Real Mt Bikers (RMB)

"This is the greenest you will ever see Phoenix, promise."
Camelback Mt, Phoenix - Very Wet Springtime 2005

As part of my delusional plan to become a 'real mountain biker', I have been trying to do the things that I feel RMBs do. Namely I attended a free bike maintenance clinic at the local REI and bought a book on mastering the technical skills needed for mountain biking. I usually laugh at those who try to learn physical activity from a book, but in this case, in an effort to fly over my handlebars with less frequency at a more expeditious rate, I felt it was a good idea. So I have read about the wheelie, the bunny hop, the lunge, the best position to put your body in for climbing hills or descending hills, and many other useful tips. It's sort of hard to read and imagine and learn without trying the things they are talking about. But this weekend I am going to be taking my bike to a place where they actually have logs to jump over and rocks to ride down and trees to run into. We are going camping in the Fossil Creek area near unnamed waterfall #1. We plan on backpacking our gear in along with our bikes (is this possible?). I may need to turn my bike into a pack mule to accomplish both simultaneously but since the waterfalls isn't that far or hard to get to, I am not really that worried.

In order to prepare my amazing $300 Sports Authority special K2 bike codenamed Gigi for the occasion, I decided to give my bike a little TLC that I learned at the REI clinic. I removed the tires off my bike, cleaned all the gears, tires and frame and then reassembled and lubed. It was quite the accomplishment for me since tools and mechanicals scare the SHIT out of me. Gigi was purring like a lil baby kitty after I got done with her. Now who wants to get dirty again? Eww me me, pick me.