MTB

I'm an uber-nerd when it comes to learning esoterica. Case in point: the boating term "ELF" for extremely low flow. I've had my eye on Escalante Creek for the past ~3 months, hoping for boatable flows as the snowmelt began. Because it is ungauged you have to make some educated guesses based on differences between peak flows on two other gauges as well as several other ungauged tributaries. It is an inexact science, so eventually you have to stop guesstrapolating and head out to have a look. Last week Greg and I did just that. What we found was probably not considered 'boatable flows' by most kayakers that'd be considering this run. But it *was* a neat little slice of low volume creeking in an empty (and gorgeous) canyon. What we did was ELF Escalante.Best we can tell, we put in just below the upper IVish (Rib Ripper et al) drops and took out just above the (currently unrunnable) slides that lead into 57 Chevy. A lack of winter moisture on the Uncompahgre Plateau combined with the, um, odd way that our spring has warmed means that Escalante never really "ran" this year. Near as I can tell, we hit it maybe a day past peak and it has dropped significantly since. Which is probably for the better--we've got a lotta learning to do and experience to acquire before we're ready (if ever?) for this entire run at any reasonable flow. Biggest surprise? Guidebooks and internetsperts all warned that it'd be really, really cold water. We wore the bare minimum under our drysuits and roasted, probably because there wasn't any snowmelt left in the creek. Great day out.

Since we were deprived of much of early Spring - now we must cram it in. The elk are grazing happily on sprouting green grass and the Collective WE are chowing down on open trails, loamy surface conditions and overall excellence in The Hood. Railed with the "C" today - and that was long overdue. Such a great, fun vibe rolling through - whatever. The Fuzzy Puppy of Death is a long way out - but there was adequate space and time today. Almost 8,000 feet in the last three days..all on knobbys...feeling good. Hopefully we are tee-ing up for a great year. 13. Lucky 13.

I need to ride out this way a little more. I finally cleaned the tecky bit on Lion’s (with a small dab), its’ been kind of weird this spring. I know I’m not in very good shape but I’ve been surprising myself with what I’ve been able to make it up so far this year. I think yoga has been helping with my balance and strength, now I just need to lose 20lbs.

Ride Impression: Yeti ARC Carbon 29″er- by Grannygear [Note:  This is a ride impression, not a full review and as such we will need to take into consideration that the set-up of suspension and bike fit may not have been optimized as it would have been during a longer review period.  Just for perspective's sake, etc.  Editors.] At Sea Otter 2103, Yeti showed the two new carbon 29″ers…the SB95c 120mm FS and the ARC Carbon hard tail. Beauty!  Then I heard that the Yeti Demo van was going to be back at my local backyard trails and they would have a selection of the latest goods with them.  Well, it can be quite a while before a ‘little guy’ like us can get a real test opportunity on a bike(s) this hot as the competition is fierce and the supply is limited, so I suited up and signed on the dotted line to get on a couple of demo samples. To begin with, I had to deal with a less than full selection of sizes.  In the Yeti ARC Carbon hard tail I only had a Medium to ride.  Hmmm…not the best, although the saving grace is that Yeti builds with a long top tube.  The Medium with the seat slid back on the barely offset Thomson post and a tweak or two to the bars/stem gave me a compressed but OK fit.  I would ride a LG in this bike if I had the choice.  I did end up with the seat post extended about a half inch above the warning mark. The naked carbon look is not as purty to my eyes as the turquoise version, but it still it has nice lines brought about in shaped carbon tubes. Hefting the XTR equipped ARC was pretty easy.  Light bike.  No scale, but it was competitive.  Maxxis Ikon 2.2s, DT Swiss wheels, Fox fork, WTB saddle, carbon Easton bars…good to go.  I barely got down the open fire road and my impression was that it was a firm ride.  But I have been spoiled by 27.2 carbon or Ti seat posts lately and that oversize aluminim Thomson, even at beyond max extension, was hardly giving at all.  Ok.  Get on the pedals hard and it just takes off.  I can look down at the bottom bracket area and see barely ANY deflection or wind-up in the seat/chain stays.  You just shoot forward.  Out of the saddle is the same.  Zoom zoom. I can look ahead at the front axle and see that it is out ahead a bit more than you would expect for such a small frame, owing to the moderate 70° HT angle no doubt.  That feels very good to me; very ‘momma bear’…not too quick, not too slow.  The trails I selected are the same ones I rode the Ibis Ripley on.  I did that mostly to compare the SB95c to the Ripley, but it will do for the ARC as well.  The trails are pretty tight in places with loose dirt and small stumps in awkward places like at the apex of a turn, so you need a bike that can turn well or you will sample some Yucca plants.  Add in some high ‘G’ compression dips and rocks and it is a good place to get a feel for a bike under moderate to slow trail speeds and if the bike cannot turn well, you will find out here. Dropping into the first of two trails, I am once again reminded that the ARC is not a smoothie.  No soft tail here.  I am feeling every bump in the trail through the back end of the bike and I stopped a couple of times to drop the tire pressure a bit.  At the end of the ride I measured the rear tire pressure at 23.5psi and it still did not feel that compliant, but at least it was not kicking up on sharp impacts.  I am running a set of 2.2 Ikons on another carbon hard tail (the Specialized Stumpy SS) at 26-28psi and it is not harsh like this, but that Stumpy is the nicest riding carbon frame I have been on yet.  To keep perspective though, the Stumpy has a lot more twist/flex in the frame compared to the ARC.  However, the handling of the Yeti ARC was making me very happy.  Loved, loved, loved the way it steered down the trail.  That ‘momma bear’ 70° front end and short 17″ chain stays allowed me to drive the bike around a corner with the back wheel right under my hi

Man, in Boulder we would not have made any impression at all riding our bikes to the library with a baby. In SLC, it's like we just landed from outer space, funny stuff. The bike rack is creative (yes, we took both the "b" and the "i") but we were the only people parked there on a nice 60 degree day.

Road trip to Dougs Friday morning for some openers then it was off to KY to Dawn's for some R&R before the early get up for Saturday morning's race. Woke at 4:30, out of the house by 5:30, drove almost an hour in the rain to the race venue at Taylorsville State Park in Kentucky's rolling hill country, very beautiful area!The rain stopped just as we were entering the Park so that was a good thing. Got unpacked, number pick up and it was a quick run and bike and then donn the wetsuit for the first open water swim of the year. Jumped in and swam about 400 meters for a bit of a warm up to get loose and I was feeling pretty good. Water temp was about 68-70 just right for a wetsuit. Horn went off and I was soon toward the front of the group with the leaders getting a gap by the first buoy. I was content going at my pace which was high tempo and never got into the red zone at all. Exited the water in 6th position, had a good T-1 and was soon climbing hills on the bike. I rode strong and made up 5 spots and rolled into T-2 in 2nd overall. Another good transition and was soon on the hilly run course and feeling good. I hit the half way mark on the run and was still sitting 2nd on the road, made the turn back and saw another runner running me down FAST! He ran up behind me, sat on my shoulder for a bit when he made his move. I stuck my hand out, told him to finish strong because he was obviously a much faster runner than I. He slapped my hand and said lets go...I picked up my pace to almost anerobic to try to go with him but he was just too fast. I backed it down out of the red and knew I had a comfortable gap to hold on for 3rd overall and thats the way it stayed to the finish. Doug finished 4th overall on a nice first race of the season too. He had a good run for not doing too much run training this season yet. He'll come around since he's going to Worlds in London this summer :-)Overall I felt good in this race. I was solid in all three disciplines which means all the winter training is paying off...hopefully!This weekend is Clays Park and the NEO triathlon season kickoff. Hope to have another good race against some of the best competition in this area, this race is always as tough as they get.

We’ve written down 100 random questions and assorted topics, all of which are unbeknownst to our victims. We will be asking people to pick 20 random numbers from 1-100 and then supplying them with those questions/topics to answer. Who knows what might come up!?!?! Next up, Jersey’s own Bob Scerbo. What could we find in your refrigerator right now? Navaz’s film, soy milk, 40 of OE and an old burrito I never ate. Top 5 favorite music: at the moment…Action Bronson, Joni Mitchell, Demigodz, Czarface album, Roc Marciano. What is the one thing you have to do /accomplish this year? Nothing. Give us your best / favorite recipe of any kind. Lightly fried Tofu with Annie’s BBQ sauce, sauteed spinach, black beans, fried potatoes with onions and peppers, haven’t made in a while though. Whats your favorite time-waster? Riding around. What would be your ideal weekend? Lot’s of sleeping, sex, drinking, weed, riding and food, preferably in Atlantic City with a hot blonde with tattoos, also I would like my dog Harley to be there. What is your favorite beer? Mickey’s. If you had the chance to interview anyone in the world, who would you choose? I had the chance to speak with Ricky Oyola in a bar last night, it was great, none of my childhood heroes were ever a let down. Have you ever been forced to watch the Notebook? Thankfully…no. What was the last purchase you made online? Sandy Carson’s book years ago….. or I guess technically plane ticket for a T1 trip. What is your worst bad habit? Substance abuse. Whats the last thing that made you laugh out loud? Bill Burr. Are you guilty of answering a phone message with a text reply? Yeah, I don’t like talking on the phone. If you could have any car in the world (exotic or otherwise), what would it be? A Winnebago. Who are some people you enjoy traveling with? MIke Tag, Wiz, Ratkid, Garret Hoogerhyde, Jeff Kocsis, Stricker, Zac Costa, Edwin, Vinnie, Joey P, Leland, Crandall, George D, Dave Marghieri, Natalie, Joe Rich, Dolecki to name a few, there are plenty more. If you could trade places for 1 week with someone, who would it be and why? No one, I like my life. What advice would you give to a younger you? Quit being a scum bag. What is something you thought was going to be easy but wasn’t? Life. Is there someplace you wish to never visit again? Nah, I like everywhere I have ever traveled to. How many apps do you have on your iPhone? 0, I have a flip phone. © Nuno for Defgrip, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags:

[From Nathan Dahlberg, former professional road racer with 7-11, Motorola, and Spago, among others, and veteran of two Tours de France. Nathan still races bicycles and is a keen adventure cyclist. Posted with permission and ©Nathan Dahlberg.] Part I of II My first race bike (1981) was a second hand Ti Raleigh with a mixture of […]

Strider style bikes (a.k.a. “pre-bikes”) without pedals or cranks are another option that teaches the basics of balance and steering. Usually kids are familiar enough with pedaling, thanks to big wheels, that it’s a pretty easy jump from these to a two wheeler. The post Raising Bike Friendly Kids Part Three: And They’re Off! appeared first on Cycling Utah.

We asked each and every Nationals medalist just how he or she does it. What’s the training like? What kind of cross training do you do? What workouts do you love to hate? How do you plan nutrition? Responses were varied, so once we narrowed down to some of our favorite answers, we asked Cycle-Smart... ...view the full story & post your comments at our site: http://cxmagazine.com