GR: Fox Sergeant MTB Shorts

In between ride reviews I have been meaning to do some brief "gear reviews" of stuff that I've bought for biking. At some point I intend to review my bike itself, my helmet, my sunglasses, and some of the other things that I have purchased. Today I wanted to post up some of my thoughts on my MTB shorts, the Fox Sergeants.

When I started biking, I just wore regular athletic shorts. Then I quickly switched to some lycra shorts that worked better, but didn't look so great. After that I went with the athletic shorts over the lycra, but that was bunchy and uncomfortable.

So around Christmas I was searching ebay for some deals on *new* MTB shorts that included a chamois. I found a local guy selling a pair of Fox Sergeant MTB shorts with a very low reserve. I was the only bidder, and ended up getting them for $40.00, about half of what they cost in a retail store. I picked them up from his house on Christmas eve, and had myself a pretty good Christmas present a day early.

I've worn them on every ride since, and have loved them. The chamois pad is amazingly comfortable and removable for washing. The length of the shorts is perfect, and the crotch don't get caught on my seat when leaning back while going downhill. They even have an adjustable waistband on the inside, which I learned on the Noble ride I need to adjust since I've lost a little weight lately.

In any event, I have nothing but good things to say about these shorts, and would strongly recommend them. They're comfortable, stylish, light, and have a great removable chamois. They even have a couple of nice sized cargo pockets I've kept my camera and some gel packets in on some recent rides. I'd like to get another pair, but can't justify the expense at the moment. Maybe for an Easter present...

The 2007 model, which is the one I have, is on sale right now at Price Point for only $59.99. While I admit that this is still expensive for a pair of shorts, its still a great deal and I think they're probably worth it.

Neighborhood Ride

Today I had a chance to do a short ride with my absolute favorite riding companion. While I enjoy riding with the Skyline crew, and often revel in the solitude of riding alone through God's Creation with just my thoughts, there is no one I'd rather ride with than my wife, Rachel.

She's new to biking, and she's spent the last several months getting herself into phenomenal shape by working out like crazy. She's not totally comfortable on her bike just yet, but with some more practice and experience, I have no doubt she'll have no trouble keeping up with my slow self very soon.

For the second time ever we rode the neighborhood trails that surround our home in 4S Ranch. The last time we did it Rach had just gotten her bike, and she blew me away with how well she did. This time was no different. After being gone for a week to visit family back East, I know she wasn't able to go as fast as she would have liked, but I could not have cared less. I just enjoyed being out there with her.

We left the house and rode down the local fireroad to some of those 8 foot wide dirt path trails that are so popular in these planned developments. And despite what some people say about these "trails," I had just as much fun today with Rach as when I go bombing through the Tunnels at LPQ. During our ride we saw a kid fishing from an innertube in the pond nearby, marveled at the gorgeous green fields that have exploded in the Santa Fe Valley, and were surprised by the waterfall created by recent rains into the canyon. It was awesome. We stopped in the middle at a bench with a great view of Black Mountain to the South, and the Santa Fe Valley to the West, and just basked in how blessed we are to live where we do and have what we have.

We had an amazing time enjoying our beautiful neighborhood and each other's company, and it made me feel great that she was willing to make an effort to enjoy a hobby that I love just to make me happy. Mission accomplished.

Here are the stats

Total Distance: 3.73 miles
Total Time: 58:29
Ascent: 344 feet
Average Speed: 3.8 mph
Top Speed: 17.4 mph
Route Map: Click Here for Google Map
Bike: Specialized FSR XC Pro

RR: Noble Canyon

Well I finally did it. As I've mentioned in multiple places on this blog, I've wanted to ride the famous Noble Canyon trail ever since I started biking, and today was finally the day.

After doing Anderson yesterday instead of an exotic out of town ride because of the rain last Thursday, both Joel and I were feeling a little let down. He had tomorrow off because of the holiday, but I didn't, so if we were to do something to make the biking weekend special, we had to take a risk. And so we decided to shuttle Noble.

We left right after church and headed up to the Noble trailhead in Pine Valley. We ditched Joel's truck there, and headed up the mountain with the bikes strapped to the back of the Acura.

On the way up Sunrise Highway we encountered more people than I've ever seen on Laguna in my life. The snow from Thursday had received so much publicity that it seemed like half of San Diego had migrated East to witness this rarest of San Diego county events; snow. Towards the bottom of the mountain, kids were building muddy snowmen on the sides of the road and parents were pushing toddlers down dirty hills dotted with the occasional patch of rapidly diminishing grey snow.

As we drove to the top of the mountain toward the upper Noble trailhead, however, the snow became much more legitimate and was as much as 3 feet in places. About two or three miles from the trailhead, in typical Joel understated fashion, he remarked, "all this snow could make the first part of the ride a little interesting." Prophetic.

We made it to the trailhead and were fortunate to find parking amongst the throng of families thrashing about in the snow. After a few minutes suiting up and taking stock of our conviction to complete this ride, we set off. Sort of.

I was relying on Joel to lead me through this ride. I've obviously never done it, and despite a keen sense of direction, had no idea where the trail was, let alone where to go. And I don't want to spoil the ending, but Joel ended up doing a phenomenal job getting us down the mountain. But that is not to say that there were not some moments where I feared we would be lost in the woods, eaten by bears and our bodies discovered by backcountry hikers sometime in the Spring.

It is also important to note that Joel last rode this trail in the summer more than a year ago. As he pointed out, it looked a little different today covered in 2-3 feet of snow. So we set out and immediately found ourselves riding through thick snow that came up to the middle of our tires and totally obscured large sections of the trail. Undaunted, we plowed on and made it to a section where the trail was pretty much completely visible. We also found the spot where the Noble trail and BLT trails intersect, which will come in handy next time.

As we wound our way down the mountain, the snow became less of a factor, and the trail was actually in great shape. It was unlike any other trail I've ever ridden. We had amazing vistas of the mountains and valleys, tricky switchbacks, densely wooded forests with windy singletrack, flowing streams, and ridiculous rocky sections. This trail has it all.


There was relatively little climbing, and for probably the first time ever, I found myself looking forward to little climbs just to break up the style of riding we were doing. Also, about a third of the way into the ride, my rear break stopped working effectively. As we progressed, I'd put its effectiveness at about 20% of normal, which was scary in parts.

I tackled several gnarly technical sections, and am generally pretty proud of myself and what I was able to ride. We did walk the hairiest sections, but I'd like another shot at them someday. I think with some more practice and confidence, I could eventually handle the whole thing.

We stopped for a couple of minutes in the section of Noble they call "the playground," and while I didn't do any of the really crazy stuff, I did jump the log in the middle of the trail. I actually handled the jump OK, but with no rear brake to speak of, ended up driving into the bushes after I stuck the landing.

The rest of the trail was so demanding and entertaining at the same time that I don't have many pictures. Some of the sections were pretty loose and exposed, and Joel seriously almost went over a cliff at one point when he endoed over a tricky rock on the edge of the trail. He made a nice recovery, and we were on our way. With a little extra caution.

When we reached one of the lower trail splits, we elected to head west for about a half mile and take the fireroad home, rather than tackling the entire lower Noble trailhead. I think the decision was a good one, though I did feel several twinges of regret that we didn't get to ride the entire trail. But finishing lower Noble would have entailed a pretty nasty climb and downhill section, and we were both pretty fried by that point. So we saved the final stretch for another day. Something to look forward to for next time.

Our bikes were absolutely covered in mud, sand, and even some lingering snow when we finished the ride. So Joel had the brilliant idea of going to the do-it-yourself carwash in El Cajon so we could pressure wash the bikes. That turned out to be a great idea, and saved us hours in cleanup.

Nicole was also nice enough to invite me over for dinner with her and Joel, but I had to decline because the chihuahuas had been home alone all day and I needed to check on them.

Overall it was a great day. The snow made things pretty tough at the top, and I felt a little like we cheated by shuttling the ride and skipping the lower portion, but I stayed within my limits and rode some really tricky sections that I wouldn't have tried a few months ago.

I'm really looking forward to doing this ride again in the spring, and maybe I'll even ride from the bottom someday and not shuttle. But I accomplished one of my 2008 MTB goals today, and it felt good. Many thanks to Joel for playing trail guide, riding companion, and good friend as well.

Here are the stats:

Total Distance: 9.91 miles
Total Time: 2:29:00
Ascent: 1052 feet
Average Speed: 4.0 mph
Top Speed: 21.7 mph
Bike: Specialized FSR XC Pro
Map:

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RR: Anderson TT

I shuttled Anderson TT with Billy, Nate, and Joel this morning. We had planned to do Noble, but Thursday's rain and snow necessitated a change of plans. In fact, there was still a smattering of snow at the top of Anderson, but not enough to affect the trail, which was actually extremely dry. I'd heard Anderson is the best trail in San Diego after a rain, and that is apparently true.


I was surprised Billy was willing to shuttle, since he is one of those that had been strongly against it in the past, but I guess he's coming over to the dark side now...He said it was so that we could have more energy to enjoy the downhill sections, which made sense to me...

We started at the top and did World Cup this time instead of the fireroad we took on New Year's Eve. Today was a "play day," and we stopped often to survey several aggressive downhill sections. We tried a few of the smaller and easier ones, and marveled at most of the crazy ones. Near the middle Nate and I found a section we were willing to give a shot, and had several good runs and jumps.


On the last run at that section, I tried a different line and lost too much speed. I crashed sideways, and while the fall itself wasn't bad, when I got up my rear wheel wouldn't move. Upon inspection, I found that I had snapped my deraileur hanger. My second trip to Anderson TT, my second serious bike malfunction.

Billy did an impressive job of jury-rigging my bike into a singlespeed, and I was able to make it home thanks to his help and expertise. But once again, I was climbing out of Anderson without gears.


The rest of the ride was relatively fun, if uneventful. I enjoy the downhill, but as Joel put it later, I prefer the more sweeping, flowy cross-country riding than the crazy DH riding. All in all though, it was an enjoyable day. I had a feeling of accomplishment from the sections I was able to ride and jump, and escaped major injury. So I count today a success.

I also stopped at the spot where I endoed on my last trip here on New Year's Eve. Here are some pictures of the spot as it looks today:




We also had an enjoyable time of fellowship after the ride at Manana's #1 Mexican Restaurant nearby, which was delicious. I may have to check out Manana's #2 someday, wherever it is...

Here are the stats:

Total Distance: 6.89 miles
Total Time: 2:11:07
Ascent: 711 feet
Average Speed: 3.2 mph
Top Speed: 28.9 mph (pavement)
Bike: Specialized FSR XC Pro
Map:

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RR: Los Penasquitos Canyon/Del Mar Mesa

Today I rode LPQ/DMM with the Skyline MTB group. The attendees consisted of Billy, his wife Helenka, and Joel and Nichole.

It was a stunning day, and we set out from the main trailhead at Canyonside Park. From there it was up the powerline road and into the Tunnels. This was my third trip through the Tunnels, and they remain one of my favorite rides in San Diego. I did have one small episode where I hit a root and was a little heavy on the front brake, causing me to go OTB. But I landed in soft grass, and only dinged my knee a little on the bars on the way over.





Also, I was extremely encouraged that my recent stationary bike riding has started to pay off, since I handled the powerline climb with no real trouble, and was able to climb out of the Tunnels without wanting to throw up. It was an awesome feeling, and exactly what I was hoping for when I committed to riding the stationary bike every night.



From the tunnels we rode on to the paved road to Hooterville, snapped a few pics, and shot over the the Mesa. We had a social ride along the top of the Mesa on the fire roads, and decided to backtrack to Cobbles and ride that section back down to the canyon floor. Someone had installed some fun waterbar/jumps down Cobbles, which made it even more fun than usual.



We also rode the short section at the end of Cobbles that I love, which has some short, quick up and downs that feel like a roller coaster. Awesome.

From there we decided to take a few minutes to ride over to the waterfall and see if the recent rains had caused the water level to rise. The water level turned out to be pretty much the same as always, but we had a nice leisurely visit and even met another rider who regularly attends Maranatha Chapel. Joel and Nichole had a nice photo op:



After that we left the waterfall and made the short ride back to the car. It was a great day, and I really wasn't even tired afterwards. Part of the reason for that was that it was somewhat of a social ride, but I would normally have suffered on the powerline and Tunnels exit climbs, which weren't a problem this time. That was the best part of today; riding enjoyment without the unnecessary pain.

It was also a great group to ride with. Joel and Nichole are good friends, and I always enjoy the time I spend with them, whatever we're doing. Billy is an impressive rider and excellent ride leader and coach. And I have such respect and appreciation for Helenka, who knows how much her husband loves to ride and is willing to join him in his passion, even if its not necessairly hers...

Here are the stats:

Total Distance: 14.41 miles
Total Time: 2:55:35
Ascent: 1230 feet
Average Speed: 4.9 mph
Top Speed: 17.7 mph
Bike: Specialized FSR XC Pro
Map:

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RR: Santa Luz Loop

This morning I got up early and rode the Santa Luz Loop. Its practically in my backyard, and I didn't have a lot of free time, so it was the obvious choice. It was also on my 2008 ride list, and I wanted to cross at least one trail off before any more time passed.

I had partially ridden this loop twice before from different directions, but never done it the way the maps recommend. The first time I did it was with Sean in November 2007, where we started from Black Mountain Park and went clockwise. On that ride we missed the continuation of a trail about halfway through, and did a bunch of paved riding in the middle. It wasn't that great. The second time I rode it, I went by myself and left from home. That time I rode the loop counterclockwise, also rode some paved sections in the middle, and added in a quick trip down Black Mountain. The RR for that time is here.

For today's ride, I made the 3 minute drive up to Black Mountain park to start there. I had done some research, and found out where the connector trail is in the middle that I had missed both of my previous times. The day was cool but dry, with high clouds and small patches of sunshine. I was anxious to see if my recent stationary bike training had made any difference, since I had done an hour on the SB each night for the week preceding this ride.

The best part of this ride is the downhill singletrack at the very beginning. It's short but fun, with a couple of sweeping sections. The problem with this ride is that the fun part is in the beginning. The rest is either fairly brutal (for me) or kind of blah.

I finished the singletrack quickly, and made it through the Santa Luz development in no time. From there I made the short ride through the residential area, and hooked up with the trail as it merged with a dirt utility road. That section has two steep climbs, the second of which really slaughtered me. So much for my week of "training."

After about 10 minutes of HAB, I made it past the utility road and over to the next fun section of this ride, the western portion of the Santa Fe Valley. I had discovered this section on my last ride through here, and it is fairly scenic. I'd like to someday continue to explore it to the west, where there is a pretty massive canyon that you can see from the trailhead at San Dieguito road. The west Santa Fe Valley section has some up and down spots, and is mostly doubletrack. Nothing to write home about, but more scenic and entertaining than the utility road.

From there I hooked up with the section of the trail that I ride as part of my neighborhood ride. For the first time I had ever seen, it was a muddy boggy mess, which sucked. My tires were completely covered with thick mud, which had to have added a couple lbs of rolling weight. I made it through that short section and steeled myself for the climb back to Black Mountain Park. I took a different route up the hill than Sean and I took in November. My new route was more direct, and not quite as steep, but still brutal, especially at the end of the ride. Still, I made it in under two hours, and had a small feeling of accomplishment.

Also of note on this ride is that it was the first time I used headphones to listen to music while riding. I enjoyed it, though it didn't really help motivate me or make the time go faster, which surprised me. I wouldn't listen to music on a group ride, but would probably bring the mp3 player on my next solo ride, just to break up some of the monotony of the less scenic and technical trails like this one.

I'm not sure that my week of nightime stationary bike riding had much effect on today's ride. The hills still annihilated me, and I didn't feel like I was in better shape. But I intend to keep training, and hopefully I'll see some identifiable results in my next few MTB rides.

Now for the stats:

Total Distance: 10.19 miles
Total Time: 1:51:36
Ascent: 1432 feet
Average Speed: 5.5 mph
Top Speed: 26.1 mph
Bike: Specialized FSR XC Pro
Map:

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