PedalTrout

Last night I had a revelation.

Turn back the clocks to 1993. Canti's are stopping bikes. Only the cool people had suspension forks, with massive travel in the 1 or 2 inch range. 21 speed drivetrains ruled the roost, and us poorer folk had to settle with loose-ball bottom brackets, hopefully with rubber seals, to keep those 165mm cranks spinning huge rings. Frames were chromoly steel, but aluminum was, regretfully in hindsight, coming on the scene. Cool guys had Kool-stops, bar ends and frame bags. And then there were toe straps. Or not.

Fast forward to 2012. Big hydraulic brakes, 6 or more inches of travel. 30 speeds are common. Much slacker angles and shorter cockpits. Sealed cartridge bearings throughout.  These modern rigs are getting pretty spiffy. So, I figure it's time for a new bike. I decide to start saving up and selling things off. Figure I'll get one of them 29er's. 

So, the Devinci goes on Kijiji, Pinkbike, here on the 'Trout, etc. My old Concorde turns into the do-everything-in-the-meantime rig, as opposed to my race bike. And you know what? I learned just how much I liked it. It's much akin to when you start riding single speed, where you think out loud, "What was I thinking?"

The best riding frame I've ever owned. Probably the lightest bike I've had, so far. And it's so simple. It goes, it stops, it turns where I point it. When I'm done, I wipe it off and lube the chain, ready for the next ride.

How about those antique brakes? Well, I run Kool-stop Eagle II's in Salmon, I keep them set up properly, and I can easily see how they are at a quick glance. And they certainly do stop. Now, this next bit might sound funny, but for my riding, they almost feel *better* than my BB5's on the Devinci. Crazy talk? Perhaps. Are they noisy? Only a bit when they get damp, but not much worse than a lot of the guys disc brakes I ride with. Stop good? Well, they scrub the speed well, and are more grabby at low speed, which I love on really technical stuff. So, good for me and my style, which is all that matters.

7  Speed? Love it. I'm running 24/34/46 in the front. Which reminds me. I need to locate one of those old-school bash guards that look like a Skil saw blade... Anywho, with a 12-28 cassette, it still works really well in the woods. It climbed up EVERYTHING on the Lake Loop at Whopper, and I cleaned a section I never have before on any of my other trail bikes so far. Up and over, with it's light weight and nimble handling. If anything, the lack of super low gears, like 22 x 36, keeps some momentum up and keeps the cranks loaded a bit.

No suspension? I don't mind. I love riding rigid. I still can at this point, so I'll keep rocking it. Every trail is fun again, there are no pivots  to replace, no air to pump up, no seals to replace, no oil to change. Just pure, unadultered fun. On the rough side, mind you. But fun.

So, it's surely not for everyone, but just having a reliable, capable little bike under me is enough for me. I will keep riding this thing for the years to come, and just keep it going. Now, some things will be getting harder and harder to find, but that's when a fella can upgrade. 7 Speed is not being produced in high quality, but it's still around a bit in decent quality, for now. I can always go 10 speed in the future. Just run a road cassette. Those are HUGE nowadays! My crank is fortunately able to run a 127-127.5mm bottom bracket, but a lot of older bike are even wider, so modern cranks might be called for. Which is fine.  And Cross bikes are keeping the canti dream alive, for now. But hey, you can "upgrade" to v-brakes as well! Or front disc, on a newer fork...

So, after a great ride last night at Whopper on my old bikey, I enjoyed my simple ride, chatting to all my riding friends as we rode, all on vastly different bikes. Rigids, hardtails, big duallies, 29er's, xc and trail, and even a DH bike. The stars, (and a couple bright planets!), were out, the air was crisp, no wind was to be felt, and it was just us and the trail. And that's the way it should be.

If you need the new/fancy gear, it makes your riding more fun/easier/safer and you can afford it, then by all means, go for it! But, if you can make do on whatever you have, then keep on riding, my friend. Don't let people get you bummed on your older/simpler gear. I know guys who never ride because they are always waiting on the new bike or parts to come in, to replace what were perfectly fine, or in some cases even awesome, bikes and parts. And that, is a shame.

Now, call up some pals, or gear up a nice solo shakedown, and ride!

In high school Friday nights used to be the highlight of my week.  I was doing well in school, had a great part time job, and had no real worries.  

I also had just bought my first real mountain bike and bike light and was discovering what riding was all about. 

I used to meet up with a couple of friends on my way from Fairview to no where in particular to set out on our weekly adventures.  We would always take different routes as much as we could.  Some nights we would only make right hand turns at red lights or left only if we ran into a stop sign. 

We would often end up at Point Pleasant Park deftly evading the park patrol with their spotlight on their night patrols.  From there we would ride through the container pier and cruise through downtown Halifax.  We’d often stop and watch the people stumbling in and out of the bars.  The night air always seemed so full of energy.  Pizza corner was a favourite spot to hang out, grab a slice and people watch.  

It was a right of passage so to speak for us.  We were not allowed to use our respective family cars on a regular basis but still wanted to spread our wings and explore the city where we lived.  We learned how long our lights would last and how to get around Halifax, usually while breaking a few motor vehicle laws.  More importantly we found kindred spirits in our desire to just ride. 

The folks I took those Friday night rides with are no longer in my close circle of friends.  Some have moved, some have families, or some just don’t ride anymore.  In their place I’ve found others whom I ride with.  I’ve expanded where I ride and prefer the dirt to asphalt now.  More importantly the number of friends I have has increased, as well as the love of biking grows stronger every ride, trail build day or just getting together with other like- minded individuals. 

The carefree, adventurous spirit of those Friday night rides has evolved into something much bigger for me, a way of life filled with amazing friends and experiences. 

Well, I hear that Spider Lake is in trouble. It makes me sad, and it makes me recollect a not so fond childhood memory.
Way back when I was a young'in, we had this nice big chunk of woods we would play and bike in. I'm sure a lot of you had a similar spot. A place you could build forts and treehouses. Put ricketey bridges over streams. Go and catch frogs or track critters. It was a magical place where you forgot about school, about troubles at home, and learned about the beauty and delicacy of nature. It kept you sane and young.
Well, as the years slipped past us, we noticed more and more development and logging. At first, it was a little swath here and there. You know, not too bad. Good for paintball, we thought. Then came the dozers. Once they show up, it's done for. So you go in deeper, and try explore once previous "wild" areas, and try link up all your old haunts. Pretty soon you find yourself using roads and yards to get around it. The creatures are gone, or drastically diminished. And pretty much one day, we realized that all those good old times were at an end. No more BMX'ing out to the old fishin' hole. No winter hikes with the promise of warm beans and a can of sardines at the halfway point. No awesome camps with the old "Green Gables" store sign for a roof.  It was nice to be able to dissappear out the back yard and slip into the trees and become one with it, as opposed to living in an area surrounded by wealthier folk with sprawling yards, some still bearing the mark of 20 or 30 feet of old trail here and there.
But, those very same woods that taught me so much also taught me a great hobby and lesson. Mountain Biking. Now, instead of forts and treehouses, we build singletrack, bridges, teeter-totters and skinnies. We might have to ride or drive to our spots, but we have 'em! We love them, we use them and we share them. But, we sometimes get a disturbing reminder that we don't own them. And that leads me back to Spider Lake. If the stories are true, a good little bit of it will be lost to logging in the very near future.  That makes me sad enough, but I can't help but think about all the people I know that have helped make it the trail system that it is today. I won't name them all for fear of making it public, and also not remembering or knowing everyone involved, but it must hurt them a bit. So, a special thanks to all who made it the wonderful place that it is. As with Whopper and Fight and undoubtedly other trails, we must appreciate and enjoy these trails while they are in our midst.
As sad as it may be, when I think about my boyhood wilderness, I don't cry. I only think of the good times.


When the next thought crowds out my feeble mind, look for it here. Until then.
Rally_Kia