cutter

I don't like you. Please don't take that as an attack on you. Wow.

My favorite encounter at Brushy was last summer, well after the peak of COVID hysteria. I was out running on Rim with my dogs and I came up behind a rather portly man hiking. He didn't notice me until I was maybe 10 feet behind him, and I guess he was freaked out that I was in his personal space, because he hustled off into the trees when he noticed me. This was in one of those spots where, if he had gone a few feet farther in the wrong direction, he would have taken a ride down one of those cliffs. At first I thought he was afraid of my dogs and I felt a little bad. But then he reached down and pulled his t-shirt up over his head to use it as a mask -- like, all the way over his head, not just the collar -- he lifted it from the bottom so his arms were pulled up over his head like he was taking it off. He said something sort of curt to me as I passed -- I didn't quite catch it because I had my earbuds in and he was talking into his t-shirt, but I'm pretty sure it was something about social distancing. I just kept on running. Big old belly flopping out, sweaty t-shirt pulled up over his head, outdoors, scared to death that the fit, healthy jogger passing by might be spreading disease, and so freaked out that he almost jumped off a cliff without even realizing it. Can't fix crazy.

I mostly ignore everyone. I just observe.

Yeah, only on the main path, not on the dirt. I haven't ridden dirt in months. MONTHS!!! I've seen him everywhere at various times. Yesterday I went out around dusk and I saw him by Parmer, but I do not ride at the same time on any given day, so it's just strange that we cross paths so much. One time I passed him coming the opposite direction in the turns by the pool out by Round Rock, he was looking down and cursing at his bike and he almost ran over a woman walking her dog. He swerved into my lane at the last second and then he yelled at the woman. She was freaked out. I had to pull off to the side to let him pass, and the woman kind of looked at me puzzled, like WTF was that? I don't think he's malicious, but he's definitely not quite right. He doesn't look homeless, and his current bike isn't a junker, it looked brand new as of this summer, so he must have a family or caregiver somewhere. Like I said, I think he just does laps, my theory is that he's mentally ill and the path is a safe place for him to pass the days, stay occupied and out of trouble. Good on him for that, I respect anyone who puts in those kind of miles. Probably lives near the trail or maybe he's connected to the YMCA somehow. Just speculating. And yes, I have considered the possibility that I am quite insane and he is my Tyler Durden. The first rule of bike club is you don't talk about bike club. I'd snap a pic of him but I doubt he'd be receptive to that. I don't want to trigger a confrontation or be accused of stealing his soul. I'm hesitant to even offer to adjust his shifting, but I always feel bad when I see people struggling with bikes that just need an easy fix. Too many years working in a shop. There's another dude I see out there often who tosses Aerobie discs into the bushes along the path, kind of a hippie, usually wearing a tie-dye. It's like he's playing his own private game of cross-country disc golf. I can't quite figure what he's playing at, I wonder if he's just tripping balls and tossing discs to watch the pretty trails. But I don't see that guy every time I ride. Christ I need to get back on the trails, my life is starting to feel like a reboot of Rear Window.

> he is now a constant presence on every ride, regardless of what day of the week or time I go out. Hence why it's odd.

Since I hurt my ribs, I have been riding BCRT way too damn much just to get some miles in, and I swear I see the same guy every single ride. It seems like he is there every day and I am wondering if anyone knows anything about him because he's just really odd and I am curious. Brown hair, beard, usually wearing a long-sleeve flannel even on the hottest days. Maybe 30-something-ish but it's hard to tell. There were days when it was 100+ and he was the only other rider I saw on the path. I like riding in the heat and take proper precautions, but he doesn't appear to be carrying water and on really hot days, his face gets bright red and his eyes bug out bad, bloodshot. Looks like he's headed for heat stroke, it's worrisome. He appears to have some mental issues. He used to ride an older Trek, like an 850 Antelope hardtail or similar. That bike skipped gears constantly, you could hear him coming from a ways off because the chain would pop and he would sort of kick the pedals out of frustration and curse at the bike, kind of a Tourette's sort of thing, angry outbursts that weren't really intelligible. A couple months back I noticed that he got a new Trek hardtail, red, and that fixed the gear skipping for a while, but the last few times I have seen him, the new bike has developed the same gear skipping problem and he is now cursing at it just like he did at the old one. I think I first noticed him sometime in 2021 but he just seemed random back then, but since I have been out there more often, he is now a constant presence on every ride, regardless of what day of the week or time I go out. I think he may just be doing laps back and forth all day. In any case, he is definitely putting in the miles and must be fit as hell. I've half-considered offering to adjust his cables to fix his gears but his angry outbursts are pretty aggressive at times, I've seen him yell at other people as well. He is probably harmless but also a bit scary. It's also scary to see him out there on dangerously hot days in long-sleeve shirts without water. I'd hate to hear about someone dying out there from the heat. Saw him again today. Would love to help him if I could because all he needs is a little cable adjustment, but from experience I am wary of engaging with people who are obviously unstable. Anyone else seen him or know his story?

I occasionally enjoy this site, but honestly not often.

The Twix UX changed recently. Unless you are logged in you can no longer see a feed chronologically or view the most recent posts. That's Elon trying to force everyone to sign up to access the content, same BS as Facebook etc. Unfortunately it diminishes the value of feeds like BC Trail Conditions as a public service since it will only be useful to logged in Twix users, and Twix is a pit of despair and degeneracy so hard pass. If you want to make the trail conditions freely available to the public, maybe consider posting them here. Thank you for doing it. I was out there today around 2:30 walking my dogs and Rim / Bob Ross / west side of DD were still a bit soft, suitable for walking not riding IMO.

Just wanted to follow up and say thank you to @dlstyleyand @ssorgs for the recommendation of Dr. Chris Sellers. Good call. I am still uncertain whether I will have to give up MTB. My ribs are very unstable and even riding my gravel bike is torture, can't put any power into the pedals without my ribs going all Jenga on me. But I went to see Dr. Sellers and I can definitely say he's awesome. He listens, he is skilled and knowledgeable, and his staff are genuinely nice and helpful. He is finding and addressing issues that I kinda-sorta knew about but was tuning out, and it's helping in ways I did not expect. Between his adjustments and body work, and the PT I am doing through my ortho's office, I am definitely starting to feel better. Still not healed, may never be healed, but getting better. Long road ahead. Thanks y'all for the reco.

Yeah, I wish this was just an intercostal muscle strain. Those are painful but will usually heal eventually. Cartilage, not so much, sort of the opposite, not painful because there are no nerves in the tissue, but also not able to heal because there are no blood vessels either. It's God's little design flaw.

What was your rib injury?

Thanks man. My PT offers most of the same treatments as those guys, apart from chiro. Chiro will probably be my last stop on this journey, hopefully when/if my ribs stabilize somewhat and my muscles settle down, I'll check Dr. Sellers out then.

Thanks man - I was starting to think that maybe I'm just not that well-liked 'round these parts. But yeah, it's a super specific ask, I wasn't hopeful but I figured I'd roll the dice. The usual suggestions I have seen on here like Airrosti etc. are not gonna cut it. I am seeing a very good ortho and PT and I am certain they're doing me right. I like them a lot. Not looking to change course on treatment, just want to make sure I get this one right. Lots of things factor into this and I have several questions about how it all ties together, my riding style and position, bike fit, the fact that I ride a single speed, etc.. Stuff that another cyclist would intuitively grasp and perhaps have more informed suggestions or a sympathetic ear. I'm honestly worried that I will have to give up MTB, or drastically curtail my riding style to the point where it's just not much fun. The way I feel right now, I don't see myself riding trails for a long time, I can't put any power into the pedals or steer with my hips at all. I am definitely not going to Angel Fire this fall as I had planned. I am making progress but it's frustrating. Cartilage injuries suck. Stupid thing is, it's not exactly "painful" apart from all the muscle tightness around the injury, which ain't great but it doesn't hurt the way a fracture or a muscle or ligament injury would. I can suck it up but it is extremely discomforting, it's messing up my sleep, can't sit in one place for long, can only do zone 1-2 gravel rides, no standing, all spinning. I feel like if I move the wrong way my whole rib cage is going to rip open. Obviously that's hyperbolic, but it **feels** scary as hell. Like I said, frustrating.

Anyone know of an orthopedist who either rides or has experience working with cyclists? Not necessarily in Austin, I'd be willing to drive a ways to see the right doc. I sustained a very unusual and potentially debilitating injury to the cartilage in my lower ribcage. Nasty situation, I don't care to share the gruesome details here. I am already seeing a good ortho and PT but I would like to get an opinion from a doc who "gets" cyclists and the specific physiology involved in the sport to make sure my rehab is focused properly. I really need to make sure I rehab this properly. Lots of interconnected muscles and other structures involved. Hoping to find a doc who has personal experience with the sport and speaks our language, who gets how it all fits together. I have the same ask for a GP / PCP if anyone knows a local doc who rides. Even a serious roadie or triathlete would have a better frame of reference. My current family doctor is a lovely woman but she's way out of her depth on this one. Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer.

If you recently rode at Suburban Ninja and lost a black Fox glove that appears to be almost brand-new, HMU to get it back.

Just did a trail run at BC looking for my bar end cap and noticed that the rock has been replaced, but it's not entirely stable so best to check and make sure it's not going to slip out on you before you hit it. I kicked some dirt and smaller rocks into the gaps to shore it up but it's probably going to slide downhill.

Rode 1/4 Notch yesterday after installing a brand-new pair of orange Wolf Tooth handle bar caps and I just noticed one of them fell out on the ride somewhere Pretty sure I know roughly where I lost it, toward the east end in the flowy stuff in the woods. But I also rode Peddlers and Picnic and part of DD and Bob Ross / Rim so no way to know for sure. If anyone happens to spot it, please PM me. There is beer in it for you.

There are two kinds of riders in this world. Those who can ride with fanny packs, and the rest of us. If you're among the fanny pack tribe, you may be interested in this Osprey Seral 7, which I used for about 10 minutes before I realized that I am not like you. It is in "as new" condition. I rinsed the bladder, but never actually drank from it. It's been hanging in the garage and is in danger of becoming an orphan. Someone please put it to use.

Will do, thanks. Myles has contact info up now at: https://lessoncycleworks.com/contact/ His website is WIP so don't judge. Damnit Jim, he's a welder, not a coder.

Related note: I sent this thread to Myles so he could chime in directly. I thought he was already on here but apparently not. He said he tried to sign up for the forum a few weeks back and has yet to hear back. Anyone know how to get him approved?

Yeah, PM me and I can put you in touch with Myles if you'd like. His website isn't up yet.

Free to a good home: One brand-new Avid hydraulic hose kit, one unopened bottle of 5.1 DOT brake fluid, one open bottle with about 2/3 remaining, an Avid bleed kit with an assortment of plungers and parts, and 6 sets of pads that fit Codes, some marked 2011+ and others are unmarked, compatibility unknown. My old Codes gave up the ghost a while ago, switched to Paul Klamper cable discs on all my bikes. Hoping someone can put this stuff to use.

Heh. Yeah. Bit of a long story. When I first got the frame, I put one of the first generation White Brothers 29er shocks on it, and it had really tall aluminum caps covering the air valves at the top of the legs. On the first gen Karate Monkeys they were still working out clearances and geo for 29ers, the down tubes were straight and steep. The caps on the fork didn't quite clear the down tube and they left a score in the underside of the tube if the fork spun far enough. I saw that and immediately switched to the rigid fork, but the damage was done. At the time, I recall thinking that if the frame was ever going to crack, that's where it would happen. But I figured, it's a Surly, 4130, it's probably never going to break, right? This was like 2005-2006. I turned the frame into something like a CX rig and it saw a good bit of fairly tame use for many years. When we moved here a couple years ago, the Monkey was the only dirt worthy bike I had, so I built it up as a rigid SS with some big tires. I'm about 210 lbs, so it took a pounding. The break actually happened on a climb on Picnic, that short, steep little chute that pops out back at the paved path directly across from the access trail that leads up to the 1/4 Notch / DD intersection where the rock pile is. I was up out of the saddle and pulling on the bars to get up that hill, nearly at the top, and I just felt the front end sort of lift up, as if I was going into a wheelie. I looked down to see that cracked tube, and then the top tube bent backwards and the bike sort of folded under me. Happened in slow motion since I was at the top of the hill and totally out of momentum, barely moving. I just came off the back and I found myself standing still with the bars in my hands, very confused. Very strange sensation. When I went to pick it up after taking those pics, the top tube snapped as well. Worst part was having to walk all the way back to my car under 183, trying to wheelie the rear half of the bike so it would roll while carrying the front half in my other hand. It cracked pretty much exactly where the old fork had left that score in the down tube. I had been chasing a phantom creak in that bike for a few weeks, and I guess I finally found the source. Have to say, the frame held up really well, considering. No rust or anything. Chalk it up to a combination of age, abuse, and an artifact of the limitations of early 29er tech.