So after a bit of a break from updating the site Fiona has goaded me into action again.  Strangely the update I worked on first is completely un-ridable right now since it’s under 12”+ of snow.  However since Fiona is the one who prodded me into working on the site she picked the trail I updated first.

The Strawberry Loop is Fiona’s Favorite ride.  Unfortunately until the thaw she just gets to look at the map and drool and speak of it wistfully to other riders.  This is a great beginner/ intermediate friendly trail about 30 minutes east of Twain Harte off of highway 108.  It also makes for some great bonus miles either at the beginning or the end of a Pinecrest Peak ride.  Without further ado,  here is the Ride Guide for Fiona’s Favorite, Strawberry Loop.

Incidentally some time ago I created a collection of Beginner Friendly Trails which sort of slid out there without mention.  So if you are a beginning rider you might want to check them out.  Many are spread all over Northern Califormia.

Posted in MTB Beginners | No Comments »

Well, with the first real rain comes the change in the riding seasons. Now it’s time to break out the winter weather gear. I’m not looking forward to cold, wet rides on one hand, but at least I can get in some riding. Every year I have to work hard to encourage myself not to be a fair-weather rider. I hate getting my face wet, but I love riding in the rain. I don’t mind cold weather, but I hate freezing. The challenges of riding on rain-slicked trails are kind of fun too. It just changes everything in even little ways. I’ve been finding myself making mental lists of the trails I plan on hitting within the next few weeks. I have the ‘it’s just rained’ list and the ‘woohoo it’s sunny’ list. I keep looking at weather reports and thinking which list am I going to choose from this time. I’ve come up with Lake Hogan and New Melones if it rains. Auburn and Folsom if it doesn’t. Possibly sneaking in rides a little further up the hill is a thought for adding to the drier days. Of course I couldn’t resist adding “reading about bike riding on the web” for those severe days when no one should be out on their bike.

I’ll have to see how this winter plays out. So far it seems to be like waiting for the other shoe to drop.  There’s still barely any snow at Lake Tahoe and it’s the end of October.  It would be great to get at least three rides in each week at the minimum, but I honestly expect to only be able to ride twice a week on average.

Posted in Mountain Biking | No Comments »

Check the weather update at the bottom of the post

On September 22nd and 23rd the TROGS, the Ogre (from Ogrehut.com), and some Sonora area locals are inviting you to a get together at Pinecrest Peak. Prepare for 2 days of riding, camping, and general MTB mayhem. If you’ve never ridden at Pinecrest, this is a great chance to try out some awesome Sierra Nevada trails which are a bit off the beaten track. Anyone is welcome to show up and we have plans for any level of rider.

Location : We will be camping at Fraser Flat Campground near Strawberry on both Friday and Saturday Nights. All rides will meet at the Strawberry Store (Big Red Store on Right).

Times : Rides will meet at 10:00 AM on both the 22nd and the 23rd (Sunday’s Easy ride will start at 11AM)
The Rides: Exact rides and routes will depend on who shows up. Currently the following rides are planned.

Friday: We’re going to have a Friday night ride at 9PM along Fiona’s Favorite trail. The ride will be laid back and at a slow pace. Expect a mellow ride dodging trees through some fairly tame terrain. This is about a 9 mile loop and will be the only ride to start and finish at Fraser Flat campground. (Rain/ snow cancels)
Saturday: (none of the rides planned on Saturday are to be shuttled)
Easy Ride: Fiona’s Favorite Loop, down Ewok Trail from Strawberry, crossing the river at Spring Gap Road, then returning on the RR Grade to Strawberry. 10 miles, easy pace with very little climbing.
Challenging Ride: Climb up to Pinecrest Peak and alternately climbing up Willow Creek or Hammil Canyon then returning via Pinecrest Peak Trail.
Expert Route: This is a highly challenging ride for expert level mountain bikers, it’s a 35-40+ mile route with tons of climbing, technical cross country riding and finishes with the the killer Pinecrest Peak Downhill.

Sunday: Sunday’s plans are not set in stone yet. Here are the tentative plans for the day.
Easy Ride: 10-15 miles riding along the Flume trail above the Stanislaus River (may have a delayed start time due to shuttling Challenging riders)
Challenging Route: This will be a shuttled ride, the shuttle will drop riders off at the base of Eagle Peak and riders will climb up to Eagle Peak coming down some fresh new singletrack. At that point they can go directly to Pinecrest Peak via forest roads or drop down Willow Creek trail before climbing to Pinecrest Peak.
Expert Ride: A second day of high mileage, challenging cross country riding. The second day will likely not include Pinecrest Peak but will include 30-40 miles of challenging singletrack.

Cost: Zero $ (responsible for own campsite and food/ alcohol)
Registration: Just show up at Fraser Flat on Friday Night or meet us at the Strawberry Store on Saturday or Sunday Morning.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy with rain or snow likely. Highs 41 to 51 higher elevations…54 to 64 lower elevations. Snow level 7000 feet.

Weather seems to be deteriorating on Saturday. Still have a chance that it will blow over but I would suggest anyone day-tripping to come on Sunday rather than Saturday. The trails should be awesome post rain/ snow. I’ll be up there both days rain or shine and will likely ride on Saturday if it’s just limited to showers or a light drizzle. Friday nights ride is canceled if there is rain. Night rain rides are not fun (I’ve done it)

Also, note that Sunday’s Easy Ride will start at 11AM rather than 10AM as was listed originally.

Posted in MTB Epic Rides, MTB Events | 3 Comments »

I’m working on updating my ride guides, one at a time like.  The first one to get a serious retinkering is my Pinecrest Peak Guide.  The format is slightly different and it’s very focused on getting you around the loop since there are so few other references out there for this trail.  I have also included some options for bonus mileage and even some simple shuttling instructions.  I’m going to try and add some maps soon as well.  Let me know how you like the layout.

The Ogre’s Guide to Pinecrest Peak

Posted in MTB Epic Rides | No Comments »

I spend the last 5 days riding up in Oregon, 2 days on rides just with friends, and 3 days at Mountain Bike Oregon (MBO). Mountain Bike Oregon is a mountain bike get together held in Oakridge, Oregon, a no-name town in central Oregon with a trail system that is second to none. The ‘500 miles’ of trails listed on Mountain Bike Oregon’s web site is not an exaggeration, and the quality of the trails is phenomenal. Most of the trails are skinny, buffed single track, but there is a good selection of technical riding as well. Rivers and streams crisscross the unique rain forests of northwest Oregon. The technical challenges are as often made of roots and tree stumps rather than rocks and you are just as often riding on bark and pine needles as dirt on many trails. (My Pictures from MBO) Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in MTB Epic Rides, MTB Events | No Comments »

Crash!

What lousy timing. Well I restored most of the older stuff, I’m working on getting the rest online.

It looks like I restored most of the articles ok,  probably a little weirdness in them but not too bad.  I lost some comments on the articles, I’m working on getting those back up.

Posted in General, Web Development | No Comments »

Holy cow… have I been lazy, I’d promise to post more often but then I might later be accused of being a liar.

In any case… I got some new wheels. A Kona Kula 2-9 I have yet to ride it more than 100 yards but I’m going to take it to MtB Oregon in 2 days. Should be interesting. I’ll bring my Monocog 29er along which has proved to be an awesome bike. The Kona weighs in at 25.5 lbs which is not super light for a hard tail but is the lightest bike I’ve ever owned.

Over the last 6 months I’ve become a huge believer in the 29″ wheels, on the Monocog 29er I’ve conquered trails which previously I felt challenged on riding a 5″ travel bike. The Kula 2-9 adds a few things the MC lacked. Primarily the Reba fork… The rigid fork on the Monocog has really taken it’s toll on my hands and wrists. Hopefully the 85mm of travel on the Reba will alleviate this issue.

The Kula 2-9 also has sliding drop outs. This allows me to use quick release tires, reducing the weight of my rear hub and speeding up tire changes. finally… I have the option to go geary or SS. After 6 months of Singlespeed I’m not sure I want to go back to geared. Singlespeeding is just plain fun. I’m of split minds about this though, on the one hand I love to challenge myself to ride everything and when I’m single speeding I just have to admit that there are sections that are too steep and walk them. Also, on long steeper hills I’ll be able to spin up them. But… single speeding is so fun. I guess we’ll see how this plays out. I’m already looking at dropping down to 1×9 from the 3×9 I currently have.

Posted in Mountain Biking | No Comments »

Last year I rode at Annadel in Santa Rosa for the first time. I joined the festivities of May by the Bay, an annual mountain bike gathering organized through MTBR. Knowing that I hadn’t ridden there before, I asked for directions on recommended routes. Instead I ended up with a pair of guides who graciously showed me the way at my speed. I found Annadel to be a beautiful park with many trails that could be ridden by different experience levels. Definitely a place to have a map or guide the first time though. Even experienced riders could have a less than stellar ride without some prior information.

Now it’s a year later and I have the chance to ride there again, so off I go. I end up starting off the ride with about a dozen other riders in addition to the ride leaders of the year before. Even just a short time into the ride, I notice that instead of walking the climb, I’m still on the bike. And I’ll confess, looking back and seeing a couple other people behind me helped motivate me to keep pedaling. The route was very similar to last year’s. As I rode along I kept noticing that it seemed easier. I did walk some sections still, but I also was able to stay on the bike and clear some stuff that just seemed too hard just 12 months earlier. All in all I had a blast and felt glad to make it back to the parking lot at the end of the ride. A change of clothes and something cold to drink made a perfect end.

Posted in MTB Beginners | No Comments »