TALES: I was wrong, and DC’s better than ever

A new coat
The paint chronicles continue, but Revolution Cycles, where I bought the Bike in Tampa, was awesome, with complete follow through.

So, after stripping my bike, spending more than 20 hours on a plane, sleeping for three hours, and riding DC buses and trains for another two hours, I walked into Georgetown’s Bicycle Pro Shop this morning with my baby whose flesh had been shedding on me. They’d told me to bring in, but I did not anticipate the luck I’d have at showing up while an actual Cannondale rep was in the store to evaluate the faulty paint. “Roberts,” (who explained to me that this was indeed his first name) changed my whole attitude about “corporate think,” and gave me yet another reason to love one of the best American-built bikes on the market: he opened the ’07 catalog and asked which color I wanted, letting me know they needed a week or two to build it! You can see the one I went with pictured on the left. If you want to see the rest of their 2007 lineup, do so here. I was wrong to doubt, and won’t make that mistake again.

The Shop
While I was in the Bicycle Pro Shop, I obviously had to buy some stuff and just look around. I’ll tell you that George (the roadie), Greg (the mountain biker & wrench) and Tony (the manager) were completely awesome and helpful in every way. These are all guys who ride seriously, and I highly recommend them if you need a C’dale or Specialized set of wheels in the area. Greg was extremely helpful with info for discount tools (that I'll pass on when I find the notes).

The city
While I waited an hour for a Metro bus, I noticed a big change since I’d left three years ago: every bus now has a bike rack on front. I talked a bit with a guy waiting with me who pulled up on an older, fat tire Trek who said every bus in the system’s now got a rack. We shared stories about Durango rides (my hometown and a favorite destination of his) before he was off. Incidentally for those who’ve never been to D.C., check out the Metro for all transport – it’s cheap, convenient and you’re never looking for parking!

Floyd Landis: What MTBers may not know
Did you know Landis started out on MTBs? I picked up this local gratis rag called “Spokes” that apparently covered him as a local boy years ago as he topped 24-hour race charts. Known for riding wheelies, they recounted a race where his front rim taco’d , so he removed the front wheel and actually finished the race – passing competitors – riding on the rear wheel alone! The publication’s not online, but I’ll try to get a copy of the article. There’s definitely some history behind this AFP photo of Landis popping one on his victory lap.

TRIPS: Don't miss bikes on film if you'll be in Tokyo in November

The 2006 Bicycle Film Festival is more than halfway through its world tour, and its scheduled to be in Japan's busiest city in November.

Of particular interest is a piece called Adventure High, in which five friends travel by bicycle from Mongolia to Nepal hoping to experience old-fashioned travel adventures. One of Singletrack Magazine's contributors has reportedly got a pretty good piece on bicycle couriers in the mix, too.

The festival shows seven films (usually two per night) film a night for a week, and typically starts with a flic-less opening party night. Keep checking the festival's site for exact Tokyo dates, dates for other cities around the globe and a synopsis of all seven films.

TRIPS: Choose your poison in Rotorua, New Zealand -- or ride a volcano in Hawaii

Rotorua, New Zealand

A few months ago, I told you how awesome a time we had riding in Queenstown (on New Zealand's southern island) over a Christmas holiday, but there's great riding on the north island as well. Dirt Rag published a great rundown of the many adventures awaiting your knobblies in Rotorua, from cross country to downhill (where the World Mountain Bike Championships finish up this weekend on Mount Ngongotaha). This is a short hop from Okinawa and the article’s definitely worth a look (or two). Photos of Rotorua by Graeme Murray for Dirt Rag.












Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

For a guy who wanted to ride Indonesia’s Mount Merapi as it spewed fire balls a couple of months ago, this caught my attention (at least the tires won’t melt!) A hotter alternative to New Zealand awaits at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, which just opened a 15-mile Intermediate Course that includes a 6-mile, 2000′ climb on a dirt and gravel road and two double-track loops that veer off the main road. The top loop at 4000′ is 3.8 miles. The lower loop at 2700′ is 1.7 miles. Just when you thought all you needed was huge thighs, keep in mind the lava rock hazards and steep rock-strewn stretches as you read the Drifting Son’s synopsis. He’s also got some other interesting entries for those considering a ride in America's paradise.

TIPS: Avoid the subdued Prophet paint

At the pinnacle of frustration, I wrote Cannondale yesterday asking the company to solve a major problem with the paint on my bike – it’s disintegrating! I love Cannondale quality, and I love the 2005 Prophet I picked up at Revolution Bicycles in Florida on the way home from Iraq this year (new in January). However, I’ve hated the subdued black paint scheme from day one.

So why did I buy it? Not the point here!

The point is that after only having the bike for seven months, the head tube paint is pitted and its decal is peeling off, and the downtube paint chips straight through the subdued decal to bare metal with the most mild impact -- as does the paint on the remainder of the bike. Additionally, the top tube paint appears to be oxidizing and the subdued decal there has peeled up to reveal bare metal. These problems are all over the bike, and on multiple sides – not something sustained from a particularly bad crash. And, by the way, this is a bicycle that is stored indoors on a padded wall rack out of the sun.

So, what's wrong with the paint and what is Cannondale's solution? My guess is that they’ll initially propose doing nothing – we’ll see how customer-oriented Cannondale really is.

Stay tuned.

TALES: Good ideas and bad ones

The good idea: riding with friends. The bad idea: riding the High Road backwards to get more downhill time!

After months of talking about riding the High Road backwards, Saturday was the day to make it happen. Doug, Jason, Lance, Tom and I made the regular morning ride into what I’m gonna call an MTC (mountain CLIMBING) adventure. I had no idea how much downhill we’d actually been riding all of this time. It goes by so fast when you ride it that you don’t notice; I assure you that you notice it all carrying your bike the other way! I don’t think anyone else will argue that carrying or pushing your bike for five to seven miles is not as fun as riding it. There were some great runs; just not a lot. The good news was that I got to ride my favorite trail – The Chute – twice.

We all took some good spills, including a short flight off of a bridge, and my previously broken shoulder feels like it wants to come apart again. However, Tom cancelled all of our bets by managing not to break anything.

Oh yeah, lost my favorite blue Nike riding glasses. Note to self, put your crap away properly if you’re not wearing it.

TIPS: Bunny Hops, Bronco Hops, and this ...

I can't describe this, so you'll have to watch the video for yourself. I can't tell if this is a bike or a pogostick with wheels! Let me know what you think. We're not worthy, we're not worthy ...

Shoe Sale
If you haven't noticed, Nashbar is selling a good selection of decent MTB shoes this week for more than $100 off. Good time to refit!

TALES: NY Roadies with MTB hearts

An Estonian-Canadian friend sent me this link to a race through Manhattan, and it rivals big air on a trike for necessary cahones! But wait, there's more ... This two-wheeler and aspiring videographer (Lucas Brunelle) has a very entertaining website that crosses the Tour de France with the X Games and MTV's Jackass. Some pretty funny videos from a guy who pulls a couch full of people through New York on his bike to stay in shape. Apparently the training works -- even against singletrackers in their own neck of the woods. Lucas Brunelle photo

TALES: Maintenance recap & trail maps link

It's been far too long ...
It was a tremendous turnout for trail maintenance Saturday, with one group working the High Road and another on Paintball. Although onsies and twosies continually touch up the trail, it’s been far too long since the last scheduled OMBA maintenance day. After riding the trails for more than two years now, I was amazed at the beauty you miss at Mach 1, and saw a lot I’d never seen before – including a waterfall and some decade-old, hidden trail signs.

Didn’t get a chance to touch base with the guys on Paintball, but I know Tim was bragging about his new, gas-powered weed eater, so I’m sure they made quite a dent in the ever-encroaching jungle and remaining typhoon wreckage.

On the High Road, we had Lance, Jason, Kevin and myself, plus a couple of locals who pitched in for about 30 minutes. The humidity was a killer, and I can’t remember feeling so exhausted after a few hours on the trail. Two Camelbaks weren’t enough, and Jason had sweat bubbling out of the tops of his shoes when he walked like he’d just made a stream crossing!

When all was said and done, we had cleared about 7 km of fallen trees and brush, dug drainage ditches, widened some washed out turns, and rebuilt a rotted bridge (this was a definite Jason & Eric sitcom, and I managed to limit my falls down the adjacent hill to one).

We also posted brand new trail signs to make navigating the jungle easier for newbies. Was pretty fulfilling to see a couple riders, and a half dozen hikers, enjoy the fruits of our labor.

It started raining two hours after we finished and hadn’t let up by midday Sunday, so I guess we’ll see how the refurbished trail feels to ride next week when it dries out.

New Link
Just added this Okinawa Trail Map link from the archaic but still “out there” old OMBA website to the Fat Tire Tales… blog. It’ll be a standing link on the right, and it includes good descriptions of the trails. One caveat is that its about eight years old, so some of the trails no longer exist (Buddy Junction and the Hole) due to local construction and others have been added. It’s always good to check with current OMBA members to confirm before going it alone for the first time.

For those of you with me for a while, yes, I’m still building a newer route map, but the lack of decent and detailed local maps is a challenge.

TIPS: Parking woes, even on two wheels

Photo of the week: Had to post this after seeing it outside a shopping mall in Okinawa. I know parking's tight, but this is too much! The tip? Be careful where you park your bike, there's a rule for just about everything here (I wonder if the kanji warns of being towed at owner's expense).