Friday Morning Circumlocution
Silver Saddle Ranch
My family recently went hiking out at the Silver Saddle Ranch. If you’re not familiar with the Silver Saddle Ranch, this park/working ranch is out on the Carson River Road, which takes off near the end of the east side of 5th Street. As we were hiking the mostly flat, packed sand trails, I got to thinking that this would be a great place to bring a young mountain biker.
Silver Saddle Ranch -Irrigation Trail
The views are great, there are a lot of animals to look at, and the trail network seems like it would be fun to explore by mountain bike with your kids. The area is probably too small for advanced riders, but may be perfect for beginners. I kept an eye out for thorns, but didn’t see any. I plan to take my son riding out there soon, and I’ll report back with the results. There is a map of the Silver Saddle Ranch trails HERE (pdf format).
Silver Saddle Ranch - View of the Carson River
Chris King Bottom Bracket
If you’re like me, you’ve been wanting to add a Chris King part to your bike for a long time, but have never had the cash. The hubs are a work of art, but could set you back the price of a single speed complete bike! The headsets are more affordable, but at over $100, you wonder if you’d get any noticeable performance gain for the buck.
New for 2009 is the Chris King Bottom Bracket. According to the website, the Chris King Bottom Bracket is compatible with the external type cranks systems from Shimano, Race Face, and Full Speed Ahead. It appears these bottom brackets will be priced at around $130, and come in many different colors for the ultimate customization. For a part that will spin a million times down the trail, I would speculate that you may notice a performance gain with a high end bottom bracket such as this one. Chris King parts are also known for their durability, so you may even still have this bottom bracket long after the external bearing standard has come and gone! Someone please buy one of these and let me know how it works out!
Chris King Bottom Bracket
Quick Cash!
But where do you get the cash for a Chris King bottom bracket during times of economic downturn you ask? Set your car on fire! Admit it, many of us have a redundant vehicle or two we don’t need anymore, and the insurance companies will never suspect you. No more car payment, AND you get a claim check!
Bicycle Parade and ???
And finally, I’m thinking of setting up a bike ride similar to the following video. It looks like a nice change from beating yourself up on rough terrain or burning up your muscles on long ascents. If you don’t feel like riding, just show up on your skates or pogo-stick!
Bicycle Parade Scene From Ruddigore
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hmm. are the women on your bike ride going to dance around the men like that in your parade?
It’s cross season. I think it could go either way.
Wow. I am not really sure what to say about that video. Ummm, some pretty disturbing stuff in there. Is this a cyclist mating ritual? Seemed to be a lot of ass grabbing, spread eagle riding, etc. going on.
You are a really weird guy Jeff.
Oh come one, Brian! You could seriously ROCK one of those top hats! Top hat with a chin strap for the pogo stick…
Now that you mention it, I am pretty darn dashing in a hat.
Maybe I should reconsider my position on this.
Thanks for the props Dude!
Cool! I call the Roller Skates!! YEA!
There’s a couple of fun geocaches in that neighborhood.
[...] or continue on the Mexican Ditch Trail. The Mexican Ditch Trail will soon go all the way to the Silver Saddle Ranch, further extending trail possibilities on the ranch’s trail [...]