Evolution

You can’t go forward without remembering where you’ve been. When I started mountain biking I never heard of or saw any trail maintenance being done. I watched trails continually get worse until you just stopped riding them. I wasn’t going to work on them, I wasn’t even sure I was allowed to be there in the first place. I actually used to think I might be trespassing once I left the paved areas of the park. There were only a few parks that we actually knew of that had trails.

The only Rail to Trail around was the Montour trail and it wasn't that long. The shopping mall at Robinson Township didn’t exist, it was just a field I would cross while riding the trails that were there, referred to as Brothers Grimm Trails. Everybody wore spandex.

There were no group rides, or clubs to join, you rode with your friends or your rode alone, and everyone drank out of a sports bottle while biking.  Bar-ends used to be a requirement. My camera didn't have megapixels and used floppy disks to store the pictures.

Things are much better now and keep getting better, but we still have a long way to go.  Here's to the future and the continued evolution of our sport and our city!

* That first bike is an Iron Horse hard tail around 1997.  No pictures before then.

KDKA video features OTB.

OTB is featured in a KDKA story about a new city ordinance that was just passed.
The video is HERE.

Jamis demo day at Ray's March 27-28

March 27th and 28th, Jamis will be in town!


The Dakar Sixfifty B, Dakar XCT, Parker and Kromos will all be avaible to demo. Also, at 3pm on Saturday the 27th, there will be a pump track time trial where you could win a 2010 Jamis Kromo Frameset.

Jamis factory reps will be on hand to hang out and answer any questions that you may have.

Check out raysmtb.com for additional information.

Hartwood Acres Trail Maintenance March 27

Saturday March 27 - PTAG Harwood Acres
Time: 11am
Place: Meet at the mansion.
First of four workdays as there’s much to be done in our park. Other dates include a gala workday on May 2nd, July 18th, and August 22nd. Be there or be square! - Maurice

Bavington Trail Maintenance Report Sunday March 21st

We had a great turn out at Bavington.  I believe there was 8 people total.  We split into two teams and finished 2 trails in the time it half the time it was taking 2 of us to do 1.  Thanks to every one who came out.
If you look at the map, section 330 was cleared making that whole loop open.  350 and 360 were cleared so that trail is now open as well.

John Pratt worked with me and Ben (not park Steward Ben)  We made short work of some big blockages and brush.
There are some pictures on John's photo site.  I don't see myself in photos too often, seems really strange to me when I do, like who is that guy?

Lora and I spend all day Saturday cutting up a fallen tree in our front yard and burning the brush.  I know one thing.  I'm ready to start getting some riding in and reap the rewards of our trail maintenance.
Ride On!

Review follow-up: Hutchinson Air Protect

There are several sealants on the market for tubeless tires, but I’m still sold on Hutchinson Air Protect. After my bike hung all winter, I discovered a pinhole leak in my rear tire after I pumped it up. Just inside the edge of the tread. Now, the Hutchinson’s has been in the tire since fall. I had the bike in the work stand so I just shifted to a high gear and cranked on the pedals by hand for a few seconds. The leak stopped. I checked it again a few days later, after the bike sat again, still no leak.


When I did change tires in the fall, I took some paper towels and wiped it out of the old tire. It is the least messy/smelly of the sealants I’ve tried.

You might get some tiny soft balls of the fiber like goo in your tires, but I don’t think it has any negative effects and might just be excess. It is more expensive than some of the other stuff, but to me it is worth it.

PTAG and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

If you can't make it to Bavington this is another option
THIS SUNDAY March 21
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and PTAG work Highland Park

10am at the grove across from the pool on Lake Drive, work till 1pm
Bring work pants, gloves and hard-toed shoes
We'll be digging with tools and cleaning up as well
All are welcome!

View Larger Map

Bavington Trail Maintenance Sunday March 21st

Don't forget, we are doing some more trail maintenance on Sunday at Bavingtion.  A little work and some great hiking!

Time: 10 am
Place: 5 Points parking area.

View Bavington/Hillman State Park in a larger map

Tools to bring if you have them: Bow saw or large pruners.  If you don't have tools don't worry, there will be some.
What to wear:  Sturdy boots, gloves, eye protection,
Food/Drink: Bring your own.

If you can't make it to Bavington, consider helping out at one of the other parks this weekend.  Even if it's just for a little while.

Pre-race course ride for Celtic Cross

Wednesday March 17th - Celtic Cross Race Course Pre-Ride

The course is not fully marked yet but I know where it is going to go
so follow me and you shall learn it. We'll do a few laps in the dark.
It will be fun.
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Frick Park - Parking lot near the Irish Center on Commercial/
Forward - also near the bottom of the Iron Gate Trail
Bring: A Cross Bike or MTB

More information about the actual race on the 21st can be found at.  There is a class for mountain bikes too.
http://pghalleycat.com/races/the-celtic-cross-more-winter-cross/

Help make the trials better.

PTAG does big monthly trail maintenance events at various parks, but don’t get to thinking that one day a year is all that it takes to maintain the trails. Small groups of volunteers are out on a regular basis doing basic maintenance year round.


Get on the PTAG email list or get in touch with your local park steward to find out about these mini-work days. They are usually just couple of hours and can be as simple as pruning some brush or fixing some drainage.

Here is a link to the park stewards and contact information for each park

If you can’t make it out with a group, but still want to help, contact the steward to coordinate your efforts and record your volunteer hours.

You directly benefit by volunteering some time to work on the trails. I’ve seen the difference a few people can make, but I dream about how much better they could be with a more help.

Bavington Trail Maintenance Report 03/14/2010

Well it was just Ben and I.  We worked on the new side.  Tried to finished up the trail we were working on before.  I used my driod phone to track our hike.  I just had it in my pocket and I think it lost signal once.  Ben roughly estimated that only about 35% has been cleared.  The trails are pretty soft and there are a lot of muddy areas that will need work when conditions are better.

View Bavington Trail Maintenance 3/14/2010 in a larger map

Amazing what the weight of snow can do to a tree.

We plan on going out again next Sunday.  Please come out and help.

Bavinton Trail Maintenance March 14th and 21st

"Upcoming Bavington Workdays:

March 14th
March 21st

Meet 10:00 AM at the Five Points Parking Area
Bring saws. Bow saws especially.

We'll be walking and cutting the many fallen trees that are blocking the trails
Wear waterproof boots, sturdy gloves and safety eyewear.
Bring your own water and food

Ben Staud
PTAG Bavington Point of Contact"

Bavington will normally dry out before other places, but we need to get the trails cleared.

I need a drink

A sports drink that is. This is something I seemed to be going through all the time. For a long time I was drinking “Cytomax”, but I found on days when it’s really hot and I drink a lot, I get an upset stomach, burp the stuff and then feel a little sickly later. Not to mention mixing it right, so it doesn’t clump up. Everyone knows that water just won’t cut it, if you are riding in hot weather. I always seem to have more of an issue with hydration than energy.

I got some free samples of “The Right Stuff” last year and although I really think it worked for me, the price is high, $8.99 for 3 servings. A serving is 16oz, but one contains more sodium than 4-5 servings of any other drink, but how much do I really need? I started looking for just a good electrolyte suppliment that has nothing else, no protein, no sugar, etc. Why not use table salt? Table salt is produced with other chemicals added that aren't good for you in large doses.

I ordered some “Camelbak Elixir” tablets to try out and I also stumbled upon a product called “Elete” an electrolyte add-in which seems to be very similar to “The Right Stuff". They have a really good comparison chart on their website of a lot of sports drinks and gels. They just started selling individual serving packs, which are about a $1 each and 1 is good for 2-3 liters (68-100oz). I’m going to try it too.

I’ll provide an update once I get a chance to try them out.

No 24 Hours of big Bear this year.

A friend posted this on her  facebook page.

"For the first time in 19 years Granny Gear Productions will not be organizing a 24 hour race in West Virginia, the birthplace of 24 hour mountain bike racing. Granny Gear's Laird Knight has decided not to hold the 2010 edition of the 24 Hours of Big Bear but hopes to hold the event again in 2011."

She found it in Spokes Magazine - Serving Cyclists in the Mid-Atlantic States

Laird claims there was not enough money in it.  I find that hard to believe.

*If you are looking for a basic web developer & designer , check out Pittsburghwebchick.com.

Google Maps Adds "Bike There" Option | Bicycle Times Magazine

This is really cool.
I tested out a couple trips and it suggests known bike routes/trails when it can. It did a nice route from my office to OTB. 22 Minutes 3.1 miles.


Google Maps Adds "Bike There" Option Bicycle Times Magazine

PTAG schedule of big work days.

Here it is.  PTAG's 2010 schedule, straight from the PTAG Trails website.

• March 7 - Sunday - big workday - North Park - Brian
• April 11 - Sunday - big workday - Moraine - Dave
• May 2 - Sunday - big workday - Hartwood - Maurice
• June 6 - Sunday - big workday - Bavington - Ben
• July 11 - Sunday - big workday - North Park - Jamie
• July 16-20 - Fri - Sun - MTB fest - details pending - Mike
• August 1 - Sunday - big workday - Boyce - Barry
• Sept 12 - Sunday - big workday - Month of Mud - PTAG Race - Brian
• Oct 3 - Sunday - big workday - open
• Nov 7 - Sunday - big workday - open
• Dec 5 - Sunday - End of Year Party ??? - Mike

 Mark your calendars now!  There will be plenty of small work days between these events.  Join the email list to get all the info. 

  

 

Bavinton Trail Maintenance Report

It's bad.  Mostly pine trees down, but a lot of them.  Lora and I met Dave and his dog Ona, we had our dogs Ripley and Laila with us, at the normal parking area on 5 points road.  We headed out on a long hike, Dave had snowshoes so he had the advantage.  It was a nice day to be out in the woods even if we were struggling with deep snow.

We tried to stand up and brace smaller pine trees that the ice and snow had bent over and frozen the tops to the ground.  A lot of dead pine had been snapped and had to be cut and removed.  As many times as I rode those trails, some times it was hard to find the path because there were so many trees down.  By the end of the day our legs were pretty tired, even the dogs were getting tired.  There were some areas where the snow was still 2 ft deep.  We cut a lot of trees, but only did about 4 miles and you know there are a lot more miles to be done.  The concern is that if the trees don't get cleared from the trails before people start riding that a bunch of go side trails will be made.

Dave talked to the Post Gazzette about the trails.