The Old Coot (#76)

By Bill Boles

Getting Tires
Afta 4 months ov ridin on his Continental Explorer Pro 2.1 tires, The Old Coot noticed that his back tire was startin ta slide around, specially on downhills, n' specially when he was brakin. Which led The Old Coot ta consider a frequently asked question: Jest when should ya toss yer old skins n' spring fer new ones?

Most people realizes that as tires wear, they gits lighter. But, dependin on their use, they gits lighter differently. Tires used primarily for downhill will show a completely different wear pattern than tires used fer x-country, or tires what sees a lot ov pavement.

So The Old Coot always weighs his tires afore he puts em on. N' that way he kin easily tell jest how far gone they is. N' in this case, his tires was down ta 462 grams (front) and 412 grams (back) frum the 468 grams what they started at. N' while the front tire was practically new, the rear one had lost 10% ov its rubber.

So The Old Coot bought a new tire n' put it on back. The slidin around problem disappeared.

A good rule of thumb is that most tires, no matter how they is used, will be junk when 10% ov their rubber is gone.

So if'n yer considerin buyin new tires, apply The Old Coot's "Ten Percent Rule" n' ya won't find yerself replacin yer tires either afore or afta their time.

Getting Passed
Around this time last fall, The Old Coot started ridin wit a new group ov riders. At first, we rode together afta werk about once a week. Then later, as they got a bit fitter, we added in Saturdays. N' then Sundays too.

Now in the beginnin, alla these riders, both the men n' the women, were clearly slower n' less skilled than The Old Coot. But as the winter went on, The Old Coot noticed that one ov the riders was now clearly better than The Coot. He was faster, fitter, quicker up the hills, n' even better on technical singletracks.

Then, as Spring came along, The Old Coot noticed that alla the riders had greatly improved over where they'd been when we first started ridin together.

Till come this fall when The Coot finally had ta admit that every single one ov em was a better rider than The Coot in at least one, if not all, aspects ov ridin. N' although The Old Coot still led many ov the rides, he was real hard put ta stay ahead ov everyone.

Now at first, The Old Coot's ego was sumwhat traumatized by this. Afta all, The Coot liked ta think that he was improvin every year, despite his advancin age. N' in fact, durin this last year, he did git a little better. But still, The Coot hadn't improved nowhere near as much as the people what he was ridin with.

N' then The Coot began ta notice hisself takin more chances on technical trails n' on sketchy downhills than he really wanted ta. Cept that when he did, everyone what he was ridin wit didn't really seem ta notice, n' jest went a little faster themselves. Till finally The Old Coot almost got ta the point where he was startin ta not enjoy ridin.

Fortunate like, though, he came ta his senses. Fortunate like he stopped listenin ta his ego, n' got back ta doin what was important. That is -- enjoyin the fact that he was out ridin.

Fortunate like, he stopped carin how well he was ridin in comparison ta anyone else.

N' havin returned, somewhat, ta sanity, he got ta thinkin. Ova the years The Old Coot has met, ridden, n' become good friends wit a whole passel ov mountain bikers. Yet oddly enuff, as enjoyable as mountain bikin is, ova 80% ov the people what the Coot has known fer longer than 4 years is no longer ridin. N' The Old Coot is startin ta wonder if'n maybe they all quit ridin, not cause they stopped enjoyin it, but cause they sumhow felt that they was lackin as a rider.

In other words, did they all quit ridin cause their egos was forcin them ta werk much harder than was fun?

Ponder on this some! How many ov yer friends has quit ridin? N' how many ov em quit jest afta either you or yer other ridin buddies somehow got enuff better than them so that they couldn't keep up?

N' then consider this. Have you eva been tempted ta quit ridin, or ta cut back on yer racin cause, all ov a sudden, it weren't fun no more?

Well if'n so, maybe it ain't the ridin what's less fun, but rather it's the pressure what ya is puttin on yerself that's becum a drag.

N' maybe, if'n ya realized that, maybe ya could go ridin agin, jest fer the fun ov it. Like The Old Coot did.

Don't put so much ov yer ego inta yer ridin that ya looses sight ov the reason why ya started ta ride in the first place. Ridin is supposed ta be fun. N' if'n ya makes it too much like werk, or frets too much on how well ya is doin, yer chances ov still bein ridin in a couple ov years will be about about equal ta the chances what Bill Clinton has ov still bein president.

Getting A New Bike - Part 2
The Coot was out shoppin new bikes when he remembered The Old Coot's "First Rule Of New Bike Buying" --Never buy a new bike lessin yer old one is in top shape first. N'other words, afore ya considers buyin a new bike ya owes it ta yerself, n' ta yer wallet, ta spend a little money replacin three things on yer old one, tires, break pads n' cables.

Not only will this make yer old bike MUCH easier ta sell, but it may actually convince ya not ta buy a new one.

Assumin yer suspension is ok, tires, fresh brakes n'new cables will restore 90% ov yer bikes "new bike feelin." N' maybe if'n yer bike felt like new again, ya wouldn't want a new one so much.

So, The Old Coot stopped lookin at all the new bikes...sigh...n' bought sum brake pads n' cables, ta go wit that new tire what he just recently got, n' went home ta put em on.

May The Light Of Your Bicycle Always Shine on A Singletrack.
The Old Coot
NEMBAbill@yahoo.com