Tuesday, September 24, 2019

No mo 100s

I think the 100s are begind us, humidity is not, but onwards with a sweet friday ride, I was kinda regretable back at Hawes but can never do wrong there just slightly bored. I did go up mine trail to mix things up and enjoyed the mix of trail and views. Ready for the weekend and being off the bike.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Busy Usery

Another pretty moring out there, I wanted to climb up Usery as normal but not really wanting the flat Usery after the DH, but unfortunately theres just no other option rally so that's what I did, it's always pleadant just a alot of sitting on my bum. Lots of bikers out thre I guess they're getting excited to get the heat behind us.

Standard Horse

Heating up for maybe and I say maybe the last of the 100s for our forecast. Still the warm sun feels good and really theres not much sweating going on anyway. Looking like it's close to time for tires.

Drop out

Rough Tuesday, rode the bike as normal but busy minded more than usual, mission accomplished.

Mid September Relief?

Into Mid September now and looking for some relief, it's coming in microscopic increments but it's really just fine. It looks like a cool Monday for this ride, I can now read the temperature due to the display unabke to work in extreme heats in my VW which means things are on the up. It was a rough start for my legs, they were a little lifeless but then opened up and all was normal. Had myself a standard hawes of a morning and thats fine by me!

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Slowness

Slow and calm rolled into this ride, it was fine though.

Sweet

Another happy ride to be fortunate to be able to spin those wheels out there on the trails :)

Sept 11

Always a heavy day remembering the ones we lost and suffered on that tragic day on September 11th, my head was busy but ready to pedal. Soooo I went out to Fountain Hills to go for a ride and then stop by a shop that had a bike I wanted to checkout. I went for a nice cushy ride at Mcdowell and then it was off to the bike shop. I had no intention of going home with it but wanted to feel out the size of the bike, I was right, I do like the 2020 specialized fuse in size L. I wish I could of demoed the bike ofcourse but they don't have any for demo or rent unsurprisingly. I am still so torn after saving for the last 2 years for a new bike but still hesitant on that I don't really "need" a new bike. I am so madly in love with my supefly that I feel like as long as I don't crack the frame it's with me forever. Also I really want to put dirt on the next bike before I buy but no one does demos really much anymore of the bike or size I ever want. The idea is still on the table but I a not rushing into it. The fuse is heavy, but removing gears, dropper and adding carbon fork would really put it in my area :)

Distracted by skies

Another busy day in the skies, rain was smelling and nearby but not close enough to reach me. I can really feel September coming in and I LOVE it!

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Annual Bike wash in joy of clouds

Change is FINALLY in the air! This monday morning ride I could finally feel it, so thankful and look so forward to putting another AZ summer behind me. It was uplifting so the ride was great and finished nice and dry before the monsoons are expected to ome this week.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Clouds!!!!!!!

An unusually hot and humid week finally brught clouds, not impressive temperatures but a step in the right direction, the heat wave is over and clouds are here and dang it felt nice. Morale and ambition it was a simple Hawes Friday ride for me to close out a great week for begining of September. Bring it on!

Lovely BIke

Quite a few ideas running through my head lately, I threw a leg over the new Specialized Fuse and really liked it. Since they now run 29er and can be SS I am seriously considering one. Next week I will find the exact one I want and hopefully I do or do not go home with one, I wish I knew the right choice. If I did, the dropper comes off, the gears come off, and that fron shock too. That should lighten and liven it up for me. So it has me thinking ALOT about how much I ve my superfly and will never let it go! This ride was so standard but as usual enjoyable. Me and this bike got soemthing like 4 years and 15,000 miles together, thats a long time, same headset,BB,fork,cranks must be some kind of record for bearing life for sure!

Gold Canyon Shred

Flying high was mondays ride still I guess I got ambition to head to Gold Canyon. Not that I don't like the place, it's just got ALOT of snakes. With this much heat I figured they would all be shielding themselves as most sensible creatures other than humans do here in the valley. A standard old loop for me that was very enjoyable! Nice to put a beating on the tires sidewalls and run over way too much cholla.

Heat Waverage

Well the heat wave is back, I'm a little grumpy about it but prepared to deal with it, It was spicy but this early in the morning it was just fine :)

Banger Monday at Cave Creek

Me and my wife went to Cave Creek for the weekend, a place an hour from the house that I really like going to, if we have to stay in the valley that is. With trail right from the place we were staying, this time I was rewarded by bringing my bike and had a ride planned. After looking around trailforks I found users that were doing a 23ish mile loop that seemed awesome. So I awoke early and after just 2 minutes of pedaling I was on a narrow strip of trail alongside the road on the cave creek town trail leading me into the park. After 20 minutes I missed the tracks cue to exit the trail before it entered in and out of a wash, instead of heading back I opted for the wash since I was able to pedal most of it but it was just slower going. When I soon entered the park I was excited, things were going good and I had lots of unexpected ahead of me. The trail was named spur cross and was blue and with trailforks I kind of knew what to eexpect. It started off as a road and then climbed nicely onto singletrack and spectacular views! I was very very much enjoying this! After a healthy climb I was ready for a ride down, it was good but short as it went flattish for a bit and then down some more on mixed chunk and smooth. The re route of part of the trail was meh as I continued but hey it was a temporary re route. As I made my was to Go John the trail began to tame itself and became a happy climbing trail again. I was tempted to stay on Go John but my route had me take Overton so onto overton I went climbing nicely on very cozy trail that reminded me of San Tan Dynamite trail. The descent down Overton was smile inducing, so smooth and so fast! I wanted much more of that for sure but I lost all my vert and now had to get some back by getting on Jasper which quickly had me climbing on Go John. I really wanted to just do a loop on Go John but I didn't have the time but I had plenty of legs! Then onto Quartz where I went up still and then a nice easy DH and onto Slate and I had just a little more dirt before a mile of pavement to the resort. I really really enjoyed this morning, extremely refreshing to be feeling good and getting on great new trails, can't wait to get back!

Friday, September 6, 2019

Whoops left my trail manners at home

I got detoured off my ride Friday so I took my Saturday option happily. I was feeling especially peppy this morning, the best I have felt in awhile really, must be the new suplements. There was a frustraing amount of users on teh trail, pre prepping for Labor Day weekend I supose or normal traffic but to me it seemed quite busy even for a Satuday. Can't say I was all to patient with my fellow bikers, hikers, runners but no battles ensued :)

Easy N Good

Easy and good, can sum up Usery Pass mountain and below, love the climb and descent but wish there was more action after it but it goes mega flat, buuuuut its ok it's not that lame.

Saw some clouds, I guess they weren't for me

Hot morning, I decided t start it on the pavement to take my mind off the bland start to normal Hawes. It worked out and as I topped out I could ses some clouds heading North. I got a bit excited I must say optimistically but I rode on hoping. They never reached me but dang they were close, at the end of the ride I hit pavement to mix things up and passed a radar reader, I didn't pedal hard for it one handed with my phone for the picture but I giggled hehe.

Horses Breath

A warm start, but not enough to keep me down, a nice spin around Usery on the Horse trails is always a bit standard but good and quiet!

Yep I still want out of here

Well we got an entire week of heat advisory, can't say I like it but nothing I can do about it but ride thru it and that I will :) This one I particularily was thinking of being somewhere else, I am desperate to seek shelter in the pines or woods but it's juts not in the cards. A standard Hawes ride did the trick and I was off running for a Monday.