Slush Ride

Looks like someone might have cut the lock on the gate to Upper Paugussett State Forest. Noticed the gate wide open last night so I promptly called DEP and they responded quick, however, the damage was done. If you want to see what the ATVers did to the Gussy Trail, take a look here. Today's ride was pretty brutal. Probably should have went XC skiing instead but I was jonesin to ride so I went out. Could be the last ride in 08 for the Qball.

Trail road pretty well but I should have had gears. Climbing would have been easier with a lower gears so I had to use the feet instead. Hit most of the up-and-overs and rode the Qball with the front fork set to the 80mm position. Of course a Surly Pugsley would have been beautiful for these conditions.

If I only had a Surly Pugsley!

Rode in Upper Paugussett State Forest today and the snow in most places was anywhere from three to six inches deep and it made riding tough, even on the Qball! Some Large Marge wheels and Endo Morph Tires would have been really helpful today. I think I read on TwentynineInches.com about how great a 29er is in the snow but I wonder what kind of snow they were talking about. The blog post is appropriately titled, Why Ride a 29er.

Loose Terrain Traversing/Traction There is a reason why early 29″er pioneers were winning mud bog contests and crossing sandy desert terrain better than their 26″er brethren were. The wheels seem to really excell at crossing loose sand, mud, and even snow. This is a direct result of many of the above mentioned benefits working in concert with each other, but is remarkable, so I mentioned it as a stand alone trait.

I had never considered this as a reason to drink the Koolaid, what sold me was (and you will find explanations on these reasons in that same post):

1. Better Roll Over
2. Better Traction

I never considered these factors:

1. Better Momentum Conservation
2. Gyroscopic Effect
3. Geometry Quirks

I think mainly because I also wanted to try single speeding and this seemed to be the logical choice. But getting back to the snow, the Qball does ride pretty well in the snow, but I think it has to be the lighter, fluffier kind. Soft, deep, wet snow that sucks all your momentum and energy is a different story. That is why I think the Surly Pugsley would better in this type of snow. Here is a really cool shot of a newer Pugsley from iBike, granted is not the Purple People Eater version. In 2007 Surly changed the color on the Pugsley to grey.

I followed the ATV tracks on the Upper Gussy and the rider got over the first rock ridge but turned around in the little gully afterwards. So, in order to thwart future incursions I am going to have to make it as difficult as possible to anyone on an ATV to get it. Besides putting in logs to make up and overs that bikes and horses can get over easily, I am thinking about trying some corralling to disrupt any thought of travel by lashing 2 or 3 inch saplings to thicker trees to act like a fence.

Additionally, there is one section that I think someone is tearing down my markers. Twice I have been through here and remarked this section only to find the markers not there again. I am not really worried though because when the trail building starts in earnest, it won't matter. I did, however, do some twig clearing along some of the initial sections off of the Polly Brody and the other side about a 100 yards from the ROW.

I wore my new Gore-tex Shimano mountain boots and they rocked! I wore a single wool liner ski boot sock and my feet never got cold nor wet. They are extremely comfortable. The only thing I am not sure of is where I should have the cleat positioned. Right now my cleats are in the forward two holes but looking at my other shoes, the cleats are in the back two holes. I think what this does is move the ball of your foot closer to the center of the pedal. I am going to try it in this position for a while to see if it's any better. Looking at my Cannodale riding shoes, I might have to replace those this spring because they are looking pretty beat.

Climbing in this snow stinks, but when you get moving downhill, the 29er rolls nicely. In fact, I threw caution to the wind and hit the Tunnel of Love and cleaned it handsomely, even with 4 inches of snow on it.

Here is a map of the ride, overlayed on a previous ride from last month where I rode with Tren and Rick. The green track is today's ride. I found a neat a little technical off shoot that I will talk more about on my Upper Gussy Blog later and as you can see I bypassed a section because I was running out of time. I also did the double stream crossing but walked both crossings. I am still on the fence about those. I need to get someone on a horse to go through there and see what works for them.

Too much snow to ride, so I went XC skiing instead

I think this is the first time I XC skied this part of the forest. Two or three years ago I went from Echo Valley Parking lot on some morning when it was 4 degrees and only did it for half an hour. Weather was much nicer today, though, and with eight to ten inches of snow on the ground it was nice. What made it even nicer was the crust on top and soft snow underneath.

Did a nice climb up the Polly Brody, then came back on the Mulikin. Bad news though, the ATVer went up the Upper Gussy section off of the Polly Brody. Didn't feel like following his tracks to see how far he went in but we are going to have to get creative to keep this person off the trail.

Got some new gear today? Heard that Outdoor Sports Center was having a biking shoe sale so I decided to pull the trigger on some Gore-tex, winter riding shoes from Shimano. They were normally $170 and I got them for $119. I guess they were not part of the sale but when I said that a friend of mine got them for $120 last week, the sales guy took 30% off, and I was telling the truth, too! A riding buddy who lives in Ridgefield got these for the same price.

Finally got the matching pair of Kinai knee and shin guards from Specialized. I have had the elbow and forearm guards for two years now and have wanted to get the matching knee guards but my Rockgardns were still in good shape so I didn't see a good reason to replace them, however, they are almost shot, so it's time for some replacement. So now, I will look good in the forest with matching elbow and knee guards.

First Fixie Fixation Off Road Ride!

Today was a day of many firsts. Wore my new Adidas Cycling Jacket for the first time. Road fixie on the road for the first time, and road fixie off road for the first time as well! There was alot of snow and ice on the Polly Brody and I think that made it easier. What made it difficult was the ice. Had to walk through sections of that but over all it was an enjoyable ride.

The 69er was smooth but that was largely due to snow that I was riding on top of. Had some problems with the stem not holding the bars tight enough and three quarters of the way through my brakes stopped working. I think the rear needs tightening and two screws came out of the front rotor. I think I am going to switch to my Ritchey stem and if time permits, ride again tomorrow afternoon on the same bike only with the free wheel this time. Might try to get some vids and pics of riding different sections of the Upper Gussy.

I was hoping that it would warm up today but it never got over 28 degrees. Still thinking about getting those Shimano Winter Mountain Boots but my current solution, neoprene socks are working pretty well. The Adidas jacket definitely sealed in the heat really well and of course, the orange is perfect for riding during hunting season. The only downside to the jacket is no zip pits. It's not really an off road riding jacket, rather road riding for rain.

I found where the ATVer lives, Bramble Trail. This time he went half way up the Polly Brody and then turned off on the Horse Trail (Yellow Blazed). Not sure how far he went up there. Knocked on the door of the house where all the ATV tracks eminate from but no one would answer the door. I am going to take pictures of all all the damage tomorrow but first try to make contact with the owner and see if he will just stop. If not, I will see what can be done going through the town and the state. There are tracks on the conservation easement and that is worth a fine. It looks like the people living there have recently moved from out of state and maybe they just don't have a clue.

Looks like there are more players in the Disc Rotor Cog market, check this out from Kogswellcycles. Same price point as the TomiCog only they offer a 16 and 18t only and this just looks like a cheapo stamped out cog you can can get at the local LBS for $10 that was drilled with a drill press. Still, it's cool to see others are doing it, since getting a boone Ti cog is impossible.

Check this out! Fixed Gear MTB Race. Lots of rigid rigs and 29ers, too! I could think of a better soundtrack but it's still real cool.

A couple of observations in the Upper Paugussett

In late May I noticed that it looked like some ATV'ers were getting into the forest by way of the Horse trail up from Pond Brook, so I sent an email to DEP asking them if they could put up some boulders to block the entrance and instead they came out and put up a bunch of signs. That won't stop kids. DEP's response when I pushed further was that they will get in there one way or the other. From what I can tell, the signs are helping.

Looks like there is going to be some cutting taking place just off the Polly Brody, I'd say about a half mile from the gate. Bunch of trees marked with blue. There is the makings for a trail in there that I have ridden a few times but I am going to wait and see what happens when the trees get cut.

A big tree fell across the Polly Brody and took out a 4 inch tree in the process. The big tree was rotten and broke apart on the road but the smaller tree blocked the road. The one time I am riding in the forest without my pack saw is when I discovered this. I came back a week later with my saw and took care of business.

It appears somebody has found my trail. I found foot prints in some of the muddy parts heading up hill. Didn't look like a mountain biker shoe, I think it might have been a hunter. I think it was still spring turkey season when I saw them. Speaking of my trail, I think I have a name for it, "The Muliken" trail in honor of the original owner of the this tract of land. I have seen ATV tracks going down the beginning part but it doesn't look like they are attempting to go any further than the end of the grass strip. Fortunately, they can't get past the hard left that goes into the DH section of the trail. The Up and Over, of course, is a good measure that will block them further. There are other places along the trail that will prevent ATVs from passing through.

ATV issue comes home

So, look what comes up in my hometown paper on the heels of 5806:

Police Plan Enforcement Crackdown On Illegal ATV Use

Newtown Bee, 3/30/2006

By Andrew Gorosko

In response to continuing complaints from the public about the noise nuisance posed by the use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and light motorcycles known as dirt bikes, police plan to launch an enforcement campaign against riders who violate state laws, focusing their efforts at the D'Addario Sand & Stone Company Inc's surface mine at 9 Button Shop Road in Botsford.

Police Sergeant Douglas Wisentaner said this week that police have received complaints from property owners near that sprawling surface mine who say the use of ATVs there poses a continuing noise nuisance, damaging their quality of life.

The D'Addario mine lies east of South Main Street, west of Little Brook Lane, north of Botsford Hill Road, and south of the town landfill. The mine is bisected by the east-west Button Shop Road. Most illegal use of ATVs and dirt bikes occurs on weekends in the section of the mine lying south of Button Shop Road, police said. At times, approximately 20 vehicles are illegally in use there, police said.

The riders sneak onto the property from various points along its border. One of those illegal entry points is a small clearing in a thicket along the east side of South Main Street, near Kay Lane.

Besides entry points near roads around the mine, some ATV riders enter the mine from the Housatonic Railroad's right-of-way that borders the mine, police said. That rail line extends into Monroe.

Sgt Wisentaner said that with the coming of mild weather, police plan to increase the enforcement of ATV violations, especially at the D'Addario mine.

Police met with a representative of the mining company and state officials last week in planning their enforcement campaign. D'Addario representatives could not be reached for comment.

Typical rider violations include simple trespassing, which carries a $92 fine; simple trespassing on railroad property, which carries a $136 fine; and failure to register an ATV. Unregistered ATVs may be impounded by police in certain cases.

State law on ATVs lists a variety of violations, Sgt Wisentaner said. The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has enforcement power for certain ATV violations, he explained, adding that DEP plans to aid police in the enforcement project.

Police plan to personally inform people living near the mine of the enforcement project, he said.

"It's been a problem for a long time," Sgt Wisentaner said.

Although police receive ATV usage complaints from other parts of town, due to its large size, the D'Addario mine receives the heaviest ATV use of any place in town and generates many complaints, he said.

Besides local riders, the mine attracts out-of-town riders, who sometimes approach the mine riding their ATVs on the railroad right-of-way, he said.

Police, who drive large sedans on paved roads, are physically limited in how they can pursue ATV violations, he said. At times, when police spot ATV trailers parked at places where ATV riders enter the mine, they simply wait until the riders return to their trailers to issue them tickets.

Most riders whom police apprehend are people from out of town who have left their ATV trailers along the edge of the mine, Sgt Wisentaner said.

The illegal use of ATVs poses several law enforcement issues, the sergeant said.

It is a public safety issue because injuries can occur from ATV use, he said. Illegal ATV use involves trespassing, he added. ATV use can cause property damage, he said. Also, the vehicles create noise nuisances, damaging the quality of life, he added.

The sergeant compared enforcing ATV laws at the D'Addario mine to the town's trespassing enforcement project at Fairfield Hills. After the town started strictly enforcing trespassing laws at Fairfield Hills, the incidence of that problem there greatly decreased, he said.

At 8:44 PM, Anonymous said...

Wow, I think I got a response from someone in the ATV community about 5086.

At 8:44 PM, Anonymous said...

If you had a pond in your back yard you would not have to register your boat!!! if you want to use the river you pay. If there was a state forest to ride in like Mass then we would pay.

Actually, even if the pond is on your property and the pond is named on a state map, guess what? If it [the boat] has a motor, you have to register it to be able to operate it on your pond. Before, I started MTB (mountain biking) I was on the board of directors for the Mianus Chapter of Trout Unlimited and involved with all sorts of different DEP like stuff, so you point Mr Anonymous doesn't really hold water (no pun intended). As for the River, yes, if you have a powered boat, whether its an electric trolling motor or a 4 stroke, electric start, power trim, 115 hp Merc (my next outboard motor for my next Tracker), that boat has to be registered before one molecule of STATE owned fresh, brackish or tidal water comes into contact with your hull. Frankly, I think the same rule should apply to ATVs.

You do have an excellent point, though, and maybe that is what needs to be amended to the bill, an area needs to be set aside for riding, today. Clearly, this bill falls short in that arena, largely in part due to the one-sided opinion of the bill's author and maybe the ATV community should look at this bill as a wake-up call to do something pro-active if you want to make ATV riding legal in the State of Connecticut. Not sure what type of Not-for-profit organization(s) you have but you should be banding together and opening a dialogue with the non-motorized community to work something out, find some middle ground so that everyone can enjoy the State's public property.

Here is what I would recommend: All ATVs must be registered, just like any other motorized vehicle. There should be some exceptions, like farm use, and if you don't use it in the state, but the penalties should remain - just like a car, if its not registered you can't ride on any public property except your own, and that means, you can't just zip down the road to your friend's property or your lower 40. If you want to put that on puplic property, town or State, you have to be registered. The penalties should be strict to ensure compliance.

The registration fees should go into the maintenance and upkeep of the designated riding location as well as into a fund to acquire more land for ATV riding. The registration process would be self policing, too, because if there are not enough people complying with the law to register then it will lead to eventual closure of the riding location due to no funding. It's kind of like a State fishing licenses, if no body bought them this year, the following year the State probably wouldn't have enough money for trout stocking.

So, what do you think?

All Terrain Vehicle Bill Raised Bill 5806

So, the environmental groups got together (I think this might have been largely pushed by CFPA) and put together this bill for CT State Legistlature.

This bill is a compromise. The language requires the state purchase two parcels through bonding for use as ATV facilities through bonding.

It will require universal (biennial) registration of all ATVs - $75.00 in state, $100.00 out of state This shall close the loophole that has been liberally applied by an estimated 77,000 ATV riders who claim they only ride in their yards.

The registration fees will be divided in such a way that part of the registration will go towards paying down the bond debt. Part of the registration will go towards the maintenance of the facilities, and the purchase of new facilities. Another portion of the registration fees will go towards law enforcement. Farm and forestry vehicles will have a separate, no cost/low cost plate.

With passage of this bill, lands purchased for natural resource protection and passive recreation shall no longer be considered for ATV use.

After the purchase of the two ATV facilities, any rider who is caught riding without registration and identification shall be fined $500.00 for each offense - $100. of which will go to the arresting authority –be it a municipal law enforcement officer or a DEP conservation officer.

Because of a drafting error, the universal registration component was not inserted. We are working with the committee to correct this. Please when you contact your legislators, and the environment committee remind them that the bill is useless without universal registration.
Potential revenue shortfalls will mean the bond debt won't be repaid, the ATV facilities won't be maintained, the account will not grow to purchase further facilities, and law enforcement, already compromised will be further.

Without universal registration we will be forced to kill the bill. I can say quiteconfidentiallyy, that no legislation for ATVs will ever get through the legislature without registration and identification.

Last week I read followed links to NETRA and CTTrailRiders and read the opposite camp's opinion on this bill. It was pretty interesting. Most of them recognize the need for land to ride on and realize that this bill sort of makes sense and then there are those in the ATV community that want to defeat this bill altogether. I think it's a step in the right direction. I think its sort ofquandaryy. The environmental groups (in this case non-motorized trailusers) want more teeth to deter ATV use on their trails by giving the ATV riders a legal place to ride. Simple enough. I am sure the ATV users want a legal place to ride, too. But like any group that you tell that they will have to pay to play you are going to get instant friction. Land isn't cheap and if they don't do anything soon the land is going to be swallowed up by developers.

I see quad damage in many of the non-State Parks that I ride in and frankly its appalling. These people have no qualms about tearing up the land and believe me, they are not just riding in their backyards. Where there is money to be gained, I don't see why the State Legistlature is not falling overthemselves to pass this bill. If there are 77,000 ATVs in the state, that's roughly $5.8M per year in registration fees. Drop the $800K for administration and you still have quite a chunck of change to buy some land. If I have to register my boat that I seldom use in CT waters, I don't see why not these guys won't register their quads.