IRON CROSS V

YEA 62 miles of sweet ahhhh ummm biking fixed 44x19 killer trail smokin dirt rd single track on a road gear and rollin fine no mech's under sixhrs cool people way supportive marked well open course means every day obstacles great weather bike is dusty dirty again! chainisdry body soaked and mellowfeelalive Quickbeam fixed rules racers walking through singletrack?

and look at all the swag!

over nighter

The other week I went on an over night er with Joe and crew, we left from his house in Fredrick MD after downing a beer around two o'clock.This was my first fixed pannier ride and I was pleasantly surprised how well my bike handled the climbing, there wasn't any thing real steep but I have rode my crosscheck with gears, panniers loaded, and the hills were tougher. This set up just seems to roll on. I'm talking about long and gradual and short steep here. Not steep and long. A pic of the set up all clean and ready to go.

We biked to the C&O canal,14 miles and then about 30 to our camp spot,It was so nice to know that for the rest of the day and most of the next all I had to do was ride my bike, this was exciting.

The view from my tent, You could here the trains way off in the distance too.

Andy's set up, it looks cool and he was carring next to nothing it appeared cause the hammock is the tent, bed rest, ect. The weather was perfect even on the hot and humid side, usually when I do theses bike trips it's freezing out. That night we rolled about three miles to Sheperdstown for food and Beer.We ate outside and listened to a Jazz band that was playing inside, some of it was real nice. Then proceeded to seek out another bar, score, a grotto from 1790 complete with a back alley lined with trees, picnic tables with candles and college chics. There we had to throw down, it was a Rouge, a real Dead Guy,after many a round with him I left happy and feeling good about myself and was fine with leaving him to pour on.

It was a fun ride back to camp and I think there was some Dog Fish Head, Honey Rum consumed around a burning fire pit.

Getting ready in the morn.

Looking south on the Potomac River

Looking North

I like the way the three points line up on the fork crown and the top tube, really it's not a picture of the computer.

one of the more elaborate Locks on the C&O this is at where you cross the bridge to Harper's Ferry. Looking up stream.

looking down stream.

We got back to Joe's and went to a Festival the city of Fredrick was putting on and had a few Brewers Alley beer and some ethnic foods and I headed out with a total of 100 miles in 24 hours, all our panier's and bikes were covered in C&O dust it was great , Joe put a good trip together on short notice, we are getting better at this.

Hold Onto Your Mugs - Beer Prices are Heading North!

Hold Onto Your Mugs - Beer Prices are Heading North!

If you get the Clipper City news letter you may have read this.
If not it's good to know, helps to keep me from getting pissed at the "MAN".

I rode with the Outlaw crew Sunday, a ride dubbed the 1903 adventure ride. Thirteen of us headed out to ride paved and dirt roads around Frederick Maryland, my longest fixed gear ride, sixty six miles, on my bike computer.It was painful bliss nearing the end. I couldn't wait to see the parking lot where we started, then as I rolled in I felt a horrible thing, I was afraid to get off my bike, I envisioned rolling around on the smooth asphalt with leg cramps.
I was good though didn't even seize up that night. I basically drank ate and peed the whole ride through.Fun ride,good people nice views, long climbs and even longer descents the last one being gravel road loose and very fast,through the Catoctin Mountains.It seemed to go on forever.
Then this evening Sieverts took me on the 2007 Baltimore city adventure ride, we left from his house on the geared CrossxChecks spinning big meat and riding a lot of wooded single track trails around the colleges north of the city,a ton of fun, it was super fast paced with lots of obstacle's and surprises, Robert E Lee park was really fast and mixed in some lower loch raven too. I really like going from paved rd to single track, back and forth, it keeps you on your toes.
Sorry no pics, I would like to post a pick of the Quick Beam, I really enjoyed riding that Sunday.

But I saw this it's a great answer to mounting a rack. I have used the thin metal clamps that have a little bit of protective rubber, it still eats the surface of your frame up and the metal clamp fatigues and breaks, also a pain in the ass to get that tiny nut threaded on to the tiny bolt.