The Aldrich Ave Daily

Feast you’re eyes on the 2008 Rock Shox SID. 2008 marks the 10th anniversary for the SID design. SID stands for Superlight Integrated Design. Totally revamped design for ‘08. It was very much needed. Some upgrades from the older SID(sometimes known as Squid) are as follows.
1: 32mm stanchions(improved from the older 28mm upper tubes). This will increase the rigidity a ton.
2: The lower legs are equipped with what are called “power bulges” to increase stiffness even more
3: Scaled down guts. The damper assembly and dual air assembly are you could say shrunk from the old style. The lower legs are now hollow allowing the fork to save weight(think Marzocchi forks)
4. No more carbon crown/steerer. Back to good old aluminum. Its a forged crown.
5. Its still using the always dependable Dual Air spring assembly which has been its motto over the years.
6. Black Box motion control damper. It comes with a titanium spring and a few carbon control knobs.
7. Claims to be lighter yet stiffer then is counterpart the Rock Shox Reba.
8. The baby blue is BACK!!!
I have been running SID forks for over 6 years now. I was planning on getting a new fork next spring. Initially I wanted to get a Reba. I like the SID but my biggest gripe with it was how flexy it really was. As my riding style has progressed over the years I’ve noticed it more and more. I wanted a new fork that still will be much stiffer, yet lightweight being that most of my mt. biking on the new hardtail is cross-country oriented. The minute I saw a picture of this fork I knew I wanted one. Availability is sometime in Feb. of ‘08. I’m hoping QBP will have them in stock in time for Frostbike. Super stoked and from what I can tell, Rock Shox did a good job on this one. I can’t wait until we go back out to SRAM in January for their STU(Sram Technical University) program. I hope to get to service this new gem up front and personal. Cheers to Sram.
As you probably know I had to drop out of this years 24 Hours of Afton due to a pain in my right kneecap that wouldn’t allow me to pedal a bike. It became so bad I could barely walk. I took almost exactly two months off the bike after that race. I went out on a ride last week and the pain was still there. Something is wrong. After doing some research and talking to some people I may have figured out what might be wrong with my knee. Chondromalacia: which in short is defined as a “irritation of cartilage behind the patella. Basically just too much for my knee to handle. I still think part of it was using brand new shoes that I just threw on. After referring to my Aunt(who is a physical therapist for runners) it sounds like this may be my problem. I plan on visiting the doctor in a few weeks. Thankfully the fix for this is just physical therapy. It may take up to 6-8 weeks to heal. I’m just thankful this didn’t happen in early June. But, I am bummed because I can’t do any more riding for awhile. I love riding my bike in the fall and this is a big bummer. I’m gonna have to find some other form of activity to keep my in shape for awhile. Haven’t quite figured it out yet. I can’t ride a bike, I HATE running, and I don’t have rollerskis. I’ve got plenty of time to figure that out though. Thats all for now, I’ve got to write up my resume. Yikes, gonna have to do some homework on that. Cheers

daily quote- “Perhaps Al Quaida is planning to infiltrate a cable news channel and staff it with morons” -Jon Stewart commenting on Fox News’ bogus reporting.

Minnesota comes from the Dakota language name for Minnesota River(mnisota). The root(mini) means water. It can be translated entirely as “cloudy water”. I think we Minnesotans live in a pretty unique place. We live just outside of the great outdoors. We get to enjoy all 4 seasons at their fullest. Rain drops and flower buds in the spring. Long hot summer days spent out at the lake. All the lovely colors that fall brings. And those cold frigid winters and all the snow. We’ve got lots of trails for mountain biking, road biking, hiking, running, etc. Lots of places to spend some time nordic skiing. Up north and now in the cites. Downhill skiing and snowboarding hills all over the state. A yearly plunge into a frigid lake in January? Got it. Skiing in spandex? Oh yea. Fishing on ice? Most definitely. Riding a bicycle when its 10 below zero? It happens more then you think. From fishing and hunting up north, to downtown night life, we’ve got it all. Of course you can’t think Minnesooootan withooout that accent.
I would like to thank Coen brothers for their wonderful work in the movie Fargo. Granted, it exaggerates our accent, but its still hilarious. So yA, we went up nort last weekend up to da lake to do some fishing. From “you betchya’s”, to “oh yea’s”, even the adopted “eh” from the Canadians is heard around here. Its still a unique accent. Its only heard in its fullest in the heart of Minnesota, Wisc, and parts of the Dakota’s. I know some people from Iowa and they don’t have a lick of it. They’ve got more of a southern accent to me. Welcome to Minnesota. Home of long pronounced “O’s” and “A’s”, and conversations to some that just wouldn’t make sense. You can’t think our accent without incorporating hockey. We are the State of Hockey.
Did you know the great Howard Cosell used to cover the High School boys state hockey championships? He used to come up and cover it on TV. Sold out games at the Civic Center. It was a playoff atmosphere. Its tough to beat that tournament. Even to this day. What the hell was Norm Green thinking when he moved the North Stars to Dallas? Crazy. Our hearts were ripped apart when he took the North Stars away. Then finally, we got the Wild. I’ll never forget that first home game against the Flyers and all those “Norm Green still sucks” signs on TV. It was only fitting that a hometown player by the name of Darby Hendrickson scored the first wild goal at home. Every Wild game to this day has been a sellout. I have never been to a more exciting, electric sporting event then a Wild game. Every Minnesotan or even a hockey fan should see a game at the “X”.
We’re home to some famous and interesting people. We’ve got Prince, who made 1st Ave famous. I think he put on one of the best Super Bowl halftime shows we’ll ever see. Bob Dylan was born in Duluth and raised in Hibbing. Al Franken is from here as well and is running for U.S. Senate. Hubert Humphrey was close to being the President of the U.S. Kirby Puckett was a hero to many, including me. R.I.P. John Madden, the famous football coach and sportscaster was born in Austin Mn. Jesse the “body” or “mind” Ventura. We elected a former wrestler to be our Governor. I think its those cold winters that may have had something to do with that. Yes, we did indeed “shock the world”.
People always ask me, “why don’t you move out west like you’ve been saying for years?” As much as I would like doing that, I love this state. I know I would like living out west, but I would not be as happy as I am here. Thats a fact.
Yes, Minnesota has a lot to offer. The number one thing I love about this state is the people. We respect each other, and we respect the outdoors. In this fast paced world we live in, we still find time to get out and enjoy what we’re really all about. Being one with the great outdoors is something you can’t really explain. You need to experience it, and I think we, as Minnesotans can relate to that.

daily quote – “
All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity.” ~Gordie Howe

Fear. I’ve written about this before. I talked about the current issues that we as a civilization are encountering. There’s Global Warming, the War on Terror, the overuse of natural resources. I saw a commercial with a man speaking about this. He went on to say something along the lines of “all we hear are people talking, but nobody acting”. I think a lot of people take the easy way out and point fingers instead of taking action. There’s too much bickering in this world. We need to set aside our differences on a lot of subjects otherwise I believe we’re headed down a road nobody wants to see the end of.
I am a firm believer of Global Warming. I watched “An Inconvenient Truth” and was totally convinced. I’ve recently read that some people state that the facts or “facts” Al Gore speaks of are incorrect. I think a lot of people don’t realize that Mr. Gore has been an advocate of Global Warming since the mid-80’s. I’d like to think he has done his homework on this matter. The skeptics will say “the earth goes through natural cycles like these all the time”. While this is true, from all the data that has been accumulated throughout Earth’s storied history we have never seen spikes like the ones we are encountering. And all that data predicts things will get much worse. The Ice Caps are melting at a staggering rate. It seems as if we see a new article every month about how scientists are flabbergasted once again at the increased rate of melting they see. Cities are seeing high temps in places never thought of. Weather patterns unheard of. While we may not be able to stop this process we can do things that can help slow it down. In the U.S. all the skeptics I hear talk always link our Economy into the mix. They fear if we do cut back on emissions certain companies will falter and collapse. I think that is total bullshit and just shows how the Corporatocracy and the Government work with each other. Too many people thinking of themselves and their own well being.
The biggest natural resource we as a race have discovered is OIL. Hands down, the #1 cash crop for every country. Its something that we as a race depend on. Our daily lives depend on this black goop. The only reason President Bush invaded Iraq was to secure oil. They used Terrorism as a reason to invade Iraq. Next to Venezuela the Middle East is our primary source for oil. All the people that have sacrificed their lives in Iraq was, sadly, for oil. The War on Terror is just a cover up title. While I do believe there is a war on terror, it wasn’t in Iraq. Did we ever find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? No. Saddam Hussein was a terrible dictator who ruined people’s lives, but we entered Iraq under false pretenses. We suffered tragic losses, as did all the civilians in Iraq.
I think the last time I had written about this topic I had read somewhere that at the rate we as a human race consume natural resources we would need two planets worth by the year 2050. Those thoughts still race through me head. We in the U.S. seem to use up the most. All these commercials for so many different products. Do we really need 50 different types of shampoo to choose from at the store? Does every fast food joint in this country need to stay open 24 hours? Biggie Size? Everything seems to be in excess. I try to live my life in moderation. More so nowadays then in past years. Part of that is growing older and wiser, part of it is the crisis I think we will be facing here soon. Atlanta, a city of 5.4 million people may be out of fresh water in just 3 months. A severe drought is running the city dry. The shortage of seafood. Overfishing is becoming a big problem. Its not right to hear predictions of a total loss of seafood if we don’t slow down.
What kind of world our we going to be leaving future generations? At this rate, there won’t be much of one left. If I am to ever have kids, and they to have kids themselves, I would hope that this world is a better place for them. We live in a critical time. Our generation has many issues to tackle. Some of the biggest ones we have yet to face. Many of which are on a Global Scale. These decisions we face not only effect those close to you and I, but to people all over this planet. I fear if we don’t act soon, there may not be much of a world our future generations will get to enjoy.

Time does a lot of things to different objects. Wort slowly ferments over time and becomes beer. We as humans become older yet wiser. Trees grow into massive spectacular objects. Time also takes its toll on automobiles. It has to the “Beige Bandit”. This past year was rough for her and I knew I was going to need a new car sooner or later. That day came yesterday. Sunday was my

last full day driving around in the vehicle I’ve been rolling around in now for 5 years. I purchased a 2004 Mazda 3i. I really wanted another Honda but there was nothing available in the price range I was in. I found this one at Morries Hyundai and I knew the moment I sat down in it I was going to buy this car. 48,000 miles, not a scratch on her. The interior and exterior would make you think it was a brand spanking new car. So as I turn over a new leaf I’d like to reflect on some of the memories I had in the old car. Some of you may remember these times we’ve had.
There was the epic road trip I took with my pops out to Ridgeway Colorado for some mountain biking. Two guys, two bikes, a shit ton of luggage. We barely made it over those mountain passes. Pedal to the metal not even hitting 40mph going up. Then coming down, the clutch went out. We had to keep stopping to pump the pedal. Turns out she needed new master and slave cylinders. It was worth it. We got to ride one of the most famous mountain bike trails around. SLICKROCK!!!!
There was that one of many drunken nights down at the U with the Peej. We just had to make a pit stop in one of the Hall’s for some shenanigans and bush jummping. We got back to the lot I parked you in and thought I’d lost you. Stolen? Towed? You were towed. I preceded to call the towing company and chew them out still half drunk about how they towed you before 2am. It really was about 1:50am and my car was already gone. But the next day, $250 some odd dollars I was back in the drivers seat.
There was that week preceding one of many trips up to Duluth. You kept stalling at stop signs and lights. I thought nothing of it and drove up to Duluth. Once I hit Duluth, you stalled 5 times before I hit my destination. Then when when we wanna go home you won’t start at all. After a tow, a day of work missed, and $150 for some coil-over part, you were back at it.
There was the one weekend out to Stout. Coming home, driving fast as hell on a Sunday morning because I had to work. We were all very hungover, underage, and a shit load of booze in the back seat. A Wisc. state trooper flips on his cherries. Comes right up behind me and pulls over the guy in front of me(we were going the same speed). OOFTA, that was a close one.
A couple summers ago you decided you didn’t want you’re muffler anymore. OK, so I tore it off. Piece by piece it fell of more and more. You were quite loud. I always joked how I got my noise maker for free. It became a new “tone” this year, and finally I started to grow tired of that muffler.
All those short 5min. trips I needed to take here or there. Only that when it was hot outside you wouldn’t start up right away after that. After switching out some things here and there, you still did it. I gave up, and planned my days from there on out not to drive short distances.
All of those biking trips we’ve had. I was amazed at you’re ability to hold so much bike gear. Especially for the 24 Hours of Afton. You were packed full each year. Yet got me to and from the hill every time. Lebanon, Theo, Murphy, Buck, Afton, Red Wing, Winona, Duluth, and many others. You were my shop away from home for bike repairs.
The crooked “I’d rather be Homebrewing sticker” on the back bumper. Why don’t I just ask to get pulled over.
Driving fast on freeways around corners has been risky this past year. No shocks or struts to absorb all those potholes. It was like driving a wicked shimmy sometimes.
Ahhh, the oil leakS. So many to pick from. It got to the point where you were burning through 4 quarts of oil in just 1,000 miles. After it was determined it wasn’t the valve cover gasket or the oil pan gasket I knew you needed to be replaced. I feared you’re head gasket was starting to crap out on ya.
All of this only because of the fact my old car, the “White Rabbit” was stolen right out of my driveway and totaled.
So little Beige Bandit I bid you adieu. I’m gonna miss you. We had some good times in together. I laughed, cried, yelled, and everything else with ya. I hope whoever ends up buying you gets a few more miles before you officially retire. Like Paul Simon sings in the song I’m listening to right now “Still crazy after all these years.” Ciao

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently was asked to speak at Columbia University. I thought it was an interesting approach. Have the leader of a nation our Government accuses daily of trying to produce nuclear weapons and supplying terrorists with weapons to come to the U.S. I thought it would be interesting to question him in an open discussion. I was not however, impressed with how Columbia University’s President introduced him. President Lee Bollinger called Ahmadinejad a “petty and cruel dictator.” He continued on with comments made by Ahmadinejad about the Holocaust. Calling him “either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated.” I started thinking. You asked this man to come to your University to speak. Sure go ahead and ask him tough questions. But why would you, even before he steps up to the podium, rip into this man and make him feel unwelcome. How does that reflect on the American population. I’m sure it effected his view on the U.S. I think the whole experience was ruined from that introduction. I don’t agree with the way Ahmadinejad operates his country or his comments made towards the Holocaust, and the U.S., but I thought it was bad form on Mr. Bollinger to lay into him like he did.
I recently started reading a new book. Its called “The Secret History of the American Empire: Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and the truth about Global Corruption”. Its written by John Perkins. Its a book about how big corporations make their millions of dollars at the expense of people working in sweatshops. I’m only in the early stages of the book, but from what this guy explains is shocking. His old job, as and Economic Hit Man, is a ruthless and relentless job of making Corporations rich. He comes to grips with what he is involved with, quits doing what he does, and as years pass by decides to tell his story to the world. He has another book that precedes this one called “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.” I suggest that anyone that has ever bought a pair of shoes made by Nike, jeans by Gap, and other big company’s with products made in Indonesia read what this man has to say. It will blow you’re mind away.
A new month means new beginning’s. I will attempt for the umpteenth time to quit smoking heaters. I went 3 months during the summer, but after my last race that went to hell. I also plan on getting a new car within the month. I really want a new Civic, and will officially start my hunt tomorrow. I heard Breckenridge has been getting snow already and can’t wait to get back out to Summit County. Well, time to get back to that book. TTFN

daily quote – “Don’t become a Buddhist. The world doesn’t need more Buddhists. Do practice compassion. The world needs more compassion.” The Dalai Lama

:With cycling season winding down the daily bike term will take a little hibernation until next spring: