Friday News And Views

Much needed mental de-stress session.

Tough Summer:

July. This is always a tough time of the year at bicycle shops in Iowa. RAGBRAI is up on deck and everyone that claims the title of "cyclist" for the one or two months of the year so they can participate in this rolling carnival thinks that they are the most important cyclist ever. Or one would think so by the way they express exasperation with having to wait behind the other 25 folks who also think they have the most important bike to fix in the work flow.

That by itself is no big deal, but this year is different. I have a few things I am aware of and living through that have weighed heavily upon me. A friend going through some very difficult times. That's been one. And my stability at the workplace has been in flux for various reasons. It's been hard to navigate these days.

So, I wanted to first say thank you to CVAST. Their clearing of the trails has allowed me to find an escape from reality and a way to cleanse my mind of the crap going on. I gotta tell you all- going on bicycle rides is so good for your mental stability. I highly encourage even just cruising around the block. It helps. It makes things easier to work through. I know that it does for me.

Anyway, I don't want to sound the alarm or make anyone feel I am about to lose my mind. I should be okay, but when I go though tough times it makes me feel like there are a lot of you out there that are going though even tougher times than I. While I cannot offer you much, I can prescribe a bicycle ride. It wouldn't hurt, and it just might do for you what it does for me.

Dirt home from work is a huge blessing to me. I needed to get that little bit of single track in and just de-stress a bit. The Ti Muk 2 is a wonderful thing, and again- I want to say "thanks" to everyone that made this a reality for me. Every time I ride it I am reminded of your goodness and generosity.

Just A few Tidbits About The GTDRI:

Recon didn't happen Wednesday as a few "life" things needed taking care of and so I had to postpone looking at the route until Sunday at the earliest.  Conditions in Iowa have been top notch for dirt road cruising of late, so I am expecting to find most of the Level B Roads I have on the route to be passable by truck.

That said, I would like to ride some of it. I am having a difficult time figuring out how to make that work, since the route doesn't really lend itself to short-cutting unless it is the first 20% or so. But I'll figure out something.

My friend Tony came in and suggested that I change the route to accommodate water supply before 70-ish miles. However; there is really no where to go since Eastern Poweshiek County is pretty remote. I mean, there are villages, but barely anything that has any access to water, and I'd have to seriously modify the route. So I had a different idea.

I may stock a cooler and stash it on one of the Level B Roads with iced down water jugs. Of course, I have no idea how many folks will show up. Last year was a record attendance and we had 25 or so riders. I am already hearing rumblings from several places which makes me feel like we will see a LOT of folks coming over to Grinnell to ride.

So, if you are coming, and if you have someone coming who is not riding, maybe we could have that person ferry over water and have that tailored to the amount that shows up. We all could pitch in for the costs, or whatever seems best. I can make the route a little bit different to make that happen at around 50-55 miles into the route at a point which will be on a blacktop road. Basically pretty easy to find. Anyway, either that or I will cache some water and hopefully it will be enough.

Stay tuned for further updates.....

The first ever t-shirt for any Trans Iowa was for v5.

Trans Iowa Stories Feedback;

Regular readers here know about my Sunday posts dealing with the untold stories about Trans Iowa. I haven't heard much feedback on these posts until recently.

What I have heard has been very positive and encouraging. I thank you all that have made your views known. I am motivated to continue based upon the few comments I have gotten.

So, I've been striving to tell the untold bits of background to the event, and now that I've felt that I have covered that, it's getting to be time to start in on the events themselves. As I have stated before, I think it is all about the people and what interactions I have had with those folks along the way.

I'll be completely honest and say that a lot of this early stuff is challenging to recall. I mean, it's been 15 years ago, and some details have been lost to the mists of time. I'll do my best to bring back some detail, but maybe the first posts on from here will be a bit vague. Especially v1 and v2 which seem like dreams to me now. My strongest memories start with v3. Maybe you all think I overstate this, but that one..... Uggh! So much going on with just that version alone. I could write a book there. In fact, someone almost did write a whole book about it. Zach Dundas wrote a big chapter in his "Renegade Sportsman" book about that particular Trans Iowa. If you can spare four bucks, the chapter on Trans Iowa is well worth it. Zach pretty much nails it from the standpoint of what the event was like and what it meant circa 2007. My review of the book can be found HERE.

Anyway, I have some solid memories about that event and from there on, it should be a good read.

That's a wrap for this week. I hope that you all have a peaceful, relaxing weekend with a side of cycling. Keep the rubber side down!

Friday News And Views

Much needed mental de-stress session.

Tough Summer:

July. This is always a tough time of the year at bicycle shops in Iowa. RAGBRAI is up on deck and everyone that claims the title of "cyclist" for the one or two months of the year so they can participate in this rolling carnival thinks that they are the most important cyclist ever. Or one would think so by the way they express exasperation with having to wait behind the other 25 folks who also think they have the most important bike to fix in the work flow.

That by itself is no big deal, but this year is different. I have a few things I am aware of and living through that have weighed heavily upon me. A friend going through some very difficult times. That's been one. And my stability at the workplace has been in flux for various reasons. It's been hard to navigate these days.

So, I wanted to first say thank you to CVAST. Their clearing of the trails has allowed me to find an escape from reality and a way to cleanse my mind of the crap going on. I gotta tell you all- going on bicycle rides is so good for your mental stability. I highly encourage even just cruising around the block. It helps. It makes things easier to work through. I know that it does for me.

Anyway, I don't want to sound the alarm or make anyone feel I am about to lose my mind. I should be okay, but when I go though tough times it makes me feel like there are a lot of you out there that are going though even tougher times than I. While I cannot offer you much, I can prescribe a bicycle ride. It wouldn't hurt, and it just might do for you what it does for me.

Dirt home from work is a huge blessing to me. I needed to get that little bit of single track in and just de-stress a bit. The Ti Muk 2 is a wonderful thing, and again- I want to say "thanks" to everyone that made this a reality for me. Every time I ride it I am reminded of your goodness and generosity.

Just A few Tidbits About The GTDRI:

Recon didn't happen Wednesday as a few "life" things needed taking care of and so I had to postpone looking at the route until Sunday at the earliest.  Conditions in Iowa have been top notch for dirt road cruising of late, so I am expecting to find most of the Level B Roads I have on the route to be passable by truck.

That said, I would like to ride some of it. I am having a difficult time figuring out how to make that work, since the route doesn't really lend itself to short-cutting unless it is the first 20% or so. But I'll figure out something.

My friend Tony came in and suggested that I change the route to accommodate water supply before 70-ish miles. However; there is really no where to go since Eastern Poweshiek County is pretty remote. I mean, there are villages, but barely anything that has any access to water, and I'd have to seriously modify the route. So I had a different idea.

I may stock a cooler and stash it on one of the Level B Roads with iced down water jugs. Of course, I have no idea how many folks will show up. Last year was a record attendance and we had 25 or so riders. I am already hearing rumblings from several places which makes me feel like we will see a LOT of folks coming over to Grinnell to ride.

So, if you are coming, and if you have someone coming who is not riding, maybe we could have that person ferry over water and have that tailored to the amount that shows up. We all could pitch in for the costs, or whatever seems best. I can make the route a little bit different to make that happen at around 50-55 miles into the route at a point which will be on a blacktop road. Basically pretty easy to find. Anyway, either that or I will cache some water and hopefully it will be enough.

Stay tuned for further updates.....

The first ever t-shirt for any Trans Iowa was for v5.

Trans Iowa Stories Feedback;

Regular readers here know about my Sunday posts dealing with the untold stories about Trans Iowa. I haven't heard much feedback on these posts until recently.

What I have heard has been very positive and encouraging. I thank you all that have made your views known. I am motivated to continue based upon the few comments I have gotten.

So, I've been striving to tell the untold bits of background to the event, and now that I've felt that I have covered that, it's getting to be time to start in on the events themselves. As I have stated before, I think it is all about the people and what interactions I have had with those folks along the way.

I'll be completely honest and say that a lot of this early stuff is challenging to recall. I mean, it's been 15 years ago, and some details have been lost to the mists of time. I'll do my best to bring back some detail, but maybe the first posts on from here will be a bit vague. Especially v1 and v2 which seem like dreams to me now. My strongest memories start with v3. Maybe you all think I overstate this, but that one..... Uggh! So much going on with just that version alone. I could write a book there. In fact, someone almost did write a whole book about it. Zach Dundas wrote a big chapter in his "Renegade Sportsman" book about that particular Trans Iowa. If you can spare four bucks, the chapter on Trans Iowa is well worth it. Zach pretty much nails it from the standpoint of what the event was like and what it meant circa 2007. My review of the book can be found HERE.

Anyway, I have some solid memories about that event and from there on, it should be a good read.

That's a wrap for this week. I hope that you all have a peaceful, relaxing weekend with a side of cycling. Keep the rubber side down!

Ti Muk II Ride Report

A little "Dirt Home From Work" action to test out the Ti Muk II ride.

Well, with yesterday's announcement out of the way, I figured y'all might want to know what I think about this new rig's ride. I didn't waste any time gettin' to it.

Saturday when we got back with the new-to-me Ti Muk, I couldn't ride as it was pouring rain and lightning outside. So, I waited until Sunday to get a bit better acquainted with this bike, its shifting, and its generator light. That went okay, but getting used to how the Rohloff shifter is indexed will take a little getting used to. It is kind of vague, especially going into a faster/higher gear. I shift one position and I cannot always feel the indexing. But going the other way- to a lower gear- is easier to feel. Plus, it won't shift at all if you have any kind of pressure on the pedals in that direction anyway.

The generator hub is turned on by a big button on the back of the light. I didn't realize this until after I looked up the information on the light on the excellent Peter White Cycles site. I accidentally got it on Sunday and then I noted that the light strobes and didn't have a solid beam. I figured I would have to look the model information up, and when I did, I found out that the light has a sensor and automatically switches to a solid beam when it is dark. Hmm..... technology. Okay, cool. I haven't double checked this yet, but I will get around to that soon. I did find out that the tail light has a standby function. I figured it would. Most high end generator lighting systems have this now. So, what it does, when you are moving, is that the hub charges up a capacitor which is part of the generator system. When you stop, the generator stops, but the capacitor, which stores voltage, starts to slowly drain and this voltage keeps the head light and tail light on when you are stopped for a period of time. And that "period of time" seems to be several minutes. Longer than any stop light sequence for sure.

I was stoked to learn that my purple Bike Bag Dude bags fit the new Ti Muk.

I went home Sunday and planned on riding the bike to work on Monday. I decided then to dub it the "Ti Muk II", since it is my second Titanium Mukluk and Salsa Cycles' second, and final, version of this model. So, this will hereafter be known as "Ti Muk II" on this blog. FYI- The history of the Ti Muk model is 2012-13 was the Lynskey made version with bead blasted graphics. The 2014 Mukluk was the first year of Taiwanese made titanium models and had a green painted front section. The last year, 2015, was this bike with the white painted front end. USA made Ti Muks have straight 1 1/8th steer tubes and the Taiwanese Muks have 44mm head tubes compatible with tapered steer tubes. The geometry was changed slightly on the later Taiwanese models also to accommodate front suspension. Thus, the front triangle is slightly different than the earlier Ti Muks.

Tour de Fungus- Check out the blaze orange mushrooms.

This slight difference had me worried that my newest Bike Bag Dude purple frame bag wouldn't fit, but it does, so that was a relief! I should note that Sam gave me a Surly branded Revelate made frame bag for this which fits it perfectly, but I will likely use the BBD bag most of the time. (Although it clashes with the crank set! Hmm.....) Sam also passed on to me a set of Jones H-Bar compatible Revelate pogies. Supposedly the very last set ever made by Revelate. They are nice, ginormous, and will be put to use in colder weather. Not anytime soon! (Thanks Sam!)

The rest of the BBD bags look and fit perfectly on here as well. It should make adventuring a bit easier. The Ti Muk II also has a rack mount, and I am contemplating getting a rack for this. The Alternator model this bike is supposed to have should work well. But I haven't decided whether or not to pull the trigger on that idea. I guess I have plenty of time to figure that out.

Monday I rode to work the regular route and then did the "Dirt Home From Work" route I have done a lot before. I was getting the hang of shifting by the time I was into the middle of my ride home. There is a bit of a trick to it, and sometime soon that will become second nature. The gearing is biased to the low side, as I would expect for a bike like this. That said, I can cruise along at what seems like 12-14mph all day long and that seems to be about 10th gear or so. The jumps between gears are bigger with a Rohloff, so I have tended to fall back on being more like a single speed guy, sticking with a gear a bit too long. The nice thing is that if I found myself stuck in a too-high gear, I simply could stop, shift it way down to a low gear, and start again, all while in the saddle. Or, if momentum could carry me, stop pedaling and swipe down to a much lower gear and then gas it back up, shifting to higher gears as necessary. It's definitely a different experience.

Interestingly, although the geometry is slightly different on the Ti Muk II, it still is really stable. Sam had a lot of spacers set up under the stem and the Carbon H-Bar is "up there", and I wondered if I might not like that. This would be pretty close to how Jeff Jones would probably recommend setting it up though, based upon what Jeff has told me personally. So, I figured I'd give it a solid try.

As it turns out, I think it is pretty close to, if not spot on. I'm at the very least going to run this set up longer term until I can figure it out in a more permanent way. The saddle, however, I think is going to be a different story.

I may like this saddle with a chamois, but I ride a bike like this so much in "civilian clothes", that it has to have a saddle that agrees with me in all situations. I feel like this saddle is a tiny bit too narrow though. Maybe. We will see after some more riding, but Monday's ride was pointing to the "too narrow" verdict by the time I got home. I may only have to tilt it back a bit too. This is set up dead flat and I never run my WTB saddles that way. Always a bit nose up for me. So, that will be the next thing to try. Oddly enough, the saddle height is dead on. Apparently Sam and I have very similar saddle height requirements. (As do Ben Witt and I. Weird!)

I did also notice something I was a bit surprised by. Both on Sunday's and Monday's rides it was quite noticeable that this bike has a pretty springy rear end, but only when seated. It isn't as stiff feeling when pedaling in the saddle as the old Ti Muk was, and that was far better than an aluminum Mukluk. That with a larger diameter seat post than a US made Ti Muk like my older one. So, that is pretty remarkable. The combination of the smooth riding rear and the Carbon H-Bar and Advocate fork make for a pretty nice riding bike, really.

More on this bike in the future. I have to get some details on the wiring harness tucked away and tidied up, then this will be fully operational.

Ti Muk II Ride Report

A little "Dirt Home From Work" action to test out the Ti Muk II ride.

Well, with yesterday's announcement out of the way, I figured y'all might want to know what I think about this new rig's ride. I didn't waste any time gettin' to it.

Saturday when we got back with the new-to-me Ti Muk, I couldn't ride as it was pouring rain and lightning outside. So, I waited until Sunday to get a bit better acquainted with this bike, its shifting, and its generator light. That went okay, but getting used to how the Rohloff shifter is indexed will take a little getting used to. It is kind of vague, especially going into a faster/higher gear. I shift one position and I cannot always feel the indexing. But going the other way- to a lower gear- is easier to feel. Plus, it won't shift at all if you have any kind of pressure on the pedals in that direction anyway.

The generator hub is turned on by a big button on the back of the light. I didn't realize this until after I looked up the information on the light on the excellent Peter White Cycles site. I accidentally got it on Sunday and then I noted that the light strobes and didn't have a solid beam. I figured I would have to look the model information up, and when I did, I found out that the light has a sensor and automatically switches to a solid beam when it is dark. Hmm..... technology. Okay, cool. I haven't double checked this yet, but I will get around to that soon. I did find out that the tail light has a standby function. I figured it would. Most high end generator lighting systems have this now. So, what it does, when you are moving, is that the hub charges up a capacitor which is part of the generator system. When you stop, the generator stops, but the capacitor, which stores voltage, starts to slowly drain and this voltage keeps the head light and tail light on when you are stopped for a period of time. And that "period of time" seems to be several minutes. Longer than any stop light sequence for sure.

I was stoked to learn that my purple Bike Bag Dude bags fit the new Ti Muk.

I went home Sunday and planned on riding the bike to work on Monday. I decided then to dub it the "Ti Muk II", since it is my second Titanium Mukluk and Salsa Cycles' second, and final, version of this model. So, this will hereafter be known as "Ti Muk II" on this blog. FYI- The history of the Ti Muk model is 2012-13 was the Lynskey made version with bead blasted graphics. The 2014 Mukluk was the first year of Taiwanese made titanium models and had a green painted front section. The last year, 2015, was this bike with the white painted front end. USA made Ti Muks have straight 1 1/8th steer tubes and the Taiwanese Muks have 44mm head tubes compatible with tapered steer tubes. The geometry was changed slightly on the later Taiwanese models also to accommodate front suspension. Thus, the front triangle is slightly different than the earlier Ti Muks.

Tour de Fungus- Check out the blaze orange mushrooms.

This slight difference had me worried that my newest Bike Bag Dude purple frame bag wouldn't fit, but it does, so that was a relief! I should note that Sam gave me a Surly branded Revelate made frame bag for this which fits it perfectly, but I will likely use the BBD bag most of the time. (Although it clashes with the crank set! Hmm.....) Sam also passed on to me a set of Jones H-Bar compatible Revelate pogies. Supposedly the very last set ever made by Revelate. They are nice, ginormous, and will be put to use in colder weather. Not anytime soon! (Thanks Sam!)

The rest of the BBD bags look and fit perfectly on here as well. It should make adventuring a bit easier. The Ti Muk II also has a rack mount, and I am contemplating getting a rack for this. The Alternator model this bike is supposed to have should work well. But I haven't decided whether or not to pull the trigger on that idea. I guess I have plenty of time to figure that out.

Monday I rode to work the regular route and then did the "Dirt Home From Work" route I have done a lot before. I was getting the hang of shifting by the time I was into the middle of my ride home. There is a bit of a trick to it, and sometime soon that will become second nature. The gearing is biased to the low side, as I would expect for a bike like this. That said, I can cruise along at what seems like 12-14mph all day long and that seems to be about 10th gear or so. The jumps between gears are bigger with a Rohloff, so I have tended to fall back on being more like a single speed guy, sticking with a gear a bit too long. The nice thing is that if I found myself stuck in a too-high gear, I simply could stop, shift it way down to a low gear, and start again, all while in the saddle. Or, if momentum could carry me, stop pedaling and swipe down to a much lower gear and then gas it back up, shifting to higher gears as necessary. It's definitely a different experience.

Interestingly, although the geometry is slightly different on the Ti Muk II, it still is really stable. Sam had a lot of spacers set up under the stem and the Carbon H-Bar is "up there", and I wondered if I might not like that. This would be pretty close to how Jeff Jones would probably recommend setting it up though, based upon what Jeff has told me personally. So, I figured I'd give it a solid try.

As it turns out, I think it is pretty close to, if not spot on. I'm at the very least going to run this set up longer term until I can figure it out in a more permanent way. The saddle, however, I think is going to be a different story.

I may like this saddle with a chamois, but I ride a bike like this so much in "civilian clothes", that it has to have a saddle that agrees with me in all situations. I feel like this saddle is a tiny bit too narrow though. Maybe. We will see after some more riding, but Monday's ride was pointing to the "too narrow" verdict by the time I got home. I may only have to tilt it back a bit too. This is set up dead flat and I never run my WTB saddles that way. Always a bit nose up for me. So, that will be the next thing to try. Oddly enough, the saddle height is dead on. Apparently Sam and I have very similar saddle height requirements. (As do Ben Witt and I. Weird!)

I did also notice something I was a bit surprised by. Both on Sunday's and Monday's rides it was quite noticeable that this bike has a pretty springy rear end, but only when seated. It isn't as stiff feeling when pedaling in the saddle as the old Ti Muk was, and that was far better than an aluminum Mukluk. That with a larger diameter seat post than a US made Ti Muk like my older one. So, that is pretty remarkable. The combination of the smooth riding rear and the Carbon H-Bar and Advocate fork make for a pretty nice riding bike, really.

More on this bike in the future. I have to get some details on the wiring harness tucked away and tidied up, then this will be fully operational.

Fall Views: B&W

I am coming to point where the black and white imagery is starting to make more sense to me again. The greens and colors from flowers has faded and Fall isn't really popping like it has in the past. So, I decided to shoot a few shots in black and white on my "Dirt Home From Work" ride the other day.

I've been riding the Singular Buzzard hard tail of late. It is a bike that was arguably a little ahead of its time. A slack head angle, short-ish rear end, and a long travel fork. I think it was really meant to have a 120mm travel fork on it but I run a 140mm travel MRP fork on it which really makes the bike a bruiser. It isn't light, by any stretch, and it feels nearly indestructible with that burly steel frame.

The wheels are a bit unusual as well. Velocity USA Duallys with On One tires set up tubeless and they look positively beastly on those rims. This bike is not going to get mistaken for an XC rig anywhere. That's for sure! That said, there are a few things, due to its forerunning status, that were missed in the design that are ubiquitous on other bikes of this ilk these days. Things like a port for an internally routed dropper post, through axle rear drop outs, and Boost spacing.

But one can live, and certainly ride just as well, without those finer details. The Buzzard is a fun, capable, and good looking bike. It's my only geared mountain bike these days, and by the way, it is 2X 10! Not the usual 1X fare here. Well, anyway, here are some views in black and white from my last week's riding of the Buzzard.

Fall Views: B&W

I am coming to point where the black and white imagery is starting to make more sense to me again. The greens and colors from flowers has faded and Fall isn't really popping like it has in the past. So, I decided to shoot a few shots in black and white on my "Dirt Home From Work" ride the other day.

I've been riding the Singular Buzzard hard tail of late. It is a bike that was arguably a little ahead of its time. A slack head angle, short-ish rear end, and a long travel fork. I think it was really meant to have a 120mm travel fork on it but I run a 140mm travel MRP fork on it which really makes the bike a bruiser. It isn't light, by any stretch, and it feels nearly indestructible with that burly steel frame.

The wheels are a bit unusual as well. Velocity USA Duallys with On One tires set up tubeless and they look positively beastly on those rims. This bike is not going to get mistaken for an XC rig anywhere. That's for sure! That said, there are a few things, due to its forerunning status, that were missed in the design that are ubiquitous on other bikes of this ilk these days. Things like a port for an internally routed dropper post, through axle rear drop outs, and Boost spacing.

But one can live, and certainly ride just as well, without those finer details. The Buzzard is a fun, capable, and good looking bike. It's my only geared mountain bike these days, and by the way, it is 2X 10! Not the usual 1X fare here. Well, anyway, here are some views in black and white from my last week's riding of the Buzzard.

Dirt Home From Work: That Light

Mid afternoon light in the woods.

Fall- The shadows grow longer and the days grow colder and shorter in October. This is the time of year we get "that light". The Sun is in the right part of our sky now so that the light gets that diffused, golden hue during Sunny days. It gives everything a much more ethereal, dramatic look about it.

Maybe that is why Fall is so loved by many around here. It can be achingly beautiful at times. Yesterday was one of those days here in the Mid-West. In fact, we're supposedly going to have a string of days like that. Best to get out and enjoy this while the gettin' is good, because we're days away from freezing cold, and if we are to get snow, that is only weeks away, most likely.

I rode home without a jacket through the woods on my way home from work. It was perfect. 70°, no wind to speak of, that golden light, and a peaceful countenance was on the land. That won't be the case later as the winds of Winter are sure to get cranked up soon enough and the leaves will be chattering in the streets as they scurry by bare trees where they once thrived.

The only negative thing I can see about the day yesterday was those dratted Japanese beetles which are flying around all over. They look like lady bugs, but they are not, and they are far worse than those. But other than that, this weather is going to be some of the best we'll have until next Spring, in terms of warmth and comfortable bicycling.

Dirt Home From Work: That Light

Mid afternoon light in the woods.

Fall- The shadows grow longer and the days grow colder and shorter in October. This is the time of year we get "that light". The Sun is in the right part of our sky now so that the light gets that diffused, golden hue during Sunny days. It gives everything a much more ethereal, dramatic look about it.

Maybe that is why Fall is so loved by many around here. It can be achingly beautiful at times. Yesterday was one of those days here in the Mid-West. In fact, we're supposedly going to have a string of days like that. Best to get out and enjoy this while the gettin' is good, because we're days away from freezing cold, and if we are to get snow, that is only weeks away, most likely.

I rode home without a jacket through the woods on my way home from work. It was perfect. 70°, no wind to speak of, that golden light, and a peaceful countenance was on the land. That won't be the case later as the winds of Winter are sure to get cranked up soon enough and the leaves will be chattering in the streets as they scurry by bare trees where they once thrived.

The only negative thing I can see about the day yesterday was those dratted Japanese beetles which are flying around all over. They look like lady bugs, but they are not, and they are far worse than those. But other than that, this weather is going to be some of the best we'll have until next Spring, in terms of warmth and comfortable bicycling.

Dirt Home From Work: Adventure Time

Impromptu wading with bikes here.

I went on another "Dirt Home From Work" ride yesterday. I used my Singular Buzzard and went out to see the old fitness trail that the CVAST guys opened up again. This would be the one that comes off the hard trail right after crossing the Pfieffer Park Bridge. Anyway.....

It's an old trail. I recognized much of the old parts. There used to be a great swoopy connector to the main hard trail back in the day that either is completely lost or that they don't know existed, but either way, that isn't available anymore. Chances are it has been swallowed by nature never to be recovered again. So I went on past the "T" that used to be the main entrance from the hard trail and which may still be, I just never went that way yesterday. I continued Eastward to see how far they had opened the old thing back up. Well, I found out soon enough.

Flooding had introduced a drainage from the low lying area to the North of this trail and with high water it was full again. I had to dismount and pick my way across via some roots that were exposed. Having successfully crossed without getting wet, I was off again. It wasn't long before I realized I was on an island!

So, another water crossing, eh? I waded through some deep weeds to make my way toward a tree fall which had a root ball where I figured I might find some footing. I walked directly behind my bike and the bike acted as a plow of sorts, parting the way through the weeds toward my goal. When I got to the water's edge I found that the logs there were floating and would not provide the best footing. I wedged my bike across the channel and tried a few different steps, none of which were going to keep me dry footed. I tried one more thing and........whoops! 

The rest of the ride was incident free.

 I went down on my right foot, sinking until I reached the bottom with that foot and was up to my hip in water. Only my grip on my Buzzard saved me from going all in. I managed to get out, and edged my way up a steep embankment to dry ground. Now I had both feet soaked and my right shorts leg was dripping wet. Oh well! Advenure time will do that to you!

Getting wet is a bit of a shock, but really...... After that you cannot get wetter. Only my squishy Vans were really annoying. Oh well. A small price to pay for fun times. I mean, it is better than duking it out with cars on my main commute line that I always use. That's pretty boring. So, I made my way through the Geo Wyth Park and out the other side. Then I went on home. No more notable things happened, but it was a good dirt ride with some time away from the normal grind. I hope to do more of this sort of thing now that the "slow" season at the bike shop is at hand.

Dirt Home From Work: Adventure Time

Impromptu wading with bikes here.

I went on another "Dirt Home From Work" ride yesterday. I used my Singular Buzzard and went out to see the old fitness trail that the CVAST guys opened up again. This would be the one that comes off the hard trail right after crossing the Pfieffer Park Bridge. Anyway.....

It's an old trail. I recognized much of the old parts. There used to be a great swoopy connector to the main hard trail back in the day that either is completely lost or that they don't know existed, but either way, that isn't available anymore. Chances are it has been swallowed by nature never to be recovered again. So I went on past the "T" that used to be the main entrance from the hard trail and which may still be, I just never went that way yesterday. I continued Eastward to see how far they had opened the old thing back up. Well, I found out soon enough.

Flooding had introduced a drainage from the low lying area to the North of this trail and with high water it was full again. I had to dismount and pick my way across via some roots that were exposed. Having successfully crossed without getting wet, I was off again. It wasn't long before I realized I was on an island!

So, another water crossing, eh? I waded through some deep weeds to make my way toward a tree fall which had a root ball where I figured I might find some footing. I walked directly behind my bike and the bike acted as a plow of sorts, parting the way through the weeds toward my goal. When I got to the water's edge I found that the logs there were floating and would not provide the best footing. I wedged my bike across the channel and tried a few different steps, none of which were going to keep me dry footed. I tried one more thing and........whoops! 

The rest of the ride was incident free.

 I went down on my right foot, sinking until I reached the bottom with that foot and was up to my hip in water. Only my grip on my Buzzard saved me from going all in. I managed to get out, and edged my way up a steep embankment to dry ground. Now I had both feet soaked and my right shorts leg was dripping wet. Oh well! Advenure time will do that to you!

Getting wet is a bit of a shock, but really...... After that you cannot get wetter. Only my squishy Vans were really annoying. Oh well. A small price to pay for fun times. I mean, it is better than duking it out with cars on my main commute line that I always use. That's pretty boring. So, I made my way through the Geo Wyth Park and out the other side. Then I went on home. No more notable things happened, but it was a good dirt ride with some time away from the normal grind. I hope to do more of this sort of thing now that the "slow" season at the bike shop is at hand.

Dirt Home From Work

Brown ribbon of goodness.

Once in a while I'll get the itch to take a mountain bike off road, and many times I scratch that itch by commuting to work, then I do a "Dirt Home From Work" route.

I have whittled down the mountain bike side of the stable to one suspended hard tail with gears, a single speed with no suspension fork, and a front suspended single speed. I have platform pedals on the Singular Buzzard, so that is the bike I take to work most often.

Interestingly, the way I set up the wheels back a few years ago was weird.......then. Now it is becoming something that might be a lot more familiar in the coming years. Not "plus" sized, but not "normal 29"er sized either. I did mine by way of a little trickery. I used a really wide rim and some of the bigger volume 29"er tires around at the time.

The thing I was after was volume, but without the vagueness. Wider rims support sidewalls better, and with the really wide Duallys, I got max width out of a 2.35" and 2.4" tire. Now the back measures 2.45" and the front measures 2.5" wide. I can also run those tires down under 20psi with no worries about squirming or vagueness in handling. That's the goal of the new move to 2.5"-2.8" tires coming out now.They are big enough to translate the traction benefits without the issues with vagueness in cornering. But I could go on and on about that.....

The point is I got on a mountain bike. First time in a while too. I would assess the ride as being fun, but I sure am rusty! I need to get in a few more of these "Dirt Home From Work" rides and then hit up Ingawanis Woodlands for the real thing.

Dirt Home From Work

Brown ribbon of goodness.

Once in a while I'll get the itch to take a mountain bike off road, and many times I scratch that itch by commuting to work, then I do a "Dirt Home From Work" route.

I have whittled down the mountain bike side of the stable to one suspended hard tail with gears, a single speed with no suspension fork, and a front suspended single speed. I have platform pedals on the Singular Buzzard, so that is the bike I take to work most often.

Interestingly, the way I set up the wheels back a few years ago was weird.......then. Now it is becoming something that might be a lot more familiar in the coming years. Not "plus" sized, but not "normal 29"er sized either. I did mine by way of a little trickery. I used a really wide rim and some of the bigger volume 29"er tires around at the time.

The thing I was after was volume, but without the vagueness. Wider rims support sidewalls better, and with the really wide Duallys, I got max width out of a 2.35" and 2.4" tire. Now the back measures 2.45" and the front measures 2.5" wide. I can also run those tires down under 20psi with no worries about squirming or vagueness in handling. That's the goal of the new move to 2.5"-2.8" tires coming out now.They are big enough to translate the traction benefits without the issues with vagueness in cornering. But I could go on and on about that.....

The point is I got on a mountain bike. First time in a while too. I would assess the ride as being fun, but I sure am rusty! I need to get in a few more of these "Dirt Home From Work" rides and then hit up Ingawanis Woodlands for the real thing.

Fall Scenes

This has been a spectacular and unusually warm Fall so far this year. The temperatures have been so warm that the leaves are really not turning as fast here as they usually do. Only in the last week or so has much color popped, and then it hasn't been all that spectacular due to the warmer, dry weather we've had. Still, there are some good pockets of color to be found. You just have to keep your eyes open.

The light this year has been tinged with farm induced harvesting debris, and that diffuses light in  a weird, ethereal way that gives everything a strange glow. It's kind of neat to see but it wreaks havoc with a lot of folks breathing here. Sunsets have been rather spectacular as well due to this phenomenon.

I generally take time in mid-October to do my traditional Fall Colors ride in the Green Belt. I've been doing this for years, and every year is different, of course, but it still is amazing to get out and really take the time to look things over out there. Although this year doesn't rank up there with the best, and maybe I'm a week early, there still were some nice views. Here are some I wanted to share here. They come from my Dirt Home From Work ride Friday and my Fall Colors Ride Saturday.  Hope that you enjoy them!

A Buzzard In The Woods

These cement beams have been here a long time!

Paddlers on the Black Hawk Creek

The meadow view: I'm a little early this year and the colors are muted due to our weather. 

Mid-October and we still have some flowers. I'll take it!

A backwater pond higher up away from the Black Hawk Creek

The diffused light in the sky and the contrasts were tough to shoot in. This one came out okay though.

There still is a lot of green out there yet!

Hope that you enjoyed these. Get out there and enjoy the season and ride those bicycles!

Fall Scenes

This has been a spectacular and unusually warm Fall so far this year. The temperatures have been so warm that the leaves are really not turning as fast here as they usually do. Only in the last week or so has much color popped, and then it hasn't been all that spectacular due to the warmer, dry weather we've had. Still, there are some good pockets of color to be found. You just have to keep your eyes open.

The light this year has been tinged with farm induced harvesting debris, and that diffuses light in  a weird, ethereal way that gives everything a strange glow. It's kind of neat to see but it wreaks havoc with a lot of folks breathing here. Sunsets have been rather spectacular as well due to this phenomenon.

I generally take time in mid-October to do my traditional Fall Colors ride in the Green Belt. I've been doing this for years, and every year is different, of course, but it still is amazing to get out and really take the time to look things over out there. Although this year doesn't rank up there with the best, and maybe I'm a week early, there still were some nice views. Here are some I wanted to share here. They come from my Dirt Home From Work ride Friday and my Fall Colors Ride Saturday.  Hope that you enjoy them!

A Buzzard In The Woods

These cement beams have been here a long time!

Paddlers on the Black Hawk Creek

The meadow view: I'm a little early this year and the colors are muted due to our weather. 

Mid-October and we still have some flowers. I'll take it!

A backwater pond higher up away from the Black Hawk Creek

The diffused light in the sky and the contrasts were tough to shoot in. This one came out okay though.

There still is a lot of green out there yet!

Hope that you enjoyed these. Get out there and enjoy the season and ride those bicycles!