DangerDirtyD
iMTB Hooligan
My gravel bike is a hardtail MTB from 1995.
I Rode My Bike Today...
- Thread starter herzalot
- Start date
Danimal
iMTB Addict
I know not of who you speak.....
bvader
iMTB Rockstah
Attempting to Continue the "get out of rut" Syndrome.
Beautiful SoCal Afternoon
Even though I have ridden this route many times, it's been in a while..
@Obsidian @herzalot
Camarillo is CHUNKY!!!
I did not clean it...also some ebiker going up hill seemed to relish in blocking the whole entrance to the tough stuff... I would not have cleaned it anyways but that did not help... The Spur is not the right tool for that 100 yards
Lizards ... Yeah fun... But I see ...heavy rider impact... everywhere...
@Obsidian Did you clean it on your recent ride?
Beautiful SoCal Afternoon
Even though I have ridden this route many times, it's been in a while..
@Obsidian @herzalot
Camarillo is CHUNKY!!!
I did not clean it...also some ebiker going up hill seemed to relish in blocking the whole entrance to the tough stuff... I would not have cleaned it anyways but that did not help... The Spur is not the right tool for that 100 yards
Lizards ... Yeah fun... But I see ...heavy rider impact... everywhere...
@Obsidian Did you clean it on your recent ride?
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Obsidian
iMTB Rockstah
I did not clean it. The middle part over the rocks with the sharp right turn got me. I don't like any of the available lines right now, so I hopped off.
buggravy
iMTB Addict
Actually, I sent the quote to Steve and he said it was spot on
.
DangerDirtyD
iMTB Hooligan
If the dog house includes breakfast, then Steve is a gravel grinding Barney poopie face.Actually, I sent the quote to Steve and he said it was spot on
Cyclotourist
iMTB Hooligan
Gravel bikes are very close to late 80's MTBs, especially Cunninghams.
A lot of the technology has changed, but getting out there and hitting the dirt is still the goal!!!
1986 Charlie Cunningham Indian #CBC
Charlie Cunningham built this Indian mountain bike for himself around 1986 as a "mid-length" model, with shorter than normal stays. It was an unusual frame setup in that it got a tall 7" headtube...
www.vintagemtbworkshop.com
Cyclotourist
iMTB Hooligan
bvader
iMTB Rockstah
Smart...
I did not make the first right either
I usually make that but I have not seen it for a while.. and yeah that 2nd approach and right is pretty brutal...
herzalot
iMTB Hooligan
I may have felt compelled to inspect the section, then go back up and try again.Smart...
I did not make the first right either
Or - more likely in my present uber-conservative state - just stay away from rocks entirely and post stuff online instead!
bvader
iMTB Rockstah
I did... Didn't make it either time ... Two different lines ..and I've learned third time is not a charm when mountain biking... Lol
Obsidian
iMTB Rockstah
Smart...
I did not make the first right either
I used to stay far right and ride over that rock, but it has been pretty sketchy since the last rains. I usually only ride Camarillo towards the end of my ride when I am tired. Otherwise, I would probably take time to find a line. The last thing I want is a fatigue crash while trying to clean a sketchy section.
Camarillo is a tricky little trail anyway ... I am more comfortable on Rattlesnake than Camarillo, lol.
DangerDirtyD
iMTB Hooligan
Do you take into consideration the fact your bike(s) are carbon when deciding to session gnarly rock gardens?
Obsidian
iMTB Rockstah
Ladera Ranch today for the first time. Mostly just exploring since I didn't really know where I was going. I watched a few YouTube vids prior, and stopped many times to check my Strava to see where I was.
I managed to hit Rage twice, Spitfire, Undertaker, Machete, Waterworks, and Flash Flood. I figure I now know my way around to put together a fun ride for next time without so much stopping. I probably liked Flash Flood and Machete the best.
Pretty easy trails, but still fun. I suppose I would rate it much better than FLoop, better than Whiting and probably similar to San Clemente singletracks as far as fun goes. Lots of trail offshoots like San Clemente, so I probably missed a lot of fun stuff. I shall return.
I managed to hit Rage twice, Spitfire, Undertaker, Machete, Waterworks, and Flash Flood. I figure I now know my way around to put together a fun ride for next time without so much stopping. I probably liked Flash Flood and Machete the best.
Pretty easy trails, but still fun. I suppose I would rate it much better than FLoop, better than Whiting and probably similar to San Clemente singletracks as far as fun goes. Lots of trail offshoots like San Clemente, so I probably missed a lot of fun stuff. I shall return.
herzalot
iMTB Hooligan
Not a bit. Never had cause for concern.
SnakeCharmer
iMTB Hooligan
Kept it local today with a ride on Verdugo Mountain. Felt good to push hard on the cranks up Beaudry North. Rolled along the Motorway for a few miles then dropped off on Whiting Woods. Wonderful cool climbing temps today.
Cyclotourist
iMTB Hooligan
An hour over at Hulda to round off the solstice. I think I basically rode up the preferred down route. Nobody out there other than a couple hikers, so it was fine. Worked my way over to the east side of the canyon and ran into a bunch of other folk hanging around. Quick trip down and it was a day!
6.5/1,000/1:32
Coulda' but didn't:
Funky air in SGV:
Just resting:
6.5/1,000/1:32
Coulda' but didn't:
Funky air in SGV:
Just resting:
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scan
iMTB Rockstah
Marshall canyon and Claremont trails this morning. Some good friends I've known for awhile but haven't ridden with much the last several years, so it was good to reconnect . @DangerDirtyD and @trmn8r almost made it. @NinjaDon , Alex , Francisco and Trevor rounded out our group. Nice and cool temps and not too many hikers\bikers. Added the extra ST, cruising along nicely then nearly ran into a bunch brush dumped on the trail!?!? Minor hike around and continued down the sweet ST! Great times with friends!
L to R , Ripley, scalpel, spark SL, donzo on his honzo
18.4\ 1.9k elev
L to R , Ripley, scalpel, spark SL, donzo on his honzo
18.4\ 1.9k elev
Obsidian
iMTB Rockstah
That looks fun.
Cyclotourist
iMTB Hooligan
I've been on it once... it requires you to keep your speed up to get high on the banks. Physically NBD, but mentally freaks me out. Hence the one time on it
herzalot
iMTB Hooligan
I have been sentenced to glasses instead of contacts this week, and that doesn't work well for me for sports. But I need fitness, so what the hell, my right eye is blurry and I hate riding in glasses. What could go wrong?
On the first dip through some singletrack I had to take a foot out due to dizziness and poor depth perception. I knew I shouldn't really be out there so I decided to keep my ride contained within Whiting and take the downs slowly. I also figured my head would adjust to the limited information being supplied through my optic nerves. @Bill does it every ride, so why shouldn't I (eye?).
For those not keeping score at home - I had a spontaneous detached retina last June - the surgery to repair said retina causes cataracts. This is a 100% certainty. So there you have it - a bad cataract in my right eye. Don't worry, I'm having it repaired on Kelly Slater's 53rd birthday.
So back to the ride - I had fun. I rode a little slower, but my head adjusted to my vision pretty well. But on my second lap, I took a little pee break, and when I was getting back on my bike I heard the telltale sound of a broken spoke. Yup. Probably the one that was bent a little when I was dragging my new, never-riddent Yeti down the 91 at 80 mph. I tied the broken spoke to its neighbor with a steri strip and limped on out of there at grandma speeds. I could have ridden at normal pace, but I didn't want to risk breaking more spokes or deforming the rim.
I asked @mtnbikej if he could repair the spoke, and he asked if the chain was dirty. I said it was, so he reminded me that the only acceptable solution at this point is to get a new bike. I mean, after all, this one is 13 months old!
10.25 mi 1500' and bikes are still fun - even slightly injured bikes.
On the first dip through some singletrack I had to take a foot out due to dizziness and poor depth perception. I knew I shouldn't really be out there so I decided to keep my ride contained within Whiting and take the downs slowly. I also figured my head would adjust to the limited information being supplied through my optic nerves. @Bill does it every ride, so why shouldn't I (eye?).
For those not keeping score at home - I had a spontaneous detached retina last June - the surgery to repair said retina causes cataracts. This is a 100% certainty. So there you have it - a bad cataract in my right eye. Don't worry, I'm having it repaired on Kelly Slater's 53rd birthday.
So back to the ride - I had fun. I rode a little slower, but my head adjusted to my vision pretty well. But on my second lap, I took a little pee break, and when I was getting back on my bike I heard the telltale sound of a broken spoke. Yup. Probably the one that was bent a little when I was dragging my new, never-riddent Yeti down the 91 at 80 mph. I tied the broken spoke to its neighbor with a steri strip and limped on out of there at grandma speeds. I could have ridden at normal pace, but I didn't want to risk breaking more spokes or deforming the rim.
I asked @mtnbikej if he could repair the spoke, and he asked if the chain was dirty. I said it was, so he reminded me that the only acceptable solution at this point is to get a new bike. I mean, after all, this one is 13 months old!
10.25 mi 1500' and bikes are still fun - even slightly injured bikes.
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Obsidian
iMTB Rockstah
Someone on my Strava mentioned Three Monkey's in Black Star, and after I determined it was not a typo ... I of course had to go ride it, because I love new trails. Anyway, it is a nice trail towards the end of Two Monkeys. The Monkey's are steeeeeeep. Some bike surfing required.
Once again, I rode all the singletracks down from the ball, which is a bit of a pain when incorporating Two/Three Monkey's into the mix since it requires riding back up a second time. Good thing I am ridiculously strong on the bike these days.
For such thrilling singletracks (which they all are) the fire road slog up that mountain is booooorring. I might actually understand eBike riders a little ... but not really.
Fun day on the bike. No drones/UFOs/UAPs spotted.
Once again, I rode all the singletracks down from the ball, which is a bit of a pain when incorporating Two/Three Monkey's into the mix since it requires riding back up a second time. Good thing I am ridiculously strong on the bike these days.
For such thrilling singletracks (which they all are) the fire road slog up that mountain is booooorring. I might actually understand eBike riders a little ... but not really.
Fun day on the bike. No drones/UFOs/UAPs spotted.
SnakeCharmer
iMTB Hooligan
The Sssnake slithered on up to Central Canada today to ride some dirt he hadn't been on since the last Group Ride there with Mikie. So yeah, it's been a bit. 
I hadn't been to Tapia in so long that I had no idea what to expect but things were pretty much as they should be. The trails weren't half bad, some blown out sections and some looseness but not too dusty. I'd forgotten what the feeling of fast flow is like because you don't get that around here in Southern Canada. It was quite a joy in fact!
I climbed in from the Animal Rescue Center. Up Tapia to the power poles, then dropped down toward Sidewinder. Took the FR route to access the TH. Dropped in and the speedfest was on! Veered into G-out, which had me a little nervous because I recall the gnarly sections but I couldn't recall how/where they were lined up so I rolled into every blind turn with one eye closed. It turned out all good but there was a few close calls. I've wiped out on G-out a handful of times over the years. Not today though. I basically owned it.
Popped out at the FR and climbed back up toward Dog Tag. Dint wanna make the full climb back the power poles so I jumped in at Middle Dog Tag. That darn trail is even faster, lol! I had a smile tattooed to my face from there all the way down to the end of Karl's.
Finished with something like 14 miles and 1600' gain.
I'm out of weekly space on Vimeo so DT/Creekbed/Karl's will have to wait until tomorrow or sometime soon after that. But I was able to fit in Sidewinder-G-Out. Enjoy...
I hadn't been to Tapia in so long that I had no idea what to expect but things were pretty much as they should be. The trails weren't half bad, some blown out sections and some looseness but not too dusty. I'd forgotten what the feeling of fast flow is like because you don't get that around here in Southern Canada. It was quite a joy in fact!
I climbed in from the Animal Rescue Center. Up Tapia to the power poles, then dropped down toward Sidewinder. Took the FR route to access the TH. Dropped in and the speedfest was on! Veered into G-out, which had me a little nervous because I recall the gnarly sections but I couldn't recall how/where they were lined up so I rolled into every blind turn with one eye closed. It turned out all good but there was a few close calls. I've wiped out on G-out a handful of times over the years. Not today though. I basically owned it.
Popped out at the FR and climbed back up toward Dog Tag. Dint wanna make the full climb back the power poles so I jumped in at Middle Dog Tag. That darn trail is even faster, lol! I had a smile tattooed to my face from there all the way down to the end of Karl's.
Finished with something like 14 miles and 1600' gain.
I'm out of weekly space on Vimeo so DT/Creekbed/Karl's will have to wait until tomorrow or sometime soon after that. But I was able to fit in Sidewinder-G-Out. Enjoy...
da big hills
iMTB Rockstah
yep, took Mtn Dawg
da big hills
iMTB Rockstah
Big surf today and Monday
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herzalot
iMTB Hooligan
Solid numbers! And between Booby Trap and the flying monkeys, maybe Black Star should be in the rotation. I'm not a fan of bike surfing, but I'm less of a fan of descending fire roads.Someone on my Strava mentioned Three Monkey's in Black Star, and after I determined it was not a typo ... I of course had to go ride it, because I love new trails. Anyway, it is a nice trail towards the end of Two Monkeys. The Monkey's are steeeeeeep. Some bike surfing required.
Once again, I rode all the singletracks down from the ball, which is a bit of a pain when incorporating Two/Three Monkey's into the mix since it requires riding back up a second time. Good thing I am ridiculously strong on the bike these days.
For such thrilling singletracks (which they all are) the fire road slog up that mountain is booooorring. I might actually understand eBike riders a little ... but not really.
Fun day on the bike. No drones/UFOs/UAPs spotted.
View attachment 95859
View attachment 95860
And yes - I am yearning to vary my diet. It's been an interesting year and the fun continues. I won't be allowed to ride for 2-3 weeks after the cataract surgery, so the fun of 2024 continues into 2025. I'll bet you're excited for your body to start betraying you in about 5-8 years!
Although frankly, I cannot and will not feel sorry for myself. I have everything a person could want, including my extraordinarily good looks and charm!
herzalot
iMTB Hooligan
That's a big 'un - good shape and nobody on it! Donde esta?
Cyclotourist
iMTB Hooligan
Trigger warning: Three image limit to be ignored. Skip to next post if necessary!
As threatened, I went up and checked out the South Fork section of the SART today with friend Allan. Closure signs all over the place, but cross-checking with the updated orders, we felt pretty good about riding.
We parked at where the SART crosses Glass Rd, prepared for closures. The down canyon section heading west toward Middle Control had a sign saying closed. I believe that is trail 2E03.4 which is listed as closed. Even though it's not in the closure area map, I figured they don't want people to ride it, get to MCR, and then choose to ride that instead of going out and back. Makes sense if you know humans.
As intended, we rode down Glass and planned to ride up 1N45 Seven Oaks Rd. But there was a huge road closed sign. I think it was from flooding as the Santa Ana had some huge debris flows up the river.
So up Radford to 1N04 Front Line Rd. Made a boneheaded wrong turn and climbed 3/4 of a mile up Radford before figuring that out. Sigh. Turned around and hit Front Line and WOW, what a great road!
I had never been on it, as by the time I get that far, I'm usually done. So it was a treat! Rode that all the way to the Santa Ana crossing at Hwy 38, and chose to just cross the river under the bridge.
Pretty fun choice. Rolled up to the SART trailhead, and confronted by closure signs. We knew it was a possibility, and were 100% fine with going back on Front Line as it was such a beautiful ride. But looking closely showed they were the closures that were dated through 11/30, so no longer in effect. At least we told ourselves that. This is trail section 2E03.5 which is not listed as closed.
This part of the SART had another mile and a half of climbing, so has never been my favorite. But thee trail was in great condition, the temps were perfect, and the flow was good! I mentally froze twice on off camber DG sections and ended up walking them. We maaaaaay have seen a bear across the valley. Or it was a black trash bag. One or the other. Perfect loop finishing with burritos in Yucaipa and a sore neck and hands (I'm only using 80mm of my 120mm fork, maybe should take out one of the two volume spacers, or is that just the way it should be???)
Stopped at a pull out on the drive back to take a picture of the Line Fire devastation. It is really bad.
16/1,600/3
As threatened, I went up and checked out the South Fork section of the SART today with friend Allan. Closure signs all over the place, but cross-checking with the updated orders, we felt pretty good about riding.
We parked at where the SART crosses Glass Rd, prepared for closures. The down canyon section heading west toward Middle Control had a sign saying closed. I believe that is trail 2E03.4 which is listed as closed. Even though it's not in the closure area map, I figured they don't want people to ride it, get to MCR, and then choose to ride that instead of going out and back. Makes sense if you know humans.
As intended, we rode down Glass and planned to ride up 1N45 Seven Oaks Rd. But there was a huge road closed sign. I think it was from flooding as the Santa Ana had some huge debris flows up the river.
So up Radford to 1N04 Front Line Rd. Made a boneheaded wrong turn and climbed 3/4 of a mile up Radford before figuring that out. Sigh. Turned around and hit Front Line and WOW, what a great road!
I had never been on it, as by the time I get that far, I'm usually done. So it was a treat! Rode that all the way to the Santa Ana crossing at Hwy 38, and chose to just cross the river under the bridge.
Pretty fun choice. Rolled up to the SART trailhead, and confronted by closure signs. We knew it was a possibility, and were 100% fine with going back on Front Line as it was such a beautiful ride. But looking closely showed they were the closures that were dated through 11/30, so no longer in effect. At least we told ourselves that. This is trail section 2E03.5 which is not listed as closed.
This part of the SART had another mile and a half of climbing, so has never been my favorite. But thee trail was in great condition, the temps were perfect, and the flow was good! I mentally froze twice on off camber DG sections and ended up walking them. We maaaaaay have seen a bear across the valley. Or it was a black trash bag. One or the other. Perfect loop finishing with burritos in Yucaipa and a sore neck and hands (I'm only using 80mm of my 120mm fork, maybe should take out one of the two volume spacers, or is that just the way it should be???)
Stopped at a pull out on the drive back to take a picture of the Line Fire devastation. It is really bad.
16/1,600/3
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herzalot
iMTB Hooligan
Great report - worthy of its own thread! Not a mundane ride at all!Trigger warning: Three image limit to be ignored. Skip to next post if necessary!
As threatened, I went up and checked out the South Fork section of the SART today with friend Allan. Closure signs all over the place, but cross-checking with the updated orders, we felt pretty good about riding.
View attachment 95862
We parked at where the SART crosses Glass Rd, prepared for closures. The down canyon section heading west toward Middle Control had a sign saying closed. I believe that is trail 2E03.4 which is listed as closed. Even though it's not in the closure area map, I figured they don't want people to ride it, get to MCR, and then choose to ride that instead of going out and back. Makes sense if you know humans.
So we rode down Glass and intended to ride up 1N45 Seven Oaks Rd. But there was a huge road closed sign. I think it was from flooding as the Santa Ana had some huge debris flows up the river.
So up Radford to 1N04 Front Line Rd. Made a boneheaded wrong turn and climbed 3/4 of a mile up Radford before figuring that out. Sigh. Turned around and hit Front Line and WOW, what a great road!
I had never been on it, as by the time I get that far, I'm usually done. So it was a treat! Rode that all the way to the Santa Ana crossing at Hwy 38, and chose to just cross the river under the bridge.
Pretty fun choice. Rolled up to the SART trailhead, and confronted by closure signs. We knew it was a possibility, and were 100% fine with going back on Frontline as it was such a beautiful ride. But looking closely showed they were the closures that were dated through 11/30, so no longer in effect. At least we told ourselves that. This is trail section 2E03.5 which is not listed as closed.
This part of the SART had another mile and a half of climbing, so has never been my favorite. But thee trail was in great condition, the temps were perfect, and the flow was good! I mentally froze twice on off camber DG sections and ended up walking them. We maaaaaay have seen a bear across the valley. Or it was a black trash bag. One or the other. Perfect loop finishing with burritos in Yucaipa and a sore neck and hands (I'm only using 80mm of my 120mm fork, maybe should take out one of the two volume spacers, or is that just the way it should be???)
Stopped at a pull out on the drive back to take a picture of the Line Fire devastation. It is really bad.