Mountain Tandem Utility Bike

Posted on March 15, 2010 by Jeff Moser

Utility Bikes are becoming more and more popular, as people discover the useful work you can do with a bicycle. Regular bicycles just aren’t suited to carry over-sized and awkward items around an urban environment. But what do you do when you need to get your gear up on the mountain, when the only way to get up there is on tight singletrack?

Jeff Potter’s Mountain Tandem Utility Bike

Jeff Potter recently came up with a design for an all terrain tool hauler. He converted his mountain tandem into a utility bike. Previously he towed a BOB Trailer, which worked out to some degree, but it made the bike a bit long for getting down tight twisty trails. I followed that BOB Trailer one night, and it was throwing sparks as it bounced off the rocks alongside the trail! And from what I understand, it caused a couple crashes when it got hung up and abruptly ceased forward momentum. And the clatter! We called him Hop Sing, because it sounded like he was transporting a mini chuck wagon. Jeff came up with a pretty cool idea to solve the trailer problem. Here’s what Jeff had to say about his Mountain Tandem Utility Bike.

Bike Carson: Why did you build it?

Jeff Potter: I had been using a Bike Bob to haul tools around when doing trail maintenance but never liked the way the bike handled with a loaded Bob attached. Amy and I have a mountain tandem that we ride several times a year that I thought could be put to other uses.

BC: How did you build it, and where did you get the idea?

JP: I got the idea from your Kona Ute. I thought it would be “cool” to have a utility bike like yours, but lacking disposable cash, I came up with this idea.

The first priority in building the tool rack was that it had to disassemble easily. The second priority was that it had to be solid. I attached a second stoker stem to the stokers’ seat post which gave me a platform to brace the rack to. The front of the rack is attached with u-clamps tightened by wing-nuts, while the rear is secured by the seat post clamp. Mickey at the Bike Smith hooked me up with a couple sets of cradles from a Yakima rack which serve as my way of securing the tools.

BC: How does it handle off-road when loaded up?

JP: I’m able to negotiate the Creek Trail with it, and it rips down the Vicee Rim and Jackrabbit trails. Plus it’s easier to handle with tools than with a person on the back.

Long Bed Tool Rack

Bicycle Authority in the NV Appeal

Posted on January 3, 2010 by Jeff Moser

Having grown up in Carson City, I have known Dan Turner, owner of the Bicycle Authority, for many years. My neighborhood BMX gang would often run into his BMX gang out at the jumps in an empty lot somewhere around town, and he was always out at the BMX track too. When I got my drivers license at 16, I gave up on bikes for a few years. I’d be driving down the street in my chick magnet, a Datsun B210 station wagon with a dented up driver’s side, and there would be Dan, riding his BMX bike down main street. He’d be bunny hopping, jumping off curbs, and I remember thinking, “Who would be caught riding around town on a bicycle? How nerdy!” And now look at me today…

Dan Turner – Photo by Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal

The Nevada Appeal recently did a “Meet Your Merchant” feature on the Bicycle Authority. Here’s a snippet of the article from the Nevada Appeal:

Dan Turner said his post-secondary schooling wasn’t spent buried in books deep inside a library, but toiling away in the back of a bike shop.

“That’s all I had done was work at bike shops,” said Turner, 44, owner of Bicycle Authority. “I got to learn from owners of bike shops … that really helped getting my foot in the door. That was my own form of college.”

Turner is a one man show at his North Carson City bike shop, spending six days a week inside his spacious store that is covered in bicycle paraphernalia that includes posters of the Death Ride, a 129-mile trek along the California Alps, to former rides mounted on the walls.

Bicycle Authority Memorabilia – Skyway BMX

One thing that makes Dan’s shop unique is all the memorabilia displayed throughout the store. Most bike shops tend to live in the now, dazzling the senses with the latest and greatest. In the Bicycle Authority, though, you will take a walk down memory lane. There are a lot of old bikes and other items throughout the store that aren’t for sale. Brian Duggan, the writer of the NV Appeal article, looked around the store and noticed the old Death Ride posters. I suppose everyone’s eyes focus on something different. For me it’s the old Skyway BMX frame up on the wall. It stirs up memories of the endless summers back in the 80′s when my friends and I would just sit on the lawn, talk about BMX, and think of what kind of trouble to get into next. There was so much free time back then! A Skyway just like the one on Dan’s wall was the last bike of my childhood, the bike that led me on so many cool adventures.

Continue reading the Nevada Appeal article, Meet Your Merchant: BMX kid at heart made bicycles his life’s work over on the Nevada Appeal website.

More info:
What: The Bicycle Authority
Where: 1501 N. Carson St.
Hours: Weekdays 10 a.m. to
6 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. Closed Sundays.
Contact: 775-884-1555
Online: www.bigdansbikes.com

Capitol Automotive – The Cyclist’s Auto Shop

Posted on December 2, 2009 by Jeff Moser

You often hear someone saying that they can no longer afford auto repairs, and that they need to go buy a new car. In reality though, a new car will most likely end up costing more than keeping that old car going. I recently read somewhere that a new car will cost you around $8,000 per year to own! Here’s another site that has a Real Costs of Car Ownership Calculator. Even people that call themselves part of the “green movement” tout the miracle of the hyrbid vehicle; however, saving gas is only part of the equation. Our freeways, streets, and parking lots are already overcrowded. Maintenance to our transportation infrastructure is falling behind. Getting everyone in an efficient hybrid vehicle will only encourage more driving, and further exasperate our transportation problems. We are far better off fixing what we already have, driving less, and using alternate forms of transportation when possible.

Marcus, Owner of Capitol Automotive

Although I’m pretty meticulous with my bicycle maintenance, I tend to neglect my cars. I really don’t know a thing about working on them. They get attention when they start to sound funny, begin emitting odd smells, or simply won’t start. Lately I’ve been taking my old clunker to Marcus Marchegger at Capitol Automotive. Not only is Marcus a friend of mine, he’s an avid mountain biker, road cyclist, and Death Ride veteran. He’s also an active member of our local bicycle advocacy group, Muscle Powered. Marcus also has a couple cyclists on his staff. When I get my old car fixed up at Capitol Automotive rather than buying a new car, I have more money left over for my cycling lifestyle. I also take comfort knowing that a portion of my dollars spent in Marcus’s shop will eventually get spent in our local bike shops.

If you’ve ever been to Capitol Automotive, you’ve probably noticed the bicycle that’s always parked out front. I asked Marcus about the bike and his cycling staff. Here’s what he had to say:

I always park the cruiser in the front of the shop. For two reasons.. One, it is the fastest way to get burritos or small auto parts from the nearby distributors. Since we are downtown, everything is close, the bank, the restaurants, etc… Also, I have a lock and key and offer it to customers if they want to use it while I am fixing their car. Only a handful of people have taken me up on it. Two of my three employees, Troy and Alex, really like riding bikes. They use the cruiser whenever they can. Alex rides his BMX bike on the trails around his apartment in Reno (he’s planning to move to CC), and Troy is an avid cyclist. We need cars. We fix cars. They are vital, but any excuse to ride we do!

I wish more people took me up on the “loaner bike” program. Getting your car worked on is dismal at best. Inconvenient. At least if you got to ride a bike for 5 or 10 minutes to get to work or home, it would put some fun in the day. I think a lot of people who rode bikes as kids don’t realize that it is still just as much fun as it was when you were little.

So next time you need your car worked on, check out Capitol Automotive for honest service. Make sure you make Marcus happy and take him up on his loaner bike too! Capitol Automotive is conveniently located downtown near the corner of HWY 50 and Main Street.

Capitol Automotive
1000 N Plaza Street
Carson City, NV 89705
Tel: 775-882-9000
Fax: 775-882-9021
Email: Marcus242@gmail.com

You can read more about Marcus and Capitol Automotive over on the Nevada Appeal website.

Cross Country on a HiWheeler

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Jeff Moser

Many cyclists that decide to ride across the country end up coming through Carson City to access “The Loneliest Road in America”, HWY 50. Seems like most of them roll through our city early in the AM, making their way to Fallon. On May 26th though, I met a guy rolling a bit slower. His destination for the day, Carson City.

Martin Krieg Rolls into town on Roop Street

Martin Krieg, having already crossed the country twice on a bicyle, has decided to do it once again. To make it more interesting, he’s doing it on an old-fashioned hi-wheeler! And not just any hi-wheeler. Martin’s bike is a backwards configuration (small wheel up front), an almost exact replica of the 1891 Eagle. The small wheel up front is supposed to keep you from doing a horrible endo. Very important when descending from Spooner Summit! Martin entered Nevada via Echo Summit (yes, riding the whole way), and stayed the night in South Lake Tahoe. On Tuesday morning, he pedaled up Spooner Summit and descended into Carson City.

True Muscle Powered – Comma Coffee

Martin’s ride began in San Francisco, and will end in Boston. His tour is named the 2009 Mayor’s Ride. Along the way he’ll be calling on mayors of the cities he visits to support the National Bicycle Greenway, a dream of a nationwide network of interconnected bike roads and pathways.

Chatting at Comma Coffee – Studying Carson City and Nevada Bike Route Maps

It’s also interesting to point out that this ride marks the 125th anniversary of the first transcontinental bicycle ride on August 4, 1884, ridden by Thomas Stevens. According to wikipedia, Stevens “acquired a black-enameled Columbia 50-inch Standard model penny-farthing with nickel-plated wheels built by the Pope Manufacturing Company of Chicago. Stevens struck out across the country, carrying in his handlebar bag: socks, a spare shirt, a raincoat that doubled as tent and bedroll, and a 38 Smith & Wesson.” It looked like Martin had similar gear, but there was no evidence of a gun holstered anywhere.

Martin’s Backwards Hi-Wheeler

I met Martin over on Roop Street, and then we rode to Comma Coffee together. Local cyclist Jesse Richardson was there to greet Martin, and later, an Alta Alpina club member showed up that was giving Martin a place to stay for the night. We got to talk for a bit, and I gave him the Carson City and State of Nevada bicycle route maps. Martin decided to avoid the hills and desolation of route 50. Instead he plans to ride to Reno, and then head east on Interstate 80.

I thought of many questions to ask Martin after I departed. He was carrying so little with him on this unsupported ride. What did he carry with him? Nevada is a big place! Thankfully he has a phone with Internet access, and you can follow his progress via a few internet sources. He’ll also be looking for support along the way, counting on the kindness of strangers for help. He’s going to need it for this journey! Good luck to you, Martin!

Follow Martin’s progress on the web or offer your support:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HiWheelMartin
Blog: http://2009hibustour.blogspot.com/
Email: hiwheeler@gmail.com

One by Nine

Posted on January 27, 2009 by Jeff Moser

Are you looking for a simple bike, but a single speed is just a little too simple? A 1×9 may be for you. 1×9 refers to 1 chain ring up front, and a 9 speed cassette in the back.

I was going to interview Scott R and have him talk about the 1×9 that he built, but he got tired of waiting for me and interviewed himself. I’ll pretend that it was me asking him the questions…

Scott R’s 1×9

Bike Carson: So what made you go 1×9?

Scott: Originally the bike was a 27 speed. When I moved back to Maryland, there was a nice place for single speeds, so I converted the bike so I could keep up with my riding buddies. The bike is light. When I moved back to Nevada I couldn’t deal with the terrain of just climbing and descending on a single speed. I tried it maybe 3 times, and got the idea that if I had only a few more gears it would be fun.

Bike Carson: How did you do it?

Scott: I always have parts around, so I just threw on a 34 tooth cassette, bought a new chain, left the front derailleur on, and took the left shifter off. I’m sure there are devices to use other than leaving the derailleur on that would work, but it rarely drops the chain…usually when I’m stopping or something and not actually pedaling.

Bike Carson: So whats the big deal?

Scott: There is no big deal really, but it’s nice having less parts and only what you need. That’s what appeals to single speeders, and since I needed a few more gears, it seemed to fit the bill. There are very few areas on our lunch rides where I need more gears. 9 is plenty. There is gear overlap in a 27 speed setup, so there are only so many unique gears anyway.

There is something that’s hard to explain about having something simple that serves all your needs. You know…not overkill. I love technology and adjustable travel and such, but this 1 x 9 experiment has really been an eye opener. So much so, that I threw a rigid fork on and adjusted to that as well. I wouldn’t want to ride it in anything rough though. Lunch terrain is basically butter.

Bike Carson – Looking Back on 2008

Posted on December 27, 2008 by Jeff Moser

The end of year is upon us, and it’s time to reflect back on all the memories of 2008! I went through the archives and selected some of the best events, posts, pictures, and memories from each season. There were so many good things to pick from, and I was amazed at what we all did this year. We were busy! I must also admit that I had a brief wave of anxiety as I realized how quickly the year went by.

Bike Carson is not only the name of this blog, but also a good theme name for 2008. Local Riding. Most of the riding I did this year was local, rides I did from the house. I seldom had the bicycle on the car roof rack, which is a big contrast to 2007, a year of many road trips.

But what a great year! I look back fondly on 2008. It was a great year for bicycling in Carson City, and I met and rode with many wonderful people. We saw big development on the west side trails, and there were many more people out on bikes than in previous years, both out on the trails and around the city.

I’d like to give a BIG thank you to all the friends, bicycle shops, fellow riders, the Lunch Time Bike Riding Crew, fellow blog contributors, and blog readers that have made great subjects to photograph and write about. Thank you everyone for reading and leaving your comments. I look forward to more of the same next year!

Rather than writing a lot about the content that follows, I invite you to click on the link below each picture to visit the original story with more pictures.

Enjoy!

-Jeff

JANUARY

Jeff P interviews Anne Macquarie, president of Muscle Powered

January Riding

FEBRUARY

February Riding

Jeff P and the Iron Mountain Boys

Pecos Potter and the Iron Mountain Boys

MARCH

APRIL

Bike Carson and TBS Ride

Lamb Chops with Garlic Please

Walk Carson

MAY

Bike to Work Week Begins

Visit to Veltec

Bike to Work Week Wrap Up

Tour of Carson

JUNE

Going Big in Ash Canyon

Jared

At the Pump Track

Kings Canyon to Ash Canyon Loop

Flume Trail by Tandem

JULY

Tour de Fat 2008

Water Fall Fire – Four Years Later

AUGUST

Tahoe Rim Trail – Flume Trail Loop

Bike Carson in the Nevada Appeal

Farmers Market Bicycle Valet

Clif Bar 2 Mile Challenge

SEPTEMBER

Kids Bike Safety Rodeo

Visit to Oakland

Harvest Moon Ride

Commuter Convoy

OCTOBER

Expedition into El Dorado Canyon

NOVEMBER

November Riding

Pushing Single Speeds

DECEMBER

Kristy

Night Riding in December

Winter Bicycling is Here

Pushing Single Speeds

Posted on November 17, 2008 by Jeff Moser

Jesse recently bent his rear axle, so while his bike was down, I seized the opportunity to push single speeding on him. I lent him my On One Inbred, a rigid (no suspension) steel framed single speed with 32×16 gearing.

Until someone has given single speed mountain biking a shot, you may get comments from them like, “I don’t get it…” or “Why not just stay in one gear on your geared bike?“. Most are valid questions, since it seems counter intuitive to give up suspension and 27 gears!

Climbing Postal

After the ride, I gave Jesse a few questions to get a feel for his single speed experience.

Bike Carson: What were your thoughts about single speeds before you tried one?

Jesse: Before I tried riding a single speed bicycle I had high anxiety. I was afraid it was going to be slow on the level ground, and then that I would have to sweat through laborious climbs. The fact that this particular bike has no suspension also made me nervous about descending the trails, especially on the rough and rocky portions.

Descending 7 Steps

Bike Carson: What were your first impressions once out on the trail?

Jesse: Once I hit the trail, the first thing I noticed was that I was very in control of my breathing. The climb was more of a muscle game rather than a cardio workout. My spinning was slower than on a traditional geared mountain bike in low gear which helped keep my heart rate down and my respiration to a minimum. To be honest, I didn’t even feel too much of a burn in my quads like I had expected. The bike itself was geared in such a way that I didn’t have any spinout on the back tire, even when I had to stand up and really muscle down on the pedals. When other people on the ride were fiddling with gears in the sharp transitions, all I had to do was simply stand up which made the ride simple and refreshing. This bike was also very lightweight and easy to maneuver.

Descending the Vicee Rim Trail

Bike Carson: How was the overall experience? Do you think you’ll end up getting one?

Jesse: I guess you could sum up the ride by looking at the smile on my face the whole time. I had too much fun on a single speed bike. Coming back down the single track was different than I thought it would be, much smoother and controlled than I had expected. The gear ratio was a such that I could get a quick little burst of speed by doing some rapid pedaling on the straightaways as needed. Overall, you aren’t going to win any land speed records on a single speed but you will have more fun than you ever expected. A coworker of mine (who is an avid rider) looked at the bike and just “didn’t get it.” Once you try it for yourself you will “get it.”

I think that after I have a little more cash on hand I will definitely look into purchasing a single speed to have around for those days that you want to change up the routine a bit.

Bike Carson: Another soul saved! Hallelujah!

Bike Carson

Bicycle News, Culture, and Lifestyle in Carson City, Nevada

Category Archives: interviews

Mountain Tandem Utility Bike

Bicycle Authority in the NV Appeal

Capitol Automotive – The Cyclist’s Auto Shop

Cross Country on a HiWheeler

One by Nine

Bike Carson – Looking Back on 2008

Pushing Single Speeds