Here are some tips on choosing a place to ride in winter
Where to go when it’s ACTIVELY RAINING:
We recommend pavement or gravel surfaces, or very sandy or rocky trails.
Option 1: Paved MUPs
Paved off-road multi-use paths are great if you don’t want to share space with cars when their wipers are wiping and visibility is poor. They also tend to be relatively pedestrian-free at these times, which makes biking much more pleasant and conflict-free.
The San Francisco Bay Trail is great, especially from San Mateo to Redwood shores, and from Palo Alto Baylands to Shoreline Park in Mountain View. The Bay Trail is incomplete, so check their website for what sections are finished in your area. Unpaved sections of the Bay Trail tend to be greasy gooey mud, so be aware. Other paved MUPs include…
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Here is something to keep you going while the cold and rain is outside…
A group of our customers were up in BC this past summer. One of them (Brian) edited up some videos of their trip. Here are two videos for your viewing pleasure…
Berry has an interesting method for doing some stream crossings, though I am not sure how to describe it. This shot was from Thursday’s Appetite Seminar ride in Marin.
There are not official rides, as there isn’t a ride leader, official departure time, or anything like that. Just mass gatherings where people go to a designated start area and ride a designated route. Routes are pretty easy to find – just follow the mass of people.
There is a bull pen in the town of Fairfax where a few kegs of donated beer are available for your enjoyment after the ride (though it often runs out early, so plan to be there before 11 or so to make sure you get some). And Los Gatos’ tradition has come to include a picnic at the top (so watch for people towing roasted pigs, kegs, etc.) to the top.
I think you may find Charles in Los Gatos, and Berry up in Fairfax…
2 years ago, Charles wrote up a bit about the history of the Appetite Seminar and his experience on the ride and posted it here.
We got word today from the Soquel Demonstration State Forest Managers that repairs to the slide on Highland Way are nearly done. The contractor reported that the paving is done and they will finish ahead of schedule. We don’t know if the K-rails blocking the road have been removed yet, but if not they should be soon.
Belmont issued the following press release today about a person of interest related to the fires set in Waterdog Park.
Age: 30’s
Gender: Male
Height: 5-10 to 6-0
Weight: 170
Eyes: Unknown
Hair: Brown
Complexion: Medium
Race: White
Date of last contact: 9/4/08
On Thursday 9/4/08 at approx. 4:50pm, two separate fires were reported in the canyon area, on the east side of the Hallmark neighborhood. Both fires were near Wakefield Dr & Somerset Dr and the two fires each burned approx. 1/4 of an acre. No structures were involved and there were no injuries. A preliminary investigation has determined that both fires were human-caused and may have been intentionally set. The Belmont Police are asking for the public’s help in this investigation.
Our original plan was to use yesterday, Wednesday, as a rest day of sorts, so we would be plenty fresh for a long ride on Thursday. The long ride of choice was the Alpine Trail, just outside of Oakridge in Westfir, also known as the venue for the Cascade Cream Puff . After the prior day’s dubiously restful nature, we had a lot of trouble getting ourselves motivated and out the door early enough to load our Camelbaks with a days rations and hit the trail in time to catch the shuttled riders leaving the Trailhead Cafe at 10:00, so we slept in, and it was good. Real good, and easy to tacitly rationalize at this point in our trip, so instead we grumbled. Or at least I did, all the way up the hill in the shuttle van. It seemed a shame to waste a perfectly good ride day with just one short shuttle that would have us back in town by 1:00, especially now that we were so well rested.
We have completed our second day riding in the Nelson area, both in town, as well as from the Baldface Lodge 4000 feet above town. While we originally found Canada a smaller place than originally stated (metric conversion conspiracy. Every thing in Canada is about 1/3 closer than it sounds), we have found the 4000 foot drop into town is at least 5000 feet, and a “full day” of riding can be had by noon.
Our group started with 14 eager campers, and a 45 minute push from the Lodge up to Cherry Tops, because the aforementioned 4000 feet evidently wasn’t, by local standards, enough. Our guide today was some available local named Mike, and we followed him to the best of our ability down High Man to Swamp Donkey. The best of our ability turned out to be better than the ability of at least six of the riders in our group, and they got on a truck at mid mountain. Four were never seen again.
One the scale of people you know that really like to drive, Sean would rise to the top. He really, really likes to drive, and he’s excellent at it. He and I did a very fast road trip two years ago, a mad dash to central Oregon and back in four days, with three epic rides sandwiched in between. When he called a couple weeks ago to tell me Nelson was only 19 hours away by car, I knew what he was thinking, and what he was capable of. We put together a couple of roof racks and outfitted his Prius to carry our two bikes as well as the three bikes that belonged to Patrick, Rob, and Jim, who we were to meet in downtown Nelson on Thursday.
Address: 415 Old County Rd, Belmont Phone: 650-620-9798
Our name says it – we are passionate about bikes and trails. We are all dedicated mountain bikers, and our knowledge of local trails can't be beat. Our mechanics are the best in the business, and we take customer service very seriously. We are committed to making your bike run perfectly. We guarantee great rides.
Age: 30’s
