July riding

[north woods gal]

Hope those who can ride are still riding, despite the summer heat. That has not been a factor for me, up north, here, but I know it has been for many. Please be careful folks.

I have been riding, daily, as always. My minimum, now, is one hour of trail work with lots of leg burner climbs, followed by stunt stuff, i.e. log hopping and rock climbing. Recently, have been adding a short 10 mile pavement ride, afterwards as a way to cool down and add a little balance to my riding.

Ran into a bit of snag, though. Traded a trail bike for my Salsa Warbird road bike, one day this week, to finish my workout and after only 10 miles of pavement work on this drop bar bike, my old chronic back pain returned. So did my numb hands and all the other issues I used to get when riding many thousands of miles on road bikes in the old days. Didn't result in a pinched back nerve that forced me to cut back on drop bar bike riding in those days, but the pain was there, again. Not good.

Just to be sure it wasn't a fluke, the next day I did my entire workout on the Surly Pugsley fat bike, including the 10 mile road session. Yeah, the Pugs was slower and seemed I did more pedaling, but arrived back home with no back pain and no numb hands.

At this point I need to decide if it's worth it to mix these two different types of bikes in my riding. Figure I have only so many years of hard riding left and I don't want to aggravate those old repetitive stress injuries. I'm leaning towards going flat bar for all my biking, even my road biking. Have done it, before. We'll see.

[north woods gal]

Good question. Not one to give up, so tried a few things on the Warbird, today. I switched to a shorter stem, raised the angle of the handlebars to better reach the hoods and moved the seat forward, a bit. I then did the same 10 mile ride after my MTB workout.

It did seem to help. No back pain when I got home, though still some numbness. Noticeably reduced hand numbness, too. Probably on the right path, since my average speed improved, too. Even did a little half mile of sandy road to practice dealing with fishtailing in the soft stuff, which is a must for riding a 700x35 bike on gravel and that, after all, is what the Warbird is designed to do. I like the bike and have put a lot of work into it. Jury is still out on this one.

My Trek Domane WSD, though, should go to someone who will use it, so it will get sold or traded. The Warbird does equally well on pavement, but can also go off pavement, which, of course, the Domane cannot. A pavement only bike is just not very useful for my riding.

[Crankin]

So, my bike trip was over Monday. It was hard, but I did every mile. We had one day of rain and 40 degrees, where we were up in the mountains, and we did not ride. Although this was a day of almost all descending, I was glad, in a sneaky way. I hate mountain descents and this gave me 2 rest days in a row. None of the other participants had any rain gear, or barely a wind jacket. Really dumb! I used my leg and arm warmers more than once.
We did one 10k climb that was hard, but what I expected. There were 2 other 3-4 mile climbs that were similar. But the hardest climbs were in the second to last day and the last day. The last day had 2 very steep and shorter climbs, one where we were on a narrow road with "pilgrims" doing the Camino trek. The bike I was riding had one less lower gear on the cassette as my Trek and 2 less than my Guru. I was dying, and you know it is bad when you are going so slowly, your GPS shuts off! After that last climb, we rode into Santiago, which was hairy, but then we got off and walked our bikes. It was about 100 degrees out and since I could have cared less about the pilgramage aspect of the end of the trip, I just wanted to get to the hotel. That imvolved walking our bikes up a street with about a 20% grade.
This was definitely our best bike tour yet. I love Spain and we are going to try and get some friends to join us for a private tour of Porto, Portugal, so the owners of the tour company can use it as the basis for a future tour. They are like family, such a different experience than Trek Travel. Not that they are bad, but this is so different.
We rode 186 miles, with 18k ft of climbing.
On Tuesday, we drove back to Bilbao from Santiago, stopping in a beautiful seaside town for lunch. Then we had like a 25 mile descent into Bilbao, on the freeway; it made me dizzy! Sort of the reson I hate mountain descents on my bike. We've spent the past 2 days soaking up the culture and eating. Heading back to Boston tomorrow.

[ny biker]

I really want to do a bike trip. But is it worthwhile for someone to go on one of these by themselves? Or would I feel like the odd one out?

I've never done one, but from talking to those who have, I've never gotten the feeling that I would be uncomfortable if I went on a group bike tour by myself.

I am back from my (sedentary) vacation. While I was away I ordered a Rivet Independence saddle which I hope will solve the saddle problems I've been having. I have a bike fit scheduled for Saturday so I really really hope the new saddle arrives by then.

Last night I did 30 minutes on a stationary recumbent bike at the gym. I guess it was a good workout; this morning at PT I did a 5-minute warmup on a stationary bike and my quads were feeling tired.

I've been feeling vaguely unhappy that it's July already. Between the ankle problems and the saddle problems I've been missing out on summer. The cloudy windy cool weather during vacation didn't help. Fingers crossed that I'll be able to start riding more now.

[emily_in_nc]

Crankin, it sounds like you had a good time and even the fact that you'd been feeling under the weather lately didn't hurt. I am sure it is gorgeous there, and I am super envious! Happy for you. :) Have a safe trip home (if you aren't there already).

[ny biker]

Thanks, NY. :)

If your saddle doesn't arrive, I'd reschedule. Won't help much if you don't have one of the main contacts points there.

Ha yes, normally that would be the case! I should have been more specific -- I originally scheduled the fit appointment to check the position of the current Affinity saddle. I've used the Affinity for years with only minor chafing problems. When it showed signs of wear last winter, I briefly tried the two new Bontrager WSD saddles that were in stock at the LBS, did not like them, then ordered one of the last 11 Affinity 144s still in stock at Bontrager. After getting back to riding after a few months off, the new Affinity started causing problems. I tried putting the old one back on but that was worse. My current theory is that the seat height was changed when I was trying out the new saddles last winter, and this is causing problems. Or maybe something about me has changed and the old saddle position is just not right anymore. So I scheduled the appointment to have it checked. Then while on vacation I decided to order the Rivet and try that instead, hoping it would solve all my problems including the minor chafing. If the Rivet doesn't arrive in time, I'll go back to my original plan of making sure the Affinity is set right, and have the fitter help me do the appropriate measurements so I can match the same position with the Rivet.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks, NY. :)

If your saddle doesn't arrive, I'd reschedule. Won't help much if you don't have one of the main contacts points there.

I couldn't agree more -- the saddle makes a difference!

[north woods gal]

I don't know what kind of handlebars you have on the Warbird, but perhaps check into the Salsa Woodchipper or Cowbell bars. The drops flare, could be a good in betweener for your hands. :) (Wait, you had a Fargo, you know better than me). :)

Haven't looked at the Warbird geometry in awhile, but it seems like it was an aggressive build.

I suppose the Vaya would be a good option. Unless you really do miss your Fargo. I'm the member of a Surly/Salsa used bike group on Facebook that Skyking told me about. A lot of used Fargos on there. What size is the Warbird?

I actually replaced the original handlebars with a slightly narrower Woodchipper. Love them. The bike is a 56cm. Have always been a struggle to get a good fit because I'm all legs and need a 55cm or a 56cm for my legs, but then I have to monkey with shorter stems, seat positions and so on to get the right reach to the bars. Old story for me.

The Warbird geometry is actually endurance for the sake of doing long days of racing in gravel. I rate it about as comfy for distance work as a road bike is going to get.

Good news is that I woke up this morning after doing a ride on the Warbird, yesterday, and no back pain and no leg numbness, so made up my mind to keep it. We all know how big a hit we take when selling or trading in a used bike. Did check on getting the new Fargo Rival in 27.5+, but they're all sold out. Oh, well.

[Crankin]

There have been single travelers on every bike tour I've been on. Most were women, and no one was left out on any activity. To me, it's a perfect option for a solo traveler. I will describe the solo traveler on this trip, in a future post... it will take too long to do on my phone!
Sitting in the Bilbao airport, waiting for flight to Paris. Then we have a 5 hr layover. Not a lot of choices flying from Bilbao. We both are exhausted. DH has been coughing the whole trip and I suspect he may have a brochial infection. We must have walked at least 5 miles Wednesday and Thursday. And the eating and wine... we get into Logan at around 8:30 pm, which will feel like 2:30 am to us. Thankfully, we got an offer to upgrade to business class for a very reasonable price and we spent the $! I may have hated all those years DH traveled every week, but it is paying off now, as he has permanant gold status on Delta/Air France. I hope i can sleep, as Lily is arriving for a full day of babysitting at 6:30 am Saturday, while her parents go to a wedding in CT.

[Crankin]

Took my first post trip ride today; since my granddaughter actually slept over (I wasn't aware this was the plan) and I had a hair appointment at 2:15, DH and i went out for a little 12 mile jaunt around 4:30 pm. It's an absolutely gorgeous day. Was worried about my knee, which hurt a lot when I started off, but then felt ok during the ride. It actually felt better after the ride. I am icing it now.
My only comment is that the worse roads, in the smallest villages in Spain, are in better shape than the roads in Sudbury, MA we were riding on.

[north woods gal]

Surprised to hear that on the road comparison, but probably shouldn't be, given the widely held belief that our infrastructure in this country is a mess.

I do understand the importance of the right seat and seat position for road biking and my sympathies for those suffering from associated problems. It is a big deal, given that so much riding time is from a fully seated position. Has always been one of the many issues of trying to make road bikes that are designed for men fit me, properly. On most bikes, the factory supplied seat is the first thing to go on a road bike.

Interestingly, though, now that I do so much trail biking, the seat issue is almost non-existent for me, to the point of just going with a minimal seat to keep it out of the way and, yes, for some tech riding, the seat just gets in the way. Even thinking of adding a dropper post on one of the bikes for just that reason. Given that most of my trail bikes are rigid with no suspension at all, I spend a lot of time up off the seat, standing on the pedals, knees flexed, acting as shock absorbers. Even when seated, a lot of seat time is with only light pressure on the seat. I also move forward and back on the seat a lot as I climb or descend. In other words, I'm not fully seated long enough to develop chaffing and so on.

Of course, there are a lot of other issues and risks with serious MTB riding and I do have plenty of scars and bruises to prove it. Bruised a knuckle, today, when I cut too close to a tree during a tight turn. Ouch! Oh, well, no free lunch with any kind of serious riding. Anyway, best of luck in your search for that ideal seat, NY.

Steady rain, today, but mostly the light stuff, so rode my trails in the rain. Not unpleasant, though, given the nice temps. Used my fat bike with the biggest footprint to keep trail damage, down, but no problem at all riding through some flooded areas, though it really helps to know the trails. No way would I ride through a swamp, otherwise.

[ny biker]

Re: roads -- they are generally in pretty good shape in the DC metro area. The local DOTs do "pothole-palooza" every spring, where they concentrate efforts on repairing potholes for a week or so, and are generally responsive if you report a pothole to them during other times of the year. But every time I go to NY I am reminded of how bad roads are there. In many cases filling the holes just makes it worse. It's appalling, given how much they pay in taxes.

So the new Rivet saddle has not arrived yet. I went for the fitting on Saturday, where we confirmed that the seat height was okay but found from the plum line test that the saddle was too far back. So we moved it forward, which seemed to be an improvement. I mentioned the impending leather saddle arrival, and he said that changing from non-leather to leather is usually not as straightforward as measuring the position of the old saddle and matching it with the new one. So I will want to make another appointment for that.

Then yesterday I did a 32-mile ride. It was a big multi-class club ride, lots of fun and perfect weather. The distance and terrain were just right after several weeks off the bike. Unfortunately the saddle problem was worse that it was before. I don't know if the new leather saddle will solve my problems but I really can't use the Affinity any more, at least not on this bike. Depending on how things go this week (what day the Rivet is delivered and whether I can schedule a fitting for it) I may just ride my mountain bike next weekend, in the hopes that the different geometry will give me a break from the pain and inflammation.

[ny biker]

The new saddle is here! It's a white Rivet Independent. The leather is harder than I thought it would be. Looking at the photos online, I thought it might be similar in width and overall shape to the Affinity 144. Sure enough, when I put one on top of the other they are extremely similar. I think (hope) this is a good thing, since the Affinity was mostly okay for me until recently.

The big question is, how long will it take to break it in? I will be back at the LBS to have it fitted on Saturday, planning to try it out on Sunday with a short test ride.

Deb at Rivet recommends Obenauf's Leather Preservative but unfortunately was sold out of it. Conveniently, a friend is about to place a large order with Compass Cycles, and he's offered to order the Obenauf's as part of his order so I can take advantage of free shipping. But I think that's more to protect the leather, not to soften it.

And so here I sit, filled with that mix of anticipation and hope that this new saddle will be the key to comfort and happiness. We've all been here before... wondering if the road ahead will be happy or oh, well, at least I tried...

[Crankin]

If this is anything similar to the Brooks saddles, I never felt mine broke in. I hated it. But, I hope the new saddle works for you.
I rode a very steamy short ride this morning. Severe storms were predicted, starting at noon, and although they didn't get here until later, it was already drenchingly humid at 9:45. Twelve hilly miles and i felt like it was 30, although I was not that slow. I spent the whole rest of my day off doing errands and meeting a friend for lunch.
This is my most disliked type of weather. I'd rather be in a blizzard.

[ny biker]

Yes I hope for the best with the new saddle but realize I might end up returning it. Time will tell.

I just checked the weather in Hyannis as my nephew is there for a baseball game... looks like some heavy rain passing through MA tonight, and super humid. We're having a heat wave down here, expecting near 100 tomorrow, but it should break by the weekend. I will ride indoors at the gym tonight.

[north woods gal]

Don't blame you a bit. That is some very serious heat. Way out of my league.

Did 30 plus road miles on the Pugsley, yesterday, plus some trail miles. Pugsley on the road, you ask? Actually makes a lot of sense for what we have happening in the area, this week.
http://i67.tinypic.com/3eydv.jpg

First, we have the big Hodag Countryfest country music festival. I kid you, not, this is a nationally known music festival. Picture some 300 acres literally packed with many thousands of huge RVs and campers. Unfortunately, its right next door to us, along my favorite road route, so the Pugsley gives me the ability to ride in the soft sandy road shoulder to get by this complex. Riding the soft sand on the shoulder presents no challenge to the Pugs, of course. It's happy riding the road or the shoulder. Sure beats sharing the pavement with a steady stream of these monsters. Not an option with any road bike. The sandy shoulders along this mile of road will swallow a road bike
http://i64.tinypic.com/29dval0.jpg

Second, been a lot of logging activity along this same route. Logging is the main agricultural activity in our area. Very few actual farms. Believe me, when you hear a logging truck coming up behind you on these narrow paved roads, taking the road ditch is an attractive strategy. Again, the Pugs can make the transition from pavement to dirt and sand on the shoulder practically seamless. Definitely NOT an option on a traditional road bike.
http://i66.tinypic.com/30cvudi.jpg

And, of course, I can never resist going off pavement when I find a new gravel or dirt road to explore. The Pugs can't resist either. The Pugs may be slow, but my pal always gets me home. :)
http://i65.tinypic.com/27yq055.jpg

[ny biker]

Nice pictures, NWG. As someone who's about to put a heavy leather saddle on a carbon road bike, I support your choice of bike for road riding. Sometimes the typical set up is just not the best for our individual purposes.

This reminds me -- last weekend I rode with someone who is an old-school steel bike rider through and through. The guy who shows up to a big club road road in khaki cargo shorts and a wool jersey. He was riding an Austro-Daimler bike. With a leather saddle of course. It's always fun to see bikes like that in the wild. And he's a very nice man and enjoyable ride companion, too.

As for the heat, I would have ridden outside last night if I wasn't dealing with this saddle pain which takes a week to subside. Riding on very hots days is manageable in the evenings, especially once I get away from the highway and closer to the tree-lined neighorhoods near the river. But, that's not an option this week. I got to the gym late (as usual) but managed to get in a good 30-minute interval workout. Afterwards I sat outside for a while in an attempt to get some acclimation to the hot weather.

[north woods gal]

Based on my September visit to Florida, last year, going from our northern climate to that Florida climate, cold turkey, almost did me in. Oh, I rented a bike, first thing when we arrived, but it took a bit of riding every day, carrying a lot of water, and stopping in the shade or where the was breeze to rest. After one week, I was only beginning to adapt, but felt like I could do it, given enough time. Bottom line is that I have a ton of respect for that kind of humid heat and folks that have adapted to it. Will never underestimate the danger of that kind of heat, again.

Yeah, sometimes we get wrapped up in the latest, greatest bike technology trend, forgetting that people did some amazing things on that old school stuff. Steel bikes and leather saddles have been getting it done since the very first bikes. You probably won/t set any records for time in this all carbon world, but you will get home and do it with some a degree of comfort that is sometimes missing from the carbon bike scene. I'm no retro junkie by any means. Ride carbon and aluminum, too, but still something very special about the feel of a good steel bike, whether on the road or on the trail.

[rebeccaC]

NY…WHITE???? :)...once you’ve got the saddle position right, break-in just makes a leather saddle a little more comfortable. If it’s not reasonably comfortable on the first rides it probably won’t be after the time it takes the leather to make the slight adjustments to the contours needed for your body. Thinking the nose tension bolt can help regulate tension for those rides on it at first. Good luck on it being a good saddle for you!!!


Good grief NWG…..I would just completely bailout on a narrow road with logging trucks going by close to me, even with a bike that can navigate from pavement to dirt/sand without problems……When riding up the entrance road to the Arches National Park I learned about oversized RV mirrors and very little shoulder….we did make it without problems though and had a wonderful view at the top to meditate the jangled nerves away with. Thinking nothings wrong with material advances for different kinds of riding....steel is real though, well, for my touring bike :)

[north woods gal]

Steel remains my fav after all these years. Speaking of touring, people have used a Pugsley to tour up and down and across entire continents with a Pugs. It uses old standard MTB axle and wheel spacings (unlike all the new bikes), so parts are available anywhere in the world and, of course, what passes for roads in some third world countries are not a problem for a Pugsley.

[Catrin]

Agreed regarding steel. Back when I could still ride and I meandered on isolated country roads for 4-6 hours at a time - I dearly loved my steel Gunnar. I've also heard very good things about Pugs for areas with less than...optimum roads. Or that passes for roads. Or goat tracks...

[Crankin]

Today I led a 31 mile ride with another woman. It's someone I was in outdoor leadership training with and she came on my first ride I led. Anyway, only 3 people came, but it was really nice. Was spritzing and a bit cool at first, but after we stopped at 3.5 miles, it had stopped raining. That was good, as I had no jacket. I led all but the first 3 miles. One of these women is someone who always rides behind my husband when we lead; however, she must have not been feeling it today. When we had gone about 6-7 miles, right near where I used to live in Boxborough, all of a sudden we started seeing tons of riders going the other way, and coming from a couple of different directions. It was obviously a charity type ride (I saw a sign that said BHA, but i have no idea what that was). So, we had that and a HS nordic ski team roller skiing, also the opposite way on one street. Thankfully, it was only for about 2 miles, but during all this, the other leader who was sweeping, lost one of our people! We stopped, but I made the decsion to go ahead, as she did have a cue sheet and she's from this area. As we were regrouping at the top of the biggest climb, she caught up with us and had realized her mistake quite quickly.
This ride has some of the most beautiful and quietest roads that used to be my go-to roads for riding. It's hilly, but nice. Then we went down a steep (I mean so steep I have seen people walk up this street on group rides) downhill near my old school where I taught. At this point, I was feeling exhausted and knew I needed to eat, but we had a stop a couple of miles after that. I ate my bar and on we went. As we turned back toward our start I asked them if they would like to cut out some of the neighborhood streets on the route, that I added, just to get 33 miles. Everyone was in agreement, as we all had commitments, so we headed straight back to the start, and the ride ended up at 30.7 miles.
I got lots of thanks, which is nice. Usually, I am sweeping for DH, so this was no stress, as we always argue about speed! Going to dinner at a friend's tonight; I hope i can stay up.

[Crankin]

Watched the Tour all morning, while having homemade challah French toast... it was hot by the time we got out, so planned a shorter, local ride.
We did 20 miles, the first half shady, the second, not so much. There seemed to be a lot of cyclists out for 1 pm on a hot day. Not large groups, just lots of couples, groups of 3-4, and solo riders. Maybe they were all watching the Tour, too. I've decided that I do feel stronger since coming back from my trip, but still trying to keep the same mental attitude that got me through.
I finally looked at my total mileage since January. Sigh... I am about 2-3 weeks behind where I usually am. Most of it is due to taking time off for various injuries, some for weather. I should be able to make it up, as we are going for our annual riding weekend in the Berkshires on Thursday, plus doing a club ride Wednesday. The key will be keeping it up after that. I want to do more hiking, and that definitely interferes. My legs need time to recover between riding and hiking.

[ny biker]

I haven't bothered to add them up, but I know my mileage is way way off this year. But I am still hopeful to get back on track.

And in that vein...on Saturday I brought the bike and new Rivet Independence saddle to the LBS to see the fitter. He started by setting up the new saddle in the same position as the old one, then did the plum line thing which indicated it was a bit farther back than it should have been. Last week he had determined that the old saddle was slightly set back, and he moved it up a little but not as far as he could have. But he moved the Rivet up so my knee was in line with the spindle. Things felt good as I pedaled on the trainer, and he said he could see the saddle move as I pedaled, in a good way. The Rivet did feel a bit slippery and the seat area seemed smaller than what I was used to, even though it is really very similar to my old saddle.

For my first test ride, I decided to do a ride in Virginia in an area southwest of where I live. It was with the club that I occasionally with, and I had done this particular route with the same ride leader last fall. Officially there was a choice of 52 miles or 35 miles, with the decision point at mile 18. I checked the map and noted several options to bail in the first 10 miles if the saddle felt really bad.

As I started out, the saddle no longer seemed slippery or too small. It was quite comfortable. After a few miles I was conscious of the backs of my legs hitting the leather on the front edges of the wider part of the saddle. I could definitely tell that I was sitting farther forward than usual. At the first rest stop, about an hour into the ride, things felt good. And by the way the weather was perfect for July, warm and sunny but not humid, with very light wind from the NW. One my friends had shown up for the same ride, so I had someone to ride with. So when we reached the turn for the 35-mile route I decided to go ahead and ride the longer route. I haven't ridden more than 45 miles all year and had only done one 32-mile ride in the past month, but what the hell.

By the end of the ride -- well, I was very tired, was feeling the heat a bit since I'm totally not acclimated, my back and shoulders were not happy. But overall the saddle test was a success. I was a bit sore on the front edges of the sit bones, which I think is okay for the way I usually sit on the road bike. The spot on the right side where I've been having problems with pain and swelling was fine (yay!). I do think the nose might need to be tilted down a little. And maybe the saddle should be shifted back a hair -- toward the end I realized the backs of my legs were hitting the plastic frame around the back edge of the saddle, so I think was sitting too far back. So there are some adjustments to play with, and most likely it will take a few months to break in the leather. But in general I was happy. :D

[north woods gal]

Glad you found the new saddle to work, NY. Hopefully, your search for that just right saddle is over.

Been in the steel bike mood, of late, so dusted off my old 1996 Kona Kilauea and took it for a spin. This bike won MTB bike of the year in '96 and has a superb steel frame of Tange Prestige steel. After experimenting with various types of bikes, this became my standard commuting bike in my Chicago days. It may not look like much, given all the touch up paint on the frame, but looking a bit old and worn is actually a good thing for a commuting bike in Chicago to reduce the risk of theft. A closer look, though, would reveal that I did some serious upgrades to the bike. The include a full Shimano XT crankset and a 9 speed SRAM X9/XO derailleur and shifter. All else, though, is original, except the seat.

In the old days, the Kona was just bit slower on my 8 mile commute than the cyclocross and road bikes I had tried, but I found it to be a safer bike for commuting. It could accelerate and get out of a dangerous traffic situation much faster than a drop bar bike and sitting more upright was also an advantage for seeing traffic dangers. The wider 2" tires also handles bad roads better. On my 8 mile traffic commute, this was a good trade off for the 4 or 5 minute extra minutes the bike cost me on my commute.

Riding my trails with the Kilauea, this week, brought back many memories. It also was quite an interesting lesson in how bike technology has changed. Still love that old geometry and the way the bike handled, but, wow, those old center pull brakes are pretty crude by comparison to today's disc brakes. Still a place for these old 26" MTBs, though. They accelerate like a rabbit, climb like a goat and turn on a dime. They don't hold their speed as well as my larger wheeled bikes and they can't handle the soft stuff as well, but still lots of fun.

They really don't make them like this, anymore. Lots of miles left in my old pal, though.
http://i65.tinypic.com/kbvr78.jpg

[north woods gal]

Thanks.

The saddle is actually not bad. Has enough padding that I could ride comfy in jean shorts or slacks for a quick trip to the grocery store. Worked fine for a grab and go kind of bike. Still have the original Kona saddle, though. Has zilch for padding.

[Sky King]

shhhh, don't tell but we might actually get out for an S24O Friday! It has been such a crazy year between work and weather this will only be our 2nd time. We volunteer for the Owyhee Wilderness close to Boise and our friend, the Wilderness Ranger stopped in and asked if we'd go with him to ride a boundary - oh twist my arm :) Technically it isn't an S24O as we are base camping but hey I am not going to nikpick, especially as we get to go in the official government vehicle and to an area we have yet to explore. Taking the new Tenkara Fly Rods too. Will post photos!

[north woods gal]

Please do. I really miss that country, so very different from where I live now. Lived in Boise for a short time back in the 70s.

[north woods gal]

Put my two drop bar bikes on consignment at a local bike shop and looks like I already have a nibble on the Salsa Warbird. Not surprised, since gravel specific road bikes are hot products, these days.

One of the reasons I let the Warbird go was this bike, my 2008 vintage Trek 8000 MTB.
http://i68.tinypic.com/2nk5tw0.jpg

It was my other bike I used for commuting in my Chicago days during the winter. With an extra wheel set with studded 26" tires, I could change wheels to suit the weather in a jiffy, thanks to disc brakes. That's one of the overlooked advantages of disc brakes, by the way. Changing wheels is much quicker and easier than dealing with center pull brakes.

As with my Kona, I did a lot of upgrades on this bike. It's a full SRAM X9 with XT crank and I also upgraded the wheels to Bontrager's best aluminum MTB version in the Race Lite. Tires are a very fast Bontrager XR Team Issue. The reason I bought this Trek, however, was the excellent Alpha Red frame. Aluminum frames don't usually get me excited, but this one is really outstanding. It can turn on a dime, yet it tracks as straight as an arrow. This was a real plus for commuting, by the way. I could ride a perfect steady line on the narrowest of streets in heavy traffic, but I could also respond, instantly, to any situation. Definitely a better handling bike in the tight spots than a road bike. The front suspension was also a big plus on some of those crummy Chicago area streets.

Anyway, I did a 15 mile sprint with the Trek, today, with a couple miles of gravel and some sand and then finished with an hour of serious single track work. The Trek is very nearly as fast as the Warbird on pavement, but, unlike the Warbird, it has the gearing to handle any hill. Actually a pretty decent pavement bike the way it's set up. Not sure I'd want to do a century on it, but I have done plenty of 30 and 40 mile trips on it.

Compared to the Warbird, though, it's still the better bike on gravel and it can handle some sand, too, though it's no fat bike or plus bike. Best of all, when I get tired of roads, the Trek begs to be ridden on hard-pack single track. It really screams, there. That's something the Warbird could never do.

I may get another drop bar road bike, sometime, but my mixed bag riding is best served with flat bar bikes on one kind or another. Just not my nature to stay on pavement all the time, I guess. Each to her own, though.
http://i67.tinypic.com/9t21cw.jpg

[north woods gal]

Great minds think alike, Sheila. :) The Warbird got sold, so we just ordered a Krampus! I also ordered a set of Surly Knard tires for more all around riding. The Krampus now comes with Surly Dirt Wizards. That's a very aggressive tire with heavy tread, designed for serious trail crunching, but way too clunky for road work. Besides, I already have the heavy duty trail thing covered with other bikes.

Was going to order the Surly ECR, but that one is out of stock and no date on availability. Apparently, Surly is doing some design changes. Just as well, since the ECR is really a heavy duty "load up the bike with packs" and head into the wilderness kind of bike. The Krampus is a lighter built bike, designed specifically for trail work and general riding, which is really more what I do, though I do dream about heading out on an expedition like Sky is planning to do. Not likely to happen, though, since I'd have to do that kind of extended trip without my husband. It's way beyond his capabilities.

[Sky King]

I ride the Rivet Independence on my Gilles Berthoud touring bike and I have the Rivet All Road on my Surly ECR. They do not soften like a Brooks or a Gilles Berthoud. Note the underneath has the fabric (for lack of a better word) that restricts the sag and splay factor the Brooks tend to do. Also the leather "tie" underneath will keep it stiffer. My independence with the slot is softer than my all road as it does have some give around the slot. I hope you like them. Hopefully the fitter knows that mounting a leather saddle isn't that same as other saddles. You'll want the nose at least level or slightly tilted up. For sure NO NOSE DOWN. These saddles are slippery, another comfort factor so the last thing you want is to be sliding forward. Having a nose tilt keeps your sits where you want them. Given the hardness I am certainly aware of my sit bones after a long day of riding but the next day I can get right back to riding without pain.
Can't wait to hear the results!

oh on conditioning - I have never conditioned either of them. One is 3 years old the other is almost 2. If we are out overnight, I do cover them and if it is raining I cover them as well.

[north woods gal]

Could be an age thing with the steel, at least in my case. I remember the first mountain bikes and they were all steel. My first road bikes were steel. Aluminum was the new thing, then came carbon and so on. Today, of course, if you want steel, you have to go looking for it. Not much in local bike shops. Those of us who grew up on steel understand and appreciate it for what it is, but marketing is always pushing lighter, more high tech and so on. I'm just grateful we have a down to earth company like Surly that offers steel bikes at an affordable price. Otherwise, I'd have to go looking custom and that gets expensive in a hurry.

As for your situation, we know that it's always cheaper to buy a complete bike, but only as long as it has the components you want or at least components you can live with. Otherwise, you may as well just go frameset and build the way you want.

The current Krampus now has solid 40mm Alex MD rims. No rabbit hole 50mm rims as on my Trek Stashe. That'll mean slightly narrower tire width with the same tires, but that might be a plus for some road work. We'll see.

[Sky King]

The ECR sounds like a useful bike, but the Krampus sure is fun. You are the only other woman I've heard of who rides one, and that is asking about it on mountainbiker forums, too. :D

I do need to swap out my size small for a medium, and I'm trying to decide whether I should buy a complete used medium (often with great upgrades), or just buy a new frameset. The new geometry is slightly more to my liking than the '15 model I have since the seat tube is a bit steeper (works for me). I've looked at a lot of alternative models, but the Krampus's function really does work best for my needs. I've got it set up as a single speed, a used bike would give me gears if I ever want to try them. And the wheelset are Velociety Blunt 35 mm. A used Krampus might have Rabbit Holes, which are cool, and wider. :)

But ow, my wallet. Which is why it hasn't yet happened.

The new Krampus is such a great bike, we've sold several. I agree to a tire switch for the type of riding you do. I had knards on my ECR but now have Maxxis Chronicles and LOVE them. Not sure why, but with the new Karate Monkey and the new Krampus folks are tending to buy up in size. My DD bought the KM and she went with a medium (also changed her tires) and likes it. In an ECR she'd be a small. As you know, love my ECR. New models coming out mid-August. They are being introduced at Saddle Drive the first of August. Bummed we couldn't make it happen to attend.

Keep us posted!

[north woods gal]

I went with a medium on the Krampus, though I could probably do a large, too, as far as my legs go, because I have a very long 34" bike inseam. The problem for me, though, is at the other end with my shorter reach to the handlebars. This is exasperated by my preference for riding far back on the seat for so much of my trail riding. Going large, then, always means going to a shorter stem. That worked in the old days when handlebar stems on MTBs tended to be longer. These days, stems are going shorter and shorter, so I have to resort to other tricks if I try a large. For instance, on my Pugsley, which is my only large bike frame, I went with a shorter stem and a Jones H Loop bar, which sweeps back for an easy reach. It works.

Overall, the way the geometry keeps changing on trail bikes is making it harder for me to predict the right size - top tubes are getting longer, stems shorter. The medium Krampus, though, works, nice. Haven't had to change anything, other than going to a narrower handlebar. Me and my short arms do not get along at all with these ever wider handlebars. 760mm? Good grief. That's just nuts.

[north woods gal]

I'm 5'9", but I think the whole fit problem is complicated with riding style, especially on MTBs and trail bikes, because riding styles differ so much. I tend to be very fluid in my trail riding, constantly changing position on the pedals, the handlebars, the seat and so on. I'm standing, crouching, leaning, always moving. I like a lot of flex in my elbows for the sake of steering and absorbing shock. I find that the medium frame allows me the widest range of movements. Going to a large frame locks me in a bit more. For instance, on my Pugsley, which is a large, my range of movement seems more limited when on the trail. I do okay with it, but it lacks the playful spirit of a medium frame. The Pugs works great as a road bike, though, because I'm settled in to one position, more or less.

The medium frame Krampus is the better trail bike for me. It let's me play more with various positions on the trail, just like my other bikes which are all medium. I also find a medium frame bike easier to lift when hopping logs and climbing rocks than the large frame. Seems like I can't get quite the leverage with the larger frames.

In other words, not sure how much of my trail riding fit experience transfers over to someone else's. I think with road bikes and pavement riding, things are more of a constant. Trail riding is such a mixed bag. Really hard to make recommendations on fit. Over the years, though, with me being on that medium/large border, I've tended to go with medium on my MTBs.

[north woods gal]

Just got my Surly Krampus back from the bike shop. Had them switch out the Dirt Wizard tires for the Knards and what a difference that makes! My trails are dry and packed hard, right now, and the Knards just fly. The Knards are also fairly pleasant on pavement, as I hoped they would be, since I'm making the Krampus into something of a utility bike. It will be a lighter version of my Pugs.

I also had them upgrade from the 1x 11 speed NX derailleur and shifter that is standard on the Krampus to the GX derailleur and shifter. The NX worked fine. No complaints. Fits well into Surly's philosophy of affordable, but durable components. I have the GX on two other bikes, though, so I know the difference and, trust me, there is a difference. GX is soooo butter smooth and fast. It's spoiled me. Really hard to settle for the NX after using the GX.

My only complaint? The color is okay, but not my favorite. I forget all about it when I ride, though. This really is one nice ride. After switching out to a narrower handlebar and ditching the stock saddle for a Terry, the bike now fits like a glove. The medium frame was right on this one.
http://i64.tinypic.com/2uj6ywj.jpg

[Sky King]

north woods gal, I think your Krampus is awesome ;)

Our quick trip to the Owyhee Wilderness was Fun! Folks in town commenting on how hot it would be but we were at just over 6,000 feet in elevation so barely hit 90 degrees. While that is still hot, not as hot as in town. As per usual, 16 desert miles equates to about 40 regular miles. Glad we had some creek crossing so I could soak my sun shirt and my bandanna. 18309

[Crankin]

We got home around noon from our annual cycling trip to the Berkshires. Since our friends we do the trip with now live only an hour+ from Great Barrington, we met them for lunch on Thursday, then went to the inn, which is now under new (and much better) ownership. We quickly got our bike stuff on and went out for a 21 mile ride. It was about 1:30, 88 degrees and humid. Not my choice of riding environment, but it was beautiful. There was a shallow, but longish climb near the end; DH and I were both red faced when we got back. Friday we did our ride into the Tyringham Valley. We drive to a lake and start/finish there. We used to do this the opposite way, climbing a "wall" about 1/3 of the way there. The past 3-4 years, we've done this direction, where we get the climbing done in the first half, descend the wall, which is a bit hairy, and then mostly flat. Since a general store/café reopened last summer, near the descent, we detoured and found out they have a lovely deck to eat lunch on. From there, instead of descending the wall, we cut across the mountain on a road we climbed somewhere about 4 years ago. That time, when I saw the hill in front of me, I told my friend I was going to "f*n kill him." Doing this road the opposite way did start with some pretty tough climbing, especially after lunch, but, then the descent began. I noted the spot where I thought I would lose it when going the opposite way. This is a long, long climb or descent, maybe 3 miles. Got to the end (with a 12% little steep up at the end) and felt we had it made. We had to ride through downtown Stockbridge and on Rt 7, which has a wide shoulder, but is so busy/noisy and no shade. My GPS showed it was about 90 out. After that, we only had 6 miles left, so I dumped my plain water over my head and carried on. By doing the alternate road, we cut the ride down to 37.5 from 42 miles. Yesterday, we decided on a really lovely 28 mile loop that goes into Connecticut for a bit. Again, this is a loop we used to do the opposite way, but now we get the climbing done in the first half, followed by a steep downhill back into Ashley Falls, MA, then mostly flat. This ride is just gorgeous, fields of wildflowers, small villages, farms, hardly any traffic.
Later in the day, DH and I went out to lunch and did some shopping and I let myself get annoyed by the preponderance of people from NYC, CT, and NJ who vacation in the Berkshires. I wish more people from eastern MA would visit this part of the state... it's so beautiful and so much to do. We had 3 awesome dinners with our friends, spent time chatting by the pool and at breakfast, and last night we also met another couple they know who live in the Berkshires, who ride. Well, the guy rides and the woman is getting back into it. She was a bit dramatic, but they were nice. We are trying to plan a private tour with the company we used for our Spain/Portugal trips, to Porto, Portugal and this other couple might be interested.
Back to reality; gotta go to the grocery store. Our bigger vacations are over for the summer, but we will have a couple of long weekends perhaps.

[rebeccaC]

thinking i should look into this off road riding thing :)......liking the hikes on the northern ca coast and forests for awhile though.

[shootingstar]

Here is a day with (rented) bikes we spent in Banff National Park. It's a diverse large with enough large wildlife (bear warnings especially this summer). A lot of the lakes and rivers in this national park, plus Yoho National Park in British Columbia just 80 km. or less away (but with some wildfires now) have turquoise, sapphire and robins egg blue colours.

18310

[north woods gal]

Sheila, wow, nowhere near that 82cm. I usually run about 70cm on my MTBs (my clothing inseam in 31" or 32"). That's a bit lower than I do for road bikes, but I stay with the low seat height for my style of trail riding. Don't spend a lot of time in the seat. Can't afford to have it in the way, which it is when I set it too high.

Thanks, Sky. It hasn't been under 60% humidity here in weeks, with some days over 70% and in the upper 80s. Really could use some of that dry desert air. Have absolutely no doubt about that mileage comparison. Way different kind of bicycling.

Shootingstar, have only been to Banff, once, but I think it must be one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

[Sky King]

Most of the manufacturers recommend a medium for a 5'9" rider (at the moment, anyway), and they claim a 5'7" rider should be on a small. :) 5'10" is iffy. Good to know. :)

No way would you fit on a small in Surly world. I think you would be fine on the medium, even if you needed to tweak some with a stem or different seat post

[north woods gal]

Wow! Lots of good questions.

Sheila, the way it was explained to me is that the ECR is more of a touring bike with its geometry, designed to carry max loads of gear and has a stiffer frame for that reason. It could certainly be used for single track work, as I'm sure Sky will tell you. Would certainly handle any kind of road on this planet. Probably a smart move on Surly's part to offer it in a 27.5 version, since the industry seems determined to make the 27.5 a standard wheel size for MTBs. Even some fat bikes now using that wheel diameter.

I see the ECR as a true expedition bike, but unless you plan to pack it up with a weeks worth of gear, it's probably overkill for casual trail riding. The Krampus and KM are true trail bikes with trail geometry and since I'm riding trails every day, carrying nothing more than some water and basic tools, I chose the Krampus. It's also a very sweet ride on pavement and gravel for some of my daily road adventures. I like those big 29+ wheels, too, since they roll over some of my very rough trial sections almost as nicely as my fat bikes, but the 29+ bikes are a lot easier to handle than the big fatties.

The new KM is supposedly very similar to the new Krampus, but it's designed around those 27.5+ wheels. My experience with 27.5 wheels is that they are closer to the old 26" MTB size than they are to the 29" and share many of the same characteristics of the old 26". I found that the 27.5 makes for a quicker accelerating and faster climber than the 29+, very much like my 26" MTBs, but those 3" tires on the 27.5+ should make for a much more comfortable and stable ride in rough stuff than the old 26x2" tires. With my classic 26" bikes and their 2" tires, I have to be much more careful and alert on the rough stuff.

I might have taken a KM home with me, except that they were out of stock and due in sometime later this month. Who knows, with me, I could talk myself into a KM, too, just for a little quicker and agile trail bike. Might want to take one for a test ride.

Most of my bikes are rigid - no suspension. On rough trails, they are tooth rattlers, but you learn to adapt your riding style, letting your legs and arms absorb most of the shock. The advantage is that without suspension, bike weight is kept down and if you're packing, you can add gear to the front fork. Also, you get every ounce of effort at the pedals into the bike's movement. You don't lose anything to squish.

On the other hand, even a front suspension fork reduces wear and tear on your arms and shoulders on a long ride and suspension does allow more margin of error when you tackle the technical stuff. On my trails, a front suspension fork makes log hopping and rock climbing and rolling noticeably easier and more pleasant. A full suspension bike, even more so, but I sold my fs bike because it was actually too squishy for my rigid bike trail riding taste.

Unless I'm riding some really nasty roads, though, a suspension fork is mostly needless weight out on the road for me. Much prefer rigid for road work, dirt, gravel or pavement. Those big 3" tires on the Krampus or the Stashe, both rigids, soak up a lot of road buzz when you inflate them right.

That's me, though. One thing about MTBs and MTB riders is that there's no shortage of diversity.

[north woods gal]

Love that color. Looks like a fun ride, too.

[rebeccaC]

Hike by bike...

What bike would you get? Fully rigid steel? Or that style bike, but switch out the fork for suspension? A lot of people on Mountain Bike Review forums do that.

Alex and I have talked about it and she likes the idea of learning the technical/technique aspect of it too. You, NWG’s adventures and especially Sky’s baja trip have got me thinking more about it though. I’ll put more thought into it when I get back home. If I do and have questions I know some on this site are good resources…:)

It could be an interesting change from the long, steady and sustained hard efforts that my road bikes have addicted me to….and as a friend says, she likes it for its exercise while being in nature drug free antidepressant qualities :)

[north woods gal]

Give it a try, Rebecca. It's not better than road biking, just a very different kind of bicycling, not just in terms of technique and equipment, but also the physical conditioning involved. Kind of like doing wind sprints versus long distance running. Both are good workouts in their own way.

I still ride pavement, too, so there's a place for both in my biking, but, yeah, being able to ride trails right in my backyard means I do more MTB, now. I try to add at least two 20+ mile road rides, each week, though, because, as I said, it is a different kind of physical conditioning. Speaking of which, the new Krampus is due to get some road miles, this week. About ten miles out on the pavement, I have a nice set of gravel roads to ride.

[ny biker]

Catching up. Beautiful photo of Banff, Shootingstar. Looks like a great place to visit.

Thanks very much for the saddle info, Sky King. I moved it back a millimeter for my ride on Sunday and that has helped significantly. It still feels too nose-up though, and is pushing my shorts up into my crotch. Very annoying. But when I finished my last ride and looked at it, it was clearly tilted down. It definitely was not like that when I started the ride. I thought maybe the bolt wasn't tight enough and it tilted when I hit a bump while riding. But when I went to adjust it last night, the bolt was so tight I couldn't budge it. (Note to self: ask the guys at he LBS not to tighten it so much that I can't loosen it to make adjustments on my own). Also when I checked it with a level last night it was not tilted. So I will hopefully go out and ride again tonight and see what's going on with it.

I say "hopefully" because this morning I discovered the rear tire is flat. I had the bike upside-down last night while I cleaned it and lubed the chain. You'd think I would have noticed the flat then. But no. By the time I get out of work and am able to fix it tonight, it will probably be dark. I looked the tire over quickly this morning and saw several small cuts where glass could have cut through. It will be nearly impossible to find any lurking bits of glass in the dark. Who knows if I'll actually ride tonight or if I will just end up sitting under a streetlight cursing my tire.

Anyway. In spite of the saddle-nose-tilt problem and whatever glass I rode through to cause the flat tire, I rode about 45 miles on Sunday and overall had fun. A friend was leading the ride, and he cross-posted on the schedules of two bike clubs. Most of the people who showed up are not familiar with the area where we rode, though I know it well (and in fact I had designed the route, a couple of years ago). Most people also rode ahead on their own and we rarely or never saw them during the ride. However there were a couple of people who needed help in the last segment of the ride, after the final rest stop. One did not have a cue sheet, and as I talked to him I got the impression that he had some sort of mild cognitive disability. I was happy to ride with him to make sure he didn't get lost, but he kept crowding me and wouldn't ride single file when there were cars behind us, like he was too afraid that I'd drop him. I was starting to sound annoyed with him and didn't want to be annoyed, for his sake as well as mine. And there were two other people who needed help -- one who got dropped on every hill, and another who was riding with him so was stopping periodically to regroup. So I pulled the guy with no cue sheet up to the ride leader and announced that I was dropping back to help the slower riders. It was good that I did that, because they attempted a short cut and would have gotten lost if I hadn't found them. I led them back using a shorter route to cut a few miles from the total. They were extremely appreciative. So at the end of the day we had a bit of drama but enjoyed a scenic bike ride. After we finished I stopped at a nearby sandwich place to get something to eat, and just as I was about to leave it started to rain very heavily, and continued to come down in sheets for about 20 minutes, leaving huge puddles on the roads. I was very glad to have finished the ride before the rain started.

[Crankin]

NY, that was very nice of you, and people are usually appreciate of those efforts. Murienn, sounds like you have a plan.
I finally rode today, all of 8 miles, my first ride since my trip to the Berkshires. I was going to do a 25 mile ride in the morning and go out with friends for lunch. Then, another friend's dad died, so I went to the funeral with one of the 2 people I was supposed to go out with. I had planned and got ready for a 5 AM ride, despite the fact it was 50 degrees out. But my alarm woke me up and that is a sign I need to sleep! So, I did. After the funeral, my friend and I and one other person went out to lunch in the city I grew up in. So, I didn't get home until 2, I was not really motivated, so getting out for 30 minutes or so was fine.
Tomorrow is tabata, Friday, I am co-leading a ride. Looks like rain Saturday AM, and then my granddaughter is coming for the afternoon, so I will probably do another tabata class. Hoping for a 50 mile ride on Sunday.

[north woods gal]

Question to North Woods: how does one use a dropper post? You move it up and down while doing steep inclines?

How does this work? The new Krampus will take a dropper post. No idea if I'd want one.

Correct, descending, railing around turns at high speed, landing after going airborne. Basically, any time you want to get down lower than what a fixed seat allows. Some are activated with button on the seat, but the better ones are activated with a button or lever on the handlebar, hence the routing thing.

It's something to consider if you are doing difficult single track with lots of steeps and drops, riding over boulder fields and the like. I personally have never felt the need for one and I do some fairly steep drops, though this is hardly mountain country. In real mountain country, I might consider one, but even then, that kind of super aggressive stuff down the side of a mountain, both wheels off the ground, over what some wouldn't even consider a trail is out of my league. Might get there, someday, but not there right now. At this point, I'd rate myself as an intermediate or advanced intermediate single track rider (one wheel off the ground) and though our trails can be a bit rocky at times, nothing I can't manage without resorting to a dropper post. I tend to keep my seat lower on my trail bikes than on my road bikes, anyway, and that works, fine. I can tuck down very low when needed. Might be fun to try a dropper post, sometime, and knowing me, I probably will, but for now I'd be much more inclined to put my money in other kinds of upgrades. Something you can always add, later.

[Crankin]

Tabata is a high intensity interval training class. 45 minutes of the hardest stuff you can imagine. It's different every time, combo of cardio and weights. Usually 8 sets of 4 exercises each. 45 seconds of each one, with a minute rest between each set.

[north woods gal]

Thompson makes a great seat post. Have several. Quality item.

[ny biker]

They have Tabata classes at my gym. I think they do them up on the roof during the summer.

So I did manage to get out and ride last night. As usual I got out of work late, so it was around sunset when I reached my ride start (a community center) and got everything out of the car. Removed the rear wheel with the flat tire, spread all the tools out in the back of the car, got a spare tube from my gear bag. Noted the location of the tire logo relative to the valve stem. Struggled to get the tire off the rim, I think maybe I should get better tire levers. Pulled out the tube, pumped air into it, searched for the hole, no luck. It was too slow a leak. Put on my reading glasses, got out my daytime blinky headlight, set it to steady beam, used it as a flashlight as I inspected the tire. Didn't find any cuts or anything sharp on the inside. Did find numerous small cuts on the outside. Scratched a couple of tiny pieces of glass out of two of the cuts. Checked the rim tape inside the wheel. Put a new tube in, struggled to get the tire back on the rim. Made sure the tire was situated with the same logo lined up with the valve stem, for reference. Pumped it up. Took a restroom break. When I returned, the new tire appeared fine. Still not confident, though. So I did a few short laps on the roads immediately around the community center. Tire was okay. Headed out on my normal route, but when I reached the next residential neighborhood a mile or so away I decided to so some laps there so I wouldn't be too far from my car if the tire went flat again. Zig-zagged through the streets up a big hill and back down again, four times. Tire still good, ride distance about 6 miles so far. Headed out on the main road for a couple of miles to connect with the flat neighborhoods that I usually ride through on the end of the ride. Did a few laps there. Returned to the community center. Total distance 17 miles, about what I would have done if I'd ridden my normal route, but with fewer hills. So glad I've learned the roads well enough over the years to improvise like this.

This morning I pumped the bad tube up again and held it under water to find the leak. It was roughly opposite the valve stem. The new tire is still holding air so I think either I removed the offending glass or the cause of the puncture was not stuck in the tire. I will check the tire again tonight with a magnifying glass just in case. And perhaps I will use the bad tube to practice patching tubes, which is a thing I am very bad at.

We're expecting lots of rain tomorrow and Saturday, so I have a club ride planned for Sunday.

[Crankin]

The other club I belong to (not the one I lead for) is doing a flat century in the cranberry bogs of SE MA on 10/1. DH and I are thinking of doing it. I've done one century, also flat, in 2006, with no real training. I just need to do a few 50-75mile rides and I'll be fine, since all of the rides I do around here are hilly and require time in the saddle.

[north woods gal]

Yeah, no substitute for time in the saddle to prepare for a big ride like that. It's part of my bicycling regimen that needs a little work. One hour of trail riding, every day, is a good workout and very healthy, but that long distance stuff is another type of workout.

Been riding the Surly Krampus all week and switching back and forth with various bikes for the sake of comparison. The closest bike to the Krampus is my other 29+ rigid, my Trek Stashe. Okay, well, duh! Still, the two are surprisingly different. Shorter chain stays on the Trek, lighter frame and more XC geometry make it a more nimble, agile bike. You might expect a 29+ bike to be kind of clunky in the handling department, but not this one. Reminds me of my old classic 26" MTBs.

The Krampus, though, amazes me. With the new Knard tires, it's actually a slightly faster bike than the Trek on a straight run. Plenty agile, but not as twitchy as the Trek. Better climber in the steeps and easier to hop logs with it's trail geometry. And that steel? Oh, yeah, what a difference it makes on the rough stuff.

What is especially noticeable on the Krampus is its ability to track a straight line. This could be the result of it fitting me better than than the Trek, but it is the more stable bike. I used to ride the Trek on 6 to 10 miles of pavement to get to my favorite gravel and sand roads, but the Trek just felt like a mismatch on the pavement as in, what are we doing on this stuff? Get the Krampus out on a road, though, and it begs to cover some miles. I had originally hoped that the Krampus would give me a narrow tire, lighter version of the Pugsley for a do it all, utility bike and looks like I hit the jackpot. The Pugs will still get the call in extreme conditions or when things turn soft and the Pugs can be ridden in all four seasons, but the Krampus will take over for the longer rides until the snow falls.

Love the Pugs and now the Krampus, too. :)

[Crankin]

I helped lead our struggling Fri. morning series. The guy I lead with goes anyway, and the last few weeks, when I have not attended, he had one person. Today we had 2. It's the same ride every week. He mentioned that he had cut the end part off the past 2 weeks, since the one attendee was happy with 25 miles instead of 30, which we also did. The end of the ride is through a business park, a community college, and a VA campus... it's ok, but not that pretty. We are going to add the miles back in, with a prettier route.
I've had some allergies, which seems to affect my cycling more than anything. But, I did the job as sweep, the other woman there was riding my speed, though I did lag a bit on a climb that came after a short and super steep climb. This ride is mostly shady, which is good, as even though it was only 77 when we left, in the full sun of the parking lot, it felt like 97. And, I was home by noon.
Weather looks better for tomorrow. I may ride early in the AM, just a short one, before my granddaughter arrives.

[Crankin]

Today DH and I rode out to Bolton Farms. Found out it is not quite 50 miles from our condo, as opposed to our house. We kind of knew this, and although we did not take the shortest way home after lunch, I think next time, we will do the 3 needed miles before lunch! It was a perfect New England day. Not hotter than 78 degrees and a dew point in the 50s. Also a breeze. The part of the ride before lunch is very hilly, with a long downhill right before the stop. After lunch, is also a climb, not so steep, but totally unshaded, so we've had many hot and uncomfortable rides up this part of the ride. It was a little quieter than usual on the roads today, both cars and cyclists. Everyone's at the beach, and it's the last weekend before the PMC. Most of the riders we saw were going the other way, in the beginning of the ride.
Need to keep doing longer rides...

[north woods gal]

No, have never tried the 510s, but have heard about them and considered giving them a try. Just never had any issues with the wide variety of shoes I use on all my flats. Thanks for the warning.

Took the Krampus for a pavement ride, yesterday. Did a total of 25 miles. 4 were gravel/sand, but all the rest pavement. Very comfy ride, kind of like a faster Pugsley. Definitely a capable shoulder riding bike like the Pugs, too. Nice to have as an option should I ever need detour or get off the road, quick.

Only issue was that the Krampus felt so much like the Pugsley that I kept reaching for those Jones Loop bars which weren't there (have them on the Pugs). Definitely need to add the Jones to the Krampus if I plan to do a lot of road work with it.

[ny biker]

What are 510s?

The one time I rode my mountain bike with flat pedals, I wore my usual Shimano mountain bike shoes since the cleats are recessed.

So, catching up for July, I led a 49-mile ride on Sunday for the club. I used a route that someone else had devised and that I heard was popular, and reversed it for the sake of variety. It was okay, parts were very nice, but some of it used roads that are not my favorite for cycling due to the amount of traffic. We had perfect weather and a big turnout as a result, and everyone seemed to enjoy the ride. A couple of people slowed down quite a bit for the last 10 miles or so and since I was the sweep, I had to slow down too. This was only a problem because I was wearing shorts that apparently have been worn too many times, and they were causing some chafing. So I really was happy when we reached the end.

The new saddle was bothering me pretty much for the entire ride. The wide part of it has a domed shape, and I think this is what is causing the feeling of the nose being tilted up. I'm going to try lowering it a bit to see if that helps.

[north woods gal]

On the shoes thing with flats, I also use some old clipless shoes without the cleats attached and they work fine, too.