The World's Pickiest Bike Tester

When it comes to bikes, we all have different standards, varying levels of what is acceptable and what is NOT. As long as the wheels go round, the gears shift, brakes stop, and the shocks work, then I am a happy camper. Turn the corner 180 degrees from my standpoint, and you have the total opposite. Meet Mr. Bike Tester Extreme, Raja. (that's The Captain pictured above, but he sure looks picky there, doesn't he?)

In the Southern dictionary, the word "Raja" is listed. It is a verb. To Raja is to put a bicycle through the most stringent of diagnostic tests, to analyze and compare to the 110th degree, to measure and weigh every component and then repeat those steps 10 more times. That is what it means "to Raja".

An extreme bike tester does not let something silly like his Day Job get in the way of testing the latest bike. Wednesday, Outspokin was having a Titus Demo Day at Blankets Trail. The Raja was there. Since I do not take my day job seriously, I was not about to miss out on seeing the Master in Action. Already being a proud owner of a purdy Blue MotoLite, there was no need for me to demo any of their offerings. But Raja wanted to put the 5" sofa to his test.

We have very different riding styles. He's aggressive, I'm not. He has a need for speed, I have a need just to survive. He likes to fly downhill, I like to look at the pretty flowers. Something told me the MotoLite would not pass his test. He wanted to ride it anyway.

These Demo Days are the best thing since sliced bread. Before when you wanted to buy a bike, you were at the mercy of whatever the local bike shop had in stock. Sometimes, we would drive to North Carolina just to be able to see a bike in which we were interested. Now you can go to your local trails and put practically any bike to the test without having to clean it up afterwards. What a great marketing idea!!!

With the help of the knowledgeable Rufus, you can get set up with your own pedals and whatever settings you prefer. It is the perfect way to truly compare different bikes in a real riding situation, not in the parking lot of a shopping mall. This is how Amy was able to pick out her nice new Specialized.

Of course, we had our own Tester along to make sure all measurements were within Raja Range. Robin also wanted to ride the MotoLite, so Raja knocked Rufus down to take over the set up for her.

I love it that Raja knows every measurement known to man. He can spout out stats in inches or millimeters depending on what language you speak. At first I did not understand his detail oriented mind when it came to all this bike stuff. But now I realize it is how his marvelous brain is wired and it serves a wonderful purpose. He's like a walking handbook for everyone to consult. "Raja, what do you think about thus and so?" "Do you think these tires roll fast enough?" "How do you like those new blah blah brakes?" Ah, the bike industry has no idea how much it could influence the consumer's buying power if they got a hold of him.

When he decided to purchase his first "real" mountain bike, it was going to cost us a whopping $1000. "Well, you'll have to sell your dirt bike in order to come up with the money," which he did. I thought he had gone stark raving mad when he told me of his plan. To top it off, he would have to assemble the bike himself. Yea, he's lost his mind for sure. At 25 years young, I had yet to fully understand how this quiet Einstein mind operated. Now I adore, respect, and revere him for it!

Raja isn't picky for the sake of being picky. He's super sensitive to every nuance of a bike and enjoys analyzing all the bits and pieces that work together to make a ride enjoyable. It's not that he's being critical because he thinks he's so smart. From my experience as a sponsored rider, I could not be truly honest with constructive criticism. You have to say what they want to hear, and that does not help anybody. (That's why I don't have any "sponsors" on my blog as of yet). Raja just wants to make the experience the best it can possibly be.


You know those obnoxious type that like to hear themselves talk with impressive technical language? He's not like that at all! Far from it. In fact, you have to listen closely because he does not say a whole lot. But when he does, everyone listens. Remember the old EF Hutton commercials?

Hanging around the parking lot waiting for a medium MotoLite to be available, we met some new faces. Buster recognized us from pictures and we got to meet a fellow Sorba Lurker.

We also met Pam, the Veterinarian. Pam and I actually rode together last January, but with my frail memory I had forgotten. She reintroduced herself for the 2nd time on last week's Wednesday night ride. Today for the 3rd time, she said, "I'm Pam, the girl you've met a zillion times. Will you please act like you know me." Well, she didn't say that, but I know she thought it. Robin invited her to join in our Test-a-Rama Run. Pam was testing a RacerX, Raja's current bike dujour.

With Raja and Robin on yellow MotoLites, me on my Litespeed singlespeed, and The Captain on a silver RacerX 29r we headed out for a run on the Van Michael Loop.

Everybody has their own riding preferences. It would be a boring world if we all had to ride what Raja deemed The Perfect Bike. With different body builds and riding abilities, we cannot all ride the same bike design. Raja knows this, but it still doesn't stop him from determining what the perfect bike is for his style.

The Captain was crazy in love with the 29r. I kept hearing him going on and on about it. Then he tried to appeal to my generous soft side. Finally I had to set him straight. "No, I won't loan you the money to buy you this bike."
Robin was not having the same warm and fuzzy feelings that Cyclesmith was having. "I can't turn this thing." Having a 140 Talas was definitely a different experience for her, and Raja dialed it down for her to see if it would help.

We regrouped often and compared notes. My bike wasn't shifting, oh yea, I was on the singlespeed, never mind. Robin's wasn't turning. Cyclesmith had to rethink his strategy for maneuvering his 18 wheeler, and Raja was rather ho hum. What do ya'll think?

So far, The Captain was the only one with a thumbs up for the 29r. Raja was undecided on the MotoLite, Robin was a big thumbs down, and I needed a bike with gears. Time to switch-a-roo. Back to the drawing board.

Raja was going to give the 29r a test since Cyclesmith was so exuberant. He and the Captain switched bikes, while Robin got her Turner, and I retrieved my MotoLite. Round 2.
Robin was a happier camper on her Flux, as I was on my Blue Sofa. Kevorkian Pass was made with much greater ease on familiar rides.

In fact, the first time through on my singlespeed, I wigged out and bailed. The terrain looked so much steeper and the rocks were wet and slippery. I am glad that Robin got to see the weak side of me. As I berated myself for not doing it and complaining about the line, she said "And this coming from the girl that always stands there saying Look Ahead, Look Ahead." Pretty funny, eh? Just plain silly I suppose.

But now on my MotoLite, the terrain was flattened as I remembered it and I motored up following Raja's wheel easily. Shew, I wanted to conquer that fear. It seemed so different on my singlespeed, and I've done it many times before on the Litespeed. But with the wet rocks, all my mind could compute was a slipping tire and me plummeting to my death. Definitely a different kind of riding altogether, the singlespeed.

But today was not supposed to be about me overcoming my irrational fears. What did Raja think of the 29r?

Well, that's no surprise. Actually, it's the big flexy wheels that gave it the thumbs down for him. The Captain wasn't crazy about the marshmallow ride of the MotoLite and was secretly coveting the 29r. Raja and Cyclesmith switched bikes mid stream and we finished the loop with happier faces. As we rolled out of the trail, we ran into an impatient cRASh. He was waiting for the MotoLite to appear for him to take on a test run. Some quick changes were made, and we went out for a 3rd run.

With The Captain on his singlespeed, the rest of us were on our usual bikes. cRASh and Pam were the only ones putting a bike to the test. Raja, Robin, and I were riding just for fun, all testing aside. Well, Raja is always in test mode, even when he's on his own bike.

How come The Captain can do Kevorkian Pass on his singlespeed with such ease? Guess that's why they call him The Captain!

By now, we were all getting exhausted. Testing takes alot out of a rider!

I was tired, but happy to have my marshmallow cush MotoLite. It gets the thumbs up from me.
Today was a Pivotal day for Raja. It wraps up months and months of testing many bikes, and perhaps brings him to a turning point. With the test results in, he might be ready to make a decision on his next bike. I am going to try and submit a real post with his thoughts and musings from some of the top picks he's ridden recently. But in the meantime, I wanted to introduce you all to the pickiest Bike Tester Ever.

Riding all these bikes is tough dirty job, but somebody has to do it!

Stay tuned. Test Results will be posted soon!
PS. Congratulations to SinglespeedAddict on his new addition, little Riley, born August 9th! Great to see you! And good to see Chris too! I love going to Blankets. You cannot go without seeing a dozen smiling familiar faces:-)

Time to Get Serious

In 2 months, Raja and I will be packing our bags for Swiss Bike Camp with The Hillseekers. We bought our tickets back in February, so I've been lulled into the mindset of, "there's plenty of time to get ready."

In the meantime, we've spent every spare moment playing in the woods. Each ride we do lately ends up being a mountain bike adventure with our wild n' woolly friends. It is no secret that playing in the dirt is our preferable form of entertainment. It is also no secret that it is more difficult to make the cross over from mtn bike to road bike. On the contrary, roadie fitness and training translates perfectly to the dirt trails, as long as one has good technical skills on the mtn bike. All that to say, too much time riding my 2.4" wide tires has made me a bit soft on my 700c tires.

We had joined Mike of Cartecay Bikes for his annual Fourth of July ride. I had not yet committed to our next day's ride in my mind. Therefore, I approached the mountain bike ride at Tanasi with total abandon. Not a smart thing to do when you have to wake up the next day and expect your legs to deliver again. Larry the Shredder joined in our A- group ride, and I could not resist trying to stay with him on the climbs. As I was turning myself inside out to stay on his wheel, I told myself this move would be regretted, but pride got the best of me.

By the end of the ride, I was toast. Usually at Tanasi I am good for the full 34 miles with energy to spare. This time I barely eeked out 27, and was content to call it a day. Let's blame it on the heat. I was anxious to get to the real challenge of the day....the food fest under the pavillion:-)

idoc brought a killer black bean salad which Raja and I demolished singlehandedly. We left the unhealthy Chocolate Rocky Road Bars for everyone else to fatten themselves up with while we indulged in the healthy goods. I got the recipe from idoc for the salad. Thanks!

The next morning we were up again at O:dark hundred. I'm so over getting up this early. Damyankee sent me an email pleading for us to join them on a new road route that included a heinous climb up Paris Mtn. I could see his tear stains on my screen. We better not let him down. It had been a long while since we had joined our shaver friends, and I felt guilty for neglecting them. However, my legs were not feeling the call, and I knew before I got out of bed that the day's ride was not going to have a happy ending.

Seeing familiar faces at the Rambo trailhead was pleasant enough. For a brief moment I actually believed I would be able to pull a rabbit out of my helmet and pull this thing off. In the old days, I was considered a trickster. Gerry used to always accuse me of being able to pull more rabbits out of my hat than anyone he knew. But, as soon as we started down the Comet for our warmup before hitting Vinson Mountain, it was obvious no magic tricks were going to be made....at least by me. Dang it. I hate it when this happens. Really.

You notice a theme here in my pictures? They are all from the back so far. What does that tell you? Does OTB mean anything to you?

Cam and rlaz were present. Fast, but I'm not afraid of them. They will humor me. I am afraid of Michael though. We were teamates back in the day when we raced mountain bikes. Michael has always been demon fast on the climbs, but I could always take him on a downhill.....in the dirt. The road is different. Michael and I are friends, but I really do not like to see him on the road, especially if it means he's riding with me. He only has one speed, and that is ridiculously fast. I'm not embellishing the truth here, just being brutally honest. I won't even ride with him these days because he just doesn't know how to go a mortals pace. With each passing year, my ability to ride and hang with my usual group of roadies continues to diminish. And I don't need to be so rudely reminded of that fact by getting demolished by him.

Anyway, we started up the dreaded Vinson Mountain climb. Raja told me he was going to try his best to hang on for the climb, and then he was going to back off. I responded to him by saying, "I'm not even going to try because it ain't happening today." Later I learned that Damyankee overheard me and thought I was snapping back at Raja, so he quietly slipped by me. Noooooo, I was just letting Raja know not to expect me to be on his wheel. Guess I need to work on my tone when I'm tired! I had already come to terms with this yucky performance day.

Ironically enough, 3 different friends had each emailed me recently seeking advice on training and dealing with the recovery aspect. I had just sent off a message to one about listening to your body, allowing it to rest, not fighting the process, and not beating yourself up in your mind. It made me laugh as I pedaled along ever so slowly trying to swallow my own medicine. Easy to hand it out, harder to receive it.

Somehow knowing my day would be one of suffering, I had chosen to wear a jersey that had specific instructions for those in my riding group.

Can you believe it, they all just pedaled on past me. Not one person was able to follow directions! Bye-bye now. All I could do was watch as they rode away. That was the last I saw of the group.

Having climbed Vinson countless times, I was convinced the road had been lengthened since my last visit. Would this climb ever end? For the love of all that's good in life,, enough already! As I neared the KOM mark, a rider coming back in my direction came into view, but it did not look to be Raja. It was Michael. Why the heck he was coming back for me, I do not know. Going back down for stragglers is usually my job! Today was opposite day. Humble Pie was the only thing on my plate so far this morning, and I was growing tired of the taste of umbles.

Thanks for checking on me Mikey, but I'm going to bail on ya! I need to be resting, and this ain't resting. I tried to persuade Raja to carry on with the group, but he insisted on turning back with me and my umbles.

Raja towed me back to the comet.

He towed me back to Rambo trailhead where I collapsed and slept the rest of the day;-) (Lots of looking at people's backside for me today.)

I had no intentions of riding the next day. Next day: Raja suits up and starts out the door. Where you going? Blankets. Awwwww, aahhhhhhhh, alright, load up my bike, my singlespeed. Are you sure? You can barely stand up? Fine, pack both bikes. I'll decide when I get there.

Geez, what else am I going to do? Sit around and stare at the walls, clean the house, wash clothes, buy groceries, prepare meals? Heck no! If I'm going to suffer, I might as well have fun doing it! hehehe. Truth is I could not bare the thought of him out there having a good time & inevitably running into some of our buddies without me. Even if I sat in the parking lot, I would have fun just waving at everybody as they came in and out of the trailhead.

I did not wear a camelbak or carry anything at all on my back. That meant no Nikon, no small child riding on my shoulders. The tiny Canon was tucked in my jersey for a sense of security. You just never know when a camera will come in handy.

Before we left the house, I had emailed a friend about my wasted condition & my plans to Rest! Oh well, I can rest tomorrow. He'll never know.

Immediately we ran into some friends, James & Amy, who were out with his nephew, Christopher. Two bright eyes were beaming out from underneath his full head of luscious curls. He looked to be having the time of his life. It made me think back to the days when we brought my nephew to Blankets. They grow up so fast. You have to catch those moments and cherish them. It passes by in a flash.

Raja and I headed off to the VanMichael Loop. Don't you want to start off with Dwelling and get warmed up on the singlespeed? No, I'm an odd bird. I like to do the hardest thing first and then enjoy the easy stuff.

It was a rare luxury, riding just the two of us, all alone, no throngs of laughing silly friends. The starkness of the solitude struck me as I realized we rarely ride by ourselves in the dirt. Just me and my man in the woods.

Riding with my friends is definitely one of my favorite things to do. But riding alone without any distractions of keeping up or trying to impress takes one to a beautiful place. Raja and I can ride together and not be concerned with what the other one thinks. If he wants to go faster, or vice versa, then we do what we want. He was on a geared bike, and I was on the singlespeed. Insisting I ride in front, it was not long before I found myself ahead and in my own world.

The beauty of a singlespeed is the sense of focus you develop. My legs were weak and it required all I had to get up the slightest rise, and yet the effort was rewarding. I thought of what it is that separates the really good riders from those of us that are average or even "above average". It is all about focus. That's what sets apart the pros; to cancel everything out, become one with your bike, and flow through a trail. Tremendous focus is required to make it an effortless continuous flow. That's what it is like when you get in a zone, it's effortless. I can count on my left hand the number of times I have had that experience in 20 years, and to think there are cyclists that feel that more times than not.

After one lap of Van Michael, I decided a Dwelling would be in order. Oops, who's this I see? Uh oh, busted. It's the friend that I told today was my rest day. "Yea, you can give the advice, but you don't live by it," he said accusingly! I've got to start charging for my coaching tips. He forgave me, swore not to expose my double life, and we did a lap of Dwelling and another Van Michael together.

By the end I was ready to call it a day. Saw more friends. Robin, Colin, James, John. Time to enter the socializin' phase of my training.
The trails were a might bit dusty. Guess I need to give up my day job as a leg model.

Does anybody know who did all this fancy wood work for the mega sign?

This is so cool and so fun! Thanks for all your hard work!

Monday I did rest. I promise. Didn't do a thing but stretch and go for my weekly visit to Janusz. I affectionately refer to it as going to the torture table. About 6 of my friends have been going to him, and they all agree, Janusz doesn't mess around when it comes to muscle work. Treybiker apparently just learned that the hard way too this week.

A few days ago when I realized I need to get serious about my training, I decided to do a road ride on Tuesday nights instead of the usual Big Creek fun. Now it's Tuesday night, and guess what? I'm already having second thoughts. You know I'll end up at Big Creek on my mountain bike.

There's always next week to get serious, or the next. Then it will be time for Swiss Bike Camp, and I won't be ready! Look at Becky here, little Swiss Miss.

She claims not to be a mountain biker, and dang, look at her go! I am so proud of her! That is at a day skills clinic in Switzerland.

I was dismayed to hear her comments though of how she felt at the clinic. I feel way out of balance with skills vs. power. It's especially frustrating. This is a common theme I seem to hear when it comes to women trying to learn the art of mountain biking. Lately, there has been a barrage of women asking me advice and tips. But when I am in person trying to help them, I can smell the fear and anxiety pouring from their souls. I've thought about this alot these past few weeks. It's more than just teaching women to ride a bike. It's understanding where they are coming from and how their mind works. Generally, men have a one track mind. This is a good thing in mountain biking. Remember how I said that focus is so important in riding? Guys can just shut everything off and concentrate on the task at hand. Whereas, we ladies are thinking about 40 different things, of which getting hurt is at the forefront.

It is a challenge to teach someone bike skills when they are afraid. I used to be afraid myself, but have somewhat lost that connection of how to reach someone in that state. I would love to attend one of these European bike clinics and see what they teach. My other biggest problem is finding the time to teach a clinic. Though I'd rather work one on one with a person than in a group. Maybe most people are just too scared or intimidated or it's too awkward for them to take me up on it. This is perhaps an area that I will explore more in a few years when my riding hours start to slack off.

As for getting serious, I'm going to get serious in having fun. The Hillseekers will show us a good time no matter how lame we are! I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it.

Here are the pics of our July 4th ride at the Tanasi Trails in TN.

Local Fun

It seems every weekend we're packing up the bikes to drive an hour and half to a trailhead. What a nice change of pace these past two days to find our fun and adventure not far from home. Even though we weren't wandering far for Saturday's ride, it still entailed a 5:30am wake up call. The Outspokin ride began at 7:00a.m. which meant getting up at 0:dark hundred. You would think after 20 years of this, I would be used to it. I'm getting a little better at it. Raja didn't have to pry me out of bed with a crow bar. I did it on my own (that's a huge accomplishment).

The warmup ride was an easy 15 miles. If there is one thing I've learned over the decades, it is that there is no such thing as an easy ride! We started out with a good mix of riders, i.e., males and females. What a nice change of pace to see other "girls" on two wheels. It was not a shredder pace, but it was still enough to make me wish I was a coffee drinker. Things settled down after a few miles as did my huffing and puffing.

The Clogger had made the early wake up call to join in the fun. He's not a road rider at all. So far things were going swimmingly for him.

Smack talking "TrashBag" rlaz showed up as well. He was the one responsible for getting us out here to ride. I had no idea what to expect. Everything was new; the riders and the route. With the exception of the Freemanville Rd climb, I was in strange territory. rlaz was looking out for me, as he gave me a heads up on upcoming climbs, descents, etc. Appreciated that inside info. Usually I'm the one handing out the 411. It makes a difference when you have no idea what's about to be thrown at you.

The 7am route was beautiful, and once I settled in I began to enjoy the scenery. We passed by the morning farmer's market, horses grazing, and fresh gardens bursting with vegetables. 15 miles went by quickly, and we were back at the start to pick up the 8:00 a.m. 33 milers.

Imagine my surprise when I saw Al waiting in the parking lot! Scubacruz was there as well. This was turning out to be a morning worth getting up for; all my best mtn bike buds along on a new beautiful road ride. Also among the crowd were tons of faces I did not know. Scary fast, lean looking racer bodies. Oh dear. A route of which I am unfamiliar with skinny little shavers I do not know. That's okay. I used to do this a long time ago. Time to put on my racing face and play the game.

Being the only female in a pack of strong looking riders, I know not to play my cards too soon. First, you have to size things up. Observe everybody on the first few climbs. See how things are going to shake out. Hmmmm. So far, there were 4 riders I could tell would be trouble, of which I knew one; rlaz. Things went along smoothly without too much blood, guts, and tears shed. At one point, I closed a gap to get on rlaz's wheel only to look back later and see nothing but open road.

Uh oh. It's not a good feeling to be off the front with only 4 fast guys. I sucked it up and decided to give it my best. It felt good to have shaken off the cobwebs and be giving it the ole college try. Maybe I haven't lost everything.

I liked these guys. Mr. Cervelo was young and looked really fast. I had observed him earlier and noticed he was the fastest. He rode with a maturity that only a seasoned racer possesses. He would watch, wait, and pick his moves. Not the usual young impatient always on the attack riders. You know a guy's strong when he picks his moves wisely. He had been playing with us, and I had been watching.

Mr. Green Jersey was an extremely good climber. There was no way I could take him on a hill, but I could at least keep his draft. Mr. Yellow Jersey was an explosive climber. I might could take him once he wore down. As for rlaz, he's a nut and I wasn't worried about him.

The climb we had all been dreading was Freemanville. We used to do a ride, "Hell of the North" a loooooong time ago which included this climb. Back then, the road was in a sad state of decay and resembled a climb in a European classic race. It was legendary. The road had been repaved and improved. I was scared to death.

Cervelo and Green Jersey Pete bolted off. My heart was already thumping through my chest, and I tried to remain calm and find a rhythm, a fast one. After a while, I could see that the 2 guys were no longer making time on me, but it was too late to close the gap down. They would take the KOM, but I saved face. rlaz was in my draft but couldn't pass me, and we had long since gapped Yellow Jersey. That hurt, good.

The champions were in sight after we crested the top. How cool, they were letting up the pace. We all regrouped and began to pedal together. I enjoyed just chatting with them and introducing ourselves. My usual group of roadies love to rip your legs to pieces and chat AFTER the ride. I have grown weary of that type of riding. A good hard workout is fun, but should not be dreaded. So far, I was not dreading the rest of my ride.

Turns out Mr. Green Jersey is practically a neighbor and knows my sister and family. It is small small world in which we live! I was impressed with his strength, and yet he was very personable and not at all full of his self. Neither was Cervelo. Believe me, it is rare that I meet fast guys on a road ride that are pleasant and not bent and determined to prove their dominance on the bike.

It was a great morning on the bike with old buds on new roads and a chance to make new riding friends. This is a rare sight; my Sorba mtn bike posse on skinnies! The Clogger, Al, and Scubacruz! Great riding with you!

While we were riding the road, countless volunteers were working again at Blankets Trail. The good news is that they completed the necessary changes, and the Van Michael Trail was opened!!!!! Raja was the most excited, because he was anxious to get back out there and put his Ellsworth to the test. He loves that trail.

We were not the only ones biting at the bit to get back on that particular tract of dirt. RSutton was there on a suhweet Mojo and other wicked stuff!

Robin impressed me with her riding skills that seem to improve by leaps and bounds each time I see her. She was descending like a rocket and trying the most technical places. Go girl power!!

The Clogger was alongside once again showing his versatility. Road or mountain, he can do it all. We just have to get him on a bike that fits him properly. I'm thinking a custom something or other........

Blair showed up on a beautiful new singlespeed. All these new bikes lately. Oh yea, it must be that tax refund incentive;-)

Al showed up for the second half. This was my lucky weekend! Al, 2 days in a row. That's a real treat! The only thing missing from my perfect wkd was The Captain.

Speedy was there with only 3 stitches in his arm. This time last week, he had five. Didn't slow him down. We had such a good time playing on our new trail! It is truly a blast. Challenging and fun at the same time. I highly recommend it.

The biggest treat of the day came when we saw Rob. With lots of body armor on, he was ready to hit the trails again. It has been a long journey for you friend. I admire your persistence and strength. Look forward to riding with you soon!

Staying local turned out to be anything but the same ole boring stuff.

Especially when you have crazy friends like we do! I love it.
I love riding my bike (especially in the dirt).