Transition

Definitely the best time of year.

With the road season officially over (like it really ever started), everything now is dirt. There is a lot competing for time at the moment, and there is no sign of that changing anytime soon. With the sparse time riding, it's time to make some adjustments and begin working toward next spring. Starting with pedals, it seemed like a good idea to go back to my SPDs. Riding the same trail I've been doing all year, it should have been just a little adjustment, considering I rode with SPDs for twenty years before switching. Lets just say it was not at all enjoyable - rather frustrating. Perhaps I need to try Mallets with some cleat shims. I also swapped out the XR3 tires with a set of Conti "Der Kaiser Projekt 2.4". Comparing these to the Bontrager XR3 2.4, they are more like a 2.5+, and very grippy. One of the tech reviews said "...they hookup like a college kid on Tinder". Boy, was that spot on. The larger profile does handle the rocks and roots very well, but the stability on the way down was noticeable - very comfortable. Getting them on the wheels was a challenge, but the beads popped right in to place at only 40 PSI. Running them at 23 PSI, felt more like about 18 PSI, as they are supple. We'll see how well the sidewalls hold up with the rocks and roots.

Therapy

The plan last night was to get home early enough for a tire swap, brake service and fast trail ride. Another intentional "accident" had me stuck on a mountain side with a rescue for more than two hours. Getting out of there, I had to drive all the way around to Ogden canyon, as I was parked below the "incident" and couldn't get past them. Rather than wait, I just wanted to get out of there, but it was far too late for any riding. Just being around that crap is draining - mentally depleting. Getting out tonight was well needed therapy. About half way through the top switch backs, one of the high school teams rolled up from behind. Spread out for a solid ten minutes, it really threw a wrench into the works. Then some jack-wagon had his dog up there, and it followed the school kids to the top. When I came around, it followed me up to the overlook, and then all the way back to Cutler. That stupid mutt was getting under my wheels in some of the faster sweeping turns, making it hard to get away from him. So much for therapy tonight. Two nights ago it was another high school team that plugged up the trails. All that aside, it still beats dealing with most other stuff on a daily basis.

Seasons

This year is perhaps three weeks early on the fall colors. The trails are already seeing a ton of leaf cover, as the season seems to have peaked. The rain we had last Saturday was swallowed up by the very dry conditions. The trail was dusty Sunday night, to the point you'd never know it had rained hard only twenty-four hours earlier. There have been a lot of late season riders this year. Only two years ago, you could go out anytime after Labor Day and never see anyone on the trails. It is busier now in the evenings than it has been all year. A lot of trail hikers this year, simply enjoying the colors, while more and more down-hill riders hitting it hard. Autumn still is my favorite time of year - always has been. Getting to do this right out of my garage is something I hope to never take for granted.