Winner Winner....

This weekend, our very own Jeff Jacobi became a State Champion in the Michigan State Games. Taking home the Elite title in a first to 5 laps at Cannonsburg Ski Area just outside of Grand Rapids.

It was also another strong showing from the Founders/Alger Cycles MTB team in addition to Jeff's victory, one member also winning the SS Elite/Expert and another taking second in the Expert respectively. Jeff took home the victory on the Blunt SLs - tubeless of course!

Of the race, Jeff said, 'All jockeys are short.'

Well done Jeff!

Because we truly ride.

Today, we truly have our first '...because we ride' post. Should make sense once Jacobi tells the story, enjoy:

On September 25th, 2010, I have became father of my first, Curtis Russell. This means my time is spent changing diapers, feeding and waiting around to do it all over again. So my chances of grabbing the bike and going for a two hour ride is a thing of the past. Well, not anymore!

One day while building wheels and annoying [I mean entertaining] Paul, I had brought up the question of where I could get a trailer to haul my little one around in. Paul responded with 'I have one that I'm not using anymore.'

That was when the light bulb went off in my head. Paul promptly brought in the trailer and I fell in love. It was the right price and it had spoked hubs [very important]. It started with stock 20" wheels and skinny tires. And after a full day of dreaming of what to do with this thing, through talking with the rest of the guys, I decided to go with 26" P35's with some Kenda tires. Of course, making sure this thing super smooth so the little one doesn't fell a thing, was the most important.

After highly modifying the mounting points, building the wheels and making the mounting system for his child seat there was only one response - this thing rocks!

He is so secure that you could flip this thing upside down and shake him like a salt shaker [Alo note: Jacobi did not conduct said test nor condones such testing] and he wouldn't feel a thing! He is more secure than Dale Jr. in a stock car at Daytona. But, he won't be flipping over any time soon.

Here's the break down:

Wheels - 26" P35's 28 hole [yes, 28 hole we make them, if you're an All

Mountain rider interested lowering the weight,

these things are right up your alley]

Tires - Kenda Keniptions 26x2.3 *A nod to Kenda for sponsoring the Founders Brewery Race Team. Thanks!

The Build - 28 hole wheels with only 14 spokes in each wheel. The less spokes make for a more compliant ride and well... look cool. They will support the little guy just fine.

Oh, if you're wondering. They are set-up tubeless. Why not? I'm a nerd AND I can!

Weight Weenies Anonymous

Confessions of a Weight Weenie:

Hi everyone, my name is Jeff and I have a problem.

Hi Jeff.

Well, my problem all started when I met a father and son both named Neil. Yeah, that's right both Neil. Well, Neil and his son are both highly respected racers and some of the nicest folks you'll ever meet. They both have my problem. We all have anorexia of the mind. We think our bikes need to be lighter.

So I have taken this to some extreme cases. You see my 29er needed to be lighter so I started with getting rid of things like valve caps, then front gears because I love riding SS and only need 9 speed in the rear. Then went everything stock on the bike! [Alo note: The 2008 Fisher Superfly stock weight came in a shade over 23 lbs.]

I mean everything that I could afford to make this thing lighter. Trust me, it can be lighter but my budget only allows so much. So guess what? I got a drill press for a present one year ago and just started drilling. That's right, just like what you see on old road bikes: Drillium.

Now, trust me things have bitten me in the ass before and I now realize you can not win without finishing the race. So I do take that into consideration. But when I get a couple of hundred bucks to spend on my bike, guess what? I have to upgrade some thing or buy some thing to make my bike lighter. I have a real problem. I hope this support group will help me find a light at the end of the tunnel.

Parts List:

Stock:
- Fisher Superfly frame
- Bontrager Race Lite Handlebar
- Avid Juicy Ultimate Brake levers/calipers - Ti Hardware
- SRAM X0 Trigger shifter
- Race Light Saddle and clamp [drilled]

Not Stock:
- Woodman Carbon Seatpost [cut down]
- X0 Rear Deraileur [back plate drilled]
- XTR 960 Crank [cut to be made SS]
- White Brothers Carbon Fork [shortened all the way]
- Rohloff SS Guild [drilled with nylon bushings]
- Crank Brothers 3 Ti Eggbeater pedals [shortened spindles]
- Shimano Durace Cassette [12/27, because it's titanium]
- Shimano Durace Chain [as short as it goes]
- Rotors: Front: Scrub 160mm, Rear: Avid G3 14omm with 4 Ti bolts in each [because 4 is more than 3 and all the adapters are drilled]
- Foam grips
- Bottle Trap [drilled]
- Plastic Bell [not drilled.... YET]

Now for the best parts... the wheels.
Front: Velocity A23 28H custom painted black, Sapim spokes, Alloy nips, Radial non-disc side, 2 cross disc side, Bontrager X Lite hub with tubeless Specialized Fast Trak tire
Rear: Velocity Aerohead 32H custom painted, Double butted spokes, Alloy nips, 2 cross both drive and non-drive sides, Velocity ATB Lightweight Disc hub with tubless Schwalbe Furious Fred tire.

Total Weight:

17.15 lbs

JACOBI's iver JOHNSON

Today is a good day. If you like stories that is... our resident storyteller Jeff Jacobi is up for this weeks '...because we ride'. It's important to note that not only are you in for a treat with what can only be considered an instant classic short story but also more pictures were taken for this post to get 'just the right' shot of the Iver Johnson.

Enjoy your Tuesday...

'Well, my passion for classic and everything old started at my first real bike shop job, Chicago Drive Schwinn, where I learned to restore old Stingrays in the winter with my boss Ed. Ed is a real perfectionist and when it came to his collection, after all the work was done they were often displayed. I learned a lot about the history of the bike and we were the shop to come to because of the vast amount of knowledge that had been passed down from the owner Everett Sr.

I eventually moved on to a shop across town called Alger Schwinn. It was there that I came across my treasure...

One day picking up and cleaning the basement, I happen to look behind the boiler and there it was; undisturbed for no one to notice except for a trained eye. It was a frame and a drivetrain. It looked old! So without hesitation I pulled it out to see what it was. Wow, to my surprise a perfectly straight partially stripped frame that looked to be from the 1920's. Sure enough, I respectfully brought it to the owners attention and offered him cold hard cash. He took the cash, a steal if I say so myself.

So here she is, my race ready 1920's, Iver Johnson. This bike has brought me so much joy. It is a fully working bike from a time gone by. Every time I ride it, I think of the rides it may have taken. I personally feel I have restored it to represent its vintage and made it retain its history. Its not all original but you would have to be as big of a nerd as me to know the difference. You can see it in action later this month at the Barry-Roubaix. This will be the second year for it to complete. She's the fastest bike downhill because of it's 30 lbs. of inertia.

Spec's :: All Vintage Parts
Nothing is new except the 27" Tires

* Turned over and chopped cruiser bars
* Cut and trimmed Brooks B17
* 2 piece Iver Johnson cranks [original]
* 27" steel wheels/New Departure coaster brake
* Paint/none. Vintage pitina
* 1940's cruiser pedals with Vintage Schwinn straps [rusty]
* not original fork. the original was unsafe but the new fork is from a vintage road bike painted flat black
* 27" x 1 3/8" knobby tires. [new] You've got to trust your tires.'

Jacobi's Tandem

Some of you might remember back in November our post from Ryan and Jacobi on their Iceman experience. For this weeks '...because we ride' post we have their Iceman Tandem rig. Jacobi was kind enough to do a nice little write up on the one race this bike competed in:

So this was going to be the year I get my wife out and do the Iceman Cometh Mountain Bike Rice. It's a 28 mile point-to-point race in northern Michigan. It's a lot of fun and a great place to see old friends and meet new ones.

Well, it didn't work out with my wifes work schedule. So I hired a surefire animal to be my stoker. Ryan Olthouse a.k.a. the bear. He is a short guy not much taller than myself but boy does he pack a punch. Out of the gate we were in the thick of a heated battle between 1-5 place. There were a total of 25 tandems racing that day and we were out for blood.

About 10 minutes into the race we were in second place behind Dan 'The Man' Janson and his wife, Tara. They were more focused on training than us, considering they have been riding the tandem all summer; compared to Ryan and I only squeaked out 5 good rides on the thing. Just as we thought we had a clear shot at second place here came Matt Gaffner pulling up on our rear. We battled with him for about an hour, pulling away at the end to take secure second place by a mere 30 seconds. Hats off to you Matt.

We finished strong and vowed to never do that again! It was a hell of a race. My Cannondale held up flawlessly and here is a rundown on my Cannondale Street Tandem Highly Modified:

Big Shock
Big Breaks
X9 Shifter
X9 Deraileur setup 1x9 [I custom made bash guard plates to guide the connector cranks so we wouldn't throw the chain]
Custom Velocity 20mm Blunt Front wheel
Custom Velocity Aeroheat 40H tandem disc in the rear.

*Every part was scrutinized for weight [~37 lbs race day] and comfort
Foam Stoker grips, oh yeah!