Sunny and a bit warm out there today. See?
I rode with my friend Todd with whom I haven't ridden for quite some time. He hasn't been riding much and has been battling some medical issues. Great to see him out again (on his new Pivot Mach 5.5 - anniversary edition). Side note, Todd has had at least ten bikes in the five years I've known him. Mojo HD, Carbine, Speshy something, Yeti SB5, Pivot Switchblade, Pivot Mach 6 and a few others I can't recall. He says he thinks this might be his favorite (which was his SB5). I'll give him credit for one thing, he is not in love with a bike just because he bought it. Anyway, I digress.
I arrived at Canyon Vistas at 8:30 and truly everyone who owns a mt bike in OC must have been there too. I've rarely seen it that crowded. We went up the residential streets to the top of Cholla (we call it Cheater Cholla), then took off down Rock-It. Fun run, no disruptions to the flow. The Roasted Chicken roasted the run.
Then it was down Coyote to begin the arduous climb up Mathis. Coyote is a hoot that direction (S). It was getting hot already. At the top of the first Mathis climb, the steepest, I realized I still had a lower gear remaining. How did that happen? I always go as slow as my bike allows. That's the second time in two days I've had a gear remaining after a notoriously steep climb (Phillips Rd. yesterday). Hmmm. Good to know.
At the overlook atop Mathis, Todd said he had had enough for the day and we parted company. I continued up to Top of the World, took selfie, and a photo of my bike and headed over to Meadows. I had a great run on Meadows, with no interruptions. The Luftkappe really helps the suspension on a trail like that, and the Firebird likes to corner hard. I did not expect that, and it defies logic.
On the pedal back towards the top end of the park, my rear brake was dragging badly so bad it started howling. On flat ground. Not being used. I eventually had to flip the bike over (I know - The Rules) remove the rear wheel, take out the brake pads, use a tire lever to push the pistons back in and try again. Good enough to get up Cholla for a run down Lynx (uninterrupted). But once I used the rear brake again, it returned to a nearly "stuck on" position. Fun run on Lynx, but dragged my brake all the way back to the car. I would have taken the rotor off, but mine are centerlock, and I don't have the required tool.
Frustrated, I dropped the bike at The Path. They offered a loaner and said they would have it ready by tomorrow. Pretty sure I should upgrade to XT.
Anyway - 14 miles, 2200' at 87° For how crowded it was, I had no issues on any of the downs.
Bikes are fun, but bikes with dragging brakes are less fun!
Gratuitous bike shot:
Ran into @Faust29 and the Professor and @BonsaiNut. Good to see you guys out there.
... I think you just nudged me towards the single speed. 
