Things that make you say Hmm....

I was JRA yesterday when I came across a trio fellows walking up a rock ledge I was about to ride down. They were sporting a veritable cornucopia of vintage to modern gear, the most modern being a C-dale Jekyll.
As they marveled over the wonders of my 29" wheels, singlespeed, rigid fork, and bell, music filled the air.
Really.
The gentleman riding the Cannondale Raven had some sort of music playing device in his backpack and was cranking tunes. Bob Marley at the the time.
One of my many gripes, and ask TJ, I've got plenty, is other trail users totally oblivious to the rest of the world with their earbuds in, cranking Debbie Gibson, Glenn Beck or whatever. But this guy not only is he not sheltering himself in a auditory cocoon, but sharing the love with all to hear.
Don't know how I feel about that (yes I do, something good to gripe about).
We were headed in different directions so I didn't have to take my chances with what his next song choice would be.
I really should make a point of riding with a camera.

Goldilocks or Princess and the Pea

I know this is terribly interesting stuff...

Swapped to my "Winter tires" today.
Ardent 2.4 up front and a Nevegal 2.2 in the back.
The Nevegal aired up fine, but was having a hard time holding air. Consequently, I began the ride with some extra pressure, just in case. Even when over inflated, the Nevegal kicks a Crossmarks tushy in these early Winter conditions (dusting of snow, hoar frost, frozen crunchy leaves). I was able to motor up some techie climbs I wasn't able to make even with gears earlier in the week. When I was finally confident it was sealed and dropped the pressure it was awesome(r).

The Ardent on the other hand is a different kettle of fish. Too much air and it's like a rubber mallet, not enough and it's a squishy squirmy blob. Honing in on "just right" has been arduous journey.
I think I prefer it on the mallet side.
Might have to start riding with a tire gauge.

Here's a link to my ride so A-Game can figure out what time I left work.

Fickle

I really need to be more persistent.
I didn't even make it a month this time with gears.
I was actually enjoying the charms that variable gears provide, but the timing was all wrong. Just a dusting of snow and some hoar frost stole gears thunder.
I was JRA yesterday and couldn't get any kind of flow going. It was pretty cold, and it wasn't a race, but man was I slow.
Slow, no flow.
Presto chango!


SS just works better this time of year.
You warm up quicker, and can just get into a groove easier. But I guess that's always true.
So yesterday there was the most amazing sunset on the ridge. Today I actually made a few small loops hoping to recapture it, buy it was far less inspiring.



Waiting around for awesomeness left me riding back to the lot in fading light. Ever notice how your tire pressure changes with the temperature? Rushing down a rocky fireroad in the dark with possibly lower than optimal tire pressure = fixing a flat in the dark.
Ever since I injured my thumb (is he still whining about that?) I've had a hard time mounting tires. In 23*F temps levers are a must. Rushing in the cold and dark I punctured my only spare tube and had to run the last mile out of the woods.
Wouldn't it be nice to have the foresight to just start running?
Now it's time to put the big meats back on for the Winter to avoid future tomfoolery.

WTF & Hmm

I was just riding along...
Riding Burlington from Sessions Wood, made a wrong turn or three and next thing you know on top of a hill is this:



Is it something official?
On closer inspection, those widow shades don't look government issued?

A couple more wrong turns and I think I might have quite a nice loop if I tie this wrong turn into one of my more established loops at Nassahegan.

Would have explored that option but I had to go stand on a hill with wet cycling clothes on while my children discussed what tree we were going to ceremoniously kill.

Pre-Winter

I love this time of year; the ground is frozen, but the snow still hasn't come yet. Minimal ice other than the frost heaves or whore frost as my cronies are calling it.
Officially it's not quite Winter, but it sure feels like it with temps running 15 degrees (F) below normal.
As I began my ride I had to remind myself to HTFU, it's not going to be getting any warmer any time soon. Still, last week I was weighing if I even needed a jacket, and now I'm wearing Winter specific clothing.
You forget how long it takes for your body to adjust to the cold.
5 minutes?
No, legs and face are still cold.
10 minutes?
Not yet, face is still cold, and still not breathing fully.
Finally 20 minutes in my lungs open up and the fun begins.
The frozen ground provides ultimate traction. It also mean zero mud; something particularly important when you are experimenting with derailleurs.

The Greatest Jacket Ever

Cyclist buy lots of stuff. We can't help it, we neeeeed it!
Sometimes we are just rationalizing an indulgence.
Sometimes it's a spur of the moment purchase.
Sometimes it's just routine maintenance.
A lot of times we are disappointed.
But sometimes we are surprised by just how great "it" is.
My Santini Windstopper jacket is like that.
I bought it about a decade ago. It was a second choice. It might have even been a third choice.
The first time I and wore it was a revelation. You put if on and if weighs nothing, but it's warmth defy logic. I wear it on the coldest days around here (single digits *F plus windchill) with just a polypro undershirt and long sleeve jersey. The only thing I'd change is it only has one large rear zip pocket; I'd rather side pockets for easier access. But with the weather forecast for the near future, I'll gladly give up side pockets for the advantages this jacket affords.
I'm really glad my first choice was out of stock.

Disc Brake Weather

The Winter of 2007-2008 was the first time I ever used disc brakes on a bike of my own.
I was a rim brake hold out, convinced they were as good as discs...you just needed to jump through some hoops, like dragging your brakes after every time your wheels get wet to squeegee them dry so you don't get ice build up and your brake work to some degree.
After a particularly atrocious Winter ride I gave up, broke down and bought discs.
Fortunately my rear wheel was already disc compatible so I only needed to build a front wheel (not having any disc brake wheels handy probably kept me on the fence so long).
I put them on, rode them for the Winter, and as soon as Spring had Sprung, took them off. I was never really happy with how the performed, but that might just have been because they were Juicy 5s.
Flash forward, and my Swift can't even run rim brakes. But even if it could this is the time of year where disc really are superior. Yesterday was actually a pretty dry ride, but every drop of moisture that came in contact with my bike froze to it. Air temp was in the high twenties (Fahrenheit), the ground was solid, but the standing water hadn't froze yet. Rim brake would have worked, but in retrospect would have been a pain in the ass.