Omaha Craigslist Deal of the Day

Front loading cargo bike for sale. Buy it and haul your stuff...

Or throw some coals under it and have a cook out. You decide.

I signed up for the Tour de Cure

I will be participating in the 2011 20th Anniversary Tour de Cure. As the number of Americans diagnosed with diabetes increases, the mission of this ride is to raise money and awareness to prevent, cure and improve the lives of those affected by diabetes.

This event is scheduled for Sunday, May 22, 2011. If you want to help me meet the sponsorship goal please visit my Tour de Cure Web Page. I will be on the 50 mile ride.

Also, check out these guys up in MN on their Mukluk and Pugsley bikes. Looks fun!.

Cheatin Winter

Sunny, no wind, and packed snowy trails, this would be enough to make for a great ride this morning. Then out on the horizon I see two more riders. So I rode the south creek backwards and met up with Dave and Linda. Wow this ride is getting better. They must have sensed it would be good today to get out. Not 2 minutes after taking these pictures we heard Greg whoop it up coming down the south hill. Great winter ride today. Last year Old Man Winter kept us off the single track. We like cheatin him so far this winter.

Monday Night Urban Ride

Photo borrowed from The Biking Fools (great shot Mike).

We were not out late enough to see the lunar eclipse last night. But an unexpectedly large group of riders stayed off the sloppy singletrack and rode paved trails. Ryan and Roxy showed with skinny tires. Adam from Colorado joined the ride on his single speed. He brought his bike back for the holidays. He had ridden Tranquility last summer and showed up for the MNR. We found some slick conditions on the West Papio on the way to Lake Zorinski. Eric came through with a great plan to ride back on the 144th trail. Super nice holiday ride.

Sometimes I just need to take pictures of the food I'm about to eat.

I took Pete for a walk, scraped ice off the driveway and worked up an appetite. There was left over chili, crescent rolls and hotdogs in the refrigerator.

Manawinter

Martin called a 10AM Manawa snow ride. I wasn't sure I could make it over that early but things worked out. Turns out I was Dale's 9AM wake up call. He was coherent enough to say yes to the ride so I went over to pick him up. We loaded up and headed over to Iowa. We met Bryan, Dan and Martin to get things going right at 10AM.

At first I was concerned the snow was a bit deeper over there but once we were riding where others had been it was great.


Martin fine tuned the pressure in my tires and then it was even better. By the second lap the trail was getting good and packed. We came upon a big buck that was downed and frozen right next to the trail.


It was fantastic to see the THOR artisans left their mark on this downed tree.

It was getting close to 1PM so we decided on a Mexican carb reload at La Mesa.






The winter riding conditions were outstanding. Some wind would have made it too cold. Warmer temps would have been sloppy. On the way home, Dale and I discussed how glad we were not to let this opportunity get by.

Snowy Trail Ride

Last year the snow got deep fast. This left plowed gravel and urban trails the only winter riding experiences. Last Wednesday we got some ice pellets followed by a little snow. Most of the trail at Tranquility has just the right amount of snow to get packed down by MTB tires. With temps just right for winter gear I headed out to pack the trail. There were already tire tracks. I expect those were made Wednesday night. I did not use my snow tires today. Just rode some aggressive knobbies with just over 20lbs of air. It was perfect! There were just a few spots a bit tough to ride because the snow was a little deeper. It was a fun ride and I'm planning to do it again tomorrow.

Everything is good and frozen right now. Get out there and ride some snowy trails!

Winter Tranquility Kiosk Update

Looks like the temps won't get much above freezing for a while. Pass the word along. When the ground freezes at night and thaws during the day the trail becomes a greasy mess. In this state they are not fun to ride and get damaged if ridden.

Ride it when it's frozen, early in the day, or wait till the temp stays way below freezing throughout the day.

Signed up for more stair climbing torture...

Call me crazy but I'm doing it again. The Trek Up The Tower race is on Saturday, February 26th, 2011. So far there are three registrants on the Bike Masters team:

1. David Neef
2. Jason Alter
3. Paul Neuberger

Join us!
Link to Registration


Last year we went for a snowy ride after the race.

View Post Trek up the Tower Ride in a larger map

Trail Thankfulness

"Trails don't just happen", and it's not magic that makes them fun to ride. Thank you to the dedicated volunteers and their countless hours of building and maintaining trails. Thanks to IMBA and USFS for the training...

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 1 of 9 "Trailbuilding How-To Video"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 2 of 9 "Chapter 1: Permission & Planning"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 3 of 9 "Chapter 2: Trail Design Mistakes"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 4 of 9 "Chapter 3: Designing Sustainable Trails"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 5 of 9 "Chapter 4: Let's Get Dirty"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 6 of 9 "Chapter 5: Armoring"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 7 of 9 "Chapter 6: Creating Challenge"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 8 of 9 "Chapter 7: Maintaining Trails"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 9 of 9 "Chapter 8: Reclaiming Trails"

Happy Tryptophan

Experts say it's not the Tryptophan in Turkey that makes us sleepy.
I'm thankful for the experts.


Happy Thanksgiving to my family and friends. Have a great one.
-Paul

Magic"not-so"Shiney

I just found out that our supplier, Geomangear, temporarily has stopped selling Magicshine lightsets due to concerns regarding the safety, quality, and performance of Magicshine's lithium-ion battery packs sold by Geomangear between July 2009 and November 2010. Not sure what this means yet but I'll be watching out for more information. I used mine with no problems last night to ride some gravel.
Bikerumor says stop using...

Looks like most of the comments I see there refer to failure rather than a safety issue.

Cranksgiving, the ride - 2010

Some raced, we rode for the goods on Cranksgiving 2010. There was a group of seven of us today that rode a route gathering a list of food for the food bank. Many of us ride together on Monday nights and we rode today to bring back the goods to Bike Masters. Dave and Chris N., Mike, Aaron, Brian, Dennis and I fought a stiff north wind to head back from stores around 84th and Center. Back at our starting point, Bike Masters, there was chili, soup, door prizes, race awards and giveaways. This is the third time for me participating in this event. It's a great time for a good cause.

Click the photo to see the album

Cranksgiving - 2010

Happy 50th Birthday Steve!

My brother Steve hit 50 so his girlfriend Angie put together a little surprise shindig for him. We got together at Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln. We let the birthday boy win of course. Thanks for having us all over for dinner after bowling Mom and Dad!

Race Across the Sky 2010

Release Date: Nov 4, 2010
Running Time: 2:00

Village Pointe Cinema
Thu (11/4)
7:30

Last year we were denied due to technical difficulties. It couldn't happen twice!

Old School Cross Video

After a great night ride at Tranq last night (thanks again for the e-mail Greg), Brian, Dale, Dave M. and I went out for pizza. I was mentioning this insane race video from Ireland. The title of this video claims that it is from 1950. But at two points during the film the narrator says taken in the 60's which makes more sense. I have to wonder if Geoffrey 'The Bloke' Patterson was part of events like this. The water crossings are insane.

Ever hear of a full-service bike transit center?

I was looking at Bikerumor today and learned about a service that is already helping to make clean transportation a reality in parts of the US. Bikestation plans, designs, and operates bike-transit centers. These facilities offer a range of amenities including electronically secure indoor bike parking, showers, restrooms, lockers, a bicycle self-repair stand with tools, and transit information. Bikestation is designed to address the needs of current cyclists and people who’d like to bicycle but shy away due to concerns about theft and convenience. The transit center operates on a low-cost membership model and members can use any Bikestation located across the country.

Wonder if something like this would ever work in Omaha?

Cranksgiving 2010 not far away

Mark your calendars for Cranksgiving 2010 on November 13, 2010 at Bike Masters, 129th and Fort. Cranksgiving is a charity bike race and scavenger hunt to benefit the Omaha Food Bank. There is no entry fee, just pay 15 or 20 bucks for the items on the list, which will go toward helping those who need it most. For more info, check out cransgiving-omaha.blogspot.com.


Start training now with that 25 pound frozen turkey in your backpack.

Local Craigslist Deal Of The Day

John Deer Bike Mower - $85

An East Peak from the past

I got a nice email today from Donnie in Texas. He's the guy that bought my Marin East Peak frame back in January of this year. I used most of the stuff from this bike to build my 1X9. Then I sold the frame to Donnie on ebay. Oddly, this bike came from Texas on an ebay deal to me. He didn't say how long he has had this built up. Just said that he "really likes it a lot". So I'm glad it went to a good home. Nice to see this frame getting the attention it deserved. I sold it because I wasn't able to feel the trail under me in a comfortable way. I went back to riding a hardtail this spring and it suits me fine. I try to keep my rear (tubeless) tire pressure at about 22lbs. and that is just enough suspension for me.

I was always too scared to put a bottle cage on that top tube like that.

BTW: I was lucky enough to pay an extra dime for my chicken at the Bag & Save Deli today. I guess you have to cook all your food at home not to pay the 2.5% Omaha Resturant Tax.

Kayak at Standing Bear - Oct. 2nd 2010

There was a north wind and the temp was in the 60's on Saturday. Real good weather for kayaking. Doug and I met at Standing Bear Saturday afternoon for some paddling. As usual I took it easy and Doug kicked ass.

Click for more pictures...

Kayak at Standing Bear - Oct. 2nd 2010

BYOKMTB DAY - Saturday Oct. 9th Starting at 2:00PM

T.H.O.R. has setup this event to honor IMBA's national holiday, we're celebrating Bring Your Own Kid Mountain Biking Day (BYOKMTB).


This is a chance to bring the whole family out for a fun, guided ride, followed by some awesome food and drinks. It's the best way to introduce your kids to the most fun they'll have on two wheels!

Manawa has been off limits all year because of flooding but we are finally able to ride the short loop, and we want to celebrate. The short loop is perfect for the kiddos and first time riders. It's flat and fun! After the ride, head across the street for some grub and good times on the Dream Land playground, which was designed by children! It's huge!

We hope to see you and your family. Bring 'em all. The more the merrier.

If the trails are too wet to ride, we'll ride the paved trail instead.

Four Lake Ride

Some dirt and racing our bikes would have been nice but Mother Nature had different plans for us this weekend. Rain Friday and Saturday put us out on the road today. Last nights Husker game against S.D. State was a let down even though they won. Things got better today. Getting together with Aaron, Dave, and Greg for a road ride to Bennington was great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. We did the Four Lake Ride: Standing Bear, Waterford, Prairie View and Bennington Lake. It was sunny, almost no wind and temps in the 60s. Doesn't get much better. Thanks for the ride gents. See you in the dirt tomorrow.

First Trail Walk

Walking Pete without Mickey last night was awkward to say the least. Maybe it was even more so for Pete but he couldn't tell me about it. He seemed happy enough to be out where he loves to be. It was our first trail walk since we had to put Mickey down on Monday. Mickey had some rapidly developing pain due to what we found out to be cancer. Our family was very lucky to have a great dog like Mickey. His adventurous and super playful personality got me through some tough times. He was a close friend to me and that makes him very hard for me to lose.

He was excellent at finding erosion on the trail.


He and his brother Pete were fantastic at showing girls a good time.


Mickey was the best tour guide to newcomers to the trail.


His face was joyous...

...even more when he was doing what he loved.

Two Less Taco Ride Virgins in the World

Dave and Chris were finally free on a Thursday night to experience first hand the joy of a taco ride. We headed down the Wabash about 15 minutes ahead of the West crew (Jim, Danielle, Amber, Andy). Aaron and Amanda, even with a late start made up time like they do.


I always wanted to stop at the big wooden lounge bench on past rides but there were always people there already. Tonight it was empty so Dave, Chris and I took a break there. We all arrived at the normal halfway meeting spot at about the same time. It was a cool quiet night with fewer than normal riders. Seems like the virgins liked it well enough to be back again.


Mineola Browns AND Tacos, crazy!