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.

Running or Riding?

Runners just might be smarter than bikers...

I've been thinking back to when I had injured my hand; I couldn’t hold my handlebars and I needed to find another way to get my endorphin fix. I’ve been running off and on for years, but this was the first time that it was my sole (pun) source of exercise and trail time.

We all know that you can burn more calories running in a short time and that running promotes bone health better than cycling, but it wasn’t the physiological aspects that caused this revelation, it was just the beautiful simplicity of the sport.

Bikes are good, friends are better.

I've got two sets of friends in my life, my "bike" friends and then some other people that I know. Not that there is anything wrong with my non-bike friends, they are all great people. But there is something special about my biker buddies. It's like we all share a great secret, and every time someone gets on a bike and gets hooked on riding, we know that now they know the secret too. Read more...

WTB Valcon Saddle Review

Don't ya hate it when there's a product you like but then a company discontinues it?

I've been a fan of WTB products since SST saddles and Velociraptor tires (1999?), so I wasn't surprised the be happy with the fit and feel of the Valcon.

The Pro version is 135mm wide which makes it super easy to negotiate when getting back behind the saddle. No, I don't have a dropper post, and no, my frame's 27.2 seat tube won't accommodate one.

Mainly Maine

Back to Maine again? Yes, this is our third trip to Maine this summer (Acadia National Park and Bradbury Mountain State Park) as we try to get some use out of our travel trailer.  This trip was to Georgetown Island, sort of near Bath.

We didn't have a specific agenda in mind, and didn't even bring the mountain bikes! Our main plan was to hang out with our friends James & Jessica and just enjoy the Maine coast line.

As is almost always the case, we didn't get on the road as early as we had hoped on Friday morning but go to our destination without incident.

North Conway, NH

I really need to spend some more time riding in North Conway. The trails are awesome and I have a skinny younger brother who seems to enjoy reminding me that it's damn flat on my home trails.

Spending the majority of the time riding in the Boston area, I develop a false sense of security. I feel comfortable riding just about everything on my fully rigid single speed, and then when I occasionally hit some gnar in New Hampshire I start thinking about how I can get "just one more low gear" on my bike and how I can eek out a little more travel in the suspension.

The Quest for the Elusive Cassette

Had QUITE the journey to convert my wife's bike to a 1x10 with one of e13's extended range cogs and a Race Face wide/narrow chainring. I've done this on a few bikes already and the process only takes about an hour total...

I had done my research and ordered a 40t cog compatible with the Shimano cassette which was already on the bike. Upon the cog's arrival, I found that a special tool was required to remove the crank arms. D'oh! I have two huge Craftsman rolling tool chests full of bike tools, but I love needing one more special tool that only does one thing on one bike. Argh.

I headed up to Riverside Cycles, a local Cannondale dealer about 45 min away. They had the tool and had me on my way in only a couple of minutes, but that still took almost 2hrs. I did ask them to order one of the tools for me also. There's always room for more in my workshop. Read more...

Bradbury Mountain State Park, more Maine!

Back to Maine...

Our camping season started in Maine, and we had a good time so we went back for more.

This time, Bradbury Mountain State Park for mountain biking. It was relatively close so it served as a great little weekend get-away.

It's been several years since I rode the trails at Bradbury Mountain and I had forgotten what they were like. Perfect reason to refresh the memories...

Central Vermont Cycling Tour

Vermont? Gravel roads? A camping weekend? Yes, sign me up!

A couple of months after a super fun ride in the Montpelier area (Muddy Onion), it was time for Jean and I to head back up for another fun event, this time the Central Vermont Cycling Tour.

If you're a regular reader of this blog (and why wouldn't you be?), you may recall that Jean and I attempted this ride last summer. (READ MORE)

NEMBAFest 2016, Kingdom Trails, East Burke, Vermont

You want photos? Read on...

Acadia National Park, Maine, 2016

Of course, even though our vacation started off by "sleeping" in a Maine Turnpike rest area, and then by being woken up by the possibility that our house had been broken in to, AND some rain on our first full day in Maine, we had fun.

We did some exploring, took the dogs to the beach, and had some great seafood (a recurring theme).

See more for pics & video!

The Ride Down Cadillac Mountain

The ride UP is much less entertaining to watch but stay tuned for more from Maine!

Maine 2016

Who says I don't know how to show a girl a good time?

Nothing says romance like waking up in a truck stop, so that's what we did...

We decided to leave for Maine after work on Friday, and as you can imagine, traffic heading north on the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend was going to be epic. We let traffic clear out a bit, left late, and then slept in a Maine Turnpike service area after getting a couple of hours of driving done. So this is the view that Jean and I woke up to on the morning of our 11-year anniversary. Romantic indeed! Needless to say, we didn't linger, and hit the road to get up to Mount Desert Island.

Weeping Willow MTB Race (May, 2016)

I was only able to catch the 9:30 group of races due to those pesky work obligations. And with that, I didn't get shots of everyone. What I did get though, is posted here for all to see. Check out that link for access to the 170+ pics.

I should have been out there racing too, but again, I had work, and I wanted to get some pics. Willowdale is such an awesome place to rice...

Anyway, enjoy the pics! See ya!

https://davealden.smugmug.com/Weeping-Willow-MTB-Race-2016/

A New Perspective

Working on a new way of using my GoPro... this was just a test run, more coming soon...

Dirt Rag Magazine

I've written many print articles in my time, but one of my favorite magazines to read, and to write for, is Dirt Rag. (Read more)

46 and Flatland (47 soon)

Well, it's already May, so a good portion of 2016 is in the bag. Damn, time flies. I haven't been on my BMX bike as much as I would have liked, both from lack of time and on some days, lack of motivation. I've got the itch again though... here are some clips from the few times I've ridden so far this year. Nothing I probably haven't posted before, but it's good for me to keep up with some of the old stuff. I hope to have some better clips coming soon!

Muddy Onion Gravel Ride Video