As you know, for the past week I've been deep in a Fredly spiral of frenziedly comparing road bikes, attempting to parse the subtleties of vintage titanium, modern crabon, and prototype aluminum by riding more or less the same route over and over again. And while I love riding road bikes, and I'm also quite fond of the route on which I've been riding, I was long, long, long overdue for the type of mixed-terrain Lycra-free ramble that reminds you what life is really all about. And that's what I did today:
What's best about this time of year is that not only are the trails dry, but the atmospheric conditions are such that you can head out in shorts and a t-shirt without drenching said t-shirt in sweat. Also, while I certainly needed a change of pace from road riding, all of those Fredly miles I've been cramming in this week made my legs feel rather snappy, so between that and the near-perfect weather I felt like I could have ridden all day. However, I cannot ride all day owing to my familial responsibilities, and so I settled for riding here:
Where I parked my bike in its customary spot and treated myself to $20 of locally-grown, farm-to-table, kitchen-to-douchebag artisanal foodstuffs:
In all, the ride was just under 50 miles of dirt trail, quasi-secret singletrack, and rolling road, and it would make a fantastic Fondon't course if I ever got it together to lead one again. And of course the star of the ride was the Jones LWB, which allows you to easily string together terrain that might otherwise be mutually exclusive--and yes, it even feels great on the road.
Speaking of the Jones, last Friday was the deadline for submissions to the Jones SWB giveaway competition, and you'll be pleased to know I've now narrowed it down to three (3) contestants:
I'm not going to share those contestants with you, because I don't want anybody attempting to corrupt the decision-making process by offering me bribes. Instead, I will do much soul-searching over the weekend, and on Monday I will announce the winner.
I'm sure you can hardly wait, even though you didn't win.
14 comments:
There's a Jones in your deer photo!
Strava gives away secrets.
"kitchen to douchebag artisinal" is perfect. I'm living vicariously through your bike riding.
kitchen to douche is wonderful. i am borrowing that indefinitely for any occasion i'm stuck with the sorts of people that drone on and on and on about whatever ingredient and where its sourced and blah blah blah. the same folks that then swiftly move to other wonderful topics at dinner like... atheism, trump, bitcoin,IPAs and communism. i really need to stop going to dinner with a few folks.
also, i do hope you will at least share the top 3 entries 'cause i am rather curious about what one would write in hopes of winning a bike from your royal Lobness.
i was thinking i might just submitting various photos of sexy jorts in hopes of winning you over but couldnt figure out how to send photos. maybe next time.
Snob, you're still the dura ace of food and bike blogging. good work sir.
A whistle blower told me that while Snob claims he's choosing between eeny, meeny and miney, he is actually going with moe.
So much posting this week, a grand blessing from Lob! Mixing up road and mountainous biking myself in this glorious weather.
Re: P. Bateman, esq., etc.,...
I second these heralds, Snob! Top notch metaphor-deployment (?)! As for the ride, all's I can say is, "Phew!" That much pedaellin' on my parts would easily top $20 Iin subsequent comestibles....You're "making out like a bandit!"
City riding? Meh, too noisy for me. Especially when there's 184 miles of car-free two track mere yards from my intardwebnet posting post.
Oh, and there's like 26 miles of smooth asphalt, equally car free, that runs parallel to the aforementioned dirt. I can head out there and see the show anytime I want. Deer, turkey, squirrels-One time I watched a hawk swoop down and fly off with some takeout for dinner. Majestic creatures all. One early foggy morning I thought I was following a couple of big black dogs about fifty yards ahead. They turned into the treeline and I realized-They weren't dogs. They were half-grown black bear cubs. I'll admit I breathed a silent prayer that Mama wasn't close by, but I'd still rather take my chances with the bears than I would with some joker behind the wheel texting.
To each his own, I reckon.
"Jones LWB, which allows you to easily string together terrain that might otherwise be mutually exclusive...."
Do you need permission from Mrs. (or Mr.?) Jones LWB each time you want to do crazy things like this?
"Me-e a-and Mrs., Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones.
We've got a thing going on."
There's an ear worm for you.
You're welcome.
@Anonymous pbateman eats at dorsia and dont care where the fois gras came from
Don't be hating on the IPAs.
So I see you ordered the carrot sticks at Stone Barns.
Mr. T Tenovo,
I know you are busy with your multimedia empire. Thanks for your time.
Given this scenario, which (Jones complete) bike would you own, the SWB or the LWB?-->You are only going to ride it off-road, as a mountain bike in places on the East Coast where people ride almost exclusively mountain bikes. There will be no commuting. There will be no bike packing. The only road riding it will see would be a mile or two to get to a trailhead. You will not put anything more on the frame than bottle cages and a seat bag. Rides will typically be 1-4 hours in length. Would you go with the SWB for the quicker handling or the LWB for the stability? Or is it more nuanced than that?
It occurs to me that the "correct" bike is likely a titanium LWB tricked out to be as light as possible. You see, I want to drink the Jones Champagne but can only afford the Kool-Aid!
PS Visited Classic Cycle on a family vacation to Seattle in August. What a great shop. Those folks are keepers of the flame. Your wooden sled (sic) is in a good home.
Anonymous 9:14pm,
That's a tough question! My only quibble with the SWB as a mountain bike was the pedal clearance on rooty/rocky terrain--but I believe the SWB frameset (as opposed to the one that comes with the complete) has an eccentric bottom bracket which can buy you some clearance. (Though I don't know that for sure.) Meanwhile, the LWB isn't as playful, but the long wheelbase and the 29+ tires handle roots and rocks that much better. I guess it depends on what you value. If you're the type of rider who likes to get your wheels up off the ground the SWB is probably the better choice.
If you're in the market for one I'd recommend contacting Jeff Jones and doing whatever he says.
--Tan Tenovo
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