Holy Thursday ride, Batman!

Today Jay, myself and Manitou headed out to Survival Trail - a short, intense 15km trail system that has its share of ups, downs, and technical sections...

The first bit is a steep dirt road climb, that, due to a recent construction of a school at the top of the hill, has been partially cemented. We normally stop at the midway point to catch your breath, but this time, I was in for a surprise. The monkey just wanted to keep on going. This isn't seated climbing we're talking about folks. This is stand-up-and-pedal-for-all-you're-worth-coz-you-ain't-got-no-gears territory. We cleaned the climb without stopping - something I've only done once before, on the Salsa Caballero (full-suspension+gears). Yes, I was in shock, and in awe. The more I ride the Surly, the more I'm enamored by it hehe

We crossed a "river" and I decided to test the monkey's stability by motoring through the shallows...no problems there. My virgin-white Sidi's got wet, though! They did seem to stretch, and fit better, after at least.

Here's Manitou gingerly crossing the river. I swear, the next time, he'll be pedaling through it! Well, at least his feet stayed dry!



There's more than a few technical sections to have some fun on. Here I am "dropping" the monkey - the big wheels just roll over stuff!



Erosion has played a big part in shaping the area - deep ruts and ravines dominate some sections. A few are rideable, a few are stricly hike-a-bike.

Watch out for the rut, Manitou!


Strictly Hike-a-Bike


Oh, here's the obligatory disco-daddy shoe shot:



For a short trail, this place has everything. Lots of shaded sections, technical climbs, steep descents. It's also rideable in reverse, so you can effectively double your mileage, and fun at the same time.

Here are the three of us goofing around:


And here's the monkey after the downhill run. My rims were hot to the touch - seems I need to brake a bit harder (or earlier) going into turns with this bike - it feels much faster than the old SS 26er...


Survival trail never lets me down! And we had our post-ride celebration in Hosseins - with some Lamb Curry and Kebabs. Yum!

Later that afternoon I decided to experiment. I flipped the Mary bars (once again) and rode around the city, taking advantage of the Holy Week's lack of automotive traffic. I think I can get used to the bar that low. Wheelies and lofting the front end need a different technique, though.

I'll probably give it a shot in the dirt this weekend :)

Thanks to Jay and Manitou for the recent pics!