The Tanuki Review

The Tanuki, It proved to be a great machine for me. I got the deluxe model so it stepped up a few parts on the bike that really needed it such as the fork brakes etc.... Before I even got the bike on the trail I loved the way it felt just sitting on it, the different frame geometry of new bikes seems to be getting better and better and that beautiful hydro formed tubing looks slick. It proved to ride as good as it looked, for the price which was 50% off and free shipping on chainlove.com, it could not be beat. I could have easily have dropped that much on suspension on the Dawg alone. The 17inch frame was sold out so I hesitantly went for the 18" and It seems to be no problem at all. When i got the bike to descend it really started to shine and show its true colors, it felt extremely good, I felt like I was back on my coil air with 7" of travel, it was screaming for me to go faster as I feathered the impressive Avid elixir 5's. That day on that bike brought back some fond memories of Utah when descending massive hills and having a mighty fun time doing it being in tune with the bike. The biggest thing for me about the bike is the suspension, it works, it super smooth and performs as I ask it to. I have a rock shox sektor tk air up front with lockout and rebound adjustments and Kona Fastrax AF2 for the rear with rebound and lockout. Now this fasttrax is Konas brand named Taiwainese shock that feels great and has been proving to be holding up great for riders. I have a little issue with it since I am a 180 pound rider that likes spending time in the air I find that it really doesn't want to hold the pressures I want to put in it, which is upwards of 130 psi. I think it is on 110 or so where it's happy for full and I have to fight it to take more air so I leave it at that which is still a little soft for my hang time needs......wheels work, not a great fancy wheelset but they work and if they are like my Dawg wheels which have taken 6 years of heavy abuse and not failed me yet I hope these can do the same. I am extremely happy, the price was too good to pass up and I believe I made a good choice and even at 130mm it will do most of all I ask it to.

By the way a Tanuki is : The Japanese raccoon dog, Statues of tanuki can be found outside many Japanese temples and restaurants, especially noodle shops. These statues often wear big, straw hats and carry bottles of sake in one hand, and a promissory note or empty purse in the other hand. Tanuki statues usually have large bellies. The statues also usually show humorously large testicles

Sunday Was A Good Day

So the weather was showing all it's greatness and it meant this fella and his pooch were going to head into the woods for a great ride. I made a yummy breakfast sandwich and was all charged and ready to ride the new bike. This was my very first ride on it and I have been looking forward to it and it felt great as I pedaled down the road and then hit trail. The suspension was extremely smooth and felt so so nice! After some trail I mounted the Go Pro to the seat post for the first time and had no idea how good the footage it was getting with Bentley behind me, little did I know how good it was! We took a big loop today and I stopped occasionally to enjoy a good feature or two. After getting to descend a few hills it felt very good, feels more like a free ride bike without all the travel. I hit the log ride back to back which was a really awesome feat for me, my log game is getting much better. Then it was off to the Mountain Goat, is was narrower than ever with my new bars I knocked the caps off repeatedly and whacked the grips but no big deal. I was having such a good time out there, conditions were amazing. We were finishing up a big loop, actually the biggest I can think of that I have done here, it is a great mix of trails that ride the perimeter of Nathan Hale forest. I loved having Bentley back on trail with me, he was the only one I had to congratulate with me after the log ride. He is such good company and I hope he enjoys his time with me as much as I do his. At the very end, I nailed another log ride I don't think I have done yet, got it on the first shot and then shortly we were out of the woods and heading home. It was a great ride after 3 hours and 12.2 miles I was spent. Love the new bike it's incredible!!!!!!

Saturday 50F At Hale

Wholly crap was I in for a treat, the weather was amazing on saturday and the trail conditions were very good as well. I was a little scared but when I checked it out all was good! My heart rate was through the roof in the beginning, it took a little while but it caught up. I rode the loop on the other side of the road which is becoming an all time favorite and then up to the rocky hillside and had a ripping good time. By the time I made it back it was clouding up but was still nice and toasty and even got a car wash in!

Feb hale unreal

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Connecticut

Time for it to stop raining and things to dry so I can ride! Not looking good after all this rain, we shall see what will happen. Got some new parts for the new rig, it needed just two things, it came with a brutal seat so it needed replacing. I ordered from my favorite mail order pricepoint.com which had WTB Speed V saddles for cheap so I jumped on it. Also after some research, I bought new pedals from performancebike.com, they're called Forte Converts. I miss my Kona Wah Wah's dearly but they're over $100 a pair it's not too affordable so I opted for these. They look great but have not been ridden yet.

This guy is nasty, very good rider with natural style

One Good Rip

So I have been waiting for the chance to ride since last Thursday and luckily it was the second ride of this month and it came together. I was hesitant of what conditions might be but I knew if it was bad I can always stick to the fire roads. I got off work pretty early and arrived to the trail head over an hour before my riding partners did so I loaded up and began to pedal. Some new renovations have been done to the bridge and the parking lot as well which was kind of nice. I began to pedal things were looking good, the ground was lightly soft in a few places but no damage was done and the trails were good to go! This made me pretty happy as I pedaled my single speed up trail slowly and awkwardly since it had been some time since I was on it last. I love my rigid SS 29er I really do, but downs just aren't great when it's extremely rocky, I get pretty sick of it when I am not consistently riding rigid. But it is so nice just having one gear to do the work all the time I love that about this bike! I arrived tot he summit to catch the sun going down and sat down to enjoy it. It was really nice to be in daylight and I was surprised how much of it we are starting to gain slowly. I set off further into the woods seeing how I had quite a bit of light left and some time so I continued. Eventually leading me back to lookout again and then down the hill I went. Showing up to the cars we gathered ourselves and I set off with the group and put on some more miles. It was a very good ride and with good fun and good company. Towards the end I was struggling with energy, not having eaten since 2pm and now being almost 9:00 it sucked the last hour. Not a bad night, put in some 4 hours of mellow moving fun!

Winter gimme at case

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking near Hartford, Connecticut

Man this ones good

I wish I had trails like this, I would be having just as much fun



From Pinkbike.com

Gave Up

So I put the box in the car and then i was like wait a minute, I have to bring this box all the way back to the office so I can then bring it to the parents cause I hate boxes taking up space in the basement so I figured I would just throw the goods in the car without the box and then I looked at it and said what the heck, lets put it together. It was a pretty interesting way they shipped the bike but it worked. All I needed was an allen wrench and after searching all over the building I finally prevailed and found the size I needed for the handlebars and started putting this sucker together. It was funny how extremely careful I was with the razor blade considering I will be riding over rocks and mashing it most the time......it went together quick and easy and I sat on her and went Uhhhh Oooooooo the frame does not fit.......what the heck am I going to do.......syke it fit like a glove, hahah despite being an inch bigger of frame from my normal 17", the 18" felt amazing! It has a really nice feel to it, the head angle was more slack than I was expecting but was a good thing, felt more like my old coil air than my dawg. It felt soooo comfortable just pedaling around the buidling. The one thing that seems a little skimpy is the wheelset, but that's ok my other dawg wheelset was a cheap o and that wheelset has been great the last 6 years. Overall I am extremely happy with the bike. It has a really nice gray paint job and even came with touch up paint, what a deal. What a steal this bike was for 50% off, it was worth every penny even at full price! Still have to go through the whole bike but all is well and ready to shred. This is a great day for me!

Has Arrived

The day has come! The long awaited 9 days are over and the box is in my possession! I really didn't think I was going to have a new bike for a very very long time but after some tight budgeting and a 12 month no interest credit card I irresponsibly made it happen. I felt like a kid running down the stairs on christmas morning, it will be a great addition the the Dawg and the 29er! I peeked in the box to make sure it was the right size and wish I could take it out and put it together but I will have to wait until I get home tonight. Now for the hard part, putting the new thing to use. With it being nasty outside it might be a while before it sees trail but will be well worth it. Celebration Batches!

Recap Monday

It's ugly and dreadful outside and I am looking more and more forward to spring time, I can't wait to see the grass and the trees come to shape with that fresh brilliant shine of green that nature seems to paint once a year. I can't wait until my rides become more scheduled an regular! I suppose I could of rode in the snow like a lot of other people did this weekend but I was feeling lazy and not motivated to go play in the snow. I regret it a little but I do enjoy a little break from mountain biking, since I rode 9 out of 12 months last year. It's always nice going back after a break it feels refreshing and helps you not take advantage of how often you ride and not appreciate how great is out on two wheels in the woods. In warm spring thoughts I will pick a good spring ride from the past.

May 22nd 2009-Emigration Canyon-Salt Lake City Utah

One early morning, me and my good friend Brent set off on a ride up emigration to the emigration trail. This single-track trail follows the path of the Donner Party, Pony Express, and Mormon pioneers from East Canyon up to Big Mountain Pass overlooking Emigration Canyon. The trail is 4.6 miles long, for a 9.2 mile out-and-back bike trip. Vertical rise is 1400 feet, to an altitude of 7400 feet at the pass. In 1847 the Mormon Pioneers came down through this canyon and into the Salt Lake Valley after traveling many days in treacherous conditions and loosing many lives. They finally descended this canyon and their leader, said "This is The Right Place" and their bodies could finally rest. Whenever I ride this trail I can't help but think of what it was like in those times to be coming down that canyon. Anyway, there's a pretty wide trail that runs from the top of Little Dell Reservoir up to windy pass. It's not a very technical trail but offers a good ride up and lots of scenery. It is a fun whip down as well, there is virtually no pedaling involved and is a really good time! This trip was one of many I have made but this one particular spring morning was especially pleasant with spring showing it's battle it wins every season! Another good one with a good friend.