Morning at Galbraith

Saturday morning, I had plans to go watch some collegiate cycling and root on my alma mater (GO WHITMAN!!) up in Bellingham, WA. Since I was driving, I looked for an opportunity to mountain bike. Enter: GALBRAITH!

After all I've heard and read of Galbraith, I had big, BIG expectations-- endless ribbons of dirt twisting through a fairy tale forest. So you can imagine my disappointment when I found:

washed out, overgrown, poorly drained trails that lead nowhere,

jumps hacked by 13-year-olds,

and an impossible entrance to the park.

Yeah, here's a tip:

TOTALLY MISSED THAT. From Birch St. Entrance: The left trail neatly switchbacks up to the Ridge Trail (the one you want), which will take you to the info kiosk and the AWESOME web of trails. The right, however, will take you to the washed out, over grown, hacked together mess-- which is possibly not even part of the park.

So, once I got that..

It was all good.

Dirt roads are the pipelines between trails.

Riding at Duthie has noticeably improved my skills already!

Well, not THAT much. Yet.

A welcome addition to a bike ride.

{Happy Birthday, V!}

Ride the Islands!

I have discovered several wonderful things.

First-- round trip fare for a cyclist on the Whidbey ferry is only $5.10. 

Second-- bus transit on the island is FREE!

Third-- Langley has really, really good coffee that is the perfect jet fuel.

So what this means is: riding around Whidbey Island is one of my favorite things to do with a weekend. I can ride or bus down to the ferry, then ride or bus up to Langley, drink a cappuccino, then ride or bus all over the island before ferrying, then riding or busing back home. What is 50 miles of riding for the legs, could be 100 miles of travel and sights to see. 

Buses aside, the island has quiet roads for riding, rugged beaches for relaxing and quaint towns with really great coffee for sipping. What a combo! If I pull my touring gear together, an overnight at Fort Ebey or Deception Pass becomes a scenic, minimal-planning mini-tour. After getting the hang of that, a third or fourth day would get me up to Anacortes or even the San Juan Islands. People fly across the country to ride these! I've got them in my backyard.

So if you're looking for a quick mini-tour-- try rolling out your front door and see what you find.

Loving Duthie

One reason to love Duthie Hill [mountain bike park] is because the trails are made specifically for mountain bikers. These aren't hiking trails that mountain bikers are allowed on-- these are mountain biking trails. And boy does it make a difference! The latter third of the "Boot Camp" trail is pure downhill swoopiness. Banked corner after banked corner after banked corner. It's not huge or advanced-- a beginner like me can handle it-- but it is SO FUN. It's a roller coaster ride that you're in charge of.

Another reason to love Duthie-- is that it is so BEAUTIFUL. Road riding is great because I can start out my door, but I can never ride far enough to get away from pesty cars. Mountain biking on the other hand, even though I have to drive to get there-- it's just me, the woods and my bike. Real solace.

I love it!

Touring Bikes Under $1500

If you're looking for an affordable touring bike, you can stop your internet wanderings. Joshua, over at Adventure Cycling, has compiled a list of touring bikes under $1500: click here to visit the blog post. 

I've posted a link to my review of the Trek 520 there, and hopefully other Adventure Cycling readers will do the same!

It all began with a small detour..

Today was an interesting day.

It all began with a small detour..

which resulted in a flat tire

and the route didn't really work out.

Fixed the flat, topped it off at a local bike shop, moved on.

Discovered that Mukilteo Blvd is a signed bike route with healthy shoulders!

Tried to buy a ferry ticket with my "Orca Card," only to discover that Orca did not understand that I was an adult who ALSO had a bicycle. The kind lady called in my problem in order to get it fixed for future Orca Card Carrying Cyclists.

I still think ferries are fun.

When I got off the boat, I saw a bus-- and I like buses.

Especially FREE ones that take me up the big ol' hill to Langley!

And cappucinos.

I asked a lady where I should eat.

She told me, then thanked me for coming to Langley.

And all of the baristas were cute.

Okay, so I RODE back to the ferry-- on my BIKE (not the bus).

And I discovered this:

So I poked and poked and poked it,

because-- you know-- that looks like something that needs poking.

Walked three steps away to go look at the water and

BLAM-O!!

I didn't even look.

I just smirked.

A woman in a car said, "your tire.."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks. I was waiting for that to happen."

Sooo.. took the bus up the hill to the park across from our old house..

And waited for mom to pick me up.

The End!

Discovered a Pedestrian Bridge!

Discovered a pedestrian bridge over a river today. That just increased my ride options! Sometimes just poking around will teach you more than poring over a map. 

Oh, and I watched a chicken cross the road. I thought that was funny. Though I couldn't figure out why she was crossing the road..

Trek/Fisher Mountain Bike Demo

{Trek Remedy review, Trek Fuel EX review}

I got to test ride some bikes! Trek/Gary Fisher has a big truck an' trailer that drives around, toting mountain bikes for folks to try on the trail. This week happened to be a dealer-only event, but the truck also hosts public events.

I showed up an hour early so that I could take a few laps on my own mountain bike first as a "neutral" comparison. Then I tried a Remedy, a Fuel EX, a Remedy, and a Fuel EX. Yes, I rode two bikes back and forth-- because they were the only bikes in my size to ride. No 29ers, no HiFi, no Rumblefish, no Scratch, etc, etc. Wow, really?? Sure, there is a women's truck roaming around somewhere-- but I was informed by a demo guy that the only difference between the two were the stem and saddles. So why only 2 bikes in a small size? LAME.

Back to the EX and the Remedy.

In Mountain Bike Land, the spectrum, to me, looks like this:

1. Cross-country race bikes. Light suspension, light bike, possibly hardtail or 29er. Fast. Very responsive handling, climbs incredibly, goes downhill okay.
2. Do-it-all cross-country. A little more suspension, fairly light, quick, responsive handling but more stable than a racer, climbs, but holds it own going downhill. (*MY BIKE.)
3. Beefy cross-country. More suspension, a fork/head tube angle that can handle rougher downhill, a bit heavier, stable handling. It can go up, but it much prefers to go down.
4. After this, the bikes are really about going down.

My understanding of mountain bike #3 has totally changed. It used to be that these bikes were real pigs. They were pretty much "light duty downhill." You could climb on them, but you didn't really want to. 

Now-- these bikes are lighter, the suspension technology greater, and the angles tuned just right. This is the new "every person's" mountain bike. 

the REMEDY

Is #3, without the dead weight. The bike felt super solid-- it stuck to the trail, I wasn't bouncing around. The steering was stable and generous to small mistakes, it didn't need to be micro-managed. It went down, it went up-- it was faster (lighter!) than I expected. To be fair, the REMEDY is the perfect bike for the park we were at-- Duthie Hill. Duthie is a park with trails built FOR mountain bikes (as opposed to trails built for hikers that bikes are allowed on)-- so it is super 'flowy' with all sorts of fun banking. It's Remedy territory.

Who I would recommend the Remedy to: enthusiast or first-time riders, looking for a bike that is quick but confident. You'll never shave your legs for a XC race. You hit the trail once-in-a-while or regularly. You're going to ride single track, flow park, small jumps-- Remedy it. This is the do-it-all. 

Comparable bike: the Enduro by Specialized.

the FUEL EX

If the Remedy were a sword, the EX felt like a scalpel. Or maybe a dagger. We'll let the real race bikes be scalpels. The EX could handle Duthie's flowy trails, but it was less forgiving to user-error. Rider-input had to be more exact. To be fair, the park was more suited to the Remedy than the Fuel EX. But boy, what small rollers I did climb-- I could tell that the EX really could jet uphill! 

Who I would recommend the Fuel EX to: enthusiast or first-time riders who prefer going up the mountain than down. You'd absolutely shave your legs for a XC race. When you ride your mountain bike, you're there to get a workout. You're going to ride fire road, single track, maybe some flow park. Fuel EX is a speedster with more confidence than a pure racer.

Comparable bike: Specialized Stumpjumper

MY BIKE

I have to admit, I was a little worried that I would ride something cooler than my bike, then not like my bike anymore. Fortunately, I like my bike even more now. :)

Per my perspective-- my women's Stumpjumper (Safire) isn't quite so solid as a Remedy, but not quite so twitchy as a Fuel EX. 

For my purposes-- fire road, single track, flow park, some XC racing, endurance riding..

My Safire is goldilocks. Just right.

Trek 520 Touring Bike Review

We made it! Parked on the shore of Atlantic waters.

*There is a sleeping bag and cowboy hat under that yellow jacket,

in case you're wondering why it's piled so high. :)

Last summer, I rode a Trek 520 across the country. These days, the 520 rolls both as a super commuter and a plain ol' fun bike. This is my review.

As a touring bike..

The 520 is fantastic. When purchasing any bike, what you're really buying is the frame. The material and geometry of the frame dictates both how it fits you and how the bike behaves.

• Is it a long or short reach? 
• Is it snappy or stable? 
• Is it harsh or forgiving? 
  

The Trek 520 frame has remained unchanged for many years. Probably because they got it right. 

• The 520 supports a comfortable upright position. 
  
• The bike is super stable, with or without a load (downhills are a delight!), yet still remains lively (not sluggish) when pumping and rocking (loaded!) uphill. This bike performs not just under the weight of a cross-country tour, but when unweighted-- it's still a joy to ride.
• As to be expected, the steel is stiff (power transfer!)-- but absolutely melts over bumps and lumps. The only downside to steel is the heavier weight-- but heck, this bike has gears your great grandma could turn over! So who cares?!

So the frame, complete with a metallic powder coat finish which absolutely glows in the sun, gets 5 of 5 stars. 

If you plan to use the 520 for day to day commuting and leisure use, I wouldn't change a spec on the bike-- except that saddle appears to be there just for looks. Slap on your favorite saddle and you're good to go!

However, if you plan to ride this steel beauty on a long and loaded tour-- there a few key parts and accessories that I would recommend replacing:

1. TIRES. Those Bontrager Race Lite Hard-Case tires are great for rolling around town and over your favorite hill and dale.. but their durability and flat protection is lacking for true long hauls. I had 2 flats and my tire shredded in Booneville, KY. Mia, my touring partner, rode Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires-- not one single flat. So I recommend a tire out of the Schwabe Marathon line. Remember, though-- the addition durability and flat protection aren't the only features of a tire, that extra rubber detracts from the butter and snap of your ride; though I have no complaints of the Schwabes which now roll on my wheels.
2. RACK. The suggested max load of the Bontrager rear rack is 50 pounds. My total gear nearly weighed 50 pounds, depending on the food and water we carried-- so only 30 pounds at most was ever mounted on the rear rack. And it broke. Fortunately-- we were in Blacksburg, KY-- where there was a bike shop. My rack recommendation is a set of Old Man Mountains, Tubus or Surly. OMM for pure performance and reliability, Tubus for the same plus they're pretty, Surly for all of the above plus added durability (and weight). I ride OMMs.
3. FENDERS. While the abbreviated fenders improve your toe overlap (the fender simply 'boings' out of our way should you hit it with your foot while making an awkward u-turn in a grocery parking lot), you'll be much happier on the road with FULL FENDERS and dry feet. 
4. SADDLE. It's not uncommon for a bike to be spec'd with a saddle that the maker expects the consumer to replace with his or her favorite or preferred saddle. This is one of those saddles-- it's pretty and brown, but it has no cut-out and instead, is rather crowned and squashes all the things you don't want squashed. I ended up riding my Specialized Jett, my racing saddle. If you want something softer, I'd recommend a Specialized Lithia Gel-- but remember, softer does not necessarily equate better! That's a whole 'nother post.

And finally, full disclosure-- I was obligated to ride a Trek 520, as I was sponsored by Trek at the time. I already had a Surly Long Haul Trucker that I planned to detach from my Xtracycle. So would I buy a Trek 520 now? Sure would. The Trek 520 is great for:

• A $1300 price point. 
• Touring trips from one night to several months (or years?!).
• A sturdy commuter.
• A stable, comfortable, wide-gear-range everyday bike.

The only reason that I would buy a different bike: if I had twice or thrice the cash to spend. In that condition, I might ride more expensive parts and wheels-- but I'd still enjoy a frame just like the 520.

Was this review helpful to you? Leave a comment if you have any questions!

Sharing Chapters

Photo left: (my photo) We rode with Melanie for a day in Wyoming. A good place for added company. There were very few services.

When touring on a popular route, such as the TransAmerican Trail (established 1976!), you are part of a constant flow of cyclists. Cyclists are traveling east, west, fast and slow. You may see them only for a moment, as you blister down a mountain pass, having time only for a nod and smile of acknowledgement. Or, you may meet them at a gas station, and share a chocolate milk, conversation and a campsite that night. They might be gone in the morning (speedy tourists!), or wave good-bye, because they're going to stay to catch the town's festival. You could meet them once, or many times over.

We met Melanie on the second day of our trip. After dozens and dozens of variables played out, we also saw her again later in Oregon, Montana and Wyoming, but never after that (we took a week off in Colorado). In those places, the chapters of our TransAmerica stories collided.

Melanie sent me these photos that she took of us in Oregon and Wyoming last summer:

A reflection of us taking photos of the halfway-abandoned town that we spent the night in.

A collection of bicycle travelers, sharing space in a mid-renovation building, still filled with nails, planks and sawdust. We didn't mind, though-- we were ecstatic just to be free of the mosquitoes!

We look so clean! This is before we even got to Eugene, OR.

Mia didn't even have her panniers yet!

(She bought a full set of Arkel bags in Eugene.) (Long story.)

These photos are interesting to see, because while they're of us, they're from someone else's memory of their tour. We're characters in someone else's story, and this is how we appear.

Duthie Hill: small park, big fun.

Duthie Hill is a work-in-progress mountain bike park just north of Issaquah, WA. It isn't a very big park (see comparison chart to right), but it uses its space QUITE efficiently. The goals for Duthie Hill are this:

• An awesome park for mountain bikers.
  
• A great place for kids -- make it easier and more fun for kids to get into the sport.
  
• A great place for events and competition.
  
• 4-6 miles of flowy XC trails that are also a great XC race course.
  
• Dirt jumps / Flowlines.
  
• More technical freeride downhill.
  

While I haven't been to many such dedicated mountain bike parks like Duthie, I have to say-- Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance has done a fabulous job of meeting these design goals, and they're not even done yet. Just take a look at how many trails will cram into this space:

Yeah, no kidding. CRAMMED with trails!

This is what the park looks like currently, as of March 8:

The quality of work is just amazing. I've worked for the Washington Trails Association, leading trail building work parties on Mt.Rainier, so I know what good trail looks like. This is not just GOOD trail, it's good MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAIL. The banking, the flow, the diversity, the creativity, the challenge options.. all of it.. wow. VERY GOOD WORK.

If you've heard mostly about the many of drops, stunts and downhill/freeride lines in the park, but you're a cross-country rider-- don't worry, this park is also for you! Five to six miles of flowy singletrack have been (or will be) crammed in, by means of three-leaf clover loops and an alternate loop. PLUS, the cross country trails feature optional challenges-- a skinny log to ride, small jumps, etc-- that can be easily and intuitively by-passed if you want to skip it and keep your flow.

This Boardwalk leads from the parking lot to the heart of the park.

Boot Camp is a trail where novices can learn and advanced riders can sharpen.

I rode it 4 times in a row before work on Wednesday.

An example of an alternate challenge on the trail.

Duthie does not shy away from seriously advanced trails.

Yee-wow.

And THIS what what you ride to get to the banking!

Randonneuring: Permanent Course

A few days ago, I posted about randonneuring and my discovery of the Seattle International Randonneurs. I even learned how to pronounce "randonneur" just yesterday, but I've already forgotten. Anyhow, randonneuring involves riding quite a long way-- on the order of two to several hundred, if not more than a thousand kilometers. 

But even if you don't intend to ride a very long way all at once, but instead, say, in little bits and carrying a few things so you can spend the night along the way (read: touring).. the courses that the randonneurs take can be very useful for this!

Enter: permanents. Permanent courses developed by the S.I.Rs. Very handy indeed. Is there a randonneuring club in your area that has mapped some terrific routes?