The Bench

First bench ride off the bus for this year. I wasn't on the bus but Hayride was so we met at the top of the ridge and did the shooting range trail, him on his CX bike and me on MC#1 with the newly added adjustable rake fork. 

Works really well once I was able to borrow a 185 rotor so there's enough disc to stop me when I add rake to the fork (slide it forward).  We did some tree removal on the trail but only one big tree after a really windy winter! Tried to ride some snowbanks and mostly failed, lots of damp and some dry singletrack, and eventually headed to the bench for a Santa Fe Happy Camper IPA. Not too bad! It's in cans, so it's good for packing into camp or hut trips. It's pretty citrusy right off the bat, but the best taste strangely comes with the burp. No kidding. Really hoppy burps.

Snowy singletrack

Gold Dot

even 30 seconds of 'trail work' can make a difference

I took a ride on the new bike and am digging it. I even like hiking with it (which I did a bunch of on this ride!) It still has that new bike feel...where you just STARE at it all the time. It's not perfect, but it's mine. And it is the start of a dream I've had for 15 years to make my own bikes.  There's something that I see in it that is me. There's something I see in it that is the dream coming true. Sure, it's just framebuilding you may say, but I've never loved what I'm doing so much. If anyone paid me to make their frame or fork, I'd be making pennies an hour.  Some day I'll get the process and the technique refined enough, that much I know. Because the feeling of creating something, more or less from scratch, with my own two hands is incredibly rewarding and sure beats what I've been doing for the last 10 years sitting in front of a computer screen.  Making money is not what's it's about anyways. Sure, it's obviously necessary, but I'll keep doing this for myself and friends even if it never becomes a business. 

it's spring...

...or is it?

The snow is at least firm enough to ride on. Some stretches are bone dry, some are like seen above.