Happy Winter!

Notsomuch, with all this lovely white stuff surrounding us. I say lovely, only half-sarcastically, since the snow we've had so far this year has been of the very light, powdery variety. Easy to shovel, not hard on the back. And for those of you who dabble in winter sports which involve hurtling one's body weight down the steepest slope imagineable, it's as close to the upper afterlife as you'll get while you're here.

Me, after the Toys ride in december, I haven't ridden my bike outside. 3 hours per week on the trainer, thats about it.

Just thought I'd check in. 

Keep it warm! 

Mike H. Sighting

So, I've heard about this rig almost daily from my son, who goes to the same school as Mike's boys. Apparently he rolls up after school to pick them up in this Florida-style trike that was left out for trash pickup. 

Today he delivered the kids to school on it. "It's heavy. The weight of 6 bmx bikes", says Mike. The cast iron frame and tractor seat do make for a solid ride, and my guess is that it's fun as long as you're not pedalling uphill--it's only one speed, with only the front caliper brake, so any big downhilling could be scary....

It's basically 'mint' save for some oxidation on the shiny bits, which Mike intends to buff right, some quiet winter evening. Good luck with that Mike. 

It's pretty basic in terms of decor, and I'm waiting for some sort of Sheldon Brown mojo--this bike would be right up his 'alley'.....I think actually this trike was his last ride, before the MS took him.

Wompatuck Trail Care Day Sunday, October 12th, 8:30 am............

Wompatuck Trail Care Day October 12th, 8:30-12:00
Friends of Wompatuck, jointly with SEMass NEMBA, is hosting the last
2008 Trek Bicycles/NEMBA Trail Care Day in Wompatuck on Sunday, Oct
12th.
Slated for the day are bridge repairs/building, as well as general
trail clearing.We'll carpool/hike out to the work sites, but if you
prefer to ride and work, a roving crew will survey the trails and take
care of deadfalls, etc.
Dress appropriate for the weather and the work. Eye protection,
hydration, snack, and bug spray recommended. Bring your favorite
lopper, trail saw, and work gloves.
Lunch will be provided by Friends of Wompatuck, and an apres-work ride
is always an option.

Steve Cobble
FOW/SEMass NEMBA
cobblestv@gmail.com
781....254....8796
__________________
If you worried about falling off the bike, you'd never get on.--Lance Armstrong

http://www.semassnemba.org
www.friendsofwompatuck.org
http://1wheeldrive.blogspot.com/index.html
http://www.mountainbikechurch.com/

Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, Wompatuck State Park, Oct 4

Take-a-Kid
Mountain Biking!
Saturday, October 4th, 2008
9am-12noon
Wompatuck State Park, Hingham, MA Visitor Center

• Get out in the woods and ride with your favorite kid(s)!
• Come join Friends of Wompatuck , Trail Watch Wompatuck,
New England Mountain Bike Association,
and International Mountain Bike Association on
a led mountain bike ride on the trails in Wompatuck State Park.
• Experienced ride leaders from Trail Watch Wompatuck
will be on hand to guide you on an age-appropriate journey.
• Bring bikes, helmets, water, bug spray,
weather-appropriate clothing, and kids!
• Pembroke Ski Market will be on hand to help fix mechanical
difficulties, and we'll have some hot chocolate and snacks for après
ride treats.
• Come prepared to learn about bike safety, skills, and most
importantly, how to have FUN on a Mountain Bike!!
Contact Steve Cobble at: cobblestv@gmail.com
Or 781-254-8796 for more details
For directions to Wompatuck State Park, go to :
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/southeast

Been crashing too much lately.....

Or is it that I have way too much time on my hands the past coupla weeks......?

Last week I broke my chain twice, same ride . OK I gotta handle on that, I straightenend the offending bent derailleur hanger, replaced the drivetrain, good to go. Then I'm JRA in Wompy the other day. Just starting out, come upon two women riders and  helped fix a chain. Off I go again. Later on I bump into them again, and, preparing to stop and chat. Always trying to be so cool and shit I find that I can't clipout in this rock garden, and WHAM! down I go, right in front of the ladies. SMOOOOTH! "I meant to do that! he-he"(Pee-Wee Herman-style...)

I thought the worst of it for the rest of the day as I prepared to go to work, as my left calf seemed to have a bulge in it. Come to realize, that's just my bulging calf   ;-)) 

Then, today, taking the bike cold outta the trunk and slapping the wheels on, went for the holeshot outta the driveway. Obviously, the drivetrain wasn't ready for that. WHAM!! ruined the quick link and went down sideways real quick on the dirt road. Getting up all dusty and bleeding again with the bars twisted backwards looking all dorky, I look up to see a nice neighborhood mom walking her dog and she say "you okay?" concernedly....I say " I'm okay, hope the bike is", all the while pretending again, that I meant to do that.......

So I put a new quick link in, give it a quick spin, and off I go for my two laps. Uneventful except that I couldn't do my average ride speed since I was so shaken up.  From now on, I will always spin the wheels a few times easy to make sure the bikes ready to go before I powerup like that. And  " don't put everything you got into one pedalstroke" is my new motto. But fortunately, the bike is OK, but I think I twisted the brake lever on the carbon bar very slightly......time to replace. NOW!

Here's some pics for viewing pleasure.

Two Words

Bike Polo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zM9Ge4o8A0

My Summer as a Park Ranger

I ventured out on an exciting experiment—In a temporary departure from
my lifelong foodservice career( read: being chained to a hot stove all
my life), worked as a seasonal DCR Ranger for the summer. Having been
assigned to the 'West District', I was partly responsible for
patrolling the parkways from Stony Brook in Hyde Park to Elm Bank,
mostly driving an XL250 4x4 monster truck. I did make sure the state
bought a nice hitch rack for the rig, for the odd MTB ride—ahem!
'Patrol' through Cutler Park and other parks along the way. But of
course, I spent as much time as possible in the Blue Hills……the
patrolling(riding!) there is amazing and I was able to legally ride
anywhere I pleased, so it was a trip back in time( abstractedly sorta
aka Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance—a great read, check it
out sometime).
I also did A LOT of hiking, on 'patrol' and leading group hikes up
Buck Hill and strolls through other parks…….
I'd highly recommend the seasonal DCR job for anyone who enjoys being
outside and being paid for it!
For now, I'm back to eating I mean cooking for a living again……