Last week our friend DTM aka Dan the Man arrived in Mito for a week. Ross had just got his bike set up and I managed to find enough parts to make a rental bike to lend out when friends drop by. So we were all set to hit the trails. Dan provided non sto action by fearlessly going over the handlbars not once, not twice, but three times! He scraped his arm a bit, but it was not as bad as it looks. In fact its good training for his first full contact karate tournement in Wakayama next week. Good Luck!

The rainy season started this month, which means that the trails have got slippery, overgrown and covered with spiders and snakes.The rainy season started this month, which means that the trails have got slippery, overgrown and covered with spiders and snakes. But, its not hot yet, so that's the good news. Shibata and I managed to get out to Gozenyama for some nice riding. I've really been enjoying testing out this new wheel-set. The bike feels solid as a motor bike without adding weight.

A lot of new faces came out for this months Bumpy Path group ride. As usual we headed out through the forset park to Asabo Yama. A few of the riders from Ibaraki University are fast climbers and we got to the top of the mountain early. We took a break and talked among each other before Kase San suggested we try out a new course. One of the Bumpy Customers had built a pump track in the back yard. It was only a short oval, but it really was a fun track. Pump tracks make you work on absorbing and pushing through the bumps without any pedalling. Once you get the hang of it, you can generate a o of speed. Kase San and Mr Fuji gave us some good tips from their BMX background. Or group had a good time and are looking forward to next months group ride.

After waiting for a week for my new wheel set to arrive, it finally was ready to pick up. When I went into Bumpy Path, Kase San showed them to me and told me they weighed in at under 2-kg. I looked at them and felt giddy. Green relic hubs, with white spokes and camouflage rims... they looked great as we put the tires on and fit them on the bike. Just then, a cameraman and writer from MTB magazine walked into the store. They had been shooting the new Morewood MTB frame set for an article. MTB magazine is back after a one year hiatus I found out. After talking with me for a short while, they asked if they could take a picture of me with my bike for their rider profile section. All right, no problem... So they asked me some questions about my fashion, (Uniqlo, Jusco and blue shoes if you can call that fashion)...and shot some pictures of my bike with its new wheels for next months issue. So how do they ride? First off I notice a lot less side to side flexing, especially in the front. The hub is snugly held in place by the axle and two cones that are interchangeable with a 20mm axle. Those cones offer a wider brace to really hold the hub tight against the fork and prevent lateral movement. It makes the handling more stable and sharp. In rear, the sound of a 48 notch hubs sounds sharp and feels precise after riding a 24 notch hub for my whole life. Custom hand built wheels I've heard are much more durable because a good wheel builder is able to get the wheels much tighter than machine built wheels. Its still early on, but I've noticed they feel tighter, and that also contributes to less side to side movement than before.

Local Riding This month Shibata and I met up with Nigel for a ride. He was back for a visit and brought his bike along. Even though he had a busy schedule, we managed to meet up in Tsuchiura. the weather cleared up just in time for us to make plans. It was good to see him again after over a year. He's got himself back in shape after leaving the Tokyo lifestyle behind. He enjoys his life and rides a lot in Australia. As a result he is a much faster climber than he used to be. One of his goals on this trip was to write a magazine article for MTB Australia about riding in Japan at Fujimi Panorama and Takamine. I'm looking forward to reading his article and seeing the pictures.

Spring is too short in Japan. One week the ground is covered in frost, and the next week the cherry blossoms are out. The temperature gets warm and riding conditions are perfect. Golden week is when everything is at its best, when everyone has 4 days off. (Everyone except Kase San who has been busy renovating his bike shop which should be re-openning next weekend). I tried to get out as much as I could and enjoy these conditions before the hot summer months set in. Here are a few pictures of local scenery.

Ukari Hachibe 2009

Hitachi Ota MTB Race Last weekend was the Spring 'Ukari Hachibe' Mountain bike race in Hitachi Ota. The weather was perfect, sunny and a bit cool. The course single track was also in great condition this time. (Last race had a sudden downpour that made it very muddy). The first lap included a new section of single track switch backs at the very highest part of the course. Our team was Shibata, Aizawa and myself riding for Bumpy Path bike shop. We were not going all out, but we did keep a very good pace and in the end we finished 10th out of 100 teams. The final lap always has a hill climb challenge at the end, where everyone gathers to see who can make it up. Most riders were not able to clear it, they were in the wrong gear. I was lucky to get it just right. I powered up the hill as fast as I could and then changed gears quickly at the end to just pull the wheels over the edge. As you can see the crowd was encouraging my effort. I'm looking forward to next falls race.

From the top of Atago san you can see far over the Kanto plain. Down below lies the town of Iwama, just 25 minutes from Mito. So close, yet in many ways so far. We rarely make it out here to explore the great hiking trails and hidden gems along the way. Today Shibata and I decided to try a new trail he scouted out on our bikes. After resting at the top and enjoying the morning sun, we set out. The hiking trail is wide and has steep but smooth climbs and descents. Each climb gets a little longer and steeper. It takes a lot of torque in granny gear to make it up, and soon riding becomes impossible. We are both pushing our bikes up now. This trail is great for trail running I say. Remembering our last trip out here, we had a great time running along 15km of trail from Atago San to Nandai san. Shibata turns to me and says, the new trail is after this climb. You said that two times already, are you sure? I ask. I am beginning to think the turnoff to this new trail may be a long ways off yet. But, this time he's right. At the bottom of the next hill, we turn onto a narrow single track trail that begins to wind through the woods. And what a fun trail it turns out to be, with banked turns. An unexpected surprise! High speed banked turns, followed by steeper switch-backs. Near the end, the trail gets very steep and technical. Finally it comes to an end by a long and beautiful waterfall. This waterfall is one of those surprisingly beautiful places that are hidden all around our area, but never get appreciated. The list of such places in my area keeps growing and I would never have found most of them by foot nor on my own. We follow a road at the bottom that leads us back to the top of the ridge trail, where we loop back towards Atago mountain and the town below it.

A 75 km ride for some Manju from Gozenyama. This in not just any manju, it is famous in the area for making a special yuju manju. Yuju is a kind of sour citrus and manju is a kind of cake that usually has angko, or sweet beans in it. Fujii san had been dreaming of Gozenyama manju for over a week. On Sunday morning five of us got out and braved the cold winter morning for a long ride. We enjoyed some single track sections along the way, including one new section we recently cleared out. We met a group of riders on the trail. We were surprised to find out they had come all the way from Moriya in Chiba. They didn't have time to join us on our quest, so we continued on. We reached the Manju shop in the early afternoon. After such a long ride it tasted better than I had imagined. Our return trip followed some gravel roads along the Naka river avoiding traffic and busy roads. We arrived back at Bumpy Path cycle shop at 4 in the afternoon, just before dark. Great ride.