Winter Wonder(ing where it went) Land

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Jeff Moser

Hey, Winter! Where did you go? Not only has there been no precipitation in Carson City the whole month of December, it’s actually warming up too. It almost feels October-ish out there by mid-day with the temperatures hitting the low 50s, and it looks like just more of the same in the long range forecast.

Winter Wonder(ing where it went) Land

It’s definitely strange weather for December. I got out for a ride on Monday, and the trails are sandy, the switchbacks are silty, and the edges are soft. Watching the dust clouds rise off the back wheels this time of year just doesn’t seem right. My prowess on the singletrack is definitely diminished with fewer hours on the bike, and this is at a time when I’m counting on extra traction to make up for my lack of skills! A few more rest breaks were also required to make it to the top. But in spite of the lack of fitness and dexterity, a good time was definitely had. It lifts the spirits to get some sunshine and get active.

Nathan Harrison on the Log Skinny

It looks like Carson City bicycle commuters will get off easy the remainder of December too. With only the cold to deal with, what is typically one of the hardest months for bicycle commuting has been a snap. Where is the snow and ice? Where are the blizzards? Maybe next month…

Ibis Demo Report

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Jeff Moser

Last weekend, Carson’s newest bike shop Bike Carson-Tahoe hosted an Ibis Bikes demo up in Ash Canyon. We met at the bike shop, then shuttled up to the water retention basins above the water towers in Ash Canyon. Ibis was setup when we arrived, and had a stable of bikes in various sizes for us to ride.

Ibis Demo Van

The bikes primarily consisted of 160 mm travel Mojo HDs and 140mm travel Mojo SL-Rs. There were two hardtail Tranny models available as well, one geared, the other setup as a single speed. Not really knowing much about the models I’d be riding, I ended up with a Mojo SLR. Apparently the bikes had been in a lot of mud in Santa Rosa the previous day, so a little extra prep was needed on the drive trains to get rid of the grindage. I also swapped out the super long stem on mine for one half as long. While I was prepping my ride, my friend Mark was getting an HD ready.

Mark prepping his Mojo HD

We jumped onto some singletrack for a nice long climb to the top of the trail system. Along the way we got to do a few steep sections, some tight switchbacks, and a few rocks. The rep from Ibis recommended that we leave the rear shocks in full open mode, since the suspension platform is so stable. While we found this to be mostly true, Mark and I both thought our bikes pedaled better in the firmer pro-pedal mode for the mostly smooth climb. Due to the location of the rear shock, it was pretty easy to adjust on the fly while riding. We thought that the bikes climbed pretty well for a couple of bikes that looked like they were ready for some serious downhill.

Joanne Headed Out

And then it was time for some downhill. Ideally we would’ve hit the Creek Trail to get a better feel for the Mojo’s suspension, but it’s currently full of snow, mud, and ice. We opted instead for a long fast run, with a short rocky section near the end of the descent. For not having much time at all on my SL-R, I had a really good run. I spend most of my time on a fully rigid 29er single speed, so of course the Mojo felt a lot different. The Mojo’s suspension swallowed up most of the little bumps I normally catch air off on my bike. If I wanted to catch air, I had to remember to pre-load the suspension a bit before hitting the obstacle. Other than that, I felt at home on the bike, carving some pretty good turns. The rock section at the end was pretty short, but the bike handled it well and held its line.

Mojo HD

Once back at the staging area, Mark and I traded bikes. We didn’t do another full loop, but we did enough to both agree that the SL-R felt like the better of the two bikes for the smooth and easy Ash Canyon trails. The 6 inches of suspension travel on the HD was overkill this particular application, and the burlier bike felt less nimble than the SL-R. Whereas the the SL-R felt like it would make a do-it-all trail bike, the HD definitely wanted something bigger to jump off of.

I also took the Tranny Singlespeed out for a quick spin on the fire roads. It felt pretty smooth for a hardtail, and was really light. If there was more time, it would have been nice to get some singletrack time on this bike.

Mojo SLR

Not only were the Ibis carbon fiber frames nice to look at, the bikes were also equipped with a lot of nice parts. Many of the bikes had Crank Brothers quick height adjust seat posts. Some were activated with levers under the seat, while others had a remote on the handlebars. I never experimented with mine on the short loop we did. All the bikes had fairly nice wheelsets, but some were rolling on uniquely designed Crank Brothers wheels. If you’re interested in seeing how an Ibis would look with the parts you want, the Ibis site has a cool interactive bike builder.

Good times!

Big THANK YOUS to Ibis bikes for coming to Carson City, and Bike Carson-Tahoe for coordinating the event! And thank you Janice for the cookies!

More info:

Bike Carson-Tahoe: http://bikecarsontahoe.com/
Ibis Bicycles: http://www.ibiscycles.com/

Slow Rollers Poker Run at Lake Tahoe

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Jeff Moser

When: 06.12.11. 12:00 sign-up, 1:00 start.
Where: Tudor Pub, 1041 Fremont Ave, South Lake Tahoe (Note: Pub may be under new name and ownership now). MAP HERE.
What: Poker Run bicycle cruise. BBQ is included for all participants. Events and prizes galore!

Bikes at the Tudor Pub

From the Slow Rollers Site:

Nothing like sitting your rear end on a chromed-out one-seater Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer barstool you won for a measly raffle ticket (if you get lucky, could be a two-seater). Or skate your way through the opening days of summer with a Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer skateboard you won for a measly raffle ticket. This year we added Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer hats to randomly through into the crowd like guitar picks at a rock concert. You know you want one. As always, your raffle tickets support the Slow Rollers Bikes for Children program. We’ll also give away an SE OM Flyer 26″ Blue BMX bike for the best hand in the annual Slow Rollers Poker Run and probably something more than recognition for the Show & Shine winner. The longest skid contest winner will get nothing. That’s right, nothing. We’re considering bragging rights and a trophy girl, or boy. So, to get a Slow Rollers World Series of Poker bracelet (SRWSOP), you’ll have to skid in on the shiniest bike with the best poker cards in one hand and a fistful of raffle tickets in the other hand. No problem. Just another day on a cruiser.

More info on the Slow Rollers website: http://slowrollers.net/

Stateline to Stateline Bikeway Project

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Jeff Moser

I attended the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting this week, and was excited to learn of the progress on the Stateline to Stateline Bikeway Project. When completed, the entire 30+ mile Nevada Stateline to Stateline Bikeway will extend from the Nevada Stateline in Crystal Bay to the Nevada Stateline in South Lake Tahoe! This will be a welcome addition to the east side of Lake Tahoe, as currently there is only narrow, dangerous, highway access for bicycles on most of the Nevada side.

The Nevada side of Lake Tahoe

The bikeway will be separated from the highway…not merely a bike lane…and will provide non-auto transportation opportunities that link recreation areas, community centers, transportation facilities, and neighborhoods in the bikeway corridor to expand recreational access and transportation choices for residents and visitors to the Tahoe Basin. Construction is planned to begin on the southern portion, possibly as early as this spring!

Here is the PDF version of the Bikeway presentation HERE.

For further information, visit the official website here: http://nvtahoebikeway.com

Nevada Day Bikes

Posted on November 1, 2010 by Jeff Moser

On October 30th, Nevada Day was celebrated in Carson City, and included the annual Nevada Day Parade. The parade route is over a mile, includes a couple hundred entries, and lasts for several hours! We take our celebrations seriously. Because the traffic is crazy around the parade route, bicycles are a great way to get around. You’ll also see bicycles in the parade.

Carson City BMX

The biggest group of cyclists I saw was the Carson City BMX entry in the parade. Lots of riders participated and they were well represented.

Carson City BMX

And then there were the bikes outside the parade…

Fixie

We’re starting to see a lot more fixie riders here in Carson City. I liked this bike, all black with gold accents.

Tall Bike

I’ve seen a lot of tall bikes in Reno, but this was my first sighting in Carson City.

Hope you had a great Nevada Day! Time to get back on the bike and burn off all those extra Halloween calories.

Interbike 2010 – Surly Bikes

Posted on October 10, 2010 by Jeff Moser

One of the exhibitors at Interbike I took the most interest in was Surly. Surly makes affordable, practical, steel bicycle frames for people that want to build a bike for a specific purpose, or are looking for a good base to build the bike of their dreams. Low maintenance, comfortable, durable, and versatile. Here’s a look at what Surly has to offer for the 2011 model year.

Troll with 32″ Trailer

Troll

The Troll is an all new frame for 2011, and there’s really no specific intended use. Surly says to use it as a mountain bike, as a cruiser, commuter, touring rig, or utility tractor. It comes with mounts on the frame to make it into just about anything you want. The rear dropouts are also specially designed to easily accommodate a Surly Trailer. Frame and fork (100mm suspension corrected) weight and price are still to be announced, but the color is Agent Orange.

64″ Trailer

Trailers

Surly introduced two trailers for 2011, a shorter one in a 32″ length, and a longer one in a 64″ length. The hitch has been designed to work as universally as possible, able to connect to a wide variety of bicycles. The beds and hitch are constructed mainly of TIG-welded 4130 CroMoly steel, and the beds have threaded eyelets for bolting down decking, corner posts, or creating other custom accessories using readily-accessible materials from your local hardware store, lumberyard, or home improvement store. The trailers roll low to the ground on sturdy 16″ wheels. Expect the trailers to be $750 for the short, $775 for the long.

Trucker Deluxe

Long Haul Trucker Deluxe

For 2011, the Trucker Deluxe will replace the Travelers Check, and is Surly’s new travel bike. The bike easily breaks down into 2 pieces via two couplings on the frame. The Travelers Check was based on a cyclocross frame with 700c wheels, but the Trucker Deluxe fits up to 26×2.1 tires with clearance for fenders, making it more portable for airline boxes, and sturdier for more applications. Color is Midnight Blues.

Long Haul Trucker

No big changes for Surly’s touring bike, the Long Haul Trucker. The LHT is now available in Blue Velvet and Blacktacular, in a complete bike or frame only.

Big Dummy

The Big Dummy Utility bike is back with small refinements. The swooping top tube has been replaced with a straight tube, reinforced with a small tube that connects the seat tube to the top tube, increasing torsional stiffness. New parts spec brings the complete bike price down a bit. Available as a frameset for $950, or a complete bike for $1840. Colors are Tar Pit Black and Military Green.

Karate Monkey (top) and Pugsly (bottom)

Karate Monkey

The Karate Monkey gets a few changes for 2011. A new top tube design gives about 1″ more standover clearance. The rear disc mount has been redesigned to make removing and installing the wheel easier – no more loosening disc caliper adapter bolts. There is also now a rack mount above the brake mounts on the seat stays. Colors for the new year are Battleship Gray and Stretchpants Black. The frameset will sell for $470, the complete bike for $1050. (My Karate Monkey build can be seen HERE.)

Pugsley

Surly’s all-terrain (snow, sand, whatever) bike is now available as a frameset or as a complete bike. The Pugsley’s frame keeps the standover increase added in 2010, and the rear disc mount has been redesigned to make removing and installing wheel easier – no more loosening disc caliper adapter bolts. The cantilever bosses have been removed, so the Pugsley is now disc only. The new color is Snowblind White, and the prices are $575 for the frameset, or $1550 for the complete bike.

Cross Check

No big changes for Surly’s cyclocross bike. The Cross Check’s fork now has mid-blade rack eyelets for mounting a light duty rack if you want to add some utility. New color Robins Egg Blue replaces Beef Gravy Brown for 2011, and is still available in Gloss Black as well. Frameset: $440 Complete bike: $1099

Steamroller

The Steamroller complete gets some big changes for 2011. Most notable is the use of Surly’s “Open Bar”, a wide upright handlebar that will give the rider better control in a wide variety of urban terrain. Taller gearing (44×19) and wider tires (700c x 32mm) are also new for 2011. The drivetrain is still fixed, but a flip-flop rear hub enables the use of a freewheel for those who like to coast. Colors for the new model year are Black and “Meth Teeths Gray-Green”.

Pacer

The Pacer, Surly’s comfortable steel road bike for those all-day rides, now comes as a complete bike. The color this year is British Racing Green. The complete bike will sell for $1175.

1×1

Surly’s single speed specific 26″ 1×1 is back with new geometry that includes 100mm suspension correction plus the same top tube as Karate Monkey/Big Dummy/Pugsley. The standover remains the same due to the new top tube design (otherwise, giving it the 100mm suspension correction would have raised it). Like the other frames, the rear disc mount has been redesigned to make removing and installing wheel easier – no more loosening disc caliper adapter bolts. The 1×1 frameset comes in black only, and will sell for $475.

Rolling Darryl (front)

Rolling Darryl

There’s a new lightweight Pugsley rim. The Rolling Darryl has numerous cutouts to shave weight off the massive Pugsley wheels.

Larry Tire for the Pugsley (left)

Larry

The Larry Tire is fairly new, and is supposed to have better steering traction than the Endomorph for front tire applications on the Pugsley.

For more info on Surly’s products, visit their website at http://surlybikes.com/

Slow Rollers Poker Run at Lake Tahoe

Posted on June 11, 2010 by Jeff Moser

Slow Rollers Poker Run

The Slow Rollers are putting on their famous Poker Run this Sunday up at bicycle friendly South Lake Tahoe, and the weather forecast is looking great. This is a fun slow ride that meanders around the bike routes and stops at various businesses along the way. Draw a poker card at each stop, high hand at the end of the ride wins!

When: 06.13.10
Where: Tudor Pub, South Lake Tahoe. MAP HERE.
Details: 12:00 sign-up, 1:00 start. BBQ is included for all participants. Events and prizes galore! More info at slowrollers.net

Bike Carson

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

Tag Archives: bicycles

Winter Wonder(ing where it went) Land

Ibis Demo Report

Slow Rollers Poker Run at Lake Tahoe

Stateline to Stateline Bikeway Project

Nevada Day Bikes

Interbike 2010 – Surly Bikes

Slow Rollers Poker Run at Lake Tahoe