We drove to Chimney Rock, a rocky but rideable park in the area where we do hill rides. I love Chimney Rock, a bushel and a peck. Chimney Rock loves me, sometimes, but more often it crushes me like a bug.
I had a bad feeling about our ride, because that's just the sort of day I was having. Rationally, I knew that there is no interdependence between any two events, but being a not-too-distant descendant of the cavemen, I naturally look to find connections and predict the unknowable. So I overinflated my tires to ward off flat tires.
In case you've forgotten what kind of bike I ride, it is a Kona Unit 2-9er. One gear. No suspension. Purple.
Having higher-than-optimal pressure in my tires may reduce the risk of a flat, but it also changes the ride quality. With a totally rigid bike like mine, the effective suspension is your elbows, your knees, and the smushiness of your tires. Having rock-hard tires has caused me endless misery in past rides... but not yesterday!Maybe I'm starting to figure out how to handle a bike off-road, or maybe strengthening my arms has helped me control the front wheel. Maybe it was the warm, long-awaited sunshine on my face. Maybe I just needed an enjoyable ride to turn my day around.
A lot of the intangibles of cycling are indescribable, so that recounting them to non-cyclists never works. Moreover, you can't even describe a good MTB ride to a roadie. For example, descents on a road bike are fun, without a doubt, but rocky, rooty, twisty descents on a MTB that leave you hooting and hollering with childlike joy... you just can't convey that verbally.
With my hard tires, I felt every rock, every root, every rut and bump. The trail and I were joined, one-to-one, in a zen sort of melding. It was hoot-and-holler inducing.
Q: What did the Zen Buddhist say to the Hot Dog Vendor?
A: Make me one with everything.
MTBing, man. It is exactly what I needed yesterday. The world would be a better place if more people would just ride bikes.
Posts
4 comments:
ssh!
You don't want too many people riding bikes off road, there wouldn't be enough room on the trails. Let's keep the secret to ourselves and our closest friends.
See you on trials,
Charlie
Did you do bong hits?
josh <-- advocate of low pressure in just about any situation
tommeke - advocates 5.5-6 bar for roubaix, that you are less likely to have a flat than with 8 bar (what George asks for in road to roubaix). Tom - 0 punctures in 10 rides...George - 10 punctures each time he tries to ride...
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCWhatsNewDetail.jsp?article=6662&refp=USHome
And on a personal note, from CX. While you *will* flat if you ride crazy low pressure in your clinchers and bang your wheels into every rock you can find, if you run 2-5 psi lower than what you think you should, 9 times out of 9, you won't flat (esp if you know how to ride gently) and the increased traction will more than make up for minute changes to rolling resistance....
Post a Comment