excellent, and that you life in a great place

Markv: severe time constraints

BelaySlave: A night with Brandi Swindell

Ryman: 4130 Natch

Crash_Burn: Leeches to leech your art

westin: wool, antifog, KY and Chardonnay. Duh.

smoking39: A clue. Duh.

boisematt: A long travel flat pedal sled and a whole buncha air

An epic work, above.

But I'd add a couple more:

Bombin4X: Piss and Vinegar. Nobody can be that good natured all the time...

Formica: More females to hang out with on this board. Then again, considering the frat monkey attitudes toward females here, I don't know...

1134x: (Haven't heard much from you lately) A titanium Seven boinger to replace the Walgoose.

Wayndar: A ride with W up in McCall next time...

Merry Christmas amigos.

CDB

 

[formica]

thanks Cbro. You guys are awful nice to me, considering that although I can SEE Idaho from my house, I don't actually live there.

Now for Cbro, I hope Santa brings him a nice set of winter gloves.

for the rest of you, who I havne't had the chance to ride with, a Chrismas wish of flatless tires, kinkless chains, and just the right kind of technical interest on your trails to keep you smiling all year long.

fyi - when they gave me moderator priviledges in the, they gave me my regional boards too.So send me a pm if you ever need any thing etc.

formica

 

[Visicypher]

CBro: I was never in a frat...I did drink a lot of their beer...the monkey thing....well...that is another matter. Since you ride to work, I hope the rain & wind is always at your back, your tires never flip up goose pooh (hehe...i said "pooh") to your face, and the batteries of your commuter light always be fresh.

TC: May you enjoy, and be proud of, a good spackle in the coming year. I hope to ride with you one day.

 

[Irishbuddha]

Thanks for the present

Well, I could believe my good fortune in receiving a lifetime membership at curves from dear old Twisted. Off I did go, with visions of sugar plumbs and TV shows of young 80's sweaty lasses (you remember the one with the woman in the circle and the camera panning around the room with the legs flying in the air) dancing in my head. And there at the entrance to my great surprise, my eyes were filled with a great prize. Oh, what a treat, there before me the Nutcracker toots sweet! And buns that looked like two Volkswagens on a hill about to emerge - oh my. And calves that would make a Single Speeder cry (Notice how I worked in the biker theme into a X-mas story- so no whining).

"Hot Buns"

I knew the future held great hope. For the Sugar Plumb fairy and I had scooped just the right clothes to bring good luck and maybe some hope. http://www.livejournal.com/users/eyeno/208380.html I had found the perfect 80's sweat top and had practiced my "do-me" coy smirk. And with a clamor I did emerge from the roof top (since there was no boys room in which to purge). So from a fireman's pole I did decent from the sky like good Ole Saint Nick. With me boys tucked snug in their sack and just covered with wee little towel in search of the dance floor or maybe the weight rack.

"Fat Basturd Photo"

To my discussed I did find my belly and breasts were the biggest in all of Curve's land. But with great joy I did spy the jazzercise room all filled with great smells and plenty of lycra (yes baggies suck) to boost the heart and bring holiday delight......

"80's dancers"

But oh, my poor ears what a racket for Richard Simons Sweating to the 80s they must hear! So to lighten the mood and set the tone, I did bellow, "I'm not kiddin!!!. I've got a crap on deck that could choke a donkey! Aww, it's Squidgy! Christ, I'm gettin' all emotional from it, ye know? It did sound a little wet, there didn't it? Right at the end! Oooh! Heh heh heh. Let's have a smell all right? Oh, everyone likes their own brand, don't they? Oh, this is magic! Hmmm, wafting, wafting. Ok, anylisis. Ooh, smells like carrots in throw-up! Oh that could gag a maggot! I smell like hot sick... ass in a dead carcass! Even stink would say that stinks! You know when you go into an apartment building and you smell the other people's cooking on each floor and you go "What are they cookin'?" That, plus crap! Dirty Fat Bastard quote"

And from the back of the room hidden in woman's clothes Kuna does scream, "What at the woman's place - more flatulence and spackle jokes - is there no hope!"

With that, I was expelled on to my big Irish Buddha belly and no cloths to be found. It was worse than getting booted from the local bike shop. So off on the Inbred to work I did go all buck naked with the mind all still a glow. Damn, twisted - nice gift but next year why don't you do something simple like pull my finger!

So hope you all had a good laugh and some ho, hos! Pleasant holidays to all of you out there in the land of MTBR.

 

[Wayndar]

Wayndar: A ride with W up in McCall next time...

Merry Christmas amigos.

CDB

Wow, I'm honored that you guys remembered me! We definitely need a McCall ride next summer. It seems like a lot of people are in the area for the 4th of July- maybe we should start planning around that. My Christmas wish is for a ride in the Owyhees with y'all in the next few weeks.

I'm giving thanks for my understanding wife and kids that put up with my bike-centric thoughts and purchases all year long.

I don't know too many of you, but my favorite items of the year- that I wish for you- include-
A new skatepark. After 4years of working on it, the McCall park was opened- and we're expanding to 14,000 square feet next summer- woohoo-largest park in Idaho- and it'll be open to bikes!
Singlespeed skatepark/dj/trail bike to re-invigorate my riding
Hope seatpost clamps
Kenda Cortez tires- I'd like to hear what the foothills riders think
Fox Talas forks

PS- LOTS of rain up here for the last few days- there goes the snow. I have never seen a winter like this up here- crazy cold and now Noah-like deluge- WTF?

 

[Visicypher]

A serious post...

Merry Xmas and a hearty sincere thanks to Meeker...for building...and sharing....Dan, you never get the credit that you are due...and you have been doing your thing for sometime now...(it has almost been 10 years since you first built the Meeker loops)...thanks Dan for the great trails...you would be a good president.

 

[Crash_Burn]

Crack Spackle

A serious post...it has almost been 10 years since you first built the Meeker loops)...thanks Dan for the great trails...you would be a good president.

Serious? Post? hmmm....oh yeah Dan for Pres.