2nd Annual Peak Region Cyclist Bicycle Show

February 9th, 2010
Peak Region Cyclist Bike Show

Update: There are free parties the evening before and after the bike show.

It may still be cold and snowy in much of the US but the days are getting noticeably longer. It will soon be better weather for road riding and mountain biking. The 2nd Annual Peak Region Bicycle Show will be just in time to drool over cool new gear. If you’re saving your pennies you may be able to take some of it home with you.

The 2nd Annual PRC Show will be on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at the Norris-Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs (1045 W. Rio Grande St.) Show hours will be 10 AM to 3 PM. I was surprised at the good turn out to a first year show. Show promoters are expecting about double last year’s visitors and several more exhibitors.

Join these great companies at the show – Ground Up Designs, Tessier Bikes, Pro Cycling, Criterium Bicycles, CS West Bikes, Colorado Springs Bike Shop, Bicycle Experience, Teds Bicycles, Angle Tech, Studi-07, Primal Wear, Magura, Rec Rac, Tri Stuff 4 Less, Carmichael Training Systems, Metro Rides, Garmin, Rocky Mounts, Fruita Fat Tire Festival, advocacy and trail building groups … and many more!

You can read my report of last year’s Peak Region Cyclist Bike Show here. I also have last year’s photos from the PRC bike show here. It’s a fun event and I encourage you to come to it.

– UltraRob

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2010 Leadville 100 Lottery Delayed

February 8th, 2010

Dave Wiens and Lance Armstrong at 2008 Leadville 100

Update 2/9/10 Email confirmations started going out tonight. I don’t how long it’ll take them to get through the complete list.

Thousands of mountain bikers have been anxiously waiting to see if they’ll get picked in the Leadville 100 lottery. In the past the new trickled across the country as people got their “yippee card” in the mail. This year the entry said lucky entrants would be notified by email by today, February 8th.

Entrants are going to have to be patient and wait a little longer. The site now says entrants will be notified by Friday the 12th. Most likely it’s because of sad news from Leadville last week.

Merilee and Ken are the Leadville 100 race promoters. Merilee’s 38 year old daughter, Megan, died in her sleep last week. I can’t imagine how devastated they must be. The funeral is today in Leadville. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

Condolences can be sent to the Leadville Office or in lieu of flowers donations in Megan name can be made to the Leadville Legacy Foundation.

Merrilee Maupen
Leadville Trail 100
P.O. Box 487
Leadville, Colorado 80461

– UltraRob

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Should I Wipe My Bike Tire While Riding?

February 5th, 2010
Wiping Front Bike Tire

When I started riding seriously, I learned to wipe my tires off as soon as I saw a patch of glass or other road debris I couldn’t avoid. I don’t remember who taught me to do it but I think is was one of the experienced riders I rode with. Not everyone agrees though that it helps prevent flats.

Jobst Brandt, a mechanical engineer and wrote the book “The Bicycle Wheel“, says wiping a bike tire while riding doesn’t do any good. In fact in a bike list exchange he says, “Tire wiping is akin to throwing salt over ones shoulder except that it has more ill effects.” Besides being dangerous he says those that wipe their tires have dirty hands and then get the dirt on their faces.

Bike mechanic legend, Sheldon Brown, disagreed with Brandt over tire wiping. He said in practice there were a lot more variables than in Brandt’s theory and that in fact tire wiping does help prevent flats. From my experience, I also think that it helps. Popular blogger, Cyclelicious, admits to being a tire wiper.

Everyone does agree though that you need to be careful if you do wipe your tire while riding. I would never do it with knobby tires. The knobs will grab your hand and bad things will happen.

Even with fairly smooth road tires you need to be careful. If you put too much pressure on the front tire it could grab your hand and you’ll risk a face plant. The rear tire is even trickier. You need to keep looking ahead, stay balanced and not stick your hand in the spokes. If the tire grabs your hand, you could get your hand stuck between the tire and the frame.

One time I was riding in a group of 6 or 7 other riders. We were going down a hill at about 35 mph when we hit a patch of broken glass. I couldn’t swerve without possibly bumping another rider.

I quickly brushed off the front tire and reached around to the rear tire. I hooked my thumb around the seat stays like I’d been taught to help prevent having my hand pulled too far by the tire.

I was wearing a new pair of winter gloves. The rear tire caught on a seam that went across the palm. Before I could react my hand was firmly wedged between the tire and the frame tight enough that the rear wheel locked up.

There I was going 35 mph with one hand on the bars and one hand stuck behind me. I was fish tailing and trying to stay upright. I was also trying to hold as straight of a line as I could so I wouldn’t crash the other riders.

It was very terrifying! After what seemed like a long time my rear tire blew out. The tire had worn all the way through and into the tube. My hand came free and I was able to bring the bike to a stop.

– UltraRob

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Reader Opinions Wanted

February 4th, 2010

I’m planning to have some UltraRob.com t-shirts and cycling jerseys made. Some will go to lucky readers in contests. They’ll also be available for purchase.

I need to solve something first though. For a while I’ve been back and forth on whether to get a new logo. If I’m going to change the logo, I want to do it before having t-shirts and jerseys made.

You can help me out by answering the poll below. (If you aren’t reading this directly on the UltraRob blog, you’ll probably need to go there.)

Also I’d love to know your ideas on ways to improve the site. Please leave a comment below or you can shoot me an email at poll@ultrarob.com. Thanks!

– UltraRob

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Celebrate the Bald Eagle

February 2nd, 2010

Ever since we’ve been exploring the outdoors, my family has kept lists. They include

  • mountains climbed
  • trails walked
  • birds and animals we’ve seen

The bird and animal list is a long one, with sightings of moose, grizzlies, black bears, and bighorn sheep among the most memorable. Also near the top – bald eagles. We watched these massive birds fish for salmon in Alaska, and I’ve spent many sub-zero days photographing them along the Mississippi River near the Quad Cities.

If “bald eagle” isn’t on your list yet, head to the Pueblo Eagle Days Festival.
The fest, Feb 6-7 at the Lake Pueblo State Park and Wildlife Area, includes live bird demonstrations, bird watching classes, wildlife viewing stations and performances.

The eagles gather around the open waters of the Arkansas River Valley in the winter. Most of Colorado’s bald eagles leave in late February or March and fly north to nesting grounds in the northern U.S., Canada and Alaska.

For more information on the festival, go to www.eagleday.org or call John Koshak in Colorado Springs at (719) 227-5221 or the Pueblo DOW office at (719) 561-5300.

– Deb Acord

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Ski Helmets for All?

February 1st, 2010
Kids Skiing with Helmets

Mandatory ski helmets? It could happen in California where a law has been introduced in the legislature that would require children under the age of 18 to wear a helmet for skiing and snowboarding. The bill is backed by the California Ski Industry Association. If kids were caught helmet-less, their parents would be fined $25.

The bill was introduced by Sen. Leland Yee from San Mateo. He said he drafted it after he saw a study showing helmets can cut in half the risk of serious head injuries in those 15 and younger.

It might not be a terribly hard sell. California has a similar law requiring helmets for young bicyclists. And the National Ski Areas Association says almost half of all skiers and boarders in the U.S. already wear helmets. This season, all Vail Resorts employees are required to wear helmets while skiing and snowboarding on the job.

– Deb Acord

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Snowsports Industries Party in Denver

January 28th, 2010

The massive Snowsports Industries America Snow Show is in Denver for the first time. The show, which runs through Sunday, is only open to retailers, manufacturers, marketers and members of the media.  But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some cool show-related events open to the rest of us.  Billed as “The World’s Largest Apres Ski + Ride Party,” the events include:

  • An Aspen/Snowmass X Games Party at Skyline Park, from 5 to 9 p.m. today through Saturday, with events broadcast live from Aspen/Snowmass on a giant screen.
  • A special showing of Warren Miller’s films on a giant LED display on the Great Wall of Denver Pavilions from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily through Saturday.
  • The completion of a 3-D chalk drawing of a boarder taking off from a ridge at Crested Butte Mountain Resort at the Denver Pavilions.
  • “Wear Your Ski-And-Ride Clothes-to-Work Day” fashion show and contest, Denver Pavilions, Friday at lunchtime. Prizes include a pair of Southwest Airlines tickets; lift tickets, lodging packages, ski gear and gift certificates.
  • TransWorld SNOWboarding’s 11th annual Rider’s Poll Awards, Fillmore Auditorium. Doors open at 7 p.m. on Friday

And dozens of downtown bars and restaurants are offering dining, drinking and party specials. The Appaloosa Grill has teamed up with Telluride; Blake Street Vault with Monarch; Earl’s Restaurant Downtown and Paramount Cafe with Aspen Ski Co.; Hard Rock Cafe with Steamboat; Katie Mullens with Loveland; LoDo Bar & Grill with Vail Resorts; Lucky Strike Lanes with Copper Mountain; Marlowe’s with Powderhorn; Rialto with SolVista; Rio Grande with Echo Mountain; Rock Bottom Brewery with Durango Mtn., Tilted Kilt with A-Basin, and Wynkoop Brewery with Winter Park.

– Deb Acord

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Three Colorado Lift Tickets, $99

January 27th, 2010

The marketing people at skicolorado.com must be drinking some kind of magic potion that makes them extra clever. Their newest campaign slogan: “Get a face full of the Pow Pow Platter.” This package is a great deal – for $99 you get one lift ticket for Steamboat, one for Winter Park and one for Copper Mountain.  The deal is available online only, and must be purchased 48 hours before your first ski day.  Check it out at here.

– Deb Acord

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Got Gear? Outdoor Industry

January 26th, 2010

The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market ended Sunday in Salt Lake City. It is the ultimate showcase of products you will see in your favorite gear stores this year. Here’s a rundown of some of the more intriguing products:

  • Klymit Kinetic Vests, with an insulation which uses argon gas to trap warmth and allow the insulation to retain its loft. Klymit says the inflatable vests stay warm when they are wet, and are windproof. The gases used are non-toxic and non-flammable.
  • K-Light solar-powered lantern. About the size and weight of a can of soda, it has a solar-charged battery and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The K-Light, made by Pisatsolar is rechargeable and offers 20 hours of run time when it’s fully charged.
  • Ready to Eat Sandwiches from Bridgford Foods Corp. I’ve always loved the idea of pre-packaged camping food, even though I would only eat some of it (the new MREs) if it was the only way I could survive. But I’m open to new ideas. These sandwiches have a three-year shelf life and can be eaten from the pouch or can be heated at your campsite using an MRE/flameless heater or boiling water.
  • JakPak. It’s a waterproof jacket. It’s a sleeping bag. It’s a tent. (Well, it’s more like a bivy.) Claiming to be the world’s first combo product, it has breathable fabric and pit zips. Its sleeping bag and tent are detachable.
  • GoGirl. Does a girl pee in the woods? Only if she has no other options. Guys have it made in this department and probably won’t understand the importance of this innovation. This practical product allows women to stand up while going to the bathroom, keeping shoes and pants dry and making the whole process easier.
  • Ansai’s Mobile Warming clothing. This Chinese company has recently expanded to the U.S. Its Mobile Warming technology features a four-way stretch breathable, waterproof-fabric and keeps you warm with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with four-level thermo-regulating controls.

– Deb Acord

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Pikes Peak South Slope Access Plan Meeting Tomorrow Night

January 25th, 2010
View from Pikes Peak

Since 1999 there have been several meetings to discuss public access and recreation on the South Slope of Pikes Peak. Colorado Springs Utilities has seven reservoirs fed by Pikes Peak snowmelt and rainwater on the South Slope. The area has been closed to the public since 1913.

Deb Acord has had the good fortune of seeing it for herself. She visited it several times with CSU escorts in 2002 when she was reporting on this plan for the Colorado Springs Gazette. She says, “Ever since then, I’ve been hoping for the day when I could explore this tangle of deep forests on my own.”

Colorado Springs Utilities has been soliciting input from stakeholders and members of the public for months. Now CSU is ready to present its latest proposed conceptual plan for recreation in the area. Tomorrow evening, Tuesday January 26th, there will be a meeting from 5:30 to 7:00 PM to discuss the latest plan. It will be held in the Pikes Peak Room of the Leon Young Service Center, 1521 Hancock Expressway.

It sounds like mountain bikers may be being kept out of the best part of the south slope. Someone that has seen an initial draft of the proposal says that there are new trails in 2 areas.

One of them is in the area I most think of as the South Slope. There will be access from Gold Camp road to several of the lakes and include a loop trail. Unfortunately this area will be open to hikers and equestrians but not mountain bikers.

This area is key in completion of the 63 mile Ring the Peak Trail. If you follow the link, you’ll see a missing section of the trail and it’s my understanding that this is the area where mountain bikes wouldn’t be permitted. I believe that’s a huge mistake. I don’t have enough details to know if the proposed trail will provide the necessary Ring the Peaks Trail connection for hikers either.

The 2nd proposed trail will provide a connection from Jones Park to the Barr Trail area around the Mount View Trail. Although this isn’t needed for the Ring the Peak Trail as it’s currently defined, it would allow for some interesting loops. Currently there’s really no way to connect by trail between the Cheyenne Cañon/Bear Creek Canyon area and areas near Barr Trail other than dropping to the Intemann Trail.

If you live in the Pikes Peak region and care about our trails, I’d suggest you go to the meeting tomorrow and give your feedback. If you’re a local mountain biker, you really need to be at the meeting and let your voice be heard if it’s true that they’re proposing no mountain bikes in the South Slope reservoir area.

Update: I’ve uploaded a copy of the Pikes Peak South Slope Access Plan. The reasons it gives for restricting mountain bikes is “to allow for a wilderness like experience and to reduce the risk of fast moving recreation impacting bighorn sheep.” With my initial quick look, I also don’t see that the plan will allow completion of the Ring the Peaks Trail.

– UltraRob

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