M.O.C.D.

Rode another 10 miler last night in preparation for the Root 66 Race at Domnarski Farm. I wasn't really riding for time but I had a little geographical confusion/orientation issue in the big burn section of Huntington which triggered my Mapping Obsessive Compulsion Disorder to analyze where I went wrong.

The issue was that I was looking for an infrequently used trail that connects the Big Burn to the Green Trail but it seems that I missed the turn off, which is by the Saddle Roller and ended up following an old trail down to a stream/swamp with no way of crossing - obviously not a biking trail.

Below I have drawn it in where I should have gone on a blow up of my 3-D map.

Here is what the trail looks like from when I first rode it back in 2005. Back then, while still riding my first mountain bike I recall coming up to a really steep section and having too much weight forward on the bike and hitting the brakes causing me to experience the joys of my first endo. Ahhh, those were the days!

I think this steep section where I chickened out is between the A and R in the map below because I recall being able to see the person that I was trying to keep up with near the stream crossing. Just after the stream crossing, another person that we had met up with while attempting the climb on the other side of the stream ended up chipping a tooth on his stem.

I met a guy on the trail by the name of Larry who was riding an old school rigid geared bike. He was having fun sweating and getting lost on the trails. Later, I ran into Kevin, a guy I know from work, who is training for the VT50. I was thinking of doing the 50 this year but since I no longer have a geared full susser rig I think I might wait till next year to try it.

Speaking of bikes, I heard back from Soul Cycles. They will replace the frame when I show them a picture of my frame with a major tube cut all the way through. Makes sense when you think about it otherwise what would stop you from reselling the old frame and getting over on the manufacturer. I think before I go to all that trouble though, I am going to take the Dillinger into Brookfield Bike and see if they can find the source of the noise. I don't have the tools to pop the headset cups out of the headtube to see if there is a crack in the frame that I can't see from the outside. Of course, it could always be the headset, so I really want to put this to rest once and for all.

The Friday Fix: Maybe it's the weather but ...

but there were an awful lot of fixies out and about today while I was in NYC for work. Here are three that I got some pix of but I must have seen at least 15 to 20 fixed gears today.

I hit the bike racks on 46th and Park to see if that Redline 29er Commuter was there so that I could get some more pictures of it, instead I found fixies.

Front brake, Oury grips, top tube protection and short, short bars. Now that's a fixie!

Right next door is a brakeless fixed gear in the color scheme that Bicycling Magazine is calling the new color for bikes this decade. Looks like this guy has them beat!

Nice drops with purple tape. Not sure if I would ever try and ride brakeless. That's gutsy.

This Milwaukee Bicycle Co bike I think is really a 26" wheeled frame sporting 700c wheels. It can be done but you are severely limited in your tire choices. Again, Oury Grips and the fixie rage.

Thirsty Thursdays: Samuel Adams Latitude 48

I was a Memorial Day BBQ this past weekend there were a few sampler packs from Harpoon, Sarnac, and Samuel Adams in the cooler with a variety of beers to choose from. Besides trying Pale, Pale Ale from Sarnac, and a Golden Wheat from Harpoon, I tried a bottle of Latitude 48 and I was instantly amazed at how good this beer tasted. It reminded me of a cross between BBC's Cabin Fever Ale and Lost Sailor India Pale Ale. A perfect combination of that bitter ale aftertaste and hoppiness you get with the India Pale Ale. Hope this beer makes it out of the Brewmaster collection into it's own cardboard sixpack carrier sometime soon.

Not thinking

In preparation for the Domnarski Farm race on Sunday I set out to ride 10 miles at Huntington. I wanted to pop smoke from the office at 4 PM but you know that never happens, so I was runing a half hour late. I decided that I would try riding Big Vomit, one of the the two huge technical climbs at Huntington. While I didn't vomit myself it was a brutal climb. I made it only half way up and walked a section and then rode the rest of the way. Probably would stood a better chance of cleaning the climb if I rode neighboring Little Vomit, which is the other big climb.

Looking down Big Vomit.

From the get go, I didn't really plan my routes well and kind of hit a lot trails but it no real strategy. I did manage take a run down the saddle roller but wasn't really planning on any stuntry. On Friday, I think I am going to come back and try something with a little more organization, which by the way means not overlapping stuff that I have already ridden. I got my 10 miles in but it was sloppy.

Blue Trail? Looks more like a road now.

On thing is for certain, I think I need a new frame. Remember that video that posted a few weeks ago? Well, I am convinced now that the higher pitched creaking sound is also frame related after riding today.

Morning Monster Cross

Headed over to Southbury Monday morning to give the new and improved QBall Monster Crosser good solid test ride. A couple of component changes since riding the bike earlier this winter have taken place. These include Cane Creek Drop V Brake levers, Avid BB5 disc brakes, Salsa Woodchipper drop bars, and Kenda Kross Tires. The test ride took place at the Larkin Bridal Trail which is a great Gravel Grinder route.

Stopping power with the levers is great because they have more cable pull, they are perfect for disc brakes. The BB5s, well they were on the Dillinger but I wasn't liking them there so they found a home on the Qball and fit nicely.

Moving to a thinner tire was a little scary at first but these are 700x42c and a nice step down from 29x2.1s. One thing is for sure, I can feel the difference between the 29er tires and the cross tires. Not as much sluggishness when accelerating and they maintain speed, whereas the 29er tires always felt slower and I had to work harder to maintain a faster speed.

The Woodchippers are freaking awesome with multiple hand positions I never got tired or fatigued in the 22 miles riding. Having a wide armed position for climbing is such a difference, too. At open point I tried to bunny hop a little ditch on the way back and when I landed I discovered the stem clamp wasn't as tight as I would have liked and the bars dipped. After re-tightening them I moved the levers higher and it wasn't bad but what I didn't like was how the barcons were further downwards and that didn't help climbing a few of the road cuts on the trail. Going to have to move them back.

The only thing now is I have to fine tune the gearing. In the lower gears for the short ups on the road cuts my chain would pop between gears so it looks like the rear derailleur needs a little tweaking. I want to try this out on the North Putnam Rail Trail next. Granted, it's paved but I bet I could really get some miles in just two hours.