What A remarkable summer.
Hot, dry and with a downside - dust and drought. The recent rain took the edge of the dust. However, it seems drought conditions will continue into April.
The days are shortening as daylight savings comes to an end for another year and it's definitely cooler.
Rotorua mud can be like grinding paste on bike gear and dust isn't much better. With winter on the way, it is a good time to get the bike serviced.
Basic maintenance is something we can all do. However, it is also good to let the experts have a look once in a while. Let's face it, bikes have got more technical over the years and forks, shocks and disc brakes do need looking after - seat post droppers, too. These are becoming more and more popular. I've got the Crank Bros version and I wouldn't be without it.
I have total admiration for the cross-country aces, such as Dirk Peters, Carl Jones and Sam Shaw, who ride technical trails with seats up as high as my armpit. But for me, seat down when descending fast is the new normal.
When I got the seat-dropper, Dale Hollows told me it should be problem free, if I treated it like a fork or shock and got it serviced every so often.
All my bikes hung in the shed last winter and because they've always been reasonably well looked after, it was a simple task to have them fettled up for spring.
Tyres pumped up and chains lubed are about all it took (especially the singlespeed).
The long travel trail bike got a good work out over summer. On the last few rides there was some creaking and groaning - time for a visit to Bike Culture.
One thing Rotorua isn't short of is very good bike shops and mechanics. We are very lucky to have Avanti, Bike Barn, Bike Culture, Cyclezone, Kiwibikes and Rotorua Cycle Centre in town.
Mike Metz and Rob Smail have looked after our bikes on and off for a long time and if anyone knows Santa Cruz, they do.
Rob laughed when he saw the state of the rear tyre. Yes, it was pretty much worn smooth. However, I enjoy the back of the bike moving around on descents. You can only get away with that for so long, though.
The nickname for my Nomad is The Silver Tractor. The frame is polished aluminium and the front tyre is a 2.4.
Eyebrows are raised at that but on tarmac and forest roads the contact patch is relative narrow and rolling resistance is actually very good. I love the way big rubber on the front bites in turns.
With wet trails on the way, it seemed sensible to not just replace the tired tyre on the back but also upgrade from a 2.1 to 2.25.
Th creaks and groans are sorted and although the Nomad felt good before the service it feels even better, now.
Into April and it is a busy month for events. XTERRA Rotorua is on April 13. The 24 Hours of Nduro returns on April 20 and 21 and week later on Saturday, April 27, the Pig & Whistle New Zealand Singlespeed Champs come home (rotoruasinglespeed.com).
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