Category: cycling

Ant Hill at Bald Mountain

Published May 31, 2010

Bald Mountain State Recreation Area, North Unit has some slightly less morose things to see too, such as quite-large ant hills like as the one above. These are a common site along the mountain bike / hiking trail, often found in slightly sunny sandy areas. Today I took a fast turn a little wrong and almost ended up hitting one, which would have been in no way good. (They are super-soft, likely to cause a crash, and filled with likely-to-be-angry ants.) Thankfully I avoided it and did not fall, continuing on my way.

This one here is found on the east side of connector from the orange loop to Predmore Road, between numbers 16 and 17. (Map) This connector is commonly used to avoid the low laying and frequently wet trail between the old ranger’s house and the lake. As the trail was mostly dry I rode that segment, but used this section to get back to Predmore and thus back to Addison Oaks where I had parked for today’s bike ride.

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Loose Horst Link Pivot

Published May 30, 2010

Today while washing my Titus Racer X 29er I found the rear drive-side Horst link screw loose. If this had come completely apart the bike would have gone very floppy, but not failed catastrophically.

Thankfully Titus publishes the Titus Racer X Torque Specs (mirror on nuxx.net) so I was able to reset this screw and check the rest. Everything else was spot-on already, save for the top of the rear shock which I’d previously undone (to route brake lines) and done by feel. That shock mount doesn’t matter much, though, as the bolt itself carries very little load.

Now, time to figure out a place for today’s riding…

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Schwalbe Racing Ralph

Published May 30, 2010

Starting last week when up at Big M and the NCT I’ve had a set of Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires on my bike. Thanks to a nice (and fair to all) deal worked out with a MMBA forum member and my friend Bob I ended up with a nice, fat 2.4″ tire on the front and a quite sufficient 2.25″ on the rear for $75. This is quite a good deal, as these tires are normally $70/ea in local shops.

These are definitely different feeling from the 2.0″ Specialized The Captain Control tires that I’d fitted earlier in the year. They both seem to roll faster and grip better when the bike is leaned way over, and their extra volume makes things feel a little bit more comfortable on trails. I’ve found the point at which they let go a few times, but haven’t fallen yet. The super-fat (for me) front tire also means that it floats over sand quite nicely, which was very helpful at Big M and Bald Mountain; both trails known for having unexpected patches of the typical Michigan pine forest sandy soil.

I think I’ll keep these on the bike for a while.

For what it’s worth these tires have plenty of clearance on my bike:

· Here is a photo of the clearance when a 2.4″ Schwalbe Racing Ralph is used on a Fox F29 RLC with a 23.9mm DT Swiss X470 rim.
· Here is the clearance of the 2.25″ Schwalbe Racing Ralph as the rear tire on a medium Titus Racer X 29er.

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Cabin #2 at Bald Mountain State Recreation Area, North Unit

Published May 26, 2010

Turn your time machine back to 1991 and I’m sure that few of you will have difficulty remembering Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the pathologist who (per his claims) helped more than 150 people to end their lives. Two of these assisted suicides took place in an area where I frequently bike, Bald Mountain State Recreation Area‘s North Unit, located just off of the Paint Creek Trail in Lake Orion.

One of the locations along this trail are two rustic cabins. The one pictured above, Cabin #2, was the place where Dr. Kevorkian helped Marjorie Wantz and Sherry Miller end their lives. Knowing their story, never having visited them, and out riding the trail alone yesterday evening I decided to detour past the cabins and take a look around. This photo was taken then, just as I was to head back out to the trail. The cabins are unremarkable, and appear to contain simple wooden bunks and a general open area with a chimney on one end, nice looking fire pits, and easy (albeit rather unmaintained) access to Tamarack Lake.

(Please note that I’m not completely certain this is Cabin #2 as they are not numbered, but since it’s the second one on the road I’ve made that presumption.)

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Lumberjack Route at Big M and North Country Trail

Published May 24, 2010

This weekend Danielle and I headed up north to the Manistee area to meet a bunch of Trail’s Edge folks at Big M to ride this year’s route for the Lumberjack 100 Mountain Bike Race. After doing one lap of this 33 mile course I’m quite certain that there’s no way I’d be able to complete the three required for the race. It’s a hard trail, almost all tight, winding single track with unexpected sand at the bottom of hills.

At one point I was coming down a hill, only to see Nick and Erik standing at the bottom of the hill. It turns out that Bill (pictured on the right) had slid a bit in some sand and hit a tree hard with the side of his head, leaving him sitting dazed on the ground. As I tried to assess where I should go and slow down I too slid in the sand, but instead spun my front wheel around and stopped against the tree, hugging it and holding on to stay upright. Just as I came to a stop I watched my front wheel roll up towards Bill, only to stop an inch from his helmet and face.

Thankfully I didn’t hit him, as that would have made an already bad situation even worse. Even more thankfully, after sitting for a while Bill was able to get up and ride out, feeling only a bit shaken and showing no obvious signs of what I knew to look for indicating serious brain injury.

After the ride we headed over a nice, but older campground a few miles from the Big M ski area where we’d reserved a number of campsites, and a cabin for the less hearty of the bunch. Tents were set up, a fire was made, food was cooked, and beer was drank while sitting around. We ended up eating a spectrum of food, from locally made beef jerky and kielbasa to spanish tortilla, a mini-keg of Oberon to Trader Joe’s house-brand Pilsener, from Annie’s Cheesey Lasagna made with high quality turkey in a dutch oven to sandwich cookies and M&M’s.

The following morning, after eating breakfast at a local diner and breaking down camp, some of us headed over to the Marilla trailhead of the North Country Trail to do some riding there. Erik, Kristi, and I took off together, but with the terrain there being almost all bench cut trail leading up and down the sort of hills that I normally don’t ride, I soon turned back. If I was in better shape, or maybe if it was a bit cooler or less sunny, or maybe if hadn’t ridden one of the hardest long rides of my life the day prior I would have ridden more, but I’m glad that I headed back when I did. Once back at the trail head I couldn’t stop sweating, and only felt better 20 minutes into the drive home in a car with the air conditioning on high.

Here’s some of the photos I took this weekend:

· Joe, Jon, Marty, Nick, Kristi, and Bill as we are about to leave the Big M parking lot to ride the Lumberjack race route.
· Bathroom break. There were an equal number of people using trees along the right side of the trail, but the lens wasn’t wide enough.
· Consulting on the route while standing in some CCC pines.
· Sandy downhill where Bill crashed and I almost ran into Bill due to my inability to stop safely in the sand. I ended up stopping against / gently hitting the tree on the left.
· Kristi, collapsed on the ground, after riding up a hill that everyone else walked. Erik then helped her get unclipped.
· Typical Big M Ski Area signage.
· Bratwurst boiling in a cast iron skillet before being grilled.
· Bratwurst on the grill as a paper plate burns and Tak and Nick sit in comfy chairs.
· Kristi and Bill along the North Country Trail right near a bench overlooking a wonderful hill.
· Sign pointing back to the Marilla Trail Head from the North Country Trail. Much of the riding was sandy like this.
· Riding back to the Marilla trail head on the NCT alone, as I turned back before Erik and Kristi.
· This bridge was not far from the trail head, at the bottom of a ravine.
· Some inconsiderate person tucked a dirty diaper under the bridge on the North Country Trail.
· Looking over the handlebars down from the spur of the North Country Trail leading back to the Marilla trailhead.

I’m hoping to get up there to ride the NCT once more, this time a bit better prepared both mentally and physically. With all the bench cutting the trail is a little more intimidating than I’d expected, and with all the climbing it’s a bit more grueling than I’d hoped for.

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Maybury Sanitorium and Broken Plate

Published May 16, 2010

Today while making dinner I screwed up, didn’t latch one of the side tables on the BBQ correctly, and sent a plate and pretzel roll crashing to the ground. It appears that it held briefly, but a slight jostling when I lifted the lid sent the plate on its way to doom. I’m probably going to try and find some more on eBay, but I need to be sure that they are of the Pfaltzgraff USA vintage so that the patterns match exactly. It appears that the brand was sold in 2005 and after that made in China. I’ve found that the new Chinese-made patterns don’t quite match the old designs (less defined geometric shapes, for example, in modern versions of the Midnight Sun pattern that I have) and want to be sure I get the old USA versions. There are a number of these plates on eBay right now, so I’m waiting for a response about the origin of manufacture and if they are the USA versions I’m hoping to buy a four or eight of them.

Earlier today I headed out to Trail’s Edge to check out the Mega Sale and help if I could, but with plenty of help on hand I ended up heading over to Maybury State Park to ride the mountain bike trails there with Carlos (previously pictured here). I’d only been there once before, back on Easter Monday of last year with Bob and Jon, and I was looking forward to checking it out again. This park is on the grounds of the Maybury Sanatorium, an old tuberculosis sanatorium and has this nifty sign over the entrance. Throughout its life it was known first as Detroit Municipal Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Spring Hill Sanatorium, and then Maybury Sanatorium. If you are interested in the history of this place, be sure to check out the Maybury Sanatorium website as it contains a whole bunch of great historical info about the place.

Despite the nice area today’s ride didn’t go quite as well as it could have. After really pushing myself on the three laps of yesterday’s race my legs were quite wobbly and telling me that I should take it easy and head back to the car. So, after one lap Carlos and I bid each other farewell and I headed back to the car while he headed off back on to the trail. Ah well, a day of rest should do me well.

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6 & 12 Hours of Stony Creek

Published May 16, 2010

Today a bunch of the Trail’s Edge Racing folks^† and I did the 6 & 12 Hours of Stony Creek race. This was a rather convoluted route through the mountain bike trails at Stony Creek Metropark (warning, PDF) which was ~11 miles in length, with ~1000′ of climbing per lap. There were a couple of new and race-only pieces of trail used, with one of the newest pieces containing a particularly steep, unexpected climb. Even more difficult, the most challenging (long and grueling) climbs were at the end of the route.

Bob and I rode as a team, with me starting at 2:00 PM and us alternating laps relay-style until the cut-off of 7:30 PM. In this time I was able to get in three laps, with each taking right around one hour per lap. Unfortunately I returned from my third just minutes after the cut-off time so Bob didn’t get to go out on (was spared?) a third lap.

This was my first “real” race, and I think it went quite well. Everyone that either I passed (not very many people) or who passed me (a fair number of people) were nice and courteous, with all passing arrangements working out well and no observed conflicts. Then again I was likely riding at a relatively typical pace for those later in the day, with the result being that during my second and third laps I didn’t really encounter anyone else on the trail. During the first lap some confusion at the start resulted in me ending up in the first third group of people heading out, which meant that I then got passed by all the fast people.

Oh, and the Specialized Phenom that I tried out today? I think it’ll work well. I had a little sorness at a few points, but as the saddle is harder than my previous one it’s to be expected. I had absolutely none of the previously experienced numbness, which means that its likely doing its job.

^† Bob Costello, Nick & Marty Shue, Erik Silvassy, Kristi Heuvers, Tak Kakiuchi, and Bill Edgerton.

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Trying a Specialized Phenom Saddle

Published May 14, 2010

Back in December I traded the too-narrow saddle that came on my Titus Racer X 29er for a WTB Laser V. This has seemed okay, but I’ve found that I occasionally get numbness problems when on longer rides where I spend more time in the saddle (and less standing). I’d heard good things about the Specialized Phenom and just when I decided to try one someone posted one on the MMBA Forum at a quite-reasonable price as he’d tried it and it didn’t work out right for him.

It arrived today so I fitted it on the Titus Racer X 29er and took a quick mile-ish ride between puddles and over every curb and rough bit of pavement that I could find to try it out. It’s definitely a firmer saddle than my previous one, but it seems to be more supportive where it should be (under my sit bones) and not where it shouldn’t (under the perineum).

On Saturday I’m supposed to do a six hour bike race at Stony Creek with Bob (we’ll ride as a team, each person riding alternate laps) so I think I’ll give it a try there. I’ll bring the previous saddle just in case this one doesn’t work out so well, but thus far I think it’ll be all right. If not there are a few other people from the aforementioned forum will gladly take it off my hands.

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W. C. Wetzel State Recreation Area via Richmond

Published May 9, 2010

Being Mother’s Day I headed over to Richmond to visit my parents. Being a nice day I wanted to get in a bike ride as well, so I combined the two deciding on W. C. Wetzel State Recreation Area as my destination, as I’d never heard anything about it before and it supposedly has trails. I figured that I would ride there, check out the trails, then head back.

Save for the steady, strong winds out of the north/west and the disappointment of the rec area this was a fairly nice ride. It turns out that this is a quite small/flat area consisting mostly of grass and gravel trails surrounding a few ponds in a low-laying piece of typically flat southeast Michigan farmland.

This rec area has odd signs at the trail entrances, some indicating “No Wheeled Vehicles” and others saying “No Motorized Wheeled Vehicles”. I made a point of entering at the ‘motorized’ varient of the sign, did one casual lap of the trails (roughly a mile or two) then headed back to the roads to check out the radio controlled aircraft field further down the road at the park. This ended up being a quite nice place to visit, as it had super-clean portable toilets, nice benches to sit on, and a man to watch as he flew an RC helicopter.

After a brief break to eat a bit (I’d only had two bowls of cereal and two bananas to this point today) I headed back to Richmond, taking a slightly different route due to some dogs that I encountered^† on the outbound route. This slightly different route involved 30 Mile Road, one of the many east-west grid roads here in SE Michigan. This one, contrary to what Google has to say, actually is broken in two pieces with a supposedly-out bridge in the middle. It turns out that the bridge (located here) is this one from HistoricBridges.org and is very much passable, but only to foot and bicycle traffic. It’s an old wood surface bridge that I wish I’d spent more time looking at, as it supposedly has quite-rare stone abutments.

Not far beyond the nifty bridge I actually got stopped by a train (CN 8802) at a crossing. With the train traveling particularly slow (~25 MPH) I could have very safely crossed the tracks it if I went around the gates, but I thought it’d be neat to watch the train go by. Unfortunately this train took a bit more than five minutes to pass, so I spent quite a while just standing at a gate watching chemical tankers, wood haulers, car carriers, and steel coil cars pass by with cars stacking up behind me.

The ride after this point was very uneventful, with me taking a quick trip through downtown Richmond then back to my parents house, where I found my mom having brushed and fed Roxie, who I’d brought along with me. We had pizza for dinner, talked a bunch, and then I headed back home right as my dad was laying down to sleep before a midnight shift at work.

^† Two Rottweilers who started running towards me and barking. I quickly sped up before they got anywhere close, and didn’t slow down until I could no longer hear them. Having no ready dog defense (OC or ammonia in a squirt gun) I took a different return route to avoid actually meeting the dogs.

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2010 Island Lake Bike Demo Day

Published May 9, 2010

Today was the 2010 Island Lake Bike Demo Day out at Michigan’s Island Lake Recreation Area. At this event a number of local shops and bicycle companies showed up with all manner of bikes to try out on a ~2 mile segment of relatively flat single track. Despite the on/off rain and mid-40s weather it ended up being a rather nice day as I was finally able to try out a number of different bikes and components that I’ve been curious about.

Specifically, I tried five bikes today; all 29ers:

· Mike Flack / Trail’s Edge‘s Pivot Mach 429 (Formula brakes, SRAM twist shifters)
· Marty’s Orange Vassago Jabberwocky (32:18 29er steel single speed, White Brothers Magic Fork)
· Niner S.I.R. 9 in A&W Rootbeer Brown (32:18 aluminum fully rigid single speed, Hope hubs)
· All Carbon Fiber Cannondale Flash (Lefty fork)
· Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper Carbon HT 29er (SRAM XX 2×10 drivetrain, Specialized Phenom saddle)

Out of all of these, the only bike I didn’t care for was the Specialized S-Works. Being a super-light race bike I think it was just a bit too stiff for me. Having a not-quite-right drivetrain didn’t help matters either as shifting wasn’t great in half the cassette but I imagine that’s just something that happens on demo bikes, especially towards the end of a demo day, which is when I tried it out.

I liked all of the other bikes that I tried. Each would have needed some minor adjusting to be something that I’d be able to ride frequently, but that’s just part and parcel of any new bike. I would have liked to try some road bikes, but the wet roads, cold weather, and on/off spray kept me away from it. It also would have been nice to try out a cyclocross bike, but there were very few of them present and I just didn’t really get around to it. After all of this I’m thinking that I might like to get a 29er single speed. However, that’ll have to wait for a bit, as I just recently picked up a new bike and I can’t actually justify one. Thankfully I may be able to borrow one from time to time.

This was also a nice day for hanging out with people, both those that I regularly see and others with whom I haven’t crossed paths in a while. I also happened to meet a few new people (including the frequent-replier-to-these-posts Ali B. and some other folks from the MMBA forum, including someone from whom I bought some tires and pedals.

Anyway, here’s two more photos from today:

· Erik on the Pivot Mach 429 as we headed down the pavement to the demo single track section.
· All of the Trail’s Edge demo bikes, tent, and work stand area fit in the back of Mike’s van. He packs very well.

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