Curveball profile

It's a lot easier to snot-gun with an open face helmet.

It's funny that my riding gear doesn't really wear out. I still have a lycra VooDoo jersey from 1990-something. Also, an ancient sleeveless jersey from either Nashbar or Performance. These old bits of attire are only worn at the very tail-end of a long road trip when my regular stuff is all nastified with sweat and dirt. Even my regular riding shorts and jerseys are probably over a decade old.

This sounds like the ultimate drivetrain for me. I've used various XT drivetrains for a good many decades with great reliability. I tend to keep my bikes for a long time and every XT drivetrain that I've had has been solid, even with mucky PNW trails.

Such writing! I'm grateful that you didn't complete a degree in English Literature or similar program that would have instilled a notion of exactly what good prose should be about and completely stifled your real voice. 

I feel extremely guilty, quite remiss really, that I've been reading and thoroughly enjoying your essays since way back in the beginning days of Bike magazine and haven't yet expressed my gratitude for your thoughts. I can think of only a very few writers whom I enjoy reading as much as your work. Being in the company of John McPhee and Mark Twain is really something to this reader. 

Back on topic, last summer the trails up here in the PNW were a hellish mix of arid moondust and loose rocks. Just waiting for the fall rains to bring the expected hero dirt back into existence was excruciating as September groaned into October... and then November when all of a sudden snow buried the higher trails and the lower ones went from dust to slop.

I almost ordered a Bird. I bought a Rallon instead. Now I need to sell my old alloy GG Megatrail. It's a hell of a bike and seems built to last. It's a 2017 and the geometry still holds up to current bikes.

It seems that such a brake choice might be begging for a lawsuit when someone inevitably crashes and gets seriously injured.

My first Toyota was a 1976 Landcruiser FJ40. I've been a Toyota fan ever since then. I've had a few Corollas and quite a few pickups over the decades. Current rig is a 2018 Tacoma. But I really dig those first-generation trucks.

I have the MX8's on my enduro bike and love them. I have the Speciale 8's on my hardtail. It feels like it's easier to get my foot into the MX8's on sketchy descents. I had retention issues with SPDs. They popped out at bad times for me. No issues with the Times.

I’m going to replace the stock Maxxterra Assegai on my new bike with a T9 Butcher. The Maxxterra doesn’t do it on our wet roots.

I think WTB does a great job of describing what their tires are about.