Sometimes You Have to Mix It Up

It's been raining all week, humid and muggy, but not too hot. I have been trying to get out on the trails since I got home from a trip out of town on Monday night. Dirt jumps? Soaked. Downhill trails? Like a slip-n-slide. XC trails? I'm not going to be that guy, widening trails to avoid puddles and putting huge tire tracks in the trail by riding when it's wet. So what am I supposed to do? A 25.4 mile ride on the BWI Trail, that's what!

This is exactly the reason I bought this bike and it has served me well. When the trails get too muddy, it's perfect to get the legs pumping a little bit. I've also used it as a commuter. I rode it, while living in our old condo, on a 15 mile round trip commute 3 times a week with a full backpack. It was a great way to start the day and I never had to worry about parking. I also ride it on singletrack and it really keeps me on my toes. It doesn't take much for you to feel something on the trail with 35mm tires.

The bike is a 2009 Kona Jake. Entry level components with Shimano Tiagra shifters and what-nots. Not too bad, though. I have had no problems with anything on this bike at all and I've had it for 2 years now.Sure, it could shift smoother or lose a few grams, but it doesn't bother me, considering the application I use it for.

http://mocoepic.com/

It was also a good ride for me to do considering I am riding in the Moco Epic next weekend. There are several distances from 25 to 65, but I chose the 38 mile ride. I am regretting not going for the metric century, but I am not that confident in my current fitness level, so maybe I'll try it next year. It was good to be able to pedal for a solid 2 hours like it I did today. I'm feeling pretty good about the ride next weekend and I plan on snapping a bunch of pictures to put up here.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the ride.

Kyle

Fixed Gear Off-roading

This afternoon I went out for a ride on my Nashbar rigid 29er in Patapsco State park. I have had this bike for about 3 years now, and it has always treated me well. It was my only bike for a while, so it's been on every type of trail I dared to tackle. It's been ridden in at least 6 states and on 3 IMBA Epic trails. Not too shabby for a mail order, made in Taiwan, single speed.

The frame is aluminum, the fork is chromoly steel. The front wheel is a Velocity p35 with WTB Exiwolf rubber. I'm a huge fan of that rim. The extra width gives the tire an even greater contact patch on the ground and makes it fairly stiff but its not too heavy. The rear wheel came with the bike and has lasted a long time, considering the loose bearing, no-name hub and no-name rim. The rest of the build is an Easton Havoc seatpost, WTB Silverado saddle, Easton EC70 MonkeyLite bars and FSA V-drive single speed crankset. The front brake is a Tektro IO and the back brake...

Tricked ya! I'm not sure what made me want to do this. Any new kind of riding is exciting to me and I'll try anything as long as the cost and "certain death risk factor" are not too high. I was thinking about the logistics of trying to ride a bike, unable to coast, over a log. I would never have been interested in a new wheel to try this, so I was wondering if I could use a standard mountain hub. It occurred to me that is you could bolt on a cog instead of the rotor, you would have an instant Fixie. Unfortunately, I was not the first one to come up with this idea. I missed out on a chance to make my millions! Hundreds? Dozens of dollars, at least!

However, it did mean that after a couple of quick Google searches and some phone calls, I discovered Tomicogs and was able to pick one up locally. 5 minutes to take off the brake and rotor, bolt on the cog, wax my mustache and I was bouncing around my driveway like an idiot, wondering what I had gotten myself into.

It really is an interesting feeling not being able to coast. If you forget, you could be in a world of hurt. I have ridden about a hundred miles on this bike with this set up, and have had my fair share of sketchy moments. I really like how the bike feels more connected to the trail, or perhaps I feel more connected to the bike. I think it makes it more fun to climb a root covered, rocky hill. But I haven't gotten the guts to ride over anything taller than about 6 in high. I also don't like the feeling of sitting down and trying to spin the cranks on a fast downhill section. But, in contrast, I love resisting the cranks while standing on something a little more technical or a switchback pointed down. It's a totally different muscle group and gives me that jelly feeling in my legs after a much shorter distance than if the bike were set up as a single speed.

In conclusion, I like riding fixed gear off road. I don't love it, but I will definitely do it again. I think it will be very useful over the winter when things get a little slippery.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the ride.

Kyle

Homebase

What a full and happy garage! The problems with getting too many bikes: Which one to ride? and Where to put them?

A grill, a garage and a place to sit. What's missing?

How about easy access to sweet singletrack? Yes, this was a prime factor in our decision making process when home shopping.

Quick preview shots of the stable. Some fine steeds, here. One missing. Marzocchi is rebuilding a Bomber 55 on my Kona Coilair. More on that later, of course.

A ride I don't have to pedal. Sometimes you have to get on the highway. And everybody needs a good bike rack to explore new trails.

I had to start somewhere. I'll talk more about each bike and get the camera into the woods to check out the trails soon. It's about 70 degrees and sunny out, so no sense sitting on a computer!

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the ride.
Kyle