20/20 NE - I can see clearly now

[MaineSkiAddict1]

kid huck his meat at the bottom of Murphy?

Sir yes sir. Poor bastard. He didn’t stand a chance. The sound of his crash...Jesus. He’s lucky he didn’t break his neck

[ticketchecker]

^^ yikes

[Anospa]

Well, EWS Burke cancelled...

I'm real glad I held off on building a new bike this winter, get to thrash the 275 bike around for a bit longer if/when COVID settles this summer.

In meantime, starting to seriously contemplate a new road/gravel bike... I've got a cross bike from 2011 with rim brakes started off with getting sprayed by cars commuting and then dealing with a fountain of sweat from the trainer its lived in the past handful of winters.

If I wanted to get out on mixed surface rides around Boston/Mass, would a gravel bike be a significant change in geometry from a cross bike? I'm pretty happy with the current bike, but disc brakes and carbon frame are enticing.

[biggins]

Well, EWS Burke cancelled...

I'm real glad I held off on building a new bike this winter, get to thrash the 275 bike around for a bit longer if/when COVID settles this summer.

In meantime, starting to seriously contemplate a new road/gravel bike... I've got a cross bike from 2011 with rim brakes started off with getting sprayed by cars commuting and then dealing with a fountain of sweat from the trainer its lived in the past handful of winters.

If I wanted to get out on mixed surface rides around Boston/Mass, would a gravel bike be a significant change in geometry from a cross bike? I'm pretty happy with the current bike, but disc brakes and carbon frame are enticing.

Search Cantdog jong. He, like you, has no redline, rides everything on all kinds of bikes, and strings together mostly non-pavement rides all over metro Boston. I sense he can advise...

Edit: Woodstock ESC only postponed (indefinitely...)

[ticketchecker]

Gov Mills dropped the multi phase go forward COVID strategy today for Maine, our summer economy is pretty much fucked.

I need to get the interior of my armageddon van ready to roll, then pack it full of bikes and figure it out from there.

Boy I could really go for an overpriced beer at a concert right about now

[Peruvian]

A few from today’s afterwork gravel ride.

[ticketchecker]

^^ nice collection of shots

[jackstraw]

Spring has sprung! Great day for a ride!

[Peruvian]

30 miles after work, only 2200’ vert though.

[Vt-Freeheel]

1st gravel of the year. Good to stretch the legs.
Some pave'



Some pond



Beers on the tailgate after. Plenty of mtb riders in the MRV were out on the trails including current or former board members. Ride it if you can.

[gravitylover]

1.3" since yesterday into ground that was already saturated and more to come this afternoon. I wonder if most of it just ran off because the ground couldn't take any more. I hope so, I'd like to get out for a spin on dirt tomorrow but thinking Sunday is more realistic.

[HankScorpio]

1.3" since yesterday into ground that was already saturated and more to come this afternoon. I wonder if most of it just ran off because the ground couldn't take any more. I hope so, I'd like to get out for a spin on dirt tomorrow but thinking Sunday is more realistic.

Yep, fucking soaked here too. Tomorrow would be a great day to hit the gravel but I'm waiting on some parts for my gravel bike......fuck. Sunday afternoon trail ride for sure.

[gravitylover]

Oh yeah that reminds me, I'm hearing of all sorts of upcoming parts shortages in the bike industry. Between everyone running thin inventories going into this year because last year was the worst for new bike sales in the US in a long time, then 2 months of factory shutdowns in Asia this year and a slow ramp back into it due to low and cancelled orders and finally the explosion in service and sales worldwide due to the virus parts will run out in 1-3 months in all categories. Not everything will run out but basic service and repair parts certainly will and I expect that cables/housings/brake pads/chains and lots of suspension parts will be gone by mid summer. Trek sold out of bikes under $5k yesterday and many others will run out in a week or two and there is no hope of a resupply until July at best.

If you want anything or expect to need something between now and September get it now. Get a couple of extra tires and brake pads now because you will need them.

[buttahflake]

Oh yeah that reminds me, I'm hearing of all sorts of upcoming parts shortages in the bike industry. Between everyone running thin inventories going into this year because last year was the worst for new bike sales in the US in a long time, then 2 months of factory shutdowns in Asia this year and a slow ramp back into it due to low and cancelled orders and finally the explosion in service and sales worldwide due to the virus parts will run out in 1-3 months in all categories. Not everything will run out but basic service and repair parts certainly will and I expect that cables/housings/brake pads/chains and lots of suspension parts will be gone by mid summer. Trek sold out of bikes under $5k yesterday and many others will run out in a week or two and there is no hope of a resupply until July at best.

If you want anything or expect to need something between now and September get it now. Get a couple of extra tires and brake pads now because you will need them.

Dude, you are so full of shit! I was just at my Trek dealer, bikes under $1000 are sold out, plenty of bikes left north of that number. I’m pulling the trigger on a new Fuel EX 8 next week, whoop-whoop.

[CantDog]

Search Cantdog jong. He, like you, has no redline, rides everything on all kinds of bikes, and strings together mostly non-pavement rides all over metro Boston. I sense he can advise...

Edit: Woodstock ESC only postponed (indefinitely...)

Definitely! There is a ton of really good stuff immediately outside Boston, and if you are willing to drive to Concord or the burbs it makes it a lot easier to access stuff extending farther out. Also great routes that use the commuter rail. Happy to send routes or play tour guide later this year, and I post most everything on strava. Once I'm off from our palliative COVID service I'll have a bit more time to get outside and ride.

[buttahflake]

Nice day for a long easy valley roll. 77 miles 18.0 avg

[snowday]

Got out early before the crowds filled up the parking lot at B St. Felt like a summer morning!



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[gravitylover]

Did another neighborhood exploring ride today and found some raging steeps, a 100 year old rail line that runs a few miles along a creek, miles and miles of old roads and newer atv trails and some kickass singletrack and crazy creek crossings. I wouldn't call it high quality but for 5 blocks from the door in the NY burbs I'm pretty happy, there's everything from sort of graded cinder trail to over the top techy narrow line rock gardens and silly steeps with lots of big banked turns. If the satellite shot is worth anything it looks like the 8 miles we did today is maybe half of the potential. There were lots of quads, dirt bikes and families form the neighborhoods adjacent to it but only 1 other person on a mountain bike. Tomorrow there's another spot on the other side of the street to check out with a trailhead 4 blocks from home that could give another 8 or so miles of landlocked trails.

@Buttah - Doesn't it figure a little while before I posted that they opened up some of what's called the hidden inventory (that I didn't know about) and things showed up as available again. The other thing was if a dealer had nicer bikes on a preseason order most of those bikes were still available to them if they hadn't taken it yet but those were starting to be sold due to low/no supply and yeah, nothing under $1k but some 2021 bike started showing up already. Generally though there are no bikes available outside of some odds and ends and like I said lots of parts will start running thin soon.

[Pacman922]

Definitely! There is a ton of really good stuff immediately outside Boston, and if you are willing to drive to Concord or the burbs it makes it a lot easier to access stuff extending farther out. Also great routes that use the commuter rail. Happy to send routes or play tour guide later this year, and I post most everything on strava. Once I'm off from our palliative COVID service I'll have a bit more time to get outside and ride.

Strava name?

[Laps]

Got out for a ride in the new ‘hood today.

Some nice views.


And some non-vmba ridgeline singletrack.

Pretty sweet to be able to ride 15 miles of dirt road and singletrack right from the fromt door.


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[biggins]

^^^Very nice.

[CantDog]

Strava name?

My name name

[buttahflake]

The name game. Shirley! Shirley, Shirley
Bo-ber-ley, bo-na-na fanna

[Vt-Freeheel]

Plenty of single track can be accessed from the door, gravel not so much.

As usual I see signs of stupid riders already. A half dozen, probably 90% of the riders on this day, going around a wet spot in the trail onto the soft mud. Reality is that the wet area is a half inch of wet leaves over rock hard glacial till.





But it's not my problem so I'll focus on the wildflowers blooming in the trail instead.

[buttahflake]

Picked up my new whip! Boys at Claremont Cycle Depot hooked it up! Love that bike shop. Trek Fuel EX8. Can’t get over how much the geometry has changed since 2013. I thought my old Stumpjumper was tits, but this new bike is better in every way. Bonty XR4’s in 29x2.6 are redonk! Running them tubeless at 16lbs, I’m glowing. Just took it for a Shakedown cruise, took no time for me to dial it in. When this Covid bullshit is over, let’s ride!