I want my mountain bike back... that's all I can say. Perhaps it is because I have put all this money into it and I want to ride it. I am struggling to get on the road bike though I still have been. Did a tough interval work out on it last night on the trainer since there was a threat of rain but I am just jonezin to get on the mountain bike. Hopefully I should have it back tomorrow night but I am supposed to go down to Denver to hang out with Jenny and Leia. I think I will probably take the bus down and then catch the bus back and ride on Saturday morning.
I'll then probably head back down to Denver Saturday afternoon depending on what Jen has plans to do but Leia is having a get together so I might go to that.
All for now... can't wait for the 3 day weekend even though it is going to be freakin nuts around here with the Bolder Boulder going on.
PS the Subaru survived it's first hail storm this afternoon. I heard it start coming down in my office and went out and watched the hail come down. Luckily the hail wasn't to big and it stayed somewhat warm so it didn't do any damage. Storm was over pretty quick but I guess north of here there was a pretty big tornado. Still a tornado watch until 8 pm. Back on the trainer again tonight... boring.. but has to be done.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
DEAL
So I got the call from the bike shop today after they looked it over to make sure what needed to be done with the shocks. The front definitely needs to be rebuilt and have new seals put on it no big deal routine maintenance. As for the rear shock it's shot. I had already picked out the one I wanted from looking around on the internet. Joey the dude that works on my bike all the time said he would get it for me for $50 bucks off retail so I was STOKED!
It's definitely an upgrade from my old one and has a pretty cool technology. Versus completely locking out it has 3 settings. The first setting is full suspension where when you pedal and when you go over things the shock is completely open and absorbs everything but you also lose a lot of efficiency it is pretty much a downhill setting vs. a uphill pedaling setting. The second setting reduces some of the shock but still has some bob in it. The third setting which has all the technology, adjusts to when you are up attacking out of the saddle and completely locks up so you don't lose any efficiency through the drive train and wheels to move forward BUT it also absorbs bumps when you go over something. I rode this shock when I rode but buddy Greg's new Yeti he got. It's an awesome shock for sure. So I am pretty excited.
Here's a picture of the new addition.
It's definitely an upgrade from my old one and has a pretty cool technology. Versus completely locking out it has 3 settings. The first setting is full suspension where when you pedal and when you go over things the shock is completely open and absorbs everything but you also lose a lot of efficiency it is pretty much a downhill setting vs. a uphill pedaling setting. The second setting reduces some of the shock but still has some bob in it. The third setting which has all the technology, adjusts to when you are up attacking out of the saddle and completely locks up so you don't lose any efficiency through the drive train and wheels to move forward BUT it also absorbs bumps when you go over something. I rode this shock when I rode but buddy Greg's new Yeti he got. It's an awesome shock for sure. So I am pretty excited.
Here's a picture of the new addition.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
If it breaks.... you have to fix it...
So going out for a mountain bike ride has pretty much become comical. Everytime I have gone out to ride since we were in Moab something has broke. I do consider myself lucky that nothing broke while I was in Moab though cause that would have really pissed me off.
Anywho today I went into the shop (where I am now known on a first name basis and get great treatment) to get my chain fixed. Ended up the reason the chain snapped was because my rear derailleur has pretty much taken a crap on me so that had to be replaced. Joey the guy who always hooks me up with advice and has worked on my bike endlessly fixed everything right up for me. I joked that they have seen way to much of me lately and he said he was sabotaging things on my bike to get me back in there to spend money. No not really he's a good cat and I have a general idea about bike parts I just can't fine tune them.
Anyway I go out for my ride this afternoon and end up putting about 40 miles in. However I lean down to lock my rear shock out for riding on the road back home and when I start pedaling I realize the bike is still bouncing a lot when I pedal which it shouldn't do with the lockout on. So I look down and yup the lock out is on and I am still bouncing. Then I realize there is fluid all over below the shock which explains why I am bouncing. Either I blew the seal (lets hope because it can be rebuilt) or I didn't catch it quick enough and it damaged the shock which means it needs to be replaced. Nothing I can do but get it worked on. So I'll be making another trip to the shop tomorrow and riding the road bike this week.
Anywho today I went into the shop (where I am now known on a first name basis and get great treatment) to get my chain fixed. Ended up the reason the chain snapped was because my rear derailleur has pretty much taken a crap on me so that had to be replaced. Joey the guy who always hooks me up with advice and has worked on my bike endlessly fixed everything right up for me. I joked that they have seen way to much of me lately and he said he was sabotaging things on my bike to get me back in there to spend money. No not really he's a good cat and I have a general idea about bike parts I just can't fine tune them.
Anyway I go out for my ride this afternoon and end up putting about 40 miles in. However I lean down to lock my rear shock out for riding on the road back home and when I start pedaling I realize the bike is still bouncing a lot when I pedal which it shouldn't do with the lockout on. So I look down and yup the lock out is on and I am still bouncing. Then I realize there is fluid all over below the shock which explains why I am bouncing. Either I blew the seal (lets hope because it can be rebuilt) or I didn't catch it quick enough and it damaged the shock which means it needs to be replaced. Nothing I can do but get it worked on. So I'll be making another trip to the shop tomorrow and riding the road bike this week.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Ain't broke... don't fix it!
Well I tried to do some preventative maintenance on the mountain bike today that ended up shootin me right in the ass. I put a new chain on the bike because it was definitely time however it wasn't broken. Turns out it caused my derailleur to bounce around a bit so I took it into the shop to have them take a quick look. They took one more link out. However, when I took it out to ride again it was still doing about the same thing. I thought maybe it needed to break in a bit so I kept riding. I started to climb one of the hills in south Boulder and bam chain snapped! SHIT I'm 6 miles from home. So then I go into Mr. Fix it and find a way to get it to hold so I can nurse it home. Looks like I'll be makin a trip into the shop again in the morning. I guess when you start to ride a lot these things happen.
Anyway today was a beautiful day out here. Had to have been about mid 80s. I felt like myself again this morning and ran some errands on the bike including getting some parts. Then I worked on the bike for a while in the beautiful sunshine. So hot I was sweating just sitting there but it felt good to get outside after the last couple of days stayin inside the whole day.
Looks like I'll get out on the road bike tomorrow unless they can fix up the mountain bike pretty quick. Supposed to be glorious as well.
On another note I am watching Indian Jones The Last Crusade and I never realized it before but the opening seen is filmed in Arches National Park. They film near Park Avenue and Balanced Rock as well as a couple of other arches. I guess I never new before because I haven't watched it since I went to Arches. Pretty cool though!
Anyway today was a beautiful day out here. Had to have been about mid 80s. I felt like myself again this morning and ran some errands on the bike including getting some parts. Then I worked on the bike for a while in the beautiful sunshine. So hot I was sweating just sitting there but it felt good to get outside after the last couple of days stayin inside the whole day.
Looks like I'll get out on the road bike tomorrow unless they can fix up the mountain bike pretty quick. Supposed to be glorious as well.
On another note I am watching Indian Jones The Last Crusade and I never realized it before but the opening seen is filmed in Arches National Park. They film near Park Avenue and Balanced Rock as well as a couple of other arches. I guess I never new before because I haven't watched it since I went to Arches. Pretty cool though!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Yuck
Well the last two days have not been fun. I went into work on Thursday not feeling so great. After a few trips to the bathroom I decided it was best I head home. I spent the rest of the morning at home between my bed curled up like a baby and the bathroom. This lasted for about 3 hours and I felt slightly better which didn't take much because I felt awful. My body was completely achy and things went downhill again. I kept trying to drink small amounts of water since I was getting completely dehydrated. I didn't think I had anything left in my body.
I woke up this morning feeling a little better but took another day off work since I was so worn out and not sure how the day was going to go. Today I have put down small amounts of food trying to build my body back up. I still have hot flashes and what not but I am hoping tomorrow turns in another good day. I am frustrated by having my body get that torn up because my endurance on the bikes has probably taken a real hit after the great weekend in Moab last week. Oh well though I will just have to take it easy and slowly work harder and harder.
Timmy leaves for Glacier tomorrow. I'm sure he will have a great time in our second home. Wish gas prices weren't so crazy so that I could go up this summer. Oh well I am sure I will find great things to do around here as usual.
I woke up this morning feeling a little better but took another day off work since I was so worn out and not sure how the day was going to go. Today I have put down small amounts of food trying to build my body back up. I still have hot flashes and what not but I am hoping tomorrow turns in another good day. I am frustrated by having my body get that torn up because my endurance on the bikes has probably taken a real hit after the great weekend in Moab last week. Oh well though I will just have to take it easy and slowly work harder and harder.
Timmy leaves for Glacier tomorrow. I'm sure he will have a great time in our second home. Wish gas prices weren't so crazy so that I could go up this summer. Oh well I am sure I will find great things to do around here as usual.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Moab and Funk + New Roommate
So the extended weekend in Moab was awesome! Tim and I got into town and the campsite at about 12:30am on Saturday morning. We awoke to beautiful sunshine and cooked breakfast with Keith Gnar and Joe Love from who met us from Steamboat. They got us a killer campsite that was close to both of the trails we rode over the weekend.
After breakfast we woke up and decided we would hit the Slickrock Trail which is world renowned. As we headed out the weather was beautiful and we were all excited to get some good riding in. Not more than 15 to 20 minutes in we were hitting the up and downs of the trail on nothing but awesome sandstone. As Joe, Keith, and I cleared a section of downhill to steep uphill we all looked back as Tim was coming down. Tim attacked the section and hit a little rut which sent him flying superman style. He flew out of the saddle and slammed onto the slickrock. I thought he slammed his face but luckily he had only ripped his forearm, hip, and shin on the pedals. It was a brutal fall that tore him up real good but it was still lucky cause he didn't hurt his dome.
We killed the Slickrock Trail sessioning a rock half pipe and headed back to the campsite for lunch. We hung out for a while drinking beer and enjoying the sunshine before we headed back out to the slickrock practice loop for the evening. This is when we got the shots along the canyon where I did some track stands along the canyon wall and freaked the guys out. We did some other free riding and had a good time. We headed back started a fire and enjoyed dinner and beer.
Sunday morning we worked at getting Keith around which is never easy. We decided we would do the Porcupine Rim trail which was 5 miles of climbing... 8 for Joe and I who climbed the road from the campsite and nearly 10 miles of downhill which had amazing drops and cliff singletrack. Keith couldn't handle the climb so he had Tim shuttle him up to the trailhead and Tim sat out since he was pretty beat up from the day before. Keith, Joe, and I shredded the downhill and then road back into Moab along the Colorado River. Tim was supposed to pick us up but Keith forgot his cell phone and reception wasn't the greatest for Joe who had his phone. So we grabbed some food, beer, and margaritas downtown and then I rode the 6-7 mile climb back up to the campsite to get Tim and the car and pick Joe and Keith back up in town.
Monday we headed to Fruita to do some singletrack and meet up with Rob who was coming down from Steamboat as well. The weather was a bit shaky but we headed out for some good rides anyway. Not 10 minutes into the ride I blew out my front tire on a high speed turn. Since I started running tubeless it was a complete freaking mess with sealant everywhere. I told the guys to take off and finish the ride while I cleaned up the tire and rim and put a tube in. We did another ride after that which was awesome and then Tim and I headed out for home while the others stayed around for another night of camping and riding. It was a great trip.
So tonight Alexis and I headed out to see my buddy Luke's band play in Boulder. Luke is touring out of Madison, Wisconsin and it was great to see him play. Turned out Alexis and I along with Luke's brother Boone and his girlfriend were the only one's there to watch him play. It was all good though as we heard a lot of new songs and they had fun entertaining us. I plan to head down to Arvada to watch Luke again tomorrow night and hopefully some guys from work will go as well.
Alexis has moved in and Tim is in Vegas with his Mom visiting his brother who lives there but will be moving back to Washington soon. Tim leaves on Friday for Montana and then Alexis and I will offically be the roommates.
This weekend is supposed to be awesome so I hope to get back on the bike and tear it up all weekend. Then next weekend Jennifer Galardi aka Jennifer White will be coming out with her husband to Denver to stay with Andy's brother. I can't wait to see her since it has been like a year and half since I have seen her. I love that girl and it should be good to see her!
All for now. Talk soon.
B
After breakfast we woke up and decided we would hit the Slickrock Trail which is world renowned. As we headed out the weather was beautiful and we were all excited to get some good riding in. Not more than 15 to 20 minutes in we were hitting the up and downs of the trail on nothing but awesome sandstone. As Joe, Keith, and I cleared a section of downhill to steep uphill we all looked back as Tim was coming down. Tim attacked the section and hit a little rut which sent him flying superman style. He flew out of the saddle and slammed onto the slickrock. I thought he slammed his face but luckily he had only ripped his forearm, hip, and shin on the pedals. It was a brutal fall that tore him up real good but it was still lucky cause he didn't hurt his dome.
We killed the Slickrock Trail sessioning a rock half pipe and headed back to the campsite for lunch. We hung out for a while drinking beer and enjoying the sunshine before we headed back out to the slickrock practice loop for the evening. This is when we got the shots along the canyon where I did some track stands along the canyon wall and freaked the guys out. We did some other free riding and had a good time. We headed back started a fire and enjoyed dinner and beer.
Sunday morning we worked at getting Keith around which is never easy. We decided we would do the Porcupine Rim trail which was 5 miles of climbing... 8 for Joe and I who climbed the road from the campsite and nearly 10 miles of downhill which had amazing drops and cliff singletrack. Keith couldn't handle the climb so he had Tim shuttle him up to the trailhead and Tim sat out since he was pretty beat up from the day before. Keith, Joe, and I shredded the downhill and then road back into Moab along the Colorado River. Tim was supposed to pick us up but Keith forgot his cell phone and reception wasn't the greatest for Joe who had his phone. So we grabbed some food, beer, and margaritas downtown and then I rode the 6-7 mile climb back up to the campsite to get Tim and the car and pick Joe and Keith back up in town.
Monday we headed to Fruita to do some singletrack and meet up with Rob who was coming down from Steamboat as well. The weather was a bit shaky but we headed out for some good rides anyway. Not 10 minutes into the ride I blew out my front tire on a high speed turn. Since I started running tubeless it was a complete freaking mess with sealant everywhere. I told the guys to take off and finish the ride while I cleaned up the tire and rim and put a tube in. We did another ride after that which was awesome and then Tim and I headed out for home while the others stayed around for another night of camping and riding. It was a great trip.
So tonight Alexis and I headed out to see my buddy Luke's band play in Boulder. Luke is touring out of Madison, Wisconsin and it was great to see him play. Turned out Alexis and I along with Luke's brother Boone and his girlfriend were the only one's there to watch him play. It was all good though as we heard a lot of new songs and they had fun entertaining us. I plan to head down to Arvada to watch Luke again tomorrow night and hopefully some guys from work will go as well.
Alexis has moved in and Tim is in Vegas with his Mom visiting his brother who lives there but will be moving back to Washington soon. Tim leaves on Friday for Montana and then Alexis and I will offically be the roommates.
This weekend is supposed to be awesome so I hope to get back on the bike and tear it up all weekend. Then next weekend Jennifer Galardi aka Jennifer White will be coming out with her husband to Denver to stay with Andy's brother. I can't wait to see her since it has been like a year and half since I have seen her. I love that girl and it should be good to see her!
All for now. Talk soon.
B
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Sneak Peak
Just a peak of the trip. I'll post all the photos to a site and give you the link in the next couple of days along with details. For now here's a couple of pictures
Death on the LEFT!
Joe Love riding the wall on the Slickrock Trail.
The crew on the Slickrock Trail with the Moab Valley below.
Death on the LEFT!
Joe Love riding the wall on the Slickrock Trail.
The crew on the Slickrock Trail with the Moab Valley below.
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