Best of Both Worlds or Complete Hype? My 650b Experience So Far...

Back in September of last year I bought my first new bike since the I built up the Spider in 2008. Our second child was due a couple months later, and with him would come a lifestyle switch to a single-income family with two kids.  So I knew this was probably my last chance to make a major bike-related purchase and pulled the trigger on an Ibis Mojo SL from Competitive Cyclist.

The Special Blend build was within my already diminishing budget, and I planned to swap out some of the shadier components (brakes, wheelset, seatpost, saddle) with high end parts from my Spider.  At the end of the day, I was thrilled with my choice.  Here it is before it ever touched dirt:

And here it is on its first trail ride on my local loop at Black Mountain:

It was love at first ride.  It climbed just as well as the 4" travel Spider, but the extra 1.5" of travel made the rocky downhills of Black Mountain a ton more fun.

In addition to the price and the timing, another motivating factor for buying this particular bike was that I had read online that I could retrofit it at some point to accommodate 650b wheels.  That versatility intrigued me, but for eight months I simply enjoyed riding it with the 26" hoops and had no complaints.

Then early this year 650b-mania began sweeping the nation.  Virtually every major bike manufacturer announced plans to release a 650b bike, and the internet hype began to really build.  Since I already had an interest in the issue, I was far from immune to the growing demand for this purported "best of both worlds" wheel size.

My curiosity was tempered significantly by my extremely tight budget, but that didn't stop me from dreaming (or scheming).  Then in late May a Craigslist alert I had set notified me of a guy selling a brand new 650b wheelset not far from my house.  It was an OEM wheelset from Focus bikes, and included brad new Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires and a 10 speed cassette that just happened to match the drivetrain I was currently running.  The price was very reasonable and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to see what all the excitement was about.

After doing a ton of internet research I confirmed that with the right size tires and a small shim to the rear shock, running the bigger wheels wouldn't be a problem.  I enlisted the help of my buddy Billy ( great guy and wrench extraordinaire) with the shock shim.  He installed a small rubber plumbing washer in the X-Fusion shock, reducing travel about 5 mm to ensure that the larger rear wheel wouldn't rub against the seatstay when the shock was fully compressed.

He also asked permission to spray a thin coating of plastic-like protectant over the back of the lower rear triangle and bottom of the frame to protect the carbon from damage if any rubbing should occur.  I signed off, and I think it was a good idea in the long run.  The protectant itself is underneath and virtually invisible, but provides a great additional layer of protection against scratches and rubbing on the carbon.

Front tire clearance with the X-Fusion Velvet fork was a non-issue.  There was plenty of room.  Rear tire clearance was another story, with only 2-3mm of clearance between the 2.25 Racing Ralph tire and the rear triangle.

As tight as it was, I decided to give it a shot and set about getting some rides in.  My first ride with the new wheelset came after a six-week period of time where I had been completely off the bike because of a spate of family illnesses.  So I wasn't expecting much in terms of improvement in my actual riding times, but was very curious to see if I noticed a significant difference in feel as I rode my local Black Mountain loop.

Here it is before that first ride.  Not noticeably different visually save the larger wheels...

Whether it was psycho-somatic, the result of giving my body some rest, or actually new hoops, my first ride with the 650b's was a PR fiesta. Climbs, descents, flats I set personal bests on virtually all of the important segments of the trails that I had been riding regularly for years.  And I had a blast.

There were a couple of times where I did notice a tangible difference with the larger wheels, both positively and (perceived) negatively.  On the rocky technical climbs and flats of the Knoll loop in Santa Luz it felt like the 650b wheels rolled significantly better through the chunk.  Same thing on the rocky descents of Miner's Loop at Black Mountain.

At the same time, I felt a bit of a penalty as I grinded up the fire road toward the summit of Black Mountain on that first ride, since the gearing of the bike hadn't been changed to accommodate the larger wheels.  With that being said, I posted my third best time on that climb during that first ride, despite having been off the bike for six weeks and having diminished fitness.  (Also, I subsequently set a PR on that climb with the bigger wheels less than a week later, so despite having to work harder I think the 650b's actually helped overall rather than hurt.  I just needed my fitness to fill the gap created by the more difficult gearing caused by the bigger wheels.)

Over the next few weeks I began to really enjoy riding with the 650b's.  Rear tire clearance was never a problem, and I really enjoyed the improved roll-ability in technical situations.  At the same time I couldn't really discern any negatives to the larger hoops.  I'm not a huge jumper, so the oft-mentioned "flickability" concern was a non factor for me.  I still enjoyed getting air off the little drops on Miner's Ridge at Black Mountain and actually felt more confident in my handling overall.  Cornering and accelerating felt the same or better than with 26" tires, in fact I actually felt the 650b's gripped somewhat better than my old wheels.  (That could partly be due to the tires as well, as the Schwalbe Racing Ralphs were a huge improvement over the Kenda Nevegals I was running on the 26" wheels.)

As I examine my Strava times over the last two months of riding with the bigger wheels, they've consistently been better than those with the 26" ones. So the proof is somewhat in the results.  I'm a fan, and don't see myself going back to the smaller wheels anytime soon.

My only real problem with the new wheelset had nothing to do with its size.  The 650b rims I purchased were not tubeless, and I had been accustomed to running tubeless tires for the last five years.  Over those five years I had gotten exactly zero flats.  All hail Stans sealant I guess.  I also ran those tubeless tires at about 22-25 psi most of the time, which I believe gave me a better feel for the trail beneath me and improved traction.

On my first 7 rides with the tube-utilizing 650b wheelset I got five flats.  Two were from goat heads or artichoke spines over near Black Mountain and three were pinch flats from running them at too low a pressure.  It was brutal. So I started running them at 38-40 psi because I was so afraid of more flats and my budget for tubes was shot.  But that made them feel squirrely and resulted in poorer traction which I didn't appreciate.

So about a week or so ago I finally converted the 650b rims to ghetto tubeless with the help and counsel of a new friend, Geoffrey.  Amusingly, I converted the front tire first and then ran out of time and Stans, so I waited a couple days to do the rear.  Before getting around to converting the rear tire I went for a ride, and surprise surprise, pinch flatted. After a dumpster fire of three destroyed tubes, I actually ended up walking about two miles home pushing the stupid bike the whole way.  I converted the rear tire to tubeless the next day.

That little episode also illuminated another potential shortcoming of the 650b wheels, at least in my specific situation.  I don't know whether it was the hard bump that caused the pinch flat or walking the flat tire home over two miles over asphalt and concrete, but when I fixed the tire and put it back on the bike I realized that the wheel was slightly out of true.  Under normal circumstances it wouldn't have been anything to worry about, but since I have such a small amount of rear tire clearance on my converted Mojo, that little bit of wheel wobble was enough to cause the tire to rub slightly against the rear triangle on every rotation.

I had the wheel trued by Chris over at Black Mountain Bicycles, who did it quickly and well, so now there's no more wobble and no more frame contact.  But if that had occurred in the middle of a long ride and the damage had made the wheel even more out of true, I can envision a situation where I could be in a little trouble.  As I mentioned above I have that spray-on protectant on the area of the bike where the contact occurred, so no damage was done to the carbon frame itself.  But it gave me something to think about in any event.

So that's the saga of my 650b conversion.  The bottom line is that I'm a fan and plan to continue running the bigger wheels indefinitely.  The only drawbacks in my case are derived from the fact that I'm riding a converted Mojo SL rather than a bike specifically designed around the 650b wheels, but so far I think I've mitigated those issues as well as I can and am enjoying the advantages enough to keep using them.

Feel free to post any questions or thoughts in the comments.

Giving it another go...

There was a time when this blog was updated regularly. A small but loyal readership seemed to like it. My motivation for starting it in the first place was that as a beginner mountainbiker I benefited greatly from internet resources like www.mountainbikebill.com and helpful posters on local message boards, and wanted to provide some additional info and commentary to others like myself.

Then, on New Years Eve 2010, this happened:

 

Our first son Caleb has been an amazing blessing to our family, and two and a half years later he brings me incredible joy each day. And as it should be, after Caleb was born my priorities shifted and my riding time (and overall free time in general) took a major hit as we adjusted to parenthood.

Over time I began riding a little more consistently, and several times in the last two years considered resurrecting the blog to chronicle my riding and provide some insight on how I've sought to balance parenting and staying active on the bike. Then a little over six months ago, this happened:

 

And then we were a family of four. But this time, I knew better what to expect. I set a goal to ride at least three times a week in 2013 in an effort to create some structure and maintain fitness even with the demands of a growing family. And with the support of my wife I met that goal for the first four months of the year or so. 

At that point I was seeing gains in my endurance and having fun on the bike again. Then in May the entire family got sick and spent the better part of two months fighting various illnesses. My riding frequency suffered as just getting through a day required all the endurance and energy I had. But since June we've been healthy and now that Drew is sleeping a little better and a routine has emerged, I'm back on the bike more regularly again.

So that's the short version of why I've been away from the blog for so long. For those that still check here occasionally, thanks and keep checking back, I promise some new and interesting content is on the way.

I have several posts that I'm working on at the moment, including how Strava has changed my riding (for better and worse) and unexpectedly led me to some new friendships.  I'll also be posting a chronicle of the conversion of my Ibis Mojo SL to a 650b wheelset, as well as some gear reviews.  Finally, I'll be talking about an exciting new cycling-specific endeavor that I'm taking on that I want to share.

So add me back to your bookmarks and keep checking in, and I hope you enjoy reading this blog again as much as I enjoy writing it.

-James

I've Joined Team World Vision

Over the next few months, I am running and riding with Team World Vision to help change lives in Africa and Haiti. I have entered a series of trail running and cycling events that will act as a platform for me to raise money for this important cause.

World Vision works with communities in desperate need to help provide things like clean water, nutritious food, education, medical care, and economic opportunity.

As I participate in athletic events over the next few months, I will be asking friends, family, and members of the community to join with me in supporting this important cause. Whether you can donate $1 or $1,000, your support will both bless the people of Africa and Haiti and encourage me to "run with perseverance the races marked out for me." (Hebrews 12:1.)

Here is a list of the events in which I will be participating as a member of Team World Vision:

Trail Running Events:

Chollas Lake 5K Trail Run

Black Mountain Summit 7K Trail Run

Mission Driven Eco Run 10k Trail Run

XTERRA Mission Gorge 5k Trail Run

XTERRA Black Mountain 5k Trail Run

Cycling Events:

Bike the Bay 2010

Tour de Poway

Warrior's Society Toad Festival

Will you make a tax-deductible donation to support my efforts? Together we can help change lives. To visit my personal fundraising page and make a secure online donation, click here.

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.

To learn more about World Vision, visit http://www.worldvision.org.
To learn more about Team World Vision, visit http://www.teamworldvision.org

2010 Goal List

Part of the way I talked myself into resurrecting the blog for 2010 was deciding to put my poor blogging performance in 2009 behind me. I have 15-20 draft posts sitting in my inbox for 2009 that would take me forever to finalize and update, and the prospect of doing that was so overwhelming that I almost deleted the whole website.

Instead, I decided to make a clean break and start fresh in 2010. And in my second post of 2010, I'm already going back. At least a little bit. See, before I can articulate my 2010 goal list, I have to at least briefly summarize how I did on my 2009 Goal List, which I wrote and posted before bailing out on the rest of 2009.

So here is the 2009 quick summary: I had eleven goals for 2009, and made five of them. I did ride the Tour de Noble, I rode in Idyllwild, I rode Cowles and Pyles Peak, I joined (but didn't participate in) a MTB Patrol, I did an out of state ride, and I controlled my spending (somewhat). If I give myself a half point for the Patrol and half a point for controlling spending, that makes 5 goals achieved.

I did not: Ride the Spring to Sycamore Canyon ride, Ride SART, do the Archipelago backwards, do an organized MTB event or race, and ride Otay Mountain.

So I have something to shoot for in 2010.

Now, enough of the past, I'm all about looking forward in 2010, so here's my 2010 goal list:

1. Keep the blog updated. Its fun for me to look back and read old ride reports from 2008, so one major goal this year is to stay on top of the blogging.

2. Ride new dirt. I'm blessed to live in San Diego, where we have great year around riding weather and a fair number of trails to choose from. But truthfully, I've gotten a little bored with the local San Diego MTB scene. At the end of 2009 I spent several weekends in the Laguna Mountains riding some new trails, and enjoyed that. In 2010, I want to find and ride some new stuff. I don't care whether its local trails I've never ridden or stuff a little farther away, but I'm craving some diversity. I'm not putting a specific number on the amount of "new dirt" rides I want to do, but I'm planning to make it a priority.

3. Finish off parts of the 2009 goal list. I'd like to ride SART, do an organized MTB ride and do my Archipelago ride backwards. I don't care as much about Spring to Sycamore, or Otay Mountain, though if they happen, great.

4. Do more night rides. I almost always enjoy the rare times I do night rides, and want to do them more in 2010.

5. Do a roadie century. I'm new to the road bike, but this seems like a worthwhile goal for 2010. I'll have to build to it, and I don't care whether the 100 miles are part of a sponsored event or around my neighborhood by myself, I just want to do a full century ride at some point this year.

6. Do an organized road ride event. Much like the MTB version, I'd like to do a roadie event this year. Maybe the Gran Fondo Colagno, maybe the Bike the Bay ride, maybe something else. The distance isn't important, just riding in the event is the goal.

7. Do not buy a bike. I have a great mountain bike. I have a great road bike. I purchased bikes in 2007, 2008 (multiple), and 2009. Enough. No new bikes.

8. Find a way to incorporate ministry and riding. I enjoy riding bikes. I am passionate about my faith. Yet for the most part these days, the two rarely intersect. Skyline Cycling was a huge part of my early mountainbiking life, but the fact that I don't attend there anymore and the club folded means that I'm not presently involved in any biking ministry. I want to change that, or at a minimum, be much more purposeful about involving my spiritual life in my riding life.

9. Ride more consistently. In 2008 and 2009, I had periods of time where I would go weeks between rides. While I want to ensure that I maintain proper priorities in 2010, its also important to me to avoid those kind of multi-week layoffs that really hurt my endurance and fitness. Whether its mixing in more road rides, doing more night rides, or getting up early and riding when I know I have a busy day coming, I want to be more consistent and not allow my fitness to slip this year.

10. Get better at working on my bikes. I've been riding on a bald rear tire for three months because I don't know how to change my tubeless tires. I broke a chain on a recent ride and needed Billy to repair it so that I could keep riding. I have been plagued by minor ghost shifting issues since Moab in May. My rear hydraulic brake has been performing poorly, but I don't know how to fix it or bleed the lines. That all has to change in 2010. Especially now that I have a road bike as well, I need to learn how to repair and maintain my stuff.

So there you go. Its nice to have some goals to shoot for this year, and I'm optimistic about achieving all of them if I stay committed and purposeful. We'll see how it goes.

The Blog is Back for 2010

After blogging virtually every ride in 2008, I pretty much abandoned the blog in 2009. There were some sporadic updates, but they were admittedly frail. I know longtime readers were crushed. (Please note the sarcasm.) 2009 was actually a great year as far as riding goes, with trips to Phoenix and Utah/Colorado, and plenty of new dirt and fun rides. But I didn't make blogging a priority.

In any event, I'm resurrecting the blog for 2010, and it will have many of the same old features as years past (a goal list, regular ride reports, quarterly summaries of miles and high points, and a year in review thread at the end of the year, etc.)

I'll also be adding some new wrinkles. First, the ride reports will link to the new Garmin Connect site instead of Motionbased. Second, I purchased a road bike on Christmas Day 2009, so I'll be posting up road ride reports and my thoughts on road biking in general every once and a while. Other changes to both form and content are on the way as well.

So stay tuned for the 2010 Goal List Post and thanks for checking back in after last year's hiatus. I'm looking forward to a great year.

2009 Goal List

Last year's Goal List and Ride List provided me with a fun way to measure my mountain biking progress. My list of trails to ride and achievements to accomplish that year made for a neat checklist of MTB milestones, so I thought I'd do it again this year.

However, because I occasionally stressed out in 2008 about riding a particular trail or meeting a particular goal, and riding is supposed to be about recreation and fun for me, I'm toning down the list this year.

First of all, I'm combining the goal and ride list into one master list. Second, it will be shorter and simpler this year. If I do more fun and memorable stuff, great. If not, that's fine too. Its all about priorities for me this year, and I want to keep that in perspective.

So here's the list, in no particular order:

1. Ride the full Tour de Noble: For me, this means climbing from the bottom of the Noble trailhead, up the road to Indian Creek, then over Champagne Pass, down Noble, up and down Extra Credit and back to the car. I almost did this ride at the end of 2008, but it fell through. Its taxing, with a series of difficult climbs at the beginning that makes the downhill portions a survivialfest, but I want to check this one off the list. Conditioning will be a factor.

2. Ride the Spring Canyon to Sycamore Canyon Ride: I've heard this one is brutal, but a lot of fun. As I understand it, I'd ride Spring Canyon to near the end, then a cutover to Sycamore, up to Martha's and back. I've ridden everything but the cutover in separate rides already, so I just need to combine Spring and Sycamore on a day when I'm feeling strong.

3. Ride the Santa Ana River Trail (SART): Its one of the most talked-about trails in SoCal that I've never ridden, and I really want to ride SART this year. I've heard its tough, and because of its location in the San Bernardino mountains can only be ridden at certain times of year, but I want to make it out there in 2009 at least once.

4. Ride in Idyllwild: I'd like to ride the trails up in Idyllwild at some point this year. I'm shooting for Alvin Meadows, Hurkey Creek, or a combination of the two. They're only a couple hours away, and a ton of fun from what I've heard.

5. Ride Cowles Mountain and Pyles Peak: This is one of the few San Diego rides I haven't done yet, and I want to see what this trail is like. I've hiked Cowles from the south, but never ridden it on the bike-legal trails. For some reason this one didn't make my 2008 list, and I plan to remedy that this year.

6. Ride My Archipelago Route Backwards: I rode it clockwise in 2008, and in 2009 I want to ride the same route in the opposite direction. With the Tunnels being shut down, I'll have to make some minor changes to the LPQ section of the route, and the finish at Black Mountain will involve a climb to the peak that is much harder than the finish to the clockwise route was, but I think I can do it.

7. Do an Organized MTB Event or Race: I sort of did this one in 2008 with the Cycle Eastlake event and Cuyamaca Poker Ride, but I want to do another organized event or maybe even a race this year. Maybe it will be the Warrior's Society Toad Festival, or a Racers and Chasers event, or a 12 Hour race, or some other endurance event or race. I'm leaving this goal a little vague, because I'm not sure I have the time or dedication to train for a serious race or competitive event, but want to do something along those lines by the end of the year.

8. Join and Participate in a Mountain Bike Patrol: I've been interested in joining a Mountain Bike Patrol for a while now. IMBA has a NMBP that is akin to the Ski Patrol, but there is no San Diego chapter right now. As far as I know, none of the local city or county parks have patrols either. But I'm interested in volunteering and assisting on the trails, and hope to make that happen in 2009.

9. Ride Otay Mountain: I don't know what route exactly, but I've heard about some fun South Bay rides that include Otay mountain, and want to get out there at some point this year.

10. Do an Out-of-State Ride: Last year the goal was to do a ride outside of SoCal. I made that one, so this year I'm branching out a little. I want to do some out of state ride, whether its something relatively close like Arizona (Sedona or Phoenix) or Nevada (Bootleg or Red Rocks) or something more ambitious like Utah or Colorado. Considering financial limitations and time constraints, this one may be tough.

11. Control my MTB-Related Spending: I spent a ton of money on MTB-related items in 2008. Between multiple bikes, clothes, accessories, and nutrition, the amount of retail expenses I incurred to support my hobby was outrageous. In 2009, I'm making it a specific and important goal to reduce my MTB spending. I'm not buying another bike. I won't need shoes thanks to my Christmas present from my wonderful wife. I will resist the upgradeitis that afflicted me in 2008. I'll limit the amount of clothes and accessories I purchase to necessities, and will resist the siren call of Chainlove.

So there you have it, my 2009 Goal List. Hopefully I have as much success meeting these goals as I did in 2008 with that list.

Year in Review

2008 started out a little ragged, beginning in January with a week of not riding followed by my five mile local ride that almost required a sag wagon.

Things got worse before they got better, and my inaugural trip to Daley Ranch ended with an early bailout and a renewed commitment to improve my fitness ASAP.

So I set some general goals and made a list of trails I wanted to ride in 2008, and dedicated myself to becoming a better rider.

In February I rode the Santa Luz loop for the first time and also took my first trip to the LPQ Tunnels with the Skyline MTB crew.



I also headed back to ATT in February, and once again experienced some mechanical issues. But I did spend some time playing around on the rocks this time, and started to gain a little confidence...

I also made my first trip up to Noble Canyon when Joel and I shuttled it in the snow. I had an awesome time, and was glad to finally experience the trail that so many people talked about.




We bought Rachel a hybrid mountain bike in February as well, and I took her for a spin around our local 4S trail system. She seemed to like it OK.

In March I did my first ride with the Rock MTB group over in the Tri-Canyons area. It was a decent ride, but involved some interesting terrain including freeway overpasses, aqueducts, and even some singletrack!


I also sold my first real mountain bike, an Iron Horse Warrior 3.5, in March. I had served me fairly well as I began my MTB hobby, but I was on to bigger and better things.

I also made it over to North Hodges later that month, and played around while enjoying some impressive views.


I followed that ride with a trip over to the South side of Hodges, most of which had been closed for several months following the 2007 October wild fires.




My Lake Hodges bonanza continued a week later when I crossed off one of my 2008 Goal List items and climbed Bernardo Peak. It involved more hiking than riding, but I still enjoyed myself.

I also rode Sycamore with Joel one weekend...

And returned the next weekend to complete some unfinished business...

Rachel and I also took some time out to do the Silent Ride with the Rock MTB group which was an moving experience and later that day I spent some time on the trails with my first ride over at Lake Calavera. My fitness was not up to par on that day, and I left wishing I had been able to hang with the group better. I did handle a few techy downhill sections OK though.

March also brought about the end of my regular local ride (as well as a painful lesson in the effects of the needles of the wild artichoke.)

I capped off the month by doing some trail work over at Black Mountain (on a trail that ironically would become part of my new local ride route a few months later!).



April started out with an easy spin around Hodges with Joel, followed by my first trip down Canyon Rim trail at Black Mountain, the trail that would become the training ground for my improving technical downhill skills.

After that I spent an awesome day riding all of the singletrack at the Del Mar Mesa the day before it closed. It was an incredibly fun series of trails, and I am both thrilled to have ridden before it was bulldozed and saddened at the fact that its gone forever now.

I bought a new bike in April, a Specialized Enduro Elite, but it didn't last very long. It just wasn't a fit for me.

The next couple of weeks brought a quickie LPQ run with Sean, followed by the Skyline MTB weekend in the Lagunas and a fun Noble ride where I had a chance to improve my downhill skills.

April ended with an aborted local ride that taught me some chain maintenance lessons, but overall things were going pretty well at that point.

May involved a couple of consecutive trips to Black Mountain for my new local ride, followed by a new route over at Hodges involving both the North and South sides with Sean and Dave G.

One highlight of May was my first organized event ride, Cycle Eastlake. I enjoyed it very much, and would love to do more events like it. Less pavement would have been better, and doing it with friends would also have been fun, but I had a great time nonetheless.


Later that same day I did a local ride just to get in some bonus miles, which set a new single-day mileage record for me.

The last week of May brought a ride that may be the highlight of the year for me: the Tour de Hodges. On a whim I ended up riding almost all of the trails that were open on both North and South Hodges, including Bernardo Peak. It was a 27 mile slogfest for me, and one that I'll remember as a great accomplishment.


After the Tour de Hodges, my next ride was also one that I'll remember as I spent a considerable amount of time wandering around the Tunnels at LPQ. I was able to discover two new Tunnels that I'd never ridden, and also enjoyed dropping in from the Camino del Sur trailhead for the first time.


May concluded with a trip through Santa Luz with Sean, where we saw several interesting sights, including bridges...

Strange gook on the trails...

And what wild artichoke looks like in full bloom...

June started with the now ubiquitous Black Mountain local ride, followed by my first trip to Sweetwater Reservoir. I almost didn't make it to this ride, which was hosted by the group from World Cycles, but am glad I did. Sweetwater turned out to be one of my favorite local trails of the whole year.

After Sweetwater, Sean and I tackled the main trails at Black Mountain for the first time. My local ride had included the Canyon Rim trail and some of the smaller trails that descended the north side of the mountain, but Sean and I set out to explore the whole thing, and we succeeded. Despite being a relatively short ride mileage-wise, it was a ton of climbing and we had a great time riding trails in our backyard that we had never ridden.

A week after riding Black Mountain, I went for a ride with Billy at the Cuyamaca Grand Loop. I remember this as one of my strongest rides of the year in terms of conditioning and fitness, and while the trail itself was a little underwhelming and Billy had some severe mechanical issues, it was a fun day up in the mountains. The views and scenery were impressive.

We saw wild turkeys...

A little singletrack...

And some beautiful forest...

The next week I did my first STR group ride at the Santa Margarita River Trail. I met Doug in person for the first time and also met and rode with local MTB legend MTB Bill as well. The ride itself was fun, and it was neat to get to see a new trail that I'd never ridden.

The next week brought another highlight of the entire year; Santa Rosa Plateau with the Wonderminion. The trail was fun and interesting, the scenery was new and unique, and I had a great time showing our intern Kent the joys of mountainbiking. And I finally got some pictures of myself on the trail, which was nice.

June wrapped up with my first-ever night ride, the SDMBA Cuyamaca Night Ride at the Cuyamaca Grand Loop. This was an interesting ride for me, because it started out with me having a complete bonk despite having ridden very well there earlier in June. I managed to finish the ride relatively strong, but struggled so much at the beginning that the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. I did enjoy the night riding aspect, and did several more later in the year.

July brought sweet redemption by way of a return trip to Daley Ranch that went pretty well. While I still had a couple of HAB's, I rode the vast majority of it and did far better than my debacle out there six months earlier.

After that came a fun LPQ ride with Doug, Evan, and Scott where I was able to ride the mysterious tunnel 5 for the first time.

After that ride came more secret trails with my first trip out to Ted Williams. I rode with Sean and Doug, and it turned into a climbing exploration the likes of which only Sean could create. It was fun though, and I was glad to finally be shown this hidden jewel of north county.

Mid-July brought the first of two Archipelago Pre-rides that I did that month, beginning with my initial ride from home to South Hodges to North Hodges to SDRP where I got lost between SDRP and Santa Luz. It was a key first step in what would become a successful epic ride, and some of my pictures from that day are among my favorites.

Five days after my first failed attempt at linking up trails for my Archipelago ride, I was back out there for Pre-Ride 1(b), where I started out at Hodges with Mark and Doug and ultimately found my connector. It was a fun but taxing ride, and I rolled home in the dark around 9:00 at night.

August began with me successfully linking the second section of trails for the Archipelago Ride, starting from home and linking Santa Luz to LPQ and back to Santa Luz. It was a very taxing ride for me, and I ended it wondering if the full ride was even possible.

August also brought some bike shenanigans, with the sale of my first full-suspension rig (Specialized FSR) and purchase of my new frame, an Intense Spider XVP. I'll get into the Spider more later, but as for the FSR, it was an awesome bike and I was a little sorry to see it go. Things turned out OK though.

Despite the revolving door of bikes, August was a brutal time for riding, as work was a nightmare and family was in from out of town. As a result, I went three weeks between rides before I finally worked in a local ride just to taste dirt again.

September started off with a bang, howerver, as I embarked on my first ever out-of-town MTB trip. I joined Sean, Doug, and Brent for a trip up to the Southern Sierras, specifically Kernville and the Sequoias. It was an awesome four days of riding, and the collection of ride reports is available here. My biggest regret was that my fitness wasn't up to par, and the next time I plan a MTB trip, I plan on putting in some serious training miles before hand in order to ensure I'm able to handle several consecutive days of riding. There were a ton of beautiful photos from the trip, but here just a couple of my favorites:

When I got home from Kernville/Quaking Aspens, I still had several days of vacation left, and decided to hit a local trail I had been meaning to ride for a while, Elfin Forest. Despite several consecutive days of riding, my fitness was still a little suspect, and I suffered during most of the Elfin ride. The views were impressive though...


A week later I headed out to MTRP to ride Spring and Oak canyons with Sean, Doug, Evan, and Jeremy.

After that was a fun LPQ spin in the lower canyon trails with Rachel, which was a nice change of pace.

My last September ride was an LPQ night ride with Sean, Dennis and Dave G., who had never been through the tunnels before. Despite some mishaps with my light and mechanical issues, it was a fun ride and made me want to ride at night more often.

October brought the completion of the Spider build, and a new bike was born.

The maiden voyage was an easy ride back at Spring Canyon with Rachel, Billy, and Nate. I was really impressed at Rachel's riding, and started to hope that she'd get on the trails with me more often. The Spider felt great, though the easy trail and relaxed pace wasn't much of a test.


After that, it was time for the Cuyamaca Poker Ride. I rode well, and really appreciated the lighter weight and XC geometry of the Spider. I'll definitely be back next year.

Next up was a night ride with Dave G. at Black Mountain. I was glad to be night riding again and getting some use out of my TriNewt, but miscalculated badly on this ride. I tried the light on my helmet, and it was horrible. I had no depth perception, the beam wasn't bright enough, and it made for a rough ride.

Then cameArchipelago Pre-ride Part III, the final leg of my Archipelago pre-ride series. I had been vacillating about which direction to do the route , and had decided to ride this ride clockwise because I was leaning toward doing the Archipelago route that direction as well. I'm glad I did. I found the gliderport trail down the west face of Black Mountain, and the final piece of my Archipelago ride was in place.

A week later, with my Spider performing well and finances an issue, I elected to sell off my Specialized Enduro that I had ridden since April. This bike and I never really formed a bond, and I wasn't entirely sad to see it go. I was able to get a good price for it, and the "rental fee" for riding it for seven months wasn't too bad.

The final ride of October was a great one, with a trip up to the Lagunas to ride BLT with the Skyline crew. We did some bonus miles in addition to the regular loop, and had a blast. It was actually my first trip up to BLT this year, and I hope to get back up there soon.


November started with a bang. After more than three and a half months of planning, scouting, pre-riding, and (some) conditioning, the morning of the 6th was the day of my full Archipelago Ride. The route was well planned and executed. The company (Doug) was awesome and enhanced the experience. I had some severe cramping issues in my legs, which served as a lesson for next time, but overall it was a day I'll remember for a long time. It was over 42 miles, eight hours of riding, and an epic day. There were a lot of neat pics, but this one was one of my favorites:

The rest of the month was a little anticlimactic, with a trip to Sycamore to clean Martha's and finally ride the switchbacks next on my agenda.


It felt great to clean all of Martha's, but the switchbacks nearly killed me endurance-wise. I blame it on having ridden 42 miles a week earlier...

After a couple week riding drought, I headed over to La Costa (Denk Mountain) to check off another lingering 2008 Ride List trail. It was a decent ride, but the fairly severe nature of the trail (steep climb, then steep descent, then repeat) wasn't really my style. It was fun, but not a place I'd make a habit out of riding on a regular basis. Also, for being geographically close to home, it took forever to get there...

Next came a kind of strange ride out at "lower" Noble Canyon with Billy. We did some exploration on some singletrack near the bottom of the trailhead, and climbed some of the road up to a cutover trail and rode Extra Credit back to the cars. The exploration aspect of the ride was fun, and we did discover some neat singletrack that's off the beaten path. However, I was stung by a bee, and it was a long drive for a fairly short ride, so it wasn't a complete success.


The last ride of November was one of my best performances on a local ride all year. Whether it was the new bike, some better conditioning, or just a unmerited blessing, I cleaned several sections that I usually walk and had a great ride.

December also started strong, with another 2008 Goal List item getting checked off my list. While Rachel back east visiting relatives, I joined Nate for a ride up at San Juan Trail. We rode all the way to Blue Jay and back, and while there were some rough spots for me and the climbing was difficult, it was a great ride.

The next day brought a quick, "training style ride" over at North Hodges. I actually didn't feel like riding, but with an unlimited hall pass and the year winding down, I wanted to ride as much as possible. I negative split the trip to Hernandez Hideaway and back, and felt great at the end.

After a busy couple of weeks, my next ride was back at Black Mountain, and it was a circus. I climbed a trail over on the north section, which was a mistake, and then right at the summit lost a screw in my cleat, resulting in a lengthy trailside hassle and a ride home with no cleat on my left foot. However, what should have been a horrible ride was outweighed by the beauty of the day and the local mountains, which were breathtaking.

Next came a fun solo ride out at Sweetwater, that would have been better if not for some equestrian trail damage that wrecked some of the lower singeltrack. Also, there was just enough mud left on the fire roads to totally gunk up the Spider, resulting in a need for a deep clean the next day.

The last ride of 2008 was a pretty good one. I rode a "secret trail" out in Steele Canyon that was a lot of fun with the Skyline and Rock MTB groups. It was a lot of climbing, and involved some road miles at the end, but the backcountry feel and exploration aspects made it more enjoyable than it otherwise would have been.

It was a great year. I rode a lot, improved some, and delved deeper into a hobby that is truly a large part of my life now.

I legitimately completed each item on my 2008 Goal List, and did each ride but one on my 2008 Ride List. Lake Morena was the only trail I missed, and while I'm disappointed that I didn't hit them all this year, only missing one (reasonably close) trail isn't too bad.

I feel pretty good about making each of my goals for the year. While each of them were measurable and attainable, none were gimmies, and I had to work to make sure that each one was met.

In terms of mileage, I rode a total of 217.53 miles on my mountain bike in the fourth quarter of the year, as opposed to 200.00 in Q3, 254.75 in Q2 and 140.25 miles in Q1. As a result, I rode 812.55 miles this year. I didn't have a goal number of miles to hit, and this seems like a decent accomplishment as well. I will shoot for a little more next year.

So ends 2008. I'll be publishing a 2009 Goal List, that will encompass both my overall goals as well as some specific trails. I've enjoyed writing this blog in 2008, and hope to continue through 2009 as well.

See you next year...