That’s right folks. Get em while they last. Genuine, Bonifide Bacon Saves Arm Warmers!

They are wool and are very comfortable. I know wool comes from a sheep and not a pig, but they are a barnyard animal and they are edible, delicious and not very healthy. So that’s something.

Post a comment if you want a ClubRide cowboy shirt with the Bacon Saves embroidered on it.

If you want a pair see me, LowCO2 or click over the the Bacon Saves Merchandise page.

The Restless Ape, Japhy Rider and I tested them on the Browns Creek Trail this morning. It was nice. Definitely check it out. I’d post a map, but it has our houses on it. If you want to see it email me or check my facebook wall. (if you’re a creeper, you can’t see that. And lets face it, if you’re reading this blog you’re probably a creeper.)

Happy Trails,

-M

Japhy Rider and I snuck out for an early AM ride today. Weather and trail was perfect. Coyote howls were frealkish and disconcerting. Deer herd was jumpy. Dogs were spastic and rowdy. Riders were mouthbreathing and smelly.

Cow Canyon @ Dawn(ish) | Flickr – Photo Sharing!.

The trail is a kinda rutted out. I wish our motorbiking brothers would lay off the throttle a bit. I can’t imagine ruts are any more fun on a motorbike.

-M

Japhy Rider and I snuck out for an early AM ride today. Weather and trail was perfect. Coyote howls were frealkish and disconcerting. Deer herd was jumpy. Dogs were spastic and rowdy. Riders were mouthbreathing and smelly.

Cow Canyon @ Dawn(ish) | Flickr – Photo Sharing!.

The trail is a kinda rutted out. I wish our motorbiking brothers would lay off the throttle a bit. I can’t imagine ruts are any more fun on a motorbike.

-M

It was a beautiful morning on the Halo Trail.

That’s all i have. -M

Halo @ Dawn | Flickr – Photo Sharing!.

Jim pinged me via SMS last night to see if i wanted to ride. I did. We did. It was epic.

But it got me thinking. “What if some other Bacon Stipper wants to ride?” @ 10:00 PM it’s hard to round up the troops for a 6:00 AM ride with individual text messages.

So I thought I’d start a TBS Ride Groupme Group. GroupMe is a group SMS message service. NOW SETTLE DOWN! I know there are some technophobes here so let me explain.

• It’s NOT TWITTER
• It’s NOT FACEBOOK
• It’s private
• It’s free
• It’s simple
• It’s one text message to many people
• You can use the app for iPhone and Android. So Japhy Rider and Griss have no excuses.

I’m thinking we just use it to coordinate rides (or ski trips). Not to post jokes, and gnar shredding accounts. So if you’re going out before work send: “Anyone up for a shred up The Bacon Strip @ 6:00?”

And I’ll respond: “Yes!”

And we go for a ride.

Kapish?

Alrightie then.

Go to the App store or Marketplace and search for Groupme. Install the app and search for TBS Ride. OR respond in the comments that you want in, and I’ll set you up.

For now the group is me, Jim S, Greg F. The first one to sign up wins three free bacon strips.

-M

A Really Fat Tire

I recently bought a used Surley Pugsley and have been riding it a bit. It’s in a class of bikes that people call “snow bikes” because they are designed to float over terrain like snow and sand. Those tires are labelled on the sides as 26×4.0 and stand 39.5″ from the ground to the top of the tire. The frame is chomoly steel and fully rigid and came with old Avid mechanical brakes and a SRAM 1×9 drive train. After the first couple of rides I realized there are some definitely odd things about riding this. The first thing is that the steering is not quick and responsive. This is a slow terrain bike. The second thing is that it is impossible to ride this bike without a full-on shit-eating grin on your face. It’s just plain old fun. I did find the mechanical brakes a bit weak and uneven in application, so I swapped out the Shimano SLX on my mountain bike for some XTR’s and put the SLX on the PUG. It was a good decision and the recent ride with Wolfy showed that well.

The 1×9 gearing is a new experience for me as is the swept back bars, but on the steep climb on the recent ride, I found both to be quite fun. The key thing with this (other than being able to ride in nasty conditions) is that it is totally different from any other bike I have or have ever ridden. That just means there’s a good change in the way I ride and probably something of the muscles I use so I get a bit of a break and get to do something different for a while when I’m on this bike.

I’m really tempted to bring this down to the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo and do a couple of laps on it. Won’t be the fastest, but should be fun. I’d be happy to go ride anytime. Right now, I’m just hoping the forecasters are really right and it will snow overnight and I can get his thing on some snow.

The Pugsley

The Frame detail.

Photo by John Shafer

Rode HITG with Jim_S (reno), Jenni & John (SLC), Finche Platte (Stockton i think), and Dug (Bay) on Sunday. Trail is in great shape. There was one 10 foot patch of snow. Amazing to see that so late in the season.

Photo by Finch Platte

For more photos check this post about Photo John and Jenni’s trip to Tahoe and This post about the HITG ride.

Photo by Finch Platte, Socks by Team Bacon Strip

What are the plans? I want to get out for at least one morning. I know TheRestlessApe wants to ride up to the Meadow, old Flume, Tyrolean and back. I want to ride something I’ve not ridden yet this year (and with less fire road climbing).

Maybe HOTG? Maybe Donner Rim? What say you?

-M

Oakland Mike, with whom JR and I rode back in July on the TRT, is in town this week. So let’s break out the lights and show off The Bacon Strip Tuesday night!

Also, don’t forget about POWDERWHORE on Wed @ Ceol!!!

-M

Yesterday Nooner, Bustigator, The Restless Ape, Aron, Juni and I found a new trail out in Sparks thanks to a tip from my buddy Martin. It was RAD!

It starts off a dirt road behind the new softball fields near Red Cock Gold Course. Follow the pink BLM access signs for now. It starts with a cool singletrack, then climbs about 900 feet over really short distance. It’s a lung buster for sure but most of the switchbacks are really well built and fully ridable.

We ran into one of the builders @ the top. Thanks man!!!

The trail loops around from the top there by the chicken sign. Suggest going right for the loop. There is some seriously technical stuff on the back side. Steep, loose, tight, rocky and super fun! About 10 miles all together.

There was some fall-line trail on the back side and some in-sloped sections with no drainage, but it looks like these guys are out there working fairly frequently and are on top of it. Great trail. Lots of potential. I’d like to see it go all the way south to I-80…

Also: check out all the new trail work being done over on Peavine!!!

-M