iRide

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.