Well, I guess I'm out of excuses. Next time I head out there, I'm gonna take some time and finally climb that thing.

But for the first time, I cleaned the switchbacks above the access road, which I feel great about.

And the more I think about it, the more time I think I spent working on the switchbacks. It took me at least 4 or 5 tries, with each attempt taking a minute or two. And the last time I did this loop, I didn't stop, and finished in just 65 minutes. So getting back under 60 minutes feels within reach...

The trail itself runs roughly north-south between a trailhead at Erringer and Falcon and another along Lost Canyons Dr. just east of Big Sky Park. Several spur trails provide access from nearby housing developments.

Nutshell:

What do you think the odds are that 40 lbs will turn out to be nice?

I got a high-pressure pump with a dial for Christmas (Thanks, Dad!), and I'm trying to get my fork dialed in. Having real numbers to work is great. The manufacturer's suggested pressure for this fork, and my current weight (~180 lbs) is 50 lbs of pressure.

Previously, I'd had it at about 30 lbs of pressure, which was great on the downhill, but too cush for pedaling. So I decided to pump it up to the manufacturer's spec, and see how that went.

50 lbs is too stiff, judging by how it felt on the very rocky Chumash trail. And it puts the sag at about 15mm, which jibes with it being a bit too firm. (Zinn recommends 20% sag.) So I'm going to adjust until I hit 20mm of sag. (Which is radically easier when the pump has a pressure dial.)

I also tried pushing the pressure on the back tire up to 35 lbs, and didn't like it: less smooth, less grippy. 30 lbs in both tires seems to be the sweet spot for the moment.

METALMTN has posted a pic of a beauty of a bike. It's a sweet, sweet ride, but I'll keep my Giant. Gonna be fun upgrading over the next few years.

Dear Loved Ones,

When I go out riding, you sometimes tell me to "ride safe" or "be careful." You can rest assured that even in my most reckless moments, I'm still a total milktoast compared to these lunatics.

Sincerely,

Christopher

I've been working on climbing Chumash (descending cleanly happens nearly every time these days), and just having fun working on totally mastering the technical bits of a really challenging trail.

And I had a great time on Friday pedaling up Rosewood and down Space Mountain, missing my personal best time on that loop by just 3 minutes. (Curses! Gotta climb faster!)

And today, with a little time on my hands after getting off work early, it was time to head back to Sycamore Canyon. I'm sorry I stayed away so long. It was great to be back with a new bike at one of my favorite spots.

Unfortunately, it looks like the Arts Trail is closed for the time being while the "park staff can evaluate how the continued safe use of this area will effect [sic] the the preservation of the natural and cultural resources located in this section of Point Mugu State Park."

Didn't stop me having an amazing time, though. Sin Nombre is a fantastic trail too, and leads right to the base of Sage, which is where Arts connected to. So while I'll miss the Arts trail a bit, it won't be a terrible loss.