Cue the Tron Music

Peraves Ecomobile, Monotracer, E-Tracer and X-Tracer Cabin Motorcycles

A cabin motorcycle is a fully enclosed cabin two wheel vehicle. These things are motocycles but with full bodies, full rooflines and trunks and A/C and outrigger wheels that pop down at stoplights and low speed.

They are funky and curious and not for most bikers I know but they might be a good machine for someone looking to commute more efficiently, with less impact and with the ability to split traffic.

Unless I was putting on serious miles I can't see myself really wanting one of these but they are definitely their own brand of cool.

Um, You Pedal Bikes

Elmoto: Stylish and economical electric biking in one lightweight package however it isn't really honest to call this thing a bike, you can't pedal it. Also, I'd have to say stylish is in the eye of the beholder because I find it pretty well butt ugly.

That said, its kind of an interesting concept that could be quite useful for people who have short commutes in crowded cities.

But it definitely ain't a bicycle.

Mix It Up to Keep It Fresh

The trail that I ride most often runs through a portion of Nisene Marks State Park in Aptos, California. The trail goes out of the park and then back in after a steep and tough climb up to Sand Point which looks out over all of Aptos and out into the Monterey Bay.

It is a fantastic trail with very technical sections, singletrack along the edge of a hill with occasional hundred foot drop offs a few inches away, wide redwood lined trails and some high speed bomber run areas. There are even water hazards, bridges and the occasional wild donkey braying somewhere off in the deeps of the woods.

It is, in just a few words, some of the best riding I've had the pleasure of being able to hit regularly.

But even filet mignon gets tiring if that's all you ever eat. So, yesterday, I mixed it up a bit and reversed my normal course. I opted to climb up the backside of the mountain, a sinewy track with carved in berms, single, double and even triple jumps. Coming down this trail is phenomenally fun even though I'm not really much of a jumper, I do rather enjoy hitting a nice berm and ripping around a corner sideways.

The ride down is lots of fun but I found that the ride up affords a very, very different perspective of the trail. I saw so much more, saw numerous new routes, shortcuts, alternative tracks and tons more. It was also damned hard work because of some of the steep sections and other sections criss-crossed with roots at all angle.

I also made sure to keep my ears and eyes open not only for the occasional mountain lion but for other bikers bombing down the hill at speed. But today I saw no one until I was just about out of the woods entirely at the end of my ride. I toiled my way to the top, having to climb off and push my bike a few times.

At the very top, I took a break, drank a whole bunch of water, soaked in the magnificent view and, for some reason or another, put my bike on the swinging bench and took some pictures of it.

From there, I kept on my reverse course and dropped down the hill in the bright sun. Its an old access road that's gotten badly rutted out and I nearly went tumbling after getting a little out of control. After getting things back into a more stable state, I headed back into the park and down from the Mesa Grande trail head.

The ride back down from there is pretty familiar territory as its part of the original loop I've ridden for many months now. Its well overgrown right now and there are prickers growing out into the trail all over the place. But it is still pretty fast and always good fun. It doesn't hurt that there are rarely other people out on the trail away from the parking lots.

I also got a chance to stop near the bottom of the trail to photograph one of my favorite derelict cars. I love seeing this car slowly be absorbed back into the earth over the weeks and months and years. I was also sorely tempted to go for a quick swim in the really cold creek but was running a little tight on time so that'll have to wait for next time.

All in all, a great and refreshing ride with a new perspective, a new appreciation for the bombing run downhill on the backside of the mountain and a really good sweat.

Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner to race the 2009 Nevada City Classic!

Just saw multiple tweets come through on Lance & Levi's twitter feeds,
that they along with Chris Horner will indeed be racing the 2009
Nevada City Classic this coming Sunday. This is very cool news to
have them racing here in NorCal again! I assume they will be wearing
the Mellow Johnny's kits again like they did at the Tour of the Gila.

http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong

http://twitter.com/Levi_Leipheimer

http://twitter.com/hornerakg

Cycling Bolivia's World's Most Dangerous Road

Biking down the World's Most Dangerous Road though that billing could be called into question now that there's another road nearby that drastically cuts down on traffic. Even so, it isn't the road itself but the sheer 600 meter drop off a skid away.

But the views are pretty spectacular and it would be pretty cool to say you did bike the most dangerous road in the world.

Might just have to add this to my bucket list.

Santa Clara County sheriff's deputy who killed cyclists demoted - San Jose Mercury News

Santa Clara County sheriff's deputy who killed cyclists demoted to technician.

What's the message being sent here? He fell asleep at the wheel, ran over two cyclists and killed them and he is merely demoted for it? What would happen to me if I'd done the same thing? I can damn well tell you that I wouldn't be walking free, I'd be in jail pending trial.

That he has publicly stated his deep remorse at what happened is a good thing, it shows a little bit of what his character is. But he is responsible for killing two people who were merely riding their bikes.

He still faces sentencing for two charges of vehicular manslaughter but they are misdemeanor charges and unlikely to land him in jail.

I'm sorry but this feels like an incredibly light slap on the wrist for his actions that resulted in two cyclist's deaths.

There are accidents where "I'm sorry" really just doesn't even being to cut it. This is definitely one of those times.

We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties

Sorry about the appearing and disappearing comments and trackbacks, I am working on it but it might not be fixed until tonight.

Goodies from Makai Bikes

Because I follow a good number of bicycling Tweeps on Twitter, I was one of the lucky ones to respond to @MakaiBikes offer of some cycling goodies. As you can probably guess, one of the things I received in the mail from Makai Bikes was the small saddle bag posted to the left there. Inside the bag is a patch kit and some tire levers just in case I flat out (which, now that I'll say this will probably happen the next time I ride, I haven't had a flat in a very, very long time).

The bag this one is replacing is a bit larger and has an outside pocket which I use as a rolling piggy bank. I've taken to dropping two or three bucks in the pocket every time I go out for a ride. Kind of my low tech way of saving a few bucks to replace cables, tires or what have you.

The M Wave small saddle bag doesn't have the pocket but it does have a decent space to put in the patch kit and tire levers but it was a bit of a squeeze to fit my Topeak Alien tool in along with the other two pieces. But it did all fit and that's the important thing since the Topeak is my be-all do-everything tool and I really do not leave home without it.

Attaching it to my saddle and seat post was easy, fast and results in a really secure, snug fit. The velcro straps go up and over the seat rails and then back down along the side of the bag to make an easily customizable fit. I'm not sure how the velcro would hold up over the long term if the bag was moved from bike to bike with any regularity but, if it was going to be left on a single bike then I can't imagine it loosening up anytime soon.

One really nice thing I like about the little saddle bag is the bottom of the bag that is exposed to the wheel and all the mud it throws off is curved and non-porous, unlike my previous bag. This means it'll stay cleaner, drier and nicer looking for longer.

All in all, its a good upgrade from my old bag. I might wish for a little extra space and a wee pocket to stash some duckets but I'm not complaining as it'll look good for a good long time.

Beyond the Peloton

Check out this great series of videos from the Cervelo Test Team at: http://www.bartape.net/ Lots of great behind the scenes footage.

1986 Tour de France - Profile of 7-11 Team

This is a great old school video of the 7-11 cycling team in the 1986 Tour de France. Riders like Bob Roll, Chris Carmichael, Davis Phinney and Eric Heiden. They really paved the way for American cycling.