AustinBike

Honestly, if you skip Windy, BMX and Church, the other areas are all rideable. Point 6 had patches of mud, but those were typically down at the bottom of the berm, so if you are riding on the top of the berm (where you should be) you are fine. If you are riding a berm at the bottom I have better questions to be asking. One of the few points where I got off to walk s here: If I were riding slower I would have seen the puddle and taken the line on the left. Instead I was not paying attention and ended up stopping, getting off the bike and walking over to the other line. If you look you can see the a dry solid trail on the left. This was the only standing water that I saw on the primary trails (other than the 3 mentioned above). If people are not hammering they should be fine. The biggest problem will be people riding too fast that don't see mud until it is too late. All of it is avoidable if people are being smart.

I would be up for this one night instead of riding.

Any R&I this evening should assume: 1. There will be some dismounting if we get to non-rideable parts 2. We'll be riding slower than usual so that we have more control over the lines taken. 90% of what I rode last week was totally rideable with no mud. There was 10% where we had to be careful. Church Hill, Windy and BMX are all off limits. Within the rest of the trail there were non-muddy lines anywhere that there was mud. I think I had to get off and walk twice in the normal "core" race route.

Yeah, it was a mess when I rode it on Thursday.

I would be in for that. Not expecting any wetness in the next 48 hours and the sun is out now. Windy and BMX should be off limits, the rest of the trail is probably in OK enough shape. Should things go south on the trails we could still hit the concrete trail out to Mopac just to spin the wheels and get some mileage.

I ride town lake ~4-5 times a week on my urban bike. I ride the greenbelt at least 4 times a month, usually closer to 8. Not a month goes past that I have not been to Brushy, Pace Bend or somewhere else. I need to do more at Muleshoe and even find some new trails I have never ridden before. Today I rode some sketchy things that most don't know about and we won't discuss here. Yesterday I was on pavement because things were wet. There is no one type of trail nor one single place to ride.

That's creepy.

I have standardized on Pearl Izumi shorts. My primary recommendation is that when you find that pair, that short that is so comfortable that you can wear it all day - buy several. Because next year they will change the model and it will never be the same. Spend the money, get a few, it will be cheaper in the long run.

Actually, that could be part of the situation. Out of wedlock birth rates are in the low single digits in Japan. In the US? North of 40% or so.

Yeah, this is a pic of the trail at one flat spot. Normally I would have ridden right where the path was, but because I was going a little slower, I saw the other track, to the left, around the tree, that was dry enough to ride on. My estimation is that with the rain coming, it is going to be like that friend that starts to sober up but has "one more beer", instantly making the situation just as bad as it was.

Went out and did a long lap today. Walnut is rideable IF you actually ride at a moderate pace AND watch where you are going. If you rail the corners fast you’re going to come up on mud that you cannot avoid. If you are riding carefully and paying attention then you will be able to pick a decent line (and not widen the trail.) all bets are off if it rains a lot tomorrow. The creek by the maintenance shed is running fast, my feet got wet. Point 6 was muddy but there were places on the trail to ride if you were careful. The main creek was too deep, I needed to use the rocks to cross it. The approach on the other side was a real mess. Fence line was really bad, and I bailed on both BMX and windy because they were too muddy. I saw a lot of bike tread marks in the mud. Give walnut a rest. If you must ride it, do it slowly and carefully, be prepared to get off and walk in places.

Not really, the biggest problem Japan faces is low birth rate.

In unrelated news, we are now up to 5 different scooter companies in Austin. Zilker brewing has created "Scooter Apocalypse IPA". That totally catches the vibe of what is going on. It's not very good, but a great name.

Might try to ride it this afternoon as there is rain coming tomorrow.

We’re going urban from my place for a bit then over to taco flats for beer and tacos

Instead of trying to figure out how to get your bike somewhere, think about riding destinations and renting there. Yes, it is more expensive, but it limits the amount of transportation logistics issues and risk involved with taking your own bike. In most places I have been able to find shops that will rent close to trail heads. Also, I have been very lucky with finding local riders who will bring me a bike to ride and show me the trails. This is why I am always the first to offer when someone comes to Austin - I have to pay back the karma.

Never been there to ride but there a lot on business. There are places to rent bikes and Bootleg Canyon is the popular place, when InterBike was hosted in Vegas that is where all of the companies did demos. I am sure there are other people with better info. I was never able to ride out there.

Found one on shoal creek. Probably a roadie but I figured I’d put the word out here anyway.

Yeah, I assumed that people would say that, here is an example:

Out there right now. Bad news. Outer log loop has mud. Even in places that should be dry. Based on the fact that people worked hard after the rain I vote to not muck up their work. Oh, and the log loops on a 35cm tire are a bitch.

Depending on how my day is looking on Tuesday morning I may take a ride up there to scope things out.

Also found this video on the Pivot site:

I have kings on a few of my bikes, but if I were buying one, I'd probably go down the Cane Creek route. Have one on my squishy and it is fine. Kings are nice but have a hell of a premium for somewhere that you don't really notice the difference. Spend your money on things like brakes, gears and suspension where you can feel the difference.

The last song I hear before I get out of my car is the the soundtrack that rattles around my head all day on the ride. Last week I had Iggy Pop's "Lust for life" hit 1 minute from the trailhead. Score! But sometimes it is a slow song or something I don't like. That can create a crappy ride. My guilty confession is that I have a USB memory key plugged into the car and I can use to do a last minute save to my internal soundtrack. But it is K-pop. Somehow it always seems to be Hyuna's "Bubble Pop." Can't understand 99% of the words, but by god I'll learn Korean one of these days. It's the perfect palate cleanser for the earworm.

I'll send in a requisition to AustinBike World Headquarters and see if I can get that approved for a January expedition.