Tubs. Velo Cafe Magasin

Tubular tyres.

Mythical creatures to some; each hand crafted by the creator, who knows each and every thread per inch; reserved only for those truly in pursuit of the 'Cross.
Those who have wished friend and family farewell, making the dive deep into the Cyclocross realms, never to return to normality. Those bitten by a life-sucking beast, surviving only through the weekly drip of SVENNESS. Those you'll find in Tesco wondering which hand position Sven would use on the trolley.

Each year, Autumn arrives, the leaves begin to fall and the Cyclocrossers slowly appear from behind the trees. Here they have been hibernating since National Champs; waiting, wondering, watching for the raindrops. The 'off season', precisely periodised. The post Nationals crash; news still trickling in from far and near, memories in blossom; too soon to accept the reality, that the beautiful pain and euphoria of cyclocross racing is over for another year. Then, through turmoil and tribulation, we admit that we can no longer shun reality, and depression devours us. But we are stronger than that. We are made of sterner stuff. If the 'Cross has taught us anything it is that there is hope, there is a redeemer.
Internet browsers are slowly, almost embarrassingly opened. Yes it's only March, but no-one else can see me? Maybe I'll catch a bargain on Ebay now the season's over? Justification. Distorted reality. We are masters.
Ideas are generated, research is gathered; will I go single ring this year? Are disc brakes fashionable yet? Pro bike set-ups scrutinized from valve extension to headset spacer.

April, May, June, July; long summer's nights and grand tours to watch, we find ample distraction, but can't deny the little smile in our brains each time we pass by the 'cross bike in the garage. Before we know it, the road/mtb season hasn't quite gone to plan, injured this, broken that, didn't have enough toast before that race etc. But wait, what's that? Yep, only 3 months til 'cross season!

The nights fall in, summer season wraps up, throws a scarf on and gets its wellies out. Shiny new things ordered and fitted, maybe even new bar tape if we're feeling a good season coming; wearing running shoes dug out of the cupboard under 9 months of more important things; maybe we'll go for a run later? Or tomorrow... maybe the day after.

It was about this time I'd been in to Velo Cafe Magasin in Belfast. Joe Henry was a bit of a hero in finding me a straight pull spoke long enough for a Syncros 29er wheel, no other shop in the country seemed to have one! We got talking Cyclocross; because from 1st September you probably can't escape the topic if you enter into conversation with a 'crosser, and I aired my dreams of riding tubular tyres this year.



The Cyclocross tubular is sheltered from the hopeful attacks of amateurs by the arduous gluing process, the price, the risk of rolling, the risk of puncturing. Indeed the clincher will do. It is black, it is round. But alas, it is not enough for some. Whether in their heads or on the course, some are pushing the boundaries of humanity. Some need that 0.5psi less. Some are pioneering lean-angles seen only previously seen through beer goggles, and rims with walls simply aren't an option.

With no rim walls, and either a thin latex tube inside, or no tube at all, the risk of pinch-flats are eliminated, allowing much lower pressures, and the grip and rolling resistance #GAINZ that follow, with maybe some weight savings too. Indeed, to those who have not tried, it seems a lot of faff, a lot of money and a lot of risk; a big old denominator to balance.

But really, if you're interested in going fast at all, you've taken a risk or two in your time. This one can't wait any longer. Roger is still lapping you and hasn't even started sweating yet. How much more of that can you take?

I made the decision I was gonna go 'tubs', but that meant new wheels, and buying new things takes me about a year of internetting to make sure I'm spending my money as best as I can. I'm actually a bit scared of the thought. There's still an almost completed excel spreadsheet back in my documents from this time last year.

Then came a message from Joe himself; 'Hey Monty, you still looking some carbon wheels for cross?'. Gonna be a goood one. He was up for donating me some handbuilt tubular babies for the season to see how they held up to 'that sort of riding'. Now I don't know exactly what he was implying by 'that sort of riding', but I was sure up for giving them a rattle. Joe is one of the best wheel-builders in the country so I was pretty stoked on getting some great wheels without having to get the spreadsheet fired up again. Cyclocross is pretty brutal on parts; every kind of mud under the clouds, regular powerwashing etc. A visit to a good shop like VCM will keep you right on wiping your rims right and washing your nipples n' stuff.

 

'Ride the shit out of them' he said, and ride the shit out of them I did, and still am. Turned up to my first race like a little kid taking his new toys out for the first time after Christmas. No. Probably more excited actually. Anyway, I won that race, and I was a convert. The practice laps were a little squirmy; adjusting to new feels from the ground, but once the gate dropped and I got hammering, they were incredible. Honestly. Life changing stuff. Grip by the lorry-load. Absolutely transformed the bike from the old Shimano R500s & Maxxis Mudwrestlers! All ye of clinchers; imagine being able to turn in corners rather than slide through them? I know; mental; but believe me; it's possible!

Race win was followed by race win, and race win, and I think they've now won 4 races and been on 6 podiums. I'm not sure I'd ever have got round to buying tub wheels and tyres this season, and would've been plodding round the top 15 wondering where all my Wattz were going, so Joe Henry and Velo Cafe Magasin deserve a massive, massive thank-you! If you too are thinking about making the jump, go for it. Sometimes the roady pro's race clinchers, but there's good reason why you've never seen or heard of the Cyclocross #PROZ on clinchers, ever.

Benefits? You'll probably save a bit of weight over clinchers - obviously depends what you're changing from and to - 30-50mm deep rim will keep a bit more mud on the course rather than your bike, and be pretty strong too. You'll save a few precious watts from less rolling resistance over the equivalent clincher tread. Extra grip from a more flexible casing; better cornering; bet you've never even thought of how heavy that extra mud is when you crash! Extra grip and bump absorption from being able to run lower pressures. Ride up hills. Ride off cambers. Ride off cliffs. Do whatever you want, you look bloody #PRO.

If you're thinking of a new bike, I'd recommend not going for the top model, going a model or 2 down, and heading into VCM to get some tubular wheels built up and some advice on tyres. You never know, you could end up riding a World Cup in the same season!

Monty outttt.

http://www.velocafemagasin.com/
10 Cromac Ave,
Belfast,
County Antrim
BT7 2JD

Nappy Yew Hear

Or something like that.
Happy New Year you nice people who take the time to read this, here's my last post before the world ends!


I'd like to take this wonderful opportunity to thank everybody who has helped me in any shape or form this year. You know who you are, and I'd list ya's, but that'd only lead to me forgetting somebody and falling out.
The problem is.. I'm here, and you're there. So I guess saying thanks is kind of impossible? There are a couple of ways we can do this. If you'd like to close your eyes, place your left palm towards your right, and your right palm towards your left, slowly bring them together, and when they connect, give a firm handshake, and repeat these words, 'Thank you so much!' in a tremendously sincere and thoughtful manner (and then take a step back, smile and blush). The alternative is for you to go eat that chocolate bar in your cupboard that you have just began to crave now that you think about it. Think of it as a gift from me to you. ;)

It's been a pretty good year. Well, in some respects it's been good, in others not so much... Aw screw that I'll save you from reading my 2011 biography! Injuries have been the major downsides, but obviously we be mclovin' the positive thinking so it was nice to keep the injuries in the background for the most part of the season and pull off some decent results.
The UK School Games was a pretty amazing experience. Good to ride some new tracks and meet some new people, definitely a lot of super talented lads on the mainland that I'll hopefully get to race again a few times next year. Obviously a bit of a disaster that my knees were both in bits and I was living to throw up on painkillers all weekend. Then I went and got knocked off the bike the first day, so my results were pretty far off where they should have been, but I guess that was out of my control!
Otherwise, National Champs XC track was amazing, thanks to everyone involved in making that, aswell as XMTB's Lady Dixon and Castlewellan courses, both so good to race on and definitely some of the hightlights of the year winning on them. Many good days at the start of the year were also had with the MTBRider crew. Once I can afford to get the Supreme fixed up I'll be back out for some big bike fun! Epic Blast/Red Bull Foxhunt, as always, was a fantastic race. Again, by that stage my knees had given up, but the craic was still had and it was pretty special to be racing down a mountain beside an Olympian, a World Champion, and a World Cup winner, but mainly because I was up against my real heroes, Gareth McKee and Greg Callaghan. Oh and not to mention shredding it down the hill with Dan Sheridan and getting to see Tarbo in a wifebeater. Racing at the Scottish XC round over in Perth was pretty cool too, crazy track with some super steep descents and then mad climbs. T'was just unfortunate after dropping my chain with about 5mins to go that I couldn't get back on the pace and win it, 2nd was nice all things considered.


If you're really bored you can try and spot my bake in that video still there up above ^

Overall I've had an Irish Cyclocross Champion title, Irish XC Champion title, Ulster XC NPS Overall title(winning all 7 races), Ulster Criterium Champion, Rode on Ulster Track Squad to win Interpros, Hillclimb win at UKSG, only lost 1 Irish NPS race on the Canyon but unfortunately hadn't entered enough to win the series, 4th place in a DH race, and a couple of 3rds in club time trials and road races. So after being out with my dodgy knee for 3 months at the start of the year, and being my first year racing, I'd say that's a pretty successful year.


Next year's goals haven't really been planned yet. Obviously I'd like to do the same as last year but with a few more wins and enter a few more races, with the British XC Champs and European XC Champs in mind, but until I can get rid of the injuries I'm carrying at the minute I can't really set anything in stone as I don't know how long getting back to fitness is going to take. Will miss the Irish Cyclocross Championships this year, pretty gutted about that, but I'm doing all I can to ensure that'll be the only big title race I'll miss. Hopefully there shall be some New Year's Revolutions made!

Thanks again to everyone who's helped me in any way this year, even if that's just by reading this!
Here's to an awesome 2012! UTNew Year!

Screw the 'only write about interesting things' idea, here's a true ramble if a ramble ever was rambled

Ok, so it's been a month or two since I last updated the blog. This is partly due to my internet taking a huff, and partly down to me doing nothing interesting in the last month or two, not gonna lie. I know I said that I'd only write things when I did something interesting, and not try and make glaringly uninteresting stuff interesting, but screw that, I've nothing better to do right at this point, and I guess you're already a couple of lines into this post, so you must be sort of interested in this bull excrement?

In my months of uninterestingness, the cyclocross sensation Jeremy Powers, has rekindled my flame for finding the ultimate beats: those mad remixes that you hear one time and your water breaks, but then never hear them again, and like a forgotten sandwich in your schoolbag, they become a distant memory until one day, while looking for something else, they knock you out. I've found a couple of those tunes, and they say to share is to care, so obviously imma show you all how much I care about you and share this toonage with you guysss: these will make your balls drop.
(These are all ravey beat type numbers, I do have a fairly extension of acoustic and metally songs if you're interested though? Leave a comment or g'is a shout through some sort of internet communication medium)(If they're pulled down by the powers that be before you get to see them, your bad, visit my blog more often and don't miss stuff)

Avicii - Levels (Flo-rida Remix)


Dune - Heiress Of Valentina (Alesso Remix)


Example - Kickstarts (Afrojack Remix) (Takes a while to start, skip her to 1:15 and you're sorted)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPJHdbbkPLg

Labrith ft. Tinie Tempah - Earthquake


Nadia Ali, Starkillers & Alex Kenji - Pressure (Alesso Remix)


Rizzle Kicks - Down With The Trumpets (Star Slinger Remix)


Tara McDonald vs Sidney Samson - Dynamite (Nicky Romero Remix)


This one isn't a 'tune' as such, but they take a Maybach, stick the grille where the boot should be and the boot where the grille should be, give it wider wheelarches and stick a dragon inside the exhausts, so it suffices for a listen/watch in my humble opinion?
Kanye West ft. Jay-Z - Otis


In other news, I remembered about this blog today http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/ . And what a blog it is.

Heading down to Dublin tomorrow with Ciara MacManus and Robby Deegdawg for some strength and conditioning day organised by Cycling Ireland, looking forward to that, has been much to long since I've chatted to the lads and had a solid training sesh with them!

Currently, bike-wise I'm not really upto much. Left knee is a little on the sore side so I've just been stretching the bit out and doing super gentle miles(not Myles..) most days on the mountain-bike to ensure it doesn't get any worse! 7.5mph average yehhh buddy. Hopefully the old patella shall be feeling fly like a g6 come November time; the Rynopower downed; chain Green-oiled up; and training will begin! BOOM. Hitting the gym once a week at the minute with Elite NPS no.1 hero Gareth Mckee, and had the pleasure of seeing Sir Simon Curry, James Curry, Matty Teggart, Gareth Hillen and Josh Daly all down pumping the 'ron the other night. Basically Banbridge Cycling Club took over the JIM. Ever done 100s?! The whole gym could probably hear me about to take a stroke, terrible craic. But then again it's so enjoyable? There must most certainly a couple of wires touching in my cranium.

Got onto the Irish Youth Talent Team 2020 - http://cyclingulster.com/?thenewsid=5122&newstable=news - so if all goes to plan you can see me at the Olympics in 2020! Stick it in your phone as a reminder. Be cool to look back and see the good old days right here, the times of yore and all that. Definitely buzzin' to get some real training done, can see 2012 being a very good year!

That's all for now. Got some www.rynopower.com in the post there today, but, delivery companies, do they not realise that most of us have jobs/school at mid-day? Don't think I've ever gotten a package on time. Instead of them coming at a reasonable time or leaving the package somewhere handy, I'm gonna have to ring ma boys DHL Express and inform them of my whereabouts over the next couple of days so I can sort a time to get my RYNOPOWER!! Going to tip the gym like, can't wait.

But for now I'm away to pack my bags for tomorrow coz' I'm an organised kid like that. Over and OUT. Thanks for reading!

"I think Joey's ok"

Got a link to this on Faceyb today, couldn't have you's missing out on it! You could honestly watch this 50 times and still laugh every time. Oh Joey you've made my day. Enjoy!