Maine Remedy

This from a friend from Maine says instead of investing hundreds in a high tech 1x system and/or chain tensioners/keepers/bashguards " if your chain keeps falling off the chainring, just rub alittle mud on the chainring"

Church at Wompy

Now wasn't this morning  picture-perfect riding weather? Starting early does have its benefits--we rode Wompatuck almost 3 hours before the rain.

David Farrell and I happened on a nice couple ( NEMBA membas) from Portland who we rode with for abit. 

The BikeNow guys were out with Jack Storer  the infamous HowiethePlumber and Dave Dave Belknap,  we crossed paths a few times.

 It was great to see Jerry Geribo  rolling caboose again with a group after that long recovery...

Some younger Bikebarn Racing guys were out there on a mission. Some local kids were rippin'.....I know I saw Jeff Gilman out there at some point also. There were easily 70 riders on the trails, not counting all the families and kids on the paved loops!

Then there were the Poodle Pushers ( or some doggie-style name like that) having an event of their own. It was like the Pan Mass Canine Challenge up front of the VC. Even Blue Hills Power Ranger Ray was there, making sure they all had leashes, I'm sure...

Just a day in the park!

Not an April Fools Joke!

Some of us will be venturing out into the Quincy Forest on an 'Urban Zombie Ride' tonight at or about 6:30. Never heard of the Quincy Forest? Well that's what the city was called before it was all built up with houses and condos and overrun by cars and zombies and yes, car-driving zombies. The zombies don't care about time, and are most prolific during the day( as opposed to Vampires), but there are still a good amount out after dark, so come prepared with a good light and your favorite zombie defenses. Mine are high gear and wits, with a good dose of humor. Zombies hate humor. And they can only run so fast before they start falling apart. For the most part, this is a social ride, and, for the most part, no one will be left to be eaten by zombies. We'll likely hit some more gravelly trails, some pavement and sidewalk curb-hopping dodging some metallic 'trees' and culvert 'rollers', some Hill workouts, and maybe some more trail if not too muddy ( see the post below for advice there). We'll cover 12-15 miles in about 90 minutes or so.
You will need a bike, a light, a rear blinker, helmet, water, the usual stuff.
Let me know if you would like to join us--  seven eight 1 two 5 four, eight 7 nine 6. Or pm me. Some of us may start earlier or even later but the official time is 6:30, at the Official Meeting Place, also called Terminus.

Church Video worth a view

Not my video, but I suppose there's nothing really original about considering bike riding in the woods 'church'--it's  only natural to consider the great outdoors a giant 'sanctuary'.....
Really sweet vid.
( not sure how to 'embed' so you will be directed to vimeo )
Click on the blue 'church'
Church

The long and the short of it

Came across this great thread while asking the questions myself.... What's the difference between short, medium, and long- cage rear derailleurs, and what length do I need? Long medium short?

Looks better than I thought

But definitely time for a change. Hoping just a new chain will do the trick...

Yeti (not the bicycle)

Well that was a good morning out on the trail. Dave and I did a pre-work ride and discussed some future project areas. We also found very conclusive evidence of BigFoot !! There's a 300 square foot area of the forest, on either side of the trail, where it's all duffed up and sticks and logs thrown about. Must be some kind of BigFoot nesting area. Didn't mess with the trail itself though.The location needs to be kept a secret until the proper authorities can assess the damage and take DNA samples. If it IS BigFoot, we may have to close the trail indefinitely to the Giant Northern Goshawk, who also frequents that area of the park. If BigFoot and the Giant Northern Goshawk go at it, all hell will break loose like you read about. Sorry to be the bearer of such grim news, but this could be the end of the world as we know it

In other news, after our early-morning ride, we led a crew or two out on the more thorn-infested NW trails to trim back those nasty creeping vines that are known to cause flat tires and other damage. Ranger Steve and Wayne S. went out to seek and destroy fallen trees , of which, incidentally, there weren't that many after a winter such as what we just experienced. Hmmmmmm......