Thursday, September 27, 2012

Kevin

Photo:


Geometry breakdown:
-69.5 head tube angle, set up for 100mm travel taper/thru Fox. Bomber.
-42cm chainstays (41.5cm effective) with Paragon postmount sliders.
-23" effective toptube and 644mm front center
-74 seat tube angle, 11.9" BB height, s-bends, 2.4" tire clearance, blah blah blah.
-Not pictured is the direct mount derailleur mount that I still need to put on, as well as a second set of cable guides for the rear derailleur.

And yes, my descent into hypocrisy and irrelevance continues - this frame has a totally functionless curved toptube, just because Kevin wanted it to look different. I can only hang my head in shame and await your cruel barbs and jests. Dicky, I'm looking at you...

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

What's missing?

There is something important missing from both Kevin's frame and my spiffy new Bakfiets (I've been told this term is pretentious, so it's "cargo bike" from now on...)

Can you spot the missing bits?




Yes, Kevin's frame won't be going far without a toptube, but since I've been sucked into the tube-bending vortex of doom, I agreed to do a curved one - and lo and behold, the diameter we want is the only size of roller I don't have. So until the rollers show up from Swag... this is all there is.

And the bak... cargo bike? Nothing is funnier than riding around town with a huge pack full of groceries on a cargo bike with no cargo carrying capacity. I goofed and didn't order in the tubes to build the platform (which will have lots of attachment points for all sorts of stuff) so while it's rideable and quite sily, it still does not carry cargo. I do get about 20 double-takes per ride in SLC on it, though. In Boulder I think people would just yell things like "Nice cargo-less Bakfiets, you moron!"

Rollers and tubes are in the mail, so hopefully these will both be wrapped up soon.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

New powdercoat info

So I've been in SLC for a while now and I'm in the midst of dealing with every framebuilder's nightmare scenario... (cue ominious music)...

Finding a new powdercoater.

Luckily, with some help from Greg over at Beehive bikes, I got the hot tip on the only local guys who know what they're doing with bikes (they're BMX folks and also racecar dorks). One catch, though - they don't do the media blasting side of things to get the frames clean and ready.

So long story short, for the time being, all frames and forks have to go through a 2-step process. I first drop them off at Utah Soda Blasting for cleaning. Then I pick them up and take them over to Powderworks.

This is probably going to mean *slightly* longer lead times for frames and forks (hopefully no more than an extra week). If I figure out a way to get it done quicker, I will.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Rant!

I'm riding the Shoreline trail yesterday afternoon, by myself, going out for a short/hard ride after work. Passed a number of people, lots of hellos and smiles all around. Pull up behind some fella riding fairly slowly up Dry Gulch and ring my bell.

Wait.

Wait some more. Ring my bell some more. Attempt to shout loudly enough for the guy to hear.

Finally, I figure either he's being a jerk or he can't hear me, so I wait for a wider section and go ahead and pass him.

Fellow curses me out. Gets really red in the face and wants to fight me, apparently.

Needless to say, I keep riding and decline - I'm dubious that this ruffian will follow the Marquis of Queensbury rules anyway. Looking back, I see the ubiquitous Ipod cables reaching up to his ears. Figures.


Ok, the rant is this: If you deliberately prevent yourself from being able to hear your surroundings, you cannot get angry when you're surprised by other trail users. Ride with one ear bud, or no ear buds, or if you really must rock out, take it for granted that you won't be able to tell when people want to pass you. When they do, take it in stride, because screaming obscenities just makes you look like an idiot.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Sunday PSA

I've been getting an increasing number of requests from random people for help deciding what bike to buy, whether to get a carbon wheelset, or whether they should use a longer stem. In short, people who want advice but don't want a bike from me.

Folks, this is my living. I enjoy my work but I don't have so much free time that I will happily answer your question about what size Kona to buy. If you live in Salt Lake and swing by with a 6 pack, you can probably pick my brain for half an hour and I won't complain, but if you're not a personal friend or a customer (or at least thinking about being a customer) I can't help you.

That said, I do have more experience fitting and designing mountain bikes than all but a handful of people, so if you really, really want my advice but don't want one of my bikes, you can hire me to do as much fit/design/componentry consulting as you'd like. But it's not free, so don't just email me with random questions and expect a useful response. It's not that I don't want to help you - it's that if I help everyone, I won't have time to ride, build bikes for paying customers, or hang out with my family. I wouldn't come to your workplace and ask you to help me for free - so please, extend me the same courtesy.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Fitting right in in Utah!

Even Sophie the giraffe.


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Race Report from Tyler: Shenandoah 100

First off thanks again Walt for building me and badass ride. The bike does everything I wanted it to do. It floats around tight switchbacks with ease. Out of the saddle it feels stiff yet feels super comfy over long rides. On steep descents the bike feel really stable. The geometry makes me feel like I'm riding "in" the bike. Hands down I love this thing. Why would anyone ever want to ride a plastic bike when they can ride an awesome custom steel bike? That will probably last a lifetime. I've done a many rides and races on it on so far and the bike has yet to me down. So here is the build and a race report from Shenandoah 100 I did this weekend. Oh yeah crazy thing happened, I was raven on and on to this guy behind about how much I loved my Waltworks. Then he pulls up next to me and he had one to! Small world. I think his name was Mark Rogerson?


Build Kit
Fork: 100m Fox Float Terralogic
Headset: Chris King
Bars: Ritchey Low Rizer
Grips: Qury Lock on with Cane Creek Bar ends
Stem:Thomson
Post:Thomson
Wheels:I9 with Flow Rims
Tires: Maxis Arden 2.4 and Ignitor 2.1
Crank: Stylo 1.1 36 or 38t
Brakes: XT

I look at my phone, "yep it's 4:30 in the mourning and somebody is playing Crazy Train as loud as possible. Hell yeah! I'm ready to my bike a 100 miles." Some dude rolls by hitting a gong on a 4 wheeler and Chris gets on the loud speaker "C'mon get ya some breakfast, it's black coffee kinda mourning." I get some pants on get three or four bagels and huge cup of unfinished coffee. Joe Fish is there and I talk to him bit. Then I rollout and change into the race clothes and all the other pre racing boring stuff.


At the starting line I find my boy Allen Campbell from Blackwater Bikes, we get rowdy almost too rowdy for 6:30 in the mourning. Allen and I start way in the back and pass probably half the field on the climb up to the radio tower. Then on the cookie trail nobody is riding the rocks and everything gets bottlenecked. Bradley Schmalzer passes me after his flat at mile 2. I find a train on Tillman Rd and latch on. Then begin the hike a bike up Lynn Trail. Finally the top of Lynn comes and sweet descent down Wolf begins. I rip past a few sketchy characters and some guy screaming bloody murder. Guess all the riding with the Plastic Man has payed off! I reach the creek at the bottom of the flowy stuff and pass mickey mouse, a hooters girl, some guy who said "Rider 555 (my number) your table is ready" and D Reid who broke his degaylleuer. Then on the flat road section, between Wolf and Aid 2 all the geared riders I passed on the descent come by in their big ring. I promptly give them the finger and tell em see ya halfway up Hankey. Not really but damn was I thinking it!


The awesome volunteers get me in and out of Aid 2 quick and the assault on Hankey begins. My legs feel good and I catch Davy from Blackwater in the little meadow before Dowells. Davy and I roll down the sketchy top portion and pass some fellas walking their bikes down the drops. Davy skids off a little bit and lets me around. Halfway down I feel my water bottle hitting my leg, I look down to see my cage is broken. So for the second half I come down looking like an idiot with my bottle in mouth until I can get a zip tie at Aid 3. I hop into a geared train down 250 while some dark clouds roll up. Half way up Bridge Hollow the skies open up and I'm talking biblical rains. The rocks are near impossible to ride and I watch some dude ride his bike off the mountain. Bald Ridge, the Braley downhill, isn't much better. You have to squint like an old man reading the newspaper to keep the mud out of your eyes. At aid 4 I see a bunch of people quitting.


"Sup Dicky"


"Quitting"


"You to J-Pok"


"Yeah there is no point"


Damn this rain!


On the road to the death climb I start shivering and can't feel my toes. At the base of Shit Road I see Joe "Pro I've got them flashy yellow shoes" Fish who has the worlds biggest sidewall tear. He encourages me to keep riding. Actually he gave more of that WTF are you doing, stop talking, go ride your bike, it's race kinda tone. So I press on. Shit Road is this stupid 2% grade gravel road that goes on and on for 7 miles. If I sit down I spinout and it's not steep enough to stand. Man I want this to end! Finally I hit the base of the real "Death Climb." A lot of the geared guys looked shelled, I grind pass Mark Junkerman from RunRideRace halfway to Aid 5. Finally the much needed relief of pizza and candy comes at Aid 5. Then things got heavy. The little road up to Little Bald knob and Chestnut is destroyed. It's the nastiest mud I've ever seen. Slow going really doesn't describe it. I ride through a puddle that engulfed my water bottles. Then the top of Chestnut was super sketch, peanut buttery and slick rocks. Finally towards to bottom things smooth out and I make some moves past some fellas. At the very bottom I past two dudes on full squishy bikes, who tell me at Aid 6 "Didn't know you could go that fast on a hardtail." I was going fast!? Plassman, David and Joe must be moving at the speed of light then.



I roll up Hankey the second time, walkup the Plastic Man dubbed "bitch slap." Roll up under the finishing banner to see David telling me I just got under 10 hours. Right on! Pretty stoked on a 9:59 finishing time and 16th out of 45 in the singlespeed class.


Immediately I fill up my finishers glass and start my post race festivities. After a couple hotdogs and a dip in the creek and I start talking to Dicky and Thom Parsons. Jeremiah Bishop comes over and Dicky starts making fun his "aero pads." Then Bishop tells us there is women's underware and little turds in people's drop bag's. I say he is full of it but Thom and me go investigate. Check out my interview from that at the bottom. After a few flambongos (a pink flamingo made into a beer bong), I start hanging out with the cycling and living legend Tinker Juarez. Yeah it happened. Not really but Garth Prosser is one of the coolest freaking dudes I've ever met. Things were drinked, words were said, and friends were made. Late late into the evening an angry mob of Nate Sheerer, Thom, Sideshow Bob, that lady from the WV Night Club, and myself all went on the Dick hunt. After much searching we found the little man, who everyone thinks is me, asleep in his fortress. Threats of sharpies were made, finally I went to bed after the worst merry go round ride of my life.


I'll be back next year sure. I made so many friends and hung out so many old ones. In fact I've got 100 mile-itis. Next year I'm gonna step my game up. Get ready for me, Mohican, Cohutta, Wilderness, Fools Gold and Lumberjack. Maybe even race the Tahoe Sierra 100 and make a stop by the Waltworks HQ. Everyone who reads this must try this race, it's a blast and well worth the entry fee. Anyone can finish all you gotz to do is pedal.


Oh yeah I ran a 36x22.


My cycling interview (video) from the race.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Sorry Lance...

No pictures for you yet... but Nick sent this nice shot of the twins rocking their WW onesies!


Saturday, September 08, 2012

Friday, September 07, 2012

The long-awaited non-whining UT post

A while back, I whined about the things I don't like about Salt Lake City.

Cue the waaaah-mbulance!

Now it's time to even things out and talk about the stuff that rocks. 5 things, list style, no particular order.

1. The riding is awesome. The shoreline trail and offshoots is a 5 minute ride from my front door, and there is a lot of fun stuff to ride on it - at least 20 miles of worthy trails, and I'm still exploring. Red Butte is a darn fun little section, even though everyone told me "no fun for bikes", so I'm thinking I'll do a bunch more exploring on some of the "only fun for hiking" trails. Park City... can't say enough good things. I'll be on the computer desperately trying to get into the PCP2P for next year...not to mention the Draper 50, Heber 50, etc, etc.

2. Our house is in a great location. Less than 15 minutes to:
-Epic Brewing
-Squatters Brewery
-Lots of good grocery stores
-The U
-The very awesome Pie Pizzeria and Pharmacy Deli ($3 shakes you eat with a spoon!)
-Some great bike shops, including my personal fave Beehive.
-The LDS Temple. Oh, wait, I don't really care about that. But it's neat, I guess.

3. People are insanely friendly. We've made friends with all our neighbors, pretty much instantly. We went to the DPS (where you get your drivers license) and instead of a 5 hour Kafkaesque ordeal like in CO, it was 30 minutes and the friendly, competent (!) employees cracked jokes with us and cooed at our baby. Awesome.

4. Houses are cheap, cheap, cheap. We have a 1700 square foot house in a primo location, with a kickin' shop/garage, for less than our condo cost in Boulder.

5. The grid is kinda awesome. Need to figure out where you are? No problem, it's just Cartesian coordinates. Navigating around town is dead easy. Yes, there are a few one-way streets and such that you can end up having to drive around to get to where you want, but honestly, it's pretty insanely easy.

We like it, in short. It's going to be a fun time - think about coming out and visiting and watching your bike get built if you're interested.

Sunday, September 02, 2012

Progress...

Frame and fork are a super-svelte 17 pounds. Nice. Got a bunch more left to do, but this should be a blast to use as a grocery (or drunk friend) getter.

Don't worry Lance, I'm working on your frame too!


Saturday, September 01, 2012

Ego-trip Saturday

I wish I was racing the Park City point to point right now, but since it fills up in like 3 minutes in January or something, and I didn't know it existed until yesterday, c'est la vie. I will have to settle for rereading Adam's email until my ego becomes too large to be contained by my swollen head and I spontaneously combust.

Hey Walt,

I'll try to keep this relatively brief so as not to inflate your ego too much. I just got back from my ride on the Colorado Trail. Prior to departing I had done two commuter/urban rides with the rigid fork just to get on the thing and ride it. It felt like a 29inch BMX, exactly what I was hoping for, I couldn't be happier with the feel; nimble, easy to manny, not at all long or sluggish, it felt great....on the street. As soon as the Fox arrived in the mail I put it on and went out to hit one of my regular 4 hour loops in the North Shore. A good mix of tech, steep, road, BC xc, the proving grounds. That's all I needed, it felt perfect, like I was riding an iron, it just smoothed out the trail both up and down, and easily made the tight switchbacks other 29ers I tried struggled with.


I sewed up the last of my bags, the frame bag for the main triangle and a day later was in Denver picking up some supplies at REI that I couldn't fly with.

Long story short....500+ miles of all kinds of trail conditions and terrain in 10 tough days of loaded riding has me still grinning and has me very happy with decision to call you to get the job done right. Flowing through aspens at 24mph, grinding up a rocky, rooty climb at just over walking pace, hammering a fire road to eat up easy miles, hanging on to a techy descent at hour 14 on the day. You nailed it! I can't wait to ride the thing unloaded and really let it go.

Colorado (SLC now) Builder + BC Bike Feel + Colorado Trail + BC Rider = Perfection


Thanks so much for your effort and attention to detail. I'll be happy for years to come on this bike. It already feels like I've been riding it for years.

Some pictures attached, I'll send some from my local trails without the bags when I get a chance.