IGH.

As in Internally Geared Hub. Been interested in trying this for quite some time, the concept always made complete sense to me but options were limited. Shimano's Alfine 8 has been getting rave reviews by off-road cyclists and is a fairly affordable option with some smart shopping. I picked up a rear wheel with Alfine hub and Velocity rim by Handspun (QBP's handbuilt wheel brand) from Bikeman for about $40 bucks less than the cost of the hub alone and the rest of the Shimano parts from Amazon for short bucks. The only part I couldn't get a deal on was the Jtek barend shifter. Goodies should begin trickling in this week, I'll post pics and first impressions once everything's come together.

What a long, strange trip...

...it's been. Well, sort of. About a year ago I rekindled a love affair with hockey that had lain dormant for quite a while. Further fueling this was my son's interest in the game that rapidly became an obsession which led to countless hours playing outside and league hockey. In short, I've become a hockey dad. Being the obsessive type I am, I threw myself completely and totally into hockey while neglecting just about all other interests. With the Philadelphia Flyers early departure from the playoffs, the old pursuits (cycling for one!) have been creeping back into the periphery. Should be interesting to see if I can actually juggle more than one passion at a time.

Finally, Fargo.

It's been quite a while since I mentioned my acquisition of a Salsa Fargo. During the ensuing months, the build was stalled by the holidays, incompatible parts and more snow than I've seen in I don't know how long. Anyway, it's finally done. Still tweaking and dialing to be done and I'm not sure if the Woodchipper bars are staying or being replaced by my tried and true Midge. One thing that's definitely going is the ugly Shimano bashguard, to be replaced by a somewhat less obtrusive Salsa model.

This bike seems to look more mountain bike-like(say that 5 times fast) than most Fargos I've seen. This probably is due largely to a 5'4" rider with a 49.5cm shoulder width and some lower back issues on 29" wheels and drop bars.

It comes...

...and it goes. All the insanity leading up to "the day" and it's gone in the blink of an eye. Hope everyone had a good day and had time to reflect on what's most important to them. I'm by no means a religious person (many might easily term me a heathen) so don't take this as a religious rant. For me, it's family and the overwhelming need for peace on earth and good will toward each other. If we as a species/planet can acheive these goals, we'll all be in a much better place.

Buon Natale.

Moe, Larry and Curly.

Group shot of the four-footed members of the family. Charlie (the puppy) has settled in as though he's been here forever. Gotta love dogs!

Gentlemen, we have ignition...

Launch sequence has been engaged, rockets are firing. After much agonizing and deliberation, I pulled the trigger on a Salsa Fargo today. All parts from the Inbred 96er will swap over with the exception of the rear wheel which I'll need to build. Since I'll use the existing XT hub, I'm only looking at the cost of a new rim, spokes and nipples. Build pics to follow, for now this one from Salsa will do. All you guys out there, here are some words to live by from a man who's lived by 'em through 18+ years of marriage...It's easier to ask forgiveness than to ask for permission.

As fate would have it.

We've always had dogs, Labs specifically. Big surprise, I know. For a while now my wife and I have been thinking about rescue/adoption but hadn't really moved beyond the conversation stage. As fate would have it, the little guy pictured here basically landed in our laps. (We're not certain what his bloodlines are exactly, definitely some German Shepherd, possibly Rhodesian Ridgeback, Viszla or Pit Bull) Charlie, as we've named him was rescued from the streets by Happy Tails Rescue in Morrisville, PA (big props) and fostered by a coworker of my wife. Coincidentally, my kids are taking horseback riding lessons from the daughter of this fantastic lady and as fate would have it, Charlie was visiting the stables during a lesson. There was an instant connection and once I discovered he was being fostered, the wheels began to turn quickly. As fate would have it, Charlie was available for adoption and our application was approved, he's been with us since Monday.Take a look at the pics, in the first taken on October 3 , Charlie had just come off the streets weighing 12 pounds. In the second pic, taken October 26, Charlie had just come home with us at hit the scales at 32 pounds!!! He's a sweet, gentle little guy and he's adjusting to life in the nuthouse just fine...as fate would have it.