Why we do what we do?
by:
Ryan R from Long Island N.Y.
Well today was a really good day! After a string of bad luck and annoying problems I finally had a good day. For a while I had begun to question "Why in the hell do I do this" but after to day itall makes sense now. Let me start from the begining. My season started out like crap when I felt like it was going to be the best yet. I had recently saved up enough money to buy a new bike and I was stoked. With the unbelivable Snowboarding season coming to an end I felt like things could only go up from here, WRONG. I put my boards away for the season and broke out the NEW Specialized and couldn't wait ot get to it. After taking her down to the shop I bought her from and getting her prepped for the season I was off. Well this is where things went bad really bad. On a new bike you would expect to get may one hundred miles of noise free riding but thats not what I got, creaking, grinding, and part failure on a BRAND NEW bike. If you have never had this happen to you let me tell you it SUCKS! Well after about five vists to the bike shop that sold her to me they still couldn't fix it. Try this for fun, to me it sounds like a Christmas song Three months of waiting, Five diffrent vists, Three Bottom Brackets, Two sets of Cranks, And a whole bunch of headaches this season. Wel to my rescue comes Specialized and my LBS (The Bike Planet in Syosset "cheap pop") they got me rollin again and all patched up in one vist! WHOO HOO! Let me tell you if your ever in Long Island with your bike and need service go to BIKE Planet, Paul is the man and he'll get you rollin in no time! This is the sad part of my story but now on to the good part now that thats over with. I finally had a good day no mechanicals no pinch flats or flats of any type and no crashes what so ever. It was Wednesday and I was up a little earlier than normal. I work late nights and the hours suck but it makes it great to be able to ride whn I want to every day. Still as of late I have been dreading my daily ride with the notion of "What can go wrong today" but I still go because I love the sound of dirt under my wheels almost as much as as I love the sound of snow under my board. I guess I'm kind of a soul rider but this does not stop me from getting crazy when I want to. Well it had been raining on and off since Monday and when you live on a beach barier island you really shouldn't go riding until you give it a little time to dry out. Most of the local riders do this to prevent erison and trail closer and when you live on island there is not allot of places to ride so we conserve the ones you have. Back to my story I get up around noon and I put my riding gear in my bag while I'm waking up. Out the door and a quick drive over to where my bike is stored for the summer. I can't keep it at my apartment and it only comes here to ride out the winter. I unlock her and roll her out to the deck and get dressed for my ride. I snap on the fenders to keep the wet soil out of my face but the sun is shining bright and I head out to the trail. It's about a quarter mile from where my bike summr home is and it's not far. I reach trail head and make a last minute inspection of my gear and bike. All looks well and off I go Right through the hard pack and into a rock garden, I make a fast right on to a sand covered trail whith sand and rock flying in all directions due to my high speed turn. Through the sand trail ans I hang another high speed turn leaning the bike hard into it my tires WTB Weirwolves bite in and throw sand like a three year old playing in a sand box. I hit the first of many hills today a steep climb up a wet dirt hill cover in wet leaves. I hit the granny perfect and I start my climb up at the top I make another shift back to the mid and it's seamless. You know what the best thing is about climbing is the pay off at the end, It's time to decend I love this Going fast with no effort what so ever! I make anothe shift as I start my decend to the BIG ring for power. Making those high spped turns in decent I'm so glad I spent that little extra cash on my tires and Disc brakes. I come out of the decent perfect and into the park's picnic area with little effort. The rest of the day was clsoe o what I described above I really think the best time to ride is after heavy rains when it just starts to dry out it's not mud but it's wet making for better traction and there are some puddles to blast over and pleanty of new obsticeles to charge and get over after the wind blow them down. I really think it's the best new challange on trails we already know I love it. I finally felt like "now I know why I do this, it's for a day like this" it makes all the money I spent the headaches I go through and the blood I've spilt make it all worth while. When you hit ever turn with out turning the bar, get over ever little thing the trail had on it, Top ever hill you climb, and blast ever hill you decend now thats a good day wouldn't you agree?
