Trails around Wright State

Thursday, 30 August 2012

I took a short ride around the Wright State campus today, following the treeline from the furthest parking lot to the Nutter Center. Nearly past the Center, I found what I sought: an entrance into the forest and a pathway suitable for off-road exercise. The trail systems are not very lengthy through the forests around WSU, but enough is there for an hour's trail ride. Most of the trails are double-track, some graveled, some packed earth. And they offer one stream crossing and quite a few hops over fallen trees.

The forest also has some path openings close to the Creative Arts and Library, but they are marked as part of the Biological Sciences preserve or study areas. Good to see the markings and know that plenty of other paths are available, so these can be left free from bothering the natural habitat.

I plan to find an outdoor activities group similar to the one that has developed at University of Dayton. Perhaps interest can be built for truly developing part of the forest areas for off-road biking.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 78 to 82°F at 11:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Mongoose MGX-D40 trail
Time: about an hour, distance unknown *
Heart rate: unknown *
Path users: 1 pedestrian, close to a campus-forest opening
* no Playback of the ride available, Garmin is on the blink

Set up the suspension for your mountain bike

My MGT mountain bike really is a product of my frugality. (Some would say cheapness.) I bought it at a pawn shop on East Third Street. It had great promise in my eyes, even with the broken cables, rusted chain, and sheared bar-end grips. I was lucky that the bright yellow color didn't raise its price in the appraiser's mind, and that the selling price was only twenty-five bucks.

I took the MGT in to my buddy Brian at Links & Kinks, and he refurbed it for the cost of a thorough tune-up. I was on the trail after spending less than $150.

That was a couple years ago. After buying another bike in Palm Springs and using it on the rocky hills there, I've become more discerning, more demanding of the performance on the trails. I'm still happy with the MGT, even though it's a small frame, so I don't intend to buy into the next level of performance. Instead, I've begun to pay attention to the suspension.

I noticed in one of my first rides this spring that the front forks really didn't have much movement. So I had Brian look at it, and he saw that the forks had seized. Where the forks should compress about 20% when I get on the bike, there was less than 5% change. On the trail, I could sense a bit of response in the forks, but not much.

So I asked Brian to replace the front fork and its suspension. Now the bike is so much more enjoyable. More responsive when I pull up to hop a log. Less of a jolt when the front wheel sets back down after a jump or hop. And more sensitive to my need to change direction as I pass through two shoulder-width trees and need to avoid a third tree that encroaches the path.

Now I’m no expert at the workings of front and rear suspension systems, but I do know that the suspension has to be set up for your weight and riding style. The right setting can make you faster, the bike more controlable, and the ride more enjoyable.

• Check the air pressure in your fork each season. The manufacturer usually recommends air pressure for your weight, and you should check it annually. Either the shocks will lose some seal contact or your  weight may be different.
• Each time you ride, check the amount of displacement as you mount the bike. Both the front shocks and rear suspension should drop about 20% of the available movement. 

So what does the setup do for your ride? Less drop means a stiffer setup, more drop a more cushioned ride.

• A stiffer setup loses the full travel of your suspension, and the bike bounces more through rocky terrain instead of smoothly tracking through. You may loose traction in corners, too. 
• Too much cushioning can allow the suspension to bottom out on bigger hits, and you may feel like you’re riding a sofa with worn springs.

But remember that your tire type and the tire pressure contribute to control and responsiveness. The choice of tire type is a long discussion, but the depth of tread, tire width, and flexibility should be appropriate to your usual trail. You can experiment with changes in air pressure on a couple rides. Raise the air pressure to slow the rebound, lower it to increase rebound. Make air pressure changes of about 5psi, which should result in a big difference.

Thanks to

Chris Carmichael Systems

for many ideas in this post.

Powder coating and Lagonda Trail

Saturday, 18 February 2012

This morning, I headed off early to Links & Kinks, my most trusted bike shop in the Dayton area, to leave my Lotus Legend for a refinishing. Brian does powder coating, which is a clean process for single-color finishes. A long, long time ago, I sent the same bike to an Indiana company for a beautifully done repaint to a metallic blue as a primary color with a pink forequarter that dripped into the blue. But the pink had faded over the years to whites and several serious chips had allowed a bit of rust to develop at the bottom bracket, chain stays, and downtube. So it's time for a refinish, after about 18 years.

Back in 1984, the refinish had cost over $150, including the breakdown by my local bike shop, shipping, refinishing, and rebuilding. Brian quoted a much lower cost, about half of that cost.




Brian's shop is at the north end of Fairborn, on Broad Street (Highway 444) about a block north of the intersection with Maple Avenue and a quarter mile north of the intersection with Central Avenue (Highway 235). Since I had this errand, I brought my mountain bike with me, and headed on to explore either John Bryan Park outside of Yellow Springs or the LORT (Lagonda Trail off Miracle Mile) in Springfield. John Bryan was closed, and I talked with a park ranger for a short bit, to ask about the trails in Springfield. It turned out he knew only about the paved bikeways, and he told me horror stories about shootings on the path from high vantage points. (Man, I hope that is just his paranoia as a uniformed officer.)

I drove on to Springfield, and found the trail after some unsure driving through town. I took the slowest way possible, off Highway 68 through residential areas to eventually end up on Limestone Street, which I took to connect to Highway 4 just to the east of downtown.

Note: The Lagonda Trail is closed to mountain bikes as of Fall 2012.

The better way from Yellow Springs is to take Highway 68 north until it becomes a freeway, then take the exit for Ohio 41 and go across town. From Dayton, take I-70 east to the Highway 4-Business I-70 into Springfield, then take Highway 68 north, and the exit for Ohio 41. From this exit, go east as the street becomes West First Street; turn right at a T-intersection with St. Paris Street, and follow this around a turn to the east to become McCreight Avenue, continue on this street at its name change to Mitchell Boulevard, and 3 miles from Highway 68, turn left on Miracle Mile. Take the first left onto a gravel road at a sign for WIZE radio 1520, and park at the out building on the left.

I had a hard time finding the parking for the trailhead, as I expected to see well-developed facilities. Hmm, too ready to expect everything is absolutely ready for the crowds of mountain bikers, I guess. The north trailhead needs about $25K from a generous benefactor before it can offer parking, and the south trailhead has room only for a few cars parked closely together.

The trail is suitable for beginner to intermediate riders, though the first 150 yards from the south trailhead offer a sudden jump into the complexities the trail offers a rider. The trail is still in development, though it has come a long way from wilderness, thanks to diligent work from Diana Daniels and others. The trails are discernible with the exception of perhaps 50 feet in the middle of the course. The way is marked very frequently with pink ties around trees on alternating sides of the path. The path is generally free of obstructions, though a few 4- through 8-inch timber cross the path occasionally. All timber is hop-able, and many quick dips and rises make a fun ride without being a huge challenge.

The middle of the course has several flatter sections, particularly as the forest gives way to meadow. Some natural obstacles added in this area could keep the path interesting and form a skills development area. There are two or more natural pools that the trail comes near, and sometimes the trail may be pretty muddy in these sections. So, until the trail becomes more developed, expect not to wear your Sunday Best on the trail ... as if we're afraid of mud!

Diana Daniels, indefatigable trail minder

When I parked, a woman was pulling tools from her Rav4. I asked whether the trails were rideable, and she was emphatic about the need to ride them, even through the soupy spots. She mentioned that she had been working on several stumps, and I asked, "So are you Diana?" Yes, it was the indefatigable Ms. Daniels herself, out again to bring more of the trail into shape.

I'm usually a more timid rider, wary of slipping on wet trails and worried that I might leave ruts. Had I been alone at the trailhead, I would have turned around and waited for a dryer course. But Diana insisted I ride, so my tracks could show her where the better lines were, and how corners can be made crisper or slower. So I encourage you, when other trails around Dayton are closed, go to Lagonda to have some muddy fun.
 

Ride conditions
Temperature: 43 to 45°F at 12:00 noon
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm 
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Mongoose MGX-D40 trail
Time: 00:40:39 for 3.02 miles
Heart rate: 142 bpm HRave, 157 bpm HRmax
Trail users: 1 trail worker
Playback of the ride