2 THINGS I GOTTA HAVE BEFORE A BIG, BIG, BIG MTB RIDE

IN ROUGHLY 32 HOURS I'LL BE STUMBLING IN THE DARK, wondering whytheheck I agreed to do this crazy ride...

... about an hour later, I'll see the crew and wonder why everybody isn't there.

It's gonna be that good.

Great riders coming from far away: pros like Brian McCulloch, National Champs like Victor Sheldon, and the restuvus - the people I really love.  Everyone'll be playing it cool...

Oh yeah, I'm just gonna cruise it.

Me?... nah, haven't been riding much.

Let's just keep it conversational.

You know, the usual bullarkey right before it turns into a Road Runner cartoon with nothing but dust fer as far as ya ken see.

Which is exactly why I made sure 2 things are gonna be perfect when I show up:  my brakes and my tires.

I'm gonna need my A game to not get dropped to the point of forgotten... with luck I'll be able to catch up right as they get tired of waiting.  Which is actually good for me, cause it really sucks to start n stop the old diesel... better to keep chugging.

Plus this ride has a 40ish minute downhill that I love to slay, and a fair amount of twisty stuff ya wanna be able to really rail.

There's a lot I can do to make up speed on a mountain bike, but none of it works if my brakes are splashy and my tires soggy.

I need those to things more than anything else to be perfect.  Can't be wondering if they're gonna work...

... which can happen if:  
the brake lines have air in them, or haven't been bled recently;
the knobs on the tires are worn down and/or starting to tear.

Therefore, Sparky got a brake bleed, new tires and mostly new pads. 

I say mostly new because all the local shops are sold out but my good pal Robot came through with some takesoffs... now that's a friend... the shops were also sold out of the mineral oil needed for the bleed and he had that, too!

Waiting until today to figure all that out was a rookie move.  And so is putting on a new tire brand and tread pattern - new to me.  But, sometimes it's good to be a rookie... approach things with that sense of wonderment.

Anyway, Saturday is shaping up to be a good one.

For sure I'll be rolling with the goods:  GQ6, Salt Stick tabs and Honey Stinger Waffles.

https://pedalindustries.com/collections/bodycare

Buy any 2 items and the 3rd one is 50% off, if you quickly.

Personally, I'm gonna roll with the GQ6 hydration, the Salt Stick Chews, and the Honey Stinger Waffles.

Oh... the code is: Creek2Peak

https://pedalindustries.com/collections/bodycare

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164.6 lbs 
Coach Loran #6
7 hours sleep
ran outta time to ride.