Fantastic report, Liz. Inspiring. Thank you!! Jim
On Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at 9:05:06 AM UTC-4 sarahlik...@gmail.com wrote: > Thank you for the ride report, it made me feel like I was there. I also > have a teenager on a MTB team and likes to "shred," and lick sports gels > and stick them to the top of the bike frame for races. I pointed out the > amount of dirt on said gels and was told, "You've got to taste the trail > mom!" That was how at 45 I went to my first women's MTB clinic. There is no > write up because I promptly crashed into the bushes and collected a rainbow > of bruises across my hips and thighs. These are not the rainbows Leah and I > are into designing into our bikes. > > Sacramento is not far and I am trying to decide if I want to run towards > or away from one of these rides... > > Sarah > > On Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 3:22:40 PM UTC-7 Lucky wrote: > >> TW: Bridgestone content >> >> We do “Sac From The Dead X Shred to Ed's”. A ride report inspired by >> Leah’s Adventures in Wilding >> >> Caveat, I did this ride on my 1992 Bridgestone XO-1. It does have >> Rivendell Silver Shifters. I do own a Rivendell Atlantis and even thought >> it's a 26er, I left it home. I normally would not put a ride report on what >> is probably for many of you an event that was too disorganized, too >> chaotic, and contained too few Rivs. Nonetheless, I was regaling my >> RivSister Leah with tales of my imagined dirt-goofin' prowess, and she told >> me to write it down. I enjoy ride reports and bike pics, it’s the main >> reason I spend time on lists or forums. So here we are. >> >> A couple of weeks ago I turned fifty. That came with complicated feelings >> of...well...getting older. Because fifty is one of those age numbers that >> feels bigly different to reach. But also, I felt happy because my kids are >> also getting older and that's brought some really positive changes to our >> household. Including both kids really embracing bike riding! >> >> Let me start by saying that I know some of you here IRL, and you know me. >> We live in the same town and maybe you were on this ride! If so, hi. If we >> follow each other on social media than you already know that earlier this >> week I made the assertion that if you are an adult with young kids who has >> lately been thinking about how you'll never get to ride your bikes (or >> certain of them) again, and you should sell them, you should belay that >> thought! I spent what felt like *years* trying to get my kids into cycling >> with me and many a bike got sold for "gathering dust", but last year my >> older son discovered riding and now it's all he wants to do and talk about. >> Wow, if he is a mirror of me, I am pretty annoying. But I digress, he has >> found his legs and the courage to start working on bikes, and talking about >> being an engineer, and going outside, and volunteering, and touching grass. >> It's great! So, because he likes to ride and it's something we can do >> together, we went on a community ride last night: The "Sac From The Dead >> X Squid Shred to Ed's" (a collaboration of two rides). >> >> The bikes: I rode my purple 1992 XO-1. It's set up with a Nitto Hi Hi Bar >> and Panaracer Paselas in the 1.5 flavor. This is the second time I have >> taken this bike (my "road bike") in the dirt. My son rode his Velo Orange >> Piolet, AKA The Pig, which is monstrous and made even more so by the >> addition of Tumbleweed Persuader handlebars. On previous rides I've brought >> my Rivendell Atlantis and my (formerly) dirt dropped Hot Salad MTB. >> >> "Sac From The Dead" is billed as the "26th of Every Month ATB Ride" and >> the idea is supposed to be that you show up on your old 26" wheeled bike >> and go wild. I've done a couple of these rides and they've varied from >> comfortable cruising all over town, to what felt like riding into a >> headwind along twenty miles of chunky railroad ballast. >> "Shred to Ed's" is both a model of BMX bike built by Sacramento locals >> Squid Bikes and the description of an activity which involved "spirited" >> riding to the eponymous Ed's Market, a local corner store with proximity to >> Sacramento's riverside cutty trails, training and proving grounds of these >> cool kids of tracklo and cyclocross. Someday I'm gonna ride one of those >> Squid Bikes...some day. >> >> Yesterday, the combination of the two rides resulted in a lot of chaotic >> choices disguised as opportunities to end up at the same place. Levies, >> both up and down! Semi-active construction sites under the freeway! Deer >> trails laden with both goat heads and broken glass! Surprise drops, whoops, >> alley oops, plain old oops! Blinded by the sun, blinded by the dust, don't >> lose that wheel in front of me because there ain't any sweeps today. But as >> the ride leaders said when we all met up to get started, or something to >> the extent of this, "Guys, it's a little gnarly and you might get >> incapacitated but we'll meet for hot dogs, so it's fine". Okay, no one said >> that, Leah summed up the ride I described with that and it was so funny and >> accurate I just made it so. >> >> You're wondering about the hot dogs. The 26'er ride had advertised the >> possibility of hot dogs at the end and implored you to "Bring Buns". Yes, >> there were in fact eighty hotdogs and a grill on one participant's vintage >> Schwinn Cimmaron (you know who you are), and yes, we ate them at the end. >> >> So, there was an easy ride and a hard ride. My son looked at me and said, >> "You're going on the easy ride? I'll see you at the end." And off he went >> on The Pig. The "easy ride" took off at a brisk pace and I scrambled to >> follow. Good news, my XO-1 is actually a fast bike (for me) and I could >> keep up. We jetted along the paved trail until we came to a dirt trail and >> off we went, up down all around. I was lost in minutes, in my own town, >> probably minutes from the exits/freeway/neighborhood. I had the experience >> of no time whatsoever to consider whether or not I could ride an obstacle, >> because there were people doing it in front of me, and people hard on my >> wheel behind me. Those Panaracers handled the loose scree admirably. We >> ended up under the freeway. I was sweaty and dusty. I fist bumped some >> other Bridgestone riders and drank water. We took off again. I never saw my >> son. I was worried, but mostly because he had my two cold Sierra Nevada Hop >> Splash Citruses in his Carradice bag. These are delicious. We rode on. I >> followed a guy with a bluetooth speaker dangling from his bars. The beat >> was perfect. I slid out in some gravel but didn't fall down. I felt young >> and badass. Having recently turned fifty, this was a great way to feel. >> Note: I have since seen a video with me in it and I do not, in fact, look >> badass. >> >> Eventually we stopped under a tree. My son appeared and told me he had >> crashed hard and landed on his face. He was sporting a cool scrape and the >> beginnings of a shiner, maybe. Naturally there was also a root to fall on. >> Later he told me he had a not-insignificant bruise on his hip, to match his >> face. Reminds me, he needs a new helmet. The ride went on and he departed >> again with the fast group. Woo hoo! >> >> After what felt like not very long, we arrived at Ed's Market. I secured >> my still-cold Hop Splash and chugged it. My kid got an ice cream because "I >> fell on my face". Beers and sodas were purchased, and we made our way to >> the riverside "beach", a dusty, dried grass filled cut-out in the shore >> where the grill was set up and the chicken franks smoking away. Not >> everyone brought buns but fingers and beer can tables and dirty knees were >> pressed into service, and hot dogs gobbled. A few folks jumped in the >> river. It was an idyllic, hot, Sacramento evening and a great time. >> >> Riding home with my son, sharing his dynamo headlight because I forgot >> one, was a great end to the evening. This year my son is going to try >> mountain bike racing on a teen league and it's just awesome that he's able >> to go out into our own community and ride bikes and work on skills in a low >> pressure environment full of nice folks who just want to also ride bikes. >> So that's my ride report. And I didn't even take any pictures (too busy >> trying not to crash). But someone else took a pic of my bike, so here it >> is. And here it is with someone else’s XO-2. And here’s my son on his Pig, >> but from a different day. >> >> Thanks for reading this far, if you did! >> Liz in Sacramento >> >> [image: image0.jpeg][image: image1.jpeg][image: image2.jpeg] >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f7b2b105-94ce-4a78-95ea-2873131438abn%40googlegroups.com.
