What goes up....

Round 3 of the GMBC Winter Series. A 30 km loop that took had us riding what seemed like every bit of trail in the park.

Like the last round of the series it was raining heavily in Melbourne this morning, my brain was running through a long list of 'better things to do' and another of 'why it would be bad to race', I drove on. By the time I reached the race start at the Kurrajong picnic grounds the rain had stopped and though cold was shaping up for some good racing.

Before the race Jim and I decided to work together, start at a moderate pace and pick up riders who had gone too early. Not long after the start, while I breathed hard to hold the wheel in front of me, I began to think our strategy had been forgotten by my stalwart companion. As the course started to slowly rise I hit my stride and started to work turns with Jim, we were dropped along a long stretch of fire road but still sitting pretty before the climb up the link track.

The black descent (run #4) delivered some relief to lactate filled legs and giggles to our faces, we even managed to catch up the rider in front. Our tactic was soon to end when Jimmy had a small mechanical, I pushed on feeling good on the bike, but the small pinches were starting to take their toll.

When I reached the half way mark on the stockyards fire road climb and saw the arrows not pointing up to the right but rather down the fire road to the left, I must admit I was relieved. I had lost a lot of time up the climb and I was determined to make it back. I took considerable time out of the rider in front of me but the occasional rise in the road sapped my speed and sadly I never quite made it across to his wheel.

9th Place
1:30.51
34 km
530m climbed (gained)
7268 heart beats
7 giggles
1 mono
2 tired legs
3 post race sausages.

See you at the handicap!

Rock Hop at Beaconsfield

As I write this, the rain comes down outside - relentless and wet. 24 hours from now I expect to be cold, wet and waiting to head off for a lap on a track that has been thoroughly churned up by the 500 people who have done a lap before me. I don't know what our results will be like, but I do know that I will be about to get myself and my bike covered in mud. Should be GREAT FUN!!!

I will take a camera along and get lots of wet muddy photos which I will post here, just as long as the camera survives.

Until then....

Single Speed Nationals

Team Baum member Neil is a risk taker.

This is proved by one fact. He is going to the single speed nationals this weekend. It is rumoured that race entrants must blow at least 0.15% blood alcohol content from the drinking the night before or they will not be allowed to start the race. Further, if you do not have 7 piercings and 4 tattoos (a brand counts for 2 tattoos) you will have to go to the on course body artist to get yourself up to spec.

I hope Neil is ready for this.

Should he survive, he will be back next week with photos for the blog.

A new mountain bike

I have been working at Baum for about 6 weeks now and I am loving it! Even the bad bits are good. But I don't have a Baum bike yet . . . what? . . . what is that I hear you say? . . . "Don't be RIDICULOUS, how can you work at Baum and not have at least 3 Baum bikes!!?!??!"

Alright, alright, so I need to buy myself a Baum bike. How about a mountain bike? Well, as it happens I have been thinking about the build of a new Baum mountain bike for me.

I want it to be a fast race bike. I would also like it to be super light, but still a practical mountain bike – no road cluster or double chain rings. It will show what we can build here at Baum – to get people excited about fast, light mountain bikes with a bit of bling - and because I like that kind of bike. There will be no "it gets me from A to B" type bike for me. Finally it will have to be big because I am 188cm tall - Darren has already suggested running the large diameter Ti tube set with the 44mm down tube.

I have yet to sit down with the boss and talk through frame geometry, components etc, but my currently thinking on components is as follows:


Frame: Baum Cubano 1350 (estimate)
Forks: DT Swiss XRC 100 RL 1380
Handle bars: Schmolke 80
Grips: Extralite Neogrips 16
Stem: Ritchey WCS 4 axis carbon 124
Headset: Tune Bobo 79
Seat post: AX Lightness Europa 118
Seat Post clamp: Extralite Ultraclamp 11
Saddle: Specialized Phenom SL? 195
Front Derailleur: SRAM X9 154
Rear Derailleur: SRAM X0 197
Cables: Nokon?? 95
Shifters: SRAM X.0 trigger 225
Brakes: Avid Juicy Ultimate 683
Wheels: Tune Princess and Prince 1216
Rim tape and valves: 15
Skewers: Tune Schnellspanner 51
Crankset: THM Clavicula 440
Chainrings: Extralite Octaramps 109 or Carbon Ti chainrings
Chain: SRAM PC-991 Hollowpin 271
Pedals: Eggbeater 4Ti 167
Cassette: XTR 224
Cassette lock ring: Tune alloy lock ring 4
Tyres: Stans The Crow 820 or Schwalbe Racing Ralph
Tube: Stans notubes sealant 120
Lube & grease : 20
Chain stay protector: Stick on 12
Bidon Cage: tune carbon 9
Bidon Cage bolts: Ti 4

TOTAL 8235g

Well, that is very light. Some of these weights are estimates and of course one never really knows what the weight will actually be until the bike is built.

Comments are welcome on this build list.

Give me a few months and you will see me out at the races on a new steed. I am sure you will see more posts about this bike also – I will do posts about the build process, the parts as they arrive and photos of the finished bike before I go and get it all dirty.

David Rusden