The Snow is Melted on Pangor

Live and Die on this Day.....

Back in the Saddle

We've been taking advantage of the warmer temperatures this month. A trip to the island to get some warm up rides in. Today I managed to scrounge up enough mustard for a single on Gear Jammer. Pics in no order. Just a nice day getting ready for what I hope will be a redemption year weather wise.

Where have I been?

It's been four and a half years since I started writing this blog, originally intended to be a log of my times in Japan training Karate with Sensei Sakurai. When I got back to Canada in 2008, I almost stopped writing, but in 09 I started to feel like I had things to say again. Since the summer of '09, the bulk of my entries have been about Mountain Biking trips, big or not so big.

But the name of the blog is Karate Monkey, and karate does remain a part of my regular routine. I've not graded since the fall of '08, but I still plug away as best I can.

Izzy decided to start us a Facebook page. I don't have a Facebook account anymore but I thought it was a good idea and a good excuse to bring a camera with me to class.

I changed Dojo's in 2010. Living in East Van makes the commute to the North Van dojo make more sense. This is Sensei Mike using Colin to help demonstrate gohan kumite.
Trever and his mom practice and so do Colin and Alfred below.
And from the open session just today, I was allowed to move around and take some pictures from Kata training. It was pick your poison day. Kanku Dai or sho, or maybe Teki Shodan or Heian Nidan or Yondan.





A few people were asking me where I had been. I hadn't realized how many open sessions and B&B's I've been missing but some had thought I'd taken 2011 off. Not true at all actually. Just life getting in the way as it often does. And I won't lie, I've come to dread the long journey out to Chilliwack. But really it's just the traffic I hate. The training last night was awesome. This morning, a little more brutal for my oft absent behind.

It's good to be back. I hope I can ramp it up from here.

Minus 1, plus 1

Some how the mountain always know what I want for my Birthday. The day started off around -1 degree outside. I was plus one year old inside. Snow was coming in from the Alaska but it held off for me to get in a quick ride on Pipeline and Bobsled. I'd been away from Fromme for a while so I had to ride up to a few things, but overall the ride and conditions were great.
Got home, showered and got ready for dinner with friends. 20 of them. I never usually give a shit about birthdays. This one was on a Friday the 13th, so I figure a good excuse to drag people to dinner.

Nic made me this really cool Friday the 13th themed cake. Girls got talent!
Every day should be your birthday.

The next day we awoke to a blanket of snow. It can't melt fast enough.

One Expensive Christmas

But sometimes you just need to act your age.


This pick tells the full story, I think.

29er

Definitely been an interesting week.

My car died on the way to the Cove, last sat. Transmission planet housing gave out. The car, which I purchased from a friend upon returning home from Japan, lasted me 3+ years. Not bad considering what I paid. Truth be told, I wasn't surprised the transmission blew. From the first time I drove it 3 years ago I could tell something funny was going on with the way the automatic moved through its power settings. With no Overdrive, the car ate more gas than other cars the same age.

So long Subaru Loyale, I never liked you.

After getting the car towed off the road, I managed to hook up with Ian. He was nice enough to come grab me and the 29er I had signed out from Cove.

The new Kona Satori. Here are some pics from our 2 laps at SFU.


The second lap was better than the first. I was learning how to ride the bike. A 29er is a new experience if you have never used one before. Not a steep learning curve, but you need to manage your energy differently.

The new Kona is really good. A 5&5 bike with true AM geo, my large weighed in at around 31 lbs. Not bad for any AM bike, 29er or not.

The tag on the bike is $3300. Perhaps a bit high for a single pivot Kona, but it comes equipped with a RS Revelation, RP2 and Easton wheelset. The drive train felt a bit cheap, but the revelation really impressed me. It had nice bounce and I think this bike could handle the Shore fairly well.

Still, I won't be going here in the end. As interested as I am in a 29er, taking one to Fromme would be cheating. The big wheels would get you up the hill way ahead of your crew or gf, and then ride easily down pipeline or Crinkum. Too easy.

The 5&5 Kona encroaches on territory reserved for my G-spot. I would dread riding a 29er on the shore for 2 months then having to go back to my 26er wheels. I think this feeling may hint to why 29ers haven;t taken off around here the way they have taken off everywhere else.

If I do go 29er, and with my dead car now creating a money issue, it's likely going to be while before I do, I think a straight up XC bike is where I'll invest.

No one minds cheaters in the XC realm anyways.