First Blood, again...

So, it rained a bit and it was a busy weekend, so there hasn't been another MTB ride... Wednesday hopefully.
Ben'Jammin and myself are going to try and get one some trails. Lets hope it won't be too muddy or anything out there. Ali and I had a great day off yesterday. We visited the lake, which has thawed and is getting ready for swimming. See here.

Then she found a stick, and tried to skewer me!

Then!
Burlington disappeared!!

Don't worry, it came back later. I think maybe it just needed a break. So that's always good.
I made a deal to run the 1/2 marathon at the end of May. I made a deal with Ali yesterday that I would run for the next 30 days straight. 1 days down, 29 to go. I read an article awhile back about riding 30 days in a row and how good it was etc. So, that spurred the idea. Later this year I will announce the "As Many Days In A Row-A-Thon" It will be a challenge to everyone about how many days in a row you can ride. Regardless of weather, etc.

The big news, I don't think I have much to say about, but here's a photo. Seen on your block sometime this summer. Maybe.

First Blood

Let me make a short list of things I will no longer take for granted in the bike world:
Well marked trails.
No ice on trails.
"Stick-E" tires.
Dirt.
Temps above 45 F.
Brand new bibs.

I'm not sure what else, but there were more thoughts on the ride and before this Arrogant Bastard.
Anyway... I made the maiden Voyage on ye olde GT.
Let me start by saying, rad. Also, let me point out that I was right in saying I needed to cut down the handlebars.
Some finer points to mention, I don't have the suspension 100% dialed in. It was close, but the rear was a touch on the soft side today. I headed to Mud Pond. A really fun place to ride pretty close to Burrrrrlington.
So the temps were pretty favorable today, and after some errands, and an out of business machine shop (bummer!) I headed over there.
I was flying solo, knee warmers and wind proof base layer, I was styling.
That first ride, when the tires touch the dirt, when you dive behind that first tree... there is something special there. There is nothing else like it. The first ride outside on the road bike is good. The first trip to the outdoor park on the bmx is good. But nothing compares to that trip into the woods. Everything melts... it is perfect.
The result of such a feeling, is that upon exiting the woods, everything IS perfect. I am pumped on life.

To the detail of the bike, for those that might be wondering. RAD.
It BEGS to be ridden fast, and ridden all day. It's 5" in the front and 4" out back and it feels bottomless. Let me curb that by saying that todays conditions were not, um, ideal. To put it lightly. The ground was firm, and trail damage wasn't happening, however, there was A LOT of ice. There are two things that I have never owned for a mtn bike. Tubeless tires and studded tires. Studs would have been a joy today. I mean, I love tripodding through the woods as much as the next guy, but it's a bit more fun when you actually get to pedal.
And really, since this was my first woods ride in an uncountable amount of days, I never went down. Granted, I might have been riding a like a sally, but it was the first ride and it's tough to rally.

Oddly, there hasn't been snow in town for weeks at this point and there was still oodles of ice to be found in the woods. Conveniently the ice is ONLY on the single track, so if you go looking for it, you'll know just where to find it. It was pretty amazing. Also, there were times when I thought I was riding on dirt, turned out to be frozen crust with a 4 inch gap between it and the hard group. There were multiple close calls, but again, never a crash. ::knocks on wood::

To the point about the bike. While I have only ever OWNED two squish bikes in the last 9 years. I have ridden too many to recall. In my opinion 26 pounds is on the heavy end of the spectrum. However, it doesn't feel like 26n pounds. And I was ble to clear EVERY climb today. In the middle ring. Compared to some Specialized bikes and some Cannondales that I demoed last year, that was NOT the case. Also, I never had to resort to the granny ring. which really is a blow to the ego. Again, not true of the bike last year.
So, consider that at this point the trail is covered in ice and I am unfit. Interesting results.

So I will go out on a limb and say the bike is awesome. I am really exciting to get some more time in the saddle. Also awesomely surprising was the saddle. A Fizik Gombi. It was GREAT, And I am a stickler when it comes to saddles. Anyway, with some luck I'll be able to get some more saddle time before KOB. Also, come June, I'll write up a full review of the bike.

See you soon.
Nightster, what?

Hot wheels

Thank you GT.

So this came in the mail Saturday. I wanted to take a photo of the box because it was MASSIVE. Seriously one of the tallest bike boxes I have ever seen. When I opened the box it looked like my box was lost in there. Peering out me.



Here it is peering out at you.
I am pumped to get on this bike and see what it can do. I need to trim the bars down a bit to better fit my bird like shoulders, but out of the box it feels great. Glad I went with the small instead of the medium. The mandatory blast around the neighborhood in 30 MPH winds and 20 degree temps showed that the bike is ready to rumble. Really felt great. I am going to try and get out on it Thursday morning.
As it is, pie plate and all, the bike weighs in at a respectable 26.2 pounds. It would be easy to shave weight in a few places, but it feels really svelte when on it.

Let's take a half second to talk about spec. A lot companies will upgrade the rear der because that's where you look when checking bikes out. But really, a bike with Deore shifters and an XTR rear der is going to shift like a Deore bike. Lets me honest. GT however, upgraded the SHIFTERS. actually making a noticeable difference in the ride of the bike. So it may be a full XT bike, but it shifts like an XTR bike, hot. Also, in my opinion, there is no better lever shape than Shimanos. I love the old XTR v-brake levers on my IBIS and this new Marathon has XT hydraulics that use the same lever shape. Happy fingers all around. There is no skimping any where on this bike, and I didn't get a special version, this is the same thing hitting floors all across the country.
Kenda Stick-E rubber tires, Mavic Cross Trail wheels with Center Lock. XT rotors. XT everything but shifters, and those are XTR. Remote lock-out! The new Fox remote lock-out is baller. Hit it with the thumb and bump it with the knuckle. Sweet.

In other news, it was a ton of fun to visit Providence the last weekend. Ali and I had a blast. We even walked from White Electric land to Thayer St. Then back downtown to dinner at Local 121. Awesome. Return trip soon for the King of Burlingame TT. Also the GT debut race of the year. We'll see how it goes. Well I should hope. I have been expirementing with the rear pressure already to make sure I have it dialed in. I think it's going to take some time for sure.

In other news, 3 cheers for Ax Men. I love this show. I also read in the paper that one of the crews got in trouble for illegally logging somewhere. Though, it hasn't come up yet in the show and I don't want to Google it in order to maintain the element of surprise.
There is not too much riding news. It has been 50 some days and 20 the next. But the smell of spring is strong in the air. With it comes fun.

When I have more to report... you'll hear about it. Thursday most likely.
I'll try and get bring the camera to get some photos of the woods.

Here is a photo of the view from our front porch. It was too cold to walk down to the water for a better photo.
See you soon.

Tough

We like to think we're tough.
Sometimes, I like to think I am smart.
As in, I think I am smart in deciding to skip the Battenkill Roubaix. Although, that isn't even the name any more. Is now called the Tour of the Battenkill.
Anyway, the point of this story, is that I will not be attending. At least I will not be racing. There is a chance that I may be there working the Echappe tent.
After a pretty long deliberation over the choice, I have decided that it probably isn't financially responsible for me. Since the cost of the race has risen, and my fitness has been delayed, I don't see how it would be it would be wise. It is a slight disappointment, but hey, what are you going to do.

The Burlingame MTB TT remains the first race of the season. Somehow this always seems appropriate since it is in RI. The past couple of years I have been fortunate enough to send my mt bike down ahead of me in Ali or Ned's car and then ride my road bike down there, get there in time for the race, and blast through it. It was using the race more for training then.
This year, all bets are off and I will be there taking no prisoners. It still remains to be seen what bike I will be riding. I WILL have my rad new GT DIRT COALITION tent, but the bike is yet to arrive. So, that's that.
Might be on the IBIS, if I can secure just a couple more parts. Disc front wheel and SRAM rear der anyone? Actually, I think I have a rear der... maybe.

In birthday news, Ali cooked an amazing breakfast, then we had an amazing lazy day around Burlington, sold some T-shirts later in the day, and then busted out for RI. We made it there in 4 hours. One of our fastest trips to date! Rad.

Once in RI, we spent some splendid time in the spring like conditions. It always seems like we don't have enough time to really spend with our friends. But it is always nice to see everyone. Dinner with Mom and Jerry at Local 121. We really enjoy that place.

Anyway, training has started to come along. I have been beginning my prep for the 1/2 marathon. Shout out to Scott Sullivan for making it through his first 1/2 marathon EVER in New Bedford. Awesome. He ran 1:48:00, so that's my benchmark since I don't really know what to expect.

GT bike should be here soon, photos to follow. Circle should get out on it's first road ride this season this week. No pictures to follow.

See you soon, maybe.

New Things

No, I didn't buy any new gear, as explained in the last post.
However, since I know some of you in the world at large enjoy things other than cycling, sometimes, here is something new for you.
And when I say new, I mean literally, new, like brand spanking just happened a second ago, just created, NEW.

Runners Connect! presented by Skirack

Visit this group

This is the new online group/message board for runners in and around Burlington, VT.
Do you have to live in the area to join. No! Some of the local events and such might be a little far for some to attend, but the good advice and ideas that pop-up will surely pertain to everyone.

Oh, and the cycling version of the group is just around the bend.

The motivation roller coaster

It comes in spits and spats. Shits and shats, shirts and hurts.
You know some days you get on the bike and feel really rad? Like you are unstoppable, like you could ride at threshhold for the next 4 hours? You know the days I'm talking about... they come few and far between, but when they hit, you feel like a champ. Well, I haven't had that day yet this season.
However, inspiration and motivation can come from so many different places. Whether it's a fly new saddle, some hot wheels, your lady friend coming to the race, a new puppy, clean water bottles, temps above 15, doesn't matter.

So recommend you check this out.
It's a ride the length of Vermont. It's free. You can do it with me, or try to. I know I will be on the list of try. 212 miles, one day. North to South with some of the larger climbs coming in the 2nd 100 miles. So for all interested parties, lets make it happen. I think it will be fun as hell. Or at the very least, make for a dam good story.

This season I have foregone buying any new gear, save for my PB&J bmx bike, in favor of slowly collecting the pieces and such that I need. So far, it's been pretty rewarding, but more importantly, I actually notice the difference that each little piece is making. Whether its a new crankset, bearings, chain, tires (speaking of which, the tire on my rear wheel right now squeaks like a banshee on the trainer). I am pumped on riding bikes.

I love riding bikes. This morning I have been trying to pick-out a tentative calender for the year and things look HOT. Right now there is EVERY race on the calendar pencilled into my planner, but that's why it's pencilled. The new MTB bike should be here next month and ready to shred. Sadly this means I won't have it for the KOB. Which also means I'll be left hob cobbling something together again. Whether it's a demo bike, or I find a fork for my Ibis in the next few weeks. Anything is possible really. So people of blogosphere, I know I have asked before, but does anyone have an 80-100mm fork that I could buy/borrow/use and repair, whatever. I am open to options.

I made some small changes to my position on the bike recently and it has been SWEET. Granted, it's still in the trainer looking like a chained up rhino, but as soon as it's let loose, look out!

So let's here it, what has everyone pumped to ride this year? New GT? Rebuilt old fork? New to you parts? What is it? And if anyone wants to live in 1996 all over again, head over to MTB Dee's blog for some old school parts at an old school price.
I don't think I have anything to hock at the moment... yeah, nothing comes to mind.

Oh... and size 43 shoes, does anyone have those?

Coming to RI in a week and a half. Get your pinball hands ready because there is a storm a brewing!