Cycling Thread 2

[RichieRich]

Originally Posted by cral12

I haven't done yet this year. I did twice last yr - once on mtn bike and once on fatbike. I prefer counter-clockwise.

General consensus is counter clockwise is more fun. That way it’s a long long mostly gradual climb (with a few pitches) to the top. A long screaming bone shaker downhill (lots of loose and baby-head rocks) and a crazy fast corner that you should NOT miss. Make sure you take the correct trail at that point. Then a good fun few kms of swoops up and down single track. After the floods they’ve added a new bridge across the river that is quite awesome and worth stopping at. Then you have about 10km of Uber fast big gear smashing high speed back to your parking area. Round trip is about 44km. If you can do it in close to 2hrs you’re a star speed nut. Most riders do it in about 3’ish hours moving time. I’ve also been in a turtle group that took about 6-7 hours and that was brutal.
It’s quite remote with no short cut out so take the necessary extras for food repair and clothing.

[cral12]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

I am in Fernie this week and this morning roads parts of montane and ridge mount.

Everything is dry.

I've been in Fernie couple of times - with guys experienced there, so didn't really pat attn to optimal way to put together loops.

Any "must do" suggestions?

[bossy22]

this time of year I like riding from the provincial campground. There is shade instead of out in the sun. Project 9 is a lot of fun. It's a loop, up Project 9 access, down Project 9.

I also like to climb up stove or dem bones, over to mushroom head, then lactic ridge, stupid traverse to slunt, then brokeback.

[powderjunkie]

I never really needed any midnight+ drunk pickups from my parents in my younger years, but I had to call for a pick up tonight in the storm (and 9pm is a lot more reasonable). Didn't mind getting drenched, but the lightning was actually scary. One strike was as loud as I've ever heard.

It seemed like my bike bell was buzzing/giving a little tone after a few of the lightning strikes...though I think the hammer on my bell may have just been stuck in a weird position and it was coincidental timing with hitting bumps in the road...anyone ever experience similar?

Normally I'm more on top of the forecast, but it was an impromptu ride after an early bedtime for the little guy. It was beautiful and lots of people out...sky didn't look menacing at all...refreshing spits of rain for a half hour and then all of a sudden the lightning started up and it was like someone drew a curtain across the sky as the darkness and pouring rain seemed to come out of nowhere.

[Northendzone]

my personal go to is montane, roots, snoop lion and smooth salamander.however, seems there was a bridge washout and you can no longer access smooth salamander this way.

Really, most of the stuff in montane and ridgemont is great. Most of it is smooth and flowy. I also like the coal discovery trail

To me the best part of riding here is that you can access lots of great trails from town without driving anywhere.

Originally Posted by cral12

I've been in Fernie couple of times - with guys experienced there, so didn't really pat attn to optimal way to put together loops.

Any "must do" suggestions?

[Northendzone]

Today I rode lazy lizard to the lodge and back (I rode from the rented condo near the Dairy Queen). Then hit stove, mushroom and red Sonja down.

There were more than a few times where I questioned why I do this sport as I rode and hiked up stove and mushroom….I think I need to do stove first to find some joy in it, but it is hard to resist the siren call of the almost 8k of flowy descent down lazy lizard

Originally Posted by bossy22

this time of year I like riding from the provincial campground. There is shade instead of out in the sun. Project 9 is a lot of fun. It's a loop, up Project 9 access, down Project 9.

I also like to climb up stove or dem bones, over to mushroom head, then lactic ridge, stupid traverse to slunt, then brokeback.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by RichieRich

General consensus is counter clockwise is more fun. That way it’s a long long mostly gradual climb (with a few pitches) to the top. A long screaming bone shaker downhill (lots of loose and baby-head rocks) and a crazy fast corner that you should NOT miss. Make sure you take the correct trail at that point. Then a good fun few kms of swoops up and down single track. After the floods they’ve added a new bridge across the river that is quite awesome and worth stopping at. Then you have about 10km of Uber fast big gear smashing high speed back to your parking area. Round trip is about 44km. If you can do it in close to 2hrs you’re a star speed nut. Most riders do it in about 3’ish hours moving time. I’ve also been in a turtle group that took about 6-7 hours and that was brutal.
It’s quite remote with no short cut out so take the necessary extras for food repair and clothing.

Great description, I know you are talking about Elbow Loop without even reading the original comment.

[Northendzone]

^ when you get to about the halfway point on that loop, you really feel like you are in the backcountry.

If you do the loop clockwise that middle portion is horrible. I found the climbing really draining.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Wormius

The Little Elbow loop. Has anybody done it, and is clockwise or counter-clockwise better? It looks like from the terrain that it is pretty much uphill each way until the mid-point.

Originally Posted by bossy22

we were just talking about that. The old rides we used to do and haven't done in years. Elbow Loop was a yearly ride but I haven't done it in about 13 years now. We usually did it counter clockwise, but both ways work. I think we liked counter clockwise because at the time the climb was a little easier. The final punch to the summit going clockwise was loose rock and our crappy bikes meant walking up it. It was easier to ride down that section. I couldn't really say what it'd be like now.

Some of the other older rides I want to go back out and do is Wildhorse, powderface, and prairieview. I did Sulpher last year and it's still a ####ty ride.

Did it Friday, was the first time in well over a decade. They've done an amazing job with the bridge replacements. I picked a perfect day to do it, saw 8 hikers and only 3 other bikers on it. 42km, loved every minute of it. Counter clockwise is the way for sure.

[Bigtime]

Had the good karma commute home today. Riding westbound on the north side of the Bow, just before the Bridgeland LRT station saw a pickup pulled over on the grass and a small uhaul trailer sitting in the exit lane to the zoo bridge. Poor driver trying to pull it up over the curb to get it off the road. Stopped and gave him a quick hand to get it off the road, good juju.

I can only imagine that guy will be at a party this weekend and a buddy of his will start cracking on us scofflaw cyclists, and he will speak up and tell the great tale of when this one cyclist, nay, adonis of a man stopped to help him in his time of strife. And then...<poof> cycle tracks appear instantly on all roads.

The cosmic ballet...

[Table 5]

Has anyone ever tried their hand at painting a bike? Ie. using something like https://spray.bike.

I love my bike (Fairlight Secan) but have never been a fan of the color scheme, as the navy/orange just reminds me of the Oilers. So I was thinking of either having it repainted or trying it myself (although probably on a crappy frame first).

Anyone ever try it? Worth it? If not, is there a place in town that will do a good job?

[KTrain]

My fear with painting a frame is that I'd tear it down and a) get scared, not paint it and hopefully not ruin the bike trying to rebuild it or b) paint it, do a terrible job and not build the bike back up.

https://precisionframeworx.com/ is a custom motorcycle shop that will also paint bike frames. No idea on the price though.

[KTrain]

Last night we wrapped up the road race season. I'd never raced before this year and thought at 44 years old I'd be stupid to start. It ended up being a hell of a lot of fun.

If anyone is interested in trying it out, I suggest looking into Crankmasters Wednesday Night Series. They have A, B and C level groups for each race. It's 15 races (5 per series) and mix up the types with road, TT and crit races.

This weekend I'm off to Canmore for a 3 day cycling event around Banff and Kananaskis. 375km and 4000m over the 3 days and the weather looks to be scorching again.

[woob]

Any of you bike peeps have experience with BMX Cruisers? I'm looking to get one so I can ride at some of the parks and dirt tracks with my boys, but also to just ride around the neighbourhood on. I'm 5'8" so not sure if I'd be more comfortable on a 26inch or 24inch BMX Cruiser. Any help would be appreciated.

[Northendzone]

Today was my last day of vacation and my plans were to go to bragg creek and ride telephone, long distance, Merlin and BR; however, between last nights rain and a general malaise on my part, I did not ride and spent the morning at Costco.

This afternoon I hate myself, but since the start of august I have logged about 430k - with 380k of that on my mtn bike…..

I am hoping to squeeze in an extended long weekend in Fernie in september

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by KTrain

My fear with painting a frame is that I'd tear it down and a) get scared, not paint it and hopefully not ruin the bike trying to rebuild it or b) paint it, do a terrible job and not build the bike back up.

https://precisionframeworx.com/ is a custom motorcycle shop that will also paint bike frames. No idea on the price though.

I want to strip the paint off my road bike to save 100g

[InglewoodFan]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I want to strip the paint off my road bike to save 100g

Random weird story: I had a university roommate that was an enormous bike nerd - raced, worked in a shop, spent all winter on rollers. Always had a bunch of bikes in his room, one of which he stripped all the paint off of in the shared living room. Instead of re-painting the steel frame, he just gave it an occasional coat of hair spray to keep the oxidation at bay. Just an odd cat.

[kcin]

I'm just getting into downhill MB and ready to buy my first bike. Looking for a bit of everything - from visiting Whistler and other mountains a few times a year to riding up and down local trails.

I realize the market is really tight so not sure if I should wait a bit or just pull the trigger? Looking for recommendations at or below $5k. I'm new and inexperienced so I don't need top of the line or super fancy.

Thanks in advance

[Hack&Lube]

I have been invited to an event by the Livingston Community Centre way up north of the the ring road.

I want to cycle there on Saturday and I'll also be returning very close to sunset. The problem I'm seeing on Google maps is the road on Harvest Hills Blvd past Country Hills Blvd is all multi-lane freeway type through to ring road, then up to Livingston.

Are there any viable more-cycling routes up there? I'm normally kind of comfortable cycling on roads and might just do Harvest Hlls Blvd. to Centre St. NW it doesn't look that bad.

It seems a shame since there's a great path up to the T&T area in Harvest Hills and slightly beyond, and I saw that all the communities in Livingston have prebuilt bike paths set up in a lot of residential also.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I have been invited to an event by the Livingston Community Centre way up north of the the ring road.

I want to cycle there on Saturday and I'll also be returning very close to sunset. The problem I'm seeing on Google maps is the road on Harvest Hills Blvd past Country Hills Blvd is all multi-lane freeway type through to highway (ring road), then up to Livingston.

Are there any viable more-cycling routes up there? I'm normally comfortable cycling on roads but not when we are up to ring road type infrastructure.

It seems a shame since there's a great path up to the T&T area in Harvest Hills and slightly beyond, and I saw that all the communities in Livingston have prebuilt bike paths set up in a lot of residential also. There's just a gap in the middle that's freeway.

You could go up along Harvest Hills Blvd on the Pathway, keep going north past T&T (sidewalk on some short sections) and head west on the pathway just west of the Superstore and snake your way to the 14 th St Bridge which has a pathway across Stoney. That gets you to Carrington which has a pathway over to Livingstone. It isn't a great setup.