Month: November, 2008
Goat Sessions
Goat has my goat. I spent lunch out under the cloudy sky today. I wanted to give Goat a second go, and a third and a fourth… After almost cleaning the trail last week I thought if I adjusted the tire pressure, seat height and played around with gearing I could sail up the loose stuff and glide over the tech.
I was wrong.
The only sailing I did was on Desert Classic. It was the maiden voyage for my brand new Specialized Captain Control 2Bliss front tire. My Roll X blew a sidewall while it was just sitting in my office… you gotta love the Specialized tire guarantee. Credit 40 bucks, slap 5 down and I’m sailing with Captain Ned Overend. I’ll give a proper review for the Captain later, but for now, all I can say is this tire sticks to the trail like no other front tire I have owned.
Back to Goat. I cleaned everything up to the false summit except for the last bit before the saddle. That’s where I rode into Trouble spot #1. Five tries and I nailed it.
Trouble #2 came right at the top of the real summit. I made a silly slip, lost my groove and then couldn’t find any way over the last two sets of steep tech. It’s not lose there, just tricky. I sessioned this spot a few times before giving in to the “I gotta save something for next time” excuse.
I think I did everything right except warm up enough. Three circles around post marker 59 just weren’t quite enough. Maybe next time I’ll do four.
The ride down Helipad was true bliss. If only the trail was longer. Then I rode back up Helipad. Even truer bliss. Down Goat is a blast. As U2meetoo says, “it’s a hoot” and I fully agree. He rode up Helipad and down Goat a couple days ago. Here’s his sweet vid.
I Rode a Goat on Desert Classic
I’ve ridden Desert Classic as an out-n-back from Pima plenty of times. But how far “out” I go varies…since I’ve never made it out all the way, I decided to shake up the normal routine. With a hankering for fresh, steep, and technical Goat, I set out yesterday at lunch from the Telegraph Pass lot and rolled through the west end of Desert Classic.
The west end of DC out to the Corona Loma loop is awesome. It’s more technical than the heavily trafficked east side. While the east side has Secret and Warpaint alternate loops,, the west side has Goat and Helipad. I’d heard stories of these two trails…so actually riding them after so many years was nice.
Goat: It’s name says it all. If your name is Billy you’ve got a good chance of staying on your bike. It’s been a while since I got worked by a hill. I got bucked twice but got back on the Goat and kept climbing. I’m certain the entire trail is all rideable. I guarantee Ill be back again and again until I clean the Goat. From DC post marker 59, you climb south. Only a half mile, but 400 feet elevation gain.
Helipad: From DC marker 54 head south down to the wash and then comes the climb. Steep and loose at first but then the singletrack appears carved into the mountain, steadily climbing the ridgeline to the namesake helipad. I climbed Helipad first, descended Goat, then turned right around and climbed Goat to descend the glorious Helipad singletrack.
U2metoo took some video footage coming down Helipad last year. It’s a great climb and a really fun downhill. South Mountain continues to amaze me.
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| From Goat-Helipad |
Review: Squirt Dry Chain Lube
I picked up a sample of Squirt chain lube at Interbike after a nice conversation with Larry Grossman, the marketing guy there. His spiel was good, he named names of racers using the wax lube like Ned Overend and Travis Brown and I knew I wanted to give it a spin.
Right out of the bottle Squirt smells great, and by “great” I mean doesn’t smell at all. Although the smell of classic petroleum based chain lube is a nostalgic smell I’ve grown to love over the years, not smelling the lube on my bike while it’s inside my office all day is a good thing.
My first test was on the singlespeed running a SRAM singlespeed chain. The Forte tensioner does its job adding tension to the chain, but a side effect is friction. After cleaning the chain, lubing it and letting it dry I actually felt less friction turning the cranks by hand. Hammering on the trail is now smoother, quieter and cleaner. I rode some pretty dusty newly cut trails and SQUIRT lived up to its claims. It leaves the dust on the trail where it belongs and not clinging to your chain. A quick wipe down after riding and I was ready to go again. Squirt is ideal for Arizona’s dirty and dusty trails.
The next test was on the geared bike. I again made sure I cleaned and degreased the chain well before applying the Squirt lube. Then let it dry overnight. I tested it first down National Trail on South Mountain. No problems. Clean and clear shifting. Then I wiped the chain clean, re-applied for good measure and took it to La Milagrosa in Tucson to give it a lengthy test of durability. Four and a half hours in the saddle, treacherous and dry conditions all around, and my shifting was butter, smooth as can be.
From one to 27 gears, Squirt lube will get the job done and keep you chain happy. A happy chain is a happy rider. Don’t just take my word for it either…read what others are saying about Squirt in the links below.
Squirt Lube Reviews | bikeradar.com review | bicycling.com review |
Squirt for Cyclocross CX Magazine
Classic Desert for Lunch
Wednesday I had lunch on Desert Classic: It consisted of a Power Bar Berry Blast Fruit Smoothie, Cherry Kool Aid and 14 miles of dessert. Kool Aid’s not your traditional performance hydration choice, but when I’m thirsty on the trail all I have to do is yell out Hey Kool Aid and you know what happens next…
It’s been almost one year to the day since I rode Desert Classic last. Why don’t I ride it more often? This year was the year of exploration. I spent my time in the San Tans (no return on my investment) the Goldfields (very profitable…I need to post up my maps of the primitive singletrack up there) and the base of the Superstitions on Lost Goldmine.
Back on Desert Classic it felt like I was riding it for the first time. See, I was on my singlespeed. The trail takes on new character with only one speed to propel me in-n-out, up and down over and under. I still have yet to complete the entire out-n-back. I ran out of time (again) but I got a couple miles past the Corona Loma jct this time. I was surprised how the tech steps up a notch in places way back there. I’ll have to try riding DC backwards from the Telegraph TH to Pima. Throw in the climb up National to telegraph and it sounds like a Double Double animal style.
Get out and VOTE!
Election day is tomorrow. Be a True American, go to the polls and cast your vote. If you voted early like me (or don’t live in the US), get out and ride your bike!
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