Beast - ageddon

Judge as you will, but yes, I did purchase a Mongoose Beast from the evil empire of Wal-Mart. Let me just say that I went into this with the full knowledge and understanding that I was not getting a "fat bike". I expected an oversized BMX-esque time machine that would take me back to grade school days. i wasn't even sure it would be rideable, but for $200 bucks I was getting a 26 inch dirt bike with 4.25 inch wide tires and a coaster brake. Total no brainer.

When it came in the mail, I pulled it out of the box and stripped off the hideous decals first. The next thing I noticed was that that every moving part was assembly line tight and had a spit of grease. I disassembled the bottom bracket, fork, headset, rear and front hub and regreased generously. The bottom bracket is is an incredibly fine, tightly threaded tricky minx. It is very easy to cross thread. The other annoyance is that the bearings in the front hub are uncaged. Have you ever opened a bag of M&Ms and split the bag all the way down? That's what happened when I opened the front hub minus the chocolate.

The final step was paint. I repainted it flat black with matte clear coat on top, slapped a decal on the head tube and called her done... the ZomBeast was born!

The test ride breakdown:

The Bad -

18T rear cog is a bitch - Solution: swapped for a 22T (may need to back off to 20T)

Cramped cockpit - Solution: don't be tall. I'm 5'8" and have the bars rolled forward and the seat back. A layback seat post and upgraded stem may be in order if ya be lanky.

Twitchy Handling - No sudden movements with the Beast, but you can easily ride no handed!

47lbs - Solution: Lighten the load. My philosophy here is to make modifications while spending as little money as possible. Otherwise I might as well bought a Surly for $1800. I saved 6 (ish) lbs with Origin 8 tires andSurly tubes for roughly $45 a wheel. Others have drilled the rims and saved maybe a pound. I'm way to lazy for that.

The Good -

4.25 inch tires with a cheap bike attached to them for 200 bucks.

Simplicity - No shifters, no handbrakes, single speed (could use a front brake)

Coaster brake - Not real reliable, but kicking sideways on gravel and skid marks on pavement is ridiculous adolescent good times.

Training - After a few 7-10 mile rides on the Beast your first string MTB will feel like it's pedaling itself!

In summary, this is a fun novelty of a a bicycle that can navigate fairly flat to mild hills with a couple cheap modifications. It's not a Fat Bike. It's an oversized adult dirt bike and a lot of fun for the money. You won't find anyone with the Beast tearing up serious MTB trails with you, but if you do, pray for him.

The woes of management

I am very saddened by the fact that my last post was MONTHS ago! I recently, possibly fool heatedly, took a promotion at work that has severely cut into my riding time. It has given me pause and had me contemplating living out of my car as a bike bum. I then realized that I like having money and shelter and a marriage, so I decided against this option. I am now slowly regaining ground on my riding life and, thusly, my sanity.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get out to Platte River in the early morning where I relearned some important lessons.

1) When riding first thing in the morning, let someone else go first. As much as I like a snack on the trail, spider webs, their prey and their owners are not it. Which leads me to lesson 2.

2) Do not ride with your mouth open if at all possible.

3) Do not brake uphill. I know, "what the hell?" is right.

4) Do not try to put your foot down on the downhill side of the trail. Why this is always my impulse, I can't even begin to tell you.

5) Trees are hard, try to avoid them.

6) Wet rocks are slick... and hard, try to avoid them.

That was all the learning my body could tolerate in one day, but I am ecstatic that I had the time to do it! I still plan on getting back to Lewis and Clark again AND remember to bring my camera and GPS. Until then, happy riding, get some dirt!

Bike Maintanence and marriage

While cleaing the muck and crap off my bike, I seem to have stained the brand new concrete of my brand new house.  I degreased the chain and sprockets, scrubbed them clean then re-greased them.  Where things went terribly wrong was when I regreased everyting, I did it before it was dry.  This resulted in a dripping, black, slime that instantly defiled my driveway unless immediately rinsed off. 

I am planning on telling the wife (because the truth is out of the question) that an unknown scoundrel drove up the drive in a '72 Pinto, leaked 40 year old oil, and then took off down the street at full speed, approximately 25mph.  It then promptly exploded as they are prone to do.  I'm in the clear!!  ...maybe she won't notice for a while.

Happy New Year!! ...a bit belated

2012 has been here a while and I am now making this post??  Allow me to clarify.  I've been movin into a new home, selling the old one, and everyting in between.  The wife and I are settled now and I finally have time to de-neglect (real word? sure) some things. 

The house is in various stages of unpacking.  Whatever has not been unpacked as of now has been jammed into closets, thrown in the basement, or covered with a sheet and made to look like a table.  The most important detail is that I now have a third car garage space that from henceforth shall be called the bike shop!  NEVERMORE shall I haul my bikes over the top of vehicles to ride them or flip them onto their handlebars to work on them like I have done since was in kindergarden!  Plus, I am within a halfmile of the city trail network for my roadie interests!  I also do not need to worry myself about tedious yardwork as I currently do not have any grass!  What I do have is a large dirt pile in the backyard.  If they don't grade the ground soon, I 'll have half a mind to carve a trail through it and say keep the grass!

Anyway, it is March and it is 70 deg on a daily basis (what???), so I'll be back out mapping soon!  I rode through Tranquility last Sunday and they have made more awesome changes to the track.  The meandering southeast portion of the trail near the creek has been diverted up onto a long standing dirt mound, that I've always thought needed to be incorporated.  I think I scared a badger back into the mound on the east side.  I sure he said, "GET THE HELL OFF MY HOUSE PUNK!!" as I speak badger also.  I also plan to map Lewis and Clark in the near future, as long as the rain holds off.  I will return soon!
    

New bundle of joy

I've been neglecting this site because I have been preoccupied with a new addition to my family that has been in the works for nearly nine months!  She came into my world only two weeks ago and I have had time for little else, always needing constant attention and care.  You don't get much else done when you get a new Waltworks 29'r hardtail!  It was my first time assembling from the frame up and I nearly jacked it up two or three times.  But, after three trips to the professionals at Bikemasters, she was fine tuned and ready to hit the trail.  The first ride was heartbreaking when the first spec of dirt attached to the chain and the first piece of gravel bounced off the frame, but it would be a crime to lock a bike this pretty up.  You have to ride!! 

Buster loyally guarding my mistress

Anyway, for those of you that want to know, I do plan on getting to Lewis and Clark Monument in CB this season yet before we get real snow here.  I have taken the gps on a ride there before, but there have been a couple of re-routes since then.  Plus, I made a few wrong turns and generally F'd up the whole track.  I am shooting for this weekend! 

-Phil

Swanson Park / Bellevue, NE

(map is oriented with north to the left)

Trail Notes:
A) 0.0 miles Trail entrance
B) 0.5 miles Drop with steep, short, rooty up
C) 1.16 miles Quick down and up with airtime
D) 1.36 miles Creepy pile of pompoms
E) 1.5 miles Ravine dive
F) 1.9 miles Start of big climb
G) 2.56 miles Top of big climb
H) 2.8 miles Decent around firefighter training area
I) 3.4 miles Fun series of hops
J) 3.5 miles Start of rooty climb
K) 3.7 miles Top of rooty climb
L) 4.31 miles Trail exit to parking lot

Swanson Park in Bellevue is the original trail system in the area.  Whether you are looking for windy singletrack, rooty climbs, or speedy descents, Swanson has it.

Calvin Crest / Fremont, NE



Trail Notes:
A) 0.2 miles Trail entrance
B) 0.4 miles Downhill slope with a sharp right turn at bottom
C) 0.55 miles Short steep uphill grunt
D) 0.95 miles Top of climb 1
E) 1.15 miles Gravity cavities and bridges
F) 1.95 miles Short, steep, tight switchback series
G) 2.1 miles Spider outhouse and observation tower
H) 2.25 miles Top of tricky decent
I) 2.7 miles Swinging bridge
J) 2.95 miles Start of final climb
K) 3.45 miles Parking lot

Calvin Crest is a jem of a trail situated on the southern bluffs of the Platte River just south of Fremont NE.