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2012 Photo Thread

27K views 121 replies 29 participants last post by  Helmut Molde 
#1 ·
As the Title says, 2012 Photo Thread. Photo's video's whatever ya got put them up!

NorCal had nice weather the first 18 day of 2012, Super dry and Sunny, leading to the best trail conditions we've had in January in possibly over a decade!

These were taken back on 1/8/12. Salmon Falls trail and Sweetwater Trails ride.

Salmon Falls, Kevin, breaking in his new Ciclon, a very happy boy. See the lighter colored (tan) rocks over the riders shoulders (right side of pic), those are normal under water.

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Sherwood on his Chucho leading out the V train, The trail is so dry it was almost dusty.

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Yours Truly leading out the troops down to the normally underwater bridge that connects Salmon Falls and Sweetwater trails. That's a 6 Ventana train!

IMG_1404 Photo Cred to Steve

Another benefit to the dry weather and low water levels at Folsom Lake is the exposing of some pre-1954 (Dam construction) trails off the Sweetwater trail. Here Dustin, Kevin and Steve enjoy the normal underwater section of trail.

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After the group ride, I went back and captured some more pics of the exposed sections, photo credit to Canon Tymer. He's a patient fellow willing to wait upto 35 seconds and take 7 shots!


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Same section, different perspective.

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Conditions continued to be insanely nice the following weekend, in fact Sunday's high of 67 degrees was the warmest January daytime reading in 3 decades according to the local news.

Went back to Salmon Falls, solo this time, not many pics, actually no action shots, and just one short 15 second video to chronicle the conditions. But I did have to stop and take a pic of this guy, yep, the first Rattlesnake of the year, I guess the sunshine was just too much for him to pass up. About 3.5' and plenty cranky to have to move!

1stRat12

Ok, I've started it, everybody else pile on!
 
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#7 ·
Aaron, glad you enjoyed it.

We are just a couple of plain old grandparents having fun. Not great riders but we try.

FWIW, while the camera doesn't really show the full effect, I did walk the line I wanted to take two times prior to riding it. The consequences of a fall to the inside is probably around five or more feet straight down onto shellrock (concrete basically). The actual drop is worn nearly vertical with a springy root across it.

After realizing we safely made the drop, my stoker commented that the drop was the most spine compression from a "G"out she had ever experienced.

It's a cool section, probably like that rock face posted by you of Sherwood and son descending, you must commit and follow through.

PK
 
#10 · (Edited)
Here I am riding the El Chucho down a wet Burnt Mountain trail in Dupont State Forest in North Carolina.

Burnt Mountain, Dupont State Forest

Here I am just a couple seconds too slow for the timer on the camera. This is at the top of the Big Rock Trail and the Cedar Rock Trail in Dupont State Forest. This is the location for the cover photo of the January issue of BIKE magazine

Not quick enough...
 
#12 ·
Here I am just a couple seconds too slow for the timer on the camera. This is at the top of the Big Rock Trail and the Cedar Rock Trail in Dupont State Forest. This is the location for the cover photo of the January issue of BIKE magazine

Not quick enough...
I'm guessing you put the camera on the signpost???

For us this was 2011, sorry. From here we were following a local and took the staircase sort of trail down. You can hear the front chainring contact solid rock on of the steps.

Very nice area and trails, wish it were a lot closer.

PK
 

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#14 ·
That sign is exactly where I had the camera.. We are very lucky to have such great trails.

Super shot of you two. Loved your video.

I met some mountain unicyclist from the Tampa area at Dupont a short while back and they their home trail was Alafia.

Cheers,

Chris
The MTB unicycle riders are a cool group. One of them took the video posted. They often joke that finally another bike with the proper number of wheels per rider.

PK
 
#16 ·
A few more from 2/5/12

Here's a few more pics from my last ride on 2/5. South Fork American River Trail.

My steed:
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My buddy Dave and the required V content in the corner!
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Some of the soso views...

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Where we start is on the far side of the bridge..
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and Oops..I shrunk DAVE!
.
 
#19 ·
Ok, ok... so yea its my (ugly?) mug again. We had 2 Ventana's on this ride (and a Knolly, one Special Ed, one Pivot, and a GF), but where where they? We'll, this Ventana (any my Photog on the Knolly) was the first to the top, and the first down the hill. Not surprising I guess! LOL! Feb 12th in the Verdugos (NE of Los Angeles). Ole!

 
#29 ·
Although I have a new generation frame designed and built in my head, I'm going to try to get two more race seasons out of this frame.

For this year, I went to a single 36t ring, and a 150mm fork. Besides the extra 10mm of travel, the extra fork height slackens the HT to 67.5, the ST to 73.5 and brings the low 13.1" BB up a touch.

After taking this pic, I realized I've never washed this bike. I've hosed it off after a muddy race run but that's it. There's even a spider living in the CNC'd BB area.
 

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#37 ·
Is Rockville good right now? Been debating on hitting Ft. Ord tomorrow, but Rockville looks like more fun :)
That picture is from a few hours ago today. I did a 14 mile loop. There are a few puddles, but not bad. Rockville has that nice sandy soil so you can see my tires in the picture have no mud build up. I would say it's good conditions for the amount of rain we have had. Rocks are slick, your bike will need a good wipe down and you'll have a mud stripe down your back, but its very ridable.
 
#42 ·
Yup. Got there!

Well, after getting there at 9:30 and then reaching into my gear bag to only find ONE shoe, WTF?!!, I ran home and came back an hour later and caught up with my buddies for a few miles before they split and I tooled around for another hour fifteen having fun.

I realized that the last time I was at Rockville was my birthday, over four months ago! Yikes!!! Long lay-off. It was my first ride on dirt since Jan. 1st. so it was great to just get out and slip slide on around the place. But you know Rockville, 7 inches of rain just keeps the rocks clean and the dust down, hardly any mud.

Ran into some customers on their 29er ECDM tandem they bought a few months back out hammering along. Those two are nuts.....Auburn, Annandale, even Skyline on a tandem I could get into, but Rockville? Ouch!

A few pics to show I was there, El Salt!
 

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#44 ·
Well, after getting there at 9:30 and then reaching into my gear bag to only find ONE shoe, WTF?!!, I ran home and came back an hour later and caught up with my buddies for a few miles before they split and I tooled around for another hour fifteen having fun.

I realized that the last time I was at Rockville was my birthday, over four months ago! Yikes!!! Long lay-off. It was my first ride on dirt since Jan. 1st. so it was great to just get out and slip slide on around the place. But you know Rockville, 7 inches of rain just keeps the rocks clean and the dust down, hardly any mud.

Ran into some customers on their 29er ECDM tandem they bought a few months back out hammering along. Those two are nuts.....Auburn, Annandale, even Skyline on a tandem I could get into, but Rockville? Ouch!

A few pics to show I was there, El Salt!
I saw your FB post about the shoe as I was leaving for my ride and quickly did a equip check. Where's my glasses? Yep on the counter, so Thanks!

But more importantly WELCOME BACK! Glad to see you back on two wheels and dirt!

Ok, about that Couple on the ECDM... I don't know what makes me cringe more, the Fox Fork, or the thought of the unprotected boom tube out at RVille. Mad props to them though for hitting that place on a 8' long beast! Wow.
 
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