The Sweet Stuff

It's been a long time coming, but I finally went out for a nice long mountain bike ride. Somewhere around 38 miles, with God only knows how much climbing, a max elevation around 7000ft, and 6.5 hours from start to finish. I found some sweet single track, but unfortunately, most of the day I was riding all the wrong trails in all the wrong directions.

My first goal of the day was to beat the sunrise up the first climb, but at 5:20 this morning I was having second thoughts and layed in bed till 5:40. With sunrise at 6:15, I knew it would be close, but I decided to try anyways. Armed with a sandwich, some snacks, and a thermos of coffee I set out at 6. I might've had a chance with a geared bike, but with my recently regeared single speed, the roads to the trails took forever. Even though I didn't quite make it, I still had nice view to go with my coffee.

After that, I headed South around the reservoir to Horsetooth Mountain Open Space. Once there, I rode up, up, and up some more. I rode mostly uphill for 4.5 hours topping out at around 7000ft, just below Horsetooth Rock. Actually I walked quite a bit of that. The trails were mostly rideable but included lots of steep, loose, rocky, "baby head" sections (baby head sized rocks). The trails don't look very remote on paper or from across the reservoir, but once I was there, it felt like the middle of nowhere. The highest trail was a rugged black diamond route where I busted my ass twice - both times falling to the wrong side and sliding downhill. I decided to be more cautious after that. 

At 10:30 I stopped for lunch (or brunch?) at the top of the trail. Finally I got to go downhill! Some of it was fast and smooth; other parts were a test of my technical skills. Thankfully, the club rides will be held there starting in May, and I can learn the fun routes. I got home around 12:30, had a post ride beer, and took a 2 hour nap.

Project Centurion Part II

With the completion of Project Centurion, I decided to ride up Poudre Canyon for a shake down run. During the rebuild, I added some "new" old components like cranks, handlebars, and shifters, as well as some other new parts including the seatpost and brake levers. I even managed to find a randonneuring handlebar, characterized by a curved top section and extra long drops. I moved the shifters from the stem to the downtube solely for a more classic look. It also has fresh paint, cables and housing, bar tape, and brake pads. Total cost: $165.00. Of course that doesn't factor in wheels or saddle, but those would come off before a resale. It's almost ready for some high mileage. With no destination or distance in mind, I set off at 9 this morning. It was cool and sunny - perfect riding weather. While I had no major goals today, I did have a few stops in mind including Gateway Park and possibly Hewlett Gulch. I also wanted to get a feel for the bike's handling and fit.



View from bridge to Hewlett Gulch

The ride was fairly uneventful. Slightly windy but not bad. Gateway Park was partially closed due to a damaged bridge, so I didn't get to see much of it. Hewlett Gulch looked like a nice trail. I wanted to ride some of it, but alas my 23mm tires are no good off road. I knew that to be the 23 mile mark, and I was feeling just as good as when I started. So, I decided to press on. I soon came across Young Gulch and later Stove Prairie/Buckhorn Rd. I was tempted to turn here and make the route into a nice loop, but I knew I'd have to cross the stream somehow along with who knows what else (see previous post). Instead, I continued up Poudre Canyon until I reached the Narrows - a narrow section in the canyon with class IV and V rapids. I still wasn't feeling tired, but it was already after 12:30. So, I decided to turn back. I ended the day with yet another (short) ride to run Lucy and make a pitstop at Equinox Brewery for a growler fill of Orion Irish Red which may or may not have something to do with the color of my hair. Honestly, red ales are one of my favorites, but like redheads they're uncommon. So, I usually take the opportunity when I can.

 

The 30 year old bike rode quite well. It's smooth and stable. It's certainly not a light weight racer, but I can see it being a high mileage machine. After 62 miles today, I was only slightly tired. My butt was hurting on the descent, but that should get better as my saddle breaks in. I think it's the exact same size as my old Schwinn. It's a little tall, but the reach is the same as it was on the Pompino. Still, a shorter stem might be nice. The downtube shifters took some getting used to, but I like them. They give the bike a classic look and feel, and their simplicity and reliability is unmatched. I'm planning on some wider tires, so I can stray from the pavement, and home-made handlebar and saddle bags for tools, clothes, and food, etc.

 

I can't wait for some all-day rides on the Centurion. I have plans to tackle some of the nearby mountain passes with this bike once I get it dialed in. I may even rig it up for some light bikepacking. Not sure where it came from, but suddenly, I have the desire to ride long hours at high altitudes. If nothing else it'll make interesting blog material. 

Three Months in Ft Collins

It's been three months, the limit of my moving budget, and I'm not going hungry or living in a box. I haven't found my dream job yet, but I can pay the bills for now. It's been an exciting three months - exploring the area, learning the cultural differences, job searching, and lots of budget calculating.

Most of my exploring has been done by bike. In fact, I've only used a tank and a half of gas since getting here. My legs are probably stronger than they've ever been. I've ridden all over town as well as the nearby mountain roads and trails. The town is very cyclist friendly with bike lanes on almost every street and stores conveniently placed within riding distance. Most of the sensored street lights can even be triggered by bike. I've never been much of a road biker, but the mountain roads have exceeded my expectations and converted me, just a little, in that direction. The trails, however, are not as good as I imagined. While they're mostly fun, they were built for hiking, not riding - lots of rocky straight aways. They don't drain very well either due to soil composition and building technique. That said, I've only ridden about half of the nearby trails. Pretty soon I'll start driving to the ones out of riding distance. The other downside is that mountain biking is seasonal. Road biking season on the other hand depends on your gear and pain tolerance. The good news is that the bike club is in full swing now!

The culture here is on the other end of the spectrum compared to Mississippi. Liberal with a strong push towards natural foods, exercising, and sustainable living. My neighbors have solar panels on their roof, a garden in the front yard and chickens in the back. There's always people running at 6:30am. The city buses run on propane. The strangest though, was hearing my coworkers talk about smoking a bowl after work. But, pot isn't as out in the open as I thought it would be. Not like Amsterdam. The city has some strange ordinances like pet licensing, parking on the right side of the road (even in front of your own house!), and something against tall business signs (maybe obstructing the view?). That makes it kind of difficult to find places, but I've gotten used to it.

The weather is great though. Low humidity. Four seasons. Lots of sun! The wind can be annoying though, especially for a cyclist; it's worse than hills. I've been told there's lots of weather threats too- fires, floods, large hail, tornadoes, etc.

So what does my future hold? While I love Ft Collins, it's not home. I don't know where I'll go yet, but I probably won't stay here more than a year or two. My mind could change in that time, but I'd like to explore other places too. Also, I can't shake my dream of living on a sailboat and travelling a blue trail. For now, I'm planning some road trips and will just have to see where work and/or school takes me. As long as it's a cool cycling town with good beer.

Project Centurion

A randonee, or brevet, is a noncompetitive, long distance (120-800 miles) cycling event. The word is French and has no direct translation, but generally it means to wander/roam the countryside by bike. A rider in an event is a randonnuer. It's a cool word.

After discovering the high speed instability and other quirks of the Pompino, I started looking for an old bike or frame to build up as a light touring, long distance, randonnuering rig. Two months ago one of my roommates moved out leaving behind a few unwanted items including an old road bike - a Centurion Sport DLX. Nothing special, just your basic mid 80's, entry-level road bike, much like my old Schwinn Traveller. I took it off his hands for $5! Definitely my cheapest bike to date, but it's not worth much more. The tires are flat and dry rotted as are the brake shoes. The rims are warped, chain is garbage, and cable housings are shot. And, to top it off the frame was out of alignment by over half an inch!

I'm not sure if was run over by a car or maybe just backed into, but it's seen some pretty heavy forces. Nothing a 2x4 couldn't fix though. It's not perfect now, but I managed to get it within a millimeter or two. That's the great thing about steel; still, I kept waiting for something to snap. Considering this bike has no vintage value and only cost me 5 bucks, I have no moral qualms bending the frame, repainting it, replacing parts, hammering on it, etc. So, it should be a fun project. I'm trying my best not to put much money into it. So far I've bought cables, housing, a crank puller, paint, and a seat post with a modern clamp design. I'll also need new handlebars as the current ones are bent, and I expect the aluminum to snap when I try to straighten it out. I'll need a drive side crank arm too, because the current chainrings are warped and not removable.

Currently it sits torn apart on my bedroom floor waiting to be thoroughly cleaned, degreased, painted, regreased, and reassembled. If it rides nice, like I hope, I'll keep it and upgrade it a little more. If it doesn't, I'll sell it to a college kid for a commuter. If the frame turns out to be scrap metal, I'll just keep the parts and look for another old frame.

The reason for wanting an old road bike for long distances is that steel offers a more compliant ride compared to aluminum or carbon fiber. Older bikes also have clearance for bigger, more comfortable tires, mounts for fenders, and relaxed geometry. Sure, there are a few new bikes with these features, but they come at a high price. I do wish it had bottle cage mounts. I'm looking forward to the rebuild process. Updates to come!