GCinDC's Giant DH Comp

[dan974]

and fyi, the gut wrenching cost of winter commuting in dc, pre-wash:

I always wonder, how do you wash ? I scared of using water even if I rode 1h under under heavy tropical rain..., so I wait the next day to brush....salt is another story, do you remove battleries and use waterjet ?
I guess buying longer spokes and buy the tools to make the screw end could be an option if dealing the Dh comp offset is that difficult...at least your the pionner to give us the right specifications

 

[GCinDC]

do you remove battleries and use waterjet ?

nope, just soap up and aim the hose...

 

[nicobie]

boys are getting big.

 

[GCinDC]

yes, they sure are!

and since we've got such nice photos of the rear wheel, let's add a few more (after hauling bike home by car...):

oh, what's that? you want a vid too, you greedy bast...? lol

here ya go. i went through gravely patches and did hear some funny sounds, but they sorted themselves out, at least until the tire got flat! i didn't know thats' what the sound was yet, but i knew something was wrong. so i decided to pull over, to the left of course, cause that's where my destination was - my chiropractor... you don't want to see the neck crack again do you??? but i damn near dropped the bike when the tire seals broke and the wheel went gushy on me.. lucky again!

[youtube]SjOWkpZz9PE[/youtube]

normally going to VA gives me the heeby geebies, no offense Cresh, but cops are way too intense for me there. i guess i have gotten more brave tho, since now i'm riding on the highway for a stretch, route 66 no less!

 

[dbaker]

pedal bike tomorrow? You need another backup bike? I hate those flats

 

[GCinDC]

yep, pedal bike, which is fine.

no time to fix tire. ever since they laid off half my team, i find myself working all night...

might be hard to fix tire with one hand tho. when i pulled bike off car rack, i held it lightly and dropped it. my thumb was somewhere it shouldn't have been tho.

had ice on it all night. the black and blue is now coming thru on the inside, not behind the nail yet. will be fun changing an mc tire!

thanks for bike offer! i think i can manage, but will let you know, tho i'm tempted to do vids on a couple!

 

[Cresh]

normally going to VA gives me the heeby geebies, no offense Cresh, but cops are way too intense for me there. i guess i have gotten more brave tho, since now i'm riding on the highway for a stretch, route 66 no less!

LOL! I've always wanted to ride on 66 but been too chicken, because I'm afraid of the police! You're 100% right, the cops in DC pretty much ignore bikes, mopeds, and the couple if ebikers, but cross the river and you stick out like a sore thumb.

 

[dbaker]

Really enjoyed the commute today Only 2 layers going home, no balaclava, and thin gloves. The Bafang crank drive is really nice in the winter. I can change from studded snow tires to mtb knobbies in 10 minutes

 

[GCinDC]

second draft, cut down from 22 minutes, no music
[youtube]1Asa1es3HQw[/youtube]

with music, meh...
[youtube]V97hkyK2EKw[/youtube]

comments, please..

 

[The fingers]

2013 was quite a year to remember! 8)

 

[rp3]

Nice work!

 

[nicobie]

A year in the life of GC.

I liked it!

 

[whereswally606]

Inspiring GC very inspiring

 

[GCinDC]

thanks guys. interesting that there 25 views of one w/ music and 33 views on one w/o... is the music annoying? i had a hard time finding an audioswap tune 7 minutes long...

my plan was to narrate it. i might give it a go. i get so lazy w/ the audio/titles, etc... plus i usually sound retarded when i narrate, and there's no way i'll be able to keep up. we'll see.

i'd make it public but the high speed commuting scenes always cause some fuss. maybe i'll make another and cut out those scenes - cause no one cares what happens in the woods - only on the sidewalk..

in other news...

FENDERS - if You will think about buying new ones, after braking those (i did with both : rear: leg , front: some kind of thin wood stick) look at those:
https://www.google.pl/search?q=fend...m=122&espv=210&q=mucky+nutz&tbm=isch&imgdii=_

i arrived at work last monday, after less than a week of use, and the rear fender was gone! here's what's left in my hand and my ghetto fender back on...:

the front is still on, but the gap is a problem, and on one drop, one of the front pieces flexed and snagged a nobby and made a horrific sound. i'd thought they'd be more effective closer to the tire, but installed it according to the directions, with a measuring spacer, but closer would surely be worse.

bottom line, i can't recommend these!

 

[drew12345]

Great Vid! Makes me want to go ride right now.

 

[fechter]

Awesome video!
How did you get the aerial shots? Flying quad copter?

I noticed you passing several police cars like they weren't moving. Glad to see they leave you alone.

 

[knoxie]

Brilliant video buddy! glad to see you bounce back so well after the fire, a very inspiring video and loving the quad copter footage! whats the story on that? hope your having a fun holiday.

 

[Bill Nye the science guy]

I was told when I bought the same fender that the company has a very good warranty policy.

 

[GCinDC]

loving the quad copter footage! whats the story on that?

knoxie, fechter, ES legends - thanks!

the story of the quadcopter shots:
- i sold my old GT to axel - that's him early in the vid following me under the bridge but anyway, he's a professional cameraman for French TV, etc, and one day he offered to do the quadcopter shoot, and as you know, i always try to find away to compete with hyena (bait, bait, bait )
- as you can see, i got a bit aggressive with the power slide in a tiny bit of dirt on the concrete drive, snapped my head back and got a concussion! 10 min after that accident, i asked him where we were and what we were doing there. another 5 min later, i asked the same questions!
- i checked into the hospital, got a CT scan - no bleeding - and got home and edited the video that night!
- was definitely scary, but after a week, i was more or less sorted out.... hence the full face helment in the next shot. :wink:

axel's got some ideas for more shoots, and he'll have a dh comp build up soon too!

now, get out on that ebike, knoxie! gotta be time for a trailer for the kids, eh?

 

[knoxie]

Hi Buddy

Ahh thanks for the info there, the ebiking year you have had has been quite amazing and your tenacity with the hobby is remarkable,so many people would have tossed the towel in even if they had a 1/4 of the issues that you have had.

The quad copter stuff looks amazing and you did take a hard knock there, I think this video is the best ebiking video I have seen for years! it really sells the idea, I still go out riding my bikes, commute to work on them all the time, health issues have precluded me from doing much more than that in the last 18 months but hopefully we will be good in to the next year.

Enjoy the rest of the holidays and have a great new year

 

[GCinDC]

sorry to hear about the heath issues, knoxie. maybe time to cut back on the trips to mcdonalds? just kidding, man. i sure hope you're ok!

speaking of adversity, i still appreciate that you wired me $200 after my fire! incredibly generous. but i'm glad i was able to get reimbursed by insurance and send it back..

the ebiking year you have had has been quite amazing and your tenacity with the hobby is remarkable

haha, yeah, and i guess i did have shoulder surgery at the end of 2012... i thought about adding some surgery footage to open the 2013 vid, cause i did drop the bike a few times there when it must have smarted the old shoulder...

ah well, getting all sentimental, just for fun (or holiday binging) here are my career highlights lined up:
[youtube]nZrEwwvs_34[/youtube]
and this one with knoxie's fx @ 1:40!
[youtube]-2vtrHlAHMg[/youtube]
[youtube]UZZQhX1mlXU[/youtube]
[youtube]V97hkyK2EKw[/youtube]

 

[dbaker]

Did I camio at 2:50 in 2010? Running moped tire and a moped fender!

 

[GCinDC]

Did I camio at 2:50 in 2010? Running moped tire and a moped fender!

you bet, db. had you not seen that!? :lol:

crunchy trail this morning? i bet you were fitted out perfectly!

i installed the studded tire on my front wheel but broke the bead. it was so tight, i used my MC wheel tools and heard a loud crack and now it's toast.

stayed in the center lane for the epic salt bath. probably should have just taken the metro but after the wheel change attempt it was already so late...

 

[Cresh]

[youtube]V97hkyK2EKw[/youtube]

Dude! passing that "car" @ 1:22, just awesome I love it!

 

[dbaker]

What a cold day Got a late start this morning. Sam had no school and I had to drive him to deliver an application. Got on the trail around 10. Only 2 trees down. Some bike tracks but still virgin snow on the side. Left early to get home before dark and trail was not bad for so much foot traffic. Still some soft snow left. Going to be crunchy tomorrow with a low of 14F tonight :|