The Big Dance

All my patiently impatient waiting has paid off. Yesterday I was formally asked out to the big dance (PMBAR) by e-worldwide blogging phenomenon TeamDicky. This'll be round two for us and thanks to all 38 other contenders for not being able to commit to the corsage, I get to be mule boy and anchor once again. The benefit this year is that we won't suffer the embarrassing faux pas of showing up in the same outfit.


Looking through my closet I can't find a thing to wear. Last year I wore my Wingnut Hyper 2.5 to haul the required gear and water, but I really hate packs. A costume malfunction caused me some blood flow issues in my hip that a late in the day change helped fix, but unfortunately the toll had been taken and speed declined. The upside was having the weight on my body made hauling the bike through the hike-a-bikes and deep creek crossing easier. The WingNut also holds the weigh low which is nice for not throwing off your ride balance or causing an aching back. The side pockets also worked well for quick map accessibility and the 50oz bladder lasted most of the day. I've never found it's hydration bladder and nozzle to work well though, requiring dizzy inducing suction levels to get a tiny sip of water.
Browsing the web for hydration pack options as my Wingnut zippers are worthless stripped, I came across the Octane XCT. 70oz (2 L) pack that has accessible without removing the pack side pockets for food and tools, as well as cargo capacity to hold most of the required PMBAR equipment. Camelbak nozzles require far less suction than the Wingnut bladder I have and this one holds 20 oz more, which is nearly a full water bottle extra. But it's still an over the shoulder pack which I hate. Although it looks narrow and might not constrict, restrict, or conflict as much as my old MULE did. Damn I hated that thing.
I also found the Montara pack that'll carry 45 ounces (1.3 L) of hydration and allow for some gear portage as well. I'm a fan of fanny packs of doom and a fanny pack of doom that can carry some water with it might just be the ticket. Though it could be too big and bouncy for trail riding, it's hard to gauge size off of the web. It also could be pretty worthless for gear depending on how much room the bladder takes up.


Then again, my 3rd water bottle mount gRant hooked me up with last year for Kanza has performed well in singletrack and would get 24oz of water weight off my back and on the bike. Allowing for a full 72oz to be carried on the bike. It's also easier to fill a bottle than a hydration bladder in the woods too. Then I could carry the required gear in my Epic Designs Frame bag and food in my jersey pockets. Go super light with weight spread across the bike and me.

Actually, I think it's time I called up my clothing designer Eric and ordered the custom singletrack specific frame pack I've been dreaming the past 2 years about. Probably money better spent as I use my current frame bag often and I'll rarely use a shoulder pack for other events in the future. They just suck.

So many outfits, so little matching shoes. Speaking of shoes and money well spent, check out 8Balls latest purchase:

New VaMoots CR with the new Moots fork.

Schaa-weet jealousy