Feeling tired and fatigued, I thought that a singlespeed ride at Hall Ranch would be just the ticket. I was fortunate enough to hook up with Chefrog for a little AM ride time.

The critters were out in force on the Nelson Loop.
The ONLY real moisture at Hall. It can rain now. It's dry and dusty enough that rain ought to make it perfect.
Tuesday ride is 5:30pm at the shop, weather providing. I will not be your ride leader tonight so where you go is up to you. So long as you end up at OB. I'll be there :)

Perfect Fall Day at Heil Ranch

What a typical Fall day today was. This morning, I mowed the lawn (well, I actually evened out the height of the weeds in the yard with a mower - we don't have much of a lawn) in shorts and a tshirt. Sunny skies, 55 degrees and not cloudy at all. Shortly after arriving at the bike shop, though, the weather started to turn. Temps dropped to low 40s and the clouds came in. It was cloudier and cooler when it was time to shut down the shop. Sounds like a perfect time for a bike ride. I opted to stay local for this one. Partially not motivated to drive anywhere and partially motivated to spend some time on the SS before next weekends trek to the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo in Brady, NE. I also had just installed a new cog on the rear of the SS and wanted to check it out. The 32x18 gearing that came on the bike was a bit tall for this area so I swapped out the 18 for a 19. It proved to be right on target. Money.

A little ways in and I stopped to check out the all new pic-a-nic table just below the silo.

Check the cool striping on the rock. That is real "picture rock" that was quarried out of the Heil Valley many moons ago. BMA paid for the table and Boulder County just finished putting it in. Benches made of Lyons quarried stone will be up shortly as well. We'll have to plan a pic-a-nic.

I rode on. Soon after, I was getting into a groove and really digging the singlespeed with the new 19t. At the top of Picture Rock Trail, I hung a right and rode North Wild Turkey as an out and back. Man, I love that trail. Man, that trail is getting rocky in parts, though. I love stopping at the bench at the top for reflection (and bike lovin).

So far, that GT Peace 29er singlespeed has been really amazing. Granted, it's no modern full suspension wonder, but it's cool what a fantastic bike you can really get still for around $700. The Reynolds 520 frame is lively without being flexy and the 4130 fork is buttery. Well, as buttery as it gets if you're a big ol rigid fork anyway ;)

Did I mention that I love North Wild Turkey? I like the fast and tight woodsy sections, the flowy smoove singletrack that floats thru open meadows and good use of natural terrain.

Good stuff, Boulder County. Keep up the good work.

Timing on the ride was perfect. Just after I dumped off the Boulder County trail and started on the townie ghetto singletrack, the skies started in with a nice light rain. Maybe we'll see some snow from it tomorrow. Welcome to fall.

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!