Bottom Bracket Biking

The Faces of Winter

2012-01-23T23:21:00.000-08:00

Yep, been lazy lately in regards to publishing something here. Shameful I know, but I haven't abandoned ship. Looking at my blog makes me want to go ride my bike when ever I look at it so I would only hope it inspires a few other people to get out and pedal some.

Winter is a hard time for most cyclists. Most are a bunch of chickens afraid of a little cool weather and snowy roads. With some exceptions, I hear plenty of talk about shelving the bike in winter, watching some kind of "ball" sport on the TV (boring), drinking heavily, gorging thyself on everything in excess, then come the poor-me complaints of getting fat, a lot of talk about nothing interesting...it's just continuous rehash of some insane blah, blah, blah spewing out of everyone's lips.

People, listen to me and get on your bikes in the winter, it will not only save me from listening to the same cursed conversations again and again, it will also enlighten your soul because you will pray for warmth and hot chocolate every time you're out there pedalling your bike with frozen fingers and toes. Well maybe I'm exaggerating a bit about the frozen extremities, but I'm not about the anything else. Riding your bike will lift you from the blah winter life you are living, plus it will give you something interesting to talk about to people.

I'm here to say that winter is a cool time to ride some gravel, back roads at a slower pace, usually on an off-road kind of bike. I spend a lot of time riding alone in the winter and can not believe that more people are not out enjoying the ultra cool things I get to see. Winter riding is way better than riding any day with temps beyond 90-degrees in the summer. The only thing you need is preparedness (just like anytime you ride), so those of you that can not foresee the need for being prepared for the conditions should just stay home and drink/eat yourselves into a fat stupor...or maybe just go to a movie, take a nap, then come and bore me to insanity with every detail of your weekend celebrating in a big fat drunken lipid fest.

A few pointers if you do decide to venture out this winter for a real cool adventure on 2-wheels...I know it's hard for some road-toads to swallow this, but start with a pack so that you can bring extra gloves, hat (keep your head warm!!!), and extra layers as needed (one layer should be wind proof). Toe and hand warmers make a world of difference as does a mini-thermos of you favorite non-alcoholic hot beverage (hot chocolate for me) or soup...there's nothing like a hot carb drink a few hours into a bike ride on a cool day. Don't stop too long or you will have a hard time re-warming. Take time to put on windproof or extra layers before going down hill and remove the extra layer prior to climbing (keeping dry is important).

The only thing better then cold titanium is cold steel...Anyone ready for a ride?

Cyclocross - Single Speed Saga Continues

2011-11-21T21:51:00.001-08:00

Yes, I must say that single speed bikes rule!!! As we recall, I converted my Blue Competition cyclocross bike into a single speed (that's a one geared bike to you) after having so much trouble with my rear derailleur. All I can say is that ditching those extra, bothersome gears really paid off. I am now convinced (once again) that single speed bikes suit me better than geared bikes. I may try a geared setup in the future, but for now I will stick with SS.

(Chasing the Mighty Matt Morra)

This cyclocross season I have had way too much fun racing in the INWCX Series. I did 2-races every race day (Single Speed and Masters 50+ categories) that I could attend. My plan was to gain some fitness by racing 2-races per day. It seemed to have worked well in the end.

Currently I feel better than ever since my back injury 2-yrs ago. I still have some minor tweeks in my lower back and most likely always will have issues. I do 20-40 minutes of Egoscue exercises 1-2 time daily to keep my back in proper shape and alignment, but it is totally worth it and has paid off for me.

The local CX season ended this last weekend (Nov 20th) with a super fun final pair of races for me on a snowy course in Coeur d' Alene, ID. I'm not anticipating traveling to Seattle or Portland for more CX racing, although I would like to. My underlying plan this year was to build for next year's racing season...so essentially this was just the beginning of what I hope is to become a stellar year in 2012, when I coincidentally turn 50 (WhooHoo!!!).

When Evil Derailleurs Fail

2011-10-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

At the start of this cyclocross season (by-the-way cyclocross or simply CX is the funnest bike sport on the planet), I had decided to do something that was so not me...run a geared bike in one of two CX races I planned on doing each race day. Most people know that I have a preference one gear (aka a single speed or SS) for nearly every kind of biking (mountain, commuter, road, CX...etc). Well I was determined that gears would make me faster, which on certain courses I believe they did. Hmmm...yes, I said did. It seems that my geared CX bike (my only geared bike for that matter) has been morphed into a SS. Why? Well from the start that evil rear derailleur caused me problems...let's see, first it decided to spontaneously embrace a big weed, which sucked the whole works into the spokes of a newly built wheel (good thing I build strong wheels) and proceeded to rip the derailleur hanger off the bike (not good!). Next after a new hanger was installed and everything realigned, the derailleur took a little tap during a spectacular race crash. I finished the race just fine on the bike, and later found that I had bent the new hanger, grrr!!!. Well I realigned everything again (good thing I have the specialty tool for that purpose), and again the derailleur decided to give a loving hug to a piece of trail-side brush, which this time bent the derailleur it self and snapped the shift cable...RATS!!!It was at this point I realized that my evil rear derailleur was self destructive and need some counseling off the bike. I was fed up with the time and money it was taking just to do an event on a geared bike. So off the bike it went...RIP! I put a Forward Components eccentric bottom bracket on to complete the SS morph.

Initial thrash testing showed it was not only an huge improvement in fun factor, since SS always provides much more giggle factor than (yawn) gears, but my race results against the geared guys was awesome!!! At this time I anticipate finishing the CX season on SS only.

Cyclocross - Try It!!!

2011-10-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

OK...It's been way too long since I've posted here, but I have the normal excuses. Like I've been busy with moving to a new home plus the normal busy maintenance items that go with a new home, plus getting in firewood for winter heat, plus getting in hay for the horses....you get the picture I hope. I will be posting some of my new home pics in the future (when I get time to download them that is). For now all I can say is that I live in an awesome spot with great views, coyotes howling at night, and clear starry nights.

Well bike training (riding) has been limited to my commute mostly, which by the way is now about 15-miles one-way with nearly 2000-feet of climbing to get home...WHOOOHOOO!!! I love the commute so far.

Beyond that cyclocross (CX) season has started and I'm racing into better shape by doing 2-4 CX races every weekend. I'm having to use these races as training since I have not had time for real training for the last several months.

If you have not participated in or attended a cyclocross race, then you are really missing out on some serious fun. I love these go-all-out-painful-mind-twisted-suffer-fests. I'm never sure why I like the pain these events can do to your muscles, but I sure feel good afterwards. That's it for now...need to sleep sometime, here are a few pics for your view pleasure:

Went to Hell...Didn't Go Back

2011-07-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

While puking up every bit of hydration and then some for the 3rd time, my mind was saying, "Note to self - NEVER, ever do this ride again." At that point I was ready to be done with riding a bike, ready to be home, ready to cash in all my bikes for a motorcycle. The ride was Doug's To Hell and Back 180, but I had previously decided that I was not going back to Hell once I left. Instead I planned on leaving from my house (about 30-miles from the planned starting point) the day previous, camp overnight somewhere along the planned route, then finishing back home the next day. I anticipated a 200-mile loop with around 14k of climbing.

Considering I was going to Hell I brought some protection from the evilness out there.

All started well with a late afternoon noon departure. There was plenty of cool air climbing 4000-ft up Joseph Canyon, plus some refreshing trail snacks and eye candy along the way...

It was incredibly beautiful up there in the late evening when I got up on top with a setting sun. My camera can not show the beauty I saw at the time.

I rode until the half-moon set, which was about midnight. The total distance at that time was 74-miles. Plus it was getting cold and I was ready to fall asleep while riding.

I was back up at 0450 the next morning and everything was frozen, including my camera...I was certainly glad that I had brought a few extra layers. The frosty layer can be seen on my bag here...

After coffee and hot oatmeal I started off again at 0545 after filtering some fresh water out of the creek I bedded down near. The morning was so nice up there, again more beautiful than anyone could imagine.

Then it was back to the desert on the way down to Troy, Oregon.

I was well hydrated and still feeling well at this point. However, the climb out of Troy was aweful, hot, and full sun exposure. For me it was the beginning of the end. About halfway up the 5000-ft climb I was feeling the illness come on, one that I'd experienced several times before. I tried everything to stop it, but really I needed to just stop riding which my stubborn ego would not let me do. So I suffered up to the point of pure agony. I finally quit after 183-miles, and 14,000 feet of climbing. I humbled myself and called for a ride home (20-miles away). It took a few hours for my stomach to come back on line - then miraculasly I was fine.

Strong Weakness

2011-06-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of at a loss for words lately. I've been recovering from a pinched nerve in my upper back and essentially took 2-months off the bike (I did some riding, but it was very little). So riding has been much less than I'd like it to be, but the weather has been cooperating well with lots of rain to make me feel like I'm not missing much anyway. However, because of this nerve situation, I can say that my normal fitness for this time of year is in the toilet. I've cancelled several endurance events on my calendar simply because I just am not or can not be ready for such long rides yet. Shorter ride are in for me at this time, which makes me happy since I can still ride.

Nothing else has changed...I still have an uncontrolled obsession with buying and riding any bike that sparks my interest. Looking at this titanium Strong Frame the first time made my spine tingle and as much as I tried to resist buying it, my internal weakness for such beauty was stronger (a true internal paradox). For some reason I "needed" this bike and eventually I lost all control...I'm not sure how it happened but the frame ended up on my doorstep. Hmmm...???

So far the "test" rides on the new Strong Frame have kept my spine tingling and makes me smile plenty. I have many heavenly plans for this bike in the future, but those plans are stuck in the abyss (my head) for now.

I have not seen any more falling cows lately (and I've been keepin and eye directed upward where ever I ride), but I've run across plenty of these deadly little dudes - young rattle snakes!!! They don't rattle or warn you in any way, in-fact they often advance towards your warm body (unlike an adult rattler). This one is all of 6-inches and he wanted to visit...

Winter Reflections

2011-05-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

On my "Loop" rides I'm still running into snow, which makes them an out-n-back ride. I'm not altogether happy about lingering snow, but that's the way it is. I'm just happy that every trip up the mountain shows me a progressively receding snowline.

In the run-off I can still see the dead-of-winter reflecting back at me...

But just a few feet away I can see the smiling wonders of a late spring ringing in some happiness...

Hmmm...What's this?

2011-05-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hehe......

Hmmm...???? Something devious is going on in my laboratory.

Stop drooling and wipe up your slobber.

Near Death by Falling Cow

2011-04-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

I've had some close calls on my bike, broken several helmets, done some damage to body parts, bears, wolves, etc., but never have I come so close to death (a very weird death it would have been) on my bike as yesterday when a cow fell out of the sky a few feet behind me. To put this adventure into perspective I should maybe start at the beginning.

My day started with big plans to get out early and ride a 60-mile loop (George Creek to Weissenfels)on my mountain bike, but everything was in slow motion getting my on the bike - the kid needed help getting ready for a horse event that morning, so my planned 7AM ride time actually started after 9AM. It was a beautiful day though so I was happy, yet I kept feeling that I should ride a different route than planned today. I kept shrugging off this idea and passed by several alternate routes along the way.

At the bottom of George Cr Grade I passed by the ranch house saying "Hi" to the 2-dogs that live there (like I always do) and started up the steep climb. I typically ride up the side of the road closest to the drop-off edge along this grade since the uphill side of the road often produces numerous, sporadic rock falls onto the road. I've had a few small rocks drop onto my helmet and always fear a big rock coming down and doing some real damage. However, on this day I was not really paying attention was riding up the side of road with the cliff directly above. After riding maybe 100 yards I heard a rock-like noise from above and instinctually moved to the other side of the road...at the same time I was glancing back and up to see what was coming at me.

What I say was beyond belief...1st there was rock about 8-10 feet in diameter coming down in a hurry followed closely by a monstrously huge brown cow...Boom, BOOOM!!! Rock hit close to the edge of the road and the cow hit the road exactly were I had just been a second ago. If I had not moved in that last second I would have been under that cow! Holy Cow!!!

Needless to say my heart was totally thumping right out of my chest plus I think I screamed for a microsecond at the time of impact...I was a tad stunned and had some difficulty believing what had just happened...like anyone would. Just a few feet away there was a huge dead cow (dead upon impact)...I'm sure my mouth was gaping open in disbelieve until I started to collect my thought again. Finally I had an answer to that question - I've seen a lot of cattle up on the steep, cliffy hillsides around here and I have often wondered if they every fell off those cliffs or rolled down the steep hillsides...I now had indisputable evidence and I will never have to randomly ask myself that kind of question again, because I now know the answer!

After I collected myself a bit more, I made sure I did not pee myself or anything, after which I decided that at least part of the cow would be salvageable if it got to a butcher soon enough. So I went down and proceeded to find someone at the ranch...I finally did contact with the owners who promptly took care of the cow after I convinced them that it just happened and it was a fresh kill vs. an old dead cow I found lying on the road.

I finished my ride which gave me plenty of time to contemplate the whole ordeal. I wondered long and hard about how strong I had felt about not going up that route earlier in the day - it was like there was an unseen force trying to direct me away from my personal plan....hmmm. Then there was the millisecond move I did that truly saved me from being part of the carnage - again it was like I was being directed out of harms way. Looking back I feel I was ignoring some sort of divine intervention of what was to come and even though I continued on I was still shielded from the evil force at work that day. The thought that some demon had tried to do me in with a cow is funny...but then again not at all.

I'm still a little awed about the whole thing and humorously can imagine my obituary saying I was killed by a falling cow. The internet news would have some fun with that one. I did take my wife and kid up there since they were interested in the site...not much left except some blood and hair from the cow, the big rock had been removed also.

This would be appropriate signage for George Cr Grade:

Not-So-Retro

2011-03-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

My endless bike mix-n-match curiosity is always ready for more new trials...I'm what some would consider an early opter when it comes to changing things up. Today's experiment was putting a not-so-retro Niner carbon fork on the all-so-retro looking USS Sawyer.

The before...

The Sawyer, is not geometrically perfect "in my mind" and the handling I "imagined" it could be improved (to my preference only) with a different fork that was not so "raked" out. The bike front end seemed floppy to me at times, which was more of an annoyance at certain slower speeds than anything. Otherwise the Sawyer is a great ride. So I thought a fork with less rake would reduce the chopper effect.

Out of pure coincidence I happened to have a Niner carbon fork "lying" around that I had on my SuperFly SS recently. I liked the Niner fork on the SuperFly as long as I was on smoother trails or gravel grinder rides, but I thought it was totally no fun on anything slightly rough where the SuperFly became a bouncy bone-jarring ride. The Niner fork rake is less than the Fisher design of 51mm which I imagined would relieve the geometrical floppy issue I was feeling on the Sawyer.

The after...

The result after my ride today is that the Sawyer floppy feeling is totally gone - whoohoo!!! The handling is perfect. The less than retro look that the Niner fork gave the Sawyer has not really bothered me any...I see nothing wrong with mixing modern and retro...it's like upgrading a old battleship with a new rocket-fast weapons system.

The Mini9er

2011-03-18T05:47:00.000-07:00

The boy (aka the Kevinator) recently received a new Gary Fisher Mamba. The womens specific design (WSD) version of this bike comes in a 14.5" model (aka the Mini9er)which fits the boy perfectly (he's about 4'10" tall). The only problem was that he bike comes in pinkish color that was not appetizing to the mini-male ego (I think pink is ulta cool). So it got a paint job.

The mom also got a Mamba for her birthday, so now the whole family is on 29ers, which makes my life easier as far as tires and parts go. So far everyone is thrilled with their super cool new bikes.

The Mini9er was tested up George Creek Grade recently...a hill so steep that I've heard many grown men whimper about it to no end. The Kevinator rode the Mini9er right up it in a determined manner. Afterwhich we turned around and rode home (up Critchfield Grade) for a nice little 24-mile ride - one tough little guy.

During this adventure I noticed that Spring is finally showing signs of permanency...hmmm.

Snow, Ice Pellets, Sun....Repeat

2011-02-22T15:49:00.000-08:00

Snow, ice pellets, sun....repeat. That was about it for today's riding. I totally love riding on days like this. The initial plan was to attempt a ride to Anatone on the pave then circle back on the dirt roads on my cyclocross bike.

However about half way to Anatone the snow was coming down so heavy that I could hardly see the road. Hmmmm...So I stopped, laughed a little, waited (and waited and waited), watched a few cars crawl by (I'm sure they thought I was insane - that is if they even saw me standing there), then after a bit I decided that maybe this was the big one. Since the cyclocross bike I chose to ride today had rather worn tires (more like no tread) I thought it could be a good idea to start back. I got only about 3/4-mile when BAM, Sunshine!!!

Whoohoo!!! On the way back I ran into a few skin stinging ice pellet squalls and more snow and sun before landing safely at home where I sat outside gathering some solar-flare goodness for a good 30-minutes before the next snow squall landed.

The Resistance

2011-02-08T07:49:00.000-08:00

Single-Speed + Uphill + sustained 21-mph headwind = Resistance Training (squared) + a large dose of mental toughness training.

07 Feb 12:56 pm W 17G26
07 Feb 11:56 am W 21G31
07 Feb 10:56 am W 21G26

That's what I was doing yesterday for some unknown, insane reason. I love rides like that. Who needs weight training in gym or an indoor trainer when you can workout in the winds? In my past I would typically avoid riding on windy days or try as much as possible to use the wind to make myself a "superhero" on the bike (with a tailwind you can really do some great cheating time trials). I love the wind now though and I openly embrace riding uphill and directly into it with a smile on. Yes, I am unusual, but wind training is the greatest training both physically and mentally. I nearly turned it around a few times yesterday due to the burn and very difficult forward progress, but I stayed the course and finished my interval session. The price is high since today my legs are a tad sore, but the payback is great in both mental satisfaction and physical improvement. I can't wait to ride again today to spin off the leg soreness.

I've also been busy goofing around as much as possible, which means I've been doing plenty of riding on my days off. Riding everywhere, in all conditions, and smiling a lot whether I'm soaking wet and cold in the pouring rain, muddy head-to-toe, or getting an early tan. I'm not in the physical shape that I have been in the past at this time of year, but I feel good and love life which is all I need.

On the bike front, I'm currently "testing" a new Niner carbon, rigid fork on my SuperFly SS...this bike now truly feels lighter than air (it's stupidly light).

Hmmm.....I love rigid for the majority of my riding, but I love a suspension fork on rough courses and some of the endurance events I do. So I am just testing the fork at this time. It may stay permanently or it my get traded out for suspension for those special events.

Got Gravel?

2011-01-12T15:15:00.000-08:00

Gravel grinders are a way of life for me...especially since I have no love for riding pavement (yes we all know I find pave utterly boring).

There are plenty of local gravel roads around here to keep my appetite for dirt quenched. However, this year it has been a tad more difficult to ride the dirt/gravel with inconsistent cycles of snow-melt-slush-muck-rain-mud we've been in for the last 2-months. Not that any of that stops me, but some of my favorite roads are 100% unrideable when muddy. So I have been "suffering" through by riding less favorite stuff.

Spring in nearly here - I can tell because there are new calves popping up everywhere (a sure sign that Spring is close). Well maybe I'm dreaming...at least the cold temperatures over the last few days tell me that new baby animals are not a sure sign.

On another note, I've been thinking that I should move to an area that has more of a winter season so that I can re-expand my love of winter sports...something I've all but lost since moving to this warm winter valley 11-years ago. At this time I truthfully can not come up with a good reason why I still live here...hmmm?

Lost Control (again)

2010-12-30T21:32:00.000-08:00

It's happened again, just when I thought I was cured, I lost control...not one but two bikes showed up at my home within a few days of each other (I did not plan this, but that is the way it worked out). I'm so weak when it comes to either cool looking or rocket fast single-speed bikes...yeah I'm a sucker for fun.

The Trek Sawyer (aka USS Sawyer) is an ultra cool retro looking SS Battleship ready for anything...not light by any means, but ready for the long haul and it's all steel which we know is the best for smooth rides.

Then there is the Raleigh cyclocross single-speed (CXSS) carbon rocket...the only carbon CXSS bike made (that I know of). Raleigh made only 40 of these (so far). I must say that this lighter-than-air frame is a perfect addition to my recent addiction to CX. The ride so far is incredible...

Hmmm...what could possibly turn up next. Well, I'll try to maintain some control for a while longer (like a year or more I hope).

Dirt riding rules!!!

Give me More Mud - Cyclocross

2010-11-10T08:05:00.000-08:00

"Racing into shape" is what a friend told me was his plan for cyclocross racing this year. Well I personally thought that was a little insane, but it was his fun and I was egotistically thinking how good of shape I was in after the last 8-months of endurance training and racing. Then reality hit me on my 1st cyclocross "fun" race of the year at SkyCross Ranch in Moscow...POP! (the sound of my bubble bursting was like a sonic boom to me and not the tiny pop that others may not have even noticed).

My mindset that I was fit and only needed to tune up my cross biking skills was a nice fantasy that abruptly ended when I got my butt kicked (really bad) in that first eye-opening event. The real truth was that endurance training and cyclocross training have nothing in common except that both are done using a bicycle.

So there I was with no ability to power out repeated max intensity efforts over an hour...and when I say max intensity I mean breathing-hard-almost-puking-seeing-stars-maximum-output and when you're done you can hardly walk. That's part of what cyclocross is - the other part is riding a "road-type" bike off road with knobby tires in the dirt, mud, snow, or what ever at high speeds...it's fun in a dark, diabolical sort of way. Did I mention steep run-ups...

Barrier and water crossings...

I haven't had this much fun on a bike since I raced mountain bikes in the old WIM Series. Actually I think this is more fun, I'm hooked so bad that I think this will become a yearly torture focus for me.

Well after the reality set in, racing into shape all of the sudden sounded like a good plan, in part. The other part of my plan involved shorter high output rides at home vs. the long mediocre outputs I have been doing (aka: focused training vs. aimless riding). My original fantasy goal was to win a few of these events this year, however my reality goal (after my bubble was burst) was to produce some top-10 finishes by the end of the season and get out of the mid-pack finishes.

It seems that I have achieved that goal quite well so maybe I should aim a little higher now with the 2-races left. Hmmm, got mud?

By-the-way, I'm racing on a Single-Speed cyclocross bike against guys running an uncountable number of gears. In my opinion they're at a disadvantage with gears, but that is offset with my poor cyclocross fitness compared the those that are in the top-5 consistently.

Photo credits: Bryan MacDonald (thanks!).

Road-Bike Single Speed Rules

2010-10-27T21:18:00.001-07:00

It seems that I have not been here for a while...well I've been busy to say the least. Cyclocross season is here and for some diabolical reason I love thrashing what is essentially a road-type bike on the dirt in a steeple-chase kind of race. Of course it's all the better in the mud-yuk that fall weather provides...more on this later.

For now it seems that the darkness of my ever growing single-speed mindset has masterminded another success. My Gunnar road bike has morphed into a SS...

I used a cool CNC'd eccentric bottom bracket made by Forward Components (basically it converts an awful geared bike into a SS by allowing 15mm of chain tension adjustment). I've used one of these bottom brackets with great success on my Gunnar cyclocross bike for some time now.

Before this bike was a SS I sadly had put only 230-miles on it since the beginning of the year. A week after its conversion to the dark side of SS I had more than doubled that mileage simply because the bike is so much more fun now. Let's see I now have 2-geared bikes and 5-single speeds...hmmm

Hitting the Reset Button

2010-08-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to re-boot myself and change up my riding from super endurance to short-fast-done-before-I'm-warmed-up-events, like cyclocross. I'm not sure why the insanity of cyclocross stirs my soul...I mean I've never been good at short events and cyclocross events are an hour or less of pure muscle-burning torture, plus running which we all know I think is stupid and to top that I've never done well at cyclocross events (typically mid-pack finisher, never been lapped though). There's just something diabolical about this whole picture for me...

Hmm...odd?! Although it's a bit too late for me to really change up my riding focus, I'm doing it anyway in hopes that I can finish in the top 10 this year...if I don't I'm going to die having fun with it.

The bike of choice is once again is my slighly heavy, ultra-smooth, steel-is-real, Gunnar Crosshairs (aka: The Black Pearl) that has been set up single speed (of course). Right now it's sporting some nearly bald 38c heavier-than-your-sins gravel grider tires and water bottle cages...on race days it will loose the cages and I'm fairly certain it will be sporting some speedo-like wheels.

Ramming speed!

Butte 100 - Ouch!

2010-08-04T21:41:00.000-07:00

The Butte 100 schooled me well on one thing - climbing. I was not as well prepared as I'd like to have been for the relentless climbing intensity the Butte 100 course offered. It's hard to compare it to anything around here except it's like the steepest part of George Creek that goes on for many miles, then you get a nice break fearing for your life on some treacherous white-knuckled downhill only to start another straight-up-never-ending-climb again...and all this is happening at elevations greater than our highest elevations here. So what I'm saying is that I really had fun thrash testing both my bike and my body...whoohoo!!!

The 6-AM start was a new one for me, which required me to be up around 4:30. I had a restless night of sleep in the motel, but I still felt chipper at 5:30-AM...

But, by 6:00-AM I was ready to release some nervous tension.

The race start was nothing new for me, lots of blurry hustling and trying to stay out of harms way while the giddy-up factor is raging amongst so many adrenalin doping mountain bike junkies...

There were some rather long flat sections (some of the only flat areas on the entire course) in the first 20-miles, which made me work the super fast spinning so I could keep my one-geared SS rolling along at 18-20 mph...

Very little pavement was not appreciated much by me, but it was a necessary evil to get to the sweet (steep, torturous) trails that I so enjoyed...

So during all this fun and adventure I need to mention that it was hot, even at the elevations we were at. My hydration and nutrition were right on schedule, however I could feel that I was starting to dehydrate too much at about mile 50. At this point I was little late on this discovery and not to mention I was sweating heavily up a relentless climb with almost no shade at this point.

To make a long suffering story short, I pulled out at mile 74 (on my odometer) due to severe dehydration...I had puked once by this time and being well schooled in dehydration in previous events, I knew it would be futile to continue. I was sick for 3-hours after dropping out so my decision to stop was a good one and I am happily awaiting my chance to do this race again next year.

Two days after the race I was back on my bike having some fun exploring some of my old favorite riding areas in Bozeman, MT...I mountain biked there in the mid-80's while going to college at MSU. The trails seem easier and shorter than I remember, but still the same.

It was beyond fun to say the least. I can not wait until next year.

Number 3 going for 4

2010-07-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

Last week I put in another single-speed hundie+ on the SuperFly SS (a hundie is a 100-mile ride on a mountain bike - roadtoads call such a pedalling event a century).

This one made it 3-hundies this month on the single-speed. I'm not sure where I'm getting the energy to do these, but I hope it lasts until the end of the week (July 31st) when I do a 4th hundie in the Butte-100.

I'm a tad apprehensive about the Butte-100 since there is a claimed 18,000-ft of climbing plus most of the race is at an elevation above my highest elevation here. I've been really fretting gearing for such an event (of course I'm competing on a Single-Speed)...undergeared and you walk steep climbs, overgeared and you loose mega time on the flat stuff spinning. Since I've never done the course before or even ridden the area I have no idea what I'm in for. Plus information about the course is sketchy at best. Hmmm...this is a best guess and live with it racing plan.

No matter what, I plan on having fun riding this event!

2 For 2

2010-07-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

For my last 2-rides I been rained on both times while up in the Blue Mtns...cold also, enough so that I did not have the option to stop too long or I would chill down - so I rode in the rain. I am thankful I carry a rain jacket, which made these adventures much more pleasant.

I'm getting in some fun rides where the miles just seem to tick away effortlessly...yesterday when I got off the SuperFly SS and checked the mileage, my eyes were popping out with wow-factor - I had just put in over a 100-miles on the SS...whoohoo! Sure did not feel like it.

We'll see how I feel today since I'm off for a ride with Doug of unknown proportion as of yet.

Edit Update: I rode with Doug today on an ultra cool ride. I thought my legs would be rather dead after yesterday's 100-mile adventure, but I ended up covering 92-miles on the SuperFly SS with Doug. When I rolled up to the house Lucy, SuperDog Extraordinaire, decided that it was her turn. So after I had some good eats to refuel I pack up the SuperFly SS and we headed out for some trail at Asotin Creek. Lucy was not disappointed and neither was I...my total ride mileage for the day was another hundie! That's 2-hundred+ mile days in a row...Whoohoo!!! Thanks for a great ride Doug!

Getting Back to Business

2010-07-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

After the 8-hr race I took a few weeks off the bike, not on purpose mind you, but life happens in the most unpredictable ways which can circumvent the best mental plans to ride...OK I admit I was a tad lazy too.

Well I got an attitude adjustment last week, which really means I got a hair cut...always makes me feel alive again. How good do I feel now? Well let's just say that the 80+ mile ride on the single-speed today felt easy...hmmm I'm still not sure what to think about that.

I'm still finding flowers some ultra cool flowers blooming and the colors up high are pure eye-candy.

I also constantly run across what I consider "road-art" in the oddest places, so I decided I should take a few moments to share them - like this fire truck near the headwaters of Charlie Creek (which is in a rather deep canyon in the Blue Mtns.)...even after a new fence was put up the fire truck remains just as it was when I first discovered it 6-yrs ago...

...Miss Lucy Tippy Socks seems to have attached herself to us...whoohoo - trail dog!

SuperFly SS - Rocket Ship One...Blast Off!!!

2010-06-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I rode my Fisher SuperFly SS (that's a 1-geared bike to you) to a solo overall win in the Adventure Sports Week 8-hr Mad Dash Mountain Bike Race...Whoohoo!!!

What a great ride that was - 7.5 hrs total riding time, 91-miles travelled on Rocket Ship-One...the first 4.5 hrs of riding was in fast, dry conditions. I started at the front off the starting line and stayed out front the entire time...

After a short distance I was riding with 3-other guys and after I realized that they were all 4-hr solo guys I let them go, but no one else (team or otherwise) passed me the entire time so I knew where I was at in the standings without a doubt.

I had rolling pit stops with the help of my pit man - The Kevinator!

The real fun started when it started to down pour rain during hours 4 through 7 making the course ultra-sloppy, wet, and muddy...

I was smiling every time I hit a corner and stayed upright during 2-wheel slides. I never went down, but had a few close calls nearly sliding into trees. I did experience two hard rock strikes on my right pedal which broke, but amazingly remained functional. I loved riding my SS in the mud-yuk - I knew it was the ultimate ride for this course and the conditions. I'm not so sure anyone else had my appreciation as I was passing them (smiling big).

The wet stuff really slowed my lap times down due to that slickness, but I figured everyone else was having the same issues with traction.

Next up? Hmmmm...I'm not absolutely sure yet, but the Butte 100 looks kind of interesting...but I'm not so sure about 16,000-ft of climbing over a 100-miles on my single speed.

Flying Single Speed

2010-06-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

The Spokane 24-Hr Race was a blast...low stress, high output riding was my plan upon arrival. However, I was stressed out until I got to my first lap which was late in the day and in the dark with lights on (due to the size of the team - The Cranky Bottom Brackets). I volunteered to do 2-night laps back-to-back for some insane tortuous reasoning that I have yet to recall. I was sooooo happy to get started and waste my fresh legs on maximum speed...I had way too much fun ripping around the course on the Fisher SuperFly single speed (SS) in the dark. My Ay-Up lights provided enough lumens to allow aggressive riding on a dark rainy night...whoohoo!!! My lap times at night were only a few minutes more than my day lap time the next day. Our team plan was to have fun and that we did. I'm glad those insane Sandpoint, ID guys invited me.

The suspects - aka "The Cranky Bottom Brackets"

Next up is the 8-Hr Mad Dash Mountain Bike Race this weekend put on by Adventure Sports Week. I rode this event last year and thought it was so much painful, fun that I decided to ride it again this year. However, last year I rode my super-butt-saving Ellsworth Truth full-suspension bike (which I sold last fall), this year I am riding the Fisher SuperFly SS (aka RocketShip-One). I'm curious to find out how many miles I will get in on the SS compared to the previous year...hmmmm???

Pretending to Train Just for Fun

2010-05-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

I've been riding as usual (to you that means I've been playing on my bikes way more than a person should be allowed). I spend days off "pretending" to train for some up coming event, but in the end I find that I am easily distracted by nature's simple artwork along the way...

I still ride as hard as I can (almost exclusively on single speeds now) in effort to rebuild muscle back to where I was before last fall when an unexpected back injury caused my left leg to loose a huge amount of muscle mass. I still have a numb lower left leg about half the time and I am still missing an entire muscle in my upper left leg. I fear that the nerve damage at these two areas has been too great for complete recovery...I'm trying to be patient since it can take up to 2-years to regenerated some nerve tissues, but at this point I am seeing little to no improvements which gives me the doubts. However, I am moving forward and taking advantage of every other muscle fiber in my bum left leg to compensate my form back into some kind of competitiveness (I hope). In the end it does not matter since I am what I am (got spinach?), plus I'm happy with where I've come back to at this point.

This weekend I'm off to play with some friends from Sandpoint, ID in the Spokane 24-hr race...this year I'm on a so called "we're-just-riding-for-fun-and-not-racing-team" (we'll see if that is true). Either way, competitive or not, I'm looking forward to a great time with good friends. Next week I'm heading up north again for the Adventure Sports Week 8-hr mountain bike race. It was fun last year so I thought I would try it again, but this time on the single speed...hmmm

Body-Wide Systems Shut Down

2010-05-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling a tad down lately, as in body-wide systems shutting down...I've been totally unmotivated and have had to force myself onto a bike (never been a problem before), plus pedalling started a whole new pain scenario screaming from my legs and the muscle pains continued after my rides. One side of my brain said, "Let's go for another Spring ride and look at the flowers" while another part of my brain was saying, "Oh no, we're not going anywhere, can't you feel the pain from those stupidly fast daily 5000-ft climbs you do on, of all things, a Single-Speed bike!" Oh but the flowers...

I even tried my geared bike to see if it would ease the pain issues while pedaling...didn't help at all and in fact I felt like it was more of a struggle pedaling the geared bike vs. the single-speed (yes, weird).

Then a few nights ago the pain in my stiff, heavy-feeling, useless, aching leg muscles woke me up and got me thinking about this dilemma...it seems to have started the previous week when I started hacking up lung crud, but that's essentially cleared up except for the occasional, spontaneous monster-crud-yuk-boogy-thing that seems to come from no where deep in the lungs. Then for some reason during this middle-of-the-night self debating session I had an instant hunger for a hamburger...that's weird I thought. But wait, maybe there's something to this, which got me thinking about my diet lately which was mostly non-meat meals. Hmmmm...sore legs, hard workouts climbing hell-hills on a single-speed, and very little to no protein intake for several days...can you say duh! So the next morning I started focusing on better protein intake, which brought about an amazingly fast recovery from the sore legs.

Today I got on the SS bike, felt awesome, climbed over 6000-ft and was ready for more except I had run into snow and I had some time constraints. Lesson learned...schools out!

Wool + Snow + Mud = Spring

2010-05-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

At home I was contemplating my clothing needs for the day - it's always a dilemma to figure out what to wear and pack for the weather. After nervously walking outside several times to test the temps (which does nothing to plan for conditions 5000-feet higher) I finally settled on a wool long-sleeve with 2-more long-sleeved layers in the pack along with a windproof beanie for today's ride. Better to have too much I thought vs too little and getting cold up there (hah - little did I know what the day had in store for me). I had some insane adventure plan to ride up Lick Creek to the top, then ride Pinkham Ridge Trail back to some unknown point that would drop me back down towards the bottom of Lick Creek.

The plan was insane since the day previous I was up there and ran into some spring muck-snow (that's mud + snow to you), but I was not dressed well enough for the coolness and I had the wrong gear on the SuperFly SS (needed something easier for the snow to keep from spinning out so much). So I came home yesterday feeling a tad defeated. Hmmm...

At the last second I also decided to put some quickie-fenders on the bike since I had a mud bath by the end of yesterday's ride. The Gunnar Think Pink had the gear ratio I wanted so it was the bike of choice today (less fiddling with changing gears means more riding time - so the SuperFly rested today).

After getting part way up Lick Creek Rd, I was happy I had the wool on since the temps seemed to steadily decrease, then it started snowing - I was smiling big because this was soooo cool!!!

On the way up I ran across some tracks on the road - Mama's first...

...then baby's

I also found some flowers trying to grow in the white, cold patches...

Up on top the views were misty and totally jaw dropping...

I still got some mud, but nothing like the day previous.

Just so you know, even though I brought all that "extra" clothing, I still froze my buns off on the way down, but who cares, I had a super great spring adventure on my single-speed.

Finding the Lost Temple

2010-04-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

The day after my last ride on the SuperFly SS, I felt that my Gunnar Think Pink was getting lonely...sooooo I took it riding. This time I went up another climbing route (which is all there is around here and I like it that way) to the top of Lick Creek and beyond. I am still quite amazed at how little snow exists above the 5000-ft level. I finally hit some snow at 5400-ft, but was not stopped by it.

The only reason I turned around was due to lack of time to continue on (had to get back to pick up the Kevinator from school). On the way back I took a detour down the Pinkham Ridge Trail for some sweet riding and some cool views...but of course I had to stop for some of my favorite spring time flora...

On the way down I rode past this interesting art work that I had not seen before...it's in the middle of no where.

Not sure what to think of it other than someone was mighty bored...maybe a "hunter" from last fall, maybe it's a hippie toker temple, maybe it is a gateway to another dimension...hmmmm.

The smell of purple little flowers is so nice, can you smell these? Maybe that temple is affecting me...

Never Been this High

2010-04-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

"Never been this high in April" I was thinking to my self as I pedalled past the 5000-ft level today. Typically there is snow or ice that stops me long before now, but not this year. I'm a tad fearful of the fire season we will have this year with so little snow pack and moisture.

I turned it around when I finally hit a small snow field across the road - an ominous sign that there will be more to come and attempting to go much further will prove futile. The odometer was indicating that I would get at least 70-miles in on this warm, sunny spring day - another great ride on the Fisher SuperFly Single-Speed.

The flowers were spectacular and, as usual, gave me a super-boost in the mental well being...something I needed after working 4-long 12-hr shifts in the ER.

There is still some snow up there feeding Asotin Creek (in the background is the headwaters are of Middle Fork Asotin Creek).

Spokane Riverside

2010-04-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

I've spent many hours riding at Riverside State Park just west of Spokane. Most of my many hundreds of miles of mountain biking at Riverside have been done riding in the annual 24-hr race and other past mtb races. I love Riverside Park's many miles of fast, forested single-track trails and I dream of having a riding area like that where I live...after riding such nice trails the thought of moving becomes strong in my nomadic, wandering mind once again. I like green forests and I like dirt trails, that is who I am deep inside. For now though, I have to live in an area with dead, brown, weed infested yuk, and very little single-track trail, but with plenty of dirt/gravel roads to ride. I'll take what I have and enjoy every speck of dirt I can...for now that is.

Fortunately, the Kevinator and I had to make a necessary run to Spokane for some appointments, but our focus was all about having an excuse to ride the sweet single-track at Riverside. We were not disappointed, the trails were buff and in perfect riding condition, the weather was cool and sunny, plus the wild flowers were blooming providing eye-candy everywhere we rode.

The Kevinator insisted on riding the 24-hr race loop, so we did that and more.

The kiddo was exhausted, but happy and smiling big after riding nearly 23-miles this day (we rode 17-miles the day previous - the kid is a mountain biking animal).

Asotin Creek Graupel Ride

2010-03-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

I've been mountain biking up on Asotin Creek Trail many times this past winter (not really sure you can call what we had winter though)...every ride has been an adventure in some way. Today was no different, except that I had a riding partner along today to share some spring time adventures. Meet the Kevinator, one lean, mean mountain biking machine...

Together we explored the Asotin Creek trail single track...we rode in sunshine, graupel, and rain...nothing stopped us since the ride was all smiles.

We stopped a few times along our 16-mile ride to enjoy some of nature's spring artwork...hmmmm

It was a perfect MTB day (any day is a good day for MTB rides like this).

Yes, I Stop for Flowers...Kill Bill Episode-II

2010-03-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

A true miracle happened today...a MTB group ride! Very exciting since MTB group rides for me seem so rare...partly because of my work schedule, maybe partly due to my lone ranger attitude (Single-Speeds Rule!!!) - OK the real reason is because it has been rather hard to get everyone's (anyone's) schedules to align. But, the SeanMan has a way of sweet talking people (which involves some smack-talk) into group rides. It was a sweet day for a ride and the company was perfect.

There were 3-geared Fisher SuperFlys, my SS SuperFly, plus 3-other Fisher 29ers along and one lone wolf (Doug) on a Salsa Fargo...hmmm suspicious.

At one point when I got behind near the end of the ride the SeanMan was giving me some grief...I did get behind only because I saw a field full of little yellow flowers that as usual just melted me into stopping and dropping the bike to get a closer look...

The SeanMan said something about flowers are for girls, well to me flowers are ultra cool and always worth a stop and look. I'm not sure anyone else really noticed those little yellow beauties flowing by as they focused on the roadway, a bad roadie tendency that I will someday break them of...if they continue to want to ride with me again that is - we unintentionally tried to kill Bill. The SeanMan reminded me that others tried to kill Bill last year also. Sorry Bill, we'll plan for a nicer ride next time, maybe.

I hope everyone had a good day and did not suffer too much. I have plenty of much cooler rides after the snow melts for those interested.

Mountain Bikes Rule!!!

2010-03-12T05:52:00.000-08:00

Last month I shamefully rode my geared bikes a total of 2-times...I'm starting to question why I even have geared bikes anymore. Worse is that my road bike has been collecting dust for the last 2-months and even then I've only been on it once this year...shameful. I still find road riding sooooo boring. On the road bike I spend much of my riding time looking at the trash in the ditches just to liven up the ride. Sometimes I stop and investigate a trash treasure, otherwise I just try to avoid the glass from drunks tossing their bottles on the roadway and banana peels from idiot road-toad cyclists. Why do road cyclist feel the need to let everyone know they've been here by dropping those peels? Are road-toads like male dogs marking territory? Why can't roadies just toss the peels in the ditch where they decay and disappear instead of laying on the road side for a few weeks? I have no answer to this after much pondering.

On the mountain bike I find that the gravel road and trail-side scenery much more stimulating than the road trash, glass, and peels...

I find animals, cool bugs, flowers, and more.

Mountain bikes rule in my world.

Are Your Bikes Feelin' the Love?

2010-03-03T20:15:00.000-08:00

My bikes are feelin' the love...I can hardly believe that I've had 5-days off and been able to ride at least once each day - that means that some days I ride more than once - whoohoo!!!

I've been just about everywhere I can go without hitting solid ice...once upon a time I would run into snow, but it's very odd this year since I am running into slip-slide-fall-bust-your-butt-solid-ice. After my first encounter with this slick phenomena I learned quickly that it is best to turn it around and go back to where I just came from...walking on that stuff is treacherous, riding it was not possible without some seriously studded tires, which of course I was not about to just run home 40-miles and put on.

There's been a definite hint of spring in the air all week, which was confirmed by the siting of some wild flowers. I saw my first wild-flowers in Spokane on Sunday then notices some at lower elevations locally a day later (that I swear were not there previously). Flowers are one thing that can instantly put a stop to my insane need to pedal or get somewhere fast. One siting of a wild flower and everything in me just melts to a halt so I can drop the bike and get a closer look...

Then there's the bike-art that I am always finding along the way...a natural talent of mountain biking that is easy to attain (just ride), but rarely appreciated...

SuperFly SS...Whoohoo!!!

2010-02-23T20:21:00.000-08:00

Thrash testing has begun on the the Fisher SuperFly SS now that it is "nearly complete"...the last major piece was my Stans tubeless wheels (that I just built up) with some fat Bontrager XDX 2.1 tires installed (that look more like 2.3 inch tires). I use the words "nearly complete" since I'm contemplating putting a rigid fork on this bike in the near future, which should easily make it a sub-19 lb bike - maybe closer to 16lbs with the right tire choice...sick!!!

So far I'm still skeptical about the tires, but that is why I love thrash testing. I've found that the Bontrager XDX tires are not too good in mud, but seem to be excellent at riding in hard crusty snow and on the dry dirt they are fast enough to keep my happy.

The SuperFly SS climbs well and I am surprised at the hills I'm making it over at this time...let's just say that making it up George Creek (Meyer's Ridge Rd) and the grade on Weissenfels has my SS ego a tad inflated. I've tried these hills in the past on a SS and never made it very far...heck these climbs are hard enough on a geared bike. Here is a 3D map of the Weissenfels-George Cr/Meyers Ridge Rd loop (~5100 ft climbing in 60-ish miles) that I frequently do...

No mud-yuk on this day, but there is still a wee bit of snow up there in spots.

The SuperFly ride is soooo much smoother than I ever thought carbon could be and I ride some rough, bone-rattling stuff. I was truly anticipating a slightly harsh ride from it - similar to what I experienced in the past (long, long ago) test riding Trek carbon mountain bikes. But the Superfly frame has a butter smooth ride that has converted me into a believer that carbon mountain bikes can be extraordinary in function...so what I'm saying is that the company hype is more than true...Fisher got it right! I don't get paid to print the truth or say things like that.

So far (4-rides, 213-miles) I'm grinning big with some hurting legs...

Mud-Yuk

2010-02-15T20:06:00.000-08:00

Well I thought I could sneak in a Couse Creek-Weissenfels Ridge Rd loop without much difficulty today...bad idea. I found that the end of Weissenfels was a tad boggy in some rather long sections (the worst I've ever seen it up there) and turning around at this point would make for a very, very long ride, which I had no desire to do.

So my bull-headed ego took over and from that point on it was make through or die trying. At times I thought I was doomed to walking, but I kept the speed up (which really makes the mud fly a long ways...cool), kept my mouth shut (gets kind of gritty if you don't) and forced the forward progress slipping and sliding all the way. The end result was a face and bike full of mud-yuk, plus I had the classic diarrhea butt look on my tights. The Think Pink bike was lookin' more like Downtown Brown.

I was very thankful for the SS since mud has very little effect on the one-gear system...a derailleur and multi-gears on the other hand is a nightmare in the muck-yuk stuff.

Also kind of glad I didn't take Rocket Ship One (the Fisher SuperFly SS) today...my old wheelset on it at this time has a minor wheel bearing issue and I wasn't willing to trust it too far away from home. I just build some new wheels for it, but haven't got the tubeless set up yet.

The name, Rocket Ship One, came about after a few rides just because this thing is way fast on the dirt...

...and I had the brakes on!

The Power of a Single Speed

2010-02-10T20:55:00.000-08:00

Ahhh...another great view, another great ride (one of many this month so far)...all on single-speed bikes.

Some years ago I found the dark power of single-speed (SS) bikes after purchasing a Fisher SS Rig for no other reason than to try it out. Since then I have dabbled in SS bikes, but I was still multi-gear oriented...I selected geared bikes for the perceived speed (to have more gears must mean more speed, right?) plus a geared bike on long rides and rides with steep climbs seemed much more appropriate than a SS.

Since I started riding again, after my back injury, I found my SS attitude changing. Why?

Well for one thing I'm seeing more clearly now after the potential of not riding was presented in my back as an evil painful reality late last summer. For another, I have found during my recovery that SS riding feels so much better on my back and I have found ways to exercise my back more with the mandatory standing to pedal up steep hill sections (a full body workout)...the sit and spin philosophy on a geared bike is great for the cardio and the legs, but really isn't much benefit for the back (and arms).

So now I embrace SS and choose SS on most rides now...I still ride geared bikes, but only for a change or when I need an easy day in the saddle.

By the way, just so everyone knows I have not quite lost my impulsive, addiction to buy and ride (thrash-test) new bikes...are you ready to feel the power?

Warm and Fuzzy...huh?

2010-01-24T20:46:00.001-08:00

It never fails...when I want more snow the weather gets all warm and fuzzy on me, which means the snowshoes go away and the bikes have the solo spot light...again. Oh well at least I got a few days of snowy fun in. The rides lately have been rather hot and I could have easily ridden in shorts around the valley, but up on top it was still a tad cool for the great whites to show just yet.

My rides are now up to 50+ miles (still trying to rebuild after my major back malfunction late last summer). The back is still not perfect so I'm keeping the suffrage meter in the green zone...I'm really having a hard time containing my strong desire to punch it to up to my red line on every ride, but I control it with terrible thoughts of re-injurying my back by pushing too much, too fast. I'm riding and I happy about that.

Stay tuned because I can feel some whoopass coming on later this year if all continues as it's been going so far...

SNOW!!! Give me more snow!

2009-12-31T06:06:00.001-08:00

SNOW = FUN!!! Give me more snow!

I love the white stuff and miss it after growing up with snow every winter in Montana. Where I live now it rarely snows and I have to travel to the mountains to play in it, at least I still have snow available. One thing I don't miss is the below zero temps MT has. Snow brings out the anticipation of fun, smiles, and the kid in me.

Winter Motivations

2009-12-19T06:50:00.000-08:00

Where is your cycling motivation at this time of the year? Old-man winter seems to encourage us to do nothing on the couch and chunk on some potato-chip pounds...

Dark, evil excuses are all too easy and come quickly to mind taking away the cycling motivations we had just a short few months ago...

It is dark, the days are short...the weather is cold, rainy, snowy, and windy...the roads are slick, icy, full of yuk, mud, water, and grit that seems to end up in every part of your bike and in your mouth...your chain screams in pure agony on every ride from the nasty, salty, wet grit and mud that is rapidly wearing it down to a quick death...you have a streak of mud up you back side that looks like you just diarrhea'd yourself.

Hmmm...a rather bleak picture if you let the winter blahs get you down. Personally I love winter riding...I love the cooler temps, wearing layers, the challenge of riding in adverse weather, and riding on snow...

This is the time of year to thumb your nose at the negative mind games winter plays on your weak psyche and find the wonderful positive aspects and challenging fun times that are to be had in winter riding...

I love it when people drive by rubber-necking and drop-jawed as I ride by on my bike in the snow, rain, or in cold temps. They just don't understand the party going on inside me while I ride.

This is the time of year that single-speeds rule since there is no drive-train to get gummed up with all the yuk-stuff. While other people are lifting weights and doing spin classes in the gym, I'm getting a full-body workout by power-stroking up steep hills with one gear and spinning my guts out everywhere else while enjoying the outdoors. Any day and any given time, outdoor cycling beats suffering in a stale, sweat smelling, in-door gym with some strange muscle-ego dudes and dudettes...I'm truly a little cycling wimp that feels like a caged lab rat in a gym.

So where does your winter motivation lead you? Are you a couch-turd chunking on fat from all the tasty goodies while complaining about your weight gains or are you smiling while riding your bike, taking on the challenge of winter, and laughing at those rubber-necking-jaw-dropped looks you are getting while riding a bike now?

All Crossed Up

2009-11-30T21:26:00.000-08:00

My Gunnar Cyclocross bike has morphed into something else recently...

The drop bar was just giving me too much discomfort, so I put on a set of flat bar and have since I found the love once again. Putting the flat bars on set me up in a whole different position, which my lower back has been demanding. It feels beyond great now and good enough to tackle some hills in single-speed mode.

My most recent venture on this bike was maybe a bit too much since the climb up Rosenkrantz Rd is a tad steep in a few spots - I did trot up short sections on 2 of the steepest parts and rode (grunted) up the rest. Needless to say I was quite exhausted after this ride was done, but as always I was still smiling and happy to be riding.

Granny Spins + Elusive Elk

2009-11-12T20:20:00.000-08:00

During the last few weeks I've been popping up all over the place in some of my favorite local riding areas...

I've ridden Pinkham Ridge singletrack amongst hunters dressed in brilliant orange suits in pursuit of the elusive elk...many of the hunters were just sitting, waiting while I ride on by smiling and waving - both of us muttering under our breath, "idiot" I'm sure. There were very few hunters actually out walking, stalking the elk. I even rode within a few feet of one hunter so intent on a book, with gun at his side, that he never noticed me ride by. I'm thinking he would have pissed his pants or shot me (or both) if I would have said something or warned him that I was passing. I looked back a ways down the trail and thought maybe the guy was dead. But I wasn't concerned enough to go back and poke him with a stick just to satify my curious thought.

The most funny thing about both of my recent trips up on the Pinkham is that I found elk...bikes are very stealth you know. The first time I found the elk hanging around a hunter's pickup parked off the road, and the second time I found them laying a few hundred yards from a hunting camp trailer. Neither time did the elk seem to care that I was rolling on by...not a threat I suppose.

Other rides have been up George Creek Grade(Meyer's Ridge Road - one of my favorite climbs, Weissenfels Grade as well as pure agony up a few other lung busting climbs.

I'm still doing all this in the super easy, granny spin mode due to my recovery from the back injury from hell. I'm totally lovin the riding though and have finally started commuting to work again almost daily (with a smile on).

Weenie Ring Adventures (aka Hill Climbing)

2009-10-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

I use to rarely need my small chainring on any hill in this area with very few exceptions (only 3 that I can think of). Now with such a wimpy left leg I need and use the small ring much more often. For example I use to ride up George Creek (Meyers Ridge Grade) in my middle ring without any issues - there is no way I can do that today, so I happly spin up in the weenie ring.

I am truly amazed at how much I've taken my fitness for granted until now. And I can see this rebuilding process taking the better part of a year or more to regain what I had this past summer.

It's great though, since I have nicely defined goals now, whereas before I was just riding along in a slump it seems.

Finally Back to One Gear

2009-10-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

Until today I have not been able to pedal on a single-speed (SS) while standing to pedal (which is a necessity while pedalling hills unless you want to walk, which I don't).

My left leg would just stall at the top of the pedal stroke, which made for a very strange, jerky pedal stroke. Over the past few weeks I've really been working on my getting my left leg built back up and smoothing out the pedal circle. So today I thought I might try my SS again to gage my progress. The result was good enough for a ride, so off I went into some rather nice, cool fall winds on the Think Pink Gunnar.

I rode it set up as a 69er (29er wheel in front and the standard 26" wheel on the back). This bike frame was originally a 69er, I just like it better with a 650b wheel up front. But I loaned my 650b wheel to a curious friend (who reports enjoying it).

My ride was pure painful fun and it was just another continuation to rebuilding my left leg (which is still very much smaller than my right). I'm happy to be seeing some progress (slow, but it's progress).

The wind today was nice for some forced resistance training, I really enjoyed the workout. The trip home was nearly effortless as you can see...

Rebuilding...Weaker, Slower, Happier

2009-10-19T19:36:00.000-07:00

The rebuild has begun...of my weak, slow legs after being off the bike for about 2-months due to a rather large extruded disc in my left, lower back. The real damage is in my left leg which lost 3.5cm of muscle mass (circumference) from traumatic cramps and decreased nerve function (that resulted in decreased muscle tone then muscular atrophy).

All the science aside, the bottom line is that my right leg is huge compared to my left and that affects every pedal stroke on a bike not to mention walking and normal posture. I've been cautiously doing short rides on the bike after my doc thought it would be fine as long as I did not experience any pain or increase in other symptoms (like increased numbness in the left lower leg...I still have numbness there that comes and goes).

I do a pile of Egoscue exercise everyday (that my doc has me doing). The exercises have helped put my back into alignment so I can walk straight in the world and of course ride a bike a bit better.

So where am I at now on the bike? Ummm...well I have progressed from 5-miles of pure agony up to very slow 25-30 mile rides of painful smiles. The pain is good pain since it is coming from my ultra weak left leg screaming in agony from having to work so hard and once again pull its share of the load. The right leg is very happy about that too! All I know is that the I'm happy and smiling (inside) with every muscle-burning-painful pedal stroke.

Now's the time for anyone and everyone to come ride with me and ride me into the dirt (just as you've always dreamed of doing). Please, I beg you come ride with me so that you can shamelessly and effortlessly kick my A$$ on the dirt!

Baloo No. 2

2009-10-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

For those that don't know, Baloo was the name of my first blue colored Lenz Sport Leviathan 29er full-suspension bike that I owned about 3-yrs ago (Baloo means bear and is also the name of a bear in Disney's animation, The Jungle Book). I loved that bike in every way except the short top tube of the medium sized frame was a little cramped for my riding style and the short TT made the front end a bit light going up very steep terain. So I reluctantly sold it and have since been on the look-out for a large frame which just so happens to have my preferred top tube lenth of around 23.75 inches.

Lenz Sport bikes are all handmade in Colorado by Devin Lenz who has been way ahead of the bike industry for years with respect to FS 29er design and overall frame design. The larger names in the bike industy have just started making frames with lighter formed tubing - something Lenz has been doing for 10-years now.

So...while doing almost nothing trying to heal a nasty back injury I happened across a lightly used, large sized Lenz frame. To top it off it was the coloring that I wanted if I were to order one (which I have been seriously thinking of doing since it is extremely rare to find a used Lenz frame - which says something about owner satisfaction). I guess that even when you're down the stars can align. So I took a chance that I would actually be able to ride more than a few miles again and bought the frame. I finished building it up to a rideable bike yesterday, then I did what I typically do to - take pictures and go for a ride (short, but still a ride).

I still can not ride much with a healing extruded disc in my back (15-mile rides on easy terrain is about it at this time), but it helps that I have the Lenz set up more upright and the full-suspension is rather helpful also. As much as I like my Ellsworth I just can not ride it at this time because it puts too much strain/stress on my lower back due to it's racey geometry - something that is hard to change. So for now the Ells is collecting dust while the Lenz takes the lead as my go to mtb along with my trustly old 2002 Fisher SuperCal 29er.

For those interested I will be having a RIDE ERIC INTO THE DIRT mtb ride sometime in the not too distant future...this is everyone's chance to come out and ride me into the dirt...do it while I'm weak and still have a huge muscle loss in my left leg. And yes it will be a dirt ride (yet to be determined when and where)...and yes I am weak at this time (can barely ride 15-miles) so a 30-mile ride should be pure agony for me...and yes I will be happy about having everyone kick my butt (I'm just happy to be riding at this time). I'm sure the ride will be ultra fun and not too techincal considering my situation.

Gunnar Cyclocross SS...

2009-09-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

The Forward Components EEB installed quite easily on the Gunnar cyclocross bike and chain tension adjustment was stupidly simple. The end result is a more efficient SS - previously I was running a chain tensioner so I could run the Gunnar as a SS, but like a derailleur it was a thief robbing me of pedally effiency and the smoothness a real SS offers.

Let's just say that I'm happier now...even though I can not ride much (extruded disc in the back continues to plague me), but I did take it for a short spin and had a smile on the whole time.

Hmmm...

2009-09-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...that's what I said when I saw this eccentric bottom bracket made by Forward Components.

It set in motion a rapid chain of events in my brain...this bottom bracket turns any geared frame instantly into a single-speed frame since it allows a means to tension the chain. It will be installed soon enough on my Gunnar Cross bike for some simple future thrash testing.

I'm still not doing any significant riding due to my back situation (extruded discs take patience to heal). I am getting some short, flat, spins in but it truly is a struggle still and I am not pushing it for fear of re-injury. A ride of 5-miles is a real accomplishment at this time.

Fishing has been plenty of fun and I have had some fun working at the bike shop (B&L Bicycles of course) where I have gingerly pedaled both a Fisher SuperFly and a SuperFly-100 at the shop - impressive to say the least and lots of bling.

Down Time Update...

2009-08-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the comments, emails, and recommendations. Many people have recommended Peter Egoscue's Pain Free book...the good thing is that I have been using Egoscue's methods for many years now for relief from minor back issues.

However, with my current issues the pain has been so bad that I have not been able to perform any of Egoscue's exercises until just a few days ago and even then performing the exercises were rather painful to do.

Today is better though and I can get through all the exercises without any "real" pain and the results are already clearly felt...last night was the first night I spent the entire night in my own bed all night in the past 2-wks (previously I was up every hour or more and spent much time just trying to find some position or pillow wedge that would decrease the pain that the narcotics were not even touching). Typically I have been getting 3-4 hours of sleep a night, but last night I slept at least 6 or 7 hours (whoohoo!)without any pain. And today I have only a very mild ache in my back and left leg plus the numbness in my lower leg feels different for some reason (more tingly than completely numb), which could be a good sign.

I also saw the slicer/dicer today who of course offered surgery and presented with much less enthusiasm when I was questioning him asking about alternative treatments and his opinion on such treatments and comparisons of recovery times. The bad news is that I either way, with surgery or conservative treatments, the recovery time is at least 6-8 week (or more) until I will be able to ride or lift anything significant.

The really bad news is that my employer (TriState Memorial Hospital - ER) will not allow me to return to work without a sign-off from a practitioner that I am able to lift at least 50 lbs. So essentially I am out of a job...hmmm

Anyone know where I can get some light duty work?

Down Time...

2009-08-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

I've been literally down for the past 3-weeks due to a pinched nerve causing huge issues in my left leg - like continuous numbness and very painful burning sensations from my knee cap to my foot, uncontrollable and very severe muscle cramps above the knee in my quads, groin area, and outer hip areas, plus massive pressure sensations in my knee when I walk (when I can walk that is). I've found that sometimes there is nothing to relieve these symptoms (medication, topically, or re-positioning) and reality is that I just have to live through the pain.

After 3-weeks of pain I'm very humbled and beyond ready to be done with it. The real kicker is that I have received ever differing opinions after consulting with chiropractors, physical therapists, and several doctors - Why is it that no one is on the same page with this kind of issue? We all suspect the same cause - either a bulging or herniated disc in the lower back pinching a nerve (I think it's that Saphenous nerve personally). After much research I have determined that surgery is only helpful in 10% of the cases and that these things typically heal themselves on their own in 3-6 weeks, which is defined as 3-6 weeks of essentially no activity (including no work).

I'm sick of sitting (laying) around doing nothing and feeling helpless...Donna (the love of my life) has really done a super job of keeping me contained and well cared for. In the mean time I am dreaming of riding my bike(s) again while at the same time contemplating selling most of my bikes just to pay the bills while I'm not working. Hmmm...reality...

Just to make myself feel good I have gotten on a bike mounted in a trainer for 3-5 minutes at a time when I can (which is typically 1-2 times a day if at all depending on the pain). In the mean time I will continue to dream of riding again and drool over new bikes.

Update: An MRI done today reveals I do have something that is actually causing all this pain. The report states, "At L3-4, there is a massive far left lateral disc extrusion...(that) markedly impinges the exiting left L3 root..." Now that we know the cause, the next step is the treatment options - conservative or surgical? Will know more on Monday after I get a chance to talk out both options with prospective practioners. In the mean time - ouch!

Hot Huckleberry Times

2009-08-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

Yep it's stupidly hot out (106-degrees yesterday, near the same today)...the time of year when I need 4-liters of water per hour, but can only absorb 3-liters, I'm always thirsty, my tongue is constantly swollen, my jersey has white salt stains...I'm flat-out baked well-done on any ride!

So the only recourse is to give up the bike (yes, I actually said that), head to the mountains (in the fuel-guzzling-noisy-diesel-monster-Bubba-truck) and pick those delicious little purple berries that have a cool, refreshing taste...better known as huckleberries!

Can you say yum!!! Bikes can rule another day, today is Huckleberry Day!

The Century Mark

2009-07-31T15:03:00.000-07:00

Once again down here in the Valley of Hell we're hitting the century mark on the daily temperature scale...

Every year I'm reminded that on the bike 2-3 liters fluid per hour is not enough and that more than that my body simply can not absorb fast enough to stay hydrated. I'm also reminded that riding early in the morning is a good idea as is night riding...I'm not sure why we reserve most of our night riding around here to the late fall and winter months.

The final option is to escape into the baby mountains we have here. At 6000-ft the temps are at least 15-20 degrees cooler, but riding up to that elevation from the valley floor (780-ft) takes a serious toll on the hydration status. The flora is always worth the ride though...

Pinkham Ridge Trail

2009-07-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

The Pinkham Ridge Trail is one of my favorite single-track trails in this area. It is short (by my standards), but fun and it provides some nice vistas.

Getting there requires some grunt effort since every possible route to the trail head is uphill which is at a wee 5000-ft elevation (for reference the starting elevation of Asotin is 780-ft and the starting elevation of Headgate County Park (up Asotin Cr. Rd.) is about 1500-ft. There are other starting places that are closer if you're truly that lazy. From Headgate Park it is about 18-miles via the easiest route (all uphill) to the trailhead. The trailhead is not labeled or easy to find and maps (including GPS) are not accurate - truly you just have to know where to go or be willing to do some bushwhacking and hike-a-bike exploring, which is how I found it several years ago. Now I have 3-rideable routes in from the top - no more bushwacking for me.

I've found 5-rideable routes to this trail and 8 different ways down (some of which could also be routes up, but I highly recommend against all but 3 due to the shear pain you would endure climbing them). You can loop this trail down into the Asotin Cr. Trail on 2-different trails down, but the down hills are very steep and technical until you reach the creek far below, so beware and make sure your brakes are in good condition if you ever decided to take this route (I do this route a few times a year just for fun and a good adrenalin rush).

The remaining routes (loops) down are not too technical, but do require some braking if you're fearful of too much speed. There is also the occasional log-hop (or stop, get off, and walk bike over the log) on the way down on 2 of the best single-track routes.

You do have to be aware that the the neighborhood bear may be on the trail (yep, I've met the bear family more than once) so making noise with a bell, talking loudly to yourself, or whistling (which is what I typically do) on the fast down hill is a good idea I've learned. I'm sure the bears do not appreciate the sudden surprise any more than we do, so unless you really get a thrill from running into bears make some noise.

Who's in My Domain?

2009-07-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

Out on one of my standard wandering, indecisive, rides up in "my domain" I find someone has invaded my territory...Doug Goodenough was up here somewhere...I could smell him (yeah right, like my nose is that good, but his truck is beyond obvious)...

Instantly I was more decisive on the fork in the road I needed to take for toady's ride. I pedalled up South Fork Asotin Creek following bike tracks that were not mine (a rare thing to see on one of my rides up here), I was curious to say the least. I made a few irresistible stops to admire some of the scenery (aka flowers)...

Up on top (above the 5000-ft elevation level) I decided that I was not going to catch them anytime soon, plus there was an obvious rain cloud preparing to make a direct dump on the area I was in...so I decided to bail since I did not have any rain gear (what can I say, the day started out looking rain-free). The downhill was ultra fast and I was not using much brake since I was trying to outrun the rain that was coming fast. At the fork in the road near where Doug's truck was parked I hung out beneath a pine tree to stay dry as a mild downpoor proceded to soak the area. I spent about 30-minutes there napping and eating (like any good cyclist would do). Remarkably Doug showed up with Bill Arnold (both were slightly wet) and smiling after having such a great ride (see there story and pic here--> Click).

I finished the day with 70+ miles of mountain bike fun, a smile, plus I didn't get wet and I got a nap in...can it get any better than that?

Evening Rides

2009-06-18T05:45:00.000-07:00

The single-speed (SS) bikes are back...the Ellsworth has been hogging all the action lately with my race events, but now I'm happy to be riding my SS bikes again.

Lately I've been going out later in the day for some cool sunset rides up in the local mountain areas. The life up there is quite different this time of day and the views are spectacular.

Of course I have a hard time not stopping to look at all the beauty around me...

However, all rides must end sometime (got to sleep sometime to get ready for the next adventure)...

B-day Riding

2009-06-13T06:11:00.000-07:00

I've been told by some of the locals that on your birthday you're supposed to double your age and ride that many miles...well I think that is a cool idea, but I have not accomplished such a ride this year. Instead for my birthday I rode the Think Pink SS for a nice long MTB ride up some 6700 feet over 71-miles just for fun. I loved every minute of it and enjoyed the wonderful scenery along the way.

The flowers once again provided some great uplifting sites...

At the high point of the ride I celebrated briefly then turned it towards home for the sweet, fast downhill ride.

I did stop once to check out this little guy...

Small, but powerful I'm sure (I did not provoke him to find out). Rattlers up in this area are quite small for some reason (this one has 6-rattles but was all of 13-inches - note the Ponderosa Pine needle beside it).

8-Hours of The Mad Dash

2009-06-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

In my last post I eluded to my next adventure, which was the Mad Dash Mountain Bike Race I did this last weekend. The Mad Dash is a short 8-hour mountain bike race and part of a week long series of events put on by Adventure Sports Week (do click on the name and check out all the incredible events they put on - biking is the least of it). I did this race even though my legs were telling me that they were not nearly recovered enough or ready for this so soon after the 24-hr race a few short weeks before.

We (Scott, from Ride-On Bikes, my trusty friend, mechanic, support-person, chauffeur), arrived the day previous and setup camp with some good friends from Sandpoint, ID, Chris and Leah.

It was another great time around the fire with friends.

The next morning we set up our pit area in the choicest spot there. Scott once again provided support to others, since that is in the spirit of these events and besides we really like everyone we meet.

The background scenery at this venue was the best, most distracting ever...I constantly wanted to stop during my ride (uhhh..race), lay in the grass and just take it all in...

...but instead, I rode for 7-hrs 44-min. during the 8-hour period for a total of 85-miles, which placed me 3rd in my highly competitive age category. What is up with all these 40-49 year old biking animals?

I fueled with real food (home-made bean/rice burritos, some potato chips, and a few datenut bars) and hydrated exclusively with ELETE, an electrolyte suppplement added to water giving it a nicely plain, simple "water" taste. I've gotten to where I hate anything sweet in my drinks and I seem to survive best on plain tasting foods and drinks. I've used ELETE to finish many long events when the sweet drinks were making me want to barf. So this time I decided to start and finish with ELETE and I must say it worked so well that I am having a hard time figuring why it took me this long to just drop all the other sweet stuff my body always seems to reject. Hmmmm...

I had one mechanical, an unsealable flat from a monster nail, which set me back on my 5th lap far enough that I never really recovered from time-wise. This is the second time I've had a large nail puncture that my tubeless sealant (Stan's NoTubes) just could not seal up. Both times the tire was a Bontrager Jones ACX - a super dependable tire for traction, but seems to be a nail magnet. In fact this same tire type, I've had 3-other nail flats when tubed. So the end result is that I'm a bit wary of using the Jones ACX anymore in an event even though I love the consistent traction it provides in corners. Hmmm...I have the think about this some more.

I truly had a great time during this ride, the course was fun, as well as the friends I had time to visit with. I did end up getting some time to lay in the grass...caught a little nap also while enjoying the ultra eye-pleasing background, dreaming of my next little (non-racing) adventure...

Finding My Legs Again

2009-06-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

Now that my bottom is feeling better, several days after my recent painful adventure, I'm back in the saddle trying to find my legs again. Warm, sunny days and fields of color definitely help distract from any pain and provide the motivation to keep going.

I just can not say enough about how uplifting a field full of flowers is to me...I could ride in such scenery all day and never feel tired.

But every blissful, flowery day must end for the there is always a need to return home. It's always a dreadful trip since it seems that the route home is always a hot one via one of several blast-furnace pipeline options...the roads home become stupidly hot, parching experiences starting this time of year.

The good news today is that I found Jiminy Cricket alive and well...time for some song and dance, just in time for the next little adventure...

Top-10

2009-05-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

I showed up at the race with one bike on top of the car - a Huffy (Go Team Huffy!). It was a ploy to psych out the competition...they were so scared that they rode faster so maybe it back-fired. The Huffy is actually Jeremiah's (and it saw some serious use over the weekend).

Scott, from Ride-On-Bikes, my solo support person came in with my equipment later. Scott had told me I was famous on the phone, but I was not sure what that meant until I saw his vehicle that had my name on it...a cool surprise to say the least.

Scott once again proved to be a valuable asset and truly kept me and the bike going. I had to do nothing but ride, drink, and eat...I can not thank him enough for his support, efforts, and friendship.

Scott was up the whole time...well except for one short nap...

Dave Parkins, another ace-mechanic, of Sandpoint was also in attendance at my pit area and he was instrumental in us all having some fun. Plus, he kept many of my competitor's bikes rolling when they had major malfunctions...most people would not think of this as a good thing, but I'm perfectly happy that Dave and Scott had fun keeping other people riding...the nature of this event is to have fun and to help others plus I really like all the competitors I have met...all good people.

My performance in the Spokane 24-hr race turned out a top-10 finish (literally I came in 10th). Even though I took precautions to avoid dehydrating in the heat, it proved once again my biggest downfall. During the first 4-laps I was downing 2 large bottles an hour (a typical maximum for me, but after 4hr-10min, 60-miles) of riding I was feeling the symptoms of dehydration and I had to start taking extended breaks just to let more fluid absorb.

The good news is that I did not puke this year. I'm starting to think that my genetic makeup will not allow me to do this kind of event and/or intensity in hot weather. Once the temps cooled down I was feeling much better, however it took most of the night to catch up on the fluids. At some point around mile-90 I made a decision to ride just for myself instead of for the podium and to simply have some fun while doing it...and fun I did have.

In the end I rode for 14hrs-40min for about 195-miles during this event. The course was not disappointing in providing a thrash test to both body and bike...my butt is sore even with the super cushy ride. The Ellsworth (#21) survived perfectly, but after the race I noticed my bottom bracket is in need of replacing...it has just over 3000-miles of use, which is not bad for an outboard BB on a MTB. I do miss the internal BB's that I typically got an easy 10-15K or more. My Ay-Up lights were awesome all night and I never once found myself needing so slow down due to lack of light - in fact my lap times at night were nearly the same as my lap time in the day.

After the day after the race Donna, Jeremiah and I all went for a sweet ride on parts of the course (Donna on the Ellsworth, Jeremiah on the Super-Huffy, and I was on the Think Pink SS). Riding the SS was all fun and my legs seemed to have plenty of GO still.

The event was fun as usual and more pics (some are probably rated PG-13) can be found at my Picasa Web site.

It's Time...

2009-05-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's time once again for some pure self torture on the mountain bike, time for the ultimate equipment thrash test, time for a body endurance checkup, time for psychological self examination, time for a sore bottom....time once again for my annual 24-hr race.

I've even been growing my hair out to fit in with the theme this year and I'm sure you will find me in some hippy-looking casual clothing at the event (which is actually my preferred everyday clothing).

This will be my 4th ride at this event as a solo rider (I have several team entries prior to that). Every year when I finish I say I am never doing that again, but it seems that time make me forget the torture this event provides since I continue to sign up for it annually and I get giddy with anticipation to start riding the race. I have butterflies now and the event is still 3-days away. Plus, amazingly, I already have plans to do it next year solo on a single-speed. Yes, I'm insane.

This year the Ellsworth 650B/26 will once again be my primary ride and the fully rigid Gunnar Think Pink 650B/26 will be the back-up ride (either bike will be fun). My training this year is truly in the toilet for a long endurance event like this, so I'm just going to punt and do the best I can.

Spring Adventures on the Ellsworth 650B/26

2009-05-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

I have a good habit of choosing my Ellsworth 650B/26 (that means I run a 650B wheel up front and a standard 26" wheel in back) for day-cruises in search of adventure, speed, and fun. This is one bike I've absolutely no desire to get rid of anytime soon, which is rare for me...those who know me well enough are shocked I'm sure since I have a bad habit of owning and riding a new bike for a short time (typically less than a year) then selling it for some other bike I'm lusting after. Since I built up the Ellsworth (aka the Black Pearl) in October 2007 I have had no desire to get rid of it, in fact I think I'm finally done with the crazed need to buy-and-ride-every-bike-ever-made (yes, I am shocked myself so close your mouth and wipe that stunned look off your face). I can't help it - I just love riding this bike and it feels new to me every time I get on it.

Spring weather has been rather bipolar this year, but the rides in the back-country are good as ever right now (up to the snowline that is). The field flowers, which always make me happy, are out in force as are other spring things - like Steve Largent repellent, a.k.a. snakes.

Get out and ride!

Glass + Tires = Shredder

2009-05-07T05:49:00.000-07:00

Some times people question why I buy Bontrager's kevlar belted road tires...I have some difficulty convincing them (or maybe they have difficulty believing me) that many of the roads down in this valley are lined with broken glass (typically beer bottles). There is no getting around the fact that at some point on any road ride that I will incur direct glass-to-tire contact. The Bontager kevlar tires have saved me from more flats than I can count...I'm always digging glass pieces out plus pieces of metal. The wear factor of these tires is also quite good since I typically get 4000-5000 miles from a set. However, on occasion a tire gets so shredded that it needs an early retirement...like this tire (after only 1800 miles) that sustained a direct impact with a rather large chunk of glass that I simply did not see in time to avoid (because I was looking around trying to enjoy a boring road ride).

I rode this tire home and 38-miles later it was still inflated...it was a bit annoying to ride.

Skinnies on Dirt

2009-04-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows how much I like road bike riding (yawn), but when there's an adventure involved I seem to fore go my perceived boredom of skinny wheels. Over the last week I seemed to have peaked to any all time high with a few fun road rides. The first was riding the Whitebird grade down and back from Grangeville. The Whitebird Grade is a fun, narrow, twisty road to ride.

Going down...

Climbing up...

In between the grade I managed some Roubaix-style dirt road riding (yes on the road bike with skinnies on).

I have never realized how much fun skinny road tires could be on the dirt...or how fast.

My sister, Megan, was along on one of my mountain bikes for part of the trip.

The next trip was also from Grangeville...I had to drop off my Grampa's Jeep (yes he still drives at the age of 97) after my sister used it to get to the airport in Spokane. Since I had no way home I decided that I would ride home on the old highways through Nez Perce, Craigmont, and Winchester. It was a nice day with a few sprinkles here and there, but the trip was scenic along the way and I enjoyed the adventure of riding a new route (for me). So after 5-hrs, 20-min of riding time I rolled into my driveway with 107-miles on, at which time I was beyond ready to be off the bike. I think I may ride this route in reverse another time.

Racing the Think Pink Rigid

2009-04-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

The performance of the Think Pink SS Rigid had me all giddy before, during, and after the Devil's Slide MTB Race.

(In the Hunt...Photo credit: Doug Goodenough)

This SS bike was not the ideal choice to run in this event this year due to some long, long, looong, flat sections, but somehow I was holding my own and held off many of the geared bikes until the end of the first lap on these ultra long flats...Single Speeds Rule!!!

(Photo credit: Scott Trost)

I ended up taking 2nd (still not sure how), but that doesn't mean too much since the race had a small showing this year. It was super fun to do the race on the Think Pink SS.

(Photo credit: Scott Trost)

In the tradition of cancer support I wore my pink and black Fatty jersey with matching socks to support Fatty's wife, Susan, who is struggling with metastatic breast cancer.

Think Pink Goes Rigid

2009-04-18T21:08:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right, once again I am messing around with bike setups. People that know me well enough understand I have an obsessive behaviour that involves changing up things on my bikes on a regular basis just to try something new.

Recently I had my Fisher Ferrous SS 29er set up rigid and rode it on back-roads mostly. I really liked the setup, but on the trails I did not think it was so great...in fact it downright sucked.

Then on one of my trail rides I had a "duh" moment (or maybe it was a "Doh!" moment) and realized that the fully rigid bike may ride better over the rough stuff with a bigger volume front tire for a bit of suspension effect. But after running through the mental inventory catalogue I found that I did not have a 29er tire larger than a 2.1 in my stock of "stuff". So that led to another inspiring moment within milliseconds...after which I raced home where there was instantly a flurry of activity in the bicycle laboratory. Within minutes the Think Pink Gunnar was transformed into a fully rigid, ultra trim, single-speed.

With the Pacenti Neo-Moto 650Bx2.3 tire up front I headed out to prove it was a worthy ride. Out at Hells Gate State Park I was a tad disappointed at first since the ride was nicer than on the 29er, but still a tad stiff and "boingy" over the rocks. So I let some more air out, then even more, and more, and...until the desired effect was achieved. The end result was an air pressure of 18psi in the front tire...at this pressure the bike was a smokin fun ride. The Pacenti tire is a true 2.3 and appears larger in volume...I never pinch flatted or even came close and my entire body is thankful and I seem to smile a lot while riding it...of course the normal, gentle thrash testing will continue.

One more thing has been brewing in the background here for some time now...his name is Jeremiah, soon to be adopted by Donna and I unless some weird unforeseen thing happens.

Who Turned up the Thermostat?

2009-04-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

It seems that Someone turned up the thermostat over the weekend - we went from cold, snow/rain to the 70's in what seemed to be one day's time. My bare skin is now seeing sunlight and I instantly noticed that vehicles were avoiding me a tad more...it took me a while to figure it out, but eventually I realized it was the bright flashes of light blinding them, a.k.a. the sun's reflection off my ultra bright-white sheen of pure energy pounding along at high speed (good thing I wear dark sunglasses or my legs would probably blind me too).

The riding is great except that now I'm getting dehydrated much easier, but who cares because the riding is spectacular. Nothing like a little sun and warmth to bring the attitude back a spiking high. I could not get enough of the great weather it seems and rode myself into a state of pure, blissful exhaustion each day.

The power of the sun also brings some of my most favorite things in this world...Spring Flowers! I found these at the edge of the lower snow level...

Ahhh..I feel better just looking at pics of these little beauties, don't you?

The End of March Maddness

2009-03-31T07:21:00.000-07:00

This March has been nothing but pure weather chaos. Here are just a few of the conditions I've been caught riding this month...snow, rain (light mist to pure deluge), hail, sleet, thunderstorm, bitter-cold, sloppy-mud, dry, frozen, warm, sunny, and blow-you-backwards-winds. Riding is always an adventure this time of year that often results in some unforeseen weather related hardship during what started as a nice ride. I use to cuss my way home by the shortest means possible when caught in one of those sudden, soaking downpours, now I just laugh about it and continue on with the adventure.

Here are a few pics of my rides over the month of March...I got rained on during most of these.

Can you say Tailwind? Here it's called no effort pedaling...so you can imagine what the ride into this wind was like...

Hmmm...

Snow Tires?

2009-03-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well it seems snow tires are still in season - at least where I'm riding...

But this little guy tells me that the end of the snow tires is near...

I've been seeing plenty of mountain blue birds up high - a sure sign the snow is leaving and spring flowers are near.

Until then I still have to deal with the snow in places I really want to go. Today I ended up "post-holing" (that means I was sinking (making post holes) up to my knees in the snow) for a mile or more while taking a "short-cut" back road. During this knee-deep trek I had one of those awe-inspirating ideas...I decided that some super-mini, ubber light weight snow shoes that I can strap onto my bike shoes would make for some quick treking through these spring time snowy places I am insanely driven to make it through. Hmmm...

Sun + Bikes = Happy

2009-03-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

So many people seem to complain about the weather forecast being wrong that I thought today I would happily commend them for being wrong. In fact I think we should give weather forecasters a happy award everytime they predict rain while the sun shines all day...like this truly great day of rain you see in this pic...

Wow! What a day that was...two bike rides, one road, one mountain...9000 ft of climbing, 97-miles on 2-wheels, sun all day, smiles abound, tired legs, happy me!

Way to go guys...predict me another day of rain like that!

The George Cr. School of Muck-a-Muck-e-Yuk

2009-03-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

Listen up, school is in! Most of us have been schooled in mud riding (typically not by choice), but there are few local schools of mud riding better than that of George Creek Grade. There are diffent kinds of mud: First, there's thin mud that coats you and your bike, but washes off easily. Next there's the ultra gritty mud that eats your chain, gets in your teeth, shreds your eyes, and Lord help you if you have rim brakes because when you get home the rims will be junk. Finally there's the kind of mud found on George Cr. Grade - it sticks better than super-glue and water will not wash it off...and yes it bonds to every thing it globs onto and ruins every thing... sunglasses have no chance and clothing...well it takes many washings sometimes to remove to poop-looking stain on your hind-end. In addition (yes there's more) the George Cr. mud eats chains in seconds, reduces rim sidewalls to paper thin thickness with rim brakes, and takes a chisel or at least 8-10,000 miles of riding rough terrain to get it to finally leave your frame.

A few local riders (Corrie and Doug) found out the hard way recently and I'm sure they are now aware that you just don't go treking up George Cr after there's been a bit of moisture. There is an exception of course...cold, frozen ground. While Corrie and Doug are still chiseling the George Creek mud off their bikes from this last weekend, today's ride up presented no mud problem.

I could see where they had stuggled through the ultra muck-a-muck-e-yuk, sorry, but I was snickering some because several years ago I had done the same thing (you can read Corrie speak his mind on this here--> click). Today the ground was quite firm after some recent cool weather, but as soon as it warms a bit you can bet the gumbo-bike-destroying-muck will be back.

Here's the proof - a pic of my tire...hmmm clean...

After finishing George Creek mud-free, I decided to zip over to Hellsgate State Park for a few loops - overall it was a cool day, but the bright sun made up for it.

Muck-a-muck-e-yuk!!!

2009-03-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

Spring seems to have come...I base this not on the return of the Robins who mysteriously started showing up here in mid-January this year, but on seeing the first trees bud and ultimately the first blooming flowers.

Along with spring comes mixed weather (snow, rain, ice, melting...etc.) which typically means you will end up with mud on your face during any off-pave riding.

It can be challenging to ride off-pave and off-road this time of year since the once frozen-firm trails and roads are now wet and soft, which equals tires sinking into the terra firma or in this case terra soft-i-osis-muck-a-muck-e-yuk, which means a huge increase in pedaling effort to maintain forward momentum (yes you now have to pedal downhill just to overcome the increased resistance and keep forward progress) and inevitably you will, if not careful in choosing your riding route, end up with muck-a-muck-e-yuk on everything. And yes I somehow dirt (mud) riding way more fun than road (yawn) riding anytime.

WALL-E???

2009-02-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

No...

A short while back I received a new set of bike lights from Oz (Australia) made by a company called Ay Up! They kind of remind me of the Disney Pixar character Wall-E. The company name Ay Up (I'm informed by those always, marginally dependable internet definition web sites) is a greeting meaning something like hello or hey what's up...hmmm?

The lights are ultra small, ultra light (you can mount a light and 3+ hr battery on your helmet...did I mention small?), and best of all they light up the night so well that my night riding is as fast as any day ride.

It takes a lot to impress me (not really) and when it comes to the typical bike light and manufacturer's claims I have not been impressed with the product vs. the exaggerated claims. But these Ay Up lights got me a bit giddy when I lit one up out of the box and could see all the way across our 5-acre backyard pasture with ease. Another point about Ay Up, I e-mailed these guys with a question and had an answer in less than 5-minutes...impressive to say the least. Can you say SOLD? I can and I own a set of these lights and now I see better than ever riding into the night.

Summer night rides are on my list of fun this year. The overall plan is when the daytime temps are hitting 100+ I'm planning on starting out on a late evening ride into the coolness of the night. Of course anyone is welcome to come along.

Team Fatty - A Worthy Cause

2009-02-18T07:09:00.000-08:00

I got mine, a Fat Cyclist - Twin Six jersey that is. This jersey is hard to come by, highly sought and many have desire to own. Why? Because the jersey represents and shows support for both a single human being battling cancer and a worthy cause, cancer research. Some things are worth fighting for - Susan and cancer research are it.

I regularly contribute small donations to various cancer efforts, especially those that are related to cycling somehow. I am picky about the charity I send money to since I need to have trust that the money is going to the cause and not lining some pig's pockets along the way. The Fat Cyclist has become one of my favorite cancer charity efforts. Elden (the Fat Cyclist) was been spearheading a very successful cancer charity drive in association with the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Elden's has a direct link to cancer, his wife Susan has metastatic breast cancer at this time. The Fat Cyclist has rallied huge numbers of people (mostly cyclists) through his web site and by raffeling off cycling related items.

Recently Twin Six offered 1/2 of their website's income for a single day to the Fat Cyclist's effort and Twin Six offered several rare jersey's like the one I got, which sold out in the first few hours I noticed. Twin Six sold over $16,000 that day, which means they contibuted over $8000...what a great company!

You can donate to Team Fatty's effort through the Lance Armstrong Foundation here--> Click to Donate for Team Fatty

The Winter Rides Continue

2009-02-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

My winter riding continues...I am riding as much as possible between providing care for the young 96-yr old Grampa in Grangeville, work, and everyday life stuff. I have developed a real passion for riding around Grangeville with its clean air, cool views, and huge number of options for a different ride any given day.
At home I am finding I have much less motivation to ride after being in Grangeville. This is partially due to a discovery made after riding so much outside the Lewis-Clark Valley...it seems that deep breathing all the filth spewing from the local paper mill and such is causing me breathing issues that I do not seem to have when I ride beyond the valley. I've noticed it enough to motivate me to start looking at housing elsewhere.
Riding one of my steel single-speeds continues to be my choice for pegging my fun-o-rama meter at this time...Just to be sure I was not missing out on something, I went out on a geared road-bike the other day only to find it beyond boring except when I ran into Cori and rode with him up Evans Road at a rather chipper pace. Cori definitely has some GO in him at this time, so beware all.

Winter Riding Passion

2009-01-31T19:44:00.000-08:00

I have a love of riding in the winter on snow-packed roads. It's just so peaceful riding my single-speed (SS) and the SS is the best option anytime in the winter...no shifting gears to mess up, gunk up, or ice up.

From 20090130_Grangeville

Lately I've been spending some quality time caring for my Grampa (a real cool 96-yr old guy) living up in Grangeville, ID. Grangeville has some super nice places ride that I have been taking advantage of as much as possible. Many of the locals have been looking at me with rather large, disbelieving eyes...they're getting use to me I think and they're all quite friendly.

From 20090130_Grangeville

Below is a ride I did on a day last week when the temp was a slightly cool 8-degrees outside. There was no wind and the sun was so nice, while the snow under the tires was crunchy as I rode some 27-miles. I was toasty warm in my layers, wool, and Lake winter shoes...

From 20090130_Grangeville

Cyclic Traditions

2008-12-31T13:38:00.000-08:00

Out with the old in with the new? Hmmmm...it's amazing that one day every year creates such a fuss, not to mention the drunken traditions. New Years Day is just another day in the passing of time, which is truly only another mark on a cyclic chart to inform us of our relative age compared to others or mark an event that has passed. Age as we know it has nothing to do with eating habits, weight, physical health, smoking, drinking, lard ingestion, current state of mind, or stress, but it does seem to weigh heavily on some people's opinion of appearance and social status. We even have odd sayings about age - my favorite is "Act your age," which is hard to figure out since there is young, old, and the rather broad neither-world in between. To top that off there is no defining line to separate any of these. Personally I feel young so when someone says, "quit acting like a kid" or "act your age" I not sure why since I am acting my age according to me - young that is. Then again I find it rather insulting if someone labels me old, since I figure if and when I ever feel old then I will most likely have a shovel in-hand digging my grave.

From 20081231

Everything is cyclic...minutes, hours, days, years, life, and of course the two wheels I love to spin endlessly. So as we continue the circle of life together I hope your wheels remain flat free and you are young at heart in the coming cyclic event we have labeled 2009.

SINGLE-SPEED RULES!!!

Snow Fish?

2008-12-24T15:12:00.000-08:00

The riding days have been more adventurous here lately since snow has decided to accumulate in a series of storms over the last several weeks...I love it since we rarely have snow here on the ground for more than a day and I miss having it after living in Montana for most of my life. The down side is that people here have no clue (and I mean they are stupidly clueless) about driving on snow, which means fear for your life much more so on the streets. Also most people here can not seem to grasp that riding a bike in snow is an option and fun...I get some crazy comments and looks.

From 20081223

Riding in the winter just takes a wee more thought and preparation about clothing and warmth options. Layering is key, just like it is for any winter sport. Hands and feet, which seem to be the most difficult to keep warm, to play in the cold you need to pay for quality in my opinion and many experiences. For example, I keep the feet toasty with my Lake winter boots and a quality pair of wool sock...I have yet to experience cold toes with this combo in temps down in the teens.

From 20081223

On a recent adventure I was just riding along and...WHAM!!! I hit something under the snow which popped up whacked my pedal. Upon closer observation, I realized I had come across the elusive Snow Fish and it appeared stunned after I ran it over.

From 20081223

After a few minutes though the Snow Fish seemed OK and I coaxed it off the trail (which no sane cyclist would be on anyway) and back into its native environment...

From 20081223

In snow I also think that riding a single-speed (SS) is the best option since derailleurs and shift cables seem to get a bit iffy with snow and ice on them. Tire choice is something to think about also and running good grippy tires and low air pressure is the best, but as you can see I get away with tires that have a very low tread design. I've also found that Stan tubeless sealant works very well in the cold - I have yet to figure out what is puncturing my tires in the snow but no flats yet.

From 20081223

Yes winter riding is a tad more fun than building cholesterol plaque in the arteries in the Lazy Boy all winter.

From 20081223

Think Pink/650B Race Testing

2008-11-24T08:07:00.000-08:00

The Gunnar-Think Pink single-speed bike was blindly selected for a mountain bike race course I knew nothing about. I kind of decided to do this race at the last minute and was a tad late leaving for the 140+ mile journey to the course. I arrived with 1/2-hour to spare, which means I had to register, dress, and frantically change the rear cog on the bike after hearing and seeing the course was essentially flat and twisty (aka fast and ideal for the SS). Mission #1 was complete as I rode up to the starting line within about a minute of the start. Mission #2 was to start cold without any warmup and ride fast on a course I was unfamiliar with since I did not preride it (both of these issues are not recommended practices if you want to be competitive). I quickly studied my competition at the start line and picked out 2-guys that would be the fastest and therefore good to be behind going into the single-track...that was my plan...

From 20081027

Ready, set, go...CRASH, stop...Go again. That's how the expert race started with 2 guys getting tangled up about 25-meters from the start who then blocked the entire back field while they untangled (it was rather comical and we were all laughing about it, including the 2 that crashed). However, it was not so funny that a nice sized group were off the front and completely unaware of the crash behind them. Needless to say by the time I got around the crash there was a huge (and I mean HUGE) gap between me and the group off the front. So here I was chasing a few others that got around the crash just ahead of me and a lead group that I could not even see anymore. Well I red-lined it (bad idea with cold muscles) until I was seeing stars while my legs were screaming in an endless, painful agony. I had thoughts of quitting so the pain would quit, but my ego never let it happen.

I quickly learned the areas of the soft, twisty course where I was fastest and used them to my advantage...I steadily picked off riders in front me while getting faster on the course as the laps sped by. I came through the finish after the required 10-laps all alone with nobody in site front or rear - my eyes just about popped out of my head in disbelief as I signed out in 4th place.

I ran the Pacenti Quasi-Moto 650B tire up front and a Bontrager 26" Revolt (tubeless) in the rear. I was wishing for the beefier Pacenti Neo-Moto 650B up front and a Bontrager Jones ACX in the rear to maintain more speed through the numerous sharp, soft-sandy corners in this course. The tire combo I had on the bike (Quasi-Moto/Revolt) did OK, but both were sliding through the corners which equates to less speed and more effort coming out the corner. Pushing both front and rear tires to their limits and sliding through corners is a good skill to practice (and fun) and that is the attitude I took instead of worrying about it as I raced.

SS Cyclocross

2008-11-09T10:55:00.000-08:00

Why I continue to pay for self sufferage at cyclocross races is still something I ponder on a daily basis (and more so during these events). It just seems contrary to normal thinking to pay someone money so that you can self-induce extreme burning muscle pain that makes you want to puke and send one's self into an ego depleting humbleness when you get your butt stomped by those that actually train for this insane sport of cyclocross. And I still am praying for a sloppy rainy, muddy course to make all this even more fun!? I've lost my sanity it seems.

From 20081102_Cyclocross Spokane

I bumped my pain up a notch this last weekend (and my ego down a notch or two) when I raced a Spokane cyclocross race on my single-speed (SS) converted Gunnar cross bike.

From 20081102_Cyclocross Spokane

After pre-riding the course I realized I was at a gun fight armed with a water pistol...not good to say the least. The opening run-out was at least 1/2-mile of fast pave (which is so anti-cyclocross). The long pave start translated into a need for SS crank RPMs that are not physically achievable by me to keep up with 28-30 mph speeds. I was spinning like mad at the start and doing 25+ mph while I was watching everyone pass me and steadily fade away. Then once onto the dirt there was another long straight stretch that was again a high speed runout. The end result was that I had no chance to keep up from the start.

From 20081102_Cyclocross Spokane

By the time I got to the more traditional cyclocross stuff (twisty with barriers) were the SS shines, I was so far behind that all I could do was to overtake anyone in front of me with continuous all-out-I-don't-train-for-this-kind-of-stuff-effort. I was happy that I was not lapped (not even close) and that I finished within the middle third of the group.

From 20081102_Cyclocross Spokane

Also I was happy that I was not the only SSer out there that got their butt kicked by this road-toad course. I only hope that the course designers come up with something a little more creative and cyclocross-like for the next few races that are up in that area.

From 20081102_Cyclocross Spokane

On the better side of this story, this was another fun event and I do believe I am addicted to cyclocross racing...so much so that late next summer I may actually change up my endurance training for some short power training needed for cyclocross. It's too bad they don't have a super-cross event that went on for 3-6 hours so that I could shine at what I do best...the long haul.

After my event Donna (my mate-for-life) and I cheered on some familiar faces (as well as nearly everyone else). Louie Fontain got plenty of support from us as the only SSer in the elite mens group. He worked hard and had the same problems/limitations as I did on this course, but his effort made everyone else's look minor in comparison.

Then there was Ted from Pullman who made the hill run-up look easier than anyone else...he ran up that thing so smoothly that, in appearance, he made it seem effortless (which he and all of us know that it was not so easy). He started fast, but somehow ended up nearly last after the first few laps. However Ted showed us all how it was done by steadily picking up places and putting in a hard effort until the end.

From 20081102_Cyclocross Spokane

Fall, Cyclocross, and Think Pink?!

2008-10-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

Fall has been here for some time and I've been busy taking advantage of my favorite season viewing the colors everywhere possible and enjoying the perfect riding temps. The Gunnar cross bike has been getting some serious back-road miles all over the region. I recently took to exporing the numerous mountain roads around Grangeville, which has some of the coolest vistas I've seen in some time.

From 20081007

For some very odd reason I also recently decided that cyclocross racing would be fun and since I own a bike that is designed for cyclocross I thought I should test it...note, I am not testing my ability, but the bike's ability to perform because I have no desire to put myself though such incredible sufferage without a lick of training. So last weekend I did my first ever cyclocross races (notice the plural) in Walla Walla. Is it fun? Well that depends on when you are asking me since in the 3rd or 4th lap of all-out-kickin-my-butt-effort I found myself praying for a flat tire so that I could stop the insane buring in my legs, but for some reason I never got a flat. Then just as I was getting warmed up (after 45-minutes) they announce last lap...I think to myself, "Oh crap! I just got warmed up" And I'm starting to push some of the lactic acid out and gain speed. I will not mention the cruelty they designed into the cyclocross racing courses, but I did enjoy the double water crossings and riding through old barns at high speed (to say the least it was all very over stimulating and a fun experience) and this was just the first day.

On the second day I did it again on a different course that was again a pain to my legs to say the least...so much so that I opted to do the mountain bike class immediately following my primary race. I got back to the car swapped out the cross bike for a MTB, had time for a few swallows of water then off to the start. I felt better on my MTB (but then again I was already warmed up a bit). I was antagonizing a poor young soul all through the MTB race and in the end let him have it - I think he puked (or nearly so) off in the distance beyond the finish line. It was all fun if you can call this stuff fun. (sorry no pics)

Then I watched the Group A Mens (Elite) race and was awed at their speed and seemingly ease of effort compared to what I felt during my events. Well not all of them were so relaxed looking - a few were obvioulsy suffering baddly. The most interesting part about the Elite race was 2-single speed guys (brothers I believe) who were holding their own and in my opinion kicking some serious butt on the majority of the field...they instantly became my picks for giving the best effort and were promoted to a high level in my personal world of hiarchy. Hmmm...cyclocross on a SS...sounds like more fun than shifting gears.

Speaking of SS I just happened across one of those bike sale deals that I could not stop my "I thought I was past this" obscessive-compulsive-must-ride-and-buy-everything behaviour...end result is that I now own a second Gunnar (an awesome steel frame to say that least) and the up side is that it's a Single Speed and the color is the most awesome Pink! The down side is that the frame is gear compatable (boring) and my wife has somehow come up with the idea that it's now her bike...hmmm.

From 20081027

The frame was of course was instantly built upon arrival into another Super Bike with incredible insight from none other than me. It was originally a custom 69er - that's a bike with a 29" front wheel and a 26" rear wheel which some people feel is a better combo than either a full 29er or 26" wheeled bike alone. I tried it as a 69er, but have found more happiness putting a slightly smaller 650B front wheel on it instead (650B is a 27.5" wheel for all those wondering). The end result is still in the gentle thrash testing phase (after all I just got it today). For now though I'm thinking Pink is it!

From 20081027

Chip-Seal Love

2008-10-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

One should never discount the biting love that chip-seal can provide...on one hand it provides nearly endless traction for our tires to keep us upright and provide quick stops. On the other hand it wears our tires faster, provides greater resistance against our tires making us work harder to pedal (which could be good if you like sufferage), and it lovingly bites back when you impact it while doing an unplanned (or planned gone-awry) dismount from from your bike.

You may or may not know that smooth pavement is so much nicer to land on and skid many feet across since it tends only to scrape or rub the skin off over large surface areas of the body. Chip-seal just rips your hide off leaving deep lacerations everywhere which causes incredible amounts of bleeding and some interesting pain issues. I just so happened to take a recent low-speed chip-seal impact while doing a planned dismount from my cross bike where my cleat mildly stuck in the pedal causing an awkward skin on non-moving jagged rock (aka chip-seal) sudden-stop-to-forward-motion followed by copious amounts of blood and some pain.

Unfortunately I don't have the bloody gross pics right after it happened so you are spared the yuk (which I thought was rather interesting). I've since been patched up by Dr. Jane (a super awesome wound care doc) and healed up for the most part. My elbow obviously took the greatest impact and is still being protected every time I ride with an oversized guard.

The major damage consisted of 4-deepish lacerations and one 1.5 cm deep puncture into my bursa area (not good), but after a few weeks everything is looking quite good.

The Adventures Never End

2008-09-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

OK, so I've been a bit slow at putting anything up here, but that doesn't mean I've not been out playing hard on 2-wheels. Mountain biking up on Moscow Mtn has been at least a weekly if not more...

From 20080813

Here's a typical profile for a few hours of riding Moscow Mtn...

From 20080813

I've been on numerous other semi-epic explorations in the surrounding area and have seen plenty of cool things while out-and-about either on a bike or a horse adventure with Donna...

From 20080824_Sheep

To my amazement I've had 2-rides with the SeanMan in the last several weeks. The first on was a ride home from Pullman where I got my behind kicked by the SeanMan quite easily (although not justifiably an excuse, I was riding my Gunnar cross bike with fat, knobby tires on the pave while he was on a speedo-like roadbike).

The next ride we did was on the mountain bikes up in the Giant White Pine area. The rain had stopped just before our ride which made for wet, firm trails. We were soaked though in the first 10-minutes of riding from the heavy, wet brush along the trail. Being wet was not a problem and the fun-o-meter was pegged all day along the awesome trails in this area.

From 20080827_WhitePineRide

Some of the trails were a bit steep and we felt the burn several times to say the least...

From 20080827_WhitePineRide

The maximum climbing grade % was only 28.4%...the rest was easy...

From 20080827_WhitePineRide

Riding Boise

2008-08-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

From 20080809_Bois...

I was in Boise for some family happenings and I just happened to bring one of my mountain bikes along for the just-in-case riding adventures that are always tempting in that region. Since I did not know how secure my bike would be during our stay I brought along my SuperCal-29er since I would not cry as much if it were stolen vs. my Ellsworth, but believe me I would wimper plenty if the Supercal was lost. The Supercal was great to ride up there and performed well.

From 20080809_Bois...

My ride started in the lower Foot Hills area at Camels Back Park then proceeded up, up, and away to Boise Peak and beyond before I turned back for several thousand feet of steady decent on a single track trail.

From 20080809_Bois...

Anticipating the need to be back at a 'reasonable' time for some 'mandatory' family business (actually playing some odd games, I'm not lying about this)and the rather warm temps predicted for the day, I started quite early in the crisp, cool morning air.

From 20080809_Bois...

I came across several other people on foot who for the most part were not friendly at all, but I did not really care since I was blissfully climbing up. Above the upper 8th Street parking lot after nearly being run over by some very out-of-control off-road motos I continued up on trails closed to those psycho-motoheads (actually the last guy was cool and apollogized for his ignorant buddies). From there on I saw only a few people like some freak runners that think 20-miles of trail running a day is hip...hmmm?

From 20080809_Bois...

I rode way up and beyond my planned return time to the family business, but I could not seem to get enough. Eventually I did turn it around after being in close proximity to Bogus Basin. I went way back down and took a screaming single track trail down...

From 20080809_Bois...

By this time many others were making there way up the trails sweating their butts off now that the temps had climbed quite a bit. One person commented that I must have been up pretty early to be coming down at this time...a big smiling "yep" was all I could get out before passing them and continuing down, down, down...

Slowing Down

2008-07-09T12:54:00.000-07:00

There's way too much beauty to see out there and at times I have to slow down my internal need for speed mechanism so that the small, important things in this world don't pass by me unnoticed (like driving the steering wheel I found mysteriously on a hillside - now this is living life!).

From 20080706

Sometimes it takes someone to slow you down a bit...to make you realize life is about more than one's selfish desires to ride a bike constantly (that's me most of the time - a biking obsessive-compulsive-obsessive). When I do slow down I find I really enjoy many other things in life and that getting from one place to another with ultra-biking speed is not necessarily always fun (needed for stress relief, yes).

From 20080706

So this last week I've backed off the constant 80+mile rides to much slower 40-mile or less rides with some always-interesting exploration adventure along the way. I was even named Trail-Boss on a ride recently where I guided two very happy horse-crazed people on some ultra-fun trails I happen to know of. Donna (my ultimate soul-mate and forever companion) and Niki (a young, fun-loving person borrowed from a Michgan family, thanks Pat and Patti) both had a fun day as did I. Curiously though the horses could not seem to keep up with my Ellsworth super-ultra-endurance bike (the only choice of knowing trail bosses everywhere).

From 20080706

We even saw a bear this day not to mention a stubborn rattle snake that blocked the trail for the girls. I never saw it and may have simply rode over it unknowingly...wouldn't be the first time.

We've also spent some time together hiking a viewing the wild flower shows around this area.

From 20080706

Yesterday I just explored a new area on the Tucannon River side of the hill (after I climbed over the top that is) to find new areas to ride and just to see what existed out there.

From 20080708

To say the least I was not dissappointed in anything except the desire for more daylight and time to ride a few new areas I seem to have found, but it will be waiting for me another day.

From 20080708

Exploring Single Track

2008-07-05T07:02:00.000-07:00

My rides exploring at higher elevations continue as I try to escape the 100+ temps here in the valley. The temps are bad enough that I have actually driven (gasp!!! yes, I know it's so not me to drive the 20 miles up the inferno like canyons here) to the lower reaches of my favorite riding areas. I've been exploring a few of the many trails I have long ago (last year or more) marked on my GPS as "need to follow"...trails that don't exist on any map except the one in my brain and a few on my GPS.

So far all the trails have paid high in the fun-factor and huge smiles. On the "down-side" each new trail has presented additional need to explore more trails discovered along the way (oh darn). I stuggle with to stay focused on exploring one trail to its end when there are so many new, highly tempting adventures to be followed along the way. I am finding a huge network of trails and old (very old) narrow roads...which are essentially single-track trails now. Many of the trails are prime single-track (very rare around here) that are amazingly fun to ride. The trail makers are those amazingly stupid cows that have long been summer pastured in the area. They actually make some of the sweetest single-track trails.

I've had some some crazy thoughts that I can map some of these trails out and interconnect them for a long single-track ride...hmm imagine a long ride on real trails around here...a paradox to say the least. I may share my mapped out trail network with other people (if I get it done)...maybe I won't take the time to map them at all...maybe these trails will never be known to others...here is a small peak at one of the trails...oohhh yeah, the WOW factor is huge here!

Escaping the 100+ Heat

2008-07-02T07:04:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what a week of warm weather will do to a snowfield that was over 100 square yards and 5-6 feet deep...just compare this pic with the one of my previous post (yes this is the same snow field). I did run into one huge snowfield (6-8 ft deep and well over a 100-yards long) that kept traffic to zero (and I like that) since it was impassable by most motorized vehicles...which means I had the entire place to myself for the most part.

On this trip I was able to finally complete a loop. I traversed 38-miles (all up hill) to the top of S. Fork of Asotin Cr. Rd (aka Smoothing Iron Rd) for a spectacular, clear view of the Grand Ronde Canyon and the Wallowa Mtns in the distance. From there I took the rolling ridge line past the headwaters of Asotin Cr. (all three forks of it) on one side and the headwaters of the Tucannon River on the other side. Very eye-pleasing stuff that lifts the spirits. Total climbing today was about 9K for the 84-mile trek.

I'm still looking at doing a "day-ride" to Joseph, OR (~130-miles I figure) on the back roads, but the road is not quite as fast as I'd like it yet. It still has some snow on it and plenty of downed trees which don't bother me that much, except when I'm putting time constraints on the ride. I will continue to be patient...maybe.

Temps on this day were 100+ in the valley which made riding up at elevation highly desireable. I saw plenty of wildlife enjoying the cooler temps up higher and signs of others that maybe did not want to be seen...like this small bear track (very small by what I have run across in Montana). Even with the nicer temps above, it was still rather warm and I ended up stopping a few time to filter some of that sweet, cool water from of my favorite spring sources.

I've had a few local inquiries as to where I ride and it seems that me pointing in the direction I ride is not enough info for anyone, so I decided to provide a profile and 3D-maps here just to clarify (or maybe confuse) the issue of where I've was on this ride.

I produced these images with a program called TopoFusion, a rather cool software developed by a mountain biking fanatic out of Arizona. I simply download my GPS data directly to the program and it produces maps and more data than I will ever need with ease. You can view his stuff at TopoFusion.com. (click on the map images for better viewing)

Yes, There's Still Snow up There

2008-06-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

Amazingly, the snow is still hindering my exploration progress up in the higher country. It's hanging on at 6000-ft elevation and I can see an end to it soon so hopefully the snow will no longer be an epic ride stopper in the near future. For this ride though I was slogging through snow fields trying to make a complete loop back home. I had to re-route and back-track numerous times and eventually finished a higly modified 82-mile loop (9000-ft climbing) with a muddy bike and a smiling muddy me (the mud was from the melting snow fields of course).

The day was spectacular, warm, and was full of those automatic-mood-lifting flowers blooming everywhere. Everywhere I looked there was a jaw-dropping field of flowers that made me say "WoW!" all day long. How can it get better than this???

Someday (soon hopefully) I am going to ride a mountain bike on dirt road ride to the far distant mountains here (the Wallowa Mtns)...to Joseph, Oregon. I'm thinking that I can do it in a single day, but I will make a plan to overnight it if necessary. Right now my thoughts are to go light and fast since I estimate the trip will be over 100-miles and I have no idea how huge the climbing elevation will be. And that is only part one of the plan...part-2 involves returning by another route to make a loop of it the next day. Can it be done? Hmmm...time may tell.

The Ellsworth super-endurance bike with the 650b wheel up front is still the most amazing and comfy ride I've ever put together. I've got some serious mileage on it now and still I can not seem to get enough of this bike. I'm thinking a 2nd Ellsworth built in a similar way may be in my future for a back-up bike...hmmm think pink?

24-hrs Takes its Toll

2008-05-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

Riding a mountain bike over a bumpy course for 24-hours is an annual challenge that I seem to enjoy since I do it every year. I can not find a sane answer as to why I like torture myself with this 24-hr race. But every year I am enlightened with something new about myself and how my body fuels, hydrates, and reacts to extended riding time.

This year I rode only for 16-hrs of the 24 for a total distance of 190-miles. Not good enough for fame and glory, but I am satisfied that next time I will be better prepared. I started the event not well hydrated and my body let me know it by making me sit out after every 60-miles or 4-5 hours of riding to rehydrate to a minimal amount to again start riding at my desired speeds.

For the first time ever I had a support crew helping me (in the past I did this unsupported which I found difficult, but attainable). A support team makes a huge difference since I no longer had to fill up my own water bottles, get my food, or maintain my bike throughout the race. Plus they provide encouragement a push me onward when I was getting mentally tired. Overall it was great to have the both of them...my wife, Donna, and Scott my friend and race mechanic. Finally there was Scott's son, Everest, (aka Master Yoda), who schooled me in using my internal Force to achieve greatness within and speed on the bike...very advance words of wisdom coming from a 4-yr old, words that I continue to use.

After the race I traditionally eat dinner with a group of friends from Sandpoint then breakfast the following morning and we top off our fun with a slow ride around the race course picking up racer trash (used gel packets, energy bar wrappers, and typically some lost rider swag like tools, lights, etc.) I am not sure why some of these piggish racers feel it is necessary to throw their used wrappers on the trail instead of back into their jersey pockets, and I have an ill feeling about them after I've personally picked up 50 or 60 of these (just as everyone else in my post ride group has). Part of their race fees do not include litter pickup off the trails and I personnally think any racer found littering purposefully should be disqualified.

This is the funnest post-race ride I've done simply because Donna decided to ride the 15-mile course with us. She is not a traditional cyclist, but you would never know that by the way she climbs the hills and rides over things many beginners would walk. I put her on my Ellsworth for the ride and afterwards she announced quite forcefully that my Ellsworth was now her bike...hmmm. There was also several people from the Sandpoint crew that were trying to recruit her onto their 24-hr race team next year. So the end story is that Donna may start racing...she's got her co-workers at the Wound-Care Clinic fired up to make a local team...Warriors Over Wounds or WOW! Hmmm...I'm excited even if it mean I will need to share my bike(s).

I have a few more planned outings for self torture tests this year, but much depends on the expense of fuel to get there. Otherwise it will be local backcountry outings of endurance that will satisfy my insane desires to ride all day on a mountain bike.

Predictably-Unpredictable

2008-05-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

With restless needs to explore I am continuing to test the snow depth/elevation...which means I ride as high up as I can until I hit impassable snow. On my last re-con mission I found the snow level at 5100' was the end of the ride...much improved over just a few weeks ago. I anticipate that this weekend's high temps may put a final end to the over-abundance of impassable snow for this year. The cool thing on this trip was finding flowers growing right beside the snow at elevation. The snow seen in the back ground is 3-feet deep which also just so happens to be the road I was on...it's like someone just drew a line and said, "The snow will end here!"

It was a great place for some lunch amoung the little purple flowers, with a wind-block provided by a sizeable ponderosa pine, and just enough sun making it through the thin clouds to provide some warm comfort. Aaaaa...this is the life! After contenting my self with wild-flowers, fresh-air, and the green of pine trees I headed back to the wastelands below.

Knowing that snow still blocks my desired routes I turned to my next essential life need...Pizza! Yesterday morning I decided it was "Eric Needs a Slice-of-Pizza Day" in Pullman and promptly found myself drooling with anticipation on what became a hungry sprint ride to Pullman on my mountain bike...taking as much dirt road as possible of course. Coincidentally there is a Pizza shop that sells by-the-slice that is remarkably close to B&L Bicycles in Pullman.

My mouth was watering all the way up Stepto Canyon in anticipation of that Pizza slice and I was making great time even with the increasing strength of the crossing-headwinds to full-on headwinds. The sky had been cloudy since I left and did not look threatening, plus the mighty National Weather Service-Disney-fantasy-weather-machine said there was only a very slight chance of rain...hmmm that should have clued me in a bit more. About 3-miles from Pullman I could smell not pizza, but rain! The winds were suddenly much colder and stonger, which dissolved my Pizza hunger in a hurry.

Then a sinister smile appeared on my face and the self challenge had changed into a 34-mile race home to see if I could beat the inevitiable rain, now on the immediate horizon. I turned the SuperCal 29er around into another (now changed) headwind and started my sprint home...I was sickly happy, chuckling all the way. At Johnson I was being hit with some very fine little sprinkles which made me tap additional power to speed this endeavor along (Note: At this point I was riding down the road at a tilt to compensate for the huge cross-winds). Down Stepto Canyon the sprinkles turned into a fine mist...not enough for a rain jacket, but enough to mildly dampen the outer layer. On my doorstep as I was getting my key out the clouds let loose which started a gentle, soaking rain...(smiles)

Experience has shown me that weather and seasonal predictions are incompetent wizardry at best and seem to be more of a whimsical brain fart than a science. The fantasy computers used to predict weather and seasons I'm sure were programmed by Disney characters on psychotropic, mind-altering la-la drugs. So what this means is when the National Weather Service predicts there is a "very slight chance of rain" it really means it's going to pour on you while at the farthest point from home...."sunny" means cloudy, warm can mean either cold or blood-boiling HOT, a mild 3-5 mph wind means gail-force wind (a 10-15 mph wind means hurricane force winds) and the wind direction is always in your face no matter what they predicted.

Flower Power

2008-04-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

I took the Ellsworth ultra-cross country MTB bike out for another mid-length (77-mile) cruise yesterday, which I must say was nearly a perfect day (temps high 70's) except I had headwinds in 3-directions of travel. Can anyone explain to me how that is possible? Maybe God has a sense of humor watching me or maybe He is just providing me with some additional resistance training (but we all know I don't train because that would be work). Anyway I just put on a smile and rode into the wind happily because it was a great, sunny day and I was happy to be out pedaling.

My ride was on dirt and gravel roads since there is still too much snow on my favorite trails. Some of these "roads" are far beyond rough compared the the smooth trails I ride. How bad can some of these roads be? They are so rough that your butt screams for mercy even on a full-suspension ride, your hands go numb from continuous jarring, you look at your ultra plush front fork often to see if it is even working anymore, your teeth rattle if you don't keep you jaw clinched, you pray you can continue to maintain 20-25mph speeds to help smooth out the ride some, and ultimately these roads fatigue every part of your body to a point of full-body exhaustion which makes you realize what suffering is all about. Good thing these sections are not too long (5-miles or less).

It was great to see the flowers are finally blooming up at the mid-level elevations - still quite late for around here, but they are always an uplifting sight. If fact I think wild flowers have special powers that stimulate and elevate my inner soul...it seems I can never get enough of them.

Hmmm...what's this stuff? I'm still finding many of my routes blocked by snow. I rode and trudged through some and had to back-track out on most. Again very unusual for this to go on so late in the year around here. I have no choice but to be patient and wait for the melting to be done.

Tubeless 650B

2008-04-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

The Ellsworth Truth went full tubeless today after I made some time to build up a tubeless 650B front wheel last night (I've had the parts for a while, but I've been a tad busy it seems). While I was at it I built up another tubeless rear wheel (yes I love tubeless wheels). On the front I mounted a "spare" Pacenti NeoMoto (truly a great all around MTB tire - a 10 on a 10-scale in my opinion, which is all that matters here). On the rear I put a Bontrager Revolt that I had laying around = fast tire, but cornering in loose stuff can be a real eye-popping experience.

So new wheels are like any new bike or bike part to me, which means it's thrash test time. So I jump on the Ells and start riding towards Asotin Creek with the intent of riding Asotin Creek Trail (some rather sweet single track). For the first 20 miles up Asotin Cr Rd. I typically ride fairly hard because I have a very strange obsession with timing myself from my house up to the S. Fork Asotin Cr. Rd...one of my many personal time trials (yes I'm weird). So I get up there and look at my elapsed time and pop a little grin after seeing I just cleared this section 2-minutes faster than I ever have. Hmmm...that one will be hard to top in the future.

Onward to Asotin Creek Trail I ran the new tubeless wheels through everything - even chased a bear down the trail for a short ways...I slowed a bit when my brain realized that the running rug which was nearly being shaved by the Pacenti 650B tire's ultra biting, burly knobs was indeed a bear that could realize at any moment he was running from a snack on wheels. OK enough of this I thought so I headed back the other way since the bear was not wanting to leave his grub rich little canyon area.

Back at the trail head I decided to see how far up the snow line was this week and proceeded up S. Fork Asotin Cr Rd. Near the top I never did find the actual snow line because the road became so muddy that it was deem impassable by me. No big deal...back down I went then up and back down Campbell Grade (for fun) before heading home.

After 72-miles everthing about the new tubeless wheels was perfect. Today was an easy test (mostly because the snow is taking it's time leaving this year). I'm still deviously planning the ultimate thrash test for this entire bike and I will be putting it through that test of all tests in the near future.

Turned Back by Snow...Again

2008-04-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

Another well intended ride loop turned into an out-and-back due to an unforeseen circumstance...aka snow and plenty of it. The warmer weather here has me salvating to do one of my longish, super-duper-climbing-fest-mountain-bike loops, but it seems that I will have to wait a bit longer for the snow to melt. Last year in mid-March there was much less snow up there than now...evidently it was a banner snow year in the higher country this past season.

So instead of the planned 70-mile loop I had to settle for a 60ish mile ride to see some snow (actually I rolled in it some leaving an Eric angel riding a bike).

Nothing to complain about since it was the first day this year that I've been able to ride in shorts and without sleeves all day! Plus riding my Ellsworth Truth with the Pacenti Neo-Moto 650B tire up front is beyond your wildest pleasure to ride all day.

The Gunnar Continued

2008-04-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

The Gunnar Crosshairs has been getting the gentle loving break-in (aka super-duper all out thrash-testing) that I give every new bike I come aquire. The results thus far after 3-rides (226 road miles) in sun, rain, and even some snow have left me with big smiles and some tired legs.

(Please wipe the slobber off your computer screen)

The Salsa bars I'm using are nice, but they are still the typical and stupidly "traditional" road-type bars that have very little ergonomic design built in which makes my long-ride comfort somewhat less than desirable. I may yet change these out for some On-One Midge bars...a rather odd (and old) design that my hands and wrists seem to like for the most part.

I also have been having some fun revisiting canti-lever brakes again...they're always more interesting to set-up properly. The Paul's cantis are a fine piece of equipment and work well, wet or dry, so far.

Speaking of on the road...I like a little road ride now and then, but I still find road riding much less interesting than a back road (gravel grinder) any day. Hmmm...I will have to expand the testing to dirt some time soon, but I'm in no hurry since I have several capable gravel-grinder monster-cross bikes eager to take on the task at any time.

At this time I am running the drive train in the big ring (an all-around 48-tooth) since I am not sure if I really need a front derailleur yet. On the road the 48t combined with a 12-25 cassette seems to be plenty for both climbing and flat speeds, but I'm sure that once I hit some of those steep gravel ginder hills that I will be begging for that small ring. Overall the bike is still in rough draft form and I'm sure a few more changes (parts) are in the works (some sooner, some later)...I have not even put on my final bar tape since I am am still fine-tuning the fit for that perfect sweet-spot I seek out on every bike.

Gunnar #2

2008-04-01T06:02:00.000-07:00

It seems that my obsession to own-and-ride-every-bike-ever-made continues...meet Gunnar #2, a Crosshairs (that means it's a cyclocross bike that I intend to use as an all around ride).

Why #2? Because this is my 2nd Gunnar, my last one was a 29er mountain bike that a guy named Felix now owns.

This sweet steel frame arrived recently and of course I immediately built it up into a rideable condition. I ordered the frame with a Gunnar steel fork that Brice (owner of B&L Bicycles in Pullman, WA) talked this semi-weight weenie into because it provides "a better ride than carbon on the rough roads and other stuff" according to him. Well all I can say about the steel fork is WOW!!!...it provides a ride that beyond smooth, beyond belief...THANKS BRICE!!!

Even though I have extreme lustful bike desires for many bikes out there, I must admit that they have slowed to a near halt lately because of pure satisfaction with my current rides and this one is no exception.

The Meltdown Has Begun

2008-03-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

It appears the great spring melt-down has begun in the higher elevations, but the weather is still a risky mix at any given time. One of my favorite 60-mile MTB loops that I typically ride all winter has been rather impassable this year (lots of snow or blown in snow). Well maybe it was open quite a bit, but not during the times when I was up there staring at the wall of snow in my path.

The first two pics here are where the wall of snow existed, but some nice county chap must have cleared it with his monster tractor (thanks I say) because just a few weeks ago I ventured way up there again to find that the majority of my preferred route had been cleared allowing a fun ride through snow canyons.

But not all of it has been cleared...

Which means I had to ride a bit more pave than I desire (dirt is better anytime), but in the end it was still fun (I guess)...

I've been back several times over the last few weeks and have noticed the snow walls have diminished from canyon walls to small drifts. But the weather is still a terror up there at times...the first ride I started out in sunshine (ahh...great stuff), which progressed into a soaking downpour. I had time to pull out my rain jacket and tent it over me and part of the bike. Just as quickly as it started it ended. A bit higher up I was in a white-out of ice/snow-pellets (aka "graupel").

What next? Wind! Ouch was all I could say going home struggling to maintain forward momentum going downhill into the wind (30 miles of pedaling into a strong head-wind can make anyone wimper some).

After all the weather mishaps on my first trip up there this year I was back 3-days later smiling all the way because ironically nearly the same thing happened again. What should you take home from this lesson??? Always be prepared. I've had people pick up my pack with a grunt and ask what's in there? Survival...nothing more, nothing less.

The Climb is Always On

2008-03-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

It seems I have a terrible desire to climb long, steep hills on a bike...While suffering up many climbs I have thought about why I feel a need to do this kind of torturous thing to myself. It's so bad that there have been times I've gotten to the top of a long 12-20% grade just to turn around so I can climb it again. That is totally insane...What it wrong with me??? I have yet to answer this question that my internal voice asks everytime my legs are burning up a hill.

I still do stop and enjoy the good stuff along the way though - like here on the bridge over Asotin Creek (about 20 miles from home) I am in the classical "Largent" position (for those who don't know, Largent is a road-tourist type that can be found in the nap-position nearly anywhere). I typically stop here to refuel, enjoy the sounds from the creek, the warmth of the sun, and ponder on which of 4-rides I really want to suffer up from this point on. On this day I chose to head up the South Fork Asotin Creek (uhmm...very steep at the start) until I ran into sticky mud and snow (which was not very far up as you can see from the first steep point on the profile) then I venture back down and up Campbell grade (1000 feet up in about 1-mile, which means it's a tad steep). Total climbing this day was ~4300 feet.
A few days later I found myself riding up George Creek Grade and beyond. I turned around after I decided it was getting a tad late to keep going without any lights on the bike. At the bottom of the grade I turned the Ellsworth 650B around to climb up the hill again just to be sure I would finish off any excess energy I still had (4700 feet total climbing this day). I recovered by going to work and running my buns off for a few days at the always busy TriState Hospital Emergency Department (because that is where I work). In between some of these medium-lenth mountain-bike rides I typically make a few loops (2-6 usually depending time) at Hells Gate State Park. The middle of the profile below is 2-loops at Hells Gate that I did on my single-speed (2900 feet of climbing). I can hardly wait for the snow to melt so I can get back to doing more of those 8-10,000+ foot days! As always anyone is welcome to ride with me.

Catch Your Protein-On-The-Go

2008-02-18T09:47:00.000-08:00

It appears to be well on the way, although I'm a bit skeptical about its early arrival...what am I talking about? Spring!!! The early signs have been lurking around ever since the snow melted a few weeks back with daily temps in the mid-40s to mid-50s. The best sign (nutritious too) is the abundance of fresh flying protein...aka bugs that have a knack for flying into unprotected eyes and deep into any open mouth. I have found that these early bugs are quite tasty, tender, and easy to chew (yum), unlike the tough old summer bugs.

Other indicators that spring is here is the return of the green grass (yuk...that means mowing the lawn - such a waste of time) and spring flowers that are currently blooming around my house.

I still think it's a few weeks too early, but I've not been complaining any since the riding is beyond spectacular everywhere I go.

Freeze-Thaw Cycle

2008-01-31T08:26:00.000-08:00

Cycling lately has been a skill seeking experience on ice and snow then transitioning into slick mud over a frozen underlayer (that means it's ultra-slick mud). The daily freeze-thaw cycle is definitely an adrenalin rush both on and off the pave. Over the past several days it has been a white knuckle experience riding the ice-patch pave down to the river path (which has it's own well disguised 2-wheel sliding ice patches) to Hellsgate State Park for a few loops around and down the Devil's Slide. A few days ago there was about 4-inches of snow out there that made coming down the Devil's Slide a real skill-builder.

Since then it has been slowly melting away leaving an icy underlayer in some places and mud over ice in others. Well needless to say the entire area becomes a slippery 2-wheel challenging ride (makes for big grins as long as you have the skill to stay upright which I have thus far). The 650b Pacenti Neo-Moto and Bontrager Jones ACX tire combo on my Ellsworth truth has yet to be beat by any other tire combo I have on my 29ers for traction in this stuff.

The only downfall I've had is cleaning up the messy bikes after each ride...which I must say is always worth the effort since I'm getting 25-40 miles of fun play out of it.

What are you doing for fun??? Spinning indoors? Watching TV? Anyone is welcome to join me...

Spinning and Then Some

2008-01-25T21:46:00.000-08:00

While many avid, dedicated cyclist are spinning their buns off indoors (huh...where it's a bit warmer), I just can't bring myself to do such a torturous thing...for me spinning on a trainer is beyond yuk and boring after the first 5-minutes. For those of you that can spin indoors, you have my respect. I would rather do my spinning in the cold where I sometimes freeze my buns off. As long as I can keep my feet warm I will stay out for hours enjoying wintery environment few dare to brave on two wheels.

My road rides have been on the rather old Motobecane I have set up as a single-speed (it is the only road bike I currently own). I call this bike the Super-Bee just because it looks like a bumble bee. It's has gone through some minor modifications in recent times...like a new crank (one that's not bent helps just a tad in spinning), some On-One Midge bars, new wheels (actually some used wheels I had laying around)...the bike feels like a hot rod compared to the original version. I'm happy spinning it almost anywhere except the steepest hills and it's a great commuter for me. Today was just another awesome spinning day on this bike down the Snake River (with some real wind for resistance just to keep me honest).

Off-road and snowy-day rides have been on my Ellsworth mostly (the more I ride this bike the more I like it), but I still spend some quality time on the Gary Fisher Ferrous 29er single-speed (another bike I really like).

Spent a bit of time in Montana recently also. We found some deep snow up on top of Lolo Pass along the MT-ID border...of course I had to go and play in it before driving some more....

This is My Domain

2008-01-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday started out gray and dreary...It's on days like this that I need to ride to bring my soul up out of the lowly "winter" blues, which are actually brought on by these dark cloudy days...hmmm a living paradox. According to climatology trends this area (Clarkston, WA/Lewiston, ID) averages 60 cloudy days out of 62 days in December and January...that's only 2-sunny days in 2-months...no wonder I (as well as many others in this area) get the winter blues so bad. Anyway, a ride always perks me up and makes me feel like SuperMan again...the hard part seems to be getting my fat butt out the door and onto the bike. I tried to rally my low desire to do anything by calling the SeanMan, but he was napping...something he probably deserves since he rides more than anyone else I know.

I eventually did get out at the end of the day only to be bathed in some golden sun while snow squalls loomed all around...to say the least it was one of the best days of riding I've had in some time. I rode my Ellsworth Truth 650B bike out to Hells Gate State Park and proceeded to rip up the trails with some big smiles and lots of speed...yeah I was feeling like SuperMan. Not another soul was out there, it was all mine, and I thought...This is my domain.

The ride on the Ellsworth set up with a 650B Pacenti Neo-Moto tire up front is still beyond belief. It's hard to phathom that this bike build may be one that I will actually keep for more than a year, but I love the ride this bike provides.

It was soooo good that I did not want to go home, but dark did come and...well...it got cold in a hurry.