no talking to the New Kid

Sitting here with a budding saddle sore, and my swellbow on ice, I am a fine figure of a man. The saddle sore feels like a shiny walnut dead in the middle of my right ass cheek. For what it's worth, the swellbow is on the right too. It's all right with me. But really, I feel great! It's funny, but these 2 local issues aside (and how glad I am that me swellbow can be relegated to a local issue...knock wood) I am filled with the quiet storm of heartiness. Why, just this very minute I feel so good I could let slip a ass whooping from hell on any uthaucka cares to ride a flat barred bicycle on twisty, moderately technical singletrack with lots of rollers and open areas for recovery.

You know, unless that person were a 120lb girl riding a singlespeed up and down relatively technical twisty singletrack in the dark.

There might be that.

I took a test bike from a company known for their big red S (branded even on your sleep, it's so prevalent- geez.) up some climby redwooded fire roads and down some grippy trails. I didn't like it. Rhymes with jumpstumper. The narrow saddle was very grippy- it kept ahold of my knickers (and I mean that in the 'merican way) and forced this saddle sore issue...to a head. Sorry.
The seat post was slipping on the way up. I also could not find a sweet spot to sit "in" the bike. Played with seat position,and height to little avail. I didn't like the bar- it felt like I was fighting it to hold my hands at the angle they require. I think a longer stem would help. The auto sag was cool. It climbed well, and in the long fire road sections I felt good about opening it up and giving it some stick, but the tight stuff- not so much. To be fair, I should put a longer stem on it and try it again (just getting used to the different balance points and the action of suspension bikes takes a little time), but you know how some bikes just have you grinning from the start? This one didn't.

So. Looking forward to getting that Pugsley...

Carbon road bikes have been whispering their slutty come hithers to me as well. Is it so wrong to want to ride the shit out of some potentially dangerous robot bike and then sell it every year to a square/rube/lawyer so I could (maybe) get another year's flawless porno ride from a throw away blow-up doll of a machine?

It's wrong, huh? I know it. I cannot condone a bike that requires a _ucking sticker to protect the downtube from "impacts" (like, uh, gravel?) in order to not crack and shear.
But. They ride so nice. Brief, but niiiice.

Whatever. That is back seat to the call of the fatbike, and this is all academic for now.

it's like an exercise machine, only a lot more fun

I lik to drink and smoke when I feel I should.



I lik to ride bikes when the riding looks good.



Act like you know.


Given the auto assist by Mr. S_____, it was rigid fixed dirt all day. Given the givens, it was beers at the stops.

Q: How many bushes hold easter eggs in the Ord?
A: Many.


That one's been in there a while.





Whoa. For so many reasons.






The bees have moved on. Pigeons are moving in?


Riding home in the dark.

Again. Who could ask for more?

Give Thanks!

...I remember what my bike looks like all covered in muck. Cold, wet, covered in Glory.

Stoke em if you got em. Alternately, get it while you can. A.K.A. "if you got it, flaunt it".

Thank ___! Health, Family and happiness.

In between stolen cookies and watching babies and riding bikes and drinking beers...it does come to the forefront of consciousness that when moments are perfect, they are perfect.

When I was a boy, I spent hours reading stories of oddities in the abridged Reader's Digest in various forms...I am reminded of the True Story regarding the sinner (I believe he may have been a railroad man) who sold his soul to the Devil for a stopwatch which could freeze Time. It seemed like too good a deal to be true; and the Devil was willing to make it on account of everybody always waited for conditions to be perfect to punch the clock, and of course nothing is ever as Good as it could be, so they ended up dying waiting on that perfect day and owing their soul when they did. Well, this railroad man ended up being no different as he waited for his pregnant wife to give birth, and then for the child to grow to the perfect stage, and then...he did die and did not stop Time because it would be an eternity of suffering the agony of a heart attack athwart the train tracks. The Devil came to take his soul as he boarded the train to Hell with all of the other losers.Here, versions differ as to whether or not he allowed Old Nick to leap from the train before he froze Time and spent eternity aboard that gambling, rollicking train of drunks and Goodtimers.

Point being, when is it any better or worse? Live it up, people, with an eye to partying again in the future. This is it.

how do you want to handle this?

Put on your headphones, and turn it up:



I feel for our brethren and sistren in the colder areas, but early winter on the Wiziiziest (wiz-eye-iz-eye-est) Coast is mmmmmmmild.
So.
Well.
Suck It, I guess.

After all this yakking about the familiar loops and the boredom, and the possibilities along other vectors, and the other...


Hypothetically speaking, would you ride it?

Would you ride it?

Speaking hypothetically.







Where the bobcats chillax, and from which there may or may not be fantastical possibilities for further backcountry pussyfooting.









Would you ride it?

there's more

Here's more.



This is really game changing. Our world will be different because of this.

if you stay ready, you don't gotta get ready

I been biding my time, using my mind and my imagination, with little bitty rides. Taking the boy to school (he rides 95% of the time), getting to work or the beer store (separate for now). The local loop has it's variations and iterations and repetitions...

None of this is inspiring me to stop and pull out my phone/camera and take super rad photos to accompany words about the same rides or sections of rides you've seen here day in and out. Days when I'm prevented from riding or getting some outside flow are days when I am most innerested in getting some vicariously via the monitor- so we all feel the same itch, I know.

Imagine a shadowy (dubious, questionable) figure gliding by the edges of your scene. Add some grit. The sand is beginning to pack up in the Ord very nicely. Is it getting slick where you are? Winter is the finest season for off-road hereabouts. I'm ready. Cross bikes uber alles.

My arm is repairing. Staying on the flat bars for now. Dreaming dreams of Fat Bikes. Picturing little 2-3 day tours.

Still waiting on the Supernova system, but one part of the order did show up: A solar powered lithium-ion battery pack for charging my phone. Some Sollight product is distributed through QBP (who knew?) which means you can get this stuff at your local bike shop. In writing this, I don't find the charger I have purchased on the company site, so maybe it's discontinued in favor of their current model, but you can get the charger from your shop while supplies last. Geek out:



Well, you know. Xmas is coming. And, speaking of....



Blow your mind.

No, really. Blow it. Do it. My mind is blown.

you don't know what I know

you can't see what I see



I will break it down for you. Really doe.


Go ride your bike. I don't care what your problem is, or your weather conditions (conditions are perfect), or your aches, or your mechanical issues, or your schedule, or your anything else. And you shouldn't either.

I can say this with confidence. Whatever is "stopping" you from riding is illusion. If you really love riding...you ride.



Don't talk about it, be about it. I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.

staying fly through time

"Best Full Moon all year."

I won't repeat what you've all heard about how this is the archetype of magical good riding upon which must not be slept.

What?





Oh. Crystallizing plans for an outlaw cross race with a wicked course. Any a you locals innerested in helping should get at me. Thinking January or February. I'll be peaking.

the old bait and switch

As long as you ain't slippin then you doin it right.



Nursing my swellbow. Swapping handlebars (alternative needs...you KNOW!) from drops to Surly's Open Bar in an attempt to take it EZ. So far so go. The Open Bar is wide and comfortable. I'll ride it a bunch more and stuff and then tell you what you think.



That's a whole lotta velocache. Packed in that bag.





Oh me? I'm a Libra. And my name is Dick.

I experiment, like a scientist

The Fall has backed it's as_ on up in here. Cooler heads, etc. You feel it? I'm feelin it. What with this rainy rain and all, the weather is lookin kinda shaky...and so I am, with the power vested in me, realigning the celestial to suit my earthly ends viz a viz the up and coming Full (snicker) Beaver Moon. So oyez oyez horale:

The Full Beaver Moon shall be on Tuesday November 8, 2011.

Got it? Good. And, if it looks good on the other nights (maybe Wednesday) then we will see.


OK, I been noodling with my elbow and avoiding strenuous postures and using my sinister hand for stuff and it's feeling pretty OK. The cross bike's handlebars put my elbow into a compromising grip (you know, given present circumstances), so I rode the flat barred full squish the other day to see and that is what is up for the mendy mend. Just letting you people know how it will be on this full moon ride. Ride bikes, drink beers.


And, plus, in the interest of Fall's arrival and night rides of increasing frequency, duration, and potency: The Supernova E3 Triple is hunka hunka burning dynamo powered love. I will be receiving a test model here at HQ soon and I'll get back to you, but 800(!)lumens at 33feet for a generator light(?!) is a danged impressive figure to my mind. They also produce "The Plug", which I cannot find on the website, but it is a USB port in the form of a tall top cap to use the dynamo power to charge your electronics. I will look into this further as well. Seems like a winner. Click on that link to check out the German made goodness.

That's the way it'll have to be

It has come to my attention that some of y'all (Moab!) are not clicking on links and/or watchin the videos I go to all the trouble of including here.
Wha?!
Do you think this is without purpose? That ish is not accidentally there. Please to bother checking it out and then deciding it's irrelevant hocum. Otherwise, what's the point. (BTW that Doyle and Debbie video you skipped a few posts back is a, so to speak, hummer).

Case in point:



This is a good site for athaletes.

Competent friends crawl out of the internet pile when you complain about that about which you complain. Thanks, Coach! I will try to hide the tears and walk it off.