Well, not that EWR...the old single speeder. I didn't get the blue one completed until the afternoon...more on that in a bit.
Single speed is the way to go for smaller urban style parks where the trail system is made of a grouping of shorter trails that you can piece together for a longer riding experience. This is expecially true of some Florida trails where the trail itself is just not that difficult...like Hanna Park here in Jacksonville. The trail system consists of many shorter trails of just a few miles or so, varying in difficulty from cake-walk fast sweepers to root filled technical trails. The speed comes from you and you alone as there are no hills at all (its literally on the beach in places). You can string together a good many varied trails and hit them with a tight geometry single speed bike with no suspension and have a very good time. I did tweak my thumb a bit, an age injury I think because I didn't wreck, didn't even stumble, so I'm not sure where it happened.
There were some interesting characters of note there, one guy with a late 80's Cannondale with a mix-mash of parts, but the frame was cool, and it was neat to see it in action. The dude was riding with his buddies, two guys on Cannondale Rush and Specialized FSRs, so he was a bit outgunned.
There was one other guy that I saw on a single speeder out there, a 29er Ventana dressed to the nines. He walked up to me and asked what gear I was running, which seems to be the way single speeders greet one another, go figure. Anyway, I had to think about it, because its not like I tatooed it on my forearm. Finally I said 32-18 ( which was actually the first combo, its really a 32-16) at which point he said, and I quote, "I use a 16, but then I like to go fast". I was floored. Thank you Richard Cunningham. Hanna Park has always had this disease, people who wouldn't know you from adam who walk up and give you an unsolicited opinion about how your choice of equipment is wrong. I'll never understand it. Oh well.
It was a beautiful day, the rain held off like it was supposed to, and the pollen by the beach wasn't nearly as bad as it is in my own backyard!
Hanna Park
3$
http://www.coj.net/Departments/Recreation+and+Community+Services/Recreation+and+Community+Programming/Recreation+Activities/Hanna+Park/default.htm
Single speed is the way to go for smaller urban style parks where the trail system is made of a grouping of shorter trails that you can piece together for a longer riding experience. This is expecially true of some Florida trails where the trail itself is just not that difficult...like Hanna Park here in Jacksonville. The trail system consists of many shorter trails of just a few miles or so, varying in difficulty from cake-walk fast sweepers to root filled technical trails. The speed comes from you and you alone as there are no hills at all (its literally on the beach in places). You can string together a good many varied trails and hit them with a tight geometry single speed bike with no suspension and have a very good time. I did tweak my thumb a bit, an age injury I think because I didn't wreck, didn't even stumble, so I'm not sure where it happened.
There were some interesting characters of note there, one guy with a late 80's Cannondale with a mix-mash of parts, but the frame was cool, and it was neat to see it in action. The dude was riding with his buddies, two guys on Cannondale Rush and Specialized FSRs, so he was a bit outgunned.
There was one other guy that I saw on a single speeder out there, a 29er Ventana dressed to the nines. He walked up to me and asked what gear I was running, which seems to be the way single speeders greet one another, go figure. Anyway, I had to think about it, because its not like I tatooed it on my forearm. Finally I said 32-18 ( which was actually the first combo, its really a 32-16) at which point he said, and I quote, "I use a 16, but then I like to go fast". I was floored. Thank you Richard Cunningham. Hanna Park has always had this disease, people who wouldn't know you from adam who walk up and give you an unsolicited opinion about how your choice of equipment is wrong. I'll never understand it. Oh well.
It was a beautiful day, the rain held off like it was supposed to, and the pollen by the beach wasn't nearly as bad as it is in my own backyard!
Hanna Park
3$
http://www.coj.net/Departments/Recreation+and+Community+Services/Recreation+and+Community+Programming/Recreation+Activities/Hanna+Park/default.htm
Came home and routed the fron brake cable for the BB7 on the blue EWR. Tuned up the whole deal and adjusted both brakes. Bike is ready to roll now! Tomorrow is a VW and Baby day so I won't be able to take the bike out, but I'll do a few shake-down commutes this week and then hit the trail next weekend. I'll need to put some miles on the Rush too, as I'll be using that bike in Pisgah in two weeks! Woohoo!
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