2 October 2009 - 2:46The Mud

The VT 50 was so muddy…

… how muddy was it?

Really F*n muddy.

This is what my bike looked like before I cleaned it, but after it had spent an hour and a half in the back of an open truck bed in a rainstorm on the interstate after the “race” .

I had planned a total drivetrain replacement post 50, and really, it is going to be totally necessary before this bike rides again. Wow. It took me 20 minutes to get most of the grass and crap out of the cranks. But the thing to really consider, is that the bike was much more muddy than this at one point on Sunday. I’m not kidding when I say it had to weigh 150 lbs. The rear wheel was a solid disc of mud, in fact, the whole back end was. Despite the girth, I was able to ride the bike once I pushed the bike into the open, the rinsing rain and speed allowed for some much needed mud shedding, and I crossed the finish line with a bike that weighed 11 lbs more than it does when it’s clean (40 lbs).

I got some cleaning to do, and when I am done, I’ll give y’all a little tour of the bike I spent 9:17h on in less than ideal conditions. It did not disappoint, and I can still safely say that this is one of the best bikes ever. I’m glad I picked it.