A week or so back, I finally pieced together the off-pavement approach to Brown Canyon, linking the Garden trail, Calle Encina, Redrock Drive, and various double- and singletrack trails. Sunday morning I took the singlespeed Rat, still covered with Moab dirt, out to the canyon via the new route. When I merged onto the trail, I was headed counterclockwise around the loop, against the grain of my customary ride. Well, why not?
Showing posts with label Singlespeed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Singlespeed. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday Morning Ride: Brown Canyon, Singlespeed
Just about done with the cold, but I took it easy on the initial climb. In the back of my mind, I harbored the hope that maybe my time would be a pleasant surprise, that in some counterintuitive less-is-more Zen fashion I'd get a faster climb with less effort. Nope: 9:40. Less is less, only more is more. Got it?
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Three Bridges - Pistol Hill Shopping Shuttle
OK, so I didn't have much luck hunting down roadies on Old Spanish Trail, but other than that today's singlespeed outing was perfect. On the trail, I never wished for anything other than my unalterable 33:16 gearing. Going uphill, I stood. Going downhill, I tucked. Clearing rockgardens, I dabbed. Those moves, plus a few dismount-and-tippytoe episodes crossing fast-flowing washes, took me from Three Bridges to La Sevilla campground in an hour-ten.
I was ahead of our rendezvous schedule, which called for meeting Amy at Pistol Hill and Old Spanish Trail in two hours, so I continued north on OST. I coasted the downhill sections and spun up and over the mild rises. Waved at grim-faced roadies heading south and got a few waves in return. Passed the Rincon Valley Farmer's Market and a ghost-bike memorial. Oof. Watched the traffic a little more closely thereafter.
Roughly even with the entrance to Saguaro National Monument, I saw Amy's Cherokee flash its lights at me and I made a quick U-turn to catch her by the side of the road.
I was ahead of our rendezvous schedule, which called for meeting Amy at Pistol Hill and Old Spanish Trail in two hours, so I continued north on OST. I coasted the downhill sections and spun up and over the mild rises. Waved at grim-faced roadies heading south and got a few waves in return. Passed the Rincon Valley Farmer's Market and a ghost-bike memorial. Oof. Watched the traffic a little more closely thereafter.
Roughly even with the entrance to Saguaro National Monument, I saw Amy's Cherokee flash its lights at me and I made a quick U-turn to catch her by the side of the road.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Sunday Morning Ride: Brown Canyon, Singlespeed
Took the Rat Ride on a tour of Brown Canyon this morning. The ride from town on pavement was interesting. As a kid, I always rode proper, utilitarian bikes with gears, never a Stingray, Banana Bike or BMX, so I don't have any muscle memory to call upon. Nonetheless, I quickly learned the spin-coast rhythm of the shiftless. And I discovered something interesting: I covered the 8-1/2 miles from driveway to trailhead in about the usual time, but with less perceived effort.
My climb from the mailboxes to the gate was an adequate 8:23. The smaller wheels and lower frame threw off some well-rehearsed moves, and the gearing (33:16) was a little stiff in a couple of the steeper spots. The final ramp to the gate (the inside turn) slowed me to a near-stall.
At the gate, I was greeted by Lucy, a brown canine cyclone. Her pet mountain biker, Nick, was taking a breather nearby. The duo let me go on ahead, then caught up and passed in the fast section about a half mile shy of Brown Canyon Ranch. Never saw them again--they were flying!
On the chattery passages of the trail, I was aware of how solid the bike felt and how quiet it was. The absence of the jangle of the chain slapping the stay, and the confidence that the chain could not jump off the chainwheel seemed to free up some mental processing cycles that I used to good advantage in picking lines on the trickier parts.
On the pavement heading home, I got to sample the BMX lifestyle again, but downhill this time. Had to suppress a little impatience, as I'm accustomed to making 20-25 mph on the way back to the barn. But kick-and-coast has its compensations: the commute home turned into a relaxing cooldown after the trail.
My climb from the mailboxes to the gate was an adequate 8:23. The smaller wheels and lower frame threw off some well-rehearsed moves, and the gearing (33:16) was a little stiff in a couple of the steeper spots. The final ramp to the gate (the inside turn) slowed me to a near-stall.
At the gate, I was greeted by Lucy, a brown canine cyclone. Her pet mountain biker, Nick, was taking a breather nearby. The duo let me go on ahead, then caught up and passed in the fast section about a half mile shy of Brown Canyon Ranch. Never saw them again--they were flying!
On the chattery passages of the trail, I was aware of how solid the bike felt and how quiet it was. The absence of the jangle of the chain slapping the stay, and the confidence that the chain could not jump off the chainwheel seemed to free up some mental processing cycles that I used to good advantage in picking lines on the trickier parts.
On the pavement heading home, I got to sample the BMX lifestyle again, but downhill this time. Had to suppress a little impatience, as I'm accustomed to making 20-25 mph on the way back to the barn. But kick-and-coast has its compensations: the commute home turned into a relaxing cooldown after the trail.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Singlespeed Setup
Bought a second set of wheels for my Surly 1x1 Rat Ride and installed them today. The stock wheels consists of Surly hubs and 24-inch Large Marge rims to which I've mounted absurdly heavy Arrow Wide Bite tires. The new wheels are 26-inch WTB XCs outfitted with Exiwolf tires. Everything lines up perfectly, so I can switch the wheelsets with minimal fiddling.
In the process of installing the new wheels, I came up with an easy method for holding the rear wheel in place while I tighten the axle nuts: I stuffed a loosely folded tube between the bottom bracket and the rear tire and inflated it to bulging. The tube pushed the axle back in the trackends while clamping the rim evenly between the stays. When I judged that the chain was sufficiently taut, I stopped pumping, tightened the nuts, then deflated the tube. Easy.
In the process of installing the new wheels, I came up with an easy method for holding the rear wheel in place while I tighten the axle nuts: I stuffed a loosely folded tube between the bottom bracket and the rear tire and inflated it to bulging. The tube pushed the axle back in the trackends while clamping the rim evenly between the stays. When I judged that the chain was sufficiently taut, I stopped pumping, tightened the nuts, then deflated the tube. Easy.
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