Local Rides: Albany Pine Bush

Been riding quite a bit at the Pine Bush now that I know my way in there quite well. Trails have been fantastic and the only downer to riding there is ticks, which haven't become a big problem yet, and horses. Don't get me wrong, I like horses and afford them the best trail manners when I encounter them on the trail. But I do not like running through their piles of shit around every corner, I mean come on...dog owners have to (should also) clean up after their dogs and horse owners should too. So far the horse riders I have come across have been polite and grateful to me for showing them the right of way. How ever I am not sure everyone like the idea of mountain bikers riding the trails. Mountain bikers have always been perceived as a problem in the Pine Bush by other trail users and the Pine Bush themselves. Ask me how I know. Not sure if I am reading this right but by the way this douche bag parked right in front of my vehicle when there was plenty of parking available pretty much sums it up.

Who parks like a douche bag? This guy.

You know what, fuck you buddy, now I am going to ride there more often.

Handlebar Setup for the SS Revisited

The Easton EA50 bar with the two inch rise does not work well. The width is great but it makes the steering too twitchy. I had another Titec stem which is longer, 120 vs. 105, so I put that on to see if it would counter the effects of the riser bar.

Hopefully the longer stem will work

Verdict? While it is better, it's still too twitchy and it just doesn't feel right. I do have a low rise Bontrager Select bar that I can try. It's not the right width but maybe it'll be good enough till I get the funds for a new wider flat bar.

Upgrades: New Bits for the Rocky

The headset in my Rocky is original, circa 2005, it was time for a change. I picked up this sweet Chris King headset used for $70 from my friend Luca. He even helped me install it...what a guy. Always wanted another King headset but just couldn't swallow the $110 plus price tag. Now I need anodized spacers too...i need them.

Just added a bit of King bling to the cockpit

Also replaced the kick plates on the Mallets, they were pretty beat up. I had them so might as well use them.

New kick plates for the Mallets

What Was Old is Now New Again

Laptop needs a new battery...already. Shortly after getting this laptop up and running again, I had bought a replacement battery last year because the original one was shot. It was fairly inexpensive at about $35. I knew it wouldn't last long, as these laptop batteries never seem to do, but I was hoping it would have lasted a bit longer. Even when it was new it would only last about 2.5 hours which was never long enough...for me anyway.

Modular bay and standard batteries

I've been looking for a replacement that would last longer but I haven't found one. I knew I might have trouble finding replacement parts for this laptop since it's so old. Luckily I came across not only a replacement battery, but an additional battery that plugs into the modular bay. This is one of the things I love about this old laptop. It's got a modular bay that fits either a 3'5 floppy drive, CD or DVD ROM drive, or an extra battery.

Modular drives and battery

The new batteries cost me just over $100 shipped from battdepot.com and battery life is now around five hours. Much better. I hated having to plug it in every time I wanted to use it, kind of defeats the purpose of having a laptop in the first place. Maybe this old laptop still has some life left in it.

What's the Best Handlebar Setup for a Singlespeed?

Oh wait, don't tell me...it's dependent on the rider and type of riding right? So I guess I should also add that this is a 26" wheeled bike. Well whatever the case I wish it was easier to figure this stuff out than the tried and true method of swapping parts until something works.

I have been running my SS for the past two to three years with basically the same type of cockpit setup. I've been looking for different types of bars, like a big 12 degree backswept or H-bar versions, but i could just never bring myself to drop the cash only to find out I don't like them. So I left it as is. But more and more I find that the bar I have on there feels wrong, especially when I'm climbing and really torquing it. Tonight I measured the current bar, a Raceface Air Alloy Low Riser,  it comes in just over 25". It's a 1" riser bar with standard upsweep and backsweep angles and a 31.8mm clamp section. Now I am not a big guy but I am a bit wider at the shoulder than some so I figured maybe I just need a wider bar? I have a few bars laying around that I can try and I came across an Easton EA50 bar that used to be on my Rocky. This bar measures 26-3/4" and has a 2" rise, the other details are the same as the current bar. It's a bit beat up and a bit heavier than what I have now but should work fine. I could trim this bar down if I wanted it shorter but I am not sure what the higher rise will do, other than the more upright seating position. My fear is that it will be even more twitchy but I do have some stems I could try, longer stems, that would help slow down the steering a bit and bring it back to its previous bar height.

A well used Easton EA50 is on test

So what is the best handlebar setup? What are you using? What have you had success or failure with? Let me know, I could use the help.

Local Ride: Albany Pine Bush, Water Tower Trails

Can't really see it but it was snowing a bit...I love riding while it snows.

Got out for an extended ride (~2 hours) at the Pinebush today. I was not sure how the trails would be but I knew there would be no need for studs so I took them off and replaced them with a pair of 26 x 2.5 Kenda Kinetics. These are very light for their size and are the Stick-E compound. I knew it was going to be slick back there and I wanted a tire with a rounded profile and a more aggressive shoulder tread. These tires, at the proper pressure, have a nice slow rebound effect, have tremendous traction, and because they are light makes for less rotational mass. This was clearly evident during climbing and I was able to make it up several hills I was not able to make it up last ride.

Trail conditions...muddy. These tires are much better in dry conditions. They have a tendency to slide off wet roots but are decent on wet rocks. They also pack up with mud unless you keep riding at a good clip. Even though they are light tires, it takes effort to keep up your speed. Probably due to the Stick-E compound and the aggressive tread. These are definitely coming off until everything dries up. I've got some other tires I wanted to try out anyway. All in all it was a good ride.

Quiet and peaceful

Fun singletrack

At the top of a big hill...one of my favorite places to be.

Local Ride: Albany Pine Bush, Water Tower Trails

Well, technically it is winter but there is no snow, hence the question mark. Some sections of ice for sure but even those are all but gone. My last three rides were in the Pinebush, on the water tower trail network. There's a good mix of single and double track so you won't get bored. Lots of opportunity for elevation gain, much more than you see on Schenectady Central Park or even the Shale Trail in Colonie Town Park. There are some technical trail features like log crossings, definitely enough to keep it interesting. Also there are several sections where the singletrack meanders along the sides of deep ravines for a little added fear factor. The Cemetery loop is fun too, good mix of flowy singletrack that climbs and descends. I'd really like to hit that place on a night ride...totally spooky. As of right now studs are not needed, just tires with goods knobbies because there are lots of leaves down which can make corners at speed pretty slick. The upside of riding in the Pinebush, because of all the sand, is that it drains well. This spot is an excellent alternative to ride when other areas can't be ridden for fear of trail damage. The downside is the ticks, the ones you find here give you lime disease and they are just plain gross...little blood sucking bastards. I am going to probably end my riding once Spring arrives because you can guarantee that with the mild winter we've had so far, they will be out in full force when the temps start to rise.



I used to ride here years ago, but stopped because I found other places to ride and other groups to ride with. Also I started to get involved with the Saratoga Mountain Bike Association so I was spending a lot of time riding in Malta, Saratoga and North Umberland. The Pinebush is a great place to ride, I am glad I came back.

Single Shifter Di2 - Het Fairwheel Podium | Het Fairwheel Podium

I've heard mixed reviews of the Di2, but you have to admit this is one sweet ride. Not sure I would run tubulars but having the electronics mounted inside the stem is genius.

Single Shifter Di2 - Het Fairwheel Podium | Het Fairwheel Podium:

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Local Ride: Luther Forest Trails, Malta, NY

I was able to once again take advantage of the warmer temps and get out for a ride this past Sunday. On the weekends I try and ride somewhere I don't normally go. Usually I have a bit more time so driving for 30 to 45 minutes there and back isn't a big deal. I've been thinking of heading back up to Luther with the Rocky since there are some trail features I wanted to try. The singlespeed is fun, but just not always the right tool for the job. I wasn't really sure f the trail conditions so I posted on the facebook page for the Luther Forest Mountain Bikers, a group of local riders who help maintain the trail network. I should have known that this "Trails are great! Frozen and wet, really tests your skills..." really means "Make sure you ride with studs!" But, I didn't really have the time to put on the studs so I took a chance.

More slippery than it looks, the steepest sections had to be walked.

When I got there I knew I was in trouble. The parking lot was a sheet of ice. And with the warmer temps, some of it was melting. Now ice is slippery, but wet ice is down right dangerous. Luckily, it seemed much of the ice was pitted and crumbling so there was some traction to be had. I started off and right away I was thinking this probably isn't a good idea. I was able to ride, and get traction but I was unsure of where and when the tires would break loose. The tires I have on the bike now are Bontrager Big Earl and are 26 x 2.5 but are the dry conditions version. Still I have had good luck with these in the past so I rode on. Soon after starting, the trail winds along a gully and much of the trail is a slight off camber. As I was approaching a downhill off camber section, I could just picture myself just touching the brakes, losing control and heading down the gully ass end first. Here it is, the pucker factor. This is about the time my sphincter tightens up and my life starts to flash before my eyes. And I stopped. I seriously thought about turning right around and going home. But after a second or two I came to my senses and said "fuck no...I am going to ride God dammit!". I let some air out of the tires. I think I started with somewhere around 36psi and took them down to about 28psi. Now these tires aren't tubeless so I knew I was taking a gamble but I would much rather change a flat tire than climb out of a gully with 36lbs of bike in tow.

Most of the newer trails looked like this.

I am so glad I continued because from that moment on, the trails were very manageable and I never lost control or had the ground come up to meet me. And not all of the trails were covered in ice, most of the newer trails had very little or no snow at all. In fact it was wet and muddy in some sections. I kept the pace slow to play it safe and only picked sped up where there was little or no snow. It was a real challenge to ride back here with no studs, especially the log crossings. It seemed to me none of them were perpendicular to the trail and there was always ice before and after each one. I felt certain the rear tire was going to slide out when I was at the highest point on the log and I was going down. Keeping off the brakes just before and right after the features as well as shifting my weight away from each tire as it crossed the log was what saved me.

Much of what I rode looked like this.

I rode for about 2 hours, I really needed it too. Another successful winter ride. But next time I come here I will definitely have studs...I can totally do without the pucker factor.

Masterworks Wood & Design Salvages Condemned City Trees to Make Beautiful Wooden Bicycles |

Proof that sporting a woodie in public can be okay...

Masterworks Wood & Design Salvages Condemned City Trees to Make Beautiful Wooden Bicycles |:

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Zodiac Engineering, Stripped, polished and counterbored @Animal_Bikes...

Now this is a nice stem! This company makes some trick parts for bmx bikes.

Zodiac Engineering, Stripped, polished and counterbored @Animal_Bikes...

Nepali Trails with Sandman Titanium. First Details - 970biking - Mountain Biking Videos - Vital MTB

Fat bikes are not just for winter...

Nepali Trails with Sandman Titanium. First Details - 970biking - Mountain Biking Videos - Vital MTB

Take an epic journey through the highest mountains in the world in Nepal, on big wheels! After a 15 day trek around the base of Everest to acclimatize, Martín Campoy takes his Sandman Titanium on the rest of this amazing journey.