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Post by kconner on May 8, 2012 21:17:28 GMT -5
I'll be making the trek unless something changes last minute with my work schedule. Looking forward to it!
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Post by kconner on Apr 21, 2012 21:27:24 GMT -5
My neighbor and I went out and rode the Canal tonight, started off at the Headgates, down to the singletrack, 2 laps and back. Saw a ton of geese, 4 muscrat, and a dude riding the singletrack on a unicycle! Seriously, a unicycle on singletrack trail! Wish I could have gotten a picture, but he was finishing a lap as we were starting it and didn't run back into him. The trail was in great shape, delightfully tacky. All the recent work was greatly appreciated. There were a couple tree branches and vines hanging in the trail in the corner directly after the new dip (traveling CW) that I was able to cut out with a hand saw. The best part of the day: Ben the neighbor enjoying the furniture:
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Post by kconner on Mar 27, 2012 20:53:14 GMT -5
Ben Lefkove at the front of an evening ride at Brown Wave.
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Post by kconner on Mar 24, 2012 17:08:04 GMT -5
Is this dead? It should not be. This should encourage more to share their experiences. Hope so anyway! Agreed!
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Post by kconner on Mar 23, 2012 16:31:42 GMT -5
My neighbor and I went for a spin at FATS a few months ago and ran into a classmate of his at the Skinny/Brown Wave connector. We started chatting, and the classmate says that this was his first time at FATS. When I asked what he thought of the trail, he said he needed to invest in a full suspension bike if he was going to continue riding FATS because all the roots made his butt hurt. True story. When he didn't return my laugh, I figured he was serious. After telling him the more he rides, the less his butt will hurt, he claimed that he was pretty hardcore, and that he has ridden all over the country and had never ridden a trail as rough as FATS. And the only piece of FATS that he'd ridden so far was Skinny, from the trailhead to Brown Wave, CCW. My neighbor and I laughed and kept riding. At least a LBS (more likely an Internet supplier somewhere) benefitted by selling a new bike....
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Post by kconner on Mar 22, 2012 21:57:13 GMT -5
Thanks for the compliments! The GoPro is an awesome camera, and iPhoto helps with some basic filtering/editing
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Post by kconner on Mar 22, 2012 21:54:33 GMT -5
My first trip on a trail was my freshman year of high school. I had a Huffy that came from Target, probably weighed close to 50 lbs, and had "dual suspension" (awesome right??), and met up with a friend. Rode from his house on Evans to Locks Road down the Towpath to Broad Street Burgers. On the way back, we hit the Canal Singletrack (I don't remember it well, but I remember the trail being very different then...it seems that it was more of a series of loops with a red and white route?) and then rode back. I kept that bike for several years and rode the Canal Singletrack a couple of times a year....never lost the bug, but never had time to ride. In 2008, my partner at work talked me into "investing" in a REAL bike so he would have someone to ride with, so I picked up a 2008 Gary Fisher Wahoo. I remember not seeing the benefit of dropping about $500 of my hard earned money for a bike that didn't even have a spring in the rear, when I had a dual suspension bike at the house. It quickly became clear when I went for my first ride at the canal and I climbed the first steep section that I was never able to climb before (it's a wonder what a lighter bike and gears that work will do for ya). From that day on I went from riding when I had time (almost never) to making time to ride
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Post by kconner on Mar 21, 2012 20:05:02 GMT -5
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Post by kconner on Mar 21, 2012 13:41:05 GMT -5
Rode today, the trail is in great shape!
There were several trees down in Sections 1-3: Section 1 was able to be cleared of 2-3 trees by hand Section 2 had 2-3 trees cleared by hand, but 2-3 were left. One needs a chainsaw, the rest can be cleared with a folding type saw. Section 3 has several trees down. One was able to be cleared by hand, one will probably require a chainsaw, and one or two can probably be cleared with a folding saw. All downed trees are between Section 2 and the winter parking lot.
I hope to get back on the trail sometime next week to take care of the trees that can be removed with a hand saw, unless someone beats me to it.
There's a new rider down in Section 2, it should be a rider for most people as long as it holds up.
Finally, all the bridges, signs and mile markers have been raked around, looks like the USFS will be doing a prescribed burn sometime in the near future.
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Post by kconner on Mar 16, 2012 14:42:14 GMT -5
I wonder how the "QuickClick" feature works on the Topeak bags. It appears to hold the bag closer to the saddle, therefore limiting movement. If I give the Topeaks another try, I'll probably drop down a size to minimize movement of the contents.
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Post by kconner on Mar 16, 2012 10:03:25 GMT -5
I've got a Topeak bag now, had it for a pretty long time actually, 9 months or so? It's still going strong, no signs of wear. I keep a 29er tube, CO2, multitool, derailleur hanger, and quick link in it. Did you keep yours tight up against the rails? I see people riding all the time with their bag hanging pretty loosely, I always figured that couldn't be good for them. I keep mine as tight against the rails as I can pretty much. I agree with wooglin, maybe you need a bigger bag so it's less stuffed. While my bag is full, I wouldn't say it's overstuffed....I can shake the bag and hear things rattling/moving around inside. I do have it as snug against the rails as possible, but there is still some play, which I actually believe is the flaw with this bag....the play allows it to bounce around, causing the seam to split. This bag has 2 straps, the top strap goes through the rails and clips into the bottom strap, which goes under the bag. Shortening the upper strap would really lengthen the life of this bag I think. I've never seen one, but I wonder if something with a hard case would work....maybe some kind of heavy duty plastic or lightweight metal?
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Post by kconner on Mar 15, 2012 19:47:12 GMT -5
Looking forward to participating this year as well, but I'm also already out for the first two dates due to work and vacation. As of now though, I WILL be there for both June dates
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Post by kconner on Mar 15, 2012 18:10:29 GMT -5
I'm on my second Topeak seat bag that I use for tool storage. The first one disintegrated, so I bought another one, thinking that maybe it was a bad bag. Evidently, it's a bad design, because the current one is doing exactly the same thing as the first one and it's only a couple of months old (as was the first one): The seam is coming apart, as is the strap that holds it to the rails. And I can't sew I've tried pretty much every seat bag that every LBS has in stock, and they've either been taken back because I don't like them for some reason or another, or they've been destroyed. Does anybody have any suggestions? I need something to carry a basic tool kit: tire levers, chain tool, tube and CO2 pump, along with some small odds n' ends. I like to take tools with me on every ride, but don't always take a Camelbak, especially if it's a short ride, therefore I've always relied on a seat bag, but I'm willing to try something different. Thoughts, opinions, suggestions?
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Post by kconner on Mar 15, 2012 17:51:39 GMT -5
More fun than a barrel full of monkeys! Thanks for leaving the logs, that's the most logs I've hopped on a ride Love to do a twilight/night ride shortly after the burn. Brian, I'm not sure when they're going to burn, but when they do, I plan on getting a night ride in myself. You're welcome to join me.
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Post by kconner on Mar 15, 2012 17:28:46 GMT -5
Found a wheel today in the Modoc parking lot. Hit me up with an accurate description so I can get it back to you
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Post by kconner on Mar 6, 2012 20:09:10 GMT -5
coming from out of town and hoping to ride tomorrow afternoon (wed 7th). I've never been to the trails before. is it too wet or is it ok? I havn't been out myself in over a week, but we havn't gotten any rain since about last Saturday, so it SHOULD be pretty dry, with the exception of some low spots that tend to hold water for longer periods. Also, check out some other local rides on the homepage in the case that FATS is still on the wet side. Bartram is a good alternative, especially if you're looking to make a long ride, as it can be easily linked to Keg Creek and Mistletoe (Bartram also tends to fare better after a rain, and has over 20 miles one way, before linking to other trails). Modoc and Lick Fork are also personal favorites of mine. Happy Trails!
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Post by kconner on Feb 29, 2012 14:12:33 GMT -5
I've got a buddy that works for the fire department out there, and he said that as long as you stay on the paved roads you should stay out of trouble. Also, apparently there is a barrier of some sort that they use to block off the roads when the range is "hot". So, if there's a barrier on the road, you're out of luck unless you want to become a moving artillery target
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Post by kconner on Feb 27, 2012 20:12:56 GMT -5
Parked in the lot this afternoon/evening and rode the forest service roads, and was the only vehicle in the lot. First time I've seen the parking lot deserted. However, I peeked in on Skinny/Great Wall at some of the bailout points, and the trail getting some traffic. Good news is that it didn't appear to be terribly fresh.
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Post by kconner on Feb 27, 2012 9:30:55 GMT -5
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Post by kconner on Feb 24, 2012 18:08:15 GMT -5
Doesn't look like they will. I talked to a Merriwrther firefighter at work today while it was storming who asked if I wanted to help out. I'm already on shift tomorrow, so I can't help out, but told him it's gonna be a mess, but he talked as if everything was continuing as planned no matter what the weather.
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