PedalTrout

Well, I figured that Barbara should have a nice commuter for riding back and forth to work. That will keep her Arete from getting nipped and from rusting up against a rack at SMU. So, I "procured" a 17 year old Nishiki mountain bike. Forget the model, but it's lugged steel with top-end suntour drivetrain bits and nice Diacomp canti's. Now, for the fun bit.
It's going hot satin pink. With fenders, a rat trap on the back and city cruiser bars. 15 speeds of awesomeness. Nice old wheelset on it as well. I have a few surprises for it, but I can't put them here. It's going to be a nice little present for her. I was stripping the fork this morning and noticed Tange 4B in the steer tube. Got some small block 8's for it. Just need some cables and some spare time. Pictures to come soon!

I just had to put this one down. Sue, you come up with the greatest little outfits for the 'trout in the logo. Like the Karate Kid looking one. And the detective one was great. They really crack me up and make me scare my cat for a second. Thank you for makinfg the world a better place. That's all I wanted to say.

The Nova Scotia Mountain Bike Trails Association held it's first official International Trails Day event at Fitzpatrick Mountain today. A crew of 10. armed with leaf rakes, loppers, shovels and Pulaskis, headed onto the trail to fix trouble spots and prep the course for the upcoming Fitz of Fury Provincial Mountain Bike Championship Race.

What do you get when you cross 10 avid mountain bikers with a trail that needs some love? Well, for one thing, you get dirty. With the first swing of my Pulaski, I not only coated myself in goopy swamp mud, but I think I served a helping to most of the others who were helping me drain a horribly wet section of trail, as well. Nobody complained, even jokingly - everyone was far too intent on solving the problem of water that had nowhere to go.

Manual labour aimed at improving something you love doesn't seem difficult at all. While shoveling snow from a driveway is a task from hell, scooping muck from the earth with your bare hands and digging mildewy, mossy rocks from long-buried piles is almost zen-like. As we worked on draining and armouring that trail very little was said but everyone seemed content. There was no question or argument about how to proceed - we just latched onto some tools and made it happen.

After almost 3 hours of work, our group reunited with those who had gone to rake. Although rain had started to fall, the trail was mostly dry and it was time to ride.

The true test of repairs on the trail comes when rock meets rubber. Our major fix passed with flying colours and despite increasing amounts of wet stuff falling from the sky we made it to the top of the mountain and back down again in one piece, tired, but still smiling.

The day ended with beer (and food) at a Pictou pub. As we sat and ingested, discussing matters bicycle-related and not, it occured to me that of all the sports and interest groups I've known, mountain biking is unique. It's the only one where a group of strangers, united only by a common interest, can agree upon a task, complete it, socialize willingly afterwards, and do so without a single argument, dispute or mean-spirited competetive bribe.

To everyone who came out today, thanks! What a sincere and wonderful group of people you are. To everyone who missed out, I hope you'll have a chance to experience a day like this sometime soon.

Every time I volunteer for something a voice in the back of my head asks me "What the hell are you doing? You know you're going to regret this." Today's work session proved that voice wrong and I'm pretty certain that with fine folks like these throwing themselves into the mix, the Nova Scotia Mountain Bike Trails Association is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

If you spend any amount of time on PedalTrout and particularly if you're a mountain biker, Barbara Pietersma is likely a familiar name. The Google Nova Scotia Mountain Bike Trails map that features front and center on our Trails page is the end result of Barb's combined passions - cartography and mountain biking.

How Barb became destined to make maps is a mystery, but it's fair to say her Dutch background pre-disposed her to cycling from the very start. An avid mountain biker, Barb recognized the need for an easy-to-use and informative provincial trail map and pounced on the opportunity. As a graduating student of the Center of Geographic Science's Cartography Program Barbara's final project tasked her with making a map to serve the needs of a client. Barbara approached PedalTrout with the idea of creating a mountain bike trail map for Nova Scotia and we jumped at the idea. Barbara's Google Earth maps earned her an award at graduation for "Best Thematic Map"  - not surprising as she graduated with top marks in her class!

If you get a chance to ride with Barbara you're guaranteed a good time - she laughs off crashes like nobody's business, has a keen eye for "nurkey necks" in the trail, and loves to cut corners unless you firmly plant a hay bale in her path. In her non-bike time she definitely keeps busy with a range of interests that includes everything from baking and making jewelery to snowshoeing, horseback riding, and spending quality time with friends and family.  Oh, and as if she didn't have enough on her plate already, Barbara is also in the throes of planning a wedding this year. Hopefully that won't take away from her bike time!

Congratulations on all your accomplishments, Barb and once again, thanks from PedalTrout for our most excellent trail maps. You're an obvious choice for Propeller Brewing's Rider of the Month.

Mike Phillips of Sportwheels has nominated our May Rider of the Month, Stacey Taylor. If her name sounds familiar, you may have read our recent message about the new Sportwheels and PedalTrout Beginner Women's Rides that Stacey will be leading every Wednesday night.

Stacey Taylor arrived in Halifax from British Columbia to attend school at Saint Mary’s University.  Although not an avid mountain biker in BC, she started attending the beginner rides held by Sportwheels and quickly fell in love with the sport. 

In 2 to 3 short years Stacey’s enthusiasm for cycling has grown in leaps and bounds.  She has evolved from a beginner rider to possessing a skill level suitable for riding Whopper and Fight Trail.  Her positive energy and ‘no fear’ attitude help her conquer the challenges of the trails ahead of her. 

This past winter she has trained hard to prepare herself for the upcoming race season.  Stacey trained while attending school and working a full time job.  She recently finished the Wolfville Roubaix and will be attending as many mountain bike races as possible. 

More important is her role on the Sportwheels weekly mountain bike rides.  Stacey’s positive, welcoming attitude helps make newcomers feel like they belong.  She embodies the true essence of what makes mountain biking so much fun.  She is a pleasure to ride with. 

Stacey is keen to try anything from trail building, riding new trails on or off road, to assisting at events. In the near future she will be hosting an introductory women’s  mountain bike ride as well. 

For her enthusiasm, energy and overall great attitude Stacey Taylor is most definitely deserving of Rider of the Month.

Do you know someone who should be Rider of the Month? Send a brief writeup and a photo to Info@PedalTrout.com

This month’s winner is not your typical cyclist. What sets him apart from the pack is his lack of vision. We’re not talking about foresight – Pictou’s Craig Aucoin has a lot of that; this summer he’s looking forward to three triathlons, the Johnny Miles marathon, and as many other events as he can fit into his schedule. That might seem like some hefty competition for any athlete, but for a visually impaired athlete like Craig it comes with a whole other set of challenges.

Born with a degenerative condition, Craig dealt with severe weight issues while growing up.  It wasn’t until his early twenties that he decided to take control of his destiny and turn himself into a high performance machine. Last year he spent a month in Ontario training with the national triathlon team for the visually impaired. Currently, Craig allocates thirty hours per week to training and working towards his goal of competing at the Paralympics.

Craig also likes to help out in his local community by volunteering at his local YMCA, and he organizes the entertainment for his local CNIB fundraiser. We're not sure when he finds time to sleep, but he must squeeze it in somewhere!

We think that after all that hard work Craig deserves some tasty refreshments to accompany his chill time. Good luck Craig.  You are inspiring and certainly worthy of Rider of the Month honours.

Do you know someone who’d make a great Rider of the Month? Email us with their story.

If you're a seasoned rider you know the drill involved with spring maintenance and getting your iron (or aluminum or carbon) steed ready to roll again. For those who are newer to the bike however, that first peek into the garage to see what your bike has been up to all winter may come as a bit of a shock. Never fear, this checklist will get you rolling in a semi-straight line faster that you can say "butter my chamois!"

#1) Size up the situation.  The state of your bike will depend on many things including the temperature of your storage space, the number of leaks in your roof, how many rodents, spiders and small children visited over the winter and most importantly, how big a slacker you were when you put it away last.

#2) Feel your rubber. We're talking tires here, not your Trojan extra longs. Give those tires some air, chances are they don't have any at this point. You might want to take extra caution to check the rated PSI on your tires. Rubber has a habit of rotting over time and there's nothing that will force you to do extra laundry like the sound of an inner tube exploding under high pressure.

#3) Feel your brakes. A quick squeeze of the brake levers will tell you exactly how likely they are to stop you - or not. If you're any sort of slacker at all you've probably forgotten about that annoying squeal your brakes were making last fall, or the blood-curdling feeling of metal on metal as your calipers grasped for that wafer-thin slice of disc. Furthermore, if your brakes won't stop you in the garage, consider yourself screwed when you need them bombing down the Cabot trail or the ski hill at Wentworth. Dentures are not without their benefits but it's probably easier to keep brushing your real teeth.

#4) Shift!  If you have a bike stand use it. If not, turn your bike upside down, hang it from the ceiling or get a really strong and stupid friend to lift it up while you run through the gears front and back. Any skipping, ghost shifting or non-shifting that happens here will be far worse once you're actually mashing the pedals. New cables are generally a must at this point in the season but replacing chains and cassettes might be necessary as well to achieve shifting smoothness. Don't forget to clean the small rodents our of your drivetrain and give it some lube and love before you check it out... it's amazing how a dried mouse carcass embedded between gears can cause a chain to jump at the best of times.

#5) Beer At this point in the game you should be sufficiently covered in grease and dirt to fire a snot rocket or two, haul your jeans up around your plumbers crack and declare it break time. Drink your beer out of the bottle - this is no time to get all prissy with a glass. You need to look like this is part of the process, not tea time with the Queen. Drink fast enough that you get a little buzz on before you head into the next part of the fix-up.  Some things work better when you can't really think about them too hard.

#6)Check the Trueness of Your Wheels  Ok. Now you're about to understand why you had that beer when you did. It takes a brave and stupid person to try truing their own wheels for the first time and if you're taking this to heart you're probably a truing virgin. Have a good look at those wheels and see if they spin straight. Chances are pretty good they don't.  If you have a wobble, first check your tires. If the bead isn't seated right it will cause the wheel to look like it's wonky. Remove the tire and put it back on but look at the wheel before hand. If the wheel itself is un-straight bring it to a bike shop, give them money and they'll fix it. Have another beer in the meantime.  If it's a reasonably new tire or one with a tight kevlar bead you might need another beer before you reinstall it to numb the annoyance of broken levers, skinned knuckles and cursing. Check the wheel again once the tire is back on and hopefully it will look straighter. If not, have another beer.

#7) Check your Bearings ...and I don't mean where you're at! Holding your bars turn them left and right. If it doesn't feel smooth as butta, bring it to the shop and get some headset love. Grab a hold of your cranks and give them a wiggle as well, feeling for play in the bottom bracket. You could buy the tools and fix both of these things yourself but seeing as you'll be going out to get more beer at this point anyway, just drop it at the shop and be done with it.

#8) Do the Spandex Spotcheck No, don't look for skidmarks, although if you need to, I'd rather not know about it. Newbies may not be aware of the alarming rate at which lycra and spandex shorts become see through in the most inopportune of spots. Hold your shorts up to the light to evaluate just how see through they've become. If they're starting to resemble cheesecloth it's time to reserve them for wearing under baggies or giving to someone you dislike as hand-me-downs.

That's it, you should be good and ready to ride by this point. Or just have another beer instead. Either way it just keeps getting better from this point on.

What happens when you ride your bike for hours at a time?  You turn into Ryan MacDonald, of course.

Actually no, that’s not true, but if you do, good things may come your way.

Ryan has been pedaling hard for a few years now.  Because of his hard work, natural ability, and some great coaching he has been steadily transforming into an elite level cyclist.

Ryan’s talent has not gone unnoticed.  The Canadian National Cycling Team has invited him to travel to Europe in May to spend a month training with them. 

Ryan will head to Belgium from May 10th to 25th to stay and train at the new National Team house. From there he will chart a course to Switzerland to race in a UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) 2.1, called Tour de Pays de Vaud, and then he’s off to Germany where he will compete in the UCI Nations Cup, Trofeo Karlsberg.  This is the spring program to prepare the National Cycling Team for the upcoming race season.

By partaking in this training program Ryan will build on the foundation to complete his goal of competing at the world level. Participating in this National Team project will not affect the Worlds selection, the Worlds selection is based on his performance at the National Championships, which is Ryan’s main goal for the season. But according to him,  “Being with the National coaches and other athletes for a full month will definitely help me later on in the season, mostly because it will get my name out there.”

With all the time away at only seventeen years old, Ryan’s education is also a concern. He will have work packages to do for the month away so he can keep up with his peers. The same will be done when he travels Quebec for the month of June to begin training with his new team from Quebec, Atrium-CC2R. Ryan admits that the time and distance away from family and friends can be tough, but by the same token he really loves the traveling. His first training camp will be in Cuba at the end of March, and not surprisingly,  he is really excited for it. “My teammates are really great!!”, offers Ryan, “I really can’t wait for the upcoming season and hope that it is injury free so I can do my best and try and win some races, or even help my team out for some wins!!”

 

 

Photo by Doug Smith

Randy Gray, or Tossed Salad, as he is known to most, has been a fixture in Nova Scotia’s mountain bike scene for pretty much as long as mountain bikes have existed. There is no aspect of the sport that hasn’t been touched in some way by Randy’s dedication and if you haven’t crossed paths with him on the trail you may very well have butted heads with him at a meeting or had your butt kicked by him at a race.

The cycling scene in Nova Scotia has truly benefitted from Randy’s drive and determination for many years. His CV includes working tirelessly on behalf of Bicycle Nova Scotia for years on end, creating and publishing a detailed guide to the trails in the province, and submitting a Mountain Biking Management Plan to the Long Lake Park Association's Management Plan Committee after about 6 years of consultation and work with the organization. Randy has done more than his share of trail building and maintenance in the HRM and nobody has been more dedicated to advocating on behalf of mountain bikers.

All of the above are great achievements, but Randy’s love of cycling doesn’t end there.  He probably has the most inclusive collection of bicycles and cycling related nostalgia stashed away at home of anyone in this region. Undoubtedly his placement as one of Cyclesmith’s best known employees helps that collection. To boot, he is known for appreciating the finer liquid things in life, which is why we are sure that he will enjoy his prize from the Propeller Brewing Company.

Thanks for all you do Randy. Mountain biking in Nova Scotia would be a different beast without your relentless dedication. See you on the trail.

 

 

 

In these days of pulaskis, loppers and various Trailblazer made doodads, it's nice to go back to a more traditional tool. Now before the chainsawers get all worked up, keep in mind I miss my Husky 55. But, in the spirit of physical work much akin to riding a bike in the woods, the good old axe is a rewarding bit of kit when yeilded properly.
It can be much easier to pack than a powersaw. There is no "giveaway" noise. No smoke. No fuel and oil to carry around. It is pretty easy to keep sharp and in good condition once you get on to it. You can get through a considerably thick piece of wood fairly quickly as well.
I thought I would just share a few points with you to keep you stoked for trail work. And now is the perfect time to clear those fallen trees and try new lines.
First off is safety.
Make sure when you use your axe that the handle is fastened well to the head, and that the handle itself is in good shape. If it's loose, try to use a wedge made just for this purpose to tighten it up. This only applies to wooden handles. Some old timers would soak the head on water to swell it up, but that's lazy and will help rust your axe. A loose axehead can be a pretty sick missle when she lets go...
Also keep your axe SHARP. A dull axe is more likely to bounce and glance off your work rather than cut keenly and cleanly. With that said, keep it in a good quality sheath to protect both you AND the cutting edge. And try to invest in a good file and stone to keep it sharp. There are decent videos on Youtube on axe sharpening to get you started, or you can befriend an old timer with no teeth, a flannel shirt and leather-topped rubber boots to show you. Just clean off his toque and share some bannock or sourdough with him.
Anywho, on to weilding this beast! Wait... you need to pick one first. Don't go too cheap on an axe. You really DO get what you pay for in tools. Department store branded stuff is usually junk. Hard to get and keep an edge on, bad balance and poor quality are their usual merits. However, having said that, if you can get yerself one of those Fiskars jobbies from Finland, they are AMAZING bang-for-buck units. They look a little unorthidox, but they are made with beautiful steel and the handles are maintainence free and virtually indestructible. I have their hatchet and the 23" chopping axe. The axe is very light in the handle, the head is heavy enough to get the job done very well but is still light enough to ride with in my usual pack. You can find them at better stocked Canadian Tire outlets. Just a word of advice on them; get the Fiskars sharpener to go with them. It is the only tool that get's them to their best, in my opinion, every time.
Regardless of manufacturer, pick an axe that you can comfortably yeild. Too long a handle may be hard to aim and pack, specially for the novice. Too short a handle is awkward for both hands and can make you more likely to hit your legs in some situations. Too heavy a head will wear you out quickly and too light will not cut very efficiently.
Carry your axe at you side, hand just below the head with the blade pointed down and away from those meaty mountain biking legs in case you slip or bump the handle while walking. Stay away from restrictive clothes and don't use slippery, wet or muddy gloves.
As with a chainsaw, clear the area around where you will be working of brush and debris. Keep bystanders away and make sure the footing is good. If you are actually felling a tree, or clearing fallen trees under stress or "springy", make sure you have and escape route in case something goes poopy.
When you actually are chopping through the wood, cut into the wood across the grain with the head of the axe at about a 45 degree angle. Never cut straight into the wood. It will hardly do a thing for you other than dull your axe and get you frustrated. The key is getting the chips to come out of the wood.
Here's a few hints. When chopping through a log, make you "V" cut about the same width as the thickness of the log you are chopping. Go until these two cuts meet in the middle of the log, then turn around and cut the other side until you hit the first cut. You have now chopped through your first log. Chop alternatively left and right to keep the chips flying.
And when you are limbing those trees, go from the root end of the trunk to the crown, or top of the tree. Stay on one side of the tree at a time. Don't straddle it. Please. Don't. Chop the underside of each branch. If you try to chop at the springy crutch or top side of the branches, your axe will bounce all over the place and probably give you a good gash someplace meaty.
With a little practice and patience, you will be swinging with the best of them! Just develop a rythym, let the axe do the work as opposed to using brute strength, and you will be on your way to being Paul Bunyon of the mountain bike world.
Happy trails!

Oh yeah... here is a good vid, despite the vintage.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcR28Yqt4mY&feature=related