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It happened again.

I'm starting to feel like this frozen precipitation thing is going to be a yearly occurrence. I shudder to think of the horrific controversies that it could cause every winter from now until I die. And even beyond that.

I haven't been to work in the last few days. But I'm sure that if I went in would spend my day playing pass the pigs and pondering sleeping phoenix perched high above us.

But I have made good use of the free time and posted a bunch of bike stuff on craigslist and fleabay. You should go buy it.

I'm also working on selling the Grumbler to fund a smaller and more efficient form of transportation:

Viking cat feed is expensive.

Last week my post about the Ergon stuff was re-tweeted by The Ergon itself.

And that's the whole reason I named this blog Knobby Meats. I was praying that one day a German would tweet "Say hello to Knobby Meat."

I think I can change the name now.

most excellent new ergon stuff

I found a big brown box on my door step the other day.

I carefully cut the tape, then before I could react, I was forced to the ground by an ergonomic axe murdering sock monkey.


I knocked the stuffing outa him with a big mallet, then confined much subdued monkey to my window sill.


The rest of the box held another set of Ergon GX2 Carbon grips (not attached to a monkey), and an Ergon BC2 pack.

I'm super glad to have some new grips, because my other GX2s were starting to feel a little worn after a few thousand miles and about 50 race days. White looks so damn spiffy with purple.

My dad bought a pair of GC2s a few years ago to cruise rail trails. At the time I was riding round grips, and since I was young and never felt pain, I thought there was no reason for me to use those silly winged grips.

Then I stole his and tried them. Huge difference. It took less energy to grip the bars, I had more control in rocky sections, and my arms were staying fresher on my rigid. I was sold.

I've been racing on the GX style grip since my first West Virginia race three years ago. The GXs aren't as soft and squishy as the GP or GR style, but they have better bar-feel through technical sections. I switched to GX2s with bar ends halfway through my first season, and it made a huge difference. Bar ends make wrenching up a hill on a single speed way faster (not easier.)

The bar ends fit flush with the rest of the grip, so I end up with my hands out over the end of the bar even when I'm cruising on flat sections. It's second nature now for me to switch from bar end to main grip body.

I tried going back to round grips once last year, and I couldn't stand it. In short, Ergons are awesome.

But I'm even more excited about the pack:

I haven't gotten to do any rides with it yet, but my initial hiking test was good. The ball joint on the pack allows the shoulder straps to pivot without shifting the load around. More on that later. It's mighty radical.

And I really need to send the big cog I borrowed from Dicky at Breck Epic back. I think I'll do that today.

2010: giving myself a pat on the proverbial ass

I might be a few days late with this, but I'm gonna do it anyway. 2010 season review. I think I got most of the big events of the racing year, but I did leave out a bunch of XC races that went pretty well.

Anyway, it was a long season. And I must say it was a pretty good one.

But it didn't start out so great.


Before the snow, I won a winter 'cross alley cat. After it melted, I won a not so wintery cross alley cat. Both at the slag heaps.


Got my first big brah deal from Industry Nine. (40ish races later, the wheels are still rad.)


Beat all my friends in the most important fake race of the year and was crowned champion of the universe.

Lived in a tent down by the river and worked at the greatest white water rafting and bike touring company that I've ever worked for.

Won my first SS race at the Big Bear Classic.

Won my first Open class race on my single speed at the Mountwood Challenge. They paid me for winning SS and gave me a Surly flask as a reward for beating everybody on gears.

Started riding for the fine fellas of Speedgoat Bikes.

Won the open class at Tour de Lake. They paid me for winning the overall. It was very nice.


Helped build some obstacles and haul around kids bikes for the Velomuse Junior Devo Program.



Picked up a girl down by the river in my chariot of charm.


Led the Mohican 100 for a few hundred meters. Received a mild case of giardia for finishing a hundred miles of cow shit and mud.

After Mohican, I started begging people for votes on facebook so that I could win the Breck Epic Blogger's Grant.

Did the Big Bear 2x12 with Rob. Didn't have a great race.

We drove out to State College that night, and did the Stoopid 50 the next day.

I finished 3rd SS, my first decent endurance result. The waffle in my drop bag was intact.

Lost to Don Powers, Betsy Shogren, and everybody who's anybody at the Hilly Billy Roubaix


Won the Breck Epic Bloggers Grant. Started frantically saving money to drive to Colorado.

Pretended I was fast enough to ride with JPok, the Pflug and Ferrari for the first 60 miles of the Wilderness 101. Finished 6th SS.


Drove to Colorado with the Little Ball of Hate. Did a Super D in Indiana and finished 4th overall. Behind the Little Ball of Hate.


Lost my will to live in the 110 degree heat of Kansas.


Won my fist race at altitude at Winter Park.


Watched Sam crash and break his crabone Cannondale.


Did Breck Epic. Most awesome race ever.

Finished 5th SS.


Discovered that five days is not enough time to recover from a large stage race. Didn't race too well in Ohio


Crowned the 2010 Peanut Butter Proiest.


Had my most horrible race ever at the Terror of Teabag.


Beat all my friends and won my second fake race. (After running out of food and foraging for apples.)


Fell into a big ditch the next day, but still won the WVMBA Championship Race.

Finished the WVMBA Series 1st in SS.

Won my very first Month of Mud race. Possibly only because Evan Perrone flatted.


Rode my Crosby around in grassy circles and threw donuts a bunch. Finished the ABRA SS 'Cross Series in 2nd.


Did the Dirty Dozen on a Tandumb with Sam.


Started a table sitting job at Jet Messenger.


Banana time part duex.


Put the Viking Cat in armor.


And that's about it.