2024 Mountain Biking

[nay]

Man, I haven't ridden my bike in a month. We had a bunch of cold weather in January and then I bought a truck in mid-February, that process of searching and test driving stuff took up the better part of two weeks. Anyways, got a 2020 Ford Ranger Lariet with 53k miles on it and a brand new set of Nokian Outpost nAT tires on it from a friend of mine who's a salesman with the local Nissan dealership. Truck is pretty great and the brand new winter AT tires are pretty phenomenal. Slowly adding all the things it's missing like a 2" hitch, mud flaps, and some additional lighting to bring it up to par with what I need it to do. Otherwise I've been skiing on the weekends and playing with my 5 month old, she figured out how to roll back to front on Sunday and it's a hoot seeing how happy she is doing that.

Yea this forum has gone completely dead. I wasn’t going to ride the Gunnison Growler this year but one of my kids adult friends and her dad (James) are riding and James is from Atlanta and is going to suffer. So that will be fun. Strava gets people to do things when they watch other people do things.

Two of the young lady friends cajoled my youngest son who broke his fibula at Monarch on January 5th (and is almost done with rehab 9 weeks in) to sign up - he’s resisted for years and now we’re gonna see if injury/recovery has put some hair on that chest.

Meaning I have to keep riding. Because that’s over Memorial Day weekend. I did another ride in the partially dried out Ute Valley on his bike because mine was in Gunnison. 2018 or 2019 Canyon Torque, trail bike with 180/170 travel, that bike pedals like much shorter travel and is fun in these tight spaces not being so slack.

 

[Tom K.]

Yea this forum has gone completely dead.

Partly me. Fat biking has been kind of so-so and skiing has been great, so like @firebanex, I haven't been riding or posting much.

We'll be leaving our home MT icebox for the second half of April and heading to Prescott AZ, so posting will resume.

In the meantime, while my "wonky" left hand has been appreciating Wolftooth Mega Fatpaw silicone grips for seemingly forever, I decided to take a flyer on getting another level of Hand Love with these:

NSMB.com - Rev Grips Race Series Shock Absorbing Grip System

Rev Grips' Race grip is a micro-suspension, floating grip system that aims to isolate trail noise and keep folks riding longer, and in some cases get people back riding...

nsmb.com

Stay tuned for details on how the install and shootout rides go!

 

[nay]

Yea skiing has been lit, we’ve been up skiing 3-4 days a week and hanging out with broken leg son. I was riding like it‘s mid season because my lungs are still in full shape and my shoulders are rocked. Poling while skiing works the shoulders, but not like downhill on a MTB.

But it’s hard to be on the bike when skiing is like this (or you have a 5 month old ). I’ll be in Fruita mid April because the Western Trail Team is running a race out there. Runner son #3 will be riding and not running - which is good since his next real race is the Growler and that race is not easy.

 

[firebanex]

Oh, speaking of trips where a bike will be involved. End of May we will be visiting family in Albuquerque for a bit over a week, they live less than a mile away from a trailhead going into the Sandia foothills and a ton of trails. I'll be bringing my new hardtail along and with any luck, I plan to sneak out early before the days start for everyone and do a bit of exploring. My daughter has been waking up at 5am anyways.. and she prolly won't change much by May. So I figure once I get mom and her set up for the morning like I already do, I'll head out for a bike ride.

We skipped skiing today because baby and mom had low fevers this morning and neither were feeling very well. Baby seems to have her first tooth cutting through and that is disrupting everything. I was able to go out for a bike ride in the afternoon and in the month since I was last out, the trails have changed a ton! There is massive amount of overflow in so many places, I ate it real hard on one patch and regretted ditching the studded tires this year. I may need to invest in another (good) wheelset for studded tires. Temps were around 10*f and there was a bit of a breeze coming from the west for the bulk of the ride, all in all, pretty good conditions for a bike ride.

Snow covered overflow next to the railroad tracks. Both terrifying and so cool to ride across. I've gotta be standing on at least 4' thick ice right here.

More overflow on the trail.. This spot was slightly damp, but nothing serious.

I have a strict policy of not crossing wet overflow when riding solo, so this was my turn around point of the ride. I'd say it was a good 6-8" deep and just upstream from the crossing, there was flowing water. Big NOPE from me about crossing.

 

[nay]

An opposite of ^^^^

11 miles on this ride at Hidden Mesa.

And some side tech.

 

[k2rider]

All this snow & ice....no thanks. Luckily we have PHX an hour away when the temps drop into the 40's up here in Prescott & Sedona. Headed down to Tucson for 4-5 days in April and in the planning stages for our annual jaunt up into the PNW and Whistler this Summer. I still haven't found anyplace that beats Squamish!!

 

[firebanex]

@k2rider I sometimes wonder if I enjoy riding in the winter for 6ish months or if that is simply all I know because of where I live. Same story with skiing, I wonder if I grew up somewhere else if I would have found a different sport as fulfilling as skiing.

 

[nay]

I put it all in the category of “downhill brain” - I light up when I am focused downhill and from that literal viewpoint both skiing and mountain biking are essential in whatever dosage meets the day and week.

 

[Wilhelmson]

I saw railroad tracks up there.

 

[Tom K.]

I ate it real hard on one patch and regretted ditching the studded tires this year.

Good lord, man, you've got a brand new kiddo -- revert to studs!

I just run them all winter. If things get dry-ish or whatever occasionally, and I don't need them, I still think it's the best approach.

Those periods end up being so short that I seldom even bother installing my non-studded wheelset until April or May.

 

[k2rider]

@k2rider I sometimes wonder if I enjoy riding in the winter for 6ish months or if that is simply all I know because of where I live. Same story with skiing, I wonder if I grew up somewhere else if I would have found a different sport as fulfilling as skiing.

Definitely a factor of where you grew up for the most part. My cattle ranching Texas relatives and I discuss that all the time. We've lived totally separate lives and envy each other.

 

[nay]

Well this just happened and is still happening so local riding is hosed. Very unusually both north and south of me got hit hard and it’s coming into mud season in Gunnison. Sigh.

Maybe I will go ride in Pueblo when it dries they are getting a bunch of rain.

 

[4ster]

Well this just happened and is still happening so local riding is hosed. Very unusually both north and south of me got hit hard and it’s coming into mud season in Gunnison. Sigh.

Maybe I will go ride in Pueblo when it dries they are getting a bunch of rain.

View attachment 229616

Go Skiing!

 

[nay]

Go Skiing!

I’m in VIrginia seeing my folks so just flat landing right now. Painful although it was 80° in DC.

 

[firebanex]

Spring. Daytime highs are in the 30s and 40s now for the next week, pretty sure the snow is not long for the earth. On the plus side, I don't need lights, I get to wear sunnies again, and I don't have to wear gloves! We'll see how much more riding it get in with my limited schedule!

 

[firebanex]

No promises, but this could very well be one of the last fat bike rides I get to do with my limited time. daytime temps are nearly 50* and even tho there is some snow and some dipping temps in the coming forecast, the snow is rotting out. Met up with the Tuesday ride group after like 2 months of missing the rides and got to head out on a couple of new trails I've never ridden. They used to be some winding and tight XC ski and snowshoe trails that got opened up for bikes half way through this winter. Pretty good stuff, going to have to add them into the mix for next season. Nice rolling tight and twisty riding with parts that your bars definitely have issues passing through.

It was 45*, I wore a summer helmet and no poagies. Not really sure how to handle this, it's weird seeing my hands again.

 

[nay]

We’re in mud season in Gunnison, won’t stop snowing on the Front Range so that’s deep or mud, did get in a 9 miles ride with my son who broke his fibula skiing on Jan 5th on “Contour”, which is the trail that winds around the base of the Signal Peak area, plus a drop down Rasta from the Winter Gate that’s closed for sage grouse sexy season. Good stuff given how hard it’s been to ride recently due to conditions, although Monarch got completely nuked so one can’t complain. Was snowing across the pass again on Tue.

If you can’t ride…you should ride…

Poor bike, went to the wash after this abuse (check the rear wheel ).

 

[nay]

Oh I did go to Lake Pueblo the day it dried enough from the previous huge storm. Didn’t get in too much riding before I blew the rear tire. I’ve ridden Skull Canyon trail a bunch of times and the trail has aligned more to dropping straight off this rock if you are coming in hot and don’t see it around the bend - the trail building to make it roll has that sharp edge tire eater. I keep a light tube in my pack but I wasn’t riding with my pack.

But before this little mishap, I had some fun, a few of the big erosion drops where you have to pull and it’s a 2’-3’ drop are now built to roll. Haven’t been down here in a couple of years - that’s a little less excitement but doesn’t detract too much from the riot.

And of course Broken Hip always delivers the brake modulation pucker.

As you tee up this…

And Rock Canyon is ever a blast…

Running a Maxxis Aggressor in the back now, really liking that tire. Need to get back before the Pueblo heat really sets in for the season.

 

[nay]

Got out to Ute Valley late afternoon, Colorado Springs on the west side got hammered in the storm a couple weeks ago (Manitou Springs 44” which may have been an all time record). The Spring is typically shielded by the high terrain to the west and the Palmer Divide to the north where I live and we had 28” of heavy wet styrofoam that didn’t ride well a week later despite the warm and high sun angle (pic below of my ride that day so I did a thousand feet of pavement vert in the neighborhood) but this year COS has been hit repeatedly.

Anyway it was almost dry, a pleasant surprise, and a many of us who have been shut out north to south on the Front Range in recent weeks were out ripping. I’m in decent biking shape, but it’s been a difficult winter to ride consistently. Which of course means acting like you’ve been doing it.

The remnants blowing around on Pikes.

And Costco is close by, because this is America, and to get to the wild caught smoked salmon that is only remotely reasonably priced at Costco you can also snag this:

We are a strange species, whatever else is going on.

 

[wooglin]

The remnants blowing around on Pikes.

View attachment 231462

That is a view I miss.

Actually put the bike rack on the car a couple of weekends ago in anticipation of riding, causing 20" of snow to fall here the following weekend. Will be a bit before the MTB comes out.