When did I move to England?

I know, it's been a while since I've posted anything here. I'm just stopping in to say hello from the damp and swampy denizens of RI. Gloomy as that sounds the sun finally made an appearance last Friday afternoon and again on Saturday. The above photo more or less sums up my feelings on the weather situation of late. It's either that, or I had just realized that I rode through a pile of horse crap at Lincoln Woods. Either way it's a fitting sentiment.

Anyways, the sun was there, and here's the proof:

The Knave of Burlingame?

Soooo, yeah. No mug for me this year. Enjoy it guy who beat my ass like a dirty rug on the first nice day of spring. Speaking of rugs, or carpets, I was told by Adam St Germain that I should have approached the race as if I was one. Well, one that unfurls and rolls out faster as it goes along anyway. Yeah, not so much. Either my magic carpet was broken, or, more likely, it was really, really short and more like a welcome mat. It ran out somewhere around the horrible dirt road and it was all downhill from there. Come to think of it, that's not accurate at all and if it was then the second half of the race would've been a lot more enjoyable. It was more like I had two flat tires and legs full of battery acid. Yep, that about sums it up. The post race ride with Adam was far more enjoyable as we rode out to the extension for the Sammy C trail and rode it, and Sammy C proper, in a clockwise manner that maximizes the flow factor. It was nice to get in a good ride in some great weather after the beating I took in the race.

The Sinister was not a factor in my implosion and it worked great. Not too surprisingly the low tech and old school shifting department worked flawlessly. Little did I know the recently rehabbed Manitou Minute was on it's last legs and that it would cease working during a great ride with Frate later that week (on Thursday afternoon to be exact). Two weird cracking noises during a climb were all the warning I had before it promptly lost almost all of it's travel. Awesome. Luckily Matt Green of super fast Spooky bicycles fame had hooked me up with a Fox 29er fork at KOB, and after a 10 minute switch over at home we were back riding a bit later at Lincoln Woods with Mike F. The Fox is phenomenal and now I know what all those professional bike reviewers mean by the feeling of "bottomless travel". Over the course of two hours worth of riding in Lincoln Woods today I managed to dial it in and it pretty much rules. The bike as a whole reminds me of my old Santa Cruz Chameleon only with big wheels and that is a huge compliment. Basically any bike that even I can kind of wheelie is all right by me! As a card carrying member of the "can't really wheelie to save my life unless there's a damn good reason" club I gotta say this frame is the best thing since sliced bread. Manuals off of drops are almost too easy and it pops up and over stuff incredibly well. Hopefully Frank makes another batch so other folks can get out and enjoy the Simon Bar.

It was good to see everyone out at the race and I hope a few folks come out to the annual Big River Cleanup scheduled for April 25th. Ah yes, who could resist picking up the detritus of the slovenly residents from the times of olde down at the Big River Management Area in the springtime! What's not to love? But seriously, if you can come and help out it will be immensely appreciated and always helps with our relationship with the trail committee and Water Resources Board. Peter has been busy meeting with the new WRB director and keeping tabs on things in that neck of the woods. A good turnout at the cleanup helps demonstrate how seriously we take our roles as stewards of the area, and it doesn't hurt to meet the other trail users and groups interested in preserving one of RI's best networks of trail and open space.

Brian Chapman, AKA the nicest guy in Providence, (seriously, anyone ever see this guy NOT happy?) took the below shot. A true meeting of the minds if ever there was one, eh? Sort of like Churchill and Roosevelt, or Tom and Jerry...

King of Burlingame

It's coming up soon, will I see you there? I hope so because it's going to be a blast! I know I haven't posted in a while, and I must apologize to the one or two of you who still check this page on occasion. I've been riding, working, sleeping, driving an awful lot and riding some more. I actually rode bikes with gears twice in the last week to boot!

Things are coming along nicely and the Sinister is freshly geared with the finest 1997 technology (1x8 XT cassette and XTR mech mated to a 7/8spd thumbie), and it's also sporting a freshly rebuilt Minute up front so things should be good. I will be leading a post race ride on the super fun and great trails that exist in the regions beyond the race course. I'll likely be sporting an orange long sleeve NEMBA jersey if it's colder, or a ratty looking short sleeve RI NEMBA jersey if it's warm. Come find me if you are at all interested in the post race ride. It will be a good time at a nice pace with plenty of time to fall off the techy stuff Lennon designed.

Yardsale Time

Help me clear out some stuff!! It's high time I cleared out the spare parts bin. Help a brother out and buy this stuff at deep discount prices while stimulating my local economy.

Parts seen below:

XTR 8 spd rear derailleur ($15), XT 8 spd rear derailleur ($15), Selle Italia SLR ($25), LX 8 spd cassette ($10)







And some more parts: Race Face Evolve Low Rise ($15), Race Face Evolve 27.2 post 330mm ($15) XT Front Derailleur top pull 28.6 clamp ($10), Race Face Bashguard 4 Bolt 104 BCD ($15), New R/C road post and 120mm stem - from my San Jose ($10 each), Generic stem 120mm, 25.4 clamp MTB stem. Truvativ Stylo triple MTB crankset with Bottom Bracket, pedal washers and chainring bolts. 175mm length ($50).








All this stuff is in good to great shape. The R/C post and stem are basically brand new and were taken off of my Bianchi San Jose. The SLR saddle is petty darned light and in really good shape. I just don't really dig it, maybe you will. The Race Face bar saw one ride on the Sinister before I realized I really needed some more back sweep. The Stylos have some miles on them but the BB has life left in it and the arms are in great shape. The cranks and bashguard go together like PB&J, or Turner and Hooch if that floats your boat.

TOC 2009 the Clone Wars?

I don't usually chime in about bike racing. This is because I know next to nothing about it. I do, however, see an uncanny resemblance here and, regardless of how you feel about either of these riders, you have to admit a Hinault/Lemond style showdown at some point this season would just be great to watch.. If only to see some animation from either one of these two.



Edited to add; This picture was pilfered from the Velonews Site. If it's yours and you'd like it removed let me know...

Come ride your bike on the Dirts!

We, here in the smallest, brokest, most corruptest, Isle of Rogues have something many of you of the more northern climes do not. That, my friends, is DIRT. The real deal brown stuff. Hmmmm. Where is your dirt? Ensconced in snow and no doubt hiding out under a crusty layer of filthy mean spirited snow. It's not even poking it's head out to taunt you is it? Nope, it's still sleeping and waiting... for May.

How on earth will you cope? You could run, snowboard, XC ski, ride on snow. You may also caress your cranks, lube your johnson rods and fix the flux capacitor. Oh, and don't forget about perfecting your fixed gear spin (working on your 1000 yard stare at the same time is optional)! You could also look into building bicycles from human hair and squirrel corpses. (Something tells me this guy needs a good old MTB ride ASAP).

Sure, all the above will stave off insanity and tide you over until the polar ice caps in your local woods give way. But, I bet that it's all getting real old right about now. What you could do to cure what ails ya is head down to Burlingame in Charlestown, RI. Why? Because there will be dirt. And rocks, and rollers and steep climbs, granite and drops. It's all there and waiting for you. It's also a fund raiser for the Good Vibes Youth Ride to boot and we'll most likely have some post ride food (chili again, maybe?). If you are the bike racing type you could simply ride the Yellow Loop to get your head around the King of Burlingame TT course. If I may be so bold (I will be anyway), I would recommend riding the longer, and more technical, trails that Lennon and his crew of hardcore ninja builders have constructed. Kung Fu Grip required all the way but it's totally worth it.

For details feel free to visit this thread on the NEMBA forums. There is also one on the MTBR forum (MA and CT/RI) for good measure.

Hope to see you there. I'll be the skinny looking guy on the black Sinister 29er. You may even catch a glimpse of the angriest dude on two wheels if he just sucks it up and makes the trip from Pawtucket.

No pics so I'm borrowing this clip from Steve over at the Duff Guide to Ska. It is excellent to say the least. Enjoy.

Slower than Snot

I've been riding at a snail's pace recently. Slow, big(ish) gear and SS only. Working on climbing strength for MTB SS riding and spinning it every chance I get on the flats. Lately it's been about trying to avoid the worst effects of the annual head/chest funk that seems to afflict everyone I know, myself included, right about now. I did get in some ride time last week and over the weekend, and it was really nice to get out in the sun and warmer temps. The night time rides are OK in that they keep me off my trainer, but sunshine is where it's at. Hell, even grey skies and blowing wind beats the TV. And, honestly, last Thursday nights ride was freaking COLD. Didn't help I was still sickly and shouldn't have ventured out either.

The Old North Burial Ground on North Main is where I've been ending my recent rides. The pavement is decrepit, sometimes muddy, and beat to shit in every way possible. Awesome! There are basically no dirt roads to speak of close to Providence save the old rail beds and the fire roads in Lincoln Woods. Riding the cemetery is as close as it gets and it's a good thing the place is actually kinda big. No one is ever really in there either, which allows you to cruise at a nice clip and take advantage of the punchy climbs and crumbly asphalt corners. It's a weird place, scrunched between North Main and I 95, and it's full of dead people, but the roads offer a decent early season workout and the plow work is better than many of the area roads receive.

In other somewhat bike related news I had to head up to the soon to be new office in Quincy on Saturday morning. The good thing was it allowed me to fully scope out the ride to work from 138. There's a park and ride right off 138 and from there the route will take me through the Blue Hills. The days I ride in from the P&R will cut off ~ 20 miles from the drive. I can extend the ride a bit as well, I could also add some single and double track once the trails are open to bikes again in April. I'm thinking of getting some better 'cross tires though. The stock tires on the San Jose (WTB All Terrainasourus) are soft, squirmy and adhere to road surfaces the way peanut butter sticks to the roof of your mouth. This is good for some resistance but not so hot for getting anywhere quick. I think my standby 'cross tire, the Ritchey Excavader, actually rolls easier on pavement and would probably handle the woods riding better as well. The only sketchy looking part of the ride is in Quincy near the office but it's a short stretch, and I'll be heading in a little after the rush, so hopefully it's not a death race.

Here's to hoping this week's temps allow for enough melting so Lennon can host the planned Fun Ride down in Burlingame next Sunday..