This was a sweet head turner.  A limited edition Rocky Mountain Slayer "Hotrod".  Not many of these out there, it was a great trail bike.  This made in Canada beauty sported a custom factory paint job with neat little features like a decal with the welder's signature, Easton RAD aluminum tubing, and 120mm travel via a Fox Float RL shock.

Can't remember the full spec, but it had lots of Race Face and Sram components.  This bike lives on with a fellow rider whom I sold it to a number of years ago.

I've realized (after a few emails) that some of you might have noticed that I'm posting less on the blog.  Fear not, as I'm still in the game and have a few things coming down the pipe soon.  My free time has been limited as of late and I've spent what time I have riding rather than writing. I'm about to have a bit of a schedule shift in life and should have some more free time in the evenings after the kids go to bed, which will let me blog on the couch beside Mrs. Bric while she watches her shows.

I'm also going to focus more on quality articles and stories rather than ride reports consisting of photos and "It was a great ride" kind of thing, it gets boring after a while.  The great photos will keep coming though.  I'm also planning on doing some more "away" rides this year and more riding with groups which will undoubtedly spur some interesting stories.  I'm also reliving my youth and writing about adventures of years gone by that will be slowly published over the next year.

Stay tuned everyone!  Thanks for reading!

The morning started out a little sad looking.  Light rain all night and it was drizzle outside when I peeked out the curtains.  The forecast promised to clear up in a couple of hours, but Turkey Point is a damn good ride in the wet, keeps the dust down and creates "hero dirt" conditions.  A nice breakfast and a few minutes to load up my gear and I was on the road heading the few minutes south to Long Point Eco Adventure where the TPMBC Spring Kicker was being held.

I arrived to a sea of aluminum, carbon, and rubber pieced together into these beloved contraptions we call bicycles.  Although there were an abundance of bikes to demo ride, I restrained myself and kept to my Norco that is paid for...... I think my wife would kill me if I came home with the idea of buying another bicycle.  Having two growing kids that are hungry all the time adds to my struggle as there is never enough money in my bank account to even think of a new bike, and its probably a good thing.

Specialized brought their demo fleet along with their new electric bike.  I have to admit that even after seeing and holding it, I still don't get it.  Why take something as pure as a bicycle and attach an electric motor to it?  If a big guy like me can grunt up a climb and put on a good sweat, there shouldn't be many excuses to own an electric bike.  When the battery dies you can look forward to pedalling something that weighs as much as the coveted Supercycle Hooligan around your local trails.  No thanks.  

I've heard the argument that you can go further and faster than you could normally go, but I also remember some guy named Eddy who said "Don't buy upgrades, ride upgrades".  I'll keep kicking it old school and just pedal my ass off.  Anyways, time to move on and stop bitching about b-bikes.

I took some time to chat with cycling friends both new and old and snap some photos (see the gallery at the bottom of this post).  Some groups were leaving for rides so I decided to get moving so I could grab a few action shots.  I ended up tagging along with a fellow TPMBC member and two other riders, one riding his still very new Trek 29er and the other was doing a good job of putting a Cannondale CX demo bike through hell and back.  It was a nice mix of bike types, between the four of us we had the fat category, the mid-fat, the 29er, and the CX covered and hung together nicely.  It goes to show that there is no such thing as the 'wrong' bike.  Just use what you have under you.

My action shots didn't work out so well.  I forgot to adjust the settings on my camera for a quicker shutter speed.  Oh well, at least I got a few photos moving at light speed.

We did a nice loop through the park and conservation reserve, covering Plant of the Apes, Saudwinder, The Burn, Dizzy Lizzy, Big Mike, Rum Runner, East and West Ridge, and back into Eco.  It was a good short ride that was pretty much everything I had in the tank anyways.  Being sick all day Saturday and not being at 100% that morning kept me dialled back a bit but it was nice to get outside and stretch the legs and lungs.

​It was a great day overall and it was nice talking with cycling friends.  I'm really looking forward to the next Spring Kicker in 2017.  Also be sure to mark your calendar for the TPMBC Fall Ripper coming September 25th!