Albert

Thank you! Definitely good to report such things. You never know if this sort of thing is happening more than we are aware of, and with more reports that can help them possibly catch people in the act.

I agree the graffiti is bad, although most of the signs I saw yesterday at BCGB are fine. The closer a sign is to a trailhead, the more likely it will get vandalized, it seems. At least the signs would still be there, though, unlike the Carsonite signs that are pretty easy to remove and/or destroy. I'm sure the metal signs they installed at BCGB were pretty damn expensive.

What the hell is wrong with people? Maybe the City of Austin can install those larger metal posts, cemented into the ground, as they've installed all over Barton Creek Greenbelt. Those Carsonite signs are getting vandalized at Brushy Creek as well. It seems Carsonite signs are ripe for abuse on high-traffic trails.

If the mileage is extended much beyond 80 miles, that will certainly be a valid concern. 😄

I'm currently using a Garmin Edge 800 that can last through the whole thing. As long as you leave the backlight off and don't have it displaying a map page. If you're using a phone, I'd probably bring an external battery pack and have it plugged into your phone. That gets trickier if you have your phone mounted to the bike. Could always tape the battery pack to your frame. 😄

I use an injector tube with Stans if I'm just trying to add some sealant. It comes with a big syringe. I screw the injector into my valve, poor Stans into the syringe (and it has measurements along the side), insert the plunger and plunge away. Works pretty well and is usually less of a mess than opening up the tire! https://www.amazon.com/Stans-No-Tubes-2-Ounce-Sealant-Injector/dp/B001GSKL4A

There are definitely signs missing at this point. Would be nice to see them replaced.

What is the standard race loop? I know signs were put in at some point as a "suggested route", is that the new typical route you are describing?

My last ride out there a month ago, this one I started at 6pm. Rode everything but Deception. I'm not a big fan of Deception in this summer heat. Still did 25 miles. 😄 https://www.strava.com/activities/1712270749

I'll need to join that Friday morning ride one of these weeks to see if I can keep up.

Is it possible some of these people aborted their attempt to ride the entire thing, or never planned on doing the "whole enchilada"?

If you move your mouse over the Like (thumbs up) button, a small popup should appear giving you four additional choices. Right now those are "Thanks", "Haha", "Confused", and "Sad". Once a post has some sort of "Like" applied to it, you can then click the icons to the left of the thumb to see who reacted in what way. ..Al

I need to get out there again. Last time I went there had been some pretty bad flooding that damaged many trails. So things weren't in the greatest shape. Would like to give Flagstaff a shot again. We also visited Sedona on the same trip (have been out there twice now) and we had a great time.

While I'm sure there are some people who "cheat" by claiming they rode the entire route when they didn't, I wouldn't say "a ton of them" do this. You could solve this by having volunteers at each trail recording each rider's entry and exit times, but this requires a bit more organization and if riders bunch up it could slow things down at each checkpoint. If riders had number plates that would be a bit easier than having to ask people what their name is. I'm not sure how much the organizers really care about that, though.

Not sure if you're serious, but that certainly is not the case.

No, I haven't looked at this, but I will now! 75 miles and an elapsed time of nine and a half hours. Nice. If I tried this I'd probably spend two hours with all the time I'd need to figure out where I'm going. 🙂

Great, glad that's working for you. I'm still going to play around with the colors so unread threads stand out more easily, so I'm glad you brought that up. ..Al

Interestingly, this forum software initially did not have a Preview button, as they felt the editor properly represented the post and there was no need for a preview. This didn't go over very well with many forum owners, as there were use cases requiring the Preview button. They ultimately relented and added the Preview button you discovered. However, I don't like its location as it's non-obvious and can only be discovered by hovering your mouse over the icons in the editor toolbar. I do like how they allow you to see how the post will look on mobile devices and tablets as well. I plan on adding a regular "Preview" button next to the "Reply" button, as I'm sure I'm going to get asked repeatedly where it is. 😄 ..Al

I need to make the trek down periodically for the weekly rides and other SATN ride calls so I can learn more. My main goal was creating a ~50 mile loop starting at Austin High School and incorporating some of BCGB. But I need to start at Dick Nichols or somewhere else off Slaughter and see how much I can hit in one day. 🙂

No, the concrete under Mopac isn't finished -- they are still building forms so they can pour additional concrete. I have no idea how far that's going to go, would be nice to see a map of wha they are building.

I was wondering if any of the trail I rode today beyond the top of the Violet Crown trailhead on 290 is also part of the Violet Crown trail.

I rode 50 miles today starting at 7:30am, along a variety of trails in south Austin (with a few roads). I went through over 150 ounces of water today. Took me seven hours, and moving time was 5:43. Which is a bit slow, but I had to stop often to make sure I was making the right turns as many of the trails were unfamiliar to me. And I certainly slowed down a bit as it got hotter. Two laps of LGT will certainly be a greater challenge as it's more consistently rocky, except when you are on the double track, but then you are exposed to the sun. I generally don't do a lot of riding up there in the summer--that trail tends to be pretty hot, although sometimes you can get a nice breeze from the lake when you are close to it. Will definitely be easier in November based on temperature alone.

I see what you mean, it is tough to see the difference between the two with the dark theme. I can certainly make the difference more obvious, probably by altering the color. I will play with that a bit. Also, the icon to the left of each thread is different if there are unread posts, so that's another visual cue you can use.

I don't mind City Park Road too much, usually there's enough visibility, and there are only a few sketchy turns. The one road I really do not like at all is Spicewood Springs. Lots of traffic, many people haul ass on it, lots of turns, and pretty much no or little shoulder for most of it.

Is the group going to try and hang together, or are these individual efforts? It's still going to be hot as hell.