No Flat Tires & No Broken Bones

Excellent ride today.  No one got hurt.  We didn't have any mechanical failures.  The trails were dry.  Woohoo!!! 

Would have been a little more exciting if the rest of the pack had been able to ride with us, but there were two out from being under the weather, and one had a conflicting schedule.  Jared's still recovering from blisters on his feet and Kim had an allergic reaction to the company carpet cleaner.  Torres had to work.

Heading into the Hobbit Trails @ Gateway Park

That left Luke Skywalker and I to head out on our own, which was OK because we had a great weather, and a really good ride all by ourselves.  We kept to the faster tracks today, maneuvering between tight trees and jumping small logs, and occasionally had those fast dips and short inclines.  Riding the fast trails which are more technically challenging is my preference.  Lukas likes the advanced circuit with the higher hills.  I'd like them, but leaning over my bars to get up an incline takes all of the fun out of it for me.  The ride back down is really fast, but the only technical challenge is to stay on the trail.  There are no jumps, and the turns aren't as many, nor as tight.

Luke Skywalker re-mounting to get clear of my Sidewinder.

I used a new camera today.  I recently purchased it from Kimi-Jo.  It's far more souped up than my cam, but it's also harder to handle when I'm riding.  To get most of my shots today, I had to dismount and click, then get back into the ride.  I'd have brought my own, but the battery was down, so I took this one out to see how well it would do.  I bought it for Alicia as a back-up cam, and I think for what she plans to use it for, it'll work great.  But, next ride, I'll have my own cam stuffed snugly in it's spot in my pack.  Every time I use it, I thank Torres for finding me a blonde-friendly digi-cam with beeps and buzzes loud enough to accommodate for my hearing loss. 

Over my bars.

The recent rains had left a good size patch of mud in a field we have to traverse to get to the far starting point of one of the three trail areas.  We skimmed over it and kept to the dryer parts along the sides.  But, once in the woods, we encountered only a couple of places that were soft enough to pull at my back tire.  They pulled my the rear of my bike far enough to the side, that I nearly lost my seat but it only lasted for a couple of seconds and I was able to compensate before it slid completely out from under me.  Lukas managed to avoid nearly all of them.

Torres was so disappointed that she couldn't make the ride with us today.  Since our schedules are nearly opposite these days, it's much harder for all of us to be off at the same time.  But, we're hoping to get in an outing this coming Sunday or Monday to make up for lost time.  A bad consequence of not riding frequently is getting saddle-sore.  I'm hoping I don't wake up with it tonight when I get ready to go to work, or I'll be standing at my desk for my shift, rather than sitting.

Lukas finishing up this circuit and nearing the woodline exit.

I didn't take my hydro-pack today either.  Several weeks ago, I picked up a basic Schwinn water bottle to take along when the weather got cooler and I wouldn't need as much fluid.  The bottle looks very cool, and it rides in the cage great.  But, when I actually tried drinking out of it, I had nearly as much of my sports drink dripping off of my chin as I did to swallow.  It was pretty messy, and very annoying.  Therefore, I think I'll switch back to my hydro pack regardless of the weather.

I pulled ahead and dismounted so I could catch some shots.

Lukas is coming along nicely with maneuvering techniques.  He did mention that his front rim is out of line again and he's noticing it's getting worse.  As good as McGuyver is, it will likely have to be replaced.  So, we kept a little slower pace today, just to be on the safe side, and he made it back home with no wipe outs and no broken bones.

Lukas observing his dad during his bike upgrade.

I'm using the same saddle Lukas is using now.  A Schwinn with Clear Gel Technology.  There are lots of gel saddles out there, but this one has near perfect contouring for a comfortable ride.  It's made a beyond impressive difference for me compared to the standard gel saddle the bike came with.  The original was a Schwinn saddle as well, and even had more padding, but somehow, the contouring of the new smaller one works much better.  It's the most comfortable saddle I've ever used, and that's even without the padded bike shorts I used to wear.  With this one, I don't even need them.  I should have guessed it would be because Lukas always rides in jeans, and even he stays comfortable on our long rides.  It was a great switch that was under $30 and worth every cent.  McGuyver installed the seat on Luke Skywalker's cycle when it got re-outfitted.  Lukas was kind enough to install my new one for me, and I'm way happy with the switch.

Lukas switching out my saddle and adding bull-horn
extensions to my bars.

Hopefully, by next ride the entire pack will get to make it for an outing together.  Hope so anyway.  It's great when all of us get to hit the trails at the same time, but we've gotta be a little more careful with tailing.  One bump into someones rear tire can topple the whole line like dominoes.

That aside, it's way worth it.  The company is excellent and we challenge each other in good ways.

That's all I've got for you for this ride.  Hope you liked the photos and commentary.  If you're in our area and would ever like to come along on a trip in the woods, let us know, there's always room for more!

Email or leave us a comment at the bottom of the blog and we'll be sure to get back with you ASAP.

'Til next time!