Bike Carson

On Sunday I have a road trip planned to the Bay Area! On Monday, a mountain bike ride is planned near Oakland, and I’ll be riding with Smudgemo, Brian, and Lauren!

roOHHHDd trip!

I’ve hung out with Smudgemo a couple times now, and he’s agreed to let me crash at his pad for a couple nights. As for Brian and Lauren, I’ve never met them in person, and only know them from Blogland. I will be cool to hear the real voice behind the words I’ve been reading the last couple years.

It should be a fun trip, and hopefully I will get to make updates from the road. Stay tuned…

Tags: goin' to california

Since the beginning of summer, I have seen a growing number of cyclists commuting to work. It’s not as apparent in the morning, but after work, they’re everywhere! 5:00 PM seems to be the universal quitting time. One thing we’ve done to make the commute more enjoyable and safer, is to start a commuter convoy.

Bicycle Commuter Convoy on Roop Street

Our convoy is still pretty small at this time, with only 3 or 4 strong, but it makes a big difference. Not only do we get to talk along the way, but there is safety in numbers. Multiple cyclists riding together get more respect on the road. Not only is the pack more visible, but I think people are less apt to mess with a group of the people when the odds are not in their favor.

Not only is high visibility safer, but the message that cycling is fun is better advertised to the masses. If people see a group doing it, then maybe they get the idea in their head that they should give it a try. One of my fun activities on the way home is to count how many cars we pass on Roop Street. Roop Street is one of the main streets for getting around town, and is always backed up during rush hour. In just a short half mile stretch, I once counted over 30 cars passed!

We leave the capital grounds around 5 PM and head north if you’d like to join us. If you’re in another part of the city, and would like help connecting with other bicycle commuters, let me know (email address is on the contact page above)!

Elsewhere on the web…

Do you read Urban Velo? The current issue has some fantastic information for bicycle commuters that I’d like to point out. Page 30 has an article entitled STREET SMARTS - SURVIVAL SKILLS FROM A BICYCLE MESSENGER. Issue #9 is now available for download over on the Urban Velo Blog HERE.

When I was skimming the online magazine to get to the Street Smarts article, I came across a familiar face. Check out Page 22 of Urban Velo, and you’ll see Carson City’s Gabe Gonzalez! Gabe is frequently seen on his fixie at the local bicycle events, and it’s not uncommon to see him hanging out at the Bicycle Authority shooting the breeze with the rest of the guys. Go check out the interview with Gabe and see why he likes riding in the city.

Tags: bicycle commuting, commuter convoy, gabe gonzalez, roop street, urban velo

A few of us snuck in an early morning ride on Labor Day. A cold front has moved into the area, colder than anything we’ve had in months. I had to conjure up my mental check list to remember what to wear for 40 degree temperatures!

Top of Vicee Rim Trail

I’m glad I did this, because I had to go against what my brain thought was normal for this time of year. For temperatures in the 40’s, I like to use clothing with wind protection. I kept my knees, ears, and fingers toasty with the appropriate clothing, and used my arm warmers to regulate body temperature. This worked out pretty well, and I was glad I went against my summertime feelings.

Jesse Climbing 7 Steps

We did the big loop in Ash Canyon, climbing Vicee Rim, 7 Steps, Deer Run, Baldy Green, and the Fourday Trail. Once at the top we hit the Creek Trail, and stopped partway down to admire the Great Wall.

Jeff M

If you haven’t already, stop at the rock chute on the Creek Trail to admire the masonry. It’s quite impressive! It made me chuckle to think of what archeologists a couple hundred years from now will make of this structure!

Captain Jesse Morgan at the Great Wall

Jesse and Jeff P on the Creek Trail

After completing the Creek Trail, we rode a new section of trail that takes you back up to Deer Run. If you’ve ridden Deer Run lately, you can see this new trail peeling off down hill. This new addition is great, and keeps you on singletrack, off the road, and in the fun zone. More on this trail later this week…

The New Connector Trail

One we got back down to Jackrabbit, we ran into Marcus and one of his roadie buddies. We had a good chat, and then all finished off the trail together. I ended up riding home for a big pancake breakfast, followed by a nap!

Tags: Ash Canyon, fall riding, labor day

For many stay at home parents, the start of school means new found freedom. After a long summer without much riding, Kristy is back on the bike. After finishing off a long singletrack descent, she said, “Oh yeah…now I remember why I like mountain biking so much!”. I don’t think it was immediately apparent after the first long, hot, steep hill climb!

StumpJumper

Getting Back on the Singletrack

All Smiles

Tags: rider photos

When I began full time bicycle commuting last November, I just used my old backpacks that I’ve had around for years. They worked for a time, but I quickly realized their limitations. They had limited cargo capacity, and were awkward to ride with when fully loaded, as the weight was stacked perpendicular to my back. A big hump that would stick way out when full.

Chrome Metropolis Messenger Bag

I was asking Dan at the Bicycle Authority about his messenger style bags, and he was nice enough to let me borrow his Chrome Bags “Kremlin” model. The Kremlin has a cavernous 3,000 cubic inches of storage, and turned out to be too big for my tastes. I could have used it for a Bivouac sack had a blizzard hit! Still, I got a feel for what these bags were about. I returned Dan’s bag and had him order me the next size down, the Metropolis.

Wide Padded Strap With Easy Connect Seat Belt Buckle

The Metropolis is still quite large with 2,000 cubic inches of storage. The Chrome website says these bags are “constructed with the most rugged assembly of industrial materials and hardware available: military spec. seam binding, 1000d Cordura shell, 18oz. weatherproof truck tarp liner, and nylon 69 thread.” If you’re accustomed to the cheap crap coming out of China, the construction on these bags will astonish you! After several months of use through snow and hot sun, this bag looks like new.

If you are not familiar with the messenger style bag (or as I like to call it “commuter style” … I have yet to deliver a message with it), the bag is wide and tall without a lot of depth. This keeps the load close to your back, and helps distribute the weight equally. This bicycle friendly design is quite noticeable when your body is leaned over on a road bike.

Another great feature on this bag that you won’t find on a standard backpack is its bag within a bag design. The weatherproof inner liner is independently suspended, and floats freely within the outer shell, eliminating seams exposed to the outside elements. This is reassuring when you have to carry electronics or nice work clothes in the unpredictable Nevada winter weather.

From what I’ve seen, the Chrome Bags have one of the nicer strapping systems. The shoulder strap is wide and foam padded. There is an additional across the chest load stabilizer strap that can also be connected around the waist. I prefer the waist strap for most loads, but if the bag is really full, the chest strap is your only option. The buckle is pretty unique too, a Seat Belt style buckle. This makes putting the bag on or taking it off easy when you have your helmet on.

Holds All the Gear You’ll Need for the Day

The inside has plenty of pockets to keep your gear separated and organized.  Up front there are little compartments for pens and notepads, a zippered pocket for valuables or small items, and a deep pouch (that I think is designed for a small U-Lock).  The inside has the main compartment, and two smaller compartments.  I like to carry my 32 ounce water bottle in the right hand (or lower) compartment.   There is even a a secret stash pocket on the outside of the bag for whatever you can imagine to put in there.

In the picture above you can see a typical day’s cargo.  Lunch, shoes, wallet, phone, memory card reader, glasses, camera, iPod, water bottle, chap stick, tube, levers, multi tool, pump, a smaller waist pack, and shorts and a jersey for lunch rides.  Occasionally I’ll carry a lap top in the main compartment, but with all the other gear, it does get a bit heavy!

If you’re used to shopping at the big box super marts, the price of this Made in USA bag may shock you at first.  The Metropolis retails for $135.  But as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.  This bag will give you many years of service, and keep several of the cheap bags out of the landfill.

Check out the Chrome Bags website at http://www.chromebags.com/ to see all the sizes, styles, and many colors they have. Another tip when looking at the colors… The stripe on the front is the same color as the inside of the bag. A black interior may make it more difficult to find items in low light conditions.

If you’re interested in purchasing one soon, I have recently seen a Navy Blue Metropolis bag down at the Bicycle Authority. It may still be there.  If not, the bags ship out of San Francisco, and Dan can get one quick for you.

Tags: bicycle commuting, chrome messenger bag, commuter bag

Last Friday, my friend Todd organized a ride on the Tahoe Rim Trail out of the Tahoe Meadows near Mount Rose. This is one of my favorite rides, so I jumped at the chance to go. The 30 mile loop we rode has fantastic views, fast smooth singletrack, and many challenges along the way to test your skills.

Tahoe Meadows Below Mount Rose

We met up at the Mount Rose Tahoe Rim Trail trailhead around 9:00 AM, and rode south towards Tunnel Creek. Scott J got to try out his new Stump Jumper’s suspension along the way. We all had fun climbing and jumping off the rocks.

Scott J on a Boulder Crossing

The first 9 miles to Tunnel Creek crosses back and forth along the ridge, giving you views of Washoe Valley on the East side, and Lake Tahoe on the West side.

Washoe Valley Overlook

Jon’s tube decided to die seconds after the picture below was taken. Pinch Flat! We swapped the tube rather quickly, but then I “thought” I saw something wrong with his brakes. I pulled one of the pads out, only to discover that there was nothing wrong, that they were just Avid Brakes…not the Hayes I’m used to looking at. We spent the next 20 minutes or so trying to reassemble Jon’s brakes, and got to meet many friendly people that passed us. At least we stopped near a pretty view! Jon forgot to bring his own tube, so Scott made an easy $40. It’s amazing what price you can command on such commodities when you’re in the middle of nowhere!

Above Crystal Bay

After reaching Tunnel Creek, we continued along the Tahoe Rim Trail. This section of the trail switchbacks up for a few miles to reach Marlette Peak. We ran into our friends Mike and Kathy along the climb, and chatted with them for a while. They were doing a loop in the opposite direction.

Riding Through Boulders

After a bit of a climb, we broke through the trees and made the final ascent to Marlette Peak. When I get my first glimpse of Marlette Lake and Lake Tahoe below, an overwhelming feeling comes over me. I’m not a religious person, but this place is about as spiritual as it gets for me. Marlette Peak is a wonderful place for lunch, so that’s just what we did. Ate and basked in the greatness.

Jon Riding up Marlette Peak

Scott J Above Marlette Lake

Marlette Peak

Lunch Break on Top of the World

In My Happy Place

After a nice break atop Marlette Peak, we began the fun descent down to Marlette Lake. The singletrack is fast, smooth, twisty, and goes in and out of the woods. Almost makes you want to pedal back up and do it again! We kept going though as there were many miles ahead of us. We got onto Marlette Lake Road, and made the final descent to the lake through the Aspens.

Marlette Lake

Leaving Marlette Lake

We pedaled around the south end of Marlette Lake, and then over to the dam where the Flume Trail starts. We met a couple at the dam, and the girl had lost a cleat bolt on her brand new shoes. Doh! Don’t forget the lock-tite folks! This may be a good item to keep in the tool bag come to think of it. It weighs next to nothing, and may save the day!

On The Flume Trail

There was a lot of traffic on the Flume Trail for a Friday! Can’t imagine what it must be like on the weekend. We took advantage of the frequent stops to snap some photos. The lake was glass smooth in some spots, and it looked like the boats were just floating in space!

Sand Harbor as seen from The Flume Trail

On The Flume Trail Looking South

We made it back to the Tunnel Creek crossroads, and took an extended break. We had a good chat with another group of riders that had done our loop the opposite direction. We both argued that our direction was much better. After refueling, we began our 9.5 mile trek back to Tahoe Meadows. Early into this final leg, we ran into Mike and Kathy again. They had a long ride ahead of them too.

Back on the Tahoe Rim Trail

Above Crystal Bay in the Afternoon Sun

It was now the afternoon, and going the opposite direction with different light made the trail all new. It is also deceiving how much elevation you lose on the way in. It feels like nothing but climbing on the way out! One by one we started to run out of water. A couple of the guys even uttered the dreaded “Death March” phrase.

Come on Guys! It’s Not a Death March!

Weary Adventurers

We finally made it back to Tahoe meadows around 5:00 PM, tired and thirsty. There was just one final ascent, and we decided to do it on the road to get it over quickly. The next drink of water was back in Reno, as there is no running water at the Tahoe Meadows trailhead. We all eyeballed a high school cross country team bus back at the top. Had there been an ice chest, we would have raided it. I think a small water filtration system might be good for these long summer rides. We were all loaded to capacity with water, but still ran out.

The Final Stretch

We were all pretty quiet on the drive home. I had to look in the back seat occasionally to see if Scott J was even still in the truck with us. The next 24 hours would be spent refueling and rehydrating. I slept good that night!

As always, more pictures of the ride can be found over on the Bike Carson Flickr page HERE.

Tags: flume trail, lake tahoe, marlette lake, Tahoe Rim Trail

Logan on the Creek Trail

I had to get a shot of this young whipper-snapper yesterday. Logan climbs just like his mom and dad, and left me in the dust. On the way down, I risked life and limb, riding over my head, so that I made sure I was ahead of this kid. Didn’t want him to get a big head…or even worse, destroy ME psychologically.

Tags: Ash Canyon, creek trail

Expect delays on the Creek Trail due to a downed tree on the lower section where the road narrows to singletrack. Traffic is currently being rerouted around the left and right of the tree, and riders should exercise extreme caution when blasting into this corner. It comes up on you pretty quick! Trail crews have been notified and dispatched.

Tree Down!

Due to deep sand and some a-hole on a dirt bike, Chains or Knobbies are required on the lower section of the Jackrabbit Trail. Tall tumbleweeds have been reported on Seven Steps to Heaven. All other trails are open with no controls.

Today’s Traffic Report has been brought to you by the Letter “S”, reminding you to Skid in your shorts, not on the trail!

Tags: Ash Canyon, Trails, trees

Hooray! We’ve finally come out of last week’s doldrums. Scorching hot sun, with zero air movement was the norm last week, and the oppressive aestival heat made riding tough. Water bottles were as hot as tea water by the end of the lunch rides! Commutes home from work were done in shorts rather than work pants to avoid catching on fire at the stoplights.

Jesse Finishing the Deer Run

Like a light switch, the weather has become cool an breezy. Today will be nearly 20 degrees different than any given day last week! It’s not quite Fall out there yet, but you can definitely feel summer slipping away.  Now if we could just get some rain!  Anyone know of any incantations to bring the precipitation?

Tags: doldrums, heat, oppresive, summer

Last week I found that I had a torn sidewall on my rear tire just moments before it was time for the lunch ride. I didn’t have time to fix my tire, so I made sure I had the right materials to fix the problem on the trail should the tube had failed. I made it through the ride without a flat, so I decided to go through the process of repairing the sidewall at home. I’ve heard people discuss this process, often called “booting the tire”, but have never tried it myself. I decided to practice in the controlled environment of my garage.

Torn Sidewall with Herniated Tube

In the picture above, you’ll notice that the tire’s sidewall is torn, and the tube is poking out. This will almost certainly cause a flat if left unchecked. There is a quick and easy process to boot your tire, and it will allow you to get home without a flat tire (or another flat tire as the case may be). A boot is a temporary fix, and should only be used until you can swap the tire for an undamaged one.

Possible Materials for Temporary Patch

Most cyclists carry a spare tube with them, but few carry the material needed to boot a tire. The materials I’ve heard of people using are duct tape, a dollar bill, or a patch made from a Tyvek envelope. All three of these materials are tear resistant, and will keep the tube on the inside of the tire. One advantage of having a dollar bill is that you can buy something with it. Not much mind you, but it certainly has more bargaining power than some tape or a swatch of plastic fiber. I brought a dollar bill with me on the ride last week, but decided to make a Tyvek patch for my toolkit this weekend. I’ve been keeping a mailer envelope in the garage for just this purpose. Not knowing how big I needed it, I just used a dollar bill for a template.

Fold the Temporary Patch and Insert Between the Tube and Tire

With one side of the tire off the rim, I folded the patch in thirds, and slid it between the tire and the tube. This seemed to cover the tear nicely, and gave it room to slide a bit. And by folding it into thirds, I felt confident it would be a strong barrier. I carefully put the tire back on the rim, making sure I didn’t let the patch slip from the area. I think a good tip at this point would be to make sure the tube you’re putting in has a little air in it, so it helps hold the patch in place as you’re doing this.

Fully Inflated Tire with Temporary Patch in Place

I finished by inflating the tire to see how it looked. I even overinflated it to put the patch to the test. It seemed to work perfect! Fortunately, this tire had many miles of good service on it, and was due to be replaced anyway. This sidewall tear is pretty nasty, and I won’t feel bad throwing it away. My Tyvek patch is now in my toolkit, ready for the next emergency repair!

One interesting afterthought on this subject is that this sidewall tear was on the rear drive side. Another rider that viewed the 1st picture on this post said that he’s torn a few on the rear drive side as well. Is this a coincidence, or is there some destructive force at work here?

Tags: boot, dollar bill, repairing a torn sidewall, tire, tube, tyvek