June Bug

Tensions rise as as Coloradans debate how much trail access to give e-bikes Some say they’re a great tool for accessibility. Others argue they’re bringing chaos to the backcountry

Good summary of the issues around eBikes on public lands in the West.

We were in the Mountain Bike Specialists  store in Durango last week. A 60+ guy was buying an eBike to ride the Aquarius Trail Hut System in Utah, which has a LOT of climbing at high elevations.   I think the recharge is provided via generator at each hut location. 

We did a trip in south central Utah with Western Spirit a few years ago. They carried a generator for anyone wanting to do the trip on an eBike. 

Dropper is installed and rode two downhills that I'd been walking.  Huge difference. 

On 8/26/2022 at 12:03 PM, hurronnicane said:

The obvious question is how big a problem did that become to make a sign prohibiting it.

Probably a big problem for the person cleaning the bathrooms if people were bringing in muddy bikes. 

Old thread on mtbr:  Enough With Sleeping In Toilets Already! It's Silly and Gross!

Responses ranged from, "Hell to the no, I'd die of exposure before doing that" to "Hey, dry and clean, great night's sleep" and everything in between. 

On 8/18/2022 at 8:25 PM, June Bug said:

LBS will order a KS e20 or (hopefully) KS Dropzone Remote.

KS Dropzone Remote is lighter and has a "1-way roller clutch bearing" that's not listed for the KS e20 but is listed for their somewhat higher-end droppers. 

Turns out the  cabling for the KS Dropzone remote creates a loop of cable when the post is compressed so the mechanic does not recommend. 

KS e20 it is.  Should arrive on Tuesday. 

Dropper install did not go as planned. 

The shortest travel PNW is 120mm  and it turns out I need a 100. 

This has to do with being able to adjust the dropper post so that it comes up to exactly the correct seat height.  The PNW was a little too high for my set up. 

Mr June Bug has a new-to-him Chumba titanium hardtail that needed a dropper seat post so the PNW (120mm height + seat post diameter were perfect) is now on the Chumba.  

The 2013 Salsa Spearfish frame has external routing, so very limited on dropper seat post selection. 

LBS will order a KS e20 or (hopefully) KS Dropzone Remote.

KS Dropzone Remote is lighter and has a "1-way roller clutch bearing" that's not listed for the KS e20 but is listed for their somewhat higher-end droppers. 

PNW Cascade dropper  (125mm x 31.6) + thumb lever + cabling on the way from REI.  

20% off, so everything + tax was right at  $180 w/ free shipping for REI members. 

The REI cycling sale was supposed to end yesterday but their sale prices are still up. 

The PNW site is 20% off as well. 

LBS will install for $30. 

51 minutes ago, GFisher said:

There is no poop fairy.

Where is this? New Mexico? 

3 hours ago, Sluggo said:

It's like Blue Man Group but with trees...

This is a relatively close fit for the thread topic:  

(Video) Following the Black Soldiers who Biked Across America

In an excellent video feature from VICE News, journalist Dexter Thomas joins bikepacker Erick Cedeño as he retraces the Buffalo Soldiers’ historic journey from Fort Missoula to St. Louis on the expedition’s 125th anniversary. 

BikepackingRoots.org BOLT advocacy page  has all the details. 

Final paragraph of the BOLT advocacy page: 

How can you support the BOLT Act?
Call or write your member of congress and share your support for the BOLT Act. You can use the Advocacy Toolbox for Bikepackers for tips to make your call or letter effective, or you can submit a comment through the Action Network set up by ACA (Adventure Cycling Association). When submitting a comment through this platform, be sure to customize the text to reflect your personal values around bikepacking on long distance trails! You can refer to the bikepacking talking points provided at the bottom of the Advocacy Toolbox for Bikepackers. Including your personal story goes a long way! Beyond this, encourage your fellow bikepackers to speak up, too. 

The latest on the BOLT act from Bikepacking Roots: 

Quote

Woohoo! The BOLT Act (Bikes on Long Distance Trails) just passed in the House of Representatives, with bikepacking-specific language we suggested. We're excited to keep advocating for it in the Senate. Stay tuned for updates!

Did a little ride from my house to the HEB at Parmer and MoPac to recycle plastic bags as an excuse to get out and ride a few miles, incorporating part of the Northern Walnut Creek Multi-Use Path.  Got home right around 9 and it had that "it's starting to heat up" feel even that early.

Tomorrow (Sunday), in addition to being a total blast furnace, is an Ozone Action Day. 

Be careful out there, y'all.  Even you sweat hogs.  The forecast is in the danger zone - 105 or 106 today, somewhere around 108 to 110 for Sunday and Monday.

On 7/5/2022 at 8:33 AM, ATXZJ said:

Wouldn't be surprised to see some days in the 100s late September, with high 90s in October. 

I'm getting a 2011 blistering temps - relentless drought vibe. There are a few days of 105 in the forecast 

3 hours ago, Seths Pool said:

Interested! ill message you

Sorry, it's gone. I had also posted on NextDoor, and someone must have come by in the last hour or so and Hoovered it all up. 

Edit: No longer available: Yakima Space Case and bike trays have gone to a new home! 

I got a long sleeve Swiftland Running T Shirt from REI for sun protection.  The wispy fabric is astoundingly light and incredibly ventilated, so I got another one. 

REI Co-op Swiftland Long-Sleeve Running T-Shirt - Men's

1 hour ago, RedRider3141 said:

Too wet I think. I rode the SN race last night and used one of my bottles to splash my back and chest with water, with the temp and tech shirt I was bone dry after 15-20 min so I kept repeating. Did wonders to keep my core from overheating.

Could be, but remember that humidity drops significantly in the later afternoon and into the evening. Today, the relative humidity at 7 am was 87% and will be at its lowest (34%) at 7 pm. 

2 hours ago, ATXZJ said:

Definitely looking in Asheville area.

Some family members are doing a 2nd retirement in Asheville.  She went to high school there and has some elderly family in the area, so it's not new to them.  It has more serious winters than SE Texas though.  

16 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

I also tried Tom’s all natural (with hops)

There's a Tom's deodorant that smells like roses...

Just made a donation to bikepackingroots.org and then clicked the tab (out of habit) for the 10-day forecast. 

For mental self preservation, people, DO NOT CHECK THE 10-DAY FORECAST!

Robert Earl Keen, Not a Drop of Rain (final stanza) 

The wind and dust are dancing like the devil 'cross the lake
I could try and find a bottle or try and find a breeze
Salvation won't be traveling either road I take
So I turn my collar to the wind that echoes this refrain
It's been a long, hot summer, not a drop of rain

Edit: I was on facebook literally a minute after posting and this thing from Lumē Deodorant addressing something no one has brought up is RIGHT THERE:  "All crotch and butt smells come from bacteria digesting the fluids on our skin and creating odors. Lumē stops them from eating so they can’t stink. Now they are polite bacteria!"  

A cheerful mom in a video is telling us that Lumē is the best thing for all those cracks, folds and crevices!  But it's also for guys! lumedeodorant.com

Awhile back I did a r**d ride with friends on our regular ride out of Dripping Springs - a lollipop route with a fork at a creek.   On the way back I was overheating and stopped to dip my entire jersey in the creek, thinking evaporative cooling would provide a nice cool down. 

But no.  It was too hot and such high humidity that evaporative cooling didn't work.

Gack. It was just a nasty hot clammy slog the three or four miles back to the car. 

This morning I zipped over to Walnut Creek for a quick ride -- Inner and Outer Log Loops, and on the little climb back up to the detention dam by the Lincolnshire entrance  there was no shade and it suddenly felt like a blow torch on my back -- it was only 9:45 am.  Just kept pedaling onto Lincolnshire toward home and and had a nice collapse in the AC. 

Health issues and some new meds might be creating a heat sensitivity, I don't know.  Or maybe it's, you know, so ******* HOT.  

6 hours ago, CBaron said:

I truly abhor the cold weather months when I have to roll out from the (warm) house into the cold temps wearing not much more than spandex & arm warmers.

I've never been one of those "ride cold for the first 20 minutes and you'll warm up." 

Put on everything you own, ride until you feel like a hog in a sauna, and then start dropping layers as needed.  A riding jacket with zip off sleeves works well in this regard.   

Specialized Austin Grand Opening at RPR
Specialized Austin is now offering demo experiences at Reveille Peak Ranch. Riders can demo some of the latest analog and e-bike mountain bikes including Stumpjumper, Stumpjumper Evo, Levo, and Kenevo SL on some of the best trails in Central Texas. Reservations are available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays starting June 17. See SpecializedAustin.com for more detail and to reserve a bike.  Hours of operation on-site at RPR are 9- 3 Fri - Sun. Rentals can be multi-day. 

Boggy Draw is lovely and now quite extensive trail system. 

We just rolled into Cortez. It's a bit on the warm side, so likely we'll head up to Boggy Draw tomorrow.  

Twitter today: 

@EvilMopacATX:  This week Austin is going to feel like a Honduran jungle had a three-way with an iron smelter and the core of a nuclear reactor. 

We bought an acre lot in Cortez, CO (southwestern CO)  in Oct., but even putting a small modular home on it is going to be crazy expensive - realistically minimum $175,000. Just hooking up new utilities (gas, water, sewer, elec are all at the lot line) is ~ $15,000. 

Finding a renter for the winter months would be easy, though.  The housing stock is low and everything is crazy expensive -- think the equivalent of Austin housing prices in Cortez and abt $100,000 higher in Dolores, 9 miles up the road and 1,000' higher in elevation.  

In a bit we're driving up there to check out a fully furnished "condo" (apartment in a house) to rent for Aug - Oct. in Cortez.  Hawkins Preserve for hiking (also bike-able) is literally out the back door and I noticed some other trails/paths very close by. Geer Natural Area has some hills with a mtn bike trail system on the north end of town.  Phil's World is about a 12-minute drive and at some point, a bike/pedestrian path will go from Cortez to Mesa Verde National Park entrance. That path will go right by the fairgrounds, which are across the highway from Phil's World, so connectivity happening. 

The economy in Cortez has always been driven by tourism and they are very aware of the amount of tourism pulled in by mountain bikers and other outdoor pursuits. 

Buying a "previously gently owned" travel trailer and living in it in a shady RV park might be the better option for three or four summer months, then store it for the winter in Cortez or Farmington.