New Helmet

New Helmet = Bell Drop

I will review it when I hae actually used it and not just looked at myself in the mirror.

Poison Oak

I have it on my left leg and on my left arm.  I got it last Sunday on Jakes Rock-it ride, we did not get to ride this week.  It started as a small rash on my leg that itched on the Monday after the ride, so I put some cortisone cream on it and it stopped itching.  I watched it on Tuesday and it had not spread so in my expert medical opinion there was no way it could be poison oak, it had to be something else!  By Saturday it had become a 4" red, bumpy, oozing, itching patch.  My mother in law took a look at it (she is a nurse practitioner) and said it was definitely poison oak....  How was this possible, it wasn't spreading.  I was a Boy Scout growing up and I am a Boy Scout leader now, I know poison oak, it spreads.  My mother in law informed me that if you have been exposed to it before, which I have, then sometimes it takes longer to spread.  Sure enough by Sunday night, a whole week after exposure, it appeared on my arm.  The patch on my arm was hit with Triamcinolone Acetonide cream right away and is now almost gone, but the original patch on my leg is getting worse and will probably require a topical steroid or something stronger as it is now a four inch red, itching, swollen, bumpy, oozing blotch surrounded by a eight inch itching, bumpy area.  Here's what it looks like....

My advice is if you have even the slightest thought that it might be poison oak then treat it like it is, if I had done that my leg would not hurt and itch.  Next time I will be safe rather than sorry.  Poison oak sucks!!!!

Jake vs. Rock-it

This mornings ride was a good one with the boy.  My daughter Ryan decided last night that she wanted to take today off and just relax, this kind of sucks because I love to ride with both Jake and Ryan.   On the up side when I ride with just Jake we can ride a little faster and hit some harder trails.  The last couple weeks I have seen him get better and better on our Ryan friendly rides so I asked him if he wanted to give Rock-it a try.  He was willing but he wanted pads, we dug out the old hockey gear found his shin guards and he was ready.

 First we rode from Canyon Vistas to Cholla.  We rode up Cholla with Jake only having to stop a couple of times.

 This is Jake's first time in Aliso, so it is obviously his first time climbing Cholla.  No Sweat!

From Cholla we took West Ridge to Rock-it.

 Jake gearing up.

 Ready for battle! 

The next few pictures can explain themselves...

 At the bottom myself and several guys taking a break could here him let out a huge, "WOOOOOOOO!!!" on the last hill.  Once he got to the bottom he told us, " This is the best trail ever!"
Next we rode Coyote Run south where I had a little crash on the section where you come out of the trees and there is a steep, short climb then it drops down the other side with a couple of two foot rock drops that you can slowly roll with no problem.  I never rolls these I always take them with some speed and have never crashed on them before.  I had Jake walk over and check them out and explained how to take them then I got on my bike and almost immediately stuck my foot in my mouth, actually I stuck my knee in my eye as I went OTB.  After getting up and gathering my dignity Jake decided he would walk this section.

 Yeah, my glasses cut me.

 Not as bad as it felt, this little scrap hurt.

We took Coyote Run to Mathis to Dripping Caves.  These caves kind of look like my face after I crashed.   Dripping caves has a fun little downhill at the end that Jake slid out on.  We rode over to Wood Canyon and on the way stopped to lend pliers to a guy.  Then we rode back to Mathis and got on Coyote Run and rode north until we hit Wood Canyon again and then back to the truck.  

Jake loved it and definitely wants to do this one again.

A Pictures Worth.....

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and today I really can't think of much to say.  It as the normal "Ryan" ride for Sunday morning.  Yesterday I rode with a buddy from college and we were having such a good ride that I never stopped to take pictures, but with the kids today I took the time to take a few.

 Ryan on the first climb.

 Almost made it!!!

 Jake just taking n the view.

 Forced to pose with each other by Dad.

 Jake ready to rip.

 Ryan told me at the bottom that she almost had a heart attack on this one!

I made Jake follow his sister for the last part of Fenceline, he was not happy.

What if you threw a ride and nobody came?

What if you threw a ride and nobody came? 

Well in our case we ride anyway,  and have a great time!

Earlier this week I posted a family ride on SoCalTrailRiders.org.  I was trying to get people to bring their kids out for a fun morning in the dirt, because my kids keep asking why they never see other kids riding.  I take my son Jake who is 11 and my daughter Ryan who is 7 out to do some trail riding every Sunday and they love it, most of the time.  This morning Jake said he was to tired and did not want to ride, so he stayed home.  He has been doing this more and more lately because all of his friends just sit around and play video games and I think he feels embarrassed that he does not have an Xbox, but he has a nicer bike than any of them.  However, my daughter is always asking if we can go ride, she loves it, even on her purple Target Disney Princess bike.  So I figured if I could get some more parents to bring their kids out, then maybe Jake will see that there are other kids his age who like to ride and both he and Ryan could make some new friends, it is always more fun to ride with friends!  Unfortunately nobody showed so Ryan and I headed out on our own. 

We rode Bommer to Fenceline like usual, but on Fenceline Ryan was able to open it up a little more than normal and was riding really fast, for a 7 year old.  We then took Fenceline to Missing Link.  Everyone we passed on the single tracks gave Ryan words of encouragement, lots of "Good Job!" and even some "Wow, your doing great."  Which are all answered with  "Thanks!" yelled over her shoulder as she passes.  At the top of Missing Link we stopped for a little break.

After a few minutes of rest I asked where she wanted to ride, her usual answer at this point is back to the truck, but not today.  Today she wanted to keep going.  We went down El Moro Ridge and ran into another rider from SoCalTrailRiders.org and stopped to say hello, I should say I stopped Ryan continued to the top of the hill and waited for me there.  Once I caught up we rode to the Lower Moro Camp Ground and stopped for a snack.  Ryan and El Moro Ridge have a little history from a few weeks ago.  Several weeks ago Ryan had her first crash on this section of trail and since has refused to go anywhere near it.  When we got to the camp ground she asked, "Are we almost to where I crashed?" I said, "Nope, we passed it about a mile ago."  She had a smile from ear to ear.

Snack time!

Here are some views from the camp ground.

Our route back was just the route there in reverse.  We stopped again at the top of Missing Link and took another rest.  Usually Ryan will walk down the trail from Missing Link because it is a little steep,  I usually get to the bottom and then turn around to see her slipping and sliding down while walking her bike.  Today I turned around, saw her on her bike, saw her take a huge breath, and then roll over the edge where I lost sight of her in the brush but a few seconds later she came flying by me going faster than I think she has ever gone before. 

This is my smile after she made it down

 I'm not as fat as I look here. 

The rest of the ride was pretty good too, we made it back safe and had a great time.

Scattante Matrix Multi-Lens Eyewear

Scattante Matrix Multi-Lens Eyewear

Engineered to offer an ergonomic fit, precision optics, impact resistance and peripheral coverage, the Matrix cycling sunglasses combine a wicked cool shape with amazing visibility.

• Durable Grilamid TR-90 frame provides excellent protection in any condition
• Polycarbonate lenses deliver superior optical clarity, scratch resistance and long life
• Active lens vents increase air circulation to dramatically reduce fogging
• Tactilite rubber bridge rests and temple tips resist perspiration so your glasses stay put
• 4-point frame fit guarantees a well balanced, secure and comfortable viewing experience
• 100% UVA/UVB protection
• Fits medium faces well for men and women
• Zippered case and cleaning cloth included
• Metallic Grey frame comes with 3 interchangeable lenses in Clear (100% light transmission), Orange Amber (47% light transmission and Smoke w/ Silver Flash Mirror (20% light transmission)
• White frame comes with 3 interchangeable lenses in Clear (100% light transmission), Orange Amber (47% light transmission and Smoke w/ Silver Flash Mirror (20% light transmission)

   Before I purchased the Scattante Matrix glasses I was riding with my Anarchy Eyewear "Cory Lopez" glasses.  My Anarchy glasses were constantly slipping and they fogged up all the time, and yes I know they are not designed for riding.  One of the other problems with the Anarchy glasses is that they were expensive, I really did not want to break them in a crash.  Set to find a new pair of glasses I headed out to several shops that carry eyewear and I checked out several pairs of Oakley glasses and a few others, but they cost more than the Anarchy glasses!  I decided to check out Performance Bikes.  Normally I don't go out to performance because they seem to cater towards roadies and people looking for comfort bikes, but I had a gift card so I figured even if they did not have any glasses then I could at least pick up some tubes or CO2 cartridges.

  Performance had the Scattante Matrix Multi-Lens glasses in their display.  The first thing I noticed was that they were not bad looking, they had large lenses, they came in several colors, and had three lens options.  The next thing I noticed was the price, they were on sale for $29.99.  I decided to get them.  I have been wearing them for about 6 months and consider them one of my better purchases.  The frames are light and comfortable, I usually forget they are on my face.  The nose has rubber pads that are nice and soft, but also keep the frames right where they should be.  The arms also have similar rubber pads that help to hold them in place.

Most glasses that I wear start to hurt the part of my ear where they make contact, I have had this problem with many different manufacturers frames, but not with these and they do not slip. 

The glasses come with three sets of polycarbonate lenses, clear, amber, and tinted.  The clear lenses are just clear polycarbonate that offer you a protected view in any light situation.  The tinted lenses are just like having sunglasses on and work well in bright sunlight, I use these a lot.  The last set of lenes are the amber lenses.  These are my favorite lenses, they work well in sunlight and in low light, in low light they seem to make everything brighter.   I was riding in the late afternoon the first time that I used the amber lenes and when I finished the ride and took the glasses off I was surprised to see that it was almost dark, with the glasses on it looked like it was mid afternoon.   I use the amber almost all of the time now.   The other feature that each of the lenes has are the vents, and as long as you are moving they will stay fog free, if you stop they will fog up but as soon as you are moving again they clear right up.  To change between the lenes you just have to push on the corner and the lens will pop right out and the other lens will pop right back in, it takes just a few seconds to change lenses.

  If you are looking for a new pair of glasses and don't want to spend a small fortune then I highly recommend that you check out these glasses.  I have no complaints for them, they fit well with my helmet, they don't slip, and have offered me eye protection in several crashes.







Ryan Rides Again

I had two kids excited to ride this morning,  this was a surprise because I thought it would be just Jake and I.  Ryan was up and when I walked by she said when are we leaving.  She was going!!!!  I loaded up the bikes while waiting for Jake to get ready and the decision was made (by Ryan) to bring her small bike.  When Jake finally decided to grace us with his presence we left. 

At the trail head it was probably 10 degrees colder than it was at our house, I suited Ryan up in my arm warmers.

Since Ryan crashed last time, she decided that she should be padded up this time.  So with Princess knee pads and Barbie elbow pads she was ready to rock.

We got to the first hill of the trail and Ryan broke down, she did not want to crash again, there were some tears and Jake even launched himself first so that she could watch.  In the end the hill was rolled, but I have fallen down hills faster than we rode it, her confidence went up a notch.  As we rode Bommer she got more and more confident until we got to Fenceline. For some reason single tracks scare her.  Jake went first and we did not see him again until we got to the monument at the top.  Ryan took it slow at first, watching me roll sections and then deciding if she would roll them or walk them, there was a lot of walking.

When we finally got to the top Jake was waiting and so was the rain, we could see it coming.  It was time to head back to the truck.  We went back down Fenceline, Ryan walked the first hill but rode almost all of the rest with much more confidence than she had on the way back.  We were not able to beat the rain and got a little wet but both kids and myself had a great time.