WhoAmI

15 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

I need 2 bottles per hour in the summer to not get behind.  I can do with 1 per hour but I'll have to catch up over the days after.

Assuming a 32 ounce bottle, two bottles are two ounces short of two liters, so you're stating that you drink two liters an hour.  I know that everyone is different.  I consume about 1/2 of that.  

Yesterday, for example, I rode to CF at 8 a.m., rode the trails, and rode back for a total of almost 31 miles with a moving time of 3:33 and still had cold water in my 3 liter CamelBak bladder.  I do start with about 1/3 of it frozen before filling it completely.  Oh, and I don't use bottles, though I've been considering an electrolyte drink.  I do consume blocks and/or gels with electrolytes in them, so there's that. 

On 8/20/2021 at 10:39 AM, Albert said:

True, I think I've only done that once the entire time I've lived here.  😄  And at least you can get water at a few places, such as Tejas Camp, so that helps.

I don't understand how one can consume a whole 3 liter CamelBak of water in a 3 - 4hour loop at LGT.  I'll stop on the second lap to refill but haven't ran out on a lap yet.

When I was living there a few years ago, I used to ride at Jumano Park and through the Blockhouse Greenbelt to the pool; I'm not sure the trail is being used enough to not be overgrown.  I started to expand that trail further southwest but became more employed and couldn't dedicate time to it.

I think it's a golden orb weaver, very common in central TX.

On 8/7/2021 at 2:27 PM, 4fun said:

Not sure how to flip the picture.

 

Here you go. 

Here's my take on the trails along Bull Creek.  The trails in the green areas in the screen grab below are beginner friendly, though the creek crossings will likely be challenging.  The section of trail connecting to the other two areas is more technical, overgrown, and muddy in places.  A new rider would not find this fun at all.

4 hours ago, throet said:

Once I had the bike I checked out ARR's website and decided I should head right over to City Park. 

 

City Park was my first trail, too! I was about a year out of the military (1992), playing soccer, and in great shape when I came home to visit my family.  My brother was going mountain biking with friends, and I said that it sounded like fun.  They scrounged up an old Mongoose Iboc for me, and I put on a pair of sweats and some sneakers for my first mountain bike ride.  City Park was running clockwise then, and they took off down the first three ledges.  I followed them like I knew what I was doing, came into the right hand turn at the bottom of the last ledge, and failed to make the turn, grabbing fistfuls of brakes, going over the bars helmetless, and landing on a poor juniper sapling that broke my fall.  From those first 20 seconds, I was in love with the sport!

7 minutes ago, Morealice said:

I’m don’t know why in the world but I actually LIKE a little cigarette smoke smell. It makes me chuckle when I smell it out on a trail where there is usually cardio type activity occurring. 
 

I actually saw a dude on a bike stop for a cig on Picnic once. Classic! 

When I was in the military, one of the Marines in my unit would huff and puff, coughing, during the three mile run part of our PFT.  As soon as he crossed the finish line, he would whip a cigarette and lighter out of his sock and light it up, breathing normal again.  Weirdest thing...

Copper Harbor, MI

Houghton, M

I

I was digging through my photos for the Critter Sightings thread and came across photos I had forgotten about long ago.  I then started looking for the oldest picture I have of me riding a bike, like near the start of when I took up mountain biking as an adult, not a picture of me on my Schwinn Stingray as a kid.

So, I want to see your first picture of you riding a mountain bike for the first time or shortly thereafter.  If you started as a kid, let's see it!  If you started in your 50s, post it up!  Tell me a little about that experience!

I found this one of me from November of 1997 when my brother and I met at the IMBA Summit in Nantahala, NC, to learn about trail building and build some trail on Flint Ridge.  We rode that weekend at Tsali, and the temps were in the high 20s.  There were frozen puddles on the trail!!! We rode with a local reporter, Tony Castleberry (I don't know how I remember that name!), and he took pictures of us riding. My bike was a Voodoo Wango from BSS on Toomey Road. I think my pedals were Onzas, though I might have started riding SPDs by then.

I rode a mountain bike for the first time in 1988 or 89 but didn't start riding until April of 1992, so I'm trying to find earlier pictures of me!

19 minutes ago, AntonioGG said:

Is that the Muir trail?  No pictures of the giant mosquitoes?

I think I mentioned a while back I rode that trail with my brother, and I inhaled a giant mosquito down my trachea.  Worst feeling ever.

I took that picture on Jim's Trails, the private land that Trek Bicycle has some trails on in Waterloo.   And, no, I tried not to stand around long enough without bug spray on to get any pictures of the swarms of mosquitoes in WI!  Related to that, I just remembered that my assistant and I would strap a gap powered fogger on the back of our ATV and ride the forest roads where the trails were as well as the prairies to treat for mosquitoes.  It was very effective but obviously not environmentally friendly!

Burns Lake, British Columbia

Fruita, CO

Some of the fauna I've seen while building and biking trails.

Spider Mountain

Florida Everglades

Tamarack Resort, ID

Waterloo, WI

Jingle Bell Ride, Austin, TX, 2005

51 minutes ago, Morealice said:

I’ve been wondering why so many men (usually) smell like cologne out on the hike n bike. I pass so many dudes that smell like Drakkar or Old Spice that are riding or running. Are they hoping to get some ass while they’re out sweating and nasty? 
 

Am I doing it wrong?

I agree.  I don't want to smell any unnatural scents like perfumes of colognes or hear anything but my bike, conversations, and nature.  Don't play music over speaker.  Put some damn earbuds in!!!

4 hours ago, June Bug said:

There are a few difficult spots paved with crushed granite, but easy to walk and then an insanely steep  but paved section right before the damn. 

Funny story.  I was the primary steward designing and building the trail between Overlook and Jim Hogg Parks when the Army Corps of Engineers asked me to scout a way up from below the dam for contractors to put in a paved path.  I flagged the corridor with flagging tape tied to the trees and delineated a switchback-style turn on the slope midway up and a less steep turn at the top.  Apparently, the construction company misread my flags, skipped the turn, and went straight uphill.  :-/

I'm sure it's a fun challenge for some and a vexing curse for others.

4 minutes ago, Lacch said:

Serious question... Why carry CO2 cannisters and a hand pump?

In case I run into someone who has a flat on the trail.  I don't want to give them my CO2. 🙂

10 hours ago, AustinBike said:

I hate the people that pull up at 8:59 for a 9:00 ride and have to get dressed, pump up their tires and check their drivetrain. Do you friends a favor, get there early. Better yet, do all of that at home before you even leave.

Wait. Are we meeting at 9, or does the ride start at 9?

nm.  I misread your post, John!

On 6/20/2021 at 4:36 PM, circuitbreaker said:

i don't think its possible to patch a tube on the trail.

Well, I don't see a /s but still am not sure you're serious.  Back in the day before tubeless, the guys in my group and I would eventually end up patching a tube trail side, sometimes more than once. I remember @Shinerider finally replacing a tube with something like six patches on it. It's definitely a thing. 

As far as what I carry with me, I'm old, old school and a former Marine; I carry a lot b/c I don't want to walk out or have to rely on anyone.

• Pack w/ 3 liter bladder
• Master link
• Spoke wrench
• Glasses cleaning solution & cloth (being blind in one eye, I never ride w/o my polycarbonate lensed glasses)
• Pressure gauge
• Multi-tool w/ chain breaker
• Spare tube
• CO2 cannisters (usually 2)
• Tire levers
• Patch kit
• Bacon strips & insertion tool
• Hand pump
• Shock pump
• Nutrition
• Tubeless valve
• Valve stem removal tool
• Wallet
• Phone

4 hours ago, Aurora said:

OMG - R&I still lives!!! 

Dawn!  You should come visit us on a Tuesday one of these days!

On 5/13/2021 at 12:37 PM, mack_turtle said:

I really enjoy solo rides were I "session" a challenging spot. Hardtail Party on YouTube has a lot of videos where he does this. go on a normal ride and when you find a spot where you don't ride it clean or have to walk, go back and ride that "feature" again and again until you clear it cleanly or are too exhausted to do it again.

 

Sessioning is good.  However, I've heard this: Session something three to five times. If you do not succeed, move on and try it again later.  Why?  You could be training your muscles to fail that feature.  I don't know if this is true, but I've done it before on a few features I was struggling with and succeeded on the next visit or the one after that.

10 hours ago, Teamsloan said:

Just saw this now. I need some roadie suffering, but not at the expense of the R&I.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've had some non-suffering road rides that kicked ass.  They help keep my belly in check. 🤥

On 4/20/2021 at 6:43 AM, AustinBike said:

Our infrastructure has not kept pace with our growth.

Plus, Texas lacks enough public land to support the number of people wanting to use our parks and greenspaces.  

With so may flags on and in the trees there now, I wanted to dig into land ownership. Cedar Park owns a lot of the creek front property and some lots next to the subdivision, and it looks like a developer from Riverside, CA, owns two large tracts there.  Presidio Parmer owns a few acres, too. Toro Grande's extension will likely cross a few property boundaries.

I use Switch brand glasses that use magnets to hold lenses to the frame.  I switch between amber & dark tint.

On 4/10/2021 at 9:32 AM, Shinerider said:

LOL.  Looks like Walnut Creek, except they would b-line thru the field in all directions.

That's the problem when trails are too dense and you pass within sight of the same trail you'll be in two minutes later.  People love to short cut for some reason.