iRide

Wow, time flies when you’re having fun. So much has been going on this month, I didn’t even realize I haven’t done any updates.

First off, I hope you had a great Christmas. I know I did!! Now then, instead of catching up on this month right away, it is time for our annual “Year In Review”.

January: The beginning of the month saw some rain, but it was mostly dry weather. I got in a good number of rides, with the highlights being Dyl’s birthday ride and J and I riding Sycamore Canyon and Bernardo Mountain in the same day. I ordered my GPS on the 29th, forever changing how I viewed my riding.

February: I got used to using the GPS and the SporTraks software and really enjoyed all the features it provides–mileage, elevation, time, calories burned–not to mention the route overlayed on a color satellite map. We rode at Simpson Park for the first time and discovered all the wonders it has to offer. J and I rode the entire length of the Mule Hill trail end to end and back for a total of 21 miles. We had some rain though and I was only able to ride 11 times.

March: The Crew and I explored all of Simpson Park on the 4th and were amazed of what all is out there. Rain followed over the next couple of weeks and I didn’t ride much. I only tallied 11 rides for the entire month.

April: The beginning of the month saw some rain, but it tapered off quickly.We rode Daley Ranch for the first time in 2 years. The first time I rode there in 2004, I blew up because of all the climbing. I was too out of shape and couldn’t handle it. I felt so bad I vowed to never ride there again. This time out, I conquered all the climbs. They were still “butt kickers” but all doable. Now Daley Ranch is one of my favorites and a monthly ride. I also installed a top of the line fork–a Fox F100 on my Tracer. Spring also brought out snakes in record numbers. J and I saw 5 rattlers on one ride at Lake Hodges.

May: The best riding month of the year!! The family and I–with J tagging along–made the pilgrimage to Moab. What followed was the best week of riding of my life. All the big riding on that trip spelled demise for the Tracer however. I decided the bike and its 4″ of travel was not needed and sold it. I used the money to buy the Haro BAMF and 7″ of plush downhill goodness.

June: June was the beginning of an unbelievably hot summer. The hot weather reduced me to only being able to ride 10 times. I did get to ride Noble Canyon for the first time–the beginning of a beautiful friendship. We now ride there about once a month.

July: The hot weather continued but I was able to sneek in a few more rides than in June, 14 in all, until I hurt my back at the end of the month.

August: I didn’t ride for the first week due to the back injury. I was able to get in a respectable 15 rides after it healed though, so the month wasn’t a total loss. The weather was still hot but temps returned to a more tolerable level overall.

September: I began having malfunction issues with the $350 Chris King rear hub on Baby. I would be without her for the entire month due to warranty snafus. Luckily, I purchased the Reign frame and dad and I picked up Jamis Dakar frames at Jenson USA’s annual parking lot sale. When your bike stable increases by two bikes, it’s always a good month. Awesome weather also contributed to15 rides–not bad considering I missed the last 5 days of the month when we went on vacation to Minnesota to visit the wife’s family. J acquired his new ride–a Giant AC. His first full suspension bike. We did another Noble Canyon shuttle ride and I realized why I love the Haro so much.

October: I ended up being without baby for almost the entire month due to the hub issues. I didn’t get her back until the 29th. I was able to get in lots of saddle time on the new Reign however. I ended up going through 2 forks before I found one I liked. I sold the first one to dad and the second one to J though, so everyone got new forks in the long run. We did another Noble Canyon shuttle ride. It was an awesome month for rides–21 in all–the highest monthly total of the year.

November: I upgraded the cranks on the Haro and added a chain guide to help give more control when bashing down the big drops at Noble. We also went on the Inaugural “Hell Ride” to celebrate dad’s birthday–34 miles in all, combining Lake Hodges and Mule Hill. It was an awesome time, especially considering that Dyl rode it all–and rode strong the whole way. We were all very encouraged by how well we did and how good we felt at the end. I was able to crank out a 19 rides–one of the highest totals of the year.

Total Rides: 178
Miles Ridden: 1,579.28
Elevation, In Verticle Feet: +78,597 / -96,874
Calories Burned: 134,602

My goals for 2007 include: 200 rides, 2,000 miles ridden and a lofty goal of 100,000 verticle feet of climbing. If the weather cooperates, I should be able to do it.

All in all it was a pretty good year. 2007 holds more of the same I’m sure. We have another trip to Moab planned in April and I’m going to try to get Dyl on a full suspension rig as well. Until then, seek your bliss.

Here is a short synopsis:

You know, not to get morbid here, but it made me stop and think, so I’d like to share a few thoughts with you.

Mountain biking is an inherently dangerous sport. We know each time we ride that our lives can be seriously or gravely altered without notice. We cheat injury and death everytime we ride.

When I hear things like this, I mourn for the departed almost as if I knew them. Is this strange? I don’t think it is. Maybe it’s because we have some sort of connection. We are mountain bikers. It is almost a spiritual thing (notice I said ALMOST). For those that don’t ride, it may be difficult to understand. I have tried in the past to explain it, but unless you feel it for yourself, you may not ever understand. It makes up a large part of who we are–of what we are.

Am I selfish to dare my life everytime I ride? Maybe. Should I restrict my activities to less risky things? Perhaps. Will it stop me from riding? Absolutely not. I know my family may worry about me whenever I ride and for that, I’m sorry. But please know that if I should happen to die while mountain biking, know that I went doing something I love. I believe there is peace to be found in that.

Rest in peace sister.

Seek your bliss.

When I rode Noble Canyon a few weeks ago, I noticed the drops and hits were making the Haro drop its chain. Fortunately, there is an easy fix for this problem. I purchased an MRP chainguide, and Mike from Bicycle Warehouse was nice enough to install it for me. Basically what it does it put just enough tension on the chain to make it so it doesn’t have enough slack to slip. While I was at it, I decided to upgrade the cranks to Race Face Diabolus cranks. They are basically the nicest cranks you can buy for a Freeride/Downhill oriented bike. Check them both out here.

I have also been wanting to upgrade Dylan’s bike to disc brakes, so I took the “not so top of the line” Hayes Sole disc brakes that came on the Haro and put them on his bike. As light as he is, they will be plenty powerful for him. We also installed new cranks, cassette, derailluer and shifters and upgraded his bike from an 8-speed to a 9-speed. He is rolling on a pretty sweet little ride now!!

I got a great deal on a set of Hayes HFX-Mag disc brakes for my Haro to replace the Soles. They are one of the best and most reliable Downhill specific brakes you can buy.

J and I met up with a few guys from SoCalTrailriders.org today and set out for Noble Canyon. This would be my first ride with the new cranks, chainguide and brakes. They performed beautifully!! The brakes are so powerful I almost threw myself over the bars at first, before I got used to them. The chain guide worked great too. Not one slipped chain the whole ride. I tell you what, after these few improvements, the Haro is shaping up to be one fine machine. I hereby dub it the Official Noble Canyon Wrecking Ball. I can’t wait to unleash it on Porcupine Rim when we go back to Moab in April!! Until then, seek your bliss.

The Crew has been throwing around the idea of doing a really long/epic ride for a few months now. We came up with the idea that if we rode all of Lake Hodges and connected the Mule Hill/San Pasqual Trail we could do an “out and back” that would be close to 35 miles. The Crew’s previous long ride title holder was a 25 miler back in November ‘04.

We thought it would be a cool thing to do on dad’s birthday for his B-Day ride. Dad, Dylan, J, Sean and I decided to meet up at 0900 last Saturday, the 11th, for the Inaugural Hell Ride. We couldn’t have asked for nicer weather and we set out in good spirits. I was a little nervous. None of us had ever ridden that far, but I was sure we could do it. I was mainly nervous because I didn’t want any mechanical issues to hinder us. I was also worried that Dylan–being all of 10 years old, would BONK and not be able to complete the ride. For this reason, we left a “bail out” car parked by the mall, so if anyone needed to call it quits on the way back, they would have the option.

The ride ended up being a real blast. We all rode very strong and I was/am so proud of Dylan. The little stud rode the whole way with no complaints and rode just as strong as the rest of us. He did not seem the least bit tired or fatigued at the end of the ride!!, which caused all of us old timers a lot of worry. Give that kid another year or so and he will be burying all of us old coots with no problem. Ahh, youth.

The only downside of the ride was that dad’s bike broke with a couple miles left to go. The rear shock linkage busted clean in two and he had to walk it back. At least the bike manufacturer, Specialized, is going to warranty the part.

Here’s what dad had to say of the ride:
It was a good ride. It did seem that we were stopped a lot. But it was good to rest a bit from time to time on such a long ride.

It was the longest ride so far to date for me. Great until my bike broke! I guess it was HELL on my bike. From now on, it won’t want to leave the garage!

But, It’s good to know I can ride that far. Lots of good fresh air, and Dylan at 10 years old was inspiring at finishing the complete ride!

Here’a a quick review of the ride stats:
33.65 miles
+1119/-1119 elevation
Total time of 5:56:13, of which 2:27:09 was stopped time (thanks Sean ;-P)
2,707 calories burned

We are thinking of doing it again in a couple months. Dylan told me he wants to do it for his birthday ride. I’m thinking about adding the Bernardo Mountain climb to the flight plan to add a few more miles and lots more climbing–to make it more of a Hell Ride than before. Until then, seek your bliss.

I also got to go ride a new trail yesterday. J, dad, Dylan and I met up with a few other guys at a trail network referred to as “Ted Williams”–it sits right off of “Ted Williams Blvd” in San Diego, hence the name. It is a huge network of trails that run and snake all over the hillside. The primary draw is that it is a downhiller’s paradise. Some gnarly downhill chutes with plenty of jumps and drops litter the entire area. A few of the guys we rode with were hitting the jumps and airing it out. It was pretty cool to watch. I should have brought my camera. I didn’t realize the photo potential until it was too late. I will definitely bring it along the next time I go out there. Until then, seek your bliss.

Yes, the upgrades and parts swapping continues. In the end, I just couldn’t get used to the new fork on the Reign, so I started searching around for a replacement.

I found basically the same fork, just with a lot more bells and whistles. I am able to tune the performance 9 different ways!! It is amazing–and happens to match the Reign’s color scheme, whereas the old fork clashed horribly. I know, looks aren’t everything–but anyone who says they don’t matter at all is just lying.

J and I were able to get some good action shots the other day. Go to the Lake Hodges section in the photo gallery, scroll to the bottom of the page where the newest pics are and check them out. I will be sure to take some updated pics of the Reign and post them soon.

We also got in another fun filled day at Noble Canyon last weekend. What a blast that trail is. 2,500 verticle feet of descending in 9 miles–very, very technical descending at that. You can’t ask for a better day of riding. I actually got a little banged up on the second run and vowed I will never ride it again without my knee/shin and elbow pads securely in place. It got really hairy when a misjudged line almost caused me to take a tumble down a pretty steep and cactus lined hillside. I was balancing on the brink with my only footing being on a very loose and unstable rock. I yelled out to J to help me get up or I was a goner. He dropped his bike and ran over to me and pulled me up. It was a wee-bit scary, but all’s well that ends well I suppose. We are going back in a few weeks and I will be sure to get a good picture of said hillside. Until then, seek your bliss.

Wow, it’s been a couple weeks since the last update. I apologize–it’s been a very busy month.

Since my last posting, I finally got Baby’s rear wheel back, complete with rebuilt hub. Here’s hoping it works for more than 9 months this time!!

I also changed out the fork on the new Reign. I didn’t like the Fox Vanilla very much, so I sold it to dad. I replaced it with a Marzocchi All Mountain 2, which I like very much so far. Dad has since installed the Fox Vanilla on his Jamis and is liking it a lot more than I did. Maybe I’m just too picky.

I have been getting a good number of rides in this month. I have 20 rides in 29 days so far. I could have actually had a few more here and there if I things has worked out a little better. I’m not going to get in any more rides for the calendar month–but I’m not complaining. I have ridden 9 times in the last 10 days and need a couple days off to rest. Until then, seek your bliss.

Things have been going pretty good recently. I have been getting in 4-5 rides a week and am settling into a good ride schedule. I am able to ride pretty much everyday of the week if things go right.

Now onto the reason for the title of this post: As you may recall, I had to drop Baby off at Bicycle Warehouse back in September because the rear hub took a dump–you know, that cheap Chris King rear hub I paid $355 for?!?!

Well, the guys at Bicycle Warehouse sat on their thumbs for 3 weeks before they finally got around to shipping it back to Chris King for a warranty replacement. They stalled around long enough so that the biking industry trade-show “Interbike” was set to take place. Every company that has anything to do with the bicycle industry takes 2-3 weeks off to prepare for and attend this show. Consequently, Chris King Inc is 2-3 weeks behind on their work load and I still have no bike 35 days later.

Nobody at Bicycle Warehouse seems to give a crap that I have been waiting this long either. Sometimes I think they take advantage of me because I’m in there a lot and am friends with a lot of them–meaning they think I won’t complain?? I don’t know. I mean, they are a great group of guys who do a lot of favors for me in terms of quick repairs and such. I am just so frustrated that I haven’t had Baby since September 8th all because of a stupid rear hub.

Which brings me to another point of frustration: I pay $355 for a Chris King hub because it is the best there is–the standard that all other hubs are judged by. And ain’t my luck just grand, I get the one hub out of a million that is a lemon.

I’m just glad that I am fortunate enough to have a couple of highly capable back-up steeds to fill the void. If it wasn’t for that, I would have gone crazy by now!!

Well, it’s late and I need some sleep. We have rain coming down and more in the forecast for tomorrow, putting tomorrow morning’s ride in doubt. Until then–seek your bliss.

And the upgrades continue. It’s not my fault though–really!! I just can’t pass up a good deal when I see it. Plus, ’tis the time of year when I get a little bonus on my next 4 paychecks, so the fundage is there and the deals–they are a’callin’.

First off: I found some Shimano Deore hydraulic disc brakes (the same one’s I have on the Reign) at the insanely reduced price of $65 per wheel–which is about 50% off. So, dad and I both took advantage of this sale and each got a set for our Jamis’. We installed them Friday night and I am really stoked about it. I am so spoiled by the superior performance of hydraulic disc brakes that I really have a hard time riding mechanicals or regular rim brakes.

Secondly: Santa Cruz bicycles was/is having a shock inventory liquidation sale. It appears they have too many shocks laying around, so they are selling them for only $99–which is crazy when you consider that they retail for about $400!! Luckily, they had one that was the right size to fit my Jamis frame, so I ordered a Manitou Swinger 3-Way (the same shock that came on the Reign) and it should be here in a few days. The stock shock on the Jamis works OK, but it is a real bottom-of-the-barrel, no frills kind of shock. It has absolutley no adjustments at all. Now that I have this shock’s set-up needs figured out, it will be super cool to have it on the Jamis frame. It is so awesome to know that I only have about $300 into the Jamis and it is easily worth upwards of $1500.

Last week, J, NappyT and I headed up to Noble Canyon (see post from June 20, 2006) to do a couple shuttle runs. I rode the Haro BAMF this go-round and all I have to say is HELL-FRIGGIN-YEAH!! I fell in love with the Haro all over again. It is the perfect bike for that trail. I had forgotten how incredibly rocky and technical that trail is, and the Haro handled it like a champ. I rolled over some things that I had to walk when I rode Baby–stuff that would probably make my wife and my mother cringe if they saw it. I was so stoked at how I rode. It gave me a much needed confidence boost. I can’t wait to unleash hell on Porcupine Rim with it when we go to Moab in April.

I was beginning to wonder if buying the Haro was a mistake since I rarely ride it, but the way it performed at Noble shattered all those doubts in a hurry. I should have never doubted myself or the choice to buy that bike. Afterall, I bought it to fill that downhill/freeride capable bike void I had in my stable. The Haro was not bought to be an every week ride, but a special situation ride–and it works beautifully in that application. How great was it you may ask–well, it rolled so great, I was not able to take any pics. I know I promised I would, but it would be a crime to interrupt that flow to take pictures. Maybe if I was on Baby, but not on the Haro. I want to start riding Noble once a month if at all possible–since I have a bike that seems like it was designed with Noble in mind!!

My riding over the next week will be held to a minimum as the family and I are flying to the wife’s homeland on Wednesday for a family reunion and some much needed R&R. Until then, seek your bliss.

Dad and I had quite a day this past Saturday. As I mentioned before, we planned on picking up my Giant Reign frame as well as hitting JensonUSA’s once a year parking lot sale.

We hit the sale first and were able to walk away with the deal of the century!! They were selling Jamis Dakar full suspension frames with cranks and bottom bracket for $70!! To put it in perspective, the cranks would sell for almost $100 brand new. Their reason was that the cranks were installed by a knucklehead who tightened the crank bolts too tight and the bolts were rounded. Well, that isn’t anything a 5 minute drill and extraction couldn’t solve, so we both picked one up with plans to swap over the parts from our Treks. We then drove to L.A. and picked up my Reign frame and headed home.

We got to dad’s around 2 P.M. and started in on stripping the Treks down and transferring the parts over to the new Jamis frames. Once that was complete we built up the Reign. What a day–we never dreamed we would build 3 bikes in one day before!!

I feel so fortunate to have so many wonderful and highly capable bikes!! I mean, the new Jamis frame that I built up is easily worth $1500–and it is my back-up bike!! How crazy is that?? And now I have the Reign–which is easily worth $2500 as my second-string to the Enduro!! Wow, what a week!! Have no worries though–we have enough left over parts that the ol’ Trek will soon be “born again”. Boy, that bike has the 9 lives of a cat or something. No matter how many times I strip it of its parts, it always manges to talk me into building it back up. I will post an update when that is complete.

Now, don’t go thinking I’m made of money here. I sold a couple firearms I had as well as a few other things in order to raise the necessary fundage. But man was it ever worth it!! Here are a couple pics to hold you over until I can post a few more.

Giant Reign

Jamis Dakar

Until then, seek your bliss.

Just a little play on words there. Sorry–I couldn’t resist. Well, the time is nearly upon us. On Saturday, I am driving to Los Angeles to pick up my new bike frame–a Giant Reign. I hope to get it all built up Saturday night. I can hardly wait. I have been able to pull together a pretty nice parts spec (I know, big surprise there) and it will be an awesome (back up) ride when I am done with it.

This is actually perfect timing. I don’t know if I mentioned it in a previous post or not, but I have been having lots of trouble with the hub on Baby’s rear wheel–you know, the $360 Chris King hub I bought last summer!!!!! The freewheel mechanism is seizing up. So basically, when that happens, the chain doesn’t do what it’s supposed to and the bike ceases to work. The guys at Bicycle Warehouse have assured me they have never seen anything like this with a Chris King hub before–ain’t my luck grand?!?! They have tried to fix it several times, but it is now out of their hands. They will have to send the entire wheel to Chris King so the hub can be warrantied and I will be without Baby for at least a couple weeks. If it wasn’t for the Reign, I would be relegated to riding the Trek–which isn’t too bad, but it’s more time on a hardtail/non-full suspension bike than I care to spend.

I will be sure to post lots of pics when the Reign is complete. Now, to think of an appropriate nickname…

Until then, seek your bliss.

My thoughts, prayers and sincerest condolences go out to his family and friends. Rest in peace bro.

Also, in the future I will only be posting these for fallen mountain bikers. I would like to post these for all cyclists, but so many roadies (road riders) fall victim to vehicles, I would be posting at least one a day. I get Google News email alerts on cyclists who are killed while riding nationwide, and I get 3-4 a day about roadies. I do not mean to ignore or show any disrespect to any of my fellow cycling bretheren, but I don’t want to turn this into a massive obituary list every week either. Thanks for understanding and as always–seek your bliss!!

I was messing around with my SporTraks GPS software and discovered a few more features I hadn’t noticed before. You can break down the entire year by month and even week. You can then get an overview by just mileage, or elevation, or speed, etc. It is pretty cool. Well, while I was poking around, I noticed that I only rode 11 times in the months of February, March and April. May brought our Moab trip and 18 rides, but June and SoCal’s crazy heat wave brought a whopping 10 rides. July was better with 14 rides, but I realized I’m not riding near as much as I thought I was.

Since I was able to get back on the bike a few weeks ago after being forced off due to my back injury, I have been able to crank out 12 rides in the last 15 days. Overall I should get in a total of 15 rides for the month, which will actually be my highest ride count since May and the second highest of the year!! Pretty good considering I missed the whole first week.

Part of this is due to a schedule change at work. I started working Monday nights, which I dreaded at first, but am thinking it shouldn’t be too bad. Because of this, I will be able to tag along with dad and Conrad on their Monday morning ride. This alone will add 4 rides every month, as well as a lot of extra climbing–which always helps.

That brings me to my next subject: Climbing. I have been doing it a lot lately and am starting to improve. The Monday morning ride is only 3.33 miles long, but is over 600 feet of climbing, which is a huge amount for that little mileage. While messing with SporTraks, I saw the elevation total for the year is sitting around 45,000 verticle feet of climbing so far. We are well over halfway through the year, but I’m almost at 50,000. I started thinking that maybe with a lot of effort and a little luck, maybe I could do 100,000 in a year?? So, my goal for 2007 will be to climb 100,000 verticle feet in the calendar year. Now, a lot of things will need to work out for me. The weather has to stay dry–no more crazy rainfall totals like the last 2 years. I need to stay healthy–so the ol’ back needs to cooperate. And last but not least–the continued support of my awesome family in understanding why I need to ride.

So this breaks down to slightly less than 2,000 feet per week. It may sound really hard to do, but in the last 2 weeks, I climbed 2,477′ and 2,914′. Of course, those were both 5 ride weeks. However, it clearly shows that averaging 1,924 feet per week isn’t an impossible goal. It will be hard though. Lake Hodges usually makes up 2 of my rides every week and there is only about 130 feet of climbing on that ride.

Moving on, we are only 2 weeks away from our next bike build. I will be acquiring my next frame on Saturday, September 9th and we will hopefully begin the build that same weekend. I have gathered all the parts and they are sitting in dad’s garage waiting to be assembled. I was pretty amazed at what I was able to come up with on a somewhat limited budget. I will post pictures and a parts spec when it is complete.

Jeremy is also acquiring his new ride the same weekend. Pics to follow then as well. Until then, seek your bliss.

Well, the last couple weeks has been quite a test for me physically. I have just been able to get back to riding in the last few days due to a forced 2 week hiatus.

You see, a few weeks ago, I hurt my back–really bad!! I’m not sure exactly how I did it. Whether it was a pre-existing injury I aggravated or something new I’m not sure. All I know, is that the period of time from Friday, July 28 through Sunday, August 6, was one of the most miserable periods in my life. The whole right side of my upper back was severly cramped and I couldn’t move my neck or use my right arm without incredible pain.

The problem started on the 28th and was so bad I had to have my wife rush me to the ER because the entire right side of my upper body was in unbelievable pain due to a muscle in my back cramping up. The ER doc shot me up with a muscle relaxer and Demoral just so I could relax enough to go to sleep and told me to go see my primary doc first thing Monday.

I saw my doc on the 31st and he wasn’t sure what exactly was wrong with me, but thought it was a pulled muscle. He referred me to Physical Therapy and I ended up missing almost a whole week of work due to the incredible pain.

I was able to get in to see a physical therapist on Monday the 7th. He hooked me up to one of those machines that calmly massages the muscle by pulsing electricity through it, as well as wrapping it in heat for about 30 minutes. After that, he manually stretched my neck and I immediately began to feel better. He said he thought I injured the Trapezius muscle in my upper back. With his finger, he outlined where the muscle is, and it basically outlined the entire area where the pain was coming from. He was glad we had it figured out and I went back Thursday for more therapy. They did the heat and electricity combo again and then gave me a deep tissue massage. The massage was brutally painful–as they warned me it would be–but they said it was necessary. I feel better now and am going back again on Tuesday.

So I have FINALLY been able to get back into my regular ride schedule. I have ridden a few times in the last week or so and have more rides in store this week.

I will keep you updated on the condition of my back as I learn more myself.

Until then…Seek your bliss.

Well, yet another ride was squashed by high temperatures. I was going to ride after church today, but it’s hard to ride when it’s 103 degrees outside.

Seek Your Bliss

I am so glad June has come and gone. I don’t know how or why, but it turned out to be quite a crappy month–not just for rides, but in general.

Rides did suffer tremendously though. I was sidelined for about a week with really bad neck and back pain. If it wasn’t that, it was brutally high temperatures. We had a 2 week spell a bit ago where the high was never below 100 degrees. I will usually do whatever it takes to get a ride in, but riding in temps that high is just asking for trouble. “Death On A Stick” as I call it. It doesn’t help that my Trek is out of comission, so now J has no bike to ride. It’s looking like it will be another 2-3 months before he gets a ride of his own.

So, June brought about a whopping 10 rides. And, in the past 14 days I have ridden all of one time. I am feeling it both mentally and physically too. I have been getting headaches a lot the past couple weeks and I’ll be the first to admit my mood hasn’t been the best. I hate it that I get that way when I don’t ride, but I do. I know this for certain, because after my last ride (the only one in 14 days) I felt great. The best I have felt in weeks.

I’m really beginning to hate summers. Anymore it’s too hot to ride during the day. Also, my kids are out of school–causing child care issues. Consequently, riding gets pushed to the back burner, if not off the stove entirely. I have a ride planned for tomorrow and then I have no idea when the next one will be–and it’s driving me crazy. I wish so bad that I lived someplace with a trail right by my house–like mom and dad in Fallbrook. Then, I could get in early mornng spins or late night rides.

I don’t mean to rant on and on like this–and I thank you for bearing with me this far. It’s just that riding is so much a part of who I am. It goes: husband, father, mountain biker. In that order, without a doubt. It is a large part of what defines me as a person. Think about whatever it is that defines you as a person. Now imagine you can’t do that thing anywhere near as much as you would like–dare I say “need”– to do it. Now you see where I’m coming from.

Riding just “does it” for me, like no other thing does. When you are out on the trail, you see who you are as a person. It’s just you, your bike and the trail. Nothing else. No boundaries. No limitations. It tests you, it challenges you, it punishes you and it rewards you. Like I have said before: Mountain biking is hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it. It’s the ‘hard’ that makes it great.

Here’s hoping July will bring greener pastures.

Seek Your Bliss…

Wow, it’s already been 2 weeks since the last update. I need to get on the stick and keep ‘em more consistent than that.

Not much has been happening in the way of rides lately. Maybe that’s why I haven’t gotten around to posting. Last month’s bounty of rides has cursed this month–as is always the case. 17 rides in 31 days last month and only 8 rides in 20 days this month. It’s driving me crazy *sigh*

I suppose it’s the curse of my GPS and the SporTraks software I use. I love the the features, but the ride calendar turns out to be just as much a negative as a positve. In the upper left corner of the screen, it shows a current month calendar, with ride days highlighted. Well, this month I have a whole bunch of blank days staring me in the face and mocking me. I’m really going to have to knuckle down and start doing some solo rides whenever time allows.

On a positive note, I finally got to ride Noble Canyon on the 11th. A group of 9 of us shuttled it and it was a blast. It’s famous for a reason. It’s sometimes referred to as SoCal’s Porcupine Rim. I think it pales a lot in that comparison, but it is really fun nonetheless. It is extremely rocky and technical. The elevation gain/loss is pretty good for the mileage too. Right at 10 miles with +805/-2,570, it has lots of good downhill. But, there is a little climbing, so you don’t feel like you cheated at all. I rode Baby, but am gonna run the BAMF on the next go ’round so we’ll see how that works out. The climbing will suck on the Haro, but the downhills should be downright OO-RAH!!

Dylan has been getting a good number of rides in under his belt since summer vacation has started. I’d like to thank Dad for helping in out in that department (I really appreciate it, Dad–you’re the best). He has been going out a few times a week and is getting pretty good. I hate to admit it, but on yesterday’s ride, he beat me up the long and steep paved climb out. I knew it would happen sooner or later. I was just counting on it happening more later than sooner!! He also had the misfortune of acquiring his official STAT Crew nickname: “Wagon”. It works on various levels–he is always pushing and pulling his bike up the technical climbs and his tongue is always hanging out on the hard stuff.

Well, I guess I’ll try to work on riding more, posting updates more and trying to beat the little rascal up the hills. Until next time…

I set out to ride Simpson Park today with some friends. What I thought was going to be a fun ride ended up being one of the most miserable rides in quite awhile.

We set out around 9 A.M. and everything was OK. Temps were around 85 degrees. We knew it would get warmer, but thought we had plenty of time before that happened. We also started out on a section we hadn’t ridden before–which ended up being our first mistake. Armed only with a set of directions, we set out on this new trail. Well, little did we know, the trail climbed for literally the first 1.24 miles. When we finally started on some downhill, I was whipped.

By the time we finished that and started on the section I knew, the temp had climbed tremendously. I thought we would be OK though, as the majority of the trail is downhill. By the time we got to the turnaround point, the Sun was on full broil and we were all cooking. I mean, it was hot–like Africa hot. Tarzan couldn’t stand that kinda hot!!

It took forever to get back to the cars and by the time we did, we were all fried. It got so bad that all we could do was push our bikes up the inclines and even then we had to stop and rest at the top. When I was able to ride, I had almost no balance and constantly wandered off-trail. I was never really worried, as I knew that the cars weren’t too far away, but it wasn’t pleasant by any means either. When we finally got back, the temp gauge in my car read 106 degrees. I realized then that we were kind of lucky that none of us got hurt in any way. This pic I took of us resting just sort of says it all.

I know now not to mess with trails here in Riverside county during the summer. I’ll stick with trails in good ol’ San Diego where it only gets up into the 90’s.

I was finally able to go pick up the new ride yesterday!! It is a Haro Extreme 7. It is really beefy and weighs in around 40 pounds–to give it some perspective, Baby weighs 29 pounds. I shall further refer to it as BAMF.

It is primarily designed to be used for Freeride/Downhill type riding. The frame geometry puts you in a very comfortable position for downhill riding. On the flip side, this thing is going to really suck on the climbs, but I knew that going into it. You don’t ride this bike on 25 mile all-day-epics. You use it for covering a lot of rough, gnarly and technical terrain–FAST!! It has 7″ of rear wheel travel and 6″ in the front. For some perspective, Baby has 5″ and 5″.

Today, I took it on it’s maiden voyage at Simpson Park–the perfect place to take this beast of a bike. It was unreal. I have never felt so confident on a bike before. Simpson Park is just littered with technical sections and the new ride handled them all with incredible ease. It also climbed a lot better than I expected too, which was encouraging.

There is one drop in particular that I have never even thought about attempting because it looks so scary. It is so steep and rocky, on previous rides we have referred to it as “Death On A Stick”. Well, I had the courage to try it today (thanks to the BAMF) and I nailed it on the second try!! We took some good video of it. You can’t see the whole section in the video, but it gives you an idea. The lead in (that you can’t see) is pretty nasty. There are back-to-back 1 foot stairs that lead into a tight “S” curve with several loose rocks, then into the section you can see–which is no walk in the park either. It’s a lot steeper than it looks too!! Be sure to check the video for proof. [webmaster's note: Quick Time required]

I also went up a near verticle wall–thanks to J’s coaxing. I think he’s trying to kill me, but I’m not sure. That was a bit scary the first time out, but it was so fun I did it another 4-5 times. Check the video on that one here. [webmaster's note: Quick Time required]

Now, I just have to make sure I don’t get in over my head with this new bike and do anything foolish and/or stupid. But you know me, so we’ll have to wait and see on that one.

I can’t wait until the next time we go to Moab and I can unleash this monster on Porcupine Rim.

Here are a couple pics. Enjoy!!

As the title of this update says, it has been quite a busy month!! Which is also the reason I haven’t posted in over 2 weeks. I will cover several things: I finally got pics of Santa Rosa Plateau (see post from 4/23/06), Dylan had quite the interesting crash a few days ago and last but not least–I sold the New Hotness/Intense Tracer to make way for a new machine.

First things first. Here are the best of the 40+ pics I took at Santa Rosa Plateau when we rode it about a week ago. It was a great ride with great weather and I was able to get some good pics. Enjoy!!

Now about Dyl’s crash. He and I were having ourselves a nice father-son ride this past Saturday on the San Pasqual/Mule Hill trail. At one point, he decided to take a long gaze at the scenery. Only problem is, he forgot to stop to do it and wandered off trail. Not too bad normally, but he happened to wander off trail at just about the worst time. He bombed down a short hill–at the bottom of which sits a barbed-wire fence. He endo’d at the base of the hill and God’s hands miraculously carried him over the fence. He had not a scratch on him, just a case of shaken nerves. I myself, suffered a major heart attack–just kidding there, but that’s what it felt like at the time. Check the pics.

Finally, I would like to take this chance to say farewell to the New Hotness/Tracer/back-up ride. I sold her today to get the necessary funds to buy a new bike. I know you’re thinking I’ve gone mad, but hear me out. You see, the Tracer is an awesome bike. Most people would love to call her their primary bike. I felt honored to be able to call such a high quality machine my back-up ride. Only problem is, I never rode it. I love Baby so much I never really cared to ride the Tracer unless Baby was in the shop, which just about never happened. I ended up putting just a couple hundred miles on her at most, which is just a waste of a good bike if you ask me. I basically had two of the same bike, with one of them being a bit better than the other. Plus I had been thinking about selling her since I got back from Moab.

You see, my riding style has changed a lot since I spent that week in Moab. Riding I once thought was insane–rolling 1-2 foot drops at speed, flying over incredibly technical terrain, descending insanely steep hills littered with rocks at break-neck speed–I now see as an opportunity for good times. I go out of my way to ride that kind of stuff now. Moab made me such a better rider, I saw that having a 4-inch travel bike like the Tracer was a waste of time. I ride much more aggressively than I did pre-Moab, so I decided to get a bike with more suspension travel that is better suited to aggressive riding. Not that this new bike will replace Baby by any means. It will just give me another option when I want to ride more downhill oriented trails–like shuttle runs, future trips to Moab, etc.

I saw the heir to the throne at Bicycle Warehouse last week. It is a “Haro Extreme 7″ and she is a beauty. I had a good line on selling the Tracer, and planned on buying the Haro right after. I met one of the Bicycle Warehouse mechanics and his brother at the store today. His brother was interested in the Tracer and they met me so he could see it and test ride it. Needless to say, he loved it and gave me the cash right there on the spot. Are we really surprised?? Come on now, it’s a bike built by me, with parts I hand picked. Of course he loved it!!

Only problem is, they sold the bike I was going to buy over the weekend–CRAP!! Luckily, one of the guys called and ordered another one. It should be in on Friday and after I test ride it, I’m sure I’ll end up getting it. I’ll post pics of the new ride as soon as I can. In the meantime, here’s a link to it on Haro’s web site: http://www.harobikes.com/atb/x7.php

So, I bid one final farewell to the New Hotness. You are an awesome bike and I’m going to miss you. I have no doubts that you have gone to a good home–one where you will be appreciated. I’ll see you later–with yo’ fine ass…

Well, we just got back from our week vacation in Moab, Utah. Wow, what a blast!! I’ve spent the whole day today thinking about it and almost all day looking and relooking at the pics J and I took. Words can’t even come close to describing what an incredible experience it was. From the trails we rode to the people we met and rode with, I feel very blessed to have had the oppurtunity.

I would like to personally thank Greg-a.k.a. Hack, for showing Jeremy and I around on the many trails we rode and for putting up with us. I was/am just as amazed at your incredible riding skill as I am by your down to earth attitude.You’re the best bro, I hope to ride with you again soon.

I would like to thank Keith-a.k.a. Jeep, and his wife for hosting the event. You guys did such an awesome job. Saying “thank you” doesn’t begin to come close enough to repay you for your hospitality and friendship, but I’ll say it anyway–THANK YOU!!

I would also like to thank Todd-a.k.a. Rollo for riding with us and showing us not only incredible trails and incredible riding skill, but for putting up with a couple of slow, fat boys like us. Your kindness and humbleness despite having such awesome skill was/is very much appreciated. It’s not very often you meet people like that. You’re awesome dude.

Now then, onto the juicy goodness of the trip!!

Saturday April 29th: We set out around 8:30 P.M. for Moab. We were all in pretty good spirits even though we were dreading the 12+ hour drive to Utah.

Sunday April 30th: We arrived at Canyonlands Campground around 11 A.M., checked in and had the tents up and everything situated by 1 P.M. Greg arrived shortly thereafter and managed to talk J and I into going for a ride, even though none of us had slept in well over 30 hours.

Greg took us for a ride on a local favorite trail, “Amassa Back”. It is a relatively short trail, but extremely technical and challenging, with lots of climbing up and over rock steps and sandstone ledges. So, what goes up must come down. We had to ride back down the same rock steps, etc. This was our introduction to what would be a week long theme of riding/rolling drops of 12 inches or more. Nothing too crazy by any means, but definitely a first for J and I. We were a bit nervous at first, but handled them well. By the end of the ride we had some confidence in our new found abilities and were glad we had let Greg talk us into riding.

Final tally: 4.38 miles ridden with +583/-527 feet of elevation.

Monday May 1st: This was the day J and I were looking forward to the most. We had previously arranged to drive to Fruita, CO–about an hour drive from Moab–with Greg to ride some trails there that I have been dreaming of riding for over 2 years. You see, I downloaded a famous “helmet-cam” video of a trail there called “Joe’s Ridge” about 2 years ago. I have literally watched it over 100 times. On the video, the riders ride Joe’s Ridge and then flow into a connecting trail called “Kessel Run”. So, Greg told me he had ridden it before and would love to show J and I around.

We arrived in Fruita around 9:30 A.M. and immediately set out. Joe’s ridge was very fun, albeit a little bit more “pucker inducing” than I thought it would be. The highlight turned out to be Kessel Run. I don’t even know where to start. This trail is SO much fun I was literally laughing by the end of it. It is only about 2 miles long, but it is the lay out of the trail that makes it so fun. What you have is a trail that descends about 300 feet while it runs in between two 10-12 foot tall hill-type ridges that parallel each other. The hills twist and turn some, yet always run parallel. The trail runs up and down the 2 hills in an “S” like pattern. So what you have is a short downhill run, bust through the little valley and up the other hillside to a sharp turn, back down the hill you just shot up, bust though the valley again and right up the other hill to a sharp turn and back down again, etc. If you don’t quite follow, just look at the pics and you will see. We ended up riding that trail 4 times.

We met up with Greg’s friend Todd after a couple hours and set out to ride a trail called “Zippety Doo Da”. This trail is a double Black Diamond Expert level trail and is a whole lot of fun. It runs along the tops of several hill ridges that are only about 5-6 feet wide with about a 70-80 foot drop down each side. This makes for a very hair raising ride when you throw in the fact that the trail follows near verticle drops down these ridges. I admit, I was a little too freaked out to enjoy it to the fullest, but I look forward to riding it again next year.

Final tally: 15.08 miles ridden with +1,537/-1,553 feet of elevation.

Tuesday May 2nd: J and I set out with Greg and Todd to ride a new trail in Moab called “Baby Steps”. We didn’t get far, as I felt really bad after just a couple miles. I don’t know what came over me, but I felt weak and lightheaded and had to turn back. J turned back with me and we went back to the campground so I could recover. The part of the trail I did ride was very nice and I would like to get another crack at it sometime.

Final tally: 6.85 miles ridden with +431/-432 feet of elevation.

Wednesday May 3rd: Greg, Todd, J and I set out for Fruita yet again to ride with Jim, another friend of Greg’s who had just arrived in town. We went back to the Joe’s Ridge area and re-rode Kessel Run. It was just as much fun as the previous trip. J and I also rode a trail called “Prime Cut” while Greg and Todd took Jim on Zippety Doo Da. Prime Cut was a simple trail that meandered steadily up a hill and then back down. It wasn’t very challenging technically speaking, but was very picturesque. J and I had a great time.

After that, we all set out to another part of Fruita to ride the “Mary’s Loop/Horsethief Bench” trail. This trail offered the best scenery we had seen as of yet and was quite a sight to behold. Some of the best pictures of the trip were taken here. The Horsethief Bench section once again tested J and I’s new found descending skills, as most of the trail consists of 1-2 foot drops down rocks and sandstone ledges. Despite being a bit tired, we handled them all pretty easily and had a great time. I think the highlight of the ride was when a Bald Eagle flew just 20 feet or so above our heads and hovered there for a short time.

Final tally: 16.54 miles ridden with +1,184/-1,082 feet of elevation.

Thursday May 4th: J and I took the day off from riding to go on a nice hike with the family through Cane Creek Canyon. Unfortunately, I forgot my GPS in the car, so I’m not sure of the total distance, but that isn’t important anyway. We all had a great time and the boys really enjoyed themselves. I was able to take some really awesome pics as well.

Friday May 5th: This was to be the end-all-be-all of rides. Keith arranged to have a shuttle service pick us up (about 30 riders total) to take us to the very top of the “Porcupine Rim” trail. What followed was over 17 miles of some of the gnarliest, most technical riding I have ever done. 1-2 foot drops gave way to 3-4 footers. By the end of the ride, I felt extremely confident in my technical descending skills. This trail was just out of this world. It is world famous for a reason. It is by far, the most fun I have ever had on a bike. I will remember it forever.

Final tally: 17.36 miles ridden with +268/-4,575 feet of elevation. That’s right–almost 5,000 feet of descending!!

Saturday May 6th: As soon as we woke up, we started packing up to head home. I suppose every good thing must come to an end eventually. We left Moab around 10:15 A.M. and arrived back home a bit before 11 P.M.

Final trip tally: 59.21 miles ridden with +4,004/-8,170 feet of elevation.

It was by far the best vacation I have ever taken and the most fun I have ever had on a bike. Make sure to check the Photo Gallery for lots and lots of pics. I can’t wait to go back!!

A fellow mountain biker was killed Saturday morning as a result of an “over the bars” crash at Chino Hills State Park in San Bernadino County.

George Adair Satterfield, 51, of Ontario was killed when he crashed on a downhill section of trail at approximately 11:00 A.M. Saturday morning. Paramedics had to use an off-road vehicle to reach him. They rushed him to Chino Valley Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 12:05 P.M. Reports state he was wearing his helmet.

Here is a link to the article here: http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_3743023

My sincere condolences to his family and friends. You will be in my prayers.

Rest in peace bro.

I set out today accompanied by dad and Dylan to ride Santa Rosa Plateau. Dad and I haven’t ridden there in quite awhile–well over a year ago–and I thought Dylan would be able to handle it OK. He hasn’t been on trail in a few months, but the kid is a stud. He cleaned almost everything and rode hard–the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree I suppose (wink-wink).

I was amazed by how fun the trail was. Dad and I commented several times that we need to start riding there more. I don’t remember it being near as fun as it was today. Of course, the last time we rode there, dad and I were still relative beginners and couldn’t quite clean everything. The loop seemed somewhat boring and riding it seemed to be a real chore back then. Today, we cleaned everything with ease and the trail seemed to twist and turn and flow perfectly. It’s nice to see enormous improvements in your skill level, and revisiting a trail you haven’t ridden in a while is a good way to do that.

I got it all on GPS, but failed to take any pics. I know I have yet to get any pics of it, but I was having too much fun to stop and take any. I will make sure to get some soon, as I’m quite sure I will be riding the Plateau much more in the future.

This may be the last update for the next week or two. As I have mentioned a few times, I am going on vacation from April 30th–May 8th. My destination: Moab, Utah–the home of the best trails in the United States and some of the best in the known world!! It is my dream vacation and the fulfillment of a dream years in the making. Every serious mountain biker dreams of riding here someday and I’m finally getting my chance. I will be sure to take lots of pics and I will post a massive update with all the juicy details and stories when I get back.

See you all on the other side!!

Just a quick update here. J and I got a good reminder today that we are in the Spring season. We rode at Hodges today, and what should our wondering eyes but appear–SNAKES ALL OVER THE PLACE!! The little buggers must all be waking up from a long winters’ nap, because they were all over the place. We saw 5–count ‘em–5 snakes on the ride today. That breaks the old record of 4 in one ride form last year in Fallbrook.

We saw 3 rather large adults. I’m guessing the biggest one was nearly 3 feet long. The other 2 were at least 2 feet long. One of the others was a younger snake, maybe about 18 inches. We also saw a little baby one that was not quite a foot long.

Be sure to check out the pics I took in the “Lake Hodges North” gallery, located in the “Trails” section of the “Photo Gallery“.

The rides have been somewhat sporadic so far this month. We are almost a third of the way through the month, and I have only been on 3 rides so far. At least 2 of the 3 rides have been challenging–more on that later.

Now, back to the reason for the lack of rides. First off, the weather here in SoCal is still kind of yucky. We have had some nice days, but the rain is still lurking and has ruined a couple rides so far. I am also working a bunch of overtime at work. I need to do this to store up enough time for vacation next month. I have the option of taking my OT as comp time instead of pay, so I can build up vacation hours that way. I still have a few more doubleshifts to do, so a few more ride days will fall victim to that.

Now then, back to the rides and the reason for the title of this update:

Last Saturday, J, Tom and I rode the Mule Hill trail all the way out and back. As you may recall, J and I did this a few weeks ago. It was Tom’s first time riding the whole section. The ride is a little over 20 miles and has over 600 feet of climbing, so it is an awesome workout. I think you burn something like 1,100 calories on that ride.

Friday, J and I did a good ride at Hodges. Nothing to hard, but a good 12 miles at a pretty decent pace.

All this and our week vacation in the mountain biking capital of the United States is only 3 weeks away!!

Wow, it’s been over 3 weeks since the last update. I need to get on the ball here — I only posted 1 update in March.

Well, SoCal is finally in the Spring season and Daylight Savings is finally here!! Unfortunately, so is the rain. I have been having to schedule rides around the weather the past few weeks, but hopefully that will soon be a thing of the past.

I was finally able to get my Intense Tracer/New Hotness/Back-Up bike even closer to perfection. I got a great deal on a Fox F100 fork–the fork I have always wanted to put on the Tracer, but never had the money. It is a total airsprung fork and is over 1 pound lighter than the Marzocchi MX Pro fork that was in use. So, I took the MX Pro off and put it on the old Trek and installed the F100 on the Tracer. It is soooooo sweet. It is super light, yet beefy and stable and is the perfect compliment to the bike. One of these days I would like to add hydraulic disc brakes instead of the mechanicals, but I’m in no rush to do that right now. Make sure you check out the pics in the “Bikes” section of the “Photo Gallery” and check out the new fork.

On a much crappier note, one of my–and the Crew’s–favorite ride spots has fallen victim to developers. Sycamore Canyon has been sold to Barratt Homes. Well over half the trail will soon be wiped out and another San Diego trail gem will be gone forever. Not to be too negative here, but I REALLY HATE DEVELOPERS!!! The only thing they see are dollar signs and have no regard for nature. Now, I’m about as far from a “tree hugger” as you can be, but enough is enough. I don’t know what’s worse–developers building in the middle of a preserve and trail network, or the stupid, mindless chowder heads who continue to buy the over priced homes they build. “Gee hon, we can get a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2,000 square foot slice of heaven that has the crappiest appliances you can find, and carpeting that is so cheap it might as well be steel wool, with a yard the size of a postage stamp, and is so close to our neighbor’s house that we can piss out of our window into their toilet, and the walls are so thin we can here the old man 2 doors down scratch his nuts in the morning, for the bargain price of $750,000!!! Well, why should the kids get to go to college when we can get this gem?? Our mortgage will only be $4,000 a month!!”

Like I said, I don’t know which is worse.

Using SporTraks as my source, I see that in the last 14 days, I have managed a whopping 3 rides. To give it a little perspective, in the 14 days prior to that, I rode 9 times. OK, it’s only been a 2 week dry spell, but I’m going stir-crazy here.

I’m sure by now you are bored out of your mind, and I apologize for that. I guess I shouldn’t be complaining. Spring is just a few weeks away–bringing with it warm, dry weather and Daylight Savings, which means longer days in which to ride. More importantly, it’s not as bad as last year, when record setting rainfall squashed rides for 4 months!!

In other news, the Crew and I set out to explore more of Simpson Park last Saturday the 4th (see post from February 26th for back story). Man, there are miles and miles of awesome trail out there–most of it undocumented. We only rode 9 miles, which is about half of what is out there, but climbed over 1,000 feet of elevation in the process. We were all whiped out at the end, but a good time was had by all. I can’t wait to get back out there and do some more exploring.