2nd Annual Peaceful Tour of the Dick recap

I had been spying a route on the map for several years and I finally had the gumption to lead a group ride on it last year. The first ever Peaceful Tour of the Dick. The route was awesome. Even though it was only 30ish miles, it was definitely a tough all day route. Good stuff.

We did it again today. We just polished off the 2nd Annual Peaceful Tour of the Dick. A few thought it may be more than they could bite off but everyone but a couple folks managed to see it thru to the end. And what a great ride it was.

After meeting at the shop and getting everyone organized, riders took off between 10:30 and 11am. We had a solid crew. Pedaling south on Sourdough out of Peaceful Valley is never an easy task. After passing Beaver Reservoir, we were getting into our groove.







We had a quick snack break basking in the views of the Indian Peaks.





After some more tech and some more climbing and a very small amount of descending, we found ourselves at Brainard Lake Road. Somebody from Eldora was up there.

Eldora's marketing dept is obviously confused, especially since there are no gravity trails at Eldora and they do not allow bike use in the summer. What gives?


A little later and it was time for Lunch just before embarking on Little Raven. We had views...

Entertainment...


Views...

And fresh natural raspberries.




What could be better? More riding? Fortunately, Little Raven never dissapoints.



Neither do big ass bull moose. I called out to Bullwinkle but he didn't respond. Come to think of it, I didn't see Squirrel either.


After circumnavigating Brainard Lake, we hit the new South St Vrain reroute. Even though we had been riding the trail for years, it passed thru a small chunk of the Indian Peaks Wilderness. The USFS ranger district in these parts are our friends. Thanks to them, it's all legal and ready to roll after a short reroute of the offending section of trail. It's good.


And the traditional, old, "Upper SSV" is always a challenge.



The lower section is pretty good, too.



After popping out onto the highway at the bottom of SSV, we had a 3-4 mile dirt road climb ahead of us. That one was a real deal breaker. A few of us pulled out to go back to Peaceful Valley. The rest of us pushed on up Coney Flats Road. Coney Flats isn't, by the way. About 1/2way up Coney Flats, you come to a section where you can take a no motorized route or the jeep road. Both come out at the same place. Never knowing which was faster before, we decided to send folks in both directions to ascertain the outcome of max efficiency. Chris, and I, along with a few others, took the pedestrian only route. It was good. It was more direct but definitely tougher. I told Chris that it was good that we took this route, otherwise, it would be a Redstone ride without at least a little hike a bike.


I've got a reputation to uphold :) It's not mountain biking unless you're hiking.

There were some fun bits, too. It wasn't entirely a slog.
Back on Coney Flats road for one last fun jeep road descent.



Then onwards toward the cherry on top, Buchanan Pass trail.



Notice the smile :)


No more pics of the ride. I was done by then and too tired for more snapping. I had to focus on riding. We'd been out just over 6 hours at this point so focus was key.

We wrapped up just under 6.5 hours. We took about an hour off of last years time and we even had a bigger crew this year - right around 18 riders give or take. We dropped off a few and picked up a few. Ride time was just over 4 hours with the rest of the time dedicated to lunch, snacking, fixing flats, etc. I think we got in around 4500 feet of climbing. That doesn't sound too bad until you factor in the rocks. Damn rocks. I'm frickin tired now. Good night. And thanks for coming out y'alls!

Trail Work Tuesday Niter 8/24!!!

Next week, 8/24, will be our second trailwork nite of the year. We'll be working on Hall Ranch this time around. You all know the "new" dangerous section near the bottom of Bitterbrush trail right by the bathrooms. We'll be reworking that. Bottom line is that it's a poorly designed, north facing, section of trail. We will be doing some berm and drainage work to hopefully get rid of the loosey off camber stuff.

I went over that section of trail today, in person, with the caretaker of Hall as well as the trailwork coordinator for Boulder County. Long term wise, we're going to try to reroute that entire section, and move it to the other side of the hill so the trail will be southfacing, less steep, and more sustainable. That's long term, though, because that requires more people to sign off than a day of trailwork.

Bottom line is that whatever we do next week will still probably be suboptimal, but we ARE working on a long term, 4 season fix for this small section of trail.

Couple a things

First off, is anyone up for a big big big ride? Check the Nederland HalfAss 100. 2 distinct 50 mile loops o fun.

If that's not your cup of tea, we haven't yet lined up our annual Peaceful Tour of the Dick yet. How does Sunday 8/29 sound? It'll be an all dayer. Meetup at 8am?

And this Tuesday, how about Jtown? Bring lights if you have them. Bike shop at 5:30p.

Backyard Bikepacking

Colorado trail race fever. Peter and I headed out on a backyard bikepacking mission this past weekend. We were both fully loaded for self support. 2 days 1 night, but cheated by staying at the Guinn Mtn Hut near Rollins Pass. All said and done 105 miles annd 16000+ft of climbing. Yeah I know staying at the hut is not really bikepacking. That's the problem with doing this stuff in your backyard. You know all the stops to sleep, eat, and rest. Along the way we hit Sundance in Ned, and the Millsite in Ward. Damn that pizza was good. Went thru a ton of water, but the beauty of this route is there are plenty of water sources along the way. It was pump filter vs. steripen. The pump filter won overall but steripen tastes great. We used upper jenny creek and Four Mile Creek along Sourdough among others. Upper Jenny Creek right where the Guinn Mtn trail ends had the best water. We had a great time and what better way to sort out your gear for a big bike packing mission such as the Colorado trail one day.


Had my 40 F sleeping bag and a hennesy hammock strapped to my bars and duc. Another benefit of the duc 32 fork- additional surface area for strapping gear up front. Hammock fit nicely I thought. Approx. 4 lbs. of gear on front and 25 lbs. on my back. It takes some getting use to the additional momentum (energy) required to make it thru dab free up technical trail. I found my set-up enjoyable on the descents. Even with the carrying most of the weight on my back I experienced no back issues. However, my ass was sore at the end of day 2. Unsure if it was weight in pack compunded by tires that were inflated to 45 psi for all the climbing on day 1?

Here's Peter descending in Ned. These trails were open due to the Xterra triathlon being held at Eldora this weekend utilizing the Eldora XC ski trails. As you can see Peter had a similar strategy - some weight up front but most weight was carried on back. Peter even brought a pot in there which we used to cook some oatmeal day 2 morn.


My water purification treatment center. I found Peter's water filtration pump to be superior. Although the steripen scores points on size , weight, and quality taste. The time required to make up 2L was excessive. The time that Peter could make 2L of water I had only completed 0.5L with my steripen.

Near the top of Guinn Mtn.

Guinn mtn hut deck. The hut only requires a donation for usage either volunteer time or money. We left $5.

Kickin back after a long day in the saddle.

Woke up made a huge pot of oatmeal for breakfast. Started the long way back home down Guinn Mtn Trail. All the Tuesday night redstoners would have loved this trail albeit short.

Top of caribou 505. I was pleasantly surprised, the climb up 505 was not as bad as I remembered. Even with slightly fatigued legs my Turner 29er sultan powered thru the steep babyhead sections.

Day 1:Boulder>Flagstaff>Magnolia>Ned Trails>Guinn Mtn

Day 2: Guinn Mtn Trail>Jenny Creek>Caribou 505>Sourdough>Jamestown Massacre>Boulder

This was a fun loop and not the original route we set out to accomplish. Now knowing about the Guinn Mtn Hut we see additional possibilities for multi-day rides while carrying minimal gear.
We look forward to riding up to the hut again. Thank you hutmeister.

International Road Racing coming back to CO!

I knew there have been talks of this, but check what was posted to IMBA's FB page today... Sweet:

Special announcement on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol this Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m. Governor Ritter, Lance Armstrong and others unveil plans to bring major international bicycle racing back to the great state of Colorado!
We hope you can join us Wednesday, Aug. 4 at 10:00 a.m. on the steps of the Color...ado State Capitol at 200 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO. It's going to be crowded so you might want to come early!
Also, Lance just announced via Twitter that he and the Governor are leading a short ride immediately following the event so you might want to come dressed and ready to ride!

Next Tuesday Ride 8/3

Trying to give everyone advance warning for next Tuesday's ride. It will be LIGHTS MANDATORY. Not talking hiking/camp lights, but real lights you can ride technical singletrack with for a long time. Cause that's what we'll be doing.

Meet at the bike shop at 5:30 and expect to be out for a while. We'll be going up to Peaceful Valley and coming back late. We'll start riding in daylight and finish up in the dark. I don't have a route planned yet, but it'll be a biggie. Can't wait!

It was a Lion Gulch Monday

Going up there. And beyond.


Some technical bits, i.e. about 30% hiking to get to Homestead Meadows.

With some really nice terrain at the top of the gulch. The flowers were happening in a good way.

Lots of history.

I think I would've like to reside at this property. Beautiful.

The correct tool for the job.

Found a back to back 2 seater. Would that be a sedan?

This rock was pitched in a particularly unique way out by a ranch hand living quarters area. Weird rock or tombstone?

More history.

It doesn't get old, does it?
Not to mention the fine, fine singletrack leaving the meadows.
Lion Gulch is the busiest trailhead in all of the Canyon Lakes Ranger District. I saw 3 people way up in there and a handful of folks by the trailhead. Nice. Hope you enjoyed your Monday as much as me. I love Mondays.

South St Vrain TLC

If any of you can make it out next weekend to help with the reroute of South St Vrain, that'd be great. BMA and the USFS are looking for volunteers for this coming Sat or Sun or both. Food provided and camping available. Or something like that :) I'm going to try to make it but I have to shake out the schedule.

Here's the background. Upper SSV goes thru a small part of Indian Peaks Wilderness. The Forest Service has been gracious enough the last several years to look the other way while we enjoy SSV's rocky goodness. Now that they have surveyed the boundary and cannot look the other way any longer, rather than close that portion of the trail, the USFS has also been gracious enough to allow us to reroute the trail further to the south and out of the boundary so we can keep enjoying it. Work on the reoute has been happening for the last year or so and if they get enough volunteers this weekend, it might be able to open as early as this August.

Like mtbmike says, "The world is run by those that show up." If you want to have an influential hand in how a lot of this plays out, now is your chance.

http://bma-mtb.org/events/?id=180

New, lower MSRP on Intense!

I recently got this from Intense. Great news!
*********************************************************
Hello Intense fans,

I am Intense Cycles proud Director of Operations. One year ago, I joined the Intense team because of their dedication and support of Made in the USA product. When I step onto the production floor each day, I am still in awe that we make these world class bikes right here in Temecula, CA. From CNC machining and welding to final assembly, Intense has truly made a mark on the bicycle industry.

I joined Intense for one reason: to improve their operations for you, the customer. Today, I have the pleasure to tell you that all of the improvements we have made have finally paid off. Three of our favorite models: The Uzzi VP, Tracer VP, and Spider 2 have all had their MSRP's reduced because of the savings we have made out on the floor. Here's the breakdown:

Uzzi VP Old MSRP: $2,420USD New MSRP: $2,199USD
Tracer VP Old MSRP: $2,280USD New MSRP: $1,999USD
Spider 2 Old MSRP: $1,999USD New MSRP: $1,899USD

I don't want this message to be taken lightly. This is not all we've improved at Intense. We continue to improve our product each and every day. We continue to develop new models for your enjoyment. On the back-end, we've increased the headcount in our customer service department to help our customers through any questions they may have. We've widened our domestic dealer base to service more demand than we've ever had before. And the list goes on...

I can't wait for Interbike this year so we can show you what we've got in store for 2011. I hope to see you there.

Best wishes,

Jeff Moates
Director of Operations

Specialized Tarmac for sale

Good buddy of the shop Mike brought this baby in to be consigned. Turns out that Mike just wasn't into road riding. As it sits, I doubt it's even got 1000 miles on it. This Tarmac is in beautiful condition. It's a 56 and has the cool blue Gerolsteiner paint job on it. Looking to get about $1400 on this sweet carbon 105/Ultegra machine.

Weeks worth of riding.

Last week's Tuesday Ride took us up to Little Raven and South St Vrain. Shuttle, if you will. It was a great ride. There was carnage. It was good.

On Sunday late, Dirtydoug and I went bushwhacking again.
If you can call a ride with 3 major hike a bikes a success, it was a major success.
And today? Today I rode up Coney Creek Rd and down Buchanan Pass. Some parts were smooth.
And some parts were not.
But it was still great :) We'll see you on Tuesday. Jamestown.

Brian's sweet new Intense Tracer 29

Check out Bstiff's badass new Intense T29! The Tracer 29 so far has a few rides on it and Brian is loving it. Even with the Rohloff, snicker :). As pictured, it's just about 34 lbs and has eaten everything in it's way.

Lots of Congrats in order

National Championships were in Sol Vista this weekend if you hadn't noticed.

Our own Joe Christiansen got 2nd in his Junior XC race.

The one and only Sam Powers won not one but TWO national titles this weekend! First title was Four Cross and the second title was Downhill, both in Junior Expert. Way to go man.

Also, let us not forget our off road tri brethren. Racing for Redstone sponsored, MORF racing, after spending most of the season in a cast, Greg A placed 1st in his category at the Xterra Tri at Beaver Creak. Our favorite County Trails guy, Mike Rutter, got 4th in his age group, and Vanessa C placed 3rd in hers.

Damn. Good job y'alls!

And we'll have some podium shots of Joe as soon as he turns them over. :)

Tuesday Ride 7/20

7/20 Jtown here we come! Redstone at 5:30 or the Jtown post office around 6:15ish. Looooong climb and some good singletracks. Bring lights if you got 'em. We may finish up in daylight challenged conditions.

trolls and rants

I typically don't respond to anonymous trolls but this one was worth repeating.

-----Original Message-----

From: samsrevolution@gmail.com

Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 2:27 AM

To: dave@redstonecyclery.com

Subject: Redstone Email (gen)

Redstone Email

From: j samsrevolution@gmail.com

bummer ur not talking about any of the local trails these days. i remember when i first moved to lefthand i got turned on to the way to really experience the area through u talking about stuff like gillespie and elk mountain access... now its like a members only thing. i wouldnt wanna give the goods to any old gaper either but the lack of trail talk and the stupid prices at ur store make me wish ud move to boulder... remember ur roots much?

**********************************************************************************

Hi "J," thanks for the tips. If you've got any more insight, I'd love to have you come in to the shop to discuss in person, non-anonymously. If you're looking for a deal, tell me what you're looking for and I'm happy to help out.


Not talking about any of the local trails these days? Well, maybe not blogging about it so much lately, but I don't ride anything but local trails. I took a stroll thru the logs of the blog and it looks like pretty much everything up there was local and called out to which trails I was on. Except for one. "Late Sunday Bushwhacking" was me and 2 buddies doing some recon up by the Bunce plane crash. The goods? I think everything around here is the goods, that's why I live here. You want the goods - pick up a map and explore. There's some really good maps out there and a few show about 99% of the riding in these parts.


Prices? Don't know where you've been the last few years but everything is up. My wholesale prices are up so much it's not even funny. I typically eat the difference to a point, but there does come a time when my margin gets to thin and I have to raise my prices accordingly.


My roots? I remember starting the bike shop as a 2nd job. I remember going out and doing trailwork and local advocacy, showing up to policy meetings, etc. I remember working until 2am in the shop because resources are tight and I need to make ends meet. I remember there being some tough ass months where it was difficult to pay my mortgage or my rent. You know what else I remember? I remember folks being stoked on all of the riding around here. I remember showing people the hows and whys and whatnots of how their bike works or how it doesn't. I remember giving sound advice and, oftentimes, recommending that people don't spend money on their bikes unnecessarily. Yeah I remember my roots. I'm still there. I started Redstone in my garage from the ground up. I didn't buy into an existing business with Mom and Dad's money. I remember my roots. Their still growing. And there's still tough ass months where I don't know how I'm going to pay my bills. Welcome to the bicycle business. None of us are getting rich here.


Boulder? No thanks, I left there years ago and have no plans to leave Lyons. Left Hand, though seems pretty attractive...


Anyway, thanks for the email samsrevolution@gmail.com or is that jjh? You've given me something to reflect on. Come on over one of these days and we'll discuss it over beers. They're on me.

Craig B, the Mountain Biking Across the States guy stopped in the bike shop today. I remember first running into him and hearing about his adventures about 2 years ago in the Slickrock parking lot. I was impressed then. I'm even more impressed now.

2 years later and he's still going. He sold his house in Spokane, retired, bought a Sprinter van and decided to tour the country. In those 2.5 total years of traveling and riding, he's acquired quite the dashboard collection of curiousities.
If you see him around your parts, extend a hand and a beer and show him your local goods. Craig is the real deal. Thanks for stopping in Craig, there's always beer in the fridge for you.

And remember...

Buchanan Pass was the goods

Thanks to everyone that came out for last Tuesday's ride. The cherry on top of the Peaceful Valley network. It's got it all.

Water
Views
creek crossings
alternate lines
and some techy stuff not pictured.

Oh, and some cool rocks over the river, too.
I can't wait to get back! Next week will be our annual point to point ride. Stay tuned.