Maybe this post can be a true "First Mountain Bike Ride". I was talking with my LBS and he metioned a couple of bike trails near Omaha. Once again, determined to do a real trail before it gets cold, I call up DH and tell him I'm picking him up to take me there.
WOW and WOW when we got there. We started riding and immediately I fell in love. The hills, the turns, the descents, dodging trees and being with DH was amazing. He did awesome for being a part-time weekend warrior despite his protests of thinking he's in the way.
My 29er did beautifully on the trail. She handled everything that was in her path. I LOVE this bike.
Go to your local mountain bike park and try out a trail. Don't worry about feeling inexperienced. We actually did an "easy" trail which was still challenging, but SO much fun.
I'm in heaven..at least until I hit a tree which brings me back to reality.
Sorry there are no pics. We only had about a 1/2 hour to ride before it got dark. Another time I'll find a way to go during the day and explore more. You really don't want to go by yourself.
Saturday, November 05, 2011
Thursday, November 03, 2011
First Mountain Bike Ride
I finally got the courage to head for a true mountain bike ride today. I called up the local state park and asked if the trails were cleared to get a bike through. I was told the trails were great and come on down. I lugged my bike onto the rack and headed out. I probably shouldn't have gone out by myself, but winter is coming and I wanted at least one attempt at using my bike.
Lady at the front office gives me a map and tells me to use the number 7 trail as it was easy. I head out, find the trail parking lot and unload my bike. I grab my stuff and helmet and start my first ever adventure. I'm doing pretty good getting up/down the first couple of hills and then come across this monstrosity:
Right lady. The trail is cleared for bikes. For what? Monster size bikes like the monster trucks on TV? Obviously you haven't been out on the this particular trail anytime soon.
I pick up my bike and haul it around the tree. I go a little further down the trail and nearly slide all the way down the hill via the leaves in the rut. Brakes are NOT helping and I'm praying I don't fall off onto the left side since there's a steep drop-off.
Number 7 trail is EASY? Lady, who hired you?
I slide down the hill and walk up the next hill. There is no shame in walking if no one is around. I start down and realize there's ANOTHER tree about 3/4 of the way down. It's not as big as this one, but it's there. I slow down best I can and haul the bike around this tree.
I spent more time hauling my purple 29er over trees than I actually did riding it.
Now that I have 1.5 hours of experience mountain biking I've learned these things:
1. I need a small backpack that isn't labeled specifically for cycling since those cost 150 bucks to put crap in.
2. Wool socks are awesome and my waterproof/windproof tights under my jeans worked amazingly. I really wish they made mountain bike style pants for fall weather. Jeans are unfcomfortable, but if I fell off I'd have some protection.
3. The windproof goofy looking beanie hat works great for your ears, lets you put your hair back and fits under my helmet.
4. Disc brakes ROCK. If you are looking for a mountain bike get them. You can slide through mud and other debris much better than if you have rim brakes.
5. Love my armwarmers. I can fit them under my sweater and if it gets too hot, I can take them off.
6. I'm not nearly as bad at this than I thought I would be thanks to reading several books. I won't be doing anything fancy soon, but I never crashed.
7. Always look where you want to go, not where your bike goes. That advice saved me several times while going down some steep hills.
8. 29ers rock at going up hills, not so much going down since they aren't as agile as 26ers. That will take some practice.
9. I need to figure out how to work my shocks, or I may be too heavy for the WSD bike shocks. I kept tweaking it, but it was still too much.
10. Take a friend. It's no fun going alone and not having anyone to share the adventure is a shame.
I could really use some more mechanic skills as my brakes were causing problems on the way up the road back to the car. LBS fixed it after about 5 minutes and there was no way I could have done it by myself. Make sure your bike is in perfect condition before leaving.
Oh..the nice part? There was a hunter walking up the road with his crossbow and he was smoking hot. Very nice view of nature at it's finest.
Lady at the front office gives me a map and tells me to use the number 7 trail as it was easy. I head out, find the trail parking lot and unload my bike. I grab my stuff and helmet and start my first ever adventure. I'm doing pretty good getting up/down the first couple of hills and then come across this monstrosity:
Right lady. The trail is cleared for bikes. For what? Monster size bikes like the monster trucks on TV? Obviously you haven't been out on the this particular trail anytime soon.
I pick up my bike and haul it around the tree. I go a little further down the trail and nearly slide all the way down the hill via the leaves in the rut. Brakes are NOT helping and I'm praying I don't fall off onto the left side since there's a steep drop-off.
Number 7 trail is EASY? Lady, who hired you?
I slide down the hill and walk up the next hill. There is no shame in walking if no one is around. I start down and realize there's ANOTHER tree about 3/4 of the way down. It's not as big as this one, but it's there. I slow down best I can and haul the bike around this tree.
I spent more time hauling my purple 29er over trees than I actually did riding it.
Now that I have 1.5 hours of experience mountain biking I've learned these things:
1. I need a small backpack that isn't labeled specifically for cycling since those cost 150 bucks to put crap in.
2. Wool socks are awesome and my waterproof/windproof tights under my jeans worked amazingly. I really wish they made mountain bike style pants for fall weather. Jeans are unfcomfortable, but if I fell off I'd have some protection.
3. The windproof goofy looking beanie hat works great for your ears, lets you put your hair back and fits under my helmet.
4. Disc brakes ROCK. If you are looking for a mountain bike get them. You can slide through mud and other debris much better than if you have rim brakes.
5. Love my armwarmers. I can fit them under my sweater and if it gets too hot, I can take them off.
6. I'm not nearly as bad at this than I thought I would be thanks to reading several books. I won't be doing anything fancy soon, but I never crashed.
7. Always look where you want to go, not where your bike goes. That advice saved me several times while going down some steep hills.
8. 29ers rock at going up hills, not so much going down since they aren't as agile as 26ers. That will take some practice.
9. I need to figure out how to work my shocks, or I may be too heavy for the WSD bike shocks. I kept tweaking it, but it was still too much.
10. Take a friend. It's no fun going alone and not having anyone to share the adventure is a shame.
I could really use some more mechanic skills as my brakes were causing problems on the way up the road back to the car. LBS fixed it after about 5 minutes and there was no way I could have done it by myself. Make sure your bike is in perfect condition before leaving.
Oh..the nice part? There was a hunter walking up the road with his crossbow and he was smoking hot. Very nice view of nature at it's finest.
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Bike Fit!
I had another professional fitting for my bikes last week. Another? Well, after putting my Madone on a trainer for an hour, everything just started aching. Something was off and made an appt for a new fitting from another LBS.
After taking several measurements of inseam, thigh length, torso length, arm length, shoulder width, hand size and foot length, he put them in the computer and bam..out comes a picture of how my bike should be set up. Neato.
He starts fiddling with the magic numbers and sets up my bike. He raised the saddle up, made it level and moved it closer to the bike. He dropped the handlebars down a level, and tweaked some more. He said I might need my cranks smaller but that would be a huge expense and said to wait and see how the bike fits as you use it.
It's AMAZING what a couple of tweaks can do. It's like getting the tension exactly where you want it for FMQ and the perfect satin stitch.
Of course he does this and the weather turns nasty. Maybe it's a good time to try out my cold weather clothing?
Here's my bike now. The changes are small but wonderful:
He also raised the seat post and leveled my saddle for my mountain bike:
Best 45 bucks I've ever spent!
After taking several measurements of inseam, thigh length, torso length, arm length, shoulder width, hand size and foot length, he put them in the computer and bam..out comes a picture of how my bike should be set up. Neato.
He starts fiddling with the magic numbers and sets up my bike. He raised the saddle up, made it level and moved it closer to the bike. He dropped the handlebars down a level, and tweaked some more. He said I might need my cranks smaller but that would be a huge expense and said to wait and see how the bike fits as you use it.
It's AMAZING what a couple of tweaks can do. It's like getting the tension exactly where you want it for FMQ and the perfect satin stitch.
Of course he does this and the weather turns nasty. Maybe it's a good time to try out my cold weather clothing?
Here's my bike now. The changes are small but wonderful:
He also raised the seat post and leveled my saddle for my mountain bike:
Best 45 bucks I've ever spent!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
My dad is doing great. Thanks for all the support. 100+ stitches but he'll heal up just fine. He's lucky he didn't take off half his head being so stupid. I know everyone is laughing at him and I can see the humor in it, but I'm pissed off that he was even using a chain saw.
After talking with my sister, I found out he had no protection (brain bucket and other stuff), was alone across the street in the field and didn't have a cell phone on him. He headed home bleeding all over and if it wasn't for a passing stranger who stopped and called 911, he may not have made it home.
If you are going to play with big boy toys, you better have the safety gear to go with it. You better have a buddy with you in case something goes wrong (and it usually does) and a cell phone to call 911.
When cycling I make sure I have a cell phone, let someone know where I'm headed, all the crap you need in case your bike falls apart, a helmet, and basic food/water supply. I have a few dollars and medical info for emergencies.
Enough ranting. I love my dad and I don't want to lose him.
After talking with my sister, I found out he had no protection (brain bucket and other stuff), was alone across the street in the field and didn't have a cell phone on him. He headed home bleeding all over and if it wasn't for a passing stranger who stopped and called 911, he may not have made it home.
If you are going to play with big boy toys, you better have the safety gear to go with it. You better have a buddy with you in case something goes wrong (and it usually does) and a cell phone to call 911.
When cycling I make sure I have a cell phone, let someone know where I'm headed, all the crap you need in case your bike falls apart, a helmet, and basic food/water supply. I have a few dollars and medical info for emergencies.
Enough ranting. I love my dad and I don't want to lose him.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Please keep my dad in your thoughts. He was cutting wood when the chainsaw he was using backfired and cut up part of his forehead. He has at least 100 stitches and the doc said he'd be okay, but I still worry.
If you are using power tools, please take care. It only takes a second for something bad to happen.
If you are using power tools, please take care. It only takes a second for something bad to happen.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Cardinal Quilt Picture From LQS
I cycled 23 miles on Saturday with DH. Woo Hoo! He wanted to see the flooding and we followed the newly opened trail all the way to the start. Sadly, it doesn't go near the river but we had a great time going up and then back. Surprisingly I'm not a walking zombie so I must be in better shape than I thought. Does cycling up grueling hills in 95 degree temps for 5-6 miles over the summer equate to 23 miles on flat terrain and 65 degree weather?
I was able to get a picture of the "Northern Cardinals" quilt that one of my LQS has on display. I love how she did this:
I'll put some blocks up soon. I have to redo a couple and keep sewing them.
I was able to get a picture of the "Northern Cardinals" quilt that one of my LQS has on display. I love how she did this:
I'll put some blocks up soon. I have to redo a couple and keep sewing them.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Harlequin Wrapped Bar Tape
I saw a harlequin bar taping design online and thought I'd try the same thing on my bike. I've never wrapped bar tape but know it's a tension deal. If your tape isn't tight enough, it will fall off while cycling. I must have weak hands because I spent 3 hours trying to get this design to work by wrapping the tape under/over and keeping the tension the same but it's still not right. It's still not bad for a first attempt. Well, try about 6 times on each side to make them equal but the finished look is pretty sweet.
I didn't know how to finish the bar ends and to make it all nice and pretty so I called up my LBS to see if they had time. The guy said yes and to bring it up. He loved the harlequin design but said it wasn't tight enough and that this kind of tape makes the design nearly impossible to stay on correctly. Darn. I really wanted this, but he very sweetly wrapped it up in the red bar tape. It was previously wrapped in white so nice burst of red color makes it fun.
Go figure. I felt totally in the way the past few visits but today we talked shop and how to wrap tape. Maybe I'm far more paranoid than I realize even though I try hard not to be that way.
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