Tuesday nite JRA.......w/ pics

Well, I got out of work on time @ my regular job and on an early day to boot! Stopped by the shop to see if I could talk Kirk into a dirt ride. Normally, throughout the summer, it's all road-type business w/ Kirk. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings are reserved to roll the w/ the "civilized" crew. As the weather gets cooler and the leaves begin to change color, Kirk's repressed mt biker comes to the surface. This makes it alot easier to make an argument to hit the trails, because we all know that the trails are way more fun when there is company.
So, the decision was made, Bankert Rd it was. We managed to get there around 5:45pm and hit the trails quickly to take advantage of the quickly fading daylight. Playground to Meeting House to Kicker trail to the Pines to some new trails and then back out to the Playground/Kicker to finish up. Well, we had just finished up the singletrack coming outta the Pines and started riding out the doubletrack/service road when Kirk's front wheel found a eight inch deep hole. I looked over in time to see Kirk's slo-mo endo and as I, as any other self-respecting trail riding partner would, began to giggle @ the impending gravity induced event. Now, if you are a mt biker you know that the safety and well being of your riding partner is foremost, but the guys I ride with do love a good crash followed by some good natured laughs. I began to snicker when I realized that I was in close enough proximity to my buddy that he was going to take me out. So, I jumped on the pedals as he hit my rear wheel, which made for a major pucker factor as tilted me so quickly that I couldn't unclip. The next best thing to do was romp on the pedals and try to ride it out. I made it, but in doing so gave Kirk a souvenir:

Yes, if you look closely that is a 2.1 29er tire sized brush burn from when I got the Hell outta Dodge. Kirk sucked it up and we had a great ride. I can only imagine the carnage photos that will follow out trip to Raystown in two weeks!

And an update on the Spearfish, I dropped the pressure in my tires and the rear shock and the bike came to life. Still sorting it out, but the second voyage was way more rewarding than the first.

Remember GET OUT THERE and RIDE!
Cheers
Mike