Archive | 2013

The Name Fit The Bike

By soiledchamois on November 18, 2013 in Mountain Biking

kellymbpic Mountain bike pioneer Charlie Kelly in a promotional photo (circa 1980-ish?) taken by Gary Fisher for their company– MountainBikes. According to Kelly’s personal (history packed) website, the bike in the photo was Fisher’s as he couldn’t yet afford one of the very bikes they were selling.

Back then, you paid $1,300 up front to a couple of California hippies, waited a month or more and eventually you got yourself a 28 pound, fully rigid mountain bike.

Check out Kelly’s site for a shit ton of amazing photos and information about the early days of mountain biking. It’s pretty cool to see so much history of a sport that was invented during my lifetime.

White Trash Soba Noodles & Peas

By soiledchamois on November 18, 2013 in Cat 5 Cooking, Food & Drink

I made this up in less than 10 minutes after the gym today. Some chicken or beef in it would have been nice, but for a quick lunch it was pretty OK. Then again, after last night’s meatloaf binge and 2 a.m. case of the meat sweats, I was just fine with meatless version. Who knew you could excrete ground beef and pork through your pores???

A Hoppy Glass of Air

By soiledchamois on November 17, 2013 in Food & Drink, Random

New Belgium Brewing’s Accumulation White IPA tastes like a glass of air with a hint of hops.

whiteipa Why even bother? I refuse to believe that it’s 6.2% ABV.

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The Geek of The Tree Rings

By soiledchamois on November 16, 2013 in Mountain Biking, Random

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Balls Deep In Deer

Even though Michigan is balls deep into deer season, I took a chance and rode in the woods today anyway. My local trails are on non-hunting land, but they still come close to private land and have a slight reroute to try and keep meaty bike geeks like me from getting capped in the buttocks, but it is still a bit of a risk since I think I read once that a rifle bullet can travel like 32 miles or something ridiculous like that. OK, maybe not that far, but pretty far. I left my fur riding vest and antler helmet at home just in case.

The Pic

The tree in the pic above fell across the trail a year or two ago. I pass it EVERY ride but only today stopped to take a look at its rings (mostly due to having to wiz). Pretty cool to see the rings n’at..

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Fear & Loathing Lance While On The Trainer

By soiledchamois on November 15, 2013 in Cycling, Random

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I wouldn’t say that I have anything against Lance Armstrong (except the lying, cheating, megalomania, sociopathy and making me feel like a Goddamn fool for all those years I supported him and his teams as they doped themselves to the gills to win bike races). And I wouldn’t dare to say that Lance does–or ever has–smoked grass, done mescaline, high powered blotter acid, cocaine, or a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers, raw ether or amyls.

But I do think that he obviously got locked into a serious drug collection and had the tendency is to push it as far as he could. Only his drug collection had more to do with EPO and the like rather than Hunter S. Thompson’s laundry list of illegal, mild to hardcore and dangerous, recreational drugs.

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Taking Advantage

By soiledchamois on November 14, 2013 in Mountain Biking, Random

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In between my days at the gym I have been trying to get out and enjoy the dirt before the snow flies. As you can see from the ground in the pic above, it has been flying here and there but it has a long way to go before it causes any worry or would make me think about maybe regretting not purchasing a fat bike.

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A Look At City Cross

By soiledchamois on November 13, 2013 in Cycling

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I am not much of a cross racer, OK, I am not one at all. It seems I often miss “the point” of cross, along with wanting to avoid all the machismo and fisticuffs that seem so prevalent in the sport of late (at least on ‘merican soil), but I know something that looks painfully fun when I see it… like the Morvélo City Cross in Halifax, England. Check out the video from this year’s race–

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Dirt Highway

By soiledchamois on November 12, 2013 in Mountain Biking

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Almost every trail system has one or two parts that you can either A. Recover and take in some fluids and/or nutrition or B. Put the hammer down and get all “speeder bike on Endor“. The pic above is of from my local trail system at the Mid Michigan Community College. Most of the 16-ish mile loop is undulating and lumpy with some roots and embedded rock thrown in to make your lower back feel “alive” and glad you have a full suspension (or make you wish for one). However, this particular section is currently wet, packed down dirt and sand, sort of like a dirt highway that you can get you reach speeds of 17 mph or more if you choose, before hanging a right into some slower, new trail with lots of twists and turns. Either way, it’s all good.

Dirt is always good. Singletrack is always better… whether fast and smooth, slow and rocky or twisty and turny.

The Cost Of Grips

By soiledchamois on November 12, 2013 in Random

Oh, ESI Grips…. How I love thee…. I how hate installing thee.

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Forest Facts

By soiledchamois on November 11, 2013 in Mountain Biking, Random

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I cannot be certain if a falling tree makes a sound when no one is around, but I am quite certain that if a tree falls in a forest it will ALWAS find its way across the trail. It’s a fact.

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