Lee's Cyclery Blog » grand junction

Out with the old, in with the new

Steve Lacey — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:25:09 +0000

To all those who bought or donated items for Stuart’s auction I give you my sincere thanks……Thanks for showing me that the cycling family is strong and supportive of those in need. I don’t know the exact numbers of the money raised as of yet but I can tell you quite a few of the items got more attention than a teenager’s cell phone, and the bids were changing faster than the ink could dry from the previous ones. In the end, it didn’t matter so much what was bid on and won, as much as who won.
Speaking of winning, did you happen to see the results of the Leadville 100 which took place last Saturday as well? It seems the Tour de France is the perfect training event for the race across the sky as none other than Lance crushed the field and the course record while beating last year’s winner, Dave Wiens, by about a half an hour. Oh yeah, and if you think you could slow him down by letting some of the air out of his tires, think again; with about ten miles to go, he got a flat rear tire and without the aid of his team car, quickly realized he rides better than he wrenches, and finished with the same flat tire.

Photo by Bruce Turner

Another winner you might not have heard about is a guy by the name of Owen Murphy…..Who? O-W-E-N M-U-R-P-H-Y! He finished the Colorado Trail Race in 4 days, 3 hours and change, beating the old record by about a day. That’s 470 miles, Denver to Durango, on a mountain bike without feed zones, domestiques or room service. Only about ten yahoos completed the entire course and to the winner goes……..well, his name is Owen and he is most likely faster than you on a bike!

News from my side….the time finally came…the old Specialized Enduro got replaced. Yep, she was a good ride alright and we had a lot of good times together, but the rough miles, hard landings and fast descents were getting to be a bit too much for the old girl. It was time to upgrade to a new model; better built, firmer shocks, anxious to try new obstacles….The Trek Remedy. Like the Enduro, the Remedy is more of an all mountain bike, meaning it’ll go anywhere and tackle just about anything….Or as much as I can throw at her anyway. With a bit more travel and refined suspension, the Remedy gives the trails a brand new feeling and I can’t wait for the Fall trip to Moab and Grand Junction. We’re still getting acquainted and figuring air pressures and settings, but so far, it’s a keeper. One thing I just couldn’t part with was my old seat, torn up as it is, some things just feel right.

Ah yes, the Fall trip! Is it that time of year already??……Well, no, but planning is key and if you’re planning to ride this winter, might I suggest keeping your eye out for some inexpensive closeout shoes a couple sizes too big to allow room for a thicker pair or two of wool socks and a little wiggle room? You know, just in case you get a snow day!
Finally, don’t forget your summer time goals either just because Fall is on her way…. there’s still plenty of time to reach them!

Steve Lacey

Tails from the Trails of Moab

Steve Lacey — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:25:59 +0000

I hope some of you had the opportunity to get out and watch or take part in some of the events centered around the Fort Collins bicycle fest May 7 – 10. I was unable to attend because I was on a little bike fest of my own from the 6th to the 10th and thought you might be interested in hearing a little bit about it!

If you’re new to mountain biking or don’t own a Jeep, you may not have heard about a little town in Utah named Moab (although I have seen a billboard in Denver inviting all to visit said little town). Each spring, this desert oasis comes alive with mountain bikers eager to get the season started and shake the winter’s cabin fever. For me, it’s like salmon heading to the spawning grounds and this season, I had the pleasure of being accompanied by seven others on the journey to MOAB.

This year, however, was a bit different, as someone suggested stopping in Golden, Co. and taking a spin up Apex and down through the Enchanted Forest on the way out of town. This “is” a bike trip after all and even if we continued driving we would not be able to make it during the daylight hours so…..we pull off I-70 at the Morrison exit and onto the trailhead. Wow, for a Wednesday evening the parking lot was pretty crowded so that must be a good sign! The Apex trail is not terribly steep or technical but it does hold a constant grade to test your stamina. We chose the shorter route to the top to make sure we kept our layover short. After it’s crest, Apex turns into a down hill section with plenty of switchbacks then up to the Enchanted Forest. If you like flowing trails through the trees, the Enchanted Forest is a trail for you. Be prepared, there are still some short climbs along the way down to set the quads ablaze.

Next stop – the KOA campground in Grand Junction to catch some sleep before heading to Tabeguache – home of Free Lunch, Holy Cross and the Ribbon trails. We start the morning off early heading up Holy Cross, one of my personal favorites. This trail is loaded with alternate lines and technical features to keep all who enter plenty busy, and that’s on the way up. At the top of Holy Cross, we turn onto Prenup, a new trail that bypasses the Widow Maker on the way to Monument Road. Normally we would ride up the road to the top of the Ribbon trail, but this year we decide to ride up the Ribbon…..Up might be a bit of a misnomer because first you must navigate a steep descent to the bottom of the canyon with a couple of technical sections that are sure to test even the best. After a bit of a ride along the wash at the bottom, you begin the grind up the slab called the Ribbon. Keep your eyes open on the way up for opportunities to test your skills on the way down, of which there are plenty. A quick bite for lunch at the top and we’re off again the same way we came, only much faster and taking full advantage of our sightings on the way up. Now for the climb back to the road and up to the Free Lunch trail head. The trail from the road up to Free Lunch is nothing more than a way to get to Free Lunch and is probably just steep enough for the big bikes to take notice. You know you’re in for a treat when there is an entrance exam at the beginning of the trail to weed out the timid. Drops and jumps abound on this trail and to ride it once a year does not do it justice at all. We try just the same and have to leave a few of the tougher obstacles for next time, or maybe the time after that. Now back to Holy Cross the right way, down. HC is not quite as extreme as Free Lunch but it’s no free lunch either, and can bite you back in a hurry as a member of our group found out. He was fine and we made it back to the car to continue on to MOAB!

Ah Moab ! You feel the adrenaline as soon as you pull into town. Big 4×4′s, campers, bike shops, motorcycles and bike racks …lots of them! This is it! Grand Junction and Fruita, eat your heart out! We decide to camp up in the Sand Flats area past Slick Rock. $10.00 a night per car, with an outhouse….can’t beat that. Even if you do have to share the outhouse with Mrs. Black Widow or is it Ms? We set up camp early and get plenty of rest for the following day’s ride. We wake to a good breakfast of eggs, bacon, cheese, cereal and coffee or coke then throw a couple sandwiches in the camelback and we’re ready to go. We find out there is still too much snow in the LaSal for a trip up to Burro Pass and the Whole Enchilada, so we settle for shuttling up to Hazard County and starting there. A little climb gets us to the high point, then its 20 miles or so down into town. The first of many gap jumps, for those who dare, is just 100 yards after the start of the descent. Some of us try the smaller ones but due to our smaller ones, leave the big jumps for those behind us. The trail sweeps and flows enough to make it a blast without catching big air and brings you right to Upper Porcupine. Upper Porcupine is a must before heading down Lower Porcupine due to its twisty ups and downs throughout the trees and at times, on the edge of the canyon and we race through it like a wild fire. Lower Porcupine Rim begins as a Jeep road which begs for speed and we were all too willing to oblige, but beware of the rock ledges waiting to grab your front wheel! Getting down to the single track without a pinch flat is an accomplishment, and we all had good luck. From here, the trail turns to single track which skirts the upper edge of a canyon, which means the lower edge is not where you or your bike wants to be. However, my bike wanted to see what is was like down there and proceeded down a sixty foot bank to see for itself. After a nice little climb, I reached my bike and saw for myself too….I in fact did not want to be down there and my bike did not help at all on the way back up. The bike was fine and we continued out to the road for the ride back through town and up to camp. Since we shuttled up to Hazard County, some of us had to retrieve the shuttle vehicles and some of us had the privilege of lightening the coolers. I’m glad I don’t own a vehicle worthy of the trip to Moab.

After a shower and dinner in town, the full moon was too good to waste and we decide to enjoy Slick Rock at night. Wanting to experience the full grandeur of Slick Rock, we decide NOT to use our lights and follow white marks lit by the moonlight. Like a cowboy trusts his horse, we trust our bikes know how to negotiate each dark spot on the trail… and they do. Our speed or lack thereof, did not allow us to complete the full loop as we had another full day ahead of us, so we turned around and headed back to camp.

Rise and shine! Time for breakfast, get the chains lubed, make a sandwich or two, load the bikes and we’re off again. Baby Steps north of town is the first stop. This was the first time any of us had ridden this trail. We weren’t all that impressed due to its lack of technical features and use of U turns, many U turns. We exited down on Klondike Bluffs and headed back to the car. At the car, we break out the sandwiches to fuel up for the next ride. Wait a minute, we’re one rider short… where’s Tom? Seems Tom had issues with a tire and three tubes later, after a rescue was made, we drag him back to the car to join the rest of us.

Tusher Canyon was the next stop or adventure, and was the favorite of the trip for all of us. The best description for it would be a jungle gym for bikes. Rock faces, bowls, ledges, drops, chain testing climbs…more of a playground than a bike trail. It was truly a great way to work the legs without knowing it and practice all your technical skills or learn new ones. Up and down and around and jump and hop – we spent hours there. Some of the newcomers to the rock learned more in that time than they ever imagined. Some pushed themselves just far enough to remember how hard rock really is.

Along the road back to town, there is a sand dune which is a frequent stop for families wanting to burn the last bit of energy their kids may have before bedding down for the night. I’ve passed this dune countless times wondering what the draw is… today we looked at each other and said ” if kids climb that sand dune it must be pretty fun , right?” Around we go and back into the lot. Off come the shoes and the race begins to the top. Whew, these kids are pretty tough or we rode more than we thought! Somewhere along the way to the top, six grown men forgot they were grown and engaged in King of the Mountain, WWF and Bruce Lee impressions. The race to the bottom was worthy of a free dinner for the winner and after, we were also ready for Mom to put us to bed.

The fire at camp quickly rejuvenated us and we made sure not a piece of wood was left.

Morning came too quickly and breaking camp soon began. Not so eager to leave… one last “short” ride was in order, so we headed southwest to Amasa Back. This is an out and back jeep trail that has numerous rock ledges and climbs — perfect for a short little ride to the top and back. To make it more interesting, a ruling was made to touch all the white trail markers with one of your wheels. Now it’s getting a bit tougher and the easy line is out of play. We reach the top and stay just long enough to grab a picture and head back down. No more touching the white dots — its time to test the suspension one last time and another and another until we reach the car. Ah! how nice it will be to get home and rest!

If you’re not too tired from reading this blog you’re probably ready for a trip to Moab of your own but sharing it with friends is much more fun. It truly deserves the right to be called a mountain biking mecca…or dare I say MEGA. Mega diverse, mega fun and mega sun; I would not suggest a visit during the summer as it gets mega hot which is also my tip for this week.

Steve Lacey

Happy Trails!

Steve Lacey — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:01:04 +0000

I’ve just got back from this week’s races at New Belgium Brewery and before going any further, I must clear something up. Last week I estimated the racer count to be 100. It was actually closer to 130 and this week 143 bikes showed up pulling their riders along! That’s quite a showing for a grass roots race!

Now for those not racing, if you own a bike and did not go for a ride last Sunday after all the rain we had during the week, you were definitely in the minority. I jumped on the road bike and took a spin up around Horsetooth Reservoir and had plenty of company! If you live in Fort Collins, I don’t think I have to tell you about the quality of our road rides from virtually every garage door in town… but that doesn’t even scratch thesurface of the biking we have at our disposal. No matter what your age or discipline, there is some place for you to spin your pedals around Fort Collins……OK, we may have to talk more about a velodrome but hey, they have my vote. Name your game– bike path, mountain bike single track, terrain park, jump/pump track, and even a nationally listed BMX track — they are mere minutes away from every household in town!

Starting from the east end of Drake Road, the Poudre Trail is a bike path that winds itself north west for 12 miles or so to the town of Bellvue. Most of this trail parallels the river for which it is named and if you ride far enough, you can ride over a bridge that is pretty impressive. The Spring Creek trail forks off of the east end of the Poudre trail and brings its riders 8 miles to Spring Canyon Community Park and the Pineridge Natural Area. You’ll have to guess where this trail got its name but you can bet there’s a slight grade in one direction. The Mason Trail and the Power Trail then both run north and south and aren’t as rider friendly as the Poudre or Spring Creek Trails. One has to be willing to cross some pretty major roads when using these trails, but they both offer access to the other trails and when linked together, can make for quite a relatively motorist free ride. The Cathy Fromme Trail on the southwest side of town is also a nice ride and once it’s linked to the Mason Trail and Spring Creek Trail, it will make quite a nice loop. For a detailed trail map go to http://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/bike-maps.php or http://www.fcgov.com/parks/trails.php for distances etc.

Now for my bread and butter……If you have not been mountain biking on the trails around Fort Collins you are missing out on some of the best mountain biking in the state. Yes, I know there are a lot of people who say that Fort Collins isn’t in the same league as Fruita or Grand Junction, never mind that other place called Moab (UT by the way) but if you can ride the trails in FC, you can ride any trail anywhere short of Whistler. People from here can travel, key word is travel, west and have such a good time on the trails there because of our trails. From super easy and flat to super technical and steep, you can find it within 15 minutes of town. Those just beginning to get their tires dirty would enjoy time spent in and around the Pineridge Trail System, Blue Sky Trail and the Valley Trail in Horsetooth and Lory Parks. Those riders

with a few scratches on their bikes would do well with some time spent at Coyote Ridge, Maxwell, Shoreline, Devil’s Backbone and depending on their lung capacity, perhaps head up into Horsetooth Mountain Park or Lory State Park. Yes, now we start talking some elevation and doing some work for the privilege of coming down.

I use “expert trails” a bit loosely to describe the next group of trails because even Pineridge can be made into an expert trail depending on how fast you want to go. Bobcat Ridge is a great intermediate expert type trail but being in Masonville, it’s a bit farther to go. Wherever you park to ride at Horsetooth Mountain Park or Lory State Park, you will have a pretty good climb to be able to enjoy some great down hill rides on Wathan, Spring Creek, Mill Creek, Timber, Howard, Kimmons and Sawmill Trails. I wouldn’t call these trails expert level, but they do have some expert level technical sections to challenge even the most seasoned veterans.

Is that it?…..Nope. A perfect place to polish your technical skills is in the terrain park in Spring Canyon Park. The park has logs and ladder bridges and raised skinnies, not to mention this crazy track sling to test your skill and your heart. Spending an hour in the park is like spending four days on the trail trying things over and over. Hopefully you build your confidence each time you make it just a foot farther on a given obstacle.

For those seeking some air time, the pump/jump park in Lory State Park can certainly lift your spirits. For those of us whose wings aren’t quite developed there are different size jumps to keep us closer to earth. The biggest are for the frequent fly-er travelers. You say you don’t care for air……the pump track and other man made obstacles in the park can keep you plenty busy. Goat heads used to be a problem at the track but thanks to volunteers they are now on the endangered species list. Just bring a tube or two… just in case.

Finally, don’t forget the Epic BMX track just down the hill from the Epic Center and part of the American Bicycle Association. This is a great family venue and is host to many races throughout the summer. Abilities of all levels are welcome and the different classes make everyone feel like they belong on the track. For more information about the ABA or the Epic BMX track visit ABABMX.

Now for this week’s tip — Play a tune!! Your wheel that is…Your spokes must be kept at the proper tension to keep your wheels spinning true. An easy way to check is by playing a tune on them (if you’re still a fan of Andy Gibb, you may want to skip this method). To get started – turn your bike over so the wheels can spin freely. Using the valve stem as a guide, tap on each spoke with a screwdriver or something held loosely in your hand. Each spoke should make a ‘tinging sound’ when tapped. When you tab a spoke and it makes a dull thud, it needs to be tightened using the correct sized spoke wrench. Tighten the loose spoke in small increments while checking for the ‘ting’ sound. Once you hear it, stop and keep checking the others. All the spokes should sound the same. Alternatively, stop by the shop, we would love to help out.

So that’s the news for this week! Hope you are out soaking up the sun and we’ll see you on the trails!

Steve Lacey