We’re not the biggest fans of major label bicycle magazine “columnists.” Their boring “had a great thought on my last ride” stories are dull, boring, redundant, say the same thing over and over, are repetitive, and terribly boring. That said, Bike Magazine’s “web monkey” Vernon Felton has pulled together a nice piece on the politics of riding bikes in “wilderness” areas. It’s too long (of course), but it covers most all the angles in the battle for wilderness access by mountain bikers. You should read it.
Here is Felton’s conclusion:
Screw this ban on mountain biking. If you feel the same way, let your representative in congress know about it. Speak up. You see, while I respect IMBA and the hell of a lot that they actually do for mountain biking, here is where I disagree with the organization: I think we mountain bikers have numbers on our side. I’m willing to wager that the vast majority of Americans, know nothing about this ban on mountain bikes and wouldn’t approve of it if they did. So be vocal. Push. That’s what worked for the people who got us kicked out of the wilderness in the first place. Let’s give it a try ourselves for a change.
Our position for years has been: if horses are allowed, we’re allowed. We ignore the signs. And so far that’s only resulted in occasional reprimands (even in Yosemite, gasp). But it would be nice if we could finally get the law on our side. . . for once.
Everyone’s favorite bike writer Phil Gaimon (Pro Cycling on $10 A Day) has a new Diamondback Podium that is nicely kitted with milk and cookies thanks to his work with the UnitedHealthCare Children’s Foundation.
“We developed this cookie bike to donate to the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation (UHCCF) for a charity auction, and to raise awareness of Optum p/b KBS, Diamondback and the UHCCF’s shared commitment to health & wellness,” said Diamondback’s Marketing Director Steve Westover. “In future races Phil will ride a version of this so that we can keep the awareness of “Earning your cookies” and leading a healthy and active top of mind throughout the year.”
Wonder if those graphics are scratch ‘n sniff. . . we hope not. Close-up after the jump. [click to continue…]
This little gem from the Global Cycling Network might as well be titled The 10 Amgen Tour of California Riders That You May Have Heard Of Before and it features a voice over by some new guy, with no English accent, who can barely read. Is this someone GCN just pulled off the street? Okay, that was a rhetorical question. We all know who it is and we’re just joking.
Big box outdoor retailer REI has reportedly given PeopleForBikes $100,000 in support of their Green Lane Project to help US cities build better bike lines and makes streets safer. Work is currently going down in six cities: Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Seattle.
The grants are designed to help the cities advance their protected bike lane infrastructure and build public support and ridership for low-stress networks. Grant recipients will engage their local REI store in the project and provide a clear plan for measuring success. . . “Thanks to REI’s support, we will be able to demonstrate the many benefits that come to a city when it invests in safe, accessible places to ride,” said Martha Roskowski, PeopleForBikes vice president of local innovation. “These grants will help our focus cities become better places to live, work and play. ”
For the official word from PeopleForBikes, please follow the jump. [click to continue…]
Members of the Smith mountain bike team (including Joey Schusler, Lars Sternberg, Mike Hopkins, Rosara Joseph, Alex “KrunkShox” McGuinnis, and Carolynn Romaine) were reportedly sent to New Zealand to explore the south island, ride single track, destroy an RV, forge storms, and have run-ins with the local law. What was captured in this three part video series reveals a glimpse into their life on the road, though we’re not exactly sure what it means to “forge” a storm. Guess you’ll have to watch and find out.
Carlsbad, California eyewear company Spy is holding its infamous annual Spy Belgian Waffle Ride and Fitness Expo this weekend on Saturday and Sunday April 25-26, 2015. For 2015 the entire 145 mile event is centered around the Lost Abby Brewery.
The ride itself takes place on Sunday, April 26th and once again, it will be surrounded a two-day bicycle and fitness expo, kicking off at The Lost Abbey brewery in San Marcos, CA, which is also where the start of the race will be. . . Now in its fourth year, the SPY BWR is a grueling 229-kilometer, multi-terrain cycling race that began as a tribute to the beautiful and taxing rides staged in Belgium each spring. The course includes 11,000 feet of arduous climbing through the unrelenting hills of San Diego County and includes a relentless barrage of mud, dirt, single-track and water crossings. . . The Expo will include multiple food trucks from Gear Grinder Grill as well as more than 30 performance and sports related exhibitors.. . More than $10,000 in prizes will be raffled off, including bikes from Giant, Felt, Masi, Haro, as well as prize packs from lululemon. . . The family friendly festivities will also include an astro jump and bouncy house for children in attendance.
We liked the old Garmin Virb cameras for a couple reasons: they were streamlined, they rolled in GPS data easily, and they worked. Unlike our GoPro 3+ (which requires that the battery be removed up to five times before it will even turn on) the Garmin Virb had a switch — flip in and it was recording. The only problem was that the lipstickish shape of the Virb meant it was impossible to mount the camera on a chest strap. There were some other mounting issues as well. Garmin has changed all that with their new Virb XE action cameras. They’ve placed the camera in a similar form factor to the GoPro (conventional camera shape), but with all the Garmin bells and whistles. Truth is, this may be a favorite new action camera. We’ll let you know when we get to try one out.
This little clip from “Hecklers’ Corner” at the Crankworx Rotorua, New Zealand sums up pretty much everything we don’t understand about enduro racing (well, the knee pads make sense). But, we will say one thing: it looks fun to watch.
After being completely sold on Smith’s Koroyd material in our Forefront mountain bike helmet, we’re looking forward to testing the new Overtake. It fits well, is very aero, and seems light. We’ll let you know after we put a few miles in under it.
Garmin announced today (April 16, 2015) that they are upgrading their power tracking pedals the Vector and Vector S to the Vector 2 and Vector 2S.
Vector 2’s dual-sensing pedal-based power meter measures cadence, total power, left/right balance and displays cycling dynamics, revolutionary metrics that provide feedback to cyclists on their position and pedal form. With cycling dynamics users can tailor their training around specific weaknesses and strengths by viewing exactly where they are generating power throughout the pedal stroke. Cyclists can also view where force is being applied on the pedal itself to ensure proper cleat position, as well as when and how long they were seated versus standing during a ride to gauge position effectiveness.
The new Vector pedals also make transferring the power meters from bike to bike, much easier. Those who already own Vector pedals, don’t worry. There is an economic upgrade path that will get you rolling on the latest for $149.99 or less. And that sounds great. Now, if only they had a MTB pedal we’d be all set.
