Moco Epic Report and Grand Fondue Prep

Detailed map and instructions. I still managed to miss a turn.

The Moco Epic was absolutely a blast. One of the most fun days I've ever had on a bike. I rode approximately 38.4 miles of amazing trail through 5 different parks. There was a huge variety of trail surfaces, obstacles, wildlife, foliage, elevation and more through each different area. I think I hit about 5 different aid stations, all stocking the usual carbohydrate replacing drinks, energy gels and other snacks like bananas, peanut butter and jelly, trail mix and gummy bears. But a few were really over the top. One group was cooking up bacon wrapped hot dogs and another had prime rib and pulled pork. Seriously. I wasn't sure how I would cope with riding with that in my stomach, but I probably should have tried some. I saw quite a few other people partaking and a few of them were faster than me, so it must have been the meat.

Loving the pink number plate

Everything was really well set up and organized. An amazing group of volunteers put this together and staffed the even. There were only two hiccups on my whole ride. I missed a turn where the trail passed underneath a bridge and it took us like 20 minutes to find the route again. Thankfully, I spotted a guy in an orange jersey through the trees who was on the trail. The other issue I had was with some brand new singletrack that was included in the ride at the last minute. It was extremely soft and still had grass all over the place. Not too fun at mile 27 on a rigid single speed. My legs were pretty unhappy for the rest of the ride. But I'm sure it will be great trail soon. Super for next years's Epic.

18T cog. Woodman Bill Single Speed hub.

After much debating I went with the 18T cog. I may have been more comfortable towards the end with 19 or 20, but I could have been more tired from spinning the cranks so much more for the rest of the ride. Who knows? The single speed 29er choice was a no-brainer for me. 3400 ft of climbing over 38 miles is nothing too steep. Power up the climbs and let the momentum carry you to the next one.

Cool swag.

Delicious after ride BBQ.

 The total ride time for me was about 5 hours. There was a party going on after the ride but I just stayed for a Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA and a monstrous plate of animal flesh. Yummy. If I can, I will definitely attend this event again next year. Hopefully bump up the distance. I feel like I probably could have done the longer 65 mile route, but I would much rather say that than have bailed out on the longer ride and not finish.

                                                   

The Grand Fondue is the next big ride I have planned. It's somewhat of a "road" ride, but includes small, dirt back roads and gobs of climbing. This time of year, I think this is optimal riding style and I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be riding my Kona Jake. I've been taking it out pretty regularly lately and riding on the steep roads and paved trails throughout the Patapsco River Valley behind my house to get ready for the terrain in Frederick. Admission for the ride: $15 bucks and a 1/2 pound of cheese. Communal fondue and 2 glasses of mead to follow the ride. That's right up my alley, for sure.

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