I Rode My Bike Today...

Charlie Canyon. Dried out pretty fast. No standing water...just great dirt.

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@knucklebuster I dunno. I think it was the tackiness of the soil, low pressure, and me trying to make a few directional changes when I shouldn't have. @herzalot and @mtnbikej thanks... I was not sure if I could get it to work and did not want to be risking my life on a tire / tube combo that wasn't right. I worked on it a bit even after I recognized that I had the wrong tube size, but ultimately thought "Okay finish the change here... ride like a p*ssy the rest of the morning, then when I get home, have to change out, put in Stans... etc." OR "quick walk of shame to Jax and good to go for a shredfest to home." I think I am also going to carry the 2 oz Stans in my kit (along with more air) ... because once I cleaned up the rim, it was good to go... except I didn't have enough Stans. Also running a top tube bag these days on this bike. I kind of like it.
 
StrandLeper said:
Now u guys tell me! Just not that good w my emergency repairs yet (obviously).
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But the old Starbucks app came in handy! I may forget my wallet, but my phone will get me caffeinated! I love technology...

I've realized that different sizes work, but I've always carried the appropriate. Maybe it's time to live dangerously, and get some light 26er tubes for the pack. I do ride a steel bike... Every gram counts. :thumbsup:
 
I rode my bike today... In the mud. I thought it would be drier...:thumbsdown: The plan was to warm up going to the top of Robinson Ranch, and then the Bell Trail to Caspers and back with a Starr Rise descent and climb. It turned into a Robinson Ranch and Chiquita Ridge quickie...

One disappointing find... On the Chiquita Ridge section above Coto de Caza, there is a punchy little climb that is sometimes loose, but always rocky. It's also the climb I recently mentioned seeing all the 25ers in the Rwanda ride struggle with. Not anymore. It's completely sanitized and devoid of any challenge. :thumbsdown:


This is after I cleaned the majority of the mud off and got the tires to the point that they would spin... Good thing this little section gets zero traffic and is partially overgrown.
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Well, today's ride went from uneventful to one for the ages in a heartbeat. I was heading home on my neighborhood hiking trail, when I got to a point where there is small jump on the ridge if you work for it. Since it was a rare moment that there weren't any hikers to be seen I built up some speed to air it out. Got good air, but my landing was Sh!t. I drifted, landed on the hump between the single track and the canyon. Momentum (and probably too much air in the shocks since I've been shedding pounds) took me over the bars, and I somersaulted. Surprisingly I did not tumble down the canyon, I was planted firmly into the hill. I wasn't hurt, my bike wasn't broken and didn't tumble down the 50ft descent either. Relieved, I put my hand down to stand up and I am stabbed by thorns. I look down and realize I am sitting directly on a prickly pear cactus :eek:
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Thankfully, since I am a roadie cross over, I wear a bibb under board shorts. The chamois saved my ass!


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This is just my second fall since I crossed over from the road at the end of last year. Making my falls count I guess. I can say 2 of the upgrades I made to my Giant Trance proved invaluable today.
#1 Tubeless for life. A true believer!
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#2 Seat dropper post, because the one rule to cycling no matter what the discipline is; if you ride out you ride home. Given the state of the backside of my kit, sitting on the way home was not an option.
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Made it home, spent a hour tweezing thorns out of my backside. Medicated my wounds with a couple of whisky shots and a 600mg Ibuprofen leftover from last years root canal. Im sitting comfortably now.


Positive take aways from my crash:
Im not hurt, neither is my bike.
I have been thinking I need a new bibb for my repertuar. Now that my go to pair will permanently have thorns between the chamois and spandex it's done for. And I can buy a couple to compare guilt free. (open to reviews/suggestions)
If you aren't pushing the limits of your skills you are not progressing.
Thankfully it was a neighborhood ride. IDK what I would have done if I would of had to sit in my manual transmission Subaru and deal with LA traffic (besides cry)
My dog is the best. When I got home she sensed my anguish and her excitement to see me quickly diminished, and then she licked the back of my legs for a good while, cleaning the blood for me, and removing some thorns. She is a sweetie.
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Maui-Wowie (husky x border collie)
 
MrGreedom said:
Well, today's ride went from uneventful to one for the ages in a heartbeat. I was heading home on my neighborhood hiking trail, when I got to a point where there is small jump on the ridge if you work for it. Since it was a rare moment that there weren't any hikers to be seen I built up some speed to air it out. Got good air, but my landing was Sh!t. I drifted, landed on the hump between the single track and the canyon. Momentum (and probably too much air in the shocks since I've been shedding pounds) took me over the bars, and I somersaulted. Surprisingly I did not tumble down the canyon, I was planted firmly into the hill. I wasn't hurt, my bike wasn't broken and didn't tumble down the 50ft descent either. Relieved, I put my hand down to stand up and I am stabbed by thorns. I look down and realize I am sitting directly on a prickly pear cactus :eek:
View attachment 15716


Thankfully, since I am a roadie cross over, I wear a bibb under board shorts. The chamois saved my ass!


View attachment 15717


This is just my second fall since I crossed over from the road at the end of last year. Making my falls count I guess. I can say 2 of the upgrades I made to my Giant Trance proved invaluable today.
#1 Tubeless for life. A true believer!
View attachment 15718

#2 Seat dropper post, because the one rule to cycling no matter what the discipline is; if you ride out you ride home. Given the state of the backside of my kit, sitting on the way home was not an option.
View attachment 15719

Made it home, spent a hour tweezing thorns out of my backside. Medicated my wounds with a couple of whisky shots and a 600mg Ibuprofen leftover from last years root canal. Im sitting comfortably now.


Positive take aways from my crash:
Im not hurt, neither is my bike.
I have been thinking I need a new bibb for my repertuar. Now that my go to pair will permanently have thorns between the chamois and spandex it's done for. And I can buy a couple to compare guilt free. (open to reviews/suggestions)
If you aren't pushing the limits of your skills you are not progressing.
Thankfully it was a neighborhood ride. IDK what I would have done if I would of had to sit in my manual transmission Subaru and deal with LA traffic (besides cry)
My dog is the best. When I got home she sensed my anguish and her excitement to see me quickly diminished, and then she licked the back of my legs for a good while, cleaning the blood for me, and removing some thorns. She is a sweetie.
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Maui-Wowie (husky x border collie)
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Good to hear ya didn't get hurt....however you will be pulling cactus needles out of your skin for the next week or 2. The ones in your clothes...you'll never get them all out.
 
Oh man, that looks painful. I have a pair of gloves that are ruined from some fuzzy cactus I landed on in AZ last year, no way I'll get all the fiber glass like hairs out. Should just junk them, I had to finish that ride Michael Jackson style with one glove on.

I rode after work at Oaks and thought I was sluggish but PR'd a climb (3Bs to Yucca) that I've ridden dozens upon dozens of times and also had a nice PR down Yucca. Maybe it was the Skratch I drank that I usually only drink before longer rides. The weather was great and not too many folks out.

The hills are fading to yellow in spots

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Didn't zoom in but this duck was just hanging out in the creek near the main entrance and he didn't mind me when I crossed by him.
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Then on my way home I noticed a new addition to the animals I often stop and say hi to next door.. When I first pulled up the pony was nursing and then they both came over to say hi. The lil dude got all wild and was jumping around like crazy, funny stuff.

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Cornholio said:
Oh man, that looks painful. I have a pair of gloves that are ruined from some fuzzy cactus I landed on in AZ last year, no way I'll get all the fiber glass like hairs out. Should just junk them, I had to finish that ride Michael Jackson style with one glove on.

I rode after work at Oaks and thought I was sluggish but PR'd a climb (3Bs to Yucca) that I've ridden dozens upon dozens of times and also had a nice PR down Yucca. Maybe it was the Skratch I drank that I usually only drink before longer rides. The weather was great and not too many folks out.

The hills are fading to yellow in spots

View attachment 15721

Didn't zoom in but this duck was just hanging out in the creek near the main entrance and he didn't mind me when I crossed by him.
View attachment 15722

Then on my way home I noticed a new addition to the animals I often stop and say hi to next door.. When I first pulled up the pony was nursing and then they both came over to say hi. The lil dude got all wild and was jumping around like crazy, funny stuff.

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Those slow days usually turn out to be a lot quicker than you think.....funny how it works out that way.

You did ride across the blocks at the water crossing right? There is only one that is a little tricky.
 
mtnbikej said:
Those slow days usually turn out to be a lot quicker than you think.....funny how it works out that way.

You did ride across the blocks at the water crossing right? There is only one that is a little tricky.
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Nope! After I planted a foot in that nasty mud/water/horse poop doing that I stopped riding over those. I do feel like a wimp walking over them but it's better than riding through that muck.
 
Long overdo ride report since I'm mostly digging these days..

The Forest Service requested I give a status report on the Mercedes out on the STT.* Plus, I'd just gotten a new loaner bike from my friend Geof (which happens to be a Ripley!?!), and decided to do the report and test ride the bike at the same time.

The Mercedes is deeper in the ditch, the STT is in great shape, flowers are in bloom and the bike is very cool. I was worried I'd have to get used to the bike's bigger wheel size and aggressive tires (Hans Dampf and Minion) and was warned the XT brakes were super touchy, but no problems other than the dropper post won't come up high enough for my leg length while climbing and on the flats.

I'd planned on taking the STT back to my truck, but everything was working so well I hit the Luge. Believe it or not, I rode that little section Mo and I redesigned (and Jeff, Boaz and Tim helped finish) at the very end of the trail for the first time on a really good bike AND at speed AND loved it! Aired a couple times and carried my speed up the steep right-hander that Knucklebuster and Mo bermed. (There was a weird drain on the 2nd dip, but otherwise great!) Super fun!


I guess I have to rethink my position on 29ers. This bike is anything but unresponsive and was even a little twitchy on the front end while climbing. I haven't ridden much lately, so maybe it was just me. No problem on the descents and plowed through little drops and stuff like a freight train through a cow.


*Sent a report to the Forest Service and also requested vehicle barriers at the base of Cadillac and at the top of Joplin (after reading Dave's ride report) to finally close both trails to motorized vehicles.
 
kioti said:
Long overdo ride report since I'm mostly digging these days..

The Forest Service requested I give a status report on the Mercedes out on the STT.* Plus, I'd just gotten a new loaner bike from my friend Geof (which happens to be a Ripley!?!), and decided to do the report and test ride the bike at the same time.

The Mercedes is deeper in the ditch, the STT is in great shape, flowers are in bloom and the bike is very cool. I was worried I'd have to get used to the bike's bigger wheel size and aggressive tires (Hans Dampf and Minion) and was warned the XT brakes were super touchy, but no problems other than the dropper post won't come up high enough for my leg length while climbing and on the flats.

I'd planned on taking the STT back to my truck, but everything was working so well I hit the Luge. Believe it or not, I rode that little section Mo and I redesigned (and Jeff, Boaz and Tim helped finish) at the very end of the trail for the first time on a really good bike AND at speed AND loved it! Aired a couple times and carried my speed up the steep right-hander that Knucklebuster and Mo bermed. (There was a weird drain on the 2nd dip, but otherwise great!) Super fun!


I guess I have to rethink my position on 29ers. This bike is anything but unresponsive and was even a little twitchy on the front end while climbing. I haven't ridden much lately, so maybe it was just me. No problem on the descents and plowed through little drops and stuff like a freight train through a cow.


*Sent a report to the Forest Service and also requested vehicle barriers at the base of Cadillac and at the top of Joplin (after reading Dave's ride report) to finally close both trails to motorized vehicles.
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Jim, I was thinking about it the other day. I know after the Santiago Fire they put a pipe barrier up before you do the short rocky downhill before you get to Cadilac that appear to have torn out. Why not just reinstall the barrier at that point, it would at least keeps vehicles confined to a smaller portion of trail. The same could be done on the upper side of STT above Cadilac.

We were told from one of the Rangers out there that the top of Cadilac is private property so CNF won't do anything there....same with bottom of Cadilac being owned by OCTA/TCA.
 
^^I agree, Jason, at least they wouldn't be damaging single track that way.

I think the pipe barrier heading to the west was supposed to be at the Forest boundary. It didn't last long, but the step-over at the Modjeska end is doing fine so maybe it's worth another try. I think I'd relocate it to that overlook area that's a little farther west which could also act as a turn-around spot for "Cadillacs" and other vehicles.

The other spot heading to Old Camp at the STT/Cadillac junction had a bunch of mounds to possibly high-center vehicles, if I remember right. You're right, if Cadillac isn't blocked at the bottom there needs to be another barrier there. Otherwise, the recovering single track will destroyed and fire danger from vehicles driving over dry brush and people having campfires up there will be huge this summer.

I don't know who owns the land at the bottom, but there's going to be a lot of grief spread around if whoever's in charge of it doesn't make a concerted effort to block their road and someone ends up getting killed or severely injured. There have been 5 close calls that I know of personally, one being me when I recovered a guy's Jeep a couple years ago. Based on the amount of vehicular traffic going up there, it's only a matter of time before someone makes a miscalculation and loses more than their car.
 
kioti said:
^^I agree, Jason, at least they wouldn't be damaging single track that way.

I think the pipe barrier heading to the west was supposed to be at the Forest boundary. It didn't last long, but the step-over at the Modjeska end is doing fine so maybe it's worth another try. I think I'd relocate it to that overlook area that's a little farther west which could also act as a turn-around spot for "Cadillacs" and other vehicles.

The other spot heading to Old Camp at the STT/Cadillac junction had a bunch of mounds to possibly high-center vehicles, if I remember right. You're right, if Cadillac isn't blocked at the bottom there needs to be another barrier there. Otherwise, the recovering single track will destroyed and fire danger from vehicles driving over dry brush and people having campfires up there will be huge this summer.

I don't know who owns the land at the bottom, but there's going to be a lot of grief spread around if whoever's in charge of it doesn't make a concerted effort to block their road and someone ends up getting killed or severely injured. There have been 5 close calls that I know of personally, one being me when I recovered a guy's Jeep a couple years ago. Based on the amount of vehicular traffic going up there, it's only a matter of time before someone makes a miscalculation and loses more than their car.
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Too late, it already happened back in November:

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/road-692116-truck-orange.html
 
kioti said:
^^I agree, Jason, at least they wouldn't be damaging single track that way.

I think the pipe barrier heading to the west was supposed to be at the Forest boundary. It didn't last long, but the step-over at the Modjeska end is doing fine so maybe it's worth another try. I think I'd relocate it to that overlook area that's a little farther west which could also act as a turn-around spot for "Cadillacs" and other vehicles.

The other spot heading to Old Camp at the STT/Cadillac junction had a bunch of mounds to possibly high-center vehicles, if I remember right. You're right, if Cadillac isn't blocked at the bottom there needs to be another barrier there. Otherwise, the recovering single track will destroyed and fire danger from vehicles driving over dry brush and people having campfires up there will be huge this summer.

I don't know who owns the land at the bottom, but there's going to be a lot of grief spread around if whoever's in charge of it doesn't make a concerted effort to block their road and someone ends up getting killed or severely injured. There have been 5 close calls that I know of personally, one being me when I recovered a guy's Jeep a couple years ago. Based on the amount of vehicular traffic going up there, it's only a matter of time before someone makes a miscalculation and loses more than their car.
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The ranger we talked to that day was very specific, and really seemed to know his stuff... He was adamant that no part of Cadillac is on forest service land, and the forest border at the STT end is actually 150 feet or so from the intersection, which puts a short part of STT out of the forest.

Edit: I still see lights up there most weekends, and sometimes during the week... I have a good vantage point for Cadillac from my bedroom window.
 
kioti said:
*Sent a report to the Forest Service and also requested vehicle barriers at the base of Cadillac and at the top of Joplin (after reading Dave's ride report) to finally close both trails to motorized vehicles.
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Thank you Jim! Would "no motorized" signage be an option in the shorter term, at least for Joplin? "Might" keep some honest people off of it (shrug). Or maybe another big tree might fall and block the go-around by the other one blocking the trail down by old camp :sneaky:

And thanks for the RR, glad to hear you like the Ripley and the trails you built and hardly ever ride :) I especially like the up-and-over line heading into the first lower luge switchback ;) :thumbsup:
 
Jason, was that on Cadillac or STT? The article said east of Trabuco Creek Road, which sounds more like Bell. I don't remember hearing about it, but that's irrelevant. My goal is to keep things like this from happening on a trail that is definitely closed to motorized vehicles, not engineered to handle them and wrecks the trail for legal users.

Cadillac's a sketchy road, but an off-road magnet. If the property owner can't or won't gate it, the Forest Service should at least put the barriers and signage up at their own borders.
 
I rode my bike today... Being on the bike is always fun, but this was more of a workout on wheels. I did 17+ miles, but 7 were flat. The other 10 miles got me 2000 feet with some intervals thrown in. Coyote Canyon, a couple Live Oaks, Vista point 6 times, and some other stuff. :thumbsup: One thing you notice when you ride with other single speeders is how much they can sit and spin, even on long steep climbs. My recent efforts on the elliptical at 20* elevation and maximum resistance, as well as my riding the trainer on maximum resistance have paid off a little. There are several climbs in O'Neill that I managed to do today sitting on the single speed. The road climb to the water tower, and the live oak trail to the bench... I'll take it! I also managed 5 intervals at the top of Vista on the single speed. I haven't been able to do intervals there since I got rid of the gears in November.

I think I'm ready for another stupid long outing in the forest... Maybe Saturday? :thumbsup:

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This looks like an official trail re-route... The original line is between the trees. I guess the rock between the two trees was too much of a hazard. @Mikie- Do you know anyone who specializes in rock removal? :whistling: My first 3 Rwanda rides I got behind someone who dismounted and walked over that rock, stopping traffic all the way back to the bottom. That is the main reason I sprinted out ahead last year to beat the crowd to the initial climbs.

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