sure, snicker all you want.   just like people snickered when I said that I taught Beckie how to buff a stanchion.   Can’t an attractive fit woman learn intermediate bike maintenance without it turning into a dick joke?   If i got half as much action as chatter that comment generated, I’d never have the energy to ride my bike.   But I digress.   I always know Beckie has used the camelbak cause she hangs to the left.   I then spend the better part of the next ride nearly killing myself and\or choking trying to hydrate –   the left side feels so alien it just messes me up.   Its my problem, I’m seeking   a 12 step program for it.   The hose was the first bit of awkwardness on our Wed NR, it went downhill from there.

Inspired to work on my jumping and gnar, I bought a pair of flat pedal shoes – Five Ten Rennies – a quality set of clogs I snared on deep discount.   I was unsure about the high tops, and they felt weird and bulky walking around the house, but that’s probably since I haven’t worn anything but Tevas in about 4 months.

I really wanted to try em out, so put the flats on the Hei Hei.   The shoes accessorized splendidly.

Unfortunately, crappy flats are just not meant on a 29r xc bike on Hawes with a bald rear tire in sandy conditions going up Upper Mudflaps and Tower at night.   Its the perfect storm, and when I dabbed yet again going up Tower Trail, I let out a string of curses that would make jaded hookers blush.   The pedals made me pay. The blood accessorizing splendidly with the shoes and the bike was no consolation for hamburger shins.

We had a good group – me, Alex, Ray, James, Byron and a special guest appearance by Brian C.   Much heckling occurred about the 3 Pivot Mach5s.   Alex predicted Byron would break his chain.   Karma is such a bitch.

With 6 of us and several splits to hit trials, there was a fair amount of standing around, which is no biggie, except when you keep brushing you legs up against the large spinning meat tenderizers jutting out of your bike.   The starts were hard, the lack of attachment to the pedals most obvious when trying to gain momentum.   Its hard to hold completely wrong conditions against the shoes, though Alex tried, and I countered that as another admittedly-frugal individual, he should appreciate how shedding myself of any latent buyer’s remorse was worth my shins being bruised as bumpy as a baby’s spine.

I   forgot all about the high-tops 5 minutes into the ride, but know they will protect the ankles from the frequent knocks into the chainstays and cranks that come with this type of setup. The shoes felt big in the garage, but on the trail offered my feet lots of space and a stiff sole.   The grippy rubber and pattern of the sole really stayed hooked to the pedals descending.   Some things will take practice, like getting the balls of my feet equal with the spindles when pedaling, and not pedaling with my toes.   Climbing,   I think on the big power moves where I muscle my way over something I will miss my cleats, but the descents should compensate.   I’ll have to take them for a test ride up National on the Heckler to see how well they ascend.   The strangest sensation was how you can oversteer the bike with your feet since they are not clipped into one position.   When you are clipped in, you are riding the bike more in control and “traditionally”, from the feet on up.   With flats, you are throwing it around more and freeriding, but i’m pretty sure that is just the point:   to ride things that require embracing a lack of control, you kinda need footwork that can step outside narrow boundaries.   They will be a good pickup once I figure out their right kind of ride.