Wrenching on your own bike gives you a natural appreciation for a well built ride.  I was browsing through the Craigslist bicycle listings and found this beautifully restored 1986 Trek 400.  A couple interesting things to note which attest to this Trek’s hip factor: lugged steel frame with an understated, decal free paint job, toe clips, fixed gearing, and of course, no brakes:

It was a beautiful morning so I couldn’t resist going out for a short ride.  It was calm, sunny and in the low 30s.  Went 22 miles on the local roads, nothing crazy since time is short (have lots of Turkey to eat after all) and I haven’t been on the bike in a few weeks.  Well, its off to Warren - Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

When I tell people that I race my mountain bike, they sorta know what I’m talking about.  Similarly, people know basically what road racing is - they can’t really comprehend the feats of endurance involved, but they can at least visualize what is happening.  This is not the case with the discipline known as cyclocross (CX).  I know that the first time someone tried to explain it to me, what I visulized in my head was nothing like what it ended up being.  My first thought was accurate though: this sounds insane…and it is.

After a delicious breakfast at Harvest Moon Cafe we hit the township hall to vote.  Having election day off is awesome, and with unusually nice weather it was the perfect day for a ride.  So we packed up the Jeep and headed out to the Hamburg trail.

The worlds’ finest hitch mounted bike rack:

The always dangerous shot while rolling:

Either I forgot to record a few entries in my training log, or its been 2 weeks since my last ride!  That can’t be right…oh wait it is.  Well technically it’s the off season so it’s ok.  Did 33 miles today in some extremely windy and rainy conditions.  I finally got my derailer working right, those darn mechanics make it look so easy and quick - it takes me forever to get it where I want.  I also had to play around with the free hub, the back wheel was wobbling a bit which is never good.  I can honestly say I don’t fully understand how this partciular part is supposed to work - if you tighten it too much the wheel won’t turn at all, and if its too loose the wheel wobbles.  My repair manual isn’t much help.  It doesn’t seem like a very goog design.

All set for a long day of riding Saturday, what do I find when I go to load my mountain bike in the car?  2 flat tires.  Instantly I realized it was the thorn bushes I had read about from my ride at  Hewen’s creek.  Ugh.  Changed one after finding a nice thorn puncture.  The other wasn’t completely flat and I couldn’t find a hole, so just left it in place to see what it did.  After that fun delay off to Island Lake.  After one lap of the Blue trail I wasn’t happy.  Derailer was once again shifting like crap.  After checking my tires again in the parking lot found that the one was still leaking, decided to replace it.  Ended up blowing up the new tube (tire bead slipped off) so decided to just call it a day.  Sometimes its best to just cut your losses.

I wrote this back in 2006 when I purchased a new mountain bike and started riding again after a long hiatus.  Amazing how quickly I went into full obsession mode and am now riding at a level of intensity and frequency sufficient to make normal people scratch their heads.  In less than a year I went from riding my entry level trail bike in my gym shorts, t-shirt and tennis shoes, to a full- suspension XC race bike and giving nary a second thought to my lycra cycling shorts and clipless pedals, not to mention second bike for on-road training.  Time to see if I’m in danger of getting slapped:

• You have stopped even trying to explain to your spouse why you need two bikes…you just go buy another one and figure it will all work out in the divorce settlement.
  • Yes I have two bikes.
    
• You hear someone had a crash and your first question is “How’s the bike?”
  • No, I’m still more worried about getting hurt, medical bills are more than my bike
    
• The purpose of each of your bikes takes longer than 10 minutes to explain.
  • Nope.  One for dirt, one for concrete.
    
• You work in a bike shop because it’s a good way to get into the industry.
  • Nope, bike shops don’t pay squat, even after you factor in the discount
• You tell other people you have chased down mailboxes thinking they were other riders.
  • Nope, I just have good eyes
• You have more water bottles than glassware in the kitchen cabinet.
  • Nope, but it is starting to get close
• You often just sit and admire your bike(s).
  • No, I barely have enough time to ride, much less sit around
• You convert your car’s brake & gas pedals to clipless.
  • This is just silly
• You see nothing wrong with discussing the connection between hydration and urine color.
  • I don’t see any problems here
• You find your Shimano touring shoes to be more comfortable and stylish than your gunboat sneakers.
  • My carbon soled Specialized shoes with BG inserts are extremely comfotable, though not particularly stylish
• Your one good pair of cycling shoes cost more than all of your other shoes…combined.
  • No, but I got my cycling shoes cheap and used by my shops owner
• You refuse to buy a couch because that patch of wall space is taken up by the bike.
  • This was clearly written by a poor college student
• You have more money invested in your bike clothes than in the rest of your combined wardrobe.
  • Also disturbingly close but mainly because good cycling clothes are expensive!
• Biker chick means black spandex, not leather, and a Trek, not a Harley.
  • Have you seen the kind of “chicks” typically found on the back of Harley’s?  Not pretty…
• You see a fit, tanned, Lycra-clad young woman ride by, and the first thing you check out is her bicycle.
  • I’ll let you know the first time this actually happens
    
• When it gets really windy outside, all you think is “great, more deadfall.
  • WORD
    
• More than half of your pants have tears, all in the same place.
  • I’m not exactly sure what this means
    
• You’ve ever had a “glove tan”
  • Definitely
    
• There’s no skin left on your elbows that isn’t scar tissue.
  • Knees either.  Thank you lousy railroad tracks!!!
    
• Your climate has two seasons- biking season, and wish I was biking season.
  • This is Michigan after all
    
• When you have more money invested in bikes than your car.
  • Got a LONG way to go before this is true
    

The MMBA Poto chapter has been quite active building new trails nearby, one in Hewens Creek on the rural outskirts of Ypsilanti.  The great thing about this trail is that it is within riding distance of my house!  The trail has actually been open a while now however lack of riders and maintenace left it in an overgrown and unridable state.  However recently a few new riders have been putting in some serious hours clearing the brush and breaking in the trail.

Thursday night took a ride out there and did two laps of the roughly 4-5 mile trail which is flat, grassy plains and some tree covered singletrack.  The area is flat so there is not much to be done for elevation changes, however the trail is twisty and well laid out to make the most of the area.  Considering the next two closest trails (Maybury & Poto) require a 30 minute drive each I plan to ride Hewens Creek often for short training rides.  I ran into an old dude out walking his dog who noticed my Alma College license plate frame and we got to talking about the school.  His daughter attended a few years but ended up transferring out.

Sunday the chapter held the grand opening of the trail at Sharon Mills which is NW of A2 in Manchester.  The trail sounds similar to Hewens Creek in length although the location probably gives it more hills.  I’d like to check this trail out, maybe even tomorrow afternoon.

Nice crisp fall morning for a ride, 50 miles to Britton and back.  40 degrees when I left but closing on 60 by the time I got home.  This is the halfway point where I usually stop for a quick stretch break where Britton Hwy ends: