Summer is back, thanks to your chosen deity!

And that makes me happy. So I went and rode my bike a bit. Like I said last post (a breath of wind blew the dust off it), I headed to Buller to check out the new trails up that way. Seems I'm not the only one this summer either which is great for the mountain. Places like that need everyone one to come and visit in order to both stay alive, and also to justify the amount of money they plow into infrastructure and services. Its the chicken and egg problem as usual, but you can do your part to help by simply putting boots on ground and checking it all out. The more people they see up there, the more money is likely to flow and improve things.

So after my community service messages, I got out riding! A lazy lift ticket got me checking out Copperhead trail (bring your big bike...!) and I was a little dissapointed that it was as rough as it was. The big DH bikes don't take long to tear it up (and who'd blame them, its fun!) but it kinda takes a bit of the fun out when you're simply hanging on. So that was copperhead, good but not great for the enduro style of rider.

Off to Stonefly, the latest Jacobs creation -






And yep, its good. Go ride it, you won't be disappointed! Simple as that! Its got it all, in one cleverly designed package and it deserves your patronage!

And I always try to finish a Buller visit with a trip down Klingsporn which I still contend is the best trail going around for smile value. 3 trips over the side on the way down (15mm thru axle in my future says the crystal ball...) but better than my riding partner who lost all of his chainring bolts :)

So that was NewYears time, and I've been able to keep doing some pedaling since, with trips to check out the new trails at RedHill, home of the Fetch Mankini and was suitably impressed! Some great fun little trails which have held up really well so they must be well built!

Also, the new pump track under the Westgate which seems to have gone quiet recently, but seems to be finished?! I forgot to take a broom down to give it a sweep, but the track is great fun. Nice and fast with plenty of line choices and much bigger than the one at Lysterfield! Sadly no photos, but I have got a quick video of it somewhere...

And finally a Hell ride, and a trip to the Dandenongs have gotten me back in the saddle. Hell ride was a shambles on the weekend, with a lot of people present and some very rubbish riding going on mid pack. By people that have written out/blogged the 'rules' on the road? Yeah, whatever thanks.

In bike news, everyone around me seems to be getting new bikes, making me lust for something shiny. We'll see how we go, might have to do some more work yet...!
 

Happy christmas to the 8 people who still check back to see whats been going on, and its been not a great deal.

But progress has been made! The Virtue is back in the game, with a birthday of fresh rubber, enduro fork seals and fresh oil, and some shiny new 2.35 Panaracer Rampages. With some Ozriders Spex slipped into the tyres, once we got them seated (holy hell, what a mission), we're ready to go.

And go we shall, to check out the new trails at Buller. Something like:




So sometime in the near future, I hope to be able to give you something a bit more to chew on. And hey, now the sun has firmly shown its head, its happy days for summer! Get out there!

Whilst getting some wheels and working takes priority at the moment, I borrowed this link from long time supporter BigMak -

Check out some of his paddle/ride trips - awesome adventures!!

Mike Curiak

As time goes by, a few changes are slowly leaking onto the blog. Firstly, there are a few changes in the blog roll on the side, and I'll endeavor to continue to update them as so many blogs have died, and few have been reborn.

Secondly, mentions of Felt as a title sponsor is being slowly removed. Whilst Epix still rides Felt, and will always be greatful for their assistance, we've not requested any form of sponsorship or agreement at this time. In simple terms, we own our bikes and its enough advertising to simply ride them rather than overt advertising. That may change as it gathers more steam and maybe even hit a few races, but for now its best to have no obligations.

With the truck getting ever closer to completion, more riding shall come! For now, check out the blog rolls on the right and get out on your bike!

Evening rides - win

Bitumen - necessary evil.

Transporting the other bits

For many years, transporting bikes has been a challenge. I can put my hand up to say that I've taken 3 off my roofracks into the shed roof, not a very good record I'll admit. Like most people, I've tried plenty of solutions. For a while I had a trailer when doing national rounds back in the day as we used to do trials, downhill, XC and needed different bikes for all of it. The bike beak style never really took off for me, after the exhaust blew a few road bike tyres, and you'd live in constant fear and trepidation of tearing your bike off on a speedhump.

This is the latest from interbike, courtesy of Cyclingnews

Roofracks seemed to be the best solution for a while, until I got into 4wd. Having something high on your roof was not idea after that point. Swaying side to side put stresses on it that where never intended. Low branches, well.... :( So I resorted to keeping it inside. Safer, protected yet it just takes up so much space, and to bring it home dirty is a pain.

And then, like any good telemarketer would say, I discovered the ISI Advanced Bike Carrier System, for lack of a catchy name...

Just looks like a tow hitch carrier, at first glance. But its so not!! Firstly the thing is designed to be taken off road. For real, not just pretending over a curb to find a park at a race site. Stress analysis testing, fully engineered and profoundly well thought out and executed. Everything that users like me would desire in a product has been added to this unit.

Spare wheels are often mounted on the back of a 4wd. This means that a standard carrier is compromised, not being able to be used the way it was designed. Have a look at how well this setup fits, as it heads towards a reasonably extreme setup for day to day use.

The PowerPivot system -

The mounting system -

And finally, because we all like to look after our bikes, its best to keep them high and dry!

Now whilst I currently don't own one, I'm happily intending to pay full whack for a lifetime of good karma and reliable bike transport. Have a look into them, and get out there!

This has been a community service announcement put together by me in the interest of comfortable bike transportation to remote destinations. Now get outside and ride your bike!

Transportation...

Epix was always multifaceted. The idea centred around the adventure, and we went to great lengths to ensure we stayed true to that. As I look through the photos of our past rides, its easily evident that we got amongst it with our friends.  A lot of the riding was able to take place with the aid of a 4wd to get us to certain destinations, and it was an enjoyable part of each trip. As I eluded to, I had a bit of a winter project - I kinda bent my truck a little. Or a lot, depending on how you look at it.

Broken one above

New one purchased from auctions in Darwin below, prior to being sent to the spraypainter.

A rollover or two pretty well put paid to that vehicle, so I've basically build another one from scratch. Basically every part of the car except the body and the chassis has been removed and replaced. Some wag told me there is 40,000parts in a landcruiser. I've handled 38,000 of them....! For the car people out there, I've swapped the new truck from a petrol to a diesel, from a manual to an auto and from knackered to nice. A complete car, to a bare shell and back together again. Something I've never done before, and hopefully will only ever do to help someone in small bursts again!

Plenty of work, and help from friends has almost got me to the point of being ready to get out into the bush again. And not before time too. Riders would well know that being unable to have some sort of exercise outlet means fat and grumpy people...

So with the truck nearly finished, the bike in fine fettle from GVRaceTech's spanners, and the sun occasionally poking through, its almost time to learn to ride again!

Stiction

Headed out for a ride a few days back, looks like some maintenance is on the cards...



Fox 120mm RL32's are great simple forks, but like most of the equipment that gets used to propel us around, it requires some maintenance. I'm not the best at this art, I refer most things to the man who knows and he sets me straight.

So I pull the bike off the wall and go for a ride with the aforementioned man. The poor old virtue is looking demented, sitting low at the back, and struggling to get into the fork travel. Easy fix at the time is to dump some pressure, get the fork sitting in sag. Haha, bad idea for everything other than bike path, straight line.

So off to the hospital for a late night surgery session. New Enduro seals and some precision cleaning action, and what a difference!! New 7wt oil, and the things feel brilliant.

Just makes me want to go ride....!

Blowing the dust off...

Winter has been and gone, and the landscape has shifted slightly.

Easy first sentance, but it doesn't sit right. Sitting in front of the screen whilst the rain pours, and the fire crackles, its easy to think that winter is still here. But daylight saving is just around the corner, and I've got the end of my latest project in sight, and I've got itchy feet...

So I decided that bikes were back on the agenda. Lucky enough, I managed to purchase my last bike, the Virtue 1 as I loved it so much, so I have something super comfortable to ride.

Epix is back, dialed down a great deal to fit in with life, but always with something happening.

Stick around for some postings, Epix is back...

Could it be?

More Epix??

I wonder what summer may hold?

Felt Epix winds up...

As the once massive, now dubiously political Midnight Oil once sang, "the time has come..."

Felt Epix, as Jason and myself, has had a fantastic innings, with its partnership with Felt, as well as its co-sponsors Ascend Sport, Night Lightning, OzRiders, the ever present mechanical wizardry of GVRaceTech and Sport Recovery. We've had the privilege to travel across the country to participate in events, to experience the wonders that many will only ever read about and to meet some fantastic people. Our adventures have given our wives near heart attacks, amused our worldwide readership and given us a lifetime of laughs, and to a certain extent that will never end. Its in our genes, the desire to go and seek and adventure, and for the past few years, we've been lucky enough to share the experience with others through the generosity of our corporate partners.

But sadly for all involved, the tough decision was forced upon us. From its very inception, we as Felt Epix, and formerly Felt Racing, have always strived to offer the most value for the sponsorship dollar. Both Jason and I have always been mindful of the fickle nature of sponsorship, and constantly pushed to find new and creative ways to expose the brands that helped us get to where we are. But for that very reason, we find ourselves in a place that is not permitting of these tasks.

Whatever form of cycling we have tried our hand at, Jason and I have always *tried* to make it look effortless. To my mind, that's extremely important for a 'semi-pro', a point of difference to the public cyclist. We have the best tools at hand to achieve that goal, and hence we should make it look easy. Truth be told, to go and do a ride in 'public', it often is easy, and that's simply because of the training that goes on behind the scenes. With our time being swept away in any number of directions, the time that was once used for training, is no longer. And hence, we can no longer commit ourselves to our cycling projects with anywhere near the success we could in the past.

Cycling in all its forms is something that I don't think you ever leave. In one way or another, you'll still always ride. Jason and myself will always continue to ride, to seek adventures and to enjoy every minute of it (sometimes in hindsight). We'll continue to push Felt Bicycles as an excellent brand, and our rides of choice. Naturally like anyone, we'd love to get a new bike each year, to ride it and to show everyone we see how good it is. But thats not the way we, as Felt Epix, are comfortable to operate. We know the monetary value of a bike, and appreciate the value of positive PR, but know ourselves that our exposure wouldn't balance that equation, and as such feel it would be unfair to deprive another rider of a share of the sponsorship budget.

Formally, Felt Epix would to thank Felt Bicycles and Southcott for all their assistance and support of the past 4 years. In the future, we hope to be able to approach you with another fresh new idea, but at the moment, we feel that funding might be better directed to younger or up and coming riders. The bikes have been amazing, the support has been unbeatable and we hope that Felt Epix has blazed another unique path in the fantastic world of cycling.

Thank you,

uh oh...

Seem's like broken bones are a bit contagious at the moment...

Enduro Downhills, so 2011!!

Would it be wrong to be excited to see something like this in Australia...?

Like, hello Klingsporn....! :)

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/retired-cross-country-pro-leuchs-returns-to-racing-at-endurance-downhills

Very cool link

2010 Nemisis Marathon Challenge

It has been three weeks since I took part in the Nemesis Marathon Challenge and to be honest I think that I still haven’t recovered.

The race ticked all the boxes to make the winners work hard for their jerseys. The pre-race dinner forced me to change my race plan after Rohin Adams delivered the course to 100 riders without holding back, “go hard here... you will pay for it here!”, he said.

One thing I do like is entering in a race that no one has raced before. The high quality pedigree on the start line indicated just how important this race is on the calendar and the uncertainty of the course reflected the vibe.

30 sec 15 sec 5. 4. 3. 2 .1 GO... Brrrrup

The big hitters moved to the front early driving the lead group to the base of the first climb at warp speed. Once we hit the climb I had to initiate my race plan which was to race the course and not get caught up trying to race above my current fitness level.

With my Garmin letting me know how far I still had to go, I settled into a steady pace. It was amazing to see riders ride off into the distance only to be caught on the next climb, trying to recover from their last effort. The climbs certainly made you work hard for your smile on the descents.

The race organisers had five feed zones throughout the course. Reflecting on the day I believe this is a necessity when you hold a race in remote areas. For all five feed zones on course I never saw one rider not stop.

Each new section of track sent you into a bottomless mountain and forced you to dig deep into your reserves and make a decision, ride or walk back out? I was with six other riders and we took turns riding one then walking the next one to recover. Ride then walk, ride then walk...

At times I wanted to surrender to the course and say you beat me, but a race is a race and I never want a course to get the upper hand.

I finished the day off in just over 6hrs. I had nothing left in reserve which was transparent as I stood on the finish line standing like I was sitting in a chair *cramps*. I was really happy with my result with limited training before the event.

In summary,

Was it as hard as everyone made it out to be? Harder!

Did I get my money’s worth out of the event? Without a doubt.

What would I change? My pre-race training.

Have I recovered three weeks on? The fact my bedtime has started two hours early every night might suggest not.

Would I go back next year...? Yennoyeesno, YES.

With over supplied endurance events on the calendar this race is a breath of fresh air. If you enter next year remember one thing. It is a marathon race, not XC and not 6, 12 or a 24hr team event that we all have got used to and you will be fine. Sort of...?

Jason Jackson