Wheelbuilding 101, Homemade GOO, Shakedown

My dilemma was that I needed a new 29'er wheel to mount my "city tires" so I could have a quick change between trail and road ready SS machine and the new wheel had to accomodate disc brakes. Alas, I had a spare 700cc wheel that had been lying dormant for a few years now but with a standard hub and I had a spare disc brake compliant 26" wheel from which I'd hijacked a few spokes. The fix, rob Peter to pay Paul, I deconstructed both wheels, with the intention of using the rim and spokes from the 700cc wheel and the hub from the 26" to build my new wheel and my first attempt at wheel-building.

• Step one, nervously tear down both perfectly good wheels knowing that I may be left with a pile of worthless junk.
• Step two, consult The Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair for a clue as to how to begin.
• Step three stop and knock a few honey-do chores off the list.
• Step four build the wheel.
• Step five-ten, true the new wheel.
• Step eleven admire work, marveling in the fact that the wheel is actually true and usable (spin it a few hundred times in the truing stand while staring gape jawed in wondrous awe at the new wheel).
• Step twelve mount the tire.
• Step thirteen test the new wheel on a short ride this morning.
• Step fourteen, save $150.00 (minimum) by reusing parts and not buying a new wheel.

That was Saturday.

Sunday, time to log a little kitchen time to make homemade gel and bars. For the gel, I used the formula/recipe here http://jibbering.com/sports/gels.html as the basis. The result was a fairly palatable product for a fraction of the cost of pre-packaged gel. I made the apple-cinnamon outlined in the article and an espresso flavor substituting an espresso/agave syrup (for the fructose) in place of the apple juice.

Energy bars: I can't remember the webpage where I found this recipe so I apologize in advance for plagiarizing their work here it is with my modifications:

Ingredients

• 3-1/2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup agave syrup (my substitution as it is a lower GI than the corn syrup suggested)
  
• 2 scoops (each scoop is about 4 tbsp.) protein powder - I used vanilla flavored; any flavor will work
• 1-1/2 cups nonfat dry milk
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup juice - I use orange/banana/pineapple juice; orange juice is fine
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped dates/cran-raisins mixed
  
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional and not part of original recipe)
  
• 1-1/2 bananas, mashed

1. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients in a bowl (mix the dry ingredients together before adding liquid ingredients, then mix everything)
2. Put 1/4 to 1/3 cup piles on cookie sheet or parchment paper on a cookie sheet, flatten and shape into bars (think Clif bar).
3. Bake at 325°F for approximately 15 minutes or until the bottoms of your bars are golden brown
4. When they’re done, take them out of the oven and let them cool.

Next up, a final shakedown for the bike. I wan't real happy with the position the stock stem put me in and I'd tried another stem I had laying around and that one wasn't quite right either, too long. So on the way home Friday night I stopped by the LBS and picked up a new stem that sits right between the two sizes I'd already tested.

So I rode up to Dove Mountain along the gravel shoulder to pick up the State Land Trust trail a little 9-10 mile loop with, (I'd forgotten how much), a bunch of wash/sand crossings. The new stem seemed to do the trick and the new suspension settings I dialed in last weekend worked really well on the washboard, hard-pack part of Moore Road, I think the ride will do nicely this weekend.

When I picked up the trail, I noticed a very discernible rattle emanating from the front-end/handlebars which I couldn't seem to pinpoint. Finally, at one point, my fingers felt the cap of the shifter pod move as I touched it and I'd found the culprit. I lost a screw somewhere along the line that holds the shift pod together. Glad it wasn't something more serious. The ride was about 2:45, just right for a Sunday afternoon shakedown. The sand made for a little harder workout than I'd wanted but once I remembered how to ride the sand (spin a very easy gear, like climbing and try not to let the front wheel turn) it wasn't too bad.

I used some of the homemade gel and gatorade to drink with decent results. I think though for the race, the gatorade will need to be weakened a bit. I made it a little more diluted than full strength but it still seemed too sweet, especially when coupled with the gel.