T.I.V8: Updates And News

Today I am going to focus the blog on several developments concerning Trans Iowa V8, a mere 36 days away now.

Volunteers: I have a small batch of volunteers that have already asked to help, but I could use a few more. Specifically, I am thinking about the finish line, and also at the beginning of the event. I also could use a few more hands at the first checkpoint.

If anything sounds interesting, let me know. Remember, being a volunteer at T.I.V8 gets you one free entry to any future Trans Iowas. Just hit me with an e-mail if this sounds like fun to you.

Details: Today I will be going to meet with my liaison at the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce, Sheryl Parmely, concerning the details of the Pre-Race Meat-Up and film project showing. Hopefully some finalization of these details can be achieved so that I can disseminate the information to all you T.I.V8 freaks out there. 

T.I.V7 (Image by W. Kilburg)

Cue Sheet Reckoning: Looking back at last year, one of the major snafus was the cue sheets. County signage, being what it is, can be terribly confusing. This led to less than stellar results since our cues last year were not double checked against reality.

This year, besides having all the cues drafted far in advance, the cues will actually be double checked by a third party. This will happen this weekend when I will play tag along with the Checking Crew. My role will be to see if any clarifications are necessary and to take notes of any criticisms. By doing this extra step, it is my hope that the cues will reflect with accuracy where and when to turn out there. Of course, road closures and natural disasters are beyond my control, and may indeed affect the outcome of the route, or of the entire event. (I am not overstating the case, as it has happened before.)

Once everything is verified, I will get the cues printed and collated into nice little bundles for the racers. Then, baring the aforementioned natural disasters, the only reason a rider will get off track is due to rider error. And yes- exactly that will happen out there on several occasions. Even with perfectly executed cues, there will still be people getting lost . I can't help that. Remember: You Are Responsible For Yourself. 

T.I.V7 Peanut Butter Roads (Image by Steve Fuller)

 Course Report: Of course, this will all provide the perfect opportunity for a full course report. I will have images and words to go with those next week.

We had a super mild winter, little snow to speak of, and an early spring. Rain has only recently hit us with any significance. I can not say what the weather will be like in 36 days, but we've been consistently warmer and drier for the last six months than normal. For instance, it is already in the 70's and humid here in March. April may reverse this trend, but we'll have to wait and see.

Drop Outs: We haven't had many drops for T.I.V8, and if the trend continues, we'll have a record field this year. However; I understand that things can and do happen to good intentioned folks. Cool. Just let me know by contacting me by e-mail and letting me know you can't line up at T.I.V8.

It makes a big difference to me both in terms of work and money spent. I'd appreciate it a bunch.

Okay, look for any updates here or on the Trans Iowa site soon. For more information on Trans Iowa history and the story behind this event, see the Trans Iowa History site.

T.I.V8: Updates And News

Today I am going to focus the blog on several developments concerning Trans Iowa V8, a mere 36 days away now.

Volunteers: I have a small batch of volunteers that have already asked to help, but I could use a few more. Specifically, I am thinking about the finish line, and also at the beginning of the event. I also could use a few more hands at the first checkpoint.

If anything sounds interesting, let me know. Remember, being a volunteer at T.I.V8 gets you one free entry to any future Trans Iowas. Just hit me with an e-mail if this sounds like fun to you.

Details: Today I will be going to meet with my liaison at the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce, Sheryl Parmely, concerning the details of the Pre-Race Meat-Up and film project showing. Hopefully some finalization of these details can be achieved so that I can disseminate the information to all you T.I.V8 freaks out there. 

T.I.V7 (Image by W. Kilburg)

Cue Sheet Reckoning: Looking back at last year, one of the major snafus was the cue sheets. County signage, being what it is, can be terribly confusing. This led to less than stellar results since our cues last year were not double checked against reality.

This year, besides having all the cues drafted far in advance, the cues will actually be double checked by a third party. This will happen this weekend when I will play tag along with the Checking Crew. My role will be to see if any clarifications are necessary and to take notes of any criticisms. By doing this extra step, it is my hope that the cues will reflect with accuracy where and when to turn out there. Of course, road closures and natural disasters are beyond my control, and may indeed affect the outcome of the route, or of the entire event. (I am not overstating the case, as it has happened before.)

Once everything is verified, I will get the cues printed and collated into nice little bundles for the racers. Then, baring the aforementioned natural disasters, the only reason a rider will get off track is due to rider error. And yes- exactly that will happen out there on several occasions. Even with perfectly executed cues, there will still be people getting lost . I can't help that. Remember: You Are Responsible For Yourself. 

T.I.V7 Peanut Butter Roads (Image by Steve Fuller)

 Course Report: Of course, this will all provide the perfect opportunity for a full course report. I will have images and words to go with those next week.

We had a super mild winter, little snow to speak of, and an early spring. Rain has only recently hit us with any significance. I can not say what the weather will be like in 36 days, but we've been consistently warmer and drier for the last six months than normal. For instance, it is already in the 70's and humid here in March. April may reverse this trend, but we'll have to wait and see.

Drop Outs: We haven't had many drops for T.I.V8, and if the trend continues, we'll have a record field this year. However; I understand that things can and do happen to good intentioned folks. Cool. Just let me know by contacting me by e-mail and letting me know you can't line up at T.I.V8.

It makes a big difference to me both in terms of work and money spent. I'd appreciate it a bunch.

Okay, look for any updates here or on the Trans Iowa site soon. For more information on Trans Iowa history and the story behind this event, see the Trans Iowa History site.

Notes From The Road: Back In The Saddle

East of Las Cruces, NM.

 "The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say." 
J.R.R. Tolkien

That is one of two favorite quotes  I have concerning trips. That is, of course, only a snippet of a much longer piece. You can read all of it here. I like it because it speaks of adventure and the taking of journeys. But there is also another wise saying I love as much, if not more....

White Sands National Monument at Hwy 70

"The best part of a trip is walking through the door at home when it is over."

Mom

Yep, there sure is a certain satisfaction to be walking through that door at home once you've been away for awhile, isn't there? My Mom sure nailed that one, and ever since I heard her say that, I've taken it to heart. The going is great, but having somewhere to come home to is pretty dang sweet too. Maybe it is the best part. 

So, I am back at home now after another marathon 12 hour driving session yesterday and a 11 hour one the day before that. Most of yesterday can be summed up in the following image...

Somewhere in the Flint Hills, Kansas

Wet, dreary, windy, and cold. Once again, it was 30 degrees when we left Southwestern Kansas, and it was 70 degrees when we pulled up to the front of the house back in Iowa.

I opened the door of our vehicle and was immediately embraced by the warm dampness of the air. Wow! Was that a shocker after being in arid climates for over a week, and much cooler temps the past few days. Weird. I had to come North to get that.

At any rate, the scene is sure different here since I left. Glad to be back. Now for a few days of kickin' back and relaxing here in Iowa before I wade back into the full on "regular routine" of shop rat, writer, tester, father, and husband all at the same time.

Oh yeah! And this blog should shape back up into the regular bicycle oriented spew that you regular readers have come to expect outta me. I apologize for the past week plus in the "change of scenery", but that's all over with for awhile.

Thanks for putting up with my non-sense and gallivanting around the countryside. Vacation is over- back to the business at hand......

Notes From The Road: Back In The Saddle

East of Las Cruces, NM.

 "The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say." 
J.R.R. Tolkien

That is one of two favorite quotes  I have concerning trips. That is, of course, only a snippet of a much longer piece. You can read all of it here. I like it because it speaks of adventure and the taking of journeys. But there is also another wise saying I love as much, if not more....

White Sands National Monument at Hwy 70

"The best part of a trip is walking through the door at home when it is over."

Mom

Yep, there sure is a certain satisfaction to be walking through that door at home once you've been away for awhile, isn't there? My Mom sure nailed that one, and ever since I heard her say that, I've taken it to heart. The going is great, but having somewhere to come home to is pretty dang sweet too. Maybe it is the best part. 

So, I am back at home now after another marathon 12 hour driving session yesterday and a 11 hour one the day before that. Most of yesterday can be summed up in the following image...

Somewhere in the Flint Hills, Kansas

Wet, dreary, windy, and cold. Once again, it was 30 degrees when we left Southwestern Kansas, and it was 70 degrees when we pulled up to the front of the house back in Iowa.

I opened the door of our vehicle and was immediately embraced by the warm dampness of the air. Wow! Was that a shocker after being in arid climates for over a week, and much cooler temps the past few days. Weird. I had to come North to get that.

At any rate, the scene is sure different here since I left. Glad to be back. Now for a few days of kickin' back and relaxing here in Iowa before I wade back into the full on "regular routine" of shop rat, writer, tester, father, and husband all at the same time.

Oh yeah! And this blog should shape back up into the regular bicycle oriented spew that you regular readers have come to expect outta me. I apologize for the past week plus in the "change of scenery", but that's all over with for awhile.

Thanks for putting up with my non-sense and gallivanting around the countryside. Vacation is over- back to the business at hand......

Notes From The Road: On The Way Home

Well, not much to say other than that this weather continues to amaze. It snowed in El Paso right after we left, and it was coldest down south. Mostly 30's down there, until we got to Kansas where it was 55 degrees.

Desert view

 Other than that it was a delightfully uneventful first day of travel. The winds I had feared were all at our back. The weather was calm otherwise. Couldn't have been much better for us so far.

Now I'll trade the earth tones, sparse vegetation, and rocks for canopied dirt trails, occasional mud, and bugs. It looks as though I may have to wait to actually ride since it rained back at home yesterday and maybe raining there today as well.

I am looking forward to getting back to normalcy. Not that vacations are a bad thing, mind you. I actually did do a pretty good job of disengaging from the usual while I was gone. Minimal Facebooking, (almost none), and no Twitter, with only my Twenty Nine Inches posting and this blog to keep me on the innerwebs for a week. I'd be doing the blog anyway, so no big deal there.

Now I'll have to see if I can still turn a wrench, or if they'll have me back. More when I get home.....

Notes From The Road: On The Way Home

Well, not much to say other than that this weather continues to amaze. It snowed in El Paso right after we left, and it was coldest down south. Mostly 30's down there, until we got to Kansas where it was 55 degrees.

Desert view

 Other than that it was a delightfully uneventful first day of travel. The winds I had feared were all at our back. The weather was calm otherwise. Couldn't have been much better for us so far.

Now I'll trade the earth tones, sparse vegetation, and rocks for canopied dirt trails, occasional mud, and bugs. It looks as though I may have to wait to actually ride since it rained back at home yesterday and maybe raining there today as well.

I am looking forward to getting back to normalcy. Not that vacations are a bad thing, mind you. I actually did do a pretty good job of disengaging from the usual while I was gone. Minimal Facebooking, (almost none), and no Twitter, with only my Twenty Nine Inches posting and this blog to keep me on the innerwebs for a week. I'd be doing the blog anyway, so no big deal there.

Now I'll have to see if I can still turn a wrench, or if they'll have me back. More when I get home.....

Blowin' On The Wind

Sweet Chevy!

It started in during my St. Paddy's Day ride, (see previous post), and it intensified during the afternoon. Sunday dawned and it got even worse.

The dust in the wind, that is. Winds were kicking up at about 40mph consistently with higher gusts, some reaching 60mph.

Yeah, that'll send the sand from Mexico straight to the New Mexican mountains in a hurry, but first, it has to go straight through El Paso.

I'd been down here once before coming in on the tail end of a dust storm, but this time I got to experience the whole enchilada. I'll say one thing, standing indoors looking out it appears all the world like a snow storm in a different color.

Outdoors is a different story. Of course, it is a lot warmer than a snow storm would be. 60's in fact, and it also is grittier. It gets into your lungs, and your mouth, and, well.......I'm sure you can imagine the rest. 

Wind, dust, destruction....

  The wind is set to die down somewhat today. That's good news, as we are bugging outta here. At least it is a tail wind.

The only worries are the mountain pass and the I-40 approach to Tucumcari, New Mexico. Both spots known for turbulent wind gusts that play havoc with vehicles. We'll be sure to be careful.

It'll be good to be headed back home, but I'll miss riding down here and my relatives, of course, until next time.

I just hope it isn't quite so dusty and windy when we are back again. But, I can not complain. One day of "bad" weather out of a week of what otherwise were picture perfect days is no big deal. Especially when we all got to do what we came here for with no hindrances.

More from the road back tomorrow.

Blowin' On The Wind

Sweet Chevy!

It started in during my St. Paddy's Day ride, (see previous post), and it intensified during the afternoon. Sunday dawned and it got even worse.

The dust in the wind, that is. Winds were kicking up at about 40mph consistently with higher gusts, some reaching 60mph.

Yeah, that'll send the sand from Mexico straight to the New Mexican mountains in a hurry, but first, it has to go straight through El Paso.

I'd been down here once before coming in on the tail end of a dust storm, but this time I got to experience the whole enchilada. I'll say one thing, standing indoors looking out it appears all the world like a snow storm in a different color.

Outdoors is a different story. Of course, it is a lot warmer than a snow storm would be. 60's in fact, and it also is grittier. It gets into your lungs, and your mouth, and, well.......I'm sure you can imagine the rest. 

Wind, dust, destruction....

  The wind is set to die down somewhat today. That's good news, as we are bugging outta here. At least it is a tail wind.

The only worries are the mountain pass and the I-40 approach to Tucumcari, New Mexico. Both spots known for turbulent wind gusts that play havoc with vehicles. We'll be sure to be careful.

It'll be good to be headed back home, but I'll miss riding down here and my relatives, of course, until next time.

I just hope it isn't quite so dusty and windy when we are back again. But, I can not complain. One day of "bad" weather out of a week of what otherwise were picture perfect days is no big deal. Especially when we all got to do what we came here for with no hindrances.

More from the road back tomorrow.

Last Round-up

Chihuahuan desert goodness

I had time for one more ride, and I had a single speed, and I didn't want to walk more than I rode. This presented a problem with the Franklin Mountain State Park's west unit which, as I have often said, is a really tough ride.

I had also been looking at doing some other trails in the El Paso area. This pretty much meant going to the east side of the mountains I usually ride on. The State Park lands actually reach over to this area, and there are some other grounds which riders can go on. I looked up some quick directions on the inner-web-o-sphere and kitted up.

I found the place easily enough and much to my surprise, there was only one spot open in the lot to park in. Cyclists were everywhere. Weird. I never see anyone on the western slopes. What's more, everyone I met was kind and helpful if I needed it. 

A bit friendlier look on this side.

In fact a man in a Toyota truck was nice enough to reinforce my chosen route by describing it for me. He was very encouraging. I hit the trails but I was really nerved up and excited. This typically happens when I ride something for the first time and it sends my heart rate into a tizzy. I had to stop a few times on the initial climb just to try and settle my nerves.

Once I got myself calmed down, it was great. I found the trails to have far less of the chunder and bed rock that the west side has. In fact, the trails were nicely burned in over here. I headed up the Tin Mine Road Trail first and that was a steady climb back towards the mountains ahead. I would be looking for a right hander to take me north and then back eastward to make a loop out of the ride.

Crossroads in the Arroyo

That's not to say this loop was easy. Oh no! There were some deep, gravelly spots, chunky rock sections, and loose rock to negotiate. Of course, any miscues would be paid for in blood and bruises here as well. The landscape is still as unforgiving on the east side as it is on the west side, just more flowy and less technical.

I was liking this style of trail a lot more though, and it suited the single speed to a "T". The Milwaukee Bike 29"er was dialed for this sort of trail system, and the new wheel set consisting of WTB Frequency rims and American Classic hubs was light years better than the other bike's wheel set. Far stiffer and tracking was super predictable. The big surprise was the Bronson TCS tires which gripped like wolverines out there. (Wait a minute! WTB has a tire named Wolverine, right? Oh well....) Anyway, I was expecting the Bronson tires to really be squishy and snap and pop on off cambers with those bendy side knobs, but the grip was outstanding. The pea gravel washes and deeper gravel showed a tendency for the Bronsons to float up on top instead of cutting in, so you had to be ready to "surf" a bit, but it is better than washing out too. That's where all that snow riding came in handy there!

Well, it was a ton of fun but too short lived. I had to get back so my wife and daughter could do some planned shopping time together. Part of vacation with the family, ya know. But I'll be back over on this side again next time I am back for sure.

Okay folks, short and sweet posts are ahead as I will be coming back this coming week and will have a few days in Iowa to kick back and enjoy before going back to the grindstone.

Last Round-up

Chihuahuan desert goodness

I had time for one more ride, and I had a single speed, and I didn't want to walk more than I rode. This presented a problem with the Franklin Mountain State Park's west unit which, as I have often said, is a really tough ride.

I had also been looking at doing some other trails in the El Paso area. This pretty much meant going to the east side of the mountains I usually ride on. The State Park lands actually reach over to this area, and there are some other grounds which riders can go on. I looked up some quick directions on the inner-web-o-sphere and kitted up.

I found the place easily enough and much to my surprise, there was only one spot open in the lot to park in. Cyclists were everywhere. Weird. I never see anyone on the western slopes. What's more, everyone I met was kind and helpful if I needed it. 

A bit friendlier look on this side.

In fact a man in a Toyota truck was nice enough to reinforce my chosen route by describing it for me. He was very encouraging. I hit the trails but I was really nerved up and excited. This typically happens when I ride something for the first time and it sends my heart rate into a tizzy. I had to stop a few times on the initial climb just to try and settle my nerves.

Once I got myself calmed down, it was great. I found the trails to have far less of the chunder and bed rock that the west side has. In fact, the trails were nicely burned in over here. I headed up the Tin Mine Road Trail first and that was a steady climb back towards the mountains ahead. I would be looking for a right hander to take me north and then back eastward to make a loop out of the ride.

Crossroads in the Arroyo

That's not to say this loop was easy. Oh no! There were some deep, gravelly spots, chunky rock sections, and loose rock to negotiate. Of course, any miscues would be paid for in blood and bruises here as well. The landscape is still as unforgiving on the east side as it is on the west side, just more flowy and less technical.

I was liking this style of trail a lot more though, and it suited the single speed to a "T". The Milwaukee Bike 29"er was dialed for this sort of trail system, and the new wheel set consisting of WTB Frequency rims and American Classic hubs was light years better than the other bike's wheel set. Far stiffer and tracking was super predictable. The big surprise was the Bronson TCS tires which gripped like wolverines out there. (Wait a minute! WTB has a tire named Wolverine, right? Oh well....) Anyway, I was expecting the Bronson tires to really be squishy and snap and pop on off cambers with those bendy side knobs, but the grip was outstanding. The pea gravel washes and deeper gravel showed a tendency for the Bronsons to float up on top instead of cutting in, so you had to be ready to "surf" a bit, but it is better than washing out too. That's where all that snow riding came in handy there!

Well, it was a ton of fun but too short lived. I had to get back so my wife and daughter could do some planned shopping time together. Part of vacation with the family, ya know. But I'll be back over on this side again next time I am back for sure.

Okay folks, short and sweet posts are ahead as I will be coming back this coming week and will have a few days in Iowa to kick back and enjoy before going back to the grindstone.

Hardscrabble

What most of the "trail" looks like here.

Okay, first things first- I didn't crash on the rocks. No split open knee, no skin lost today. In other good news: I got to ride in the desert again, and I was outside, in a beautiful area.

But there were a few mitigating factors. One was the wheel set I had on this bike. Oh my! Ya know, if ya can't say anything good about something, you probably shouldn't say anything at all, right? Well, I won't be saying anything about those wheels and they will be replaced as soon as I get home.

That probably says enough right there!

Then the seat post head came loose. This may have been an oversight on my part, but the tricky arrows that need to be aligned, of which there are three, were not all obvious. One, (yes, the hard to notice one), wasn't lined up, so I had an issue. But that is what multi-tools are for. Fixed it trail side with a multi-tool, a needle nosed Vice Grip locking pliers, and a rock. Plenty of rocks out there, I didn't need to carry that in the hydration pack!

And this is what a lot of it looked like too...

 Then I got lost. Yup. It's always a good ride when you get lost, right? Well, I've been on this loop several times and things started not looking right after a few "detours" laid out by someone. Then I got re-directed up a steep ridge side and once on top, I picked up another clearly seen trail leading upward.

Well, that started snaking around this really exposed section that I had no recollection of. Let me tell you- exposure burns some permanent memory in my synapses. If I'd have ridden this before, I'd have totally remembered it, but it had no familiarity to me at all.

So I stopped to reassess. I looked around and saw far above me the familiar brown of the State Park's gate work. I had passed a trail spur, (another thing I had never seen before), a bit back and it appeared that this would lead me right up to that barricade. (If indeed that is what it was.)

And some more of it looked like this...

I wondered if that was the high end of the park, and if so, where was the jeep road leading back to the same area? I couldn't see it at all.

With nothing at all jiving with past memories, and me being on a limited water supply, I figured I'd better see what that barricade/gate was, and get my bearings. Besides that, it was leading me closer to my start than the other way.

I rode a bit, but soon it became apparent that this was too steep to ride, and I hike-a-biked up to the point I had spied out. All was well. It was right at the upper end of the park, but the missing jeep road was still a mystery. Oh well! I had some nice down hill trail to shred back to the car, so I did that instead of solving the mystery.

I know it seems to be  me harping on how tough these trails are, but even I forget, and I was reminded again how difficult this mountain is to ride. The rocks are just brutal. There is zero flow, and you are "rock crawling" for a lot of the first sector, (when you find the first sector!). I got derailed onto stuff I had never ridden before and it was just difficult, slow work. Not that it wasn't fun, but it takes an entirely different mindset to ride those trails, I think. Nothing about riding in the Mid-West really works out here.

But there wasn't much of this!

In the end it was a fun day on the bike, despite the issues, one more of which was a loose head set, by the way. Stopped and fixed that up right quick. But I bring that up to say that if any bike has a weakness, the trails of Franklin Mountain will find them out right quick.

I may get another chance at spending some time out there again before I pack up for home. If so, it'll be a different experience again, as I'll be on the hard tail and single speed at that.

I know one thing, if I lived out here, I would be riding an entirely different mountain bike than what I usually get to bring down here. I still have never brought the "right bike" to this place.

One of these ol' days maybe that will work itself out, but for now I will be satisfied with just getting out there and spending some time in this very unique, hardscrabble area for mountain biking.

Hardscrabble

What most of the "trail" looks like here.

Okay, first things first- I didn't crash on the rocks. No split open knee, no skin lost today. In other good news: I got to ride in the desert again, and I was outside, in a beautiful area.

But there were a few mitigating factors. One was the wheel set I had on this bike. Oh my! Ya know, if ya can't say anything good about something, you probably shouldn't say anything at all, right? Well, I won't be saying anything about those wheels and they will be replaced as soon as I get home.

That probably says enough right there!

Then the seat post head came loose. This may have been an oversight on my part, but the tricky arrows that need to be aligned, of which there are three, were not all obvious. One, (yes, the hard to notice one), wasn't lined up, so I had an issue. But that is what multi-tools are for. Fixed it trail side with a multi-tool, a needle nosed Vice Grip locking pliers, and a rock. Plenty of rocks out there, I didn't need to carry that in the hydration pack!

And this is what a lot of it looked like too...

 Then I got lost. Yup. It's always a good ride when you get lost, right? Well, I've been on this loop several times and things started not looking right after a few "detours" laid out by someone. Then I got re-directed up a steep ridge side and once on top, I picked up another clearly seen trail leading upward.

Well, that started snaking around this really exposed section that I had no recollection of. Let me tell you- exposure burns some permanent memory in my synapses. If I'd have ridden this before, I'd have totally remembered it, but it had no familiarity to me at all.

So I stopped to reassess. I looked around and saw far above me the familiar brown of the State Park's gate work. I had passed a trail spur, (another thing I had never seen before), a bit back and it appeared that this would lead me right up to that barricade. (If indeed that is what it was.)

And some more of it looked like this...

I wondered if that was the high end of the park, and if so, where was the jeep road leading back to the same area? I couldn't see it at all.

With nothing at all jiving with past memories, and me being on a limited water supply, I figured I'd better see what that barricade/gate was, and get my bearings. Besides that, it was leading me closer to my start than the other way.

I rode a bit, but soon it became apparent that this was too steep to ride, and I hike-a-biked up to the point I had spied out. All was well. It was right at the upper end of the park, but the missing jeep road was still a mystery. Oh well! I had some nice down hill trail to shred back to the car, so I did that instead of solving the mystery.

I know it seems to be  me harping on how tough these trails are, but even I forget, and I was reminded again how difficult this mountain is to ride. The rocks are just brutal. There is zero flow, and you are "rock crawling" for a lot of the first sector, (when you find the first sector!). I got derailed onto stuff I had never ridden before and it was just difficult, slow work. Not that it wasn't fun, but it takes an entirely different mindset to ride those trails, I think. Nothing about riding in the Mid-West really works out here.

But there wasn't much of this!

In the end it was a fun day on the bike, despite the issues, one more of which was a loose head set, by the way. Stopped and fixed that up right quick. But I bring that up to say that if any bike has a weakness, the trails of Franklin Mountain will find them out right quick.

I may get another chance at spending some time out there again before I pack up for home. If so, it'll be a different experience again, as I'll be on the hard tail and single speed at that.

I know one thing, if I lived out here, I would be riding an entirely different mountain bike than what I usually get to bring down here. I still have never brought the "right bike" to this place.

One of these ol' days maybe that will work itself out, but for now I will be satisfied with just getting out there and spending some time in this very unique, hardscrabble area for mountain biking.

Gear Heads

2X, 29"er gearing

Gearing: Ask a single speeder what gearing is best, and it might spark some mild debate, but ask a 29"er freak about gearing and you may be in for a long rant on the disparity between gearing for 26"ers and 29"ers. I found out about that from a recent post we put up on Twenty Nine Inches recently, (seen here).

The thing is, what is 29"er gearing? I don't have any clue, since the comments I read are all over the place as to what folks think that is. Some want super low gearing. Some want triple crank sets for the widest range of gearing, and still others are saying a 1X set up is all they will ever need.

What about me? Well, I never have liked the front dérailleur. I will say that Shimano's and SRAM's latest have gone a long way in impressing me though. I also will say that a lot of what I ride can be done on a 2X set up hear on my local trails. That doesn't mean I think it is perfect at all.

Probably the coolest set up I have ridden is the new DynaSys 10 speed. The thing that makes it work is not what you would expect at all though. Shimano actually identified something I wish was focused on more than it is, or seems to be.

Road riders have identified an advantage in close ratio cassettes, and actually, that's been the case for that discipline for a long time now. However; in the case of mountain bikes, it wasn't possible to have a close ratio and a wide range of gearing with only 15 speeds, so jumps between gearing were big. This persisted throughout the modern mountain bike's development up until recently.

Shimano realized that tightening up the jumps between cogs meant less loss of momentum and less rider fatigue due to a lower cadence when shifting to higher gears and a cadence that was too fast when switching to lower gears. They fine tuned DynaSys to help eliminate this, and to my mind that was the major selling point to me for the new 10 speed group.

I found there was less shifting between cogs up front, and when you did, you only had to readjust one, maybe two clicks in the rear to accommodate your cadence. I found the tighter ratios in the middle of the rear cassette to be gold for me on longer, grinding climbs when you could find a gear that was "just right".

Is DynaSys my perfect set up then? No, it is not, but to my mind the way Shimano is thinking about mountain bike gearing is making sense to me more and more. I just wish that Shimano would give the riders that low, low gear some are wanting, but Shimano has never really been about low, low gears either. I don't expect to see a change there.

Maybe an "ala carte" system similar to Surly's "Mr. Whirly" cranks, but without the weirdness that crank set has would be the ticket. Then make a cassette with user customizable ratios and we'd have everyone covered. But whatever the "perfect 29"er gearing" is, I'm sure it won't be available anytime soon. That is something you can take to the bank!

Gear Heads

2X, 29"er gearing

Gearing: Ask a single speeder what gearing is best, and it might spark some mild debate, but ask a 29"er freak about gearing and you may be in for a long rant on the disparity between gearing for 26"ers and 29"ers. I found out about that from a recent post we put up on Twenty Nine Inches recently, (seen here).

The thing is, what is 29"er gearing? I don't have any clue, since the comments I read are all over the place as to what folks think that is. Some want super low gearing. Some want triple crank sets for the widest range of gearing, and still others are saying a 1X set up is all they will ever need.

What about me? Well, I never have liked the front dérailleur. I will say that Shimano's and SRAM's latest have gone a long way in impressing me though. I also will say that a lot of what I ride can be done on a 2X set up hear on my local trails. That doesn't mean I think it is perfect at all.

Probably the coolest set up I have ridden is the new DynaSys 10 speed. The thing that makes it work is not what you would expect at all though. Shimano actually identified something I wish was focused on more than it is, or seems to be.

Road riders have identified an advantage in close ratio cassettes, and actually, that's been the case for that discipline for a long time now. However; in the case of mountain bikes, it wasn't possible to have a close ratio and a wide range of gearing with only 15 speeds, so jumps between gearing were big. This persisted throughout the modern mountain bike's development up until recently.

Shimano realized that tightening up the jumps between cogs meant less loss of momentum and less rider fatigue due to a lower cadence when shifting to higher gears and a cadence that was too fast when switching to lower gears. They fine tuned DynaSys to help eliminate this, and to my mind that was the major selling point to me for the new 10 speed group.

I found there was less shifting between cogs up front, and when you did, you only had to readjust one, maybe two clicks in the rear to accommodate your cadence. I found the tighter ratios in the middle of the rear cassette to be gold for me on longer, grinding climbs when you could find a gear that was "just right".

Is DynaSys my perfect set up then? No, it is not, but to my mind the way Shimano is thinking about mountain bike gearing is making sense to me more and more. I just wish that Shimano would give the riders that low, low gear some are wanting, but Shimano has never really been about low, low gears either. I don't expect to see a change there.

Maybe an "ala carte" system similar to Surly's "Mr. Whirly" cranks, but without the weirdness that crank set has would be the ticket. Then make a cassette with user customizable ratios and we'd have everyone covered. But whatever the "perfect 29"er gearing" is, I'm sure it won't be available anytime soon. That is something you can take to the bank!

Images From The Road

Here are some images I took of the trip down here. Not much to say so far since, well........I am on vacation! Deep thoughts and ramblings about bicycles can wait. Here are the pics so far, I hope you enjoy these.

Once again, I will forewarn you that all these were taken with a cheesy point and shoot while Mrs. Guitar Ted was driving at a high rate of speed. No apologies. These are the ones I like out of the ones I took.

Lonely Grain Elevator

We had driven almost all day in a fine rain, and at about the 11th hour in the car, the sun started breaking through, which lent a surreal look to the landscape of Western Kansas.

The Lonely Tree

As I stated, the Great Plains doesn't feature much in the way of "vertical", so when you see a tree, or a grain elevator, they really stand out. Both are featured in this photo.

Silhouettes

I try to imagine living out here and riding bicycles. I have to admit that I would find myself missing the rolling hills of Iowa, but this vast horizon is really impressive. Soul crushing comes to mind. This image is probably my favorite of day one.

U.P. Railroad Bridge over the Cimmaron River

I've been trying to get a good image of this Union Pacific bridge over the Cimmaron River for years. This past Sunday I got it. I'll not ever take another stab at this. I really was happy with getting the sunlight of the fading day how I did.

Mountain View South of Corona, NM

It was a perfect day Monday for taking images, unlike most of Sunday. I don't think I've ever gotten such a clean, unadulterated view of the mountains here. By the way, these images are straight outta the camera. No processing whatsoever.

Mountain view north of Carrizozo, NM

 The two days of travel couldn't be more polar opposite. Great Plains vastness and flatness on Day One, then the majesty of the mountains and the loneliness of the Southwest on Day Two. Towns are few and far between out here. There are few crossroads. You really get a much more remote feeling out this way, but it is getting more sanitized by the year.

When Mrs. Guitar Ted and I first trekked down HWY 54, it was all two lane. Much like Route 66, only more remote, more unknown, more adventurous. But now even way out here they are putting in more and more 4 lane highway. Not a big deal to some, but it isn't like it was. I'm glad I got to experience it that way first, the more rustic, vegetation right up to the edge of the road, no shoulders way it used to be.

More to come......

Images From The Road

Here are some images I took of the trip down here. Not much to say so far since, well........I am on vacation! Deep thoughts and ramblings about bicycles can wait. Here are the pics so far, I hope you enjoy these.

Once again, I will forewarn you that all these were taken with a cheesy point and shoot while Mrs. Guitar Ted was driving at a high rate of speed. No apologies. These are the ones I like out of the ones I took.

Lonely Grain Elevator

We had driven almost all day in a fine rain, and at about the 11th hour in the car, the sun started breaking through, which lent a surreal look to the landscape of Western Kansas.

The Lonely Tree

As I stated, the Great Plains doesn't feature much in the way of "vertical", so when you see a tree, or a grain elevator, they really stand out. Both are featured in this photo.

Silhouettes

I try to imagine living out here and riding bicycles. I have to admit that I would find myself missing the rolling hills of Iowa, but this vast horizon is really impressive. Soul crushing comes to mind. This image is probably my favorite of day one.

U.P. Railroad Bridge over the Cimmaron River

I've been trying to get a good image of this Union Pacific bridge over the Cimmaron River for years. This past Sunday I got it. I'll not ever take another stab at this. I really was happy with getting the sunlight of the fading day how I did.

Mountain View South of Corona, NM

It was a perfect day Monday for taking images, unlike most of Sunday. I don't think I've ever gotten such a clean, unadulterated view of the mountains here. By the way, these images are straight outta the camera. No processing whatsoever.

Mountain view north of Carrizozo, NM

 The two days of travel couldn't be more polar opposite. Great Plains vastness and flatness on Day One, then the majesty of the mountains and the loneliness of the Southwest on Day Two. Towns are few and far between out here. There are few crossroads. You really get a much more remote feeling out this way, but it is getting more sanitized by the year.

When Mrs. Guitar Ted and I first trekked down HWY 54, it was all two lane. Much like Route 66, only more remote, more unknown, more adventurous. But now even way out here they are putting in more and more 4 lane highway. Not a big deal to some, but it isn't like it was. I'm glad I got to experience it that way first, the more rustic, vegetation right up to the edge of the road, no shoulders way it used to be.

More to come......

Notes From The Road: Part II

Just a few rocks and pointy things round here...

Marathon driving wasn't something I wanted to aspire to as a kid, but somehow I got roped into it. Early on in my life, I was the guy that drove the Buick with the 16 foot aluminum boat stacked to the gills with gear 250-300 miles up north every year, then drove said boat all over for a week, and then helped pack it up and drove back every year for over a decade.

Then I met my wife, who being from El Paso, Texas, wanted to have me meet her parents. That entailed my first and only straight through 1350 mile drive in 24 hours. A near death experience I didn't ever want to reapeat.

Of course, we've done several more of those trips since, using two days. Then let's not forget all the Trans Iowa recon miles and events which have been done in the past eight years as well. Plus some other zany multi-hour road trips.

So, like it or not, I have honed some chops as a driver. One thing that never changes though is how exhausted and brain drained I am afterward. Yeah, I made it down and my brain is cooked. So this is the post people.

Bikes have been downloaded and riding should happen soon. I do have a disappointing note for "mw" though, as I had to bring two rigs for TNI testing, so the fat bike stayed home. I know! I am disappointed too, but this chance to do some serious tough testing can not be passed up. The terrain here is tortuous on bike parts and bikes.

Okay, that's all I can muster for this post. More soon.....

Notes From The Road: Part II

Just a few rocks and pointy things round here...

Marathon driving wasn't something I wanted to aspire to as a kid, but somehow I got roped into it. Early on in my life, I was the guy that drove the Buick with the 16 foot aluminum boat stacked to the gills with gear 250-300 miles up north every year, then drove said boat all over for a week, and then helped pack it up and drove back every year for over a decade.

Then I met my wife, who being from El Paso, Texas, wanted to have me meet her parents. That entailed my first and only straight through 1350 mile drive in 24 hours. A near death experience I didn't ever want to reapeat.

Of course, we've done several more of those trips since, using two days. Then let's not forget all the Trans Iowa recon miles and events which have been done in the past eight years as well. Plus some other zany multi-hour road trips.

So, like it or not, I have honed some chops as a driver. One thing that never changes though is how exhausted and brain drained I am afterward. Yeah, I made it down and my brain is cooked. So this is the post people.

Bikes have been downloaded and riding should happen soon. I do have a disappointing note for "mw" though, as I had to bring two rigs for TNI testing, so the fat bike stayed home. I know! I am disappointed too, but this chance to do some serious tough testing can not be passed up. The terrain here is tortuous on bike parts and bikes.

Okay, that's all I can muster for this post. More soon.....

Notes From The Road

Sunset On The Great Plains

The road trip has begun and today, as you read this, I will be somewhere off the grid in the Southwestern U.S.

It's all part of my somewhat annual trip to El Paso, Texas to see my wife's parents, brother, and sister. Along with that I slide in a couple of rides in the Franklin Mountains.

But there is a lot of windshield time in between the homestead and El Paso. The numbers stack up like this, on average...

Mileage: 1375m
Time driving 22-24 hours. Split between two days.

I know a lot of folks would just hate the thought of driving across Kansas, but you should try it sometime. Especially timing it so you get to the western side at nightfall. The sunsets are always spectacular out that way. Big, wide open territory. I don't mind a bit to drive through, but what I can not imagine is what it must be like to live out here on the Plains. The unbroken horizon, the flattish terrain, and near lack of anything vertical besides the few trees and the ever present grain elevators that pop up about every ten miles.

Hopefully today will be the polar opposite experience: Mountains. Yes, the terrain gets pretty spectacular where I am going today.

More from the road tomorrow......

Notes From The Road

Sunset On The Great Plains

The road trip has begun and today, as you read this, I will be somewhere off the grid in the Southwestern U.S.

It's all part of my somewhat annual trip to El Paso, Texas to see my wife's parents, brother, and sister. Along with that I slide in a couple of rides in the Franklin Mountains.

But there is a lot of windshield time in between the homestead and El Paso. The numbers stack up like this, on average...

Mileage: 1375m
Time driving 22-24 hours. Split between two days.

I know a lot of folks would just hate the thought of driving across Kansas, but you should try it sometime. Especially timing it so you get to the western side at nightfall. The sunsets are always spectacular out that way. Big, wide open territory. I don't mind a bit to drive through, but what I can not imagine is what it must be like to live out here on the Plains. The unbroken horizon, the flattish terrain, and near lack of anything vertical besides the few trees and the ever present grain elevators that pop up about every ten miles.

Hopefully today will be the polar opposite experience: Mountains. Yes, the terrain gets pretty spectacular where I am going today.

More from the road tomorrow......