Funny how things work out sometimes...

OR... great day to break in a new bike!


I got out Sunday for what I thought might just be my last ride of the summer. The forecast for Monday was downright evil, so I had to take advantage of the blue skies and warm temps while I could. I got out for some post bike shop late day adventure. It didn't dissapoint.

That is, until I caught a stick in my rear der. Bye bye Mr. Derailleur Hanger. A quick assessment proved that the derailleur was still in great shape. Another quick assessment showed that I did not have a spare der hanger for the Tomac. Fortunately, I had one for the Intense. Ghetto fix strategy #1. Make it work. I used the QR to hold the Intense derailleur hanger over the Tomac frame. The fit wasn't perfect (and neither was the shifting) but I was able to find several gears that I could pedal solidly in. Sweet, and downtime was only 5 minutes.

I wasn't too bummed about the der hanger being blasted. It would take another couple of days to get one, but the forecast is for rain/snow for the next few anyway. Today started out exactly as advertised, but we actually saw sun and 60 for a time this afternoon. I didn't feel like getting out on the road. With last night and this mornings rain, it was a great opportunity for perfect dirt. Hall Ranch, here I come. On my new SS weapon, the GT Peace 9er.

I picked this up recently for a couple reasons. Mainly, I missed having the 29er SS and secondly, I needed a ticket to get into the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo coming up! I better get into SS shape quick. Back to the bike though, this thing is leaps and bounds better than the original Peace 9er. The bike rides like butter and the fork has just enough give to keep those big wheels feeling comfy. It was my first time back on a SS in a while, though. A quick tour up Antelope, loop, down Antelope was just what the DR ordered and fit perfectly into my time budget for the day.

Here's the proverbial Long's/Meekers shot from the top of Hall. You can't see them very well, but you can surely see snow on the shoulders. Perfect end to summer and a great day to say hello to Fall!