Preperation

Pictures are from Kristin and me during a hike this past Monday. Can you believe this boy's tounge?

Last night I stopped by Sunrift on my way to Paris with UDM. I am trying to procure some children’s bikes for the Friends and Family Day at Paris mountain. UpState SORBA is participating in the day by setting up a booth and we are looking to include some activities along with children’s rides.

After talking with them I took off on my normal route to Paris. Once inside the park I took a new to me route down Firetower to Kanuga but I took a right hand turn headed toward Brissy. From there I rode all the way down Pippsessewa. Incorporating those three trails together makes for a pretty hefty downhill.

Last weekend I made the leap for some Ergon grips. I had been skeptical but after talking with some of my friends who also ride non-springy bikes I thought I would give them a shot. I took the advice of a seasoned veteran on the bike and left the grips loose on the handlebars the first few rides so I could adjust them appropriately. Up until last night, I liked them but I didn’t think I would leave them on for everyday riding.

Well last night I made a few more adjustments to the angle at which they are parked on the handlebars and wow what a difference. They even felt good through the little tech spots.
After going around the lake, I decided I would try my chances at climbing the steep section of Kanuga back up to Firetower. Holy cow this is a mother of a climb. There was one spot that I had to hoof it for about 20 yards to get around a steep muddy section but other than that I made it up no problem. Besides the fact that I sounded like I was going through labor, I was giving birth to a new climb. It felt pretty good even with the 34X21 which I think might be the magical number for Cohutta