California Winter Riding Style and Warmth Guide

California Winter Riding. Does that even exist? It can vary from sunny balmy days to a crisp frosty morning to a damp foggy afternoon gust.  No matter the conditions, it is always important to dress appropriately, and of course with a little style. Although I am fortunate enough to live in Northern California, and I [...]

Source: http://alisonstarnes.com/2012/01/21/california-winter-riding-style-and-warmth-tips/

cycling gear uk

Keeping Tracking of Emergency Information

Late last summer Hurricane Irene struck the New England region, moving westward across New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. The force of this storm destroyed roads and bridges stranding locals as well as stymying bicycle travelers (including our first ever Atlantic Coast tour).

With all the budget cuts in roadway funding, we weren't certain if the roads we use on our Atlantic Coast, Northern Tier and Green Mountains Loop routes would necessarily be repaired or when. Often their rural nature can keep them low on maintenance crew priorities. Happily, we recently received news that all closed roads in Vermont -- where the damage seemed to be the worst -- are reopened, though some are still in various stages of construction.


Throughout the storm's life and the region's recovery from it, we've been glad to have the Temporary ACA Route Road Closures forum discussion. It proved to be a valuable place for cyclists to gather virtually and share information. The route-specific hashtags -- especially #acaAtlCoast, #acaNoTier and #acaGreenMtns -- got a workout, too. We plan to continue using these avenues to keep you informed in these types of situations.

This year I anticipate using the Google Public Alerts map during the spring floods so I can monitor where they may be affecting our route network. This new tool from google.org is an effort to coordinate the distribution of information in emergencies. (It would be especially easy to use if it could be set up in the same manner as our Forest Fire Map. A cartographer can dream, right?)


What tools do you use to keep track of developing weather issues when you are on the road? Do you have any advice for your fellow travelers who might find themselves stuck due to Mother Nature's actions?

Top photo by the Vermont Agency of Transportation
Bottom photos by Lars Gange & Mansfield Heliflight 

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GEOPOINTS BULLETIN is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures, and persons from Adventure Cycling's Route Network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure. She also wants to remind you that map corrections and comments are always welcome via the online Map Correction Form.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/02/keeping-tracking-of-emergency.html

rapha cycling

2012 Light Duty Touring Bikes

The gift giving holidays are now in our review mirror, and if you didn't get that new touring bike you were hoping for, it's time to stand up and put matters into your own hands. For my last few tours, I have only used rear panniers and a handlebar bag for gear storage, so I've had light duty, or randonneur style bikes on the mind.

Just a quick note, when I talk about light touring, or randonneur bikes, the characteristics I'm referring to place us somewhere between road bike geometry and pure touring bike geometry. They would have shorter chainstays than a touring bike, a tall headtube, wide tire clearance, and often only rear rack mounts. Here are a few of the bikes I have really been keying in on as of late.

Salsa Casseroll ($1200): This edition of the Salsa Casseroll is entering it's second season, and it's a classy bike all the way. Some nice subtle frame features are the slight slope in the top tube, which gives you a little extra stand over clearance, and some really clean looking dropouts, especially the forward-facing fork dropouts. The steel frame and fork provide a smooth ride, you have front and rear fender mounts, and rear rack eyelets. It's cool to see a matching Salsa front rack included too. As for gearing, the mostly Shimano Tiagra 3x9 drivetrain gives you a good range, while the 12-25 cassette keeps the gears packed relatively close together.


All City Space Horse ($1350): A new bike from All City. I love the name, love the paint job, and love that the steel frameset is coated inside and out with a rust protectant. Out of the gate, they claim a max load capacity of 30 pounds in back, and 20 pounds up front, which should be plenty of capacity for credit card touring and weekend jaunts. The drivetrain is pretty nice on this bike with Shimano's Tiagra 10spd group. The rear cassette has a wide 12-30 tooth range, while the compact crankset gives you a 50/34 tooth combo.


Bianchi Volpe ($1200): The Volpe has been in the Bianchi lineup for a long time, and has built a reputation as a good sturdy bike. It was originally considered a cyclocross bike, but with a steel frame and fork all setup with full rack and fender eyelets, it is begging for panniers and adventure. For the price, it is really cool to see a Shimano Tiagra 10spd group with an FSA triple crankset. You will still notice some cyclocross features on this bike, such as the top tube routed cables to keep them away from mud and grit, in addition to a slightly shorter headtube than you would normally see on a randonneur bike. There are also the WTB Terrainasaurus tires, which roll well on pavement, offer good punture protection, but also have some bite for dirt and gravel riding.

Raleigh Port Townsend ($900): Reynolds 520 steel tubing, painted to match fenders, front rack, eyelets for rear rack, Shimano 2x9 drivetrain with Dura Ace downtube shifters, all for $900. You really have to ask yourself, can I afford not to? Raleigh really killed it with this bike, and as a company, I like what they're putting out from top to bottom. Case in point, while you're on their site, be sure to check out the Clubman.

Photos by Josh Tack

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TOURING GEAR AND TIPS is written by Joshua Tack of Adventure Cycling's member services department. It appears weekly, highlighting technical aspects of bicycle touring and advice to help better prepare you for the journey ahead.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/02/2012-light-duty-touring-bikes.html

cycling events

Bespoke spokes.

Heading your way in the summer, Cycling Plus will be looking into the world of custom bikes. We?ve picked frame builders who offer a variety of styles, materials, design, and finish. We’ll be checking out the services provided by Lynskey, Enigma, and Paulos Quiros. Technical editor Warren Rossiter has got in first and has already [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2012/01/30/bespoke-spokes/

cycling events 2011

Van Nicholas Titanium ? 2011 Ex-Demo Bikes Available NOW!

We’ve a very limited number of Van Nicholas Titanium ex-demo bikes available to order now. We’re clearing out these bikes to make way for the 2012 models. Each bike has done a very small number of road miles for short test rides only. Once they’re gone they’re gone – Ti bike bargains – a once [...]

Source: http://blog.bike-science.com/2012/02/17/van-nicholas-titanium-2011-ex-demo-bikes-available-now

cycling events 2010

Recalls: Fuji's Saratoga cruiser bicycles; Shimano's PRO Atherton handlebar stems

Fuji is recalling 10,500 women's Saratoga bicycles after receiving reports that the downtube can break, causing falls and injuries.

The company and US Consumer Product Safety Commission urges owners to stop riding the cruiser-style bicycles and return them to Fuji dealers for a replacement frame.

The company, through Philadelphia-based importer Advanced Sports, says at least 12 bike frames have broken. The failures caused two injuries, including one head injury that required 20 stitches to close ....

Source: http://www.bikingbis.com/blog/_archives/2012/2/21/5002610.html

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