Broken Black Diamond Crampons..the soft shoe shuffle?

June 1



I have rewritten this blog to make it more current and in my opinion more accurate from the details I have been able to gather from the climbing community in the last 4 months.Black Diamond has offered no new publicinformationsincethe third pair of broken stainless crampons became public knowledgein mid Feb of .





Since then I have been made aware ofseveral more pairs of cracked or broken crampons by their owners. Crampons that the owners only identified because of Rafal's original blog poston the subject.





Until recently I have been a big fan of the Black Diamond horizontal crampons for most conditions. Sabertooth to be exact. But I have also used the Serac. They both climb exceptionally well. Big fan until they started breaking. BD has yet to acknowledge they have a problem. To the opposite in fact, they have publically denied any problems. Despite continuing to quietly replace PRODUCTION crampons as they crack or break and are returned to BD.



I will no longer climb in mine.



I have personally verifiedearly versions of both Sabertoothand Serac Pro andClip models failing. All have hada similar failureandposition on the front of the crampon.Thankfully the only broken crampons I have seenaretheearlier versions before BD added material to thefailure area. Those same crampons can still be found on Black Diamond's dealer's shelves.



I first noticed that added material and design changein the early fall of .



snip from a comment byBill Belcourt of Black Diamondon Gravsport:



"these changes would improve the life of the crampon in the failure mode that Rafal saw"



The original commenthere:



http://www.gravsports-ice.com/icethreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=8972&page=4











The heads up and photos courtesy of Rafal. More here:

http://rafalandronowski.wordpress.com//02/15/broke-my-crampons/



In email conversations with the owner of theseSabertooth Pros said they were usedonly witha Nepal Evo. The Evo isa pretty rigid bootby today's standards. I do not believe these crampons, which were sold at retail and not prototypes, were abused in any way.



BDdisagrees:



http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1004766/1

















1st gen Sabertooth is on the right in the picture above. 2nd gen version is on the left. At the area of the break BD went from approx. .53" to .70". across the flat or a 38% increase. The cross bar between front points gained 24% in a similar fashion, . 50" to .62"

Excursion to Park City

Yesterday turned out to be another beautiful day for a break from research. Carol's husband, aka Man, keeps an eye on the weather for us and if a “good” day appears on the horizon we take advantage of it. He picked another winner. Even though high winds were forecast (up to 60 mph, which never developed – at least not in Park City) we ventured forth.



Park City is a beautiful town nestled in a valley high up in the mountains (about 7,000 feet in elevation, I think). We walked and we talked and we visited shops and had a very good time.





I have no idea of the story behind them, but Park City has shoe trees. Not quite as full as the one in Nevada that is no more, but lots of shoes all the same.







A wide variety of wearing apparel in these trees.



And the city has sculptures everywhere. Carol with a friend.



He was a big fella.



Man found a friend too. Man was very patient while waiting for Carol and me when we were stopping very frequently to take pictures.





I loved the Moose. All decked out in jeans, a straw hat and cowboy boots!



And those eyes! Simply Precious.



We drove up to the top of the mountain, as far as the road was open. Beautiful houses and lots of condominiums.





Narrow, winding roads and snow. Some drifts looked to be at least six feet deep.



As beautiful as it is, I don't think I'd want to live there.



Oh, and did I mention that it is “spring time” in Park City? And they have flowers? And they were absolutely gorgeous!

The First Record of Michael Fisher

The first record I have of Michael Fisher comes from Carroll County, Ohio Deed Book 6 page 475 and is dated December 21, 1840. Michael was apparently a resident of Stark County, Ohio when he purchased 62 acres of land in the Southwest Quarter of Section Six in Township Sixteen in Range Six (SW ¼ S6 T16 R4) in Carroll County. John Phend owned 80 acres in the NE ¼ of that same section. Michael's daughter Louisa would marry Jacob Phend, son of John, in August 1847.

Talk about legal speak:
John Shover to Michel Fisher. To all to whom these presents shall come greeting. Know ye that I John Shover of Stark County Ohio, for the consideration of Eight hundred and fifty dollars Received to my full Satisfaction of Michel Fisher of the County and State aforesaid do give grant bargain Sell and confirm unto him the said Michel Fisher the following described tract or lot of land Situate in the County of Carroll and State of Ohio and being south west quarter of section number six in Township Sixteen in range number six and is bounded As follows by the lines of Said quarter containing Sixty two acres more or less. To have and to hold the above bargained and granted premises with the appurtenances thereof unto him the Said Michel Fisher his heirs and assigns forever to his and their own proper use and behoof and Also I the said John Shover do for my Self my heirs Executors and administrators covenant with the Said Michel Fisher his heirs and assigns that at and until the issuing of these presents I was well Seized of the premises as a good indifinable Estate in fee simple and have good right to bargain and sell the same in manner and form as is above written and that the same is free of all Encumbrances what soever and further I the Said Joseph Shover do by these presents bind myself and my heirs forever to warrant and defend the above bargained and granted premises to him the said Michel Fisher his heirs and assigns against all claims and demands whatsoever. And I Anna wife of the Said John Shover do hereby in consideration of the money as the aforesaid paid to my said husband release and forever quit claim unto the said Michel Fisher his heirs and assigns all my right of dower in and to the above described premises. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals this twenty first day of December Anno Domini one thousand Eight hundred and forty.
Signed Sealed and delivered presence of David Huston

Pickleball Wing Ding Tournament

Today we got up very early, so we could head over to a pickleball tournament that Rich and Donna invited us to. The tournament was at King's Point in Sun City and was called the Wing Ding Tournament. This is only the second round robin tournament we've been to, with the first being the one we hosted. It was good for me to go and play with all new people, since I tend to have this mental hangup about playing with people I don't know yet. Since we move every two to three weeks, it is not a good mental hangup to have at all.



I had fun today. I still prefer just playing with the people at Thousand Trails without the pressure of tournament play, but it was good for me in some other ways so I'm so glad I did go.



Buddy rode with us, and it gave us a chance to know him better. The people we met and played with were wonderful. I have often said the pickleball crowd has some of the nicest people we meet, and today proved that to be true.



I'm always so impressed with Austin when we go to events like this. He is so wonderful to not be intimidated about being the youngest person, the youngest player and the only one under 18. I'm not sure I'd have been able to do that at all at his age!

The weather was fabulous, which just made the day all the more wonderful. Now I'm off to ice my ankle, which is swollen since I ever so gracefully twisted it and fell. Nothing major, just enough to remind me that I'm no longer 20.Living the life in finally warm Florida!

Seeing What We Want to See

To a large extent, we all shape our own experiences of reality: We see the things we want to see and block out the things that do not fit our world view.

Walking home yesterday afternoon, I was amused to notice how much I tend to do this even when it comes to bicycles.

Both Vienna and Boston are full of generic modern unremarkable bikes, yet the ones I pay attention to are the classic and vintage bikes.

And since I notice these more, in my subsequent memories they are the ones that play a starring role in the city's "velo life".

In a similar fashion, I tend to pay lots of attention to architecture I like and ignore all the "ugly" stuff right next to it. As a result, a city or a neighborhood might consist entirely of beautiful architecture in my memories.

There are countless examples of this of course, and unless we point and shoot in a random direction we cannot take a picture without revealing our subjective biases. Our pictures reflect how we want to see and remember things rather than how they actually are. For example, several readers have pointed out to me that my "street scenes" tend to be miraculously free of cars, and indeed I seem to frame photos so as to avoid them. There is just something about modern cars that is not photogenic: they detract from the feel of the city landscape.

Bicycles, on the other hand, seem to enrich it - especially when the bicycles are nice and the cyclists are well dressed. Yes, that is a Hassidic Jew cycling through Vienna - who clearly has no problem cycling in a suit.

And here is a couple, cycling into the sunset idyllically. While of course I did not stage these scenes, you could say that I chose to notice them out of the many alternative scenes I could have noticed instead.

So, what is my point? Only that life can be filled with golden sunsets and lovely bicycles if we want it to - even on those days when it's not.

Vegan Options for Classic Saddles

[image via somafab.com]

Though I am personally not against using animal products, some of my friends and readers are - which makes bicycle saddle purchases especially difficult for them. The problem is the basic construction of the saddles: There simply aren't any vegan options on the market today that are made in the same manner as suspended leather saddles, whereby a tough yet breathable material is stretched over metal railings like a hammock. So, what is the next best thing in terms of construction? Since saddle preferences are highly personal, I can only tell you what works for me, and hopefully it will be useful to some of you as well.If not suspended leather, then the next best thing for me is anergonomically-shapedsaddle that is a hard plastic shell, covered with a thin layer of synthetic material and very minimal padding in between. I prefer this construction by far over heavy padding or gel, which I find completely unridable. A number of experienced cyclists, such as Jon Forester, recommend these hard saddles over padded ones - the reasoning being, that the padding/gel bunches up under your sitbones and becomes uncomfortable over the course of a ride, whereas a hard plastic support with minimal padding holds up your weight equally.



[image viasomafab.com]

For roadbikes, there are several vegan options available as far as these types of saddles go. Notably, SOMA has recently released the Okami series (above, and the previous image), which comes in black, white, and embossed floral "synthetic leather," with copper-plated rivets. I've heard good things about this saddle, though I personally have not tried it. And it certainly looks classic.



[image via tokyofixedgear.com]

The Japanese manufacturer Kashimax has recently re-issued several colourful models in this tradition, many of which are vegan (just look for the models labeled "plastic" rather than "suede"). Though theKashimaxsaddles look scary-long and uncushioned, I've tried one on a friend's bike and really liked it.

[image via cinelli.it]

Another all-plastic option is the Cinelli Unicanitor re-issue - "the first saddle with a plastic shell in the history of cycling".

[image via cinelli.it]

And a limited edition Barry McGee version, covered with a lightly padded synthetic leather.

[image via chari &co]

Two Italian manufacturers have re-issued their original versions of these classic saddles as well. Selle Italia has released several versions of the classic "Turbo" model. I have ridden on several vintage Turbo saddles and loved them, so this would probably my vegan saddle of choice for a roadbike. There is something about the squarish back, the sloping sides and the down-turned nose that I find very comfortable.

[image via sellesanmarco.it]

The Concor release by Selle San Marco is a similar design to the Turbo, though I have not tried these personally. And SOMA's Ta-Bois yet another version.



[image via selleroyal.com]

Now, as far as saddles for upright bicycles go, I am not really sure what to tell you. I have not found a good vegan alternative to a sprung leather saddle, so these are more like "the lesser evil" suggestions. The Ondina model by Selle Royal (above image) is a mattress-style saddle. It is more evenly padded than other models I've tried, and resists bunching up. I have ridden on this saddle and thought it was fine for a short urban ride.



[image via lepper.nl]

I have also tried the mattress-styleLepper saddles (which come standard on many Dutch bikes), and those are similar to the Selle Royal, though with a more boxy profile. They are also usually quite heavy and the springs are enormous.



[image viaelectrabike.com]



Electra offers a number of vintage-inspired saddles that look the part, and aren't as horrendously over-padded as others I've seen - including these narrower styles that would work well on a mixte.

[image via electrabike.com]

Electra alsosells a lot of colourful models that could work well on a traditional bike. After all, a classic look does not necessarily need to imitate leather.

[image via nirve.com]

The cruiser manufacturer Nirve offers a number of traditional styles as well, including the riveted saddle pictured above and a number of floral-embossed models.

[image vianirve.com]

And another classic design by Nirve, with the "diamond" pattern popular on cruisers. If you are going for looks alone, there is a great deal to choose from between Nirve and Electra, but ride quality reports for these vary considerably.

If you have experience with any of the saddles listed here, please share your thoughts. And if you have other vegan alternatives to recommend for those who do not wish to buy leather saddles, your suggestions would be much appreciated.

Underneath the Pavement

Though it's been a week since the Vermont Fall Classic, I still cannot post a report. My heart is too full; this is a ride that requires some emotional rest and distance before it can be put into words. But privately some of us have been discussing it, rehashing it, testing the accuracy of our own memories by comparing them against the memories of others'. And one topic that's come up is the quality of the dirt. A few of us noticed that it was differed from our local dirt, and different from the dirt we rode in previous events. At the D2R2 in Massachusetts and Southern Vermont, the unpaved roads were a dark brown earthy colour that turned muddy when wet. At the Kearsarge Classic in New Hampshire, the terrain was rocky. The dirt roads in Northern Vermont were a light grayish-tan, almost clay-like in consistency, dusty and tightly packed except for a thin top layer that was soft from the rains of previous days. When it began to rain again, this top layer turned liquid, but not muddy exactly. It was thinner than mud, less viscous. I was certain it was some type of clay. Others thought it was more sand-like. A rider who often cycles in upstate New York then described the dirt roads there, which are reddish clay and leave a pink residue over everything. Fascinated by these nuances, we admitted that we never gave them much thought until now.




All of this makes me realise just how unfamiliar so many of us are with the actual soil we live on. Paved roads have defined and homogenised our landscape for so long, that we hardly consider what lies beneath. Do most of us even know what our local streets would look like unpaved? The streets in the next town over? Can most of us determine what a particular type of soil is by looking at it or feeling it? I was in touch with these things when I lived in the countryside, had a garden, walked in the woods, but living in the city has distanced me from that awareness. Now cycling on dirt through different parts of New England has reminded me just how important it is. I'd like to learn more about our region's terrain, about what lies underneath the pavement. I don't ever want to lose that connection again.