The new ones are very light and very vented. Unlike what I started riding with in the late 80s. I've been riding with a helmet on so long, it feels weird to not wear one. Oh, and no matter what your Mom sez, your head is NOT as hard as a rock. I've got the scars to prove it. M
I bought a cheapie when I started road riding, but it sucked so bad to wear, I tossed it on day one. I've got all the excuses down, don't ride in traffic, don't ride real fast(I did hit 40 on a downhill last week, first time for that! ), never ride dusk till dawn, etc. But, that might just not be enough some day. Worst part is, I've been making a mental list of things I need for a year now. New shoes would be nice, but new cleats are really needed. I could use a new pair of riding shorts or bibs since the damned dog chewed up a pair last fall. Hell, who knows what else I'll find I need when I get to the store.
Get a good lid. Safety is one thing, but quality helmets are so much easier to ride in. I forget mine is even there when I ride.
Racing is the only way to determine the winner of a race though, and that's what racing is all about.
Well, I had a Giro Aeon, but someone decided that they needed it worse than me one day. I was running after my bike ride, and my bike was locked in the truck, but the helmet was just sitting in the bed and someone plucked it. I have the Bell Array now. Both helmets were stupid light, and very comfortable.
I have a Specialized Max helmet I got a few years ago, XXL... fits me WAY better than most any other moderate priced helmets. In motorcycles, I wear an Arai Signet in XL, thats the long oval shape, as my crown is quite large front to rear.
I have a Crud Products Fast Fender on my MTB. It does look a little "wannabe DHer", but works like a freakin' charm! Another guy I ride with has one too, and he says it works better than the downtube mounted kind.
As far as helmets are concerned, I have a Louise Garneau that I bought on close out from Huck N' Roll (before they were bought out). I think I paid 20 dollars or so for a helmet that retailed for 75! Anyway, it is much better than anything I could have picked up from Walmart or Academy. I would have bought from the LBS, but they had nothing of this quality discounted so much. This particular helmet is not available any longer, but I can certainly see the appeal of a nicer helmet. Basically, it is the same argument as with motorcycle helmets. They will all pretty much help protect your head, but it is the comfort and the little things that set apart the better brands. Ridge, again great job! Both on the ride, and ride report.
Nice. I like their package deal on the 29er page. http://www.crudproducts.com/products/racepac29er Thanks, will finish it up today.
X 1,000 on the quality lid advice. I'm on my second Fox Flux helmet, and I freaking love it... best part is they can be bought cheap if you keep an eye out on chainlove or bicyclemob. I destroyed the first one with an over the bars, and there was no question what would replace it. My girlfriend has the same helmet and loves it as well.
At this point I feel beaten and my mind tries to convince the body to quit while it's ahead. When I reach down and wipe the mud from the Garmin, I see that I’m already at mile 78 and the hills seem to have a bit less grade. My legs, still reeling from the previous 5 miles of thrashing ease a bit and spin on the flat ridge top. I try to force myself to eat but I’m simply tired of shoving food in my mouth. I’m sitting at the 9 hour mark on the course and have been steadily consuming calories the entire time. I tried to pack a variety in order to trick myself that it’s different every time, but the variety has its own pattern. Everything I pull from the frame bag looks unappealing. My Camelbak contains 800 calories of liquid nutrition and it’s easier to ingest but I tire of it as well. I force 2 and a half fig newtons down my gullet and pitch the other half. It takes a few minutes to chew it and convince my body to swallow but I keep it down and march on. I’ve been trading positions on the course with a tandem mountain bike for the last few miles and it’s been a welcome break of conversation. The husband and wife team do many of these events and always place pretty well. They admit that this particular day has been one of the roughest to accomplish yet. I agree wholeheartedly and we ride on. They will usually pass me on long stretches of flat road where they can both power that beast but I’ll catch them on the downhill runs due to being much more responsive in curves and handling. It’s a game of leap frog as we crunch away the miles. Station 7 approaches around mile 85. I’ve been on a flat-ish road for some time now dodging some mud holes that would swallow and snap a front wheel. My glasses are almost completely obscured and, for some reason, my arms are aching worse than ever. What I find interesting is that I’ve completely lost any climbing muscle in my legs but I can put down some serious power and speed on the flat sections of road. I’m unsure if it’s calling different muscle groups into play or just my mind tricking the body since the road is flat but it’s a welcomed relief to see speeds in the double digits again. I’ll not go so far as to say it was a second wind… but I felt motivated for just a tiny bit and enjoyed it while I had it. I must say, the volunteers they find for this race are the absolute best I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. They truly treat each and every racer like a rock star. As soon as I enter an aid station, my glasses are removed and cleaned, my camelback is taken and filled with water they retrieve my drop bag without so much as asking me for my race number. It’s just an automatic response and I am truly appreciative of their efforts. I’m told by this crew that I have only four miles of double track, then it’s a single track section for the remainder of the course. My heart sinks as all I can conjure up are my earlier spills and near misses on the previous single track sections. When your mind and body stop responding as quickly as when fresh; it makes anything with a challenge that much more precarious. Normally I would be itching to hit some single track but at 9.5 hours in the saddle, I’m hesitant to say the least. I motor on and hit some absolutely amazing downhill sections that are long, straight and with only sweeping turns making it easy to keep the speed up. Again, the motorcycle experience is evident as I can pass some riders through the apex of the curves as I yell which side I’m coming through. On one particularly fast and long descent, Murphy rears his fateful head. I’m edging toward the inside line of a right hander and missed seeing the small branch jutting from the shoulder. As I rail around the curve, I feel the rear grab for a split second. I don’t think much of it since I’m using every bit of focus to cleanly make a turn at speed. As the road levels out and I go to pedal, my feet spin wildly and I realize that the chain has jumped from the cranks. A few riders pass by and ask if I’m okay. I signal that it’s just a chain jump and I’ll be back on the course soon. Examining the carnage reveals more questions than answers. Not only has the chain jumped from the front ring, but the rear derailleur is now completely rigid and locked out to the largest cog. No matter what permutation I try, I cannot make the drive train functional again. Sitting at mile 87 and facing 13 miles of singletrack with a single speed ratio of 33:36 is not my idea of finishing strong. My shoulders slump as I realize I’ve lost any shred of finishing in a decent time. Now I just hope to cross the line under my own power without having to walk the bike. The riders that I had passed earlier now come steadily by me as I can only hit about 6mph on the flat sections. I can gather speed on the downhills but the bike has to slow until it catches my cadence speed with such a low gear. It’s spirit-crushing to be that close to the end and unable to make any decent speed. I crawl my way through the single track pulling over occasionally to let other riders make a clean pass. The minutes tick away past 10 hours… 11 hours and finally 12 hours. I cross the finish line at 12 hours and 31 minutes. Beer me.
department of goods dot com = closeouts. Or you can keep checking gearscan.com for ALL the listings of the limited time sales. I just got a pair of Castelli bib knickers for over half off. Keep an eye on the clymb too. HTH M
I need a pair of these: Mo bettah than the SKS Race Blades I have now. Also need a pair of fenders big enough for cross tires. Yesterday's mud back re-re-confirmed what I already knew. I have a REALLY old version of the Crudcatcher. Old enough that all it fits are steel-tubed bikes! Still works acceptably IF you're riding a steel-tubed bike. ...but the CF and AL bikes in the garage? Worthless. M
Wow Ridge, that is an amazing feat of endurance and tenacity.:eek1 You pressed on when most would have pussed out.. The back yard now has a creek that does not normally exist there.
