Doug, I hope you do ride some trails soon! I, too, get a lot of inspiration from other listers stories and pics. I just love how these Rivs are so good at both roads and trails. One story from the ride that I just reported: About half-way up this great, paved climbed called Conzelman Road, construction workers were out fixing up the roads. (As locals would know, they are doing major road renovations all in the Headlands and various roads are off-limits for months at a time.). While climbing the road to the half-way point to get to our trail, the construction crew had stopped all traffic. They were laying long swaths of aggregate down, and then ferrying cars across in intervals. They were adamantly refusing access to all cyclists, telling them that there's no way a bike could get across such treacherous ground. Other cyclists were turning back, but I sidled up to the main dude and asked what made it treacherous. He said the beds were aggregate, sharp and pointy, covering the road for a good 50 yards or so. The crew chief gave me a p.o.'d look and said "you'll pop your tires and then what will you do!". I thought: this is exactly why I've chosen the kind of bikes, build, and tires that I'm riding. It was born for this. So, I told him I'd take my chances and that I have a very tough bike. So, they let us through. The terrain was no worse than some of the gravely trails in the Headlands. But if you bet that I was sweating it hoping that a freak mishap wouldn't occur, you'd be a winner.
As for technique, that is much too elegant a word for what I do out there :) Best, Lee On Oct 13, 5:15 pm, doug peterson <dougpn...@cox.net> wrote: > Lee: > > Nice photos. Motivates me to head for the trail tomorrow. To your > question regarding preference, it's a mood thing. Like you, sometimes > I like to push it a bit on the pavement, and other times it's relaxing > to just dawdle around in the dirt (of course, for me that usually > involves plenty of pushing too!). There are several rides I do where > I use a fire trail or similar to connect together a couple of paved > areas. These short cuts usually take a lot more time & effort than > staying on the pavement would. The nice thing about a Rivendell is > they are happy to do it all. > > dougP > > On Oct 13, 9:50 am, Lee <leec...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Morning, all. I was able to wheel out the Quickbeam for a weekend ride > > for the first time in more than a month. It took me out into the Marin > > Headlands to explore the wonderful set of trails inscribed there along > > the southern three ridges. Despite being underpowered and therefore, a > > bit undergeared, it was a wonderful afternoon. Trails, hills, beaches, > > and an ocean, with only minimal interruptions by three other cyclists, > > two runners, and a handful of hikers--all just 10 miles or so from my > > urban-crushed doorstep. > > > I seem to oscillate between these types of "out-back" trail rides and > > longer road rides out into the country. Sometimes it's fun to get into > > a steady cadence on the road, feel a little speed, and enjoy the > > breeze in your face. Other times, I just want nothing to do with other > > bipeds (no offense of course) and head off to the nearest trailhead. > > Do you all have a preference for one type of riding over another? > > > In any event, I'm just glad I have a bike that lets me do both so > > enjoyably. Here's the visuals: > > >http://tinyurl.com/2dc6r76 > > > Take care, > > Lee > > SF, CA -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
