Local Bike Shop News

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Jeff Moser

Here is some local bike shop news I collected from newsletters and the social network sites…

The Bike Habitat is having a Christmas Sale.

Our End of the Season Christmas Sale SALE is Now scheduled for Friday Dec. 9th to Saturday Dec. 17th.

The sale will last for one week and offer great deals on all in stock bikes, parts, accessories and clothing.

Everything in the Store will be on SALE.
ALL IN STOCK BIKES ON SALE!!
Extraordinary savings on instock 2011 & 2012 Bikes
ALL 2011 Adult BIKES are Discounted
All Childrens & Juvinile Bikes On Sale
Select 2011 Models up to 30% off MSRP
Save on all in stock 2012 Model Year Bikes THIS WEEK ONLY!!!
Lay-Away is available for all Bike purchases!!
All Clothing, 25% off.
Summer Jerseys 50% off.
All Parts and Accessories 15% off.
Tires & Tubes 25% off.
Check out the Last Chance Table – It is like the land of misfit toys.
ELECTRA Townie Sale – I recently took advantage of a Sales promotion at Electra Bikes. This means that I got a great deal on bikes and I am passing on the savings. The Townie is a very comfortable and practical bike for casual riding. Electra invented Flat Foot Frame Technology to make cycling more comfortable and efficient. Townie Sale Ends Dec. 17, 2011

Here’s a copy of the Newsletter.

And here’s some news from Bike Carson-Tahoe.

Seasons Greetings cyclists!

It’s that time of year when conditions don’t always allow for outdoor cycling. So, I’m moving it indoors! I’m in the process of buying some Lemond revolution trainers for indoor training. The Revolution trainer uses your own bicycle but connects directly to your bicycles rear dropouts and does not burn up your rear tire or put undue strain on your frame.

I’d like to see how many Carson City cyclists would want to be involved in a three month training program designed to bring you into the spring with more fitness and skills than ever.

I’ll tailor a program specifically to your goals and it will include:

Up to five indoor trainer sessions per week. Two sessions will be in the morning and 3 early evening. A sixth weekend session will be added when weather makes outdoor riding impossible

Outdoor group rides on Saturday or Sundays, weather permitting.

Clinics to improve bike handling, skills, cold weather riding strategies and basic, essential bike maintenance.

The cost will be as low as I can possibly make it just to cover the cost of the trainers at 150.00 per month. I will also offer a 250.00 discount on my February Maui or Big Island Hawaii camps www.RoadBikingHawaii.com for anyone involved in this program. I hope you can join us!

- Chris Huber, owner

Bike Polo News

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Jeff Moser

Last week we had a great turnout for Bike Polo. In addition to all the new players, we had quite a few that just showed up to watch. It was a night full of action, cool old bikes, beers, squealing brakes, and a few endos.

Kristy joined the game this week and brought her recently acquired polo bike. My friend Ryan was staying up at Truckee, and he noticed an old Sears Free-Spirit ladies bike set out for the trash. He rescued it and brought it to me, thinking I might know someone that could start using it for bike commuting or something. I was racking my brain trying to think of who needed a bike, when it dawned on me that this bike should live out its second life on the polo court. All I did to get it ready was remove a bent rack off the rear of the bike, inflated the tires, and washed it. Good to go. As one friend put it, another bike rescued from the land of misfit transportation!

Typically we have kid matches, so the young ones can get a crack at playing without getting run over. This time though, there were enough new people that the kids just joined in on the real matches. They did surprisingly well, and those sneaky little guys even scored a couple goals.

There were more crashes last week than I think I’ve ever seen! Riding with one hand and stretching out the mallet hand to get the ball seemed to be a culprit in the endos and face plants. You need to be able to hold the bars steady while the body is doing all sorts of things it’s not used to on the bike. Other crashes happened down court away from the action. Someone would just be riding along and then Crash! You’d wonder to yourself, how the heck did that happen? The tap-out cone, the cone on the side of the court you need touch if you put a foot down, was taking a severe beating that night.

We played until it got dark. We still had more games in us, but the daylight was fading fast. I imagine we’ll still play on Thursday night next week, but it won’t be long before we have to switch to weekend games. Until then, see you next Thursday!

Cycling News

Posted on December 30, 2009 by Jeff Moser

I’m working on a 2009 Year in Review post, but while you wait, here is a collection of interesting cycling stories and news items I found around the Internet this week.

The Fargo from Salsa Cycles – #1 pick on the Top Ten 29″er Products Of ‘09.
Twentynineinches.com has picked the Fargo from Salsa Cycles as its #1 pick on the Top Ten 29″er Products Of ‘09. Guitar Ted says, “The Fargo appeals to the wanderlust, the adventurer, and the utilitarian cyclists out there looking for something different, versatile, and having big wheel capability. The Fargo is that bike.”

I had a lot of fun bicycle camping this year, and plan to do more camping and adventure style rides in 2010. I know one local cyclist that has a Fargo, and I’m curious to check it out.

Photo by Twentynineinches.com – The Fargo from Salsa Cycles

Mark Weir’s Marin County home burns down!
According to Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, Mark Weir’s Marin County home burnt down Sunday evening, as a fire broke out in the garage and spread throughout their home. The family got out safely after being alerted by the fire alarm system, but the fire claimed the garage which contained “one of the most magnificent collections of high end bikes ever assembled, not to mention the lifetime collection of tools and cycling memorabilia.” I’m glad to hear the family is ok, but I can’t even imagine what was in that garage!

The Supersonic Divorce Machine
This couldn’t possibly be a mass production machine, but it sure is fun to look at. Here’s a full carbon, time-trial style road tandem from Specialized over on BikeRumor.com. Check out that riding position…yikes! Wouldn’t want to be the stoker on that bike.

Image from BikeRumor.com – The Supersonic Divorce Machine

Also worth mentioning…a Bike Carson Photo was selected for Bike Rumor’s Pic of the Day!

Ziptie your tire for better traction
BikePortland.org has a great tip for winter cyclists without big knobby tires. Visit Bike Portland to see how to make a set of bike tire chains out of Zipties! These won’t work with rim brakes of course, but many commuter bikes now come with disc brakes.

Photo by Todd Boulanger on BikePortland.org

Powder Day – Bicycles and Icicles
There are some great winter riding shots and stories over on Bicycles and Icicles, a cycling blog based in Anchorage, Alaska. If you think your winter is long and cold, go check out how they do it way up north! Fat Bikes galore.

Photo by Bicycles and Icicles – Petra cruises Moose Ridge

Stay tuned for the Bike Carson 2009 Year in Review!

Bike Carson NEWS Briefs

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Jeff Moser

We had our Bike Month meeting last night, and I’m happy to say that the calendar of events was completed! The first 2 weeks in May will have more bicycle events than you can stick a shake at. I’ll get the Bike Month and Calendar pages updated soon.

This Team Wonderbike video really sums up why I like to ride to work! If only there was a celebration like the one in the video when I arrive though! All I get is a pile of email.

Bike More. Drive Less.

Fellow Bike Carson rider Jesse is in the market for a new bike. He isn’t real familiar with full suspension bikes, so I loaned him my Kona Coiler for the day. Loaning such a brute of a bike isn’t providing the most accurate portrayal of a fully suspended trail bike, but at least the 34 lb free ride rig gave him a basic idea of how they soak up the bumps. I don’t ride this bike too much these days, but it is nice to have if I’m riding a trail with a lot of rocks or other gnarly terrain. The Coiler worked great on last year’s El Dorado Canyon ride! Read Jesse’s account of the experience HERE.

Kona Coiler

It’s my understanding that the Carson City BMX track will be having their open house this weekend. Volunteers have been out at the track redesigning it and getting it all ready for the season. I’d direct you to the Carson BMX site for more details, but my web browser displays it as a “Reported Attack Site”! They must have gotten hacked. I’ll get the details sometime today, and update this post.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this Rad video from the 80′s (thanks for the video tip, Jesse!).

Rad!

Update! Here’s the BMX info for this weekend (thanks, Tom!)

Welcome to Carson City BMX website. Check us out. If you are interested or have any questions, drop an email or you can call 775-246-3660. In BMX, everybody races, no one sits on the bench.

We start our 2009 Season on Sunday, 5 April 2009. Will hold an Open House on Saturday and Sunday, 28 & 29 March, between 1:00 – 3:00 pm.

Anyone can ride the track as long as they complete a free one day membership/release, have a helmet, long pants & sleeves, closed toe shoes and the bike is safe…must have functional brakes and bar ends must be covered or plugged. The bike cannot have a kick stand, reflector brackets, fenders, chain guard or freestyle pegs and the axle bolts can’t protrude more than a 1/4″ beyond the nut.

CC BMX has had a crew out there for the last couple of weeks reconfiguring the track and it is being rolled today to pack it in. We will be putting the finishing touches on things tonight to be ready for Saturday. The track is a work in progress and will get better as we continue to massage the dirt, but it would be a good time to check it out and see what Carson City BMX is all about!

Friday Morning Circumlocution

Posted on October 23, 2008 by Jeff Moser

Silver Saddle Ranch

My family recently went hiking out at the Silver Saddle Ranch. If you’re not familiar with the Silver Saddle Ranch, this park/working ranch is out on the Carson River Road, which takes off near the end of the east side of 5th Street. As we were hiking the mostly flat, packed sand trails, I got to thinking that this would be a great place to bring a young mountain biker.

Silver Saddle Ranch -Irrigation Trail

The views are great, there are a lot of animals to look at, and the trail network seems like it would be fun to explore by mountain bike with your kids. The area is probably too small for advanced riders, but may be perfect for beginners. I kept an eye out for thorns, but didn’t see any. I plan to take my son riding out there soon, and I’ll report back with the results. There is a map of the Silver Saddle Ranch trails HERE (pdf format).

Silver Saddle Ranch – View of the Carson River

Chris King Bottom Bracket

If you’re like me, you’ve been wanting to add a Chris King part to your bike for a long time, but have never had the cash. The hubs are a work of art, but could set you back the price of a single speed complete bike! The headsets are more affordable, but at over $100, you wonder if you’d get any noticeable performance gain for the buck.

New for 2009 is the Chris King Bottom Bracket. According to the website, the Chris King Bottom Bracket is compatible with the external type cranks systems from Shimano, Race Face, and Full Speed Ahead. It appears these bottom brackets will be priced at around $130, and come in many different colors for the ultimate customization. For a part that will spin a million times down the trail, I would speculate that you may notice a performance gain with a high end bottom bracket such as this one. Chris King parts are also known for their durability, so you may even still have this bottom bracket long after the external bearing standard has come and gone! Someone please buy one of these and let me know how it works out!

Chris King Bottom Bracket

Quick Cash!

But where do you get the cash for a Chris King bottom bracket during times of economic downturn you ask? Set your car on fire! Admit it, many of us have a redundant vehicle or two we don’t need anymore, and the insurance companies will never suspect you. No more car payment, AND you get a claim check!

Bicycle Parade and ???

And finally, I’m thinking of setting up a bike ride similar to the following video. It looks like a nice change from beating yourself up on rough terrain or burning up your muscles on long ascents. If you don’t feel like riding, just show up on your skates or pogo-stick!

Bicycle Parade Scene From Ruddigore

Bike Carson in the Sunday Nevada Appeal

Posted on August 4, 2008 by Jeff Moser

Did anyone catch the Sunday Nevada Appeal? Bicycles ALL over the front page! There are interviews with the bike shop owners Rob, Dan, and Dennis, an interview with Muscle Powered’s president Anne Macquarie, and even a couple pictures of myself with a nice interview! I expected these stories to be buried deep within the paper somewhere, getting little notice. Good job Nevada Appeal!

Bike Carson in the Nevada Appeal

Here are links to the Nevada Appeal articles:

Bike shop owners say more cyclists in Carson City

Muscle Powered still going strong

Man commutes to work; encourages others to try it

I really do think that cycling is on the rise in Carson City! I just met a guy named Jesse that lives in my neighborhood. He’s been commuting since the spring, and I must have been missing him everyday by 5 minutes. I’ve started riding home with him recently, and when I wait for him near my office, I see many cyclists cruising the streets. This is very encouraging, and will hopefully put a little pressure on the city to provide better bicycling infrastructure. We’re off to a good start, but much more needs to be done.

Another great thing about these stories in the paper, is that we got some great advertising for the Clif Bar 2 Mile Challenge! Hopefully we’ll have some flyers sometime today.

Update: A couple more links from the paper!

Carson has what it takes to become a great bicycling community

Biking to work, kind of

Bike News

Posted on July 31, 2008 by Jeff Moser

I was over at Comma Coffee this morning and the latest issue of the Reno News and Review caught my eye. It’s the Bike Issue! It appears to be chocked full of cycley goodness, and I’ll be checking it out this weekend when I get some down time.

Extra! Extra! The RN&R Bike Issue!

I tend to stay on the back streets when navigating Carson City by bicycle. Typically the intersections have little motorized traffic, if any. Coming to a complete stop at the stop signs almost seems silly in this situation, much as it would if you were walking. I slow to a safe level, look and listen for any oncoming traffic, and then proceed.

Urban Velo recently discussed a new law that is being discussed in San Francisco that would allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs, and stoplights as stop signs. What an excellent idea! Well half of it anyhow. I think stop signs are already yield signs for most cyclists, and we do it quite safely. I’m not so sure about the stoplight issue though. I can see this causing accidents, as I don’t typically see many breaks in traffic at the stoplights. I think it would be way too unpredictable for all traffic involved. At least that’s how I see it here in Carson City. What are your thoughts?

One of my favorite reasons to visit the Reverend Tim’s blog is to see his frequent pictures of mega fauna. We typically see squirrels, snakes, and the occasional coyote while out riding the trails, but imagine coming down the trail to find a giant Bull Moose blocking the way! Read about Tim’s close encounter (with excellent pictures) over on Bicycles and Icicles!

A local engineering team is attempting to design a product that can quickly convert any clipless pedal to a platform pedal. It can be a hassle to swap pedals on your bike for certain situations; for example, I like to frequently use my single speed for non mountain use, and would rather use a sneaker for around town. Read more HERE at the Bacon Strip, and take the survey to help design this product!

Bike Carson is scheduled to be in this Sunday’s Nevada Appeal! Watch for it…

And finally, watch as this rider in a NYC Critical Mass attacks a cop! </sarcasm> Earlier in the week I was mentioning how helpful the cops in Truckee were at the Tour de Fat’s bicycle parade. Like anything though, it’s a box of chocolates…

Bike Carson

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

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