Two Wheel Blogs

As bad as yesterday started out, by the time afternoon rolled around Saturday had more than made up for it. By late afternoon we were looking at temps in the 70's or low 80's, a decent breeze and not a cloud in the sky.

Our Saturday epic trail ride plans - a late afternoon Edgewood double tap followed by an after dark round trip at Binder lake - would come to fruition.

I found out in short order that today was one of those sweet days when my handling skills were up to the task. Edgewood is not a long trail but it's a good piece of work. Right from the start the trail demands full attention. You don't get to open it up at Edgewood because the trail folds back onto itself constantly as it climbs and descends the hillsides. I was all over my bike, carving through tight corners with more skill than I knew I had.

Riding a fully rigid single speed is always a kick, but when you're "on" it's a scream. The bike seems to just glide over rocks and roots rather than jolt your teeth out of your head. It carves switchbacks with power to spare rather than with leg and lung searing struggles.

Yeah, it was one of those days.

The trip around Binder was more of the same. Except for one mechanical problem it was just about the perfect outing. My rear wheel actually worked itself loose in the dropouts. For a brief few minutes, every bump I rolled over caused a harsh thunk which I initially thought was a flat rear tire. I stopped and noticed my chain was hanging slack. Strange, but sure enough, the rear wheel had been shaken loose in the dropouts. How the chain had not hopped off I'll never know.

We completed the circuit in record time, for me. And it was just in time because my helmet light was about out of juice. Time to load up the bikes and celebrate. The Guinness tasted like steak and potatoes under a crystal clear, moonless Saturday night sky.