Another trip around the sun

In the middle of July each year around here, it's usually hovering around 100 F. This year, it looks as though we'll have a much cooler respite for most of this week. Today, we took advantage of favorable temperatures to hit the trail. I'd been looking for a reason to take Big Sis on a real trail ride, and marking another year for her was a good excuse.

We started things off as any good ride should, tanking up on fuel. You wouldn't know it by looking at her, but this kid can put away the food when she has a mind to do so. Once energized, we were ready to attack the climb that begins the Hildebrand Ranch trail. The weather couldn't have been better, never getting really hot, and the trail conditions were excellent. We had a great time and completed our loop before the rain arrived. Here's to many more years and many more rides together.

Eating lunch at the beginning makes for more efficient food carrying.

Pointing out one of the talkative prairie dogs that populate much of the area.

There's no shame in pushing. Forward progress is cumulative.

Lots of butterflies and other insects were enjoying a variety of blooms.

Champion at the summit of the climb. 

This butterfly seemed to like the taste of sweat and sunscreen.

She was certain that pixies lived along this part of the trail.

Riding a swooping trail through this field made us feel like dolphins in a sea of dried grass.  

More prairie dogs.

This colony had some prime territory. We stayed a while to watch the prairie dogs yip and scurry.

This valley was a prairie dog metropolis, spanning the whole area.

The trail, edging along the hillside was flowing and scenic.

Just as we were about to close the circuit, the clouds started to appear.

A trail crew of high school students had just worked on this section.

Once we got home, a celebratory root beer float was in order.

Horsethief!

2013 Salsa Horsethief 2, size XL (22").

Yes, this is the tale of another bike acquisition, but it requires a bit of a back story for explanation. As some of you may recall, last year I embarked on a project to reduce the size of my fleet a bit. That project was largely successful, in that I reduced my number of bikes by eight; mostly bikes that didn't see much riding, or I hadn't mustered my interest in building them out to loftier visions. It's been a productive project, but it is by no means complete.

That said, one of the bikes with which I parted ways, I quickly came to regret selling. It was a 2006 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR, that I picked up for cheap and on a whim in 2012. As my most recent investigation into the world of full suspension wonderbikes (the only in the past decade or so), I was amazed at its capabilities compared to my previous experiences on suspended bikes. With 120 mm of very well managed travel front and rear, it was an exceedingly fun bike to ride anywhere uneven surfaces abounded. The only real problem was that as a size large frame (with a 19" seat tube and ~23" effective top tube) it was at the bottom end of the gradient of comfortable sizing for me. I might have been able to bring the fit closer in line with a longer seatpost and stem, but in an overzealous fit of possession reduction, I sold it on Craigslist for less that what I should have allowed it to go.

My dear departed 2006 Stumpy FSR. :-(

Shortly thereafter, in my bereavement I picked up a used Redline Monocog 29er frame in size XL (21"); a 29er being something I hadn't previously owned, but the concept of which was highly appealing. This experience has turned out to be astoundingly good. With a frame of ordinary straight gauge 4130 steel, the Monocog 29er has become among my favorite bikes ever. It fits me as if it were custom made, and has a terrific, lively yet stolid ride quality. Yes, I know the Monocog's heft approaches that of a bull rhinoceros and to label its refinement as lowbrow is being more than generous. However, it is truly an example of the whole being inexplicably more than the sum of its parts.

My prized 2008 Redline Monocog 29er, shortly after I built it.

Last fall, Nicholas and Lael passed through town on their way to parts West. They had just finished a long off road tour of Europe and were buzzing about the all the singletrack and great trails they had ridden, and postulating the fun to be had on a full suspension, long travel 29er. The Salsa Horsethief was mentioned, along with a few other examples of the emerging 29-inch enduro lineage. This encounter got me to thinking about the fun of my departed Stumpy FSR, and how it could be improved upon. An idea was implanted, not to actively seek out such a bike, but if one were to come along, I would try not to miss it.

Spring flowers along the trail.

Fast forward to a couple of months ago, when I discovered that a local bike shop had a few 2013 Salsa Horsethieves on a huge discount in anticipation of the arrival of the new 2014 frame design. Flush with cash from my bike depletion project, I pounced. I test rode both the Horsethief 3 in size large and the Horsethief 2 in size XL. Though I am in between sizes and could have reasonably ridden either size, I went with the one that fit most like my Monocog.

In general, the Horsethief is an amazing bike, and every bit the wonderbike that was the Stumpy, with a few well appreciated improvements. It fits me better and is at least as fun to ride. It has 120 mm of travel front and rear, but with the 29 inch wheels, it somehow seems even more plush. I have a few rides under my belt, and I need a few more to fully develop a thoughtful critique of the Horsethief, but the overall impression is definitely positive. Several annotated detail photos follow.

The Horsethief moniker is taken from the famed Horsethief Bench trail in Western Colorado.

Beautifully executed headbadge on a tapered headtube. Conceptually, I like the 44 mm idea better. If you're going to go big, go big.

The flexy part of the Horsethief seatstays. The absence of this built-in flex is the most substantial change incorporated into the 2014 design. 

White Brothers Loop fork, set to 120 mm. It is adjustable between 80 and 140 mm with some minor parts swaps. The ride and quality seem on par with the best of Fox or Rock Shox, and it is made right here in Colorado.

Adventure by bike.

This is my first experience with a complete SRAM drivetrain, in this case X9 2x10. So far, it has been flawless. My first time with a 142x12 rear axle, which makes a lot of sense on a suspended bike. 

The MRP dual ring chain guide keeps chain slap to a minimum. 

Fox Float CTD rear shock has much the same feel as the Fox Triad did on my old Stumpy, and by that I mean that it provides a great ride on any setting. 

I find that the "Trail" setting works just about perfectly for anything short of a fast and rocky downhill that I've encountered thus far, climbing included.

With Conti 2.4" tires, there is plenty of fork clearance. Enough for 3 inch tires? I'm not likely to find out any time soon.

Clearance in the rear seems to be a bit less, but still more than adequate. 

Here's a visual of the clearance at the chainstay bridge. Clearance all around is more than on the Stumpy. 

Ten cogs on the cassette. Avid hydraulic brakes have been powerful and dependable so far.

This is my first brand new mountain bike since 1997. While I'm sure that the 2014 model is an amazing feat of engineering, the 2013 is no slouch, and at about a 50% discount it's a great deal. It is way more bike than I'll ever need, but there is a comfort in knowing that it's going to be able to handle anything I encounter. It also doesn't hurt that it's quite a looker, with a rich glossy blue that isn't fully able to be captured in a photo.

As sister companies under the QBP mother hen, Salsa and Surly have related, yet differing philosophies on bike design, frame materials, and the meaning of a bicycling life. Perhaps their sibling rivalry is part of why they are two of the most innovative companies in the bicycle industry at present. Bike companies are producers of consumer goods, and bikes are inanimate objects. However, I count myself among a segment of the population who invest meaning, perhaps not always able to be rationally defined, into the riding experience. For a long time, I've had an appreciation for Surly in this regard, in the position of bikes as a central element of my life rather than mere tools for competition or athleticism. I think I'm developing a similar appreciation for Salsa, and their "Adventure by Bike" ethos. The Horsethief will undoubtedly lead me to adventure.

The backdrop for the above photos was a ride I took at the Hildebrand Ranch Park, an easily accessed open space next to the foothills.

Swoopy trail curving along the hills like a bobsled run.

I also rode in the neighboring South Valley Park, home of some pretty impressive rock formations.

That building near the foothills is part of the Lockheed Martin complex where aerospace materials are developed. That would be a great location for work to get out for lunchtime rides. 

Lots of great trailside geology and some archeological tidbits.

Horseshoes

Both of the above types afford extra traction for off-road beasts.

367 consecutive days on a bike, and counting...

My bike barn in the gloaming of a late Fall sunset.

This oft neglected blog has once again fallen by the wayside in the face of all of the things that tend to demand attention toward the end of the year. However, I would be remiss not to report that I've crossed over the symbolic milestone of having ridden a bike every consecutive day for more than a year, of this past Tuesday. Counting today, the number stands at 367. It all began with the TSBC Challenge last year.

I have long had bikes as a pivotal element of my life, but had never kept track of a streak of consecutive days ridden. I don't track miles ridden, as that isn't really feasible for me, but none of my rides in the past year could be considered particularly noteworthy. Most were fairly antithetical to being epic, with rides on the majority of days capturing some combination of transportation, research purposes as part of my job, social activities, dog exercise, or family fun. Regardless of purpose, I feel better after every ride than I did before.

During the past year, my bike experiences have included:

• riding nearly every bike I own (causing me to evaluate those that weren't ridden)
• riding some bikes that I do not own, most of which were borrowed from bike sharing programs
• selling or donating several bikes and buying a few, for a net total of fewer bikes at my house than this time last year (seemingly counterintuitive, this is progress toward a goal)
• seeing my younger daughter take her first ride on a balance bike
• watching my older daughter blossom into a mountain biker
• encouraging others around me to enjoy riding bikes, too

My ride on the 365th consecutive day was poorly documented photographically, and included just Scout and myself. However, on the 366th consecutive day, counting myself there were nine human and one canine companions dispersed over eight bikes with five different tire sizes. I like riding alone, but it is also fun to be part of an impromptu bike parade, mostly outfitted with bikes from my household. 

My niece on her new-to-her big kid 24" mountain bike that I was commissioned to refurbish. She's a natural dirt biker.

A handful of cousins stacked up at the starting line for our ride. Note many are still in pajamas, well into mid-afternoon.

My brother Chris rode the Dummy with his five year-old daughter, freeing me up to get some pics. 

On our ride, the popular request was to hit the local dirt tracks. Many circuits by many kids ensured plentiful fun. We are fortunate to have some great dirt trails a short ride from our house. Such is a benefit of life in the suburbs.

20-inch wheels.

26-inch wheels.

24-inch wheels.

16-inch wheels. My six year-old nephew was undaunted with being matched up to a pink girl's bike with basket and fenders. Nobody in our group took more challenging lines down the trail or relished going fast more than he did. 

29-inch wheels; speckled medium-sized paws.

I'll likely continue to count the days that I'm on a bike until, inevitably, I miss one. However, I have several internal and external motivators in place to make it unlikely that I'll miss a day for some time to come. An unanticipated bonus has been that I've remained remarkably healthy this past year, only getting a single cold in October. I don't know if I can attribute the drive to ride every day to keeping healthy, but it probably didn't hurt. 

I plan to enjoy the sun as much as possible, especially during these winter months. Here's to a fun and bike filled 2014 to everyone out there.