More OP

First, thanks for your positive comments. I am glad that you guys can relate to some of my thoughts.

As promised, I thought I’d share a few things about the gear I used during the race. I realize this will be sort of a sponsor pimp, but I would only do this for gear I really use, and really like. I was blown away by how well everything performed in the race. A 24 Hour solo will bring out the true colors of any gear. Mine came through for me with flying colors.

Princeton Tec Switchback’s:

I used the SB 2 on my helmet, and the SB 3 on my bars. I was very impressed with these lights. They were more than bright enough, the beam patterns were easy on the eyes, and the lights were user friendly enough so my support crew had no problems charging and hooking them up. The lights are small and light, I never had any neck fatigue from having extra weight on the helmet. The battery for the SB3 stayed put on my frame. No sliding around or on the fly adjustments.

It took me about half of a lap to really get the direction of the lights just right, but once I got them dialed in, they lit the trail up very well. Last year I was constantly adjusting my bar mounted HID on this course. I was also constantly out running it. This year there were none of those problems. The SB2 shot light far down the trail, giving me plenty of time to dodge cactus. This combination of lights is excellent. I really felt for the first time that lighting was not holding me back–my legs were–but that is a different story “)

Ergon Grips:

I have been using Ergon grips for the last year, but that doesn’t stop me from being amazed at how comfortable they can be. I used the R2W for this race, and I really liked the larger bar-end. It provided a nice spot for my hands to rest, or to grab while I cranked some of the small climbs. More and more endurance racers are using Ergon, and there is a reason for that.

The Jersey Devil HT:

The more time I get on this bike, the more I am loving it. The frame just feels very good. After 24 Hours on the HT I was still comfortable. The carbon stays soaked up the bumps and the stylish paint job turned a lot of heads.

Wingnut Assault:

The Assault just plain rocks. I literally forget it is there. It’s the little things that continue to emerge with this pack that I love. The gel flask holder makes it so easy to eat on the go. The side zipper pockets made it simple to swap out batteries without changing packs. The low rider system kept my back and shoulders happy. These little Assaults are excellent lap packs.

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If you have any question about this stuff, don’t hesitate to ask. Like I said earlier, I would only be using these if they worked. I am very excited about the gear I will be using this year. I really feel like I have some of the best available. The people behind these products are also very cool. They have been super helpful. Thanks guys!

The Le Mans run, getting my bike handed off to me in the chaos