Daniel at the Knob!

I took Daniel out to the Knob for the first time!  We had lots of fun riding near the pavillion. At first I wondered if he would be getting out of control, but Daniel did a very good job keep his speed in check.  He did some corners really well too.  Of course there was some bike pushing and walking at times.  He kept at it and didn't get worn out too fast.  Lots of fun for Daniel... and daddy too.

 Daniel did a great job on the trails!

 Having fun, looking serious.

 It was fun seeing my little buddy out on the trail.

 Our bikes.

 KT and Ellen came out later on and took some pics.

Daniel did not follow me over the log.

Cradle Construction with DNL

Since riding at the Knob last Saturday, Ryan and I met up for a Wednesday night Knob ride as well.  What a difference four days made, the mud was gone and it was nearly dusty.  I went out and rode some laps of the new opening section before Ryan arrived and I bumped into Dustin of 331.  He said a work day was scheduled for Sunday to work on the Cradle.

I decided a little construction project in the woods would be great fun for Daniel.  He was also eager for an adventure.  We hiked out to the Cradle with gloves and shovel in hand.

A stripped off cradle.

We jumped in on the work and began stripping off the old planks.  It didn't take long with several guys working together.  The next task was to reinforce the beams or stretchers that run the length of the bridge.

Re-decking underway.  Jason, Dennis, John, and Ray

sizing up the new stretchers.

Daniel and I got to business setting and nailing new deck planks.  Daniel helped hand the planks over after Jason cut them, and I nailed them down.  Daniel was also my nail supply man.

Six nails per plank, about 52 planks...

we did a lot of nailing!

Unfortunately we ran out of decking before making it to the other side.  The hard work is done with the stretchers, now it's just smacking some more nails to finish it off once more decking is available.  Of course hiking the deck boards out to the Cradle is the other effort required.

Part way across.

Daniel and I hit Subway on the way home as we had worked up a hunger.  It was a fun time out in the woods.  Daniel brought quite a bit of Knob dirt home with him from exploring the creek and hill sides.  It will be easier to throw him in the bath tub than a mountain bike!

Agent P joined us for lunch.

Maiden Monkey Voyage

It was long overdue, but I finally had the Karate Monkey out on a proper ride.  And... this is one zippy chimp!

It loves to corner, fast.

By the time I reached the "mile 1" marker at Mohican I had already made up my mind; this is going to be a very fun bike.  The next 15 miles confirmed my thoughts.  The Karate Monkey is a cornering machine, I was surprised at how easily it was to make the bike turn.  On several corners I entered on my usual line only to fall into the corner much sooner.  I'd say the short wheelbase makes a big difference.  The Maxxis Ardent tires played into the cornering confidence of the bike as they hooked up very well.

The wood peckers have been doing trail work.

Next thought is the single speed setup; I like it.  I'm going to thank my gym work the past several months as I didn't feel too burdened with just one gear on the uphills.  I look forward to building more leg and core strength on the Monkey.  What I've been told is true, there may be more grunting and grinding on uphills but there's also plenty of time to carry momentum and roll without pedaling.  It will be fun to play this game more.

Back to the car just before rain.

Last, but not least, is the rigid front end.  I was sort of surprised for the first handful of miles at not feeling too beat up.  Choice of a smooth line was rewarded, as was weight shifting and soaking up bumps, roots, etc.  I soon learned the downhills would deliver a beat down.  With no compliance up front and faster speed, bumpy downhill sections were rough but tolerable.  I need to play some more with tire pressure and probably get serious about going tubeless on this bike.

It was a fun first ride on the Karate Monkey at Mohican.  There's a lot more to come to get to know this bike.

Out of the rain, in the car, having a post ride snack.

Daylight Leak

Made it out to the knob after work for a ride.  I had hoped to be riding by 4:30, knowing sunset was at 6:22 tonight.  It was after 5:00 by the time I unloaded my bike and was ready to roll.  Oh well, maybe just one lap.  Plus, I was not sure how I'd be feeling with the incessant cough still hanging on.

This was the sun status as I drove the dirt road

to the Knob about 5pm.  It was gettin' down.

It was warm, I think the car display said 63 when I pulled in.  Shorts and short sleeves were just right.  The course was in good shape too.  They added some pallets in the typical puddles of Mazeville and they seem to be making a difference.

After finishing the first lap the sun was getting low, but I figured a partial second lap was in order.  At the first opportunity to short cut back I kept riding.  At the second opportunity, top of the Furnace, I could see my car and knew the sun was nearly done for the day.  Too much fun, I kept riding.

It was 6:35 when I made it back to the car after lap number two.  The sun had set but there was plenty of light remaining.  Good times.