The Bauer Family

NC Nailed Narrow Wide Chain Ring:  As I posted yesterday this is a very nice looking piece.  Unfortunately when I went to mount it to my Sram X5 crank it did not fit.  The bolt holes lined up, but they would not move in place.  The metal under the bolt holes would not allow the ring to set flush. Would not fit, what to do? I took the measuring calipers and found that there was a large size difference.  I did not want to try and return this piece (it came from China).  So I got out the Dremel and started to work.  After about an hour I had the metal down to the size it needed to be. So I now have it mounted up. Performance Access 29er:  I know I talked about having rebuilt this bike.  I took a few pictures yesterday and want to give a run down on the specs. Here is the build spec: Performance Access 29er Carbon frame 19" RockShox Reba Race Fork 80mm Race Face Ride XC crank GXP Bottom Bracket Salsa 34 tooth Ch...

The week started out normal with work and a prediction for a snow storm.  By Wednesday morning we were sure we were going to see some significant snow.  It started snowing shortly after 9:00am.  It would not stop until the next morning.  We worked till 4:30pm and then went and picked up mom and brought her to our house.  We took the Chevy 4x4 that day, good thing.  We ended up with 10 inches or more of snow. Thursday consisted of cleaning the driveway, work and more cleaning of the driveway.  I took mom back home then picked Michelle up from work.  I did more snow throwing when we got home.  I was really sore after that.  Very wet and heavy snow. NC Nailed Chain Ring: I made it to the post office here in town on Thursday finally.  I picked up my new chain ring for the Vortex. 30 tooth Narrow Wide. Appears to be very good quality and is going to be a good match for the Vortex. I will try to install it today after I do...

There was no rain today and the temperature dipped considerably.  So after breakfast I went out for a ride.  The gravel roads were in great shape and I am not.  It is very obvious that there is no frost in the ground.  I got ten miles in and called it a day. We then spent some time working in the house.  There is a lot to do before JJ's graduation party. The Green Machine: So with the revelation that JJ is not going to race this year I took the liberty of setting up the Green Machine for gravel riding.  This is my first Fat Bike and I really like it.  Here is the build that will stay on this bike for a while. Motobecane FB4 17" frame and fork Carbon-Cycle single ring crank 172.5 w/100mm Bottom Bracket 36 tooth Salsa Chain Ring Sram X9 Type 2 10 speed rear derailleur Sram X9 Rear Shifter Praxis Works 11-40 Cassette Sram PC1030 chain Avid BB7 brakes Avid Speed Dial Levers Diamondback 90mm Stem No Name 740mm aluminum bars (these...

This week more parts were coming in that I will be placing on the Vortex to upgrade and possibly make it lighter.  The first thing to arrive actually came in a couple weeks ago. FSA SL-K Carbon Bar 740mm width. On Thursday when we got home from mom's I found a package from Jenson USA. In it was: Zee Rear Shifter, 10 speed. SLX Medium Cage Rear Derailleur, 10 speed. Sram 10 speed chain. Still waiting for the new chainring and expander cog for the cassette.  The cog will give me an 11-42 cassette and the gear range I am looking for.  After that the only change I would consider is going 11 speed. Ore to Shore:  So we talked to the kids at dinner the other night and neither of them want to do Ore to Shore this year.  I still would like to, it is a great race and very fun.  Time will tell. Winter: Our winter has been very strange with little snow and not a lot of cold weather.  Yesterday we set record highs and to...

After trying to get the Green Machine set up with a 42 tooth cassette and a Sram X9 derailleur I found that it would not work.  So I moved the Praxis 40 tooth cassette back onto the Green Machine.  I put the 42 tooth cassette on the Access 29er with an SLX derailleur.  It did work, but there was not a lot of chain wrap on the cassette.  So I started looking at One Up Components and Wolf Tooth.  On the Wolf Tooth website was the Goat Link.  I read about it and figured this is what I needed. The Goatlink! Here is what Wolf Tooth says about the GoatLink on their website: GoatLink  x Wolf Tooth GoatLink is simply the fastest route to improved wear and long-term shifting performance on wide-range 1x10 drivetrains using the Shimano Shadow+ Rear derailleurs.  The GoatLink re-positions 10 speed Shimano Shadow+ Rear derailleurs to the optimal location when using the GC40 and GC42. ...

So we have come into February and the unusual weather has continued.  We have seen nearly 50 degrees and now back to freezing temperatures.  For me the month has not started out good.  I came down with a cold on Sunday, which has turned into a sinus infection.  Missed the first four days of work this week.  Dr put me on very strong dose of antibiotics and was told I may not start feeling better for 10 days! To make things even better I had a crown come off a molar yesterday also.  Dentist put the crown back on for a temporary fix.  Go back in a a couple of weeks to get fitted for a new permanent crown. He is concerned that there may be some decay so could be in for more extensive work? On the bike scene I only got outdoors to ride twice in January.  Now with my most recent health set back I may not get out this month.  Good thing I decided to not do Barry Roubaix! I ordered a few parts and they are starting to come in.  The first t...