Old v. New

Crabon double tap technologically-advanced v. reliable Steel precision.  I like them both.

I set both bikes up independently just by feel.  I've put thousands of miles on the Jamis and hundreds on the Rossin and they both feel good.  Not having a girlfriend, or any friends, and really nothing else to do but satisfy fleeting curiosity, I set them side-by-side to compare the measurements.  Turns out the back-of-saddle to center-of-stem length is equal to the millimeter.  Also the top of the bars from the ground is exactly the same.  Saddle height from BB was off slightly.  Wheelbase- surprisingly- was exactly the same as well.

It was a cold ride in this morning.

Had I known it was this cold, I might have driven my car.  Oh well oh well.  Exposed skin hurt a little bit but it wasn't too bad except going through the gap.  The gap is the break in the hogback were Rapid Creek flows.  This morning there was no wind so all the really cold air settled down along the creek.  Humidity was unusually high and that is what made things hurt.  Thank God for my Smith goggles!

Smith Goggles

I was tired of the snow getting into my eyes when I ride, so I picked up some goggles at the local ski shop.  Smith Scope for $48.  They're bottom shelf but are just fine.  They are double lens and vented so they don't fog and very comfortable.  They had some for 300 and 400 bucks.  I'm told these were cheaper partly because they have optical distortion.  I told the dude that I kinda like optical distortion.

I hiked the Rock Maze this morning in them at zero degrees and they were great.  Kept my face warm and my eyes protected from the sun.

I hiked down to the creek and walked the bank for awhile before heading back up to the rocks.  I saw this peculiar track across the ice.  It looks like a something has dragged another something across here.  What do you think?

I also took a short ride this afternoon in my new goggles.  It was about 5 degrees with bright blue skies.  Again, they did great to keep the bitter wind out of my eyes and the sun too.  I'm digging them!

Ice Cloud

Friday = warm.  Saturday = cold.

Rode in shorts on Friday afternoon but an early morning ice cloud rolled in today and frosted everything and brought temps down into the teens.

I got a late start on the day thanks in no small part to a little something called The Abyss by Deschutes Brewing Co.  To that I say: Yum and Ouch.

I hiked up through the Skyline Wilderness behind my house and found my way to Dinosaur Park.  The ice is all gone off the singletrack up there and it looks like a green light for riding finally.

Menu changes daily

I rolled down to M Hill and played on the singletrack this afternoon after work.  I found the "Extreme" trail.  It's awesome.  Super duper!!

I was probably the only dude to ever ride that not on a fat bike...

I'm still finding new trails out there and have yet to put everything together in a smooth line.  I did a little research and found out that M Hill is cut into the Lakota Hogback.  It's a ridge that outlines the Black Hills all the way up the eastern perimeter like a big backwards "C".  The Rockies have the same thing and it's called the Dakota Hogback.

Anyway, good beer should follow good ride.  So, I rolled down to the Independent Ale House and had a few.  Without the IAH, my first month in Rapid City would not have been half as good.

Deity Compound pedals

This is a review for the Deity Compound pedals:  They're good.

I've decided to put my bike on a diet and these pedals are the first step.  Dropped about 200 grams from the Ringle Zuzu's .  I'm very fond of the Zuzu's but thought, what the hell, I'll give something new a shot.

As you can see, they are larger and more square than the Zuzu's and much thinner too.  I'm hip to the physics of a thinner platform- closer to the axle and all that- but I was a little tentative about giving up the concave.  They do feel completely different.  I could easily .......

WTF?  Sorry... I was just listening to a live Beatles set and realized they are singing in German....  Anyway, back to the review.....

So, yeah, I can feel that I'm stepping on the axle but it's not a bad feeling and it actually provided a bit of slip to make stance adjustments.  And my fear of slipping because of this was unfounded.  They're grippy.

Deity calls them "injection molded nylon fiber composite".  I call them "plastic".  Really hard plastic.  At 340 grams, they are light.  And at 48 bucks, they are cheap.  They get good reviews and I'd recommend them after one ride.

I like them.  Yes I do.

Norris Peak Road

I rode up into the hills today to Norris Peak and back.  30 miles or so.  The sign at the top of the hill said 5226ft. and my house in Rapid is at 3150, so that's like 300 feet!

It was another beautiful day here.  It was 50 when I started out in the morning and by noon it was on it's way to 70.  There is an ice rink downtown that was mostly water today but it didn't stop the die-hards from skating.

Also downtown is the best bike shop around.  It's called Cranky Jeff's.

Most of the time when I go in there, Jack and Jill are running the place.  They are super people and know their stuff.  Their names aren't really Jack and Jill- it's Betsy and Dave.

What's super quasi-universal is that the alley just next to the shop is covered in crazy good graffiti- just like the alley next to downtown Volker in KC.

Ciao!