I have learned to be tricky enough to seem good

Monday was a welcomed day off dedicated to the pursuit of happiness via the bicycle. The morning of which I blew by fussing with bikes and deciding I wanted to ride this bike (only it has the wrong tires) or that bike (only it has the creaky ______) or the other bike (only it is set up townie style and I'd have to remove flat pedals and fenders and replace the tires) or the bike by the window (only there is nothing wrong with it, but it feels like it would be slow today)...on and on.

So I settled on the fixed Crosscheck, which has been my go to bike for several months now. Unable to leave well enough alone I figured I'd put a more aggressive rear tire on since the semislick/bald rear has been slipping badly on the slidey downhills in the pine duff. Then I figured I'd swap the front also, else the ride would be compromised. So the swap entailed flat larger diameter tubes and patches and leaky patches. Finally, I got both tires to hold air, then I bagged up some easter eggs and got out the door.

Up and over to the Good Stuff at the crack of 11am.

There were tire/chainstay rubbing issues right away. When the hill kicked up, on the drive side downward pedal stroke there was a distinct brrrrrrp; steady as my cadence. I let some air out of the 45mm knobby. I rode some fun trails and continued to head out towards Fort Ord, as I'd originally planned when first envisioning this ride.

I noticed my back was cold and my left calf was experiencing intermittent trickles of... beer?! Yes. Apparently, 5 is the maximum # of canned beers you should carry offroad in a gimme musette. Because I had 6 in there, and 1 sprung a leak. So I shotgunned that beer, then I rode some sweet singletracks.



I stopped to hide some eggs in the usual spot.



I examined my clearance. It was marginally more than is evident in this photo. But only marginally. I said to myself, "F___ it, I am gonna run it." I'd have had to pull the wheel further back in the dropouts for it to really clear (and it will, I've run these tires on this bike before) but I did not have the spare link(s) to make that happen, and the opposite side is a freewheel while I was commited to riding it fixed. So, run what you brung it is.

I decided to crack one of those eggs right then.




I noticed I had 2 ticks crawling up my leg. They are fast! So I crushed them between rocks, because I have no love for a parasite. Parasites get no love from me. Then I freaked out, because I found another tick on my other leg and I had to peel back layers and really examine myself but good. Lyme's Disease blows, and it is in the ticks around here.



I got ready to ride some more, and I decided to bring some eggs along to stash in a different spot. Because you never can tell.



As I was letting things hang out a little, the front tire went suddenly flat in the G-out of a swale. It was thrilling to continue pedaling (fixed) towards a downed log as my tire pitched from one side of the rim to the other like a drunken albatross. I decided to fix that flat right there.


I hung the bike in a handy Monterey Pine, and did flat fixing things with my pump and patch kit. CO2 cartidges are for assholes.


By this time I had really blown my window wide open. I junked the Fort Ord plans in favor of heading a different way you have never been. It is a Fun Way, but no one is stashing beer on it, and that is an unfortunate circumstance I could remedy.




I stopped for lunch and a beer stash here,



on this log. It was a Quality Stop.

I rode very fast and loose downhill on shady singletrack, and then for a while on the road to get home.