Make $$ in the +1lap Affiliates Referral Program

Hey all, in case you needed another good reason to buy your KCNC brakes from me instead of anyone else out there on the internet this is it: the +1lap affiliates referral program.

This is the deal: anyone who buys a pair of KCNC brakes from +1lap at the MSRP of $300 will be eligible to be enrolled in the affiliates program. What is it?

You will earn $10 for every friend you send to me that also buys a set of KCNC brakes and says that you sent them. Yes exactly, $10 for every referral you send me that buys a set of brakes. I will send you your referral bonus via Paypal immediately after your friend buys a pair.

To sweeten the pot, I will send another $50 to you after you refer the sale of 20 pairs of brakes.

Your friend also becomes eligible to be enrolled in the affiliates program as well. This is a selling point that you can mention to them when they weigh their options about where to purchase these fine braking instruments. No other cycling retailer I know of offers this wonderful opportunity.

Pyramid scheme? Hardly. I will send out the dough immediately to you once the purchase is made. Think of it as my advertising campaign. Amazon does it.

To enroll, you must first purchase a set of the KCNC brakes yourself and then ask to be placed in the affiliates system.

Refer the sale of 25 brakes and you make back the $300 you spent on your own pair!

Email me at plusonelap at gmail dot com with questions.

KCNC brakes

Another thing I've been working on is importing some of these sweet brakes from KCNC.

The brakes are going to kill the Zero Gravity market. Their lighter and the lucky few whom have ridden them state-side say that they stop better. Oh, and their cheaper.



I am running a pre-sale on them currently. Meaning, I have placed my order with KCNC and am just awaiting them to come across the ocean from Asia.

They are going to be the next hottest thing in the low weight bike world. I have placed a small order with KCNC, if you would like your name associated with one of those few sets email me at plusonelap at gmail dot com. I have black and a few silver sets coming. Let me know which color you want.

The price is $315. Compare this to Zero Gravity's which are selling on Ebay for $330 plus $10 shipping, and you'll see the bargain.

Again, email me at plusonelap at gmail dot com to place your order and/or find out more info about these brakes.

Update

Hey guys and gals, well not much posting lately on +1lap. I know.

I got accepted to Boston U. and Babson College business school for next fall. I was spending the last weekend in Boston touring both campuses and am fairly certain that BU is where its going to be.

So yeah, been busy with that. Also, preparing for the coming season, and am planning to race the Portland Spring Duathlon and Vancouver TT series.

So, with that, keep checking back in for updates, especially with Worlds next week.

Jeremy

Catalog scan of my Colnago

BTW---not sure if I posted this before, but found this scan of a Colnago catalog from 1988. And I think its my bike.

There are many Colnago's out there. With very small deviations in each model.

Why do I think this is mine?

1. The right chainstay and rear dropouts are chromed.
2. Fork is chromed (my bike has a chrome under the white, but I had them powdercoat over it because the chrome was in very bad shape).
3. The fork crown has the C with the clover inside of it.
4. 2 cable guides on the top tube.
5. Non fluted seat stays with the Colnago panto'd into them.

Thats about it. I haven't found another Colnago that had all of that in common with my frame. As I can see now, my decals aren't "accurate" for the Super Sprint. But thats okay with me. I love the poser WC stripes. I'm not worried anyone's going to confuse me with a World Champ anyway.

If anyone has any information about the 1988 Super Sprint such as a price list etc, that'd be great. Email me at plusonelap at gmail dot com

Colnago: Done

Finally built her up last week and was able to snap some shots this weekend. She's been built for some time now, but I didnt want to post pics until every last detail was in place.

Even so, there are a few things that are still on the way or in the works to make this beauty queen even more glamorous. But this will do for now.





Build:
Frame and fork: Colnago
Shifters: Ultegra STI
Front and rear deraileur: Dura Ace
Cranks: Dura Ace
Wheels: Araya
Pedals: Crank Brothers Eggbeaters
Brakes: Paul Neo Retro front and Touring rear
Cassette: Sram

I am considering swapping out the saddle.




Also the stem is pretty sweet, I think its an ITM, but I just bought a pantographed Colnago stem that will be even sweeter.

Another item I have that I was able to find was this sweet Colnago bottle cage. I think they are fairly rare as I only ever seen a picture of one other. They were probably $3.95 back in 1981.



This one has some chipped paint, I'm considering a repaint, but I want to save or recreate the Colnago decal first.

Just as a flashback, here is what the frame looked like when I first got her:





And the finish again:



more photos here

Handmade Cyclocross Bike #23: Gary's Curtlo

Gary sent in his blue Curtlo, which is almost light enough to make it into both +1lap galleries.


Here is the skinny:

Steel frame – True Temper S3 tubing; 3.4# for the frame.

Alpha Q fork

Campagnolo Chorus derailleurs and shifters

Cane Creek SCX-5 Brakes

One Salsa Crosstop lever – Rear Brake

Bontrager Race X-Lite tubular wheels with Tufo T30 Pro tires

12-25 Cassette, 39/46 rings on Chorus cranks

SPD Pedals

Ritchey WCS stem, bar and seatpost

San Marco Era saddle

Total bike is 18.7# with the tubular wheels. Doug built it up with curved seat stays, and it handles and rides like a dream! For those that believe that a ‘Cross bike has to be ultra stiff, I have proof otherwise. The flex in the rear allows the bike to hook up better in rough terrain, and I have less fatigue. The bike still sprints well, too.



If you have a handmade cyclocross bike or one under 18 pounds email it to me at plusonelap at gmail dot com

Tool Drive for Rwandan Coffee Farmers

Recently, I stumbled upon a non-profit organization located here in Portland called Bikes To Rwanda (BTR). BTR strives to make bikes available to coffee farmers in Rwanda so that they can transport their raw coffee beans to the market. These are folks who make less in a year than most of us make in a day: a coffee farmer who has 5 kids and a wife barely supports his family on around $160 a year.

So, recently these coffee farmers were given some pretty sick coffee bikes (see above). They are the ultimate hauling rigs. What they desperately need though, is tools.

We all know bikes break, now imagine there is no local bike shop, no Performance Bike, no internet to order new tools from.

After talking with the Executive Director of BTR, Plus One Lap is starting a tool donation drive. Find all of the tools you dont really need (how many 5mm allen wrenches do you really need anyway?) and mail them to:

Plus One Lap Tool Drive
4820 SW Barbur Blvd #15
Portland OR 97239

All of your tools will be given directly to the BTR by myself. I found 3 allen sets sitting in my cupboard in addition to the 2 sets which are my "everyday" ones. I am also donating 2 chain breakers, some pliers and some loose allen tools.



If you don't have tools sitting around to donate, run down to your local Harbor Freight and pick some up and mail them in.

These farmers really need things like:
metric allen tools
tire levers
adjustable wrenches
pliers
hand pumps
and any other basic tool you think someone would need to work on their bike.

I'm asking all the +1lap readers to dig to the bottom of your tool box and pull out some tools that these people will cherish. I know we can pull together and amass a pretty large donation to give to the BTR. They will handle it from there to get these tools to the coffee farmers in Rwanda.

Again, please mail your tools to:

Plus One Lap Tool Drive
4820 SW Barbur Blvd #15
Portland OR 97239

Related links:
Ubikerwanda Blog
Project Rwanda
Bikes to Rwanda
Scallywags Bike Shop

Lightweight Cyclocross bike # 40: Mark's Veloforma

One of the few carbon cyclocross racers in the Plus One Lap Lightweight Cyclocross Gallery is this newest addition from Veloforma. Built up with Sram Force, this thing looks pretty cool, plus I bet the carbon feels pretty pro riding in the rough.

Frame: Veloforma
Fork: Alpha Q
Drivetrain: full sram force
Wheels: Rolf vigors schwalbe tires
Saddle: fizik arione
Seatpost: veloforma slx - carbon post (and no it won't break)
single ring in the front: 42t with a 12x27 in the rear.
Brakes: TRP euro cx brakes

If you have a sub 18 pound cyclocross bike or a handmade one, email it to me at plusonelap at gmail dot com

Kruger's Crossing CX (Portland CX Scene)

Got an email from Kris Schamp regarding the Kruger's race this weekend, the weirdest and coolest thing being the corn maze that racers will have to navigate. Sounds like a fun time, might actually be fairly dry too.

1) Course & Maze:
Last week, I was at the farm to check out the course and the corn maze. Here are some photos of the maze and other parts of the course. With the rainfall of last weekend, there has been some debate whether we should include the corn maze in this year's course. Well, our current plan is as follows: if the maze is ridable on Saturday, we'll design two routes, one around the maze, and a slightly shorter, more technical route (or two) through the maze. Depending on the weather and course conditions on Sunday, we'll decide to run the race over either section. We might also give racers the option to choose either route. And - with or without the maze - we'll make sure the course will be plenty of fun and challenging!

2) Parking:
Like in the past, Kruger's Farm will be charging a $5 parking fee per car, which will be payable when you enter the farm. Please make sure to bring $5 cash (exact change please!), so they can keep the flow going. And since parking at Kruger's Farm is not unlimited (about 500 cars max.), we strongly encourage you to carpool with friends or even better, ride over to the farm on your bike.

3) Food, Beer and Other Goodies:
As always, we'll make sure to take good care of our racers and spectators and make it more than just a race. Salvador Molly's will be at hand to serve gourmet food (incl. hot chili, brats, pretzels and salads). They will also serve serve locally brewed beer (Laurelwood organic red and golden!). Throughout the day, Kruger's Farm Market will be serving FREE Nossa Familia coffee in the farm store and they will also sell hot cider and sodas. In addition, everything in their store will be 20% off, including their popular baskets from Ghana, which make excellent Christmas gifts. To top it off we'll have a bonfire, Cyclosportif's ever-popular waffle stand and FREE karaoke, brought to you by the fine folks at Cyclepath.

4) Awards and FREE Raffle:
In good tradition, we will end the event with awards for Cat A Men and Women and a free raffle for all racers and volunteers. We have some great prizes, including:
- headsets and other cool bike bling, courtesy of perennial local bike race sponsor Chris King.
- gift certificates, donated by Portland's very own Bike Gallery.
- an assortment of Kona beer glasses, a super-cool Kona Longboard, and - our grand prize - a Kona Unit 2-9 singlespeed frame!
We will also have some goodies at hand from our other sponsors Clif Bar and Laurelwood.
Thank you sponsors!

That's it. If you have any questions, check our web site or just shoot me an e-mail. I am looking forward to seeing you all this Sunday at the farm. Let's have a party!

Lightweight Cyclocross bike # 39: Brian's Santa Cruz

The first Santa Cruz cross bike for the +1lap galleries? This is a cool bike, check out the mono stay.

Yo here is one for your galleries. Built this up 3 weeks ago and it is tipping the scales at 16.8. A super sweet machine that races very well. A great start for Santa Cruz in the cross market. $800 is the cost for frame only. These frames are special request only and are not publicized on their website.

08 Santa Cruz Stigmata.

Specs

Stigmata frame - Easton EA6X tubing

Chris King headset

Winwood Carbon Alloy CX fork

Ritchey WCS Axis 4 Stem

Bontrager Race X Lite bars

Shimano XT Canti Brakes (old school)

Blackwell Research 50 Carbon Clinchers

Swiss Stop Yellows

SRAM Rival Team Shifters

SRAM Rival Cranks

SRAM Rear Der

SRAM Front Der

Shimano Dura Ace 12-25 cassette

FSA 36 c-ring

TSA 44 c-ring

Ritchey WCS Carbon post

Selle Italia Max Flite Saddle

Crank Brothers Egg Beaters SL

If you have a sub 18 pound cyclocross bike or a handmade one, email it to me at plusonelap at gmail dot com.

Lightweight Cyclocross Bike #38: Robert's Cannondale

Another sweet Cannondale for the lightweight gallery. Thanks Robert for the submission!

Hey guys here's a 17.3 lb. rig for you.

Cannondale frame with Alpha Q fork.
Deda Newton bar and stem. Deda carbon blackstick seatpost
SRAM Force levers and derailleurs
Spooky Carbon brakes with Swiss Stop yellow pads (if you haven't tried them get 'em next time!)
Fizik Ti Airone saddle
Cannondale cranks with FSA chainrings
Crank Bros. Candy Sl pedals
Zipp 303 with Vittoria tubulars
Dura Ace chain and cassette.

I hadn't owned a Cannondale before this bike and it definitely gets the job done.
Great handling bike, wouldn't change a thing.

Thanks!

If you have a sub 18 pound cyclocross bike or a handmade one email it to me at plusonelap at gmail dot com.

Handmade Cyclocross Bike #22: Michael's Rocklobster

Michael sent in his Rocklobster that almost came out under 18 pounds to put it into both galleries. No matter, this bike looks great. Love that sky blue with the cream panels.

Rock Lobster with Scandium tubing, slight sloping top tube and corners like nothing else

Fork: Easton cx90
Wheels:Ksyrium SL & Hand built wheelset Salsa Delgado rims lace to Chris King Hubs both with Dura Ace 12-25 cassette
Tires:Vittoria Cross XG
Drivetrain: Dura Ace Drive train
Ultregra Chain
FSA 46/38
Brakes: Pauls Touring
Pedals: Shimano XTR
Seatpost: Salsa Shaft
Saddle: Fizik
Stem: Salsa Scandium
Bar: Deda 215
Tape: Deda
Headset: Chris King

Weight 18.2lbs with Ksyrium wheels and 19lbs with Chris King wheels

If you have a sub 18 pound cyclocross bike or a handmade one, email it to me at plusonelap at gmail dot com

My First Cross Race by Jason Autrey

I'm proud to feature a story by Jason Autrey about his first cyclocross race:

What possessed me to think this was a good idea? I mean how does a guy with little to no racing experience decide to race Cross. They don't make low enough categories for guys like me. Unlike mountain or road racing Cross offers little in the way of recovery. Me? I need all the recovery I can get. Not once have I ever considered lactate threshold or ideal heart rate. I simply ride to ride. And to drink beer guilt free.

Several years ago I attended my first cross race as a way to expand my photographic portfolio. I expected to see stereotypical type A's riding around in circles and getting "dirty". I expected great action shots, I never expected to see people just as intent on tapping kegs as making the starting line on time. I certainly did not expect to see people having fun. Yet here were 100s of people who obviously subscribed to my way of thinking. Most of my adult life has been fashioned after two mottos "It doesn't have to be fun to be fun" and "There is such a thing as a good kind of hurt". Needless to say I was intrigued.

Shortly thereafter I purchased my first cross bike. I began to take it on all my local singletrack and the trails came alive. Riding Cross for me was always a ride on the edge of disaster. Cantis instead of discs, 38/26 instead of 22/34. Hook, line, and sinker. I left the racing for the guys with single digit body fat. I was having as much fun as they were and never had to shell out an entry fee.

So then, why am I toeing the line with 30 or so strangers waiting to suffer? Curiosity more than anything. Cycling forums tout the sheer joy and pain of racing cross and in my experience as a spectator I had to agree with them. Plus it was only 45 minutes and who among us cannot suffer for 45 minutes. The thing about time, however, is that it is all relative. For instance 45 minutes on a date with a sultry vixen flys by, conversely 45 minutes with your heart rate pegged and your legs exploding seems to last for days.

Too late to turn back now. No fake mechanical is gonna save my sorry ass. Were off. I sprinted off the line as I wanted to run with the lead pack for at least one lap. Oh well one-tenth of a lap would have to do. By the time I finished the first lap I was worked but had no visions of giving up. By the second lap I wanted to puke. Luckily, I don't bother with such things as cyclocomputers or heart rate monitors. Had I seen what my heart was probably doing I would have more than likely ridden straight to the ER. By the last lap I had reached the "it doesn't have to be fun to be fun" zone. My 5yr old son was propelling me around the course with shouts of "Go, Daddy, go!". How could I disappoint? Unfortunately little boys have no concept of lactic acid and exploding heart rates. All he would understand was daddy quit. So I persevered. The last lap was the best and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. The barriers were no longer obstacles, merely minor inconveniences, my legs no longer hurt, they were just numb. I have no idea what my lap times were but I would guarantee my that last lap was definitely my fastest. And in keeping with Cross the finish line was at the top of the hill. I rolled across somewhere between first and last (closer to last) and right over to my son. "Daddy, did you win?" was all I got.

Biggest lesson learned was that all the technical skills in the world do not make up for a lack of fitness. And while I don't plan on getting a heart rate monitor or cutting back on beer consumption, you can bet you will see me on the line next weekend. If you find yourself off the back in the Cat 4s, say hello. I will more than likely be the guy right behind you.

Adding a rear derailleur mount

Say you have a frame that doesn't have a rear dérailleur hanger. Or maybe yours broke off and you want an easy fix. A cheap/quick fix is to run one of these:



Note you might need to drill into your frame to secure it (ala the little hole in the part above, so it doesnt pivot)

It might not be elegant, but many bikes in the 80's came stocked with this part for derailleured bikes for some reason. Also, it would get you by in a pinch.

Some guy is selling them on Ebay, but I'm sure QBP or BTI or your local LBS could get you one too.

Anyone ever done this with success of failure? Reply in the comments.

Lightweight Cyclocross Bike #37: Dylan's Kona

Dylan sent in his highly customized Kona Major Jake (btw he works for Yakima):

"Like to send you my 17.75lb Kona cross bike. Here's the skinny:

2008 61cm Kona Custom Yakima Edition Jake the Snake
Full SRAM Force
Zipp Carbon Tubular Wheels
Tufo Red/Black Special Edition Tires 2 of 100
Alpha Q CX 20 Carbon Fork
Alpha Q Carbon Post
White Sella Italia Saddle
Kore Brakes and Levers
White Crank Bros Pedals"











If you have a sub 18 pound cyclocross bike or a handmade one, email it to me at plusonelap at gmail dot com