Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Birthday Ride with the Crew…Singlespeed build is coming around

I was able to gather the Crew for my birthday ride at Daley Ranch on Saturday. J, NappyT, dad and I set out to ride our usual loop, then reverse it for a second go ’round. The first loop went off without a hitch until the very end. On the Crest Trail downhill, J crashed pretty hard. He got caught up in a ravine at high speed and got tossed pretty hard. He got up laughing, but soon began to realize some soreness not too long after.

I crashed about 2 minutes later on a ravine of my own. It was nowhere near as bad as J’s crash, but was unpleasant just the same. My bike washed out from underneath me and I slid about 5-6 feet on my leg–face first into a bush. Lucky for me it was a pretty scrawny one at that, or I could’ve easily ended up with worse scratches than the ones I got (1 on my face and 2 above my left ear). Fortunately, my knee/shin and elbow pads were safely stowed away in the gear bag in my car where they could remain scratch free. Man, I really oughta just sack up and start wearing those things!!

NappyT had to bail out at the end of the first loop due to other commitments -cough-fatigue-cough-couldn’t hang-cough- so J, dad and I set out to try the route in reverse for the first time.

Guess what—it sucked riding it backwards. Now I know why we ride it the way we do. No worries though. It was still a fun ride and we all had a good time.

Next Saturday will be my first ride at the SART. Check it out here: http://www.mountainbikebill.com/SART.htm.

Also, my singlespeed build is starting to come together. I can’t wait. I will soon have all the parts I need to finish the build. All I lack is the rear cog and spacer kit (since I’m converting a standard 9-speed hub), plus a chain tensioner (Surly Singulator because the frame I’m using has verticle drop-outs), all of which I am ordering on Friday.

Build so far is:
Access HT frame–$20 from a friend of mine
Ritchey cranks–free from same friend
Marz MX Pro 105mm fork–extra fork I had laying around
Shimano XT hydro brakes–extra set I had laying around
Thomson stem–extra I had laying around
Easton bars and post–extra I had laying around
Mavic Crossride wheels–extra I had laying around

I’m going to be running a 32:20 ratio for now. I’m told that’s an easier set-up to run while getting used to SS’ing. The spacer kit I’m ordering also comes with a 16 and an 18 tooth cog, so I can switch them out if I ever get too studly.

I’ll post pics when she’s all done. Until then, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

Posted by PacMan at 07:57:02 | Permalink | No Comments »

Lance Armstrong, revisited

I came across a pretty sweet video from Lance Armstrong’s Tour De France glory days. It’s from the 2001 Tour on the infamous Alpe De Huez climbing stage. Lance hung back all day leading up to the beginning of the climb faking like he was tired. All the top contenders bit an took off to try to get way out in front. Instead, they tired themselves out and Lance rocketed to the front and completely destroyed the field. It is a move known as “The Stare” because when he got his final rival-Jan Ulrich, he gave a long “See you at the top, poser” stare and proceeded to annihilate the course. Watch and enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHJErrp4eOw

Posted by PacMan at 03:40:31 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Thursday, May 24, 2007

I rode, then I rode somemore

The miles have been coming pretty regularly lately. I love this time of year. Last month I pulled off 19 rides, totalling 218 miles and a little over 22,000′ of verticle gain. My yearly totals (excluding this month) are 75 rides, almost 550 miles and almost 60,000′ of verticle gain. I think my goal of 100,000′ of climbing this calendar year shouldn’t be a problem. Here’s a few pictures to help illustrate my relationship with the trail lately:

I still haven’t taken any pics of the fork upgrades on the Haro and the Reign–yes, I’m a slacker when it comes to taking photos. I’m also getting pretty close to finishing up my singlespeed build. I haven’t actually started to build up the frame yet, but I have acquired almost all the parts I need to complete it. Once I have all the parts, the build shouldn’t take more than an hour or so.

I had a pretty scary run-in with a rattle snake on my ride today. As I was flying through an “S” curve, I saw some fresh snake tracks and just as I was processing the fact that the tracks looked pretty new, I came upon the snake that left them–a rather large 3′ adult rattle snake. He was making his way down the trail in the same direction I was heading. It was quite possibly the worst place to encounter a snake, since the curve made it so I couldn’t scan ahead. He heard me coming and started to coil, just as I realized I wouldn’t be able to stop in time. I decided to try to “bunny hop” him, but didn’t pull it off completely and my rear tire came down on top of him. I heard the destinct sound of him getting caught up in my rear tire so I decided to abandon ship and I bailed off the bike onto the side of the trail. When the dust settled, I saw he was wrapped up in my rear tire and around my bike frame, but still alive. He immediately began to untangle himself and began to crawl away. I was so jacked up on adrenaline, I had to walk around for a good 5-10 minutes just to calm down enough to pedal home. And that is why I hate riding solos!!

I will be sure to try to get the pics of the fork upgrades soon. Until then, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

Posted by PacMan at 04:08:49 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Monday, May 14, 2007

Happy Mother’s Day

First off, happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there. I of course didn’t ride this weekend. I did get some good time in circling the hood with the boys while the wife and my little Princess took turns pushing around Princess’ baby stroller.

Dylan and I rode around having a “balance drill” contest (you try to make the other guy have to put a foot own by stopping in front of him and forcing him to track stand/balance in place). He’s getting pretty good at it. We played for about 30-45 minutes and by the end, he was getting the hang of it. He actually got me to put my foot down 2-3 times.

I have also basically decided to never again do business with WheelWorld in LA. I ordered the new fork from them last week and they said it would ship in a few days. I never heard from them again, so I called to see what the holdup was and they said it never got shipped–because they forgot and sold it to someone else, and I would have to wait another few days. I told them “That’s what you think” and canceled the order.

Luckily, there is a guy I know who lives by mom and dad an he is selling a pretty sweet fork for the same exact price as the one I had ordered from WheelWorld. I should get it sometime this week. It will actually be a much better fork for the Haro than the one I had ordered before. I can’t wait to get it and install it. Here’s a pic:

As you can see, it’s basically the same as the other fork, just not a “dual crown” which will actually be better since it will be lighter. I will post pics when the Reign and Haro are finished.

I am also pretty excited about the upcoming weeks. I have some big rides planned: Birthday Hell Ride, SART and Noble next month–should be good times. Until then, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

Posted by PacMan at 05:57:21 | Permalink | No Comments »

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Lake Hodges: R.I.P.

I don’t think I will be riding there much anymore. Not that anything has happened to the trail. It is basically still the same. It’s just so boring now.

I rode there yesterday with the Crew (with the exception of dad, everyone was there–a rarity lately). All throughout the ride, I just couldn’t get over how boring it was. I used to be happy with riding there, but not so much anymore. I haven’t ridden there much lately because my schedule has changed and my every Wednesday ride there with J had to be canceled.

I have only ridden there once or twice in the past couple months and I think I have just grown used to not riding it. Interestingly enough, the last couple times I’ve ridden there, I’ve thrown Bernardo Mountain into the loop. I guess the butt kicker of a climb and the fun descent is the only thing that made those rides tolerable.

I guess stuff like this comes with progression of skill. Not that I’m some sort of advanced rider by any means. But, I definitely found myself going out of my way to look for rocks, roots, ledges, small animals, etc to roll/drop to make the ride more fun.

I think I need a good ride up the north section of Red Mountain here in the Brook to get my techy fix in. Until then, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

Posted by PacMan at 01:27:43 | Permalink | No Comments »

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Hmm, Upgrades

I was able to order a couple new parts for the Haro and the Reign on Thursday. I ordered a new Marzocchi 888 fork for the Haro. It will make the Haro an even more lethal downhill wrecking ball. It will increase the front travel from 6″ to 7″ to match the rear suspension. It will also make the front end more stiff too. I can’t wait to take it on a Noble Canyon shuttle run and still walk the hard stuff.

I will take the fork that was on the Haro–a Marzocchi Drop-Off II–and put it on the Reign. It will increase the Reign’s front travel from 5″ to 6″ and also make it stiffer. You see, it has a “thru-axle” on the front, like the fork pictured above, instead of the standard Quick Release system most forks use. Basically, it will double the size of the axel the fork rides on, making it stiffer and stronger. I bought a new hub to accomodate the Haro’s old fork. I’m going to have Tom at Bicycle Warehouse build it up and it will match the extra Chris King spec’d hub on the matching rear wheel I have waiting for it. All this will make the Reign a more versatile bike and perfect for the days I climb Noble before descending it.

Speaking of Noble…

Yesterday, J and I set out to ride Noble Canyon with another group from SoCalTrailriders.org. It would be my second time climbing it and J’s first. He was pretty nervous about the climb, but I knew we would have a good day.

Right away, J started having mechanical issues. His chain was “ghost shifting” and then his rear tire started rubbing the frame. We were both inspecting the bike to see what the heck was wrong when J saw that the frame was cracked.

RIDE OVER.

The right chain-stay had a crack all the way around the weld. We figure Porcupine Rim is the culprit. Luckily for J, the manufacturer of his bike–Giant, has a lifetime frame warranty. So, J will be out a bike for a couple weeks, but at least it’ll get replaced. He might even luck out and get a Reign frame out of it.

We both still wanted to ride, so we drove up to Fallbrook and he rode the Reign and I rode the Yeti. Sean drove down to meet us and we busted out a good 3 hour ride. We also met up with a guy named Robert on the trail. Dad and I had ridden with him a while ago, but we hadn’t seen him in quite sometime. He’s a real cool dude and it was good to run into him and catch up on life a bit. He rode with us the rest of the way and we all had a blast. I also cleaned the entire “trials” section on the lower trail without having to stop or put a foot down. So, the day wasn’t a total loss.

Today, dad, Dyl and I got in a short but good ride in the Brook. It was pretty hot out and we were all baking a little bit. At least it was a good “warm up” for the hot summer months to come.

I have to take the Reign and the Yeti back into the shop tomorrow before work. Tom at BW put new shifters (from the Enduro) on the Reign and it isn’t shifting right. He also installed a new headset and new cranks (from the Enduro) and they are both creaking and squeaking like crazy. The entire ride today it sounded like I was riding an old wooden rocking chair instead of a bike.

I’ll probably just leave the Reign there for the time being, seeing as it needs to be there for the fork swap. Until then, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

Posted by PacMan at 18:30:15 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

New horizons

So now that you have the lowdown (from the “Change is good” post), allow me to elaborate more. If you have yet to read that post, skip down and read it before coming back to this one.

Since I have lost 50+ pounds, I have been rediscovering my limits as far as riding goes. What was once impossible for me is now possible. Climbs I could never make without stopping for a million rest breaks or that I flat-out had to walk/push through are now possible. Mileage that once left me running on empty is now a drop in the bucket. I have been tempted to join more fit riders in other riding groups, but I first wanted to test my limits a little.

As you know from my previous posts, Daley Ranch is a butt kicker. 12 miles and almost 2,000′ of verticle gain. Once on my “I’ll never ride that trail again” list, then on my “boy that’s fun but what a suffer-fest” list, is now classified as a “sure, let’s hit it for a quick ride after work” sort of thing.

I decided a few weeks ago to ride it twice in a row. J and I hit it on a Friday afternoon after work and then Sean joined us the next morning for another loop. As soon as we finished, dad arrived, J and Sean left and dad and I hit it again for my second loop. The total for that 2-loop Saturday was 24+ miles and 3,600′ of verticle gain. I rode it all with no problems and still felt good at the end of the ride. I knew then that Moab was going to be lots easier this year.

We left the next weekend for Moab. I will post a full trip report soon. Let me just say now that trails that absolutley worked me last year were completely and totally tame–almost boring if it hadn’t been for the scenery. My fitness level is just so much higher than at this same time last year, you can’t even compare them.

Just before we left for Moab, I committed to ride Noble Canyon the Saturday after we returned with a group of riders from a local Mountain Biking message group–riders who are all extremely fit and advanced skill level. However, we weren’t going out to shuttle it as I always had previously. We were going to climb it, ride the loop at the top of the mountain and then ride back down.

It would be a 30+ mile day with close to 5,000′ of verticle gain. To say I was nervous beforehand would be an understatement. Oddly enough, I wasn’t worried about how I would perform though. I kept thinking to myself that I should have been, but I really wasn’t. I think I may have actually been nervous about what it would mean for me to finish the ride–which I knew deep down inside I could and would do. I was nervous about acheiving that “next step”.

Sure enough, it was a brutal climb up the Indian Creek trail to the top of the mountain. Never ending climbs that were littered with loose rocks and jagged shale. A long hustle through the rolling, undulating and rocky singletrack of the Big Laguna trail at the top and then down the mountain on the always white knuckle inducing Noble Canyon singletrack.

I was out of gas, exhausted and spent by the end of the ride. But more importantly, I stayed with the group. I wasn’t a big boat anchor slowing anyone down. I cleaned nearly all the climbs and rode strong and hard and succeeded in conquering everything the mountain threw at me. I had finally started the next chapter in my mountain biking life’s story.

It may seem like I’m being over dramatic. Well, just a few months ago I weighed 270 lbs and couldn’t have finished that ride if you paid me a million dollars. Not only did I finish it on Saturday, I finished it strong. I am getting to that point–the point of acheiving a goal I set for myself over 3 years ago when I started riding. A goal that I have only shared with a few people until now.

There is a mountain biking club in Orange county called the Warriors Society (as in Indian warriors). Every year in March they host a charity ride. The main event is called “Vision Quest”. Over 56 miles and over 11,000′ of verticle gain–all time restricted. That is my goal. To be able to enter and finish that ride. Well, after Saturday, I feel I am one step closer. On the same day as Vision Quest, there is a smaller race called “Counting Coup”. 44 miles and 8,000′ of verticle gain, all time restricted. I had secretly hoped I would be in good enough shape to enter the Counting Coup ride in 2009.

Well, after Saturday’s victory and with 10 more months to go before the 2008 Counting Coup, I see no reason why I won’t be able to enter and finish that ride. Leaving me with Vision Quest-2009 as my goal for now, which is light years sooner than I had ever dreamed. Honestly, there was a big part of me back in 2003 that thought I would never get this far and that Vision Quest was some far fetched fantasy. I thought I would be fat forever and that me finishing Counting Coup, let alone Vision Quest was like a 5 year old kid saying “when I grow up I want to be a professional football player”. Now, seeing it as a definite possibility is scary, daunting, awesome and thrilling all at the same time.

Well, I really need to get to bed. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow–including a ride, my first since Saturday. Thanks for listening and continued support. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Until then, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots

Posted by PacMan at 06:24:22 | Permalink | No Comments »

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Change is good.

If you are here reading this, welcome!! Allow me to explain the change of venue.

I have been thinking about a lot of things recently. A lot of things involving my life as far as mountain biking is concerned. It all just seemed a little to hectic in a way. I had too many bikes just sitting around collecting dust. I wasn’t happy with the STATMTB site, blah blah blah. I guess what it all boils down to, is that I just wanted to simplify things.

Our Moab trip got me thinking about change. If you are reading this, you know I recently lost a significant amount of weight and that has changed me too. It changed the way I ride and the way I think about riding. I recently rode a trail/route I had previously thought as unridable–for me personally. My weight loss has changed that. I’m not trying to brag. It’s just that the weight loss has allowed me to become–or at least start down the road to become–the kind of rider I have always wanted to be. I am able to ride farther and climb higher and longer than ever before. My technical skills are coming around a bit more and I feel that the extra/different/more frequent riding I am now able to do will only make my technical skills improve.

I decided to sell a few bikes, knocking my bike stable down from 8 to 4. I also decided I didn’t like paying web hosting fees every month for a site I was only updating a couple times a month. That was bothering me too. I didn’t like not updating my site. It was just a big pain in the butt before because I am not very savvy when it comes to that level of computer knowledge and had to have someone do it for me. I like the ease of just being able to do it like this, whenever I feel like it, neat and easy.

I started this whole web deal on a free blog site, much like this one. What made me want to get my own site was that back then, you couldn’t post pictures very easily–it was a tremendous pain in the butt. I wanted picture posting capabilities so I bought a domain and designed a site (with my awesome sister’s help). Now, all the free blog sites have improved and you can post pictures with text. So–why should I pay for what I can get and do for free?

So, STATMTB.com will soon be no more. I will be doing it all here. Which is almost the same address anyway. I did go through and copy-and-paste the entire text content on STATMTB.com and transferred it over here. The entire archive is posted. The timing was good here too. The entire archive is under “April ‘07″. This post and everything to come will be seperated and easy to sift through. I have some more things to talk about, but I’ll do that later after everyone is caught up. Feel free to post comments as well. Until then, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

Posted by PacMan at 18:13:23 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

February-April ‘07

April 24, 2007
Home At Last

We got home from Moab Saturday evening. It was an awesome trip–even better than last year. I took almost 300 pictures and I am waiting on photo CD’s from friends before I do an update on the trip. Rest assured, when I do the trip update, it will be very thorough, with the best pictures I could get.

As last year’s trip brought change with it, so did this year’s. If you recall, last year’s trip brought the demise of the Intense Tracer to acquire funds for a burly DH oriented bike and the Haro BAMF was added in its place. Well, this year’s victim will come as a shock to you: I have placed Baby for sale on Ebay. I never thought it would happen, but it was a decision I wrestled with for quite sometime.

She has not been ridden much ever since I got the Yeti 575. The Yeti is lighter, has more travel, has a higher bottom bracket (higher ground clearance) and has a slacker head tube angle (more comfortable and stable riding position). With all this, Baby has become obsolete. So instead of having her exiled to the garage, I decided to sell her. I am also selling some of her parts and I had inteneded to use the money to buy another frame to back up the Yeti. I had also intended to use some of the money to build up the Reign as a burlier, light freeride type of bike. I have decided against doing those things.

Maybe I’m just wising up or maybe I just want to make life simpler. All I know is, having 7 bikes is sort of silly and a bad waste of good bikes. I sold the KHS to dad. The Jamis is listed on Ebay right along with Baby. I will have the Yeti with the Reign as a highly capable back up. And I will have the Haro for those DH shuttle rides. I am going to leave it at those 3.

I will use some of the money to get a nicer fork for the Haro. Other than that, I’m not sure what else I’ll do with the cash. I mean, the Yeti has a solid build as does the Reign, so there is nothing to upgrade there. The Haro could use a new fork, but other than that, I’m not sure. Maybe a Thomson stem for the Reign and a Thomson seatpost for the Haro, but that’s all I can think of.

I’ll keep you posted on what I decide to do. I’ve also decided to post more about the little things. My musings, thoughts and experiences about bikes and bike related stuff that I always thought were trivial, will now be posted more often. Until then, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

 

 

 

April 8, 2007
Truly an Epic

First off–HAPPY EASTER to everyone. I should be in bed right now but wanted to post a quick update.

I got in a crazy-long-good-awesome-tiring epic ride at Daley Ranch yesterday. I rode with J and Sean and then hooked up with dad for a second loop right after we finished the first. Dad couldn’t make the first and J and Sean needed to be done early, so it was just dad and I for the second go ’round.

I wanted to do it mainly to push myself and see how I felt afterwards. I knew I could do two loops, but was curious about how I would feel post ride and how well I could keep up a strong pace throughout the second loop. I figured that would be a good test of my new found abilities, post-weight loss.

Total distance and elevation gain was 25.57 miles with 3,650 verticle feet of climbing–by far the most physically challenging ride I have ever done. I was able to keep a strong pace the entire second loop and I felt pretty good afterwards. I mean, I wasn’t chomping at the bit for a third loop, but could’ve busted another one out if I had to.

All this is very encouraging to me. I have been wanting to improve as a cyclist for quite sometime. I knew that dropping all the extra pounds would help a whole lot. I know I never would’ve been able to pull that ride off pre-weight loss. I just feel very strong climbing now. I don’t dread climbing anymore and actually look forward to them for the challenge–and the pain. Yes, I have fully succumbed to the sickness. I actually like the pain and suffering that a hard climb/hard ride hits you with. Plus, I really feel like I could climb all day if need be.

This is also making me feel more confident for Moab–yes, it’s just 5 days away!!!!! This may be my last post until we get back. Until then, embrace the suffering and seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

 

 

 

March 30, 2007
Catching Up

Wow, it’s been quite awhile since I last posted an update. There have been some things going on to keep that from happening–mostly just me being lazy. I need to get back on the ball and start posting again, even it’s just boring “I went on a ride today” stuff. First order of business is to say congrats to my sis (site admin) and bro-in-law on the birth of their son. He is a cutie–CONGRATS!! I reserve the right now to turn him into a mountain biker in a few years.

I have been able to get in some good saddle time on the new Yeti I purchased last month. I swapped most of the parts over from the not-very-old KHS as well as a few upgraded items and am loving it so far. It is the lightest bike I own–around 28 lbs and needless to say, it is the best climber of them all. It really yearns to be turned loose on flowy singletrack and climbs like it’s possessed. It is a bit flighty on descents given it lighter weight though. I suppose you have to take the good with the bad.

I feel very blessed to own a Yeti. It is by far one of the better bikes out there and I have wanted one since high school. It isn’t taking Baby’s place as first string by any means, but it is definitely not just a back-up ride either. It gets the call if the trail I will be riding on a given day has lots of climbing involved.

Since I now have the Yeti to play second fiddle to Baby, I am in the process of switching up the Reign a bit. I want to put a stiffer, longer travel fork on it and turn it into more of a “light freeride” bike. It would be like the Haro in a way. Lighter in weight but serving the same type of function. I figure it’s a necessary change. If I keep it at its current status, it will be third string and never ridden–and it is too nice of a bike for that. I would sell it, but it is too nice of a bike for that as well, if you get what I’m saying.

Don’t cry for the KHS though–I sold the frame to dad and he swapped all of his Jamis parts over and he now has a long travel trail bike of his own (FINALLY!!). He only has a couple rides in so far but has said he likes it. I think it may take him a bit to get used to 6″ of plush coil-sprung travel, since he’s only been on 4″ air sprung bikes up to this point. I’ll post another review of it when he gets more saddle time in.

I was able to purchase a new rear shock for the Haro last week. It is on back order but should arrive soon. It is a Fox DHX 5.0 coil. By far the best coil-over rear shock in the game, and a far cry from the barely adequate rear shock that came on the bike. I can’t wait to take it to Moab and unleash hell on Porcupine Rim in a couple weeks.

That’s right–our second trip to Moab is coming up in just 2 short weeks!! I’m so stoked. I can’t wait to head out there again. A whole week of riding some of the best trails in the world!! I will post a massive update when we return of course.

I was able to ride with Greg/Hack a couple times last week, which was way cool. He and his family are on a cross country road trip vacation and he is riding everywhere they stop (lucky dog). I was able to give him a tour of Fallbrook and we were able to hit up Noble as well. They were 2 of the most fun rides I have been on in awhile and I can’t wait to ride with him again in Moab.

My weight loss is having the exact affect on my riding I was hoping it would. I am a much better climber than I was before. Having to carry 42 less pounds up a hill makes a big difference. The spin classes don’t hurt either. I have been taking them twice a week and they are absolute butt kickers. I know they will only help my riding and I look forward to seeing just how much.

I have been getting in a good number of rides this year too. 21 rides this month, 16 rides last month (in only 28 days) and 19 in January. I am also well on my way to meeting my goal of 100,000 verticle feet of climbing this calendar year. I need 8,333′ per month to reach the goal. So I should be at roughly 25,000′ now. I am currently at 35,253′ and I still have tomorrow’s ride to go. So needless to say, if I keep up this pace I will easily reach the 100,000 foot mark. I also had a secondary goal of 2,000 miles of riding. I need about 166.67 miles per month to do that. I did 192.12 in January, 151.61 last month and 186.27 so far this month for a 176.67 average.

I have more new pics to post which I will do on the next update. I was able to get info on a secret trail at Los Penasquitos and all I will say for now is it is one of the most awesome trails I have ever ridden. I will post pics of that and some others next time. Until then, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

 

 

 

February 25, 2007
So Far, So Good

This has been a pretty good year so far, as far as rides are concerned. The weather has been pretty mild and I am getting in a good number of rides.

Remember how I mentioned that one of my goals for 2007 was to climb 100,000 verticle feet? Well, to do that I would need to average 8,333′ per month. Well, in January I climbed 9,231 and so far this month I’ve climbed 9,552–and I have 2 more rides planned that will add close to 1,000 more feet. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the year goes.

I haven’t mentioned it here, but I joined Weight Watchers with my wife back in December. So far, I have lost almost 30 lbs (and I lost another 10 lbs in September-October when I stopped drinking soda). So, I am almost 40 lbs lighter than I was last summer. All this weight loss has made climbing A LOT easier. Dad says now it’s like I never met a climb I didn’t like. Check out my weight loss blog here: http://pacmanshrinking.blogspot.com/

There has also been a Yeti sighting here recently. A little confused?? Allow me to explain. There is a bike manufacturer by the name of Yeti. I have wanted one ever since high school, but they are expensive and I have never had the necessary $$ to pick one up. Well, I found a guy selling an ‘05 Yeti 575 frame in excellent condition for very cheap–and I couldn’t resist. Hey, ya gotta spend that Tax Refund somehow, right? I am going to strip the parts off the KHS frame I just built and put them on the Yeti. I will post pics of it soon. I believe the Reign will be relegated to third string status. Until I get around to posting pics, here’s a link to show you what it looks like built up:

 

http://www.ragecycles.com/product_info.php?products_id=279&osCsid=a34c209002921c7dc5a5c3b38eeffffd

Until then, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

 

 

February 10, 2007

 

Check out the new page: THE STAT CREW, with info on the rides of each member!

 

Ride Lots…

 

 

February 3, 2007
SRAM Not Off to a Good Start

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am doing a sort of SRAM/Shimano comparison. I have built up my new KHS with all SRAM parts. SRAM already has a few strikes against it and I haven’t even gotten the bike on the trail yet.

Strike 1: The price. I got the derailleur and shifters on sale and the sale price was $30 more expensive than its Shimano counterparts.


Strike 2: No gear indicators. The Shimano gear shifters have an indicator that shows you what gear you are in so you don’t have to look down to tell. Not a necessity, but sure nice to have. The SRAM X9’s that I purchased do not have indicators on them.


Strike 3: The SRAM shifters were broken out of the box. The rear shifter was defective and I am having to have SRAM send me new ones in the mail. To SRAM’s credit, their customer service people were very nice, apologetic and helpful. They did not hesitate one bit to send out new shifter’s and a SASE to return the defective set. However, busted = busted. I have never had any Shimano product be broken out of the box. Was this a fluke? More than likely. But, it still happened. I am still going to have to wait an extra week or so to ride my bike because of it.

I got a few pictures of Dyl with his new ride. Check it out here. Doesn’t he look excited!!

J and I had a good ride at Lake Hodges yesterday. The highlight of the ride for me was when I puposefully rode through a mud puddle to splash J. I had fenders on my bike, so I didn’t get it too bad. It sure was funny though.

Just think–Moab part 2 is in 2 short months!!!!! We leave April 13th!!! The countdown begins. Until then, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

Posted by PacMan at 05:58:57 | Permalink | No Comments »

January ‘07

January 30, 2007
A Busy, Busy Month

The title just says it all. I haven’t gotten around to posting much this month because it seems like I’m never home to do it. The last 2 weeks in particular have been just packed.

My son had a birthday and in order to get everyone involved, he ended up having 3 parties. My sister had her baby shower, which somehow managed to take up an incredible amount of my wife’s time. Certain other events have caused our family to be away from home about 8-10 nights the last 2 weeks. Throw in some rainy weather and fewer bike rides and you have one very frazzled and entirely-out-of-sorts Pacman.

I am praying that February brings a little bit more normalcy. I am also praying it brings less rain than the last 2 years. I need to be back in the same routine with a good amount of bike rides. I feel like I’m going crazy. But, as you know from the last couple years, I do seem to go to pieces physically and mentally when I don’t ride enough. Hopefully this weekend will bring some change. I don’t plan on leaving the house all weekend–except to ride that is. I am hosting a small UFC party Saturday night and the Superbowl on Sunday. I am going to try to ride both days, but other than that, I plan on parking my keister at home.

On a bike related note, I decided to swap the Jamis’ parts over to a studier frame. We were able to get Dylan his first full suspension frame for his birthday. It is a KHS AM1000 and is pretty nice. I found them in all sizes for a pretty good price, so I got him a small and was able to squeeze in a large for me. We swapped all the parts over from his bike onto his new frame. I also swapped a lot of the parts over from my Jamis.

I did however decide to switch up the drivetrain parts. You see, in the cycling world, there is a huge Japanese company called Shimano. They make every type of part for bicycles, except for frames and suspension components. They make good, quality product for an inexpensive price and because of this, have a huge monopoly on the component market. For many years, just about every new bike came loaded with Shimano parts because Shimano made all the bike makers great deals on components. So naturally, people started to hate Shimano as a BIG EVIL CORPORATE MONSTER like WalMart and Microsoft.

Shimano only had one real competitor–a small component company called SRAM. SRAM never really stood a chance until a large suspension company–Rock Shox–acquired them and pumped much needed dollars into their product line. For the last couple years, I have been listening to some people say SRAM was now the best ever and Shimano has finally met its match, blah blah blah. I didn’t put much stock in it, figuring it was the same old, tired “hippy/anti-establishment” rhetoric. Until I saw a video on YouTube. It is a comparison video between Shimano and SRAM rear derailleurs (the thing that shifts the gears in the back). Watch the video and you will see the point made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZQf1bduGYs

Now, having viewed that–I have been going through Shimano rear derailluers about every 8-10 months because they just flat wore out. I never knew why, I just figured it was normal wear-and-tear. Then I watched that video and saw why my derailluer was getting worn out so quickly–unnecessary movement.

Now then, back to my original point–I equipped my new bike with a full SRAM drivetrain: shifters, derailluers, chain and cassette/gears. I will put it through my own personal torture test to see if it really is better than Shimano.

I built up the new rig with no Shimano parts and will post an update on my findings. I will also post some pics of the bikes when I get a chance. Speaking of which, I also got a new camera–a Kodak C653, 6.1 megapixel with 3x/5x zoom. It should take some really awesome pictures. Until then, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

 

 

 

January 15, 2007
A Few Daley Ranch Stats

I have been getting in a good number of rides lately. Which is awesome–seeing as we are inching ever closer to our rainy season.

J, Sean, dad and I rode at Daley Ranch today. It was a good ride. I felt really strong the whole day. I may have mentioned before that Daley is a whole lot of climbing. Over 1500′ of verticle gain in under 13 miles. It feels like you are climbing all day. I took some measurements and figured out why.

Read on:

We start out with a climb that gains 100′ in less than half a mile, then give it all back on a downhill and settle in for a looong climb which is a startling 320′ gain in about 1.30 miles. I am a little surprised by that. It doesn’t seem as hard as some of the other climbs that come later. I guess having fresh legs helps.

We have some fun and mostly flat singletrack after that, then settle in for a mundane fireroad climb of 220′ gained in about 1.75 miles.

Immediately after that, we have one of the most brutal climbs of any trail I ride–a 450′ gain in about 1 mile!! We have always stopped to rest at the top of this climb and now I know why. J, dad and I do manage to do all of this without stopping.

We have really awesome downhill singletrack after that, but it leads us into another insane climb. It is another climb that is among the toughest of any climb on any trail I ride–320′ gain in .50 of a mile…OUCH!! What makes this one even more crazy, is the fact that is is littered with softball size rocks the whole long way up. At least now I know why I’m so tired at the end of the ride.

Until we ride again, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

 

 

 

January 7, 2007
The Return Of NappyT

Yes you heard it here first. There was a sighting of NappyT on an actual trail–ON HIS BIKE!!!!! I even have photos of him in his DayGlow Orange jersey to prove it. The pics are a bit hard to see over the glare from his jersey though, so be warned.

Anyway, J. Dad, Nappy and I hit Daley Ranch yesterday and managed to snap a few pics. I felt lousy all day because I have the flu (YAY) but managed to enjoy myself anyway. It was nice having Tom back riding with us again. Go to the Daley Ranch pic page and check out the pics.

I am going to take today off. I have a massive headache and my chest is congested, so no ridey for PacMan today. But never fear. I have it on good authority (me) that I will be back in the saddle tomorrow. Until then, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

 

 

 

January 5, 2007
First Post Of The Year

MERRY NEW YEAR!! (A gratuitous inside joke for my sister I know, but it’s my site, so…)

Anyway, I hope your New Year’s festivities went well and didn’t involve anything too illicit or illegal. I know that no animals were injured during mine, so all is well.

Anyhoot, the rides have been good so far this year. I got in a good New Year’s Eve ride with dad in Fallbrook for the last ride of ‘06. I have been on 3 rides in a row so far. I am riding with J, dad and Tom–yes, Tom, can you believe it??!!??!!–at Daley Ranch tomorrow.

J and I decided we wanted to start taking more action pics this year, so we took our time on today’s ride and got some pics of us “jumping” some rocks and stuff like that. Nothing major or extreme by any means–after all, we are big posers, but they came out pretty good none the less. Go to the “Lake Hodges” pic section and check out all of our MASSIVE AIR PHOTO EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

Until then, seek your bliss.

Ride Lots…

Posted by PacMan at 05:57:51 | Permalink | No Comments »