Arsbars.comThe Real Arleigh Jenkins

The wife is coming home tonight. We hopefully will be going shopping tonight. First to EMS for wicking tshirts for riding with a hydropack & then to find a bookcase for our expanding book collection.

Getting in another ride at Catawba this afternoon before the wife pulls in to Charlotte. I’m trying out a new Deuter bag & I’ll try to remember to throw my camera in it. I’ll be back to riding the Karate Monkey (fully rigid) & was a bit spoiled with the Maverick SC32. Slowly I am believing in having two bikes – one rigid & ss – one with that fork and a Rohloff hub in the back. I’m getting the shaken baby syndrome.

Rode Catawba again. Great fun. Hope to get rides in tonight and a good long one tomorrow. Saw MTBCHK working!! Looking good though.. all tan from working outdoors. Or walking between place to place. Either way it would be great to get a tan at work.

Dirt Divas ride tonight up at N. Meck if anyone is interested. I hope to leave the shop a little before 5 so I can pass the traffic. Maybe Mel will go out for dinner after? Maybe it won’t rain for once. Anytime I’ve gone for a Diva ride at N. Meck it’s POURED. All two times but still.

Rode the 29er today at Catawba. Rode the ML8 up near UNCC. Platform pedals were needed. Bought new shoes to compliment them. Enjoyed riding the berms greatly. Big thanks to Mr & Mrs Err for helping me out. Heading back out to Catawba tomorrow night after work to test out a certain project bike of the shop & then hopefully hit up the DS on the ML8.

Dealing with the lonely life decently. The pup and I have been bonding in our time away from the girlfriend. She should return mid week which will make life go back to some type of normal schedule. Especially since she starts her new job later in the week. Also the cactus’ get in later this week. Hopefully I’ll get to ride something with them this next weekend. Hmph. Kinda sucks when it’s only Sunday night and you are already looking at the next weekend for sanity sakes.

Woohoo – tomorrow’s a day off! Also it so happens that Catawba is opening back up for all. If you didn’t know one of the best local trails in Charlotte has been closed for 2 years due to the construction of a certain US National White Water park thingy. I’m taking the 29er & hopefully borrowing the shops Maverick ML8 and heading out to Catawba to try and keep up with a bunch of boys on their toys.

The other things that are happening include two movies in 24 hours. (Invincible & Miss Little Sunshine.) Some sweet threads coming in the mail from TwinSix. Other presents in the mail from my mom. There are others but I can’t think of them right now… Did I mention the cross bike? Oh yes I did.

Tomorrow the shops Sunday morning ride is riding up to the hospital to visit Warren. All info is here. I also will be visiting Warren tomorrow by car & can fill ya’ll in on how he is doing.

First off – thanks to everyones kind words about Warren. He’s stable & if I hear any new news I’ll post.

Hopefully you check out the shops blog as I try to post bike/work related goodness over there. I try not to bore the loyal readers like my mom and girlfriend with daily bike geekness. BUT I do have one bike related thing to talk about.

I’m ordering a custom cross bike. DeSalvo Custom Cycles is the creator. I’ve personally worked on many of Mike’s frames & each of them have been gorgeous. (Ride amazing & seem to hold up well.) He gives a pretty good deal to employee’s of the bike industry. He also has been patient with me in the last 6 months to figure out what I truely want. I’m finally biting the bullet for a custom goodness. I plan on building up 2 sets of wheels, or maybe one set and a spare rear. Either way the run down is as follows.

Steel. S&S couplers. Single Speed. Goodness. The 5 S’s of a SWEET ride.

That’s the word for now. Goodluck to everyone riding the E100 – I hope Dicky got there with two wheels.