To Ride or Not to Ride, That is the Question

The rain is a welcome gift from the gods of nature. Or it is simply a natural act of precipitation and other such natural phenomena that have been going on for millions of years before the advent of man and will continue on for millions of years after we are long gone. Either way, we riders are faced with this: To ride or not to ride, that is the question. If someone goes with me I will usually elect to ride, rain or shine.

But now the question is: Where? With all of the trail closures (a tolerable inconvenience) we are left with very few choices.

Russ and I had our own solution yesterday. We decided to do a big ~20 mile loop up Hicks Road and all the way around into Almaden Valley. Basically we just rode all the way AROUND Quicksilver Park. Granted, it was not as fun as going through it, but it worked. The ride had everything you need: long steep climbs, gradual climbs, steep and fast descents, long flat sections, beautiful views, and even some dirt and mud. There was very little rain and the cloud enshrouded mountains were a sight to meditate on. Below are the ride stats:

• Distance: 19.15 miles
• Total time: 1:56:58
• Average Pace: 6:06/mile
• Average Speed: 9.8 mph
• Max Speed: 32 mph (Russ), 37 mph (Eric)
• Total Ascent 1408 feet
  

If you are using Google Earth, open this link, the view it there.

One great thing to remember is that the single track on Camden is never closed. I can imagine a ride that just goes up and down that a few times would be a lot of fun and quite dirty.

Coming soon...

Description of "China Camp" ride--some beautiful north bay singletrack!
Pic's of Shane and Eric--as sexy as you would expect.
Action shots of Eric doing a 6" drop on a toddler bike--You'll wish you had been there to see it!

The Fuel EX vs the Intense 6.6--CONTEST INCLUDED!

So here is my trusty steed, my beloved ride that has taken me through many a weary mile and many a thrilling descent. It is a machine I purchased at a time when cycling was just a an idea in my mind--a fantasy that still needed to be lived out. Now, two years later and thousands of miles of trail conquered, I am ready for a complete upgrade.

Problem--the variety of quality bikes out there right now is simply staggering! The choices can make your head spin if you think about it too much--which I inevitably do. Which brand? Which model? How much travel do I need? Should I go lighter? Should I get the same type of bike or something in a different category alltogether? What do the terms 'all-mountain' and 'freeride' mean anyway? And it always happens that just when I think I have narrowed it down the THE bike, I learn something new and I change my mind again.

Part of the solution, I think, is what some of my friends have told me: rent a bike you like to see if you will actually like riding it and then decide. Taking such sagacious advice to heart, I rented out an Intense 6.6. I took pictures of both bikes from the same angle so you could compare the angles and such. Some cool features of this bike are: 6.6 rear travel; Fox 40 fork with travel reduced to 7 inches; shimano XT brakes, shifters, and crank with bashguard; Shimano '07 XTR rear derailleur; DT Swiss wheelset.

I would tell you how much it weighed but I want you to guess. Take a stab at it and post it in a comment. Guess down to the tenth's (e.g. 30.8 lbs) place. The winner will get to go on a ride with me! (And the pride of being right!)

I took this machine out on two rides: ST Park and Demo. I will discuss the latter. I guess I should discuss the ride chronologically. Here is what I was thinking on this ride. The real test of the usefulness of this bike would not be the climb to the top, but rather the climb out of the vally and back to the car. Would I be able to complete the 6 miles to the Demo trailhead (Ridge Trail) with relative ease, fly down Braille, and then climb out without resting, walking, bonking, or dying? hmmmmm....Let's recap the whole thing shall we?

The Conditions--Wow! The weather was great! It was the first time in three months that I felt I could ride in shorts, one shirt, and one pair of socks. The trails were 99% dry and very soft, but not dusty. In other words, it could not have been better. There were no downed trees across the trail either.

The Climb--SO I started up the road right before another group of guys who were also on some pretty big bikes. None of them had a dual crown fork though. To my surprise, I never saw them again, even though I expected them to pass me on the climb up. One of them looked around 18 years old! I vividly remember his look of amazement as I took off from the lot. It was probably because I was on such a kickass bike and I had my helmet strapped to the back and my grey locks were blowing in the wind. I bet those two things did not seem possible to him, and he probably thought I was much older than I am!

As I continued up the road I came across a group of three riders--two young guys and one older guy. Two of them were on hardtails and one of them did not even have a helmet! The other dude was on a 40 pound bike! They had never been there and were dumb enough not to come with some sort of map, so I told them they could follow me but that I would not be slowing down. The older guy dissappeared almost instantly and the other two were suffering. I gave them some quick directions and left them eating my dust, so to speak. I wonder if they ever found Braille?

I got to the top without too much strain. In fact, I felt pretty good! I am sure that my imagining the downhill run on such a bike is what gave me the adrenaline to make up relatively quickly.

The Downhill--There are few words for this experience, but I will try. All that travel! The speed and control I had as I tackled the first part of Ridge trail was shocking. Rocky sections were smooth, but not so smooth as to take out all of the feeling of the trail. In fact, the faster you go, the more you feel. I soon realized that, with the front so far out ahead of the cockpit, the steering is far more accurate. This gave me great control in the corners.

Braille--Oh shizzle! I bombed down the whole thing without stopping once. Crosscountry bike riders watched in amazement. Hardtail riders drooled. Some fell to their knees and gave thanks. Most just jumped out of the way with their eyes bugged out and their jaws dragging on the ground. Every jump was at least twice as big as on my Trek (peace be upon it), and every drop was magnified by my preloading the suspension. I hit drops I have always been afraid to do and my jumps probably extended out to at least 10 feet long. Maybe more! I never stopped to check. As for pedalling, I was able to keep my momentum up quite easily. I was a little bummed when I hit the last stretch of the trail. It just felt like it was too soon.

The Climb Out--Ok, now for the real test. After all that fun and adrenaline would it be possible to climb out with relatively little fuss? Naturally, one would expect it to be harder, and it was harder. I got to know the granny gear very well. However, I never walked and I never rested. There was no pain, though I could tell there was more of a strain on my muscles. I would not have been able to keep up with myself had a clone of mine been pedalling the Trek. Finally, even though I was alone, I reached the lot sooner than expected, and I felt I still had some power left in me, but definitely not for another loop.

Final thoughts--The bike inspires confidence and makes it easy to use the skills you know you have and yet are afraid to try them because you feel unsafe doing so on your short travel bike. It is so fun! The bike greatly increases both the thrill and the overall safety of the ride. The control it gives you helps you to get set up for whatever stunt or obstacle is comming up. If you check out my last post on Demo, you'll see that there was a log that no one wanted to roll over or drop off. I decided this time to roll it (since I was alone!) and it went so smoothly I almost went right back to drop it!

So is a bike like this worth the extra weight? It only weighs....oops, I almost told you! In my opinion, if you live for the downhills and the stunts, if you are a strong climber and want to be even stronger, if you don't mind your friends waiting for you a bit (but not too much) on the climbs (because you'll be waiting for them on the downhill!), then big is the way to go! I felt like I could ride the bike all day long, just about. And I did 30 miles on two rides in less than 24 hours!

Worth it? Youbetcha!

Don't forget the contest!

Here Comes the Rain Again

It's not the Eurhythnmics; it's just Eric and Russ acting a little bit more like Annie Lenox than either is really comfortable with.

Saturday, 10 February was a super wet day. We knew we had to avoid the mud-nure in between Harry Road and ST Park, so we entered into ST via a new entrance for Russ, an old standby for Eric.

It was raining pretty hard when we got going, but fortunately it was about 64 degrees, and frankly, it felt great. It's not hard to imagine how we'll be begging for a day like this once July and August roll around.

We started here and then climbed up Bernal toward IBM. As we ascended, Eric made a bold prediction that the Rangers would be waiting at the top to tell us the trails were closed. Sure enough, just as we crested the hill, a Ranger drove right by us and parked in the lot to make sure we didn't hit the trails. This is a new procedure installed this year to protect the trails and the hefty investment made in them during the recent past. When the trails are wet, they are susceptible to irreparable damage at the hands of Mountain bikers and horses... so says the Ranger and county policy makers. Eric and Russ remain skeptical that the trail closures are a necessity. Feels like maybe just a bit of an overreaction.

So, we made the most of it and had a great time. We climbed up Bernal to IBM and then flew down the other side to Harry Road. Russ' max speed was 34.2 mph, and Eric's was, of course, a bit faster. Flying down those hills with the rain pounding your face is quite an experience. By the time we hit the bottom, our shoes and gloves were drenched.

Once at Harry, we hopped onto Camden and hit the single track that runs along Camden from Villagewood Way all the way to South Hills. After a very quick break we headed back the way we came, spraying mud, blasting through puddles, and knifing through the rain. We probably each gained about 10 pounds of water - Russ could actually ring his glove out just by making a tight fist. Our feet sloshed around in our shoes, and our clothes were saturated.

When it was all said and done, we'd gone 13 miles at an average pace of 8.5 mph - about 91 minutes of total time elapsed - a symmetrical 45.5 out and 45.5 back to the vehicles. We had a total ascent of 1300 feet, not a bad day's work, especially when you consider it would have been very easy to pack it in and say, "Aw forget it; it's too wet out there."

My bike's wiped down, shoes are dry, and the chain is lubed - ready for the next outing.

New Info on Santa Teresa Park

Many riders are aware of regular trail closures in Quicksilver Park. After heavy rains the rangers usually close the trails to all bikes and horses. Obviously, the reason behind this is to preserve the smooth surfaces of the trails. This is an annoyance to people who enjoy a ride through the mud and the subsequent peppered faces. However, the pleasure and excitement we get from the trails at all other times of the year is worth the wait during these closures. It makes me appreciate what we have here so close to our homes--miles of great trails, for free, within riding distance from my doorstep.

Last year, when Quicksilver was closed, Santa Teresa was open! When the mud was deliciously thick and the puddles deep, she embraced all riders in her saintly soiled arms. There were no signs, no rangers, and nothing but your fear of the elements to keep you out. I have some blissfully sloppy memories from the spring of aught six, when I continued riding through that endless deluge. It was a different experience--one that made me realize that I could handle being out in extreme weather--one that reminded me of something I always knew in childhood: getting very muddy is not just okay, but extremely fun too!

But things change. Other people are in charge. We only borrow her. In short, Santa Teresa is now under the same constraints as Quicksilver Park. The local armed forces have put the squeeze on her venerable open-armed juicyness. Her voluptuous and inviting bosom is bound now by the law and anyone who transgresses the threshold to meet her will feel the power of the men in green pants. Her curvacious undulating beauty is temporarily shackled by the chastity belt of politics. Our days of frolicking with her under the open sky are over, for a time. The cleansing heavenly showers, sent from the cosmic killjoy himself (a confessed jealous type!), put a damper on those who wish to roll through her every valley and over her every peak.

Alas! And to my precious saint: Adieu, till brighter days dry the flood that parts us. Adieu, till your little green husbands drive away and your two-wheeled back door men return. Adieu. Adieu...

Take a Ride on the Wilder Side

Normally, I'm not a morning person, but last Sunday I couldn't wait for the alarm to go off at 5:45am. I felt a little bit like a kid trying to sleep the night before a trip to Disneyland. But, instead of dreaming of "Mr Toad's Wild Ride," I was excited to ride Wilder Ranch the next day. Dan and I had ridden there once before and at the time it was the best riding I'd ever experienced. Having ridden Demo for the first time a few weeks ago, I was curious to see if it would still hold up in my mind as a great ride.

After picking up Dustin on the way, we met up with Dan, Scott, Eric and Sean at the turnout along Highway 1 a little after 7am. It was a beautiful day and we could tell that it would be a warm one, despite the strong chill in the morning air. After some chit-chat, fueling-up, and gearing-up, we head out for the trailhead, trying to pedal to warm up.

The last time I was there, Dan and I did an 18 mile loop (actually, it's a figure 8) that takes advantage of most of the singletrack Wilder has to offer, and we set out to do the same this time. So, up the left fork of Engleman's loop fireroad we went.

A lot of the climbing at wilder is gradual, but there are a few places that get steep. We began to see the group break apart a bit in these sections with Dan, Eric and Scott taking the lead group and Dustin and Sean holding down the rear. I was actually having a lot of fun jumping between groups - I'd wait up for the guys at the back, then after making sure they're doing good, I'd tear off after the front runners. It was a great workout.

We regrouped at the trail merge and turned onto Wild Boar Trail for our first taste of singletrack. After trying to keep up with Eric on a few rolling sections, we hit Old Cabin and a fun downhill into a redwood forest. After the climb out we turned right on Eucalyptus for some more fireroad climbing until we reached what is pretty much the top of the park. Dan and I spotted a cool log drop off the side of the trail, but since we were both too chicken to try it, we called over Scott and Eric. We let them play around on it for a bit while we snapped a few action photos of them doing their thing.

Now the real fun begins. We hit an unmarked section of single track that we were later told is called Wally's World. It's by far the longest section of singletrack at Wilder and although it doesn't have the speed of some of the steeper sections, it's pretty fast for how narrow it is. This time, I got to lead and tried to put some distance between Eric and I. He stayed right on me, but it was really fun to push it like that. I definitely feel myself improving and it's largely due to the skill and encouragement of the riders around me, like Eric. Since it's not an official trial, there were a few surprises, like a big mud bog that everyone skirted except for Dustin, who plowed straight through it. Maybe it was his years of BMX experience, or maybe it was because his bike weighs a ton and the mud couldn't stop it, but somehow he stayed on two wheels and made it look easy.

On our previous trip, Dan and I were much slower on the downhills, mainly because we didn't know the trail very well, but also because our skill and confidence was not at the level it is now. I definitely saw a huge improvement in Dan's downhill riding this time out. I think those trips to Demo have really been helping him feel comfortable at speed. Last time, there was a steep, rocky, technical section that he walked - this time, he cruised down it without batting an eye.

After Wally's World, we hooked back up with Old Cabin again. I'm not sure Dustin and Sean were very excited to do the climb out again, but we all made the most of the downhill. In fact, Eric kept so much speed coming off a berm that he missed the next turn (and the bridge) and launched right through the rocky creek. I was amazed that he didn't crash, but Eric is a talented rider and it would take more than some water and small rocks to take him down. I wish I was a little closer so could have seen more than just the skid marks.

From there we head over to the Enchanted loop which has a steep downhill section with some huge root drops. At this point I should probably mention that Scott's Ransom was in the shop for repairs, so he was riding his rigid frame, single speed Raleigh on this trip. That guy's got some serious skills because some of these drops and bumps were hard on my full suspension bike and I was working hard to keep up with Scott. I was further impressed when he lead everyone on the steep climb out. We're all spinning in our granny gears and here's Scott truckin up the hill on his single speed. He may say that it's easier to ride than you think, but I think he's just in much better shape than he admits.


When we all met up at the top and caught our breath, we struck out for Zane Grey and our last section of single track. The sun was out and we had a clear view of the ocean below, so we stopped for a group shot. At this point we were all out or really low on water so we raced down the top section as it winds along the exposed ridge until we met up with Wilder Ridge which we took back to the cars. Once there, we enjoyed a beer while we all took turns lifting Dustin's bike to estimate its weight. I don't know the exact number, but it's frickin' heavy. Dan is campaigning to find him a new bike, so if you know if looking to get rid of a nice all mountain bike for cheap, let us know.

In the end we did 18 miles in about 4 hours. I think it could be done in 2.5 - 3 hours if we didn't stop as much and we pushed it a little more, but I'm not sure it could be any more fun. Everyone did really well, especially Sean and Dustin. We gave them a pretty good workout and they did a good job of keeping up with the group. I hope they had fun and are not too sore.

So what's the verdict? I still like Wilder a lot, it has so much to offer. You get varying terrain, scenery, and difficulty all in one place. It can be a great place for beginners to learn and there's plenty excitement for veterans. And, as Eric pointed out, it's also nice to have a mix of up and down, instead of just one big climb followed by one big downhill. It's kind of like a rollercoaster - like the Matterhorn. Now I'll go dream about a trip to Disneyland.

China Camp and a squirrel 2-3-07

On Saturday I went riding with a friend at China Camp State Park (north east bay). An awesome place to ride that looks out over San Pablo Bay and is filled with mostly legal single track.

Now about the squirrel. I was heading down this single track and my buddy slowed way down to pass, a father with his infant on the back of his bike and his 8 year old son on his own mountain bike. I was moving at a pretty good clip but, had plenty of room to stop. I was within 10 feet and I was slowing down. Right as I was passed a tree, a squirrel lept from the tree and landed on my foot and was caught between my crank arm and my ankle. I yelled and as quick as I could unclipped my peddle to release the beast. I have never seen a squirrel run away so quick. I escaped the the attack unscathed!

However, when I yelled, I startled the family that was heading up the trail and my buddy. They all thought I was going to crash into them until I explained what had happened. I like to commune with nature but, that was a little to close!

Kemo Sabe

Just call me the Lone Ranger, or if you prefer, you can call me Kemo Sabe, which - if you're interested - means "Faithful Friend" - a little tidbit I picked up when trying to find out how to spell Tonto's famous nickname for his close friend.

I was very excited about our trip to Wilder Ranch this morning. In fact, with no alarm I awoke at approximately 4:45 in anticipation. I was dressed and ready to go - just checking the weather on the computer, when V came down with my youngest, Starks.

He'd developed a whooping cough, called croup, and needed to go to the ER for a breathing treatment via a nebulizer. V took him to the ER, and I stayed here to wait for my two older sons to awaken. He's fine now - we're actually pros at this, as he has had this 2 or 3 other times.

BUT, once V got home, I was able to head out! I just went down to Santa Teresa Park. Pressed for time, I parked at the entrance near Harry Road and Camden. I skipped Stile Ranch, and headed around the back side so I could ride up to the radio tower and then down the Rocky Ridge Trail and back to my car. I went about 7 miles in about 1 hour, which was approximately 7 mph. No abacus or calculator used in that tabulation. Max speed was 32 mph, and total elevation gained was 975 feet.

The bike, again, performed admirably. I am definitely working out the technique and shifting kinks on some of the uphills - though the uphills are still winning mostly because I still lack the power I need to drive through. It'll come. The bike really carved up Rocky Ridge all the way down the trail. I love that thing. It is now literally just a matter of getting the rider up to the same level as the machine.

On my way back, I ran into Kevin and his family as they were heading out for a family bike trip in ST Park. His son had a sweet ride and could well be ready for the group.

A good little ride - looking forward to the scoop on Wilder Ranch.