Urban Assault in Franklin

The weather has been very cold lately in Middle Tennessee. While many die-hards enjoy riding in 20-degree weather since the trails are frozen I prefer to wait until the thaw occurs and the trail dries out. With temps in the mid-50's on Friday, 1/15/2010, I took the Mary XC off the ceiling for a ride around Franklin/Cool Springs.

Here is a picture of the Mary XC at an idle construction site:

I am not in the least bit interested in riding roads. However, I commend the City of Franklin in the establishment of several bike lanes that do not make a mountain biker feel like they are placing their lives in the hands of a texting teenager in a Tahoe (alliteration is cool).

The bike lanes make it easy for me to get over to the east side of I-65 and ride around some construction sites (most of them idle) and feel like I am doing something other than ride sidewalks. I got 8 miles in rather quickly and would have loved to get more in, but the sun was setting quickly. There are some challenging climbs in Franklin and I am going to continue to ride streets this time of year as the trails dry out and just to get some exercise.

My path is below...note the top speed of 27mph as per the GPS!

Franklin, TN

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Montgomery Bell Sonix Boom

On Wednesday, December 30th, I headed out for Montgomery Bell. Wednesday was a nice day, no rain and a high in the mid-50's. With rain in the forecast for the afternoon I arrived at the trailhead at 11:00 and rode until 1:00.

Both of my Mary 29ers were in the Franklin Bicycle Shop, the SS getting a Reba SL Dual Air fork and the XC getting Avid Juicy 5 hydraulic brakes (both courtesy of my wonderful fiance, Tiffany). The Sonix was my ride of choice, though I did not have a choice of rides. While I love riding 29ers and sometimes think the full suspension 26" bike might be thinned from the stable, riding the Sonix ends this thought. Shifting is smooth, so smooth it cannot be heard, and there is much less getting up off the seat while going over logs. Cornering on a 26" bike is much tighter than on a 29er.

I rode 10.2 miles, according to the GPS...red perimeter, back blue, possum trot, blue yonder, lonesome blue, white pines, storm track and rabbit run.

The Franklin Bicycle Shop had my bikes ready Wednesday afternoon (just 24 hours after I dropped them off!!). I cannot wait to get the upgraded bikes out. The shop owner and I talked at length about favorite trails. I am going to try AEDC in Tullahoma next, as well as Franklin State Forest, based on his recommendations. AEDC sounds great, 13 fast and flat miles, and the same distance from Franklin as Monkey Bell. I hope to get a ride down there with friends soon.

Montgomery Bell

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