TAF

Stay tuned for a separate post on trash pickup efforts. The Tip will be discussing the matter with officialdom, and we will also figure out a Google map with pins and maybe pictures of the affected locations. Anyone know how to set that up?

I miss Ozone. A bizarre shop, in many respects. I bought my Redline d440 from them, off the rack.

The more people you ask, the more pushback you'll get. I say just do it. A quiet word with Street & Bridge may well assist in getting a location to drop it all off.

I was thinking about that a little on the ride. I think if we start to make a list of 'hotspots', someone would need to pull off to the side of the road in a pickup so the bags could be loaded. Some of these places will amount to a dozen bags of trash or more - not to mention shopping carts. There are 4-5 shopping carts under the Brodie underpass alone. It might even be worth coordinating with Sunset Valley / COA and get them to designate a dropoff point for all this stuff. I would feel good about giving the trail system some love, though.

The general level of trash is appalling in the sections of the SATN which I regularly ride. Piles of garbage and clothing strewn all over the place under just about every bridge, plus the Valero area trailheads. We ought to get organized as a group and do some cleanup, as I've a feeling no one else will.

To whomever built the re-routes and added the 'bridges' after EverWet, my tires and I thank you. Also, this. Beekeeping? Is this new?

Being an actual Scot, I got married in a kilt. No plans to hit the trails wearing one.

I bet it's been really rough for riders in locked down countries - thinking of Germany & Belgium where I have lived, as well as the UK - I bet they have not been allowed to take their bikes to trail systems, unless they live right next to em. Most big cities don't have the luxury of in-town trails like we do here.

I'm gonna go with the Central Texas Pocket Gopher. It's a thing.

There are hundreds of them - are there really that many ants emerging from hibernation?

What are these? They are all over the Southies. Moles, voles, ocelots, marmots ... or warbler?

Really? I’ve heard quite the opposite.

I had one of those early snowboards. I didn’t lip off much though, too busy falling off.

I was thinking you might name the brand and model and what not.

What are the 3.0s?

My Tallboy has 27.5 x 2.8 Maxxis Ikons - a fantastic tire for the Central Texas chunk. Noticeably slower on the asphalt! When connecting on the Southies, or a short push up 360 after a Greenbelt excursion, it’s a beat down to keep up with those slimmer tires. Funniest thing is, belting down Hwy 50 to Poncha Springs after Monarch Crest, I actually hit ‘hull speed’ - about at 45 mph. I can’t pedal to push the bike, and it will not accelerate downhill on its own.

Last time I was out there, I noticed the track was in need of repair - it's clear that it is not regularly maintained. I reached out to the trail stewards, and never heard back.

There is so much out there - we are so lucky with what we have - rode ATX to Canterbury over lunch today - just a beautiful area.

James Valentine? He is still here - lives in Allandale. Still with Velofix.

I have a pair of these for super-cold days -- problem solved. https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/product/apparel-accessories/shimano-series-lsg-2019/SH-MW701.html

Probably an e-uni.

I'm safe - I don't wear lycra, and I don't have a bell on my SS.

Ha. I felt like offering them the chance to repeat the climb using my bike, but then I would have been the dick.

I think it was discourteous because there wasn't really room on the climb for everyone. They basically buzzed us - it wouldn't have hurt to have waited a couple minutes until the climb was clear.

Ditto at Flat Rock the other day - that tough little climb after you go through the first gate. Our group of a half-dozen or so was working it's way up the climb, and two bros came ripping up behind us, barely pedaling, and passed us on the climb. Admittedly, they left the trail to do so, but it was off-putting and pretty damned discourteous.