A Dry Start to the New Year

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Jeff Moser

I got out for my first mountain bike rides of the year last week. Typical January weather…sunny and in the 50s! Shorts and a short sleeve jersey were all you needed on some days. With the exception of a little ice in the shadiest areas, conditions on the ground feel more like late summer or early fall.

A less than snowy Sierra Nevada

Just how dry is it out there? It’s been reported that December was the driest on record for this area in 130 years, with no rain or snow recorded. We’re continuing the streak into January, with no precipitation on the horizon at least through the middle of the month. Fire danger warnings have been issued, and many wild fires continue to pop up throughout the area.

Snowpack compared to last year

Flume Trail Bikes up at Spooner Lake reports that the high country is even still open for riding. People are actually riding the Flume Trail! According to their Facebook page:

If you ride in the high country assume that there will be water/ice around every corner. Have fun but be careful. There have been a few rescues from the Marlette Lake area in the last couple of weeks. It is a bit snowy and icy around Marlette Lake.

Looking towards Kings Canyon in the distance

This north facing canyon is usually buried in snow

I also heard from a running friend that her group was able to do the Lakeview-Hobart Reservoir-Ash Canyon Loop without much trouble at all. Just a little snow and ice here and there in the shade.

Tom Price on the high plateau

Here are a few more photos from the area…

Canyon behind C Hill, looking towards Prison Hill

Dry golden grass in Ash Canyon

No snow along the creek either

There is no snow to be seen on Slide Mountain or Mount Rose either. For a 10,776 ft mountain to be snowless in January is just crazy. Strangely enough, the water level in Washoe Lake looks decent without much beach exposed.

Even the high peaks above Washoe Lake are snow free

For the next several days, we don’t have much choice but to enjoy this nice weather. I think everyone feels a bit nervous though. Low snowpack can mean bad wildfires later in the year, making it too smokey to healthily enjoy outdoor activities. Drought in the mountains has also driven the bears into town in years past. There seemed to be bears everywhere back in 2007! Who knows what the months ahead will bring though. We sure got a big surprise last February.

For now, get out there and ride!

Riding to the C

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Jeff Moser

We rode the new C Hill Trail today at lunch, but this time decided to go all the way to the “C” and big American Flag that overlooks Carson City.

Top of new trail where it meets the road

The new trail doesn’t go all the way up yet, but it does end near the old access road. From there, it’s just a short steep climb up to the next saddle where you can access the trail that leads to the Flag and C.

At the flag above the C

The trail up to the C is a steep climb, but pretty smooth. I had to walk up some of it on my single speed, but the guys with granny gears went right up it. It was quite a thrill to get out on the face of the mountain. The face drops off dramatically, giving you a really high up feeling.

Looking east

It’s still an out and back from here, but at the saddle below the C and flag, the trail is at a good elevation to easily connect it around the south side of the mountain to the Longview Trail. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this happen soon!

View to the North

Warning!

As I was typing up this post, I read that a mountain lion was seen in this area recently, and even appeared to be stalking a jogger. This is after one was killed over the weekend in Lakeview! Be careful out there!

South C Hill Trail

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Jeff Moser

On Nevada Day morning, Keith Conrad took me on a trail I hadn’t done on the south side of C Hill. There used to be a trail in this area years ago, but it never got fully established, and was quickly overgrown. Before the housing crash, plans to build luxury homes behind C Hill were underway, and bulldozers carved away parts of the trail to prepare for seismic testing. I hadn’t been back to this area for a long time. The trail now is all new, and is still a work in progress. I’m not sure if there is an official name for the trail, but I’ll call it the South C Hill Trail for the purposes of this discussion.

The singletrack begins

We started this trail at the southern terminus of Thompson Street, where you can access the fire break road. Ride the fire break road south towards the power lines. Near the power lines on the fire break road on the west side of C-Hill, follow the trail that leaves the road. Keep going straight and south through the intersections until the trail fully becomes singletrack.

Climbing above south Carson City

The trail wraps around around the east side of C Hill, and then begins to ascend the canyon on the hill’s south side.

Ascending the canyon

The trail climbs north up the hill for a ways, and eventually you’ll come to an intersection. Going right continues the climb, while a left will take you back down to the bottom of the canyon.

Intersection

Not long after the intersection, you’ll climb to a dirt road. Ride the dirt road up west a short ways, and you’ll see the single track take off again on your left.

Spectacular Views

This section of trail is the most challenging. There are some fun rock obstacles, a switchback, and a few steep but short climbs.

The trail ends near the C and Flag

The trail finishes with a gentle climb and rejoins the dirt road that climbs C Hill. From here you have the C and the American Flag in view, and there is a great view of Carson City below. Descending the trail is fun, but like most new trails, it’s still a bit bumpy and narrow. It will definitely get faster in time.

Carson City overlook

It’s obvious this is not going to be the end of this trail, and I imagine it’ll eventually keep climbing up the mountain. For now though, it’s quite rideable and a lot of fun. The grade is good too, and was comfortable on my single speed in almost all areas.

A video of the nice views!

Go check it out!

WTB Bronson 29″ Review – First Impressions

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Jeff Moser

Being a tire junkie, a fan of Wilderness Trail Bikes products, and limping along on tires that had knobs almost worn down to the casing, I was really excited to receive the all-new WTB Bronson 29″ tires for test and review. I first saw the Bronsons at the 2010 Interbike trade show, and even talked to the legendary Mark Weir himself about the new tires. He seemed genuinely excited about them, so I knew if they worked good for him, they’d almost certainly be fantastic for me.

WTB Bronson 29×2.2 – Out of the Box

The Bronsons are named after tough guy/action hero Charles Bronson. This is quite a hefty reputation to live up to. Will the Bronsons make Chuck proud? I’ve only had the new Bronsons out for a few rides on the same trails, but I do have some data and first impressions of these tires that I’d like to share with you.

Mounted up and ready to ride

SETUP

Before I mounted the tires, I put them on the scale. The WTB site has them at 700 grams, and my tires weighed in at 705 and 720 grams. This is pretty close to advertised, and also a surprising weight for such a large, aggressive tire. I mounted the Bronsons to a set of Sun Ringle Black Flag Pro 29er rims, using Stan’s NoTubes sealant to make them tubeless. These Bronsons are not specified by WTB for tubeless use, but they sealed up easily and are holding air just fine. Starting tire pressure was 25psi in the front, 30psi in the rear.

On the trail

ON THE TRAIL

Here’s how WTB describes the Bronson on their Website:

This widely spaced linked tread tire takes charge in a broad range of conditions from dry hard pack to mud. The Bronson’s ramped center knobs roll fast while square-edged side blocks bite tenaciously at lean angles. An open tread pattern makes quick work of muck as low rotational weights keep you rolling faster.

Since the Bronsons have been mounted, I’ve ridden asphalt, soft over hard pack dirt roads, and different flavors of singletrack including soft sand, wet sand, packed clay, and a shale/powdery clay mix. In a nutshell, the looser and nastier the conditions, the more you notice the capabilities of the Bronsons. The tall knobbies really dig into the dry, soft summer trails. Climbing has been fantastic, the tall flexible knobbies grab ahold of everything when it starts to get rocky and loose. It gives you extra confidence when you know the tires will always grip with no wasted energy from a slipping wheel. Cornering traction on the sandy trails has also been phenomenal due to the progressively aggressive side knobs on the Bronsons. The more you lean, the more they bite.

The ramped center knobs and knob spacing of the Bronsons allow the tires to roll fairly smooth on hard pack, including asphalt. Corning on the asphalt though feels a little sketchy when leaned over, as you can feel a little flex from those tall side knobs. While they might not be the best tires for putting in the miles on the asphalt, they do pretty well on the loose over hard pack that you find on dirt roads and double track.

We had a series of rainstorms recently, and I was lucky enough to get in some singletrack while the trails were still wet. The Bronsons were sticking to the wet sand like crazy, and I had an amazing ride that day. I have a feeling these tires will really start to shine when the late Fall/Winter conditions arrive.

Ready for the descent

WEIGHT

I dropped around a half a pound of rotating mass when I switched from my previous tire setup (WTB Weirwolf LT 2.55 front, WTB Wolverine 2.2 rear). At just over 700 grams, the Bronsons feel light and zippy for such a big tire, and I wouldn’t have a problem suggesting them for front or rear use. You could certainly go lighter for a rear tire, but running tubeless, the weight doesn’t seem to bog me down and I’m really enjoying the extra climbing traction.

COMPARISONS

I had a lot of time and many miles on WTB’s Wolverine tires. The Bronsons certainly have a different personality. Bronson casing width/tread width in mm is 52/56. The Wolverine’s is 54/52. While the Wolverine gets its width from its larger casing, the Bronson gets it from the knobbies. The Bronsons aren’t as plush as the larger volume Wolverine, so I’ve aired down a couple PSI to compensate. I’m still experimenting with pressure to find the sweet spot. The shorter knobs of the Wolverine are less flexy, and therefore hook up a little better on the hard pack. This is especially noticeable on asphalt. The Wolverines also roll smoother. The Bronsons are definitely lighter though, and it’s enough of a difference that you can feel it. Tire profiles also differ on these two tires, the Bronson being a bit more round, the Wolverine more square. This slightly changes the lean angle performance between the two tires, the degree you have to lean the bike over to engage the side knobs, and also the air pressure settings required to flatten the tire out for maximum ground contact.

I’ve found that I like the characteristics of both the Bronsons and the Wolverines depending on what I’m doing. I think a hot setup, though, might be a Wolverine up front for a little extra plushness (I run a rigid fork), with the lightness and extra traction of the Bronson in the rear. I’ll probably try this setup down the road after I get the Bronsons out for many more test rides.

Bronson Footprint

SPECS:

Size: 2.2″ x 29″, 52/56 (casing width/tread width in mm)
Weight: 705, 720 grams (published weight: 700g)
Construction: RACE (folding aramid bead, lightweight casing)

This is by no means the final review though. The Bronsons and I are still getting to know each other, and I know I’m not using them to their full potential yet; for example, each turn I do, I think I could’ve leaned the bike over way further than I did. I’m eager to get the Bronsons out on a wide variety of trails, and also see how the perform in the snow, ice, mud, and muck of the winter that awaits us. At this time though, it’s safe to say that Charles Bronson himself would be honored to run these tires on his bike.

Hooking up good in the corners with the Bronsons

More info on the WTB website: http://www.wtb.com/products/tires/29er/bronson29er/

Disclaimer as required by the FTC: This product was given to BikeCarson.com at no charge for test and review. We were not paid or bribed to do this review, and will provide our honest and personal views throughout the entire process.

Capitol Automotive Bridge Trail

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Jeff Moser

If you’ve only been riding your usual Ash Canyon loop, you may have not noticed the trail improvements over in Vicee Canyon, the next canyon to the north. Over the years, the lower road that is above the south rim of Vicee Canyon has deteriorated. Because of better signage and all the hiking and biking now going on in this area, there is far less motorized traffic into Vicee Canyon. Less use, falling trees, and eroding spring run-off have pretty much erased the lower road up Vicee Canyon. About all that’s left now is a singletrack that mountain bikers have ridden in, cleaned up, and even improved.

Road becoming singletrack

Capitol Automotive Bridge

Earlier this year, a bridge was installed near the top of the climb. The big washout this bridge now spans used to be a section most all of us had to walk. Now it’s easy to ride this part up or down, the bridge even wide enough for most beginners. A notched out log crossing just above the bridge provides another fun challenge.

Log Crossing

Joining the upper road

There are a few ways to access the bridge trail. My favorite route is to climb the Vicee Rim Trail singletrack up from the V&T Bike Path. Before continuing onto the Seven Steps trail, make a right and ride up the road. It becomes singletrack just a ways up the road. After the bridge, the trail becomes a road again, and joins with another road coming in from above. Continuing up the road will take you around to the other side of the canyon and over to Timberline Drive. Instead, make a left and head south on the upper trail. This takes you to the saddle above Ash Canyon where you can join the trail system on the other side for more riding possibilities.

View of Carson from the upper road

The saddle above Ash Canyon

Have you ridden this trail yet? What do you think?

Tubes versus Tubeless

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Jeff Moser

Most mountain bikers these days are familiar with tubeless tires. If you’re not running them yourself, you’ve seen the ads in magazines, or have buddies that have made the switch. What a lot of people don’t know though, is why they’d want to go tubeless in the first place. What’s in it for them? I’ve been using tubeless tires for a few years now, so I’ll give you some of the pros and cons of converting.

Tu-be or not Tu-be

Tubeless Tire Benefits

Traction

One reason to go tubeless is for the traction benefits. Since there is no tube to pinch flat, you can safely run lower pressures to flatten out the tire for more contact with the ground. Additionally, without the tube in there, the tire seems to feel a bit more supple than with a tube at the same pressure. It’s a subtle feeling, but one you notice.

Rotating Mass Reduction

Depending on how you setup your wheels, you can shed grams of rotating mass. The best way is to start off with rims that are tubeless ready. These rims are designed to be leak proof, so you can get away with just running lightweight tubeless rim tape. With the addition of just 2 or 3 scoops of sealant, a valve stem with a rubber gasket on the inside, you have a wheel that is noticeably lighter and more responsive. If you plan to convert non-tubeless ready rims, your results will vary. You may have to run a special rubber rim strip to get the proper seal. These rim strips are basically a trimmed down tube; a valve stem connected to a rubber strip that goes over the spoke holes (in addition to sealing tape that covers the spoke holes beneath the strip). You’ll still end up with a wheel that is a little lighter, but not as much as with the preferred method.

Flat Protection

Flat protection is another area where your results may vary. If you watch the video on the Stan’s Notubes website, you’ll believe that you’ll never have to worry about flats again. They run over beds of nails and stab the tires brutally, and each time the holes instantly seal. The tire itself makes a huge difference on flat protection though. I’ve had good luck getting pretty much any tire to seal properly on my rim and hold air. When it comes to flat protection though, I’ve had different experiences. I’ve pulled goatheads out of one tire and watched it instantly seal. On another tire, I pulled a small desert peach spine out when I got home from a ride, and sealant proceeded to geyser out all over the living room. The tire casing was probably just too thin on this lightweight tire, and there wasn’t enough rubber to close the hole back up.

Out on the trail, I’ve probably seen just as many tubeless tire flats as tubed tire flats. We don’t usually ride near thorns, but there are some sharp rocks that will tear a sidewall. Tubeless tires don’t seal up when they get a sidewall tear. This means you still should carry a tube with you. If you get a tubeless flat out on the trail, you have to pull out the valve stem or rim strip to install the tube.

Which tires do you use for use for going tubeless?

UST (Universal System Tubeless) – UST Tires are specifically designed to be tubeless. They have a thicker casing, and are able to seal good and withstand punctures. The downside is that they are a lot heavier, so you will not realize the weight savings.

TCS (Wilderness Trail Bike’s Tubeless Compatible System) – WTB has recently introduced a TCS line of tires. They weigh somewhere in between a standard tire and a UST tire, giving the rider a tire that will probably seal better without a lot of excess weight.

Standard – Most people I know, myself included, have just used standard mountain bike tires. Some claim that wire bead tires seal up better, but I’ve had no problems with folding beads either. As I mentioned above, your flat protection may vary. Not all standard tires will seal up though, so this may be an area you have to experiment with.

Some cons of going tubeless

While your bike will handle great with tubeless tires, there are some things to consider before making the jump.

Cost: A quart of Stan’s Notubes sealant runs about $20. I recently did four 29er wheels and had just enough sealant. Unfortunately, the last tire would not seal. It was old, and the bead seemed to have too much gap on the wheel. Most of the sealant was wasted during the attempt. Sometimes you get an instant seal and you think you have the process down. Other times you can’t figure out what the problem is, and you end up with sealant all over the garage floor (don’t attempt in your living room!). Also, the sealant (the Stan’s I’ve used), only lasts about 3 months before you need to refresh your tires. They’ll still hold air, but flat protection is pretty much gone since the sealant is dried up. If you have multiple bikes, you may want to just convert your main ride to tubeless, and just use tubes in the other bikes.

Variety of tires – If you’re someone who likes to experiment with a lot of different tires, it will be probably be too much of a pain and cost prohibitive to frequently change your tubeless tires. When going tubeless, it’s best to find a set of tires you like and go with them.

You need an air compressor – I was able to once install a tubeless tire with a hand pump, but I think I just got lucky. Using an air compressor to quickly blast the bead into the hooks of the rim is usually what is required. If you don’t own a compressor, you’ll have to rely on a buddy that has one if you need to put on a new tire. Don’t forget to purchase a Presta to Schrader converter for your valve stem when you go to use the compressor. These converters are usually up on the counter at your local bike shop. Hand pumps work fine though once the tire has been installed; the compressor is only needed for installation or if the tire bead seal has been broken.

Messy – As I mentioned above, you will probably at some time get sealant all over the garage floor during installation. Also, when it’s time to add sealant or change tires, you need to scrape and brush all the old hardened sealant out of the tires to reduce build up.

Compatibility – Not all rims and tires will work. You may have to purchase additional rims and/or tires.

Skill – Installing a tubeless tire is harder than installing a tubed tire. Once you get the method down for installing a tubeless tire, it isn’t too hard, but it doesn’t always go easy. After a few installations though, you’ll start to figure out some tricks to help the process along. I recommend doing the installation with an experienced friend the first time.

I hope this post has answered some of your questions about going tubeless. If you decide to give it a try, I think you’ll like it. Have you already gone tubeless? What have your experiences been? Has anyone used a different sealant than Stan’s Notubes? How did that work?

Ride to Star Lake

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Jeff Moser

I recently had the opportunity to ditch work and get up into the high country for some riding and adventure. My friend Ryan was up from the Bay Area, and wanted to ride something up at Tahoe that he hadn’t done yet. I had been wanting to get back up to Star Lake before the summer was over, and so plans were easily agreed upon for a Tahoe Rim Trail ride leaving south from Kingsbury Grade.

Top of the switchbacks, ready for some cruisin’

There’s no warming up when leaving the trailhead at the Heavenly Ski Resort Stagecoach Chairlift. To get to the singletrack, you need to climb up a sandy ski run, or go back up the pavement on the one-way Tramway Dr you drove in on. We chose the pavement option to conserve a little energy, but it was still tough, loaded down with larger packs and plenty of food and water for a few hours in the saddle.

Smudgemo Skipposaurus

The Tahoe Rim Trail site says this section of trail is for experienced riders only. Once on the singletrack, the grade becomes more moderate, but numerous rock challenges await you. In the first five miles, you’ll find yourself getting off the bike a lot to get around a switchback or to get up one of the frequent steps along the climb. You get a break after the first mile of climbing switchbacks, but many more steps must be climbed before reaching Monument Pass. This may be disappointing for the rider looking to get into the groove with some uninterrupted saddle time. But for the mountain biker looking to enjoy a day of outstanding scenery in the back country no matter what your mode of travel, this ride is for you. It’s also good to know that with gravity and momentum on your side, many of the obstacles are quite rideable on the return trip. It’s actually quite a fun downhill for those who like technical riding. Tough it out, and you won’t be disappointed.

High above the Carson Valley

This was Ryan’s 2nd ride on his new Smudgemo Skipposaurus. Never heard of it? That’s because he built the frame himself. Ryan was riding version #2 that day. Version #1 had a coke can shim in the seat tube due to tube thickness problems, and a Krylon paint job. It was a joy to ride, but it had a few errors that made him want to do version #2. Version #2 was powder coated professionally, and turned out to be a pretty decent bike. Ryan said other small details, like cable routing, might be changed if there is to be a Version #3. He said the bike was riding great on the trail that day, and was stoked to be riding on something he created. As for the name, you’ll have to ask him for the back story.

Way better than being at work

As we made our way around the east side of Monument Peak, we could hear heavy equipment working the Heavenly Ski resort area. While our eyes said we were out in the wilderness, our ears made us speculate that there were service roads just out of sight through the trees. When we began our ascent out of Mott Canyon though, these sounds began to fade, and feelings of solitude started to settle in. Just before the final ascent to Monument Pass, the trees thinned, and we had airplane like views of the Carson Valley. The trail is narrow here, and it felt like you could just jump off the edge and fly all the way down to the valley floor. We didn’t attempt this though.

Stairs on the way to Monument Pass

Monument Pass

Crossing Monument Pass is significant in this ride. I was happy to tell Ryan that we’d get to ride our bikes for the next 4 miles without having to get off every 50 yards. He seemed pleased with this. Monument Pass is also geographically significant, since this is where you cross from the east side of the mountains to the west side. Suddenly the pine trees you’re used to seeing along the Rim Trail give way to widely spaced mountain mahogany and very old and large juniper trees. It feels more desolate here, and has a totally different feel than the first half of the trail. The trail gets pretty sandy here in spots, and Ryan commented how squirrely it felt compared to his Bay Area dirt. For local riders accustomed to the summer sand of Ash Canyon, it won’t feel too unnatural though. My bike’s larger 29″ wheels were definitely an advantage in this section.

We still need to ride all the way over there…

With the exception of a few day hikers near the trailhead, we only saw one group of backpackers on the trail all day. We didn’t see any other bikes. There are still areas around the Tahoe that you can enjoy solitude, and this is one of them. Compared to the overcrowded parking lots and beaches below, this area is quite a contrast. You’re actually happy to see another human being periodically, knowing that someone else may be in the vicinity should you need help. The backpackers were eager to get to Star Lake, their destination for the day after 9 miles of hiking. We were too, because it was time for lunch!

Star Lake

West side of Star Lake

Just when you start thinking, “When are we going to get there? We’ve been climbing a long time…”, you arrive at Star Lake. The blue green waters of Star Lake rest at 9,100 ft elevation, and the still snowy 10,823 ft tall peak of Jobs Sister towers above it. You can take all the photos of it you want, but you still can’t capture how big it all feels.

Heading back to Monument Pass

We enjoyed a nice lunch on the lake and talked about bikes. We had a comfortable log to sit on while we gazed out across the lake. There were no mosquitoes. A father and son quietly fished nearby. Hikers off in the distance towards Freel Peak cried out to each other. Ryan shared his tuna fish sandwich with me. The places you can get to on a mountain bike are just as cool as actually riding the bike itself, if not more so.

Fun Boulders on Monument Pass

After a nice rest and lunch, we were eager to get some downhill. Early into the downhill we encountered the backpacking family. “Are we almost at the lake?”, he tiredly asked me. Like a good dad, he was carrying most of the load and letting his kids hike mostly burden free. I felt like a boss giving out a raise and a bonus when I told him, yep, you’re almost there…just around the corner. He couldn’t have been more pleased. We had a fun descent down from the lake, then a short climb back up to Monument Pass.

Mott Canyon Creek

We were back to the rocks. All the boulders and steps that were a pain on the way up were now a play ground. We had a blast rolling and bumping our way back down to Mott Canyon. There’s a nice little creek here, a lot of wild flowers, and a chair lift above your head. Shortly after this there’s a short road climb to gain altitude back up to the TRT. It takes less than a minute to descend, but on the way back, it takes a few minutes to hike. As we were pushing our bikes up the road, a couple of chicken sized birds crossed in front of us. I had never seen a bird like this before in the wild, but the name Sage Grouse popped into my head. They almost looked like quail on steroids. I compared my photos to Internet photos when I got home, and my identification was confirmed. What a cool sighting!

Let’s do it again, but take the lift!

Once we had hiked to the top of the road, we were in for the most fun singletrack of the day. Fast, windy trail through the woods with many fun obstacles. Even the last mile of switchbacks was a lot of fun to come down. It was surprising how much you could ride on the return trip that seemed impossible on the way in. We finished the ride with a short trip down the ski run. 50 yards from the car we had to ride through a mud hole! The bikes were nothing but dusty all day, and now the bikes were muddy right before it was time to load them on the car. Oh well. Can’t expect to stay clean when mountain biking, right? We stopped at the ski lift before loading up for the day, and thought we could probably do that downhill one more time if only we could get the lift working…

Interested in doing this ride? I wrote a pretty good trail guide last year HERE.

Back in 2008, I got to ride in Ryan’s neck of the woods. Read about our Oakland mountain bike ride HERE.

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