I'm also going to watch and volunteer at the aid station on the east side of the lake with the Tri-Gators. Come by and grab a beer.

Can I paint "GO BIG KAHUNA" on your back?

I'm gettin' down there tomorrow afternoon or early Friday morning. Airline business in Minneapolis tomorrow morning (I flew to Detroit Sunday night, and now I'm packed and ready to bolt as soon as I get out of the conference :-)

Hey.....do you think South Lake Bikes or one of the other expo vendors might have a 9 speed 12-25 cassette I could buy that they could throw on my disc when I get there? I definitely DO NOT want to go up Sugarloaf on an 11-21, like I did last year :-( There's probably still pieces of my ass scattered up that hill (hee-hee)

Rolling Stone (gathering no moss) Kahuna

What kind of bike?

Because I am sitting here about to put a 12-25 on that I just got from Performance Bike. Ultegra.

A 650c Quintana Roo Kilo Private Reserve from '98 (still the fastest damn bike I've ever pedaled :-) with a HED disc in the back. Currently sporting a lightly-used 11-21 Shimano Dura-Ace cassette on the hub.

Breaking Away Kahuna

Here is a positive thought for you Kahuna:



It will seem small when you get there.

I shouldn't have asked what kind of bike. I should have asked "Can you use a 12-25 Ultegra cogset" . You may remember us discussing this a while back. ONE OF US planned ahead and bought the f**ker. I am not in the race. I had wanted to run a loop on Friday for fun, say around 11:00. I will not need it after that. Is there any trick to putting it on a disk? I have the tools for standard wheel installation., and I assume you know much more than I about these things. But we need to discuss how I get it back, because I need it for IMFL.

Well, the disc hub took my 11-21 Dura Ace with no problem, and I raced on it at the Great Buckeye half-IM back in August, so Ultegra's probably just as good.

And if you ever show me another picture of that damn hill, I'll bag up all the barf that I'm spewing from the sight of it, and FEDEX it to you with a "Happy Birthday, Bad Monk" written all over the box.

If you find a left ass-cheek on your travels up it, it belongs to me. Hold it for me until I get down there ;-)

American Flyers Kahuna

I'll pass on holding your ass cheek.

Look back up at my previous post--I edited it.

I can give you my cell number and hotel. If you can't get a cogset, you are welcome to mine.

PM me, and I'll give you contact info. I'm going to try to get one here in Minny before I hop on the plane. Why use a 12-25 for pancake flat IMFLA? Take my 11-21 off and you can keep it AND the 12-25, if I end up having to borrow it from you. It's a Dura-Ace and has only been used to race on a few times over the last 6 years (like, maybe 3 IMs and 6 half-IM's, total).

I'll get a new one when I get back to HI. I should've done all this but I'm just a traveling fool since the day before IMH.

I'm staying aways away from the race site (down off 192 and the Bronson Memorial Hwy near Kissimmee). Less distractions that way, and all of the close places were booked by the time I scored this free entry to the race. I'm going straight from the airport to registration on Friday and then to the hotel later that day. I've done this race 4 or 5 times in the past, so I'm pretty jaded about the lead-up. I'd rather just get it done and over with, if you know what I mean.

I guess I could have South Lake put it on at the expo. They've got a pretty extensive set-up there for that sort of stuff. Hopefully, I should be able to score one tomorrow.

BK

Thank you very much. I have an 11-23. I will average 18-19MPH for 112 without a head wind. I am not the athlete you and many others here are. If there is a headwind, I want to make sure I can spin. What is your small chain ring?

Let the installation begin:

I have removed the wheel from the bike.

I have removed the quick release skewer.

I have inspected the cassette and selected the correct type of remover for the hub.

I use a 53/39 up front. For 650c it makes the best sense. I used to be a Troy Jacobson athlete, and I mainly push a big gear (like, 11 or 12-53) at about 80-85 rpm. I've been able to go sub-55 on an Oly course in my better days. Sigh......... My fastest IM split was 5:05, which beat out Thomas Hellreigel's time at this year's IMH, so I've always got that going for me, when I'm a drooling old dude in the nursing home ;-))

Hey......I once beat Jurgen Zack to the finish line at IMH (back in '98). 'Course, he'd been barfing since before the Energy Lab, and he walked the last 5 miles. But, we'll keep that little detail to ourselves, hmmmmm? :-))

Used-To-Be-Fast Kahuna

I would imagine they'll have cassettes, 12-25 always seems to be hard to come by though. 12-23 was plenty for me, it's steep, but short. Of course, that was for the half several years ago (weird thing was, I didn't even notice I had gone up Sugarloaf until about a mile past it). I like to have some extra gears to play with on the flats, something to think about, although I'm sure you know what would work best for ya since you've done it a few times.

12-25s don't seem to be something that most of the bike vendors at expos stock much of. But South Lake has an LBS in the vicinity, too, so I might have to do a little driving around. Two loops of that stinking hill, plus the three rollers on Buckhill.....yech!!!

Rubbery-Legged Kahuna

I have removed the lockring with the chain whip and a wrench.

So far, no animals have been injured.

Old cogset off.

New cogset on.

Lockring reinstalled, using old one cuz it already has grease on it.

Quick release skewer re-installed.

Wheel back on bike.

Tom D.--I am available, and I have my own tools, but I need to make like $200/hr.

Shee-it. I've been in Tom's shop. He has those guys chained to their workbench, and they can only stop working when they'd like just a little bit more pudding. But he ALWAYS screams at them and says, "HOW CAN YOU HAVE ANY MORE PUDDING, IF YOU DON'T EAT YOUR MEAT!!!???

They probably make, like, 10 bucks an hour ;-)

And if your bike doesn't show up, you can use mine.

But don't give me some story that your girlfriend missed her flight, and ... Oh, hell, what are buddy's for?

Shee-it. I've been in Tom's shop. He has those guys chained to their workbench, and they can only stop working when they'd like just a little bit more pudding.Tom--I am quitting you, you cheap bastard.

What's that old NRA bumper sticker thing? "You can have my pickup, my dog and even my wife, but keep your hands off my .45" ?

Yah....my wife (who's over in Iraq) would shoot me dead upon her return if I got into any mischief :-))

I'm irrationally attached to that damn '98 QR of mine, though I've decided to put it into "training bike" status next year. Me and 5 other guys got Speedo and Puma and a few other companies to pony up for a "Team Speedo Hawaii" gig, so I'm gonna take the 65% discount and look at a new Lucero or P3 at the sponsor bike store. Ah, well.....

Let me know if you want an entourage on Saturday morning. Some of Tyson's people are out of work, and I've got a boom box.

I'll be there, doing the 1/2 and watching two of my athletes race the full. Say HI if you see me - I'll have a D3 race top and hat. I get there tomorrow night.

---

Mike Ricci
2017 USAT World Team Coach
USAT National Coach of the Year
Coaching Triathletes since 1992.

I'll be getting there on Friday, just to hang out with my mates, ride out to Sugarloaf the short way to wait for them to come though on the first lap, (maybe I'll chalk a 'Slowtwitch' sign on the road, there's a thought), go for a run around the lake. Of course, I'm sitting here wishing I was doing the half, but the decision not to made a long time ago (in a saner moment!). Have to wait until Gulf Coast next year. So GOOD RACING to all of you.

Cheers

Barry