30 posts in 30 days

I want to start by saying thanks to everyone who's clicked onto the blog over the last month. Together you guys have clicked the "read more" link almost 450 times. Hopefully you found something amusing, funny or interesting. This first batch feels a little self-aggrandizing, I've got a lot of stories and pictures about me. This is a little bit intentional, I'm trying to establish that I have first-hand experience on freestyle bikes, bmx bikes, cruiser bikes, road bikes, fixie bikes, tandem bikes, freeride bikes, commuter bikes and mountain bikes. So when you visit my blog I don't want to just link you to another story that I found on the internet. I want to share people, places and things that I have a personal connection to.
Going forward, I plan to start roping friends in for interviews and guest features. I know a lot of interesting bike people and I want to share their stories too. I think some of the best conversations I've ever heard take place when four of us are riding up a hill together. This is the kind of stuff I want to other people to hear.
As for my writing style, I can't promise it's going to get a whole lot better. I like hitting the keys Gonzo style. I come home from riding with a new topic on my mind and I just start putting it down. I'll try really hard to catch the typos, and I can always go back and fix them, but I doubt I'll take the time to run through editing software.
And I'll use any bike photos you guys want to share. Photos are the hard part, I'll snap a shot when I can, but sometimes I'm just too busy riding to get anything good.

2019 was a great season for me, I started it off with a new bike and then found a new place to ride and friends to do it with. I brought my girls out for a bunch of fun rides and they tried some new trails. Last month I turned 45, so I had to see if I could still do this..

...turns out I still can.
If you're wondering what I ride, it is a 2018 YT CF Pro. And I'll just say, I love this thing! it's the best bike I've ever owned.

I'd like to thank my friends at LBC, Dirtlabs and The Fix for their motivation and support. I love going into these shops and I love riding with these people on the trail.

And I'd like to thank my riding buddies, Josh, Brian, Dave and Duncan, 2019 was one of the best seasons of my life!
Last but not least, I'd like to thank Monika, Cora and Etta for their support, and letting me peck away on the laptop when I should be playing with them.
Keep checking back or subscribe, hopefully we all have a great winter and beautiful front range dirt is there waiting for us when it thaws.
Tim

Comments

When disk brakes attack

The first time I saw a brake rotor draw blood was with my old dog Seamus . Seamus loved to chase bikes, he was a great dog. A black and white border collie lab, he was born in Crested Butte and later honed his bike dog skills on the singletrack trails of Bend, Oregon. I wouldn't say he was cuddly and loving, he was more like a heroin junkie jonzing for a fix. As soon as he saw me or any other human he would find some item to drop at your feet and begin begging you to throw it. He would lift the stick or slimy tennis ball up and try to spit it into your hand. If you hid the ball he would find a stick. If you hid the stick he'd find a rock. He was relentless. His lower teeth were chipped and broken from his fetching habit and he kept himself in constant motion, desperate to chase or retrieve. He was a dock jumper, frisbee catcher and bike chaser. The first bike he learned to chase had Vee brakes. So neither of us were expecting what happened when he chased me on my...

The White Room (a short story)

FRIDAY After a short struggle I located Cliff at the airport. It was good to see him again. I had my bag packed and my skis on the rack of my Audi. Instead of going back to my house, we blew past the exit and cruised through Denver. We made a quick stop at a dispensary, then started climbing into the mountains. Five hours later we rolled into the town of Crested Butte. Matt had driven out from Arkansas the day before and we all converged on Kevin’s house. This was a reunion almost thirty years in the making. We pulled into Kevin’s driveway, kid’s bikes and other toys were poking out from the snow in the yard. A master bedroom had been added to the house, but it still lacked siding, leaving the insulation exposed. Kevin came out to greet us wearing slippers, jeans and a tee shirt. He gave us each a hug. Nice addition Kev, that’s new since the last time I was here. Cliff said. Yeah I started it four years ago, maybe in another four I’ll finish it. Kevin’s just doing what he can...

What we pass on

I was fortunate enough to meet some friends for a Valmont riding session the other day. I've known Jesse since the pre-child days and now both of us are fathers. My girls are both skilled bike riders but they really accell at the sportsball activities. They have inherited the gene for team ball sports from their mother. Jesse's son on the other hand is a cycling prodigy. He flows with incredible style over the biggest jump lines or across the finish line. At one point Jesse and another dad split for the slopestyle line and I went with the boys over to the trick jump. I may have mentioned before that I believe tricks are an important aspect of jumping bikes. I just think if you're going to jump bikes, why not do some tricks? The alternative route for progression is to just keep jumping bigger and bigger jumps and this can lead to a plateau with severe consequences. To me a cool trick on a medium size jump is more impressive than a dead sailor over a massive jump. Basically,...

3CogBlog.com

Search This Blog