High Cliff fixie test

 

The Raleigh Record is over 30 now, so it was time to give the headset bearings some new life. My pa had a magical elixir that cleaned the buildup out of the bearing cups. Then I loaded it with grease and planted the bearings. Smooth as butter!

I took the fixie out Monday night. The wind gusts were 25-35, so mother nature simulated a good hill climb as I started out on my "quick Kaukauna loop". The mist became sleet-like, but then seemed to go away. Overall, it was a quick 11.5 mile jaunt and I was glad I got out.

Tonight I headed out on the fixie again with Jesse riding Brian's old road bike. We headed to High Cliff and did the hill a few times. I have been waiting to see how the fixie handles (or how I handle) the hill. The gearing (48x16) was just enough that it kept me out of the saddle for the entire climb. I was sucking wind at the top, but it was a good climb and I left Jesse a bit behind. Going down the hill required a bit of resistance at all times and a few times with reverse pumping to bring the speed back down. Overall, not too bad, and I decided to let 'er rip at the end.

Jesse and I switched bikes and we climbed for the second time. I didn't shift during the climb, but I was in a smaller gear than the previous climb. Jesse reached the top ahead of me. Maybe there is something to the fixed gear / single speed? I decided that it is faster because it NEEDS to be. If you slow down too much, you won't be able to go again when you have to mash a big gear. So you keep hammering because you have to. If I had a lower gear, I would probably shift because I wouldn't want to be totally spent before I reach the top.

Jesse and I switched back and we climed again. This time he made a point to stay with me and he succeeded. However, it was definitely to prove a point, where I climbed at the pace I felt I needed to to ensure I kept my momentum going. So, I think riding a fixed gear or single speed is good training at a minimum. It forces you to keep pedaling, downhills force you to use resistance, and climbs force you to mash it out. If you are in good enough shape, being forced to keep mashing it when you would normally settle down and downshift is probably a good thing. We'll see.

Oshkosh Ride - 50 (almost) at 50

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Originally uploaded by hav2thnk

Yesterday was a great day. The high temp was just over 50, and the usual suspects got together for a "moderate" group ride (Brian, Jesse, Tyler, and I), and Jess joined as well to keep us in check. We started at my place and headed towards Menasha. We kept the pace comfortable averaging 15-17 to get things warmed up and see where everybody was at.

The assessment: Jesse is still a spinning and workout guru. Brian is strong and ready to go. I was feeling pretty good coming off of a mountin biking vacation the week before with Brian. Tyler, who is still a true athlete, was coming off of a winter of no activity and this ride was going to be his wake up call. Jess did well on her still-like-new road bike (what a steal!!), but is not looking to pedal mash with the boys yet.

Mile 7: We arrived at Brian's place where we made some bike adjustments and the group shrunk down to 4 as Jess dropped off. Took a longer break than expected, but we then hit the road to head towards Oshkosh.

Mile 10.2: We stopped at at Cranked Bike Studio to check out the shop. Jesse knows the owner and the rest of us haven't been to this bike shop yet. They have some cool old cruiser bikes as well as the usual new styles. Decent clothings selection...I was tempted with the merino wool long sleeve jersey, but I am already starting to think warm riding. I helped Tyler adjust his rear derailleur since it was jumping. After yet another break early in the trip, we decide it is time to put on some miles.

Mile 11.3: Tyler continued to experience derailleur problems, so we had periodic stops. Finally we stop to take a closer look and Brian noticed that a chain link had one side of the link off of the pin. We used a chain tool to clamp the side back on the pin and it appeared to do the trick without replacing the link. NOW we are REALLY going to put on some miles... Once we hit Cty A we picked up the pace to 20-22 mph. The wind coming off the ice on the lake dropped the temp several degrees, but it was still upper 40's and sunny. We hit a mud minefield on the bike lane which forced our drafting train to bust up. Jesse got way ahead and I held up for Tyler and Brian to latch on again. Eventually I decide to catch up to Jesse on my own and felt the need to buzz him. So I picked it up to 31 mph and buzzed him. Normally that would trigger Jesse to do the same, but I think he was saving it for a sneak attack.

Mile 19.3: Jesse got a flat. Small cut on the tire sidewall...may have pinched a rock or any of the various debris on a Spring road. We apply a patch, pump it up and get ready to hit the road. By this point we pretty much pushed Tyler to the edge for his 1st ride. I was still pretty set on achieving our goal of arriving in Oshkosh, which was now in sight. We decided that everyone would go their own pace, and once we hit Oshkosh we would turn around and others would turn around when we got back to them.
We started out with Brian wanting to see what his new Madone could do, so he started hammering to pick up the pace. Peaked near 30 and tried to settle in around 25-27. We eventually dropped down again as we started to enter town. Brian gets to keep his title as a power house, but I was happy that I stayed with him (even though I was drafting :-).

Mile 22.5: We arrive in Oshkosh. Overall, it wasn't as far as I thought, although my original game plan was to go downtown (on a bit farther). I realized that I had brought my camera and didn't take any pictures yet, so I decide to take the first picture at our destination. No city limits sign, so I decide to have Brian, Jesse, and me pose in front of the fire station since it had "Oshkosh" on the sign. Soon after Tyler joined us, so he ended up doing the full miles anyway - he isn't the type of guy to back down from a challenge; although I knew he was going to feel this one tomorrow. We took a bathroom break at the BP. Jesse treated us to chocolate chip cookies...mmm. It was time to begin the trip back. We kept a comfortable pace so we didn't break up the group. Jesse and I had a few of our usual moments where we ride side by side and keep edging up on the other. It only takes a nod and we know we are coaxing the other person to race...so off we go. Jesse kicks it in the big ring and it is all out - although I still didn't top my 31 mph max from earlier. I think he was frustrated that he couldn't drop me, but I am going to enjoy it while I can...I still remember Jesse becoming a force to be reckoned with at the end of last season. I also just like the playfullness and in the end it makes us both better.



Mile 33.5: Tyler had never been to Kimbery Park in Neenah, so we decided to check out the mansions and lighthouse on the point. This is a really beautiful area. We take a bunch of photos at the lighthouse; enough where I think other people considered us one of the attractions. I mentioned to the guys that Wheel & Sprocket has a photo contest for biking and local area landmarks, so I think it would be cool if we had a decent picture to submit. I don't think we succeeded, but I will submit a picture anyway.

Mile 38.1: We continued the mansion tour and riding through the various Neenah and Menasha parks until we got on the bike path near 114. At this point, my Garmin Edge 305 decided it would no longer record our trip; even though I had "smart" recording on which should allow for more than 3.5 hours of data to be captured. I'm very disappointed with the battery life and recording capacity of the Edge; really unacceptable. However, I did have my normal bike computer (which has a battery life of 1 year+), so I could still track the miles.

Mile 40 (ish): Stopped at gas station at Oneida and 114. Tyler needed to call Bev and let her know that he will be late for dinner plans...we didn't realize how late it got. Short break, then back on the road. At one point along Manitowoc road there was a huge flock (?) of turkeys with a male strutting his stuff. I was surprised at how close to the road they were; especially with us standing there.

Mile 46.5: Back home. Sun was setting, so we got back just in time. I felt pretty good, although I could feel it a bit in my legs - mostly from the sprints. Definitely more breaks than planned, but I wouldn't have changed a thing. Great ride, and great to get out with the gang again!

Cedarglade - take 2

Today started off at 35 degrees and forecast of rain all day; however, it wasn't raining at the moment. We decided to take advantage of the dry weather and hit the local Cedarglade trail again and then spend the rainy weather driving to Missouri.

The Cedarglade trails were a bit more wet from several days of rain, but overall the trails drain well and were still great. The temps were 40+ and no rain, so it ended up being great riding weather. We did the black, blue, and green trails, then the black, blue, brown, green. Decided we should do 30 miles today to make sure we take advantage of our last days of trail riding. While on a break back at the car, we ran into Walt who runs the Parkside Cycle in Hot Springs - which we managed to visit a couple times the days prior. We did another lap with Walt and called it a day.

After several hours of riding, we filled up our water bottles in town at the free hot spring water station, then we looked for food. We ended up going to Fuji sushi...sounded good and healthy. Wasn't too impressed; seemed a bit expensive for what we got. Should have gone with a nice steak. Oh well, we continue on our way towards Potosi, Missouri to check out the Council Bluff Lake trails. We make it an hour or so outside of Memphis and decide to call it a night. Tomorrow we will hit the Council Bluff Lake trails and begin the journey back home. Any chance we can ride trails at home??

Bath House

Today we will take a break from the cold wet trail and recover a bit. This gives us a chance to wash and dry our clothes before we venture out again. It also means we will check out the bath house.

After we finished laundry and I updated the blog and pictures, we headed to the Buckstaff Bath House. We got the traditional bath package. You strip down and wrap yourself in a towel and enter the bath area. A guy takes your towel and has you climb in a tub, which is 6ft long, deep, and comfy. They then pump in the hot spring water to bring the temp up to 105 or so. You soak for 20 min, then you get a nice loufa scrub. Then you get a sitz bath, which is sitting while water runs down your backside. Then off to a private steam room...you can really smell the minerals and it works up a good sweat. Then you lay down on a bed, they put a steaming towel under you and on top of you and wrap you up in a sheet. Then you rinse in a shower with 100 heads shooting water from every side. A quick pat down, then off to the cooling room with fans on the ceiling to help you air dry. Then the finale which consisted of a full body swedish massage. Overall, it was about 1:40 of pampering and relaxation - well worth it.

After the batch house, we headed to McClard's Bar-B-Q restaurant. It is another landmark and apparently Bill Clinton's favorite; lots of famous pictures on the wall for a very tiny place. I had ribs and fries and a tamale and topped it all off with pecan pie. Mmm, good.

Now that we were relaxed, clean, and well-fed, it was time to go back to the bike shop...cuz if we aren't biking, going to the bike shop must count for something. I bought warmer tights, warmer gloves, and a new tube. Only needed the tube, but I was wanting a heavier weight tight and they were 40% off. Back at the hotel to figure out our next game plan.

On a side note, I noticed that I picked up a touch of poison ivy the other day. Seems to be getting worse. Hate that. Must have been one brief fall, but that's all it seems to take with me nowadays. On well, hopefully it will get better soon.

Also, the camera batery died and I don't have the battery charger. I hoped that it would charge being connected to the computer, but I guess it doesn't work that way. So, no more pictures from this point forward :-(

Womble

The rains have arrived, and it looks like they are here to stay...at least for the next 7 days. They also brought 40 degree temps. Looks like most of the south will be affected, so there is no running either. So I guess we need to cowboy up and...go to Waffle House. Mmm, waffle, eggs, sausage, toast and jam, coffee. As breakfast settles, we head out of Hot Springs to the Hwy 298 trailhead of the Womble trail in the Ouchita State Forest.

Sitting in the car as the cold rain comes down, it is hard to change and head out for a ride, but I guess it helps when that is the whole point of the trip. So, I put on a wicking long sleeve tee and my Mountain Hardwear shell, and of course it is time to bust out the coldweather tights. We start on a 4x4 trail and eventually question if we are on the right path since it was described as all singletrack. We turn around and then see the trail entering the woods across the street...that's more like it. The trail starts out pretty easy; sort of like a bike path with more rocks and slight elevation changes. Eventually we start crossing over little bridges (pretty wide and simple) and the terrain gets more interesting with a bit more flow.

We soon encountered a creek with no bridge and plenty of water. Probably 10 feet wide and quite a current. We could see fairly flat rocks 6-12 inches under the stream, so it looked like we could ride across if we choose the right line. Brian stepped up and crossed first. We tossed the packs across, which I almost didn't make across since they were full of water. Brian then captured me crossing. No issues...cool!

Parts of the trail have been controlled burned, so there is a cool black forest floor with red pine needles highlighting the trail. The last several miles get really fun. A lot more climbs and descents, lots of bench cut trail with steep shoulders winding along the various hill outlets. One section rides along the mountain ridge with a sheer dropoff a few feet away that drops a couple hundred feet to the river below. Very scenic, but definitely wouldn't want to get off balance here.

Some very fun downhills as we approach Hwy 27 trailhead; however, I found myself thinking about how the river was now by our side and how far above it we were just moments before - that will be a bugger of a climb on the way back. We went to a trailer park and fishing place across Hwy 27. The store wasn't open, but we pulled up a chair anyway. Hoped my feet would thaw, since I lost feeling a while back from the cold creek crossing water and general cold temps. No luck, but I put on the rest of my clothes anyway. Not sure if putting on the ice cold water-soaked arm "warmers" helped, but I layered up anyway. I guess the camelback was soaked through now from all the creek crossings and tire splatter.

After resting a bit, we turn around to head back on the same route. I guess you can arrange for a shuttle, but that must be during normal season and we probably wouldn't have done it anyway. The climbs were all that I imagined...granny gear and legs burning, but didn't stop or put a foot down - just climb! Eventually we made it back to the ridgeline overlook...forgot about the climbs that followed - how far down did we go?? Then we got the reward, gradual downhill bench cut trail with good flow - just don't go off the side!

Eventually we came back to the big stream with underwater rock path. This direction looks a bit trickier since roots force an angled approach and the line seems to require a bit more navigation once in the water. Brian almost made it, but then went off and cleaned his leg in the stream. I followed and got mid-way when I realized I was b-line right off a rock and needed to turn right. Wasn't going to happen, so I just jumped off it and figured I would land on the bottom of the stream even though I coudln't see it) and try to power out. Yah, right. I basically pushed out of the stream with my left leg under water. At least we weren't too far from the car now.

With probably a mile or two to go, my tire felt a bit sloppy. I thought it might be a little low, but didn't look too bad. Should have trusted my instincts, since I went flat a bit later. Didn't totally burst, so we decided to just fill it up and ride out the rest of the trail. Made it back to the car.

In the lot a FexEx truck was sitting there with a case of beer on the ground by it. Strange since we were in the middle of nowhere. Oh well, time for some Endurox and to strip down. I also faced the road, but didn't much care at this point and during summer I seem to change more in the car than at home...just a part of biking I guess.

We decided to get a nice hotel, so we stayed at America's Best Value Inn. Not bad. Working toilet, clean, breakfast and laundry facilities; still just $60 + tax. Then we headed to Capone's Ohio Club for some food. Had a 1557 beer; not bad. I guess the club was used by Capone and is quite history. It was nice, the food was good, and the people were friendly. Then we checked out Sonic for a banana split, but I wouldn't do that again...just didn't sit right. Sleep will be welcomed again...I like sleep.

Cedarglade Trails

Woke up a bit sore and tired. Looks like the storms will come in. Brian started talking about blueberry pancakes, sausage, eggs, etc. – so that is what we did. Three huge blueberry pancakes on a platter, a side of two eggs and two sausage pattys, large OJ, and a coffee. I was stuffed, but happy. We checked out a bike shop, cuz’ that’s just where we feel at home. Bought some full finger gloves so the brush wouldn’t cut my fingers and some energy bars. Also had them check out the Superfly shifting…somethings just not right with the big rings in back…they believe the derailleur may be slightly bent. X0 isn’t cheap, so bummed that it may not be a quick fix.

We headed off to the nearby Cedarglades trails in Hot Springs. These are supposed to be the best in the area. After checking them out, we have to agree. There is great flow, some technical areas, good jumps at times, creek crossings, switchbacks – just all around fun. At one point it was touch to follow the trail, but soon we had checked out all the trails and had to do most of the sections a second time. I loved the banked corners…you could roll right on the side and switch back – nice! Attempted to capture a video, but the camera wouldn’t stay upright once moving along. It rained for a brief period, which felt nice and cool. Otherwise perfect biking weather; maybe even a bit warm.

We headed back to Hot Springs and got a hotel room for $40. No Ritz Carlton, but it will do. The town has bath houses that use natural hot springs. The main drag looks historic with lots of shops and restaurants. There are fountains that steam from the natural hot water, and there are even water fillup stations where you can just fill up jugs with water. It is a bit warm, but natural and tastes good. In fact, we filled up with water prior to our ride – I’m not totally sold on drinking warm water during a ride though.

Had a nice spaghetti dinner, then strolled downtown for a bit. Most places closed, but checked out the brick promenade behind the bath houses. The backs of the bath houses look like they wouldn’t want you to see them…not sure why the promenade isn’t integrated more with the bath houses. Either way, it was good to move a bit after another day of riding. Okay, not a lot of riding, but we still feel it since we haven’t really ridden in a while. I am reminded how much upper body, grip, core, etc. is used when doing real mountain biking. I feel like I was holding my arms straight out all day…must be the cranking during climbs or absorbing downhill runs; either way, the arms are used!

Definitely time for bed. I will sleep good tonight!

Syllamo...or not. Little Blakely anyone?

The next morning I still noticed a slight fever and wheeziness in my lungs, but I was ready to put my body to the test. We crossed the border into AR via rural highways. There were tree branches everywhere…seemed like tornados may have gone through the area, but much more widespread. Eventually we reached the Syllamo trails…and they were closed. We went to another trailhead…closed. The forest service informed us that the tree damage was from the ice storm in January, and the trails will not open any time soon. They noted some trail closures due to logging on the web site, but failed to note the semi-permanent closing due to the ice storm – probably not important.

I called the Womble State Forest and they noted that the trails were open, and sounded incredulous when I asked about ice storms…guess it didn’t impact this area. So, we made the 3-4 hour drive South to the Ouachita (Wau-Shi-Taw) area, arriving around 4 pm. By the way, the weather was 72 degrees and sunny, so we cruised with the windows rolled down – awesome!

We decided to check out the Little Blakely trail first, which is near Ouachita State Park. The directions I stored in my phone said the directions “got complicated”, so we also got directions from the park office. At the end of some gravel/dirt roads, we did find the trailhead. It was time for the inaugural ride of the Superfly (at least for me) and to see if I could perform.

The first 50 years included a tiny rocky downhill that went right to a bridge crossing. Nothing major, but the angle when approaching the bridge seemed like it could go wrong quickly. Anyway, no worries and we began the climb along the trail. So far, so good. We took the North loop and continued to climb. Once at the top we were rewarded with a long slight descent that had lots of speedbump jumps…pretty fun! We then did switchbacks down the mountain; nothing too technical. Eventually we hit some rock gardens while on benched-in trails with some drop offs…the blood shed began. No major injuries, but definitely took some adjusting to dial our level of control back in. Brian got a flat tire, replaced it, and we carried on. The trail would in and out of inlets of Lake Ouachita; it was scenic and fun. It seemed like you were always doing a climb or descent, but nothing too major – always fun. It was getting late (7 or so), so we took the winding trail back to the trailhead. This was one of the best parts of the trail…lots of bench cut trail on somewhat steep hills that would occasionally dip for a creek crossing and curve back up and around the next outlet. Good short climbs, fun downhill. Superfly shifted like crap with clicks and clacks all time; however, I was happy to be running well on the inside. I felt relatively strong and eventually seemed to have good flow and control. I think we only went just over 10 miles, but it was a pretty draining session; especially coming out of winter.

We decided to go straight for food. We headed into town and got Mexican – not much else still open. After stuffing ourselves, we headed back to the park and setup camp. It was windy; especially at the end of the point we camped on, but it felt good. Showered, then sleep. Mmm, sleep.

AR MTB Roadtrip

The trip kicked off shortly after 10am (due to the spring forward and some early delays). We loaded up the VW Golf and hit the road. Brian shared his donut for a healthy start. As the picture shows, we continued our healthy eating by getting a 99 cent ¼ lb hot dog and Polish sausage in Beloit, and a Hostess snowball at the next stop. This is just the type of nutrient I needed to help me recover from the flu…I could feel the nutrients battling the fever. We ended our drive in southern MO and had a KFC buffet to get another dose of health food, then off to the Best Western for some sleep. Is this a sign of how things will REALLY be?

On a separate note, I borrowed my sister’s Tom Tom and we really enjoyed using it for the trip so far. It’s nice not having to plot a route using an atlas, watch for exits, or guess what time we would arrive. And we surely couldn’t know what restaurants or hotels are nearby. It can even help you know how the road curves prior to passing cars. I have to get one of these.