Getting Dirty On The Rando Tumbleweed Ride

Supposed to be real cool this morning as I left San Marcos heading for the training ride start at Mule Hill in Escondido. Wind was blowing at my back as the 27.5 x 2.8 tires hummed along on the hard surface. I finally bought a digital tire pressure gauge and my tires were aired down to precisely 25lbs for this ride. Wasn't that cold at all as I caught a little trail dirt before meeting up. Keith Olsen, Troy Buss and Mac Imacsing were the only riders there today. Others said they would show, but too much Christmas OR they were a little shy on the dirt side.

Training route we took today. A few new trails in there

Troy had the only carbon bike today

Mac had the oldest, cracked tires today!

Keith's bright Klein was the oldest bike here today!

Kelly had the newest bike today: Cannondale 27.5

Made our way around Lake Hodges, checking things out before jumping onto Del Dios Hwy. for a short haul. Back onto the trail near the dam, we made good time up the switchbacks. Met two MTB"ers near the power towers and they followed us to Lusardi Loop. The Loop Trail was congested with tumbleweeds. Not the kind you can ride around, but the trail blockage kind. Often times we had to just blast thru! Met a small group of 5 riders after clearing the Black Mtn. Trailhead and the rocky downhill section. They didn't know which way to go and some had turned off trail. After telling them: "The pros go this way", some turned and followed our route uphill!

Kelly, Mac & Keith crusing along Lake Hodges Road Trail

Mac contemplates trail bridge while reading sign

Leaving Lake Hodges, Mac, Troy & Keith climb after crossing the trail bridge.

Lusardi Loop: Under Camino del Sur. Mac called that a "water crossing"! Huh?

Lusardi Loop: After "Cardiac Climb", Mac said his HR was 150. Ya Right!

We managed a few off route miles by taking the long way to Camino del Sur and break time at Circle K. Managed to pick up a free banana at the usual SR-56 Bike Path watering station. Sat around Circle K for a while as several picked up a sandwich. Handy place and good stop here. After a bit, we were off on the Bike Path and a few new trails in McGonigle Canyon.

Mac & Troy chomping down at Circle K break-time.

Troy & Mac took the "magic gate" route while Keith & I did the 41 steps down to the bushes route. Both ended up at the same place. Next time it's thru the gate for us too as the stair-step route was nasty and wet! Further up the trail it was HAB time. I had been this way before and appreciated someone cutting in some toe holds in the dirt. Troy & I scooted up quick, while Mac checked things out and backed up for a run-up. Well he got up about 10 feet and bailed to hiking up too. Keith followed. logically using the toe-holds. After crossing Sundance Street we were onto another trail and finished it off with a HAB thru some bushes and up a small hill to the road.

Stair step Trail: Keith takes alternate route to McGonicle Canyon below.

Keith finishes off Stair-Step Trail with some "bushwacking"

Troy & Mac took the "Secret Gate" trail from up there

Mac contemplates 40% climb. Then backs up and let's 'er rip!

Mac walking up: "If I had a bike like Troy's, I would had made it up!"

"Is that a hole or a trail?" Yep, we have to go in there. Turn your lights on!

Smooth riding now as we rode north on Black Mtn. Road. At mile 26, Keith wasn't feeling well and continued on back to Lake Hodges via roads. The trio took the old loop road down into Lusardi country. All we got was a dead end housing project. After walking around a bit, we hoofed it down some hill, thru new home lots and were soon back on the dirt road riding west.

Troy's old Lusardi Loop route took to a housing development. We trying to get out!

Not to be deterred at the Coast To Crest sign, we by-passed the single-trak uphill and opted for a new single-trak sidehill. Several gnarly spots later we were at the water crossing. Of course, I think we all got a little damp on that crossing.. I know I got wet-footed as my foot slipped off a rock. Downhill switchbacks ahead. I was watching Troy cruising around each turn and managed to nip a post and fall over. A little dirt rash, but my Garmin took a hit from my camera and was now 1/2 blue screen of death! Bummer.

We by-passed Coast-To-Crest segment and took a new trail to Artisan Way

Made good time on Santa Fe Trail over to the dam. This return route we added the single track  to the parking lot. Troy led out making it look easy ( which it was! ) and was soon stopped by a rock hit on his lower fork. I stopped and got caught in the same rocks and we didn't see Mac again for a while. Nice riding along the lake as we took the roadside trail where John went down 2 years ago. Not to be deterred, we all blasted over the drop-off and up the climb this time. Met several riders thru here on some hi-powered rigs in addition to groups of hikers. Breezed thru the rock gardens with the wider tires. Cruised into the finish! Said our good-byes and I was off back to San Marcos after filling my bottle at the handy Chevron Station.

Troy's Garmin stats from today's ride. We did OK considering all the stoppage time.

Clear skies
Hi: 68     Lo: 47
Wind: WNW gusty at times
78 miles

-randorides

Beast Looses Weight: Going Tubeless!

Hard to take off! OH, move them in~!

Always wanted to change a MTB over to tubeless... now is my chance! Didn't quite get to it on the C'dale Trail 29'er and I even thought about it on by SOMA rando bike. Time to study up and I did.. YouTube, blogs, Stans site & Continental website all have ideas on how to change over to tubeless and ease the flat tire hassle in the dirt.

1. Tubeless ready rims have a center trough with air-proof tape laced to the inside of the rim, covering the spoke holes. Regular rims can be converted to "ready" by installing a kit from Stans or making your own "pirate" version. They won't have the center trough for easy MTB tire installation.

2. Tubeless tires:
Tubeless- a UST tubeless tire can be mounted to a TLR rim with no further requirements.
Tubeless-Ready- a Tubeless-Ready tire requires that sealant be added a TubeLess-Ready tire after mounting to a tubeless-compatible rim.

Push valve stem in super tight

Well the Beast came with 45mm rims "tubeless ready".. meaning tape & center trough. I'll need:
2- tubeless valve stems (removable core)
4-2oz bottles of Stan's Sealant (4 oz per big wide 2.8"x27.5" tires
Small tool to remove valve core (I don't like pliers)

A. Remove tires from rim:
Those tires are tough to remove.. Ahhh, if I slide them to the inside trough, they come off easy. I took one side off and pulled the giant tube out. 27.5" x 2.7-3.4". Weighted on my postal scale and it was just over 16oz (1 pound)

B. Wipe down inside of tire with alcohol induced washcloth.

C. Installed Tubeless Valve Stem.

4oz Stans for the 27.5 x 2.8" tires

Really push in the stem as you tighten the outside nut. No pliers on the nut please! Push it super tight!


D. Put tire back on rim and slide it as far toward bead as possible. That sucker is tight, but the tape is slick.

E. Aired it up with floor pump. Easy! It "popped" into place. I went to 30 lbs pressure. Heck it might work like this!

F. Remove Valve Core. Rotate tire so stem is down.

G. Pour in two bottles of Stans (4oz). Easy with the small bottle tip. Didn't spill a drop. (Shake the crap out of the bottles first!)

H. Rotate tire so valve stem is not on the bottom. Air up tire to 40psi. 

That's not a backpack, its a 1 lb tube!

I. Hold tire horizontal and shake it. Rotate tire horizontally while shaking. Lay tire on bucket on flat surface. 30 minutes
per side and then flip and shake again, etc.

J. You may see some white Stan's sneaking out. It will seal ( No Stan's leak on the WTB's).

K. There is some Stan's in the tire sloshing around, you can hear it if you shake the tire. No to worry.

L. I left mine horizontal overnight and flipped them once or twice.

Beast Diet:
Started at 29.4 lbs.
Took off the reflectors (-4oz)

Letting Stan's do it work in the sunshine

Tubeless (-1.5 lbs) (Tubes weigh 1 lb each. Added 4oz Stans to each tire + stem)

Now at 27.7 lbs

Lighter than my C'dale Trail ever was.

Next up is the dirt test!

- randorides

Cannondale Beast Of The East-3 Review

2016 Cannondale Beast Of The East photo-op

Ordered in October,  the 2016 Beast 3 has arrived. "Beast" is a revival of the late 80's-early 90's MTB by Cannondale. Dumping buckets of local blowing rain today, but not deterred, I was off with my backpack full of cycling shoes, helmet, pedals and other nonsense. It was hike, train & bus for me to Nytro Multisport in Encinitas!

2 years ago, I left the rando-MTB thing due to lack of a big tire bike. My other basic C'dale Trail SL4 was ripped off from Fry's Electronics, chain, bag, bottles and all! I was still pissed about the way the whole thing was handled! Back for more dirt, I hurried into Nytro, wet shoes and all.

Beast-3 looked much better than the online photos. Darker grey rather than silver looking and the orange trim didn't blare out. Manager Joe Morgan got a kick out of my matching Crank Bros orange pedals. Big sale at Nashbar! He said  matched it up like a "roadie" would. Pedals on, we wheeled it around to the scale. 29.9 lbs., reflectors and all. (Sans pedals it was 29.4 lbs).

30T SpiderRing on SI crank

Joe took me thru a basic setup with the seat height and also flipped the stem and rotated the bars somewhat. ( At home later I would do the knee plumb-bob thing for final set up). I wasn't very familiar with the thru axle thing and we did some practice with the front 15mm "quick release" thru axle. I thought that was rather neat. Next up the rear with the 12mm axle. I had a little trouble getting that back in. Joe noticed the rear derailleur hanger mini-bolt was loose so he quickly did the Loctite thing and snugged it down. Rear thru-axle also clamps down the hanger so no harm done.

Front shock was a big upgrade from the Trail 29'er, and also of note were the single narrow/wide chain-ring matched with a Shimano "clutch" type rear derailleur. I already liked that concept! Big tires were quite noticeable with the 2.8" width on 45mm 27.5 rims.

2.8" rubber on logo 27.5" 45mm rims

Bike came with various paperwork... Thru axle "quick release, Cannondale book on bike setup and a Suntour DVD on the fork. I hung around a bit and my rando buddy Keith Olsen came in to shop around and check on his Salsa Spearfish status. Chit-chat prevailed as I picked up a few other fuel goodies and then hit the road. Sun was out by now and I was riding north with a load on my back. I soon was snugly warm and dry in the Sprinter train heading for San Marcos and home.

Next up was tubeless... For rando trail work, it seemed a necessity. After my multi-flat experience with my other C'dale Trail 29'er, I knew it was mandatory.

Time to loose some weight!

Complete walk-around video

- randorides

Palomar Mountain Sampler

Palomar Mtn. Sampler route today

Good weather in SoCAL all week and with a rainstorm predicted for Friday, it's off to Palomar Mtn. today. OFR was carpooling out to Henshaw and Troy planned to meet us at So. Grade Road at 10:00. Our rando route would start in San Marcos and hit a few climbs on the way to Palomar Mtn. Palomar Mtn. Sampler, RUSA Route #2380 it was called. A measly 125 miles with only 10,695 feet of climbing. Not bad for a mid December day training ride.

 Albany Sam Thomas was in, as were randos Bill Stevenson, his buddy Mac Imacseng and Keith Olsen (soon to be flying out to Virgina on Saturday). Weather was near 50 as we grouped up for the start at the San Marcos 7-Eleven. Off at 0700 without Sam. Randos always leave on schedule, as the clock is ticking. Surprised Mike Shaw or John Fry didn't make the ride. Maybe we'll see them later?

Mac, Keith & Bill...Woods Vly. Rd

 I felt 60% and thought my brakes were dragging as we sped thru Escondido with only light traffic. Mac had his new Ibis CX e-Bay bike an soon was off the front as we climbed up Valley Center Road @ 7% grade. I was taking photos and catching a few videos on the GoPro handlebar mount. Regroup as we made the turn onto Woods Valley Road. Shady rollers here and soon we were holding up truck traffic. Should have pulled off into a driveway and let them pass. ((I mentioned later to Mac). Past the few remaining stinky chicken farms and the neat looking Middle School.

 Easy motion as we encountered the crappy Rincon Grade downhill. Roads are junk all the way to Harrah's Casino. Pulled in the back way to the great 7-Eleven there a little early at 8:35 AM. Saw someone unloading his bike. I thought it was John Fry, but later learned it was Jim Wisener. Guess he didn't see us as he was quickly off toward So. Grade Road. We refilled our bottles,and grabbed a snack. Ten minutes and we too were off on the bumpy bike lane.

Regroup with OFR at So. Grade Rd.

 Under crank pressure, Mac's new Ibis wouldn't go into a lower gear and he soon stopped on the climb to shift. Not to worry, he's a climber. The turn onto Hwy. 76 brought us 6-8% grades and smoother riding. Bill & I were off front chatting, with Mac and Keith behind. We all had a nice casual pace and 50 minutes later we met the OFR gruppo at the So. Grade Turn.

 WOW! Sam Thomas & John Fry were there too. Troy had another 9 OFR riders. I managed some pics, hit the fence and took off my long-sleeve under-layer. I suggested to Sam to take off his warm jacket, but of course he had a disclaimer ready.

 We were soon off under warming, sunny skies and temps near 65F. A few nice photo-ops on the way up. I soon dropped back with Sam, who by now was cooking under the warm jacket.
"I don't have a place to put it"
"You can put it in the ambulance when they pick you up!"

Full regroup at Mother's Kitchen

We soon pulled off and Sam wrapped his jacket around the handlebars. Keith caught up and said: Don't wait for me. Later I found out it was his first trip up the hill! Bill was waiting for us up the road and we rode to Mother's Kitchen together. Whole group of OFR riders was there, lingering around.

 I hit the Post Office for a receipt and then the neato bathroom for water. I suggested to the randos that we by-pass the traditional Lake Henshaw stop. OK. Where's Keith? After a few photos, most OFR were off for a climb to the Observatory, while Sam, John Fry & Jimbo would be going down East Grade with us. Keith finally arrived and I showed him where to fill his bottles. I mentioned to the group we should stop at the Firefighter Memorial for good riding luck.

Sam, Bill, Mac & Keith on Mesa Grande

Some stopped, some blasted by. Took several nice photos of Keith, Jim & Bill Stevenson there. Hi-speed run down the 12 miles to Henshaw. Managed to get some action video on the way down. Several road sections were real bumpy and you had to change your line often. Over the last few years, they did some patching on the big holes! At the Hwy. 76 turn, Jim said "adios" and was off to So. Grade and back down to Harrah's. Good climbing day for him. Sam stopped at his car parked at the Lake Henshaw Store and dumped his jacket. Now it was Mesa Grande climb!

Riders with Mavic Support on Mesa

Six of us on the move again. Various paces up the steepish climb. Once on top the riding is quite pleasant... shaded curves, no traffic and a bit of speed. We were surprised to meet several groups of riders today. Later on, their Mavic yellow SAG car appeared with more riders! Don't know which training group that was, but they were FAST! Mac & John turned around at Black Cyn. Road and headed back to Henshaw, not wanting to do any more climbing. Good job guys. ( Later John Fry emailed and said he did go up East Grade before returning to his car parked at Henshaw!)

Bill & Mac's balanced diet @ Santa Ysabel

 Fast curvy downhill took us to Hwy. 79. Mac picked up the pace for 2 miles toward Santa Ysabel, dropping riders like sea urchins. We rolled into Don's Market and Mac was cooked! Two Twinkies and some trail mix for him. I grabbed a water refill, added powder and iced it up. Desert was a IC Sandwich & banana for me. Bill hit the big sandwich. Keith was hamming it up with a old guy from Indiana. 20 minutes and we're on the road again. Bill stopped down the road and adjusted his seat bag glove holder. I climbed ahead to set up a video shot.

Slight headwind, but we still made super 30ish time blasting down Old Julian Hwy. into Ramona. More traffic as we didn't stop as usual. High clouds now made it seem cooler. With the light headwind, it was! Good time rotating leads thru the rollers. Short regroup as we put on a layer plus some arm warmers for the Highland Valley downhill ahead. Bill pulled along the valley and then it was a short hop on the pedestrian bridge over Lake Hodges.

Keith & Mac pass "Honey-Jerky"

 We decided to make our last stop at the Circle K on Bernardo Ctr. Dr. instead of at Stumps Market in Rancho Santa Fe town ( Figured the evening traffic would be heavier there). Mac took some time looking for his Go-Power Coconut Water drink.. no have, so he got a V-8 instead! Temp was a nice 59F now, but we still put on our warmer clothing for any downhills ahead. Not quite time to light up yet, but close. I had my Cygolite mounted on the side of my drop bars and the left shifter would just touch it. After a bit of experimenting it worked OK.

Nice quick, group riding on Camino del Sur offered me a chance to do a low-light GoPro run. Later video review showed it worked OK (see video). I was admiring the Christmas decorations along the road. Traffic was backed up on the turn up to Rancho Santa Fe. Route takes S-9 (LaGranada) toward Encinitas. Familiar with this route, I was up front trying to clear the lotion-sweat from my eyes on the climbs.

Bill, Mac & Keith at RB stop

 Made our way to So. Rancho Santa Fe road past John M's house and the climbing seemed easier at night. Maybe it's just the false illusion of speed? Missing his Coconut Water, Mac was toast now. Route takes an unusual path thru the CSUSM campus. Good lights and coeds were hustling around. Keith made his final break-away attempt on Mission Road, but Mac pulled his resources and brought him back at the finish!

 Checking our final time, it was a long day... but didn't feel like it to me. Weather was very nice and in retrospect, maybe a 0600 start would have been in order? We had the last 2 hours in fading light/darkness.

Video route hi-lites.

Clear to light clouds
Hi: 73     Lo: 46
Wind: WSW 7mph
125 miles

-randorides