tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71426987897043692482012-02-12T09:55:09.342-08:00bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.comBlogger1351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-23369759880307060732012-01-30T13:47:00.000-08:002012-01-30T14:06:05.826-08:00

It's been abnormally warm and dry here in Colorado, so I've gotten out for a lotta rides. I'm already up to 22 outdoor rides this year, which is a healthy amount for the 30th of January.Since Salsa's announcement about 1.5 years ago, I've been jonesing for a Salsa Spearfish. I'm convinced that 29ers make a difference for me, and the lure of a full suspension 29er has been strong. Well, Bikeman

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-62710616195700369822011-07-18T10:22:00.000-07:002011-07-18T12:31:01.201-07:00

So, I had a great time on the Ring the Peak Plus trip. Nick and I rode over 82 miles and climbed more than 13,000 feet. The first day was brutal, with over 7000 feet of climbing. I didn't realize how heinous the climbing was 'til I saw my GPS capture of the climb. No wonder I was soooo spent at camp that night.We found a perfect campsite, with a view of the lower slopes of Pikes Peak. My

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-62032867931558226232011-06-29T14:30:00.000-07:002011-06-29T14:52:42.999-07:00

Getting ready to Ring the Peak with Nick. We plan to take a fairly casual 3 days to complete the trip.I've done a few bikepacking trips in the past, but used old school racks and panniers. For this trip, I've significantly updated my setup. I have an F3 Designs seatbag, a Revelate Designs Tangle bag, a Revelate Designs Sling and drybag, and two Salsa Anything Cages with dry bags attached. In

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-89569874323623381292010-09-20T10:23:00.000-07:002010-09-20T14:38:26.203-07:00

Still having fun at +20 hours!Well, I think my race season is done... I did (part of) Vapor Trail last week and 24 Hours of Colorado Springs this weekend.Vapor Trail was a bust. I had a chest/head cold leading up the race, but it seemed to get better in the couple days prior to the start. Guess I wasn't quite ready, as I suffered mightily while breathing heavily at high elevation. My pace was

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-70894974912180934272010-08-29T06:56:00.001-07:002010-08-29T07:03:18.142-07:00

Got out with Nordby and Keller for some incredible new trail riding. Woohoo! Nice to see the continual development of opportunities in the area.My technical skills are feeling really good right now. Feeling a bit like the good old days, when I could roll through just about anything. I'm hoping that with some tapering, my endurance will feel the same way in about 13 days.Had some stomach

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-89143007022494342792010-08-27T10:03:00.000-07:002010-08-27T10:27:58.105-07:00

Well, my original plan to race at 24 Hours of Colorado Springs is looking unlikely (surgery in the family requiring travel). So, I got looking around for other ways to put my training to good use. One week earlier than 24 Hours of Colorado Springs is a race that I've always wanted to to, but haven't managed to plan for or train enough to consider, the Vapor Trail 125!!! So, I pinged Absolute

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-41240654192019062752010-08-24T15:42:00.001-07:002010-08-24T15:51:33.687-07:00

Got out for some flat out climbing up Rampart Range Rd today. Did over 3200 feet of climbing 1 hour and 30 minutes!For the first 5.5 miles of the climb, I tried to keep my heart rate in the 150's. For the next 4.5 miles, I turned up the effort but tried to keep it below 170. Then, for the last 1.5 or so miles, I just went flat out. I miscalculated a bit and thought I was doing 11.00 miles.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-31094517851088705562010-08-22T17:26:00.001-07:002010-08-23T10:59:04.697-07:00

For a while now, I've been mapping out a dirt route between my house in Monument and my cabin in Park County (near Trout Creek Pass). Today, I decided to do an out-and-back of the first section of that route. Up Mt Herman Road, north on Rampart Range, then west over to Highway 67. On the map, it looks like 309F is a logical choice. However, the Pikes Peak Atlas shows the road as being gated..

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-27580576055918225072010-08-13T13:23:00.000-07:002010-08-13T19:39:55.721-07:00

Decided to do the early morning Monster Commute again. Got out the door just before sunrise and headed through the Preserve up to Mt Herman Road. Stopped for a quick stretch and found a funny little sign that says "NEED RIDE UP THE MOUNTAIN" on one side and "NEED RIDE DOWN THE MOUNTAIN" on the other side.Cruised up Mt Herman Rd in the cool morning air. Way up high on a slight downhill, I heard

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-20441884670219703582010-08-11T09:11:00.001-07:002010-08-11T09:32:06.781-07:00

After a bit of a break last week due to work related travel, I'm starting to get some decent mileage and time on the bike. Did 53 miles yesterday, mostly commuting, with some Falcon Trail added into the mix. Had to bunny hop a snake on Sante Fe Trail. That freaked me out a bit. Probably shows in my heart rate graph.I rode Flow/DLS on Monday. That trail is really starting to grow over with

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-2869324322822597352010-07-31T13:58:00.000-07:002010-08-11T09:48:46.549-07:00

Had a nice big misadventure today! Planned to do Log Machine to Schubarth, and then come out via Deadman's Gulch. Followed 307 to 313, which looked right on the Pikes Peak Atlas. Somehow I ended up at the end of 311, where I followed a faint trail east into the woods. Ended up in the Hell Creek basin, then did an unbelievable bushwack down the mountain. A seriously character-building ride.My

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-27704207732984472972010-07-30T17:09:00.000-07:002010-07-30T17:15:13.667-07:00

Decided to put in a real effort today, going up Blodgett, Across to USAFA, and back to work via the Sante Fe Trail and Woodmen. 14 miles and 1885ft of elevation gain. About 3/4 mile of hike-a-bike to increase the suffering factor. Good times! Actually, really good times, considering I did the whole loop in 1:20. I got passed and dropped like a rock by 2 roadies on Centennial. Surprising,

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-33576162138424961302010-07-26T15:17:00.001-07:002010-07-26T15:29:24.028-07:00

Planned to do a quick ride through Limbaugh at lunch today. Started out well, cleaning the trail all the way up to the road (first time ever, I think). Cruised up the road and to the drop into Limbaugh.LOTS of gun fire. Got my attention and I augered in on one easy right hander. Oops! Picked myself and back up and continued into the meadow which was full of flowers (not quite peaking yet).

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-4783512285773849262010-07-25T16:34:00.000-07:002010-07-25T16:38:47.250-07:00

8 weeks 'til 24 Hours of Colorado Springs at the United States Air Force Academy. I 'spose I should get my arse off of the couch. Got out today for a very nice 2 hour ride. Up Mt Herman, down Mule Trail, across Colonel's Revenge, through Black Pearl, down Flow Dog and 715 back to the house. Good stuff. Seemed to be working a bit harder than I should have, but that is probably due to being

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-37335390023880487182010-07-19T18:11:00.000-07:002010-07-19T18:31:28.729-07:00

Got out for a nice gravel road ride today. I'm up in Northern Ontario, a few kilometers from Quebec. I didn't quite have time to get across the border today, but I did manage to get to the nice French community of Belle Vallee. The local church. Church again, from a different angle.Got in about 32 miles in 2:17. A good workout and perfect weather (well, a tiny bit of wind, but nothing

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-29762647221518097512010-06-29T14:46:00.000-07:002010-06-29T14:56:07.454-07:00

I've signed up as a soloist for the inaugural 24 Hours of Colorado Springs. This race will be September 18, 19 on the Falcon Trail, at the Air Force Academy. This is a fun course, with some small sections of good technical riding and 1635ft of climbing in the 12.65 miles. I'm pretty psyched. Completely guessing, I'll set a goal of 12-16 laps. 16 laps would put me over 200 miles for the day,

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-3001103334648268352010-06-26T07:27:00.000-07:002010-06-26T07:37:13.949-07:00

I'm back on the singlespeed Monocog 29er. Got in a couple nice rides this week, including Limbaugh and the Powerline Trail. About 4600 of climbing in 29 miles of dirt. Knees are feeling great, woohoo! Check out some footage from the Powerline Descent (can be seen in HD by following link to vimeo, although it is a huge file)...Powerline Descent from Brad Baker on Vimeo.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-64436937503999927922010-06-14T18:36:00.000-07:002010-06-14T18:47:10.157-07:00

Well, what have I been up to since Fruita? Some fun riding, even winning my second mtb race ever (as part of great team at Erock). And...we've had a 4.4kW solar grid intertie system installed by REC Solar. I'm super excited about the solar install. Can't wait for the final inspection (tomorrow?) and the new required meter (next 4-6 weeks).

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-72945102414521400762010-05-10T11:05:00.001-07:002010-05-10T11:18:03.159-07:00

Back from a successful venture in Fruita. Didn't feel quite as strong this year, but managed to podium with a third place finish. Did about 154 miles in 17:07. I had enough laps to secure third without having to ride the last 53ish minutes, thankfully. I was pretty spent and could have managed another lap, but it wouldn't have been a lotta fun.Zero rain this year, which was nice. Also, the

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-70644520515019201852010-05-06T10:43:00.000-07:002010-05-06T10:54:43.582-07:00

Headed out west towards Fruita this evening. I'm doing 18 Hours of Fruita solo again, but will be suffering alongside 3 other suckers: Nordby, Daniel, and Tirpak. Should be more fun with some company this year. Feeling ok, a little questionable on the fitness side of things, but good from an injury perspective.Austin will be sending race updates via twitter, follow agonyouHere are the crew

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-41945927893421073472010-04-26T21:33:00.000-07:002010-04-26T21:59:22.496-07:00

Went out for a night ride this evening on the new Access XCL 9r, which is down to 24.8 pounds with the new WTB/355 wheel. I recently picked up a Y cable for my 2 Magicshines, so I can run 2 lights off of one battery. After completing a technical descent with both lights on the bar, I hit the fire road and noticed all the shadows being cast by the brake and shifter cables. I thought, why don't

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-17580938046745082712010-04-20T21:32:00.000-07:002010-04-20T21:55:58.325-07:00

Picked up my new Access XCL 9r frame today and got it all put together this evening. Even took it out for a short night ride in the Preserve. These frames/bikes have gotten surprisingly good reviews for being insanely cheap (I paid $81 for my frame, using a couple coupons that were available at the time). I'm a fan of steel, so it'll be interesting to see how I like this aluminum frame.Weight

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-13558811039890098892010-04-18T16:09:00.001-07:002010-04-20T08:25:55.253-07:00

Got out for a great ride today. Lots of climbing, miles, hike-a-bike, descending, routefinding, and smiles. This is the kind of ride that reminds me why I started mountain biking 21 years ago (whoa, I must be getting old).Rode up through the clouds from hereClimbed about 11 miles to hereBushwacked and hike-a-biked up hereChecked out an old B-24 bomber crash site hereCrossed this incredible

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-50196990966153286202010-04-16T20:14:00.001-07:002010-04-19T09:35:12.514-07:00

It has been a pretty good week for riding. After the 42 miler on Sunday, I needed a down day on Monday. Did some stretching and rode about a mile on the Mundo. Picked the munchkin up at the bus stop, where she said, "This is the coolest bike ever, Dad!" :-)Tuesday at lunch, I totally hammered the Woodmen, Rockrimmon hill loop. 45 minutes from the parking lot, around the loop, and back to the

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-6123093233340123382010-04-12T13:59:00.000-07:002010-04-12T14:20:27.266-07:00

After many years of endurance bike racing, I sat down and reanalyzed my tool choices, focusing on weight and space reduction. The list of what to bring and how to bring it is heavily dependent upon the course. In my case, I'm packing for 18 Hours of Fruita, a race with short, fairly non-technical laps. I'm also running tubeless tires, front and rear. By carefully assessing what I bring along,

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-48290990599599726232010-04-11T16:42:00.000-07:002010-04-11T17:14:21.016-07:00

After yesterday's technical 8 mile ride, Tirpak and I decided to put some real miles in today. We headed south on the Sante Fe Trail, did the Falcon Trail twice, and headed back to Monument on the Sante Fe Trail. We met Nordby for the end of our second lap and he made sure to tighten the screws a bit more. Some pretty decent suffering towards the end of the ride. Just the kind of stuff we

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-7381051238877446032010-04-10T11:04:00.001-07:002010-04-10T11:12:03.288-07:00

Did the cyclocommute yesterday with my Inbred back in singlespeed config. Threw the Pugsley fork on the front, the old Shimano DX cassette wheel on the rear, and ran outta time/patience for getting the rear brake installed. So, I cruised into work with one brake and gearing of 32x18. Way too low for the Monument to Co Springs directions, but ok on the way home. Actually got a tailwind on the

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-87568137538664060622010-04-04T20:19:00.000-07:002010-04-04T20:31:43.222-07:00

41 miles on Friday, 6 quite technical miles yesterday, and 29 miles and 1855ft of elevation gain today with Tirpak. Feeling tired, but good. Tirpak ran over a monster snake today. Not a rattlesnake, which was surprising. Amazingly, the snake appeared to have survived the two tire treatment unscathed.Oh yeah, the descent on Falcon Trail today was awesome! Seriously, the flow was so good and

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-84199503150789470952010-04-01T16:21:00.000-07:002010-04-01T16:41:26.525-07:00

After about 12 days of vacation, I'm back to some real riding. On Tuesday, I did a short ride in GoG with Jon, Greg, and Nick. Felt ok, but a bit tired due to all the travel and probably elevation change. Yesterday, I put in about 48 miles. Whoa, was I toast by the end of the ride. Got hit with a quick cold front and headwind. Ugh. Got out today for a short 4 mile 950ft of elevation gain

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-24887556489233277852010-03-21T12:49:00.000-07:002010-03-21T13:13:20.295-07:00

The view when I walk out of my door at Oceano CabinasMy ride while in Costa Rica. Functional!Cargo bike, San Jose styleThis guy was selling bags of something out of that cooler...Been in Zancudo for a couple days. Beautiful black sand beach. Pretty much deserted. Got out for a couple bike rides yesterday. On the local dirt/rock road and also on the beach. Much easier to ride on the beach

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-38747061386419988812010-03-10T18:10:00.000-08:002010-03-10T18:12:12.094-08:00

Got out for some road riding in the flurries today. A little bummed that my top speed was only 40mph. Could have sworn I was going at least 55 ;-)Legs feeling a bit tired, but not too bad. Knees seem good. Forecast is looking poor for the immediate future. Cold, but above freezng, so trails are sloppy.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-75625355627080231322010-03-09T15:36:00.000-08:002010-03-09T15:43:29.310-08:00

Got out for a nice road ride today. About 17 miles in just over an hour. Felt pretty good. Took yesterday off. Partway through the day, I had some really sharp pain in my knee (just below knee cap). Iced this morning and made sure to stretch before and after today's ride. Feeling fine right now, but will have to keep and eye on it.Let's see...did 2 rides with Tirpak over the weekend.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-37676016015040140962010-03-05T18:31:00.000-08:002010-03-05T18:35:42.410-08:00

Got busy...as I should have. Hit the gym and did some leg weights yesterday, plus put in some time on the trainer. Today, I got out and put out a pretty serious effort up Mt Herman in slushy/muddy conditions.I'm thinking I may take a different tact to training this year. My good health might actually allow me to push the quality quotient up and do less garbarge mileage. We shall see. In

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-46918123758047483662010-03-04T13:39:00.000-08:002010-03-04T14:00:31.671-08:00

9 weeks until Fruita. Looks like I'm going to have to put them to good use to be in shape by May 7th. A week and a half of the time will be spent lazing around in Costa Rica. Yay, but uh oh.So, what's different than last year at this time? Well, I'm probably a bit more out of shape, but less injured. Knees are doing great and elbows are pretty good. They were actually the best they had been

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-87904475836107208622010-02-21T10:36:00.000-08:002010-02-21T19:57:21.665-08:00

Got out for another good snow ride today. Felt like skiing at times, but was fun anyway. Nordby (above) and Joe joined me for the 14 degree ride. It actually felt pretty nice. The combo of waterproof/breathable socks and shoe covers worked well, keeping my feet nice and toasty. Nordby and I both wore ski helmets, which were also nice and toasty. I actually took my helmet off for the climb

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-87903732954400222282010-02-20T10:49:00.000-08:002010-02-20T11:12:29.041-08:00

Got out for a great snow ride this morning in the Preserve. 20 degrees when I left and 21 degrees when I finished. About 1 or 2 inches of fresh snow made for nice quiet riding.Low clouds, very still air and lots of...Fresh tracks!I didn't have the trails entirely to myself, but pretty close. I saw a few hikers, a search and rescue dog (hopefully just in training), and some bike tracks (probably

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-28609051432449567252010-02-10T15:02:00.001-08:002010-02-10T15:07:31.120-08:00

5 miles of climbing gives me a lot of time to think. Today's thoughts kept coming back to the fact that life really is good!After 20 minutes of descending, the thought of frostbite in my fingers and hands, plus going OTB and hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes had me thinking different thoughts. Overall though, the good thoughts prevail. :-)

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-85409294174515165122010-02-03T16:16:00.001-08:002010-02-03T16:24:37.163-08:00

A little more detail...added lower 715, Monument Rock Trail, FS road, some interior stuff, and connectors. That's a lotta trails, totalling just over 14 miles so far.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-21357646958529677242010-02-03T10:09:00.001-08:002010-02-03T11:57:57.996-08:00

Early in the season, but starting to plan things out...May 7-8 - 18 Hours of FruitaMay 15 - Buena Vista Bike Fest (century)June - Elephant Rock (hopefully 24 Hour race, maybe century)Aug 7-8 - Sections 6-9 of Colorado TrailAug 22 - Blue River CenturySep ? - Monumental Challenge

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-69541355463991812692010-02-01T15:27:00.000-08:002010-02-01T15:29:20.613-08:00

Continuing to collect GPS tracks for the Work Center trails. Above is a depiction of the Google Earth kmz file in Google Maps.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-7983360995112146692010-01-27T15:04:00.000-08:002010-01-27T15:06:38.296-08:00

Got out for a short ice ride in Ute Valley at lunch today. Studded tires can do amazing things!

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-52564418339950254122010-01-23T17:52:00.000-08:002010-04-15T12:52:21.034-07:00

It's been a while since I posted about the Mundo. It has been pretty cool for toting around 70ish pounds of kids. After some riding, I decided to invest in a few upgrades. I put on a deflopilator, a double-legged kickstand, a front rack (just because it was laying around), and figured out the 185mm rear disc brake. The 185mm disc brake requires a 203mm adapter to clear the rack frame member.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-13932040595882652442010-01-21T17:56:00.001-08:002010-01-21T20:12:08.041-08:00

The pic above is a Google Earth image of the 5 trails listed in the last 5 posts. I'm going to make an attempt to collect .kml and/or .gpx files for as many of the trails as possible and create a map for the Work Center. It'll be a good way for me to learn more about my Garmin Forerunner, Google Earth, and gps tracks in general. Plus, maybe someone will find it useful...Starts looking more

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-17044650709195035852010-01-21T16:49:00.001-08:002010-01-21T16:49:37.992-08:00

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for MHE Conn

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-74738530536668910092010-01-21T16:49:00.000-08:002010-01-21T16:49:07.127-08:00

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for FD Conn

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-67911989536689843002010-01-21T16:47:00.000-08:002010-01-21T16:52:03.138-08:00

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Flow Dog

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-23553287954917891272010-01-21T16:46:00.000-08:002010-01-21T16:46:30.275-08:00

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Flying Dog

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-34410727650938660822010-01-21T16:44:00.000-08:002010-01-21T16:44:48.174-08:00

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Chimney Trail

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-40662072207391396452010-01-15T10:57:00.000-08:002010-01-15T11:07:30.901-08:00

Got out for a ride w/ Joe today. We went up Mad Hatter, up Mt Herman Rd, then descended Stoopid. A lot of snow when we first started descending, but that cleared up quickly. The creek crossings were sketchy ice, but most of the descent was surprisingly good.Wore my Garmin 305 again and got most of the ride (I screwed the beginning up before I met Joe). Neat stats here.Took some pics, but my

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-10319020003278538802009-12-25T15:40:00.000-08:002010-01-22T12:08:14.421-08:00

Tried out my new Seirus Stormsocks and Garmin Forerunner 305 today. Did about 4 miles in the snow with temps in the teens. The socks worked very well. No coldness during the entire ride/hike. I'll definitely be putting these to use for winter riding.The Garmin 305 is incredible. A GPS and heart rate monitor in watch form. Amazing features and functionality in a small package. I mounted it

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-41612681299589307712009-12-24T21:01:00.000-08:002009-12-24T21:07:52.166-08:00

Got out for 7 miles of riding in the freshies. Not a ton of new snow, but enough to make it interesting/difficult. Very few fresh tracks, since I didn't get out til after noon, but I did have the pleasure of passing through Nordby's crash site. :-)Lesson of the day: tire pressure can seriously affect traction in winter conditions. Started at a supposed 20/20psi, ended up at 16 rear and 12

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-53631454620965407382009-12-22T09:47:00.000-08:002009-12-22T10:28:48.832-08:00

Met up with 11 other mtbr.com members last night for a winter solstice night ride. Thanks go out to Kristian for getting the ride set up. Lots of fun, super warm temps, and good local trails. Black Pearl and Flying Dog were especially fun descents with my two Magicshines lighting the way. The sidehill snow sections on BP were pretty sketchy, but I don't think we had one 'real' crash all night

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-56262477463308164232009-12-05T15:56:00.000-08:002009-12-06T06:35:21.854-08:00

It's been a while...I'd say the knee is almost 100%, but wouldn't wanna hex myself. :-)I've managed to get out for the occasional ride the past 6 weeks or so. Most of my biking focus has been building up the new kid hauler / cargo bike. The Yuba Mundo V3. Nearly fully sorted, just need to come up w/ something for the kids feet. I installed a carbon fiber stoker bar with matching grips...

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-18931980473080117902009-09-14T15:52:00.000-07:002009-09-14T15:53:49.275-07:00

Here's a link to one of the cargo bikes I'm interested in. Definitely also interested in the Yuba Mundo V3, which will have disk brake capability and fit big tires.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-6088942213388258682009-08-30T14:51:00.000-07:002009-08-30T14:55:00.892-07:00

Got out for a couple hours today w/ Tirpak. No big plans and no hurry. We rode up Flow Dog,where we stopped to chat for a half an hour with a couple other locals. Proceeded to cruise up the recently smoothed Mt Herman Rd. Scouted some trails, then came back down and did some good riding through the Preserve. Knee is doing great!The Maverick SC32 / Endo combo is sweet. Need some snow, which

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-77674817417858886782009-08-28T15:55:00.001-07:002009-12-06T06:35:39.505-08:00

Spent about 2 hours wrenching on a friend's "new" Trek 850 today. Nice to be able to help someone out and get another bike out on the trails.Afterwards, I couldn't resist hopping on my own bike. Got out for 50 minutes of trail riding! Unbelievable how well my knee is doing. Very very psyched to get back out and feel pretty decent. Just a few little spots of achiness, but definitely still

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-27025244507860674192009-08-27T18:40:00.000-07:002009-08-27T18:46:05.780-07:00

First trip to the physical therapist today. No big deal. My knee is doing ridiculously well. Well enough that another woman who was there and had similar surgery the same day kept asking me how I could be doing so well in just one week. I dunno! Range of motion is huge now. I even played 9 holes of disc golf today w/ zero pain.Workout for the day:10 minutes on the stationary bike10 minutes

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-26567763775087996052009-08-25T08:51:00.000-07:002009-08-25T08:55:21.480-07:00

Yippee...15 minutes on the trainer! Knee is doing pretty well. Yesterday felt like a bit of a breakthrough day. Range of motion is still limited, but increasing. Pain is very infrequent.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-72089046973371828322009-08-21T09:34:00.001-07:002009-08-21T09:41:29.502-07:00

Pic above shows the inside of my knee. Patella, ACL, and lateral meniscus look good. Medial mensicus shows the tear in the lower left pic and then the repaired meniscus is shown in the lower right pic. The doc said he was surprised they picked up the tear in the MRI. He had to sorta pull the mensicus a bit to find the tear.Surgery went smoothly. Recovery is going fine. I asked the doc if I

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-22217062465313730592009-08-19T16:02:00.000-07:002009-08-19T16:16:11.599-07:00

I'm sitting here in stockings, about 5 hours post knee surgery. Things apparently went flawlessly and the doc found no "extra credit" work that needed to be done. I'd never had surgery before, so the whole thing was a bit interesting.No food or water starting midnight before the surgery. Show up at 9:30, get dressed in a fancy gown, they ask a pile of questions, then the write YES on the

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-39119282740942258042009-08-11T11:55:00.001-07:002009-08-11T12:04:12.704-07:00

Well, consultation with the orthopedic surgeon leads to...surgery next Wednesday to fix the torn meniscus. Some "looseness" of the MCL, which surgery generally won't help with.Cycling aids in the recovery process, so that is good. Just gotta avoid the crashing bit... Need to stick to the easy stuff anyway, since my hand is still pretty painful from the crash 2.5 weeks ago.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-59749757127684053802009-07-27T15:20:00.000-07:002009-07-27T20:52:08.768-07:00

Got out for a very short ride on Flow Dog today. Brought Marley and Tess along. Put the new Echo Trials / Nexus wheel on with the 2.7 Timberwolf. Feels much more stable and less likely to pinch flat than when I was riding the same tire on a skinny rim. Gotta build the front wheel but spazzed out and ordered straight pull spokes accidentally.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-46690177282098201472009-07-24T14:47:00.000-07:002009-12-16T20:24:30.431-08:00

Went out for a HOT ride at lunch today. In the continuing quest for geek knowledge, I wanted to capture some more video and edit the results. I had a couple crashes, which added to the excitement, footage, and pain. I should definitely not be pushing the pace like i was, but this is why I'm constantly injured. I tried the camera on my helmet, but it was way too shaky. I put it on the bars and

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-31949398486618009822009-07-20T12:20:00.001-07:002009-07-20T12:33:48.884-07:00

Got out for a good ride today. More technical than it should have been, due to my knee, but I made sure to walk most of the sketchy stuff. Rode up 715, so I could check out the new trailwork by BSA and Nordby. Very nice reroute. Way more enjoyable, and should handle water much better.Where 715 hits the road at the old firing range, I crossed and went up the steep loose climb there. I managed

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-67444265969019444662009-07-13T19:43:00.000-07:002009-07-13T19:44:59.050-07:00

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-88448048375224018002009-07-13T14:09:00.000-07:002009-07-13T14:37:05.096-07:00

Took the Inbred out for some more Work Center riding at lunch today. For some reason, I got the idea to try a little video action. Specifically wanted to see those giant tires approaching and going over the camera. Above is my fairly lame attempt, but whatever, I'm learning a bit.Also, I received my new fattish Echo trials rims today. The front 32 hole rim is 44mm wide and weighs 783g.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-71755169767193297202009-07-09T10:41:00.000-07:002009-07-09T11:00:13.101-07:00

The super wet Spring and early Summer are bringing a great display of flowers this year. Flowers, flowers, everywhere.Despite my hosed knee, I got out for a decent ride last night with Tirpak and another good ride this morning by myself. I'm trying to stay off the real technical stuff, so I don't crash or have to plant my right leg heavily. So far so good.Even the cactus are flowering this

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-58263148709676426352009-06-27T16:52:00.001-07:002009-06-27T19:34:35.474-07:00

I've had bad knees for years. In the past year, they've seemed way more fragile. Soccer games can take a few days to recover from and in the past month, my right knee has really flared up. So, I told my chiropractor, who checked it out and said that it seemed like maybe an MCL tear, but more likely a medial meniscus tear. So, on his referral, I got an MRI done on Thursday. Results: obvious

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-1884589166663832942009-06-17T20:46:00.000-07:002009-06-17T20:49:54.545-07:00

Now, that's fat! 3.7" Endomorph on a Surley Pugsley fork (100mm model). Rolls nicely over rocks at 6psi. Makes the 3.0 inch rear tire look puny. Not to mention, dwarfing a regular race tire.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-28966715027952397582009-06-17T14:20:00.000-07:002009-06-17T14:25:34.298-07:00

Got out for another short night ride last night. Funny, how new equipment can make me do irrational things (like night riding on the nearly longest day of the year). Anyway, used the DX P7 bike light and the MTE M3-2 MCE flashlight on my helmet. Sick amounts of light. Definitely way huge lighting action going on.As I'm finishing my ride, my neighbor sees me coming up the dirt road...Neighbor:

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-35337399581436487662009-06-12T12:05:00.001-07:002009-06-12T12:19:51.802-07:00

For $80, I couldn't resist picking up this DealExtreme P7 bike light. An advertised 900 lumens and 3 hours of runtime. I'm sure it is more in the 600 lumen range, but this is still an incredible example of the progression of bike lighting. I've bought a bunch of lights from DX, so I know that I may need to resolder a connection here or there. The products are more bleeding-edge than top-notch

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-87898253558880730572009-06-10T10:03:00.000-07:002009-06-10T11:23:48.113-07:00

No tread,fast,in the dirt...Boneheadbikerwill get hurt.Went out for a short ride in the Preserve w/ Cari and Jason. At the end of the ride, I did a little bike surfing, sliding down the dirt road on top of the laid down bike, with my hands out front and my knee dragging along on the dirt. Thankfully, I was wearing gloves or my hands would have been shredded.Did the cyclo commute into work, as

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-7756939740662348662009-06-02T09:24:00.000-07:002009-06-02T13:39:20.392-07:00

Lianne has been jonesing to do an adventure race for quite a while.  The Rock Climbing Center and Front Range Climbing Company put on a race over the weekend that was affordable, close to home, and looked like it would be fun, so we decided to give it a shot.  The race consisted of mountain biking, orienteering, a tyrolean traverse, hiking/running, blackjack, and kayaking.It was actually a lot of

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-5818019602892436522009-05-15T14:16:00.000-07:002009-05-15T15:24:12.869-07:00

Yes, there is a trail in this picture, specifically DLS.  It's not easy to see, because it doesn't get much traffic.  Why?  Because its wickedly technical and obscure.  Sweet.  Did the DLS -> Flow Dog -> Flying Dog hookup.  Good stuff.  It is nice to get out and do some technical riding, now that I'm no longer focusing on endurance training.This week, I also got out on a Colorado Springs trail

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-25959553714750186652009-05-12T20:30:00.001-07:002009-05-14T19:06:20.941-07:00

Jtek shifter in the house...the question is, "Which bike do I put this on?"What am I talking about? Elegant IGH shifting for drop, or maybe funky, bars...

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-51477528306739779602009-05-11T16:06:00.000-07:002009-05-11T17:33:52.976-07:00

Took the Inbred out for a spin today w/ the new tires installed 26x3.0 Kenda Flames! Jeez, these things are humongous. So large, in fact, that I had to put the Inbred rigid fork back on. The front tire would not fit on the Marz.I took the tires through everything the Preserve has to offer: sand, rocks, a few roots, and a tiny bit of mud. They worked fairly well. I kept dropping the pressure to

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-28342836707063857272009-05-08T16:00:00.000-07:002009-05-08T16:12:35.260-07:00

Here is a less traveled trail in Monument Preserve that is a bit more technical than average, but nothing crazy (like DLS). The trail provides nice connectivity between DLS/Black Pearl and Flying Dog...

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-26113513061288716272009-05-06T08:14:00.000-07:002009-06-02T10:27:30.408-07:00

Well, it's a few days later and I'm feeling fine.  I'm even planning to head out for a ride at lunch today.  That's a good sign...no burnout.  Below are some race pics taken by Chris Tirpak.  Full set is here.Prerace in the pit with the banner the girls made for me!Night shot below the dam and last hillCleanish bike before the real rain hitsDoing the switchbacks on the mud bikeWondering how I

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-11235823889567308492009-05-04T08:36:00.001-07:002009-05-04T11:18:14.529-07:00

Well, it's over and done with. I'm very happy with the results: 28 laps in 17 hours and 55 minutes. That equates to somewhere around 165 miles. By far the longest mountain bike "ride" I've done in a day.The race started out dry and super dusty. You have to run from the start line up a small hill, around some trees and back to your bike. It took me about 20 seconds to find my bike once I got

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-17667469190523650732009-05-03T14:08:00.000-07:002009-05-03T14:09:02.066-07:00

The race went better than expected. I ended up with 29 laps (28 officially). 5th place. Some massively muddy unrideable laps thrown in for extra fun!

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-42533542226846307312009-05-01T21:10:00.001-07:002009-05-01T21:10:45.374-07:00

Not all that relaxed, but ready...

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-69662213763957716332009-04-30T14:25:00.000-07:002009-04-30T14:36:38.979-07:00

Time to get busy.  Leaving tonight for Fruita via Frisco.  Hoping to get a good night's sleep in Frisco, with no kids/dogs to wake me up in the middle of the night or early in the morning.  I have a few loose ends for packing, but I'm pretty much ready to roll.Spun a few miles in Ute today w/ Austin and Kenton.  Did some stretching afterward.  Nothing else left to do, except go have some fun in

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-22882099642570556002009-04-29T14:08:00.000-07:002009-04-29T14:13:16.814-07:00

Race goalsHave fun, but push myselfA minimum of 18 laps (60 minutes per lap)Realistically in the 20-25 lap rangeGoal        Avg lap time20            54:0021            51:2522            49:0523            46:5724            45:0025            43:12FYI, in past team 18 Hour of Fruita events, I was turning back to back mid 27's for the night laps...Pre raceWeigh me in shorts, short sleeves prior

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-14247816409155787602009-04-29T08:44:00.000-07:002009-04-29T08:56:38.136-07:00

For anyone who wants to follow my 18 Hours of Fruita progress, or lack thereof…Chris will be sending updates via Twitter.  I may send some updates if I get a bit of downtime.  So, go create an account at twitter.com and follow ctirpak and bbaker22 .   The race starts at midnight (Friday night) and ends at 6pm Saturday. Got out for another short night ride last night.  Used the HID and R2 combo

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-22719374683898933332009-04-28T09:59:00.000-07:002009-04-28T10:24:09.218-07:00

Let's just get this outta the way before the race.  Here is a list of exuses for my slacking off during the race (in order of likelihood of occurrence):My back/neck/foot/leg/elbow hurtsI need to drink some of the beer before Tirpak finishes it allSand in my shortsI'm sleepyMechanical issuesBad weatherBad crashI'm in danger of ending up on the podium

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-77810748532265834122009-04-28T08:49:00.000-07:002009-04-28T09:59:01.671-07:00

Got out last night for some night riding on the local singletrack and dirt roads.  Tried out a variety of lighting combos.  It looks like the Trail Tech hid on the bars and the Deal Extreme R2 flashlight on the helmet will be choice number one. Although a helmet mount is key for the twisty type riding at Fruita, I actually may attempt to ride with just the bar light after a while.  I anticipate

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-34814144862771705542009-04-25T15:18:00.001-07:002009-04-25T15:29:37.476-07:00

This was a common view for me today!Took quite a few spills while checking out some trail connections from here...Past a bunch of these...To here...This pic is from the same location as yesterday's blog photo. Slight difference in weather, eh? Cloudy, foggy, and about 39 today. Yesterday was sunny and in the 70's.Didn't get in much mileage today, but lots of twisting and turning. :-)

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-36573073314272041692009-04-24T13:51:00.000-07:002009-04-24T14:12:11.448-07:00

Took a spin in the Monument Preserve today. Trail conditions are great. No mud. Lots of packed sand instead of the normal looseness. Intentionally sought out a rocky technical trail to see how the Notubes installation would hold up. It didn't! Well, that's not really fair. The tire's sidewall did not hold up. A new tear in the sidewall.The sealant spewed til the pressure got really low

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-11445273412635293212009-04-23T19:57:00.000-07:002009-04-23T22:22:21.204-07:00

Last week I successfully set up a WTB SX24 29er rim and Specialized Fastrak tire with a 26" Notubes rim strip. Not too big of a deal, but I had to do a lot of shaking, turning, waiting, flipping, etc. I did quite a few miles (road, technical riding, and trail) and it has worked fine.So, tonight I figured I'd quickly go tubeless with my Arch 29er rim, Fastrak tire, yellow rim tape, and Olympic

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-22597113985703882912009-04-22T12:57:00.000-07:002009-04-22T13:09:33.320-07:00

Apparently, I need a seat bag the width of a wafer thin mint for it to not rub my thighs!  Its not like I have giant legs or anything.  As a matter of fact, they are commonly referred to as chicken legs.  Oh well, the latest config is going to have to do.  I barely touch the new bag, so I don't think there will be any chafing issues, just minorly annoying thigh rubs.  Frame pump worked fine.  

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-88205449108397964692009-04-22T07:46:00.000-07:002009-12-16T20:38:19.442-08:00

Got out for a ride w/ Gary in Ute yesterday (Tuesday). A nice medium paced, medium length ride. Trail conditions are just about perfect. Little to no mud, but most of the sand is nice and packed, thanks to all of the moisture last week. Tons of runners, hikers, and cyclists out there.I think I have the seat bag issue resolved. I picked up a Cat-1 Pro seat wedge. Skinny, especially at the

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-75291878852099888032009-04-20T13:53:00.000-07:002009-04-20T14:22:42.608-07:00

Got out for a road ride on the mountain bike today. Did the academy loop twice, plus the ride down to Jon's house. So, about 29 miles total. My legs felt pretty wasted for the first loop, then felt a bit better the second loop (was probably going a bit slower, though). Anyway, that will probably be my last hard and long ride before the race.I have a creak on my bike that is driving me bonkers

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-70861008760962123012009-04-19T14:34:00.000-07:002009-04-19T14:40:35.435-07:00

Saturday I woke up to a huge amount of snow. Tried spinning the bike around the house. Ridiculous, so I broke out the snowshoes and shoed for a while. The snow kept coming down, but it was above 32F, so it was super messy. Later in the afternoon, I did manage to get out for an hour ride, which was pretty much just disgusting. Sleet, rain, ice pellets, massive amounts of mud and slush. A huge

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-2939433748532837862009-04-17T18:14:00.000-07:002009-04-17T20:58:19.438-07:00

Spring snowstorm in full effect! Got out for an hour and fifteen minutes of sweet snow riding today. Apparently, this is the application of the 2.7" tires, because they rocked in these conditions. Huge traction and decent flotation.The two mile return on dirt road was a bit messy, but the tires kept on trucking, even up the two steep hills. Pretty disgusting abuse of the drivetrain.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-52806378150292869262009-04-16T18:30:00.001-07:002009-04-16T18:38:38.868-07:00

Kenton and I did a nice ride in Ute Valley today. Did a similar ride to last week's one w/ Austin. Got in a little technical riding and even picked up the pace a bit today, which felt pretty good.We could feel the storm moving in as we rode, with some graupel falling at one point. It looks like we're getting hit by a big Spring storm. The forecast is for more than 24 inches in Northern El

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-62623711899454181702009-04-14T22:39:00.000-07:002009-04-14T22:50:04.484-07:00

Had a fairly uneventful commute home with a nice tailwind! About halfway home, I realized tonight was trail work night in the Monument Preserve organized by Friends of Monument Preserve.So, I took the route home past the trailhead and saw a bunch of vehicles I recognized there. Grabbed a McLeod outta Nordby's truck and headed down the trail riding one-handed.Ran into Tirpak and we took off to

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-30428050511743903782009-04-14T08:48:00.000-07:002009-04-14T09:11:32.440-07:00

Did the commute this morning on the Cross Check.  About half way through, I glance off the trail and see something moving.  For some reason, my first thought was a monkey.  Wait, I'm not in Thailand!  So, I pull over and realize it is a coyote pouncing on a rodent.  He grabbed it, trotted a little ways off and then watched me watch him.  Pretty neat.I also saw some parachutists, which is always

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-19101608576668944172009-04-13T14:54:00.000-07:002009-04-13T17:27:54.715-07:00

US Air Force Academy in the backgroundDid a 16 mile ride. 2100ft of climbing. Up Mt Herman Rd, then tooled around the neighborhoods. Mt Herman road was a total slush mess above about 7500ft. Majorly messy.I've been looking at cargo bikes. They fascinate me and I think it would be neat to try one out. I think the kids would love to ride around in a bike like the Madsen Bucket. They are

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-36967616041323530552009-04-13T08:38:00.000-07:002009-04-13T08:52:19.804-07:00

Woke up to a bunch of snow. Wet, heavy stuff. I guess I should have left the studs on the Inbred. Oh well...Li took the dogs out for a hike, then I got out for a short snow/slush/mud ride on the Inbred w/ 2.7" tires. During the ride, the weather switched between snow, sleet, and rain. Thankfully I had put on my fenders, as the dirt road section was a total mess. Mud and slush everywhere!

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7142698789704369248.post-32301782960679044752009-04-11T21:24:00.000-07:002009-04-11T22:47:24.626-07:00

Spent more time today wrenching on bikes than actually riding. Did some maintenance on my Monocog, Li's Homegrown, the Cross Check, and my Inbred.Put 2.7's on the Inbred, which makes it feel like I'm riding on pillows! Not sure what real application that configuration has, but it is fun. I suppose it would be good for sand and deep snow.Put the new Nashbar mini front rack on the Cross Check.

bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460095234881525741noreply@blogger.com0