Just came back from downieville a few weeks ago, 30th birthday party and whatnot. That trail is FUN. Damn fun. But I've gotten in the habit of riding it almost exclusively in the month of October. Even then the shuttles are booked all day Saturday, but the town isn't a zoo as it can be during the rest of the summer. Why anyone would want to be there during the big race weekend is a mystery. I tried to ride there in early June, but since Packer's Saddle was still snowed in, we rode up 2nd divide and down 3rd, all the way from town. It was hot as hell, and I barfed my guts out from heat exhaustion. In October, after they've gotten a rain or two, the trail is tacky, the dust is settled, and you can FLY.
HARD CHARGER ALERT!! While riding the D-ville mtb trail this last time, we were overtaken by a bearded dickhead and his toadie. As he came up on us, he started talking trash, and said "will you let me pass now or do you want to wait until both of us gets hurt" and "can I pass you now? how about now? how about now?" Said dickhead was wearing a WTB jersey. Which led me to wonder, could that dickhead have been, naw, er, THE Mark Weir? This is his turf after all, he rides it constantly, and nobody would debate the notion that the dude is FAST. But a friendlier group of riders stopped with us while we were letting the slower riders catch up, and confirmed the notion..They too were perplexed, one said, "that's weird, he's normally a really nice guy." Yeah, nice when the sponsors who pay his rent are standing next to him. But on the trail, I guess he turns into a high-school football jock.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Sunday, February 3, 2008
one f#$%^ing gear
I'll start off this whole blog dealy with a summary of what all's blowin' my dress up these days.
-Just converted my old dirt jump/street bike into a single-speed trials bike. Bike trials is in my roots, and these days with a mortgage and fiance and whatnot, I can't afford to fall on my head like I used to. A good solid drivetrain is confidence inspiring on a trials bike, because when you give the pedals a kick, if the chain slips, you could end up on your face. I'm sure you got that email forward.
-Also converted my hardtail XC bike into a single-speed. I don't know why I never figured this out before, but I realized that out of all my years on a MTB, I'd never had a bike that shifted right. I'm actually a decent mechanic, but I could never stand to spend the dough on drivetrain parts. I still use the STX crankset that came off the Rockhopper I bought in high school. With no chain slapping around, the bike feels so much smoother. That coupled with the reduced weight makes you want to flick the thing around, even small rocks are fun to tiretap or use as kickers.
-Just converted my old dirt jump/street bike into a single-speed trials bike. Bike trials is in my roots, and these days with a mortgage and fiance and whatnot, I can't afford to fall on my head like I used to. A good solid drivetrain is confidence inspiring on a trials bike, because when you give the pedals a kick, if the chain slips, you could end up on your face. I'm sure you got that email forward.
-Also converted my hardtail XC bike into a single-speed. I don't know why I never figured this out before, but I realized that out of all my years on a MTB, I'd never had a bike that shifted right. I'm actually a decent mechanic, but I could never stand to spend the dough on drivetrain parts. I still use the STX crankset that came off the Rockhopper I bought in high school. With no chain slapping around, the bike feels so much smoother. That coupled with the reduced weight makes you want to flick the thing around, even small rocks are fun to tiretap or use as kickers.
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