Winds of weiners

August 2224 , 2016

Well hello again!  What has blown up onto your little patch of paradise these days?  Here are a few things I saw interacting with the wind today:

https://www.thinbluelineusa.com

I also saw these fine-feathered friends out enjoying some quality multi-use trail time. 

What a fine day!  And the days may even be getting finer!  Cooler.  Also it is nearly now time for the annual joyous event known as Millard (pronounced me yard, named after the Spaniards [pronounced spayin’ yards] Californians who refused to settle here due to lack of windmills wine and/or gold) Days.  There are many bicycle-related events at Millard Days, such as… you can ride your bike there!

I hope that the winds have been good to you lately.  What is going on these days?  Good question.  Snot Jr. has been enjoying some quality time on his Strider.  Here he is in action.

Let’s get our kids together so they can bicycle together.  And race.  Any money exchanged is not gambling, we are merely donating to the other person’s favorite charity when your if our respective kid loses.  Oh, and that’s right, your kid is a might be a loser.  He/she may as well get used to it, because we all lose in one way or another.  Here’s a place for losers to become winners (pronounced wieners) by learning about bikes, or maybe just losers who are also bike geeks.   You can look at it however you want; nevertheless, it’s good to know, accept, and embrace your place in the world. 

I was recently trying to get my bike geek on by figuring out what saddle width I should get on my new WTB Rocket Comp saddle.  I am pretty sure when I ordered my last WTBRC saddle 10 or more years ago there weren't any saddle width choices.  You took what they gave you, sat on it and liked it, damn it!  I found a few articles/videos about measuring your “sit bones.”  Your sit bones are really just part of your pelvis, I think.  It didn’t seem all that easy to figure, and so I decided I’m about a medium/average sit boner.  So away to Pricepoint Nashbar to order my saddle!

So let’s all order some bike parts and geek out.  Or off to a ride and to feel the wind of winners/weiners!

Westbound ups and downs

August 18, 2016

Good evening to you.  I trust you’ve been engaged.  As have I, beautiful one, as have I.  I went west, young man.  Here is some of the hype I read and fervently believed before I set forth to “see the elephant.”

from Trails.comhttps://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=BGM019-061

Fort Robinson is 3 miles west of Crawford in Sioux and Dawes Counties. An 18-mile trail network has been designated for mountain bike use in the Smiley Canyon-Soldier Creek area of Fort Robinson Park. It contains a series of three routes that descend over 600' along four-wheel-drive tracks from the ridge tops, through rugged canyons, to the soldier Creek valley below. An outer perimeter of roads and trails leads back to the upper ridge. Biking one of the descending trails with a return up one of the outer perimeter routes will result in a ride of from 6 to 12 miles, depending upon the combination chosen. With a mixture of open, grassy terrain, rocky ridges, and ample deadfalls from an old forest fire, there is a nice variety of challenges throughout the area, providing a moderate to difficult riding experience.

Here is what I experienced. 

a) “They” tried to keep me out of the Smiley Canyon-Soldier Creek area with warnings that a wiser man might have heeded.

b)  I rode around and eventually decided to head inwards and downwards via some of the aforely-mentioned four-wheel-drive tracks. 

c) I found some nice rocky descents.  

The ascents were not so nice as I am not used to activity that exceeds the moderate variety.  I huffed, puffed, and walked a lot.

d)  I eventually made it to what I determined after-the-fact was my de facto destination.

So that was that.  Next time I head that way, I intend to try bicycling in a different location, one Chad-Ron Statepark.  Here is some alluring hyper-bola (from Singletracks.com):

The topography here may make you forget you're in Nebraska. Some of the hills are dramatic and there are bluffs and canyons everywhere. Get a trail map at the park HQ and look for the big loop you can do around the NW quadrant of the park. One of the rangers is an avid biker, so you're in luck if she's manning the desk. I did the loop counterclockwise, but it may be just as good clockwise. There are a couple drawbacks. The entrances to the trail from the road don't match the map well, so you may spend some time looking. The northeast end of the loop is simply mowed prairie grass, even when it's in the pines, so it's not that interesting. Also, the sand hills are subject to rapid erosion, and the worst of the grades have no waterbars or armoring, so they are deply rutted. However, the western edge of the loop is very good. This trail is worth a stop if you're in the area--unless you're continuing on to the Black Hills, less than two hours away--save you're energy for the excellent singletrack there.

So that is something to look forward to, with a powerful telescope.  After venturing ever-so-slightly out of my comfort zone I was happy to be back in Umoha for some of my typical bicycling.  A bit sweaty yet, but I feel the impending coolness beckoningly lurking around the bend. 

Did you hear that Price Point closed?  That is kind of sad to me because I bought a ton of stuff from them over the years, including my disposable/reusable lightweight/packable plastic rain jacket that I have been carrying around a lot lately.  

But I guess there are other places to buy bicycle stuff, right?

What are your bicycling plans these days?  What?  I can’t hear you.  Please speak directly into the microphone.  Oh!  Corporate Cycling Challenge, eh?  That should be a hoot!  I may be there if I can talk my dad into it. am not planning on attending, but if you go please let me know how it is.

Hey, let’s get together at the next event and reminisce a little.  Power to the people!