Asana Cycles Blog | Asana Cycles | Devian Gilbert

going South...

Thu, 15 May 2008 11:04:34 -0700

Big Sur here i come... an REI Beast duffel bag a Gregory Forester backpack another huge load... everything and the sink... so the bags are loaded into the FreeLoaders then, i used 2 straps on each side crossed in an X running from the frame of the BD to two of the outboard Ringlets in Devo Mod Job, SnapDeck. both sides, in the same exact manner... now bags are held in place with FreeLoaders, and secured to the frame of the BD with the straps from frame to deck. now the cargo in the FreeLoaders does not sway around. 2xExtra bed roll... i bought a new bed roll at REI, and discovered that i had bought a long length, compared to my old mashed down one... when i fold it in half its just about as long as my old pad... then i had to laff, when i piled them together in triple... LUXURY! so i decided what the heck... the BD can handle the volume, and they are not that heavy, especially compared to the bulk of other items, like laptop, batteries, wood burning stove, etc... at first i had placed the roll along the length of the deck, but then decided it was a waste of space... attaching the roll to the stoker bar is by far better... now the deck is wide open... perhaps for a small duffel-o-fire wood for the tipi... maybe. so its off to Big Sur the weather is off the hook! Monterey is 75F at the moment... peace....d

Fri, 09 May 2008 16:27:34 -0700

TEST (testing KTSharpeningFactor 1.0

Ft. Ord

Thu, 08 May 2008 18:52:35 -0700

Today I sold off my old Ibis Ti stem. wow... i think i had that stem for about 16 years. it blows my mind to think of all the rides in those years. the bikes i've gone thru...

the way i use to ride, simply the past i guess... or maybe its simply this "thing" that happens to symbolize a time frame. I dont know. at any rate, it was a trip to send it off. i mean... wow.

So I've been on this trippy circuit of bicycles lately. The Big Dummy, hauling stuff around, and any kind of errands, especially groceries, and running things to and from storage. The Hunter 29er, I've spent most of my time on, as I've found it fast enough to ride on the road with my local club, Velo Club Monterey, all with a set of WTB Vulpine 29x2.1" tires. I'm amazed with these tires. Its amazing because, they work so well in the dirt, and they are plenty fast on the pavement. The Hunter is a great bike..

Since the stem sold today, I had to run out to storage, and dig it up. While there, I decided to grab the road bike, and toss that into the routine too.

BOB trailer bags are great for transporting the road bike. Simply use one bag for the front, and another for the rear. Put the wheels in wheelbags, load into FreeLoaders, and maybe use an extra strap thru the SnapDeck to cinch things down.

the road bike hardly gets ridden at all. in fact, at times I think about selling it. so i rode it today thru Pebble Beach, and along the hills of Monterey. The form, the geometry, the positioning of being on the road bike is awkward to me, and i have to laugh to myself about that... its just that it's been along time since I've done any ridding on the road bike. I guess tomorrow I'll go do a nice road ride, and see if I cant get comfortable on it again. I think I'll give the road bike a try for the next week or so.

peace...d

More about bikes...

Tue, 06 May 2008 19:25:16 -0700

As things keep changing, my new Hunter 29er MTB is quickly becoming my favorite bike. The new bike is always the favorite, right? Pretty much. but this is different... right.

Well, it is different. Very different. Its different simply by default of where I am in my life, my bicycle practice, and the evolution of bicycle product availability. This bike comes to me after a solid 2 years of riding the Pug, and Xtracycle. Not to mention its been almost 3 years without a car. All that time I've spent riding big heavy bikes, with a cargo load, has brought me into a new form. Not to mention I am also bigger these days. 39 years old, around 180lbs, with a solid 16 years of daily bicycle lifestyle.

Momentum and energy management had come to mind while riding big bikes, and over time, I have learned how to use my weight, and be purposeful in my movements. The 29er proves to be a fast and durable bike. I've been riding it on group road rides for the last few weeks. Two weeks ago, it was a Sunday Morning ride with Velo Club Monterey out to Gizdich Ranch and back, totaling up a solid 80 miles.

Last Sunday was cold, windy, with a bit of drizzle, so i turned to the dirt for a few hours. This bike handles everything. Road and dirt.

A compression sack neatly tucks under the handlebar. I was amazed how much base layer clothing will fit in a 6x15" compression bag.

the bag also seemed to fit fairly well as a seatpost bag, however I think I'll need to work on the strapping method. Subsequently I've picked up a second bag just like it. Next I'll be loading up a light weight summit type backpack.

The direction is towards a super lightweight touring setup. I suppose very much like Randonneuring but I guess with some sort of an American MTB Cafe Adventure Touring slant applied to the quest.

At any rate... It's a rocking set up. its fast, durable, and has style.

peace...d

Hunter 29er

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:53:20 -0700

I just finished the build on my new awesome Hunter 29er MTB complete with all the braze-ons, for racks, fenders, etc. its an awesome rig.

I like to call this style Cafe Adventure Tourer. its an awesome bike. it can take road tyres, all the up to a 2.4" 29er MTB tyre. today i rode it around town for just a little bit, and my first impressions, are something like...

"wow, this is something totally new. its like a hot rod. its fast, and its like a MTB, it hops curbs, and dashes around. when its cabled to a rack, it looks fast...

peace...d

Hecho en Watsonville

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:35:14 -0700

This past wednesday, I rode the Big Dummy up to Watsonville and stayed at Sunset State Beach. I brought the tipi, and a slimed down packing list.

By the time I managed to get packed up and actually out the door, and down the road, it was now the afternoon, and the wind was coming right off the ocean at about 20mph. White caps on the bay. My mind likes to wonder back to R/C Gliders and how much i miss my old stuff. The hawks and peregrines make play on slope.

The night at Sunset Beach was nice, the tipi and a fire is the whole deal really. its amazing how much luxury heat is. The tipi stove vents the smoke right out the top, the tipi itself deflects air, and its designed to be adjustable, so that you can let it vent in various ways.

the stove is also a stove of course, and of course you can cook on it too.

this is veggie burger, tortilla, and avocado, with a cup of green tea.

check out the flame coming out the chimney

the stove gets red hot! it amazing how much heat fire puts off.

Thursday morning I went over to Rick Hunter's place and picked up the 29er MTB i had custom ordered some time back.

with the slimed down packing job, it was fun to ride home from Watsonville with the frame wrapped up in a sheet.

today i managed to get a few moments to work on it. I installed the headset, stem, handle bar, steatpost and set, wheels, and the front brake.

pretty nice bike... wow! it should be fast....

peace...d