2009 Is Over

Possibly not the best year for most of the nation (or perhaps world), Sticki took a look back and came up with a pretty good time for these last 365 days.  I finally have work that I enjoy and Micki is keeping with her employment trend of dream jobs.  There are the occasional stressful off days of course, but overall things are good.

Micki's July 4th injury is still proving problematic despite multiple visits to doctors and specialists. She continually perseveres though and allows the joys of riding to overcome the pitfalls.  We were able to get out of town a lot during the hot summer with many trips to Prescott, Flagstaff and even Sedona.  We also managed to leave the state a few times with epic journeys to Colorado as well as Utah.

Bicycles... we went through a lot of 'em.

Micki got a hold of her second Pivot, a root beer colored Firebird.  She also got a commuting bike built up for Christmas of 2008 which wasn't really ridden until 2009... so that one counts.  We got the IF singlespeed back up and rolling for a few trips here and there as well.

Getting back into cycling full swing this year, I may have gone a little wrench crazy.  I swapped out my Specialized Enduro early on for the Salsa.  With my departure from the FS world, I then built up a DMR freeride hardtail for the gnarlier stuff.  Wanting to get back into shape, I decided to start riding to work... so the 64/24 commuter came to life.  Even with the constant state of disassembly for paint, I still had to build another bike and created a fixed gear from an old Schwinn late in the year.  Oh, the DMR was then deemed super fun but just a tad to small, so that frame was replaced with a OPCC aluminum hardtail.

We threw together the tandem after Micki's injury for good measure.

I think it's best to stop there and not go into all the components, tires and cycling related garb that was either acquired or just plain used up.

I managed to clock well over 3000 miles just going to and from work.  That's one whole oil change I saved on the 4Runner! Actually, when I put it that way I guess it doesn't really seem all that significant.  I did find commuting to be a big help in regaining my endurance and fitness however.  I actually really like riding to start and finish every day more than I thought.  I will say with the introduction of the fixie... I am having even more fun just tooling along the bike path.

Logan is doing well, still plugging away at college and I believe is now able to bench press a small farm combine at will.  Micki's Mom came out for a visit for Thanksgiving, and we got to take her to visit Bisbee which was a lot of fun.

We competed in a few endurance races.  One as a team, and one solo (with excellent support).

All in all it was a great year.  We made some new friends and got closer with those we already had.  Explored new trails, higher terrain and longer rides than ever before.  With the trailer, or Sticki Hilton now available, we hope to have even more fun next year.

Here is a little wrap-up video of 2009.  A special thank you goes out to Sarah for the following reasons:

1. She borrowed the GoPro for Muddy Buddy.
2. She couldn't get it figured out.
3. She couldn't tell when it was filming.
4. She didn't erase any of the footage it happened to capture.

Enjoy...

Year 2009 from Elvota on Vimeo.

Gnardruple Bypass

Today was the day to see if I could actually ride the route I had been envisioning since first riding Tom's Thumb trail in the McDowell Mountain Park.  An extension of the widely known Quadruple Bypass which includes Bell, Windgate and Sunrise passes. With the addition of Tom's Thumb, I envisioned more climbing and more pain... but had to give it a try anyway.

I doubled up on the spare tubes in my Camelback, added a couple Cliff Bars and packets of Hammer gel and then headed out. Knowing how important sock choice can be on an epic like this, I took some extra time to pick out the perfect pair.

Represent:

I didn't take to many pictures seeing how we have pretty well documented portions of different sections of this ride before. I did however take a pic at each summit and then made some sort of video with shots of each included.  Not super exciting, but gives a better understanding of what the area looks like.

Summit Number One (Tom's Thumb)

Summit Number Two (Bell Pass)

Summit Number Three (Sunrise)

Summit Number Four (Windgate Pass)

A little wrap-up video of the adventure

Gnardruple Bypass from Elvota on Vimeo.

Issues:

Not to many.  The brakes got very hot coming off Tom's and Bell, but that's to be expected with the extreme degree of steepness and tight switchbacks.  The Tom's Thumb ascent handed my ass to me, I just couldn't get in the groove this time and kept thinking about how much more I had to climb after the summit was reached which made me want to hold back the effort to much.  It was a bit colder than I expected so I should have worn more than a vest.  Can't really complain however seeing that most of the nation is knee deep in snow right about now.  I cut my fancy Hutchinson cobra tubeless tire about 1/2 mile from the car which forced a tube insert.  Being that I was totally cooked from the effort already, that was a headache I could have gone without.

The Route

Parked at the 104th Street trailhead located off Bell road.  Went up Windgate to the Tom's Thumb exit which branches off to the left.  Over Tom's Thumb and then down East End trail to Windmill which quickly connects to Windgate.  Headed up and over Bell Pass and then left again on to Paradise Trail.  Eventually made it to Lost Dog and then over to the Sunrise climb.  Once on the other side I went through the neighborhood and then kept climbing, staying high and hooking into the somewhat new Sonoran Trail.  That now connects to Dixie Mine trail and then I rode up to Prospector.  At the base of Bell I stayed right and then headed back down Windgate, taking a left at the Junction with Windmill and then proceeded to climb over the final pass for the day... Windgate.

I will say for those who have not yet hit this Sonoran trail it is a must do.  There are some switchbacks that don't work well for a bicycle when climbing, but a good challenge none the less.  Once you cross an old road the trail has been freshly carved and simply flies down the mountain.  Not technical, but superb flow.  You can see the ribbon of dirt well in advance for any traffic (unlikely due to the remoteness) and you can carve until your hearts content.

Newish Trail Signage:

The Stats:

Rider: Just myself, Elvota

Distance: 33 miles

Elevation: 6773 feet climbing

Time: just over 6.5 hours

I have the GPS file that can be sent to those who might be interested.  Just send a message to info@thestickichronicles.com.  I'll do my best to respond as quickly as possible.

Final Impression:

An amazing ride with very little repetition.  A majority of the trail is unique with minimal back tracking.  The climbing is stout and the descents very quick. It's an exhausting ride to be sure, but well worth the challenge.

Hard to beat 33 miles almost entirely dirt, probably 90% singletrack with well over 100 switchbacks located only 25 minutes from home.

Christmas 2009

Christmas Eve Day

Well, before we knew it... it was that time of year again.

The gift giving, meal eating, family greeting, cold weather beating, after trick or treating... time of year.

We strung the house lights and put up our "mini" tree. A few decorations here and there with some added protection for the cactus out front.

Ho Ho Ho:

I had to work on Christmas Eve until 4:00 which gave Micki plenty of time to use her kitchen to the fullest extent of her magnificent culinary powers. By the time I got home, she had three pies cooling of on the counter and three Cornish game hens browning perfectly in the oven.

Why three pies you may ask. Simply because three of us were eating and we all had a different request. Logan went for pecan, Micki for pumpkin and I had my usual desert mandate... chocolate.

Pie-fecta:

Chicken domination:

Dinner is served:

Was kind of like having our own mini-turkey to ourselves besides they tasted different than turkey due to the fact they were actually chickens. To top it off, Micki had actually baked a loaf of cornbread from scratch the night before. From that she made a bunch of pieces and combined it with a few other ingredients to create corn bread stuffing. Mashed red potatoes filled the rest of the plate and the three of us sat down for the meal.

After we ate it was "one present per person" time. Since we were on our way to the Phoenix Zoo Lights in a few minutes, I chose a big fuzzy hat for Micki to open. Logan got a pair of warm gloves and I received a black T-shirt. Any black T-shirt with graphics was the top item on my Christmas wish list... so I was off to a brilliant start.

We headed over to the Zoo. Wasn't as busy as expected and we were able to park in the main lot. According to the literature, there are 2.5 million individual lights strung in just about every tree on the property. It takes a 4 person crew 12 weeks, or 2,000 man hours to set it all up. They start in mid-August and don't finish until the first week of November. Take that Clark Griswold.

On to the photos....

"Big Blue" has over 50,000 lights alone:

Komodo dragon:

Lots of pink:

Lots of green:

Red and white at night:

Peacock:

Uhmmm.... maybe an ogre:

Bad ass uber evil rabbit:

1984 called, they want their Stay Puft marshmallow man back:

I have no idea why the Stay Puft guy was there, nor the ogre for that matter. I think the organizers just ran out of ideas or maybe got those items at a discounted rate. Or perhaps the Zoo has a few more bad ass exhibits that we should check out during the day time. I'd love to see the marshmallow man lumbering around in his native environment.

Most of the actual animals were away in their own dark, warm places. The Komodo Dragon could be seen under it's heat lamp. One of the elephants as well was hanging out. At least three different people walked through the crowd claiming they couldn't see it. Amazing... it was as big as a UPS truck yet people were missing it until it was actually pointed out to them. I am thinking humanities predatory instincts may be in worse trouble than I actually realized. There was a playful otter however swimming in his little pond. Actually ate a fish some 3 feet away from us. That was cool.

One section of the Zoo has a tree concert. Basically a bunch of trees with a ton of lights set to music. Lasts about 3 minutes but fun to watch regardless.

Here is about 50 seconds of the show:

Zoo Lights from Elvota on Vimeo.

From there we decided to ditch the cold and head home before Santa came. We all had some of our respective pies and watched a little bit of the Christmas Classic James Bond film "Casino Royal". Man does the new Bond kick some serious ass!

Christmas Day

Yipee!! The time to open presents was finally here. But first Micki was preparing yet another glorious meal. First off was quiche. Now this isn't just some ordinary run of the mill pre-Humprhey's Peak hike quiche. No sir! I am talking full throttle cheese and egg super thick yet fluffy Micki quiche fresh from the oven.

Bomb-tastic:

While we ate the wrapping paper flew. Lottery tickets were found, mini-multi tools were discovered, even more wonderful black T-shirts exposed, the technologically advanced bino-cam was unboxed. All happened so quickly that not even a single photo was taken. Well, one of us did pose for a pic with their new gift.

Just what I really wanted:

After the dust had settled I took a few moments to mount the new XT crankset I had received on the Salsa. Micki and I donned anything that was Christmas new and wearable and went out for a quickish afternoon ride on Trail 100. Parked at Tatum, up to 40th street and off to Trail 8. Then Cholla to Ruby Ridge and winding our way back down fence-line. My new cranks really polish of the Golden Ghost.

I am now XT super-powered:

Oh the wonderment:

Shame really... now I don't even have to try on the hill climbs any more. It's like I just got a new set of pistons pumping pure pomegranate Rockstar for every pedal stroke. I can sense the singletrack starting to recoil in fear already.

Fixed gear training plus XT crank equipped?  Awwwwwh SNAP!!!

We had planned to hit my Mom's house for desert and gift exchange at around 7:00. I decided to ride my new found fixed joy over there and Micki and Logan would drive to meet me. That bike sure is fun. I think it's about 20 miles there as I go a little longer to stay on the bike path most of the way. The ride itself was mostly uneventful besides two beach cruiser cyclists using the entire path heading towards me at one point. It was dusk and they weren't paying much attention until about 40 yards away when I yelled out "HELLOOOO!!". With a quick unskilled jerk at the wheel, the offending cruiserette wobbled out of my path just in time. Which is a good thing... because I still really haven't figured out how to stop that thing yet.

At Mom's we all discussed our current jobs, TV shows and opened another round of presents. I lucked out with yet another black T-shirt and Micki got some perfectly matched kitchen towels as well as a multi tier cooling rack in preparation for Cookie-Palozza 2010. Logan got close to winning several thousand dollars with some scratch tickets. In fact he came away with $7.00 which was "better than a kick in the pants" according to my Mom. Very true. Very true indeed.

So... that was about it. We had a nice day for sure. Was good to see family and we may get a chance to head to Nebraska next year to see what a white Christmas really looks like. That will be a new one, at least for me.

Going Fixed

Riding my 64/24 commuter to work has been a very successful experiment. It has helped me gain a ton of base miles and I have even been able to branch out for some longer rides around the state. The simplicity of a singlepeed is attractive enough, but reducing the bicycle even further had been running around in my mind ever since I was turned on to fixedgeargallery.com. I wondered what I would think of going fixed and brakeless. Would I miss the coasting and carving I enjoyed? Would I be able to adapt at all to not being able to stop pedaling? Would I truly want a fixed gear as my primary option for commuting? Would I end up wearing skinny jeans with a U-Lock in my rear pocket?

I just kept putting the whole idea on the back burner until I looked up in the rafters of the shop the other day and realized I had the perfect frame and fork combo staring at me just gathering dust. Mountain biker to the soul, the mid-80's something Schwinn Sidewinder was sure to be the perfect platform for the fixed experiment. Upon inspection, I realized the frame was at least a 21" with a tall head and seat tube. All steel with some chromoly tubes thrown in. 135mm rear spacing, horizontal-ish dropouts, no derailleur hanger... enough to work with for sure. I started to figure out what I might need.

1" threaded headset, 26.6mm seat post, a pair of track wheels, some cranks, a couple tires... seat would be nice.

Yummy yummy!! An excuse to look through the greasy and almost worn out bike catalogs stashed underneath the bench once again.

THE BUILD...

First thing I did was force the rear spacing down to 120mm. Took some effort both to decrease the width and keep everything centered. I ended up close to perfect, which was well within spec for this ride. I chased the BB and faced the headset just for good measure. Up next was to start chopping off the "extra" doo-dads such as cable stops and brake studs. There would be no return to a full factory dresser for this frame. The commitment had been made. I decided to leave the rack mounts in place in case I decided to go a little more utilitarian with this ride in the future. The rest went the way of the grinder and a gritty, metallic cloud of dust.

Killer paint job:

Quality indeed:

Tough-ass fork:

Silly rabbit, brakes are for kids:

First sparks, then memory:

That nasty deep purple paint with awesome splatter spider webs had to vanish next.  Auto Zone provided the cure in the form of some highly aggressive airplane paint remover.  After several coats and some elbow grease with sandpaper and such... I had enough removed to call it good.  The "look" of this bike was to be absolute simplicity.  What's more ground zero than bare steal?

OPCC logo for good measure:

Stripped and ground:

Some brazing adding character:

So, now I was ready to assemble this rig. I chose a set of pre-built wheels with brown deep dish rims. Was lucky enough to have a matching set of BMX style flange grips to match.  Some odd retro mustache style handlebars were then recruited to slide into the grasp of a beautifully finished TTT stem.   This project was really starting to click now.  Knowing that I really had no intention of crushing any land speed records on a bicycle so ill equipped to stop (at least with my current skill set) I found some 32mm tires to roll on.  Gearing was to be a 45/17 combo.  Pretty much matched the gear inches of my 64/24 commuter, plus gave a fair amount of skid patch points to keep me from wearing or squaring out rear tires.  How do I know?  This is how.

For those of you out there who have built bikes before, there is a mental checklist we all have developed to make sure nothing is missed.  No bolts left un-torqued, to cable end left un-crimped, no brake pad or derailleur unadjusted.  With a "fixie", more than half my list simply evaporated.  The bike was done before I knew it and with nothing to adjust besides the headset and chain tension... I was ready to get on and give it a go.

THE RIDE...  

Right away I realized this was going to be a very foreign experience for me.  The first thing I did when I straddled the bike was reach for the brake levers so I could get on.

FAIL

Then I tried to backpedal the crank to get my shoe to click in.

FAIL

With my shoe now attached and in the proper position, I lifted my planted foot and started to roll down the driveway.

FAIL

I stopped instantly. In fact, I almost went straight over the handlebars.

Turns out my process, when it comes to getting on a bike, is to squeeze the brakes, clip in one foot at about 6 o-clock... then just push off and coast while I get my other foot clipped in. Fluid through repetition at the subconscious level. Never letting me down, until now.

I had to re-asses my entire technique. This was not a good sign. How was I to even ride this thing, let alone stop it, if I was having trouble just getting started? Trying again, this time I clipped in with my left foot at about 2 o-clock. As I weighted the pedal, the bike moved forward and with the empty pedal coming back around... my right foot hit it's mark.

Slicker than goose shit slides through a tin horn, I was rolling!!

Pedaling now, the bike felt just like any other singlespeed. Quite, fluid and simple. I began to test the concept of back pressure and found that modulating speed was much easier than I had imagined. Coming to a stop however was pretty damn difficult. The bike just kept wanting to roll forward. ;I'd get close to stopping, and then the crank arm would crest the top only to come down and power me forward for another foot or three. With a few more tries I started to get the feel and was beginning to get in tune with the working manner of this "simple" bicycle pretty well.

I rode down the block to an empty parking lot and started to figure a few more things out. I approached my first curb with the fear of hitting a 4 foot drop at 25 miles per hour felt deep in my gut. It was crazy. I no longer had that little half step of control needed to time my pedal placement. It didn't matter if I planned to hit the curb from 3' or 30' away... the result was always the same. My pedal was going to be where ever the rear wheel would dictate it to be. With that figured out, I tried to go back down. That was even scarier. Of course, I could attempt no wheelie drop at this point and with a rough one-two thud, I was back on asphalt.

It was now time to try the track stand. Much to my surprise, this move was far easier on this bike than I was used to. With total and instant control of the bike's forward or back momentum, I felt like I could balance forever. In fact I must admit that I just gave up trying to fall over after a few minutes. The bike was like a rock. Maybe there was hope for me yet.

Skid stopping. I had seen the grizzled NY messengers and hipsters online just sliding their rear tires for what seemed to be an eternity. Just a quick stop of the cranks and the rubber would turn to ice, ;allowing them to slide gracefully along the pavement painting the route behind with artistic arcs of black. I built up a small amount of speed and just tried to lock up the wheel. My legs instantly buckled and with almost zero change in my speed the bike just laughed, forcing me back to my seat... spinning away. I tried again, this time with more force. Still not even a hint of skid. I found a puddle. I figured after all that basically nothing sticks wet rubber to cement. I wondered if I'd just slide to my death from the total lack of friction. Once again, hard stop on the cranks, me almost over the bars... not even the tiniest mark on the ground. WTF?

Maybe it was my monstrous 32mm tires at 75 psi. Possibly it was my lack of technique. Perhaps it was just my lack of speed or commitment to the process. Who knew, but the skid stop was left to be learned later. I'd just have to be very cautious on my first ride to work tomorrow and not get into a situation where a quick halt would be required.

THE COMMUTE...

Leaving earlier than usual, I headed out the door. I didn't want to be in a rush and tempt myself with speed to make up time. Using my lessons from the night previous, I clipped in and was rolling fairly easily. I watched my corner lean angle as to not clip a pedal and approached each intersection stop with absolute cautious terror. I forgot once or twice to keep pedaling, but the bike reminded me so quickly of my mistake there wasn't much effect besides an awkward jerk to my spin. I was starting to get in the groove now and enjoying the bike. Able to relax I could look down and appreciate the simplicity of no cables, levers or brakes. The ride was quiet, solid and provided a ton of new feedback to the terrain I was rolling across. It was cold out, at least by Tempe in December standards. Sure, I was wearing shorts and summer gloves... but 45 is 45.

I decided I might as well snap a few pics and let my hands warm up a bit.

Finished product:

Full frontal:

Mark of the Schwinn:

Mandatory chainline shot:

Wonderful oily grime:

One Gear:

Long way down:

Rubber and brass:

After the photo shoot, I rolled down the light dirt path next to the lake. I actually got a couple skid stops to work this time and began to combine my pedal position timing with a little bit of weight placement technique. Back on cement I tried again, but with no luck. Skidding is surprisingly more difficult than one might expect.

All in all the first commute was uneventful. 95% of the trip felt just like I was on my standard issue SS commuter. I was getting the hang of slowing down and stopping. Spinning was second nature, but I really wasn't feeling all that inspired by the fixie. Just wasn't that big of a deal. In fact, I was feeling a little let down.

That was until the second commute.

Not really sure exactly what happened, but everything just really started to blend. Pedaling became smoother, stopping almost effortless and my level of enjoyment went way up. The simplicity of this ride was very addictive. I could see how the pure pedaling experience could truly be found once the rider was connected in essence directly to the ground. Why was I smiling like a fool just heading down the bike path to work? At one with the rolling world I suppose

Even the lake was in perfect, peaceful harmony:

So far I've ridden this bike to work a few times and once across town. Probably done about 80 miles and still no really successful skid stops on cement or asphalt. It's actually not that big of a deal though, as I have not found myself in need of instant deceleration... at least yet. Anyway, the combination of the "big" 32mm tires at lowish pressure and my upright seating position gives me a much slower overall speed with plenty of time to anticipate danger. One of my favorite things to find at this point are in fact down grades. I think because it is so different to have to apply back pressure on the pedals to modulate your speed. If you let to much momentum build, you are pretty much dead. At least as far as I can tell.

The strangest and most interesting side effect I have found so far is how "square" my pedaling is when I first start pedaling on a FW equipped bicycle. I have trouble even getting the cranks to pass the dead spot at top center. In fact, the BB assembly almost seams to seize up completely when I get close to 11 o-clock. The sensation only lasts for a pedal revolution or two, but is pretty odd considering the amount of FW equipped miles I have pedaled in my life. I am not sure if the fixed gear is going to help my spin or hurt it.

Sure, on a fixie you have to pedal... and in turn your spin is constant, unyielding and precise. But the direct connection between the wheel and cranks "forces" spin perfection. The FW equipped bicycle seems to demand you spin perfectly with zero input or instruction. If you don't, the pedals just stop going around. Something I was very aware of before but have never really felt it to this degree until now.

So far I am thoroughly hooked on fixed. Will I only be riding fixed from this point forward? No. I just miss the carving flow that can be found on my FW bicycles to much. That said, I am really digging the sensations and ride quality this stripped down bare little Schwinn is providing me. Fixed is not the reasonable solution for all riding terrain, but sure is interesting.

I must admit I am curious now as to how difficult it would be to ride fixed in the dirt. My guess is pretty damn hard... then again, might be worth a try.

THE SPECS:

• Frame: Mid-80's Schwinn Sidewinder MTB
• Fork: 1" Schwinn "Bomb Proof" steel fork
• Seatpost: Uno alloy (26.6mm x 350mm)
• Seat: Novara Buzz with steel rails
• Stem: Triple T
• Bars: Origin 8 Space Bar
• Grips: Primo
• Headset: Origin 8 cartridge
• BB: Shimano cartridge (68 x 107 mm)
• Chain: get the job done brown Z (1/8")
• Cranks: Shimano XTR (175mm, 110 BCD)
• Pedals: Shimano SPD M515
• Chainring: Origin 8 (45 tooth, 110 BCD, 1/8")
• Rear Cog: Surley (17 tooth, 1/8")
• Lockring: Surley stainless
• Rear Hub: Formula cartridge fixed/ fixed (120mm, 32H)
• Front Hub: Formula cartridge (32H)
• Rims: Weinman DP18 (32 hole)
• Spoke: 2.0 straight (laced 3 cross)
• Nipples: Brass
• Tires: Vittoria Randoneur, 32x700c (seemingly un-skidable)
• Weight: 25 lbs

One gear, one shadow, one fun:

UPDATE 01.01.10:

Fixed Gear Gallery submission #10,654

Link...

UPDATE 01.11.10:

First Fixed Fifty

Link...

UPDATE 02.20.10:

Dressing up

Link...

Tom's Thumb Revisited

Being very stoked with the Tom's Thumb route, I had to take Micki back and give it another try.  I knew she'd enjoy the climb and the descent is technical enough to keep us both on our toes.  I brought the GoPro this time to take some shots of the ups and downs and switches left as well as switches right.

The whole trail is a cornering clinic.

Was a great day overall.  Perfect weather and very little traffic.  I think a few hikers we saw at the top just couldn't figure out how the hell we got up there.  Pretty sure bikes are a rarity in the area at this point.

A few pics.

You can see the trail well below Micki at this point.  I think we'd already completed 10 or so switchbacks from the Windgate turnoff.... maybe more.

The Mach 5 earning it's turns:

The climb itself is relentless.  Even this last pitch which appears to go to the top is actually nowhere near the summit itself.  If you look close, you can see switchbacks edging up the ridgline.  Crazy steep almost the entire way.

M3 killing it as usual:

I was able to make a few of the corners that I missed last time, but screwed up a few I made the first time.  I guess one would have to call it even. I was able to make a series of switchbacks that defeated me last time which I found very satisfying.  They are so tight you literally feel as if your front wheel is climbing the third while your rear is finishing the second.... never mind cleaning the first nasty one just a few feet before all that.

Tom's Thumb in the background:

Almost at the top now:

Self portrait at summit:

Here are two videos. One going up, and the second coming down.  Captured most of the DH switchbacks and a majority of the ones on the way up.  It's hard to tell (as usual) in the vids, but exposure is a factor both up and down.

A great trail overall.  One that should be added to anyone scouring the McDowell's for "the kind" singletrack.

Going Up:

Tom's Thumb Ascent from Elvota on Vimeo.

Going Down:

Tom's thumb Descent from Elvota on Vimeo.

With two summits of Tom's Thumb under my granny gear, I am chomping at the bit to give the "Gnardruple Bypass" a serious try.  That would be to summit Tom's, then Bell, on to Sunrise with a final crossing of Windgate.

I'll be sure to post up some info should I pull that one off.

UPDATE 12.30.09

Gnardruple completed

Click here for the story...

Tom's Thumb Route

Having the day off I decided to figure out what some of the newer McDowell trails had to offer.  We have explored most of the known routes in the area including Bell, Windgate and Sunrise passes.  Tom's Thumb was supposed to be a steep climb with many switchbacks.

Link to City of Scottsdale McDowell Preserve map

I will say that this Tom's Thumb trail is one of the steepest yet climbable trails I have found in the greater Phoenix Metro area.  In fact, I think the climb rivals most I have found in Flagstaff or even Colorado... minus the negatives of altitude of course.  Heck, I climbed more vertical feet in less miles than even the Colorado Trail!

The Tom Thumb trail itself is very well constructed with minimal loose rock.  In fact, the traction today was simply amazing.  Rivaling slick-rock tackiness in many of the steeper sections.  This was a very good thing, as without sticky tires... one wouldn't even have a chance of conquering the endless switchbacks and severe pitch.

I started at the 104th street trail-head and headed up Windgate Pass.  A somewhat flat climb by comparison, but always rocky.  I caught up with several groups of hikers and a dog.  Strange, as the parking lot itself was empty when I arrived.  With so many ways into the trail system, I am sure these walkers had found another route.

Past the Desert Park Trail the Windgate trail gets very steep and full of both fixed and loose rocks.  Mentally, this section always messes with me, and the lunch I ate in the 4Runner on the way over to the ride started to reveal itself in strange and uncomfortable ways.  Climbing can be hard... climbing on a full stomach is just plain stupid.  I finally made it to the Tom's Thumb turn off and took a little sit down to let things settle..

First view of the Thumb itself:

The trail was relatively mellow at this point, but it was obvious where it was going to go... straight F'n up.  Generally, one can make out a ribbon of singletrack from a good distance, or at least be able to assess the upcoming terrain for a logical route.  In this case, I could neither see or figure out how on earth I was going to get from the bottom to the very top.

As I began to climb up what appeared to be an old road, I started to compare the pitch and terrain to Colorado.  I wondered how steep I was going already and what possible verticallity  lay around the next series of corners.  Remembering the moist singletrack perfection that is Summit County, I began to hear running water.  It was very strange, but I started to believe a creek was just around the bend.  Knowing I was in the McDowells and it hadn't rained for several days I checked it off as an audio mirage.  Much to my surprise, there actually was a creek to be found!

Huge greenery right next to the trail (check out my bike for scale):

The source... and maybe bucket for dogs:

The pipe came from upstream.  Maybe a crude cement tank had been created by ranchers or miners years ago.  The rusty tube just went up and up as far as the eye could see.  Was very strange to actually have to cross a stream anywhere in the McDowells.

After that the pitch got steep... very, very steep:

Maybe a bit hard to tell from the pic, but the grade required full weight on the nose of the saddle and total granny engagement.  I figured I'd just pedal until I spun out, but as I stated before, the ground was incredibly tacky.  I soon realized the only way I'd be walking if this kept up was by choice as opposed to loosing traction.  I ended up making this section, and after catching my breath at the top... continued on.

The trail started to grind up the valley and wind through some really impressive rock sections.  You can see one outcropping towards the bottom left of this pic.

How can this section lead to that Thumb? :

From there shit just got crazy.  Crazy steep with switchbacks well into the 130 degree range.  Again the traction was unimaginable and over and over again I was able to creak past with a rolling trackstand. Stopping for the occasional catching of breath, I just couldn't believe how much of this trail was actually ridable.  I made all but 2 or 3 switchbacks with maybe 30 yards of walking.  My guess is conditions were perfect and the duplication of this feat might be next to impossible.  That said... I was feeling pretty stoked right about now.

Looking back down:

Lot's of exposure at this point and still no way to figure out what direction the singletrack was going to head next.  Sometimes you'd get several switchbacks in a row with less than 10' of trail between.

Super tight turns:

Literally hanging off the edge:

View back down to Windgate trail:

Closer to the Thumb now:

Every single switchback cleaned seemed to offer three more.  Talk about getting a skills clinic on slow speed uber tight corners.  The trail is a relentless challenge offering superb views of the valley below.

Cardinals Stadium can actually be seen in the distance:

Final approach:

Tom's Thumb up close and personal:

At the top now the temps were actually very cool.  Even had to put on my vest.  Gave Micki a quick call to let her know my location and took a look around.  The terrain seemed to change almost instantly once at the summit.  Switching from that incredibly sticky stone stuck mud to the floaty sketch of decomposed granite.  I rolled by the Lookout Trail option to my right and started to head down into the saddle across the way.

Carvey singletrack:

Now the switchbacks started to offer a different challenge.  The slippery terrain and steep exposure makes sure you are committed to the corner before attempting it.  Simply stepping out and calling it quits gets a bit more tricky when your XC hardtail has it's seat sky high.  This challenge brought me back to the day when that's all a cyclist new.  Dropped seats, big front travel and rear suspension was all an engineers delusion. I must admit however that there was a huge smile plastered across my face and I was enjoying every moment to the fullest.

Trail heads through this boulder tunnel... sweeeet!!  :

Amazing rock formations all around:

Fountain Hills in the distance:

I came to the East End Trail junction and headed South towards Windgate and Bell passes.  At this point the trail gets very steep and really feels exposed.  Traction has come back and you need it when scrubbing speed into the un-bicycle friendly turns.  Most of them having no radius what so ever... more like "V's" of death.

Edgey:

Rather important right turn:

Towards the end, the trail opens up a bit and with less corners comes more flow and speed. I was at the bottom which connected to Windmill Trail much quicker than I had expected.  I decided to round out the ride with a roll over Bell Pass and then back to the car.

View from Bell:

Back down the steeps, through the rocks and then to the car.  A really good loop with some amazing climbing for AZ.  The McDowell trail system always continues to impress me with the quality design and construction of the routes.  Options are endless.  In fact this loop today has me thinking about upping the ante of the well known "Quadruple Bypass".  Perhaps the "Gnardruple Bypass" which would include a summit over Tom's Thumb, then Bell, Sunrise and a final ascent to Windgate.  Four truly different summits.

Hmmmm.... who's ready to go?

Ride info:

Length: 11 miles
Elevation: 3050 feet climbing
Time: about 3 hrs