bike porn

A lot of folks ask "what's new at the shop?" I tell them that new bike day is always a good day.

Tuesday Ride & it looks like you ride bikes

Local legend has it that Tuesday we meet at the shop at 6 and we'll drive to Camp Dick. Lights mandatory ladies & gentlemen.

After the latest & lamest of shoulder separations I made my way to an orthopedic to make sure I will still be able to grab dishes out of the cupboard when I'm 50. All good news, minor separation in the left shoulder & the pictured "trick" shoulder is pretty stable & free of arthritis so far. A little rehab & I should be back to good strength. I just thought it looked cool so I wanted to share.

Steamboat Day II

Daybreak at camp. Big thanks to Chef Chris for all the fixins.

It sprinkled a bit in the am. We hoped it would keep down the dust on the trail but it didn't.

Was this a precursor of things to come?

We all pretty much agreed that this was a nice and informative sign.

Nope, no good vistas on this ride.

Let's see some water crossings. This is what I love about the forest, too. The Sunday ride was definitely more remote. We only saw a handful of folks out.

toothpicks


MK makes the big stairs drop look easy.

Chad makes it look easy, too.

Gotta stop and smell the flowers, too.

steamboat Day 1

Steamboat Springs, CO last weekend was a blast. LOTS of riding in a short amount of time. Most of it was nice forest singletrack, too. I want to go back.
Here's Chad on one of the days many water crossings

Jenamin rides the flowy singletrack.


MK and Jason B hustling out of the trees


The forest was so lush. Much unlike the front range.


Sitting here in limbo... Not a bad place for a sittin' rock.

Almost to the backside top of Mt Werner...

Ah, the top. Rewarded with a cooler of PBR and one thirsty dog.

MK looks like he's enjoying one of the fast and fun descents at the resort.

What, climbing again?

It is time to celebrate! I wonder if 20 dirty mountain bikers sitting in the creek drinking Dales Pale Ale is a common site in Steamboat?

RMH07 again

Since we have not seen any other pics from last weekend I scraped the bottom of the barrel to get out a few more.

DC PFT

Tuesday Ride 8/14

We shall conquer Hall Ranch. 6pm at the bike shop.

Starting next week, lights will be mandatory for all non Hall Ranch excursions. That will allow us to drive to the trailhead and get a good ride in without having to worry about timekeeping or sunsets :)

RMH07 just the beginning

Just a quick start to what I'm sure will be many pictures & stories from RMH07 in Steamboat. Chris, the eats were amazing & washed down perfectly with DPA. Thanks to all, it was a freakin' smokin' good time.
Saturday:
Sunday:
Cheers,

Riding pictures are overrated

Just a few samples from Saturday's 6 hour tour up in Breck.

Yes, a very good time!

Tuesday Ride, 8/7

Let's meet up at the shop at 5:30 so we can make it to the trail by 6. The ride will be an out and back and we will need daylight in our favor. Show up ready to caravan!

shop ride tomorrow

I'm talking about action, Jackson.

6 at the shop? I'll bring my posse.

Also, any chance I can snag a ride in the big redstone mobile to Steamboat and back this weekend?

AJ

White Ranch thoughts and ride

I had the rare opportunity to ride a park that I had not been to in over 7 years. I've heard about quite a few changes at White Ranch so I decided to check them out in person. We had a Pearl get together in the afternoon at the upper parking lot. The plan was to ride a little, then utilize the pic-a-nic shelters for some grillin'. I showed up a little before everyone and took the opportunity to pedal before folks arrived.


It didn't take very long to be reminded that I was in a JeffCo park:

I love Jefferson County trail re/construction. At least they keep the lumber yards and the mud flap guys in business. The very least they could do is put some silver naked ladies or Yosemite Sam on those mudflaps. :) After an hour and a half of riding/warm up, I headed back up to the upper lot to meet the PI folk. We got everything situated after not much ado and we were off. By then, the clouds had settle in to frost us with a perfect mist that kept the dirt nice and grippy and the temps down. We pedaled in the rain for a bit before folks decided it was time to get back for burgers and beers. I felt like we had barely got our feet wet, so to speak, and was just getting into my groove. By the time we got back to HQ, the grill was already fired up and we were about ready to roll for dinner. Despite just getting into my groove, it looks like we rode for about 1:15.

I've had a lot of mid ride snacks in my day, but it sure is nice to pedal up to the pic-a-nic table to feast on chips, salsa, burgers and beers. After a double cheeseburger, a Dales Pale, and an Old Chubb, I was ready to ride again, but most were ready to bail. Such lame excuses like letting the dog out were being tossed around. I saddled up and pedaled off. The intent was to hook up with Debaser, Butch, and Matt, another buddy that was in from out of town. I rode another short couple of loops and did not spot them, so I rolled down Mustang, then Belcher Hill to the lower parking lot. They had just arrived at the cars by the time I showed up, so we got to hang out and bs for just a bit. We said hellos and goodbyes and chatted a bit before the crew had to head out. I still had to climb back up to the top.

Note to self. Belcher Hill is good both up and down. The upper parking lot is a good location. DO NOT, however, leave the descent and requisite climb back up Belcher for the last part of the days ride after dinner, beers, and several hours of riding. I blew like I hadn't blown in a long time. There was no laying down under trees or anything like that, but it was all I could do to stay upright and pedal. I got back to the car to find out that I had been gone another 2 hours. Very nice. That makes 4+ hours of riding, no wonder I'm whooped!

Now it's time for the Jefferson County rant. Usually, after I finish up a 4 hour ride, I replay the ride over in my mind, going over the fun spots of the trail and reliving what a fun ride it was. I have to say, that was not the case with the White Ranch Ride. Sure, I rode a few trails that were fun, but I just never got that lovin' feeling. Not once did I crack a smile and go "ahh, yeah." When I first moved to Colorado, I used to really love riding at White Ranch but I was naive. A lot has changed since then - I've ridden tons of quality trails all over the country and I haven't been back to JeffCo in a while. The reality of the situation is that White Ranch is made up primarily of poorly made, unsustainable trails that need to be shored up with wood and rubber (LOTS of it) just to keep the trails from washing out. A lot of the JeffCo riders call this technical, but I call it a pain in the ass. Granted, that park gets a lot of riders, but that's no excuse for all the man made drop offs and ill placed water bars. Not once did I get the feeling that I was "out there" in nature. Every time I'd get a good groove going, I'd round a corner to be faced with a batallion of wooden steps and water bars.

I guess it was an ok ride. Anytime I can pedal for more than 4 hours it's quality in my book. Maybe it'll take another 8 years to bring me back, though. White Ranch - the JeffCo and Denver riders can have it. I'll stick to the northern reaches where the only mudflaps are on redneck pickups and quarry trucks. At least they have pictures on them. :)

White Ranch drizzle

Good day down at White Ranch today. Sorry we missed you Dave, sounds like you got some good riding in regardless.

Stupid Brakes. Whe needs em?

After fiddling for a while, then calling the master mechanic as he was leaving the shop, then fiddling some more, I finally figured out why my brakes wouldn't bleed. Stupid brakes are so old they're starting to fall apart at the seams.

With a little spit and duct tape they're good to go for tomorrow.

Stupid brakes.