Conquering demons? No just the top of Zen.

Ok. Ok. I’m up. You can stop yelling. I can feel your anger from here. So I will do what has to be done. Dig deep into the sleep-deprived pain cave and peck you out a post.

This week’s been a good one.

Tuesday consisted of a ride with the Moosekuckler Cycling Alliance Community Outreach Program on the upper Prospector. The trail is buffed out. Or was, as that was a few days ago. I’ve found this trail pretty much goes one way or the other. If you catch it in the right conditions, aka a day or two after a storm, it is fast and fun. Catch it when the horses have been up and down it and it has been dry and you will be cursing my name for sending you out there.

Needless to say again, the trail was in excellent condition. It was so fast that we finished class faster than I think any class has leaving us with plenty of time to do another lap. The students were non-plussed by this idea so we just came home.

After having such a fast ride on Prospector, it seemed only reasonable that we would slow things down and have a rest day on the UnZen.

Of course, by rest day I mean this hurts dig deep and bare it, type of a rest day.

The crew consisted of Super D, Roller Coaster Kim, KB, Jason and myself.

As you can see, when someone new comes and rides with the Alliance we make sure that they wear a shirt with their name on it so we don’t forget it. If there is one thing we pride ourselves on it’s ensuring everyone feels welcome.

In completely unrelated news, Bike Rumor actually dropped an article that piqued my interest. Partially because every morning when arise, I drop to my knees and pray to the Shimano Gods of Cycling that my day won’t get SRAMed. Also, because it is something that I aptly predicted was going to happen. Thanks to my perfect auditory recording memory, I present the conversation exactly the way it happened.

Andy, “I’ve been thinking about getting some Saint brakes.”

Me, “I would wait a bit. It only makes sense that they would apply the Ice technology rotors and pads to their downhill group so I would assume we will be seeing a revamp of the Saint brakes.”

So there goes Bike Rumor, all proving that I’m right and shit…

Not only did they revamp the entire Saint group but they introduced us to the new Hone group that they have aptly renamed Zee. Why? I don’t know. I assume it is an Americanization of some Japanese term that has to do with class warfare and the cause of being forced to dumb down their components so the “other half” can buy them. That’s just my take on it any way. Article can be found here.

Before you go and think I’m getting all soft up in here, let me point out another article I came across while trying to find the one above (I didn’t realize that Bike Rumor posted 15,032 times a day).

Apparently, Magura has taken to the streets and is now offering a conversion system so you can run their new hydraulic rim road brakes on any road bike.

Yup, you get to run the cable from your standard brake levers to the converter box. As you pull the cable it actuates the piston in the master cylinder and then your brakes. I’m just going to point out that this is probably not a good idea for carbon braking surfaces…

And since we are jumping all over the map today, I leave you with the following video that Shelby shared with us.

Shit Climbers Say from Louder Than Eleven on Vimeo.

P. L. and R.

The group split twice. Danny and I ended up riding back to the car together only to find that his truck was gone. We first thought that was because Kim had taken the girls home but the note you see to the left explains the real reason. They made it back just a few minutes after we got done.

So the short of the long, a good time was had, and some work got done on the trail.

Photo evidence.

I hope to see more of you out next time.

Moving on.

In community related news, Fixie has officially started at the shop freeing me up to do other things, like not spending 10 hours every day at the shop. This also meant that I got to ride after work today because there was still light in the sky when I got off. So Dave and I headed on over to what used to be known as the Rhythm and Blues but I have renamed, since I have that kind of power, the Dichotomy of the Rhythm and Blues.

I enjoyed this little ditty. At 2.5 miles, it’s not really much of a ride, I did two laps to say I had rode, but it is a good work out. I found myself either on the brakes or mashing on the pedals. There isn’t much in between for this trail. Hence the addition of Dichotomy to the name. I would recommend this for anyone who wants a quick after work ride or is just sick of everything else in the area. It has its own flavor and it is fun, just come prepared to replace some pads afterward.

In related news, I have now had some good rides on the “prototype” tires. And I am impressed. More so with the front Ground Control tire. It rolls fast and corners like a champ. The Captain is no longer my choice of tires up front. The Fast Track in the rear rolls just as fast as the old version but seems to hook up a lot better in the loose stuff. I have only lost traction a few times on steep climbs, and that’s on my singlespeed. Definitely impressed and I’ve found my new tire combination. Not that there was anything wrong with the last set I had. These tires definitely don’t suck.

And to end this post off, a little reminder that we will be rocking the streets of SG this Friday. Meet at the Main Street Garage and come prepared to bust a lung. We will be invading Iggy’s when it is all said and done.

I think that is all.

Out.

So this past weekend, the Mooseknuckler-mobile headed up the mountain for cooler weather and better riding temps. The Berg and I spent the afternoon pedaling our way around part of the Virgin River Rim Trail. Beside the obvious lack of oxegyn, the ridng was quite nice. The weather was perfect and we had the trail almost completely to ourselves. We did, as we always do, see Guy Smith. I think he may live up there.

This was training day #3 and I was hoping to get some miles in. The original plan was to start at Deer Haven and ride to the lake, do the loop around the lake and then back to the car. When we got to trailhead, the Berg realized she had forgotten her helmet. So we packed things back up and headed to Brian Head to see if we could find a cheap one for purchase. We did. But then we didn’t quite have time to ride the entire loop. So we rode down the Lodge trail and back to the VRRT.

The photo evidence;

Out.

Shelby on the rim

A Mooseknuckler Approved ride happened this morning. It was one of those last minute things that gets initiated and organized in minutes thanks to social media and text messages.

This weekend was supposed to be the Alliance’s trip to the Whole Enchilada but due to forces way within our control, it didn’t happen. As an alternative to sitting at home and doing nothing, except maybe blogging, we got out and rode the Creek which is Little.

The guilty parties were Shelby, Fixie, Prattipus, the Berg and myself.

We woke up at the ass crack of dawn which is the metric version of meeting at Dave Nice’s house at 6 am. I’m not sure what the conversion ratio is but that’s how I was told it worked out. This also meant that I would be getting up at 4:30. I haven’t conquered the urge to eat breakfast, shower and feel good before leaving the house. So that’s how I roll, getting up even earlier than really needed.

My first thoughts when I stepped out the door this morning were, “Shit, it’s kind of nippy.” This is quite odd seeing that we are currently in July, the metric version of Fucking Hot. When we arrived at the trailhead around 7 it was also a bit nippy and the ride was quite pleasant, temperature wise. I think this maybe the first time I have ridden the creek in July (Fucking Hot for you Canadians). Which is one of the nice things about Super Great, when the rolling is nice you can ride the Creek which is Little in July.

And nobody is there…

The ride was nice. Pictures were taken at random and strategically chosen locations. There were shovels needed for all the bull shit spewed at the rest breaks and apparently Fixie is in good shape and has lots of energy after getting thrown under the bus by Grey Hound on his Divide Ride. We got some heavy breathing going on a few times. We also spent some time screwing around on the rocks and attempting to make ourselves feel like we are good riders.

The visual evidence.

That should cover it. If you want different angles and such you might want to check out the links above. I’m pretty sure this may end up being the most blogged about ride of the year, unless no one else posts it and then it won’t be…

Either way it was good ride.

Ride more.

The Berg and I were up there for four days. Yes we got some great riding in, but no we weren’t able to pick and chose which trails to hit. Actually we only rode one trail. So for those of you who are planning trips this week here is the MCA official trail report.

The Virgin River Rim is open and cleared from Teah to Cascade. From Teah towards Woods Ranch/Deer Haven the trail crews have not been in yet and there are still snow drifts. Yup, you read that right there are still snow drifts. We didn’t venture past Cascade and didn’t run into anyone who had.

The shuttle runs are open but have not been cleared. After speaking with the staff at the resort we chose to avoid these trails as they are still not cleared of dead fall and some still have snow, especially Blow Hard. All the trails at the resort are open. However, after watching riders come down covered in mud, I wouldn’t say they are clear. There are still a few drifts of snow scattered down the face of the run.

With that said, it was obvious on the Rim that the trail crews had been in and were working hard. I would venture to estimate that most trails will be open and cleared by the end of the month.

Three spots, two of them reserved for the handicapped.

I guess my mind isn’t what it used to be. Two rides in less then 24 hours both of which I have forgotten something vitally important. Last night it was the skid lid. Today it was water. But hey, I just live in a desert water isn’t really that important..

I got to the trailhead of Prospector this morning with “ganas” to ride only to find that my water bottle with all the water I was going to drink on this little adventure was conveniently still on the counter at home. Not to be deterred I decided to make the best of it and do a little exploring on the Red Cliff’s side of the Prospector. Seeing that there is a new step over and a trail on the other side of the road, it seemed like a good idea.

The next obstacle I ran into was the above photo. I’m all for making sure there are reserved spots for the handicap, but the only parking lot close to the Prospector Trailhead and 2/3 of it is off limits. The other 1/3 was in use. It seems a bit excessive, but whatever. I turned around and parked at the other “new” step over just up from the first stream crossing as you head into the recreational area. The sign said High Grade and had that beautiful little decal that meant it was open to me.

High Grade takes you from this parking lot back to the Prospector. It’s not long and after having ridden it both directions it looks that it will be the connector to a new parking lot when all is said and done. Which I’m guessing would then make more sense that the other one is off limits to almost everyone.

After reconnecting with the Prospector, I headed back down to the road and crossed over to the “new” section. It was short and basically took me back to the stream. The stream is currently what we would call a river around these parts so crossing it didn’t seem like a good idea with the gear I was wearing. I could see the trail on the other side and it looked like a reclaimed road. Not ideal but not bad either. If the road goes as far as it could potentially go, it could become a vital link in the Turkey Farm Loop.

I turned around and headed back up the Prospector and High Grade back to the car. I then checked out the Trailhead for White Reef. Again looks like a road but is heading in a good direction.

After my brief trail reconnaissance, I was going to head back home (it was getting warm and I still didn’t have any water). So I took the long way home and checked out the trail OTE has been working on over by Quail Reservoir. Looks to be tight and twisty as it I have heard the rumors confirm.

All in all, this morning could have been a much better ride If I tweren’t so forgetful. Maybe next time I will remember everything…

Out.

You may also notice the beautiful detail work I did with a couple of MCA stickers, making it official. This bike is a blast and I haven’t gotten tired of taking pictures of the bike or of the things that I carry in it.

Close up of my artwork.

If you have some place you would allow some advertising for this, the best blog in the world, hit me up and I will get you some stickers. I also love pictures of where you stuck ‘em.

Some other sticker placement, not by me.

The above image was stolen, but then again, it was a picture of my sticker. Kim and Danny did the tagging…

Tour de St. George start

This weekend we had some awesome weather. We also had a whole bunch of people in town for something known as the Tour de St. George. Not everyone who was signed up, showed and rode, but then again there were people who signed up Friday knowing full well what they were getting themselves into. As you can see from the photo to the left and those below, everyone who started out that day is a bonafide Mooseknuckler.

I, of course, was recruited to be the guy at the start line standing next to a repair stand and handing/pointing to the floor pump when people asked. This meant that I needed to be at Town Center around 7 a.m. Keeping with the commuter challenge for the month meant my ass was out of bead quite early. This followed a late night at the Pratt-Chacon residence. Luckily Sir Gurr had offered to take me from his house so the commute was only about a mile and I was able to sleep in a full half hour more.

The weather was not awesome. It took me a full five minutes longer than I anticipated to make it to Green Springs Drive. The rain that was falling was about a half step away from being snow and it was burning my face as it was blown into my clean shaven chin. I curse the wind, but love it at the same time.

Off they go! (gratuitous use of exclamation point)

Token Recumbent

Speaking of the Pratt-Chacon family, which I’m pretty sure I did just a bit back, making this a delayed segue, we just happened to run into them again Saturday night at the Kim-Danny residence where a birthday party had been had. For some reason there were lots and lots of fake tattoos floating around. Some tagging was done.

My new neck tattoo.

Baby with a tramp stamp.

Speaking of tramp stamps, the Mooseknuckler Alliance got out for a nice group ride this afternoon. We rode the dirt the way it was meant to be ridden. Baby Scar Face, Mitch and Jay all showed up for the event and we got out and were proud of our Knuckles. I was amazed at how green and overgrown everything is right now. There were time that it was hard to find the trail. At the top looking out over Stucki’s, it was like looking across a green ____________ (insert whatever you think is typical of green, I couldn’t think of anything).

The whole ride came about because I wanted to get some air under my tires and make sure that the Enduro got dirty. I succeeded in both. I didn’t get as much air under my tires as I had hoped but air was gotten. You have to always leave something for next time.

The highlight of the ride was when Baby Scar Face wrecked. We were on the Moustache Trail. There is a small (2-3 foot) drop that leads into a little double. I hit it and then Baby Scar Face hit the drop and chongo charged the double. He then had to go back and give it another shot. As soon as he hit the ground off of the drop he started mashing on the pedals like he was trying to go somewhere. I looked at Jay and said, “He’s going way too fast.” He hit the double and cleared the landing by about five feet. He was in the air much longer than he anticipated and came down off camber. Then he hit the ground. The ground was sandstone. He kind of bounced off the ground. And then he bled. It looked like it hurt.

Scar Face

He even got blood on his bike.

Scar Face rolling in.

SF on top of the Diving Board

Before he was termed Scar Face

Gratuitous view of my mountain

I think that sums up that ride.

Speaking of not riding. The Goose got snowed on. I’m not even sure we are going to have a Goose Season this year. I am looking forward to riding, and maybe camping out there this weekend. If the road is passable and the weather doesn’t go south, or east, bad. If you are thinking about heading out there, I would recommend giving it until at least Thursday.

Snowy Goose anyone?

Time for bed. Hope you enjoyed the week.

In breaking news, I just wanted you all to know that Baby Scar Face is ok.

Ride more. Drive less.

KB, Sir Pratt and myself happened, by total chance, to end up riding said trail yesterday. The road was a bit bumpy and had two biiig mud holes but is passable and the trail is rideable. It felt good to get out there and pedal around on the rock that I love so much. I haven’t been on the Enduro in quite some time and yesterday was the maiden voyage with the new XTR 10 speed group. The group worked like a champ, brakes even felt awesomest. Definitely better than SRAM. The 28/40 chainring combination worked nicely once I realized that my “little” ring didn’t feel too little and was actually usable. Granted I did have to shift down the cassette a ways to get it to feel good, but it did feel good.

Anyway. In other news.

The Mooseknuckler Cycling Alliance World Headquarters was the sight chosen for the last weekend of KB’s Birthmonth. We had a few folks over and had a good time around a fire. Some brews were shared and the night went nicely. At some point I even did my Kropotkin impression. I know pictures were taken but have not seen them as of yet.

Apparently some other Knucklers went riding as well. As is evident by the following video.

Looks like some fun was had. I have to say that the Mehrmobile tends to get out often and always has some sort of documenting device in tow. Oh, and by the way, it’s the Barrel “Ride” in case you were wondering where the new Barrel “Trail” was…

That’s about it for now. Other than it looks like things are going to get cold again for a few days, life is good.

P. L. and R. Just relax already…

I personally am not a fan of either the religious form or the knobby tired stylings of the idea. The fact that we got all of our rain for the year in less than a week and that it is supposed to rain/snow tonight we are going into the proverbial 40 days in the wilderness.

Yes, I do realize that my cross bike was meant for these conditions. And yes I should be out riding it instead of typing up this post, but alas, here I am and the High Life is in the coral.

What this all really comes down to is that while it may not be ideal riding weather, it is going to, hopefully, turn into awesome snowshoeing/snow camping weather. If the stars align, KB and I are planning a religious quest this coming weekend. It has been way too long since I have set foot on the top of my mountain when the white stuff reigned. So we are going to give it hell this weekend. I even ordered some new base layers for the occassion.

To all of you who are suffering in this cold snap, I should feel empathy for your suffering but I’m just enjoying this weather way too much to be thinking about you. I love the cold! (that’s my one exclamation point for this month).

Anyways, since my mountain bike fasting hasn’t brought about any visions, I’m going to dip into the sacramental wine and see if I have any luck.

P. L. and R.

P.S. I hope you have enjoyed my punctuational comments.

To get there:

Make your way to Virgin, Utah. Take the Sheep Bridge road and follow it to the first right. Turn right and continue to the parking area. This will put you at the bottom of the JEM. Head up the singletrack until you come to the sign for the Hurricane Rim. Go right at the sign and follow the singletrack all the way to the parking lot at the cell phone towers on the highway. Jump on the highway and pedal damn fast until you see the road cut on your left. Go up the road cut and follow the main dirt road until you top out. Continue on the dirt road for a bit farther and you will see the singletrack for the Goulds Rim on your right. Follow the singletrack. The singletrack will put you out on a dirt road. Follow the dirt road and intermittent singletrack to the corral. More singletrack begins here and will take you back up to the highway. Once at the highway you will see the other end of Sheep Bridge road. Go across the highway and follow the dirt road to the JEM trailhead and jump on the singletrack. The JEM trail will take you right back to your car.