Mohican During the Week

To celebrate Ryan's spring break I took the afternoon off work and we headed to Mohican for a lap.  The weather was very agreeable, around 50 and sunny.  I expected good trail conditions based on recent weather.

We were greeted by a new kiosk sign with map

in the main MTB parking lot.  It looks nice.

Let's just say my Paragon has been neglected of late, mostly due to the Karate Monkey getting all the attention.  I dropped my chain twice in the first several miles before using a chunk of wood to smack my inner chain guide into proper position.  Ryan said, "Wow, I'm suprised to see you beating on your bike."  At least it worked, no more chain drops.

Maybe a couple miles later I realized I'd ridden the first three or four miles with my fork locked out.  Nice.  All I can say is my previous Mohican ride was on the rigid Monkey and, by comparison, my locked out fork felt plusher as it does have some compliance when locked.

Headin' up.

We enjoyed pretty much perfect trail conditions with only the occasional grease spot.  Ryan put his new front tire to good use and was ripping up the trail.  All was good until we reached the covered bridge and expected to do some climbing.  "Trail Closed."  The sign said something about forest clearing for a gas pipeline installation.  So we resigned ourselves to the road which was also a good climb, but less entertaining.

Thankful it's just temporary.

We stopped for some food at the second trailhead.  I had made some rice cakes with egg and bacon in them, so we gave them a try.  Pretty good, I'd make them again.

Victim, i mean recipient, of my cooking.

The next couple miles were okay but somewhere around mile 22 I stood to pedal up a rise and was shut down with cramps in both my quads.  Perfect, first the bike then me.  I was reduced to spinning cadence for the remainder of the trail, but still enjoyed the ride.

The last incident of the day was a mud splash Ryan took to the eye in the last quarter mile of trail.  One removed and subsequently lost contact later, we were on our way back home satisfied with our spring break ride.  It didn't feel like Tuesday on the drive home... I wonder if tomorrow will feel like Monday at work?  Whoo-hoo, short week!

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.

Gravel Grinding and Climbing

"It's going to be warmer soon." This is what I kept telling myself as my fingers throbbed from the cold.  It was 26 degrees when Ryan and I left the main trailhead at Mohican.  Instead of being on singletrack we were headed out for some fun, gravel road climbing.  The warm up I was looking forward to would also bring sloppy conditions on the trails, so we opted for the gravel roads.

Quick shot of wild turkeys.

Fortunately there was a good hill in the first several miles of the ride.  This helped me to begin warming up but it was some time later before I was finally comfortable.  We road a clockwise loop to the east of SR3 and the Mohican park.

Frozen puddle.

The skies were a brilliant blue and we expected to be out for 3 to 4 hours.  We stopped as needed to eat, knowing the bigger hills were coming.

Yielding while stopped for food.

Eating while yielding.

We turned south and enjoyed some fast, downhill gravel roads.  They sure are more fun to speed down on fat tired mountain bikes.  This was our first road ride on mountain bikes, the gravel made it fun and not too much of a slog on the slower bikes.  Actually, a cyclocross bike may be the best weapon for this route.

Turning west we hit a good gravel climb.  It was not terribly long but gained elevation pretty quickly.  A short distance later we hit the climb on Valley Stream Road, west off Wally Road.  Oh yeah, she's a good one.  I think I did a track stand or two in the middle of this mile long climb.

That's me climbing.

And that's Ryan on Valley Stream Road.

After Valley Stream Road it seemed like we were just a short roll from where we started.  Yeah... after several more hills.  Ouch.  We slogged back to the car, loaded up, and headed for home.  It was long time on the back with some rewarding views and, hopefully, strength building hills.

This is what my legs felt like at the end of the ride.

Rolling Nowhere

Sunday afternoon arrived and I thought about going for a quick ride around the block.  I looked out the back window and it looked decent enough, the thermometer stuck to the window displayed "39".  I thought for a minute about where I might go as I ate a pre-ride apple.

Five minutes later I did a double take out the same back window that was convincing me to ride; a flurry of wind blown snowflakes was in progress.  Okay... I guess I'll head to the basement.  I watched the final hour of the 2010 Leadville 100 video from aboard the rollers.

Levi won the Leadville while I won the

battle of motivation and rode indoors.

Riding Home via Moreland

This morning I drove to work with my bike and gear in the car.  I spent the rest of the day thinking about what route I would ride home.  Thinking about the setting sun and good vantage points I decided I would ride home via Moreland Hill.

I changed clothes in my car after work and jumped on the bike.  The sunset was setting up nicely with partially cloudy skies.  As I rode south I began to wonder if the sun on my right would set before I made it to the hill.  Thankfully I arrived in time to see a rather dramatic sunset.

Nice view and ride home from here,

watching the sun drop out of view ahead.

Church then Ride

After making plans with Ryan last night I packed my bike and gear for church.  We had a non-typical Sunday service with a number of people sharing their stories of faith, God's presence in their lives, and baptisms.  It was a very meaningful service to see people expressing their relationship with God.

Sunday morning bike.

We had some Chipotle for lunch before heading to Ryan's in-laws' house.  From there we rode west to the Overton Valley.  We climbed Pleasant Home Road out of the valley, dropped back into the valley and climbed Jentes coming back east.  We enjoyed clear, blue skies the whole way.

Turning east.

Ellen Likes Ergon

Picked up a pair of Ergon grips at the shop on a lunchtime trip today.  I will use them on the Karate Monkey, hopefully giving a little more surface area to distribute the solid front end.  Maybe, just maybe the KM will make it out to a trail if the weather and schedule cooperates.  Though it has been fun chasing Daniel around the basement on it.

Ellen displays handlebar technique.

More Swamp Pics

A few more pictures from last night's ride...

First pic of the ride on the way out.

Light at the ready, prepared for sunset.

Watching the sunset.

 Sun down view from Hoy Road.

Gravel Swamp Ride

The forecast for the week changed and suddenly today, Monday, was the only day calling for sun.  In the middle of the afternoon I thought about getting out for an afternoon ride and realized I had not made the most of the cross tires much this winter.  Gravel... I need to find some gravel...

Heading down Valley Rd.

I mapped out a ride through the Shreve swamps on the gravel roads.  It was not a long route but was entertaining.  It was 38 degrees as I drove home.  I dressed for post-sunset freezing temperatures and headed out in the sunshine.

It looks like it's been there a while, but I do not

remember seeing this oil pump in previous swamp rides.

The air was crisp and the light was soft as I pedaled over gravel and dirt.  It was quiet in the swamps, with the exception of some kids in a jacked up truck.  The sun was setting when I found a "pond" I didn't know existed.  The setting sun and reflections on the stagnant water was a picture waiting to happen.

Darkness coming.

I climbed up Clarke and got my lungs and legs burning before looping back through Moreland to once again cross the gravel on Valley Road.  It was a bumpier ride through the dirt potholes on Valley coming back than going out.  The dips and bumps were more difficult to see in the dark, even with the headlight powered on.  My tinted sunglass lenses were not helping.

Passing by Moreland Fruit Farm on the way home.

It was another nice ride past sunset.  The temperature sure drops fast when the sun goes down.  I look forward to the next one.

Back on Campus

Ten years later I made it back to campus.  Noah and I went to represent the company at a career fair.  We arrived the night before and had some time to walk around campus in the dark.  After the career fair the next day, where we met some solid students, we had another walk including a visit to the ol' engineering building.

Found some bikes in the dark.

 

 The meeting and proposing place for KT and I.

It was nice to see the campus and meetup with some of the faculty again.  I realized how much I under-appreciated the courtesy, cleanliness, and professionalism of Northern when I was a student.  The efforts of the faculty and staff really showed in the students we met, plus the students are a notch above your typical college student.

I remember an engineering professor who rode to work

everyday.  I'm 99% certain this is his new ride.  Nice!

At some point in our visit we drove down Main Street to find the houses me and the guys lived in our last two years.  Well, we must have been hard on them...

The former location of 911 & 915 S. Main.  Lots of fun

was had where these empty lots now stand.

Black Ops Library Roll

Pump it up.

"I feel like we are getting ready for a mission" Ryan said as we layered on clothes, prepped our gear, and buckled helmets.  I aired up the front tire on my cross bike and we switched our headlights on.  It was probably 7pm when we pedaled away from our cars in the dark.

Gettin' ready to roll.

Knowing our weekend schedules would not allow a ride together we made plans to meetup for a Friday night ride.  I wanted to experience some different terrain than I've been riding around my place, so I proposed riding from Ryan's house.  As we discussed our plan we stumbled upon the idea of riding a portion of the Fredericksburg Library Roll, an annual benefit ride co-sponsored by our cycling club.

The map was printed on green paper which was pretty

easy to see in the dark when held near our head lights.

The Library Roll is known for some good hills.  They were not any easier in the dark and it was ambitious for this time of year.  We made it down to Charm and stopped for some food and drink.  It was about 40 degrees when we began the ride and we were staying pretty comfortable.  After the stop I was feeling a bit cold but the climb out of Charm fixed that problem.

Ryan jousting.  (Slow sync flash mode.)

From Charm to Millersburg was a collection of climbs that one after another put a beat down on my legs.  At one point Ryan and I were nearly laughing at the faintly lit sight in the distance of more hills.  We enjoyed a long, fast downhill that left me smiling but chilled.  Ryan said it felt like a mountain descent and it did.

We conquered the last hills of the ride on the way into Millersburg and stopped at the rail-trail depot.  I gave KT a call to let her know we were still alive.  "Do you realize it's 9:30?  Are you even having fun?"  Oh yes, time flies when you're riding in the dark, trying to stay warm, and having fun.

 I stopped at a gas station for a coffee and walked

out with peppered beef jerky too.  Frosty roof.

The flat ride on the trail-trail back to our cars was cold.  The temperature was certainly lower here than it had been anywhere else on the ride.  We promptly started our cars to get the heat going and the thermometer in the car showed 33.  There was frost on the roofs of our vehicles.  We agreed on the epic quality of the ride and parted ways.  It was a good one.

58 and the wind was my friend

It was 58 degrees when I promptly left work to get home and jump on my cross bike.  Not too bad for the final January day of 2012.  For the first time in several rides I paid attention to the wind direction and ended up doing it right; I ate the gusts on the way out  but enjoyed a tail wind on the way back.

 I tried racing my shadow on the way out.

We won.

 Setting sun, headlight at the ready.

 A favorite gravel road of mine, only

ridden once the cross tires come out.

Sunset over the Funk bottoms.

Photo Intervals?

Headed out for a ride on snow free but wet and dirty roads, perfect for those cross tires I installed yesterday.  It was 42 degrees when I left the house under sunny skies.  I rode out to one of my favorite areas, west of Shreve.

Sunny skies on the way out.

The deer also like one of my favorite areas.

I rode for almost two hours and enjoyed every minute.  Well, I was getting some headwind towards the end and my legs were getting buttery but it was all part of the fun.  I made a handful of stops for pictures.  Maybe it's a new kind of interval technique, ride hard until the next photo stop?

There's a tree on the roof, let's move out.

The sun was getting sparse on the way back.

Tire Change

I guess it's that time of year, time to change from road tires to cross tires on the cross bike.  I've had good luck the last couple years running cross tires in the winter.  They have been tolerant of of the cinders and salt on the road, with no flats yet.  It's definitely later than normal to make the switch, but the roads have not been cinder strewn until now.

My winter riding recipe: cross bike, fenders, & cross tires.

 

 Meanwhile Daniel was asking,

"Do you have winter tires for my bike?"

2012 Karate Monkey Build

In September last year two thoughts came together.  First, I read a MTB Action article about singlspeed mountain biking and began to think it might be fun to have a second mountain bike.  Second, I realized the corporate health and wellness reward from my employer would be credited to me in the coming weeks.  About this time I began shopping for bike parts.

Three months later my Surly Karate Monkey is complete!

I've only had it out on one shakedown ride so far.  My first observation was the quick handling of the bike.  This is likely due to the 2.5" shorter wheelbase compared to my Paragon.  The Monkey turns on a dime.

It's going to be interesting to see how the single speed and rigid front end work for me on the trail.  The 2.4" Maxxis Ardent up front will hopefully add enough squish to keep me from cracking.  I look forward to spending some time on this bike!

Snow Tires Activate

When we bought the Mazda3 back in June I also bought a set of snow tires mounted on steelies.  As fall passed by and the calendar said winter was here, I was not sure when to put the snow tires on.  I decided to wait until the first real snow so I could see how the car handled with the regular tires and then how it would handle with the snow tires.

 Salty car, snow tires stacked and ready to go.

Our first real snow was Friday.  The car did okay but I definitely had to be cautious while accelerating not to break the tires free, same with braking.  So today, Daniel helped me put on the snow tires.

Daniel really did help, spinning the

lug nuts off after I broke them free. 

Daniel was very interested in this job.  He helped move the four way and jack from wheel to wheel, helped me roll the tires around, and kept calling the lug nuts "walnuts".  Oh well, I knew what he meant.

Job done.  I kind of like the looks

of the blacked out wheels.