Brrrr....

The weather, to say the least, has been rather disturbed over the last week. Today (a Monday for all you working people) started out sunny and beautiful. So the SeanMan and I arranged a ride to take advantage of the situation outside however the weather tried to take advantage of us it seems. We started on a ride to Cloverland and beyond with both of us riding Fisher 29er Supercals, but of different vintage. The wind picked up just before we started (of course it was a headwind as we were going up hill) and later snow squalls rolled though all around. The wind was kind of cool (that means it had some bite), but we pushed on eventually crossing into winter above the snow line.

At the high point of our ride a crowd of elk (yeah I know most people would call it a herd of elk) greeted us. Even with the snow and wind the views were totally worth the ride up.

SuperCal #2

It seems that I just could not help myself (again). Apparently a new full-suspension Gary Fisher Supercaliber 29er with my name on it mysteriously found it's way to B&L Bicycles. B&L's secret agent out in the bike aquisition underworld had some idea that I needed one of these things sooner than later and ***Poof!*** there is was.

I already have a Supercal 29er - the original model Fisher introduced as a 29er in 2002, but it is a hardtail. Full-suspension (like the new Supercal model) is a butt's dream and let me say that my butt certainly likes having good dreams...having both front and rear suspension on rough trails or on back-road rides greater than 60 miles is a great way to keep a smile on your face and the angry soreness away from a soft butt.

I put the new bike through to its first test on the Asotin Creek Trail (some sweet single-track with plenty of "bump" to test the suspension). The ride up on the road to the trail I intentionally hit every bump and wash-board to get a feel for the suspension's ability. Impressive is all I can say...I was not expecting such a plush ride on a bike designed primarily for cross-country racing. Up on the trail it's only disability was me - the bike was a top performer on everything from rock-gardens with 4-6 inch rocks to flying over studder bumps. It railed though corners without drifting or loosing any ground - which means the suspension did it's job of keeping the tires planted on the ground. I have been on FS bikes that had inherent drift in corners due to suspension abnormalities that would allow the tires to "soften" their bite in a corner.

The final thought after the first ride is nothing less than smoooth.

Dog Gone

Our last dog is gone. After 14-1/2 years, old age finally caught up to my friend, Jasper, who has been with us for the last 14-years after we found him in the Bozeman, MT animal shelter. Jasper was a kind friend and good companion who loved being with us. I hope that he is happy running in doggy heaven with his pals that proceeded him - Jessie, Cajun, and Harley Davidson. He is missed...