WOW, it is not beginning to look like Christmas!!!

It is the day before Christmas and all through the house.....forget the house, there is still no snow and the high will be around forty degrees; I am going outside.  I did some much needed maintenance on the El Mariachi this morning thanks to the the last time I rode it at Sylvan Island Park and rammed the bash guard into some foundation (the same thing that ruined my $100 XT chain ring) which caused my eccentric bottom bracket to shift a little causing the chain slack.

It looks like the weather will hold for the rest of the week.  I wish there were some more options for mountain biking, but in the spirit of the season I will be happy with receive.

Love Your Life

I cannot believe that it is 19 December.  The temperature was in the mid forties and the sun was out.  I took the opportunity to get in what I suspect to be the last day of mountain biking this year. 

I went to Sylvan Island, which is a fun place to ride.  It is not great for distance but where else are your obstacles chunks of foundation, bricks, random chunks of steel, and the occasional piece of broken glass.

My intent was to get some great photos of Sylvan Island or at least great for a lousy photographer like me.  I stopped to get a photo next to a random concrete wall with some graffiti.  I was somewhat annoyed by the fact that my battery was about to die and the sun was so bright that I could not get a decent picture of my Giant.  Then it occurred to me, 19 December and the sun was so bright that I could not take a picture of my bike!  How could I not love my life.

Though I didn't get the pictures I was hoping for, I don't think I could have taken a better one than this.  

Long Shadows

Fall is my favorite season to ride!

Winter is closing in quickly.  This week we got a lot of rain, a pretty decent snow storm, and virtually non-stop wind.  I thought that was going to be the end of mountain biking.  It is a courtesy not to ride when the trails are really muddy.  It tears up the trails and who wants to wash all of that Mississippi mud (I am convinced it could marketed as a really good adhesive) out of all of the nooks and crannies of a dual suspension mountain bike.  Today was a special treat, BOB (big orange ball) was out and it was a balmy 60 degrees even though the wind was whipping.  I am not so concerned about the wind with mountain biking because I rarely have to fight a head wind for long.

I normally try not to do anything that takes effort on Sunday (physically or mentally) but I could not resist.  I added some air to the tires of my Anthem X 29er, loaded it into my Trooper and moved out.

When I arrived at Sunderbruch Park the sun was starting to dip a little and the shadows were long.  BOB is already riding a little low and I noticed as I rode along a ridge that my shadow was tracing my path on the other side of the draw.

 Not so long shadow near the middle

    It was nice to have company on a ride for a change

Speaking of company, when I got home I had plenty.

 I am not sure how that is comfortable, but he didn't want to get down?

I am not sure if Thomson Stems or Salsa designed the 2008 El Mariachi or for this.  Of course I am parent of the year based on the fact no one has a helmet on!

Selling You Stuff You Don't Need: Thanks Camel Bak

A while ago I wrote about companies trying to sell you stuff you really don't need.  While shopping for cheap parts for a new bike I will be assembling over the winter I came across this.

Seriously?!?!?

Admittedly, I buy stuff that I don't need.  After all, I am about to buy a frame and build another bike when I have four in my basement.  I like hydration packs, I have had a couple in my day, it has never occurred to me that I need something to tell me how much water I have left.  If you are concerned about how much water to carry, fill it to maximum capacity, so what if you carry a little extra weight.  I have run out of water on hot days, a device telling me I have 0 ounces of water left wouldn't fix the problem in the middle of nowhere.  I certainly have never needed a device to let me know that I am thirsty (hydration goal feature).  I am not sure why someone would even want to spend $20 on a device that requires yet another battery.

I think a good product would be a "gunk" meter to tell me when that nice layer of algae is growing on the inside of the reservoir or in the hose.        

I want to do something great

I am stuck in a rut. I suppose that is life. There are a lot of people out in the world doing amazing things. I did some great things on a few occasions.  I don't think I have ever done amazing things.  It seems as though I am past that though.

I get up early and go to work. I usually spend 10+ hours staring at a screen. I work in the middle of the building and some days 4 or more hours go by before I realize I haven't looked outside. I change the font, add a cloud or a gear shaped text box, push print and hope that someone will say "wow that is a really pretty power point slide."

Then I go home. Exhausted! I quickly get ready for the next day and entertain children. About 7:30 or 8:00 p.m. I can squeeze in an hour for myself. But let's face it, by then I can barely get the motivation breath, let alone think about going out and doing something great.

I guess I am like most people, I just want to do something great. Maybe even amazing (at least to my standard as I am not sponsored by RedbulI). I just lack the time thanks to the amount of effort it takes to be mediocre at work.

I have decided that this winter I am going to build a bike that represents my desire to do something great. I want to build a Surly Ogre, a touring bike capable of going places most touring bikes can't go. I will call it the "Dream" or something like that. I will pull out the thesaurus.

At a minimum it will be set up to face the challenge of Davenport and the Government bridge to the island.

I Like Fall

I think that fall is by far the most beautiful season.  Spring still has the hangover of winter; it is not quite green, and is a little grungy and muddy.  Winter, though beautiful has the challenge of being cold which complicates outdoor activities.

I can't put my arms down!

Summer has nice long days but it has bugs and heat.  When it comes down to it, fall is probably the best season for riding or any activity.  I love the sound of the leaves crunching under my feet or tires.  I like it when a leaf becomes lodged in bottom bracket region of my bike and rubs on the tire creating a sound that reminds me of using a playing card and clothes pin to make motorcycle sounds on my BMX bike as a kid.

Here are some pictures from Sylvan Island, my new favorite location for Forced Family Outings (FFOs).  Though it doesn't provide a ton of mountain biking trails, the random nature of them coupled with the industrial obstacles makes it fun.  It is amazing how nature can reclaim itself.  While "scars" still exist from a steel mill, Sylvan Island still provides a healthy dose of nature.

 

Why Do I Like to Ride? A Great Question!

There I was lying in a heap, my XL bike frame tangle in my legs, my shoulder throbbing.  My shin was bleeding after being grated across the shifter and brake lever of my handlebars.  Fortunately the steep embankment from the stream bed I was riding through/across prevented me from flying too far.  As I got up and brushed myself off, I asked myself "why do I do this?"  Bicycling causes the following conditions:

1.  Sweat
2.  Sore muscles:  During and after rides.  Mainly during the ride.
3.  Fatigue:  Mainly after riding
4.  Sore body:  During and after, especially if there is a crash.
5.  $$$:  I just bent some teeth on what has turned out to be a $100 Shimano XT chain ring trying to clear an old building foundation on Sylvan Island.  I think I will just stay with the middle ring for now.
6.  Sweat

Considering these six conditions, I am not sure why I spend so much time riding or dreaming about riding.  Maybe some day I will figure it out.  In the mean time, I will take some ibuprofen to get rid of the pain from today's outing.