I've been off the bike for far too long it seems. First I get a serious
gout episode, then, by the time that healed I get bursitis so bad I end up
in the emergency room (where they proceed to do nothing more than prod my
elbow and write a couple worthless prescriptions - ibuprofen works better
than percocet for me)
Anyway, I've coveted RaceFace cranks for a long time. I've had the rings on
my 'hopper for a while and they are flawless IMHO, but they were bolted to a
'93 LX crank. I finally scored a Turbine LP (I've since gotten two Next LPs
for two other bikes) and let me tell you, the difference is night and day.
I never realized how flexy that old Shimano crank was until I got out on the
trail with it.
Being out of shape, I went to a county park for a nice tune-up ride.
Normally when I go to this park (it's a "Greenway" park, which means long,
straight wide trails) I stick to the main trails and put it in high gear and
cook. This time I decided to cut off into the singletrack that parallels
the main course. We crossed the weir, almost bogging down in the pile of
muddy sand recent hurricane induced floods has left. Almost immediately I
realized I should have brought a cord for my sunglasses. We went from clear
blue sunlit skies to almost total darkness. Until my eyes adjusted, I had
to pull my glasses down on my nose.
Despite the hilly nature of the trail, I was cooking along like I'd never
been off the bike (this means stopping every so often to wait for my wife
who is nowhere near as fast.) Where the main trail is straight, flat and
wide, the single track is winding, splitting every so often into low
road/high road options. Every so often you can see the remains of an
ill-advised 'boardwalk' originally installed back here. The center boards
rotted away long ago and the trail has filled in around the frame. It's
interesting bunny-hopping the partially buried frame to keep a good line.
Several miles later we reach the bend that takes us back to the main trail
but we have to slam on the brakes as a fence has been erected just before
the bridge. Seems the county has ripped this part of the park apart and is
re-routing some of the minor streams for better flood control (they are
taking Sugar Creek - a major flood prone creek - and making it curve all
over the place instead of running straight.) The first intent had been to
take the main trail back to the center of the park and take the northern leg
that takes you to the end of the currently completed greenway system.
Instead we have to turn around and take the mostly uphill track back to
where we'd turned originally.
We never made it to the northern end. As we approached the turn-off for the
parking lot, the wife announced she was ready for lunch, so the ride was
essentially at an end.
I spent a few hours later that day on my road bike, which had that same
flexy '93 crank. It's now got a Next LP on it and I'm dying to get out on
it.