200+ Mile Review Trek Top Fuel 8

I wanted to start this post with a picture from one of the many adventures I have taken with this bike. This picture was taken at Raystown Lake, which fortunately for me is about a 1.5 hour drive away. Its great to be able to ride epic trails like that so close to home! I wrote my initial review back in September. I know to most of you only having a little over 200 miles on a bike in 6 months is pathetic but for me being a father of 2 young boys and having a job with alternating shifts as well as my military obligations I am happy with that!

I can say that everyone of those miles have been great! Even the grinding out of the climbs we have here in the mountains of WV and surrounding areas. Speaking of climbing, I had always rode a hardtail in the past. I had some reservations spending up for a full squishy...NOT ANYMORE! This bike climbs better then my hardtails. Maybe some of that is because my legs don't take the blunt of the descents anymore but I'll get to those later. I am running a 1X set-up on this bike. Yes I am in the stone age it seems only running 10spd with a normal sized cassette but may upgrade soon! My fitness has improved so I am able to pedal more consistently on the climbs. With the geometry of this bike and the stiffness I do not get the "hops" while climbing. Its tuned well for me by the awesome guys down at EPBC so I don't need to worry about locking/unlocking at all. I can just go ride this bike!

Snotcycle 2015 Race Review

On my way

 The last post that I posted was a quick preview to the first race I was participating in of the year. The race was called Snotcycle. I want to start by saying that the race was put together nicely and seemed to be well organized. Full disclaimer, this was the first time I had done a race put on by Go Time Racing so I have nothing to judge it on...The conditions seemed to be extreme for a race but I know that is the point of this race, they hope for adverse conditions. I had never ridden at the Freedom Center Trails either, the trails are laid out great, a lot of ups and downs for the area! I wasn't expecting all the climbing riding in Leesburg, VA. I will end the introduction by saying that I would do this race again but I wouldn't if the weather is the same next year...I will explain...

I woke up early the day we raced. I knew I had a 45 minute drive with good road conditions but it had snow/sleeted all night and it was cold! I left my house in a rush to get there and only ate 2 bananas and a bagel. The whole drive down there I was thinking that the trails will be frozen so they should be fairly fast. I was also thinking about all the training and pre-riding I hadn't done yet. I guess that is one of the points of this race, knock off the cobwebs. The roads weren't all that bad and I made it a little earlier then I had expected but a plus was getting a good parking spot. There is not much parking there. I went right to the tent and got checked in... I had been bullied, well maybe not bullied but persuaded to take part in this race by a friend I have made through cycling. He arrived not long after me and we discussed the normal stuff, how neither of us were ready for a race and both decided that this would be a good eye opener and something to set season goals for ourselves. Of course each of us were convinced that the other was going to stomp us. Turned out I won that...haha

Lap 1 bundled up

 Then it was race time. The real ringers had already started and it was time for the Cat II 40 and unders to start. I didn't belong in that cat but I wanted to do more then one lap which was the other option besides riding with the steeds. I took a place mid pack with my buddy knowing that this was primarily if not all singletrack and on the first lap at least with the trail conditions there wouldn't be too many opportunities for jockeying.(not that I expected to pass a lot of guys) I was just hoping that I could stick with the mid guys and maybe edge a few out along the way. It was safe to say that I had underestimated the trail conditions. When we first started it wasn't too bad but conditions quickly diminished. We were single file for only about a half a mile then we hit a decent climb after a creek crossing. On that climb everyone was sliding sideways down the hill having trouble getting up. I for some reason didn't and passed a large group on that climb but that would turn out to be the end of good things for me. I believe I led a train of riders for a while then the trail started to thaw and become a muddy mess. I had also decided to wear a little too any layers as well as a face wrap that was fogging my glasses. Had to stop and remove those. I don't see too well without glasses and cant do contacts so I was screwed...Everyone in the train passed me including my buddy and I never could pull them back the rest of the race. The trail conditions continued to worsen with the thaw and traffic. Then I was relieved because I saw the finish line, one lap down...2 more to go!

Lap 2, pre-crash

After I crossed the line I was able to shed a layer and get it to my buddies pit support(his lady) and then trudged off on another lap. I rode alone for almost all of this lap. At this point the trails were getting really rutted and sloppy. There were points that were fun but I kept thinking about the trails after this race. We were doing a lot of damage. The climbs were so washed out that my rear tire was out to one side or the other spinning and trying to catch traction. All the slipping and riding through inches of mud wore me out. On the 3rd mile on the second lap I went down hard and my right hip found a root. That really hurt and I was ready for it to be over with, I had decided at that point that 2 laps were good enough for me. When I limped it across the finish line I knew I didn't have another in me. I let the organizers know and bowed out. I took a DNF which was truly hard for me to do. I felt a little better when I found out that a few others had been done after 1 lap. I also found out that my buddy had gone out on his 3rd lap. I was ready for dry clothes and something to eat!

I got to my vehicle and loaded the bike on the rack, then went straight for the dry clothes. I met some nice guys in the car next to me and got a few nutrigrain bars which hit the spot! I don't know if he will read this but again, Thank you! I warmed up the truck and hit the road! Like I said in the start, I enjoyed the race, but I couldn't help to think that we were a little irresponsible riding                                                        those trails in those conditions.
                                                   I had never known about that trail
                                                   system and now that I do I plan on
                                                  returning soon! I hope the trails are in
                                                                   good shape!

Post-race cleanup

First MTB Ride of 2014

It was cold today!

I know, I know...Its a little pathetic that it has taken me this long to get a ride in for the first time this year. I have a decent reason. Before my deployment I rode up at Raystown Lake and trashed my bike. I just finally got it on the stand in at EPBC to get it up and ride-able again. Brian and I, mostly him were able to throw it together for the ride today even though it still needs some work.

Brian EPBC

We had a decent group today for our ride. We rode at the Frederick Watershed...many of the trails were new to me and mostly all-mountain/ downhill trails. I am not too good at super technical rocks and natural obstacles. I am pretty efficient with a little technical mixed into cross-country riding but these trails were rough! The first 3 miles felt like 10 but overall the trails were in good condition and the ride was awesome! Today we climbed 2,000+ feet over 12 miles and my legs were done! I am looking forward to many more great rides this year! I hope I can get better at the very extreme technical trails. I think a lot of it is in my head! Oh and it was COLD today as well, you can see that in the photo... 

Post ride...brake lines need trimmed

WVPedalers 2013 Year in Review...

Hello everyone, I think we all find time to look back on our past year, the decisions we made, good or bad and the life lessons that were learned from those experiences. 2013 was a good year for me. I had a great time with my family as well as on the saddle.

 This past year I got to bike a decent bit considering we had our second child months before 2013. Having two little ones at home makes it hard to get out there and ride but I have a wonderful wife. This past year our family also encountered a new obstacle, I was sent on a deployment with the military. I had a 120 day trip to Turkey. This trip has nothing on those poor soldiers that deploy for up to a year in the box but the distance would be hard for us. My wife is a trooper and I am so proud of the job she did in my absence. That all being said I was able to get a bike over there with me and I cycled close to 800 miles on my deployment. Riding a bike was a great way to get out and see the country side. There is so much history in Turkey. I encourage anyone that can to get two wheel down in a foreign country. The experience is so much better then riding in the states. Plus it is neat riding through the small villages and having children run along with you like your a Tour De France rider. There were some miles that didn't get logged when I first got to Turkey but this year I logged around 1600 miles all together. This number may not be that big to some but for me it isn't that bad and a number for me to try to beat in 2014! I hope 2014 will bring more fun on the bike, a new bike that is...A post about my bike search is on the way.

Welcome Back...To Me!

Wow it has been too long since I have sat down to write out a little bit about biking. I have running my new buddies ears off with my knowledge and amazing them with my..."Saddle Time" but something was off. Then I was looking at my bookmarks and realized I haven't visited my own blog let alone written anything in ages! That is a problem. I am currently in a situation right now that affords me the privilege to log miles on another continent.

I am currently on a business trip to the country of Turkey. There are a lot of really neat things I have seen in this country as well as many horrid smells in the air, but I am told, "that is just Turkey." On my trip I was lucky enough to borrow a slightly used cyclocross bike from Brian down at EP/BC. I was struggling with the decision of what bike to bring over here with me. I was initially thinking road bike for sure but I was unsure of the road conditions, which was the end reason for bringing a cross bike. I also thought about bringing a mountain bike. I was doing some research and there is some decent mountain biking in the area I am located. The cross bike was the correct choice although on group rides I wish I was rolling on a 25-28c instead of a 36c with knobs.

My riding frequency has increased while I am here. I am averaging 35 miles when I head out. Most group rides I go on are 45+ miles. My longest ride here so far was a 55 mile day. I am aiming to do at least a 65 mile day at the least and maybe even a century before I leave. If I take on the 100 miles I may have to borrow a set of road tires from a buddy I met here. Also besides the smells like I had mentioned before there are also a ton of stray animals here. The stray dogs have formed packs and they take their territory along the roads very serious. I have already had a run in with a dog that left one spoke bent bad and many others really loose and messed up. I took the bike down to the LBS here and Ibo re-laced both wheels with new nipples, spokes, and rebuilt the hubs for $60...can't beat that! He did a quality good too!





















There will be more posts to come, biking doesn't take up all my free time so I will fill some of it by writing to you guys, whoever you may be. Thanks for reading, someone is cause my visit numbers keep climbing...Thanks Again!

Park Tool Tech Summit 2013!

 Hello all, it has been quite some time since I have sat down to write a new post, but if I were honest, not too much has gone on as far as cycling in my life this winter until this past week. I mean I think I have logged just over 50 miles on the saddle this year...boo! I have been a part-time wrench down at EPBC for a little while now and Brian offered me a spot at the Park Tool Tech Summit. Naturally I jumped at that opportunity to learn about many different products and techniques from some of the best in the industry. There are only two of these events every year, one on each coast. Luckily the east coast venue happened to be just down the road in Chantilly Virginia. I was worried that we were not going to be able to make it to the Summit on time due to a last minute ice storm that conveniently started right before we left to drive down, but we made it. We even had an extra trip due to Brian forgetting his clothes at his house.

As you can see to the right, we had these cool guy badges with our names and class schedules on it, I changed mine around a little to get in the classes I wanted to take, one change I regret and another I am happy that I did. I opted out of the Campy class for Cane Creek, mistake, and also went to Fox instead of Park Tool. I wish I had swapped Campy for Fox and went to the Park Tool class but you know what they say about hind sight...

 Day 1

Our first class after the surprisingly nice spread for breakfast was the FSA class. It was a pretty neat class dealing with their new adjustable headsets but the rest of the class was spent talking warranty information, it could have been a 20 minute tops subject but went way longer. I want to say that the best part of this class was the practical part of installing their new headset but the rest almost put me to sleep unfortunately. After this class which seemed to drag on was lunch. You know the Hyatt does a pretty good job with their events they host. The food wasn't bad and the service was top notch. Found out that Brian is scared of meatloaf for some reason but the lunch was good!

Our second class was Cane Creek. I really don't want to take up much room on this class, I feel it was a waste of time to me. They also had us working their new headsets but the second half was all about how to take the outer cover off their Double Barrel shock. There may have been more but that's all I
came away with, kind of dry speakers those Cane Creek Reps...

Our third and final class for the day was close to my favorite. We had the Sram/RockShox class to wrap up day one. For this class we were tinkering with their new Sram Red group and learning to dial that drive system in, after a interesting company history lesson I might add. Sram definitely had us working on some nice stuff, S-Works Tarmac frames! Once we learned the set-up of Sram Red we moved to the RockShox portion of the class, rebuilding/servicing their new forks. I was really pumped for this part of the class because this was something that I hadn't messed with too much but always wanted to...(Side Note: Since the Summit I have serviced 2 forks in at EPBC) I was in a group with a guy that has a lot of experience so that was nice too. Not gonna lie, I was ready for the day to be over when that class let out!

*The Sram rep liked my Nalgene bottle, Fox rep didn't,  wonder why...


 
Park Tool put on a little party after the last class let out. All the brands represented had tables set up to display their new products and do a little sales pitching. A lot of the people in attendance were bike shop owners. this was also a time to get some time with the products and also ask questions to the reps. There was also an open bar for those who chose too have a few and some awesome little finger foods. They couldn't keep the appetizers coming quick enough for everyone! Park Tool also coordinated with all the brands represented to get some sweet product to give away. I was really holding out hope for the brand new Dura-Ace Wheelset but luck wasn't with me this year! Below are some pictures from the different booths set up. Doesn't that new Sram XX1 set look amazing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 2

 Well after decent nights sleep in the grand canyon that was my beds mattress it was time for another sweet breakfast then off to the first class of the day, Shimano...



As I was eating I was hearing some different remarks from others about the Shimano class. I will admit I was a little nervous for this one going in. After just a little bit of instruction I could see why some may not have been getting it. The Shimano guys are very technical and thorough. I was really liking their presentation on the theory behind their new Dura-Ace 9000 11-speed groupset and new line of coated cable, housing, and new end caps. After a little time of instruction we were working on the set. I even caught Brian working some...(haha this will be a test to see if he reads my blog)...
The only bad part of this class was a guy that was in our work group. All I can say is he had one of those personalities that just gets to me quickly. I hope for humanities sake he works alone, and if for some reason you are reading my blog, I'm sorry. This class was neat because, besides the mounting we pretty much set up the whole Dura-Ace group, brakes, derailleurs, shifters, cables, housing, and adjusting/ fine tuning all those components. Some had said that the Shimano class was hard to follow and not very fun but I thought just the opposite! Honestly I can not wait for someone to come into the shop and purchase a bike equipped with the new Dura-Ace so I can put my new skills to the test and also ride the BEAST!

Well after the Shimano class was lunch, not much special here but I did snap a picture of the room to show the crowd that attended the Summit. Also to the right is just a space filler really, I just wanted to get all my pictures put up!






My second class of the second day was one of the ones I switched to get into. Brian and I were both scheduled for Park Tool but I wanted to get into Fox, Brian did too but he decided to stay in Park Tool. I didn't get any pictures of the Fox room or anything because we jumped right in and there was no stopping until the class was over. Also I was trying to take good notes. The Fox class was cool because they had three different stations teaching three different things, all of which had to do with their new line of forks and shocks. There was some pretty cool stuff taught in this class. One little cool thing they have coming out this year is a double trigger knob for your bars that has the ability to lock both the front fork and rear shock at the same time...I will say that there was a lot of information and too much for me to write about on here but I was able to tear down another fork and get some time with that so I was happy.

The last class I took was the Mavic class. I personally love Mavic wheels. I like the design of them as well as the functionality of them. We sell a fair bit of Mavic wheels at EPBC so I was pumped to get into the hubs and learn to service them. We also got to change a spoke on one of their carbon wheels. I would have been so nervous if one of those came into the shop until now. Still not gonna say that I am completely comfortable but at least I have a little time with it.

I think everyone in the class was feeling about done with all the classes and learning, even the instructors seemed ready to be done before our time was up but we held in there and finished all they had planned for us. While we where in our last class the instructors handed out our certificates. It was like high school graduation, people where out the door as soon as they got that paper. We definitely weren't too far off their heels either. I think we where both ready to get home. I was so much in a hurry that I left my jacket in the room when we left, only problem with that is I didn't realize that until Brian dropped me off at the Park and Ride were we met. Oh and in case your wondering the hotel has not found my jacket or keys, I am still holding out hope that they will be found but its not looking good...Well I guess that's it for now, I kind of wrote a novel here and if your reading down this far then thank you! I really hope I get the opportunity to do this again in the future as well as hit up some other biking related events!

Again Thanks for Reading!
-WVPedaler

"Take A Kid Mountain Biking"

This past weekend I was out helping EP/BC with their first ever "Take A Kid Mountain Biking" event down at Poor House Farm Park. This was an event sponsored by the bike shop but also largely sponsored by Specialized Bicycle Company and IMBA.(International Mountain Bicycling Association) The main purpose of this event is to spread the word about mountain biking and introduce this great sport to the children as well as their parents.

Trail Tools

Down at Poor House Farm there are a few trails cut throughout the Frisbee golf course in behind the fishing pond. These trails have not really been managed really well or taken care of so they are overgrown and not really that well known. I have ridden there a few times in the past and had not gone back due to poor marking and the confusion of the trails mixed with the course. I also have gotten flats every time I have ridden there, including this event but i can pinpoint my mistake this time. The trails are not kept up and ridden much so the trails hold a lot of hazards for your tires. With the success of this event I am hoping this will change. On Friday, myself and Brian Weber, the owner of EP/BC met up at the park and walked out about 1/2 mile of singletrack for the kids to ride the next day. Once we got the course marked out which included some existing singletrack as well as some new that we had to cut, the trail maintenance begun. After we had worked at the trails for a little over an hour a few more helpers showed up to help us finish. All in all we had about 2 hours into cutting in and cleaning up 1/2 of singletrack. After a few pre-ride laps around out beginner and intermediate courses we were set for the event the following day.

Singletrack out of the Intermediate Course

I showed up at the event right at the start. I was running a little behind but that's okay. Once I got out of my truck I saw the first 3 kids heading out with their father to ride our trail. that was neat to see. There was a pretty decent turnout for a Saturday considering all the things that go on in our area. I was pleased to see that we had a good mix or ages as well as young boys and girls. I had the pleasure to ride the course over and over kind of keeping an eye out and helping kids along the way. I think our beginner course was a little easy for some of them but I know they all found parts of the intermediate course to be challenging. I also rode with a young boy that wanted to try the intermediate course with me and he had a blast! He left wanting to do more and try different stuff and that is awesome! I think we may have hooked a few more mountain bikers in our area this weekend. With that being said many of the parents and kids were asking us when we are going to be building more trails. That is probably the second best thing that came of this weekend. Poor House Farm Park has potential to be a good spot to ride we just need volunteers that are willing to put in the time. I for one cannot wait to see the progress that is made at the park in the near future.

If you are reading this and want to help you can either drop me a message or stop in to EP/BC and sign-up and there will be organized work days in the future. Again thanks for reading this and I hope that many others will venture out in the woods and discover this awesome sport I love so much!

Part of the climb on Intermediate Course

Start of the decent on Intermediate Course

Looking up to the rock garden on Intermediate Course

Start of Beginner Course

Little obstacle and zig zag to finish

Greenbrier Challenge 2012

This past weekend I had the privilege to ride in the 9th annual Greenbrier Challenge put on by the Potomac Velo Club. This race really is a challenge. This course is only a 5 mile loop but there is close to 700ft of elevation gain in the first mile and a half of the race loop. There are some awesome sections to this course as well, rock gardens, roots, climbs, downhills, and even some open sprinting to the finish line. The venue is also amazing. The Greenbrier State Park has a beautiful lake as well as a beach and wonderful camp sites. The course starts and finishes right on the lake.

My main goals for this race were to beat my times from last year and do a little better in my category then I did last year as well. I am proud to say that I accomplished both of those goals. Last year I did a 44 minute lap then a 50 minute lap. I entered in the same category as last year, Cat3 19-29, which had more entries this year then last. Our group went off at 10 am and I have to say I was not ready!

When that whistle blew I tried not to over do it right off due to the climbs right out of the gate but excitement got the better of me and on the second climb I got overheated. I was pushing up this climb and watched more then half of my field catch up and pass me. I was really discouraged with myself. When I looked down at my Garmin Edge 200 on my first lap I noticed that I was coming in right at 40 minutes and hit my nice lap feature on the device and hammered for the second lap. I felt like I was doing everything better on the second lap besides climbing. I made better time on the few climbs that I always make but the monster climb a mile one kicked my butt. I ended my second lap at 44 minutes which awarded me the 12 spot out of 18.

All in all it was a great race at a great mountain biking trail in Maryland. I was also able to leave there knowing that I accomplished what I set out to do... (I feel like I could have done better, but the will be next year for that!) 

Just a side note, my buddy Brian Patton raced this race as well and I am proud to report that he is the Maryland State Champion for the Cat 1 Pro men 30-34. He raced an awesome race and won in the end even with mechanical issues! Awesome man, when you go pro remember me, I would love to wrench on your bikes, or even wash them for you at your races...haha!



*Sorry there aren't more pictures, I was all by myself for this race, none of my buddies made it out for this one!