Friday, June 27, 2003
Took a short spin around the neighborhood late last night in the dark. Mainly to see how my hand was feeling. I can comfortably rest my palm on the bars, but pulling the front brakes is still out of the question. So theoretically I could do a climb, but descending would be no fun at all. Send me some good bone-healing karma please!
Monday, June 23, 2003
Deals at Performance Bike
Got this in an email from Jay and thought that the massive online readership of NorCal Bikers might wish to get 20% of parts and stuff they buy at Performance Bicycle!
Performance Bike
Use Coupon Code # 47126736 when checking out.
On another note, the package of goodies from Nashbar arrived today and I must say that I'm looking forward to trying out the Biolink saddle, it looks comfortable as all get out and the thought of a cooling breeze on my package sounds just marvelous!
The Masher pedals might go on the Szazbo or they might go on the cruiser, not sure yet. But before I go off roading with those suckers on I am going to definitely have to have some shin guards as these things'll go right to the bone.
And it looks like my rear brake issues are behind me now as I've got the roller in and will install it this evening. It should tuck the rear V-Brake cable in against the frame again (the Szazbo was designed when cantilevers were still the dominant style). And the new XT V-Brake looks beautiful and should work very nicely!
Still waiting on the Marz Bomber fork replacement but should hear something before the week's out.
And Therapy's getting a new rear tire soon so I'll be back out and banging the hills again soon!
Performance Bike
Use Coupon Code # 47126736 when checking out.
On another note, the package of goodies from Nashbar arrived today and I must say that I'm looking forward to trying out the Biolink saddle, it looks comfortable as all get out and the thought of a cooling breeze on my package sounds just marvelous!
The Masher pedals might go on the Szazbo or they might go on the cruiser, not sure yet. But before I go off roading with those suckers on I am going to definitely have to have some shin guards as these things'll go right to the bone.
And it looks like my rear brake issues are behind me now as I've got the roller in and will install it this evening. It should tuck the rear V-Brake cable in against the frame again (the Szazbo was designed when cantilevers were still the dominant style). And the new XT V-Brake looks beautiful and should work very nicely!
Still waiting on the Marz Bomber fork replacement but should hear something before the week's out.
And Therapy's getting a new rear tire soon so I'll be back out and banging the hills again soon!
Friday, June 20, 2003
One Good Getoff
I thought I was all done with good falls after the wipeout on the cruiser that left my elbow open for a few weeks.
But I guess not.
Today being Friday there was a less than impressive turnout for work and I was the last to leave at 2. Instead of going for a nice pedal along West Cliff to check out the hot chickies in the sun, I headed up to Dela for another quick ride.
On the way, I ran into one of my buddies who was just coming down from the hill. He elected to join me for another run up and down the trails, maybe hitting another loop or two on the bottom.
We had a good climb up the trail with each of us goosing the other some to ride it fast. He's on a gorgeous Bullit as well, finished out beautifully and really is an elegant and cool looking bike. I should post the pic of it soon.
Anyway, we stopped at the rock waterfall partly because we had to but also because I wanted to look at it some more and discuss it with Greg. He showed me his favorite way down which worked pretty well in theory.
We rode up, topped out at Number 27 on the disc golf course, Top of the World. And yes, it was a pretty and clear day with great visibility all the way across the beach side of the city. A nice spot to contemplate life.
But we turned around and dropped in, all's well until the waterfall. We passed a pal of Greg's and then Greg went through the waterfall. I tried to follow him and nearly made it but there's a root at the bottom that twisted the wheel and set me up and over the bars.
And down the hill.
With the Szazbo bouncing and tumbling behind me and on me.
I slid and rolled down the hill about thirty feet or so and came to a rest with my bike laying on top of me. Greg's pal was standing at the top of the rock waterfall and had seen the entire thing.
I did a quick check to make sure nothing was broken or impaled or otherwise making it a bad idea to move. But I was alright. No immediate heavy damage at all which was nice.
And then I noticed my arm was oozing pretty well but not badly enough to concern me. The rest of me was alright so I grabbed my fake waterbottle and put it back in the holder and started to climb back up from down the hill.
A few things, the Power Grip straps worked perfectly, I launched out of them without any problem. I was also happy to be wearing a new helmet as it was dirty from impact. And I wish I'd brought my elbow armor today because it might have helped prevent the one good injury from the whole thing, the arm.
I must have skewered it on something while tumbling down the hill because its a good little puncture. Makes grabbing things tightly a little hard but otherwise it should be alright. The other funny one is that I've got pedal bites in the middle of my back. And minor abrasions all over.
Funny thing about it is that I'm kind of happy about it. I'm glad I tried it, glad I didn't make it and glad that I didn't get really fucked up in the process. And next time I'll do it again and again until I get it right. And I cleaned the final climb out of the lower speeder run again which was cool. That's twice in a row.
But I guess not.
Today being Friday there was a less than impressive turnout for work and I was the last to leave at 2. Instead of going for a nice pedal along West Cliff to check out the hot chickies in the sun, I headed up to Dela for another quick ride.
On the way, I ran into one of my buddies who was just coming down from the hill. He elected to join me for another run up and down the trails, maybe hitting another loop or two on the bottom.
We had a good climb up the trail with each of us goosing the other some to ride it fast. He's on a gorgeous Bullit as well, finished out beautifully and really is an elegant and cool looking bike. I should post the pic of it soon.
Anyway, we stopped at the rock waterfall partly because we had to but also because I wanted to look at it some more and discuss it with Greg. He showed me his favorite way down which worked pretty well in theory.
We rode up, topped out at Number 27 on the disc golf course, Top of the World. And yes, it was a pretty and clear day with great visibility all the way across the beach side of the city. A nice spot to contemplate life.
But we turned around and dropped in, all's well until the waterfall. We passed a pal of Greg's and then Greg went through the waterfall. I tried to follow him and nearly made it but there's a root at the bottom that twisted the wheel and set me up and over the bars.
And down the hill.
With the Szazbo bouncing and tumbling behind me and on me.
I slid and rolled down the hill about thirty feet or so and came to a rest with my bike laying on top of me. Greg's pal was standing at the top of the rock waterfall and had seen the entire thing.
I did a quick check to make sure nothing was broken or impaled or otherwise making it a bad idea to move. But I was alright. No immediate heavy damage at all which was nice.
And then I noticed my arm was oozing pretty well but not badly enough to concern me. The rest of me was alright so I grabbed my fake waterbottle and put it back in the holder and started to climb back up from down the hill.
A few things, the Power Grip straps worked perfectly, I launched out of them without any problem. I was also happy to be wearing a new helmet as it was dirty from impact. And I wish I'd brought my elbow armor today because it might have helped prevent the one good injury from the whole thing, the arm.
I must have skewered it on something while tumbling down the hill because its a good little puncture. Makes grabbing things tightly a little hard but otherwise it should be alright. The other funny one is that I've got pedal bites in the middle of my back. And minor abrasions all over.
Funny thing about it is that I'm kind of happy about it. I'm glad I tried it, glad I didn't make it and glad that I didn't get really fucked up in the process. And next time I'll do it again and again until I get it right. And I cleaned the final climb out of the lower speeder run again which was cool. That's twice in a row.
Wednesday, June 18, 2003
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Out of Commission...
In a nutshell, I wrecked on my DH bike Saturday, broken left pinky finger. Read more about it over at Headangle.
In a nutshell, I wrecked on my DH bike Saturday, broken left pinky finger. Read more about it over at Headangle.
Monday, June 16, 2003
Test Ride: Delaveaga Park with the SixSixOnes and No Power Straps
Isn't there some adage about not changing more than one thing at a time so that you can more accurately guage the effectiveness of the change?
Well that wasn't going to happen because I neither had the time or the energy to try both changes seperately.
For anyone who's ever been riding with me, not using the Power Straps is a very big thing for me. I've been addicted to them for years for a few very simple reasons. They're easy, they're light and I can use any shoes I want to (within reason as a large profile shoe means you're pedaling on your toes and risking ever more gouges out of your shins). But as I'm starting to air out the Szazbo a bit more, I want to be able to bail alot faster and easier than before.
And that's a lesson I learned from my cruiser and bashing my elbow open because of the straps. But that's another story for later or next time.
The SixSixOne's are the arm armor that Jay sent down to me a week or two ago. I can't understand how these were too big for you Jay, maybe they were too tight. I don't know. They fit me well and I felt like bashing into trees as I passed them. It turns out that I didn't really need them this time around but they felt good and I like having the extra protection. If they were thinner and less obstrusive then I'd wear them around town to protect the elbow still.
Anyway, the ride was good and the Szazbo, for all its yesteryear tech, really does roll beautifully. A few tweaks to take care of and a some major ones to upgrade. I figure I'll lose about a pound and a half to two pounds when I switch out the over beefed front fork for a Marz Bomber which will also mean I'm pulling that much less up when I want to spring over things.
Climbing is pretty good on this bike, especially for a full suspension bike, and Delaveaga is all about some tough climbing sections (note, I still laugh at that link because its called Delaveaga Prak not Park and there's the one guy who thinks its all a hoax ride). There's no lock out on the rear shock but that's okay because there's no bounce to it at all thanks to John Castellano's design. Not sure if you believe me? Check out MTBR's Szazbo Reviews for some more thoughts.
I climbed up to the rock waterfall section of the trail, the one place that continues to halt me in my tracks most every time. Its a tough spot on the trail, Jay will attest to this I think.
Basically its a foot and a half to three feet of craggy rock drop off on to a narrow band of trail with a good dropoff to the right, some eight or ninety feet into bushes, small trees and rocks. Not much fun to think about duffing it down into there.
I've ridden it a few times before but never the way I want to. Its my achille's heel on the ride and it does, sometimes, drive me nuts. But after a few tries and no successes again aside from one funked out one that's just too hard to explain. I headed up to the top of the trail to try a few other dropoffs and climbs.
And it was about then that I started to think about how nice it will be with the front end of the bike lightened up a lot. It'll mean that I can launch off things far easier without having the front drop almost immediately.
The one thing this bike can do is descend like a frigging rocket. I'm amazed at how quickly it gets up to speed and can traverse roots and rocky nastiness. There are several parts of the descent that are pure speed on singletrack and the bike just opened up and rolled, almost silent except for the meaty Velociraptor tires (heavy but damn they hold a line).
A couple of nice little jumps on the upper part of the trail, one bigger log jump that nearly brained me last time (can you picture riding an endo for about eight feet after my back wheel kicked up on the lip?). Lots of speed and blurs. Oh yeah, I got to impress a hot chick and her boyfriend on the log jump but wish my feet were clipped in. I think I'm going back to the Power Straps.
And the best part was the ending. An almost BMX like section of trail that has a big curved whoop de do in it before hitting the final ascent to the old road. Jay should also attest to this one, the end is a tough little climb through roots, sand and rocks. I've never been able to top out on it until this last ride. I hit it with speed, blazed up through the roots and powered straight onto the road before I'd known it.
So I've still got the main nut of the ride to crack but it was a wicked ride nonetheless and I like the extra security of the elbow guards but don't think I like the instability of the non-Power Strapped pedals. Maybe I'll get some big flats that I can have the straps on one side and be able to jump with the other side?
Changes for the bike in the works now:
- the rear V-brake needs to get a roller in place of the aluminum guide tube, the bike wasn't designed for V-brake's originally so the routing is slightly abnormal
- front fork, putting that sucker on a major diet
- front brakes, Hayes or Avid disc
- shifters, brake levers, grips and stem
- seat
- rear shock, this will be a tough one as I'm not sure this will be easy to do but I've got a possible in over at Fox so it may be easier than I think
- drive train eventually, it can be lightened up and made to shift more cleanly but its a ways down on the list for now
- tires, something lighter should work just as well, no?
- wheels, would like to get a standard set, something stronger and lighter
- anything I'm forgetting?
All in all it was a really good ride. Worked up a serious lather in the heat of the day. Fried up my legs pretty well and forgot about all the crap going on in my life for a little while. Next up will be a trip to the old BMX park to try out some dropoffs with the lighter front end!
Well that wasn't going to happen because I neither had the time or the energy to try both changes seperately.
For anyone who's ever been riding with me, not using the Power Straps is a very big thing for me. I've been addicted to them for years for a few very simple reasons. They're easy, they're light and I can use any shoes I want to (within reason as a large profile shoe means you're pedaling on your toes and risking ever more gouges out of your shins). But as I'm starting to air out the Szazbo a bit more, I want to be able to bail alot faster and easier than before.
And that's a lesson I learned from my cruiser and bashing my elbow open because of the straps. But that's another story for later or next time.
The SixSixOne's are the arm armor that Jay sent down to me a week or two ago. I can't understand how these were too big for you Jay, maybe they were too tight. I don't know. They fit me well and I felt like bashing into trees as I passed them. It turns out that I didn't really need them this time around but they felt good and I like having the extra protection. If they were thinner and less obstrusive then I'd wear them around town to protect the elbow still.
Anyway, the ride was good and the Szazbo, for all its yesteryear tech, really does roll beautifully. A few tweaks to take care of and a some major ones to upgrade. I figure I'll lose about a pound and a half to two pounds when I switch out the over beefed front fork for a Marz Bomber which will also mean I'm pulling that much less up when I want to spring over things.
Climbing is pretty good on this bike, especially for a full suspension bike, and Delaveaga is all about some tough climbing sections (note, I still laugh at that link because its called Delaveaga Prak not Park and there's the one guy who thinks its all a hoax ride). There's no lock out on the rear shock but that's okay because there's no bounce to it at all thanks to John Castellano's design. Not sure if you believe me? Check out MTBR's Szazbo Reviews for some more thoughts.
I climbed up to the rock waterfall section of the trail, the one place that continues to halt me in my tracks most every time. Its a tough spot on the trail, Jay will attest to this I think.
Basically its a foot and a half to three feet of craggy rock drop off on to a narrow band of trail with a good dropoff to the right, some eight or ninety feet into bushes, small trees and rocks. Not much fun to think about duffing it down into there.
I've ridden it a few times before but never the way I want to. Its my achille's heel on the ride and it does, sometimes, drive me nuts. But after a few tries and no successes again aside from one funked out one that's just too hard to explain. I headed up to the top of the trail to try a few other dropoffs and climbs.
And it was about then that I started to think about how nice it will be with the front end of the bike lightened up a lot. It'll mean that I can launch off things far easier without having the front drop almost immediately.
The one thing this bike can do is descend like a frigging rocket. I'm amazed at how quickly it gets up to speed and can traverse roots and rocky nastiness. There are several parts of the descent that are pure speed on singletrack and the bike just opened up and rolled, almost silent except for the meaty Velociraptor tires (heavy but damn they hold a line).
A couple of nice little jumps on the upper part of the trail, one bigger log jump that nearly brained me last time (can you picture riding an endo for about eight feet after my back wheel kicked up on the lip?). Lots of speed and blurs. Oh yeah, I got to impress a hot chick and her boyfriend on the log jump but wish my feet were clipped in. I think I'm going back to the Power Straps.
And the best part was the ending. An almost BMX like section of trail that has a big curved whoop de do in it before hitting the final ascent to the old road. Jay should also attest to this one, the end is a tough little climb through roots, sand and rocks. I've never been able to top out on it until this last ride. I hit it with speed, blazed up through the roots and powered straight onto the road before I'd known it.
So I've still got the main nut of the ride to crack but it was a wicked ride nonetheless and I like the extra security of the elbow guards but don't think I like the instability of the non-Power Strapped pedals. Maybe I'll get some big flats that I can have the straps on one side and be able to jump with the other side?
Changes for the bike in the works now:
- the rear V-brake needs to get a roller in place of the aluminum guide tube, the bike wasn't designed for V-brake's originally so the routing is slightly abnormal
- front fork, putting that sucker on a major diet
- front brakes, Hayes or Avid disc
- shifters, brake levers, grips and stem
- seat
- rear shock, this will be a tough one as I'm not sure this will be easy to do but I've got a possible in over at Fox so it may be easier than I think
- drive train eventually, it can be lightened up and made to shift more cleanly but its a ways down on the list for now
- tires, something lighter should work just as well, no?
- wheels, would like to get a standard set, something stronger and lighter
- anything I'm forgetting?
All in all it was a really good ride. Worked up a serious lather in the heat of the day. Fried up my legs pretty well and forgot about all the crap going on in my life for a little while. Next up will be a trip to the old BMX park to try out some dropoffs with the lighter front end!
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
Did a quick solo ride up in Auburn last night. I rode Clementine/Culvert/Confluence/Tinker. It's amazing how fast you can ride when you're alone. Not that I don't like riding with my buddies, that's the best! Sometimes it's just good to head out on your own. The weather was great, I think it was 72 down at the Conflunce parking area. Very comfortable! Hopefully the weather/air quality will be like that every Tuesday, but I seriously doubt it...
Wednesday, June 04, 2003
No Ride News but at least I come Bearing Pictures of Cool Bikes
I've not been out riding in ages it seems and I can't ride this weekend as we're going camping instead.
But I can and will post pictures as I come across them (and I saw a decent Ibis this afternoon out in front of the post office too!).
This pic below is of my friend, Rhett's Santa Cruz. I can't remember if its a Bullet or VPP but I think its a VPP. And he would be bummed if I didn't point out the Fifth Element Progressive Shock in the back. Warning, this file is over a meg so download at your own speed. Rhett's Santa Cruz.
And I'll get out and get some rides in soon. Maybe tomorrow after work even. But that'll mean that the drizzly morning rain will have to stop. But at least our air's not becoming toxic!
That's just plain crazy!
But I can and will post pictures as I come across them (and I saw a decent Ibis this afternoon out in front of the post office too!).
This pic below is of my friend, Rhett's Santa Cruz. I can't remember if its a Bullet or VPP but I think its a VPP. And he would be bummed if I didn't point out the Fifth Element Progressive Shock in the back. Warning, this file is over a meg so download at your own speed. Rhett's Santa Cruz.
And I'll get out and get some rides in soon. Maybe tomorrow after work even. But that'll mean that the drizzly morning rain will have to stop. But at least our air's not becoming toxic!
That's just plain crazy!
Monday, June 02, 2003
The Heat is On!!!
Chris, Joe & I rode Auburn on Saturday morning. We were off to Grizzly again when Joe's rear hub/freewheel decided to get really sticky. We spent a bit of time trying to fix it, but without cone wrenches and being mauled by skeeters it was not really happening. Luckily he was able to complete the ride, albeit with a bit more friction than he really wanted! There was some sort of triathalon going on and we were cheering a few riders as they climbed up Clementine. We took the new connector trail at the top of Clementine to the Foresthill Divide. We didn't go all the way though. We bailed out where Clementine Rd. meets Foresthill Rd. From there it's easy to drop down into the Moto Park. Chris did a sweet job on the super steep technical climbs! I made it further than last time, but not quite all the way. The ride out to Grizzly was fun. Some great berms & corners that once you get to know can be ripped pretty fast! Then there are those places you forgot about and nearly eat it bad! Yikes. Grizzly was fun as usual. Seemed shorter this time. Perhaps because I knew what to expect, but still fun! We played around on some of the rocks & logs at the moto parking lot, then climbed up to Conflunce. This sucks. Climbing on hot asphalt is no fun at all. By the time we started the Conflunce descent I was feeling a bit worked and started making some mistakes. So I slowed it down and took it easy. You don't really want to make any big mistakes on this high speed trail. If you do, you could find yourself tumbling down a cliff into the icy cold American River. If you're not felling the flow, just back off & take it easy! Chris had a go at the smaller of the two jumps over a small ravine. He cleared it easily!!! Good stuff. Probably no after work rides this week. The weather is supposed to reach triple digits most of the week. The air quality is starting to suck really bad too! Looking forward to some rides in the higher elevations for sure!
Chris, Joe & I rode Auburn on Saturday morning. We were off to Grizzly again when Joe's rear hub/freewheel decided to get really sticky. We spent a bit of time trying to fix it, but without cone wrenches and being mauled by skeeters it was not really happening. Luckily he was able to complete the ride, albeit with a bit more friction than he really wanted! There was some sort of triathalon going on and we were cheering a few riders as they climbed up Clementine. We took the new connector trail at the top of Clementine to the Foresthill Divide. We didn't go all the way though. We bailed out where Clementine Rd. meets Foresthill Rd. From there it's easy to drop down into the Moto Park. Chris did a sweet job on the super steep technical climbs! I made it further than last time, but not quite all the way. The ride out to Grizzly was fun. Some great berms & corners that once you get to know can be ripped pretty fast! Then there are those places you forgot about and nearly eat it bad! Yikes. Grizzly was fun as usual. Seemed shorter this time. Perhaps because I knew what to expect, but still fun! We played around on some of the rocks & logs at the moto parking lot, then climbed up to Conflunce. This sucks. Climbing on hot asphalt is no fun at all. By the time we started the Conflunce descent I was feeling a bit worked and started making some mistakes. So I slowed it down and took it easy. You don't really want to make any big mistakes on this high speed trail. If you do, you could find yourself tumbling down a cliff into the icy cold American River. If you're not felling the flow, just back off & take it easy! Chris had a go at the smaller of the two jumps over a small ravine. He cleared it easily!!! Good stuff. Probably no after work rides this week. The weather is supposed to reach triple digits most of the week. The air quality is starting to suck really bad too! Looking forward to some rides in the higher elevations for sure!
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