Falling apart at the seams

Regardless of the fact that I was dog tired from the efforts of Saturday's race, I had promised to go to the mountains with Bill Nye TSG, Leyonce, and Wirun with the possibility of meeting up with Hillbilly Jim when we got there. So another early alarm on another beautiful fall morning busting up another perfect night's sleep all in the pursuit of cycling bliss.

Hillbilly Jim was in the parking lot when we got there.  I brought a set of old Shimano SPD pedals so he could ride, since his pedals of a certain brand were in the middle of an "excellent customer service" experience.  He brought his own cleats that he had "procured" from someone's shoes.  All geared up, we headed down the road for some Bennett Gap action.

photo cred: Wirun

The leaves on the trees were not that great at all.

All the way up 477 to Bennett Gap...

photo cred: Wirun

I do not know what I am doing here, but I'm pretty sure Bill Nye TSG likes it.

Down Bennett to Coontree, where at the bottom of all the treacherous descending Hillbilly Jim informed us that he's had trouble clipping in all day.  He'd spent more time surfing on the pedals than he had in the security of their bindiness.

 What's wrong in that photo?

I guess I shouldn't have assumed that a user of that particular brand of pedal with "excellent customer service" would know how to install any cleat other than the ones from that brand of pedal with "excellent customer service."  I can't believe he didn't die.  I'm glad he didn't.

From Coontree, we swapped our plan-o-gram to a new route, one that would pass through the Double Dare start/finish area and past a keg of beer.  One cup of beer, some how-de-do's and we were on our way to finish out with some short Long Branch, Butter, and Cat.

And then I was pretty much tuckered out and starving.

Yet another ride where I was the only one on 26" wheels, and this time the only one with shifty bits as well.

 photo cred: Wirun

As Wirun called it, an "Octopus bike with crazy cables."  It looks like a poorly planned highway interchange.

It's getting hard to look at.  Whilst I enjoy the efficiency of locked-out climbing, the laziness of shifty bits, and the squishy comfort of descending without care, I am missing the simpler experience of working a much less complex machine through the woods.

I feel us drifting apart...

We all knew this was coming.