My hands have been wrapped firmly around Ergon for a good while now and I don’t see that ever changing. Here’s the top five reasons why they are the best grips on the market.

1. They are the most comfortable - Before Ergon I thought grips were grips. They either had a lot of padding or didn’t. Now that I’ve ridden with Ergon I realize I was so very wrong. I don’t get near the ache or numbness that I would feel on long rides.
2. They are the most comfortable, even when installed incorrectly - Here’s a quote from a conversation between Nat Ross (endurance racer) and Jeff Kerkove (Ergon pimp and endurance racer):Jeff: “Dude, your Ergon’s are on up side down.”Nat: “Are they? But they are so comfy that way.”Jeff: “Trust me. Switch them around to feel true hand nirvana.”
3. Different options for different rides - Do you ride long gravel grinders? Their grip with the support platform are for you.Do you ride more intense singletrack where you need the maximum grip? Then go with the Enduro (that’s what I ride).A grip for every situation.
4. Clamp-on - I won’t ride any kind of grip that doesn’t come as a clamp-on. The slide-on grips never stay completely still and shift around… especially when wet. I love clamp-on and Ergon does it right.
5. You can get them in green - … if you know the right people. They sell in black but the green is their “team” color. But I’ve seen these around and if you look under the right rocks you may be able to get your hands on a set as well.

There you have it… the top five reasons why Ergon grips are the best. Now go buy a pair and make your hands happy on your next ride.

Interbike has announced their new event… an Outdoor Demo for the east coast.It’ll be held in Providence, Rhode Island on October 21 and 22.This is a pretty interesting choice for the Nielson folks and I can’t help but wonder if it’s partly in response to Eurobike’s various plays for the US market.As you know, there was a whole lot of hoopla over Eurobike launching their own event here in the states last year.  There was a big announcement and then no info and then a weird partnership with Sea Otter that played out to be pretty pointless.  One of the main comments that consistently came out of all this is the thought that Eurobike should do something on the east coast to cover folks on this side of the country and  to better rival Interbike.Since Eurobike is doing a fantastic job dragging their feet, my guess is this is a move by Interbike to test the east coast tradeshow idea.  Putting on an Outdoor Demo is much cheaper, easier and safer (image-wise) than a full blown tradeshow.  If it goes well, then expand it.  If no one shows up, then you don’t have to do it again and it’s no big deal.  Either way it’s a preemptive strike to someone else (read: Eurobike) doing their own show. 

Crooked Cog has been the best bike network on the net and will continue to fill that roll this coming year.  Here’s the top five reasons we’re still the best:

1.  Lots of Writers - We’ve added four new writers to the fold as of January 1 which rounds us out at a total of nine.  These are avid cyclists from all parts of North America and into all types of cycling.  The different perspectives offer our readers a range of insight you can’t find anywhere else.
2. More Sites - The Bike Lab has done a soft launch for the past couple months and is gaining a new focus.  Also, the podcast is being resurrected in the near future thanks to a multitude of requests from forlorn listeners.  The new episode has been recorded and will be edited and launched asap.
3. More Guitar Ted - Guitar Ted has been a veteran of Twenty Nine Inches and has added a huge amount of knowledge (and character) to the site.  His roll is expanding with the Network in 2008 as it becomes his parttime gig which means more product reviews, more knowledge and more rants than ever before.
4. Lots of Experience - At least half of our staff has spent a lot of time working as shop wrenches in their local bike shops.  All of us use our bikes as our main source of transportation.  That adds up to a lot of hours in the saddle and a lot of time spent hacking, fixing and upgrading our bikes.  That knowledge will get poured into the sites on a daily basis.
5. We are the People - All of us have jobs outside of the bike industry that pays at least half our bills.  This keeps us down-to-earth and able to write from the perspective of our readers.  We love you folks that are out there creating the bikes for us, but it’s often hard for you to see the ride through our eyes.  We are the people that ride the stuff as a passion, not as a job.  That keeps us grounded and in tune with the average visitor to our sites.

Thanks to the readers that made 2007 our biggest year ever with an average 120% growth across the sites.  I can’t wait to see what 2008 holds…

Mike and I went for a ride on Wednesday that got stretched out a good bit longer than planned.

We went out for a ride on some new trails that are being built locally and about thirty minutes into the ride we came across this old cement dam. It was about 25 feet long, 4 to 5 feet high and under a foot wide. Here’s me making my way across it…

Mike took this picture than grabbed his bike to ride across. A few feet in he lost his balance and fell off. The fall didn’t look to bad but he immediately started yelling. I asked if he was playing around and he assured me he wasn’t and started yelling about his ankle. I ran back across the dam and sure enough, his ankle was not in good shape. Mike was laying on his back and his left foot was laying to the left on the ground… about 90 degrees from where it should be.

I pulled out my phone and dialed 911 and gave all the information and directions I could then the lady said I would hear back shortly and we hung up.

At this point I went down and sat with Mike and we made sure his toes, fingers, legs, etc were all working. The pain was obviously pretty bad but he was taking it pretty well… way better than I deal with pain. At this point I would have been screaming like a girl, passed out or both. But considering the situation, he was in pretty good shape. His ankle was broken but there was no major wounds and no blood, so it became a waiting game.

Within a couple minutes I had a captain from the rescue team call me back and we began working on the best way to pinpoint our location. This isn’t so easy when you’re thirty minutes into a singletrack ride on unfamiliar terrain. Thankfully my phone kept fritzing out so I grabbed Mike’s iPhone and called back on 911 and the lady immediately pinpointed our location because, apparently, the iPhone is GPS enabled. After that she started relaying our coordinates and told us to sit tight and wait for the rescue team to show up.

After about twenty minutes the first two guys showed up and started working with Mike… taking his vitals, asking him questions, etc. Then they sent me out to wave down more EMS on a fireroad about 100 yards further down the singletrack.

From this point on there was a lot of waiting. More cops and emergency workers showed up, totally about a dozen. They were with Mike waiting for the right vehicle and enough emergency crew to show up on site. During this time they wouldn’t let me do much so I grabbed the bikes and stashed them in one of the cop’s truck, kept Mike’s family updated and did a lot of standing around.

Once everyone was in place they got Mike on one of those orange sleds and eight guys carried him out of the singletrack and got him loaded on the all-terrain vehicle that could get him out to a waiting ambulance. Then from there it was a ride to the hospital and some morphine.

Once at the hospital they checked everything and did the whole xray routine. His ankle was dislocated and broken. So they knocked him out, relocated the ankle and set his leg with screws and plates. The docs said he’ll be out for three to four months, but they’re expecting a full recovery.

All in all, the whole ordeal was pretty bad but could have been a lot worse. Mike fell within a foot of a jagged pipe sticking out of the ground, so a broken ankle is way better than a puncture wound when you’re out in the woods. It was also nice that we were together and his iPhone had GPS enabled. And I can’t say enough good things about the emergency workers that showed up fast and took great care of Mike.

If you’re looking for lessons learned… I would say to ride with a buddy whenever possible and have your cell phone easily accessible.  Both of those made the whole thing a lot easier on Mike.

Be safe out there…

In looking back over the last year it’s almost overwhelming in the things I have to give thanks for.  Here’s a few that quickly come to mind… 

My lovely wife who has supported me over the past few years as I stumble around and figure out what I want to do with my life.  Most wives would have given up a long time ago but she sticks by and encourages me all along the way.  I can honestly say I wouldn’t be the man I am today if it weren’t for her.  There’s truth in that saying… “Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.”

My two children…  Conner, who is such a blessing and joy, and our little gummy bear who is just eight weeks along in momma’s belly. 

My job, or lack of one.  I spend my days doing work I enjoy and makes me feel accomplished.  And it leaves me flexible so I can spend plenty of time with my family.  Does it get better than that?

My wonderful staff of writers for Crooked Cog… Guitar Ted, Fritz, Warren T and Arleigh… the Network would suck royally without your involvement.  And you make my life easier as well.

My friends…  I’ve been blessed with such magnificent friends in my life.  They challenge and encourage me.  They’re there when I need them and they make life a lot more interesting.

Take some time today to say ‘thanks’ to the people in your life and give thanks for the blessings in your life…