This is the snow that never ends

Went for a little soul-cleansing walk in the woods, sit-in-the-car-and-read-a-book marathon relay yesterday at Gordon College.  It was nice to be in the woods, but every time I post-holed into the snow up to my thigh, I got an abrupt reminder that in fact, it will be quite a while before the snow is gone or the trails are at all rideable.  And last night's little snow-fest really felt like the straw that broke the camelbak, y'know?

Maybe if you've got super-wide tires that you could lower the air pressure in.  Wish you'd bought that Pugsley?  :)  Between the beaches and the winter, it certainly does make a case for itself, eh?

(AK, you just wipe that smirk off your face!)

C'mon Rain!!!

Hoping today's rain will do as predicted and wipe away large amounts of snow.  (like on the trails, hint hint...)

This might be a good moment to mention that it is never a good idea to ride on soaking wet, muddy trails.  Slightly muddy, sure, but at times like this, deep ruts can and will be left behind, and it's very clear that it was a bike that left them.  Which makes us all look like idiots who don't care about the woods.

There's supposed to be lots of wind after the rain, so wait a few days, if the big melting DOES happen.

Also, consider Dogtown in Gloucester, it seems to drain really well.

North Shore Trail Conditions

the trail to the waterfall near the canoe rental.

the rear entrance at Gordon.  If the fire road is pure ice, imagine the trails...

Perhaps you are like me and had hoped some of the recent 60-degree + conditions would have cleared off the trails a bit.  You and I would be very wrong.  I did a quick check of Bradley Palmer and Gordon College and met with quite discouraging results. 

This is how we do it.

Only got out twice this week, but today was one of them.  Here's my setup for today, and I was pretty comfy.  Had a generic knit/brim hat from TJMAXX, with a Giordana earmuff-headband windproof thing.  My helmet as usual.   The glasses are Briko that I found on the ground while helping to clean up from the Gloucester CX race years ago.  Not my favorite glasses ever, but it's very important to have something with air this cold or you can hardly see from the watering eyes.  Then just my woolish work jacket and a polo shirt under that.  Oh, and a strap to keep my jeans out of the chain.  But you can't see that.

Behind me there you can see my DB commuter, with its Knog blinky light on the stem, and mtb tires (will switch to thinner, smoother tires in the spring).

Just thought you might want to see what I wear in weather "this cold".  It didn't feel uncomfortable riding home.  Really.

Weir

Mark Weir is switching bike sponsors from Santa Cruz to Cannondale.  Now, I'm more of a suspensionless steel rider anyway, but I've been around.  I've ridden full sus, too.  I keep track of what's up, and what I like. 

Boy, I sure hope they paid him a boatload of money (a boat, since C-dale is no longer made in PA, but rather overseas), to switch from what is almost universally agreed to be the best bikes going for the kind of riding Weir does, to Cannondale, who I agree always had a good DH team, but never released the bikes they raced.  They certainly seem like durable bikes, but I just can't lose the feeling of a Cannondale as a rich guys' XC bike (there are much more expensive options, but they always seemed to end up on Cannondale.) 

Did I mention that Weir LIVES in northern CA?  Hmmm.  Odd.

That said though, the guy's got a small child at home (and a wife), and his house burnt down last year or the year before.   Whatever pays the bills.

These are just my thoughts. 

Another Free App...

This time from CyclingNews.com.  Now, I don't know if this would really be any better than just bringing up the website with your iPhone's web browsing, but for the price of free, it's worth a look.  Check it out Here.

Now back to your previously scheduled program....

Japanese track racing...

This is called Keirin racing, and it is the promised land of fixed gear aficionados.  The framebuilder for SCW is one of those pictured. 

About time I fleshed out this post a little bit, although I suppose now no one will look at it.  Better give it a new title.  Not sure if that'll even work.  Anyhoo, I posted this because in the hipster world of fixed gear bikes (and bacon, apparently, though i do not get the connection) Keirin is considered to be... heaven.  The happy hunting grounds.

I'm not quite sure why this is.  In Japan, it is a sport akin to horse racing.  As you can see from the above photo.  Betting and such.  But the stamp that shows a bike was used or approved for Keirin racing makes a part or frame many times more desirable for those who love such things.  I think it's because the pros who ride Keirin ride so often and so hard, that the equipment they ride must be, has to be, very strong and durable.  I would say that the Keirin culture is quite different from the Pista kind of thing that would be represented by Campagnolo track parts.  Now, Campy is a whole different cult, but I probably don't need to tell you that if you're reading this.

So, the man who makes SCW frames, now living in America, was a Keirin racer for years.  I should mention also, that these racers almost always have custom made frames, I believe because they are responsible for their own bikes, unlike US sponsorship situations.  They are professionals in a more pure sense- free lance professional cyclists, you might say.

So that's the story with the Keirin picture.  The end.