14-Dec Cedar Creek (OR) Ride Report
 

What an outstanding day in the woods; temps up near 50 degrees and little to no fog to deal with. Arrived at Cedar Creek staging right around 9:00 with a plan to do 35-40 miles. Getting geared up and ready to go when we notice a relative lack of buoyancy on my buddy's front tire...lol. Multiple attempts to fill with small electric pump, hand bike pump, and full bicycle pump didn't succeed, so tube changing commenced.

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Fortunately, one of the guys that showed up not only brought a spare tube, but graciously offered it up so my buddy could do the ride. I wouldn't call it NASCAR fast, but the work went pretty quickly with multiple hands helping out.

The route I planned for the day owes homage to a TSF veteran I've ridden with a bunch of times, he initially led me around this loop with multiple "you'll be fine" statements (lol). I was stoked to try the gasser on a couple sections that had always given me trouble on the 300 and I wasn't disappointed.

Up first was Mongo's - holy carp that trail could use some love. Lots of big rocks to deal with and not a ton of traction. The only good thing was starting on that meant the typical arm pump build up was taken care of instantly...lol. I did get great video of ThePod going arse over teakettle when footing wasn't to be found on the downside of the trail - good news is he was a-ok and his bike kept running too :D. We managed to make it up to the top and stopped for oxygen.

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From there it was down Wolf Foot, over to Thin Wolf and the start of the Cedar Ridge sections. The first section of Cedar Ridge is one that has always caused me to grimace; the first little jaunt isn't too bad, but the 2nd section climbing up into the forest is typically 2-3 attempts for my unskilled arse. Of course, all the other guys made it the first go, so I figured I better at least put in a good show. It wasn't pretty, but it worked - made it to the top and we kept motoring.

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Navigating by GPS is always a bit dicey when you're in the woods; I thought we were going to come out on the logging road just north of where Muesial Creek starts - turns out we should have taken that left at Alba-corkey (lol) and instead ended up slightly off track. Down a slight drop and then heading back out to hook up with Muesial Creek.

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Muesial Creek was awesome, the rutted climb wasn't too bad and the whole trail was just fun...and I dig the new bridge (thanks for getting it in!). We wound back around and did a bunch of the Muesial Ridge sections and then doubled back on Cedar Ridge to hit Frankenstein. I love Frankenstein - such a frickin' fun trail. We bombed that and enjoyed the gully.

Thanks to one of the times I was out with my TSF veteran buddy, I know how to skip a bunch of road with Wolf Point. Had a great time riding that over to Outback - removed a root from part of the trail that was causing grief and also came across the only other bikes that day...including another GG. Not sure if they're members here, but it was great to see another group out enjoying the day.

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Hit Old Cedar Creek and then headed back to staging, 34 miles covered and lots of mud on the bikes - great day in the woods. It was awesome meeting a couple "new" guys - I'm already looking forward to the next rip and hoping the snow doesn't fly for a while yet.

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And here's the onslaught of video - great time chasing all the guys and actually have some decent footage this time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8o7zPFfC_o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8laVS3uiWdw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t_oWfrtaL8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djRT-MG6oYQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf0fBEriCbY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAZNnb4eqbA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBEz_bS1J5Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x42-Rt7G2Bo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtagoq9WULI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iN91WQm0W8

Man, I knew I'd miss a nice day of riding!

How's the Gasser working for you? Is it what you expected? Are you feeling like its a less tiring ride at the end of the day?

I know the fit and finish has some quirks and that can be frustrating on a high end bike. But, they are very durable and long lasting bikes that are built for the long haul.

Next ride?

Running the orange 200 through a couple heat cycles tomorrow to complete the break in and should be ready for some winter riding!

I couldn't be happier; Saturday's ride definitely confirmed what an outstanding woods bike the GG200 is :cool:. Not only can I run a bit quicker pace, but the bike is so planted and requires far less effort than the 300 did. I was still pretty wiped after doing the 34 miles; but I think I would have been completely spent had I attempted the same loop on the 300 (done it before and had a hard time eking out the last 5-8 miles).

I think the chassis on the GG is simply outstanding; it's much more confidence inspiring - lets me focus on what's coming up rather than what's bouncing me around. I think I might end up switching to a 50 tooth sprocket to have a little more oomph off the bottom - basically a cheater for letting me get the front wheel off the ground when trying to get across logs or bigger rocks in the trail.

What's next week look like for you? Assuming the planets align, I'm hoping to take Xmas week off - thinking about getting out for a rip Monday the 23rd before the holiday madness starts...lol. Still need to check with upper mgt :D, but I'm hoping the forecast is decent and I can make it happen.