Getting up at 6am to save a few bucks on some newfangled object doesn’t make the sense it used to. Years ago I would get up early for the A&B Sound Boxing Day sale, but that was before online shopping, price protection and competitive prices year round.

We hooked up with some of our regular riding partners for a shuttle run on Forbidden Plateau to help burn off a few of the calories consumed over the holiday dinners.

Snow covered much of the upper trails, but the hardness tricked us into thinking it might be somewhat rideable… It ended up being anything but.

As the elevation dropped so did the snow coverage, and the riding improved. A flat (with a DH tube no less) and a few raindrops later, we returned to the cars filled with joy at our persistence and accomplishment. Looking forward to making this an annual event.

Oh, and I did get the Boxing Day deals I wanted in about 30 minutes at 5pm

Staying warm and dry on BC trails has its challenges. Yes, I know we don’t have the cold weather of Ontario or Alberta, but you know what they say it’s not the cold, it’s the humidity! BC gets it’s fair share of damp wet days and if you’re going to ride through winter, a warm and waterproof shoe is extremely important.

Defroster MTB Shoe updated for 2012

Last year I tried neoprene booties, which caused issues clipping into my spd’s, and various different wool socks, which kept my feet warm for short rides. Both ways I left with cold feet that took hours to warm up.

The Shimano MW80 all weather shoes have been a popular choice locally, but I haven’t found Shimano a good fit for me. I’ve worn Specialized shoes for many years and on recommendation of our local dealer, ordered the new updated MTB Defrosters. Fit is very close to the Specialized standard, so I chose the same size as my older MTB Comp’s and my new MTB Pro’s.

…

Daylight savings time ends in just a short few days, and already our days have become short enough that after work  rides are always ending in darkness. This heralds in the joy of the night ride.

Bundling up, strapping on helmet lights and heading out to once familiar trails which seem so much more foreign.

Cruiser Ride

…

With the change of season on Vancouver Island, the trails change from dusty and loose to mucky and slippery.

After giving up my Maxxis High Roller 2.35 Super Tacky’s to Teresa, I needed to find something for my front tire to replace the Maxxis Ardent 2.35 which worked great on the summer dry trails, but packs up too quickly in the mud.

Simon’s cycles had a good price on the Specialized Purgatory Control 26×2.4 which has a nice wide spacing between knobs and large side blocks for good directional control on off camber trail and cornering. …

One of my favorite new iPhone apps is the Photosynth App from Microsoft. Creation of full virtual tours is simple and quick with this easy to use app.

Here’s a few that I’ve done lately!

Two Sheiks Trail, Comox Valley, BC

Ape Canyon Trail – Mt St Helens, Washington

Lahar overlook, Ape Canyon Trail – Mt St Helens, Washington

And one completely unrelated to biking

Vancouver Canucks vs Anaheim Ducks @ Rogers Arena

Since 2009, Teresa and I have made our annual summer holiday into a biking road trip. First year was the kootenay region of BC, last year; Idaho, and Montana, and this year we hit up Oregon.

Just shy of 10 days, 2900 km’s of road and 170 km’s of singletrack later we are home and back to our normal life.

We focussed on Oakridge, and Bend, with plans for Hood River, but were diverted by forest fires.

Check back over the next week as I take you on our journey.

View Larger Map

We are just about into our new house. A few more loads from the old place an we will be done. My legs have had quite the workout going from a three story building to two. One benefit of the new place is a two car garage. With our bikes, camping gear, skis, etc there is a lot to fit in the garage and still leave room for the Jeep.

I’ve seen a few floor racks for bikes and some hanging racks. Hanging would be fine but the garage door would hit any more than a couple.

I’ve come up with an idea based on a recent hitch rack by Arbutus Racks. A raised front wheel slot holder.

Basically it’s a series of wheel slots, but raised up 3 feet. Bikes will sit with their front wheel up in the slot bringing the back wheel much closer reducing the overall bike footprint. Alternating the double sided design means each bike will fit within 12 inches. Should be able to fit 10+ bikes in a footprint of one car, while keeping every bike accessible and maintain access to the workstand and tool box.

More to come when we get back from our road trip!

Anyone else have ideas for garage bike storage?