We're open in our new location! Redstone v3.0!

This battle station is now fully operational. Come visit us at our new location at 355 Broadway, SE corner of 4th and Main. First ever happy hour in the new location today, too. Get here early though, cause we're leaving early. it's New Years Eve and time to party!

Boulder's Valmont Bike Park update!

Valmont Bike Park Update

The City of Boulder's Parks and Recreation Department is making great progress towards a spring 2011 opening of the Valmont Bike Park. While an exact opening date has not yet been selected, the site is still a flurry of activity with workers installing utilities, restrooms, parking facilities, landscaping, and riding elements. Fourteen months ago we were celebrating the Bike Park's ground breaking - now we're very close to it opening. Your donations have made a significant impact in making the park better for the community; we want to thank you not only for the financial support, but your patience as well - as we all await the big day.

Recently, the park was awarded an additional $45,000 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) for the informational and trail signs at the park. To most observers, this seems like a lot of money for signs. The signage is one of many important safety elements of the park. The park will be teaming with kids and new riders, and safety is of paramount importance. All the riding features must be clearly marked, like a ski area, to steer inexperienced riders away from the expert level elements. Parks & Rec is wisely taking risk management seriously, we not only want a good riding experience, but rider safety cannot be compromised. GOCO is the agency responsible for allocating state lottery proceeds, and we want to thank the state of Colorado's Lottery for awarding us this grant. Between the coordinated fundraising efforts and grant writing of Parks & Rec and BMA, we have added $500,000 to enhancements to the park!

As of the week of December 20th, the restroom building was framed and sheathed, most of the irrigation pipe and sprinkler heads installed, 90% of the trails complete, seeding and erosion control mats installed, and concrete work is complete. The hub plaza is 80% complete. Local artist Christian Mueller was tasked with the design, and his vision is nearly complete. The hub plaza will serve as the gathering space for riders and park users, and is a true work of art. The plaza is shaped like a chainring, and has enormous stones radiating from the center like spokes of a wheel. For more photos and progress report, please see the city's website www.ValmontCityPark.org

Judd DeVal of Alpine Bike Parks is the bike trail contractor. He and his crew have come from Vancouver, BC, Santa Cruz, Boise, and North Carolina to build the bike features. Alpine Bike Parks has built some of the finest parks in the world and we are fortunate to have this crew working on Valmont. They are out there long days sculpting the trails, pouring concrete for the wall rides, and welding the structures for bridges and jumps. They have made impressive progress, and you will be grinning ear to ear when you get to ride the finished product.

Chance Brown of J2 Construction, the site's general contractor, has done an amazing job coordinating the park's major excavation work and overall progress. These two teams are doing a remarkable job to bring make this dream park a reality.

We had poaching problems when the park construction began, but most of these problems have subsided as riders realized poaching was creating havoc for the construction crews and delaying the project. Thanks for being responsive and letting the crews get their job done unhindered.

The single biggest question we hear is "When is the park going to open?" The Parks & Rec Department has been working hard to get Valmont open. They are doing a great job in balancing the maintenance of existing parks, while simultaneously building the Bike Park and installing synthetic turf (and other upgrades) at East Boulder Community Park.

Since we have been working together on the fundraising, we have witnessed the monumental task first hand. There are other city departments involved, various contractors, wildlife and irrigation ditch concerns, and budgets to manage. Park construction is a large undertaking - as they must ensure adequate parking, restroom facilities, landscaping, and information signage commensurate with the number of visitors the park will attract. They must also comply with all clean water, clean air and noise regulations and make required transportation improvements to Goose Creek, Valmont and Airport roads to keep traffic (both bike and car) flowing seamlessly. We hope to be able to pinpoint an opening date in the New Year, but rest assured, this is going as quickly as possible and no one is dragging their feet.

We have had many generous offers to volunteer to help, and we are sorry there has been no opportunity to date. We hope to have some opportunities soon, but most of the construction is beyond the scope of volunteer days. If we had to move 16,000 yards of dirt (a dump truck holds 6 yards) with shovels, we would be out there until the year 2071. With earth movers, cranes and concrete trucks buzzing around and open utilities, the site is not safe for volunteers.

If you see any members of Parks and Recreation, from the guy shoveling snow on the Pearl St. Mall, to the staff behind the desk at one of the Rec Centers, they all deserve our thanks. We have a new appreciation for our Parks and Recreation Department, let them hear it.

Intense Tracer 2 coming soon!

Get your orders in early, because these bikes are going to dissapear quickly. My Tracer VP was one of my favorite bikes of all time. I cannot wait to get on the new Tracer 2. Bikes are scheduled to start shipping in February.

How about some Turner bike bling!

We just finished up this super sweet Turner Flux for our good buddy Dr. Mike.

This 2011 medium Turner Flux started as their "Expert kit," an XT level bike. We made a few changes along the way.

The new Dynasys 10 speed Shimano drivetrain is smooth and good looking as ever.

We upgraded the bars to carbon Race Face Next bars. Also note those pimpin' brakes...

Even though the kit came with Formula RX brakes (which we love) we decided up upgrade to our favorite brake ever, the Formula The One. Even though it's technically a dh oriented brake, it's still lighter than a Magura Marta SL and has more stopping power than anything we've ever used. Win! That's not your everyday rear hub there, either. Powertap SL+ disc baby!
We used one of our favorite front hubs to round out these handbuilt wheels with Mavic 819 hoops. The DT Swiss 240. Even though it's a qr front end, we spec'd it with the 20mm version of the hub. That will allow Mike to run whatever fork he wants down the road. These hubs are easily convertible to 15qr or 20mm.

All done, it's about 26.5 lbs as pictured with the powertap rear hub and no pedals. This Flux will be a great all around, racy, do everything kind of bike. Thanks Mike, hope you love it as much as we do!

Thursday update!

Couple of news bits...

Don't forget, our 2nd Annual White Elephant 6 Pack Exchange is tomorrow, Friday 12/17!
The official invite Linky is here complete with rules, etc :) Start time is normal happy hour time and we'll get going on the exchange around 6:30. Please wrap your 6 pack.

CYCLOCROSS IN LYONS!!! This Saturday in Bohn Park. OB will be on hand with beer so you can enjoy the excellent spectating of this fun course. I'll be working in the shop here that morning so make sure to swing by to say hi.

Oh, and the bike shop is moving as well. New address is 355 Main St. Expect to see us there sometime around the first of the year. It's on 4th and Main Street on the SE corner. It's the big building/old gas station just to the north of the world's smallest bike shop, now Redstone Radio.

Read This!! Boulder Access/West TSA info inside

I just got the latest newsletter from BMA. If anyone was wondering about bike access in South Boulder in the "West TSA" area, here's the latest...

The End of This Process Is Near

We need you to show up on Dec 9th to speak to the Open Space Board of Trustees(OSBT).

After countless hours of staff and volunteer time spent on the Community Collaborative Group's proceedings, we are exactly where we thought we would be before it all started.

Bikes are the most significant "non-consensus" item, and our fate will be decided in the next 60 to 90 days. The schedule has been set, and even though it is subject to change, we know what the process looks like all the way to City Council.

Here is the schedule:

December 6: Open house to present CCG package of agreements. This is all about what they agreed to, so bikes aren't on the radar. BMA WTSA Strategy Meeting instead.... read below at the bottom of this alert!
December 9: West Senior Center, 909 Arapahoe Ave, at 6PM. OSBT considers the West TSA. TIME TO SHOW UP... BIG TIME
December 15: OSBT Study Session for West TSA. Format of meeting to be decided at December 9 OSBT meeting. No public comments at the this meeting.
Feb 1 - OSMP publishes West TSA Draft Management Plan - with CCG recommendations and staff proposals of non consensus items.... This the day we find out what OSMP is going to do about mountain bikes.
Feb 9 - OSMP Open house for Draft Plan and OSBT Study Session
• Feb 23 - OSBT Plan Recommendations
• Mar 16 - City Council considers the West TSA
  

At this point in the process, we have no idea what staff is going to recommend regarding bike access in the West TSA. What we do know is that there is a well organized group of people who are dead set against even our very modest request for access so we can have a fossil-fuel free recreation experience from our homes.

We, as a user group, have been the most constructive and mature group in this process. We have published a white paper and advocacy document that details our vision for bike access from central Boulder to outlying areas where we can disperse and get a quality bike ride without the use of a car. We must continue this strategy if we are to be taken seriously as the next generation of stewards of our open spaces.... which we are.

These last few meetings will require a massive turnout of our constituency if we are to influence the outcome. We'll be publishing Action Alerts for every meeting that needs a big showing.

The "Bikes on the West TSA" discussion will begin this Thursday. Mountain biking needs you. Be there and be a part of making Boulder a more friendly place for mountain biking for generations to come. We won't have another opportunity for at least a decade, if ever.

Want to take a more active role in this discussion? We will be holding a BMA West TSA Strategy Meeting at the same time OSMP has their CCG Open House. That's tonight at 6pm.

CONOR O'NIELLS

1922 13th St

seating area in the back

Monday, December 6

5:30 - 7pm

See you there. Rough trail ahead!

This weeks Tuesday episode will be Lion Gulch

Tuesday ride 12/7. Bring your best lights (and best batteries) and your best skillzez because we're heading up to Lion Gulch. This is strictly an attempt to draw out Rockin' Ron because he said he'd come if we go to LG :) Keep your fingers crossed for dry terrain. It could get dicey if there's precip...

How 'bout some Friday ride stokeage?

On some Friday morning, I'm able to coordinate family and work enough to manage a brief ride. Today was one of those days. I had less than an hour so I did the ol' "up and over" at Hall Ranch. Up Antelope, over the top, and back thru the rock garden back to town on Highway 7. Despite the wind, which was pretty mighty at times, the ride was fantastic.

December? Check
55 degrees? Check
Shorts???? Check

Crocodile warnings? Check

Dry slick? Check
Fast, rippin' smooth singletrack? Check
Some rocks to have fun on as well? Check
Uncrowded singletrack and witness to a beautiful rising sun? Check
And a great day with the water moving in town? Check
Make sure y'alls get out today and tomorrow. Might be the last good ride for a while. But we've been saying that for a month now, guess we'll see!

Transition's all new bike, the Bandit!

For all of you that've been loving on Transition, but looking for something smaller and/or lighter than their most excellent Covert, look no further. We got a press release yesterday about their new frame, the Bandit.




Transition mentions in their press release, "The Bandit is a 130mm travel frame designed for use with 140mm forks. This bike is a lighter weight offering than the Covert, aimed at riders looking for more of a traditional “trail bike” than an enduro bike. The frame will have a 68 degree head angle, 429mm chainstay length and 8.5mm of BB drop for a assembled BB height of roughly 330mm. We will be offering this bike in 4 sizes to give riders several options to fit them “just right”. The wheelbase will range from about 1080mm to 1160mm for the small to extra large sizes. With corresponding top tubes of 546mm to 622mm. A 74 degree seat angle helps give you an aggressive climbing position without having to shift your weight around too much. The bike is extremely balanced with a great suspension feel. Perfect for getting out and exploring the mountains on epic rides."

It's got a linkage very similar to their Bottle Rocket


And it looks great dirty, too!


If you want one, get in line. As of right now, expected delivery is May.