Weeehooo!

So, Josh and I decided to go for a ride, since the lower Elden trails were supposedly dry. So, the first mountain ride of the season in the local Flagstaff vicinity took us up Lower Oldham Trail to where it meets the Elden Lookout road, which we took to the top, then blasted back down the same route. It was a very fun ride, especially after I decided that I should have worn shorts, and that jeans were a bad idea, and I cut them off at the knees to make shorts.

Overall, I think I did well, much MUCH better than the last venture into Sedona, in part due to the fact I had Sobe in my camelbak, not plain water. (*snugs the lizard*) I think that the Sedona rides have helped me with navigating the techical portions of the trail, as it overall seemed much easier to climb, and I was able to roll up and down parts where I had to walk before. In the end, we did about 2200 feet of climbing in an hour and a half, then came back down it in 30 minutes.

Going... up? Elden Lookout Road.

Made it! Looking northward from Elden at the Cinder Lakes area, with Sunset Crater, Sacred Mountain, and other hills in the area.

Looking east, over Doney Park, with the Painted Desert in the distance.

Made it!

This wasn't exactly a great fork to begin with, but after 4 years of me, I think there's not much life left, especially after the downhill blast off the mountain.

Mileage: 29.9

Evening Shots

Not a whole lot to say... TC and I went on a short, relaxing ride around Buffalo Park and across McMillian Mesa this evening, and I took a few pictures.

I like reflections in the water... this is looking east from a pond at Buffalo Park.

Looking north from the same pond. The San Francisco Peaks poking out from behind the Dry Lake Hills.

Sunset from McMillian Mesa.

TC wanted a picture, too.

This was from a few days ago. I took a trail home that was still muddy and snow covered at points. Check out the mud and snow packed around the tires, it looks like Bi's jealous of the Pugsley!

Mileage: 21 or so

Sedona Some More!

So Josh convinced me to go on another ride in Sedona. It was 70 degrees, no clouds, the trail was dry... beautiful riding. We went past Chicken Point and out around Cathedral Rock, as well as we got lost.

Well... not really. Aside from where they built a neighborhood since the map Josh had got published...

Anyways, it was a really fun ride. I conquered a few climbs that I botched before... as well as finished the slickrock climb that I flopped over on right at the top. But, the biggest thing that sticks out in my mind, was the fact that I bonked. In cycling terms, to bonk is to run out of energy. It's when your body runs out of carbohydrates, sugars, and/or whatever else it needs to metabolize into fuel. It also can be used to describe dehydration and a lack of electrolytes, blah blah blah.

Anyways, this has never happened to me, and I've been on longer trail rides than this. But, this was the first time I'd also put plain water in my Camelbak. Usually I fill it with Sobe, but I wanted to try something different. (and cheaper.) I have since decided, never again. The last 10 miles or so of the ride I was dragging myself along the trail, not even fully consious of what I was seeing. It's a wonder I didn't wipe out.

All in all, a fun lesson-filled ride I want to do again with Sobe instead.

A hoodoo along the trail.

This looked cool to me.

Mileage: 26.2

Spring is coming...

...and I don't care what they say about it.

On my way home early this morning, (around 1 AM) I saw five skunks wandering around. Most of them were on NAU campus. One of them was walking down the bike path like he owned it, and refused to move.

As a result, I discovered that the bell I put on Bi is useful for warning skunks out of the way. My rationale is that skunks typically spray you when startled or in self defense. (or so I hope!) So, as soon as I saw a skunk, 40 or 50 feet away, and near where I was going to be, I gave the bell a few rings. Usually the skunks moved a fair distance away and watched me pass. Smart little things.

The skunk waddling down the path, however... He moved off to one side, and kept on trucking along as I rang the bell. I moved as far over as I could away from him and passed him slowly, then sped up in case he changed his mind. No stinkage.

I still say they're cute.

Mileage: 14 (yesterday's and today's.)

The Homeless Bike

I see abandoned bicycles all over the place when I ride. For example, the same 4 bikes have been locked to the bike racks outside the store for over 6 months now, and they never move, except when they get kicked over when someone else locks up. Most every abandoned bike I see is nearly always the same: Typical cheap department store bike, with flat tires, occasionally with the front fork turned around backwards, and in varying states of decay as the rust bugs eat at the bicycle-shaped objects. Nearly always, they are locked up with a cheap department store cable lock that can be cut with a butter knife.

The above is what I thought when I took pictures of this bike below, as it meets none of the typical abandoned bike stereotypes. This bike has been at the racks underneath TC and Exegete's office building every time I've gone there for the past month.

An older Specialized Hardrock. Note the impressive amount of rust on the chain, and how the bike lock is doing it's best to ensure no one steals the seatpost, and not the bike.

Chopped riser bars... Looks like someone wanted the fixie look that seems so popular nowadays... but wait, what are those...

Yes, brake levers and shifters mounted on the curves of the bars because there wasn't any room on the flats!

The other guy who parks his bike down there said if it's still there in a few weeks he may start pulling parts.

...I call dibs on the frame.

Mileage: ~19 or so.

A Good Day for a Ride!

So, I decided to take the afternoon off from work. It really was too pretty to be in the shop. After taking an hour or two to relax (While I watched Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie...) I took off on a ride on Henry. I ended up going from pavement, to mud, to snow, to dirt and rocky trails... all in all a nice variety of surfaces to test my Frankenbuild on. And Henry performed well. The gearing was a little too tall for some climbs, and I had to hop off and walk the rest of a hill, but all in all, I'm very happy with my bike. All it needs is fenders and racks.

Henry got a little dirty...

East Flagstaff, from McMillian Mesa.

Looking southwestward, across the mesa.

I picked up a hitchhiking cactus! It bit me when I took my shoe off.

Mileage: 31.3

PSSSHHHHHhhhh.....

So, originally, this post was going to start a different way, but last night, while I was getting ready for bed, brushing my teeth, I hear a quite loud hiss of air escaping a confined space from inside my closet... where I park my bikes. It turned out to be Bi's front tire deflating. Bi had been parked in the closet for a good 12 hours, meaning 12 hours since I had ridden it. Ahh, spontaneous deflation, something that I've been reading a lot of on Bikeforums. It happens for a lot of reasons, though in this case, it turned out to be a small tear forming from the tube rubbing against the rim tape at a spoke hole. Note to self: get better rim strips. I patched it up this morning, and it appears to be holding air fine.

In other news, meet Henry.

"I'm Henry!"

Henry's my latest ride, and is the mash-together of two different bikes and only two truly new components. Exegete's old Trek 820 frame and wheels, Spork's (my road bike) drivetrain, handlebars, and shifters, and a new Surly 1x1 fork. Basically it's my versatile road/trail bike that I've wanted to build. It will eventually have full fenders, front and rear racks, less agressive tires, and will be used as my distance riding and cargo bike.

I took it for it's first ride around town yesterday, and it is a surprisingly nimble bike on pavement. At slow speeds it's twitchy and responsive, and at higher speeds, it's nice and stable through turns. It's fun! I'll try it's dirt handling sometime soon, when it's not all muddy.

Mileage: 13 (Yesterday's mileage)

BURRUH!

As I sit here writing this, it is 7 degrees outside.  No, not 70, 7.  Glad I wore that extra pair of pants today, or I might not be able to have children.

Mileage: 7
Weight: 368.1

Too cold?

So I don't think bicycle companies expect people to ride in this kind of weather.  This morning when I left the house, the thermometer outside showed 21 degrees.  I was curious if I would find myself with frostbite on my thighs, but I still went for it.  A few minutes into the ride, I passed under an overpass where I could see my cycle computer, so I glanced down only to realize it was off.  Clicked it back on, rode a few more miles, peeked again:  Off.  Now this thing isn't a slouch, it seems to work very well, but I don't think it works in the cold.  This has happened a few mornings in a row.  Anything under 32 degrees and it gives up on me. 
So this begs the question, do roadies not ride in the cold, or is my computer just slacking?

Mileage: 7

Splortch!

I had heard the term "splortch" used to define things before, bu this morning my office is filled with that wonderful sound as snow melts from the Pugsley.  It was a great ride in.  Had a spot of trouble early on where the Flagstaff Urban Trail System hadn't been plowed.  Lazy bastards.  But I tried it anyway.  For future reference, when you're up to the pedals in snow, it's better to go around.  But it was worth a try.  ^_^

 

Mileage: 7

Mud!

So yesterday and today was a day of exploration and train watching.Yesterday TC and I rode out along the railroad tracks west of town, and ended up turning around after getting pictures of a pretty sunset. It was a fun ride.

Today, we decided to try to ride out to Bellemont, but we were thwarted by very muddy roads and a lack of Pugsleys for said mud, and people with guns target shooting in ways I didn't trust. (They were shooting roughly parallel to the road I wanted to take, and it didn't look like they were using a proper backstop.) We were both beat by the time we finished the ride anyways, so it was probably a good thing anyways. I blame the mud.

Yesterdays pictures:

Yesterday's sunset. It was weird... 10 seconds after I snapped this, all the colors were gone.

AHHH!

Mileage: 28.9

The Spirit...

Yesterday afternoon I took down the Christmas wreath, I decided that next year I need to make one. I've decided to use a bicycle wheel for the base, circular, shape and adorn it with pine bows, Christmas lights, and as many plastic bicycle figurines as I can find.

So if you'd like to help, or just randomly come across any of the following, please let me know:

1. Battery powered Christmas lights, and enough of them to wrap from the handlebars to the wreath, and wrap it a few times.
   
2. 2-4" tall bicycle-related figurines or decoractions.
3. A spare wheel, working or not.

It should be a blast.

Mileage: 21 (a few commutes added up.)
Weight: 372.5

Aww.... he's cute! And stinky lookin'!

On my way in to work this morning, 5:40 AM. Stars were shining, the sky was dark. I'm cruising down the hill to the first stop sign of the morning, and I see this little black and white rug waddling out into the intersection. Around about the time I stopped, the rug was making a left hand turn on the far side of the road, going the same way I planned to go.

That's when I realized it was a skunk!

So I rolled out, made my turn, and stuck to the center line of the road as I passed the skunk, who was happily trotting along the curb. I passed him right under a street light, and as I did, he looked over at me as if to say " 'Sup, man?"

That was a cool skunk.

Mileage: 7

Bottle opener?

So along with the new rack and panniers, I've also purchased fenders. Batty has fender mounts, all that fun stuff, but the space between the rear wheel and the frame is too small to fit the fender. As a result I went out and got some Surly Tugnuts. The Tugnuts basically take the bicycle's horizontal dropouts and turn them into motorcycle style dropouts, which I'm by far more familiar with, so they seemed a perfect fit. Though Evan almost had me convinced on some Surly Monkeynuts, but they would have to order those.
At any rate, one of the things I love with these is that they turn my bicycle into a gigantic bottle opener. This isn't a "Oh, hey, they also work as a bottle opener!" thing. It's right there in the instructions to use it as a bottle opener. I love bicycles.

Straight from Surly.