It's ON kidz!!

After having the Sierra doused in rain showers the past few days, I took it upon myself to go out and make sure the trails are doing ok... and boy are things lookin' good. Tackiness abounds and there's plenty open. Here's the skinny.

Sawtooth Trail is open and riding well. The link you can click on get you the basics, but there's more... sooooooo much more. I highly recommend an exploratory day back there.

The Immigrant Trail is also completely open and riding well. Several variations of this trial exist with the blue section on the map (see link) is the most popular and fun.

Although I haven't been out there to ride it yet, The Flume is surely open and free of snow at this point. The previous link is a really good resource for this trail as well as other surrounding goodness. (is goodness really a word??) Note: surrounding goodness probably not rideable yet due to snow.

The Tahoe Rim Trail has stuff open as well. I'd be thinking southern exposure and not getting too high just yet. I'll be doing some serious "research" on this trail over the next few weeks. Check back for the latest / greatest.

Gravity fed types will be happy to know that Northstar's opening day is this weekend!! This place is serious fun. It's not Whistler, but it's right in our back yard. If you're looking for a more "deep woods" adventure, you can't go wrong with Downieville. Shuttles are starting this weekend as well. Get there before the trails get too "haggard".... that's my plan at least.

Wherever you ride: have fun & be safe.

Peace out.

G

Hole in the ground trail....

............ is not open yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!

24 hours of Cool....

The process: Bike in stand, wire brush chain, wipe chain with rag, lube chain, spin wheel to work in lube, clean fork stanchions with rag, wipe excess lube from chain, remove bike from stand. NEXT!!!

I would do this little "dance" 78 times from noon Saturday to noon Sunday while helping out some lads racing the Coolest 24 Hour race in Cool Ca. See pics here.

After several attempts at 24 hour races, I've come to the realization that those things just aren't for me. Something about climbing out of a warm, soft sleeping bag at 3:30 AM to ride yet another lap just doesn't work for me. 100 mile mountain bike races, xc races, cyclocross.... it's all good... but not 24 hour events. However, in the environment of good people in camp, cold beer in coolers and no pressure to ride in the wee hours... I've come around a little bit for the craziness that is 24 hour racing.

I decided to take on this little "task" of doing mechanical support for a team (4 people) and four solo riders (aka: sicko's) to help out friends and really put my mobile bike repair service to the test (more on that later).

The way I see it, the race is only part of the weekend. The real "experience" comes from all the other stuff associated with the race. Hanging out with old friends, making new ones, seeing people suffer, seeing people charge, checking out a new town, delerium on the drive home.... it's all part of the experience. This weekend would be no different.

I could go on and on about standing in front of the bike stand at who knows what time in the morning, chain lube in hand, sleep deprived, wobling in small circles like the town drunk, wondering what I just did 10 seconds ago.... but it wouldn't do justice. It's something you just have to see and do for yourself. Hopefully you will. Or maybe you just have!

Hats off to everyone in camp at the race. Twas a pleasure meeting new folks and seeing people push themselves. Extra special kudo's to Ryan Fowler for not only doing 19 laps, but also going out to get per lap donations for the fight against cancer!!

Suspension Service

Not only is suspension commonplace on today's bikes, it's far better than it was even a few years ago. I did a longwinded post on sag a while back and feel that it's one of the most overlooked but most important things to get adjusted properly on your bike. Any services I provide on suspension typically include set up for rider weight.

Some (but not all) common services offered:

• Set-up sag (proper air pressure), adjust rebound and compression valving adjusters (front & rear): $25.00
• Fork Service: Remove, clean and inspect lower fork leg assembly. Remove, clean and inspect air spring assembly. Install new seals as needed. Reassemble and fill fluids as per manufacturer specifications. $60.00 (plus seals & oil. prices vary)
• Fork cartridge service: $15.00-$30.00
• Rear Shock air sleeve maintenance: Disassemble, clean and inspect rear shock air sleeve and internals. Replace main air seals and glide rings. Refill fluid to manufacturers specs. Press new mounting hardware where necessary.  $35.00 (plus seals & oil. prices vary)
• Repair damaged threads (if you can strip it, I can fix it): $25.00
  
  

If your fork looks like this on the outside.....

....it probably looks like this on the inside.

The above rates are "guestimates" for Fox forks and Shocks and do not include parts or oil. Call for more accurate pricing.

Wheel Builds

My first wheel building experience ended up as an un-rideable, egg shaped front wheel that wouldn't fit through the fork legs of my BMX bike. It took my dad hours to fix what I'd tried to accomplish that day.... I was 12 years old.

A few years later I would find myself working at the local bike shop. Fortunately for me, not only was the head mechanic (Rick) an incredibly good wrench, he was also a great teacher. Rick taught me everything he knew about wheels and I was eager to apply what I'd learned. Over the next year or so, Rick would let me build some wheels as he stood over my shoulder closely monitoring every twist and turn of the spoke wrench. I'd come a long way from my first attempt and after a dozen or so wheel builds I was on my own.

Countless wheels and years later I would find myself building wheels for riders on the Navigators Pro Road cycling team and Kurt Sourbeer who at the time was one of the fastest (and heaviest) downhillers on the planet in the Vet class.

I take great pride in my wheel builds. Spokes get prepped with a thread locking agent. Everything is pre-stressed to eliminate the need for things to "break-in". Spokes are brought up to tension nice and slow to ensure a good overall even tension throughout the wheel.

The Prep

This service is the one you want if your bike seems to be riding fine but you just want to make sure things are ok before that century ride or epic road trip. Folks also like this service when selling their bike and want to hand it over to the new owner in good faith.

The prep's great! It's a nice quick go through of your bike. It lets me key in on things that are concerning you but also gives your rig a quick check for stuff like (but not limited to) :

• spoke tension
• bearing adjustments
• remaining brake pad life
• condition of cables and housing
• frame pivots (if applicable)
• gear adjustments
• tire damage
• cleans and lubes the chain

The beauty of the prep is that it's a true "get what cha paid for" kind of service that gets charged on a sliding scale. Typically I see preps averaging $45.00 but can be as little as $25.00.... or as much as $60.00. It really comes down to the condition of the bike and what you're looking to get from the job.

Want more? Well then check out the Pro Tune.

Pro Tune

This is the one you want. Complete service of your bike. I challenge you to find a better tune!

• Wheels trued and spokes tensioned with tires off to enable perfectly straight/round wheels that ride great and last long.
• Hub bearings checked for proper adjustment. Locknuts checked for tightness.
• Crank arms removed to enable bottom bracket cups to be checked for proper tightness.
• EVERY nut and bolt is checked for tightness. Nothing gets skipped here. If it's got threads, it gets checked. (all carbon components/interfaces checked with torque wrench)
• Frame and fork cleaned (i'm talking really clean here people) and inspected for damage.
• Brakes checked for excessive pad wear and alignment.
• Gears checked for adjustment. Derailleur hanger checked for alignment.
• All bearing adjustments checked and corrected if applicable.

Not only is this tune is ridiculously thorough, it also "pro rates" labor charges that go above and beyond the scope of the tune. The best example would be a gear cable install.

• Gear cable install (typical/stand alone): $20.00 labor
• Gear cable install (with pro tune): $10.00 labor

After working in shops for 20+ years, I truly feel this tune is the best out there.