I Rode My Bike Today...

First ride in a week, hit Aliso with Sir Crashallot. 5 Oaks, cholla, Carwreck, Mathis, Rockit. Luckily we had overcast and a nice breeze most of the ride. When the sun did pop out it was sauna-like. Trails are in great shape after the rain, still a little tacky. :thumbup:
 
I forced myself out of the house this morning; thinking about studying again was NOT what I wanted to do. My brain has suffered enough, time to make the legs suffer.

I'm still getting use to the trails around here. I played around on a web of trails off Murrieta Hot Springs and Sky Canyon. Fun little st w metal and wood bridges. I mosied over to White Cross and rode those trails near Sky Canyon Airport. There's absolutely NO ONE on these trails...kinda exhilarating and spooky at the same time.

Ohh, and Herz...I blasted my Pandora from my phone the whole entire time!! That was our first disagreement - my how we haven't changed. :lol:

I'll post some pics when I get around to it. :D I gotta keep studying now....
 
Blast away as long as you're alone! I was climbing near a biker with external speaker turned up the other day. He was playing rap with horribly misogynistic and filthy lyrics. I wasn't fast enough to bury him, nor slow enough to fall off the back. I stopped.

The other "benefit" of climbing with other people's music playing is the tendency to match the rhythm of the song, whether it be with your pedal stroke or your breathing. Awesome for a spin class, not so much for a nice trail ride.

Yes, I have become the grumpy old man. Dammmmmit.

PS - I rode my bike today. I ran into Cougar in the parking lot who hit me with the Marzocchi news. I am double grouchy now, but still happy that I had a chance to ride. My bike was stellar, the trails were great and the weather was spectacular. I got to ride with a friend I haven't seen in months (Kevinator from 2008-10 era STR). Neither of us were particularly strong on the climbs today, so we cut the ride short and chatted for 30 minutes in the parking lot, catching up. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
knucklebuster said:
First ride in a week, hit Aliso with Sir Crashallot. 5 Oaks, cholla, Carwreck, Mathis, Rockit. Luckily we had overcast and a nice breeze most of the ride. When the sun did pop out it was sauna-like. Trails are in great shape after the rain, still a little tacky. :thumbup:
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Ha, it was sauna like the entire time! Kinda hard for me to get excited about riding in the heat and/or humidity but had to take advantage of damp dirt. Best part of the ride was 5 oaks, so rare for it to be packed and tacky in july.
 
Got in a little ride before work at Hulda crooks 10 mile with 1700 gain of fun. Heading out to Sturgis SD hope to get some riding in on the way.

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My daughter rode her bike today - without training wheels, with pedals - for the first time. No drama, I just let go and off she went.

Longer story: She started riding a Strider pushbike when she was 2. She got pretty good at it, but outgrew it quickly. I got her a Kazaam push bike and she rode that well from age 3 'til about 4 - including her first taste of downhill dirt on a few occasions. She got really good at it, but eventually dwarfed it too. I got her a pedal bike with training wheels, and it was too much for her to handle without training wheels whether with or without pedals. So she rode with training wheels until about two weeks ago. I took them off and she reverted back to her push-bike days and started coasting around with decent balance. I held the seat while she pedaled, then eventually just let go. Today, she got it. And she can stop gracefully. 5 years, 2 months. She's about 1.5 years ahead of when I learned, and probably about average for kids today. The pushbike was absolutely the key. Training wheels suck for anything but learning how to pedal and brake. :thumbup:

I rode my bike today too. In my apartment parking lot after re-installing my fork - after Marzocchi installed a manual lock-out switch to replace the remote switch the fork came with. Yes, that's right, I said Marzocchi worked on my fork today - while I waited (30 minutes). They are not out of business and are not closed. :clap: :thumbup:
 
herzalot said:
My daughter rode her bike today - without training wheels
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Major props to your daughter...it's quite the milestone. I still remember both of mine doing their first bike solo. More moons ago than I want to remember...

And before you know it she'll be beating you to the top of the climb. :P
 
Runs with Scissors said:
And before you know it she'll be beating you to the top of the climb. :P
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That's not saying much... She'll be able to do that before the end of summer. But thanks for the props for my little one!
 
herzalot said:
My daughter rode her bike today - without training wheels, with pedals - for the first time. No drama, I just let go and off she went.

Longer story: She started riding a Strider pushbike when she was 2. She got pretty good at it, but outgrew it quickly. I got her a Kazaam push bike and she rode that well from age 3 'til about 4 - including her first taste of downhill dirt on a few occasions. She got really good at it, but eventually dwarfed it too. I got her a pedal bike with training wheels, and it was too much for her to handle without training wheels whether with or without pedals. So she rode with training wheels until about two weeks ago. I took them off and she reverted back to her push-bike days and started coasting around with decent balance. I held the seat while she pedaled, then eventually just let go. Today, she got it. And she can stop gracefully. 5 years, 2 months. She's about 1.5 years ahead of when I learned, and probably about average for kids today. The pushbike was absolutely the key. Training wheels suck for anything but learning how to pedal and brake. :thumbup:

I rode my bike today too. In my apartment parking lot after re-installing my fork - after Marzocchi installed a manual lock-out switch to replace the remote switch the fork came with. Yes, that's right, I said Marzocchi worked on my fork today - while I waited (30 minutes). They are not out of business and are not closed. :clap: :thumbup:
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That's COOL! My daughter is almost two and I have to keep encouraging her to get on the strider. She still prefers the 4 wheeler "cars" and rides that don't fall over. Something I don't like about the strider is how when the seat is all the way down the post sticks out the bottom of the frame and it catches her foot sometimes. And once she fell on the bottom of the bike and got that post sticking out right in her belly. ouch!

Funny thing is that I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was much older I think maybe around 9 or 10 maybe even older than that. Even with training wheels I would freek out that I would tip over. but once I learned I was hooked and then I got the ultimate upgrade! Mongoose! yea baby. ahh the good ol days: checkered handlebar pads and bear trap pedals into the shins. :lol:
 
CarlS said:
That's COOL! My daughter is almost two and I have to keep encouraging her to get on the strider. She still prefers the 4 wheeler "cars" and rides that don't fall over. Something I don't like about the strider is how when the seat is all the way down the post sticks out the bottom of the frame and it catches her foot sometimes. And once she fell on the bottom of the bike and got that post sticking out right in her belly. ouch!
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Ouch - that does sound painful! There's no real hurry. She will take to it when she's ready. Ruby was/is a big kid, so she didn't have the problem of the seatpost extending too far down. She outgrew the Strider before she was 3. The Kazam (<a class="postlink" href="http://www.kazambikes.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.kazambikes.com/</a>) was bigger and had pneumatic tires instead of the hard plastic ones. It also had a place for her feet. More fun for her.

As for training wheels - they are horrible because the bike gets extremely tippy in turns. It teaches kids to lean the wrong way. I am so glad my daughter only needed them long enough to learn pedaling and braking.

I've derailed my own thread. I did ride my bike today. Next post.
 
I did a mid-day ride in the sun. Low 80s with a breeze, so it really wasn't too bad. I felt better than I did Wednesday evening. Two climbs, two drops. About 15 miles and 2000' of climbing. Cane Creek sent me a new Inline today, so I mounted it up and gave her a go. What do you know - the low speed rebound damping worked! It is definitely more supple in some areas than my Avalanched Fox was, and I think it stabilizes the bike a little better in the climb position, but it is still very active. My new fork's new lockout switch is a true lockout, with a blowoff for protection. I prefer a progressive lockout that allows about two inches of movement. Still dialing in the new stuff. :wtf:

Great to get out in the middle of the day on a Friday! Finished the day with a swim, and now a completely un-hip, un-trendy beer (Sam Adams). Oh and daughter self-started on her bike today, but then she was disobedient in the swimming pool, so mean dad swept in. There will be no pool time tomorrow. Still a great day!

OK - I will not turn this into a "what did your daughter do today" thread. :oops:

Great day for a bike ride around here. Probably very hot elsewhere. :wave:
 
Good ride hrz! It's 88 and 57% humidity here in Maui. Pretty miserable really, but it is Maui! Went to the local bike shop to see about riding , and was told exactly what I thought. Road riding pretty much covers it, and the MTB, well I was told it's mostly private property, and your lucky of they call the cops. The other option if caught ain't good. So, didn't ride but thought about it!
 
I rode my road bike twice today. Once to work, and then back. Had to stop at the bike shop and get a new top cap bolt, though. The old one is corroding from sweat dripping on it. :)
 
herzalot said:
...and now a completely un-hip, un-trendy beer (Sam Adams). OK - I will not turn this into a "what did your daughter do today" thread.
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1. Sam Adams is a fine brew, on any occasion. Almost as good as an IPA.

2. It's your daughter. You have a right to be proud and talk her up. 8-)
 
Danimal said:
Good ride hrz! It's 88 and 57% humidity here in Maui. Pretty miserable really, but it is Maui! Went to the local bike shop to see about riding , and was told exactly what I thought. Road riding pretty much covers it, and the MTB, well I was told it's mostly private property, and your lucky of they call the cops. The other option if caught ain't good. So, didn't ride but thought about it!
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Danimal, try to have some fun out there anyway, even though you can't bike on dirt :D
 
I rode my bike today, about 20 feet. A 45 minute drive to the Holy Jim trailhead at 6:15am, geared up, jumped on the bike, started pedaling, and pedal strikes galore. Shock air pressure is good, hmm... Guess the ccdba gave up to the ghost, stuck down, won't extend. I knew this day would come (needed service) but sucked that it cost me a ride :cry:
 
Well that sucks! I guess you should carry a spare shock in your car, y'know, just in case.
At least it did it before your ride instead of during your ride, if that's any consolation.
 
I did not get to ride my bike Friday as planned, brought my bike into work but had an emergency at work which prevented my ride. Sadface.

I did get out this morning today, and did Blackstar. It was pretty uneventful, I parked at the XMas tree lot, rode in 10 miles (so past the ball), and then turned around and finished. It was only my 2nd time on Blackstar, and while it is only fireroad, it's a decent training climb. I wish I had more confidence in my tires, as for open fireroad descents I know I broke too much in the downhills.

It was hot out there, and for most of the ride Blackstar didn't have much of a breeze. Probably should have started out before feeding my children breakfast... but hey, wife points, I cooked breakfast for the kids.

I did take two pictures, so here you go!

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This is mostly the way up Blackstar

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This is not the sexiest MTB photo out there...


[strava]http://www.strava.com/activities/353870961/embed/14b59975d2017285f4888f4cc3f8befd3eed91d8[/strava]
 
^^ Single Speeding B* is one of my all time favorite, move to the groove, rides!!

Next time you ride B* Cougar, take the st down, it's a hoot (hand willing).
 
ridinrox said:
^^ Single Speeding B* is one of my all time favorite, move to the groove, rides!!

Next time you ride B* Cougar, take the st down, it's a hoot (hand willing).
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The first time I did Blackstar, I heard people talking about the ST down... but I don't actually know where the turn offs are for that. I'll have to have someone show me at some point :)
 
Cougar said:
ridinrox said:
Next time you ride B* Cougar, take the st down, it's a hoot (hand willing).
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The first time I did Blackstar, I heard people talking about the ST down... but I don't actually know where the turn offs are for that. I'll have to have someone show me at some point :)
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I think the last time I road B* was when I was recovering from my hand injury, with a buddy who was recovering from a clavical. The ST, Like Rox said, more fun than the fire road IMO (I struggle with the speed/traction issue in the marbly turns like you). The ST crosses and joins the fire road a couple times. First at the gate up top on the right, then a bit down on the left (fairly obvious if you're looking), and last one I don't remember where. The ST is a bit rougher on the hands/arms as I remember, if you are still recovering. Good you got out there damning the heat!
 
We rode our bikes today. Hoping to escape the heat Jennifer and I headed up to Mt. Pinos. Knowing she wasn't up for the whole ride we just climbed until she couldn't climb any more. We made it a little more than 4 miles up before she was done. She was upset so I reminded her that she's only done a few easy rides since the accident and this is a tough ride. We headed back down and I stopped a couple of times to make sure she was okay. She's lost nothing on the DH. It was a beautiful day with temps in the 60's. As always we stopped at Mike's Pizza on the way home. She wants a do over in a couple of weeks. Can't wait!
We ended up with 8.2 miles and 1743'.
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I am so inspired every time I see Jennifer on her bike. What a trooper - and the bike is awesome too. Nice job! :clap: :thumbup: :wave:
 
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