Follow the Leader

I wake up early most days. With the shop slowing down for the winter season, it means I have time for morning rides. I really love it- it's cold, quiet, and I usually have the trails all to myself. Or almost all to myself- I also bring along my riding buddy of the past 9+ years.

Cedar Hot Dog is a great trail dog. She gets in the zone. She'll run in front when I'm going slow, and then fall in right behind me when if I pick up speed. She's always right near me- she's not distracted by woodland creatures or other riders. She's learned to respond to the command "Scoot!" if I need her outta my way quick.

We ride the same trails pretty often. I like getting to know a trail really well. Some spots may be difficult to ride at first, but maybe you try a different line one day, or you get better at anticipating what's next, and you ride more and more of the trail. It feels like a nice accomplishment.

There's one spot on the trail we rode this morning that I've always had trouble with. There's a little rock pile flanked by a boulder and a tree trunk. I've tried a number of different lines, on different bikes, in different gears to get up and over it. I always have to put a foot down at the last second. Always. For years- I've been doing this for years.

This morning CHD was in front and ran up the obstacle in a way that I'd not thought of trying before. I like riding with other people to see how they ride and follow their lines- it helps to see the trails in a different way. So why not follow the dog's line? I did- and totally cleared it!

Cool Weather

Fall! The favorite season of New Englanders means perfectly comfortable days and cool nights and mornings. It won't be too long before we sink into full-on cold weather (sorry to bum you out). We've brought in a new option for gloves this season that'll protect your mitts from frost bite but will still let you use that smart cellular telephone of yours.

That little 'on button' symbol on the index finger means you can still interact with touch screens. I tried it out- it actually works. In stock now- $30 and they're yours.

Getting Colder

It's been a pretty nice fall so far, in my humble opinion. It hasn't really started getting cold yet, but it's definitely on it's way. My very least favorite thing about cold weather is having cold hands. I would sit outside in a bathing suit in December as long as I'm wearing gloves (that's not entirely true).

In the spirit of the coming cold weather we got some new gloves in the shop yesterday. The one I'm most excited about is the Evo Drone. For two reasons in particular.

It looks just like a regular old glove. Black, synthetic material, white loge/highlights:

Here's where it gets interesting. The index finger and thumb have a little flap, so you can expose just enough finger to use your smart phone:

Aaaaand. There's a windproof mitten-y cover that tucks into the back of the glove for when it gets really cold (or for when you ride really fast):

To be fair, I haven't actually used these gloves yet, so I have no idea how warm they really are. I do have high hopes for them. And according to their handy glove-mometer (5-10 degrees?!) they should be nice and toasty.