Bend. Home of Hero Dirt

Finally had the chance to spend a little time in the Deschutes National Forest right outside of Bend, Oregon. Although I finally came across rain while on the trail (first time this whole trip!), the trails were pretty incredible. And like the title says, everything was hero dirt. Except of course the log rides and rock gardens. Hero dirt is what us mountain bicycle riding folk like to call the dirt that, no matter what you do, is as grippy as dirt can get. No matter how fast you go or how hard you turn, the tires stick to the ground like a cat on carpet (or your leg depending on how nice the cat is). It does a good job giving you confidence and an even better job making you go faster than you meant to. Put simply, it's awesome! Unfortunately, I only spent a day with all this hero dirt, but I certainly made the best of it, putting in nearly forty miles on basically every trail I had access to from one trailhead. This included Funner, Tiddlywinks, Larsen's, Storm King, and just a little bit Tyler's Traverse.

Good rides in Deschutes followed by good food and beer at Deschutes!

Funner is probably the funner of the trails in the area in my opinion. A few cool log rides, one with about a six foot drop at the end. Most of the terrain is very natural feeling and is extremely fast with a happy mix of flow and somewhat technical sections. My only complaint is that it's short! It only took me seventeen minutes to do a top to bottom run my first time on the trail. And that included stopping to check on someone who fell and to do a log ride I screwed up a second time to clean it. But, I did thoroughly enjoy the ride. It is an extremely well built trail!

Next up was Tiddlywinks. This is like a miniature A-line! It was extremely fast and a ton of fun, but did seem a little small, even for XC bikes. Once again, the trail was hero dirt from start to finish. So yet again, you could go fast on this trail. Really fast. 38mph first time down actually. This is certainly a trail I would recommend to anyone in the area and is yet again, an extremely well built trail! The people up in Bend definitely put the time and money into their trails which results in great systems. Good job y'all!

All in all, my Bend experience was short and sweet. It was definitely a great place to spend my last day of riding on the west coast! I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the trails and will certainly be back at some point in time to experience more of the trails in the area!

A Butcher in Downieville

I've spent the last four days in the infamous Downieville, CA. Yes. It is as good as all the videos an write ups say they are. It is absolutely phenomenal. I know I've said it before, but these are some of the best trails I have ridden. They are extremely well built and the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship does a freaking incredible job making sure they stay in the best conditions.

Elevation 2,900ft, population 325 folks

For those who don't know. Downieville is a town of about 325 people in Tahoe National Forest in Northern California. The area has a huge variety of trails and an endless amount of terrain to work with. It has long been famous for how well built the trails are and for how much riding is within a short ride or drive from this tiny old prospecting town. And to add to the trails, the scenery is breathtaking due to the fact that nothing within miles and miles of the town has been developed. Most of the area is old growth and the only people around live in similar towns. One I saw had a population of a whopping.... sixteen people. Yup you read that right. One six. The area is so desolate that I didn't have cell phone service anywhere within an hour of Downieville. But enough of what the town is. On to why it is a mountain biker's dream!

The SBTS guys doing some awesome work on Butcher Ranch trail

The guys from Yuba found a way to make horseshoes more fun. By using Kegs and Kendas!

For starters. The one shop there is great. Yuba Expeditions. Not a big shop at all. Very small selection of bikes and parts, but it has all the small necessities. What makes it so great is the people there and the philosophy with which they operate. It is a three man crew. For the most part only two guys are there though since one is driving the shuttle van to take mountain bikers to different trailheads. The guys there are great. Really friendly, helpful, and really knowledgeable. They certainly don't beat around the bush when it comes to bikes. They are also a non-profit shop. They pay overhead and get the needed inventory, then all other profits go towards the Sierra Butte Trail Stewardship (SBTS). SBTS is a group that does nothing but build professional, sustainable trails in the area. All donations go to paying the full time trail crew and buying the best tools possible to get the job done. On any given day you can find at least three guys from the group on a trail working. And that brings me to the second reason it is such a great area. The trails.

Having a full time trail crew in the area means that trails are always in top conditions. I have ridden in bike parks that don't have trails this well built. Simply put, these trails are phenomenal. Everywhere I rode was well marked, making it nearly impossible to lose your way, and every difficult section you could walk or go around (not that I did; well on purpose...). The amount of terrain options is pretty incredible as well. Some trails were fairly smooth and extremely flowy. Others were super technical and slow moving with lots of ups and downs thrown in the middle of it. The trails that everyone who rides has heard of are the ones that make up the Downieville Downhill. Fifteen(ish) miles of enduro style descending. And it had everything. A couple decent sized jumps, big berms, long rock gardens, smooth sections you could hit Mach 5 on (ok ok it was only 37mph. Between trees.), and natural sections full of roots, rocks, ruts, bumps, and everything else the forest could throw at you. Needless to say, I liked it. A whole hell of a lot. My next favorite trail there was the Mills Peak Trail. I don't remember an exact distance, but I know you climbed then descended  over 3,000 vertical feet. It is a well built path, but is a very natural style terrain. Extremely fast, really technical, and a ton and a half of fun.

And to make the whole experience just a little bit better, the camping had some pretty incredible views and I managed to push the van down a couple "4x4 only" roads! She didn't flinch a bit, and didn't even think about getting stuck! I have to say I was pretty impressed with where I managed to drive the huge truck!

View from the top of the Downieville Downhill

Pretty large logs huh?

Off-roading the Road Warrior!

Whistler

There is nothing to write about Whistler. It really just wasn't that great. I mean how did it become so popular? Oh who the hell am I kidding, that place is freaking unbelievable. And it's not just downhill. ALL the riding there is incredible. Everyone has seen the downhill stuff. And videos do it justice! It IS as awesome as it looks. And what isn't in the big films is even better. Yeah. A-Line is awesome. The Schleyer drop is just flat out cool. And the Crabapple hits are well; ridiculous to say the least. But put yourself on a 5-6" bike and go do the All Mountain trails, and you will REALLY see what fun, technical riding is all about. The AM trails were actually steeper and more technical than almost every trail I rode at the actual park. And there were some serious climbs to get to them!

The park. What Whistler is known for. It's incredible. You have to take two different lifts to get to the top of the runs where you descend something like 5,000 vertical feet back to the village. And almost every trail is just flat out amazing. Whether it's the blue flow trails or the double black technical stuff. It's just fun. The park has everything to ride. The infamous A-Line is just like the videos make it out to seem. Huge jumps and berms that flow together so well it's unbelievable. You can literally ride the whole trail without pedaling and never have to touch the brakes either. It completely changed my perspective on what a well groomed trail is. Then there are trails like Goat Gully. A double black technical trail that did not hesitate to do its best to throw both you and your bike off the best line. And once off that line, things got even gnarlier really fast! Then of course I had to try the Crabapple hits. No. I did not do every jump. I didn't quite have the guts for stuff that big! The first few were ridiculous though!

And the "cross country" trails were so much more than I ever expected. Miles of climbing followed by miles of steep, gnarly descents. I honestly can't believe they considered some of these trails cross country. I can't imagine riding some of these parts on a 4" bike. A 6" was rough enough! But the views, the trails, and the good times I had out on these new trails with new friends was worth the technicality and roughness. Plus a good portion of the trails really improved my confidence on my small bike. I am even more comfortable on even bigger stuff on it now, which means nothing but more fun, better trails, and faster descents!. High Society is probably one of my new favorite trails. It is a long climb up, part road from the village to the start, then nice trail from there to the end. This trail is steeper than anything at the downhill park. And although you are moving a lot slower, it is just as much fun and keeps you on your toes the whole time! And Billy's Epic is well, EPIC! Super steep terrain and spots so off camber and rocky that it was impossible to go straight down the trail. It was all so amazing!

Then of course there was the camping!!!

Short video from whistler on its way, haven't had too much time to work on it yet! Thanks for reading up guys! Van life has been awesome, and I've come all this way and am loving what I've done, am doing, and what's left to come!

O, Canada!

Another picture-less update. Sorry y'all. Just getting it out there that the first two courses, wheel building and suspension tuning, are finished! No final word on whether or not I am truly certified but I am pretty confident in saying that I am. My wheels passed and the guys there said I did great work on suspension and understood frame design really well. I did get a nice new wheel set out of the course which turned out to be awesome! Brand new DT Swiss 240s hubs on EX500 hoops. Really good combo! But now that the work is done and tests are finished (for now at least), I am packing up and heading to Canada to put in some time at Whistler Bike Park and surrounding riding areas! Super excited to finally get to ride the mecca of downhill. So many trails there that I need to ride!!! I plan to update with pictures and hopefully videos shortly after riding there!

"Welcome to Ashland man. Want to ride?"

Sorry y'all, but no photos for this quick update! Just wanted to get it out there that after way too much driving through bare nothingness, I have found myself in Ashland, Oregon! My first day here I managed to ride around town, introduce myself to some cool new people, and meet some good guys from good shops. First thing one guy did was invite me to a "Super Moon ride" where a bunch of people shuttle up to the top of a nearby mountain and end up going about 15 miles downhill with no lights! Just ridding under the moon! Bring a bike, bring a helmet, and have a good time cruising (or hauling ass!) with a bunch of guys. So sure enough I went out and what a good first ride experience! It wasn't on dirt, but still probably 25 people all out just to enjoy being on a bike. The whole way down was two lane, curvy mountain road. Tons of fun. A few guys had Garmins and computers and most hit somewhere around the 45mph range and most of us were on some sort of dirt jump or mountain bike. Have to say I showed up just in time to join in for the fun ride, and am stoked to be here for the next few weeks! Starting classes in the morning!

Captain We Have An Enchilada

Moab. There's a reason it's famous for riding. It has a ton of great trails. And the conditions are pretty unique as well, with I think Fruita being the only place I've ridden even close to the same dirt conditions. But the thing I found, the "famous" trails aren't the fun ones! Yes I rode SlickRock. THE trail that Moab is known for. And I am not going to say anymore than it was a waste of 10 miles of riding. I'm glad I rode it because it is famous and I can say that I have, but I wouldn't ride it again. But all of the local favorites were freaking incredible. Amasa Back, Pot Hole Arch, Captain Ahab, and the Whole Enchilada. Some of the best riding I have ever done. Big thanks to Wendy over at the Chile Pepper shop on Main Street. They really helped me out over there and all the recommendations they gave me were spot on.

The Amasa Back trail system was awesome. Amasa Back out to Pot Hole, then link in Captain Ahab on the way back. Fantastic riding. Most of Amasa Back is actually a Jeep trail, so there is a chance you will get to watch some awesome trucks do some crawling. I watched a fleet of 5 Jeeps and 2 Polaris RZRs tackle a pretty serious downhill rock garden. Then they got to watch me climb it! It isn't a very fast trail, with a lot of these parts being pretty technical climbs, but it is still really fun. Pot Hole is an out and back add on to Amasa Back. It was fun, but I am not a big out and back fan, so there isn't much for me to say about that... But the Captain Ahab loop , that has a lot to be talked about. Not only was the scenery incredible, but the riding was even better. It has a decent climb starting off from the main trail, but then has just over 1000 feet of descending with an average grade of 12%. There were lots of both slow, technical drops, and high speed sections. A few of the spots were slow roll ins just out of a sharp turn. Usually around 5-8 feet vertical and so steep I was on the back tire! Other spots were 5 feet drops that you hit wide open. It was a sweet trail to say the least. I definitely recommend it!

But you know what is even better than climbing for miles to have a good descent? Getting shuttled to the top of a 25 mile descent. And not some half decent, go out on your cheap hardtail descent. I'm talking 25 miles of fast, technical, keep you on your toes descending. This my friends, is the Whole Enchilada. Hazard County, UPS, LPS, and Porcupine Rim. Yes there were a few spots you had to pedal or do a quick uphill climb. But these were microscopic bumps in the big scheme of things. This has been hands down one of my favorite trails. Ever. The scenery is absolutely magnificent. You get everything from big mountains to desert, then end alongside the Colorado River deep in a canyon. And this trail has almost every style of riding you can imagine. Some spots were 30mph double track with water bars you could hit and literally float for 20 feet, no more than a foot or so off the ground, just to hit the ground again and throw yourself into a hard, banked turn. Others were seat dropped, trials style turns where failure to stay upright was not an option! 5 to 6 foot high speed drops, to 10 foot vertical roll ins that left a black mark on your pants (from sitting on the tire, not crapping yourself. Although I am pretty sure one guy did!). I have never ridden a trail with such a diverse style of riding. You have to be a very well rounded rider to handle this trail and not walk. And make sure to take lots of water, and at least one tube and a patch kit! Even the self proclaimed great riders were flatting regularly on this trail (although I have to say some of their line choices were not good ones). Its pretty easy to say, I really really liked this trail! If you are serious about exploring the country and riding awesome trails, this HAS to be one of your stops.

If you see the line through this picture (hard to do), then you are awesome.

But for now, I have to say goodbye to Moab. Time to pack up yet again, and hit the road for a nice 16hr drive to Ashland, Oregon. Time to go learn me a thing or two! Updates when I'm there!

MILF

Man, I love Fruita. What did you think the title meant? But really. I love it here in Fruita, Colorado. Good people, good shops, good beer, and incredible riding. In only two days I have had the pleasure of ridding three different trail heads and put in over 50 miles of dirt to rubber. Well, more like 35 miles of dirt and 15 of rock. But what a place to ride. The trails are good, better, and Oh My Gosh I'm in Heaven. 18 Road, Kokopelli, and finally Lunch Loop trail heads. Each one consisting of well over 100 miles of unique trails, and each one worth every second I have spent in the car so far. Now I know why people speak so highly of this place!

18 Roads was the easiest of the trail systems, but that didn't make it boring. There are more than enough trails there to make anyone happy. I managed to put about 15 miles in here and every last inch of dirt was well groomed and extremely fast rolling. I was most excited to ride PBR, not only because of the immense amount of hype everyone I have run into has given me about it, but because it's named after one of my favorite drinks! Pumps, bumps, and rollers. 2.5 miles of it. And almost no pedaling! There were multiple sections where you could easily double or triple through a section and there were no issues manualing through long straights. If you are in the area and not looking for a technical trail system, 18 Roads is the place to be for sure.

First turn onto PBR

The fury little friend Dalen and I made on the trail!

Now, the Kokopelli area is a good step above 18 Roads. There is plenty of smooth single track, but there are some awesome rock drops, views, and plenty of rough spots. As far as riding here, Horsethief had to be my favorite trail. The starting roll in was a good sign of how the trail was going to be; 75 yards of steep, loose, and technical  rock garden and rock drops. Now I was a little misinformed about the "small rock drops" at the start of this trail, so I came into it a little fast and honestly, thought my day was going to end before I got to ride. Luckily for me, Shimano makes a damn strong brake so I was able to stop myself before flying off the trail. After catching my breath and taking a look, I found a good line, reset myself, and made it through clean. And everything from that point on was great. Lots of technical sections like the first roll in but enough single track to separate things and let me enjoy the views of the Colorado River. Great riding and gorgeous views. What more could a guy ask for? For all around riding for someone who doesn't want to go over the top, but doesn't want to ride basic stuff, this is definitely the trail head for you! Easy to get to, fun to ride, and some of the most incredible views I've seen in Colorado!

The awesome roll in to Horsethief!

Pretty awesome views of the Colorado River!

Just riding along

And the real riding, THAT is at the Lunch Loops trail head. about 10 miles here put me through more work than the 40 miles at both other trail heads combined. The signs they have at the start of black and double black trails saying "Extremely technical terrain. For advanced riders only" is no joke. There were spots so off camber and steep that I was sitting on my back tire and leaning against a rock wall just to stay on path. The blue trails weren't too bad. most well rounded riders should be able to do that no problem. But Holy Cross and Pucker Up were the real deal. Some spots were so tight my handlebars wouldn't fit through, and some parts were so steep I don't see it being possible to ride on a XC bike. I definitely didn't clean every line the first time. My hands, feet, and knees hit the ground many, many times! But the trail and views were completely worth getting covered in dirt! If you are 100% confident on your bike and don't mind getting dirty, make a point to ride this trail head. It is incredible. Oh yeah, there is a dirt jump and pump track park right at the start too! I managed to hit a few jumps before and after my ride! Even clipped in the Stumpy jumps well!

View from the back end of Holy Cross

Hard to see in this picture, but on the top of the back hill was one of the riding lines

Now it's time to visit some more shops, swing by the DT Swiss headquarters, and pack up for Moab! Slick Rock here I come!

Every Downhill has its Uphill

Two days of riding in the Colorado Rockies have had their ups and downs for sure! Long ups and long downs, both of which were freaking fun. Winter Park's Trestle Bike Park and Keystone Resort Bike Park were the two stops on the map. Both of which are pretty well known, and both of which had opening day this weekend!

First stop was Trestle. Which I did not stay around for opening day. Instead, I took the Stumpjumper, full of new life, and had a nice 9 mile climb (including a slight detour that led to an unridable trail) to the summit of the mountain. All 1600 feet from base to summit was covered, and then a little more with that detour... The only letdown was when I reached the top, a random worker informed me that ALL of the downhill trails were closed. Which did not line up with what someone at the bottom told me, which was that as long as it didn't say closed at the trail head I could ride it. Well I just climbed 9 miles and didn't pass a single trail worker, so I went ahead and listened to the first person and rode the trails! What a blast. The Stumpjumper was great. It climbed like a mountain goat and descended like a bat outa hell. It even managed to clear every jump on Rainmaker, a black jump trail. And can whip so easily you can unclip mid air! I've never ridden such a versatile bike!

Next was Keystone, which I did manage to ride opening day! I was on one of the first chairs of the season! Also was one of the last chairs of opening day! Unfortunately, the upper half of the mountain was closed due to snow... I did however see more snow riding up the lift than I have in 21 years living in South Carolina... But despite the long dirt road ride to the open trails, the riding was great. Money, Jam Rock, Sanitarium, and Helter where all open. These are in my opinion some of the best trails here. And you can get a good taste of everything riding them. From the steep and gnarly rock gardens of Helter to the smooth and flowy jump line of Money. I am pretty sure I even ended up in a few pictures for the resort! I unfortunately did not get any pictures from the park, so sorry about that... However, I will leave you with great advice from the Chinese! Only it should be the other way around.

Road tripping music is playing, time to head west to Fruita for some awesome enduro style single track!

Good News, Great News

So I haven't ridden for what seems like forever, something like 4 days I think... But just because no tires have touched dirt doesn't mean it hasn't been a great time!

For starters, I got to go hangout at the Yeti factory for a while. Awesome guys over there in Golden! And after that I got to go meet the guys from Reeb Bikes. They have the perfect job. They work for a brewery AND run a handmade bike company. Their bikes are super sweet. If you haven't seen them, look at them. Now. 

Then after driving for a while, I finally stumbled across Winter Park, Colorado. Haven't done much here other than eat and drink, but good times lay in my future tomorrow!

And after said drinking and eating was done and my mind started to race, I decided to build some shade for my adventure van. A whole $14 and a few beers brought this beauty together. No it's not the nicest and yes it looks slightly cheap, but it does it's job and was in fact cheap! I'm sure I'll appreciate it in Utah!

And the best news, I got my shock back from Fox and the Stumpjumper is ready to rock again. What makes it even better is that I get to test it out at Winter Park tomorrow! Lifts are closed so it looks like it's gonna be a long climb! Hopefully lockout will really work now...

Angels, Fire, and a Pro GRT!

So before today it's been a week since my last update on here. Why? Because Angel Fire, New Mexico was way too much fun and had way too much going on to get on here! Oh yeah and I didn't have internet access (minor details right?). But after five amazing days in the small mountain town, I finally ended up parting ways with the place and arrived here in Denver, Colorado. So far I have liked it, at least for a city. Which is a good thing because I am spending a few days here while I wait on my rear shock to get back to me from Fox Racing. I do have to say I was impressed with their turn around time, as I have NEVER had them flip a shock in only three days from the time I shipped it off to them! Now just to see if it actually works right now!

Anyway, on to the Angel Fire write up! This has to be one of my favorite places not only to ride but just to be around. The tiny mountain town sits at a comfortable 8,600 feet above sea level, which did kick my butt the first few days there, but every second was completely worth it. The actual park is freaking amazing. There is an abundance of trails that cater to all skill levels, and all of them are fun. Even the easiest trails out there have sections to keep the more experienced riders having fun. From the gnarly Double-Black rock gardens on World Cup DH to the high speed jump trail of Boulder Dash, every last trail is amazing. And anyone can have fun there! Like super steep, technical trails? They got it! Like full sized motocross berms and jumps at 30 mph? They have that too. And I don't think it matters what bike you are on. I rode with multiple people with every range of bike style. Some guys were on full built downhill race bikes going mach 1 the whole time, while others were on their 29" all mountain bikes. It didn't matter what they rode, everyone there was friendly (except the one bike patrol guy who said I probably wasn't going to be able to ride the trails well. I proved him wrong when I rode with and left him), and everyone had a smile on their face the whole time (again, except for when I outran the bike patrol guy).

I have to say, Supreme was probably my favorite trail there. Double-Black jump trail? Yes please! No brakes, wide open, full sized moto berms and 30 feet long tables, one after another, for something like a mile down the mountain. And to finish it off, a ski jump that you can send as far as you want (literally had a 75 feet long lander!). And after meeting up with a local guy who showed me a less ridden extension of the trail, I ended up sessioning the trail probably 4 times in a row! I have to say World Cup DH was probably my favorite technical trail. Endless rock gardens, kind of like Farlow Gap in Pisgah Forest only you don't get covered in mud. The dust from here in New Mexico is a lot easier to get off than that Pisgah mud! I have to give mad props to Mongoose. I don't care if they sell more Wal-Mart bikes than anything else, their big bikes are sweet. My 2010 Boot'r with the fork swapped to a Marzocchi Bomber 66 (single crown = full crossed x-ups!). Its the perfect combo of a freeride and a race bike. Plenty fast enough to compete with most of the guys out there racing but still throws around and pops like a park bike. Gotta love it.

And amazingly enough, the good rides didn't end when you got to the bottom of the slopes! I managed to hook up with a guy named J.P. who managed Trailhead, a local shop right there on the mountain. He was a great guy who really helped me out in my dire time of lack of a trail bike, hooking me up with a Giant Anthem. This gave me a chance to explore some of the many many miles of XC/AM single track that weaved its way through the surrounding mountains. I even had the pleasure of being shown some of the trails not on the map! J.P. really knows his way around that place, as he should being a mountain bike guide. If you're ever there, look him up and tell him Matt sent you, he will help you out for sure!

At the end of my three days of riding I was so beat it was hard to walk up the mountain. Which proved to be slightly problematic considering I was trying to photograph the Pro GRT race that was going on Saturday and Sunday! Lots of fast guys out this weekend. No huge names since it was the first World Cup race in Fort Williams, Scotland, but still a good turn out and lots of awesome people out! Every class was pretty stacked and really competitive! All the racers If anyone who raced was there, let me know your race number! I probably have some pictures of you!

I don't have any pictures of me riding, however will try to upload some videos later! In the mean time, here are some of the good shots from the racers!

Taste of Dirt and Shop on Wheels

Quick photo update about the Van! A week ago in Arkansas she got her first taste of dirt and first experience being the shop on wheels it was set up to be! So although overall Arkansas was not the most successful weekend on my trip, it did end up being a good thing for getting some more experiences in the van. Started out with over 20 total miles of dirt road travel and one small creek crossing. And the big ole thing did really well with dirt on the tires. Heck it rode almost as smooth on a dirt road as it does on the pavement, and the roof lights were nice on those dark roads in the late afternoon!

But one good thing the bike issues brought along was the chance to set the mobile bike shop up. Table, tools, stand. They all set up easily and were plenty convenient to have when cleaning and wrenching on a bike in the middle of nowhere!

Series of Unfortunate Events

My short time in Arkansas has proven to be rather unlucky. The drive from Alabama that was supposed to take around 6 and a half hours took just over 8. Accidents. Work zones. And pretty bad rain slowed traffic to a near standstill for miles. Even the GPS was getting bored. But a quick nights rest at a truck stop just outside of Little Rock found me waking up to gorgeous weather in a nice city just around the corner from Ouachita. Grabbed some breakfast and coffee and thought to myself, "It's a good day to ride a bike!" And after driving for miles through the country side, my smile continued to grow as houses disappeared and paved roads turned to beaten dirt.

Eventually I took the last turn that was supposed to put me right at the start of the Womble Trail. 37 miles of what the IMBA* calls an epic ride. But due to rough weather the last few weeks, Lake Ouachita is overflowing, leaving the trailhead inaccessible. No worries though. It crosses the main road just 2 miles from here, I'll just park up there and ride. What's 2 miles out of 37 anyway? And I have to admit. I liked the trail. 

But after a few miles I stopped to take a few pictures, heck I have to have a way to keep y'all reading right? Well I looked down to see the rear shock leaking oil and the lockout completely useless. Enough to dampen my spirits, but not stop my ride. Unfortunately the loose crank WAS enough to make me turn around. Note to self, carry every needed tool on my rides...

So not that my time in Arkansas has been cut short, it's time to que the road tripping music and head out for New Mexico!