unexpected new toy for my bike

[littlegrasshopp]

So....I got a call from SO today. He was meeting his cycling team at LBS to head out to MS150. They had a clearance sale and he wanted to know if I was REALLY ready to get a new fork.....

I got a RockShox Reba fork.....it's silver and beautiful!!! !! Too bad he won't be back til Sunday night! Can't wait to try it out!!

[emily_in_nc]

Awesome! And that's not even a "toy"! Now, this, which I just bought, is a toy:

Ebay bike bell (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&item=230025991732&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1)

You got a new fork - woohoooo! :D

Emily

P.S. We're going to go to Crabtree again next week so I can try the singletrack again (this week we just did Umstead Turkey Run). Pray that I don't fall hard again.... :eek: My non-riding friends think I am insane!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Awesome! And that's not even a "toy"! Now, this, which I just bought, is a toy:

Ebay bike bell (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&item=230025991732&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1)
Emily

That could double as a very cool cocktail ring! It might point you in the right direction towards interesting people or good escape routes, and also be a "mood ring" that always reads Blue for good mood. And... when no one is waiting on you at a restaurant...Brrring! Brrringg!!!

[emily_in_nc]

That could double as a very cool cocktail ring! It might point you in the right direction towards interesting people or good escape routes, and also be a "mood ring" that always reads Blue for good mood. And... when no one is waiting on you at a restaurant...Brrring! Brrringg!!!

Heehee, I love it! :D

Emily

[littlegrasshopp]

Emily, I'll have to show that to the my fiance. He's been looking for a bell before Tsali, next month.

Good luck with Crabtree!!! I'm sure it will go better this time. You've seen the trail before, you know that while you may have fallen, there is nothing HORRIBLE there. That's what will get back on Beaver Damn's trails again! very nervous about that! I'm still pushing for you to try Harris Lake. :) :)

[emily_in_nc]

Good luck with Crabtree!!! I'm sure it will go better this time. You've seen the trail before, you know that while you may have fallen, there is nothing HORRIBLE there. That's what will get back on Beaver Damn's trails again! very nervous about that! I'm still pushing for you to try Harris Lake. :) :)

How long does it take to drive to Harris Lake from RTP - any idea? I live way out west from Raleigh - almost in Alamance County, so I probably won't make it there unless it's after work (that's when my friend and I go to Umstead - or Crabtree). We work in RTP.

Thanks, and good luck with Beaver Dam. One of my other friends from work who is an advanced mtb'r (he just did the Shenandoah 100!) goes there, but I may never get that ambitious since I also road ride, hike, and kayak. It's hard to find enough time for everything - or to become an expert at any one sport!

Wish I didn't have to work! :p

Emily

[littlegrasshopp]

I think Harris is maybe 15 minutes further...maybe 20. It's south of Cary off US1. It's worth the trip though. That's my favorite place to ride. Lots of fun stuff to ride but trails around most all of it when I don't feel good about it.

Today a friend and I rode. She is normally the stronger rider but she didn't eat breakfast and didn't think much about it. She spaced out on a little bridge and did a face plant into the ditch off the side. Her face was purple and numb for the rest of the ride. She still had fun but I'm calling her tomorrow to check on the black eyes I know she's going to get!!

[uforgot]

[QUOTE=emily_in_nc]Awesome! And that's not even a "toy"! Now, this, which I just bought, is a toy:

Ebay bike bell (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&item=230025991732&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1)


Thanks Emily! I just bought two of these bells in black!:D

[emily_in_nc]

I think Harris is maybe 15 minutes further...maybe 20. It's south of Cary off US1. It's worth the trip though. That's my favorite place to ride. Lots of fun stuff to ride but trails around most all of it when I don't feel good about it.

Thanks lgh! I'd love to try Harris Lake, but days are going to be getting shorter to get there before dark (and it's even darker on trails) after work from here on out, so that one may have to wait until next summer. Weekends are out since my DH doesn't mountain bike except very rarely, and we are busy road riding, hiking, kayaking, traveling, and doing projects around the house and yard. There's way too much to pack into two days already!

I hope your friend will be okay. That sounds like an ugly fall.

Emily

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks Emily! I just bought two of these bells in black!:D

Cool! I hope we both like them! :)

~Emily

[littlegrasshopp]

Emily - I can understand!! Too many hobbies, not enough time! So did you ride crabtree again, and how was it??

[emily_in_nc]

Emily - I can understand!! Too many hobbies, not enough time! So did you ride crabtree again, and how was it??

Not yet -- we rode Umstead last week to let all my bruises heal, and my friend is just getting used to clipless so wanted to ride Umstead first too. We are going to try Crabtree this week. Normally we ride Wed., but it looks like rain so may be Thurs. I did ride my own single-track trails tonight (we have 11 acres and DH put in singletrack for us -- actually hiking/walking trails, but have become singletrack for me!!) They are easier than Crabtree because the climbs are more gentle, there are no switchbacks. There are some roots and rocks but not nearly as many as Crabtree, which is why I was so freaked when I got there. I thought "this is beginner?!?!?" I would sure hate to see advanced trails!

I'll let you know how it goes at Crabtree. And yes, I am nervous -- but not so nervous not to try again!

Emily

[emily_in_nc]

Okay, my bike bell/compass came today, and it is nice! The compass is great!! The bell is a "ding", not a nice "dring-dring", but it will do. The only problem is that the handlebar-mounting hole is a bit narrow for my bars (carbon Monkey Lites). It will fit around the bars, but the fastening screw doesn't screw in far enough to hold it really taught, which it has to be. DH is going to see if he can fix it tomorrow (he's very mechanically inclined). I hope it will work out!

Emily

[emily_in_nc]

Emily - I can understand!! Too many hobbies, not enough time! So did you ride crabtree again, and how was it??

Hi again LGH ~ Crabtree was closed from Wed/Thurs rain yesterday, so we did Umstead again. Hopefully next week we'll finally get back to Crabtree so I can practice staying upright!

Emily

[littlegrasshopp]

If it helps you at all, I have a friend that has been riding Harris Lake for months now. We nicknamed him big fish (in a little pond) because he thought he was such a great mountain biker (in a completely "I'm better than you" kind of way). We finally heard that he tried Crabtree - he didn't like it at all! Same issues. Switchbacks on steap hills, roots, all the stuff everyone else struggles with!! Now he's hooked on Crabtree though :) At least he has two trails now!!! :)

But has all this rain helped your water sports??

[emily_in_nc]

If it helps you at all, I have a friend that has been riding Harris Lake for months now. We nicknamed him big fish (in a little pond) because he thought he was such a great mountain biker (in a completely "I'm better than you" kind of way). We finally heard that he tried Crabtree - he didn't like it at all! Same issues. Switchbacks on steap hills, roots, all the stuff everyone else struggles with!! Now he's hooked on Crabtree though :) At least he has two trails now!!! :)

Oh, that does make me feel better! The friend I ride with had a difficult time with Crabtree at first too. She said on about her 6th ride there, it all finally started coming together. Since I've only managed to get there once, I have a ways to go....but she gives me hope that I can also get comfortable with it.


But has all this rain helped your water sports??

Oh yes! Last year this time it was hard to find enough water to go kayaking in; this year is great! And I like that everything is green!

Emily