Old Coot (Issue #45)

By Bill Boles

Have You Invested Anythin In Yer Ridin?
At a intersection out in the woods The Old Coot met 2 riders. Afta chattin fer a bit one ov the riders asked The Coot what he thought ov Avid brakes. Afta x-pressin a favorable opinion The Coot took a closer look at this guy's bike n' realized that it would be perfect as a centerpiece fer an aftermarket parts display at a national bike show. The whole bike was non-stock, purple or titanium. And he already had aftermarket brakes.

So, figgerin him fer a serious rider, The Coot asked him if'n he was a member of The New England Mountain Bike Association, (the local land access group). The rider replied, "No! I can't afford to join anything like that cause I'm really a windsurfer."

Right! He want's ta spend another hundred dollars each fer brakes what he don't really need, but he ain't got $15 ta invest in makin sure he has a place ta use em.

Hey dude! Fergit the chi chi bike parts. Invest sum money in keepin yer trails open.

Computerized Trails
Last winter The Old Coot found a neat new place ta ride. It's called Cyberspace.

N' the best thing about ridin in cyberspace is that there ain't no trail closures.

The Old Coot has found almost as many mountain bike trails on the Internet trail system as there be in the woods. And The Coot still ain't ridden on all ov em yet either. But here be some that The Coot plans ta ride on agin soon. If'n ya has got access ta e-mail, but cain't gopher, ya kin git on a neat e-mail mailing list. Jest send the followin message SUBSCRIBE mtb@cycling.orgEND to majordomo@cycling.org . (Leave the subject line blank.) Shortly you'll start gittin lotsa good stuff.

Then too there be newsgroups, web sites, home pages n' much more too. If'n ya has full access ta the Internet then gopher or web yer way ta rec.bicycles.off-road, rec.bicycles.tech, http://www.wombats.org/, mtb@cycling.org, http://cycling.org, http://www.knowsys-sw.com:dave/mtb/ or http://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/sports/cycling/mountain_biking/

- The Old Coot spent a happy winter ridin on the above cyberpaths. N' he found lots ov interestin singletracks threadin offa them. N' lotsa new friends ta ride wit.

Take a ride on the Internet trail system! Who knows maybe we'll bump inta each other sumtime.

One caution tho. Be careful ya don't spend more time ridin in cyberspace than ya does ridin in woods...

Good Advice Or What?
The Coot was coastin gently downhill when one ov his friends pulled up alongside n' said, "My speedometer reads 65 MPH. What should I do?" The Coot thought fer a second n' shouted, "Don't let go ov yer handlebars."

Random Acts Of Responsibility
Recent like The Old Coot attended the citizens advisory committee meeting fer the state forest that he rides in the most. An a interestin thing happened. Trail bicyclists didn't git put down. In fact, jest the opposite occurred. It seems that a rider was enjoyin hisself out on the trails when he came across a guy who was illegally dumpin construction waste from the back ov his truck. Quite a few tons ov waste.

Not wantin ta git inta a confrontation wit a obvious criminal the cyclist rode on by. But not afore he memerized the dumpers license plate number. Cuttin his ride short, he reported the dumper ta the forest ranger who called the local police. Who looked up his address, went ta his house n' busted him. At the next state forest meetin this story was told by the forest ranger, and the rider, n' trail bicyclists in general, actually got a ovation.

N' this points out sumthin very important. In most places where we rides we is becumin the dominant species ov trail user. N' as such it falls on us ta do what everyone else has bin doin fer years. (i.e.: Be the eyes n' ears of the areas what we rides in. And most important, report what we sees.) Ova the years The Old Old Coot has reported a uncountable number ov torched, stolen cars. N' once even a freshly started fire. But neva afore did he git ta see jest how appreciated that type ov activity really is. Act as the eyes n' ears ov yer local forest. N' maybe yer random acts ov responsibility will earn sum cheers fer trail bicyclists. N' maybe them cheers will offset sum ov the jeers we's gotten in the past.

Loose The Squeel
The Old Coot heard a horror story recently.
Seems a equestrian was out trail ridin when he was approached frum the rear by a biker. Now the biker was goin a bit fasta than the horse, so afore he got too close he proceeded ta slow down. Sad thing was tho, his brakes squeeled. N' the horse, not used ta unexpected shrieks frum behind, spooked, took off, n' near tossed its rider. Needless ta say, a angry letter shortly thereafta appeared on the desk ov the local forest ranger.

Stop Talk : Part 3 : Stop the Squeel
Squeelin brakes kin easily be drowned out by the hysterical screams ov people bent on gittin us banned frum the woods. But fortunate like there be a easy way ta hush em up. Toe em in!

A properly set up brake will have its leadin edge touch the rim first when ya applies the brake. There should be a 1-2 mm cant betwixt the front ov yer brake shoe n' the rear. Now! That was the way yer bike came when it was new. But as brakes wears down they looses their 'toe'. And they starts ta squeel. Also too sumtimes people replaces their shoes wrong. Or adjusts em improper like. N' sum times brakes squeels cause their owners never cleans off impacted mud. or buffs off their rims. In any case ya kin always tell a inexperienced NOVICE RIDER by the noise they makes when they tries ta stop. Stop squeelin in the woods n' ya won't be squeelin over lost trails.

Questioning The Coot
I followed you for a while on an EFTA enduro. Even though you have a suspension bike, you don't go fast on the downhills. Why?
Peter T., Clinton MA

Well Pete, it's like my old ridin buddy Dick Bettencourt used ta say. "There are old riders, and there are bold riders. But there are no old bold riders."

My bars are 5" lower than my seat. I don't agree with your advice regarding handlebar height. I've been riding for years and I've never felt the need to have higher bars. Higher bars would throw off my weight distribution. And besides everyone knows that you can ride faster with lower bars. Sure I'd like to have a more comfortable riding position, more like a city bike. But it just won't work. So pardon me if I don't take your advice.
Ted Grant, Dallas TX

Ted, position be every thing in life. The Coot got a lot ov good feedback ta his suggestion ta upgrade yer handlebar height ta near even wit yer seat. (See DR No. 43.) All frum people what tried it. Course then, ya didn't try it, did ya?

Correct weight distribution has always bin defined as sittin on yer seat, lookin down at yer bars, n' seein if'n yer handlebars obscures yer front axle. If'n they does that's thought ta be ideal. If yer bars lines up in front ov yer axle, yer stem or top tube is supposed ta be too long. N' if'n it's behind yer axle, then that's supposed ta indicate that yer stem is too short or yer bike is too small. Thing is tho, traditionally ya could raise or lower yer stem thout too much trouble. So gittin to this ideal posture wern't no big deal. That ain't the case now wit aheadset type headsets. Pardon me fer spittin on conventional wisdom Ted, but simple observation indicates that there are at least 2 'correct' riding positions. One with a long low stem. And another, much more comfortable one, with a shorter higher stem. (Or bar position.)

Both positions are perfect for good weight distribution. But only one is comfortable. You choose.

Happy Trails
The Old Coot