Hard Tail Adjustments

Limited miles & still adapting

No major component changes yet. Swapped the saddle for an ugly white "Race-Lite" that fits the old sits-bones a little better. Pushed the saddle up and back a bit more, while adding the top-tube bag. Up until today, the front shock has been completely locked out. I don't really care for the dynamic adjustment, not to mention the mass it adds to the front of the rig. I'll run it for a while yet. The front 30-tooth ring is definitely too small, whereas I can't see needing that low end ratio with that ridiculous big gear on the back. Add to that, it spins out at about 35.8 MPH as it sits. Going to a 32-tooth ring up front will give it better speed on the down hill and in road-groups. I've yet to push it up into the big gear, and second from the top simply because I wanted to see how it feels. Definitely changing that ratio sooner rather than later. The bars are too wide for cross country as well. They are the same width as my bigger full sus, which it fine for that beast. I think I'll take as much as 100 mm off the bars and drop the stack by one disk. Still running "roll-overs" with flats & pins on one side and Egg-Beaters on the other. Tire pressure is gonna take a little time on some serious dirt to figure out. A work in progress.

Another Bike for the Collection?

I've never had much desire for a "fat-bike", but through a series of misadventures, I now have one of those novelties to deal with. A business owed me a stack of money and was in the process of going into receivership. The owner offered the bike and some other stuff.. that made me nervous. In the end, I was "small fry" compared to the other people he owed money and would likely get nothing in the end. So... along with a reasonable tailgate-hanger, I now have an RSD 1X, complete with dropper, front sus and mitten inserts. It's kind of like having an old Volkswagen Super Beatle; not something you'd use on a regular basis - but who knows. What was I thinking....... At least I don't have to feed it and scoop up its poop!

 

Snow at the top of the canyon...still

After not having the opportunity to ride most of the previous week, it seemed like a "good idea" to incorporate a jaunt up the Avon/Liberty divide road. I used to do this stretch alone, in the evening, but today I went over there after a solid ninety-minutes of climbing and flats. Lets just say it resulted in some early suffering. At that, the road had snow about 3/4 the way up. I made it to a snow patch at the top of the canyon, which is where one may expect snow. Getting past that wouldn't be too much of a problem, other than the 900 feet of mud that follows. It looks harmless, but you only have to do it once to realize the consequences of peanut-butter mud. I think I did it once with one of my sons about 15-years ago, only to spend several hours servicing bikes - both on the trail and at home later. Give it another week. On the way down, I passed a chick on an E-Bike coming up from the gate. What's the point? UGH.....

People that make a sunny day a little brighter

I unexpectedly ran into a dear friend from not too many years ago (who's counting). It is certainly amazing - the brightness that some people can bring into your day. That encounter had me thinking about a trip to the Unita's, College days and a couple classic concerts. But that's not what makes people shine . It has to do with being a true friend - through the thickest of thick and darkest of days. Moreso, I really had to stop and assess why some people are just like that naturally. I think in this case, it is absolutely a genetic trait. Her mother.......an absolute angel. Her brother......rock solid and another life long friend to this very day. Perhaps it has always been my admiration of the example she's been to me. Diligent like nobody else I know. Putting herself through college in a very demanding program. On to be a balanced professional, wife and mother..........yes, those people do exist. Perhaps that all adds to the brilliance and light. You are nothing short of AWESOME girl. It was great to have run into you again. A solid friend forever.........

Losing another great

We lost Dickey Betts this last week - the perfect guitar foil to Duane Allman. Thy are all gone now; Duane, Berry, Greg, Butch... At one time they were refereed to as the "House Band" at the East (Filmore East). Their all-nighters were things of legend, regularly playing until the light of day. I know everyone either picks "Travel'n man", or "Jessica" as the essential Dickey, but without Duane, there was no essential Dickey. Shit-kickers and cowboy hat, Dickey was a legend!

Click here for "One way out" Fillmore East 1971

Pulling for Reed - Ride HARD!

Making it Real

 Being Nostalgic.....for many reasons

It's not really in my interest to write a wholesale training blog, nor to replicate what so many are doing on their YouTube channels. Often, I write only for myself. Somewhere along the way, I found that recitation (in the form of writing) allows me personally to explore the depths of my inner-being. Writing, unlike anything else, forces one to layout a conscious thought, examine and finally relate it to an audience. I do a fair amount of technical writing in my line of work, in which knowing your audience is critical. When writing in the BLOG, quite often I may be writing as if a specific individual alone will read the message. Way too often, I think I am my own audience and find myself waxing nostalgic, as though I'm need to heal my own soul.

Returning to the scene of the crime

This past week seemed to have delt several cards that did cause time for inner reflection. One evening in particular found myself visiting a place I had before during the summer of '77.  I thought about the bus ride that seemed to go on for days, the campground we stopped at and particularly the bus driver that tolerated the load of vermin that we all were. Everything and I do mean everything has changed - not surprisingly, given the more than four decades that have passed. Still, I had to stop and really think about what and who had actually changed. One of the main characters of that trip has been long since gone, while his wife coincidently passed just this week. As is so often the case, I had to stop and really think about why remembering such things may even be worth the brain power to do so. And then it hits me, like it always seem to do - as many things around us change, what about us changes and why do we let it happen? As usual, it always comes down to the things that have shaped us throughout our life's little journey. At some point we do have to let go of the past, but too often it is at the expense of losing track of who we really are. You know - our true selves. As I stood there and looked over that quiet mountain valley, my heart ached to know only then what I didn't know now. That old familiar theme from '80. Ah, but the growth that came with all that heartache. The miles traveled, along with the scar tissue. Hard lessons make for strong constitutions and more difficult lessons as we go along. So you ask, where is this all going? Great question. I'm not really sure myself - other than to say, it has been a truly remarkable ride so far.

Taking them as they come

A couple really nice days to ride this week, allowing some substantial time on the road with the hardtail. Yesterday was 60°+ yesterday, with some pretty consistent south winds pushing me back home. At 07:00 this morning it was 47°. With the prevailing south winds, it is always an indicator of a major change. Probably about noon, the temps dropped like a rock - and winter was back in North Fork. With more than a foot still on the level up this way, the trails won't be ridable for probably more than two more months. There will be some service roads in the upper valley, as well as the stuff on the other side of the mountain. Until then, two - three hour grinds on the hardtail will give me more than I can handle. The general conditions of the roads are less than ideal for getting out the road bike, but then again, I don't need time on the Six13. The hardtail is getting all the love for the foreseeable future. At that, riding on only "good days" will certainly have it limitations. I'll have to keep riding through the worst of the weather and conditions - without getting too stupid. But not being stupid does take a little courage at times. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy......

A correction and abridgement from 2018

I believe it was Thanksgiving morning, 2018. I had attempted to take a ride just after first light, and had to bail as there was too much ice - everywhere. It was there I felt the overwhelming sense of those late nights listening to "Stereo-X". This is before anybody had ever heard of "indie-labels", rather FM radio was just getting some serious traction in a few local markets. Everything from deep tracks, to full length album cuts were the norm. Hardly any commercials and a pre-taped channel announcement in a deep, almost mono-tone voice; "This is KCPX 99 FM, Stereo-X". There are a lot of people that say they remember it, but I doubt nearly as many really listened. Hardly anyone can remember that when it was first released, Queens "We are the Champions/We Will Rock you" was actually played sequentially in reverse order from how it is always heard today. This was due to the two tracks being released on opposing sides of a single and played either alone, or eventually together. Stereo-X played it with a fade -in/out in that reverse order. But that was the magic of FM in the day. And at night, often times the magic took on a whole new level of mystery and depth. And there it was, one late night when I heard for the first time, the entire version of "All by myself". In 2018, I incorrectly mentioned " a little Chopin", when as a matter of fact, it is Rachmaninoff (2 piano concerto). Pretty much everyone knows this from the top 40 channels, or perhaps AM band radio, but they only heard the edited version. Listen to this thing with good headphones, in the absolute quiet of the evening and in the near dark. I dunno, maybe it was just something in that moment, but I will never forget those nights so long ago, that seem like they were only last week. I can still remember of hearing the entire string arrangement for the first time, interlude and the power of the melody. Sure, its a bit nostalgic. But then again, we were ripe for so many of those moments.

I had heard that when his dog had died not too many years ago, Eric Carmen sat down at his piano in his home, with only he and his wife - played this song. Do this one the right way..........

Click here for "All by myself" Eric Carmen

Pulling for Reed - Ride HARD