I Rode My Bike Today...

herzalot said:
I am an idiot. And so is my partner in crime for today @tbarnesarc

The local parks were not closed. They should have been. So if the parks are open and I am sitting with a new bike, I gotta get out there, right? So we met in the Canyon and headed up Philips Rd and Stairs. The trail above the "waterfall" section was so greasy it was hard to walk up. I fell once. Not a good sign. We made it to the top and were going to head for Lynx, but the fireroad up there was so bad we were just sliding and drifting and there is no way we would have made it back. We decided to cut our losses and head down stairs. What was greasy on the way up was greasy on the way down. We made it. But we weren't satisfied.

Taylor and I decided the other side of the canyon can only be better, so we climbed Willow. It took about 50% more effort due to tire slippage. Then it got worse. And worse. Until our bikes were so laden with mud, the wheels were locked. The bikes weighed well over 50 lbs at this point. We couldn't carry them because we had no traction under our feet. We were pretty much stuck. There is no way we were getting to Bommer Ridge to get to T and A. So we turned around. It was bad.

Here's me at the top of Stairs, before it really got bad:
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And Taylor's bike at its worst. Zoom in. I've never seen anything like it.
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Soooo, maybe 1000' of climbing, and not much else. Took 30 minutes to clean the bike.

So the question is, why were the parks open?
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Damn, I’m glad I wasn’t the only fool. Couple of buddies and I thought it would be cool to ride in the rain: “like when we were little kids.” We started out about 8am with intermittent rain and reasonable trail conditions. Up Cholla, so far so good. Was on our way to hit Meadows and it went to bloody muddy hell from there. Our bikes pretty much seized from the tenacious mud. Turned our tails and came back down cheater Cholla and made it back to the parking lot. Ran into a merry band of bikers on the way and told them I’d turn around if I was them, hopefully they heeded the advise.

Lesson learned: don’t do Aliso in the rain.
 
Danmtchl said:
I didn't like the ride of the bike, don't like the dual shock set up. That seems like a nightmare to maintain. Internal cable slapping was killing me, I had to put my earbuds in. Just a bunch of little things that bugged me.
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The Switch Infinity isn't really much of a maintenance nightmare, but no excuse for rattling cables these days. Especially at that price point. And, above all, not liking the ride of the bike. Thanks for elaborating. I'll let you know what I think of the SB 150 after I giver 'er a go on Saturday. I hope it's "meh" at best.
 
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herzalot said:
The Switch Infinity isn't really much of a maintenance nightmare, but no excuse for rattling cables these days. Especially at that price point. And, above all, not liking the ride of the bike. Thanks for elaborating. I'll let you know what I think of the SB 150 after I giver 'er a go on Saturday.
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A friend of mine has the SB130 and that is the reason I demoed it, but he loves it, and he has a lot of bikes (20+) to chose from. But if someone likes something, I say have at it.

My 5 year old Devinci has never rattled a cable and is the easiest cable routing I have ever had. I have built a lot of internally routed bikes and I still think the Devinci design is the best yet.
 
Danmtchl said:
A friend of mine has the SB130 and that is the reason I demoed it, but he loves it, and he has a lot of bikes (20+) to chose from. But if someone likes something, I say have at it.

My 5 year old Devinci has never rattled a cable and is the easiest cable routing I have ever had. I have built a lot of internally routed bikes and I still think the Devinci design is the best yet.
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20+ bikes? Yowwwwza! I just want one.

I appreciate your affinity for Devinci. They are an oft-overlooked brand 'round these parts. I've never seen one for sale in a shop, and I've only seen like 3 on the trail. Wait - I take that back. I think Performance was carrying Devinci just before they went belly up. (Not linking the two events.)

I rode a Wilson around the parking lot at the Fontana DH. Seemed bodacious. :thumbsup:
 
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Maple Springs to Modjeska 18.5 miles 3,300 feet 41 degrees.

A lot of wind and a little bit of snow. Was surprised to find the gate open . Headwind and dozens of motor vehicles. Still it was all good, even got a few miles of nice tailwind in the middle of the ride. When I went beyond Modjeska the wind became too and I had to turn back. The overall condition was hardpack with all the loose dirt blown away. Brought a handsaw along but didn't need to use it. There was a small rock slide on Main Divide above 4 Corners.

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herzalot said:
20+ bikes? Yowwwwza! I just want one.

I appreciate your affinity for Devinci. They are an oft-overlooked brand 'round these parts. I've never seen one for sale in a shop, and I've only seen like 3 on the trail. Wait - I take that back. I think Performance was carrying Devinci just before they went belly up. (Not linking the two events.)

I rode a Wilson around the parking lot at the Fontana DH. Seemed bodacious. :thumbsup:
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The one time I went to skypark, I saw at least 5 devinci's...

Spoke to someone at Roys cycle in upland, apparently they stopped carrying them. Had a hard time with warranty.
 
out at sunset, ran into a dude on my trail. I was doing intervals so when I got back to the top he was there. He said he liked the trail because there is never anyone on it. AS IF. I dropped down to repeat, he went onward with lights. My next time up I saw lights on Angels Rest and West Mesa. Some days er nights you are not alone
Happy sunset trails
 
No one was around to play, so hit was a solo spin at the Oaks.

First time riding the Chameleon with the new dropper on it.

got to the top of Yucca, dropped the seat....wow, this feels just like the Hightower. Dropped in full gas like on the Hightower. Got a quick reminder that the SS doesn’t have 135mm rear travel. :oops: Cases the back wheel on a small jump. Oooopsies.

otherwise with the seat slammed, it changes the mannerisms into a whole new beast.

only planned a quick ride since the wind was blowing.....however it died down and ended up staying out longer.

18 / 2900’
 
Very pleasant morning, nothing particular in mind. Not much activity in the hills as usual. A lot more as I dropped into the regional park. People were friendly, only got charged by one small dog, on leash and ultimately brought under control - unlike 2 episodes in the past 2 weeks - a Dobie and a huge Pit - both with incompetent, dangerous owners. Fortunate to only have needed to divert off the trail a bit and not down a cliff to avoid being attacked. Make it home safely, have an enjoyable time. Fool around in the dirt for a while = happy hillbiker. :) That's me... the hillside straggler.
 
Silverado to Maple to Harding loop.. broken chain a mile fr 4 corners.. yikes... All good after 10 mins.. awesome day.. lots of trucks n Moto's.. then decided to drop Hardin instd of maple due to traffic...
Big mistake.. 3 bulldozers tearing up Harding..
Harding is loose n soft n would be a big pain to climb..
Still a good day...
 
Mid week ride with @sir crashalot, San Juan trail from Blue Jay, Old San Juan over to Cocktail Rock, new SJ to Viejo tie, and down and out Chiquito. Some of the best singletrack fun you can legally have. Except, lots of downed trees, branches and bushes covering the trail, primarily on old SJ, Viejo Tie and upper Chiquito in Lion Canyon. We drug and pushed as much off the trail we could but need a saw and some loppers. Maybe in a couple weeks..

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I rode my bike today...

With @Faust29 , @Bill and The Professor.

Up Maple Springs to Modjeska Radar Towers, then down Joplin and the Luge.

I would tell you more... but I lost my bike computer on one of my two Joplin spills :( Didn't realize it was gone until we hit Old Camp. I think I rode pretty far... and climbed a lot. A lot of calories were burned. I was dog tired most of the ride because I have been off the bike for two weeks while I've been working on the house. Lot of cramping going on on that climb out of Old Camp :)

Steve is going to share his riding stats with me :) MRE's were delivered to Bill, who is going to take them home and have an MRE eating festival with his two daughters :)
 
evdog said:
Cool, did you know there is more than just the SOT going across that area? There is also CHRT which crosses the SOT a few times between Warner springs and S-22. Land owner has taken down all the CHRT signs and put up no trespassing signs which is a bit odd since the SOT is there as well.
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I’ve had the pleasure of extensive mtb riding in that area. My best friend had ownership at Warner Springs and we used to go quite often and stay in the casitas or camp in their private campground (SOT went right through camp)
We would use it as jump off for other, longer rides (Palomar, Combs, scissors crossing, granite mountain and vallecito wash)
The trails right through the ranch always intrigued me including CHRT which was always a challenge to follow due to poor signage. I remember meeting a guy who worked at the ranch back in the 90’s who was trying to establish mtb trails, but didn’t get too far with that plan.
I miss my times at Warner Ranch, it was such a great place for golf, mtb and post ride hot springs soaking. I’m not sure of the status of the resort, last I heard the los coyotes Indian reservation bought it and did away with private membership.
 
We rode! 4 riders, 5 crashes, and one lost computer. Joplin claimed its sacrifices today... Thankfully I did not account for any of the 5 crashes. :p

I will admit that I like the vehicle assisted version... :oops: If Harding were not a mess, my favorite loop is Harding-Joplin and out STT. That's going to be awhile, though... :thumbsdown:

@BonsaiNut , @Bill , @the Professor

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Pre-blood pictures...
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It looks so peaceful at the top...
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Find the Yeti
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Exploring Alternate Lines...
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After Crash #2
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