Crash & Burn

Everyone has a favorite trail and on those trails we tend to have favorite routes. For one reason or another it seems we all have certain trails and routes we just come back to time and time again. For me my default trail is Schaefer Farms.

I think it goes back to the fact that I cut my mtb teeth riding those trails. Among my many firsts at Schaefer were my first night ride, first MORE ride, first ride on a full suspension bike, first good endo and many more. My buddy Bob (who was my first real riding buddy) and I spent many hours spinning around those trails, bouncing off logs and sometimes bouncing off the ground (when the logs didn’t go so well) chatting and just having fun. Back when Bob and I were riding there on a very regular basis we had a loop we just always came back to. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s ingrained into my memory to the point I could ride it blindfolded or maybe it’s all the great memories I can attribute to the route but I always come back to that loop time and time again. I still think of that as the Bob route. My buddy Pete likes to ride it in almost the exact opposite direction, which knowing and comparing those two just seems fitting. I always think of that reverse version as Pete’s loop or the why the hell are we riding the whoop-de-dos backwards loop.

The classic loop I always did with Bob was out on yellow, across the fields via blue to the main 4 way. Hook a right at the 4 way and do the loop out there counterclockwise through the field etc and back to the 4 way. When the weather had been iffy before the reroutes were in place we used to cut off the lower wet areas via the access road. Once back at the 4 way we hooked a right back to the yellow and then took all right hand turns until the yellow met the white trail. Once on white it was up the gravely utility line climb and around to the classic Whoop-De-Dos and back to the lot via the rest of the white trail. I kinda have always thought of this as the best of schaefer loop and it’s always the one I teach new riders there.

I seem to always think of and or associate the different trails and routes with different friends and memories. Whenever I ride Fairland for example I think of that as Austin’s trail. He practically built that trail and was the one to show me around it and I did my first trail work day there. When riding Seneca State park over by clopper lake I always think of my buddies Mike and Bart with whom I used to do that ride when first getting started with riding. I always think back to one little short steep climb that always gave me hell. Now when I go back I can’t believe it ever gave me trouble. I have many fond memories of Wakefield and Accoutink one of which including my Dad’s first real mtb ride. On that ride I think half the group though the old guy (aka my dad) was going to have a stroke before we finished). The list of memories and trails / routes just goes on and on.

I’ve been riding enough years that I’ve seen a bunch of changes and improvements to my favorite trails including Schaefer. There have been big reroutes to the yellow field areas, there’s a few new sections via the orange trail and various obstacles come and go as the seasons pass. Now there’s even talk of a new connector in the works. Logs that used to routinely toss me on my head have long been replaced with new ones that send my flying in new and exciting ways.

Today I’ve tweaked our classic loop to include a section of new trail out along the field loop. I also take the reverse direction now at the 4 way, opting to go clockwise. With all the changes comes the creation of a bunch of new great trail memories while still enjoying the old. It’s hard to ride by a single stretch of that trail that doesn’t hold some specific memory or meaning. Whether it’s a wreck or a bit of trailwork I did, every where I look there’s a great memory around every twist and turn.

Sometimes folks look at me like i’m crazy when i say Schaefer is my favorite trail. I get the “You live in Frederick and you drive to ride there instead of the shed?” line all the time. The thing is for a number of reasons Schaefer Farms more than any other trail in our area always puts a huge smile on my face. I can go from having a really crappy day to a great one in just the hour it takes to do my favorite loop. When I ride Schaefer I feel connected to the trail in so many ways. I feel like I’m flowing along and dancing with the trail rather than fighting against it, like I do at say Gambril or the Shed. So yeah it’s not the most technically challenging or exciting trail but for many reasons it’s my favorite local trail and probably always will be.

My current favorite route

Decided it was finally time to get back into gear and posting here on the blog again. Between the twins coming soon (scheduled for August 3rd), trying to get back into riding shape, raiding (it’s a wow thing) I should have plenty of material to post. I think I just fell into too much of a facebook rut these past few months. I was lazy and was posting and updating on facebook rather than here. Since there are only so many stupid quizzes or pokes I can handle I thought it might be time to focus some efforts back here. I also forgot what a motivating factor typing up ride and race reports was. It was a big part of getting me into shape and riding originally. Seems like a good idea to re-devote myself to it a bit as I try to get back to form.

I have a few bike projects going on. I’m trying to move over to a large niner EMD frame as my medium is just too short for me leg wise, I like the tt length but I have to much seat post showing. I also need to get the front wheel rebuilt for the new tracer so I can finally start racking up some miles on that baby. Sometimes it’s hard to find the motivation to build your own wheels when doing so many for the shop. I’m definitely looking forward to riding both bikes alot more in the near future. I think I’m going to take the niner out for a quick spin around Schaefer on my way home tonight before running some errands this evening.

More soon.

Finally getting caught up on bike related stuff and getting ready for what I hope to be a great year of riding. Sunday after being stuck indoors on the trainer I managed to get out for a spin around Gambrill with Marco. Had a great ride and was reminded what a great ride Gambrill is. It worked me hard but I had a great time bouncing off the rocks. I was on the Tracer which I finally think I have dialed in closer to my style etc and it was so good on that trail that at times it felt like cheating. The Tracer just rolled through the rocks sucking up anything and everything i could throw at it.

Today I stopped by Kent Island Bike Doc to visit Paul and swap out forks on the Tracer. The negative air chamber was having some issues on the revelation when I first installed it and Sram/RockShox had sent me a replacement. After I had the fork a while the issues seemed to have “fixed” itself but I still swapped it out for the replacement to be safe.

While I was there at the shop I also picked up my new Specialized Berm riding glasses. While I’m not a huge fan of their mtb bikes (doesn’t suit my tastes) I love their road bikes and accessories. I’ve been riding with Oakley M frames for quit a while and using a variety of different lenses to suit whatever the riding conditions were, when I was down at Kent Island last time Paul lent me a set of the adaptive specialized glasses to try. In all honesty I didn’t expect to like them much but I decided to give them a an honest go. I quickly found that I not only liked them but I preferred them for riding than my Oakley M Frames or Flack Jackets. The adaptive lenses work so well so fast that I never have to worry about swapping lenses. The lenses also seem far more scratch resistant overall. I liked these glasses so much actually I’ve been using them at the range as well. The adaptive lenses and comfortable fit make them a great choice for both hobbies. I do like the frames and styling on the berms a bit more than the loaner pair I was wearing. The others were a bit bulkier and a shade of blue that I wasn’t crazy about.
The berms are a bit sleeker and are bronze. I’m looking forward to getting the tracer out this week while sporting the new glasses. I think a Patapsco ride is in the works for Dad and I as long as the weather stays good. Overall I’m feeling refreshed and ready to kick the riding up a notch in 09. Even toying with the idea of another sm100 run…

After having all the gear for months I finally got my act together and got my Dillon Reloading press up and running tonight. Shortly after getting into shooting I decided I wanted to start reloading. It appealed to me from both a tweaking standpoint and as a cost saving measure. In particular shooting .45 is pricey. If I reload it brings the cost way down so I can actually shoot more for less. Also I can customize my loads for the application. Ie. I may want to shoot a different setup for pin matches than say IDPA.

I actually bought all this gear with the money I got from selling my VPFree a while back. I think it was a good trade. I will get a lot more use out of this rig than I did that ride. The thing that I like most about the press and the process is how mechanical it is. Most of my other hobbies are much more digital in nature. With the reloading press everything is simple and mechanical. It’s simple but really elegant piece of equipment and process. The press works in 4 stages. The first stage reshapes the brass, removes the old primer and inserts a new one, the 2nd stage adds the powder and bells out the brass so the bullet can be inserted, the 3rd stage presses the bullet to the proper depth, the final stage crimps the bullet. Each time you pull the lever all of these steps take place as there are 4 bullets in the various stages being worked at a time. I was able to crank out 100 rounds in short order tonight after getting it setup. My first load is a 124g plated bullet that I’m using 3.8g of tightgroup with. I think I’m going to try 100 at 3.8 and then 100 at 4.1 on the advice of my buddy. Whichever feels and works best I’ll go with. This is going to be a fun project and cool way to expand my hobby. I’m looking forward to the tweaking.

I think I may have found a flavor of Kool Aid I enjoy. I have been riding the niner more than any other bike since I built it up. My tracer is eagerly awaiting a trip to some place worthy of it such EF or Gambril etc… In the meantime I have been riding the Niner at Patapsco, Fairland, Schaefer, HMC & Black Hills.

After logging some decent miles including a 30 mile day on the niner I am still incredibly happy with the ride. I know the big wheels are at least a pretty good part of the reason for my enjoyment but probaly not all of it. I think going back to a nice aluminim frame is also a big part of it. I know steel has been a big deal as of late, everyone claiming what a great ride it is etc. The more time I spend on my Aluminum niner the more I think Steel may have become somewhat over rated. At least it may not be to everyone’s liking.

I must admit I am still rather confounded and irritated that the inexpensive niner I built up rides better and is all around more enjoyable to ride than my full custom steel if. Yes I know that if my IF were a 29″ bike it may feel different but I still don’t think the big wheels the only difference. THe niner just feels so much more lively on the trail and much stiffer to boot. The acceleration on the EMD is awesome.  I think it even handles better overall.

I think what I like most about the niner is that it is fast handling, nimble but at the same time it seems to just flow along really smoothly. I wasn’t expecting this ride quality at all from this bike. At best I had hoped I would have a fun winter bike to tool around on. Instead the Niner is quickly becoming one of my overall favorite rides.

Now I have also had the Tracer out a few times as well and I have to say that bike is also amazing. It’s everything I liked about my 5.5 and then some. I can definately tell the suspension has been further refined. For example I don’t get the feedback I used to ocassionally when climbing in the granny gear. The bike seems way stiffer and just tighter than my 5.5 as well. The new revelation with the maxle up front seems to be a good fit for what I’m trying to do with this bike. I’ll be taking the bike down to Catherine Furnace in a couple weeks and think it’s really going to excel there. I can’t wait!

So between the Niner and my Tracer I think I finally may have nearly the perfect two bikes for me. The Niner has been a blast to rail the smoother trails such as schaefer, HMC, Black Hills and Fairland. The Tracer is going to be a blast when I have the urge for more rocky or technical goodness. I would love to get both these bikes out west next year on some of my favorite Fruita/Moab trails.