Blue Hills Primer

I always introduce new riders to the park, “Nothing flat about the Blue Hills”….

That’s what I love about it. Lots of ups and downs. Climbing builds strength and tenacity, descents keep me focused on what’s down the trail. Climbing to the top of Buck Hill gives that great sense of accomplishment and worldwide view. Riding down that same trail, well, I lived through it, and it made me a better rider.

There are many miles of trail in the Blue Hills—lots of fast doubletrack, select few but fun singletrack, a few areas to practice your technique and session with friends, and LOTS of intersections. Every major intersection has a number on a tree that coincides with the map. When you’re looking at the number sign, you’re looking north. Grab a map at the Blue Hills Headquarters on Hillside Street, Milton. There are two maps available: one MTB-specific(free), one bigger color/topo that shows the entire reservation ($2.00 honor-system donation, benefits Trailside Museum).

An easy way to get to know the Blue Hills is to follow the arrows. There are two loops. Both  start at the big Houghton’s Pond Lot on Hillside street. Look for the ‘Welcome Mountain Bikers’ kiosk in the front row of the lot. White arrows take you on appox 5-mile loop on the south side of Hillside street, with not any real huge hills but challenging nonetheless. Yellow arrows cross the street and start you right out with a ½ mile climb to ‘5 corners’. This ‘eliminator’ warm-up will determine who can hang. But hang in there, that’s where the fun starts. Another 4 miles or so that will get your blood flowing nicely. Each loop will take you from 35 minutes to 1 hour, depending on fitness level. Neither is very technical, and the terrain is mostly loose gravel and hardpack.

Both loops will take you right back to where you started. A few notes: the arrowed loops are only signed in one direction—once you get to know them, try them backwards. That way you’ll see more riders…If you decide to bomb down Wolcott Path(i.e. ‘eliminator’)at the end of a ride, there are a few badly-designed waterbars that will take you out at speed, so be careful….also that same trail is a very popular trail for hikers, dog walkers, and school field trips, so look WAY ahead before letting go of the brakes…. Near the end of the Yellow, just before the last descent to the street, take a hard left,(after the last yellow arrow right) and follow that side-hill trail all the way back to the street. You’ll end up right across from the lot, and it’s a much nicer finish than riding the road back. It dumps you out onto the side of the road in the opposite direction of traffic, so again, use caution!

Once you’ve mastered those loops, start exploring. Plenty of riding there in them there  Blue Hills!

For more info feel free to contact me at cobblestv@gmail.com or 781-254-8796. And keep an eye on the SEMass NEMBA email list and facebook page for scheduled rides, and events.

 Steve Cobble

Drivetrain Formula

This could also be called:

My New Years Revolution:

After many total drivetrain replacements, I have come to the resolution that I WILL replace my chain every 3 months, or less.The chain is what causes all the cogs to wear. There's a whole set of technical jargon to explain why this happens, and the purists would refute what I am about to proclaim, but here goes--'the chain stretches', and no longer matches the teeth perfectly after a certain 'X' amount of time--kind of like when you buy a new car and drive it off the lot--its not new anymore. So prolonging the time between chain changes(say that 3 times fast) only naturally puts undue wear on the softer cassette and chainring metals. Of course the  bigger chainrings last longer because there bigger, but the granny I usually replace every coupla chains anyways. My formula goes like this:

Every three chains, one new cassette

Every four chains(or one year), new middle ring and one new granny

Every time I forget to do any of this, one new of everything, every year, except big ring. (I have never replaced one of those.) Which is probably cheaper in the long run. But your drivetrain WILL run smoother if you use the formula! AND use Phil's Tenacious oil.

Just my two Abe Lincolns. You can take that to the bank.

SteveC

(from the archives)