In this episode, we’ll listen to some old schmack and Dirtbag Digress to improve your riding style. First though one of my longtime favorite places to ride, the Pisgah National Forrest was severely rogered by Hurricane Helene. I have been riding trails around there for over twenty-five years, visiting usually 3-4x each year. I was planning to head up there in mid-October, but that is out as much of the area is inaccessible, is without services or both. Help out if you can and here is a list of places for just that. A couple I like are Brother Wolf and Foodbank CENC. Bike Tumor additionally put up an incredibly comprehensive post about opportunities to help. It appears that both The Hub and Squatch have mostly reopened so go by if you find yourself up that way. Hurricanes in the mountains, Watts (the other Revolting) on a suspension fork, maybe these truly are end times.
Music Selection: Electric Wizard: Come My Fanatics I came across this record after being crushed by their later legendary epic Dopethrone. “Come My Fanatics” hints at the bleaker future that was to arrive on that subsequent album. Although not as cohesive as “Dopethrone” the songs “Return Trip” and “Doom Mantia” alone make it worth checking out.
(Bonus) Music Selection: The Jesus Lizard: Pure Hot take: I was not a fan of The Jesus Lizard during their 1987-1999 initial run. I saw them at least 4-5x during this period as it seemed like they toured constantly and were often opening for other bands I was out to see. What can I say? I had become obsessed with garage-ier stuff at the time, and they just didn’t grab me. Maybe my ear holes weren’t mature enough then, but I recently rediscovered them listening to their entire catalog on a longer ride. I finally got it and I’m glad I gave them another shot.
(More Bonus-r) Music Selection: Canopy: Empty Light I hear you saying, “Dr Sweets, these jams are great, but it’s just more geezer-ific rock crap you Boomer!” (I’m not a Boomer FWIW) Fine, whatever. Try on some new atmospheric, doom, sludge from my ATL homebase, you complainers! Jeez!
Dirtbaggery continues. Last time around, I discussed my aversion to cookie-cutter, off the shelf anything. I become rapidly bored with anything that everyone else has even if it actually works as it should. This approach (psychosis?) extends to riding apparel as well. There are fine selections all over (I’ve gear from Specialized, Tasco, Troy Lee, Bontrager, DHarco and others), but I tend to favor things that put the “fun” in functional and if they can be had for a bargain even better. Sometime back, Robot called out Carhartts as one of his choice du jour riding shorts. I’ve always been more of Red Kap fan myself. They are inexpensive, indestructible and sizing up is recommended if you’re wearing a chamois liner and/or kneepads (I wear both). To add extra style points, wear a fun belt with them like one of these from Soul Run (on break) or something awesome from Hot Topic. It should be obvious that I mostly speak of attire suited to off road shenanigans. While I have plenty of on road miles rocking lycra sweet suits as my pal MasterP refers to them, those MAMIL days are behind me.
Now that you are not exposing your nether regions to others, what may you compliment your new pantaloons with? As with the aforementioned skivvies, there are certainly endless legitimate cycling gear options. One’s constitution and their environment play a major roll on what will work for you. Having grown up in the south and still residing there I am used to the nonstop heat and humidity that permeates everything here. I know no matter what, more than 75% of the year I am going to be sweaty (yes, I ride year-round). I have yet to find a material that truly lives up to any real quick-drying or wicking claims. Sure, merino wool liners are a go to for me in the brief cooler and shoulder-season months, but every fancy riding jersey I have ever had becomes a sweaty mess no matter material, design or cost.
Some years back, accepting this burden I began to consider jersey alternatives. I messed around with cheap tiki shirts, which are okay, but they are almost too thin and they tend to stick to you like cling-wrap on leftovers. Work shirts from Carhartt, Red Kap, Dickies, etc. don’t breathe and just get too damn hot. 100% cotton tees become heavy when they get soaked and dry-out poorly. The crazy winner though are crappy old concert-tees and their modern descendants. These are the 50/50’s of yesteryear and the Tri-blends of today. The later are incredibly soft and dry-out faster than just about anything. Furthermore, you can find virtually any kind of design, artwork, band or whatever on them. The maximum you’ll ever pay for one of these is thirty freedom dollars, but many sites have them on sale seemingly every other week. Yes, I understand that many of these sites steal designs, pay their artists poorly and the whatnot. My moral compass justifies it by the fact that, A. The designer or band never was going to have said design available on this type of shirt and B. I am in fact inadvertently promoting said artist by getting their name out there and often talking about them with other riders. If that does not work for you there are unbranded options also available for next to nothing.
Nothing is a good point to end on. No, I take that back. Go dig out that vintage Loverboy tee from your uncle’s attic and get after it.
PS: Masthead (meathead?) pic of moi wearing a stupid, cheap fun shirt of a great band.