If the speedy run of Big Tire is not challenging enough, try the following procedures.

First, start your ride at 8 pm or later. Make sure the sun has dipped below the horizon. At the starting line, remove your seat but do not lower or remove the seatpost because if you are properly prepared you will not have the proper tools to do so. On the way down, search your memory banks for where all the rocks and dips are and hope they haven't gained a life of their own and decided to change apartment numbers and move to a different locale. This should be a good training exercise for bike handling.

Thursday, May 14
Just the week before, I had been worrying about the weather getting too hot for the upcoming IMBA Trail Care Crew (TCC) visit. Today I woke up and worried about where I'd left my winter gear! It was definitely cool out there. We had a pretty big rain come through the night before, so the riding would be great ... nice and firm trails. On the other hand, I wouldn't be able to show the TCC (Jan & Mike Riter) examples of our summer moondust problems. Nothing I could do about it so make the best of what comes.

By the time the TCC rolled into town at noon, the sprinkling of rain from the morning had stopped and all we had to contend with was the everpresent Tri-City wind. We saddled the bikes up and headed out on the State Patrol trails. What I was looking for from the 'Crew was some feedback on our trail construction methods and our trail layout. Most of us are fairly new to this trail construction thing and it would be nice to see what more experienced mountain bikers thought of our construction techniques. We rode down on of our new trails (X-Cut) and discussed how we go about laying out and cutting in new trails. After some really good feedback from the 'Crew, it was time for some fun! I took the 'Crew down Slalom, one of our most popular trails. When I got to the bottom, I turned around and watched the grins grow on their faces as the 'Crew rolled up. We must have done something right!

Later that evening, the Flyers took the 'Crew out to dinner and we spent some time discussing trail tools, trail construction classes as well as a very innovative trail fix that you'll have to see to believe (can't wait to try it out). Thankx to Jan & Mike for paying us a visit and we hope to do this again next year (including some trail construction with the 'Crew?). Thankx also to those who were able to make it out on a Thursday to visit with the TCC.

So, fellow moondust stud/ettes, take 30 seconds out of your busy schedule to pick up one piece of trash every time you ride. It's easy. It's free. It cleans up the trails. It will help to give us a better reputation. Most importantly, the good karma will help to keep you out of the hospital and increase the fun factor on your rides.

Yahooty!

First, rummage through your bike lube stuff and get your bottle of chain lube (I use Pedro's Synlube but it doesn't really matter). Next, get a rag and carefully approach your bike (don't want to startle it). Put a drop of lube on about three links (just one end of the link) of the section of chain that's showing. Rotate your cranks until you get to a "new" section of chain. Repeat the process a couple of times. You should now have put no more than 9 drops of lube on your chain. Finally, take your rag hold it around your chain (lovingly). Rotate the cranks backward and wipe off any excess lube. In the process, you'll be distributing some lube to the rest of the chain. The chain should run quiet for at least one ride but you probably ought to do a proper cleaning soon.

All in all, I had a really great day and even stopped off for a fruit granita at one of the participating merchants on the way home. I'd like to thank all who helped out and I hope that everyone had a great ride to work.

Hope to see you out on the commute.

"With the next millennia upon us, I was wondering if you had any predictions for what the future holds in store. In the future, do you think that what division you race in will be decided by what you have on your feet (i.e. Beginners - wear shoes, Sport - no shoes but have cleats grafted onto their feet, Expert - born with cleats)?"

Dear X-Filed:
Good equipment has always been associated with riders having enough talent to secure a good sponsorship. So beginners will have more bare footers than any other division. Any pros that appear to be bare foot are actually wearing a new cleat system called Toe Floss. Toe Floss is a system that uses kevlar strands tucked neatly between the toes to secure cleats on a shoeless foot.

Sincerely,
Swami

Toe-jammed from Tacoma writes:

"Swami, I was wondering if you could give me some racing tips. I currently own a pair of dull gray Shimano shoes but I'm not as fast in races as I'd like to be. I've thought of racing without shoes at all in order to save some weight but I can't decide which class I should race in. Can you help?"

Dear Toe-Jammed:
This one required some time with the rule book. A rule adopted in the mid 80's makes it clear that shoes are optional. However, a rule established in '96 makes shoes mandatory for all pro expert divisions. This does cause some confusion for the pros and could be the source of protest if a pro opts to trim weight by bare footin' it. For the '98 season the beginner and sport divisions can take advantage of the bare foot option. I would suggest racing sport class and shedding the shoes altogether before the ban is expanded.

Sincerely,
Swami