I put a Maverick SC32 on the Dean.
3.5" of travel in "29er" mode.
New wheel too, 24/7 Maverick thru axle hub laced to a WTB Laser Disc rim.

I have about 6 rides on it, and big news, I don't have to be overly selective on my line choice on the rock and root laden Ft Rock trails.

Only a couple of longish climbs, OK one, that requires the lock out feature, which is mighty handy, as it drops the front end about 1.5-2", great for standing single speed climbing. I tested it at Bear Brook and it worked great.

Action shots soon........

It's been a while, but I finally made it out on a "lunch" ride with Daisy today.
The trails were in great shape, and prime for riding.

As this was the first real ride with the Surly EndoMorph 26x3.7" tire mounted to a Surly Large Marge rim, I didn't know what to expect. It really grips the snow, and takes a little bit to get used to, as it just sticks to the snow. At ~12 psi, it is wicked grippy, and spreads out to probably 4" with me sitting down.

Daisy had fun too!

With rear brakes:



Without rear brakes:




Usually I do this section just before heading to the tunnel from the south side of 101. Today I started down it, grabbed a little back brake and the lever went all the way to the bar, (FULL SPEED DAN-O!), I tried clipping out, and was only able to unclip the left foot, with my arms fully extended, chest on the seat I proceeded down, there is a tree at the bottom on the right side that I was headed for, I leaned left and plowed into a large rock.
I haven't totally figured out what happened with my Avid mech and why it failed, I did adjust it about 10 minutes prior to this, almost like the piston that pushes the pad got hung up, and then when I needed it most it freed up and went all the way out, so that the pad would not contact the disc.
The only injury is sore abs, no marks or bruising yet.
I have spare bike, minus a front wheel =(
The Dean will be going to Wheel Power to make sure the head tube and the rest of the frame are OK. (fingers crossed).



-Dan

I have been getting more time to ride, and with the lack of rain (except weekends here in NH) the Conti Mtn King 2.4" has been a keeper.

Dry-
I had to increase the tire pressure from riding in the snow (to achieve more float). The tire felt very squirmy, but I have it ~28-30 psi and it is awesome. Hooks up when I need it, standing to power up rooty, rocky sections. I like it and think this is a winning combo with the Rampage up front for riding SS and no suspension.

Semi muddy-
The Rampage has a tendency to slide out (envision riding on ice and turning) but the Mtn King really digs in thanks to the tall knobs and adequate spacing. The material of the rubber does not seem to hold mud, at least not like other tires I have tried.

Sidewall-
The pseudo raised grid extra thick casing has revealed that it is holding up well scraping through rocky and rooty sections with no signs of wear. So far so good.

With all this talk on riding, I am going to head out for a little Friday lunch time ripper.

Ride on!

-Dan

Traveling for work, renovating the kitchen, dining and entry way in the house, and getting a new guitar and amp, have all led to me not riding, still eating the same, drinking dark beers every now and then, and I think I have set a new lowest miles per month in 4 years.



yay



Hopefully the trails will be frozen in the wee hours of the morning this weekend, I need my fix of flying through the woods.

-Dan

Went for a ride with J, Rich, and Nate.

The Rampage/ Conti Mtn King combo did great in the snow, it was just above freezing at the start of the ride, and the snow was warming up as the ride went along. I believe the tire pressure was around 20-25psi, and they provided good float and traction. We even "sessioned" a section of dirt we found on the power lines.

It was perfect way to start a day, but it was ruined by 10:00 pm EST.

I am in mourning over the loss of the Patriots this morning, I am boycotting TV and internet news sites, when does baseball start?

Yesterday (December 30th) was my 33rd birthday, and I like to go for rides on that day no matter what, so damn all the snow we have been getting lately, there were some warm (40 deg F) days, so people must be out there hiking, etc.

Tom G and I headed out to the "Rock" around 7:30am. It was chilly but no wind, I haven't ridden the mtn bike in a while, the chain was rusty, the tires a little low in pressure from the last snow ride, etc....We wanted to get out on the trails before the sun really got time to melt the snow. We went up to the trestle parking lot and headed in on the first trail on the right. It was surprisingly good, you had to work some sections, walk some sections, but others were faster than normal. The footsteps and ski tracks packed down the snow good, (no bike tire tracks!) and if you veered off the trail a little you were coming to an immediate stop. This got real fun on the down hill sections as you would endo over the bars, etc.

We decided to stay on the south side, it would be a epic ride in length of time, but not distance with these conditions. The important part was that we had a blast! Fun to be out in the woods, cruising along, earning every second with leg busting turns of the cranks.

The last bit of trail we rode, we figured out that if you went off the trail, you could stay on top of the 1+ feet of snow and it was awesome. Then we went over the RR tracks, and down the side apple tree trail, same thing, off to the side and WOW we were flying down the hill, I was smiling ear to ear, then at the end my front tire sank to the quick release and some how I managed to hop over the handle bars and land on my feet! Laughing the whole time.

FUN.

We got another 1-2" of snow yesterday, the snow we got last week (~6") had alot of tracks on it so todays ride was pretty good. Definately overdressed, but that is better than not dressing warm enough.
It was still below freezing when I went out this morning, which provided decent traction. Again the old trusty Rampage up front was a little sketchy, but the Mtn King did great. Once I got to the trails I let out the air pressure on both tires, this increased the tire foot print and worked great to "float" on the soft and sorta crunchy snow. With this much snow I didn't have to worry about pinch flatting on roots or rocks, as it feels pretty smooth out there. Pretty happy with the performance of the tires today, no real need for studs yet.

Here are some crappy cell phone pix:

We got about 6" of wet and heavy snow last night, now freezing rain.

What better time to go for a ride?

I'm leaving the Mtn King on the back, will do a post ride report afterwards.


Snow Ride Report:
No loss of traction, it was a little better than the Rampage in front, but I was the first on the trail, and the Rampage may have been sliding a little (though not too bad) from breaking through the snow, no slippage, and I tried to grunt up a few hills, etc.

For no studs, I would say this is a good slushy, wet, heavy snow tire from the 45 minute ride I put on it today.

The Rampage didn't like to be ridden on the same track that I made on an out and back run. This is true for most tires on the front in my experience, best to have the virgin snow, but it takes way more effort to break through new snow as well.

I will be interested to see how they both do throughout the winter, and all the different types of snow that is coming our way. I want to stay off the trainer, so.....

Pix:

Went for a ride yesterday with Tom G, and it was about 17 deg F outside, the trails were frozen solid. It is so cold that the snot dripping from your nose freezes on your jacket and pants. Water bottles, Camelback hoses, and toes froze as well. This made for awesome traction, but the tall spaced knobs on the Conti Mtn King felt squirmy in the corners. I was constantly checking tire pressure (squeezing the side) to see if I had flatted, as that is what it felt like. If there was snow, it may have been a different story, but I may be changing the back tire to something with a lower profile until the white stuff flies.

Well the trails were kinda frozen on today's lunch ride. So a tire will virtually any tread would have been fine. The one thing i did notice was off camber trails hooked up, like benched trails, and I had no issues on rocks, leaves, ice, pine needles, I think this is going to be a great rear tire!

Here are a few thousand words:
1) If there is any doubt what the wheel size is
2) Next to the Panaracer Rampage -side view
3) Next to the Panaracer Rampage -top view
4) Mountain King vs. Exi vs. Rampage

LBS weighed them at 760grams.

Tale of the calipers:
Tread width: 2.33"
Casing Width: 2.05"
Rim to top tread: 2.09"

All tires mounted to Salsa Delgado 29er Disc (29mm wide) rims and inflated to 30 psi.

Can't wait to go out and get it dirty.

Going to make the AOF Blog go in another direction....the review of 29" mountain bike tires as to how they perform in the north east part of the United States. Compared to what works out West or even the central and southern part of the US of A, it doesn't necessarily mean good traction, control, braking, etc. for us in New England. The terrain and trails are just different.

I'm getting sort of obsessed with 29" mountain bike tires and how they affect the trail ride in different conditions and such. I'm going to start gathering and collecting data from the 5 or 6 different models of tires that I already have some time on, and one new tire that I am excited about. Well I always get excited about new tires, and then I get some time on them, and I either like them or I don't.



Here is a pic of my favorite tire, the Panaracer Rampage, a true 2.35" high volume 29 inch tire. It is the best all around tire for the crazy New England weather and trail conditions.


I like to ride a rigid single speed, and I think this is the best way to test tires as their performance can't hide behind suspension or gears. Does it provide enough cushion? Does it hook up in various trail conditions? Leaves? Pine Needles? Mud? Ice? Snow? Hail? Rock? Loose Sand? Hard pack? Under power does it retain traction while climbing? Those are the types of things that really make a tire shine or get taken off the bike.

Here is a pic of the test platform. It is a Dean Colonel 29er titanium frame with a Salsa Cro Moto Grande steel fork. I am a big fan of the Salsa Delgado 29er Disc rims, nice and wide, fairly light, and very strong.

FOMBA to Bear Brook and then back to FOMBA.

This past Sunday morning PAW and I met at Depot rd. in Auburn (FOMBA) with one goal in mind, mileage.
Riding around FOMBA on past rides I had seen the sign that states "Bear Brook" that way, and always wanted to try that, so with our need to get in some miles to train for the NH100, PAW bought into the idea.

We headed out to NH trail 11, then trail 15 doing some of the Watershed Wahoo trails around Tower Hill Rd. We crossed rte 27 (the only time our tires touched pavement) which is about the halfway point between the 2 parks, the trails are mainly used for snowmobiles and undulate up and down with skree and baby heads, soft sand, some mud, and trees and their branches crossing into our path. It took us about 1.5 hours to make it to Bear Brook. We had escorts for this whole section, horse flies, fast little insects they are. When I was riding behind PAW it looked like a comet's tail. From FOMBA to BB the total was 12.5 miles.

PAW freaking out over the horseflies



When we got to BB we were greeted with a climb up Hall mtn, from here we could see the cell tower on Tower Hill Rd.

AOF's steed on the top of Hall Mtn.


PAW on the trail along the ridge of Hall Mtn


Tower Hill in the distance from Hall mtn trail


PAW could tell you the trails we did, I apologize for not knowing the names. We went to the toll booth to get a new map and decided to have lunch in the picnic area, and we rolled up on YoG and his crew. They were headed out for a ripper of their own at BB. After lunch and re-filling the camelbacks by the statue of the CCC worker, we started making our way back to trail 15 south. This time we opted to go around Hall mtn, but not without a small glitch (ask PAW if he will be donating to the 4-H clubs this year).

PAW getting ready to ride Little Bear(?)


We figured out a way to do it and snuck in some more singletrack. We did about 17.5 miles in the park, giving us a total of 30 so far for the day.

My handlebars and PAW going down Podunk Rd. at Bear Brook


PAW on Podunk Rd.


On trail 15 south I came upon a Moose cow and her 2 calves, both me and the moose were very spooked. They aren't the most graceful animal when they run, and all 3 tromped out of site, I skidded going uphill PAW pointed out later.
For some reason it seemed shorter on the way back, we followed our 'bread crumbs' the only bike tire tracks at the intersections that didn't look familiar to us, and crossed 27, then made it into the Tower Hill area, and finally into FOMBA territory. We rode around and got a little turned around and finally found our reward for all this riding, a rip on "Woodpecker". That was the perfect end to our Epic, and we ended up riding 45.5 miles in 5:30!

This was the longest Mtn bike ride for me, and PAW as well. That was such a fun ride, it felt like 4 rides in one, and I guess it was. Hopefully we can have another epic soon as we both train for the NH100, next may be Ft Rock to Pawtuckaway.

See ya out there,
Dan

Well today is my birthday, and I haven't ridden due to family responsibilities since going on vacation last week (read as everyone but me in my house has been sick).
So with snow falling, I heard the calling, and headed out.
What is it about the snow and being the first to draw a line through it that is so alluring?
All I know is that I spent 47 songs in the woods, mostly upright, funny how some sections are completely different with a few inches of white stuff.
The Ripper was great, I actually could drift through some of the turns!
The bridges were challenging, as some hikers had walked across them, I think this helped though.

I love riding in the snow, that was a great B-day present to myself.

Holy crap, what the hell is going on?!

Guitar tablature, or someones interpretation of a song in a visual format is now deemed illeagal to share with other people?

The National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) as well as the Music Publishers' Association (MPA) have threatened and shut down the internet sites which share guitar bass and drum tablature, on the basis that sharing tablature constitutes copyright infringement.

If you play guitar, bass or drums you have probably used or benefitted from someone else who used tablature, and musicians still make the same amount of money, I have a feeling it is the legal fockers of the big music labels.

Go *here* and voice you opinion.

I'm going to illegally download some music now!

...Wicked!!!

It was perfect riding weather today. Leaves crunching under the tires, hiding rocks and sticks on the trail. Sun warming you in spots were it finds its way through the branches. Being chilled by the wind, as it makes itself known occasionally.
A great day to be alive and rolling along the trails.

This is on youTube.com

Henry Rollins writes a letter to the FCC

**link**

Go Henry!

I'd like to start a collection of quotes for the SSA page.

"One less derailleur."

"Less gears, more COWBELL!"

"SSers get off more."

"SS is always in the right gear."

"Simple speed"

San Antonio, TX
O.P. Schnabel park.
Rented a Specialized Stump Jumper from Ride Away bikes. They recommended OP as the place to go to get a flavor for what riding trails in San Antonio and Texas are all about.
Basically it is a park in the NW corner of the city that isn't developed because every now and then it floods and is in what they call a flood basin.
The trails are twisty with some small ups and downs, rocky with some loose gravel in spots and fun!
I ended up meeting a few riders in the parking lot and they gave me a grand tour, rode for over 2 hours and I had my fill for the night.
Supposed to do it again on Wednesday night.
Looking forward to it.

Log ride jump


Oooh, cactus!


Ryan, the guy kind enough to give a tour.

Went out for my usual Sunday morning ride, from Topsfield, MA to Andover, MA, on the Bay Circuit Trail, Boxford town trails and then onto Harold Parker State Park.
Rode "Terry's Trail", seemed real fresh and was alot of fun. Did a little more on some connecting sections, and came to a 6 foot rock roller, tried to roll it, I haven't done this "roller" before, opting to go around instead. The exit is tricky, as there are roots on the right side, clear on the center and left, but the trail turns real sharp right at the bottom, with trees almost at the base of this rock. So I thought for a microsecond that I could make it going down the middle, I would just have to turn gently to avoid the trees. I ended up doing a "Miami Hopper", which is a BMX freestyle trick were you turn your handle bar really quick, making it 90 degrees to the rest of your bike, sending you up into an endo. Over the bars goes AOF!
I ended up on the ground, nice raspberry on my stomach and my right wrist was bruised. No biggie, my friend who I was riding with saw the "stunt", asked if I was OK, which I was and we both chuckled a bit, and continued on back to Topsfield. We ended up doing 26 miles in 2:40. Not bad, considereing almost all of it was offroad.

Fast forward 3 hours, and I'm playing with my 2 year old, and all of a sudden I have a tremendous pain in my right wrist. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! What is going on?! I can't use it, so I put ice on it. My wife is grocery shopping, so when she gets home we talk and I'm off to the ER to get an Xray. Waited a while (watched the Red Sox, finally got seen, what a freakin' circus at the hospital ER). Xrays come back negative, says to take it easy, wear a brace. It was just so weird that I was able to mountain bike for another 10 miles or so, drive 30 minutes home, shower, get dressed, make some grub, play with the 2 year old for a while, then WHAM-O! My wrist is throbbing. The mdeical people said it could have been inflamed and sometime stuff like this happens.
So the next day, I felt better, did some yard and house work, and even good enough to jack hammer the old shed foundation. Didn't do anymore riding on the long weekend, but hopefully the wrist will be OK on the rigid forked Karate Monkey.
Ride On!

I am not a single speed pontificator.
I do not preach the dogma of single speeding.
It works for me.
It may not be for you.
If you ask me about it, I will try to show you the way to single speed enlightenment.
I believe you should find a ratio that works for you.
I believe you should find a rigid frame and fork made of chrome moly that works for you.
I believe you should just ride, not worrying about what gear to be in or if your shocks are at their right settings for the trail conditions.
As the rigid single speed is always in the right gear, and the suspension is always predictable (sort of). Enabling the single speeder to lose himeself in the trail. With music in their mind (or Phil Ligget) providing fuel as they dance on the pedals (or mash if its a big climb), leading to the next turn in the trail or vista.

Join the Single Speed Alliance

-AOF out

Boone, Iowa - Seven Oaks recreational area
Out here for work for the better part of this week, needed to get my fix in. Thought I would share.
Terrain=smooth twisty singletrack.
The trails are throughout a ski area, fairly small by New England standard, but big for Iowa. Lotsa switchbacks up and down the "mountain".
Borrowed a Trek Fuel EX7, now I know what you are thinking; "Dan, I thought you were a SS 29er rigid freak?" I am, but I needed to ride, so small wheels, suspension, gears, and flat bars would have to do.

Link to Seven Oaks site








**5 MB video sampler**

Ended up doing a counter clockwise loop, got to the car, refilled my water bottle and went back out, this time clockwise! 14 miles total. Wahoo!
Felt good.

-Dan

2 weeks of grey skies, no riding (outside that is, just the trainer).
Then it got worse. Came home Sunday night from my mom's on Mother's Day dinner opened the door down to the basement, and saw toys, papers, clothes floating in 14" of water.
We had things we cared about in Rubbermaid containers, but the disturbing thing was that it floated them and then they tipped over, spilling all the family pictures, hierlooms, etc. into our new pool.
We had a family room and an office down there.
I guess we were lucky, in that we only lost all the stuff that was down there, and didn't lose everything like some people around the area.
I know that last thing on my mind should be bikes, considering all the things we did lose, but my trainer is ruined, the bikes were in water over the hubs and BB for about 8 hours.

Still, rain sucks.

Did three rides this past week, all in different states, with different terrain.

All 3 were small venues, but I was on the bike, I am loving the Karate Monkey.

Rigid singlespeed for me.

Boston Lot Lake - Lebanon, NH
Killer climb to start, fun singletrack and doubletrack.





Lincoln Woods - Lincoln, RI
Lotsa doubletrack, some singletrack, some crazy freeride lines that I opted out of, and some really cool rock areas.





Spruce Creek - New Smyrna Beach, FL
These must be brand new trails, they weren't here a year ago. Very impressive, someone put alot of time into these. All narrow singletrack, typical Florida riding, roots, patches of soft sand to keep you honest, twisting and turning the whole time. The palms do a great job of hiding whatever it is you scares as you barrel along, did see a 4 foot black snake, 2 armidillo's, the rest I could hear but not see. Very fun for a place that is otherwise becoming overdeveloped or just jeep roads.

...I caused by posting the message below on the Mountain Bike review forum.

*link*

I even got an ex-Pro freestyler.

This is random, but I was looking through some old pictures yesterday, and came across a pic of my 1986 Diamond Back Super Viper. This is what I consider my first "real" bike. I had others, mostly Huffy or Columbia, but this was the first with a free wheel, dia compe brakes, tioga tires, etc. It was chrome and black, I thought it was a bad a$$ bike. I wanted to be just like Pistol Pete Luncarevich, or Harry Leary, more of the racing types, than the freestylers, although I thought they were cool, I just didn't have the skills. (Think Eddy Fiola and Mike Dominez). Flashing through my head were images of riding to the rope swing during the summer, lake jumping off my neighbors dock (before I knew what rust was), building jumps and a small figure 8 track in my friends yard, racing at the local BMX races, riding 10 miles on the road to get there because my mom wouldn't take me. Last night I was thinking how much fun I had on that bike and that I haven't been into anything else besides bicycles and riding them ever since.
Then today, I walk into my LBS, and there is a 2006 Diamond Back Super Viper.
Now I am wondering if this is destiny, although I am not sure that a 6'3" 215lb 31 year old would really be able to ride one, but maybe my 6yo daughter would like it?
I am pretty happy with my Surly Karate Monkey (SS Rigid).
I think I have gone full circle, as I went from the Super Viper to a mtn bike(&road bike), then added suspension to the front of my mtn bikes, to a full suspension, back to a HT with suspension fork, to full rigid one speed bike.
Just wanted to share this, and see if anyone else has similiar roots out there.
Thanks for reading.
Dan

Doing this.

That's what I had a craving for after today's ride.
Must be something about "Spring" time and road bike rides.
So I went out for a road ride today and it was colder than I thought, I usually overdress, but I was cold, had too big of a lunch, headwind, sun never seemed to warm me up.
Ooh, is my rear brake rubbing on the rim, robbing me of power?
Look down, dang, it's not.
How about air in my tires, are they low?
Front-nope.
Rear, crap! Why does it feel like I am towing a boat anchor?!!!

Then I turned on Drinkwater road, and I felt refreshed.
I don't know if it was the wind changing directions, I finally warmed up enough, or what, but I was starting to feel good about this ride.
Felt the need to put the hands on the drops and just crank out some circles. Lifting up on the upstroke and simultaneously pushing down on the other foot.
I felt like a weapon, a weapon that needed Harpoon IPA and oatmeal raisin cookies for fuel!
What a great reward.

AOF's version.

That's what my wife told me, when I asked why my 5 year old daughter who has been able to read and write for about a year, started writing words like it was from a ebonics textbook. She actually was spoken to about writing words the correct way and not writing just how they sound.
I can't help but hear the afternoon kindergarten teacher say to the class:
"May I have your attention class, it appears that some of you aren't following this lesson's instructions, we aren't writing words as your parents taught you, we are writing words so that the slow kids in class learn to write words the wrong way, just to add to the confusion, and further help their demise integrating into society."
WTF!!!
Funny thing is, I just got done talking to someone who was thinking of moving to my town, and telling them how good the school system is.
The only thing I can hope is that 1st grade is a little better.
Do the make kids stay back in kindergarten?
Oh, wait, no child left behind--> Pass'em, it'll cost the school district more to keep them back.
It will definately be cheaper to enroll them in un-employment in 15 years because their rez-oo-may has all the-eez spel-in er-oars!
So, like everything in America nowadays, we cater to the dumb, and/or lazy.
Yay!

/rant

Check back soon for my thoughts on the lack of responsibility we (Americans in general) cater too!

I ride alone.
Well, lately it's been alone.
I have been traveling more with my new job, and feel alone.
But it isn't a bad alone, on the contrary, I believe that it is good for me.
It gives me a chance to focus on work, and sort of a reset.
It put's events in my life in perspective.
And, because I relate everything in my life to bike riding, some of the best rides I have been on are when it is me, one gear, and one tire width trail.
Perfect.


"I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude."
-Henry David Thoreau

I gots me a noo bi-see-kul!

A Surly Karate Monkey.

Here is a report of the first few rides:
Overall it was a good ride, I have my 26" gearing right now 32x18, and I thought I would be killing myself, but it really wasn't that bad. I did notice a few climbs that I am usually able to make I couldn't, who knows what's to blame for that though.
I felt very comfortable on the bike as far as position, standover, etc.
That being said, I tried a few things that I have never done before (going over a few rocks, etc.) and did make it.

The rigid fork was a little hand numbing by the end of the 2 hours, first time on a rigid fork in 10 years. It really showed its positive attributes while climbing, that side of it is great. No "First time humping on a waterbed" as PAW would say. Going the other way (longer descents) made me want just a few inches of travel.

The funny thing about the bike, which is a 22" frame, is it looks like everyone elses (size 19" and smaller) bike as far as proportional frame to the wheels. I met a guy and a girl from Hanover, NH out there (Ft Rock), they asked for directions to the tunnel, he accused me of being crazy to be riding a SS, then he saw a rigid fork, and was up in arms about that. He and his wife were riding Blur's. He then said I must be a young college kid, wait til I hit my 30's and 40's (Ha! I'm 31) but he didn't even realize it had big wheels.

Mohammed Cartoon

[sarcasm]
How could a sane political cartoonist, draw a picture of a man from ~1500 years ago, wearing a head dress that resembles a bomb. As this religious figures followers are some of the most understanding and tolerant people in the world. To attack these people by drawing a picture, that is just ubsurd.
Why, they should ignore it if they don't like it.
How dare someone have a different opinion and not believe in their god, or a god at all.

Below is this awful visual kick in these peoples faces.


[/sarcasm]




Your friendly Infidel
AOF

I am addicted to riding my bicycle.
Problem is, recently I haven't been able to do it as much as I like.
Whether it be work or renovating my bathroom, I haven't been out since the day after Thanksgiving.
Before that it was about 3 weeks. I was riding 3-4 times a week.
See were I am going here?

I just have to keep reminding myself, that in the grand scheme of things, this is just a small problem, but, hey, that's why we have blogs right?

So people can vent and crab about stuff.

Well this is my part.

Here is me on my last ride.

This past Saturday (Ocotber 29th) it was snowing, now granted, it didn't stick, simply melting when it hit the ground, but still, it was cold enough that the falling percipitation froze.
Fast forward less than 24 hours, and it was sunny and seventy two degrees.
Today is November first, and though I am not too thrilled with it being dark before 5pm, I got out on the bike today to enjoy the Indian summer weather. Not sure how long it will last, but I'm going to enjoy it.
The trees seemed to be at their peak in my neck of the woods, almost surreal, I've lived here most of my life, but until you live other places, you don't appreciate what we have here.

In a word, they rule.
A simple statement for a simple bicycle.
Less parts to go wrong with.
Get on and ride, no worries about being in the right gear, as single speeds are always in the RIGHT gear.
Derailluers suck!

I recently converted my 2004 Gary Fisher Cake 2 dlx (5 inch of travel front and rear) to a single speed. The bike originally came with 27 combinations of speeds, but I found I don't shift that much.


I actually haven't ridden this bike since I converted my old 1997 Trek 8900 hardtail to a single speed as an experiment in Nov. '04. I was just going to try it.
Well, I liked it so much in the snow, that after my road riding episode (the wet spring months here in NH), I am lusting after a dedicated SS, and getting rid of my other bikes.


more too follow.......

Funny story

I don't see this as liberal or conservative, just dumb.

Serves the Un-American bastard right.

I'm ready to book my room.

I live in Exeter, NH, and work in Acton, MA, 53 miles away.
I did it by bicycle yesterday, May 20, and on the return trip home, it happened.

Here is how it went down, as best that I can remember.

Coming down a slight hill on 125N in North Andover around 5pm, picture lotsa cars as there are stores all along this section, a champagne colored Lexus SUV coming from the opposite direction starts to pull in front of me as I'm doing about 28mph, I grab the brakes and the woman driving sees me at the last second and stops in the middle of the road, I coast by. Whew!!
45 seconds later, I'm now doing about 24mph, de ja vu, I see a woman with no blinker on, in the opposite lane, in a black Lincoln Continental start turning to go into a Bank, the entrance is about 25 feet in front of me, she isn't looking at me, just the entrance, I grab the brakes,
Yell "HEY!!!!!!!", and the speed along with the sand on the side of the road send the back tire sliding underneath me to the right, I unclip, put my left foot down and slide into the side of the car. Boom!
I don't know how I stayed upright, but my left shoulder ended up hockey checking her passenger side pillar.

I move away from the car which has now stopped and start cursing like I was back in the Navy, looking the bike over, as nothing hurts on me, adrenaline is pumping, start thinking about my two kids, and thankful that I'm not hurt.
The bars and the fork are going in the opposite direction, the elderly woman, about 5 ft, 90pounds, gets out and says "What happend?", "Why did you hit my car?"

I want to start blasting this woman with every derogatory remark I can think of, instead, I say "You hit me."
"I was coming down the road and you turned right into me."

Her"I looked and I didn't see any cars, you must've been going fast."

"I was going about 25."

"Well are you OK?" There is a change in her voice, from defensive to caring.

"I think so, my bike looks OK." I spin the front wheel, it is still true.

I'm shaking my head, and she looks at her car, there is a large scratch on her quarter panel, and a couple of dents there and on the front door as well.
I'm thinking that is going to cost alot to repair, probably on fixed income, start thinking about my grandmother...who is just as capable as making a dumb mistake like this. She didn't mean to do this.

She says"I'm sorry, are you sure you are OK?"

"Yeah, I'm OK, just watch out for people on bike please!"

"OK"

She gets back in her car and parks......I'm done talking with her.


From the time I yelled HEY, a fellow bicyclist saw the whole thing, comes over to me and asks if the wheels are true.
I discover that my back tire has a bald spot all the way down to the tube. He offers to take me to a local shop to get a new tire.
I throw the bike in his van, and we go to a shop in Andover, get a new tire put on, and it turns out this guy is headed up to Maine to work on a cottage he has up there.
So he give me a ride to the first exit in NH on 95 and I ride home from there. Along the ride I'm running the whole incident in my head, could I have done something different? Should I have gotten all her information? Got the police involved? I felt I did the right thing, I wasn't hurt, my bike was fine, her car would need some work. I asked the guy what he would have done as we sit in the Friday afternoon 495 traffic headed north.
He agrees, it was the right thing to do, just walk away, for the same reasons as above.

Big thanks to Charlie at the bike shop in Andover, and especially to David M(?) of Andover for the much needed help.

Needless to say, I don't know when I'll do the 53 mile commute to Acton again.

-Dan

On the bench of the 2004 World Series Champions.

Can the U.S. be oil free by 2050?
MSN Money link related to this
We could be free faster than that, I mean I can take a picture and e-mail it with my cellular phone.
WTF!!!!

....... more people like Mr. MacCready

Follow the link to a webpage on Mr. Paul MacCready

He was behind the designing and building of the human powered plane that flew across the English channel. Interesting read.

Got out at lunch and did a road ride today, even though all I had with me was my cold weather gear (long sleeve jersey and pants)I was a little over dressed, but it was great to be out and not freezing.
I ended up taking my gloves off and stuffing them in my jersey pocket.
I'm going down a hill and as I get close to the bottom I get passed by a car and it slows down about 50ft in front of me, I can see a hand pop out of the window and the passenger window starts to roll down.
Here is the dialogue:
Driver:"Hi."
Me:"Hi."
Driver:"You lost your glove back there."
Me:"Oh, thanks"
Driver:"No problem."

I felt like such a 'tard.

I was pointed to 2 Iraqi blogs today, interesting, check them out:

Imad Khadduri- I don't agree with everything he has here, but...it provides an interesting point of view for me, the "dumb American" as he calls all 300 million of us.

"Free Iraq blog"


Riverbend, a Iraqi female whose blog comes accross as humorous in some spots.

"Baghdad Burning blog"

riding the chopper bike

Here is a pic of me riding a chopper bike I made out of a few old bikes. No sense in sending them to the dump, and I get to travel on a new bike and not have to buy (ever increasing in price) gas!

When will we cut our losses and develope ways to cut our reliance on foriegners oil.