Devou Park+Tacos+Bicycles=Spectacular Fun

YES, rain or shine, the Devou Park Summer Race Series is on. Tonight Senor Roy's taco truck will be joining us. Can you think of anything better than tacos and bicycles? Okay, maybe tacos and bicycles at the exactly same time aren't a good idea, but within reason, it really is kind of a great concept. Here's the breakdown.

Scenario 1: You have a bicycle and would like to race it.
That's fantastic. Bring your license or purchase a one day license at registration. Bring cash for tacos, too. You're really going to want one (or six) after you climb up that hill.

Scenario 2: Breaking that kind of sweat is ridiculous. You just want to watch your friends ad loved one suffer.
This is also fantastic. Bring yourselves, your kids, your neighbors, your dog, and a blanket or chair to sit on. You should also bring some cash for the taco truck--honestly, who doesn't love tacos? Bring your cheering voice. There's a possibility of best fan prems.

Scenario 3: You have a bicycle, but aren't sure about racing.
Don't make excuses. Bring your bike, your helmet, and a can-do attitude. There's even a women's only race and honestly, I don't remember the last time a crit series around here had a regularly scheduled women's only race.

Dirty Divas 2010 Mountain Bike Clinic

Hey ladies! Do you want to mountain bike, improve your skills, or just hang out with some like-minded folks? If so, please come to Harbin Park this Saturday for the seventh annual Dirty Divas Mountain Bike Clinic. The women of Reser will be out in force and Jess will be wrenching and holding down the Reser Tent--stop by for some tasty treats, maintenance advice and help!

Register at: http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=10964

$50 for registration includes breakfast and lunch! Raffles will be held, so bring some cash for tickets that will support CORA's work to improve mountain bike facilities in our region.

Join us for a day of fun and fitness at our annual mountain bike instructional clinic for women. All riders from first-timers to advanced are welcome, and all fitness levels. Whether you’ve never ridden on a mountain bike trail, or you’re just looking to polish up your off-road handling skills, we have a great day in store for you!
At the CORA Dirty Divas Clinic, you will:

• Learn the basics of mountain biking, even if you’ve never ridden off-road
• Master your skills if you’ve already begun riding
• Discover proper technique for conquering hills, making tight turns, clearing obstacles, and more
• Challenge yourself
• Gain confidence
• Have fun!

New this year! The Dirty Divas clinic will feature only IMIC (International Mountainbike Instructor Certification)-certified instructors.

BMC Trailfox 01

The Trailfox is appropriately named. This bike lives for trails. I don’t say that because it has knobby tires, and 140mm of suspension travel, I say that because this is a bike that is at home on the trail. It has an active suspension, without feeling bouncy. I didn’t bother using ProPedal at all, and felt no real ill-effects. If I was faced with a very long climb, I would probably use it, but only to try to eke out every last bit of efficiency. This bike carves the corners and flies up hills. Taking corners I felt very confident leaning into the turns, the frame is quite stiff and allowed me to really push the bike and try to squeeze out as much speed as I could muster down the trail. Climbing was a point-and-shoot kind of affair, with the suspension actively hunting for traction without an annoying bob.
Descending was very smooth. While the trails I rode lacked in a slow technical descent, there are a few fast, rough hills that let me test the bike’s lofting capability, and I found the Trailfox to be very responsive to steering inputs and weight transfers, allowing me to loft the front wheel over rough sections quite easily, which made it able for me to place the front wheel wherever it needed to be in order to continue along with my chosen line.
I did notice that the bike didn’t behave well in the air. The rear suspension would kick off the trail and send the rear wheel higher than the front. It wasn’t difficult to control in the air, but it is a bit frightening to have the rear wheel kick up when you’re not expecting it. This may have been due to my suspension set up, or to my technique, but it would be something to keep in mind as you set out on the trail.
Overall I found the Trailfox to be a very capable bike. It made me feel faster on the trail without feeling fragile like a race bike can. The rear suspension soaked up bumps quite effectively and still allowed me to put power down either in the seat or standing up. This is a bike that is definitely at home on dirt.

Rocky Mountain Altitude 30

This may be the most beautiful mountain bike I have seen. It has a deep metallic blue paint over a flowing set of tubes, I almost wanted to hang it up as art instead of riding it. Notice I said “almost”. Riding the altitude was almost like watching a romantic comedy. You know what will happen in the end, but you also know that there will be some bump in the road that will be resolved somehow.
The bump in the Altitude’s road was the spec tire, not offering good traction when encountering wet roots or the muddy side of a water crossing. But when the tire slipped, the bike stayed upright and stable, and once you found traction it continued climbing. This bike is the epitome of balanced. It has a very natural feel to it, is easy to hold a line, and very easy to control going uphill, down, or on flat ground. This bike also takes to the air very well. On small jumps, like the kinds found on local cross country trails, the bike stays very level in the air, and absorbs the landing very well. It pedals very well without the need for ProPedal, which is good because the lever is mounted near the bottom bracket making it hard to reach while riding. I left the shock open the entire time and experienced no ill effects of a lack of platform. This bike definitely rewards smoothness, asking that you stay in the seat and spin rather than mash the pedals and yank the bars. I did both, and can say that it does prefer the rider to stay seated, standing and manhandling the bike produces results too.
The bike felt a bit short in the top tube. I’m 5’11” on a good day, and I slid the seat all the way back on the 18” frame I rode, and still felt a bit cramped. The front tire also had a tendency to lift a bit while climbing in the seat, but it was easily controlled and brought back to the ground. Overall I would call the Altitude 30 an excellent bike for someone new to riding, or looking for an upgrade bike that performs well no matter how you ride it. Or you could pick it up just to stare at it, this bike is stunning. Don’t forget to wipe off the drool when you’re done.

Devou Park Criterium Series presented by Reser Bicycle Outfitters and Busam Subaru!

Looking for some free, family-friendly fun? Bring a picnic and the kids and get ready for some exciting bicycle racing! Start time is 7:00 pm at Devou Park. Please follow the signs and note that the park will largely be closed to traffic from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Every Wednesday from July 14, 2010 thru August 11, 2010

The Devou Park Race Series is intended to give entry level racers, women and high school aged juniors the opportunity to get additional racing experience on a slightly challenging course.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course will be a challenging 1-mile loop in beautiful Devou Park. It starts with a flat straight section before you hit the 180 degree turn to start the decent. At the bottom of the decent you’ll have a sweeping right hander into the climb. The climb itself is winding with some rough pavement. Once you reach the top, it’s a short sprint the last couple of hundred feet to the finish line.

REGISTRATION: Online registration is available at BikeReg.com. Online registration will close at 11:59 PM the night before each race. Pre-registration is highly encouraged. A $5 late fee will be assessed to all day of event registrations. Onsite registration and check in will open at 6:00 PM and closes 15 minutes before each race.

Yeti 575 Review

When I first grabbed the bars of the Yeti 575 I noticed a few things that I thought I wouldn’t be able to adapt to, the high seat height caused by the high bottom bracket, and the wide bars. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to get used to either. I was very wrong. The seat doesn’t feel high as soon as you start going, and the wide bars offer good hand placement for control and leverage for climbing. Riding the 575 is an awesome experience. The rear suspension is super plush, while not being too soft to pedal. The particular bike I rode had the Fox RP23, and with ProPedal engaged the bike accelerated and climbed even better.
Riding this bike did a few things for me. It initially made me want to hit every single root, rock, jump, and drop I could find. As someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy flying down hills, jumping, and drops, the 575 gave me the confidence to go a bit faster, and let the wheels leave the ground a bit more. Climbing was efficient whether ProPedal was on or not, but the suspension will bob if you’re standing and torquing as opposed to spinning an easier gear. The other thing this bike did is make me want to be a better rider. The bike provides the platform for a skill set above mine, and the more I rode the bike, the more I wanted to elevate my skills to the level of the bike.
The first time I rode this bike I was limited to a short ride by only being able to carry one water bottle. And the cage location is right below the shock, which makes taking the bottle out, and flipping the ProPedal lever a bit of a chore. Not that that is a big deal, especially since many people have gone to the backpack hydration packs, but for those of us still in the hydration dark ages it would have been nice to have space for multiple cages, and also to have them in more convenient locations.
Overall, the 575 is a solid bike, an awesome climber, confident on the descents, and despite the large look to the frame, it is very lightweight. The bike is very stable both at speed and when picking and choosing a line.

Maintenance Class!

The second Saturday of every month we offer a maintenance class with our head mechanic, Matt Baker. Bring your bicycle, or borrow one of ours, and he'll show you basic bicycle anatomy and roadside repair tips and tricks that will make you a more confident and comfortable bicyclist. If you've purchased a bicycle from us, it's free, if not, it's $10. Reservations aren't required, but it's always nice to know if you'll be joining us. RSVP to bakerbikewrench@gmail.com.

Civia Belt Drive

Form and function neatly intersect with Civia's newest bicycle, the Bryant. An eight speed Alfine hub is combined with the simplicity of a carbon belt drive. This results in a bicycle that is silent--it's like riding a silent ghost ship. Most serious commuters won't even wear out the belt drive. A traditional chain can wear down and destroy an entire drive chain; a belt drive won't. If you're the sort who isn't cleaning their chain every week, but is riding every day to work, to school, and to the grocery store, then a belt drive bicycle is a great option. Avid disc brakes make for serious peace of mind when stopping in inclement weather. Racks and fenders will mount easily on this classically-styled frame. The Bryant is the pinnacle of no-muss, no-fuss commuting.


Adjectives and phrases used by staff people to describe this beautiful beast of burden:

"Silent ghost ship"
"Beautiful."
"Unicorn-like."
"Really, really practical."

A professional fit from one of our Serrotta Fit Specialists will turn this bicycle into the most comfortable commuter you can imagine.

Yes, we are open!

It may be a federal holiday, but our doors are open. Come see our new Civia Bryant bicycles with belt drives (review to follow). Don't mow the lawn or clean the pool. Visit us and get ready for a summer filled with bicycling fun!