Be honest...

[mixalive]

Festival work. My 3 week long gig with no time off was over Monday night. I am still a zombie..

[vpc66]

Cool, hope after you get some rest that we will start to hear from you again...maybe catch some news about your greenbelt trail by your parents place if I remember correct...Sure it was a pain at times but hope the Festival had some bright points for you !

[neo_pop_71]

Hey Mix,

How many shows did to do this year at SXSW? Did you get close to 100 again?

Don't worry Big V., Mix had to have bright points... $ $ $... always brightens my day!!!

[vpc66]

True

[mixalive]

I am doing Rodeo Austin these days instead of SXS*. SXS* can't seem to get the pay right. I did 60 bands this year on the Rodeo Austins outdoor stage.

[neo_pop_71]

BTW the bike rode great but I have some ghost shifting in one gear in the middle chain ring I need to figure out and fix.

Hey Ron,

Sorry man, I don't know how I overlooked your comment about ghost shifting, here are a few things to try to hopefully resolve the issue.

1. Ride your Cuda around, run up and down through the gears until it ghost shifts a few times, now you've isolated the ghost shifting to that particular cog. Stop and carefully examine the teeth on the ghost shifting cog. Look for chipped or rounded over teeth but also look for evidence of a hard shift (flattened off area that changed the shape of the tooth).

2. Whether or not you can identify any damage, try a couple turns of the adjustment barrel on the back of the rear derailleur. Ride it and see if it still ghost shifts but do not change the gearing, if it is ghost shifting then try a couple turns of the barrel adjuster on the shifter while riding. It's been my experience that adjusting at the derailleur will solve the problem about 25% of the time and adjusting at the shifter while riding usually solves the issue. Keep in mind that new cables can stretch fast and require the shift cable be retentioned at the anchor nut.

3. If you do find damage on a particular tooth you only have a couple options... if it's on a large cog that is riveted to the spine, you'll need to try and file the tooth back into shape... if it's on a small cog that is loose and not riveted, you can try to file and save it or have your LBS order you a replacement cog. Single cogs are only a few bucks but it's more than worth it to me to avoid ghost shifting (insanely annoys me) and salvage the cassette. Otherwise you end up with a gang of spare parts like me!

Good luck compadre!!!

[mixalive]

I got busted on one of my neighborhood's outlaw trails last November. I rode this loop one day. The next day, someone had cut the top off a couple of trees and blocked the trail. The next day I went back up there, and they did the same to the other part of the loop.. Bastids.. It was a cool loop too.. I have not been up there since as the weather turned rainy over the holidays. When it is wet, it is un-rideable. Maybe I will go up there this weekend and see if they fenced it off.. And take some pictures..

[Derek]

They weren't deterring you, they were enhancing the technical aspect of your ride. Silly mix, felled trees are for bunny hopping.

[vpc66]

I envy you guys in states that can ride out to trails from your home on the bike, where I have to load and drive a long ways. But when I do get to the MTB Park I do not have to worry about folks that ride horses that feel they are special or hikers. Our MTB Parks are made for bikes and only bikes, we only need worry if the trail is a one way or not and during rain season some paths close down due to low swampy land and we try to protect the trails from erosion ...plus it sucks to run up on gators or snakes !

Ps..Derek beat me to it..I can see a fence stopping the fun but a tree you go over or around

[neo_pop_71]

Ps..Derek beat me to it..I can see a fence stopping the fun but a tree you go over or around

+1 Agreed!

It sounds like a great opportunity to pile a few riding buddies into trucks with your bikes, some folding army shovels plus a few cordless saws-alls, and go build some trails guerrilla-style. Who knows, maybe with the lack of activity, the bastids won't catch on. It's worth a try, even if you only get a few great rides in, there's something uber cool about riding trails you've created or at least groomed and maintained... that delicious satisfaction!!!

p.s. I've handed plenty of bikes over fences... think of fences merely as suggestions for not riding, then go ride the tread off the tires! That nervous little voice in your head makes the thrill of the trail that much more satisfying!