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I’ll get back to blogging soon. Currently, I’m working on the new, improved blog. I am trying to get this done in my spare time so it might be the beginning of May before it’s all done. Hang in there and I’ll get some more articles up in the very near future! For now, I have work, biking, and a bunch of other stuff to tend to

As promised, here is my review of the Beginner trail (Black Forest Mountain Bike Trail). This three mile loop is a perfect trail for anyone starting out with mountain biking, and is also enjoyable for those who are more advanced riders who just want a leisurely ride to wind down from the more difficult trails. The uphill climbs are relatively easy with switchbacks and dips to make most climbs seem like less of a climb and more of a roller coaster. I was riding with others so I took some breaks to catch a breath and wait for them to catch up due to mechanical difficulties. If you are riding solo you and are in decent shape you should have no trouble navigating this trail without the need for resting. Personally, I will probably hang back on this trail for a few weeks while I build up from being stagnant for three months of being a couch potato during the winter months. Then it is back to the Intermediate trail. It may be a while before I attack the advanced trail. I haven’t checked but there may be a write-up for it over at the local Sorba site. The trailhead for the Black Forest trail is easily accessible from the second parking spot on the vehicle loop. This access point also allows access to the Intermediate trail I mentioned in the previous article. However, parking is limited. Since this is also an ADA access, much of the parking is reserved for handicapped. We were able to park two-deep with one car in the grass and one on the pavement. Others parked along the roadside. Once again, here’s a link to the park map.

This year’s commercial line-up was fairly lackluster in my opinion. Sure, there were a good handful of ads that were funny or visually impressive. However, VW’s new commercial featuring the Darth Vader-costumed boy was my favorite by far. If you have not yet had the pleasure of watching it, I suggest watching now

Although the commercial came in 3rd, according to USA Today article here, it’s still a winner.

Trailhead Parking

The intermediate trail (known in the park as the TNT Mountain Bike Trail) was a thrill to ride. The trail is a 4.5 mile loop and is accessible easily from the 3rd Parking area in the Park Vehicle loop (see map at end of article – I have dropped a red circle over the area). I chose to attack the trail counter-clockwise, which I believe the majority of bikers also chose. From the moment I entered the trail it was a quick uphill battle. Although it wasn’t too extreme, it will definitely tax you if you are out of shape (that’s me) or a smoker (me again). The first climb was quickly replaced with a few short series of whoop-de-doos for a fun little roller coaster action. About a third of the way in you get into some switchbacks while you continue to climb in elevation. Nothing too extreme but enough to feel your legs get fired up. Just before the halfway point you are treated to an adrenaline pumping whoop-de-doo at some seriously quick speeds. Even though I hadn’t been on the trail before I went all out, catching air several times. I could hear riders behind me hooting and hollering at the thrill. A half dozen of us took a break at the halfway mark and chatted about how great the trail was so far. The remaining half of the trail was much the same as the first except you were treated to more of a downhill ride with the occasional dip and climb. It was definitely faster on the second half and not suited for timid bikers. There were a few rock obstacles and some berms to navigate. I’ll take the camera with me on the next visit and report on the beginner trail. For more info on the park, visit http://www.hamiltontn.gov/esnp/

Enterprise South Trail Map

It looks as if the newest mountain bike trail is finally ready to ride at Enterprise Park South near the new VW Plant. Click here for more details.

On a side note, more trails are planned for Raccoon Mountain following a grant by New Belgium Brewery. Click here for details.

So, a couple of weeks ago I ran across an article talking about the LiveRider device. It is a system consisting of an iPhone/iPod Touch cradle for the handlebars, a sensor that mounts to the frame near the rear wheel, and a receiver unit to plug into the iPhone to receive the wireless transmissions from the sensor. Fairly straightforward. What is cool, however, is how powerful the setup is. I talked before about iMapMyRide app and how it tracks your route, elevation, etc. Evidently, this one does it too, but it keeps up with a lot more info, very detailed, which can be used in spreadsheets and more. It even won an app award so it must be very intuitive and useful. I will update this later if I end up getting one and can give a more hands-on experience as to the quality of the devices and the app. LiveRider

So, I read about gadgets a lot. I like them, but I don’t own many. My iPhone is by far my most useful gadget I own. There are other smartphones out there but they all have similar features and it comes down to a matter of taste and functionality for each individual. But what comes next? According to the minds at The Astonishing Tribe (TAT) we might be in for some really intuitive devices that are incorporated into our daily routine and also work with each other. Check out this video to see their vision for what could come next. Keep in mind that TAT is a major contributor to devices you already use on a daily basis. Future OS screens

This is a route that was recorded on my iPhone not long ago. It’s a handy, free app called iMapMyRIDE and it will record your route as long as there are enough cell towers nearby to ping your location. It also records elevation so you can see how flat or hilly your route is. It appears to be available for Android and Blackberry, also. Check it out if you want to record a route or share your route online with others.

I’ve been a fan of VW for quite some time. They make great and unique vehicles and their attention to detail and community really speak volumes for the company. Since their venture into Chattanooga to build a new auto manufacturing plant I have been even more thrilled at their generosity to the community. They not only sponsor my favorite local soccer team (Chattanooga FC), but they also have recently donated over $10k to help SORBA build a new biking trail in the Enterprise South Nature Park. How awesome is that? Two of my favorite hobbies, sponsored by one of the biggest names in the automotive industry! Check out the full story here

I believe there are more drunks down here than a typical Riverbend night! At least it’s for a good cause – Kids on the Block!