29DEC2015

Sometimes the best way to get yourself to commute to work in the morning is just to start pedaling.

Preparing yourself for the ride is a good thing, especially if the weather plans to nestle in the thirty degree fahrenheit range (it was cold this morning). However, at some point, no amount of planning makes the mundane any easier. Rousing one's mind is the most challenging part to each day of commuting (especially before sunrise), but it can also be the most rewarding...

I think if you have not experienced happiness and relief in sometime, you should wake yourself up before the break of day and head east on your bike. I never feel so happy that the sun rises--that there is light! It boosts the soul.


A while ago, my wife wondered what the heck was so great about "fat" bikes. Apparently she did not share the same excitement I had for running over virtually everything in your path. As a commuter, the Pugsley by Surly does pretty well; sure, you have to resign to the fact that roadies on their carbon fibre skinnies will blow right past you, but you get to take in the environment so much more (as well as find some sweet trails you could never touch on anything but a fatty)!


I like finding hacks that totally work and save money. The Metolius Rope Ranger pairs well with the Jones H Loop bar on the Pugs. With almost no modification, this rope bag turned handlebar bag rarely shifts or moves, even when fully loaded! I haven't tour-tested it yet, so I will write about that experience in the near future. Bottom line: pretty much anything from Metolius is the bomb, whether you are a climber or not; they are a brilliant, considerate, worthwhile company to purchase from.

A cool feature on the Rope Ranger is their use of these "6" shaped adjustable hooks. They are not expensive, if you are planning on stitching together your own bags (around two bucks per) and on the Ranger bag, they help to hook/unhook the bag to/from the bars quickly and hold securely (I've bombed down quite a few stairs and they show no sign of shifting--coooool)!


Saving the best for last...my Christmas present!! This telescoping, roll-top seatbag from Carsick Designs is DOPE! The only problem is that I want to carry so much more stuff to work than I need to, just because the bag can fit it. Made of DWR material, my clothes for work have yet to get soaked on the way to work. My gratitude goes to the Bicycle Business for carrying such cool stuff and supporting this local, well-made bag company.

out of my element to be in my element

Winter finally arrived in California. After waiting two years, we have officially seen the "typical" rainy season in Sacramento. During this season, I am super stoked to have Gore Tex; it makes riding in the rain so much fun.



With the change of weather, I have decided that I need a solid bag for my Jones H Bar that will keep my stuff a.) dry, b.) organized, c.) easily accessible (especially with regard to my camera). I almost spent every waking hour of this last weekend stitching together an old U.S. Mail canvas bag to retrofit it to attach to my Jones bars. I did this by hand and I quickly realized how valuable a good sewing machine can be. Even after twenty plus hours of stitching together my idea, the bag still is not up to par. However, I found a good handlebar bag hack is to use a Metolius rope bag with hook closures; these hooks easily wrap around the bars and can tighten with a quick pull of the one inch webbing attached to it.
Altogether, I should have seen this lesson in humility coming from a long way off.

4DEC2015

Riding in the rain is fun...sometimes. After a long day of sitting in a harness twenty to thirty feet off the ground (no matter how super comfy my Metolius Waldo Deluxe may be) however, I looked outside today and I just was not feeling that desire to go out and "enjoy" the rain. I confess now that every aspect of negativity entered my mind and I just thought of any way I could get out of it. I'm really stoked for what happened next...
Johnny, a great friend and coworker seems to choose to ride his sweet, old school Specialized Stumpjumper only on the days that promise horrible weather; good for me! He came up to me right as I was fishing the start card for my route (final step in setting a route) and asked when I was heading out. I knew this meant that he was up for hitting some mud on the way home and was hoping I could ride with him. My whole perspective changed. Riding in mud with a friend can make riding in the rain much more palatable.



Johnny, seen here, with his "custom" water proof backpack setup. (Note how well the rigging works on his rear fender :)


The photo did not turn out the way I hoped...no mastery here why. The forest was beautiful this day...





Crocs look awful at first glance...and maybe also at second glance. Still, I found them to be invaluable bikepacking/rain-riding/lightweight partners in crime (no, it is not yet a "crime" to wear these out in public).


I love riding through fallen leaves on my Surly Pugsley. Actually, I love riding over almost anything on the Pugsley.


Another fail photo here--hopefully you can sense the spray from this super fun puddle.

And, in closing, here are some photos from the following morning; enjoy, if you like that kind of thing.

02DEC2015

Riding on the American River Trail today reminded me a little of when I first fell in love with mountain biking in western Pennsylvania: temperature in the mid forties, colorful leaves blanketing the slightly wet ground, and a rolling trail with wildlife constantly emerging from their camouflage. For those who have not visited the Pittsburgh area, you should put it on your list to visit someday. To date, I have not found another city with more beautiful rolling hills, massive amounts of trees and wildlife, and an incredible sense of community among the inhabitants.



Over the years, I have come to realize that people like to define various aspects of their life (probably out of a subconscious desire for control and longing to understand life). If I were to define who I am as a mountain biker, I would consider myself an explorer. I don't like racing. I almost abhor time constraints and I have no real "need for speed". I do, however, really enjoy the bicycle itself and how useful a really well-built one can be. My excitement to ride only grows year after year.

30NOV2015

Here in Sacramento, we get some incredible scenery...but you have to wake yourself up sometimes and brave the "cold" (relative term) in order to experience it in all its glory.



Sunrise these days is around 5:45am, or so my phone tells me. Either way, if you get up around that time and ride your bike up the A.R.T., you will often see stuff like this in the winter: heat off the water as it hits the cold air (the temperature this morning was 29 degrees).



Cairns...or simply the ancient, hippie tradition of stacking and balancing rocks?





If you chose the first option, I'm afraid you may get seriously lost out here...



I don't think I could ever logically get rid of my Surly Big Dummy. This is, by far the most practical day-to-day machine I own.



I used to think bike bells were for nerds...I was wrong--they are so sick!! I got this shiny new, very LOUD bell. If you have not invested in one for your bike yet, I recommend them only because of the following reasons: they typically look sweet, they help cars/pedestrians/dogs/sheep/goats/pigs/squirrels/friends/etc. know you are in the near vicinity, they sound delightful, they complete your bike.



Once again, riding through fog is so refreshing.



And, as a grand finale...witness the new addition to the Big Dummy: a (cheesy) custom wood half-crate. I really love having stuff easily accessible on the front of my bike.

Weather

Sometimes, out of suffering comes the greatest reward. This is not to say that one should just suffer or look to suffer in life's situations, but when a healthy, life-giving opportunity arises and the only thing holding one back is the "suffering" aspect, I think a person should just bite the bullet. The hardest part about certain ideas or starting certain projects is often the lack of comprehension on how to "set sail". I hate feeling dead in the water without wind, or even a paddle (e.g., inspiration or drive).

Rousing myself to ride my bicycle to work is not that hard these days; I have done it for so long (and I need money from work), so I just sort of do it. Some days, however, a wave of tiredness looms over my head like a heavy blanket. I have noticed that even though I am so familiar with what to do and how to do it when it comes to commuting, I just "don't want to do it". The newness and initial excitement of exploring a new path has lost its flare.

During times of lameness, I have to humbly slow my pedal strokes and start back at where I was when I was a child, with the wonder and excitement of getting that first bicycle. Back then, moving forward was an accomplishment. Feeling the breeze like never before, watching the simple machine work; living in the moment before I complicate it too much with things like "want", or "speed".

So, here are some simple pleasures I let soak in on a daily basis:



This little offshoot trail is one of my all time favorites. It's short, only slightly windy, and not at all aggressive in terms of "mountain biking", but the tunnel-like tree cover reminds me a little of riding in Western Pennsylvania...beautiful.



I have said this before now, but I LOVE the fog in the morning in Sacramento. This is so worth suffering through the tiredness at 5:30am and sub-forty temperatures (I know, not that bad, but for Sacramentens, it feels terrible!)



Take fog, add sunrise to slowly burn off fog, and you have a recipe for a promising sunrise.



And here are some more deer.

Johnny's Specialized Stumpjumper

This bike turned out quite well. Old, cro-moly Specialized Stumpjumper!





Drivetrain is 1x7--who needs anything more??



Frame fits a 2.3 Bronson! Such a sick tire...



A perfect option for the cockpit: moustache bars always make a bike look more stately...



Custom support for a floppy fender--classic



Still a world champion. They don't make them like they used to, though. Shortly after this photo shoot, Johnny assured me he was taking the SJ through some fresh mud after today's rain :)

24NOV2015

Sky. Impending rain...

Sarah's Salsa Vaya

I feel inspired when I see fellow commuters show up to work. I feel even more inspired when they invest in their commute. Sarah, a coworker of mine, just recently made one of the wisest purchases she's ever made: she bought a shiny new Salsa Vaya (upgrading her saddle to a Brooks will be her next wise move). I asked her if I could share some photos of it, so here it is in (some of) all its beauty:



Those who have used the SRAM double tap technology for the integrated shifter probably agree that they love it--and that it's pretty cool! The X9 rear derailleur is bomb-proof and the anodized blue Salsa hubs/skewers/seatpost clamp pop nicely off the cream-colored frame. Thanks to the lovely people at the Bicycle Business, she was able to hook up an even better bike than I originally suggested...actually, I couldn't make up my mind for her, so I suggested like a couple dozen things--none of which compared as well with this sucker. Good choice, Sarah.

23NOV2015

I relish in thankfulness for all of my Brooks saddles. This one is on the Big Dummy. My sit bones have managed to create near-permanent indentations in this most comfortable seat. If you do not have a Brooks Saddle on your bike, this should probably be your next splurge...



If I ever have another one hundred twenty or so dollars to spend on a a handlebar, you better believe I am buying another one of these! Behold, the "poor man's" Jones H-Bar (poor man's because it is the least expensive option: Aluminum). This is, by far the best handlebar I've ever used (and I've been riding MTB since the mid-90's, so I have tried a bunch of different handlebars). With the most hand positions I've ever dreamed of, if your commute is longer than two miles...well, whatever, this bar is just fantastic no matter what.

I figured I would at least attempt to start this blog with a few photos from my commute. I ride a majority of the way on the American River Bike Trail, from Downtown Sacramento to Rancho Cordova. The best time I've found to ride this trail is just before sunrise and just before sunset--absolutely beautiful.



The American River has become quite placid due to the drought; so sad. However, what the heck, it looks absolutely gorgeous when the surroundings reflect off the glassy surface. This photo was taken while riding across the Guy West Bridge from Sac State to the North side of the American River Bike Trail. One of my favorite places everyday to take in the beauty of the sunrise...




In these previous two photos, I kind of attempted to show off the fog layer that sits just below my neck while I ride through it...unfortunately, I only managed to really show off the awesome copper rivets on my Brooks B17 :) I couldn't help myself. I will take better pictures of the fog tomorrow, hopefully



I listen to a song almost every morning entitled, "Pictures in the Sky". I remember this was one of the first songs by singer/songwriter Rich Mullins that I fell in love with when I was six or seven years old. Funny that, as my understanding of art has "matured", I see beauty in the abstract and less and less think of the clouds as shapes I see in day-to-day life. I love the simple shadows and highlights the sun helps create as it works with the clouds.




Sooo sorry about these...This deer just doesn't trust me, yet. He's a handsome fellow and I tell that to him everyday (out loud, too, but I make sure no one is watching). Still, this old Buck catches my attention--full head of antlers!



This was a fail photo, but I like feeling the sun on my face.



I LOVE the weather these days. Autumn can really work out well in Sacramento and sun on the way home is a wonderful gift.



My nickname given to me, when I was very young, by my uncle Danny (as far as I can remember) was "A-Bomb" (I think because I was twelve pounds, four ounces when I was born--thank you, mom for your endurance). Well, I passed that nickname on to this "bar buddy" of mine; mainly because "Abominable Snowman" takes waaay too many seconds out of my life to pronounce. I'm sure he loves the mud as much as I do (and I think he is thankful I got the Jones bars as well).




Closing this day's photo group are two poorly photographed reminders that I get to ride on dirt for at least some of my commute--yaayy!!!