Prescott Land of Epics?

Back when I started this blog apps like Trailforks did not even exist! Pinkbike launched Trailforks in October of 2014 in th US, with the mobile app almost a year later. I wish it was sooner, cause it sure would have made The Quest easier.  Outside acquired Trailforks alongside Pinkbike in July of 2021 and I just missed getting in at the legacy price October of 2024.  I guess I had been out of the game for too long and hadn't realized what was going down.  I guess I used Singletracks trail edition for some of it but they closed the app on 2020, but you can still access their trail maps for free.  They say the memory is the first to go!

Back in the day, I would search for GPS files for the IMBA Epic and other trails that I was looking to do. Getting them off of race sites and local club blogs or hooking up with locals virtually or in person to get the skinny on the trails.  

It took hours!

But now thanks to Garmin and Trailforks, you can make or save an existing Route to MY Wishlist and bam its on Garmin Connect and it's on your Garmin next time you sync up.  It's that easy!

You may have to hit the save to Garmin button.

I was still learning the scale of things on the Edge 540 vs the website on my phone, but It made for so much less stopping, pulling out the phone at intersection (hoping the GPS had caught up, guessing when it didn't...)  and course corrections!

This was second my ride in Prescott Arizona, felt like a sampler of everything Mountain Biking. Hell it’s an all you can eat smorgasbord! 

Rocks, rollers, roots with several tech features thrown in for good measure. 
I wanted to start on the car Dealership Bypass, but only found after going through the dealer lol.  The bypass is shown as a dotted green line on Trailforks Website, but but not at all on my Garmin Trailforks map, as intimated above, my phone has a terrible GPS latency on Trailforks, Oh well. You get to go through a tunnel this way at least.

 That gets you to Badger Mountain. This rolls up and down and up. Very nice single track, with a fun mix of rocky and smooth. You turn off of Badger Mountain on to Turley. Turly has some raw old scoolness to it, fine silty sand somehow, which complement the rocks and roots.  One good steep switchback that caught me out.

It ends through a gate into a neighborhood. While dirt is usually more desirable than pavement, this stretch on this ride is mostly in a back woods neighborhood. But the next is on Senator highway, with only one lane open for construction. That actually was better as the cars were going pretty slow. There was a rideable dirt shoulder for part of the Senator stretch. Then sharp right turn at a gated fire road (the trail is outside the gate on the right side) onto Lower Feldmeir #330 which drops you down so you can climb back up to a short climb on route 89, but not before twisting and turning through some old school feeling trails with rocks and roots and even a pretty cool long pipe section. 
You turn off of 89 into the state forest trailhead and get on the Goldwater Lakes trail (upper back end of the parking area) which climbs above 6000’ for the first time up to 6500’. You get a view of the lakes from up above through the trees. You cross Senator Highway into a trailhead, go left on to Ranch trail. Not #299 Watershed. This is where the Trailforks course actually starts. I started from the bottom. You’ll keep rolling between like 6300’ and 6500’. Then it shares some of Ranch from Tuesday’s intended ride, but in the opposite direction. Turning off onto the Badger Mountain connector. Man is this fast and furious with a little climbing. I went down on this one when a big boulder jumped out me, (Don't you just hate it when that happens?) I made it around the boulder but pushed the front wheel trying to get back on line and not go off the cliff. lol. Back to Badger Mountain and back the way I came except I went out the Dealership bypass to the road to my hotel. 
I should have done this one first. You are riding a lot more between 5600’ and 6000’. 
Which I attribute to being able to get more oxygen. That a lighter breakfast and a more gradual warm up than Tuesday. Maybe a little acclimation too! 
I actually felt better Tuesday once I got lower. Today’s ride only went to 6550’ or so it was late in the ride even that felt better than Tuesday. I felt like I spent a lot of time in the 6700’-7000’ foot range Tuesday. So there is that. 
Sticks did I mention sticks? While not a ton, I am not used to looking for them like when I lived in Jersey. 

Prescott Epic?

Well I have ridden many IMBA epics.  I took a few years off and damn, there are epics out the door of the hotel!  The two rides I did in Prescott where on par with any of the Epics I have ridden in the past and that is just the tip of the iceberg!

Prescott is a friendly town, with a very clean historic town center. With lots to do for any noncyclist amongst you, from the flight of mead at the Superstition Meadery, to wash down one of their several tapas (AKA snacks if you are like me or an excuse to drink mead) I had the moderately sized Italian sandwich and half of my wife's charcuterie board.  Not my usual fare by any means, but delicious none the less.  There are a few different scavenger hunts to try.  The Rodeo was coming in as we left.  I find Prescott more similar to Durango than Sedona, and that is all right by me!  Less traffic than Sedona, even with the construction on route 69.  There is plenty of civilization on the east side of town for anything you might need and Prescott National Forest all around that to escape from it.  If you live in the valley in Arizona the temps are a welcome break in June.

Now onto the ride:

IDK where Trailforks got 9 miles of flat lol. Look at that profile!

So I set out to do a 20 mile 2400’ climb loop I found on Trailforks. I ended up with 3800 per my Garmin, not the 4500' that Trailforks says after the fact. There were several intersections that were not clear TO ME and I added 7 miles, but no way did that add 1-2k’ of climbing.  (I am new to having Trailforks maps on my Garmin) Maybe that’s where Trailforks got some of those flat miles lol. (They were not flat miles either, by the way), I figured out how to get a course off of Trailforks for my next ride  Ha Ha Ha

#62 Ranch was a smooth climb, only about 200’ climbing per mile. But I was in my 32/50 most of it as the 42 was busting this transplanted Minnesota/New Jersey/Arizona valley boys lungs lol. Watershed was another story(when final got the turn right 3rd times the charm). Watershed had several steep loose sections to test your skills and stamina. On the entire ride I probably HAB 200’ climbing total, at least 2x50’ where on Watershed. But if you make everything all the time it is time to find another challenge or turn pro. Lol. 

The fire road, well at least it was short. Because those flies had me surrounded on a couple steep climbs which also get to the high point of almost 7k’.

So all down hill from here, yeah right. Not a chance. 

At about three and a half hours, Smith Ravine, was the first place I saw another human on the trail.

Its black diamond and while more down than up was definitely not as smooth as Ranch, which is good. It was a little rough almost knar, almost. There were several techy features to keep things interesting. As I got to the the trail head for #305 Homestead, I saw the only other humans of the day on the trail. There is a green trail option on the trailhead side of the road, but you cross South Walker Road to find Homestead did cross many roads, main roads only a few times, mainly camp roads going to Lynx lake. Homestead also passed through several trail heads. I had to ride around a few times find where 305 exited. All in all  good time. I wonder how it is in reverse. 

Spluge, Donkey Semen, Call it what you will

My Buddy George asked me to write this post, because he feels it’s an internet myth, but here it goes; Sealant wants to seal holes, it is its job after all. And we need to put air in the tires and if your like me, that is every ride so the pressure is just right for the given atmospherics and how fat I am at the time. Some of you may be less fussy, but even riding suspension, I was pretty particular. Even more so on a rigid bike. Unfortunately, that requires a hole (see what I did there?) So, Every ride is an opportunity for sealant to come out the valve during these adjustments. I've taken to pumping first to help push it back in before putting my low-pressure gauge on the valve. I can't remember when I started storing the wheels with the valve down but saw it on the internet recently and mentioned it to my buddy and here we are.

 

When we got home from our ride today, he had this up on the PC.
 

Search that again and get:

Thanks AI

Before pumping I lean the bike next to a wall with the valves at the bottom and give them a few light bounces to knock any sealant out and let it sit for a few minutes while getting other gear ready.

Then turn the wheel to about 30-45 degrees and bounce a little again and let it sit again before pumping.

So, there you have it, Myth or reasonable actions, you be the judge.

Rock Lake Cable Wisconsin IMBA Epic Plus

Honestly this was a long time ago and I guess I meant to write a post. Something must have come up.

But Many, MANY years before this I came to the area for my first MTB race.  Thinking shorter was better for me, being pretty green and all.  You see I lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota and MTBing was in its infancy.  You heard about races from word of mouth, from other riders, bike shops, but mostly from reading about them in the magazines.

The Chequamegon 40 in Hayward Wisconsin, was a biggy in my neck of the woods, but still a haul.  Silly Green me drove all the way out there to do the first day of short track on the bunny hill and got smoked in the grass.  Dejected, but some how still wanted to pursue racing.  

My second race wasn't much better....

That one was in Redwing Minnesota, Nothing close to the Twin Cities of course. It had rained the night before and the clay was making bricks on my narrow seat stays and power cam brakes on my Cannondale Mountain Bike.  So much so, it forced the bike to stop and me to dig out the clay bricks.  LOL  It took so long to complete my pre ride that I missed the start.  The clay had dried enough that they started the race.  Crazy.  So dejection number 2 was in the books.  But I did learn the importance of seat and chain stay clearance.  Oh the memories.

Some years after that, my friend Steve (he was born and raised in Wisconsin) and we managed the resources to get to the Chequamegon 40.  That was a big deal for us at the time.

Having no Strava or Garmin files from that era, just memories.  No camera phones back then and I can't remember when I last knew where the photographs were. 

So it is nice that I rode the IMBA Epic that would all these years later jog my memory and let me recall those early early days of mountain biking for better or worse....

Strava File:

BCT Back Canyon Trail North of Black Canyon City

 

AGUA FRIA!     

  

I exclaim every time I go near that....THAT CURSED river!   Why? you ask.

Well let me tell ya a story;

To tell the truth 90% of the ride was fine and dandy.  Uneventful lets say.  

If you're like me, you like loops as opposed to out and backs.  So I started in Black Canyon City and took the Maggie Mine gravel road to Crown King Gravel road, Past Bumble Bee almost to Cordes before pointing south off of Antelope Creek road onto the BCT, the Black Canyon Trail.  Now a gravel road is well, a gravel road and not that damn interesting and 25 miles of it gets old, so maybe an out and back would be better.  The BCT itself was mostly fun well executed single track and miles and miles of it so it was very nice.  Not too polished or buff, not to gnarly.  I have to say, that I am also not a fan of shuttles, I believe you should earn your descents, but this trail is a definite candidate for shuttling.

Now all would have been well and good, except for one almost fatal flaw in my judgement.  This trail had been so well built for 25 miles I assumed it would continue that way back to the trail head and I would make it back before dark. If only I had ended at Soap creak and took the road back to the trail head (insert shaking my head emoji) 

The first 50 miles took like 6 and a half hours (6 rolling) that last 8 miles extricating myself in the failing light took almost 3 hours (only 1.5 rolling). 

So I continue on, in my ignorant bliss.  The trail gets a little less buff, less well marked and more fire roadie.  "Did I miss that last marker?" Lets check my down loaded track. "Glad I down loaded this area before losing cell coverage."  "Looks like I'm still on course." I come to a fork and it seems I should go left, but there is no marker, "What's the harm in a little adventuring, Right?"  So down the hill I go, to wide area along the river. With no discernable trail. The river is raging.  I see a house on the other side of the river, it's lights pointing out that dusk is settling in.  No bridge across and no way out but the way I came down.  Check the GPS again.  I am off the purple line.  Must have been the right at the fork.

Now I should have turned back then and there....

No not me, I carry on, even find a bit of trail and a marker, all be it ambiguous.  It leads back to the river Further upstream, I think, I see MTB tire and cycling shoe tracks Heading up what may sometimes be a water fall.  And I am dead on the purple line, man.  I climb up and see some down trees across a raging river.  There was no way I was risking that in the near dark, with not guarantee that I would have to come back across in even less light!

I had to turn back and make the most of what twilight was left.

I was making my way back at a reasonable clip when total darkness fell.  I pulled out my phone and rode by its flash light, at a much reduces pace.  That only lasted so long before I was in the dark again and almost going off the trail in a not so forgiving spot.  

So Hike-A-Bike it would be... 

...At long last I emerged onto the last fire road that I had crossed.  I could see a very bright light, perhaps over a school athletic field or municipal building.  I plipped back in and started down the fire road, navigating as if by Braille, butt further off the back than probably necessary, keeping the front wheel light in case of an unforeseen pothole.  The whole time ready to react to whatever force that was transmitted from the front wheel, up the fork through the stem into the handlebars.

Then a sigh of relief as I glide onto a concrete wash crossing now visible in alternating shadow and dim light.  Wait what's that ahead Head lights.  Great! meet at an intersection, they turn left in front of me and I scurry to get behind and use their beams to help me scan the road for trouble.  Soon I was back in civilization and back to the car.  

Pressed the I'm OK button on my Spot tracking device, letting the wife know I was alive, if not long over due.  Plugged in the phone and got into dry clothes.  Started home the 2 hour drive.  Another one in the books.

Failure list.

Not starting at the crack-O-dawn.

No light for the night portion of the ride, unexpected though it may have been.

Assuming that the trail was stayed as nice as beginning.

Not researching that water crossing. 

 

Black Oval chainring, Crank Breaker?

    So, eight years ago, when my 3x9 was wearing out and 1 bys were becoming all the rage, I opted for the Shimano XT 42-11 cassette and needing a no drop chainring I got a 32t from Black Oval. 

See hear for the install:

https://www.mtbepicrides.com/2016/06/one-by-eleven.html

Yes, I kept the package for Eight years!

My First ride on this set up was May 24th, 2016.  And While I did not ride much after May 2017 Strava says I logged 212 rides on that set up since.  I am not prepared to do the data mining yet for the miles and elevation gain, LOL!  Needless to say, it was a lot. I did replace the chain in October of 2019, when I got back on the horse to ready myself for some friends that were visiting in February.

So, as I was JRA anticipating getting my single speed together going up a short steepish climb in the 32/21 I believe and bang, I thought I broke the chain, not so lucky, while the chain did get twisted a bit, I looked down to see a mangled mess of twisted chainring.  Thinking to myself that’s odd, but I have more at home.  But before I could contemplate the walk out to the road, I realized a much bigger shock, three of the ears that held the chainring on the crank had completely snapped off!!!! and the 4th was ripped open?  This is an XT crankset and yes, I have put umpteen miles on it and I tipped the scale at 240+ pounds and my legs were getting strong after a few months on the bike (After 4 years off) and lifting many kegs at work, but jumping Jehoshaphat!  Me and My buddy just stood there not quite comprehending what had happened.  My friend, who worked in a bike shop for quite some time said, "That's a new one" and between us we thought we had seen broken or broken ourselves, everything on a bike.  I also worked at a bike shop for several years and one of my friends wife use to call me "everything is broken Man"  

But I digress.  So was it metal fatigue, was I too fat.  While my friend rode to get the car and I walked to the nearest trail head, (we were halfway through a 14-mile ride) I had time to ponder and wonder if the Black Oval chainring, which was light weight (maybe too light) and the material around the bold holes got nowhere near the lands on the crank was the culprit.  All the bolts were still tight in the threaded chainring holding on the three ears from the crank, suggesting that the chainring fold/twisted under the load and twisted off the ears of the crank.

There was a silver lining though, we thrashed that evening and converted My Lynskey with a Black Sheep fork, back to its single best destiny... a 

Single Speed

I'M BACK!

  I have been gone for a while and oh so much has changed  I pulled a Forrest Gump about 7 years ago and just stopped riding.  Yea no one saw that coming not even me.  About 4 years ago My Friend TK was doing a training camp at Mc Dowell MT Park in February so I did Ride for a few months so I would not completely blow.  But then Covid hit and I did the opposite of everybody else and stopped riding.  Besides I hadn't adapted to summers in the Valley here in Arizona yet anyway Yada Yada Yada.  Fast forward To November 2023 when my buddy George came to visit.  We had no plans to ride.  But my seeing him was the spark I needed.  I proceed to break my Powertap hub at the gate, so we hiked.  I had  laced up a wheel several year ago, so I tensioned it and we were off to the races..... Whoa slow down, man did I blow Ha, Ha, Ha.  After of course setting up 7 year old new tubeless tires.  Boy was I out of practice!