Monday, January 30, 2006

It's Dropped Off!

    So it took me 3 trips to load the car up tonight. The car seats were down, the frame was in, the box of wheels and the other box of parts were packed away.

    I trucked over to the shop and asked if they were to busy to build a bike up but if they could have it built by this Friday. "Sure, no problem" just the answer I wanted to hear. I had someone help me carry the items in. they checked my inventory to see if I had everything, all the correct sizes and parts. Everything seemed ago.

    So Wednesday there closed. Kinda odd but then again they are open Sundays. Isn't Sundays the day bike shops are closed? Or even I seen Mondays.

    I need to have it for Saturday, it's maiden voyage. I'm thinking either Hartshorn or Chimney Rock, all depending on trail conditions. I hope the weather cooperates for this weekend as much as it did for last saturday. 60 degree weather in January on the east coast is a dream. Thanks Global Warming!

    So this weekend I'll have pics to post of my new ride and I'll post them in the Turner forum on MTBR.

    Remember... RIDE NOW work later.
    –dirty bert

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Thanks...


    It's funny to think about the time when I was younger and first started to mountain bike. I had a beater of a bike, my 1990 black giant iguna, probably less than 300 bucks. Nothing was advance technology as of today. I think the only cool upgrades I had on it was my Panaracer Smoke tires and my Onza bar ends. I use to beat the hell out of that hardtail. Now, a hardtail is a bike with front suspension and a rigid bike is well what I rode back then.

    I remember when the girvin-flex stem just came out and the Scott fork. The white Scott fork had just a coil spring inside the legs and the Frank-en-stem, I mean the girvin-flex stem was a hunk of metal clamped onto yer bars providing somewhat suspension for the front end. That big blob of metal scared me, I thought it would eat my knees.

    Then the first set of bar ends came out. I had a pair of silver Onza bar ends. Wow, they seem to make a big difference in my climbing, I seemed so much faster, they were awesome! So awesome until they started to hook onto the the trees or better yet lock together with another friends bar ends on a trail (that resulted in a sprain wrist).

    That first summer I had my bike, George and I would ride literally 7 days a week for the entire summer. A ride would be no less than 12 miles a day. Hell, I was 20 at the time, so I could do it! We would ride in and thru everything. Mud! hahahaha, hell I'm not going around it, I'm going thru it! "I got this far in here!". Stopping and standing in a puddle that was past my ankles. "Let's see how far you can peddle thru it!?" George seem to always do a little better than me but that was ok, it helped me push myself even harder to do better. But I would always smoke him going uphill. I guess weighting in at 125 pounds helped me out.

    We never worried about trail conditions as I do today. I can't ride here, it rained to much there, we'll cause to much damage, we don't want to piss the rangers off. This was never an issue back then but then again we rode thru coal stripping fields of Pennsylvania where houses have bloomed onto my favorite riding trails.

    Thanks George for introducing me to my most favorite and loved sport, hobby and passion. And thanks to Pennsylvania, especially Nanticoke, Wilkes-Barre (old Kirby park, where I learned a lot. WATCH out for that green monster puddle!!!), Kingston and all over that area (and I still glad I didn't ride over that train trussle!). I'm hoping that this summer I can come back to rekindle my memories and even get George off his quad and come for a ride with me.

Thanks Whibbles!!

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Dirty Bert & More Dirt

sperm soxs
Here I am resting by the lil lake/pond at Chimney Rock. See my sperm soxs!


Chimney Rock, NJ
This was last spring. It's always muddy here, it holds the water here forever.


dirty Trek
Them Time ATAC pedals are awesome in the mud as well as the snow/ice weather. I got a leaf stuck in the rings.

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Winter Riding at Lewis Morris



    Yea that's Burger King. He does have a big head and that is snow on the ground. Not a new pic because it's like 50 degrees outside. THIS isn't January but I'm not complaining, I LOVE IT!!!

    It sure is muddy out there. Beautiful wheather and muddy trails, just great! It's awesome to ride in this weather but if you do, you'll ruin the trail by riding in the mud! What to do!?!?!?!? I'm glad I didn't buy studded tires this year or even spend a wad of cash on them Sidi winter shoes.

    HEY, since no one reads this blog I'm going to shout out my favorite places to order from...

1. Speedgoat: My favorite site and a good bike blog to boot!

2. Universal Cycles: Good Prices wit always 10% off.

3. Jenson: Good Prices wit good mtb cartoon people.

4. Performance Bike: Get the team membership, earn points and Free 2nd Business Day Delivery Upgrade. I haven't had a problem with delivery and always matched prices.

5. Price Point: I like their site, easy to navigate and good prices.

More to come...

yer friend,
dirty bert

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

My Yellow Klein

My 1992 Klein Mantra Comp

    My first full suspension bike. My Klein Mantra Comp. I went from my black Giant Iguana to this. The poor Iguana, cracked at the bottom bracket area after 6 years of a hard beating and I only weighting 125 lbs. (whew those days are long gone, i'm taking about that weight!). I think I paid $1200 for the Klein, it was yellow. I had a friend who had the same year bike but it was with a black swing arm. He claimed they ran out of yellow swing arms and they just used black instead. I liked the full yellers instead. It was a great climber, it felt a lot lighter riding it, although it wasn't great going down a rocky hill. But then again it wasn't meant for the rugged trails of Ringwood. Incidentally, Ringwood took my Iguanas' life away.

Mantra & Me at Allaire

    Anyway, I must have upgraded the Klein near the end of it's life. See what happened, it didn't have a replaceable hanger and I bent the rear swing arm. So I had to get the bike aligned every Tuesday at the shop. At this point, there was no more swing arms avaiable thru Klein. Everytime I rode, the chain skipped like the cassette and chain were bad. They replaced the cranks, the bottom bracket and the rear hub bearings. Finally after the bike store sucked all my money, they called Klein to get some answers and possibly a new swing arm. No swing arms, instead they offered a trade in the frame and a reduced price for a new bike.

    So my choices were a Trek, Klein and a Gary Fisher. They gave me a a paltry 150 bucks for the frame and I got the Trek Liquid 25 for $1200. Jeeze what different ride that is. Sitting upright, so heavy compared to the Klein but it handled downhills much better. BUT that front fork, RS Psylo sucks. It's been rebuilt twice. It tops out with a clang. I don't need a bell to warn the other bikers or hikers, this thing clangs loud enough to hear me coming!

    I still have it. Still riding it. But shortly I'll be moving on to my next ride my new DLW.

-dirty bert

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Monday, January 02, 2006

Mercer County Park, NJ

dirty bert dabs
Dabbin' at Mercer County Park

    Well this pic wasn't today but it could have been. It's 50 degrees, in January and in New Jersey. I know it's gonna happen real soon, we'll get use to this weather, we'll all be loving it and all and then BAM it will drop 30 degrees and snow. Well that's life on the east coast.

    I don't live that far from Mercer County Park and I read alot of negative reviews about this park. I think if they just peddle harder and ride faster thru the trails, it would be a challenge. Try not to dab thru "Handlebar Forrest". I think a lost a lot of skin on them trees, it's very, very twisty thru them trails, there about handlebar width, if that. The trees are mostly 3 inches thick, so you could forcefully bang your handlebars thru them. Although this park may not have any steep downhill sections to please the downhillers, but the trails are fun and not boring at all. There are enough log and stream crossings and trees to avoid hitting to make for some fun riding. Beware though, there are tons of deer. I have seen at least 20 in some spots and a dam herd (maybe 30 deeer) crossing the road, for a split second I thought I was driving thru the Safari at Great Adventure.

    THANKS to SMART for maintaining this park. I have joined them, this past year to give back to one of my favorite riding spot. Do you do trail maintenance and where?

happy trails (corny, huh?)
dirty bert