Mike went to Highland...
And he didn't take any pictures, that I know of, so you get to read this update instead. People riding big old squishy fun time bikes and jumping off of stuff and having a good time would be a fun thing to read about, right? Right. Well, buckle up and get ready for all that type of stuff to decidedly not happen in this post. You get hot and dusty dirt road riding and other cyclocross bike related stuff for now. Sounds like a blast. Let's go!
On that note, if you're into racing 'cross or you just feel vexed by front derailleurs in general then check out the Paul Components Chainkeeper. Mike installed one on his personal 'cross bike and it works! Who would've thought something called the Chainkeeper could do just that? This device really doesn't do anything more than a Third Eye Chain Watcher and a bash can do, but it's lighter than said combo and looks about one million percent more elegant. And it's made in the USA by a guy who rides. Did I mention it just looks pretty darn nice to boot?
We also picked up a leftover medium 2009 KHS CX 200. It's pretty sharp and would make a great starter racer, or a super nice commuter/dirt road rider for someone out there. This bike listed for $1400 last year, we'd like $950. Tell your friends. No really, if you know someone looking for a 'cross bike for short money run out into the streets and shout it out loud! Or, just call them or text them or something quieter like that. That's probably a better idea as you don't risk getting run over by a bus, and they'll likely get the message.
Ok, now for the part we've all been waiting for. The hot as hell dirt road riding segment of our program! Woohoo. I won't bore you anymore than is absolutely necessary I promise. I revisited a beautiful part of the state of RI today when I went out to George Washington State Forest. Yeah, I know it's far from Providence. It's even farther from Cranston. You'll get over it. I wanted to torture myself with a MTB ride on the Walkabout Trail again, but I didn't really have 4+ hours to kill so I grabbed my Redline Conquest Pro and planned to ride for 2-3 hours on the fire roads and double track. As it turns out this wasn't the worst plan I've had. Having a decent handle on the network of dirt roads out in this neck of the woods (thanks to a suffer fest of a ride 2 years ago that involved some serious lostness on my part) I planned for 3 hours at worst 2.5 if I did right. I figured the Turkey Vultures would clean up if I did it all wrong.
So, it was hot and it was dusty and the conditions on the dirt roads ranged from hard pack to real nasty deep sand at all the wrong times (long descents), and there were some long sections of fist size loose rocks. It basically felt like a long power line ride on a mountain bike without the super steep climbs. I managed to do it really right and found a super fun and long rolling descent on a stretch of road in great condition. I didn't stop to take too many pictures as the horseflies were the size of small children and they were relentless in their pursuit of my blood. Seriously, those things are scary and will mess you up. Just ask Mike why he looked like a lopsided Popeye last weekend, it wasn't all those one armed pushups.
Just a quick note, the Tuesday night NEMBA ride is still going on until we run out of daylight! The Advanced/Intermediate pace slackens a bit when the weather doesn't cooperate, like when it rains a bit or it's 50000 degrees.
On that note, if you're into racing 'cross or you just feel vexed by front derailleurs in general then check out the Paul Components Chainkeeper. Mike installed one on his personal 'cross bike and it works! Who would've thought something called the Chainkeeper could do just that? This device really doesn't do anything more than a Third Eye Chain Watcher and a bash can do, but it's lighter than said combo and looks about one million percent more elegant. And it's made in the USA by a guy who rides. Did I mention it just looks pretty darn nice to boot?
We also picked up a leftover medium 2009 KHS CX 200. It's pretty sharp and would make a great starter racer, or a super nice commuter/dirt road rider for someone out there. This bike listed for $1400 last year, we'd like $950. Tell your friends. No really, if you know someone looking for a 'cross bike for short money run out into the streets and shout it out loud! Or, just call them or text them or something quieter like that. That's probably a better idea as you don't risk getting run over by a bus, and they'll likely get the message.
Ok, now for the part we've all been waiting for. The hot as hell dirt road riding segment of our program! Woohoo. I won't bore you anymore than is absolutely necessary I promise. I revisited a beautiful part of the state of RI today when I went out to George Washington State Forest. Yeah, I know it's far from Providence. It's even farther from Cranston. You'll get over it. I wanted to torture myself with a MTB ride on the Walkabout Trail again, but I didn't really have 4+ hours to kill so I grabbed my Redline Conquest Pro and planned to ride for 2-3 hours on the fire roads and double track. As it turns out this wasn't the worst plan I've had. Having a decent handle on the network of dirt roads out in this neck of the woods (thanks to a suffer fest of a ride 2 years ago that involved some serious lostness on my part) I planned for 3 hours at worst 2.5 if I did right. I figured the Turkey Vultures would clean up if I did it all wrong.
So, it was hot and it was dusty and the conditions on the dirt roads ranged from hard pack to real nasty deep sand at all the wrong times (long descents), and there were some long sections of fist size loose rocks. It basically felt like a long power line ride on a mountain bike without the super steep climbs. I managed to do it really right and found a super fun and long rolling descent on a stretch of road in great condition. I didn't stop to take too many pictures as the horseflies were the size of small children and they were relentless in their pursuit of my blood. Seriously, those things are scary and will mess you up. Just ask Mike why he looked like a lopsided Popeye last weekend, it wasn't all those one armed pushups.
Just a quick note, the Tuesday night NEMBA ride is still going on until we run out of daylight! The Advanced/Intermediate pace slackens a bit when the weather doesn't cooperate, like when it rains a bit or it's 50000 degrees.
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