NEMBAFest--Day 2

Thanks to Bear Cieri and Clif Bar for the pic!

After a cloudy start, Saturday turned out to be a truly amazing day.

Ralph played camp host and brewed coffee for the crew and after we all scarfed down some breakfast, it was time to hit the trails.

Mike Lawless made the day trip up from MA to join us too, and after a quick shock check at the SRAM/RockShox tent, we were rolling.

We hit many of the favorite trails, Harp, Coronary Bypass, Pastore Point Loop, Coronary, Troll Stroll,  Eager Beaver, Webs, West Branch, Hog Back, Sidewinder, and Old Webs before heading back to camp for lunch.

NEMBAFest--Day 1

Mud.

Mud was the theme for day one of NEMBAFest 2017 in East Burke, Vermont.

The morning started out dry, as Dave Tufts, Glen Gollrad (both BMX brothers from the '80s) and I hit the road early from the Boston area, but skies turned darker and wetter as we traveled north...

That rain created quite a few headaches for campers in the RV area on Darling Hill.

There was a huge area of grass that was deceptively deep, slick, and squishy and many people got stuck.

Fortunately, I didn't, but there was one huge travel trailer that was "camped" in the middle because you could tell that there was no way he was moving until it was dry. And several others fell victim to the mud too!

NEMBAFest 2017

Another great weekend in the Northeast Kingdom!

• Day 1 (Friday)
• Day 2 (Saturday)

More is coming, but in the meantime you can also check out last year's coverage including the huge photo gallery.

Wanna buy some land in East Burke?

Acadia National Park--2017

It's another Memorial Day vacation and another trip to Acadia National Park in Maine. As you may recall, Jean and I were there last year and had a great time.

Much of this year's trip was similar to last year, great rides on the carriage roads, short hikes with killer views, and some amazing sea food.

Of course, this year, we had THREE dogs with us as we have added to our pack with Ruby Roo.

Three dogs, plus Jean and I in our travel trailer was a little tight at times, but doable. And, far easier to deal with than if we had all been in a tent!

48 + BMX

RockyMounts TomaHawk Roof Rack Review

I have bikes and I like to go places. I like to take my bikes when I go places so I need to safe and secure way to bring them with me. I’ve been a Thule guy for a LONG time. I’ve had Thule racks on the roofs or the backs of my cars and trucks for almost 20 years. Right now I still have 8 bikes worth of Thule Racks for my truck and my wife’s car. But alas, Thule hasn’t kept up my needs, which currently include the need to carry a plus bike on my roof.

2017 Muddy Onion Video

Muddy Onion 2017 from David Alden on Vimeo.

For the full story and link to the photo gallery, go here!

Muddy Onion Gravel Ride 2017, Montpelier, VT

I'd have to say, by all accounts, the 2017 Muddy Onion gravel ride presented by Onion River Sports was a success.

Perfect weather, great course, excellent support and an all-around great vibe for the nearly 600 riders.

Click here for the photo gallery

Video is posted here.

Jean and I had done this ride last year and it really set the tone for gravel rides for the remainder of 2016, and since then, we've been looking forward to this year's event. Read More

Gravel Knowledge

So, you're thinking about participating in a gravel ride, or, as the kids call 'em, a "Gravel Grinder."

Maybe you're wondering, "how do I prepare?"
Or, "what are the best tires?"
Perhaps, "do I need a gravel bike?"
Well, read on to become enlightened...

My Bad Habit

Cannondale hasn’t been a stranger around my house, but for the most part, it’s been my wife who’s been the fan-girl. I’ve owned one C'dale, an F500 which was ultimately used primarily for cyclocross racing and some off-road duathlons. And while I’ve had that one, my wife has had (or still has) a Scalpel, Rush, Habit, R1000, 1FG, and SL 2...

Anyway, I’ve been looking to fill a gap in my quiver and I’ve been intrigued by the whole 27.5+ segment since renting one in Santa Cruz last year. With that in mind, the Bad Habit has been on my radar ever since my friend Glen sent me one of those “check this out,” text messages.

Instagram!

It's almost the middle of March and the weather is still nasty, with a wind chill today estimated at well below zero F and a blizzard or winter storm coming along in a couple of days. Damn.

Between the weather, and my schedule for the first couple of months of 2017, I've been sorely missing my bike(s). My schedule has not only kept me off the bike, but it's also been getting way of putting together any good content for the site. Double damn. Read on...

Dreaming of Warmer Weather

As I delve deeper and deeper into winter survival mode, I think back fondly on a great trip the wife and I took to Tortola in the British Virgin Island a couple of years ago. Aside from almost drowning, it was a great trip.... Not a mountain bike destination per se, but the riding was fun and the weather was warm!

Obligatory 2016 Year End Post

'Tis the season to post a year-end "Best Of" list or re-cap. Not to be left out, I've decided to follow the crowd and do the same. Mostly because I do enjoy taking a look back and thinking about my past full trip around the sun.

First off, I took LOTS of photos (Instagram)...

I didn't ride as much as I would have liked... I don't think I *could* ride as much as I would like, not with that pesky job getting in the way. But, looking back, I did have some great rides, and quality always trumps quantity.

MTB Video Reviewzzzzz...

Well, it's that time of year when I can get caught up with my TV and movie watching because I'll be putting some time in on the rollers.

I'm NOT a fan of winter nor winter sports. You can keep your skis, snowshoes, snowboards, fat bikes and everything else, I'll be inside bitching. And I'm okay with that.

For the past couple of year however, I've had a really hard time finding any good MTB videos to watch.

ChainSmoke, from the mid-90's was one of the first videos, and still fun to watch.  And then the New World Disorder series of videos in the early 2000's were a blast too.

And then, it seems, things got lame. (read more)

The Freaks Come Out At Night

It’s the time of year when the days are short, the nights are chilly, and the trails are still calling. It’s time for night rides.

I was thinking about writing something about night riding and then I remembered that I had done some articles on the subject a few years ago… make that about 17 years ago! I published a couple of articles in 1999 on the subject, in Men’s Health and Fitness and MetroSports Boston.

Santa Cruz, Part 1

Santa Cruz MTB Trails from David Alden on Vimeo.

More pics here, and more of everything will be coming soon!

Kingdom Trails 2016

Kingdom Trails NEVER fails to deliver an amazing ride.

Trail of Tears, West Barnstable, MA / Cape Cod MTB Trails

Trail Info (courtesy of NEMBA)
Trail Map (courtesy of Cape Cod NEMBA)

Precious Pressure

I spend a good amount of my time at work worrying about pressure. Specifically blood pressure. I can let pressure that's a bit too high slide for a bit there are usually more problems with pressure that's too low. I think it's the same for bike tires. Too high might decrease traction, but too low will make a bike feel like it's not tracking right. And, if it's too low and you run tubes, you've got a higher risk of getting pinch flats. Too low on a tubeless set up and you can "burp" more air out of the tire and break the seal at the rim/bead. There's a sweet spot for tire (and blood) pressure, and sudden loss of pressure  isn't good in either situation.

Rose Mountain Rumble

Another gravel ride is in the books, and I'm happy to say that I had a great ride at this year's Rose Mountain Rumble!

Awesome route and awesome weather... what more could a rider ask for?

Rider photos are up here!

My buddies Jason and Dave had done this ride last year and they raved about it.