Big Bikes

NEK Part Three & IBC Night Ride

The key to getting a couple usable photos out of your crappy digital camera which is looking about as banged up as Amy Winehouse is taking a whole lot of photos. This means that your photo library will become gargantuan and opening it will cause your computer to labor horribly and smell of burning plastic army men under a child's magnifying glass.

My mom, shredding the NEK on her dually. The weather was unseasonably warm and pleasant.

The rigid Ferrous Single Speed was a great tool for The North East Kingdom. The trails aren't super-techy but having no give in the front end makes stuff just that little bit more exciting. I ran a 33 X 18 with a good sized rear tire. It was perfect for riding with the family and ripping on my own. Riding at a slower pace forces you to ride strong, like doing leg lifts for hours.

No wonder I was craving protein like never before. So much so that I scarfed down a double Whopper at Burger King on the way home monday. Back up...that was the first time I'd eaten one of those in over TWENTY YEARS. In fact the first time I'd eaten meat since I was fourteen years old was just two weeks ago. I'm not sure what brought this on and I'm not sure if it's just a phase I'm going through.

Here's a tip: get the BK Veggie. It tastes exactly the same as the whopper only the patty is less greasy and soggy and it won't back up on you for three hours after you eat it. It's nearly as high in protein and much lower in saturated fat, calories, and all sorts of other weirdness you wouldn't even want to imagine. I'm all set with Whoppers for another twenty years.

Aw dude, you don't know what you're missing.

I wouldn't say I've been missing it Bob.

Sidewinder is a dream trail. I had to go back for seconds. It's a human powered roller coaster. We all hooted and hollered down the thing, our faces like a little kid's on Xmas as they set eyes on the pile of presents under the tree for the first time.

Miriam ripping Sidewinder on her single speed. Sometimes she lets out noises while she's riding that sound like she is being stabbed. This makes me nervous.

None of the climbs are too hard. Most of the elevation gain is on swtichbacking trails so it doesn't hurt so bad. M was pushing a 32 X 19, it seemed to work for her.

Ann thought the trails were CRAP and rode around with a dour look on her face all weekend.


About as techy as it gets...roots. They add up, especially at speed. I wouldn't bring the big bike though. This stuff is strictly XC.

More NEK later, now for tonight's night ride.


Acrossthe bridge under a beautiful orange moon. The air over the marsh was dank and smelled like earth and old things and a mist hung just a few feet above our heads.

The tunnel under the train tracks.

Looking off toward Millenium Park.

An awful photo of Bryan getting awesome.

We'll be doing this thing for the foreseeable future. 6:30 Wednesday Nights out of IBC Newton.
It's a good time, so come on out next week, all are welcome.