Rolled outta bed early, fixed a flat hopped in the car with Eddie and rolled down to Shady Dale, GA to do some riding with our good buddy and talented frame builder, Donald Hoefer. 

At arrival we’re greeted by the barking and howling of the smallest group of farm dogs you done ever seen. Shortly after the screen door slung open and out burst, Jesse, Donalds wife and overall sweetheart with a warm greeting. After a short tour of the chicken coop and Donalds cock stand off with the rooster: he lost by spur to the thigh. 

One last snack check and we were off to blindly follow Donald, as we always do. He’s known for his incredible sense of direction and a charming sense of adventure. My best riding buddies don’t talk much. We spend our time inside of our heads and outside of our bodies, somewhat meditative. The crunching miles of loose, chunky gravel beneath our knobby tires. The breeze forcing limbs of trees sideways. The crashing of leaves fluttering against each other are only disrupted by the reeling of White Industry hubs. Not much was really said within the first 20 or so miles. Most of the dogs that chased us didn’t even bark at us, it was eerily peaceful and the continued silence, welcomed. 

From short, punchy open roads that branded our tan lines to shaded gravel checkered in evergreens to young overgrown single track carpeted in bright green ferns, it was a perfect mix of terrain with very little road. After rallying up some tenacious climbs and nerding out on photographing the rad handmade, custom built machines I’ve had the pleasure of riding alongside, we got to a fishing pond and filled our bottles at the public filet station.

After Eddie approved of the sprayer-born agua, we peacefully grazed on snacks ranging from homemade trail mix, Clif Bars and meat sticks we finished out the last 15 miles. 

We were chased by about 15 or so dogs on this trip. Most were quiet, waiting for us around corners or at the top of unforgiving hills. We also saw: 3 rat snakes, countless deer with 2 fresh fawns, one baby bunny and acres of horse, cattle, goats and other farm animals. And just like that were had looped back to the house for some refreshing brews, recaps, app checks and an abbreviated farm tour.

After Eddie approved of the sprayer-born agua, we peacefully grazed on snacks ranging from homemade trail mix, Clif Bars and meat sticks we finished out the last 15 miles. 

Donald is an incredible frame builder and I’ll be doing some work with him in the near future and I’m extremely excited about it. Till then check out his work here. 

Donalds personal Hoefer and Edwards custom Stinner are photographed below.

Route Info by wahoo. I started later into the ride to honor Donald and Jesse’s privacy:

{Rte coming soon}


Daily stats:

2500ft climbing

46mi 

top temp 39C/103F

Our friend Afotey has been a fixture in the urban cycling community for years, but has always had one rule: never go off-road. However, as we all know, for Team Spindle rules are more like guidelines. Join Afotey for some dirt shredding, cold pasta eating, and <strikethrough>light trespassing</strikethrough> camp making as he takes his first bikepacking trip through the Green Swamp Wilderness Area in southwest Florida. Shot by David Childers of @getlostphotoclub(link to Instagram) and Among the Pines Photography(https://www.amongthepinesphotography.com).

This about sums it up...

Every year on the first Saturday in March, we shake our tail down to Montecello, FL for the Dirty Pecan. Enjoying the bright sun and miles of eroded sandy clay roads that meander the GA/FL border with visually stunning landscapes the entire way. Its always nice to take a reprise from Atlantas gloomy wintery weather to remember spring is around the corner. 

This year was different, way different. 

After 4+ hour drive, the crew from Atlanta sat around camp the night before pondering whether the 80/ 100 mile options would be a suitable endeavor for this motley crew of adventures. Regardless of weather warnings and threats of heavy rains, wiith vigor, we chose the 100 mile route. We all uploaded both routes to our Wahoo Elements and slept with content. 

That next morning we woke up to a light drizzle that quickly escalated to thunders strikes mere minutes from the open field where we set up camp. A rimshot filled with tools and tubes, packed up frame bags, Kofta and 40oz crushers pack with snacks, got in warm, dry clothes only to be sopping wet in mere minutes. Warmth was short lived as well due to an unexpected drop in temperatures. We all uploaded the 80 mi route on the fly, started moving and the warmth slowly came. 

Usually when we do this ride, weather is spot on perfect. The roads are hardened and dry with few patches of the infamous, “peanut butter.” An even mixture of clay and sand with just enough water to swallow your tires whole. But again, this year was different. These roads had flooded, swallowing tires and rims making for great resistance training or just a cold rainy sufferfest. Countless knobby tires dug deep trenches into the once glossy smooth roads, pedal strokes were lost to slight variations of shifting balance. Hills became almost impossible, almost! 

Wahoo Element guiding the way through this rainy mud fest!

This gritty, peanut buttery substance made all the bikes scream. The sounds of passerbys drivetrains dreaming and crunching and grit made its way into the minuscule crevasses of bike chains after being ground down between the chain and chainrings. Small chainrings, might I add. Questions arose through the concerto of drivetrain deterioration: “ do you hear that? Is that me? Do you have brakes? Do I have brakes?’

The sandy gak had its way with disc brakes. Eating them up within the first 20 mi. After half our crew were left brakeless and freewheeling a lesson in the Art of BMX braking was given and we chose the 20 mi bailout route. We hosed down all the brakes with our bottles, made all the adjustments, tightened up all the barrels, set our computers to return to start. The front was led out by the bike with V-brake that were still stopping and me, in the rear, fixed with no brakes but full control. Enough control to slow down two people, if such a situation arose...

View fullsize

John Christopher Matyjasik rolling cautiously after realizing he has no brakes.

Several miles from the finish, the rain dissipates for moments as we brake at a local convenience store. After snacking and watching locals pull up in their various consumer-sized lawnmowers, industrial tractors and vehicles with questionable outdoor-raised seating, the drizzle started and we set off to the campgrounds. 

The large road sign flashed “ CAUTION: DIRTY PECAN EVENT AHEAD” and, shortly, the whiskey hit our lips. The victory of adventure and returning safely washed away any regret of not finishing the ride. Some folks were smart and didn’t even start the ride. We are not those people. 

After whiskey we washed ourselves, hosed down our bikes and enjoy the nourishment of the local large chain restaurant pasta dish, clamored over stories of what broke first on whose bike and reminiscing on old rides with similar conditions with other participates, from near and far, that were also not smart enough to bail on such a ride. 

Lessons learned: Rim brakes are king in muddy conditions and the off-road track bike may be the best vehicle for such conditions if gearing is chosen wisely and you’re dumb enough to ride fixed, off road. 

Gas station rain reprise

Pictured from left: John Christopher Matyjasik, Gerry Weber, Chanel Zeisel, Jacob Cronan and Gregory Zahl

Team Spray Farts

A special thanks to Mack & Betsy Barfield for the beers and post-ride Carrabbas!

words and photos by Andy Lovell:

When I started looking for a new travel pump I asked around to see what everyone was using and found my buddy Pat had three of the Lezyne Micro Floor Drive's. One for each bike. That was good enough for me. 

The pump comes in at 12 inches long and 7oz. It is not what you would consider a mini pump. If you're looking for something to throw in a seat bag or jersey pocket this guy is not for you. Marketed more toward the mountain biker crowd, it is slender enough to tuck right into a frame bag or hydration pack. It also comes with a bottle mount style frame mount if you want to go that route. I've done a couple bikepacking trips with it mounted on the seat tube with no problems. 

As for performance, I couldn't be happier. Being designed for higher volume tires this moves a lot of air with each pump and makes quick use of pumping up after a flat. There is a little tab that folds out for your foot to give you stability just like a full size floor pump. I was a bit skeptical but it's holding up well and really does make pumping easier.  

The construction of this guy is rock solid. The valve is one solid piece that you unscrew and flip to go from presta to shader. There is a blow off valve in the middle which is nice addition. One of my favorite features is that the valve screws into the base of pump which keeps the hose tight over the pump and houses the valve in the base to protect it. I've had the pump pretty caked in mud and the valve opening as always been free of muck. 

I recommend this pump for anyone who is getting rad and depending on their bike day in and day out. This pump adds a piece of kit that will keep you going no matter what the trail or streets will throw at you.

Cooper Creek Trail Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/24069856

Written By Andy Lovell

Pictures contributed by: Andrew Beishline, Ezz-Eldin Hassan, Andy Lovell, & Adam Newsom

Cooper’s Creek is a challenging overnighter taking you through the Chattahoochee National forest through some of the best that the area has to offer. A great introduction to bike packing, this route takes you deep into the woods without ever being to far from civilization while leaving little options for re-supply. Thick wilderness and ferns line the route with many options for side trips and countless trails that beg to be explored. 

Starting from the Jake Mountain Parking lot, the loop takes you through the Blue Ridge WMA past lakes and streams over tough gaps and down killer descents on your way to the Cooper Creek WMA. Cooper's Creek is one of Georgia's larger wildlife management areas spanning more than 30,000 acres. This area holds some of the last old growth pockets of forest in Georgia with a few Tulip Poplar trees measuring a circumference of 18 feet! The second half of this route will take you down some of the most pristine country roads to be had finishing off with one more leg burning climb and hand numbing descent.

his route is doable on a bike with at least 32mm tires but it will beat you up a bit. There is a little single track on the route but some of the roads are quite gutted and rutted. Bigger the better in my opinion. 2.0 or above would give you some much welcomed cushion. Few folks have done it with 40mm tires and had no issue. 

Food is scarce on this route. There is one store at about mile 21 that will have basics like chips and candy bars. Don’t expect much more. There are times that the store has not been open at all. Pack what you need for the entire 2 days and use the store as a chance for a Strawberry Crunch and a corn dog if your lucky. 

There are a ton of spots to stop and filter water along the route with only one spot for potable water. A Sawyer mini would do you just fine. 

Camping is also plentiful along the route. The beauty of adventuring through WMA’s is you can camp anywhere you’d like so long as its not posted other wise. There are plenty of awesome free sites down along the river and at Rock Creek. Right at the half way mark is the Cooper Creek Recreation Area. These are $8 a night sites with picnic tables and fire rings. Potable water is available and two pit toilets as well. The creek runs right through the camp sites which makes for a great spot to take in a swim and listen to the water rushing by at night. 

Fishing is great all along the route. Pack your rod and take the time to stop and throw a line or two. The area between Rock Creek Lake and the fish hatchery is a prime location to catch some trout or just to take a dip in the lake. Great fishing can be found all along Cooper Creek as well. 

Take the time for a side trip to the Taccoa Swinging Bridge and Sea Creek Falls. They are right off the route and are worth the extra miles.