Heat Waves and Candy Migraines in Patagonia – September. 30, 2024
My friend Kevin and I took a little day trip to the Sky Islands Odyssey route in Patagonia, one of my favorite close-by places to hit some dirt roads and take a dip in a lake. The whole Sky Island route is about 300 miles, but we just took on a tiny piece due to the heat wave and also being out of shape and rode about 30 miles. Even the huge ugly copper mine that everyone hates can’t stop people from enjoying public land. 5.5k of elevation, a surround sound view of the Chiricahuas, and a cool breeze made a really fun few hours of riding bicycles! We finished off with a dip in Lake Patagonia where everyone and their mother was either on a party barge or splashing around to get some relief from the 105° heat. I once again ate too much candy while riding and got a migraine, but it was totally worth it.
Sun-soaked Desert roads – September. 23, 2024
Here’s the desert version of forrest roads – long stretches of sun-soaked dirt leading up into scrubby brush and grass. I love the west desert trails, partially because they’re surrounded by paved road making it impossible to get lost in a scary way, so you can get lost in a fun way. They’re also close enough to Tucson that when I’m super antsy and have been in my house for too long I can just hop in the car for 20 minutes and be in a sizeable trail system that doesn’t require suspension.
Bubble wrap the whole world!!! – September. 16, 2024
Jake sent off a sweet Tour Terrain Outback that comes stock with a Pinion gear box and wrapped it up extra special with a million bubbles that stretched almost all the way across the shop
Evening “A” Mountain Sprints – September. 9, 2024
Sometimes you get antsy at night after sitting around in 102° all day and have to ride sprints up “A” Mountain to feel alive. Last night I got a great view of the city from the big A, but all I have to show for it!
MomCorp Shine – September. 2, 2024
Here in the shop the mechanics are loyal to Mother for making bicycles shiny – best logo in the game, easy to find, and makes your metal bicycle extra shiny, what more could a mechanic or enthusiast ask for? Also real Futurama fans recognize MomCorp when we see it.
Trusty Bridgestone – August. 26, 2024
All this heat has me thinking about the humid swamp known as North Carolina! my trusty Bridgestone single speed brought me along tons of river paths out there this summer.
Surly Bucket Deals – August. 19, 2024
One of these things is not like the other … come on down for some very serious sales on a bunch of bikes and a bucket we have in stock!!
Wheelypoos by Jake – August. 12, 2024
Jakeypoo builds wheels so fast you usually can’t even get a pic – this time I caught him in the act building a rolhloff 12 speed rear wheel. For a mere $60 he’ll build you a wheel too!
Shorty Hope Cranks – August. 5, 2024
After a little covid induced hiatus, this week I’m back with a tidbit brought to you by Hope Tech. After deciding I definitely for sure need freakishly short cranks, I found just a few options on the market, and Hope Tech has the prettiest ones that aren’t in the quadruple digits. They’re also a company full of super nice people! These babies are a mere 155mm, a full 10mm shorter than the most common but still hard to find short cranks. I have to say it immediately and drastically impacted my bike fit – I got to raise my seatpost a full inch making my seat higher than my handlebars for the first time in my life, my knees don’t have to flare out at the top of a pedal stroke, and now I don’t come anywhere near kicking myself in the belly while pedaling. Is this how all tall people feel on your bikes?! If you’re under 5’5″, and have the budget to make one single change to your bike, I would 1000% recommend getting 155mm cranks, it’s absolutely life changing.
Swimming Hole Dreaming – July. 26, 2024
While I was under the weather this week I was dreaming about swimming and how full all the creeks must be! Can’t wait to get back out there instead of sleeping for 13 hours a day – here’s a throwback to an extremely good swimming hole.
3 Pounds of Watermelon Sour Patch Kids – July. 12, 2024
There are a couple of things you can’t tell from this photo Garrett took. First, that hill is way more steep and loose than it looks, and two it’s 102 degrees outside. On this trip I probably ate 3 pounds of watermelon sour patch kids and had one of the worst tacos I’ve ever had in my life. But I did stay hydrated! All in all, a win.
Rim Ride – July. 5, 2024
This weekend I was lucky enough to go on a trip with some friends to ride bicycles and find swimming spots outside of town. After driving a few hours north and sleeping under the pine trees, we woke up in a cool 67° and pedaled ~25 miles to Knoll Lake from our base camp overlooking the rim. The ride gave us a full view of the plummeting cliffs and green valley below, and layers on layers of dusty blue mountain ranges in the distance. The ride is all punchy rolling hills, evergreens, and fast descents, and it solidified my desire to get a suspension seatpost. After another glorious night sleeping under the stars in 60°, we found a pristine unpopulated swimming hole outside of Water Wheel the next day and basked all day in the cool streams and pools, filling up on the feeling of cold numb hands and goosebumps before heading back down to the desert floor. Maybe if you stop by the shop and ask I’ll drop you the pin 🙂
Cereus Summer Magic – June. 28, 2024
Part of summer magic in Tucson is waiting all year for the one single night that the Queen of the Night (the night blooming Cereus) cactus blooms. Here she is on her night of glory in my friends backyard- we pulled chairs up at 10pm and sat with the flowers for a few hours while a baby monsoon rolled through town.
Our Silly Adventure – June. 21, 2024
Thanks to Nick (aka @surlypotpie) we have photo evidence of our epic #swiftbailout ride up Mt Lemmon! As we rode up the mountain we traded the hot desert floor of the Tucson valley for evergreens and 60° weather. The second we reached Summerhaven the skies opened up and kicked off our beloved monsoon season with a never ending storm straight from the Gulf of Mexico. A few hours spent in downpouring rain playing games and eating snacks feels about the same as an overnight campout – you make new friends, eat too much candy, suffer a little, and remember what it feels like to be human. Our ride back down the mountain in the evening was incredible as we got a perfect break in the monsoon – a few of us hit almost 40mph as we sped down the clear highway. Big thanks to everyone that came on our silly adventure!
Reddington Reminiscing – June. 14, 2024
Today’s tidbit is a throwback to the spring when it was cool enough to bikepack Reddington Pass. My buddy Garrett mapped out a route (available on Ride with GPS) called Reddington Pepper Nap – 85 miles on a mix of hard packed dirt, sandy washes, and pavement, with the last 30 miles being a speedy cruise downhill on Oracle Road. It was our friends’ very first time bikepacking and they complained the entire trip, but I think they loved it. We set up camp in a lush wash, the soft sand beneath us and desert willows hanging above making the perfect nook to sleep in. Under the orange glow of sunset we played cards games late into the night, filling the wash with laughter as the stars wheeled overhead.
Ride Early or Ride Hot! – June. 7, 2024
To kick off my third Tucson summer, I took a quick 40 mile ride on the Gorilla Monsoon up to Catalina State Park, and by the time I turned around it was 103° – classic. Luckily there are tons of shops and gas stations along the way, and nothing fuels the ride home for me like swedish fish and gas station coffee. The rest of the day was spent at one of the many free pools in town with a handful of other brave souls sticking through the beautiful desert summer. The time of 5am rides is upon us!