Skinny Wooden Bridges

    i know it's been awhile since the last i wrote. AND i know i said in the last posting that i was going to blog more in 08', but i never realized how much work goes into writing something for a blog. i have no problem rambling in emails or textin' but here it requires so much more time. See, i think i was just rambling.

    so i bought those Lake MXZ302 winter shoes. they make my toes nice and warm and happy. i stepped into a puddle and they were fine, as long as the puddle or in my case the stream crossing isn't over the top of the shoe. my feet were wet and on top of it, i could feel the water sloushin' around inside my shoe, yes i was to lazy to drain my shoe. so we are in mid February and you'd think i would have broken in these Lakes by now, ravin' about how well they fit and oh-so-warm and happy my toes are but how can i when last Saturday was 50! for once, global warming is good!

    i have been riding almost, practically every weekend. i got 2 new fearless riders joining me this winter. i especially enjoyed it when they graduated to clip-less pedals. endless, silly crashes. you all remember all the embarrassing falls. falling just trying to clip in, falling just stopping for a brief moment, falling backwards on your rear tire, while you tumble down a hill, still clipped in and only unclip as you land into the stream (that was me). the 1 guy falls silently, very very stealthy, you have no idea. 1 minute he's there and the next he's laying on his side on the ground. very quick and quiet.

    i got a problem. i cannot ride in a straight line in order to save my life. i panic and psyche myself out before i come to a wooden bridge, forget a skinny. how could i ride that when i can't ride a curb and only last for 3 feet. i need practice. i need someone to build stuff for me to practice on.

happy frozen trails,
~dirty bert

It Must Be the Shoes.

    Well i finally broke down and bought winter shoes. I bought them 1 size bigger to accommodate the thicker socks or multiple pairs that i wear. I got the new cleat attached to the shoe and tried it out last Sunday. It kept my toes nice and warm AND dry for the most part. I had a lot of trouble trying to clip into my pedal. The cleat was in a new positioned so i had trouble searching for it on the pedal. I felt like a newbie once again, minus all the falling.

    The shoes held up well until i stepped into a stream crossing. I'm sure they would have been fine if the water wasn't so high. So from then on, they became a ice block. I mean these shoes are so water tight, i could feel the water swishing around the inside as i rode.

    Fenders are also a key part of winter riding. They keep the slop to a minimal on yer back and butt. I found spraying the underside with Pam spray reduces the mud from actually sticking. I also wear a helmet cap or if it's really cold and windy a face protector or also know as Balaclava.

    So tomorrow, they are forecasting 50 degrees in January. Wow, what a way to extend my riding season. Despite the trails being a tad bit muddy and still frozen by mid morning, it's kinda nice to have global warming.

happy muddy trails
~dirty "frozen" bert

Holidays

    It's been a while but I didn't forget about it. I can't describe in a enough words what work has been like these past few months. In all it's great to be at a busy ad agency. Enough about that.

    Winter has arrived and for the first time, I keep hoping it gets cold. Why, because the ground will freeze and I won't have to ride in the mud. When I first started mtn. biking, I loved riding in the mud. I really never knew the bad effects I caused doing that but thought it was a lot of fun. Now a days, after doing trail maintenance at my local riding spot, I try to stay away from the trails, when it gets muddy.

    I finally broke down this year and bought winter mtn. bike shoes. The day after Thanksgiving, my favorite bike shop, Halter's Cycles had a black Friday sale. 20% off on bikes and 30% off on everything else. I picked myself up Lake MXZ302 winter mtb shoe. Yea, they aren't cheap but I'm sure they will last a lot longer than any other mtb shoe I ever had. They are pretty toasty warm, but I haven't had the chance to actually wear them in a ride because I needed to order an extra set of Time ATAC cleats. If you use these, this is the best price on the internet.

    Christmas has come and gone (Merry Christmas to you!) Santa brought me a nice long sleeve Fox Jersey, a cool 2008 mtn bike calendar, a Price Point gift card and Roam dvd. I also got the green light to purchase a road bike. I have no idea what brand to get but I want to get a good frame and fork, that way, I can always upgrade it from there.

    Many thanks to those who have listened to me rant in 2007. I want to be a better blogger in 2008 and HOPEFULLY design a new blog/site in the new year.

Have a safe New Year!

happy frozen trails
~dirty bert

SHOE DEAL

    Hey I know it's been awhile, the new job is sucking the life out of me but that's a good thing. I have been riding until the monster rain storm came. Mercer got flooded BIG time, i will post before and after pics of that and 6 Mile became a mud bog.
    I was just bike window shopping online and noticed this great deal on Performance Bike for Northwave Celsius GTX winter bike shoe. I know spring may be finally here in the US but for 99 bucks, it's a great bargain that's hard to pass up. IF you do buy them, remember to order 1 size up, to allow for heavier socks.

happy muddy trails,
~dirty bert

CLIPPIN' COUPONS, well kinda

    I like to save. Who doesn't. We all do. And when it comes to upgrading our bikes, some of us like to get it the cheapest way possible. I have only come across 1 bike store in NJ that will price match online prices. That's a pretty good deal but its gotta kill the store for doing that. I have been finding some deals online at some of these bike sites. Here are a few I'd like to pass along to you.

    FIRST up is Sage Cycles. I haven't ordered anything from them but I would and take the chance if I needed something. WHY would I order from them? Well first and foremost, they offer a 15% off on the 1st order and FREE shipping on orders over 50 bucks. Not a bad deal. But the 15% is excluded from complete bikes.

    And SECOND is Universal Cycles. I have order from them in the past and I received my order on time and it was correct. No complains from me and occasionally I will receive via email some VIP coupons like 10% off of 100 bucks using this code, febvip10 (original huh?) and 15% off 300 bucks using this code, febvip15. This coupon will end at midnight of 2/28/07. Also another plus, I like to say about Universal, is that there website is easy to navigate on. It's not overwhelming like these guys.

    Air Bomb.com has a fantastic price for Lake MXZ301 Winter shoe BUT only if yer a size 36! Or you can call this place, Lickbike for the 07 Lake MXZ301 Winter shoe for $194.88!

    Icycles has BB5's for $39 each.

    Colorado Cyclist tends to be EXPENSIVE. Check out there print catalog and look at the prices.

    Or look at Richard Bicycles and drool on all the big name custom mtn bikes out there. Major drool right here.

happy trails
~dirty bert