Bike Shuffling, and Big Plans

As most people who know me, either personally or through the blog, I have a need to make plans if I want to get anything done. I am not one of those people who can say, "I am going to ride my bike more, this year," and actually do it.  i have to set goals.


For all the time that I rode to work for over 800 consecutive work days, I set short-term goals (all of May, until the first snow, a full year, 500 days..).  That gave me something achievable to work toward.

So, this year, I want to get back into riding in a serious manner (and not just commuting), and I have decided to set some goals to assure that I do.

1.  I will do 10 rides, either 100 miles road/mixed terrain or 50 miles of mountain bike trail.

2.  I will get up into the mountains to ride the mountain bike at least twice per month from May through August. "Up into the mountains" means that I will get either above timberline or very close to it, on the ride. This would include rides such as Kenosha Pass to Georgia Pass, the Colorado Trail starting from Copper Mountain and heading over Searle Pass toward Leadville, etc...

That means a lot of driving (for me), so I hope to have company on most of those, just to be able to justify the trips.

3. I will go to Moab at least once. For a period of 4 or 5 years, back in the 1990s, I went to Moab at least a half-dozen ties a year, and I really miss it.

To facilitate the mountain biking, I am building up an actual cross-country 29er rig, with a suspension fork and standard riser bars. I ordered the frame and fork, today.  The fork is an upper-entry-level RockShox, which is affordable yet still gets good reviews on MTBR. The suspension fork won't make me any faster, but it should reduce fatigue on long, technical mountain rides. That allows for more riding in a day, with less chance of injury. That makes it worth the added weight on the bike.

The Funk titanium bike is going to donate some parts to the MTB project, and then get rebuilt as a mixed-terrain bike, using drivetrain parts from the RockCombo.  The RockCombo will do duty as my fixed gear mtb.

The Red Menace II stays the same, as a commuter and round-towner.  It may get pressed into service on a 100 miler, or two, as well, although I plan to use the Funk for most of those rides.

These are my bike goals for the year.  In addition to them, I will also commute by bike on a part-time basis, and whatnot.  I think that these are reasonable goals, which let me become a cyclist, again, and still allow for motorbike trips, band practice and shows, and other things which make up a well-rounded life.

Whatcha think?  Overly ambitious, or under-motivated?

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