Saddle up....

 

Spring is in full force here in the midwest and things are greening up quickly with temps in the mid-80's. I was fortunate to go out for a big 'ol long ride that mapped out to be some 54 miles with a 1,000 ft of climbing. It included one particular hill that I had to walk the crest due to the loose gravel. This is one of the roadside picture stops that turned out nice. Different steeds that use saddles would be a good sub text.

The Monday Grind....

I love having Monday as my day off! It allows me to get out on gravel roads that are near completely empty of vehicles. Occasionally I will see farm implements, or mail carriers, but for the most part, its all mine. This gives me the perfect opportunity to catch up on podcast's or tune everything out and listen for the gentle whisper of God. (1 Kings 19:10-12)

I must admit that when I first moved to this area, there was a bit of sorrow for what would be a disconnect from singletrack riding and the whole MTB scene. Then I realized that within two blocks of my house that if I planned my route carefully, I could jump on gravel roads and literally ride hundreds of miles without ever having to ride on asphalt.

The counties do a good job of keeping the gravel fresh and chunky, so it is almost necessary to use a bike that can take a large volume tire for the cushion, yet have large hoops to keep things rolling at a reasonable pace. The 29er platform works really well for this since the bike can serve dual duty. There are still the occasional times when I get to load up on the car and drive to the trailhead for some singletrack work.

Bike Specifications:

• On-One Scandal 29er size 19.5"
• On-One Carbon Monocoque Fork
• On-One Smoothie Mixer headset
• FSA V-Drive 180mm MegaExo Crank
• Classic Time ATAC pedals
• 1x9 Drivetrain with MRP guide
• Easton XC-Two wheelset
• Clement LXV 120tpi tires
• Avid BB7 brakes
• Answer 20/20 Enduro bars
• On-One CNC stem
• Ergon GS2 bar end grips
• Easton EC70 seatpost
• Titec saddle

There are future plans to switch to a more quiet and smooth Shimano Alfine 11 drivetrain since the On-One Scandal frame features the SwapOut drop system to allow tensioning of the chain. Otherwise, I love this bike.

I had the rare opportunity to go ride singletrack today and the new On-One Scandal performed flawlessly. It also bares mentioning that the On-One Carbon Monocoque fork is butter smooth and a sure winner.

So why an On-One? It is one of the few brands that still build around an 80mm fork, plus they have the ability with SwapOut rear dropouts to run as vertical geared, or horizontal sliding single speed.

The dropouts will become very important in the future, as I plan to someday run this bike with a Shimano Alfine 11 IGH. For now I will just have to stick with the very reliable Deore 1x9 setup that never ever complains. If it never complains, why change? Silence is golden when riding a bike off-road, and IGH is a good solution short of single speed.

So if you are looking for a classic hardtail at a ridiculously good price, look no further than On-One!

Surprising sights....

What a great ride! Yesterday may prove to be the best cycling weather of the year - 60 degrees and no wind - and I was able to get out and put some good miles on my new frame and fork. For the most part I am very pleased with my new ride and probably the only way to do better is to spend money that I don't have on a custom build. It seems that everything is dialed in quite well for what I am wanting to accomplish and now it is time to let the miles really start to add up.

I think my real goal is to keep fit, see something new every time that I ride, and ride to places that I have never been.  So as far as fitness goes, I can really feel how little I rode this last winter. I don't feel like my legs had recovered from my ride that was three days previous, so there is certainly some work to do there.

As far as seeing new things goes... I did spy out some great places for future picture stops, plus I rode slow enough to take notice of a young ring-neck snake warming himself on the gravel. I was also able to see the very reliable deer grazing from the same fields they are always in about the same time of day. A new sight was a small herd of around 7 or 8 Angus calves isolated in a field and jostling around to determine who would be king for the day.

One thing peculiar was seeing rural life take long pauses to watch and wave at the preacher guy on the bike. There seems to be a bit of a lull right now in the schedules of those that work the land - the equipment is ready, but the weather and land is not, so they have time to enjoy the great day that the Lord has provided.

No new places to see on this ride, but many planned in the future....

This will probably do...

Blogging about my gravel and off-road cycling adventures may be exactly what I need as an outlet. It seems that every time I mention it on any mainstream social media, I end up feeling like I have to defend my choice of spending three or four hours on the bike. Little lone the thoughts of planning a weekend or week long bikepacking adventure!

Of course you sometimes expect this from a couch potato that has no concept of fitness, equipment, or bike setup. But sometimes you will even get it from a cyclist that perhaps rides regularly and has done a long charity ride or long rail to trail mini adventure for what is usually on smooth surfaces. The thought of riding off-road or on gravel just seems so foreign to most people.

On the flip side, I seem to have the same cringe factor with the thoughts of car whizzing by only inches from my bar end at speeds that are double or triple to mine. And yes, I did that for many years and rode thousands of miles, but never felt comfortable doing it. I think it is just the understanding of what target fixation really is - look at something long enough and you might likely hit it, even when trying to avoid it!

All that to say, if I just blog about my adventures, most likely people that have similar interests will possibly find it and enjoy reading about it. So check back soon, as my next post will most likely be about a 50 mile gravel ride in the deserted countryside on my new bike.