Palmer Park Spring Ride

Palmer Park Spring Ride by Scott T.

Brian and I went to Palmer Park yesterday. We met one of our friends, Scott N., who promised us a tough, but not TOO tough tour of Palmer Park.

Brian: Maverick Durance - 9 speeds
Scott: Titus Racer-X Carbon - 27speeds
Scott N.: The 'Don' McLean - Rigid 29 SS

We ended up each wrecking several times. After clearing something that I didn't think I would make, I found small rocks to stop me in my tracks. Brian and Scott both had little pedal issues that caused little problems. We had NO FACE PLANTS, which is always a plus.

At the completion, we went to The Curry Leaf in CO Springs. Highly highly highly recommended. Great after ride meal. They need to have cots for nap time after.


47 Photos right here!

Stopped Sweating

Pueblo was hot on Wednesday. by scott t.

HOT. Like sunburn hot.

Brian, Chris, Lorraine and I went to Pueblo for a mountain bike excursion. Did we mention that the weather was warm?

We had been been warned that the trails would be dry and possibly super fun. None of us had been there before.

The bike line up was as follows:
Brian - Maverick Durance
Chris - Maverick ML7
Lorraine - Jamis Dakar XAM
Scott - Titus Racer-X

The ride started out on a high note with a fast rolling, lots of curves downhill. Not really downhill, but not flat or uphill. It was great. We were following a map that was to say the least, not accurate. Maybe we shouldn't even say following. As we got to the bottom of the map, we knew it wasn't quite right. There were signs posted that weren't included with the map. So, we went left instead of right (always go right). This was a super duper long cut. We *had* decided a distance that we could cover in a reasonable amount of time. But, with the wrong turn we went a lot further than planned.

Long story short, we had a good time. That is until we all ran out of water. Chris especially was hurting. The rest of us just stopped sweating. This was noticed as we once again had a good idea of where we were and where we wanted to go. These trails were interesting because when they were technical, they were super duper fun and technical. When they weren't, they were dusty dirt and shale. It was definitely a practice at knowing what speed you like before you go through a turn.

We made is safely back to the car and went immediately to recover with some pizza and water. (Chris slept most of the way home)

This is where we were, but we didn't listen to this music.

Alright, let's ride!

This is the only place we are announcing this first demo ride, cause we need the right people for our trial. (We are gonna try it out and get your feedback.)

On Saturday July 26th (2008), we will meet at the back parking lot of Salvagetti Bicycle Workshop at 8am. Scott will be taking the new van and up to 9 bikes and 8 people on a trail ride. This also means if you have a car with bike racks, maybe you should bring it along... There is a time constriction, so the trail will be a close one (probably Golden), but it promises to be fun.

We will bring along with us a combination of the following bikes:
Giant Trance
Giant Trance X
Giant Anthem
Brooklyn Machine Works Park Bike
Black Sheep Ti 29er SS
Maverick Durance (oh, mommma! Scott gets this one first)
Jamis Dakar XAM
Jamis Dakar XCR

You don't *have* to have (or bring)a mountain bike to join us. Please bring water, a helmet, a snack, some money for a post-ride snack and a can-do smile.

We'll get you back to the shop by noon, cause Scott has to go back to work then!

See you there.

Here is the van:

Kevin on the Ridge

We sold a Giant Trance to Kevin and then took him on his first real mountain ride in quite a while. Of course, we had to go to one of the most technical (rocky and steep) trails in Colorado: The one and only Dakota Ridge to Mathews Winters. Dakota Ridge will chew you up with its mighty incisor rocks and spit you out into the muddy field between it and Red Rocks. It is a hard trail, indeed.

The trail starts off with a large amount of vertical gain in less than 500 yards. At the top you begin to think the worst is behind you. You begin to feel adequate and warm. But, the trail has a different plan for you!

We encouraged Kevin to walk sections that he felt he couldn't clear, cause wrecking at slow speeds when you are trying to get used to a bike is for suckers. We are all for pushing the limits a bit, but walking back to the car with a broken you-name-it really sucks more than walking a little section so you can keep on riding.

We all were having slightly off days, so Greg and Andres both flipped over the handle bars once a piece. Scott couldn't clean anything without dabbing a little foot here and there. And Kevin was still getting used to a bike that actually has travel (his old bike was a Trek Fuel). We watched him get faster and smoother through the hour long loop. His smile also got more intense as you could see his confidence increase.

We finished up through the front of Mathews Winters and found ourselves flying through the air. Kevin did an amazing job getting better acquainted with his Trance. And the Trance did an amazing job letting him in to the wonderful world of letting go of the brakes and FLYING!

The weather was perfect. The trail was truly perfect. And we all had coffee and donuts afterward to make it a calorie neutral morning.

Greg - Jamis Exile 29
Andres - Mountain Cycle Hardtail
Kevin - Giant Trance
Scott - Maverick ML8
Myra - Paws

White Ranch Testing Grounds

Chris from Generic Cycles and I went to White Ranch because we both kind of hate it. The downhill is super fun on Belcher (at least at the top), but climbing it is long and boring. It is the definition of a Front Range ride. 80% up, followed by 20% down and that is the end of the ride. BUT, this time I didn't hate it. I, in fact, enjoyed it.

I'm gonna stop for a second and explain something to everyone: Bigger bikes (as long as it still fits) have always been my preferred climbing bikes and smaller bikes have always been my preferred downhill bikes. This means the seat height as well as the top tube length. I have the most fun on my Brooklyn Park bike because it is short all around and I am a better climber than descender. I climb fastest on my Black Sheep 29er because it is 'Scott' sized for climbing.

Side note is done and I continue with my story.

Chris and I were both excited because the parking lot was about as empty as it could be at the bottom.

I set up the bike that I have been hearing so much about to be as tall as possible so I could climb like I want to. This bike is the Maverick ML8. More about the gear itself when I am feeling techy. I adjusted the seat such that I could get a great amount of extension and not tear myself up given that I have a negative bump. So off we go. Climbing. Climbing. Climbing. Turning. Climbing. Turning. Climbing. Turning. Climbing. Not turning. Not turning. Please note the lack of walking. I cleared everything. My preseason lungs weren't screaming at me because this bike is so efficient at climbing. It tracked through everything.

And then we got close enough to the top that the snow was becoming too frequent. So, we turned around. I pushed the knob by my right thumb and BOOM! I had dropped the SIZE of the bike to full dh mode. **We are talking about the Maverick Speedball Seatpost. It is like an office chair for your bike. Pneumatic and stylish, while still light. ** The top tube shortened dramatically. The overall height dropped dramatically and all of the sudden I was on my Brooklyn. But, not quite. The Maverick sticks through horrible line choices. It stick off of drop offs. It sticks to high wet berms.

I should say here that we were exceptionally responsible and didn't do any extra tearing up of the wet trail.

I intentionally picked some pretty horrid lines with to see if the Maverick would buck me. Not only did it not want me to go anywhere but forward, but it acted like a rubber ducky, too. It would pop me back upright even when my body was trying to force it groundward.

At the end of the rocky sections is a little creek area with a staircase and thin wooden path. I was so high from my ride that I could hardly keep my eyes on the trail. It was there that I figured out what the Maverick isn't so great at: Going really slow when the rider is not paying attention. My wheels went off to the side of the logs and I STILL DIDN'T FALL.

I loved riding this bike. It brought back all sorts of bicycle fantasies that I shouldn't talk about in public. This just means I have to get one of my own. The Maverick is the first bike I have ridden in some time that showed my quietly and confidently just how amazing it is. It lives up to the hype like a live Bob Log the 3rd show.

Scott - Maverick ML8 - DUC fork - Nice parts 6" travel front and rear
Chris - Generic Steel 29er - White Bros Fork - Bike sticker on downtube