Rollin' Below Rowland - New Trail Report

There is a new trail in Edmonton and it is much different than any of the existing trails we have.  It is a 800m stretch of single track just south of the North Saskatchewan River between the Wayne Gretzky bridge and Riverside Gold Course, just down the bank from Rowland Road.  The trail is filled with plenty of short, steep, power climbs, technical side hill riding and 180 degree turns to test your slow speed bike handling skills. There has not been an official name given to it yet, so expect it to go by several names or simply a location name.

Early Ride Thoughts

Because the trail is still quite new, the soil is still quite loamy which robs you of your power.  Once the trail has been ridden and packed, I expect it to ride much differently.   The first time I rode it was on my single speed and I found it to be just a bit more work than was enjoyable.  Through the pain and suffering I could foresee how much fun this trail could be with lower gearing.  On my Sunday ride I brought out the Vertex 29er SE and the trail was much more enjoyable with a full range of gears.

Technical Aspects

The most difficult trail feature that comes to my mind as I write this is the short power climbs.  Once the trail is packed I suspect that I will be able to clean all of these, but with the soft loamy soil, these were the most challenging sections of this new trail. 

What will keep this trail difficult for the long haul is very tight turns that make riding a longer wheel based bike quite difficult.  One place especially tricky has you turning right around the corner into a skinny bridge, (when riding east to west.)  Making this corner and getting my rear wheel on the skinny will require some rear wheel hopping to get better aligned.  Riding it twice now has had my rear tire just miss the inside right even with my front tire as far left on the skinny as it will go.   Riding from west to east I was able to keep both tires on the skinny, however the uphill corner ate me up once I cleared the skinny.  Definitely a great feature to help improve my skills.

My favourite section, riding east to west, is close to the end - a small, tight switchback.  There is a small log pile into a tight 180 degree right turn followed by an even tighter left with a tricky ground formation to overcome.  Here is a video of that section:
http://youtu.be/yqjiP4CFjWE


Thumbs Up

The most impressive thing about this new trail is the lack of actual 'building' that was done.  The builder(s) did an excellent job of designing a very challenging trail by utilizing the natural contours of the area.  The ridge line is worked in on several occasions, creating a nice flow in certain areas, contrasted difficult power climbs and side hills in other areas.  It's good to see that such excellent work is being done to enhance our local trail systems.

Here is a video of the entire trail travelling west to east:
http://youtu.be/MyHnM1xU4gw

Ahhh... Sweet Dirt!

It was a long, snowy, cold winter here in Edmonton, followed by a long, snowy, cold spring.  It's hard to believe that it is May before we can ride the trails without plowing through snow or bogging through mud.  Sure you can find snow and mud on the sheltered trails or those with poor drainage, but trails that are in direct sun all appeared to be clear. 

After seeing how wet the trails looked on Tuesday and Wednesday during my commute, I didn't plan a lot of single track during my ride today but rather just get out and spin the legs.  All of the multi use trails that were sloppy on Tuesday are now dry which gave me some hope that there would be some single track action that wouldn't result in a mudfest. We ran into a few small sections of mud and snow during our ride today, but I found more tacky dirt than anything, and that is definitely a good thing.

I'm not exactly sure why, but Ewok always seems to be one of the first areas to be ready.  Whether it is because it faces west or due to the slope of the bank helps it drains quicker, the upper trail is always one of the driest trails in Edmonton.  There was only one real muddy section near the south end of the trail in one of the drainage areas where there was some standing water.  Overall, the trail is is prime spring condition.

Mill Creek has a couple west facing trails as well which were also quite dry.  The upper trails on the north end of the ravine are in great shape and very little mud to be found.  Some of the steeper climbs were quite dry and loose.  A big 'thank you' to the mysterious person who was busy last fall putting in some ladder bridges over the mud holes. The few mud sections that were found had bridges in place to help preserve the trails as best as possible.

Having some single track to ride home on the commute will sure make the ride home a lot more enjoyable.

Ride Before the Storm

There was a huge winter storm that hit Edmonton on January 7th, 2011 and continues to dump snow on us.  In just over a week we have seen almost 2 feet of snow and deep freeze conditions with temperatures colder than -30 degrees Celsius when factoring in the wind chill.  What do you  do when the weather is like that?  Well, there is a lot of shoveling, but I also had some spare time on my hands to edit some video.

This video was shot on January 3rd, 2011, my last ride before the storm.  It was my last day off during the Christmas break and the weather was beautiful.  I headed out solo from DaCapo Cafe then rode along the south side of the North Saskatchewan River to the Dawson bridge and back.  It wasn't a long ride, but definitely good to get out for a spin. 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W0fIQSP-os

Starting Your Child in Cycling

There are a few new parents out there who have asked me about how I got my little guy on the bike so quickly. First off, I only got into cycling just after Lachlan was born.  This was mostly because my older son, Kevin, thought it would be a good idea for me to get a mountain bike so that we would have some additional activities to do together, but I also wanted to stay in shape so that I could keep up with Lachlan as he got older and cycling would be a great opportunity to do that. 

When Lachlan turned one, I got a helmet for him and I pulled him around in a Chariot behind my bike. It was a great experience to get him out behind the bike, getting fresh air and enjoying nature. Lachlan quite enjoyed riding in the Chariot and there were a few instances by the end of the year (when he didn't fall asleep) where he would yell "faster Daddy, faster!"

That fall I figured that Lachlan would be ready for his own bike the following spring.  I did some research over the winter to see what would be the best option that he would enjoy and what would help him transition to a two wheel bike the easiest.  As we all know, there are several options you can choose when introducing your child to cycling. I'm sure most of you have similar memories that I do of riding around on either a tricycle or a bicycle with training wheels as a child.  But transitioning your child to a two wheel bicycle can be a difficult experience as neither the tricycle or bicycle with training wheels develop balance.

During my research I came across something I had never seen before - a run bike.  A run bike (or balance bicycle) is a training bicycle that helps your child learn balance and steering. It is built without pedals, crankset and chain, and no training wheels. You can also use a normal bicycle by removing the pedals and related parts, but the frame typically doesn't come as small as a run bike.

With a run bike, the rider learns balance first, pedal last.  Although opinions differ regarding which learning sequence is easier for most riders, it is generally agreed that a bicycle with pedals is too difficult for most very young children and that training wheels may encourage the rider to learn some behaviors which later must be unlearned.

A run bike must be small enough that the rider can put both feet flat on the ground and walk the bicycle while sitting comfortably on the saddle. Eventually, the rider feels comfortable enough to run and "scoot" while riding the bicycle, then to lift both feet off the ground and cruise while balancing on the two wheels. Children as young as 18 months can learn to cruise a balance bicycle within a few hours' practice.


Lachlan turned two in 2009 and I got him an Adams Run Bike for his birthday.  It didn't take him more than a couple tries to go from walking tentatively to a full run and lifting his feet and gliding.  He rode it all over the neighborhood and wanted to ride every day.  That basically ended him travelling in the Chariot as he now had his own wheels. 

There were a couple of instances that stood out for me the first year Lachlan was on his run bike.  The absence of fear when we were camping that summer was a sign of things to come.  Lachlan started by going down some short (2-3 feet), steep hills for the first time.  He couldn't even get to the top by himself but once he got his bike up there he would count out '1, 2, 3!' and push off, lift his feet and down the hill he went.  Once we got home I took him to the little jump/pump area at Capilano.  Lachlan was a bit tentative at first but he quickly got the hang of what he needed to do and soon he was going down the hills and up the other side.  I have to say, there are few prouder moments in a father's life.

That winter, Lachlan's Grandpa got him a Smart Cycle for Christmas.  A Smart Cycle is like a stationary bike for kids that interfaces with the television as a video game.  Lachlan struggled quite a bit with the mechanics of pedalling but after a few tries he got the hang of it. He still didn't understand the control interface but as long as he was on the games he only had to pedal and steer he was okay.  Now he can play all of the games on the cartridge that comes with the system and he is on it about 2 or 3 times a week.  There was a new Super Friends cartridge under the tree for him this year that lets him drive the batmobile and shoot Lex Luthor's evil robots so he has been on his Smart Cycle even more.



 In 2010, Lachlan turned three and he wanted to ride his bike to the playground on one of his first rides of the year.  It is about 3.5 km to the playground he prefers and to my surprise, he rode his run bike the whole way!  He didn't quite have it in him to make it all the way back, but he rode the better part of 6 kms on his own.  It was only big trip he made that year though as he really isn't interested in going that far at this stage.  Lachlan is so much more interested in going down hills and rolling over some small teeter-totters and jumping off some small ramps we made.  In fact, he rides all winter long as we back the car out of the garage and he rides around in there over the jumps and teeter-totters.  Keeping it fun is the key as any riding that kids do at this age is building skills and confidence. 

We did take his bike camping again last summer and it seems he gets more adventurous away from home, trying things he won't try at home.  It seemed to renew his enjoyment for his bike and he wanted to ride his bike anywhere we went.  There aren't too many moments that stick out in my mind (compared to his first year) but the most memorable bike moment of 2010 would have to be at the last Spring Series race at Terwillegar.  There were no racers in sight so the volunteer staff said it was okay for him to ride his bike across the finish line.  With everyone cheering for him and ringing their cow bells, Lachlan's face lit up as he rode across the line.

One of Lachlan's favorite things to do is visit the local bike stores.  Whenever we go to River Valley Cycle the first thing he does is head to the run bikes and terrorize the store at mach speeds.  He weaves through the bike and clothing racks and shows off for the staff.  We commute past RVC every day and he asks if we can go to the bike store every time we drive past.  We went to United Cycle a couple weeks before Christmas to see Santa and since we got there a bit before Santa was ready, we went to check out the bikes they had upstairs.  He went straight to the run bikes and rode them around the store for a bit but then decided that he wanted to try a bike with pedals.  He jumped on a little bike with training wheels and he was off like a shot!  But with his feet on the pedals he didn't know how to stop.  As he came into the spot where he needed to park the bike, he crashed into the wall.  Once I explained to him that he has to pedal backwards to stop (and after trying it a few times at slow speeds,) Lachlan figured he needed to try it while going fast.  He got a bit of speed going and slammed on the brakes - weeee!  I remember burning a few rear tires off doing the exact same thing on my driveway as a youngster so seeing my little guy do it with a grin from ear to ear didn't surprise me in the least.

Looking ahead to next season, I can't help to think that Lachlan should be able to ride a two wheeler before his birthday in June with no training wheels.  My cousin was kind enough to give Lachlan a hand-me-down bike which fits him nicely.  It needs a bit of TLC along with a new rear tire, but in general, it is in decent shape for seeing two boys prior to being handed down to us.  Santa brought Lachlan a set of training wheels for the transition, but I suspect he won't need more than a couple weeks, at the most, before he is down to two wheels.  I'm sure he'll still get on his run bike from time to time as his confidence on that is what started his love for the sport at such a young age.

Boxing Day Ride

I guess Santa read my Christmas Wish List because under the tree on December 25th was a GoPro HD camera!  I couldn't wait to try it out but I managed to hold off until Boxing Day. 

My friend Jason and I hit the trails starting in Mill Creek on December 26th.  We rode some of the east Canada Cup trails, over to Conner's Hill and back through Mill Creek.  Here is some of the video I managed to capture.  Being a noob, I wasn't able to capture the first half of the ride as I had the settings wrong.

We also stopped by the river boat fire pit for a while to work on our skillz.  Apparently they still need some tuning...

Here is the updated, high quality (720p) version as promised.  I combined both videos into one and added music, as requested.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhnpK2mlkwE

Take Action: Parks Canada Survey

Do you live and ride in Canada’s beautiful western provinces?  Are you interested in accessing more trails within Parks Canada?  If so, Parks Canada wants to hear from riders like you!  Parks Canada is conducting a survey on cycling in Western Canada and in Mountain Parks such as Banff, Jasper, Mount Revelstoke, and Waterton Lakes National Parks.

There are many ways that visitors enjoy their national parks and Parks Canada is continually striving to improve these services. In recent years, there has been an increase in interest in bicycling of all types, including the various forms of road riding and mountain biking. Parks Canada is interested in better understanding the quality of its current offer and how the cycling experience might be improved in the future.

Please take a few minutes to give them your feedback.
 
TAKE THE SURVEY NOW

Fill out the survey before January 24, 2011 and you’ll get the chance to win one of three sweet prize packs, valued at $250 each.

Help get the word out and invite your contacts to take the survey.

Do You Single Speed?

So what is it that is intriguing about riding a single speed?  Is it the simplicity of having only one gear?  Is it the clean look with no derailleurs, shifters or cables?  Maybe it makes you feel nostalgic, bringing you back to the days of your youth or perhaps it is the lack of maintenance required.  Regardless of what drives someone to ride a single speed, we all see them out on the trails and most of us have praised a rider as we ourselves are gasping for air at the top of a tough climb, "Wow - that guy just cleaned that section on a single speed!  He's hardcore!" 

Improving Efficiency

As I am building up my first single speed mountain bike and getting in the mindset to pedal in just one gear for the first time since I was riding a BMX in 1992, I can't help but look for the benefits that riding a SS will provide me when racing my geared bike.  Single speeding forces you to work and improve on areas where you can 'cheat' with a geared bike and still remain competitive in a race. 

The first thing that comes to mind is the increased strength required to ride a single speed as you can no longer drop your gears and sit and spin up the hills.  You better get out of the saddle, mash your pedals and start tossing your bike side to side if you are dreaming of making those tough climbs.  I think I have that part down.  I prefer to stand up to climb and I typically try to push one gear under the tallest I can handle.

Another key to single speeding is carrying momentum.  The more you can maintain your momentum, the less you need to accelerate.  Less braking into the corners will reduce the amount of hard pedalling you need coming out of the corner to get back up to speed.  I have been working on this, but there is room for improvement.  For me, this comes down to trusting that my tires will hold.  I had my front tire wash out on me a few times last year trying to increase my speed this way.  I have since changed my front tire from a Kenda Karma 1.9 to a Maxxis Aspen 2.1.  With a little bit more bite on the side lugs the Aspens have helped me keep the rubber side down.

You also need to carry more momentum into hills otherwise you will burn yourself out on the climbs.  This means you will need to pedal hard into the hill as well as hard up the hill.  This is definitely something I don't do.  I generally try to recover going into the hill and then start hammering when I get to the base of the hill.  This worked well for me as I usually passed quite a few people (in my category) on the climbs around Edmonton, but I am certain carrying more momentum into the hills will only make me faster. 

The big change for me will getting out of my comfort cadence zone.  I typically ride with a cadence between 80 and 90 RPMs.  I have no problem dropping to 50 RPMs and powering up big hills, but where I fail miserably at is on the flats trying to pump out a cadence of 110+ RPMs.  My heart rate skyrockets and breathing gets out of tempo, which is a real bad combination.

Taking it To the Next Level

It's bad enough that people think that trail riding on a single speed is fun, but then there are those who take it to another level: racing.  That's right, people purposefully choose to handcuff themselves into one gear that is rarely going to be the most efficient ratio for the circumstance that they will be in.   Races can be short with XC races being 1.5 to 2 hours, or considerably longer with a marathon race such as the 24 hour solo events.

In case you don't think it's difficult, here is a graphic quote from a single speed racer:

Single speeding is the art of harnessing desperation. You are constantly backed into a gear ratio corner, down to your last match; wolves of anaerobic threshold, mockery by your peers, and personal defeat constantly circling. The gnawing oxygen debt, the vacuous gasps of one's lungs, the sudden deafening roar of gravity and the heaviness of everything without air. Breathe like your car has plunged into a lake and hopelessly sealed inside you gulp vast breaths, each fearing to be your last, that each might be the one breath you will have to bring you back to the surface.

You must learn to claw, eyes bulging, lungs aflame, raw metallic taste in the back of your throat to the top of climbs, and make all these things secret. The world at large must only see a crazy man, a mutant, a cyborg atop a bike with only one impossible gear. And they will stare and shake their heads and wonder how you got to the top first, never knowing, never understanding that it was the only way up, that you could not have made it any slower, that all the drive train handicaps they presume you to burden yourself with are the very advantages that have made you fast and hard as coffin nails.

Sounds like good times, sign me up!  Others who race single speed don't think it is quite that difficult.  For every one person who feels like racing a single speed is death on two wheels, you get other people like this:

I’m a fraud. I’ve been riding and racing a single speed mountain bike for many years and thinking I’m pretty cool. I’m not.

I’ll be the first to admit that I love passing someone on a geared bike and having them say, “Damn! Dude, that is hardcore.” It feels great. there is no denying it. Here’s the thing though, it’s not hardcore. I have suffered way more on a geared bike than I ever have on a single speed. Yep, it’s true, single speeding is easier than gears. You get more breaks and recovery time on a single.

It’s time to abolish the single speed category at all mountain bike races. I think you should race whatever category happens to be your ability but race it on your single speed. There doesn’t need to be a separate class for single speeders. It’s not a handicap nor a badge of honor. We need to get over ourselves. It’s fun and we know it's special but we don’t need our own class. That’s just dumb.

And this:

Pretty much every race I’ve ever raced, a spectator or fellow racer will comment on the fact that I’m on a single speed. I just kind of smile and cruise on by. It makes me feel cool and like a fraud all at the same time. The dirty little secret is that in a lot of situations it’s actually an advantage to be on a single speed.

Maybe it's not that hard?  Now I'm confused.  I plan to try my hand at racing my single speed in one of the local Tuesday races but I already think the first quote is more likely to be what I will be feeling rather than the latter two.

Races to Keep an Eye On

The upcoming season will bring the spotlight to single speed racing in my neck of the woods as Edmonton will be hosting the 2011 Canadian Single Speed Championships, which will be a part of the existing Edmonton Canada Cup on July 23, 2011.  The Edmonton Canada Cup is already a hugely successful event organized by Mike Sarnecki and Evan Sherman of Alberta MTB Racing and it attracts many of our country's best XC mountain bike racers.  The addition of the Canadian Single Speed Championships will only enhance the excitement on that day. 

The cream of the crop for those who race with only one gear is the Single Speed World Championships (SSWC.)  This is not a sanctioned event but there is a lot of pride in winning this race.  But this is more than just a race, it is an annual party on two wheels where shortcuts are available if you chug a beer and the winners are scarred for life, literally.  The winner is actually tattooed with SSWC, the year and a design chosen for that year.  This fits perfectly into a quote from The Replacements, "Don't do anything great if you can't handle the congratulations."  There are some familiar names sporting ink work due to winning this event, including Carl Decker, Adam Craig and Heather Irmiger.  Check out the results and highlights from the 2010 SSWC and you will see just how much fun the SSWC is.

Winter Cycling

As the days get shorter, the leaves turn colors and fall off the trees, and the temperature drops, it is just a matter of time before the snow flies when you live in Alberta. That day came on Wednesday here in Edmonton.  For the people who live an active lifestyle, when the cold and snow arrives it signals the time to take up indoor sports or visit the gym more often.  For those who don`t mind the elements, their focus turns to hockey or skiing. Then there are the few crazy individuals who continue to bike throughout the winter months over the snow and ice. At least that is what I thought before I tried winter riding last year.

The most common question I get after being asked if I ride all year long is how do you ride on the snow and ice? Do you use studded tires? Don't you fall a lot? Honestly, I think this is why most people in Edmonton can't drive their cars in the winter. I say this because the same logic applies when driving on snow and ice, regardless of whether it is a car or a bike on top of set of tires. You need to reduce your speed, give yourself more time to stop and don't try to make sudden turns. There is a bit more to pay attention to when on your bike that doesn't apply to your vehicle such as leaning and how much to use your front vs. rear brakes, but the basic winter driving rules apply to both. 

I enjoy winter cycling for the same reason I enjoy night riding - it makes old trails new again. Even though we are blessed to have so much excellent single track in our river valley, trails get a bit boring after riding them through the spring, summer and autumn. Adding a layer of snow adds a new twist to the same old trails and you have to shift your attention as areas of difficulty tend to change. Even though snow will reduce the technical features when roots become covered with snow, climbs and descents can become more difficult.

I found that the skills I was required to improve the most were slow speed bike handling and balance. When you are on a snow covered trail you need to keep on the hard packed area. On the less travelled trails the packed area can be as narrow as 6 inches wide. If your front wheel goes off the hard packed trail it will sink into the soft snow, killing your momentum. If you go off the trail at a high speed you might go over the handlebars, so it is best to reduce your speed.  I compare the skill required to ride these very narrow snow trails similar to that necessary to ride ladder bridges.  But unlike the potentially painful penalty if you fall off a ladder bridge, typically on the snowy trails the worst that happens is you have to put your foot down in a the soft powder and some snow gets in your shoes.

Cycling in the winter isn`t dangerous or crazy any more than it is during the summer.  The most extreme part of winter cycling is the temperatures so just like every other winter sport, you need to dress appropriate for the weather.  I will continue with this theme next post with a look into what you need for riding gear.  Stay tuned!

*photo credits to Sheldon Smart