Big Wheel Racing

Team Big Wheel Racing is preparing to make its presense felt at one of the country’s Premier early season Endurance Events. In its 9th year the Kona 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo is one of the largest 24 Hour events in North America. The race will take place starting at noon on Saturday Feb 16th in Oracle, AZ outside of Tucson and won’t finsh until Sunday at noon. There’ll be lots of crankin’ going on.

The Big Wheel Team Roster will include:

Jen Albright - Solo SS Female

Lisa Wishard – Solo Female

Jeff Hemperley - Solo SS Male

Scott Sportsman - Solo SS Male

Mike Mangan - Solo Male

Donnie Cole - Solo Male

John Mazzola - Solo Male

Nate Berg & Rich Capener – Open Duo

(Team Name: Big Wheel Racing - B100 addition)

Starting at noon on Saturday, Feb 16th, you can follow the real time tracking of the lap results at the following site: 

http://liveresults.epicrides.com/

Here’s to wishing the entire Big Wheel Team much success.  Stay tuned here for insight into all of the action. Gonna be a great time in the Ol’ Pueblo for sure.

January 6, 2008–Here we are 6 days into the new year and recovery from the holidays is just getting started, but it is time to take out the cross bike for one more race to wrap up the season. The Grote Prijs race is the traditional year end race in Kansas City (at least for the past 3-4 years). Last year this race was brutally cold, this year was to be different–temps in the low 50s!! Great, but for the fact that all the snow/ice that had been around was now pure mud–this race turned into an epic mudfest and was generally an all around great way to finish the season with some classic cyclocross racing conditions (note I said generally, more on that below).

In typical fashion for me I got to the start line late, but snuck into the third row behind a couple of folks I planned to try to grab a wheel from (approx. 38-40 riders)—the start takes you down a long straight pea-gravel straightaway and into a big parking lot for an uphill paved sprint then into the grass (mud). I was in the top 12 by the time we hit the grass and within the first lap pulled into 6-7th and up to 4th-5th by lap 2. By this time we were pretty well covered in mud and the field had spread out pretty widely with a group of two guys chasing me while I tried to reel in the top guys, but was unable to do so. The final couple of laps turned into a cat-mouse game with the two guys chasing me–they would reel me in and then I would pull away–I tried to use some of the super long/thick mud bogs as a chance to really put the hammer down and pedal through to pick up some time from them and it seemed to work. I backed off a tad on the final lap figuring if they caught me that they’d be gassed and I would then be able to put in an attack and would be more rested. The plan worked to perfection (almost) as we were neck in neck entering the final obstacles and all three jumped on our bikes for the pea-gravel/pavement finish stretch.

Thats when the wheels came off……my bike which had been flawless (despite all the mud) suddenly didn’t want to shift. Once it did, the rear cassette decided it didn’t know what gear it wanted to be in and I suddenly found myself behind two guys sprinting away as my bike started pumping out skipping noises and generally letting me get about 40% of my power (what was left of it) to the road. Needless to say, I lost the sprint before it started. Final placing “should have been” around 6th or 7th, but in fine form and tradition (started at last year’s GP race) the race officials once again placed lapped riders directly behind the podium finishers in the final standings. This blows my mind as they did it last year as well and despite complaints this year they did it again so go figure….Not sure what my “official” placing was, but my real finish was around 7th–right about what seems to have been the norm for me the past few races.

Here’s to a successful season supported by our great sponsors and hoping for a successful 2008/09 campaign that hopefully includes Big Wheel Racing team members racing at the National Championships!!

Posted by Doug Young

I thought I’d take this opportunity in the relative off season to introduce the bike I’ll be racing for the Big Wheel Team on smoother terrain.  I have been piloting a Ti Seven Sola 26er HT for buff single track courses, but last fall I began to think about getting back on a 29er.  I had in the past ridden a Ti Airborne B29 with a White Bros fork.  Unfortunately, in the early days of the 29er revolution the bike was relatively heavy at 24-25lbs and steered like a truck.  That drove me to the Seven Sola.  A world class racing frame no doubt and at 22lbs one of most responsive mt. bikes I have ever ridden. 

I had heard that the newer 29er forks had greater offsets designed to improve their steering response and that there was now a few frame options that would rival the Sola in weight.  So I began looking for my next race chassis.  I decided to go with the lightest 29er frame on the market; an Orbea Alma 29er (available at High Desert Bicycles).  I had never ridden a carbon frame and I had some concerns, but I decided to take the plunge.

To keep this short and to the point, the build came in at 22.6lbs as you see it here.  The few rides I’ve done so far have exhibited a nice neutral type of handling that for the most part feels like riding a 26er.  Yes, there’s still the tendency to go wide on the apex of turns that you have to correct for in your line, but the small steering inputs required to maneuver in tight technical sections is as reactive as any of my other race bikes.  The days of a 29er feeling like steering a John Deere Tractor are gone.

The carbon frame (and perhaps it is the parallelogram design of the Orbea) feels soft but responsive.  It’s definitely not as harsh a ride as an aluminum frame, but I’m not ready to say it’s as smooth as a Ti ride.  Some where in between.  However, the acceleration snap is there.  Obviously with the 29er wheels, not as sharp as the Sola, but pretty responsive none the less.

The build includes Bontrager Race X Lite Cranks with their XXX Lite stem and bar.  The transmission is controlled by SRAM XO grip shifts and derailleur’s.  Also on tap are Avid’s Juicy Ultimate brakes.  I’ve matched these to a set of Stan’s Aluminum Rotors and Kool Stop Organic brake pads. 

This combination really woke me up.  Not so much because it’s a really light weight setup, but more because of the nice soft braking modulation of organic pads on an aluminum rotor.  The modulation on this setup is awesome.  I can’t say enough about this; it really does feel smooth without being grabby.  Perfect for giving you that minor adjustment through the technical descents.

The bike is presently fitted with Fox’s new F29er fork which feels great.  The compression damping is spot on and with the lockout you can really hammer well on it.  Unfortunately for Fox, I’m planning to replace this fork with a Rock Shox Reba 29er Race.  Why?  All the major forks today have great dampening systems, but Rock Shox is the only company offering a remote lock out.  I have come to really appreciate their Pop-Lock on my other bikes and how it allows you to lock and release without having to take your hands off the bars.  It makes me wonder why the other brands haven’t followed suit.  Oh well, their loss in my book.

I’d also like to acknowledge with a special thanks to Matt Turgeon for his insight into wheel selection.  I fitted the bike with a set of American Classic MTB 29er wheels and I couldn’t be happier.  These turned out to be some of the lightest wheels around.  And they feel smooth over the rough stuff.  These replaced a set of high dollar Reynolds Carbon Fiber wheels and they seem to have a smoother feel to them.  Then again, it may be my brain not worrying as much about blowing up a rim on a rock.  I guess I’m not ready to trust carbon in a wheel set.

I combined these with the Specialized S-works Captain rear tire and a Specialized Fast Trak up front.  I have a similar combination on the Sola with a Roll-X rear with Fast Trak front tire.  I’ve had a couple rides on the Captain/Fast Trak combination and I can say without a doubt that they are great together.  The blocky rear tread design of the Captain grabs well on the loose granite conditions of Albuquerque’s South Foothills trails.  The tight knob pattern of the Fast Trak with its nice side ribs allows the front tire to track effortlessly, roll smoothly, but bite well into the tightest turns.  I never feel like I’m going to push the front end out.

At this point all I need to do is fit a set of Ergon GC2 Grips on my bars and it will be ready to rumble.  Mas-o-Menos here I come.