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#1 ·
This morning's fatbike commute :thumbsup: Tonight it was snowing really hard, 3" by the time I got home.
 

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#703 · (Edited)
Beautiful weekend to finally get some Spring trail riding in! After almost 3 feet of snow three weeks ago, followed by tons of rain, the trails were remarkably dry. One of the parks I frequent in upstate, NY was once a part of the Chenango Canal system. The River and Towpath trails hug the Chenango River. Adjacent to the trail are the remnants of the canal, which fill with water and teem with wildlife this time of year.

A painted turtle basking in the sunlight.

Nature Turtle Pond turtle Reptile Tortoise


A mallard couple foraging along the bank of the canal.

Nature Bird Beak Terrestrial animal Wildlife


Here's a garter snake sunning himself in the shallow water.

Water snake Grass snake Amphibian Algae Green algae


A closeup of one of his buddies who swam up onto the bank.

Reptile Scaled reptile Terrestrial animal Snake Wildlife


Dusting some cobwebs off. I'm looking forward to getting my FS bike out soon.

Tire Wheel Bicycle wheel Mountain bike Bicycle
 
#755 ·


Got in 4 solid DH runs before the lightning cancelled the rest of the day. Going fast enough to get a big bike next :)

Also, strength is a lot better. I would be dead and pretty sore after 2 runs at the beginning of the season. Wasn't sore at all the next day. Weight training is paying off.
 
#796 ·
"Stick season" riding in VT has been fierce for a couple weeks. Sadly it's now raining, so I'm forced to sit in front of the computer and reminisce until the trails freeze up again.

Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel Wheel Bicycle fork Bicycle frame

My new-ish steed, the Banshee Spitfire. Bought it in July and have ridden it maybe five times... which tells you everything you need to know about my new job :p

Wheel Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel Bicycle wheel rim Mountain bike

My old warhorse, the Canfield Yelli Screamy, equipped with a new-to-me fork, shod with Cushcore-dampended Ice Spikers and ready for nuclear winter.

Chain Silver Freezing Bicycle chain

On ice, frozen slush, or fresh powder up to about 4", these things are an absolute riot. Any deeper snow than that and I go skiing anyway. :)

Back in October, the boyfriend and I went to Flagstaff and I rented this rad beast:
Bicycle tire Tire Bicycle wheel Wheel Bicycle frame

The noble Pique! I've always had reservations about women's specific bikes but this thing was well spec'd and riotously fun. It is flickable, jumpable, playful, climbs well, and generally made me feel like a ninja.

Slope Terrain Geology Bedrock Geological phenomenon

The trails on Mt Elden were as un-Vermonty as you can get--dry, loose, rocky, steep, and with epic views. The boyfriend and I climbed 2400 feet on this ride, I went back the next day and did 2900...without going on the same trail twice. MTB Mecca! (Sorry this is sideways, I minored in computer science and have no clue how to fix it XD )
 
#801 ·
A rough ride last Sunday - only 2 miles, but my dog got caught in a leghold trap on a side trail off the snowmachine trail. It was minutes after I stopped for the pic. He screamed and flailed and bit at the trap. In the 10 minutes before he was freed, he broke 3 teeth, but his foot, amazingly, is fine. He was able to walk the 2 miles home (I pushed the bike and kept him on leash), but it's wait and see because the teeth are bothering him.
 

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#820 ·
What a weather rollercoaster we've been riding in the Northeast. 61F on Friday followed by rapidly falling temperatures, sleet, freezing rain and then a few inches of snow before temperatures once again plummeting to below zero. I did take the opportunity to get out on Monday, when temperatures climbed into the teens to near 20 for what I jokingly call a "ride". I found out first-hand how difficult it is to break trail, even with fat tires and my low-pressure gauge decided to quit, so I had no idea what I was running in my Surly Nates. Needless to say - I don't like breaking trail, but it did force me to slow down and enjoy the quiet beauty around me.

I encountered a herd of deer that was completely unperturbed by my presence, probably because they were much less encumbered by the snow than I was, lol. A brook that was frozen solid the week before, then freed during the thaw, was once again icing over as I stopped to take some photos. Some dried flowers reminded me that what once bloomed, would again in the spring and even though breaking trail was tiring, I still had a good time out on the bike!
 

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#821 ·
I've been working on this little project for a while now. Hubby surprised me with a ski bike kit and a set of snow blades for Christmas. Today was day #3 and I think I finally have it dialed in.

I built this up from my old mountain bike frame. The old fork needed a service and when I took it apart it turned out to be dead. No worries, I thought, and picked up a cheapo coil fork on Craigslist. The second fork was so stiff that it wouldn't budge when sitting on the bike, or even jumping on it. Fork #3 (an old Rockshox air fork) turned out to be the thing I needed... I finally had sag!

Then there were the bars. First off I tried the original bars... no go, they weren't wide enough and were too low. Next I tried some super wide bars with a big stack of spacers underneath. These were also too low, and horrible on the shoulders. BMX bars turned out to be the right thing... lots more control and no shoulder pain.

So here it is, my franken-skibike. So far I've only been riding the fairly mellow slopes. It's easy to carve long, fast, arcing turns, but surprisingly difficult to make short skidded turns. You have to kind of whip the back end of the bike around, but not too far. It's also very easy to get going way too fast (it's super stable at speed) and then you realise that it's not that easy to stop! It's a fun toy though!
 
#848 ·
In addition to building and maintaining trail, our volunteer trail crew also leads weekly no-drop group rides. I led one last night and promised a beginner-friendly route. The route I chose got good reviews and 4 women showed up, which may be a record for these rides - last week I was the only one. In addition to making it fun for the less experienced, I also tried to show off some of the unique aspects of the trail system, like this lookout, and the granite quarries with big cliffs. I took the pic so I'm not in it:
 

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#851 ·
Awesome pics, cyclelicious! I have been slackin' lately with posts. Just got back last week after an awesome long weekend at NEMBAfest at Kingdom Trails, VT. It was my third time at KT (wish I lived a lot closer!) and the first time for three of my friends. We all had a great time and I enjoyed seeing how much I progressed from my first visit and comfort level with the trails. I wish I had a picture of me descending Sidewinder - what a rush!
NEMBAfest Expo
Nature Transport Mountainous landforms Highland Hill

Heaven's Bench
Tire Wheel Mountainous landforms Helmet Bicycle helmet

Cathedral on top of Old Web's Trail
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Pond on White School Trails
Body of water Nature Vegetation Natural landscape Natural environment

Gathering at the top of Moose Alley
Clothing Eyewear Face Vision care Helmet

Moose Alley got interesting right at the start
Bicycle frame Mountain bike Natural environment Downhill mountain biking Mountain biking
 
#852 ·
Awesome pics, cyclelicious! I have been slackin' lately with posts. Just got back last week after an awesome long weekend at NEMBAfest at Kingdom Trails, VT. It was my third time at KT (wish I lived a lot closer!) and the first time for three of my friends. We all had a great time and I enjoyed seeing how much I progressed from my first visit and comfort level with the trails. I wish I had a picture of me descending Sidewinder - what a rush!
NEMBAfest Expo
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Heaven's Bench
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Cathedral on top of Old Web's Trail
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Pond on White School Trails
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Gathering at the top of Moose Alley
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Moose Alley got interesting right at the start
View attachment 1206500
Niiiice, looks like a great time! I really should go to that next year, I'm only an hour away...
 
#911 ·
Cyclicious: nice to see you're out riding :)

After being out for a few months between snow and attempting to snow bike while recovering from a car accident, I was able to get a couple of hours at valmont Sunday.

And I'm finally able to clear the small kicker consistently at the mid point, which is about 6 feet across. Next is the longer part, which is about a 8-10 feet across.

Also, I got quite a bit of height: Russ said I got at least a wheel high, so 27.5"+ inches :)

 
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