# MTB: Epic-ish Nass Ride - 9/28



## Greg (Sep 15, 2008)

I'm thinking about burning one vacation day this fall, perhaps right before the leaves start to come down and do a truly epic Nassahegan tour. Watching the weather and finding a sunny dry day will be key. A weekday would mean no time restrictions for me so I could ride 6+ hours if need be. I would like to do a ride that goes 15-20+ miles and hits all the key areas of Nass. We could use Scoville as a staging area for a mid-ride break/resupply spot. Anyone else interested?


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## Grassi21 (Sep 15, 2008)

a truly difficult debate for me.  swapping a ski day for a mtb day......


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## Greg (Sep 15, 2008)

Grassi21 said:


> a truly difficult debate for me.  swapping a ski day for a mtb day......



That's my dilemma. If I give up a November WROD day, I can live with that.


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## o3jeff (Sep 15, 2008)

Weekday will be tough. How about over the next few weekends we map out the Stone road area really well and then piece together a good ride between all the areas. If we start at 7 and keep pedaling(limit the bs sessions) at a moderate pace we should have no problem covering 15-20 miles by noon.


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## gmcunni (Sep 15, 2008)

i'm still very satisfied with MTB on weekends and the occasional evening.  i, at this point, would not burn a vacation day.  besides, i don't think my body could handle an all day event.


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## MR. evil (Sep 15, 2008)

depending on what my work schedule looks like when we set a ride date I could be down for this.


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## bvibert (Sep 15, 2008)

Not much of a chance for me I don't think.  I'm much more likely to pull off an epic ride on a Sunday then to burn a vacation day.


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## Greg (Sep 15, 2008)

o3jeff said:


> Weekday will be tough.





gmcunni said:


> i, at this point, would not burn a vacation day.





bvibert said:


> Not much of a chance for me I don't think.  I'm much more likely to pull off an epic ride on a Sunday then to burn a vacation day.



And you guys call yourselves dedicated MTBers. :roll:  Okay then. Get your lazy asses out at first light and we ride till 11 am or noon some Sunday. I know Jeff and maybe Brian could pull it off. Don't have a lot of faith in Gary though.... :razz:

I do agree with Jeff. If we start ludicrously early (i.e. sunrise), have a route _we know_ in mind, forgo any sessioning or video breaks, and only stop long enough to catch wind, we could probably log close to 15-20 miles in say 5 hours. Pack some Powerbars...


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## o3jeff (Sep 15, 2008)

We should probably plan this sooner than later since sunrise is getting later. It was pretty dark in the morning when I left my house at 6:30ish last Sunday


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## gmcunni (Sep 15, 2008)

Greg said:


> Okay then. Get your lazy asses out at first light and we ride till 11 am or noon some Sunday.



uh, didn't we do that yesterday ??:smash:





> I know Jeff and maybe Brian could pull it off. Don't have a lot of faith in Gary though.... :razz:



i'll leave my car at the 1/2 way point and bail early :-D


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## o3jeff (Sep 15, 2008)

gmcunni said:


> i'll leave my car at the 1/2 way point and bail early :-D



I think he meant making it there at the crack of dawn


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## gmcunni (Sep 15, 2008)

o3jeff said:


> I think he meant making it there at the crack of dawn



:idea:  even better.. i'll park at the 1/2 way point and meet you guys @ 9 AM!!  that is still an early wake up by my standards.


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## bvibert (Sep 15, 2008)

Greg said:


> And you guys call yourselves dedicated MTBers. :roll:  Okay then. Get your lazy asses out at first light and we ride till 11 am or noon some Sunday. I know Jeff and maybe Brian could pull it off. Don't have a lot of faith in Gary though.... :razz:
> 
> I do agree with Jeff. If we start ludicrously early (i.e. sunrise), have a route _we know_ in mind, forgo any sessioning or video breaks, and only stop long enough to catch wind, we could probably log close to 15-20 miles in say 5 hours. Pack some Powerbars...



That sounds much more likely to me.  I don't recall calling myself a dedicated MTBer...


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## severine (Sep 16, 2008)

Better plan it soon!  We're running out of Sundays that would work on our calendar, guys!

(And I don't say that as someone who plans on joining your crazy asses on this ride... I say this to light a fire under your butts because I'm sure Brian wants to join you. )


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## o3jeff (Sep 16, 2008)

hmmmm, since I am off this week maybe I will go out to Nass after lunch today and do a dry run and see how many miles I can get in.


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## bvibert (Sep 17, 2008)

Does Sunday the 28th work for anyone?

Do you have any sort of route planned yet?


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## Greg (Sep 17, 2008)

bvibert said:


> Does Sunday the 28th work for anyone?
> 
> Do you have any sort of route planned yet?



Might work for me.


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## o3jeff (Sep 18, 2008)

That should work for me, we just need to put together some type of route.


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## bvibert (Sep 18, 2008)

I went a little crazy and pieced together several .gpx files to make what I consider a pretty cool super loop, that only over-laps in one spot.  Comes out to ~23 miles.  See what you guys think, obviously there's several options for variations/alternatives.

http://www.bvibert.com/img/AZTour.gpx

The only issue I see (other than it being a damn long ride) is that it does cover some trails we haven't been on, some of it being on the road I think.


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## o3jeff (Sep 18, 2008)

Link don"t work for me


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## bvibert (Sep 18, 2008)

o3jeff said:


> Link don"t work for me



Right-click and select Save As or Save Link As or however your browser lists it.  Save it to your computer and open the file with TopoFusion.


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## o3jeff (Sep 18, 2008)

I was thinking something very similar, except eliminating the Session Woods area to keep it 15-20.

Oh and thanks for the lesson on opening the link


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## Greg (Sep 18, 2008)

bvibert said:


> I went a little crazy and pieced together several .gpx files to make what I consider a pretty cool super loop, that only over-laps in one spot.  Comes out to ~23 miles.  See what you guys think, obviously there's several options for variations/alternatives.
> 
> http://www.bvibert.com/img/AZTour.gpx
> 
> The only issue I see (other than it being a damn long ride) is that it does cover some trails we haven't been on, some of it being on the road I think.



Ha! That's pretty crazy. :lol: My suggestions would be to blow off the big loop around Beaver Pond in Session Woods, and incorporate B Street (descending) somehow. I would also blow off the stretch up by the fish hatchery. That should put us into the more reasonable 15-18 mile territory. Looks fun though.


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## bvibert (Sep 19, 2008)

Greg said:


> Ha! That's pretty crazy. :lol: My suggestions would be to blow off the big loop around Beaver Pond in Session Woods, and incorporate B Street (descending) somehow. I would also blow off the stretch up by the fish hatchery. That should put us into the more reasonable 15-18 mile territory. Looks fun though.



Something more like this perhaps?

http://www.bvibert.com/img/AZTour_revised.gpx

It's around 16.7 miles and avoids the soccer field area altogether, incorporates B-street, and eliminates the hike-a-bike around the beaver pond.  For added fun we could take the twisties back up from the b-street area instead of the quick route on the blue trail.


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## Greg (Sep 19, 2008)

bvibert said:


> Something more like this perhaps?
> 
> http://www.bvibert.com/img/AZTour_revised.gpx
> 
> It's around 16.7 miles and avoids the soccer field area altogether, incorporates B-street, and eliminates the hike-a-bike around the beaver pond.  For added fun we could take the twisties back up from the b-street area instead of the quick route on the blue trail.



I like it! A lot.  So....where would you ride out of? Scoville, I guess? I say we make the goal to ride that in 4 hours. What say you?


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## severine (Sep 19, 2008)

So no pics from the epic ride then?    Some of us might want to live vicariously through you guys.


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## bvibert (Sep 19, 2008)

Greg said:


> I like it! A lot.  So....where would you ride out of? Scoville, I guess? I say we make the goal to ride that in 4 hours. What say you?



I set it up with the ride starting at Stone, but we could certainly start at Scoville instead.


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## Greg (Sep 19, 2008)

bvibert said:


> I set it up with the ride starting at Stone, but we could certainly start at Scoville instead.



Either works, I guess. I set the thread title to 9/28.


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## bvibert (Sep 19, 2008)

bvibert said:


> I set it up with the ride starting at Stone, but we could certainly start at Scoville instead.



If we start at Stone we could use Scoville as a staging area, might work out pretty good...


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## Greg (Sep 19, 2008)

bvibert said:


> If we start at Stone we could use Scoville as a staging area, might work out pretty good...



Do you think we'll need to? I mean it's a long ride, but not _that _long.


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## bvibert (Sep 19, 2008)

No, I guess not.  I say we start from Scoville...


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## Greg (Sep 19, 2008)

100 oz of water and a few Powerbars and I'll be good to go. That really is a great looking ruote. I say we extend that Session Woods downhill right to the logging area though. That should put us over 17 miles.


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## severine (Sep 19, 2008)

If you really needed someone to, I could always meet you guys near one of the roads with extra supplies during your epic ride.

Just sayin'.....


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## bvibert (Sep 19, 2008)

Greg said:


> 100 oz of water and a few Powerbars and I'll be good to go. That really is a great looking ruote. I say we extend that Session Woods downhill right to the logging area though. That should put us over 17 miles.



More like this?
http://www.bvibert.com/img/AZTour_revised_2.gpx

17.67 miles.


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## Greg (Sep 19, 2008)

bvibert said:


> More like this?
> http://www.bvibert.com/img/AZTour_revised_2.gpx
> 
> 17.67 miles.



Having fun with Topofusion?  Sounds perfect to me.


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## bvibert (Sep 19, 2008)

Greg said:


> Having fun with Topofusion?  Sounds perfect to me.



Yes, once I figured out how to edit and merge tracks it's fun.


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## Greg (Sep 22, 2008)

Prelim roll call:

Greg
bvibert

Again, this is going to be a ludicrously paced (for us) ride. Almost 18 miles and the goal is 4-ish hours, starting promptly at 7 am.

o3jeff?
MR evil?
Austin? This is the long, fast ride at Nass you've been waiting for, one that just about covers every key area there. Admittedly, the start time would be rough for you. Maybe camp out the night before? :idea: :lol:


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## migs 01 (Sep 22, 2008)

Any chance of moving the start time up to 9?


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## bvibert (Sep 22, 2008)

Tim was saying its a possibility and I was trying to talk Red into coming down as well, sounded like there was a chance of that happening.


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## Greg (Sep 22, 2008)

migs 01 said:


> Any chance of moving the start time up to 9?



Don't make me break out the crybaby pic. :lol:


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## migs 01 (Sep 22, 2008)

Greg said:


> Yes 9 is fine.  I don't know what i was thinking when I said 7 a.m.



Sweet.  I'll confirm later in the week.


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## Greg (Sep 22, 2008)

migs 01 said:


> Sweet.  I'll confirm later in the week.



Sounds good. We'll be two hours ahead of you... :lol:


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## rueler (Sep 22, 2008)

Are you still doing 7am?? I am most likely in!


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## awf170 (Sep 22, 2008)

Let me see if I can get Marc to split the drive with me, if so I'll definitely be in.  Heck, even if he doesn't I still might make it.  I drive more than 3+ hours by myself to go skiing, why not do 2 hours once for a bike ride.


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## Greg (Sep 23, 2008)

rueler said:


> Are you still doing 7am?? I am most likely in!



Yes, 7 am. We have to watch the weather. I'm hearing rumblings of a crapload of rain Thurs-Sat. Sunday thankfully looks dry, but it's gonna be wet.


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## awf170 (Sep 23, 2008)

Yeah, what the heck, it's only a 2 hour drive and I have nothing better to do with my Sundays.  So where exactly are we meeting?


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## o3jeff (Sep 23, 2008)

I should be in, just need to try and weasel out of something I committed to. Worst case I just bail early on you guys.


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## bvibert (Sep 23, 2008)

awf170 said:


> Yeah, what the heck, it's only a 2 hour drive and I have nothing better to do with my Sundays.  So where exactly are we meeting?



Here, directions

I'll give you more detailed directions for the last part when I get some more time.


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## Greg (Sep 24, 2008)

The forecast is really deteriorating with talk of 4" of rain starting tomorrow night and into Sunday morning. If that comes to pass, I'm up for rescheduling. Not that I'm afraid to ride in the rain or anything, but for a long ride like this, it would be nice to have better weather and drier trails. Thoughts?


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## gmcunni (Sep 24, 2008)

Greg said:


> The forecast is really deteriorating with talk of 4" of rain starting tomorrow night and into Sunday morning. If that comes to pass, I'm up for rescheduling. Not that I'm afraid to ride in the rain or anything, but for a long ride like this, it would be nice to have better weather and drier trails. Thoughts?



i'm not able to ride on 9/28 so rescheduling works for me


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## o3jeff (Sep 24, 2008)

Greg said:


> The forecast is really deteriorating with talk of 4" of rain starting tomorrow night and into Sunday morning. If that comes to pass, I'm up for rescheduling. Not that I'm afraid to ride in the rain or anything, but for a long ride like this, it would be nice to have better weather and drier trails. Thoughts?



Rescheduling seems like a good idea the way the weather is looking right now. Hopefully Gary can quit beating on his bike long enough so he can make it too.;-)


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## bvibert (Sep 24, 2008)

It depends on when we reschedule it to.  I'm planning on riding this Sunday either way.


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## awf170 (Sep 24, 2008)

Greg said:


> The forecast is really deteriorating with talk of 4" of rain starting tomorrow night and into Sunday morning. If that comes to pass, I'm up for rescheduling. Not that I'm afraid to ride in the rain or anything, but for a long ride like this, it would be nice to have better weather and drier trails. Thoughts?




Yeah, reschedule.  There is no way I'm driving that far unless it's dry.


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## Greg (Sep 24, 2008)

awf170 said:


> Yeah, reschedule.  There is no way I'm driving that far unless it's dry.



Certainly can't blame you there. Sit tight and wait for better conditions. I would like to do Nassahegan justice for you and we'll need optimum conditions for that.


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## Greg (Sep 25, 2008)

Looks like the bulk of the rain will fall tonight through Saturday morning. I vote for an abbreviated ride (maybe 7-10 miler) out of Stone Road on Sunday and save Brian's epic route for another day. Thoughts?


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## bvibert (Sep 25, 2008)

I'd like to put in at least 10 miles, kind of a precursor to the 'epic'.  I'd like to do the stuff at Stone and incorporate the main loop too.  If we skipped the kitchen and the session's areas it should be more inline with what you're thinking...


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## Greg (Sep 25, 2008)

bvibert said:


> I'd like to put in at least 10 miles, kind of a precursor to the 'epic'.  I'd like to do the stuff at Stone and incorporate the main loop too.  If we skipped the kitchen and the session's areas it should be more inline with what you're thinking...



Big loop + Stone Road area? That sounds great. If it's dry, we could hit the Kitchen. Definitely down for that. Ride out of Lamson?


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## bvibert (Sep 25, 2008)

Greg said:


> Big loop + Stone Road area? That sounds great. If it's dry, we could hit the Kitchen. Definitely down for that. Ride out of Lamson?



Either Lamson or Stone would work, but I think the ride would be more fun starting at Lamson.


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## Greg (Sep 25, 2008)

bvibert said:


> Either Lamson or Stone would work, but I think the ride would be more fun starting at Lamson.



So Scoville at 7 am?


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## bvibert (Sep 25, 2008)

Greg said:


> So Scoville at 7 am?



Sure, sounds good to me.


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## Greg (Sep 25, 2008)

Nice title change. :lol:


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## bvibert (Sep 25, 2008)

The big loop and the stone rd stuff looks to be about 13 miles without the kitchen and 14.5 with it.  That's doing just about everything I know over at stone, some of which could be skipped if there's time constraints or whatever...



Greg said:


> Nice title change. :lol:


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## Greg (Sep 25, 2008)

bvibert said:


> The big loop and the stone rd stuff looks to be about 13 miles without the kitchen and 14.5 with it.  That's doing just about everything I know over at stone, some of which could be skipped if there's time constraints or whatever...



Well, my plan is to seal the driveway in the afternoon so I'd like to be done within 3-4 hours. Just means we need to ride faster with less breaks. Sounds good to me!


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## bvibert (Sep 25, 2008)

I'll let you make the call, as I don't have a driveway to seal or anything, but we can cut some stuff out to make it quicker.

Here's what I propose:
~14.5 with the kitchen
~13.0 without the kitchen


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## Greg (Sep 25, 2008)

bvibert said:


> I'll let you make the call, as I don't have a driveway to seal or anything, but we can cut some stuff out to make it quicker.
> 
> Here's what I propose:
> ~14.5 with the kitchen
> ~13.0 without the kitchen



Cool cool. Let's play it by ear and see who joins us and what type of pace we set. My only issue with your route is not including the Tunxis rock garden on the Stone side. I love that stretch!


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## awf170 (Sep 25, 2008)

Epic-ish just doesn't cut it for me.    I'm waiting for the full on epic ride.


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## MR. evil (Sep 25, 2008)

Greg said:


> Cool cool. Let's play it by ear and see who joins us and what type of pace we set. My only issue with your route is not including the Tunxis rock garden on the Stone side. I love that stretch!



Tunxis rock garden............ I like the sound of that!


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## bvibert (Sep 25, 2008)

Greg said:


> My only issue with your route is not including the Tunxis rock garden on the Stone side. I love that stretch!



Good point, it includes some of it though, no?  There's not really a way to hit all of it and the stuff on either side without doing some more doubling up.  We could always skip the stuff to the south of the Tunxis... or the north stuff.


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## bvibert (Sep 25, 2008)

MR. evil said:


> Tunxis rock garden............ I like the sound of that!



You'd like it over there.  Gonna head down for the ride??


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## MR. evil (Sep 25, 2008)

bvibert said:


> You'd like it over there.  Gonna head down for the ride??



Not sure.... I need to see what is going on this weekend


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## bvibert (Sep 25, 2008)

Roll call, 7:00am at Lamson's, ~10-15 mile ride, fastish pace.

bvibert
Greg


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## powhunter (Sep 25, 2008)

awf170 said:


> Epic-ish just doesn't cut it for me.    I'm waiting for the full on epic ride.



yea im not doing no half ass ride either

steve


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## Greg (Sep 25, 2008)

awf170 said:


> Epic-ish just doesn't cut it for me.    I'm waiting for the full on epic ride.



Don't blame you, especially given the drive.


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## bvibert (Sep 25, 2008)

In reality we're probably not going to cut that much off of the epic route we planned.  It's still going to be a pretty kick ass ride.  I don't blame Austin for not wanting to drive the distance for an abbreviated, possibly soggy ride, but the rest of you suckas have no excuse.


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## rueler (Sep 25, 2008)

For those that want a full epic...mark your calendars. Saturday October 25th is Tour de Nassty part II. The ride starts at the soccer fields lot on Punchbrook Road in Burlington. The ride creator, who did not make the first one, will be leading...He's planning on getting us as close to 40 miles as possible with very little trail repeating.


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## Greg (Sep 25, 2008)

rueler said:


> For those that want a full epic...mark your calendars. Saturday October 25th is Tour de Nassty part II. The ride starts at the soccer fields lot on Punchbrook Road in Burlington. The ride creator, who did not make the first one, will be leading...He's planning on getting us as close to 40 miles as possible with very little trail repeating.



:lol: I'm definitely not man enough...


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## bvibert (Sep 25, 2008)

Thanks for the invite rueler, but I'm definitely not ready for that yet..

Are you gonna make this ride on Sunday?


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## o3jeff (Sep 25, 2008)

I don't think I can do 40 on flat roads. I am interested to see how I am feeling after the 15-20 this weekend that I am hoping to make.


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## Greg (Sep 25, 2008)

bvibert said:


> Thanks for the invite rueler, but I'm definitely not ready for that yet..
> 
> Are you gonna make this ride on Sunday?



Yeah rueler. Get up at the butt crack of dawn on a rainy Sunday morning and ride with a bunch of hacks. Sounds like a hoot.

:lol:


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## bvibert (Sep 25, 2008)

Greg said:


> Yeah rueler. Get up at the butt crack of dawn on a rainy Sunday morning and ride with a bunch of hacks. Sounds like a hoot.
> 
> :lol:



Sounds rad to me.... 8)


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## rueler (Sep 26, 2008)

Greg said:


> Yeah rueler. Get up at the butt crack of dawn on a rainy Sunday morning and ride with a bunch of hacks. Sounds like a hoot.
> 
> :lol:



You may have less riding experience than I, but you are clearly not hacks!! By the amount of time I see that Alpine Zone stickered jeep at Nass., I would say that you're going to catch up on the experience part pretty quickly. 

Sunday ride?? I don't mind riding in the rain at all...I'm just going to wait to see how much rain we get Friday/Saturday first and if it's going to rain some more on Sunday. I may bail!  The last third of the Scoville twisties and some lower sections by the bear swamp will be underwater or ultra juicy! Other than that, most routes have held up all right in the rain. 

I don't know your route, so I wouldn't know what you intend to ride. Even after all the rain, there will be some trails that will drain incredibly well and shouldn't put too much of a damper on your ride. I'll post up as to my plan to meet you guys before Sunday.


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## bvibert (Sep 26, 2008)

rueler said:


> You may have less riding experience than I, but you are clearly not hacks!! By the amount of time I see that Alpine Zone stickered jeep at Nass., I would say that you're going to catch up on the experience part pretty quickly.
> 
> Sunday ride?? I don't mind riding in the rain at all...I'm just going to wait to see how much rain we get Friday/Saturday first and if it's going to rain some more on Sunday. I may bail!  The last third of the Scoville twisties and some lower sections by the bear swamp will be underwater or ultra juicy! Other than that, most routes have held up all right in the rain.
> 
> I don't know your route, so I wouldn't know what you intend to ride. Even after all the rain, there will be some trails that will drain incredibly well and shouldn't put too much of a damper on your ride. I'll post up as to my plan to meet you guys before Sunday.



Our plan, right now, is to start at Lamson and head into the cemetery twisties, then head up the climb that sort of parallels Cornwall.  At the top of the climb we'll take a right and head over to the Stone road side of things.  We'll do pretty much everything that we know over there (including all the newly raked stuff), then head back to the top of the climb, possibly hitting the Kitchen on the way by.  Once back at the top of the climb we'll continue on that standard loop, which consists of going down, crossing Cornwall, going down some more, crossing 69, then heading back on the fun stretch that parallels 69 back to Lamson.

Most of that route seems to dry fairly well after a rain, except for sections of the trail that parallels 69, and sometimes parts of the top of the ridge.


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## Greg (Sep 26, 2008)

rueler said:


> Sunday ride?? I don't mind riding in the rain at all...I'm just going to wait to see how much rain we get Friday/Saturday first and if it's going to rain some more on Sunday. I may bail!  The last third of the Scoville twisties and some lower sections by the bear swamp will be underwater or ultra juicy! Other than that, most routes have held up all right in the rain.



We're skipping Session Woods too. The plan is cemetery twisties --> take the climb --> head East at the big rock towards Stone --> ride the new stuff there and head back. Maybe hit the Kitchen depending on time/pace or just backtrack to the Lamson Loop. Continue North and cross Cornwall and then 69 (maybe if you're there you can show us Ticker's Notch or whatever that's called). Head south parallel to 69 back to the cars. 13-ish miles.


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## bvibert (Sep 26, 2008)

Greg said:


> We're skipping Session Woods too. The plan is cemetery twisties --> take the climb --> head East at the big rock towards Stone --> ride the new stuff there and head back. Maybe hit the Kitchen depending on time/pace or just backtrack to the Lamson Loop. Continue North and cross Cornwall and then 69 (maybe if you're there you can show us Ticker's Notch or whatever that's called). Head south parallel to 69 back to the cars. 13-ish miles.



Beat ya! 


:lol:


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## MR. evil (Sep 26, 2008)

I may or may not be in for this ride. Depends on the weather and and if I can get some issues with my bike worked out. The rear der. is ghost shifting like crazy and the front der is way out of wack. I think I may have bent the front der. cage last weekend at Case.


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## bvibert (Sep 26, 2008)

Front der is optional, get it so that it stays in the middle ring and you're golden.  The rear shouldn't be too hard to figure out, maybe you bent the hanger?


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## MR. evil (Sep 26, 2008)

bvibert said:


> Front der is optional, get it so that it stays in the middle ring and you're golden.  The rear shouldn't be too hard to figure out, maybe you bent the hanger?



The front should be easy. I think I bent the cage which is cuase the cage to rub the chain in every gear combo. The rear will be tricky. I cheacked it out quickly last night  after a play session on the stunts in the back yard. The hanger looks fine and the shifting is ok. The problem appears to be with the upper cog on the der. cage. I wonder if I also bent that cage? Lord knows my bike hit the ground enough last weekend.

I made some serious progress on my wheely drops last night with Jamie's (crazy trails guy) advice. By the end of my session I was able to ride onto a 5 foot long platform I constructed about 12" off the ground. track stand for a few second with my front tire right on the edge, and then do a wheely drop starting from a track stand.


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## bvibert (Sep 26, 2008)

Sounds like good progress, great work!


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## Greg (Sep 26, 2008)

MR. evil said:


> I made some serious progress on my wheely drops last night with Jamie's (crazy trails guy) advice. By the end of my session I was able to ride onto a 5 foot long platform I constructed about 12" off the ground. track stand for a few second with my front tire right on the edge, and then do a wheely drop starting from a track stand.



Hows about sharing your tips? :idea:


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## MR. evil (Sep 26, 2008)

Greg said:


> Hows about sharing your tips? :idea:



Jamie (super trails guy) was explaining to us that everyone has one leg that is their power side. Usually this is the side that most people start off with or have forward when riding in a neutral position. As an example I always start with my right foot, and when I approach obstacles I typically have my right foot forward. I have always done this so I can get some power into that initial approach.

He explained to me that this is the exact opposite of what you want to do for a wheely drop and wheely up. You should start your wheely with your weak side so you can then follow through with your power side. Before on my wheely drops when I started with my power side I could get the initial wheely, but then I stalled on the following pedal stroke with my weak side causing me to drop the front end of the bike. 

Same goes for the wheely up. You want to pop the wheely using your weak side, so that once your front tire makes contact with the obstical, say a large rock face, you can start to climb it with your power side. If you pop the wheely with you strong side, and then begin the climb with your weak side you will typically stall on a steep face.


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## Greg (Sep 26, 2008)

MR. evil said:


> Jamie (super trails guy) was explaining to us that everyone has one leg that is their power side. Usually this is the side that most people start off with or have forward when riding in a neutral position. As an example I always start with my right foot, and when I approach obstacles I typically have my right foot forward. I have always done this so I can get some power into that initial approach.
> 
> He explained to me that this is the exact opposite of what you want to do for a wheely drop and wheely up. You should start your wheely with your weak side so you can then follow through with your power side. Before on my wheely drops when I started with my power side I could get the initial wheely, but then I stalled on the following pedal stroke with my weak side causing me to drop the front end of the bike.
> 
> Same goes for the wheely up. You want to pop the wheely using your weak side, so that once your front tire makes contact with the obstical, say a large rock face, you can start to climb it with your power side. If you pop the wheely with you strong side, and then begin the climb with your weak side you will typically stall on a steep face.



*Very *interesting. And it makes a ton of sense. Usually, I find myself backpedaling to "reload" on the stronger side. For example, when approaching a log or some other obstacle, I'll initiate with the left side (my power side) up. I'll then quickly kick back down on the right pedal to put the left side back up. After reading you suggestion above, it's clear that's probably totally inefficient, but it's been working okay so far. For wheelie drops, I still start with the power side, but usually can follow through. Perhaps I use the stronger side to pull up as an assist. Obviously not something you can do on platforms.

I'll have to try this advice. This trick is definitely going to be to retrain my brain to start with the weaker side. That's going to be a tough habit to break I think. Thanks for the tip!


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## MR. evil (Sep 26, 2008)

Greg said:


> *. This trick is definitely going to be to retrain my brain to start with the weaker side. That's going to be a tough habit to break I think. Thanks for the tip!*


*

That is the hard part. I was not able to wrap my brain around this tip last weekend when he was explaining it to me. I knew what he was saying but I just couldn't get my body to do it. I really had to work on it last night for almost an housr before it started to feel natural.*


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## rueler (Sep 26, 2008)

that's great advice by starting with the weak side so your power side is pulling you through the tougher part of the move, whatever it may be...This year, I've been doing the opposite of that to try to strengthen my weak side and balance my power out. 

You never know when you're going to be in a situation where you need to rely on that weak side. If it's stronger, due to regular use, you'll only be better off.


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## MR. evil (Sep 26, 2008)

rueler said:


> that's great advice by starting with the weak side so your power side is pulling you through the tougher part of the move, whatever it may be...This year, I've been doing the opposite of that to try to strengthen my weak side and balance my power out.
> 
> You never know when you're going to be in a situation where you need to rely on that weak side. If it's stronger, due to regular use, you'll only be better off.



Very good point.


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## Greg (Sep 26, 2008)

I'm in rain or not.


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## bvibert (Sep 26, 2008)

Greg said:


> I'm in rain or not.



Aye



> Roll call, 7:00am at Lamson's, ~10-15 mile ride, fastish pace.
> 
> bvibert
> Greg
> ...


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## gorgonzola (Sep 27, 2008)

someone in the northern tier needs to post a kingdom trails ride so i have a reason to pull the camper one more time....


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## Greg (Sep 27, 2008)

Hoping to pick up some new meats before tomorrow's ride. Anyone know where I can find some Kenda Nevagal Stick-Es in a 2.35? Biker's Edge just sold their last two, plus they want 50 bucks for them which seems high. Gonna call Ski Market in Avon and Class Cycles in Southbury.


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## rueler (Sep 27, 2008)

You might want to give a call over to Benidorm or Central Wheel. They shouldn't be too far away from you either. Yeah...buying tires from Bob down at Biker's Edge is something you do if you have to...I get great service there, but you're going to pay a bit more for the convenience of walking in there to get what you want right at that moment. you'll find better deals on-line. 

The other wild card option is...CT bicycle exchange in Bristol. I have bought Kendas there in the past...two tires out the door for $28. They were only 2.1s though. They mostly deal with bmx tires, but they usually have a decent stock of mtb tires...but, it's very hit or miss there. One day you'll hit the jackpot, the next you won't find anything.


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## Greg (Sep 27, 2008)

Thanks rueler. Central has the Geax Blade in a 2.25. $45 though. Any thoughts on that tire? The other shops don't open until 10 am.


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## rueler (Sep 27, 2008)

Greg said:


> Thanks rueler. Central has the Geax Blade in a 2.25. $45 though. Any thoughts on that tire? The other shops don't open until 10 am.



I've never ridden it. But, I looked at mtbr.com reviews quickly. It gets a solid rating and several comments say it's strength is good traction in all conditions, including wet, muddy trail surfaces. 

As far as the price goes...that's what you're going to run into at just about every shop. If you choose to try my wild card option, you'll probably want to physically go there or tell me to go check for you since I live 2 minutes away. If you call, the lady who usually works the register/answers the phone will not know what you're looking for or probably what a 2.35 tire is for that matter.


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## rueler (Sep 27, 2008)

also maybe try Newington or Berlin Bike shops. I've heard nothing but good things about those shops...price may still be a bit steeper than you'd like. Cutting Edge sells a lot of freeride/downhill set-ups...they may have more of a selection of beefier tires there??


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## MR. evil (Sep 27, 2008)

Greg,
I would get the Kenda's....that is probably the most popular tire in New England and you won't find them much cheaper online. Just keep in mind that a 2.35 Kenda is HUGE. Much bigger than a 2.35 from most other companies. Also look into the Kenda Excavator. That is what Red is riding and loves them. I am planning on picking up a pair eventually.

One thing I have read about the Nevegal's is that they are super soft. Which makes for a very grippy tire, but they also wear very fast. The Excavators's are also very grippy, but seem to last longer from the reviews I have read.


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## MR. evil (Sep 27, 2008)

BTW guys, I am out for tommorrow. I have come down with a wicked cold.


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## Greg (Sep 27, 2008)

rueler said:


> tell me to go check for you since I live 2 minutes away.



Only if you have time.



MR. evil said:


> One thing I have read about the Nevegal's is that they are super soft. Which makes for a very grippy tire, but they also wear very fast. The Excavators's are also very grippy, but seem to last longer from the reviews I have read.



I'm okay with fast wear. If I get a year out of a tire, I'm cool. Grippy is worth the wear in my opinion. A shop in Middlebury has these in a 2.35 for 25 bucks:

http://www.serfas.com/product.asp?ProductID=277
http://www.mtbr.com/cat/older-categories-bikes/oldertires/serfas/swoop/PRD_415114_1517crx.aspx

Not much info on them, but apparently they are made by Maxxis. The tread looks aggressive as hell:







A wire bead at 880 grams is not that bad for such a burly tire. Might be worth a try for that price + instant gratification! Thoughts?


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## rueler (Sep 27, 2008)

I'm running a set of Maxxis on my prophet and like them. I've got the Maxxis Ignitor (tubeless) in a 2.35. Very beefy and good traction in all trail conditions. They are really durable too...They're not even close to wearing down right now and look practically brand new....I have put over 500 miles on them since late June.


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## Greg (Sep 27, 2008)

I'm gonna head out and pick up those Serfas tires. for $25 a piece, why hell not?


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## Greg (Sep 27, 2008)

Greg said:


> I'm gonna head out and pick up those Serfas tires. for $25 a piece, why hell not?



I went all the way down there and the dope only had one. :smash: I ended up with some 2.24 Moto Raptors from another shop. A bit narrower than I wanted to go , but they'll get me through this fall.


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## o3jeff (Sep 27, 2008)

Greg said:


> I ended up with some 2.24 Moto Raptors from another shop. A bit narrower than I wanted to go , but they'll get me through this fall.



Those are the same as I got and I think Tim might still have them on his bike too. I have no complaints.


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## o3jeff (Sep 27, 2008)

I'm out, seem to be coming down with something.


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## rueler (Sep 27, 2008)

FYI, The approach to the Cornwall downhill is totally underwater right now...the rest is fine. Be aware if you're pedaling up that way. 

CNR showed me Tickler's Notch. It's hidden up there pretty well...but, once you get on the trail it's very visible. Nice trail!! VERY technical and it has some drops that are mandatory at this point. Tons of techy rock rollers and features...somewhat similar to what you would find at Miller's Pond.


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## MR. evil (Sep 27, 2008)

I am running a 2.4 moto raptor up front and a 2.25 in the rear. They are good tires, my only issue with them is that they do not shed mud very well. PIck up some 20" BMX tubes, a bottle of Stan's sealant and do the tubless conversion. You can run lower presure and get better grip thay way


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## MR. evil (Sep 27, 2008)

o3jeff said:


> I'm out, seem to be coming down with something.



Sorry to hear that. I have been fightng a nasty head cold for a couple of days now myself. It really sucks!


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## bvibert (Sep 27, 2008)

o3jeff said:


> I'm out, seem to be coming down with something.





MR. evil said:


> Sorry to hear that. I have been fightng a nasty head cold for a couple of days now myself. It really sucks!



Bunch of babies... :roll:

Seriously, hope you guys get better soon...



rueler said:


> FYI, The approach to the Cornwall downhill is totally underwater right now...the rest is fine. Be aware if you're pedaling up that way.



I'm not sure where you mean?

Looks like just Greg and I this ride?

Roll call, 7:00am at Lamson's, ~10-15 mile ride, fastish pace.

bvibert
Greg


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## Greg (Sep 27, 2008)

o3jeff said:


> Those are the same as I got and I think Tim might still have them on his bike too. I have no complaints.





MR. evil said:


> I am running a 2.4 moto raptor up front and a 2.25 in the rear. They are good tires, my only issue with them is that they do not shed mud very well. PIck up some 20" BMX tubes, a bottle of Stan's sealant and do the tubless conversion. You can run lower presure and get better grip thay way



I almost bought the 2.4's but they looked honking big. I was going to ask you about the tubeless. I know you had quite the mess that one time. I think I'm going to stick with tubes for the time being. I've only had one pinch flat all summer and that was because I was running low 30's in the rear. At 165 lbs., I can get away with 35-38 no problem. But at least with the wire bead, I can go tubeless easy enough. Speaking of wire bead - what a pain in the ass to mount those bitches!



o3jeff said:


> I'm out, seem to be coming down with something.



Bummer!



rueler said:


> FYI, The approach to the Cornwall downhill is totally underwater right now...the rest is fine. Be aware if you're pedaling up that way.
> 
> CNR showed me Tickler's Notch. It's hidden up there pretty well...but, once you get on the trail it's very visible. Nice trail!! VERY technical and it has some drops that are mandatory at this point. Tons of techy rock rollers and features...somewhat similar to what you would find at Miller's Pond.



That spot hold water. Hopefully it will drain some and doesn't rain too much tonight. Sounds like you rode today; are you out tomorrow rueler? Maybe if we have time and energy at that point, we'll give another look at Tickler's. Sounds great. Keep left at one of the wall crossings, right?



MR. evil said:


> Sorry to hear that. I have been fightng a nasty head cold for a couple of days now myself. It really sucks!



What's up with you guys getting sick all the time? I haven't had a head cold since the winter. The kids are germ magnets and I think I've built up quite the immunity over the years... :lol:

So, Bri - looks like just me and you. The Two Man attack Plan!


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## rueler (Sep 27, 2008)

I've got too much to do tomorrow with the wife. I'll ride with you guys at some point. Greg will probably know the Cornwall downhill I speak of...I'm sure you do too. It's the long, fast downhill that eventually leads down to a small bridged river crossing and eventually route 69. At that point, you end up crossing 69 and do the twisties back to the cars at Scoville during a standard Nass. loop. 

Anyways, the very top of that Cornwall downhill trail is sort of flat... and right now, very much underwater. It's only for about 100' give or take. After that, it's fine.


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## bvibert (Sep 27, 2008)

rueler said:


> I've got too much to do tomorrow with the wife. I'll ride with you guys at some point. Greg will probably know the Cornwall downhill I speak of...I'm sure you do too. It's the long, fast downhill that eventually leads down to a small bridged river crossing and eventually route 69. At that point, you end up crossing 69 and do the twisties back to the cars at Scoville during a standard Nass. loop.
> 
> Anyways, the very top of that Cornwall downhill trail is sort of flat... and right now, very much underwater. It's only for about 100' give or take. After that, it's fine.



Ok, that's what I was wondering.  I know the area, we went through that area when it was pretty flooded after a storm earlier this year.  I just never heard it called the Cornwall DH, makes sense I guess.


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## Greg (Sep 28, 2008)

Weather looks dry this morning. See you at 7 am, B!


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## rueler (Sep 28, 2008)

bvibert said:


> Ok, that's what I was wondering.  I know the area, we went through that area when it was pretty flooded after a storm earlier this year.  I just never heard it called the Cornwall DH, makes sense I guess.



you can call it anything you want...many of us that ride the trails there often have been referring to it that way when we discuss loops that we're planning or loops that we've hit. Just about every section has a name or something that the locals call it. 

B street, for example, was originally called that for its creator...then, Greg very observantly pointed out that the trail actually makes a B on the GPS track. That's whats great about a trail name...it's always up to your interpretation. Hope you guys are having a GOOD ride. I'm sure I'll see the GPS track up here at some point this p.m.


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## MR. evil (Sep 28, 2008)

Greg said:


> I almost bought the 2.4's but they looked honking big. I was going to ask you about the tubeless. I know you had quite the mess that one time. I think I'm going to stick with tubes for the time being. I've only had one pinch flat all summer and that was because I was running low 30's in the rear. At 165 lbs., I can get away with 35-38 no problem. But at least with the wire bead, I can go tubeless easy enough. Speaking of wire bead - what a pain in the ass to mount those bitches!
> :



If you think the 2.4 Moto Raptors are big, you would be shocked by the 2.35 Kenda Nevegals. Those things are HUGE!
Except for the one problem repairing the side wall tear a couple of weeks ago I love the Ghetto tubeless setup, and so does Red. That side wall gash would have also destroyed a tubed tire. My only problem was removing the tire on the trail. The sealant really locked the tired bead into the rim and made it very hard to remove.


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