Stick in the Mud

It actually felt like summer on Saturday and after I got done with the Honey-Do List I headed out on my mountain bike to Upper Paugussett State Forest.  It's been nearly 3 months since I last rode here and that was with a few inches of snow on the ground so it was going to be a whole different scene.

While all the logs that were being stored in the Echo Valley Parking Lot have been removed there were still quite a few at the Mud Hole, which as you can see is back in business.  Rather than ride through the mud, I prefer to ride the corduroy that someone built last year.  The last time I rode through it was ice so I stopped to make sure everything was good to go before attempting it.  It's kind of at a weird angle so I wanted to make sure it was still functional after the long, hard winter.

As you can see my first attempt was not terribly successful.  It seems that the armored portion sank further down so that when my front wheel went into the center it stopped causing me to endo and finding out the hard way that the water is cold and dirty!  I found a better, flatter rock to sit in the center and rode it again with no trouble.

Further up, the seasonably wet section of the Poly Brody Forest Road was wet.  The nice thing about this part is that it's a gravel road and never gets muddy despite the water.

The Upper Gussy Trail was really nice.  There are some new trees down here and there but nothing impeding the flow.  It appears that someone may have redone the rock armoring at the stream crossing in the picture above.  Further down the trail I came across a father and his sons riding up the trail.  It was their first time on the trail and they were riding it backwards.

Coming down the Gussy to Jeep Trail there were a lot of skid marks and they looked fresh, as in today!  I wish people wouldn't do this because it really ruins the trail.  I usually never ride down this part of the trail but I avoided the Reach-Around because I knew the Jeep Trail would be bogged out because of all the rain we got on Friday and spring melt.

Something needs to be done about this!

The Beer Can Handlebar Shim

This shouldn't be anything new to the DIY Cyclist/Mechanic and I really don't know why I didn't think about it sooner because I have used Beer Can shims numerous times on various seat posts. 

You don't have to use a Beer Can, by the way, any aluminum can will work.  I only like the Beer Can, especially a Pabst Blue Ribbon, because of the common association that beer has with cycling and PBR with fixed gears, but I don't where thick glasses and have a beard.  Also, I have to thank Cliff, the cyclist who sent me some vintage handlebar bags, who suggested that I should do this.

Step 1, or Step 2 if you had to empty the can first, cut out a ribbon or strip of the can so that it's the width of the bar clamp and will wrap completely around the bars at least once and there is plenty of overlap.  I use the the circumference of the entire can to ensure that I get enough overlap and then some.

Wrap the aluminum ribbon around your handlebars, ensuring there is plenty of overlap and then slide it and the bar underneath the clamp.  Then tighten down the clamp.

Get on the bike and make sure the bars don't slip!  If they do, you might have to add more can and also make sure the clamp it really tight!

92 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

Savings from Bike Commuting

Gas:  8 gallons
CO2:  160 lbs

Upon leaving Chez Snack, the temperature read 37 degrees but by the time I got up to town the temperature gauge on the Garmin was reading 45 degrees and did I feel over dressed by then

I have to say though, I think this morning was my first pleasant morning bike commute 

Everything was working nicely

Instead of riding home, I had to ride over to the car dealer and pick up my wife's car so I will have to make up the mileage next week

Fixed laps with my Son

Sunday was a beautiful day for a bike ride

Some snow still remains and it's almost the middle of April

Elliot took off 

We were having a blast, lap after lap

The Paramount was rocking and my fixie sense came be quickly

There were a few issues that I have still have fix

1992 Schwinn Paramount Series 7 PDG OS: Fixed!

Before

After

The only Fredding to the bike, besides throwing on a pair of flats

is a different set of bars

The proper use for Origin8 Gary I Propulsion Bars is on a fixie

I tried three different stems but went back to the original