Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day 2014 - Meads Quarry

The talk at past Take A Kid Mountain Biking days was either the weather or bugs. Before this year's event it was no different. In the past few years it had been warm and sunny. But the week leading up to the big event it had rained for almost every day. And though the rain stopped the day before so did the warm temps. Saturday morning started in the lower 40s. No bug spray this year but we did need heavier clothing.

Even though this year had more kids, the difference in age was not that great - most 3rd to 6th grade. This meant we did not need to split up. The more aggressive ones did leave the less confident behind to the first quarry at the end of Flow. 

After a quick trip into the Ross Marble Quarry and some small-talk (most about how amazed everyone was at how much work the AMBC had done to the trail), we all decided it was best to head back to the parking lot - some by the gravel road, the rest by Flow. 

After getting a few snacks and awesome Specialized swag some headed out, others headed back into the trails. But both had a great time again this year. As aways a huge thank you needs to go out to The Bike Zoo, Appalachian Mountain Bike Club and IMBA.

More photos can be found on The Bike Zoo's Facebook page.

Craigslist Quotes (#3)

Well, not really a quote but funny none the less:

What is the saying? A picture is worth a thousand words?

Hit and Run - My Experience Getting Hit by a Car on My Bike

So, it is official. I am now a member of a bike club. Unfortunately a member of a club I never wanted to be… bike riders that have been hit by cars.

I was out cruising the neighborhood the other night. About 10 minutes into the ride I came to the main road that runs adjacent to our subdivision. Noticing a car coming toward me I stopped beside the curb far from that main road. It was dark after all and being an avid mountain biker I am always overly cautious when on the road. As he turned into my road the driver came across the road to clip the apex of the turn, almost exactly where I was waiting.

It was surreal. It wasn't like it was happening in slow motion as many often describe. It was more like someone lifted the needle on my life dropping it a few grooves in time later. The car was coming at me, then it was down the road.

As I lay in the road a thousand thoughts ran through my head starting with "did that guy just hit me? Really? He just hit me!"

No brake lights. "Did he even know he hit me?" It was dark. "Maybe he thought he clipped the curb. Surely he looked in his rear view mirror when he heard that he hit something. Doesn't everyone with a nice car look back when they hit something?"

Sitting on the curb I wondered if I was "asking for it" riding after dark. As I limped home with "Old Faithful" (my GT mountain bike) on my shoulder I was amazed at how really lucky I had been. If I had been any closer to the corner, the car would have hit me rather than folding my front wheel squashing it on top of me.

The next day amazement turned into anger. Sure, it was dark and accidents happen, but driving on the wrong side of the road? Not good. Then not stopping after hitting someone/something? Inexcusable! Our neighborhood often has older couples out walking or kids riding all sorts of wheeled devices. This driver might just kill someone in the near future…maybe even one of my children.

I felt a little better after filing a police report but everything seemed so pointless. Knowing they would probably not find the driver, not much would change.

I think part of the problem is that we all feel like things like this only happen to others. I have to admit I was one of those that felt that way. I was always overly careful when riding my bike on the road (something I rarely do). Those other bikers that defiantly ride in the road would be hit, not me. Being a dad constantly looking to use even the scariest moments to teach my kids, I of course used this as a prime example of how you can never think "it can't happen to you."

In a few weeks the bruises will be gone, the wheel replaced, and life will be back to normal. But what could I do that will remind both the rider and driver how quickly your life can change? I have a couple ideas. I will have the details in an upcoming post. Check back soon!

Budget Bike Mod with Spotty Results

Craigslist bike: $10
Hole punch: $10
Scrap sign vinyl: free
The fun of a father/daughter project: PRICELESS!

We lucked out finding this Craigslist bike: it was my daughter's favorite color, like most used girls' bikes, it was cheap and in great shape. For this project, we were also lucky because all the bike's logos and art were simply decals. Pealing them off was easy. We did however leave a few decals (the fork, head tube, and under seat) to help it look a little intentional and less home-made.

Next we used the hole punch on the scrap vinyl to create the "dots"... another fun father/daughter project-within-the-project.

After a thorough wipe-down with alcohol to remove oil and leftover decal glue, we stuck the dots on every paint chip or scratch. Then we filled in the open areas with more dots.

The final result is cute and made riding required… how else can she show off our handiwork?

Saris Bones Bike Rack Mod for Ford Focus - Making It Fit

It has been years since a new car sat in our driveway. But now a 2014 Ford Focus lives at our house. I love the look, the handling, and the mileage. There is something about a new car that makes you want take a road trip. One of the first trips I wanted to make was a trek to a local bike park, and this time, any park in the area, no matter how far away.

But as I was loading the bikes up I realized my faithful Saris Bones bike rack wasn't going to work… the two top straps pulled down against the spoiler and no amount of adjusting was going to change that. Was I going to have to spend three hundred dollars on a new hitch-mounted rack? With a new car payment, I had to at least try to come up with a work-around solution.

I could find anything in Google addressing this problem. My first thought was to lift the rack up with some sort of blocks so the straps didn't hit. But then It dawned on me, why not lift the straps, not the rack:

Adding a bar across the top will hold the straps high enough for them to sit right above the spoiler. And in order to keep the bar held tightly in place, I used two bungees pulling it tight under the straps.

So far my "system" is working well. Today I really gave it a hard test drive to the doctor's office (sick child). Thankfully both rack and son did well.

2014 Scott Spark 740 27.5 Review

It was time for the first tune up and brake bleed on my year old Kona. So off to Tennessee Valley Bikes I went.

While giving the bike their thorough top to bottom lube/adjust/clean, the staff felt my rear derailleur was just not up to spec and suggested a new one (a warranted replacement.) Unfortunately they did not have one in stock so another would need to be ordered.

Since I was going to need to wait a week, I was offered a demo bike to ride while mine was out of commission. They had a many options: full suspension, hard tail, rigid… I had my pick of some awesome bikes. But since I had originally considered buying a 27.5, I was really interested in that wheel size. The only 27.5 bike that was in my size was a new Scott Spark 740.

The bike also had another aspect that I was interested in: the tires. I had always heard great things about Schwable Rocket Rons, and many people in our area run them. But at the prices these things go for, I could not risk buying them on a whim.

I really didn't want a full suspension but my son encouraged (hounded) me. I had heard that once I had ridden a squish bike I would never want to go back to a hard tail. What the heck... I took the Scott home.

After what seemed like forever, the winter weather finally cooperated. I was off to Concord Park. Right away I noticed that fork. I gotta say the Fox Float 32 was noticeably smoother than anything I have yet ridden. It featured two settings for dampening: "Trail" and "Descent”, their terms for soft and softer. Of course, it also has a lockout, they call "Climb". The fork was so nice, I simply kept it on Decent. The remote lockout locked both the fork and rear shock.

After riding for about an hour I started analyzing the ride feel. No doubt, it is a great bike, so soft and forgiving. A good fit for bike for an old man like myself. I could ride this bike all day and not feel beaten up.

Strangely I do have to admit I felt my 29er Kona felt faster but the Scott felt as if it held speed better. Why? In the hilly sections of Concord the Kona would race down and crawl up, where the Scott would keep a more consistent speed. And the change in speed of the Kona added a sensation that was not as pronounced on the Scott. I believe this was due to the Fox suspension soaking up the rough stuff so well. I am no expert but believe the forward energy was not wasted transferring the forward inertia through the bike giving the feeling of a "bump." The energy required to move a fork is much less than moving a whole bike. Many of the rooty areas of the park were no longer a challenge. The bike simply smoothed them out.

Tire design has always interested me. The ideal rubber compounds, lug quantity and design are for some reason intriguing. But so many online "reviews" tend to have generic statements like "they are terrible" or "the best tire I have ever ridden." Hardly analytical statements one can feel confident spending $100 on. When picking tires, my practice have been to ask people's opinions of tires that ride the trails that I ride. Around here Rocket Rons can be seen often. Assuming they were the go-to tire, I was excited to feel them for myself.

Sadly, on the damp, rooty trails of Concord, I was not crazy about them. The Maxxis Ignitors that came on the Kona grip much better, especially in the rear. The Rocket Rons felt loose causing the back end to hang out. It was always minor, never scary or unpredictable, just loose. And when going slow the Ignitors pulled right over the slick roots where the Rons would occasionally spin off. Before counting them out completely I really need to try them on the smoother trails of Meads or in the dry.

After the ride I realized I had soaked up many more miles than I normally would have done. The Scott/Fox is a beautiful combination, and worth the money. The 27.5" wheel did feel slightly more nimble compared to the 29" but would probably have been more evident if comparing rigid to rigid.

During the drive home thinking about what I would say about this bike my brain kept getting sidetracked about stepping-up to better bikes in general. Does the removal of trail challenges remove the fun? Areas of the trail I found challenging on the Kona were not a thought on the Scott. What if I owned the Scott and tested my next lust-worthy bike: a Niner Air 9 RDO? Would Concord Park be boring? If anyone would like to help me out with this test, I would love to find out!