throet

I think I'm hating the horse flies more than the heat. Finally ventured out on Brushy the other evening at 7:30, first ride in 2 months. Was hating on the heat something awful, until a relentless horse fly chomped through my shirt and maintained full pursuit. Suddenly the motivation to pedal hard and fast fell upon me, in spite of the miserable heat and humidity. P.S. Picked up some Deep Woods Off today!

Come on up? Last I knew you were in El Paso. Where now?

Coiled and ready to strike. Went with a CC DB Inline, purported to be the lightest coil shock on the market. Paired it up with a progressive 450-550 spring. Now I just need to find a destination far away in the cool mountain air; so I can spend a few days getting crazy without dying from heat stroke.

OK that makes sense. As it turned out, those plastic caps were extending just about .5mm past the metal DU bushing on each side. I was able to tap that end into the shock link with a rubber mallet and get it to align properly with the bolt hole. Bit snug, but hopefully all is well.

I ordered a new shock and the rear mount was supposed to be 30.5mm. Upon arrival and inspection however, it appears to be around 31.5mm. I'm assuming there must be a way to remove the mounting hardware and take out the smallest spacer on each side, which I think would get me to where I need to be. Is there a special tool that is used on shock mounting hardware? I'm unable to loosen by hand.

I would not have picked up on that cola note, but as I'm sipping some now and reading this, I get it. Probably doesn't help though that I'm eating a Milky Way at the same time. Regarding the Store Picks, I really haven't explored those at all. However, twice I've picked up bottles of 1792 Full Proof Single Barrel Select picks from Oak Liquor Cabinet. Two different barrels picked up at different times, and both were excellent. Definitely need to explore more of their picks over there.

Been on my whiskey journey for a few years now, and while I've obviously heard of Buffalo Trace, I had never tried it. Just considered it to be among the decent, inexpensive bourbons that I'd eventually get around to trying. Then before I knew it, the stuff couldn't be found, or was being marked up, like the meme stock of the whiskey world. So I was surprised the other day when they had a bunch of it in stock at the local Twin Liquors, at retail price of around $27. I of course was intrigued and picked up a bottle. My impression is this. It is a nice whiskey at that price point, really decent, but not great. I certainly wouldn't pay any more than retail for it, and frankly when I can get EW BIB for much less or Elijah Craig Small Batch for a bit more, it will probably be a hard sell for me in the future. Definitely enjoying it though. Cheers!

We've debated the merits of carbon frames, wheels, cranks, and bars on the MTB forum, but who would've ever thought that carbon was a good idea on a submersible sent repeatedly to depths exceeding 10,000 ft? I'm no engineer but seems it was just a matter of time before repeated stresses would compromise the integrity of that hull. In an interview on ABC News, ocean explorer Robert Ballard, who discovered the wreck of the Titanic in 1985, suggested that Titan’s innovative carbon-fiber pressure hull might have been to blame for the vessel’s loss. “We’ve made thousands and thousands of dives with different vehicles” since 1960, Ballard said, “and we’ve never ever, in the history of these extreme deep diving programs, ever lost a vehicle. So this is a first. So you naturally go to, how does this vehicle differ from the vehicles we’ve been using for many years? And it did have a very experimental hull, and obviously that hull imploded.”

Best description I've seen. I'm not even going outside these days let alone riding trails. Had the pleasure of going this past Sat-Sun nights without AC - definitely gross.

Damn dude! There's a lot going on there in the back of the pic. What gives?

Was recently gifted a bottle of New Riff Single Barrel Select and I'm definitely digging it. My neighbor across the street and his buddies bought the barrel, and this was his last bottle. I have no clue what it costs or how accessible it is, but in the few days I've had it, I've gone through half the bottle (mostly because it's so damn tall and I don't want to adjust the shelves in my whiskey cabinet).

I'm nearing the end of my list of whiskies to try that I'm willing to pay for, and to date, I don't think I've paid over $60 for a bottle. Recently I picked up a bottle of Mitcher's Single Barrel Rye and I really like it. I was reluctant given the low proof point, but it tastes like what I think a Rye should taste like. My favorite Rye so far is the Sagamore Spirit Double Oaked Rye, but the Mitcher's comes in at a much better price point and has some of the same qualities. It's been a while since I've had the 6-yr WhistlePig Rye; so, I'll try that again soon to see how it compares. @Barry has recommended some of the higher end WhistlePig selections but I'm not ready to spend that kind of money yet. Also just picked up my first bottle of Maker's Cask Strength, another Barry recommendation. Definitely digging it, both on the nose and palate, and especially at the price point. I'm concluding that I'm not a big wheater, but I'll be keeping this one in my rotation, just for the variety.

I picked up a bottle of Old Tub BIB earlier in the week to try out for the first time, and my initial impression from the nose was that it was a real winner. However, from start to finish on the palate, it was just sort of meh! I'll of course finish it, but I think I'm ready to just settle into a regular rotation of the following cheap bottles - WT 101, ET BIB, EW BIB, and OG 114.

That was truly an amazing ride, one of the best I've done in CenTex, even with a DNF. I was at around the 12-13 mile mark and not too far behind the group when I came to a fork. The path left went further up the hillside, while the path right went down closer to the lake. I chose the "right" path and then realized you guys were up the hillside when I heard chatter from the group. Luckily I ran into @Barry who apparently decided to do some solo riding. He graciously offered to guide me back near the starting point, where I could head back to camp and he could do a little more riding. That added another 3-4 miles to my ride which ended at around 17mi. Both of my legs were starting to cramp - so I definitely made the right choice to bail. Grateful too that Barry was willing to slow the return pace down for my guided ride back. That part of the ride was equally enjoyable and we had some pleasant conversation.

I'm a diehard and still in the traditional camp myself, even at 64. However, my perspective has changed some after this past weekend, and I'm more sensitive to use cases that I previously rejected. I hung out with a bunch of the SATN guys at Dana Peak for what now appears to be an annual gathering, and I was in no shape to keep pace on a couple of the group rides that ensued. For me personally, dropping out and either heading back to camp or traveling at my own pace is not a big deal. If others prefer to finish the ride instead with the aid of an eBike, that's really their choice, and there is absolutely no reason for anybody to regulate that, even in Central Texas. Really comes down to personal preference, and I'd like to know that the eBike option exists should I choose it someday, wherever I want to ride.

Thanks to @The Tip and others from the SATN crew who put this event together. Ended up bailing out Sat afternoon after surviving the torrential rain Fri night. Was amazed at how well the trails rode Saturday despite all of the rain. Suppose the rain was blowing sideways during much of that storm, as evidenced by the number of people out there who had to abandon their tents. I was able to remain sheltered in my tent, but it took quite a bit of effort to get the inside dried out on Sat. Anyway, got 3 good rides in during the 2 days I was there. I definitely need to ride out there more given the relatively close proximity to Cedar Park.

Sorry you didn't like it. Personal preference definitely plays into what makes it into the regular rotation. I finally got around to picking up a bottle of the Jack Daniels BIB last week and while I'll keep enjoying it until it's gone, it's not something I'll buy again. Seems to have that same Flintstone vitamin flavor that some of George Dickel's stuff are notorious for. My go to BIBs are Early Times and Evan Williams. Been meaning to pick up a bottle of Old Tub BIB to try as well.

Finally got a chance to get out and ride since the switch back to CCW. It's hike-a-bike for me on many of the climbs going either direction, but I definitely enjoy the overall flow and fun going CCW. The trail was dry and dusty Sunday morning despite any recent rains. The relative humidity must have been near 100% as we were picking up mist during portions of our only lap. Still, was worth getting out.

Made it out to RPR yesterday for the first time this year. Morning conditions were superb, and the wildflowers were absolutely brilliant! Doesn't seem like the signage has improved any since my last time out, but for whatever reason I was able to create more flow than I've had out there in a long time. Rode for close to 3 hours with a buddy who had only been out there one other time. Definitely worth the trip if you can make while everything is still in full bloom.

I'm in with a tent site for the duration but will be looking for the slow group. New job is killing me, and I hardly ever get to ride anymore. In fact, this will be like a substitute for my normal, annual out-of-state MTB trip. Looking forward to it though, and hoping for some good weather.

Nice catch! Checking out some of his other stuff on Tidal now and pulling some new tracks for my Indie and EDM playlists.

Finally ventured out with my folding saw to see what I would encounter. Started with my normal climb behind the YMCA up to the cliff overlooking the lake. Didn't get far before I had to start clearing cedar. Probably spent a good 45 minutes just getting through the section along the lake and cleared quite a few large limbs that were laying across the trail. Worked my way up to the twisty track section leading to Snail, and cleared quite a bit more there, at least enough to allow riders to get through. It's a good thing too because I never realized how many people actually ride that section. Probably half-a-dozen or so came through while I was working. All I cut was cedar, but I cleared some downed oak limbs as well. Rode my usual line down Snail to the bottom before realizing that the exit was completely blocked - way more than I cared to tackle by myself. Moved on to Bob Ross and Rim, and everything was clear. I'm assuming somebody already did some work over there. Bottom line is that I did way more cutting than riding today, but it was nice to get out and at least peddle the bike a bit. Rode PicnicX and Picnic as well which were both clear.