David Singlespeed Unrau

It turns out the Superfly King City race this Wednesday has been upgraded into a full on single speed Festivus. Singlespeeders get in free, and a free BBQ for all. The race is sponsored by Misfit Psycles, and should be a good time. We’re going to try to make it out – I’m not sure how long it takes to get from Kitchener to King City in rush hour, but we should be there by the BBQ at least! Here is the info:

For Immediate Full Release: Superfly Racing Single Speed Festivus!

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On Wednesday July 25, 2007 CHICO’s wee sibling SUPERFLY, will be hosting a Single Speed Night at the KING CITY TRAILS.

In conjunction with the newly minted Wednesday weekly series SUPERFLY will be turning the spotlight on to those less fortunate riders who are forced (out of necessity, poverty, simplemindedness or even technological ignorance) to ride with only one speed…this event is not a registered charity even, however, if you would like to help these poor souls, MISFITPSYCLES will gladly pass your excess cash on as it sees fit.

Yes there will still be the ‘normal’ race categories and stuff, hell there will even be a BBQ FREE FOR ALL…additionally…everyone who shows to race/ride on a single speed will be granted a full and complete pardon from the normal entry fees! That is an excellent value.

There will be prizes, there may be dancing, there might even be a Sean toss…so tell your friends.

A prestigious brand of single speeds will be available (in limited numbers) for demo rides during the race…email in advance and bring your pedals.

I figure if we can get enough True North Cycles riders out to the BBQ, we can eat poor Peter from Misfit into bankruptcy!

Well, it seems like I’m in a midsummer lull, at least for posting. We have a break in racing for a while. Our next race is the Ontario Cup at Elliot Lake in a couple of weeks. After that – the Single Speed World Championships in Scotland over the Labour Day weekend! We’re taking the break from racing to get a few good training builds in. Training is going well – it’s feeling great to go out with a plan and get lots of good workouts in. Plans for the fall include Paul’s Dirty Enduro, the Iron Cross, and maybe getting serious about the southern ontario cyclocross series. Things are quieting down at the shop – so time to get some carbon cyclocross frames together for the fall. More on this as they come together!

Check out the Sunshine Princess’ blog – a fellow singlespeeder and an awesome rider.

Sweat can destroy your bike and your components pretty quickly – we had a good example of this in the shop today that I though I would share. We see lots of sweat-based corrosion damage to bikes, especially in the spring, after a compulsive winter of spinning on the trainer. Bathing your bike in salt water and then leaving it in the heat destroys cables, shifters, frames and components. Here are the results of one winter of spinning on the trainer:

The white is salt and aluminum oxide dust.  The dark in the centre is a where the handlebar is completely eaten away.  Before the tape was removed, the bike looked completely clean and to be in tip-top shape.  This handlebar was completely destroyed – I could easily rip the end of the handlebar right off.  Good thing this did not fail while riding!  What should you do about this?  Make sure you get your bike tuned up by professionals at least once a year, even if your bike looks like it is in good shape.  Stay off the trainer unless you have to – cross train or get a winter bike.  The funny thing is, winter riding does not normally cause this amount of damage, this quickly, so by staying in on the trainer, especially if you are a heavy sweater, you may be causing more harm than good.  Finally, make sure you protect your bike from sweat with towels, and wash your bike regularly if you are riding indoors!