Roots & Rocks

I've had to exercise the 85* cut off for riding lately because it's just been too damn hot, but it poured rain last night and the temp was nice today so I went for a cross ride on the Betzwood trails. I went out with Chad, who is Jen's sister's fiancé, and he did a great job of demonstrating how much faster you can be with a front suspension.

I did a great job of not hurting myself this time (the whole hand incident, and the time after that I went right over my bars at the first log and landed with my hip and ribs on the log. That shit hurt.) but there were a few parts where my lack of experience caused me to just pogo off my bike. Chad would keep on motoring on so many areas where I had to hop off. It makes me want a hardtail Stump Jumper. Towards the end of the trails, I did start picking a better line and was moving faster, but it wasn't what I would call fast. I also need to see if I can run my tires tubeless. I get pitch flats at any psi lower than 45, but I need to run lower pressures to get a little more grip on roots and rocks. Running tubeless should allow me to get down into the 30's without issue.

Other than that, I love riding my cross bike there. Some of the technical areas are great for me because it forces me to dismount and run for a bit. The bike handles so much better in those conditions than it does when you try to ride it like a road bike. It makes sense now. After tightening up my front brake and dialing in the shifting, it works flawlessly. The only two things I don't like about it (I'm nit picking here) are that the cable is too short for the rear brake and there is play in the rear hub. The brake cable being too short is terrible for steering feel and when I turn the bars more than 45* to the right, it locks my rear brake. Not always the best when you're going 2mph and trying to keep your balance. I'll fix that sometime in the coming weeks.

The rear hub itself is fine, I am just completely spoiled by the Chris King hubs on my road bike. Almost every time I start to pedal from top dead center, I can feel the gap in engagement because of the lack of teeth and clutch. Most of you wouldn't ever notice. Eventually, I'm going to build a set of King wheels for the bike. I just have to decide on what rims I want to run. I'll keep you posted.

Thumbs Up

As most of you already know, I fell while Mt. biking a week and a half ago and seriously hurt my hand. The good news is that yesterday was the first day since the fall that my hand didn't hurt all of the time. The better news is that today, the Dr. decided that my hand was fine and that I no longer have to wear the cast anymore and can use my hand fully. No breaks, no ligament damage. My hand still hurts, but only when I move my thumb sideways or press on my palm. I plan on picking up a pair of gloves (I really do not like riding with gloves, unless it's cold. I find them to be very uncomfortable.) this week and doing a short test ride to see how my hand feels, and I'm going to go from there. If I can ride without pain I'm going to start riding again. If not, I'll give it another week and try again.

Terribly Sick, Weak, But Smiling

Being sick sucks. I've had some kind of mucus fest going on in my body for the past two weeks, and I've just felt horrible. This stupid illness has, of course, coincided with a break in the cold and a return to warmer weather. I've had to watch days go buy where there was nothing but sun and 60* weather while I was curled up under a blanket wondering how my body could produce so much snot. It was torture.

Today I said "the hell with it." I woke up at 7a, ate some oatmeal, threw on my medium-cold gear (it was 48*), pumped up my tires and left. I was storming out of Bridgeport at a blistering 14mph. I was struggling to keep that pace too.

I made it halfway to Conshohocken when my nose just started leaking. I brought tissues, but I was moving and didn't want to stop, so I fired off a snot rocket. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but before I knew it, there was a snotsplosion and my face was covered with it. Looks like I was going to have to stop after all.

Back up to speed, I reached Conshy at exactly 8am. Per usual, Isaac didn't show up until 8:15. I don't know why I keep leaving on time. On the plus side, he was actually dressed in gear that was appropriate. He finally splurged on some tights and a vest. To my surprise, he was rocking brand new S-Works shoes, which he got for free, from our Specialized Rep. I'm never there on the days this kind of shit happens.

I wasn't feeling so hot, but we had reached Umbria St. and the only way to really get into Manayunk from there is to go up the hill, so I soldiered on. I actually felt pretty good climbing. I didn't lose as much strength as I thought I was going to over the winter. Isaac is now on a standard crank and he wasn't to thrilled about it.

As we entered Manayunk Isaac made a last second turn onto a street that takes you in the opposite direction of where we were headed... after I was halfway through the intersection. In honor of Paris-Roubaix, He decided we were going to hunt down every cobbled street in Manayunk and ride them. The idea was so stupid I had to do it.

The first cobbled street was a hill, and thankfully a short one. If you've never ridden on cobblestones before, don't start. There isn't anything comfortable or confidence inspiring about it. Especially with 23 width tires. And going downhill is just terrible because braking is just a suggestion.

The funniest part about cobble hunting in Manayunk is that there aren't as many full cobbled streets as you would think. At one point on our search, we did find a road that had been torn to shit and was half under construction. We deemed it was close enough and rode up. It was a pretty steep climb that lasted about four blocks, but I managed it without problem, even though it was half dirt and lumpy like spoiled milk. It was an absolute blast though. Way more fun than just going down to the Art Museum.

After The Great Cobble Hunt of '11, we stopped at Mug Shots. It's my favourite coffee joint in The Yunk. It's off on a side street, away from traffic, it's cozy, they have good food and the staff are nice to cyclists. I have no idea how their coffee is, because I think coffee is disgusting, but Isaac never has anything bad to say about it.

After a delicious cranberry muffin and some o.j., we headed back. We decided to keep the Roubaix spirit and took the towpath back to the trail. If you've never been on the towpath, I highly recommend it. It's half gravel/rocks/dirt and half wooden planks, but it runs along the canal and it just beautiful. Plus, there's just something wonderful about riding a road bike on a damp, unpaved road that it wasn't designed for. It may kill the tire life on my bike, but it makes me smile ear to ear every time I do it.

If today's ride was any judge of it, this year is going to be a good year for riding. I feel pretty good on the bike. If I can get over this plague thing I have and ride more, I should be plenty strong by May. I've also made some huge changes this winter to improve my comfort. I flipped my stem from -8* to +8* and jacked my saddle all the way forward in an attempt to not feel as stretched out on my Tarmac. So far, so good. I only got a tiny bit of shoulder pain toward the end of my ride, but nothing like I have been experiencing for the past few years.

I also got new insoles for my shoes to cure the hot spots I was getting. The soles have a metatarsal button to prevent the bones from pinching together and flattening. I also, through sheer luck, realized that the sharp knee pain I was getting was caused by my feet rotating too much to the outside. I used the -1.5mm shim that came with the insoles to tilt my feet slightly more upright and I can say that both changes have been amazing. No hot spots, no knee pain for the first time ever. The downside? a thicker insole plus a 1.5mm thick shim have taken away the already cramped toebox on my Sidi shoes. My toes are absolutely crushed. And since I wasn't there for the free fucking S-Works shoe give-away, I'm going to have to buy a pair. However, If I'm buying shoes, even at close to cost, I'm not buying S-Works. So a Pair of Elite shoes will be in my future.

Okay, only two more things, I promise. First is Isaac is going to give me a full BG fit. I've been asking him for a while, but it looks like he'll have some time in the next two weeks to take care of it. He and I established long ago that Specialized, who does more for fit on a bicycle than any other major company, hands down, doesn't do shit with their top tubes. Cervelo did a test of all the major bike companies and how they build their bikes, and one of the things they found on Specialized bikes is that they don't really change the top tube length from bike to bike, they just change the seat tube angle. A 48cm bike and a 54cm bike from Specialized, in Cervelo's test, had a top tube length difference of 1cm. If that's true, that's just horrible, but completely explains why I feel so stretched out on a 56cm frame. So, if I can't be completely comfortable on the Tarmac after the BG fit, It's gone. I'm selling it.

Finally, you may be wondering how it is I know about a test that Cervelo did on other manufacturers bikes. Well, High Road Cycles is now a Cervelo dealer. I've already got my eye on an R3. Probably in white. If EP prices are fair enough, the bike will be built up with either Rival with a BB30 S900 crank, or a full Force group with BB30. But only if the Tarmac can't be comfortable. We'll see.

I Rode My Bike

After spending the past two weeks on the trainer, I finally got to go on my first outdoor ride of the year. I took my xbike out, mostly because there is still snow on the ground, but partly because I've been using my road on the trainer, and it isn't comfortable. I'm getting a full on fit from Isaac sometime this month, or early next to solve that problem.

So, lots of snow and sub freezing temps have made it impossible for me to ride. The tires I have on my xbike are meant for gravel, so they kind of suck in mud and snow. With that in mind, I dropped the tire psi down to 45 (the lowest I can have them without pinch flatting) and bundled up. It's a gorgeous 37* and windy today, but that's about 17* warmer than it has been, so it feels great. I finally got to use the wind resistant winter jacket I bought back in November and it is exactly what I've needed for this kind of weather. With just a base layer and arm warmers I was sweating.

The bike path was much more exposed than I was expecting when I first got on it, but the further I got from the Transit Center the worse it became. There was a lot of ice with half melted snow on top, or just ice with melted foot prints. The latter made for a bumpy ride. A lot of my internal dialogue went like this: "keep it pointed straight, keep pedaling at an even pace, keep it upright, fuck." I only hopped off once, but I had plenty of close calls. The snow on the grass was too deep and I couldn't keep any momentum and would just cut through it and come to a stop. I'm going to invest in some tires for these conditions as soon as I get a pay check.

I've spent a lot of effort trying to take my time in getting back on the bike. Every year, I let my excitement get the best of me and I end up hurting my knee. This year, I started breaking out the trainer so I could just spin around and slowly get my knee used to the stress of spinning the pedals. So far, so good. My knee didn't hurt at all today. I was mindful of it, but when climbing or standing up it never bothered me. It's still a piece of garbage, but If I can keep it pain free through most of this season, that would be a huge improvement. I plan on getting an MRI in the coming months so I have a better idea of what is really wrong with it and act accordingly. If it's so bad that I need surgery, I will wait until the winter to get it.

Mt. Biking: Try Number 3

If you actually read this thing, you may remember that a little over a year ago I had my first mt. biking experience at French creek. I hated it. What I didn't know is that French creek is one of the harder places in the area. A few weeks ago the shop had another Employee Appreciation Day and we went mt. biking at the Wissahickon (Valley Green or Forbidden Drvie for you locals)... in the rain. I didn't hate it as much. After everyone at the shop telling me to go to White Clay before I decided to give up on mt. bikes altogether, I agreed to head down there with Isaac.

White Clay is a park in Delaware, so it already has one strike against it. It has a ton of trails running through it, of varying difficulty, so it is supposed to be enjoyable for all skill levels. They even have a skills course for people that enjoy falling on their faces.

The steed for this excursion was to be Specialized Epic Comp (http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=52787&scid=1000&scname=Mountain). Ideally, I'm told, one would want to ride a hardtail in White Clay, but the only two test bikes we had in the shop were a FSR Stumpjumper and the Epic, which is also full suspension. What is cool about the Epic is that it has an adjustable Brain, so you can set it up so the rear is locked out until it encounters a sharp enough impact, and then it does all of its suspension goodness. While still not as stiff or responsive as a hardtail, it was much better than if I hadn't locked out the Brain. I didn't have any of the super annoying bouncing when climbing, or pedaling in general. The Epic is lighter than the Stumpjumper as well.

After stopping in Newark to fuel up on a breakfast burrito and an awful excuse for a pineapple smoothie, we headed to White Clay and parked. Then we realized that we were at the furthest point from the easy trails we could possibly be. So we re parked. We went out on the easiest trail first and I was terrified. Death gripping the handlebars the entire way, skidding on leaves because the brakes are just ridiculously strong, turning in too late because I was afraid to hit trees... then it was over. We were back at the car and I wasn't sure how I felt.

After discovering we were both over dressed, we changed, then headed back out into the park. I started to get more comfortable, and my speed picked up (I still wouldn't call it "fast") as I got used to how much grip the bike had. The trails were harder, but not impossible for me. Isaac would blast through and then wait for me to catch up.

After a slight detour (getting lost), we headed down one section and Isaac pulled over. He told me that for the next section, I didn't have to pedal and to maintain my speed (I.E. stop riding my brakes). It was just a bunch of bumps set up on a slight downhill, but they were different sizes, getting bigger as you went. I listened to Isaac and just kept my speed up. It was awesome. For the first time ever, I smiled on a mt. bike.

We went on for a while longer. There were some narrow, windy climbs that were a little tough, and I realized I was tired. Not "rode too hard and have no energy, but can recover" tired, but "physically exhausted" tired. I was getting sloppy.

On the downhill from the twisty, narrow hills, I was flying. Then came a section of bumps. I decided to just plow over them. What I didn't expect was that I was going fast enough that I caught air over all of them. I smiled again.

After a short uphill, we headed down again. This time it was slightly steeper (read "faster") and there were more bumps, only closer together. That was fine until the last bump, where I landed right where the next bump started to rise. I somehow managed to keep it together over the last bump, but then there was a sharp right turn and I had a death grip on the brakes and just slid until i fell over. It didn't hurt at all, but it reinforced the fact that I was spent. From that point on, I just made mistake after mistake. And it was all uphill to get back to the car. I made it, but barely.

So, here's what I learned:
1) I kind of like mt. biking... at White Clay.
2) Hitting a tree with your shoulder hurts. A lot.
3) I don't like wide handlebars. It freaks me out because I think I'm going to hit everything. Then, when I tell myself to turn earlier, it's just in my head, I hit everything.
4) If you relax your upper body, it's easier, but if you're terrified, you can't relax.
5) Specialized Epic Comp is an awesome bike.
6) White Clay is beautiful.
7) Riding mt. will make you a better road rider.
8) Make sure everything is bolted down properly before going for a ride.
9) Don't forget your water bottle because a DeerPark bottle will fly off the bike within two minutes (Isaac)
10) All bikes are fun.