Author Archives: John

Setting Up Shop in the Spare Bedroom

I don’t have a GF at this moment AND I have setup my bike room in what was the spare bedroom. The situation is causal, not causality. BTW, it is hard to think of it as anything except a bike room now.

Of course I KNEW that I would eventually be maintaining my bikes here as opposed to the basement. First, the basement floor is hard to clean and the bike stand was always in the way. So I purchase a section of black roll vinyl flooring from Home Depot to prevent grease and what not from falling off my bike and damaging the floor. I purchased the 24″ wide roll and ran it down the center of the room.

This was WRONG!

I should have covered the entire floor and the walls, any similarity to a “padded room” is merely coincidental.

Those flat MTB pedals scrape everything. Last night, as I switched to clipless pedals, trying to rid myself of recurring knee pain. I dropped the pedal and it landed, as everything does, exactly 1″ over the edge of the mat and left a character mark (dent) in the soft wood floor.

It is a mark that perhaps will indicate something to someone someday, or perhaps I will sand it out, or perhaps the floor will get replaced. What I know is that it won’t be the last mark in the floor, and it isn’t the first I have caused.

Rails to Trails MTB track along Klickitat river. @petebikes suggested that the Salsa Woodsmoke could be overbike; however, I wanted to test frame bag and a few extras. The quad lock slips, but is manageable…the second feedbag is finally useful although I really have to think “Not-for-Nalgene”…the Revelate Tank bag requires constant watching as comes open a lot and stuff always flying off…the custom frame bag from Rogue Panda is absolutely excellent. Important to keep it closed on car in the heavy rain.

In the end, it wasn’t overbike as a number of rocky sections existed…I pounded home with real joy and abandon on the way back to the trail head and ended up 8th on a hour long Strava segment. I should have eaten again part way down as my legs just gave out.

It seems there is a subtle push about what to use your bike for, more speed, faster trips, more technical, tracks and just like running…farther, faster, higher, longer…FOMO is a huge motivator. But really, there exists a solid argument for just getting out there and establishing the pattern of keeping rolling.

Woodsmoke @ $12.63/mile and Soma @ $4.23/mile so, still not up to whatever a car goes for but it is early days and I haven’t even complete one year with them.

Pleased I started, super happy to make the final turn to my porch steps.

I noticed that Western Bike Works has a Sunday ride called Rock Creek Roll Call and thought last Sunday that it would be a decent ride to get me back in the saddle. I knew that after a month off the bike due to illness I really didn’t have the legs or stamina to pull this off in a group. The weather made it work, I started the day putting my fenders on the bike so was too late to catch the group start and off I went. Ran out of steam when I finished the penultimate climb and so when I finally hit town at a crawl, the torrential rain capped the day. Was pleased to get my leg back over the bike and onto the ground without falling over. 🙂 I have to be in better shape by finishing!

Relive ‘Rock Creek Roll Call on my own’

Ride Celebration – Falls Creek Hike/Bike

I rode in the area of the Falls Creek Trail (and Ice Caves)

Great Wildflowers
@petebikes

It was a couple of weeks ago, but I was stiff the day after it.

The thing I noticed most was that I totally ran out of water and food. Still learning about Mountain Biking and the calorie count.

This affected me most on the downhill as my legs turned to rubber and I was forced to really dial back my speed as I started to make numerous mistakes. Oh well it was so fun to be out with @petebikes and I learned a lot.

Gear Note: I immediately went out and purchased a Katadyn BeFree Collapsible Water Filter Bottle from REI

Under the giggles category was I had the bike pressure set to 26 and 30 and that is simply too high and I was bouncing off stuff. Thinking 22/24 for next time.

Until then, and later 🙂

Ride Celebration – Newberry Caldera / Crater Rim Trail

I tried Ride Reports, but it is too stuffy.

I rode the Crater Rim Trail: Trailforks, Bend Trails

Relive ‘Newberry Caldera Loop’

I am a bit stiff tonight, a day after the ride.

When you link sections together, and anticipate hills, the trail becomes so much more than the section you are on, it is hard to explain to me what others already get, that “flow” is so much smoother, a greater experience, more fun and worth working at. And it requires work.

I found in the attack position I always lead with the same foot and so I am beginning to practice with the other foot. Should be a hoot while this takes place.

I think rides that are “FIRSTS” should be celebrated but this part I simply don’t know how to do. So I will sit on my back porch and recount trail sections to myself. Would make a great trip report, but then, I probably have spent too long on this in any event. The silly trail mistake, followed by the monstrous ego shortcut, and the steep drop to start just makes it a ride. The gravel scree, downhills, uphills, the flow, switchbacks and endless obstacles and “features” manmade, bike made, nature made, or simply boom were pretty cool. The bike turns on a dime and climbs anything, goes down easily and it and I do struggle in really loose dusty soil with slippage, could be air pressure but I am too new to know.

What I do know. The bike on my car is not for show anymore, it is getting out there, and getting it done! Every bit of an adventure. I know there are more coming, but this one, all alone, was pretty damn cool. So it is appropriate that it is celebrated all alone, or at least OK.

Oh, that last three miles was pounding hard! Glad I went the route direction. I had no idea one could jump so many times.

Proud of myself for going and completing this ride!

Ride Report: Stoller Family Estate

So much has happened in the last month on the biking front for me.

I am out there and enjoying biking and have two new bikes and have retired THE bike. I haven’t posted much … no worries about the past, let me just plunge into this…

Ride Report, yesterday, the expected thunderstorms arrived at 6 in Portland, well after the late morning ride through the Oregon wine country starting at the Stoller Family Estate near Dayton. Great weather and a wonderful location to ride through. 95% pavement, 5% gravel and about 80/20 quiet roads and only one mean spirited driver.

Relive ‘Stoller Family 🍷’

The mid ride stop was at the Carlton Bakery which is am amazing bit of European Bakery to have and worthy of a stop whenever one is in the area. It was noted that the calories of any of the items far exceeded the ride calories…but I plunged in anyway. It is like the folks who say you waste money buying coffee, well, there is something to be said for either side and yet this is summer, and I haven’t been in Carlton in many years.