Go Clipless

Cleaning your mountain bike in 5 minutes or less

Power wash it! That's right...I'm not joking. Get yourself one of those electric power washers from Home Depot and let it fly.

I know, I know...this is insane. I know all about the debates amongst riders. Some say dry cleaning is the way to go, while others say it is OK to use water if done properly. All I can tell you is that I hate cleaning my bike and to do it right it takes forever. As a result, I rarely do it which is not doing my bike any favors.

So one day I decided to borrow a neighbors power washer and BAM the bike was clean in five minutes. Now when I say clean, I'm talking every speck of grease from within the chain and cogs clean. After the power washer is done it looks as though I just put a new cog set on my wheel.

What if you get water into the bottom bracket or hubs, you ask?

Appreciating the trail for what it is...

Been riding close to home lately...mostly the Colt's Neck (Colvin Run/Difficult Run) loop. Dr.P (my riding buddy) and I have been getting back into the swing of things after taking some time off from riding and wanted to ride somewhere fast and familiar. The other day, we decided to head over to Fox Mill instead of Colt's Neck as we were getting bored of the same old trail.

The trouble is that we have gotten so used to the fast pace at Colt's Neck that we expected that same feeling at Fox Mill. Fox Mill is a trail that is meant to be explored. It is much more twisty then most of the trails in the area and there are only short sections which allow you to get up to full speed.

How to choose a bicycle repair stand

One of my riding buddies and I decided it was time to buy some real bike repair stands. Up until now we would clean and repair our bikes by leaning them in all kinds of awkward places (e.g. seat against the head, against a tree, or just plain strewn all over the ground). We headed off to Performance Bikes in Reston where there was a sale and we could use our Team Performance dollars and hopefully get a good deal.

You might think it would be easy selecting a bike repair stand since there's not much too them.

Back in the saddle!

I'm back. Round about February I was getting sick a lot and really didn't ride. After several colds and illnesses my business travel schedule heated up and I have been on the road a lot. All this to say that I had not ridden in a while (excuses, I know). When I don't ride regularly, quite frankly, there isn't much to write about. During this time I not only stopped riding, I stopped going to bike stores, reading biking magazines, visiting bike Web sites, etc.

Well, in the last few weeks I have repaired my bike and ridden several times and have re-engaged in the mtb world. I have also recently attended a blog conference where I got some fresh ideas for the site. I hope to be able to incorporate some of them before too long.

Anyway, look for some new stuff before too long and thanks for your patience!