tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7085145121052095592009-04-14T21:59:09.239-05:00Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-40293627709000783952009-01-06T17:38:00.023-06:002009-01-06T18:23:19.369-06:00

I spent the first weekend of the new year backpacking in Arkansas, Devil's Den to be exact.I love winter camping. It's the only time I really get to use all the cool gear I've accumulated over the years — cold weather means I can sleep in my mummy bag, rather than spend the night sweating on top of it!Jaime, my partner in crime, was up for exploring each and every cave and crevasse we came

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-89890496559751036022008-12-28T19:07:00.010-06:002008-12-28T20:15:40.910-06:00

Cross season was long, painful and mostly dry — nationals and today's race were the exceptions. Boss Cross #3 was a fast course turned painful slog thanks to risings temps and melting snow.A third of the course was faster on foot than on the bike.Still a fun race, and a good way to end the season.There are three more local 'cross races, but I'm burnt out. I'm ready to ride my bike in the woods,

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-70428192237419475262008-09-06T11:06:00.012-05:002008-09-07T14:44:35.469-05:00

I've been absent from the interwebs for a few weeks, school is back with a vengeance. I've still managed to have fun on the bike though.I headed to Manhattan last weekend and joined their monthly Critical Mass. They had a fairly good sized group. Those kids are much more civil than the rable-rousers here in Lawrence.Saturday was Cruise the Blues, if you're not familiar with the race, it's a

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-23420183560286237332008-08-19T10:13:00.013-05:002008-08-23T14:11:40.123-05:00

I've raced and ridden at Landhal many times, I don't think conditions have ever been as good as they were for last weekend's Rapture in Misery. Mild temps and tacky hardpack made for ideal race conditions.There's a bit of wisdom that says one should never race on untested equipment. Excellent advice, but I always seem to mix things up before race day. Many things have been mixed up this season

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-51753213018580942882008-07-31T17:39:00.005-05:002008-07-31T17:55:06.313-05:00

More to come.

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-34609071553857943552008-07-29T13:58:00.005-05:002008-07-29T14:17:51.541-05:00

In my search to create what friends have dubbed "The Josh Patterson Fantasy Bike Shop," I've found a great way to build a wheeled cart for my Park TS-2 truing stand.I love building wheels—I find it very relaxing. Something about taking many disparate parts and creating a single strong, functional structure is very rewarding. One thing I've always wanted to build was a cart to hold boxes of spokes

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-42710438189766356502008-07-22T18:45:00.006-05:002008-07-22T20:19:45.254-05:00

I've been back in the U.S. for three weeks. Europe was great, Croatia was gorgeous, but I was off the bike for six weeks...and I hadn't been riding much before I left. Getting back in the saddle was a rude awakening.I don't think I've been off a bike for a solid six weeks in many, many years. Since getting back, I've been spending my mornings logging in base miles on the road bike. Prior to this

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-15408753538211299832008-05-13T17:53:00.007-05:002008-05-13T19:01:34.903-05:00

I'll admit I have a fondness for disc brakes. I came to cyclocross from a mountain bike background. I haven't run rim brakes on any of my mountain bikes since 2000. I am happy to see them going the way of the Dodo.Here's an interesting story from Velo News to peruse, Next big thing: disc brakes on road bikes.Cyclocross is a different story.Banned from cross? Well kinda. Depends on who you are and

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-88181517552735706892008-04-30T18:24:00.017-05:002008-05-03T22:37:44.583-05:00

I enjoy having a garage full of bikes, but at some point enough is enough. When a bike sits unused for the better part of a year, and I have no motivation to take it off the wall, it is time to say goodbye.It's silly to get attached to full-suspension bikes. At the end of the day, they're disposable. The shock, linkages and bearings will wear out eventually. Even if you can find replacement parts

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-66622404347240709982008-04-10T18:03:00.007-05:002008-04-10T18:19:15.195-05:00

Within seconds of winning the national championship, fans spilled out of bars and onto the streets of downtown Lawrence. I've never seen so many people celebrating together. Everyone was in good spirits, many were three-sheets-to-the-wind drunk.Festivities were much the same as Saturday night: total strangers giving each other hugs and high-fives, drinking in the streets and occasionally exposing

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-68274174190719561872008-04-07T17:54:00.008-05:002008-04-08T11:40:20.497-05:00

Saturday night KU beat UNC, shortly thereafter Lawrence became the drunkest city in the nation. Mass. St. turned into Bourbon St.Sunday morning was the 14th annual Brew-to-Brew. A 44 mile race from the Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City, Mo. to the Free State Brewery in Lawrence.Sunday morning came very early. I've felt better and I've felt worse — but I've never run 11 miles feeling that bad. Our

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-18626246132288514462008-04-07T17:30:00.001-05:002008-04-07T17:35:07.736-05:00

I've been delinquent in my updates as of late. Real life has taken precedence over the interwebs...Saturday, March 29 was the Spoke Pony Showdown. The weather was perfect, the trails were fast yet tacky. I ran Continental Mountain Kings — 29x2.2 — corners were railed with precision.The only thing thing absent was my fitness. I had some "gut-rot"— even if that had not been an issue, my legs just

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-4412165218151642952008-03-27T14:23:00.008-05:002008-03-27T14:36:36.586-05:00

Cyclocross Magazine's second issue is hot off the presses!If you already subscribe, you've either got your hands on it, or will shortly. If not, you can subscribe here.Issue #2 is jam-packed with tech articles, product reviews and interviews with all the winners at 'cross nationals in KC. Not just the pros, we mean everyone, juniors, masters, you name it, we got'em.

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-5869956936320970042008-03-23T12:28:00.018-05:002008-03-23T19:22:43.706-05:00

I took my youngest brother and his friend out west for a few days of singletrack bliss in the wide open spaces of the western slope. Taylor and Graham are accomplished riders, with skills beyond there 17 years. Neither had rode Fruita or Moab before. This was their rite of passage.I've led several groups to Moab. My favorite part of these trips is watching my friend's reactions to the vast

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-41674966166263308652008-03-14T14:00:00.001-05:002008-03-14T17:36:52.853-05:00

As I had alluded to, 2008 ushers in many changes — new job(s), new goals and a new race team.I've joined up with the Spot Brand / Dales Pale Ale crew to race bikes and spread belt-drive goodness. Spot is a company I have a great deal of respect for; it's nice to see them back with a vengeance. Spot has put together a strong roster and a great group of sponsors.My team gear is starting to trickle

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-3247337618540901212008-03-12T19:56:00.011-05:002008-04-08T10:27:03.114-05:00

I have a love-hate relationship with No-Tubes.As a shop-rat I would mount No-Tubes conversions using an air compressor. Ninety percent of the time it works. For the other 10 percent, I would remove the valve core and use a schrader air chuck to get the maximum air volume into the tire fast enough to seat the tire without having sealant spew everywhere.Done, ready to ride. Well kinda.Tubeless

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-48361834322632127382008-03-11T20:40:00.022-05:002008-03-12T19:57:54.576-05:00

This showed up at my doorstep last Monday. The Salsa La Cruz, disc brake equipped 'cross bike, to review for CxM. I didn't have time to put any miles on it until the weekend. Even without riding it, I liked what I saw. It has three things I look for in a bike: a ferrous frame, disc brakes and a well-appointed component spec.I had a choice: spend Sunday logging in gravel miles, or race mountain

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-4466844261126435902008-03-05T16:59:00.002-06:002008-03-05T19:22:23.007-06:00

Every now and then something reminds me how glad I am to live in Lawrence, Kan. This morning it was opening the Journal World and reading the two front page stories. One delt with a curbside recycling proposal, the second was about a Northern River Otter spotted in the Baker Wetlands. This is the first time in over a hundred years this critter has been seen in the region. Other cities would

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-39361074088003600142008-03-01T17:05:00.012-06:002008-03-01T21:48:01.032-06:00

The crew at Heartland Sports Productions canceled the first race of the season. Good call.After a winter like this the trails will take a while to drain. Saturday's forecast called for sunny skies, warm temps and high winds. The trails may be too soggy but it was a great day to ride gravel.When the wind is out of the south, prevailing wisdom says one should head south into the wind, and then

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-62291560295882756262008-02-17T12:37:00.012-06:002008-02-17T20:21:08.702-06:00

March 2nd ushers in the first race of the season. With two weeks to go I invited my friends over to use my shop for pre-season tune-ups. There’s something about combining men, tools and Pabst that inevitably leads to shit-talking. The dialogue begins with questions attempting to size one another up, “So, you been ridin’ much this winter?” Followed by the persistent reply, aimed to protect your

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-70559515176090099122008-02-16T11:51:00.006-06:002008-02-16T20:39:33.310-06:00

For the past two months I've been testing winter shoes from Lake, Northwave and Specialized for Cyclocross Magazine.They have all, to varying degrees, kept the elements at bay and made riding through a Midwestern winter more bearable.Look for a full review in our fall '08 issue.Personally, I hate winter. I've seen enough snow this year to last me a lifetime. I hate riding in freezing temperatures

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-89822346354738501332007-12-21T23:41:00.000-06:002007-12-22T01:08:17.168-06:00

This was my first time at 'cross nationals. No racing for me this year, though by the end of Sunday I felt like I had gotten a pretty good workout -- I was busy running around snapping pictures and conducting interviews for Cyclocross Magazine.Unfortunately, I was only able to cover Sunday's events. Last weekend's snow storm left me stranded in a national guard armory Russell, Kan. on my way back

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-708514512105209559.post-88941626787968988462007-09-06T23:26:00.000-05:002007-12-04T22:10:32.919-06:00

As if the Internet needed another cycling-lifestyle blog.I will attempt to make this a place where one can find accurate and informed product advice, free from hyperbole, with a minimum of bike snobbery.If you prefer armchair engineering and cursory reviews please visit mtbr.com.

Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02666242310893633349noreply@blogger.com0