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.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Snow ride report (12-11-07)
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:
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:
Monday, December 03, 2007
SNOW!!!
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:
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:
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Conti Mtn King 2.4" update
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.
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