Single Speed adventures

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After the Dirty 30, Nick and I headed to the garage to single speed the Tomac. Everything thing worked smoothly and I now have a nice single speed with a 32-22 gearing. I was a little skeptical at first with that gear - it seemed pretty big and looks really silly. The cog is almost as big as the chain ring! But when I finally took the bike out for the first time last night, I was very happy to have the monster gears. Riding to Stratton wasn't that bad, a nice steady candance and occasional coasting. In Stratton, I decided to ride the normal loop we have - so it was a valid test of how hard single speed was. First thing I noticed - you figure out where your weight is really quick. Too far forward and that rear wheel is sliding all over the place and there is no traction at all. Second thing - it's a lot harder for me to manage some of the techincal stuff on the single speed. I have some issues with water bars to begin with, so having to attempt them standing up was a little challenging. By the end of the winter, I will definitely have improved my technical skills with the single speed. I did have one area where I got off - the little rock garden on Ridge Trail. My rear wheel slide off the rock and I was walking. The steady grind up Chamberlin to the chutes was hard - I was struggling a little. But I made it to the top with only a few issues. Still need to work on coming down a little faster.

Coming home from Stratton was really kinda miserable. It was cold (I should have put my Gore jacket back on - took it off when I got into Stratton) and windy. And I couldn't just shift into a harder gear and make good time coming home. High candance is not my strong point!

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