{"id":980,"date":"2009-08-03T08:39:57","date_gmt":"2009-08-03T00:39:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nargalzius.com\/blog\/archives\/2009\/08\/03\/la-mesa-nature-reserve-take-3\/"},"modified":"2017-02-07T16:41:58","modified_gmt":"2017-02-07T16:41:58","slug":"la-mesa-nature-reserve-take-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/archives\/2009\/08\/03\/la-mesa-nature-reserve-take-3","title":{"rendered":"La Mesa Nature Reserve Take 3"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I have a feeling that even &#8220;Take 10&#8221; wouldn&#8217;t be the end of it, this trail never ceases to impress us.<\/p>\n<p>Take 2 was an &#8220;impromptu&#8221; thing because technically, it was cancelled due to the weather. But about 4 of us persisted and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nargalzius.com\/blog\/archives\/2009\/07\/12\/la-mesa-nature-reserve-take-2\/\">the rest was history.<\/a> Take 3 was the planned re-scheduling, but this time most of the people agreed to the &#8220;rain or shine&#8221; stipulation. Good thing the stipulation <em>was<\/em> made, because this is how the weather was at one point: <\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n\n<!-- iframe plugin v.5.1 wordpress.org\/plugins\/iframe\/ -->\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"370\" height=\"208\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/44n-hXJuxBg\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n<\/div>\n<p>In fact, just as when we were just about to hit the trail, it started <em>pouring!<\/em><!--more--><!-- \/\/ --><\/p>\n<h1>Summary<\/h1>\n<p>We basically did a &#8220;newbie&#8221; ride (at least for the most part) with the same (or even worse; it certainly felt that way) weather conditions as the previous ride. Because of the situation and concern for the safety of the women with us, we had a different &#8220;action plan&#8221;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>We would ride together right up to the first &#8220;resting place&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>The men continued to ride the singletrack to the <a href=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3434\/3781079466_143546b041_o.jpg\">lake\/reservoir<\/a><\/li>\n<li>The two groups would then meet up with the girls in another point<\/li>\n<li>We would go downhill till the fork where you could go back or branch out to unexplored territory<\/li>\n<li>The girls went straight back to the base while us men would do one new <em>long hellish<\/em> singletrack area<\/li>\n<li>Trail ride ends when both parties meet up at the base.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h1>New Observations<\/h1>\n<p>For the most part, I was able to &#8220;adjust&#8221; to a lot of stuff that I had a hard time with from the previous rides.<\/p>\n<h3>Carlo&#8217;s Rock<\/h3>\n<p>There&#8217;s a place we call &#8220;Carlo&#8217;s rock,&#8221; because the last two rides, I would get dizzy whenever I would get there and sit on a rock. It&#8217;s not an &#8220;official stopping place&#8221; but we tend to take a rest there because of the 3 succeeding hellish inclines that come before.<\/p>\n<p>Given my past experience, I decided to just pace myself on all three&#8230; and sure enough, I wasn&#8217;t dizzy when I got to my rock!<\/p>\n<h3>Singletrack to the lake\/reservoir<\/h3>\n<p>This is where Alan and I fell the last time, so I was extra careful not to go fast despite natural urges. So now I guess I know how to tackle that area regardless of the conditions.<\/p>\n<p>A shame the girls weren&#8217;t able to come with us to that part. Technically, the lake\/reservoir at the end of the singletrack was one of the highlights of the trail.<\/p>\n<h3>Mud guards<\/h3>\n<p>One of the best decisions I ever made; getting mud-guards despite people at the shop telling me they don&#8217;t look cool hahahaha. I got those detachable ones so it wasn&#8217;t like they&#8217;ll be on the bike all the time.<\/p>\n<p>I <em>was<\/em> the cleanest person in the group &#8211; up until everyone started falling in the mud <em>hahahaha.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Also worth mentioning that I&#8217;ve confirmed with a mech at Dan&#8217;s Bike Shop (Official Fox distibutor\/service center) removing my fork&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3506\/3782632249_83ce9a3534_o.gif\">cable holder assembly<\/a> is safe. This was awesome because not only was that assembly considerably heavy for what it was supposed to do, but I also got to, once again, use my <a href=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3617\/3368955705_dcba91c107_o.jpg\">front air fender<\/a> on the fork! <\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s an interesting realization as well: the rear guards basically protect you from the splatter that gets your back dirty&#8230; that&#8217;s about it. The rest of the issues (mud getting in your eyes, face, etc.) is <em>all<\/em> from your front tire. I didn&#8217;t experience any of those problems (which I had from the second ride) once I had the front guards on&#8230; the only dirt from the front I had to worry about was from the rear tires of the people in front of me.<\/p>\n<h3>Semplang city<\/h3>\n<p>The reason why I think this ride was more difficult than before (despite the same general weather condition) was because <em>everyone<\/em> fell sooner or later. Even our guides had to plant their feet down once (not at least once hahahaha, once lang! in the same place <em>pa!<\/em>) Sure, planting a foot down is hardly &#8220;falling,&#8221; but given that these guys <em>win<\/em> races (which means they&#8217;re probably at least 3 times as good as our best rider) that made everyone feel better about falling down.<\/p>\n<h3>Of cleats and cramps<\/h3>\n<p>I&#8217;ve decided to &#8220;graduate&#8221; and go full-on clipless from now on &#8211; I took out the platforms on the other side and here&#8217;s something I came to realize.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;ve got one of those dual sided pedals with removable platforms, <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_980_1('footnote_plugin_reference_980_1_1');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_980_1('footnote_plugin_reference_980_1_1');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_980_1_1\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">1 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_980_1_1\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">&#8220;Dual-sided&#8221; meaning one side is clipless, the other is a platform. This is not applicable to those &#8220;dual-purpose&#8221; pedals where both sides can accomodate clipless <em>and<\/em> platforms<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_980_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_980_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> try to minimize cleats usage for as long as you have the platforms installed. I know, it sucks, but it seems the best way to learn going clipless is to just jump at it immediately and have all your pedals&#8217; sides &#8220;wear&#8221; at the same time. Else you&#8217;ll have the same problem I had.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>major<\/em> problem I had during this ride is that the sides of the pedals that used to have the platforms (i.e. haven&#8217;t been used with cleats) were <em>considerably<\/em> tighter even at their loosest setting. This variation in tension fucked with my muscle memory severely; I was used to a certain amount of effort to clip-out, then suddenly I can&#8217;t because it wasn&#8217;t enough. I had at least 3 &#8220;timber!&#8221; moments <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_980_1('footnote_plugin_reference_980_1_2');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_980_1('footnote_plugin_reference_980_1_2');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_980_1_2\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">2 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_980_1_2\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Not counting the normal falls which everyone else were victims of<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_980_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_980_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> because of it.<\/p>\n<p>On the third &#8220;timber&#8221; moment (at the end of the ride), I stressed my calves so much trying to clip-out when I lost balance that I ended up cramping <em>both legs<\/em>. Good thing Aids was there to help me out and push my feet towards me to counter the cramps (because I couldn&#8217;t do it myself) I couldn&#8217;t even stand up at that point!<\/p>\n<p>On the bright side, based on what I&#8217;ve experienced&#8230; going clipless on the trail seems to be manageable. My issue was not that I forget to clip-out &#8211; but that of the imbalanced tensions of both sides of the pedals. I&#8217;m guessing if the sides had both worn at the same time, I wouldn&#8217;t have any issues at all.<\/p>\n<p>Another plus is that I discovered that most of my scratches was because of the platforms! The clipless pedals have rounded corners overall; so scratching your legs once in a while on them <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_980_1('footnote_plugin_reference_980_1_3');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_980_1('footnote_plugin_reference_980_1_3');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_980_1_3\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">3 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_980_1_3\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Like when your feet slip, etc.<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_980_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_980_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> isn&#8217;t that much of an issue.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Pics at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nargalzius.com\/gallery\/set.php?\/72157621796070947\">the gallery<\/a> (pics from my cam and Bruno&#8217;s)<\/p><div class=\"speaker-mute footnotes_reference_container\"> <div class=\"footnote_container_prepare\"><p><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_label pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_980_1();\">Notes<\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button\" style=\"display: none;\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_980_1();\">[<a id=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_980_1\">+<\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/div> <div id=\"footnote_references_container_980_1\" style=\"\"><table class=\"footnotes_table footnote-reference-container\"><caption class=\"accessibility\">Notes<\/caption> <tbody> \r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_980_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_980_1_1');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_980_1_1\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>1<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">&#8220;Dual-sided&#8221; meaning one side is clipless, the other is a platform. This is not applicable to those &#8220;dual-purpose&#8221; pedals where both sides can accomodate clipless <em>and<\/em> platforms<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_980_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_980_1_2');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_980_1_2\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>2<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Not counting the normal falls which everyone else were victims of<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_980_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_980_1_3');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_980_1_3\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>3<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Like when your feet slip, etc.<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n <\/tbody> <\/table> <\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> function footnote_expand_reference_container_980_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_980_1').show(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_980_1').text('\u2212'); } function footnote_collapse_reference_container_980_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_980_1').hide(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_980_1').text('+'); } function footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_980_1() { if (jQuery('#footnote_references_container_980_1').is(':hidden')) { footnote_expand_reference_container_980_1(); } else { footnote_collapse_reference_container_980_1(); } } function footnote_moveToReference_980_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_980_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } } function footnote_moveToAnchor_980_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_980_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } }<\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I have a feeling that even &#8220;Take 10&#8221; wouldn&#8217;t be the end of it, this trail never ceases to impress us. Take 2 was an &#8220;impromptu&#8221; thing because technically, it was cancelled due to the weather. But about 4 of us persisted and the rest was history. Take 3 was the planned re-scheduling, but this &hellip; <p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/archives\/2009\/08\/03\/la-mesa-nature-reserve-take-3\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;La Mesa Nature Reserve Take 3&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,7],"tags":[312,754],"class_list":["post-980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cycling","category-media","tag-cycling","tag-media"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=980"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1338,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/980\/revisions\/1338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}