It was a nice morning so I dug out my mountain bike, a black/silver Trek 6000 and headed for the hills.
I've already done a couple of small upgrades on the bike this year; a new, slightly longer, slightly higher stem; and some narrower, straighter and lighter handlebars.
This morning as I set out, the bike still had 1.5" inverted tread road tyres on. I'm fitting 2.2" Continental Mountain Kings in the next couple of weeks.
Did I say head for the hills? Well, not really. Instead I headed for Six Mile Run Reservoir site, a small local open space adjoining the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park, the longest, thinnest state park in the USA.
There were only two cars in the car park and a woman returning from a walk with binoculars when I got there. The weather was good at that point although the ground was damp under foot.
I was not very ambitious. I just followed the main path for the most part, the road tyres were frequently losing grip and traction.
The paths are really good and show some signs of local cycling volunteers having reinforced and cleared really good sections for mountain biking. Twice I had to make a serious ford of the river ... okay, it wasn't the Colorado, but it was about a foot deep with no stepping-stones and since I wasn't convinced there weren't gaping potholes in the bed, I sucked it up and waded across. Brrrrrr ...
The trails were good, but the wildlife was really good. Plenty of stuff crawling on the ground; rabbits, groundhogs, some sort of ferrety thing? But bird life was teeming; warblers, finches and larger birds. Best of the day? A hummer - yes, I know it's early and only a flash so unidentified - and a belted kingfisher - Europeans, imagine a giant kingfisher several times the bulk of our common (?) kingfisher.
I'll certainly be back before very long. A set of real dirt tyres will make sure I can enjoy all the little whoopy trails I felt were beyond the road tyres - I know, I'm a wimp. But for sure I'll also be back with hiking boots, binoculars and a notebook. Oh yes, and some Crocs for wading across the river.
* see my Bike Index here
Sunday, 18 May 2008
Bike 06 : MTB - Six Mile Run Reservoir Site
Friday, 15 February 2008
On 'Yer Bike!!!
It's that time of year again when thoughts turn to getting back on my bike. Okay, so it's really been a while since I've been a regular rider. I did a couple of reasonable rides last year, but I'm feeling that I want to get back into the swing of things. In fact, I am thinking that I might even have a go at an Audax Century.
I have a couple of bikes, both Treks. Treks seem to suit me, but I'm not an adherent. I'd look at other manufacturers. In reality who knows who makes what where anyway?
My road bike is a Trek 1200. A pretty good, basic model. The components could be better, but they're certainly functional. I ride a smaller frame than most bike shops would recommend for my height - 1.90m - but I prefer this. It does mean I need a nice long seat-pin. The one that came with the bike suffices, but a longer one might give me a little more adjustment in the future.
I'm currently in the process of preparing the bike for the spring. I had to do something about the tyres since punctures are a real problem here - roads don't get swept and there are lots of sharp debris by the side of the road.
I got some new Continentals from ProBikeKit back in England. Half the price of good tyres here and they arrived in three days. I will be using PBK again ...
I also have a Trek6000 mountain bike. More about that another day, but I think my riding will be very conservative. It hurts more and more when you fall off as you get older!
Apart from getting myself and my bike ready I have joined Princeton FreeWheelers. I shall swan into their AGM in March and then try and resist going on 100 mile rides ... They seem a bit like the Cyclists' Touring Club - the badge says it all - when it comes to organised rides and in the past I didn't get on with the style, but I'll give it a go.
There are also a number of resources for planning rides around here:
I'll let you know how it all goes ...
* see my Bike Index here
Posts
