Thursday, November 29, 2007

Pedal Lightly

I love this time of year. Anyone that follows the blog also knows that I love to night ride this time of year. Check this baby out - the new Niterider TriNewt LED. It's brighter and less expensive than Niteriders current crop of HID lights. I've been running a Flight HID for the last few years and the TriNewt blows it away.


Padded zip up carrying case:


Battery, fast charger, light, bar mount, helmet mount, and extension cord

It's hard to believe something so tiny could be so bright.

I also had to put up a pic of the new XTR pedals. This is the latest generation of a long, rich heritage of excellent pedals. Super smooth and easily rebuildable bearings. Adjustable spring tension and excellent wet weather performance. These pedals are as good as it gets.

Town Hall Facelift

Within the last month or so, an amazing opportunity has come before the town of Lyons. A couple of local developers (local as in Lyons area residents) have proposed to build the town a new town hall, new sherriff's office, and new library in exchange for some land. The land in question is where the current skatepark, RTD lot, library, and town hall currently reside. It seemed like a no brainer to the current town board, but since it involves the sale of publicly owned land, state law mandates that it must be up to a vote of the people. Mail ballots were distributed to Lyons residents and are due in by December 11. A vote in favor of this project DOES NOT necessarily mean that the project will proceed. All that a "YES" vote means is that this project can continue on with the public process. Even if voters approve, both the town and the developers can walk at any time. It's a good deal. I don't like to use the expression "win-win", but to put it in other terms, a vote "NO" would be akin to kicking yourself hard in the balls. Here's some pics of what our new town center could look like.

Town Hall:


A new town center/park:

The overhead view. To orient yourself, the new Town Hall would be where the current RTD lot is:

Now just think. Do we want the possibility for town hall to not be the piece of shit that it currently is, or do we want to kick ourselves in the balls? Do we want a library that we can actually take our kids to to enjoy and not feel cramped? Or would we rather kick ourselve in the balls? Would we rather have a new town center at no taxpayer cost now, or would we rather kick ourselves in the balls when we have no choice but to upgrade 10 years down the road at great taxpayer expense?

Plus, one of the 2 developers is a bike rider that averages thousands of miles every year. He's fast, too. And his wife is an ex pro mountainbiker.

Check this for more info - http://www.lyonsnewtowncenter.com/. Be educated and vote to not kick yourself in the balls.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

bambi is dead

Thankfully, Bambi was the only casualty this week. No other broken hands or bruised ribs.

Conditions were sweet, too. Thanks to the other restless souls for coming out for a little carnage! :)

Initially, there was enough snow that our options were limited. Everything fun due west of here had too much snow. Today's temps in the high 50s were bound to make mud and ice everywhere if we headed up the hill. Boulder Valley Ranch was very close to being given the nod as the go to spot, but it was so damned windy today, that something out in the open like BVR was out of the question. We decided to try out luck out going west. We also, in what seemed like a wise decision at the time, decided that SS would be the weapon of choice since conditions were bound to suck anyway.

Well, the wind quit blowing around 5:30 and folks started to show up. We took a vote and decided that, while BVR is fun on a SS, it's best saved when it's the absolute only place to go if everywhere else is snowed out. The BVR ride is not entirely boring but, yes, it's pretty much not exhilarating. Anyway, at the last minute, plans were changed and we decided to head south into the heinously steep terrain of Left Hand Canyon OHV. Sprits were mixed as we drove up LHC and saw nothing but piles of snow everywhere. The piles were getting deeper as we headed up the canyon. We found our parking spot and were set.

The spot had snow and frozen puddles all over the place. It was cold, too. Doubt began entering our minds regarding the logic of this decision. Pushing the doubt as far out of the way as possible, the crew headed up the hill and into the forest. The initial singletrack ascent was good but tricky. It demanded dismounts from all riders - the dirt was in prime condition, but the rocks were not! After the singletrack dumped into the main Jeep road, we climbed up the easy road to the first main intersection, at which point we found ourselves ready to climb even more.

We rode a little on singletrack and a little on jeep rd/double track. It was most excellent. After climbing a bit more, we descended Upper Carnage. Did someone come in and rehab/rework this area? There was fencing to keep the 4x4s under control and about half of the really chunky rock stuff was gone. It was still fun but not near as much death defying fun as it used to be. After that, we hiked up Fireman Hill for the last singletrack descent. A real breathtaker, it was, and it only took out 3 of the 8 riders. Extra fun.

Dinner and beers at Oskars were top notch as usual. And they had a few of the specials left :)

This last part I had to share. I started typing this post after getting home from the ride and Oskars. I fell asleep at the computer. Here's what I saw after getting back in to finish this post. heh heh:

'''th 4ht==th l=element has dogs]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Monday, November 26, 2007

Tuesday Night Ride 11-26



The location of the ride has yet to be determined but it's ON like DONKEY KONG. I made it up the hill today & there was a good amount of snow. We'll have to decide how much we want to hike before the destination is set in Redstone.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

If I lived here

I'd likely want a small navy of boats: a sea kayak, a canoe, a skiboat, and certainly a few sailboats for good measure.




It's good to be home. Last thing I need is another hobby.

Friday, November 23, 2007

another cold one

I don't think I ever saw the sun today. It tried to peek out a couple of times, but it was still shrouded in gray haze. Chad and I got out for what turned out to be a fantastic SS ride. The Redline Flight Monocog was in full effect. This has been a really fun bike to ride. It feels a tad quicker and stiffer than the Inbred. We tested some high speed stability today, though, and the geometry was dead on.
If only pics could do the world justice. This is at the top of a loooong grinder.
Oh wait, that wasn't the top, this is the top.
Nope, nope. THIS is the top. Man. The SS was the perfect bike today, too. There were a couple of times that the road was so steep, I didn't think I was going to pull it off.

I did, though, and the dirt road descent was butter. 17 miles and 2000+ elevation gain. I'll take a few more winter days like this one. Cold isn't bad when there's still good riding to be done.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

cold turkey

I hope everyone had a good thanksgiving. After feasting on turkey, potatoes, beer, wine and other assorted goodness, I snuck out for a ride as the rest of the family took their places on the couches and chairs. Hey - grandparents make good babysitters so when opportunity knocks, you've got to be ready. I saddled up the Redline Flight Monocog and was off.

Well, it seems as if that wonderful Indian Summer has left us for good. You know winter is here when you're chasing down singletrack thru Bohn Park on a rigid SS and it's great riding! The sun was shining when I rolled out, but it sure got chilly as the sun started to go down. This was taken from Old South looking up at Coffintop Mountain. You can literally see the cold in the air. By this time, I was already riding with my fingers curled up inside my gloves. Keeping hands warm is a great thing. The beauty of SS is that you really don't need the digital dexterity that you do on a gearie.
We had about 5" of new snow in our driveway on Friday morning. It's been sunny but cold. Cold enough that not much has melted at all. I rode over to the hwy 7 rock garden side of Hall Ranch. I dabbed about 4 times and walked a couple of times on the climb. What the hell, it's November, it was icy and snowy and I'm out of shape. I'm not too proud to walk. heh heh

For what it's worth, definitely stay away from Hall unless you're certain the ground is frozen. It's going to be a sloppy, muddy mess for quite a while.
I rolled past antelope and up to the loop. Both daylight and temps were dropping quickly, so I turned around and rolled back down the Antelope. I was amazed at the snow. 75% of Antelope was still under snowpack. It has seen enough use already that some sections of it were super slick. Fun, though - definitely fun.
Bitter cold, snow, late day light and a glimpse of the moon. Yessiree, winter is here. I'm going back out tomorrow to enjoy it :)

last ride up high for a while

Here's a few pics from the Tuesday ride. Conditions were great. Super cold with sleet and snow. The rocks and roots were treacherously icy, which made for a particularly fun night ride.
Everything, and I mean everything (bags, bikes, etc) had about 1/8" of ice accumulated on it.
Smiles all the way around and looking forward to some tasty Dales Pale Ale!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

w i n t e r

Lyons weather looks like the first of WINTER night rides is here, best get the gear ready
Might be a bit more of this...

SEE YOU AT THE STONE!

Ultra Bling Intense 6.6

check out this latest creation. It's a custom painted British Racing Green Intense 6.6. This bike turned out really nice.
Complete with the uber stylin' I9 Enduro wheels.

Ever wonder how those big aluminum spokes attach? I surprised even myself with this shot. I thought my poor photo skillz were not good enough for this kind of resolution!
Fox has their version of the Maxel now, too. It's super sano and works equally as well.
there's no denying that the shaped monocoque top tube of the 6.6 is dead sexy.
John is a lucky man!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Advocatin'

I originally had relatively big plans for a ride today. After all was said and done, though, I was lacking the motivation to drive anywhere so I headed out from home on the mountain bike and rode to Hall Ranch. I didn't feel like dealing with the masses on the rock garden (and I was beat from the SS ride I did on Sat), so I opted for the more chill Antelope Trail side. As soon as I rolled into the parking lot, I saw our good friend Ranger Kevin Ogrady. He was busy writing a ticket for an illegally parked car. I thanked him for that and we chatted a bit.

Yesterday I had heard the good news that another 2100' of the Picture Rock trail at Heil Ranch had been completed, leaving us with over 4000' of trail already done. Kevin is also the caretaker at Heil (he lives there) and he verified my findings. If we do get a mild winter, it is likely that Picture Rock will be open sooner than later. I thanked Kevin for the good talk. Just as I was pedaling away, the culprit of the illegally parked car emerged, finished with her trail run. As soon as she saw Kevin, she started going on and on about that she was there now and would move her car. After she had already enjoyed her run mind you. Here's the kicker - this woman was with a group of about 6-8 other women. It seemed that, between them, they had taken several cars to drive to Hall and they took up pretty much the entire parking lot. That's efficient.

I pedaled on. It was a beautiful day and I figured it was going to be crowded as hell. It was. Rather than complain about the traffic, I decided that it was, instead, great opportunity to do a little mountain bike advocacy. I smiled and greeted everyone that I encountered, biker or otherwise. I hear a lot about user conflict, but it's pretty apparent that most of it is in the approach. If you slow down to say hello, you'll get a freindly hello or wave 99% of the time. At least that's what I've found today (and any other day I've ridden Hall). After running into several friends and acquantances, i was able to bust out a couple of laps. Again, not wanting to deal with crowds, I went back down Antelope. It was good. After that, I still felt like pedaling so I rode to Button Rock Preserve and back. That was the ticket.

Hope everyone had a great day.

We're still riding Tuesday. Meet up at the shop at 6pm. I have no idea what the weather will be, so we'll hold off on a specific location until we meet up. See you then!

The good stuff.

I can't seem to ever get enough of sweet tasty singletrack. Especially with a nice view tossed in the mix.



Thursday, November 15, 2007

Friday Bike Porn - Turner Highline

Most of you know that I have an affinity for baby blue bikes :) Check out this beautiful Turner Highline freeride bike:
Is that sweet machining or what?
Not the lightest bike, but if you want one bike for both going uphill and going big on the way down, this is the machine.


Complete with 1.5" of Chris King lovin'.


Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Miller Time 2

Definitely one of the best Redstone rides I've been on. Great ride fellas, I had an awesome time. Hopefully one of these night rides we will get some photos. Art, hope the hand is doin good. I gotta bad case of bruised ribs. I warned Dr. Brett's office that you might be comin in. Redstone alone could keep that clinic open.

Cheers Stone Pile. RS
Agreed. Fantastic ride last night fellas!
Although warm temps, high elevation and night time isn't exactly seasonal for mid November, I'll take it. By this time last year, we'd already had a couple of snows. I woke up to some snow dust on the ground this morning, but that's it for the season so far.
It was a trip to see so many other twisted souls out for some fun riding in the dark. You know it's a good ride when almost 20% of the crew things about going to the ER instead of OB.

Seems like everyone wised up real smart like, though, and opted for beers over hospital. We had a full showing at Oskars for liquid pain killer and food. We'll have a pre-Thanksgiving warm up next week. I'll take requests for ride location...

Monday, November 12, 2007

Tuesday Ride, 11/13

Who'd have thunk that it's mid November and dry as a bone. Well, as of Sunday night anyway. Things could change by Tuesday, so we'll play it by ear. I'm thinking maybe Miller Rock? Rockin's post got me jonesing. Besides, it'll be nice to ride there with lights!

Oh, I'm posting this on after midnight, just for you Chris...

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Miller Time





Saturday - 65 degrees - 3 hours to spare - dogs need exercise = Miller Rock.

I started out at the Ceran St Vrain trailhead. This was my first time on the Rock and heard alot about jeep roads so I was more than thrilled to roll through that sweet singletrack in the beginning.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Hey Ladies! Transition Syren

Transition's new ladies freeride bike, the Syren is due to hit the trails sometime in January. Transition is taking preorders now. If the Syren is as popular as it seems, these babies will be sold out for quite a while. Transition is taking preorders now. Available in silver, black, or baby blue.
Here's what Transition has to say:
"The Syren is our ladies only freeride bike built to be a do-it-all package. From bike parks like Whistler to freeride and singletrack trails, the Syren's versatility has all the guys begging us to make one for them. Designed with the input from over 30 girls, every detail concerning a women's needs for a aggressive freeride frame have been accounted for. The Syren features ultra low standover (easily fits girls down to 5'0"), a light flickable frame that is burly enough for freeriding and a shorter wheelbase that makes it easier for women to pull the front end up. "

Jeremy Powers @ the Redline Cup


What a great shot by Steve Z(?) from Boulder.

Monday, November 05, 2007

Another good weekend of riding

With the time change, I was out the door at 6:30am. It was nice to get out early and still have some daylight. I made the best use of it I could think of - singletrack!

I considered spending a few hours on the roadie, but decided to get dirty instead. Our days are numbered for the good riding up high so I had to take advantage. It was a good thing, too. I stayed in some densely forested areas. I could hear the wind howling above the trees. The wind was blasting on the few occasions where I didn't have tree cover. The wind knocked over the Spider29 shortly after taking this pic!

Oh, and the Tuesday ride... Meet up at the shop at 6pm with good lights and full batteries. How about a Lion Gulch night ride. heh heh. Rockin has a light now, so it'll be good to have another regular.
Congrats also to Vogelman for baggin his first ever deer on Sunday. woohoo!