June Bug

Tuesday, July 6: Lots of rain this morning and then a few brief but intense showers this evening.

Yes he did. And he kept an amazing pace with some massive mileage on some of those days. Wowza.

Monday, July 5, 1:02 pm: Major frog strangler underway.

I just posted this in the gravel thread, forgetting that there was a Races/Events section. Gravel compatible event -- free, grassroots: Oct. 1, 2021 2021 EAST TEXAS SHOWDOWN "This route takes you through two large swatches of public land, the Sam Houston National Forest and The Davy Crockett National Forest. Roads are all publicly maintained mostly County or Park roads that are either paved or gravel. There’s one section that may be hike a bike if it rains too much, but other than that, expect it to be 100% rideable. The main route is 388 miles, 12,710 ft. elevation, 50% gravel, 50% pavement as it currently sits, but could change some before race day. There is also a shorter 290-mile SLOWdown route option for those looking to slow things down and pet all the friendly doggies. This race will follow the rules and ethos of other ultra endurance self supported races like the Tour Divide."

Monday, July 5th: Hoss should be rolling into Antelope Wells today or tonight!

Gravel compatible event -- free, grassroots: 2021 EAST TEXAS SHOWDOWN Oct. 1, 2021 "This route takes you through two large swatches of public land, the Sam Houston National Forest and The Davy Crockett National Forest. Roads are all publicly maintained mostly County or Park roads that are either paved or gravel. There’s one section that may be hike a bike if it rains too much, but other than that, expect it to be 100% rideable. The main route is 388 miles, 12,710 ft. elevation, 50% gravel, 50% pavement as it currently sits, but could change some before race day. There is also a shorter 290-mile SLOWdown route option for those looking to slow things down and pet all the friendly doggies. This race will follow the rules and ethos of other ultra endurance self supported races like the Tour Divide." Edit: had forgotten there's a races/events section, so this is now cross posted there as well

Great story! Mister JB has ridden all the way up it, but I have never gotten more than a bit over half.

Yesterday morning (Saturday) we met non mtn bike cycling friends for a ride up the paved San Gabriel River Trail to Lake Georgetown. Advantage: It's very shaded. We started at 8 am and it wasn't unpleasant. We park in the parking lot at an old elementary school which is now a Boys and Girls Club of Georgetown at 1200 W 17th Street, Georgetown 78626. The paved path (sidewalk) starts across the street. On Sunday mornings there may be some kind of church service, but we've parked there on Sunday AM with no problems. Enter that 17th St address in google maps, cross the street, and start following the green trail line (paved sidewalk) along Scenic Dr., cross S. Austin Ave (?) at a light, go along and take a left by a cemetery down to the river, but don't cross the river there! The sidewalk trail will leave the river for a bit and then take a left down a switchback sidewalk (the squiggles show on google maps) back down to the river, cross the river and immediately turn left. This is just below the confluence of the North and South forks of the San Gabriel River. The trail goes along the river but then pops out into a neighborhood for a few blocks, and then back onto the trail. Google maps has the best overview and shows you how to get through the neighborhood mid way before you reconnect with the trail. When you get to Lake Georgetown, you can cross the damn and make a loop around the campground or go to a little spot that overlooks the lake for some extra credit pedaling. Another map here. Overview here. The trail has a fair amount of traffic from runners, dog walkers, hikers, walkers, but wasn't too difficult to navigate; handlebar bell is your (and their) friend. It would be a fun trail for family or to ride with non mtb friends. There are a few difficult spots paved with crushed granite, but easy to walk and then an insanely steep but paved section right before the damn. After we get back we have brunch at Sweet Lemon Kitchen at 812 S. Church St. (make reservations). We called for our reservation from the dam, and give ourselves about an hour and 20 minutes to get there. They have indoor and outdoor seating. We were inside yesterday and I found it to be incredibly loud, but bearable. Made for a fun morning with friends to socialize and catch up. Sweet Lemon has great food, but it's greatness may be lost on kids and it's pricey, so a more kid friendly place might a better option for families. That said, they may have a kids menu, check online. Sweet Lemon is adjacent to Founders Square and there is a very large city parking lot across the street. I'd avoid Sweet Lemon on 2nd Saturday market day. Way too busy and hard to find parking. I've also contemplated that it could be fun to camp at Lake G-town, ride into town for breakfast, and then back to the campsite. Which could also be an option if you have mtn bikers wanting to ride trails and others who want a more casual ride in your camping group. Someone somewhere has a route to upload to a Garmin or other nav system. I'll check to see if anyone in my riding group has one. Fast zip up to Georgetown on I 35 early on a Saturday morning; not too bad returning. Always easy and fast on Sunday AM.

Little passing shower this Sunday, July 4, around 6 am.

10:40 am on Monday, June 28. No rain yesterday or today. WC should be dry.

Abandoning clipless and transitioning to all flats takes care of the "I forgot my bike shoes" issue. 🙂

Oh no, hell no, hell to the **** no. Just no. No no no and furthermore NO! THIS. IS. HAPPENING. IN. AUSTIN. NOW. I'm befuzzled. Verklempt! WTAFing. I, personally, am not split on the issue. Very hard "no" from me. Cyclists Split On Sharing Bike Lanes With Pizza Delivery Robots On a more cheerful note, the traffic light where the Southern Walnut Creek Multiuse Path crosses Decker Lane is operational. Right now, cyclists and pedestrians can watch the light to see when oncoming Decker Lane traffic is stopped with a red light. Work is currently underway to install a sensor that will automatically trigger a red light for Decker Lane traffic when cyclists/pedestrians are present. And, I saw a road runner cross the multiuse path south of the turn off to the tennis court. Beep beep!

Glorieta was originally a Baptist church camp and conference center founded in 1952. After losing money for 24 or the last 25 years, it was sold for $1 to the umbrella entity that owns Camp Eagle, which is a nondenominational evangelical Christian adventure camp. I'm assuming the programming and focus at Glorieta are very similar to Camp Eagle. Texas has some very strict laws regarding who can be on campus at children's camps when campers are in residence. On race weekends, Camp Eagle strictly structures arrival and exit times for racers to make absolutely sure no race participants and guests remain on campus when campers arrive - zero overlap. New Mexico may have different laws that allow mountain bikers to use trails even when campers are in residence.

This was the reason stated in a recent Austin American Statesman article.

Wasn't familiar with this park. Looks interesting.

I am not making this up. COSTCO is selling Intense 951trail bike and 951 XC bike online. for example, trail bike: $3249.99 Lightweight Carbon Frame JS Trail Link Suspension, a Great Balance of Climbing and Descending 140mm Rear/150mm Front Travel from Adjustable Fox Shock and Fork 12-Speed Drivetrain Offers a Wide Range of Gears for Easy Climbing Internal Cable Guides Offer Easy Maintenance and a Quiet Ride Estimated delivery for my zip code in Monday, June 28, shipping is included with the price. All sizes look to be in stock.

I used a cable lock AND a U lock to lock my bike outside of Hyde Park Gym this morning, because that's where we're at these days. So sorry to hear about Velorangutang. Most certainly a pro job.

On bikeforums.net, it's a no go. Thread here. Also called out as a scam on Reddit.

Who is carrying Salsa these days now that BSS has closed? Maybe The Peddler? Give us a ride review. Lots of folks are liking the Timberjack.

Stopped by the TREK store on Guadalupe to use a tire pump and realized that a wall has been built across the small space at the north end of the old BSS store. Now it's just the service counter; helmets and a few accessories are along the other wall. It has it's own new entrance and it's just a place to drop off a bike for repairs, not a showroom. Not sure what's happening with the portion of the old store next to the sub shop.

I've been running MAXXIS Re-Fuse 700 x 40 tires on Vuelta mountain bike 29er rims for two years w/ no issues. 700c tires can work on most 29er rims as long as the 29er rims are too wide.

We have some friends who do multiple global bike tours each year. They used the Schwalbe Maraton Plus for years but recently switched over to the Marathons for weight savings. They had only one flat during all the Marathon Plus years -- a miniscule sliver of glass had worked its way through the tread and to the inner tube. It took us over an hour to finally sort out what was causing the problem.

Throwing this on here to avoid starting a new thread on...Tubolito inner tubes! In terms of commuter bikes, the size is 700c, which should work with 29" wheels, and 30-50mm in width, again commuter-y. Reviewed on bikepacker.com Comments are worth a look. TUBOLITO LAUNCHES “UNPUNCTURABLE” X-TUBO CITY/TOUR TUBES

This emphasis here is on not driving, but intense outdoor exercise is not great for your lungs. Here's information on ozone. Ozone: The Facts Sign up for email or text alerts for Ozone Action Days here. It's a general sign up and you choose the alerts that you want.

Great water bottle capacity!