Alright my spirits are starting to lift as the weather is starting to look a lot like spring! Thank you 8lbs 9oz baby Jesus, haha. I haven't been riding as much as I would like or need to be but a I have been regularly hitting the gym and starting to clean up the diet a bit. I've added 2x day protein shakes and multi-vitamin to the daily regimen.
Yesterday I did get out for a nice 1.5hr urban ripper. I hit up some of the local things around my place and broadened the horizon a bit and went looking for the illusive Lexington Street dirt jumps, and I found them! After some Internet research they we super easy to find actually. They are right by the water tower on Diffly and Lexington. There is a skate park there and behind it is a nice set of flowy dirt jumps. They aren't too big and most of them are tables or step ups and look really cool. They do look a bit haggard but I don't think it would take too much to clean them up. Definitely planning on spending some serious time there this summer working on my flow.
Since I was over there and the course was slightly snow covered and way too greasy to ride or do anything but look at it, I decided to ride the skate park a bit. The sign said no bikes but there were a couple of younger BMX rippers there so I felt safe. It was fun. Hit up the little table top there and a little spine to table transfer. Ripped a few jumps and then back on my way. Over all it was a fun ride.
If anyone is interested in helping me clean up the jumps let me know. I was told by those BMXers and all the info I can find on the Internet that it's basically up to the riders to maintain the jumps and I'm down to put in some shovel time and do a little diggin' to make the place worth riding. So if you want to help me leave me a comment.
So this is a bit old but its been brewing in the back of my mind and I was thinking about it yesterday while I was riding and today on the way to work.
When I was riding at Turkey Mtn in OK a couple of the guys, actually all of them but one said that they would much rather go up a hill then down it and when I asked them why they said they didn't really feel comfortable or in control when going down espcially if there were obsticals or any drops. At the time I didn't really say much besides to relax and practice. As I thought more about it, if you don't feel comfortable doing something on a mtn bike or on a trail why is that? Are you afraid? Is that because of your bike, your gear or your skills?
I was talking to a couple of my friends that wanted me to help them learn how to bunny hop, manual and even ride wheelies. Don't get me wrong, these friends are not new to the sport they have been riding mtn bikes longer then me but they are dedicated xc racers that would work me in a XC race but do have some holes in theri game and they ride clips. When I asked them why they didn't just practice themselves they told me they didn't want to flip over backwards like I did in the parking lot at one of the cyclocross races last year and be stuck to their bike. I get that. It's fear. Fear is what is keeping most people from improving as a rider.
The first question I have for you if you are more apt to go up than down because you don't feel in control or if you are afraid to try/ride new sections and/or are walking difficult parts of the trail or are like my friends that don't want to learn/try new skills because you are afraid I have a few suggestions.
First is flats, flat pedals was the first thing I told them they would have to get before I could help them, even if only for training.
Flats are confident inspiring simply because of the ease of bailing. If you are trying to learn a wheelie or a manual and go too far back you can just jump off and catch your self. If you are learning tougher things such as rock gardens or new sections like plank bridges or other obstacles you can easily take your foot of and put it down to catch yourself. Plus you will gain so much by training with flats. Like a better pedal stroke and bike control. If you learn to corner and bunny hop on flats when you do it with your clips on you will dominate!
I don't care if people choose to ride clips or flats, I like flats but I can ride both, but if one, namely clips, are holding you back or acting like a crutch to you. You need to ditch them at least for training and learn how to properly ride your bike and own your bike! There are tons of videos on the Internet and DVD's you can buy to learn new things also tons of great books to check out. Start with getting comfortable on your flats, then work on track stands and cornering. Then move on to manuals and wheelies and then to bunny hops. If you have those done find a pump track that you can learn to flow on and from there you can start jumping. There is that place in Eagan and also a great place in Mapleplain that you can check out if you are in the Twin Cities area.
Second thing is for handling purposes, especially if you are going down and taking hard fast corners try a shorter stem 50-70mm and wider handle bars 700-750mm and if some one tells you that you can't climb with short stems and wide bars they are full of shit and don't know how to ride there bike. I have 6inchs of travel with 720bars and a 70mm stem and I'm thinking of going to a 50mm stem. There can be some walk in the front end if you always sit and spin up the hill but if you get out of your saddle and get a little more weight on the front end there is no movement at all. Simply getting in the right position, "the attack" position as many of these training books call it, you can dominate. Same with going down hill, don't lean off the back, get centered over you pedals, butt out like you're doing a dead lift elbows bent and out, back flat and chest over the handle bars, head up with vision down trail and you will feel so much more in control! If you don't believe me try it or hit me up I'll let you rip my bike before you invest your money.
Good luck to you all!
Keep it real!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
fair weather rider
The weekend has come and gone, unfortunately.... There wasn't a whole lot going on this weekend. I did a solid work out on Thursday. The DB combos are starting to get tougher each week now, longer intervals with less break. Didn't do much Friday, Saturday I went for about 1hr 15min road ride on the MTB, man that is a good work out pushing those 2.35 meaty tires up and down the hills by my house. Did a breif urban assult ride after that but my legs were shaking so I headed home, not worth getting hurt. Definately need to get the legs rollin' here asap.
Saturday night I went through Kelly's bike and cleaned it all up and got it ready for this summers riding. I also went through my buddy Dan's bike. Wow that was a mess. Probably needed to have some stuff replaced but he said he didn't want to spend the money so I just did my best. It's a 2003 Trek 4300 and he said it was last serviced like 5 years ago and it showed. the cones were finger tight and barely any grease in there, surprisingly they weren't that pitted so I just cleaned them up and lubed it up and tightened it up. I did change up his set up since he had his handle bars super high. It felt like a sunday cruiser so I lowered the bars so they were at the Lee McCormack recomended 1.5inches below seat hight, that felt way better and way more responsive. He might be selling it and getting a newer bike anyways so whatever.
Sunday we went shopping at Sam's club and hung out with Kelly's parents. After that I went for a short ride on the LHT and went the gym. Man I hate riding my bike when I'm cold. I thought I was dressed appropriate but as soon as the sun started to set it got cold. I don't know if I'm going to be ready for this 100mile Almanzo if the weather doesn't get it's shit together really quick!
I hope you all are ready for another "great" week at work. Looks like it's suppose to warm up here this week, some possible rain on Sunday to get rid of that snow and hopefully clear the streets! yeah!
Keep it real!
Saturday night I went through Kelly's bike and cleaned it all up and got it ready for this summers riding. I also went through my buddy Dan's bike. Wow that was a mess. Probably needed to have some stuff replaced but he said he didn't want to spend the money so I just did my best. It's a 2003 Trek 4300 and he said it was last serviced like 5 years ago and it showed. the cones were finger tight and barely any grease in there, surprisingly they weren't that pitted so I just cleaned them up and lubed it up and tightened it up. I did change up his set up since he had his handle bars super high. It felt like a sunday cruiser so I lowered the bars so they were at the Lee McCormack recomended 1.5inches below seat hight, that felt way better and way more responsive. He might be selling it and getting a newer bike anyways so whatever.
Sunday we went shopping at Sam's club and hung out with Kelly's parents. After that I went for a short ride on the LHT and went the gym. Man I hate riding my bike when I'm cold. I thought I was dressed appropriate but as soon as the sun started to set it got cold. I don't know if I'm going to be ready for this 100mile Almanzo if the weather doesn't get it's shit together really quick!
I hope you all are ready for another "great" week at work. Looks like it's suppose to warm up here this week, some possible rain on Sunday to get rid of that snow and hopefully clear the streets! yeah!
Keep it real!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
When will winter just give up!
Seriously when is winter going to be over! I just want to ride my GD mtn bike! I love snow and lots of it but seriously I've had my fill of winter this year. It's time to go! It's time to warm up so I don't have to wear a jacket and don't have to have the heat on in my house or warm my car up! I want to be able to ride my bike in shorts and rip the trails up!
Ok enough complaining. Work went well and the drive to and from work wasn't bad. After work we took Jerry to the vet. He weighed in at 43lbs, thats like 7lbs in a month. Not bad but the vet told us that he will probably break the 100lbs pound mark before he's down growing! Yikes that's going to be a big boy!
So this is pretty amazing, actually it's probably the coolest trick I've ever seen on a bike. Check it out http://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/member/Neu-Flip-Full-bike-kickflip,6237/sspomer,2
If you are not impressed by this I don't know what it will take to impress you!
Keep it real!
Ok enough complaining. Work went well and the drive to and from work wasn't bad. After work we took Jerry to the vet. He weighed in at 43lbs, thats like 7lbs in a month. Not bad but the vet told us that he will probably break the 100lbs pound mark before he's down growing! Yikes that's going to be a big boy!
So this is pretty amazing, actually it's probably the coolest trick I've ever seen on a bike. Check it out http://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/member/Neu-Flip-Full-bike-kickflip,6237/sspomer,2
If you are not impressed by this I don't know what it will take to impress you!
Keep it real!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
double edge sword
Well this weekend is slogging on. Can't seem to dig my self out of my hole at work, but I'm not going to let that me bring me down. Although this rain, not so sure about it. I know that it is needed to speed up the snow melt and clean the road from the dirt and salt but it sure isn't going to get me on the trails any sooner. I know that I really need to put some miles in if I want to finish the Almonzo coming up here mid May and really put some serious miles if I want to finish with a respectable time. Although I just can't get the motivation. Some of it has to do with the weather. I will admit it I am a fair weather rider. I don't mind cold but I don't like really cold or wet and cold so this week is out of the question. I will continue to do my DB combos.
The hip is still feeling good but my hip flexor has been sore all day. Not sure what's up with that. It didn't bother my while I was working out but now just sitting here it's this dull ache... Hope it's nothing serious. Well let's hope that the weather turns for the better sooner then later so we might be able to ride some trails in April!
Keep it real!
The hip is still feeling good but my hip flexor has been sore all day. Not sure what's up with that. It didn't bother my while I was working out but now just sitting here it's this dull ache... Hope it's nothing serious. Well let's hope that the weather turns for the better sooner then later so we might be able to ride some trails in April!
Keep it real!
Monday, March 21, 2011
the weekend
Another fast but fun weekend. Nothing seriously exciting going on this weekend. Friday Kelly and I went over to her parents to celebrate her brother in laws birthday and jazz him a little about almost being 30, haha I know so old right, haha. Then Saturday, I got a decent urban ride in. I'm really working on my technical stuff, like track stands, manuals and bunny hops. I also had to throw in some sweet drops and stairs. The key to having a good urban ride is to have a creative mind and look at everything as an obstacle and try to relate it to the trail. If you can do that you can really improve your skills and have fun. I realized I definitely need to replace the triple with a double and a bash guard. I've already sheered off two teeth on the big ring... haha. The big difference I see, especially with in my group of rider friends, is that the hard core xc'ers are hitting the road bikes to "build" there legs and riding the trainers and the more "all" mountain bikers like myself were I'm building my legs in the gym doing weight cardio combos, like the MTB strength DB combos, and doing urban rides to build my legs and mtb skills! I'm not saying either are bad and both are needed but if you are serious about mtb you should be doing those road rides on your mt bike and not your road bike because they are two totally different animals!
Saturday afternoon was a lot of fun, we went to The Gopher down town. It's such a dive/hole in the wall but you can't beat $3.50 connie dogs and $1.50 tap beers. When we left there we went home for a little bit and then back to Kelly's parents neighbors to drink and hang out and Jerry had a play date with their dog Marley, who is a 9month old border collie and man was Jerry pooped after that. It's great, he was so tired he even let us sleep in on Sunday!
Sunday was a pretty lazy day. I woke up to take the dog for a walk and then we cleaned the house and hung out with our friends that were checking out this town home by ours. It would be cool if they moved close to use. We don't know very many people that live close to us. After they left, Kelly and I went grocery shopping and to pet smart and then I went to the gym. I did get the old truckachino steed ready for the commuting and gravel race season. Cleaned her all up and slapped on the fenders and a rear rack and road it to the gym. It felt super weird riding that bike after riding the Reign for the last few weeks, but after a short time I was flying down the road and the legs felt great... but definitely need to kick it in the but the Almonzo is coming up quick!
Hope you all had a great weekend! Have a great week!
Keep it real!
Saturday afternoon was a lot of fun, we went to The Gopher down town. It's such a dive/hole in the wall but you can't beat $3.50 connie dogs and $1.50 tap beers. When we left there we went home for a little bit and then back to Kelly's parents neighbors to drink and hang out and Jerry had a play date with their dog Marley, who is a 9month old border collie and man was Jerry pooped after that. It's great, he was so tired he even let us sleep in on Sunday!
Sunday was a pretty lazy day. I woke up to take the dog for a walk and then we cleaned the house and hung out with our friends that were checking out this town home by ours. It would be cool if they moved close to use. We don't know very many people that live close to us. After they left, Kelly and I went grocery shopping and to pet smart and then I went to the gym. I did get the old truckachino steed ready for the commuting and gravel race season. Cleaned her all up and slapped on the fenders and a rear rack and road it to the gym. It felt super weird riding that bike after riding the Reign for the last few weeks, but after a short time I was flying down the road and the legs felt great... but definitely need to kick it in the but the Almonzo is coming up quick!
Hope you all had a great weekend! Have a great week!
Keep it real!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
first shinner
Work went well today, I'm almost caught up. I'm probably going to go in early tomorrow so that I can get all caught up and not have to stay late at all. After work I went to the gym. It was a great work out. I'm really feeling the difference with my bike control. My bike weighs in at about 30lbs and I can just throw that beast around. Went out for another urban assault ride after working out. I learned the hard way that you need to adjust your rebound for how you're riding. I was busting some big drops in the back of the apartment complex beside our place. It was a natural rock retaining wall. I wasn't feeling quite ballsy enough to bust the full deal, its probably 6 walls or so. I usually keep the rear shock about 3 clicks from wide open most of the time but that didn't work for a 4 foot drop. the first time I landed it but got bucked a bit but held on. Then I did it again and slid out so I got back up on top and ripped at it and landed but this time it was serious buck and almost went over the handle bars, full out bail! haha so I slowed the rebound down to 3 clicks from the slowest and stuck it like a champ! Ripped down the drainage rock garden a couple times and played on some rocks in front of McDonald's and headed home. I did unfortunately slip off the pedal while manualing and got a nice nob on my shin. It hurt a little but luckily I didn't catch the pins, just the side of the pedal.
Jersey shows on tonight, got to love that show. Good laughs and makes me feel better about myself. Happy St. Patty's day, got to feel a little Irish today and have a couple beers!
Keep it real!
Jersey shows on tonight, got to love that show. Good laughs and makes me feel better about myself. Happy St. Patty's day, got to feel a little Irish today and have a couple beers!
Keep it real!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Urban Assault
This week is flying by. I can't believe it's already Wednesday evening. Work has been a bit crazy and slightly overwhelming due to being out of the office for a couple days. Unfortunately the work doesn't go on a vacation as well so I had to do all that work plus my normal stuff, but I'm pretty close to caught up now. I love this warm weather. I can't wait for the snow to all be gone. I'm hoping to start commuting to work next month and I hope at least a couple of the mtb trails will be open in about 4 weeks. Until then I will be busting the urban assault rides out!
I went on a urban ride today. Jumping off whatever I can find. Hit up a few stairs, drops and curbs. Really focusing on proper form for my manuals and cornering. I did find this sweet drainage steep that was filled with rocks. It really made for a great urban rock garden and the reign ate that up like a fat kid would chocolate cake! I did realize that I have to ditch the seat bag because when I bunny hop it rubs on the tire and drives me nuts. As the snow melts more and more opportunities show and I'm jacked to rip it up! I see a lot of potential drops and short steeps to shred as the snow melts. Remember get out and find something to shred!
Keep it real!
I went on a urban ride today. Jumping off whatever I can find. Hit up a few stairs, drops and curbs. Really focusing on proper form for my manuals and cornering. I did find this sweet drainage steep that was filled with rocks. It really made for a great urban rock garden and the reign ate that up like a fat kid would chocolate cake! I did realize that I have to ditch the seat bag because when I bunny hop it rubs on the tire and drives me nuts. As the snow melts more and more opportunities show and I'm jacked to rip it up! I see a lot of potential drops and short steeps to shred as the snow melts. Remember get out and find something to shred!
Keep it real!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
cardio shock therapy
Alright, Alright.... Alright! Where do I begin. First off I'm going to apologize about the lack of pictures, I'm a nub and forgot the battery to my camera at home so I couldn't take shots of the trail or riding. So I'll just start with a quick run down of the weekend and then a ride report, then a bike review and any other tid bits I have left.
The weekend started on Thursday for me. We pretty much we cleaned up the house, got the everything packed and hung out with Jerry. I had to take my car in for a noise from the rear tire. Yeah that ended up costing me $560 to get the wheel baring replaced. At least it is running well now, lets hope that stays the case for a long time to come. I need some time to recover from the last 3 months worth of repairs. I also got my new bars put on my bike. Answer AM pro tapper 720's and they got put to good use but more about that later. We dropped Jerry off at the kennel about 430 and ate dinner and hit the sack early as we were leaving at midnight to head to Tulsa.
Midnight came early, really early. The drive wasn't actually that bad. We got there about 10am and putzed about the town for a while and checked into the hotel, which was really nice, and crashed for a couple hours. That evening we had a the rehearsal since Kelly was in the wedding. It was my first rehearsal and it wasn't actually that bad.
Saturday I got to sleep in a little bit. Kelly had to leave at 7am to start doing her wedding preparation stuff. I woke up at about 830am, grabbed my stuff, filled my water bladder, hopped in the car and was off to find Turkey Mountain! It was time for the maiden voyage of the Reign deuce! After the ride I went back to the hotel sat in the hot tub, stretched out and tried to crash but I couldn't fall asleep. About 4pm I headed over to the church for the ceremony. It was a pretty nice ceremony. Short, how I like it. Then it was dinner time. Fettucini, lasagna and spaghetti was on the menu, along with some good beer. Not the usual cheep beer like Miller lite, thank God! haha. Over all it was a good wedding.
Unfortunately with the day light savings time we lost an hour of sleep. So we went to bed at 12 or actually 1am and got up at 430am and hit the road at 5am to make it back home in time to rescue the pup from the boarding place! It sure feels good to be home, it was great to see the pup but I'm not looking forward to going back to work. The weekend went way too fast.
Ride Report
Alright, the place is called Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness and it is located on the river bluffs of the Arkansas River, right in the heart of the city of Tulsa. It was about 8 miles from my hotel. I don't have a lot to compare it to but it was like nothing that I've ridden. It would kind of be like riding on the superior hiking trail. It was super rocky, with a fair amount of roots, steep short climbs and some fun down hills. There is a sign with tree loops on it that were marked. A 1mile, 3 mile and a 8 mile loop but on top of that there was a spider web of trails shooting of in all directions and criss crossing each other. It was kind of confusing and it felt like I was lost most of the time and riding and re-riding the same trails, so I started following a couple guys and they were cool with me tagging along. It was like a Giant bike reunion, one guy had a '09 Anthem X 1 and the other guy was on a '09 Trance X 2 and I of course was on the '11 Reign deuce! It was pretty fun riding with them. The guy on the Trance wasn't all that competent of a rider. He told me he just started last summer and mostly rides road, so it was to be expected and of course he was rocking clipless pedals and almost killed himself a couple times. The other guy was a pretty good rider. Riding was pretty fun when I was riding behind him, we got to rip at a good pace and flow through all the rock gardens and I mean lots of rock gardens! It was pretty much all rock garden. Nothing like the trails I've ridden around here. It was rock gardens non stop, on the climbs on the descents on the flats. I'd have to say it was about 80 rocks gardens and 10 roots and 10 smooth flowy single track. If was a blast though and if you had decent kung fu you could really put the braap down. Unfortunately when I was behind the dude on the trance he stopped in the middle of about every other rock garden and really killed my flow. At the end of the ride with them was a killer down hill which I finally got to let the Reign's 6inch mastro suspension loose and man I was not let down but more about that in a minute.
I was pretty shot when I got to the parking lot but I didn't want to call it a day yet. It was only 11am and I had all day to kill so I took about a 20 min break and hit the trail again. I decided to go explore and was really flowing, pumping through rock gardens launching off some rocks and then bam the trail was gone. It was completely washed out, so I had to decide if it was worth hiking back up the trail I just ripped down or hike up the steep. I chose the steep, it was way shorter but damn it wasn't easy with a 30lbs bike on my shoulder, haha. Not too much longer after getting back on the trail I ran into a group of riders and they were super cool and said I could tag along with them. It was fun riding but I ran into similar issues as with the first guys I was riding with. The group was riding too close, so if any one messed up in the rock garden everyone had to stop and it was almost impossible to get restarted so I ended up walking some of the rock gardens I was sure I could ride. The other issue I ran into was that they were in a bit better shape then me. They were all road riders and have been riding in AZ and TX for the last 2 months and it showed on the climbs but all but 2 of them need to pick up a Lee McCormack MTB skills book because they had no skills when it came to flowing or descending. I would ether rip by them or have to ride my brakes and couple times almost killed my self in the rock gardens since I didn't have any momentum! But I couldn't stay in the front because I couldn't keep up with them on their climbs, probably had something to do with there cardio and might have something to do with them all riding XC 29ers but I was holding my own most of the time. Over all it was a great place to ride. I was told it is the premier mtb spot in all of OK. So if you get a chance ride Turkey mountain do it, it's worth it and I'm so glad I brought my bike down. Unfortunately now I have to just look at my bike in the basement till the snow melts, haha!
Bike Review!
WOW!! the bike was amazing, it did everything Giant claimed it would do and even exceeded my expectations. I would never have guessed it was a 6inch travel bike, it climbed like a machine. I would like a hydraulic dropper seat post because I ended up riding with the seat post slammed most of the time because it wasn't cool getting nut slapped on the descents and it was a hassle moving the seat post up and down so I was standing most of the ride which my have lead to some premature leg fatigue, but that's ok. So it climbed like a champ and ripped down hill, the rear end ate up the rocks, roots and any other bumps like a champ. I never bottomed out and it felt very plush. The rear end tracked great through all the rough stuff and I felt in complete controle the entire time. The 67deg head tube angle and 6inches of travel were definitely confidence inspiring. I felt almost invincible on the downhills. I can't wait to shred all summer. It was definitely the best investment I've made in a long time. I'm so glad I went with the 720mm handle bars and the 70mm stem. It totally made the bike handle like a champ. There was very little to zero noticeable pedal bob. I feel like I had the rebound and psi at the right spot. I had the rear shock at 3 clicks from wide open and about 180psi, and the fork at about 160psi and about 5 clicks from wide open.The bike weighed in at the bike shop at 29.7lbs which was only 2lbs heavier then the '10 anthem x 1! and it felt super light and very nimble! The only things I would change would probably be to add a dropper post, which probably wont happened this year. They are just too expensive. The other would be to drop the top chain ring and add a bash guard and maybe put a chain guide. I didn't drop a chain but a couple times I was surprised I didn't. Over all the bike is amazing and everything I was looking for. It isn't a XC machine or a DH sled but it can hold it's own doing both and I plan on testing it in both fields this summer.
On that note, there are a couple DH races I am considering doing. The first is at the Cuyuna Rec. Area Grand Opening Ceremony happening on the weekend of June 10th thru 12th, it's located near Crosby MN and the other is at Nordic Mountain in WI on the weekend of June 18th and 19th, probably wont be able to make that one since we are going to Tennessee for that week after and I'm not sure when we are leaving, plus it's pretty far away. I'm not really planning on doing a lot of racing this summer simply because of the budget short falls caused by my car breaking so much. We will have to see how the money situation is when the time comes! As for now, lets hope the snow melts soon and the flooding is minimal!
Keep it real!
The weekend started on Thursday for me. We pretty much we cleaned up the house, got the everything packed and hung out with Jerry. I had to take my car in for a noise from the rear tire. Yeah that ended up costing me $560 to get the wheel baring replaced. At least it is running well now, lets hope that stays the case for a long time to come. I need some time to recover from the last 3 months worth of repairs. I also got my new bars put on my bike. Answer AM pro tapper 720's and they got put to good use but more about that later. We dropped Jerry off at the kennel about 430 and ate dinner and hit the sack early as we were leaving at midnight to head to Tulsa.
Midnight came early, really early. The drive wasn't actually that bad. We got there about 10am and putzed about the town for a while and checked into the hotel, which was really nice, and crashed for a couple hours. That evening we had a the rehearsal since Kelly was in the wedding. It was my first rehearsal and it wasn't actually that bad.
Saturday I got to sleep in a little bit. Kelly had to leave at 7am to start doing her wedding preparation stuff. I woke up at about 830am, grabbed my stuff, filled my water bladder, hopped in the car and was off to find Turkey Mountain! It was time for the maiden voyage of the Reign deuce! After the ride I went back to the hotel sat in the hot tub, stretched out and tried to crash but I couldn't fall asleep. About 4pm I headed over to the church for the ceremony. It was a pretty nice ceremony. Short, how I like it. Then it was dinner time. Fettucini, lasagna and spaghetti was on the menu, along with some good beer. Not the usual cheep beer like Miller lite, thank God! haha. Over all it was a good wedding.
Unfortunately with the day light savings time we lost an hour of sleep. So we went to bed at 12 or actually 1am and got up at 430am and hit the road at 5am to make it back home in time to rescue the pup from the boarding place! It sure feels good to be home, it was great to see the pup but I'm not looking forward to going back to work. The weekend went way too fast.
Ride Report
Alright, the place is called Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness and it is located on the river bluffs of the Arkansas River, right in the heart of the city of Tulsa. It was about 8 miles from my hotel. I don't have a lot to compare it to but it was like nothing that I've ridden. It would kind of be like riding on the superior hiking trail. It was super rocky, with a fair amount of roots, steep short climbs and some fun down hills. There is a sign with tree loops on it that were marked. A 1mile, 3 mile and a 8 mile loop but on top of that there was a spider web of trails shooting of in all directions and criss crossing each other. It was kind of confusing and it felt like I was lost most of the time and riding and re-riding the same trails, so I started following a couple guys and they were cool with me tagging along. It was like a Giant bike reunion, one guy had a '09 Anthem X 1 and the other guy was on a '09 Trance X 2 and I of course was on the '11 Reign deuce! It was pretty fun riding with them. The guy on the Trance wasn't all that competent of a rider. He told me he just started last summer and mostly rides road, so it was to be expected and of course he was rocking clipless pedals and almost killed himself a couple times. The other guy was a pretty good rider. Riding was pretty fun when I was riding behind him, we got to rip at a good pace and flow through all the rock gardens and I mean lots of rock gardens! It was pretty much all rock garden. Nothing like the trails I've ridden around here. It was rock gardens non stop, on the climbs on the descents on the flats. I'd have to say it was about 80 rocks gardens and 10 roots and 10 smooth flowy single track. If was a blast though and if you had decent kung fu you could really put the braap down. Unfortunately when I was behind the dude on the trance he stopped in the middle of about every other rock garden and really killed my flow. At the end of the ride with them was a killer down hill which I finally got to let the Reign's 6inch mastro suspension loose and man I was not let down but more about that in a minute.
I was pretty shot when I got to the parking lot but I didn't want to call it a day yet. It was only 11am and I had all day to kill so I took about a 20 min break and hit the trail again. I decided to go explore and was really flowing, pumping through rock gardens launching off some rocks and then bam the trail was gone. It was completely washed out, so I had to decide if it was worth hiking back up the trail I just ripped down or hike up the steep. I chose the steep, it was way shorter but damn it wasn't easy with a 30lbs bike on my shoulder, haha. Not too much longer after getting back on the trail I ran into a group of riders and they were super cool and said I could tag along with them. It was fun riding but I ran into similar issues as with the first guys I was riding with. The group was riding too close, so if any one messed up in the rock garden everyone had to stop and it was almost impossible to get restarted so I ended up walking some of the rock gardens I was sure I could ride. The other issue I ran into was that they were in a bit better shape then me. They were all road riders and have been riding in AZ and TX for the last 2 months and it showed on the climbs but all but 2 of them need to pick up a Lee McCormack MTB skills book because they had no skills when it came to flowing or descending. I would ether rip by them or have to ride my brakes and couple times almost killed my self in the rock gardens since I didn't have any momentum! But I couldn't stay in the front because I couldn't keep up with them on their climbs, probably had something to do with there cardio and might have something to do with them all riding XC 29ers but I was holding my own most of the time. Over all it was a great place to ride. I was told it is the premier mtb spot in all of OK. So if you get a chance ride Turkey mountain do it, it's worth it and I'm so glad I brought my bike down. Unfortunately now I have to just look at my bike in the basement till the snow melts, haha!
Bike Review!
WOW!! the bike was amazing, it did everything Giant claimed it would do and even exceeded my expectations. I would never have guessed it was a 6inch travel bike, it climbed like a machine. I would like a hydraulic dropper seat post because I ended up riding with the seat post slammed most of the time because it wasn't cool getting nut slapped on the descents and it was a hassle moving the seat post up and down so I was standing most of the ride which my have lead to some premature leg fatigue, but that's ok. So it climbed like a champ and ripped down hill, the rear end ate up the rocks, roots and any other bumps like a champ. I never bottomed out and it felt very plush. The rear end tracked great through all the rough stuff and I felt in complete controle the entire time. The 67deg head tube angle and 6inches of travel were definitely confidence inspiring. I felt almost invincible on the downhills. I can't wait to shred all summer. It was definitely the best investment I've made in a long time. I'm so glad I went with the 720mm handle bars and the 70mm stem. It totally made the bike handle like a champ. There was very little to zero noticeable pedal bob. I feel like I had the rebound and psi at the right spot. I had the rear shock at 3 clicks from wide open and about 180psi, and the fork at about 160psi and about 5 clicks from wide open.The bike weighed in at the bike shop at 29.7lbs which was only 2lbs heavier then the '10 anthem x 1! and it felt super light and very nimble! The only things I would change would probably be to add a dropper post, which probably wont happened this year. They are just too expensive. The other would be to drop the top chain ring and add a bash guard and maybe put a chain guide. I didn't drop a chain but a couple times I was surprised I didn't. Over all the bike is amazing and everything I was looking for. It isn't a XC machine or a DH sled but it can hold it's own doing both and I plan on testing it in both fields this summer.
On that note, there are a couple DH races I am considering doing. The first is at the Cuyuna Rec. Area Grand Opening Ceremony happening on the weekend of June 10th thru 12th, it's located near Crosby MN and the other is at Nordic Mountain in WI on the weekend of June 18th and 19th, probably wont be able to make that one since we are going to Tennessee for that week after and I'm not sure when we are leaving, plus it's pretty far away. I'm not really planning on doing a lot of racing this summer simply because of the budget short falls caused by my car breaking so much. We will have to see how the money situation is when the time comes! As for now, lets hope the snow melts soon and the flooding is minimal!
Keep it real!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
busy day and great opportunity
Alright yesterday was pretty good. Not a lot going on but I did get some great news. Honestly I wasn't really looking forward to this weekend. 10hrs each way of driving, Kelly is in the wedding so I will be sitting through the ceremony and dinner by myself, and I will be by myself for pretty much all of Saturday, from 830am on Kelly will be busy, but it's all okay to go to OK now! I did a little quick research after seeing the weather report and there is some sweet single track only 8miles from my hotel! Yeah the weather should be mid 60's, dry and I emailed a bunch of bike shops to check out the trail conditions and get some first hand knowledge. All good news! They said they got a little rain on Monday and Tuesday but by the weekend the trail should be in perfect shape with perfect weather. So this is what I've heard about the place. It's called Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness. Unfortunately it's not a real mountain but it is river bluffs, the topo looks similar to the Redwing area, so I am excited about that. One shop told me it is amazing technical single track. I read online that it has some trails for beginners but the majority is intermediate to advance and that full suspension is recommended. Perfect I have that. The website said that it is a good mix of up and down with some short steep climbs and some fun steep and flowy downhill with roots and lots of technical rock gardens. That's great! I actually get to try out my bike on it's maiden voyage on a trail that is exactly what this bike was built for!
This afternoon I will get my answer 720 bars on. We will pack up our stuff, take the dog to the kennel and clean the house. Then we will pack the car take a quick nap and I believe we are planning on leaving at midnight tonight and getting there about 10 or 11am! I probably wont blog till Monday but I hope to have some great stories and maybe some picks. Sorry about the delay with the pics of the bike I promise I will get those up soon!
Keep it real!
This afternoon I will get my answer 720 bars on. We will pack up our stuff, take the dog to the kennel and clean the house. Then we will pack the car take a quick nap and I believe we are planning on leaving at midnight tonight and getting there about 10 or 11am! I probably wont blog till Monday but I hope to have some great stories and maybe some picks. Sorry about the delay with the pics of the bike I promise I will get those up soon!
Keep it real!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
OK okay?
Sorry to all my followers, 2 officially, I have been a bit inconsistent with my blogging but there hasn't been a whole lot going on in my life. The bike just sits there begging me to ride it but again with the snow! Although things are looking up. The temp is consistently above 30 lately so that equals melt which means soon there will be mud and then dry dirt! I can't wait. This week has gone by pretty quick. Jerry is doing well. We were a little concerned with him last night since he wasn't very motivated to do anything and that isn't like the terror bear but we did take him to day care yesterday and they said he played hard all day. He was so tired last night he wouldn't even walk up the stairs he just laid there an wined. I was a little nervous that he got hurt playing so hard but all worries were washed away this morning after he ate. Terror bear was back in comish! haha.
This weekend Kelly and I are going to a wedding in Tulsa, OK. Unfortunately I'm not bring my bike. No real time. It's going to be more of a dine and dash type wedding for us. Don't have the money to stay at the place they reserved or to stay extra days to hang out. We are leaving midnight on Thursday. When we arrive we will sight see a bit, check in about 2pm, take a nap, get ready for the rehearsal dinner and do all that and then the wedding is on Saturday. We'll do that thing and get up and drive back about 6am Sunday. I'm sure it will fly by. It's Kelly's high school friend getting married and Kelly is in the wedding, so I don't know what I'll do all day Saturday while she is getting all dolled up for the wedding. She'll be looking gorgeous and I'll be looking like a dirty bike riding hippie in a suite, haha, just how I like it! I will shave though. Definitely not looking forward to two 10hour drives so close together but the plane tickets were 400+ each! Yikes, the middle east needs to sort their shit out and we need to use some of out own oil to bring gas prices back to $2 something! real fast!
Keep it real!
This weekend Kelly and I are going to a wedding in Tulsa, OK. Unfortunately I'm not bring my bike. No real time. It's going to be more of a dine and dash type wedding for us. Don't have the money to stay at the place they reserved or to stay extra days to hang out. We are leaving midnight on Thursday. When we arrive we will sight see a bit, check in about 2pm, take a nap, get ready for the rehearsal dinner and do all that and then the wedding is on Saturday. We'll do that thing and get up and drive back about 6am Sunday. I'm sure it will fly by. It's Kelly's high school friend getting married and Kelly is in the wedding, so I don't know what I'll do all day Saturday while she is getting all dolled up for the wedding. She'll be looking gorgeous and I'll be looking like a dirty bike riding hippie in a suite, haha, just how I like it! I will shave though. Definitely not looking forward to two 10hour drives so close together but the plane tickets were 400+ each! Yikes, the middle east needs to sort their shit out and we need to use some of out own oil to bring gas prices back to $2 something! real fast!
Keep it real!
Monday, March 7, 2011
where was I
This weekend in total is pretty much a blur. I can't really remember what I did exactly each day. I know that I did some working on Sunday, it was great. I tossed in those 3 exercises from James Wilson to build a stronger pedal stroke. Man they really work. I can feel it in the respected areas for sure and I rode my to the gym, definitely need to work on the cardio. It was awesome tho! I was jumpin' curbs and snowbanks. Layin' back and flying through the rutty frozen snow/ice chunks and lettin' the rear end float through it and the front end tracked well, so I am super stoked to rip up some serious trails, hopin' to head to red wing as soon as it's dry enough and up to giants ridge! I want to hit up some dh! Until then I will be doing as much urban assault riding as possible. So now starts the recon to find some sweet drops/loading docks and stair cases to shred up!
I did try to fix my car but all attempts have been futile. I thought I needed new front brakes, when I took those apart they break pads were fine and the rotors are a little worn but there was a pebble in there making all the noise, so that was good. Returned the parts and got the parts to due the back drum brakes, hoping that was the cause of the noise since it was the tire being out of balance. Nope, they were also in great shape. They were a bitch to get apart but in good shape. We just cleaned them up a bit and then checked the rear differential to make sure it had fluid and it did. That means, unfortunately that my right rear wheel baring is shot, no idea how much that will cost but it has to be fixed soon or it might cease up on that's not good! Damn it! well lets keep our fingers crossed that it will be the last thing to fix for awhile or I will be in a financial crunch!
Did a lot of chillin' with Kelly and the pooch and a little with her family. It was a nice weekend. I wish it would just get warm and stay warm. I just want to ride!
Keep it real!
I did try to fix my car but all attempts have been futile. I thought I needed new front brakes, when I took those apart they break pads were fine and the rotors are a little worn but there was a pebble in there making all the noise, so that was good. Returned the parts and got the parts to due the back drum brakes, hoping that was the cause of the noise since it was the tire being out of balance. Nope, they were also in great shape. They were a bitch to get apart but in good shape. We just cleaned them up a bit and then checked the rear differential to make sure it had fluid and it did. That means, unfortunately that my right rear wheel baring is shot, no idea how much that will cost but it has to be fixed soon or it might cease up on that's not good! Damn it! well lets keep our fingers crossed that it will be the last thing to fix for awhile or I will be in a financial crunch!
Did a lot of chillin' with Kelly and the pooch and a little with her family. It was a nice weekend. I wish it would just get warm and stay warm. I just want to ride!
Keep it real!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
oh it's on!
Holla! if you couldn't figure it out I got my bike! Oh and I am glad I didn't get the '10 model, the '11 is so much sexier and has even better components! It is bad ass! I'm going to keep everything stock except the handle bars. It comes with 665mm and they are just too small. I have already order the new Answer AM 720mm bars. They should be here soon and then I'll get them swapped out and be able to set up my cockpit the way I want it.
Work was kind of stress full, not because of the work load but because I was checking my email every hour hoping that Dave would hit me up and tell me that my bike was ready but nope. I checked at 4pm right before I left work and still nothing. So I figured it wouldn't be ready till tomorrow or Saturday. I was going to go workout after work but I forgot my clothes, so I went home and was planning on going to the Eagan lifetime after dinner. I played with the pooch and was just sitting there and decided to send Dave an email just to see how things were going and there it was! The email I had been waiting for, "your bike is ready!" Oh yeah! I got my jacket on and headed out the door. I spent about 45mins at the shop getting it roughly fitted for me and the suspension set up. Had to learn a few important things since I've never had a full suspension bike or one with disc brakes, big upgrades!
When I got home it was time to play with it. I tossed on my pedals and headed down to the gas station to get a snack and spin the cranks. It felt great to ride a bike and pain free to boot! It's slightly down hill so it was fun to jump on the curbs and really let it flow a bit but damn it is all up hill back home! and I caught my jacket on the seat and broke the zipper, I hope I can get that thing fixed. I love that jacket!
I can definitely say I am not in riding shape right now. I feel strong but the cardio is lacking! It needs to get warm so I can get out and do some sprints on the bike, run some stairs and do some serious cardio. The hip is feeling great so it is about time to work the cardio back into the routine. It might be time to bust out the nightmare before Christmas workout and some rope skipping.
It was a blast to ride, even though it was only on the road! I can't wait for the snow to melt so I can really lay the braap down!
On other news, I can officially let you all know that Kelly will be an aunt this fall. Her sister is pregnant, not sure if it's a boy or girl yet. Also if anyone is interested in purchasing a bad ass bike for a good price. I was offered this '08 Felt Redemption for $1500 or best offer, I've posted it on the Midwest Freeride website. Click here to view it.
There will be pics of the new ride posted shortly!
Keep it real!
Work was kind of stress full, not because of the work load but because I was checking my email every hour hoping that Dave would hit me up and tell me that my bike was ready but nope. I checked at 4pm right before I left work and still nothing. So I figured it wouldn't be ready till tomorrow or Saturday. I was going to go workout after work but I forgot my clothes, so I went home and was planning on going to the Eagan lifetime after dinner. I played with the pooch and was just sitting there and decided to send Dave an email just to see how things were going and there it was! The email I had been waiting for, "your bike is ready!" Oh yeah! I got my jacket on and headed out the door. I spent about 45mins at the shop getting it roughly fitted for me and the suspension set up. Had to learn a few important things since I've never had a full suspension bike or one with disc brakes, big upgrades!
When I got home it was time to play with it. I tossed on my pedals and headed down to the gas station to get a snack and spin the cranks. It felt great to ride a bike and pain free to boot! It's slightly down hill so it was fun to jump on the curbs and really let it flow a bit but damn it is all up hill back home! and I caught my jacket on the seat and broke the zipper, I hope I can get that thing fixed. I love that jacket!
I can definitely say I am not in riding shape right now. I feel strong but the cardio is lacking! It needs to get warm so I can get out and do some sprints on the bike, run some stairs and do some serious cardio. The hip is feeling great so it is about time to work the cardio back into the routine. It might be time to bust out the nightmare before Christmas workout and some rope skipping.
It was a blast to ride, even though it was only on the road! I can't wait for the snow to melt so I can really lay the braap down!
On other news, I can officially let you all know that Kelly will be an aunt this fall. Her sister is pregnant, not sure if it's a boy or girl yet. Also if anyone is interested in purchasing a bad ass bike for a good price. I was offered this '08 Felt Redemption for $1500 or best offer, I've posted it on the Midwest Freeride website. Click here to view it.
There will be pics of the new ride posted shortly!
Keep it real!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
not a lot going on
As the title states, not a lot going on in my neck of the woods. Work is going well. I am getting the hang of it quickly and feel really confident in what I'm doing. So that's good. I actually don't mind going to work which is cool. I hope that doesn't go away as the newness wears off. The days are going by quickly. No bike yet, hopefully tomorrow!
Here are a couple neat things to check out. I'm officially a TV star, haha jk but I was on the show Life to the Max on a local tv show, but here is a clip. It shows my and my buddy Stu, I'm repelling about minute 5 or so http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyp04bmZV9c
Another neat link I have for you is Top 3 Clipless Pedal Myths you should all check this out no matter if you ride clips and will never try flats, if your thinking about trying flats or if you're all on board like me. The main reason isn't to sway you one way or the other. James does make good points about each myth, but he also provides you with 3 exercises to improve your pedal stroke and make you a more powerful pedaler! I know we all want that! So check it out, give them a try, they work and they are great!
The weeks almost over and it looks like there might be some more snow next week but then followed by warm weather! Keepin' the finger crossed. I've had enough winter this year. I don't have any desire to ice climb, play hockey or do anything else winter related any more, unless it would be Biker cross at Buck Hill, not sure if they are doing that this year.
Keep it real!
Here are a couple neat things to check out. I'm officially a TV star, haha jk but I was on the show Life to the Max on a local tv show, but here is a clip. It shows my and my buddy Stu, I'm repelling about minute 5 or so http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyp04bmZV9c
Another neat link I have for you is Top 3 Clipless Pedal Myths you should all check this out no matter if you ride clips and will never try flats, if your thinking about trying flats or if you're all on board like me. The main reason isn't to sway you one way or the other. James does make good points about each myth, but he also provides you with 3 exercises to improve your pedal stroke and make you a more powerful pedaler! I know we all want that! So check it out, give them a try, they work and they are great!
The weeks almost over and it looks like there might be some more snow next week but then followed by warm weather! Keepin' the finger crossed. I've had enough winter this year. I don't have any desire to ice climb, play hockey or do anything else winter related any more, unless it would be Biker cross at Buck Hill, not sure if they are doing that this year.
Keep it real!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Bike Junkie
Ok, first off I'm sure you've noticed the change of scenery on my blog, that is by popular request, by half of my followers. Haha ok so one person, Ben, I hope it is quicker and more user friendly now!
Sunday went as planned. We, Jerry and I, went out to watch Kelly's DH ski team and get lots of petting! haha him not me, unfortunately the chicks dig him. Where was he when I was single? Anyways, Monday was another bloody Monday, bloody boring that is, well I shouldn't say that. I did get to go to the Wild game but more about that later. At work it was super boring. I was just doing my thing trucking along through my paper work and then bam the computer system went down hard. Better just call it a day, at 3pm. Unfortunately I can just leave so I watched videos on pinkbike.com, haha. Love getting paid to do nothing. After work I simply went home watched TV for a bit and then it was off to the Wild game. I didn't even know who was playing. When I found out it was the Black Hawks, I was super jacked! It was a great game even though we lost. It was really fast passed, very few whistles and even a fight! After the game we went home rescued the puppy from his kennel for an hour or so and off to bed.
This waiting for a bike that you own but can't play with is worse then Christmas when you were a kid! I don't know why it's so bad. I know that I can't even really ride it for another couple weeks or months. Oh well I just want it so hopefully it comes in this week so I can at least look at it and touch it and sit on it and maybe ride it back and forth on the street! I know pathetic but whatever I'm like a junkie I just need my fix!
Keep it real!
Sunday went as planned. We, Jerry and I, went out to watch Kelly's DH ski team and get lots of petting! haha him not me, unfortunately the chicks dig him. Where was he when I was single? Anyways, Monday was another bloody Monday, bloody boring that is, well I shouldn't say that. I did get to go to the Wild game but more about that later. At work it was super boring. I was just doing my thing trucking along through my paper work and then bam the computer system went down hard. Better just call it a day, at 3pm. Unfortunately I can just leave so I watched videos on pinkbike.com, haha. Love getting paid to do nothing. After work I simply went home watched TV for a bit and then it was off to the Wild game. I didn't even know who was playing. When I found out it was the Black Hawks, I was super jacked! It was a great game even though we lost. It was really fast passed, very few whistles and even a fight! After the game we went home rescued the puppy from his kennel for an hour or so and off to bed.
This waiting for a bike that you own but can't play with is worse then Christmas when you were a kid! I don't know why it's so bad. I know that I can't even really ride it for another couple weeks or months. Oh well I just want it so hopefully it comes in this week so I can at least look at it and touch it and sit on it and maybe ride it back and forth on the street! I know pathetic but whatever I'm like a junkie I just need my fix!
Keep it real!
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