Beer run

I took my big bike out yesterday for yet another test ride, this time at Starr Pass. I'm still in the mode where I'm riding it on familiar trails so I can see what the differences in performance are. Then again, Starr Pass isn't really all that familiar to me any more, as I tend to spend more time at Sweetwater.

When I arrived at the trailhead, I noticed a trail-runner dude pacing around behind his car. He committed a minor talking-too-loud-on-the-cell-phone infraction, mentioning meeting up somewhere at 2:00pm. No big deal. I also just happened to notice a Tecate beer box in the back of his car. Probably empty, just for storage - I thought little of it and hit the trail.

My Stumpy's big wheels, full suspension and a 3x9 drivetrain all worked in concert to entertain the crap out of me, especially when I just pedaled right down the sand, gravel, and cobbles in Yetman Wash. I've been down that dry streambed a lot of times, full-rigid singlespeed, and on both SS and geared hardtails, and I always manage to plow the front wheel, lose my line and steer into a strainer, get blown out of my pedals by an obstacle, and/or just plain bog down. One time, I got so messed up that I kicked a frame-mounted resin water bottle cage to pieces. No such problems this time. I think my new bike is going to replace some of the riding skills I've never developed.

I wrapped up the ride smiling, and as I rode back across the trailhead parking lot to my truck, I noticed the trail runner guy was now surrounded by a bunch of other people, all dressed for an outing on dirt. He was now smoking a cigarette, and seemed maybe a wee bit inebriated. In fact, almost everyone was working on a can of beer. As I sat on my tailgate changing out of my cleats, it hit me. I asked a woman milling around the group, "Are you Hashers?"

"Yes we are!", she replied.

I'd heard of these people before, drinking clubs with running problems. She introduced herself as Michelle and invited me to join them for their run. I told her that I don't run, which is true. I bike commute damned near every day of the week and ride trails on weekends, but I probably couldn't run down to the stop sign at the end of my street and back. Anyway, we talked a bit more and I shared my observation that their gathering had some similarities to the singlespeed scene.

The hashers looked a bit more clean cut, appearing mostly to be semi-yuppies, but these were tradition-bound, high-functioning, drunken anti-jocks about to embark on a lengthy trail-based adventure. I've spectated a Single Speed World Championship, raced a couple of Old Pueblos, and been to New Belgium Ballyhoos in Flagstaff, Tempe, and Tucson, so you could say that I've seen (and had) my share of beer-fueled bike misadventures. Nevertheless, I think these Hashers could teach us cyclists a thing or two about how to party.

All the talk about singlespeeding, along with a nagging worry that I might be in danger of falling off my high horse of gearlessness, got me wanting to ride my Chameleon today. BeanSS was down for it, too, but some gusty winds steered her to her full-suspension bike. We ended up doing our riding at Sweetwater. BeanSS was there to rebuild her mileage base and I was there to recover from yesterday, but we mainly wanted to see the wildlflowers.

The flowers were definitely nice, though they weren't as prevalent as we'd expected. While there's been an abnormally large amount of rain this season, I think it came a bit late to really set off a riot. The ocotillos, saguaros, and foothill paloverdes will flower in a month or so, so there's still a chance for a good show of blossoms.

I'm about done with my beer now, but I didn't drink it because of the Hashing or singlespeeding. It's because I went into the other room and happened to see Homer Simpson in only his underwear. Such a sighting always requires a drink.

Gotta' run - a load of laundry and a good night's sleep await.

I just couldn't hold it

If giving up on geared bikes to ride a singlespeed is considered a case of drinking the Kool Aid, then what is it called when you go back? And if you not only go back to a multi-speed drivetrain, but throw in 29-inch wheels and 5 inches of travel front and rear, what have you done with the fruit-flavored beverage?

Whatever you call it, it's been done - I added a Stumpjumper FSR Comp 29 to the stable yesterday. I spent this morning installing the pedals and dialing in the cockpit, then took it out on a familiar loop at the local regional park just before sunset. Whee! Now, what I'm really looking forward to is taking it to trails I've avoided because of gradient, altitude, or terrain - places I'm just not strong enough to tackle on a singlespeed. Or at least I'll take my new ride to those places after I've picked up an adapter to attach the 20mm thru-axle Reba to my 9mm-sized roof rack - this bike is just too tall to fit in the back of the pickup under the shell.

And I have to admit there was an intermediate step here. I built up a geared hardtail last summer and was very pleased with myself for having cobbled it together on the cheap. At least I was pleased until the clearance-priced RockShox Tora fork started leaking oil from its damper after less than 50 miles of riding. Apparently, it's a common problem and the fix should be under warranty, but I still found myself wanting for an all-day ride sort of bike.

I should mention that this whole new-bike thing required a road trip to DNA Cycles in east Mesa, as there are essentially none of these bikes to be found for sale in Tucson and no ETA on when there will be. The desire for near-instant gratification was colliding with the socially-responsible act of shopping local. It turned out the shop was 5 minutes from my old college roommate's house and was, in fact, his LBS. So I did shop local, just not local to me. Anyway, my friend stood by while I did the test ride, then while the techs did the final prep on the bike, he and I went for some grub, a bit of reminiscing, and a damned good couple of beers. I usually dread visiting the Valley but this was a great trip. It was so great that I wasn't even all that mad when I dropped the new bike against my truck and gave the frame its first little paint chip.

I suppose what's next is to take some photographs and get the full-on new bike pr0n spread started. All in due time.

Free day Friday

It's always nice to have a Friday off. The coming weekend is going to involve pancakes, a test ride on a full suss 29er, a couple of dog walks, a meeting with a college buddy I haven't seen in 5 years, and, if the test ride proves convincing, a trail ride on a full suss 29er. But for right now, a weight bench is calling my name.

In brief

It's just the usual things, but constructing a narrative around everything seems too much like work.

Weather: Clear and breezy, bordering on warm; by tonight, rain in the valleys and snow at altitude

Bicycling (present): Commuting like mad on weekdays; took singlespeed mountain bike out yesterday to test new grips and bar ends and to bed in new disk brake pads

Bicycling (future): Search narrowed to the Santa Cruz Heckler or Blur LT2 trail bikes or the Specialized FSR Comp 29er; still deciding which best matches the trails I want to ride

Dogs: Still cute as hell

Birds: Latest notable sighting in the yard was a wayward American robin

Beverages: By the numbers - Three Horses Lager last night, Five Country Espresso Blend this morning

Veelz: Now riding a hardtail 29er and, evidently, blogging from a portable device

Music: Editors CDs in heavy rotation, replacing White Lies in the changer

Job: No comment

Photo: Wilderness Trail Bikes toe-flips, presently installed on my 1989 Fisher Montare