Yes, I love my bikes. I haven't done a ride longer than maybe 1 hour 15 mins in quite some time. But, those rides on the 29er hardtail single speed have been fun. Managing momentum vs effort. Sweet talking a bike over technical obstacles that would surely intimidate the average recreational rider. The SS has been sweet.
However, tonight, I got out the Ventana. My sweet, lovely Ventana. Despite not being in shape for it, we logged 30+ miles together tonight. Pure, blissfully, sweet harmony between man, machine, and nature. I am not shitting you. Feeling 100% as one between man, the machine you toil over incessantly to achieve perfection , and the trail.
Despite not being in shape for it, I loved every single second of it...even when I wasn't sure if my legs would fall off or my heart would explode from the effort. It was still pure, blissfull sweet harmony. Everything I asked of that bike, it delivered...and gave it to me with pure joy. Yes, that is right, 5+ inches of the smoothest, most supple travel you will ever feel on a machine....responding to your every input as if it knew what you wanted and where you wanted to go.
If you don't ride a bike passionately, you won't understand. But, man, I love my bikes. Be it the road bike, the Ventana, the SS, the XC bike...I get on one of those, and NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. I love my bikes. And, I love the opportunity to ride them. I'll miss Monterey (when it comes time to leave) and the opportunities I get to connect with my bikes and nature and the feeling the ability to live in that instantaneous moment where success is just as rewarding as playful failure....for the fun is trying something whether you fail or not.
If you don't know what I am talking about, you need to get a bike and remember the freedom that two self propelled wheels in the middle of nowhere can give you. I am serious.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Liking the SS
Got in a quick ride today with some of the guys. Peter, Jason, Darius, and Mike. It was chilly out, but sunny. Maybe 48-50F. I had a lot of fun on the SS while riding with H on Sunday and had been itching to get back on it again. So, today was a good day to do it.
I just recently tried putting my old Juicy 7's from the Ventana onto the SS, but the front one seems to have a sticky piston. So, I picked up a BB7 and threw that on the front. The old BB-5's on the SS absolutely sucked. Brake issues solved and riding this year with a suspension vs rigid fork has made the SS a lot more fun. Sometimes it is cool to grunt out a climb, though not too steep and not too long of a climb! If the grade and distance are just right, it is a nice change from having to sit and spin up climbs.
And, with the 29er wheels on the SS, cornering seems a little more fun...at least a different kind of feel than the cushy 26" wheeled Ventana. Neat also is riding over sections and having to think about maintaining flow while letting your arms and legs act as shock absorbers again...for if you ride over it in the same fashion as on a 5+" travel full suspension bike that rides like a cloud, you have a good chance of ending up on the ground, not on the bike. So, that adds another challenge to liven things up on the same old trails. Jumping too. Man, landing a jump smoothly on a hardtail with only 80mm of travel takes a lot more skill than say on the Ventana with 140mm of travel up front and about the same in back.
So, back to today's ride. Fun. Only felt like I was killing myself on a couple of climbs, but we were on the 8th and G side...and didn't really hit any of the climbs that are challenging. Jason was the only one on a geard bike too.
Hopefully, the rain holds off tomorrow (supposed to rain off and on for the next 5 days or so) long enough to permit us to do the normal Wednesday night ride...and I'll be on the SS again.
I just recently tried putting my old Juicy 7's from the Ventana onto the SS, but the front one seems to have a sticky piston. So, I picked up a BB7 and threw that on the front. The old BB-5's on the SS absolutely sucked. Brake issues solved and riding this year with a suspension vs rigid fork has made the SS a lot more fun. Sometimes it is cool to grunt out a climb, though not too steep and not too long of a climb! If the grade and distance are just right, it is a nice change from having to sit and spin up climbs.
And, with the 29er wheels on the SS, cornering seems a little more fun...at least a different kind of feel than the cushy 26" wheeled Ventana. Neat also is riding over sections and having to think about maintaining flow while letting your arms and legs act as shock absorbers again...for if you ride over it in the same fashion as on a 5+" travel full suspension bike that rides like a cloud, you have a good chance of ending up on the ground, not on the bike. So, that adds another challenge to liven things up on the same old trails. Jumping too. Man, landing a jump smoothly on a hardtail with only 80mm of travel takes a lot more skill than say on the Ventana with 140mm of travel up front and about the same in back.
So, back to today's ride. Fun. Only felt like I was killing myself on a couple of climbs, but we were on the 8th and G side...and didn't really hit any of the climbs that are challenging. Jason was the only one on a geard bike too.
Hopefully, the rain holds off tomorrow (supposed to rain off and on for the next 5 days or so) long enough to permit us to do the normal Wednesday night ride...and I'll be on the SS again.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Sedona
H and I hit up Sedona before Christmas. Overall, it was a good time. I got schooled hard by some locals. There was wet and sometimes ICY off camber sections of sandstone with huge drop offs on the downward slope. Those sections really made me loose confidence on the bike.
The next day, I took H on a ride. It turned out (from my perspective) to be one of her best rides. She did way better than I thought she would. We ended up doing over 15 miles of Sedona riding at 4000 feet of elevation....probably a lot to ask of someone coming from sea level that isn't a passionate rider.
Anyway, some vids from that ride with H.
The next day, I took H on a ride. It turned out (from my perspective) to be one of her best rides. She did way better than I thought she would. We ended up doing over 15 miles of Sedona riding at 4000 feet of elevation....probably a lot to ask of someone coming from sea level that isn't a passionate rider.
Anyway, some vids from that ride with H.
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