work commute

DC > CDL > Degoba >> home

Rode with Kevin. Took it easy but was a fun ride.

work commute

South Mountain hike

First hike in about a year. Got sick and tired of using sore knees as an excuse. Took a hint from Nike and just did it.

Easy hike from the Beverly Canyon saddle along the ridgeline back to the Pima Ramadas. Road home.

Want to do this once or twice a week and see how the knees hold up.

first ride with new wheelset and fork!

DC >> CDL >> bench >> home
2011 Fox F29 120mm w/ 15mm thru axle
Stan's Flow + King hubs
a la SMC

easy Desert Classic ride

Fixed most of the creaking noises on the Turner and got out for a slow-paced Desert Classic ride. Rode from San Gabriel out to the base of Telegraph Pass and back. Stayed on DC the whole way except for taking Secret (AKA Sidewinder) on the way back. Took about 2 hours, I think. Long way to go to be ready for the White Elephant Parade!

Interbike Dirt Demo - report

It was HOT but the heat didn't stop the fun at the Interbike Dirt Demo. Spent time on old friends: '11 Sultan rides lighter and climbs better compared '08, SC Tallboy is total point-and-shoot mind-meld fun, & Pivot 429 is impressive (but don't ride the Tallboy or Sultan first). The new Pivot Mach 5.7 climbs like the Tallboy, descends like a Turner - I just felt cramped in the 26er cockpit. Hey Pivot, how about a 529?

INTERBIKE!!!

Heading to Boulder City, Nevada for the Outdoor Demo on September 20, 21. Can't wait!

Enjoyable ride to work

Rained hard last night so had to ride through some mud on the way. Love the cyclocross with 35mm tires. It was humid but only 80 degrees.

Fast trails on South Mountain

Rode with Jonathan S at 5:30 this morning. East on Desert Classic. Pima ramadas. Counter-clockwise on the East Loop. Pima Wash. DC west. Secret Trail (Sidewinder). Warpaint loop. DC west to the rock bench. DC east. Home.

Thought I'd be able to ride fast on these trails but STILL felt tired and slow. Not sure if it is the heat or what. Hard getting back to where I was before knee surgery. Maybe some time on the road-bike would help.

Trail 100 end-to-end-to-end

Got a really early start and rode Trail 100 with Kevin. The entrance to Dreamy Draw was closed at ~5:10am so we found the spot where T100 goes under Cave Creek Rd and parked near there. Headed west to 7th Ave, turned, rode east to Tatum, turned, rode back to the van.

Solid ride. Felt slow but I think we kept a decent pace.
Trail 100 C2C2C at EveryTrail


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Desert Classic C2C2C

Great ride with Kevin and Jonathan this morning. We hit Desert Classic at 5:30. Rode out to Telegraph Pass, turned, and rode to the ramadas, turned, rode home. Weather was outstanding - low humidity and 80 - 90 degrees. Still felt weak but DC is more forgiving than National. Gotta do this kind of ride for a couple weeks before attempting any major climbs again.

National and then a kids ride

Kevin and I headed up National at 5:30. My first time up since knee surgery in May.

Ugh. Odd ride. Not sure if it was the early ride time, lack of caffeine, stress during the week, or what - just couldn't drag my ass up the hill. Did ok on the Mormon wall but then I was thoroughly pooped. Climbed up to Fat Man's Pass and decided to call it quits. Was worried I'd be so exhausted that I'd screw up on the downhill and hurt myself. Was glad when that ride was over. [Still glad I went though.]

Then Kevin and I took Rylan, Ian and Conner for a ride on Desert Classic. Everyone had fun. Rylan didn't pay attention to what I was asking him to do (like stay with me while we ride on the street, don't cut in front of other riders, etc) and I had to cut the ride short. I think Kevin, Ian, and Conner kept riding to the water tower.

BMX race in Tucson

Rylan and I went with Kevin, Ian and Conner to see the ABA BMX Southwest Regionals. They had a blast. Rylan is already looking forward to competing next year.

It was really neat. Lots of participants. The races only last for 45 seconds or so and they just run one heat after another for hours on end. They only stop if someone crashed and is still on the course.

Racers aged from 4 or 5 to 60+. The teenagers were by far the fastest (15 - 18) but BMX is all about the little kids. There were lots of kids in the 6 to 13 age range.

Lots of crashes but also lots of safety gear. Only a few people were hurt.

Chandler BMX

Took Rylan to the Chandler BMX dirt track for a beginners clinic. I've never seen him enjoy anything so much.

It was HOT. He'd already done many laps. He was obviously pooped. I asked him if he wanted to do one more lap and then head home. He vigorously shook his head no. I said, you want to go home right now? Again, no. Ahhh... I guess we're in the market for BMX gear now.

They did a little two lap race after that and Rylan did really well. He has a strong competitive streak.

Helipad + Degoba

Good ride with Kevin and Jonathan. Jonathan hadn't ridden the entire Dagoba loop before. Weather was relatively good - we hit the gap between high humidity and high temps.

"Race Pace" intervals on Desert Classic

Humidity! Yuck! Sweatiest ride I've done in a couple years. Hands were slipping off my grips because my gloves were oozing sweat.

Ride started well - a rainbow appeared at sunrise. Full rainbow from horizon to horizon...and we headed right towards the middle of it on our bikes.

Three laps starting from the east end of Secret where it hits DC. DC to the bottom of Corona de Loma. Up and over the saddle. Back to start on Secret. Repeat.

Jonathan kicked ass as usual. Kevin flatted on the second lap. We did the last lap counter-clockwise so we could hook up with Kevin.

Intervals on Javelina

Rode up Javelina Trail tres times with Jonathan S. Hurt every time but I'm happy I did it...well, I'm happy to be done. Got even by taking Beverly Saddle home - Jonathan rides a full rigid.

Saw Mike Barqman of MTBikeAZ at the top of Javelina. He was headed uphill to get some fork cam of National.

Weekend rides in Sedona and Flag

Awesome temps and new-to-me trails this weekend. Friday evening in Sedona: Teacup > Soldier Pass > Brin Mesa > Dry Creek Rd > Chimney Rock > Thunder Mtn. Camped in Flag with Zilka. Saturday morning in Flag: Fort Valley Trail. All the trails were outstanding. Thanks to Lani for "allowing" me to go off to ride 'em

Riding with Jonathan S.

It's a big change hanging onto the wheel of someone who is faster and fitter than I am. All we did was ride Desert Classic out and back but my legs are jelly now. Thanks Jonathan.

Beer and riding

Ugh! Cooler weather this morning but that Cornish Pasty + Hoegaarden ale last night took its toll...not to mention Jonathan S kicked my butt - he's a full rigid, single speed animal. (East loop >> Javelina >> DC >> home.)

Trail 100

Hit Trail 100 this morning at 5:30. Beginning of the ride was nice - cloudy with a slight breeze and even a few cool rain drops. Got a pinch flat near the 7th Ave end. Took a long time to inflate the new tube (pump was just barely working - need to carry CO2). By the time I got back on the bike, the sun was out in full force. It was a real slog back to the car.

GPS unit stopped working. Shuts itself down after a couple minutes - even with new batteries. (~1 year old Garmin eTrex Vista HCX)

Desert Classic with Lani

Lani and I had a good sunrise ride on Desert Classic this morning.

DC + Helipad

And again. 95 degrees at 5:20. Sunrise at 5:35. Cloud cover from 5:45 to 7 made it tolerable. DC >> Secret >> CDL >> Helipad >> TP >> DC >> Warpaint loop >> Secret >> DC >> home.

Javelina

My non-morning-person side is really annoyed with my cyclist side. [East Loop + Javelina + DC this morning.]

Helipad

Off to the Helipad. Yay.

>> UPDATE

Good ride. The Cloud Gods provided shade until I started the climb up to the Helipad. Then the Hair Dryer Gods kicked in and blew hot wind in my face - which I guess was better than nothing.

Rode with Zilka in Prescott

Zilka and I rode the tail end of the Whiskey. Climbed up to Prietta and then bombed back to Prescott. Fun ride.

Durango

Burnt lungs. Muddy legs. Bugs in teeth. Roasted rotors. Sore smile muscles. Back in the saddle in CO. This place is amazing.

Bad good weather

I planned my knee surgery around the miserable Phoenix summer heat...the outstanding weather in Phoenix is wrecking my plans.

Knee surgery

Knee surgery at 12:30. Can't wait to eat!

Flagdona 2010

Great weekend of mountain biking. Rode from Flagstaff to Sedona on Saturday. Rode in Flagstaff on Sunday (Rocky Ridge to Mt Elden Rd to Sunset to Shultz Creek). The snow on Sunset and Shultz Creek made things a little more interesting...and muddy.

Mild spring in Phoenix

Enjoying this bonus mild weather in Phoenix. Great mtb ride last night. Another planned for today.

Geronimo

Itching for Geronimo.

>> UPDATE

Bombing down Geronimo. Approaching one of the sharp complicated switchbacks. Hit the rear brakes. Why am I not slowing down? Hit them harder...and harder. Still too hot to handle the turn. I guess I'll tap the front brake. Why is the ground coming up at me so fast? Endo!

My bad. Rear brake pad is worn down to the metal. I replaced those pads in December. Another bike part meets an early end due to too many times bombing down National.

Epic SoMo Loop

One of the best rides ever tonight. I hereby dub this route: The Epic South Mountain Loop. Epic South Mountain Loop at EveryTrail

Intervals on Javelina

Rode Javelina Trail 4 times last night. Great intervals. ~12 minutes of solid work followed by ~5 minutes of fun descent. Looking forward to DC+DCX+National today.

Whiskey Pre-ride

Rode with Zilka. He was riding strong. Lots of snow on trails.

Sunset ride

Weather changed and got really nice for a perfect sunset ride. Beverly Saddle the wrong way, new-to-me trails to the bottom of Javelina, up Javelina twice, Beverly Saddle the correct way, home.

South Mountain road ride

Great road ride up Phx South Mountain to the TV towers and then out to San Juan and back. 43 miles in 3hr 13min.
South Mountain Silent Sunday Ride at EveryTrail

Bike to work

Weather could not have been better for the bike ride to work. The only problem with that ride was the destination.

Pima Mormon National Buena Vista and Back

Early morning ride (6am) with Kevin. Headed up to Buena Vista and back. Kevin fell just before the waterfall and hurt his hand - seemed like it hurt a lot.

Forgot to turn on GPS until we were a couple miles into the ride.
Pima Mormon National Buena Vista and Back at EveryTrail

Desert Classic/DCX/National Loop

Love this route:
Desert Classic/DCX/National Loop at EveryTrail

CrossMax 29ers suck!

Converted my bike to a fixie! Without tools! On the trail! Again! Crossmax 29er hubs FAIL!

Pivot eye bearings

These guys are based in Tucson. High end after-market bike parts: custom seals, bearings, bushings, BBs, etc. SMC installed shock eye needle bearings on my mtb. It definitely changes the way the bike handles - rear suspension is a lot more active. I can tell you in a few days if it is good or bad: ENDURO FORK SEALS AND BEARINGS: YOUR ONLINE SOURCE

>> UPDATE:

The Sultan is better than new. Made it up Javelina and Mormon with zero dabs. I can barely walk though...

Ride with Rylan

Rylan persistently asked to ride his bike today. So we dodged the rain storms and got out for a ride. We tooled around on a half-pipe (concrete drainage ditch) for 15 minutes. Then he chased birds with his bike on a soggy grass field for a half-hour. He has LOTS of energy and loves to ride his bike. Awesome.

Great weekend

Great weekend so far: perfect Pivot 429 demo ride in Sedona yesterday and a 35 mile South Mtn TV towers road ride this morning.

Ride with Nelson

Outstanding mtb ride with Mr. Nelson last night. That dude has gotten WAY faster.

DC + National

Desert Classic (west), Telegraph Pass, National east loop. 1 hr 45 min. Gotta be my best time.

busted shock on the Sultan

Rear shock on the Sultan is busted again. 429 doesn't arrive for a few more weeks. The Dambala finally gets a chance to fulfill its purpose.

Desert Classic night ride

Solid Desert Classic ride last night (DC >> Secret >> Helipad >> Telegraph >> home). Weather is PERFECT. Why was I the only one on the trail last night? Oh, and a nice bike ride to work this morning too.

2010 Old Pueblo

Had a great time in the Old Pueblo. It was nice to have a bigger group this year. Thanks everyone!

24 Hours in the Old Pueblo Pre-ride

Great 24HOTP pre-ride yesterday. Thanks Matt, Kevin, Ryan Z, and Ryan N.
24 Hours in the Old Pueblo Pre-Ride (2 Laps) at EveryTrail


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DC + National ride

Great mtb ride Tue afternoon. Desert Classic to Telegraph Pass. Hike-a-bike up Telegraph Pass. Road to Buena Vista. Down National. Over Beverly Canyon saddle. Home. 2 hours. Schweet.

DC after work ride

Cut out of work a little early and sneaked in a Desert Classic ride. Trail condition was outstanding -- hard-packed and grippy from the rain -- and weather could not have been better. Just an awesome ride.