The adventure begins. Hayley Olson, Freewheel mechanic and

University of Minnesota racer, and her teammate Andy Sullivan

set out July 2, 2012 for their 1,331 mile drive to Sun valley

Idaho to compete in 2012 USA Cycling Cross Country Mountain

Bike National Championships at Sun Valley Ski Resort.

After a grueling overnight drive they finally reached

Yellowstone National Park at around 5:00 a.m. mountain

daylight time.

Being a head of their schedule they took some time to explore

Yellowstone, catching the sunrise as it slowly glazed the

mountain peaks.

Not too long after their adventure at Yellowstone they reached

Sun Valley Ski Resort where they stood in ah gazing at the

mountain standing 9,150 feet from sea level. They could not

believe this vainglorious hill would be their racecourse.

Here Hayley shows off the Freewheel colors under the official

start/finish line of the racecourse.

On their first official day in the mountains they made sure to

pre-ride the course. By this point they have been scaling the

side of the mountain for at least seven miles, elevation change

over 1,000 feet.

The terrain was not always the smoothest. Here they slide

across loose shale trying to hold traction so they don’t go

rolling down the side of the mountain.

Here they are looking out at a section of the mountain that was

destroyed by a wildfire. One blessing of the wildfire was that

a ten-minute downhill run was put in weaving through the

rebirthing forest. It was their first real taste of mountain riding.

The third downhill section was filled with these tight

switchbacks where even the best of riders had to throw down a

foot.

It is now race day July 5, 2012. After surviving the pre-ride,

race day wasn’t so lucky. Here Hayley shows off her swollen

knee that smashed into a sharp chunk of shale halfway through

the race.

 A smashed knee wasn’t the only injury to go home with. Hayley

also ended up finishing the last five miles of the race with a

sprained hand from a second crash that took place in the third downhill. But once all patched up they headed back to the bulletin board to see the results. To their astonishment…

…Even with two crashes, Hayley ended up on the podium with

fifth place in her first ever Nationals event. Her teammate Andy

Sullivan ended with some glory as well, having the fastest

overall downhill time.

Supporting their school colors and brand new bling they get

ready to start their 22-hour journey back to Minnesota. Both

racers are forever grateful for having the opportunity to attend

the 2012 USA Cycling Cross Country Mountain Bike National

Championship. They would like to throw out a special thanks

to Freewheel Bike and their sponsors for all of their support.

Finally their journey ends July 6, 2012 at 11:00 p.m. central

daylight time back in Minnesota. Minnesota never fails to have

a grand welcoming.

Who needs cars?

In addition to being a great bike route for heading across town, the Greenway has been a pretty popular destination unto itself this summer. Several bike-related events have taken place outside our front door here at the Shockspital/Midtown Bike Center the past couple weeks. Here's a shot from the Tour de Cure, where we had a roadside service tent set up:

...you can't appreciate from that photo the number of riders that were out there, but trying to cross the Greenway on foot was like a real-life Frogger experience. Here's a shot from the New Belgium Brewing Urban Assault Ride that better conveys numbers:

...in the foreground you can see the obstacle course that participants had to navigate at this stop. And check out that line! Here's a shot from the other direction:

Seems to me some of those folks should have saved this stop for later. It was supposedly a race. But what do I know?

The point is, I don't think I've ever seen more bikes on the road (and path) than I have the last couple weeks. Good job, people!

We love Leftys....

...but here's an example of a first-generation Lefty that we can't really do much for. These early forks had a one-time press-fit adjuster knob that we can't replace, which means that we also can't replace the upper oil cap seal, which is one of the main culprits in damper failures. If your external adjuster knobs look like this:

...it's a bad start. The red rebound adjuster has no visible set screw (because there is no set screw), and when you pull it straight out you see this:

And then you can pull the lockout knob off and see this:

...which is a black plastic piece instead of a silver aluminum nut the same size. (If you remove the upper collar and pull that black nut off you can peer down into the fork and see the aluminum nut we can't replace.) These clues indicate that your Lefty is too old for us to fix.

Most of our customers who are still riding these forks will be faced with the tough choice of which modern Lefty to buy to replace their old fork. Which, if you divide the cost of a new Lefty over all the years they've been riding their old one, isn't as expensive as it first sounds.

Same sad story...

We here at Shockspital see this a lot: a fork comes in that hasn't been serviced in a while and doesn't get cleaned very often, and instead of wiping it down, installing new seals and fresh oil and sending it back out on the trail, we have to pick up the phone and say things like "strictly financial perspective" and "new fork."

Pictured at top left are a set of Enduro wipers that came off a Fox fork that required a bit of hosing down. Enduro does many things very well, but in our experience these fork wipers can cause more problems than they solve, and some people try use them as a substitute for regular service, which doesn't work. In fact, it often does just the opposite. You can plainly see the dirt that has collected under these, which through use and additional neglect result in stanchion damage like you see below.

This flat spot on the stanchion will allow dirt and oil to bypass the wipers, which completely negates their purpose, which is to keep the oil in your fork clean. Now, instead, dirt has turned the damper oil into a gravelly, nasty mess which is certainly doing bad things to the old TerraLogic damper in this fork. This is a sensitive damper on a good day, but with grit in the oil, you can pretty much forget about this working like it should.

So now this customer faces a tough decision: have us put the fork back together and make it work as well as we can, but know that it won't work well for long. Or, cut their losses and buy a new fork, which is far more expensive but will be a more reliable piece of equipment provided they take care of the new one better than they did this one.

Save yourself the headache of this predicament by getting in the habit now of wiping off your fork after every ride and having it serviced once a year or so. With care like that, it could last decades! And with donor forks like this one, we're sure to have replacement parts for these old forks when something on yours breaks in 2025 (as long as you don't need replacement uppers or an inertia-valve damper).

It's Fox season!

Sorry for the long quiet period, in case you hadn't noticed, it's spring! We've been chained to our workbenches. And we just got our first big order of Fox parts in for the season.

It's a little hard to tell how huge that bag is. I guess you'll have to take my word for it. Here's a close-up of the contents:

Now come get 'em!

Got Ultra?

Long before Michelob Ultra became the world's leading sports/energy drink, aluminum in a slightly different shape prowled the streets of Awesomeville. Say hello to the Cannondale Headshok Fatty Ultra Rainbow:

Stop by or call the Shockspital today to get in on the fun.

Frostbike Frenzy

Over the weekend Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) opened their headquarters in Bloomington, Minnesota to an onslaught of bike shop employees anxious to see what both in-house and outside vendors had to offer for the upcoming cycling season.  For most of us, it was a chance to get our hands on some of the latest and greatest that we will be able to stock in our shops and service departments this year.  Lucky for you, I brought my camera and here are some of my favorite things from the show: 

Campagnolo Record 11 Speed Electronic

First thing Saturday morning, I found myself in the front row of the Campagnolo demonstration and hands on for their brand new Record 11 Speed, and my pictures just don't seem to do it justice.  I enjoyed the hands on-time because I know that if I'm really, really, lucky our shop will get to install one or two systems tops this year.  

This initial year is going to be a very limited run of parts, so if this is in your price range, be prepared to order early, or wait for a long time.  The good news for you is that Freewheel is certified to work on this stuff.  

Surly, Surly, Surly.

One fun thing with a brand like Surly is that they make bikes that are made to be ridden, customized and personalized in just about any way that you can think of.  While some other brands, showed off stock bikes that I could easily see online, Surly took the occasion to show off some of the stuff that their employees have Frankensteined together.  My favorite was the "Fat Bike Lite" that they were showing off.  A 1x1 Frame, Moonlander Fork, with Large Marge Lite Wheels and Schwalbe Big Betty Tires.  This one really had my gears turning for a winter bike build for next year.     

Another eye catcher from Surly was their Ultra New Hub.  So what has actually changed from the New Hub?  A lot.  While we love Surly products, their previous hub design left a lot to be desired.  Anything other than a perfectly adjust hub could result in some quickly worn bearings which needed replacement.  With the Ultra New Hub, the entire axle system has been revamped and gets two-thumbs up from the service department!  For the consumer the big bonus is that it can be either quick release or bolt on without changing the axle.  For the cherry on top of the chocolate sundae, current Surly hubs and be upgrade simply by purchasing a new axle set.

Speed Round:

Salsa: No need to rub your eyes, what you see in the picture is exactly what you think it is, a full-suspension fat bike.  Unfortunately this isn't yet a reality, just a prototype from Salsa, but with as polished as this was, you can bet that this will be coming soon.......

   

45 North: Speaking of fat tire bikes, 45 North showed off a studded fat tire, of course is was frozen into a real block of ice... not sure how much of that was left by Sunday...

Problem Solvers: Having regrets about that track frame?  Wishing that you could shift gears like all the cool kids?  Problem Solvers has your back.  This chain tensioner with a derailleur hanger will turn that Nature Boy into a hill-climber in no time.

If there's a way to do it wrong...

I just attended the Park Tool Tech Summit in Minneapolis followed by a day of training from Shimano. The Park Tool Tech Summit is a two day hands on training seminar for bike shop mechanics. We are taught by the best mechanics (not sales reps) from manufacturer's like Shimano, Sram, Mavic, Park Tool, FSA, Cane Creek, Campagnolo, Fox, and of course Park Tool.

Throughout these three days I was constantly reminded of a saying that goes something like, "If there's a way to do it wrong, someone will do it." I kept seeing things get put back together wrong and kept hearing the instructors warn us that if we don't do X then Y will happen. Y was always something bad, like "You will break this expensive carbon spoke." Or "The chain will fail during use."

In the Mavic class I saw a Carbone spoke re-installed using the wrong lacing pattern. I did see a new Mavic free hub design which looked much better than there old ones.

But the scariest thing was the R-Sys wheel design. You see, the spokes are a solid carbon rod. They don't flex or bend. So Mavic put a spoke retainer ring inside of the hub so that the spokes don't get pushed back into the hub under heavy loads. The only problem is that you can't true the wheel unless you remove the axle and take out this ring. Oh yeah, when you take out this ring you will probably ruin it so you'll want to make sure that you have a replacement ring before you start. The Mavic techs told us about someone that was not aware of this ring and broke a spoke while trying to true a wheel.

At the Shimano clinic we learned about OE chain pins and the power tool used to install them.

It looks like this.

Yep, that's a chain pin installation tool. It's used by bike manufacturer's to install chains on their bikes. It's much faster than the hand tools that we use. The problem that this presents is that they have to use a "special connecting pin" made specifically for manufacturer's, it's no the same as the "special connecting pin" that we are used to. That special chain pin cannot be installed correctly with a hand tool. But unfortunately some chains get shipped to shops and sold to customers with that OE chain pin part way installed. If we install it with our hand tools the chain is likely to break.

We serviced a Cane Creek Double Barrel air canister. It was super simple to do. But if you look at the schraeder valve it looks like it's pointed the wrong way. I asked if the air canister could be installed the other way. I was told that it was possible but that it air would leak out.

By the way, Can Creek has there SHIS together when it comes to headsets.

FSA seems to be all about bottom brackets and bottom bracket adaptors. But we noticed that one of their press fit bottom brackets can be installed backwards.

Notice that they put an arrow next to the L and the R. That's to make sure you press the correct side into the frame. FSA showed us how to fully disassemble their cartridge bearings for a complete service. They made us promise not to tell anyone else how to do it because they were afraid that someone would do it wrong and blame them.

In the Park Tool clinic Thad and I tapped a head tube. I'll give you a couple seconds to think about that one. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi.

The Park Tool class covered a lot of frame prep like facing and chasing. Well, Thad and I have done all that so we were kinda bored. It started out as a joke to see if Calvin Jones would notice us putting a bottom bracket tap into a head tube. He noticed but his reaction was not what we expected. You could see by the look that he got on his face that he was thinking, thinking about press fit diameters and nominal thread descriptions. Then a light went off, IT WOULD WORK!

Calvin told me that I could have the old frame after the summit was over so that I could try to tap the head tube. Thad must not have been paying attention because during the next lab section he started tapping the head tube. As Calvin walked by he was amused and somewhat disappointed because he still needed that frame for three more classes the next day. But again he got excited. The threads were perfect. He soon got to work trying to find a bottom bracket bearing that we could install that a fork would fit through. Of course FSA had a 30mm I.D. out board bottom bracket bearing. We spend the rest of the summit joking around about this new headset standard.

I've been a bike mechanic since 1996 and this is the first year that I have felt that parts manufacturer's have forgotten the saying, "If there is a way to do it wrong, someone will do it." So many of these wrong ways to install things could have been prevented with a little forethought. So just a heads up, make sure you read the instructions before you start working on something, even if it's a simple wheel true.

Give blood: ice racing!

Despite the fact that we're having the wimpiest Minnesota "winter" I've ever seen, 2012 turned out to be another good year for the growing trend of ice bike racing. I first tried my hand at homemade studded tires two years ago for the City of Lakes Loppet and decided to give it another try this year. I learned some valuable lessons last time, namely don't skimp on studs. So this time around I had to visit several local hardware stores to come up with enough #8 x 3/8" and #8 x 1/2" pan-head sheet metal screws to get the job done. The pile you see in the top photo is nowhere near the final total I wound up using (I lost count, but I think I had 350-400 studs in the front tire alone).

I also improved my construction process this time, using a 2x4 on end to support the tire while predrilling the lugs from the outside. This serves two purposes: it makes it easier to find the lug from the inside of the tire when installing screws (they're installed with the points facing out) and (this one is conjectural) it reduces the chance of a lug splitting when a screw is installed.

By the time I was done both ends of the 2x4 looked like they had a bad case of termites. And of course the tool end of the screws isn't as pointy as the business end, but you still have to line the tire with something to protect the inner tube. This year I cut up some old inner tubes and held them in place on the inside of the tire with duct tape.

And after several hours of very tedious work, I finally had a bristling set of race tires. Here's a close-up of the front...

...and here's the rear. And yes, my race bike is equipped with V-brakes. Anyone remember those? Something about V-brakes on an old, beat-up Surly 1x1 makes me smile.

The other fun part of this project was rigging up my Bikes at Work trailer to haul my race bike. Not like it was terribly involved--most of the work is done by a Saris fork mount which does a great job of holding the bike in place. I have to wrap the front wheel in a towel (not shown) to keep it from chewing the heck out of everything else while I'm towing. Which brings me to my safety message: it's a rare interaction with ice-racing tires that doesn't involve bloodshed; those babies are sharp!

Which is, of course, the point. With the number of studs I had in these tires, I had incredible grab even on pure ice-rink conditions. I could come screaming into a sharp corner, stick out my inside foot and get off the saddle towards the inside, and pretty much lay the bike down to horizontal without losing control. Though that technique requires building up a good head of steam into every corner, which would require that I be in a little better race fitness than I actually am, but even with both feet on the pedals I could lean the bike over pretty well. I was able to make plenty of outside-of-the-corner passes around riders who were tiptoeing around the track on their factory studded tires.

Altogether it was another fun project, and I highly recommend giving it a shot. Just be prepared to set aside a couple weekend afternoons and have your work gloves handy!

[Edit, Feb 14, 2012--Here are a couple shots of me trying to lean it over on a frozen lake in northern Minnesota on a subzero day. The ice was so hard because of the low temps that I couldn't really pitch it in, but you get the idea...]

Line Up!! Amp Research Service Kits Are Back In Stock!!

Get your rebuilds done while they last. These kits tend to go fast.

How do I tell if my fork/shock needs service?

This is like asking a dentist how often you should brush your teeth. Most suspension manufacturers recommend having your components serviced once a year, minimum. For most people that's enough to ensure your fork/shock has a long life of solid performance.

Ruined fork stanchion. Don't wait this long!

But if you're the kind of person who waits until something is broken before you have it serviced, here's what to look for:

1) Does the fork/shock hold air? Rapid air loss is a sign that your air piston seals are damaged or worn. Or worse, that the metal sliding surfaces which those seals contact are damaged. Time to have it worked on.

2) Do your external adjustments make any difference? Turn your rebound adjuster all the way one direction, compress the fork and watch the speed of the rebound stroke. Now turn the adjuster all the way the other direction and do the same. There should be a noticeable difference. Try the same thing with your lockout or platform adjuster (see below for more on lockout issues). If you don't see a difference, either oil is sneaking past damaged seals or has broken down to the point where it can't do its job.

Scratched rebound shaft

3) Does it make any unusual noises? Grinding, clunking and slurping sounds are signs that you're way overdue for service. This is like waiting for your car to start smoking before you change the oil. In a rear shock, swishing or slurping (or in some cases squeaking or barking) means that the damper oil is cavitated (full of emulsified air), in which case it needs to be overhauled.

4) Does the lockout work? On some forks the first sign something is wrong is that the lockout gets soft or won't engage until part way into the travel. This is because of oil loss or degradation and is a good indication that the fork needs service.

5) Are you still getting full travel? If your damper seals or shafts get so worn out that oil is leaking out of the damper into the lowers, it will eventually be so full of oil that it can't compress all the way. This can feel like a metal-on-metal bottom-out. Typically this means your rebound shaft is scratched and needs to be replaced. In this case you should go back in time and have it serviced earlier. Or just have it serviced and expect to need to replace some parts.

So if your suspension is acting/sounding funny OR it's been over a year since your last service OR you've been riding at Cuyuna, give Shockspital a call or email and we'll figure out what you need.

Old forks and old bikes, when is when and riding in snow...

This is what a terminal illness looks like for a suspension fork.

  A lot of forks come through the door here and as far as I know Shockspital repairs more older forks than anyone. The hard question is always "Is it worth saving?".
  For as long as Shockspital has been around I have maintained that it doesn't cost anything to find out if it is saveable so when a fork comes in, especially an older one we look to answer this question first.
  With older forks we do try and give special consideration to special situations. Exceptional bikes that were born to early to purchase replacement forks for now are a common problem.
  Bontrager and Klien are two big exceptions we have to work with. A 1997 Judy is not a fork worth the $125 to $200 it takes to rebuild it but if you have an old Racelite or Attitude it might be worth to you. (I would recommend a thorough and honest look at the bike before you decide to make the investment). So we maintain parts and tools to work on this older stuff.
  But do not count on the rebuild service to save your bacon if your stanchions look like this. Old or new forks are vulnerable to this kind of wear if you don't maintain them. Whether its a new Fox or a Halson Inversion you have to keep the stanchions clean. This is a bigger deal than ever during winter riding. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind.
1. Water, aluminum, steel and magnesium are just four things that can be found in your fork most of the time, but winter riding can add salt! Then you have all the ingredients to make a low voltage batter that will grow corrosion inside your fork quicker than grass through a goose.
2. Dirt and mud and the grit they contain are easily wiped off during most riding. Your fork is prepaired to handle these elements . But when you add snow and ice this fine particulate matter is not as easily wiped away. The dirt that is the finest is the most damaging and snow and ice can keep this packed on your stanchions for an entire ride.
3. Oil viscosity changes in the cold weather. Thus the now colder and thicker oil applies more resistance to everything inside the fork including its self. The pistons in your damper are meeting more resistance than normal because of the higher viscosity oil; this will change your damping and in the case of some older Manitous and Rockshox it could actually snap the piston off your damper shaft. (most oils don't have enough viscosity change to do this anymore).
4. Lubricating oils don't move as freely in your fork so your bushing stay dryer and wear faster as well as increasing wear on your stanchions.
5. And lastly, as everything in your fork gets cooler; all the rubber gets harder. Worse case scenario is your Pace fork might collapse totally as the seal gets to rigid to seal air or your Fox might puke its guts out of the upper seal and all over your disc brake (yuck!).
  This doesn't mean don't ride suspension in the winter, this stuff is made to be broken; its the price of admission. We aren't knitting scarves here. BUT you will have to take better care during the season.

• Keep your mountain bike off the streets (that's where the salt is). Salt is hard to beat and contamination is minute and invisible till things go south.
• Wipe your fork with a soft rag when you are done (before and after your bike thaws).
• Fork oil is a mess but an ideal lubricant for your wiper seals before and after a ride (a little triflow works well also). This will keep your seals from stiffening up and sticking to the stanchions while riding. Just wetting the seal with a gooey rag is enough.
• Replenish your air pressures often. Just like in a car tire, temperature changes will affect your pressure. (coils hand the cold WAY better).
• Some forks, older Manitous and cheaper Rockshox  Dukes and Psylos (non lock out XC models) will live longer staying home below freezing.
• Your Bontrager Racelite and its 96 Judy SL should not be let out in anything less than a perfect spring day.

Hopes this helps,
B Rose

Wanna See The Unicorn Dust

Inside of a lefty.

The Lefty and what's so right about it!

  People ask me what I think about the Lefty all the time. It is probably the best suspension fork ever made in my mind with one major weakness; It needs to be maintained. And when I say it needs to be maintained I mean that in all caps, IT NEEDS TO BE MAINTAINED!
  The Lefty is race equipment. Its not like other forks that have different levels or cheaper models. All Cannondale Lefty forks are expensive to buy and repair. You can ignore and abuse most telescoping forks for a while but the Lefty will not tolerate it.
  I see people convert leftys for 29ers and Fat bikes a lot lately, so many of these forks have been sourced on Ebay that people really don't know what they cost and they never see an owners manual for them. So here are some things to know:

Big T finishing off a full Lefty service.

1. If your Lefty has been submerged; you need to rebuild it.
2. If you have ridden your lefty in bad weather for a while; you should have to boot lifted up and have the fork cleaned up. Any dirt could cost you a water bottler full of cash to repair.
3. You should rebuild your cartridge one a year.
4. If your boot is ripped replace it immediately! A TORN BOOK WILL KILL YOUR LEFTY.

  Tyson and I are always willing to talk to you about your lefty and we service quite a few of them. This is the time of year that a Lefty might not be the best choice for an everyday rider but if you take care to maintain it you and your lefty will be ok.
  We also service all Leftys and Headshoks . Stop by Shockspital.com if you would like to send in your lefty for service.

Cannondale, Cannondale, Cannondale!

Our life of making your lives easier just got easier. Shockspital has always worked on Cannondale suspension components. Over the years we have managed to scrape together a decent collection of spare parts and o-rings for all the Leftys and Headshoks that you send us. Sometimes another shop will discover a big pile of Headshok parts in the back of their parts room and send it to us because they know we'll use it.

But as of this week, Shockspital is officially a Cannondale small parts dealer. This means that we now have direct access to the parts that we need to keep your Lefty/Headshok working like new and to get your Cannondale MTB back on the trail quicker.

So add Cannondale to the list of suspension companies (Manitou, RockShox) who are helping us provide the best service we can to you, the customer. And add Shockspital to the list of people who are breathing a sigh of relief. Man, was I tired of hand-knitting replacement Lefty boots...

No Winter Overhauls on Groundhog Day

Our annual Winter Overhaul Special ends when this month ends, pretty much at the same time. In other words, if the phone rings on February 1, and a customer says "I've been preparing for the family Groundhog Day feast (little varmints are elusive this time of year) and I haven't had time to bring my bike in," we'll say "Yuck," and "Sorry."

Once that corpulent rodent drags his sedentary self out into the daylight to inspect for his shadow, we consider it spring regardless of the outcome. Our Winter Overhaul is still drastically reduced right now, so if your rig needs some work, this is the time to get it done. Don't let a bloated rat get in the way of optimal bike performance!

Question: What kinds of things happen to my bike during a Winter Overhaul?

Answer: Good question! Read all about it here.

Free pickup and delivery. Yep, we'll come to your house, get your bike, spirit it off to our wokrshop, let our helper elves do magical thingies to it, and bring it back all sparkling precious, ready for spring to spring.

Right now, there is barely any wait involved. We can promise no such thing after the groundhog has emerged.



Save the money toward some sweet rear window louvers for your '86 Camaro.