The Original Cool Cat Turns 80 Today

 

This is my dad in about 1966 while stationed on Wake Island in the US Air Force.  Loving father of 4, pilot, artist, musician, and Papa to my kids - but still one cool cat all these years later.  

Happy 80th Birthday Dad!

Thanksgiving Traditions

We all have our traditions for the holidays and those that have followed the blog for awhile know one our ours is that my family makes me go out and ride my bike on days off so as not to drive them crazy.  Thanksgiving is no exception and all the more important to me because if I ride enough I can enjoy some guilt-free overeating.  Couple of years ago I rode the 35 miles to my parent's house for just that reason.

This year the weather was in the high 50's so I went for a rain, ice, snow, cold - free 48 mile road ride since I have been riding the Farley exclusively for the past few weeks.  The MOOTS did not disappoint and I had a fabulous ride out to 9 mile dam and back.  I could not believe the number of cyclists, runners and families out apparently with the same idea.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Veterans Day

Farley 8 Shakedown

 Owner One has had a Farley 7 with a ridged fork for about a year and has really been enjoying the fun factor and versatility during that time.  In fact he most recently posted about riding it on the John Wayne Iron Horse Trail out of Tekoa last week.

I finally was able to snag a Farley 8 that was not already allocated to a customer recently.  I have begun the shakedown period as I learn about it from a bunch of short rides over various terrain.

First impressions:

Light, nimble, predictable handling and a lot of fun to ride. The 8 has a Rockshox Bluto fork to provide even more flexibility in the platform.  Cannot say enough about the Bontrager Hodag fatty tires - they are absolutely amazing on loose, muddy and rocky trails.  No lie - they are that good.  Stay tuned for more updates and impressions in snowy conditions.

Fat bike to Tekoa

Tekoa? What is that? 

For those of you that do not know, Tekoa is a small town on the Palouse, that is just at the end of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. (This trail is a rail-trail that follows the old Milwaukee Road rail road corridor. It is most well known  for developed the portion west of the Columbia River, but extends all the way from the eastern edge of Seattle to the Idaho border. It continues on into Idaho and eventually meets up with the Hiawatha Trail, but I do not know if you can ride the whole way.

 

Today being a wonderful fall day and perhaps one of the last, I decided to take the FatBike our for an adventure on this trail. It was a bit of challenge to find a starting point going west from Tekoa, but after getting out the phone and finding the directions on the RailLink app, I found the junction of Lone Pine Rd and Campbell Rd, which really is a junction with a wheat field. I headed west from there and what initially appeared to be a gravel surface for access to the wheat fields quickly turned into an abandoned rail cut with tall grass.

                                         

Surprisingly there were apple trees of several different varieties (I tasted as many as I could reach) growing in several spots along the cut.

 Were these remnants of what once were orchards or wild trees from apple cores thrown from the trains over the years it was an active line?

I got bored of this and headed back to the car to check out the route heading east from Tekoa.

This route leaves from the north side of Tekoa on Washington St. It runs straight through prime wheat country.

This bit is all dirt/gravel lane as it is access for the farmers to their field.

It was a beautiful fall day. I may have missed the peak of colors, but it was still pretty good.

Officially the route ends at the ID state line, but it appears that the trail continues on. That is left for another day.

Selfie of my riding companion in her front pack and me. 

Breast Cancer Awareness Ride Update

Goodie Bag Pick-up is from 10 - 5 today and 9 - 10 Sunday at our store for those who have preregistered for the Breast Cancer Awareness Ride tomorrow. As of Saturday Morning, over $1,500 has been raised to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Online Registration will be available until midnight tonight. Paper registration in the store is also available today and tomorrow. 

Thank you to Physical Therapy Associates, Washington Trust Bank, TREK Bicycles, Title Nine, South Perry Pizza, Hammer and Powerbar for helping sponsor this event.

Time for a Change - Project Wrap-up

Exactly 1 year ago I started a project to see what configuring and riding one bike for 99.9% of my outdoor riding would produce and whether it was even practical in Time for a Change.  I also did some self-examination with respect to why and how I ride this year.

Some of what I decided was that this year would be about exploring, bringing people together and having fun on a bike rather than a specific mileage goal.  I was undecided about whether this would be be a good thing for me, but was willing to see where it led in order to rekindle the joy of riding.

I did not initially intend to go here when I chose the Moots CX to be THE bike for the year - rather it evolved over the first 1,000 miles of riding as I experienced the versatility and fun factor of a cyclocross bike.  I believed if I set another mileage goal then I would be tempted to go ride a certain number of miles each day rather than explore and seek variety of road, trails and dirt/gravel roads. 

Some questions and answers I had for this approach were:

• Would I gain weight by no longer forcing myself to ride certain distances to stay on goal pace? - Perhaps, but I can't really attribute it to the manner of riding since it was only about 4 pounds.
• Would I get dropped on some group rides because I am no longer riding a 16 pound carbon bike and maintaining a high aerobic threshold? - No, I remained a mid-pack rider where I am usually at the back of the fastest of the group with whom I am riding. 
• Would I (should I) force myself to get on the trainer when I can't ride outside if I am not trying to stay on goal pace? Yes, but no more or less than I normally do.
• Would I maintain the same fitness level as in years past and is it important? - No, it is not important and my subjective assessment of fitness is that it was on par with most years, but not beyond that.
• Would I start touring? - not likely for now - Remains "No"

I did realize some of the less tangible aspects of riding this year since I found myself bringing the bike with me more on trips since I was confident that I could find suitable riding surfaces more consistently.  We traveled to Seattle, Phoenix, and the San Juan Islands. I have explored just over 5,000 miles of gravel county roads, single track, abandoned railway, chip seal and asphalt. 

 So what have I learned about the bike set-up:

1. Gearing - I have the drive train set-up in slightly modified road configuration with a 50/34 up front and an 11-28 10 speed in the rear.   This set-up is a little wide for my preferences on the road while not quite giving me the low-end I need to spin on really steep unpaved stuff.  I end-up really mashing in these conditions since I cannot stand-up with the Sector 28 tires on slow, steep dirt.

If doing this again, I would have two rear wheels and an XTR rear derailleur so I could run close ratio for the road and wide for the unpaved stuff - I am just not strong enough to spin the steep dirt climbs.

2. Tire clearance - I think to be a true All-Road bike the tire clearance should be available for something up to 38-40c to provide more options for dirt, gravel an snow.  I was able to run 35 studded snow tires this winter but it was a tight fit in the rear.  Also, tires in the upper range give that much more volume and traction making it possible to ride some rougher terrain and single-track if desired.

Speaking of tires I have to rave about the Hutchinson Sector 28 tubeless road tires.  I currently have over 4,000 miles on a front and 3,000 on  rear - these things roll well and I have not had a single flat that was not my fault.


3. Through Axles - I have not had any issues with the standard quick release system front and rear, but it is clear that through axles are here to stay and offer more strength, stiffness and security so why not?  The other feature that a through axle design provides is that the disc rotor is perfectly aligned when the axle lever is tightened rather than moving ever-so-slightly on a regular skewer set up.

In the grand scheme of things I think these are pretty trivial sniveling but considerations if you are going to try and just have one bike for everything beyond technical single-track.

So can you live with just one bike, yes with the exceptions of very technical single track and deep snow.  I am sure there are people who can ride a CX bike on technical single track but I am not one of them.

I found the Moots to have a refined feel and playfulness on everything we rode together while being a very fast and comfortable bike for a grand fondo or century.

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since I started this project and it has been incredibly rewarding the throughout.  I am pretty sure that there will always be a CX bike in my stable even if it means not having a dedicated road bike - they are that fun and versatile.  

Final Shop Ride of the Season with WTB and This Bike Life

BIG Shout out to Washington Trust Bank and This Bike Life for joining forces with us to make the last shop ride of the season the largest if not one of the best! 

There were over 60 riders when the two groups met up and snaked their way over the south hill, Palouse and back to Two Wheel Transit in the South Perry District where Washington Trust Bank had food waiting on the grill.

Mike and Karen from Washington Trust Bank gearing up to feed over 60 hungry cyclists

No one leaves hungry when this crew shows up!

Wednesday Night Ride / MOOTS Demo

A Special Shop Ride and Demo Opportunity this Wednesday - The MOOTS demo van will be at Two Wheel Transit this Wednesday afternoon.  Come out to see the MOOTS road and MTB line-up and take them out for a spin. 

Here is the list of available bikes:

Moots Demo Fleet 2014
MOUNTAIN
MODEL	PARTS KIT
16 ROGUE YBB	XT
17 ROGUE RSL	XT
18 ROGUE YBB	XT
20 MX RSL	XT
19 MX DIVIDE	XTR
18 MX	XT
ROAD
MODEL	PARTS KIT
56 RSL	9000 Dura Ace
58 RSL	9000 Dura Ace
50 DISC ROAD	ULTEGRA MECH
56 DISC ROAD	Ultegra Di2/Hydro
52 CR	ULTEGRA
54 CR	ULTEGRA
60 CR	ULTEGRA
52 PSYCHLO X DISC	ULTEGRA MECH
56 PSYCHLO X DISC	ULTEGRA MECH
58 PSYCHLO X DISC	ULTEGRA MECH

The Good, the Bad (Luck), and the Ugly (Dreams) of Junior Racing

Why do we do this? The time, the investment, the focus...

Let’s face it, cycling is a hard sport. Cyclists spend a great amount of time saying “ouch” and ignoring it. Heaven forbid, why would one encourage kids to do the same?

Well, that’s what we’re doing. Thanks to our friends at Two Wheel TransitTrek, Bontrager,  Hammer Nutrition, and The Sufferfest Cycling Videos, the Arrivee Cycling/2G1D Active Junior Development team came to creation with the focus on bringing bike racing to any junior wanting to experience the outdoors, competition, and love of time spent on two wheels.

This first year of the team has been great. From a spring break camp focused on developing initial riding skills, to area races including events around the Northwest, the Baddlands Twilight Series, and regular training rides, it all came down to the biggest event of the season, the Northwest Classic Junior Stage Race in Elma, WA, this past weekend (August 2-3).

This stage race, held in the shadow of what was an originally planned nuclear power facility (which never actually operated), hosts an incredible field of some of the top junior cyclists in the country (several national champions were involved) in a weekend stage race format of a time trial and criterium on the first day, and a 53 mile road race on the second.

This race was an amazing opportunity for our riders. As first year racers, the focus of the weekend was to learn what it is like to compete in the national scene.

We arrived on Saturday with high hopes, new jerseys and shorts, and crisply shaven legs (Coach Pat made them do it!!).

The time trial was an eye opener. The winning ride averaged 26.5 MPH for the 12 mile course. Of the two riders competing, Josiah finished mid field, and Jackson began his weekend of tough luck with a flat tire.

On to the criterium...

The Saturday criterium was fast. As a competitive cyclist for over 25 years, I can truly say that the group of 15-16 year olds competing in the criterium were moving faster than  any top regional events I have participated. 

Josiah fought hard, to say the least. Jackson, well...

Coming into turn three, 30 MPH, with a full focus on moving up, Jackson found himself brushing up his Trek Madone against the far curb.

Let’s just say that the curb won.

Cycling isn’t easy. Jackson was able to get patched up, limp back to the car, and prepare for Sunday’s event with a heavy dose of road rash to show off. His mom, however, was not overly happy to see her only child look like he had gone through an oversized cheese grater.

Sunday brought the final stage. The road race covering the areas surrounding Elma. Hills were on the menu, as were hot conditions and fast racing.

SIDE NOTE - Upon arriving at the morning’s event, Josiah revealed that his night’s sleep was apparently interrupted by what one could only classify as a cyclist’s nightmare. Testimonial from his family indicate that upon announcing “TEN MORE LAPS TO GO?!?!” Josiah stood up in his sleep, crossed the room to his awaiting bike, and tipped it over, only to pause for a few moments, apologize to the bike, and return to bed.

Why do I have a strong feeling that Jens Voight has this same dream every night during the Tour?

Back to the race.

The event was epic. According to Josiah, it was, “the hardest thing I have ever done.” His efforts were truly commendable, and his love for the sport brought to a new level. 

Jackson, looking like an advertisement for active bandages, fought like a true champion to finish the event, bringing pride to his weekend of tough luck. 

As I said earlier, cycling is tough. Did the Arrivee/2G1D Team win the event? No. Did we have fun? Yes. Will we return? Heck yes.

As the coach of the squad, and a lifelong cyclist, This was one of the first truly dedicated events to Juniors, and I must say that the organizers deserve great respect. If you compete in the sport, you likely notice that kids are a rarity to the start line. Perhaps it is time commitments, other activities drawing their attention, or the allure of video games. We can all attempt to place blame on the reason for why kids aren’t getting out there.

All I can say is this... Cycling and kids go together like peanut butter and jelly. Get your kids on a bike, ride with them, let them win every once in a while, and BOTH of your lives will change.

Coach Pat (standing pigeon toed watching his SON start the TT)

TREK/Two Wheel Transit Breast Cancer Awareness Ride - Oct. 12, 2014

We are pleased to announce that Two Wheel Transit and TREK Bicycle have joined forces to create a Spokane Breast Cancer Awareness Ride on Sunday, October 12, 2014.  This is a community ride with two distances of 10 and 25 miles to bring awareness and help fund critical research. 

Registration and more information is available at our Eventbrite location.  We hope you will join us for this inaugural ride on in October. 

Summer Sale On Now

Summer Sale is On Now! Great Deals and Up to $200 in accessories with purchase of new Trek Bicycle

MOOTS CX Update - Long Overdue

Early this spring I was approaching the 2,000 total miles mark on the MOOTS CX bike and mentioned a forthcoming blog update around that mileage.  Well life, riding, events, sort of got in the way so the post is well, postponed.

I am now approaching the 4,000 mile total miles mark and in all honesty, the post for this milestone is not much different than what I would have written then.  The only differences are that I have more data on the Hutchinson Sector 28 Tubeless tires, more time in the saddle and I have worn-out the chain, cassette and brake pads.

There are no issues whatsoever to report with frame, fork, components, ride, wheels or tires.  I have had one flat in 2,400 miles since switching to the Sector 28 tires.  It was neither a problem with the sealant or the tire but the owner.  I was bombing the HD Bluff trails and slammed the rear sidewall into a very sharp piece of basalt.  No big deal but I had not checked the sealant in a while and it had disappeared through either sealing flats or evaporation to the point there was not enough to seal the hole.

Flat averted - never even knew I had a puncture

Front tire on same ride so that would have been 2 flats

I threw a tube in and went my merry way and replaced the tire a few days later other than that - nada.

I have ridden a few club rides and  maintain about the same position in the group as I have always ridden so if there is a compromise, I do not seem to notice on the road.  In fact the bike frame and ride quality are very comfortable, the geometry quick without being twitchy and a joy to ride on or off pavement. I believe the industry has decided that providing more tire clearance on bikes is a good thing and we will continue to see more options for those wanting an all-roads bike.

Improving Property Values in Spangledesh

I did learn that if you show up for a club road ride on a CX bike with unshaven legs you had better be prepared to be tested.

Does anyone know how to work a Garmin?

I love the flexibility of this setup more each day - July 4th was a road ride out to 9 mile and I noted an interesting dirt road (Carlson) and decided to take it to Craig which then intersected with Four Mounds.  On a normal road configuration I would not have even considered exploring like that.

So am I ready to call-it?  Can you set-up a CX bike as an All-Roads bike with few if any compromises?  The answer is YES with the right bike - it needs to have the right geometry and set-up but is very capable both on and off pavement.  Are there some do-overs?  Yes, but very few in this case:

1. Gearing - I have the drive train set-up in slightly modified road configuration with a 50/34 up front and an 11-28 10 speed in the rear.   This set-up is a little wide for my preferences on the road while not quite giving me the low-end I need to spin on really steep unpaved stuff.  I end-up really mashing in these conditions since I cannot stand-up with the Sector 28 tires on slow, steep dirt.

If doing this again, I would have two rear wheels and an XTR rear derailleur so I could run close ratio for the road and wide for the unpaved stuff - I am just not strong enough to spin the steep dirt climbs.

2. Tire clearance - I think to be a true All-Road bike the tire clearance should be available for something up to 38-40c to provide more options for dirt, gravel an snow.  I was able to run 35 studded snow tires this winter but it was a tight fit in the rear.  Also, tires in the upper range give that much more volume and traction making it possible to ride some rougher terrain and single-track if desired.

3. Through Axles - I have not had any issues with the standard quick release system front and rear, but it is clear that through axles are here to stay and offer more strength, stiffness and security so why not?

In the grand scheme of things I think these are pretty trivial sniveling but considerations if you are going to try and just have one bike for everything beyond technical single-track. 

Finally, does it have to be a CX bike to be classified as All-Roads - not necessarily.  I think the number of CX bikes available currently makes it easier to find the setup that works well in multiple configurations at price points to meet almost any budget.

Indications are that the industry has taken note of the interest in this type of riding and will continue to experiment with lighter bikes with ample tire clearance and disc brakes.

Until the next best configuration is developed, I will continue my explorations on the CX bike.

Two Wheel Transit - Cycling for Life

Low Life Thieves Strike Again - Custom MOOTS MTB Stolen

It is with a mixture of anger and sadness that I am posting the theft of one of our customer's bikes from Holy Family Hospital while he was at work.

 

The bike is a Titanium Moots Mooto X 29" hard tail mountain bike.  The bike was custom built for his 6'7" frame and very unique as a result.

It is built with Shimano XTR 2x10 and a 180mm crank.  Easton Carbon Tubeless Wheels and white Fox fork are the other major components.  Please forward/share this post to as many people as you can and call law enforcement immediately if you see this bike. 

Two Wheel Transit Bicycles is offering a $100 reward for information leading to the recovery of this bike in good condition.  Please call us at 747-2231

Another Tubless Tire Convert

Travis Nichols was kind enough to share the following regarding his new appreciation for Tubeless Tire Technology:

I was soaring down “Will’s Traverse” at Beacon Hill, my big wheels ignoring rubble and my plush suspension eating up small jumps.   The wind was cool but the sun was warming and my smile indicated it was a perfect ride.   In an instant my buzz faded and my stomach sank as I heard the “pppssssssttt” that every cyclist on dirt or tarmac dreads as the life-giving air escapes the carcass of their dying tires. 

 I halted knowing that my ride was delayed if not over.   As I slowed, the escaping pressure became more evident without the noise of breathing and rolling rubber over dirt.  I was watching carefully for evidence of the destruction as I slowed, as the tire rotated to the crest of the revolution I witnessed the fantastic sight of Stans fluid pulsing into the air like blood from a severed artery. 

 I stopped after one more revolution and witnessed the modern miracle of tubeless tires:  coagulation.  Or the latex equivalent there-of.   It was a miracle; my ride was saved as if by divine intervention! In an effort to give thanks to the role of technology in my life my legs redoubled their effort and I cranked away from the incident with thankful haste.

As a “Clydesdale category rider” I’ve had a nasty history of mangled rims, broken spokes and an unending legacy of thorny flats and snakebites.   These ride crushing pauses concluded two years ago when I watched a youtube video, splashed some Stans into my Schwalbe Nobby Nics and pumped like mad to seat the bead.   Within an hour I had a revelation about tires and their role in my cycling life.   Years later after witnessing several self healed gashes, stab wounds and slices on various tires,  I am a firm believer in tubeless technology.  If you are a cyclist who pedals on two wheels…  

You deserve to go tubeless.  Beyond shedding ~half a pound in weight (rotating weight mind you!) riders will enjoy better ground contact from lower tire pressure, faster track times because of the lower pressure, a self healing system that has yet to fail me and an overall smoother and easier ride.   I don’t think there is any reason to use tubes at this point if you use two wheels under human power!

Please consider that my testing has all been in the lower PSI/bar of the MTB world but I guarantee you my next cross or road wheel set will be a tubeless compatible system and will have a tubeless ready tire like the Hutchinson Sector 700x28c or the Schwalbe One 700x25c mounted with a bit of Stans in it.  I’ve also yet to test the technology on a unicycle but I would happily risk a few spills and blunted shins to prove the point.

I encourage any reader interested in reliability and or performance to drop into the shop and see what options are available for your two wheel wonder.

Yes, It Is Supposed to Look Like That

Bruce was kind enough to lend me his Trek Farley for a bit since he has been focusing on road miles for an upcoming event.  I am however focusing on fun, exploration and adventure this year.

 He should have known that I would get it dirty - I say it is supposed to look like that.

 I was fortunate to receive an invitation to play hooky on Friday afternoon to explore the Mt. Spokane Trail system from Fat Bike Dan.  Overall, the trails were rough but surprising little mud. I know from both that I was running too much pressure in the tires as ride quality and traction both suffered.  The other thing I noted was that I did not get that nice pull to the inside of turns when I set the tires on edge.

I also was not running clipless pedals so all power was produced on the down stroke which caused the rear to spin in the mud necessitating a points-robbing stab of the right foot during the ensuing stall.  I must also point-out that Fat Bike Dan cleaned all of the sections and somehow he and his bike repelled the mud.

 

Sporting an aluminum frame, the Farley is one of the lighter fat bikes on the market and has it pretty dialed in terms of components, geometry and ride quality.  I declare fat bikes are here to stay and will enjoy watching the upcoming battles of weight reduction (as if it matters in this class) and price increases as carbon frames, forks and wheels become more available in the market.

In the meantime, I will be working to convince the Chairwoman of the Domestic Finance Committee of the value of investing in this particular bike this year given its year-round capabilities.

Two Wheel Transit - Cycling for Life