Ride on New Year’s Day…

Celebrate the new year by joining Tri-City Cyclists and the staff of Bicycle HQ for the 9th annual Millennium Ride on Thursday, January 1, 2009.

The ride starts at the Tridge in downtown Midland at 11:00 AM and follows the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail to Veterans Park in Sanford. Riders will enjoy a bonfire and hot beverages in the park before returning to the Tridge where hot beverages will again be available. Total ride distance is approximately 19 miles.

Click here for more details.

Get that bike back out!

 

Studded Tire

Don’t let the snow put a damper on your mountain bike riding. There are several tires on the market, that are made for blazing trails all Winter long.  At the upper end of the spectrum are the Nokian Extreme 294 studded mountain bike tires.  These bad boys from Finland have 294 carbide steel studs, extra beefy sidewalls and a special cold weather compound.  Kenda Klondikes offer similar quality and construction, with fewer (100 count) carbide steel studs.  Continental Spike Claws grip the snow and ice with either 120 or 240 counts, with a lesser grade hardened steel stud.  At the lower end are further studded offerings from Nokian, IRC and Innova.  These tires range in price from $40 to $100 per tire.  If you can’t swing this, try running a non-studded, open tread, knobby tire with lower tire pressure.  The open tread will self-clean while you ride.  Or consider a studded tire on the front, to keep your front end from washing out in the slippery spots.  Keep in mind that the studs are only effective on ice and hard pack.

My knowledge is based on some internet searches and information from our local bike shops.  I am hoping to have a couple bucks left over after our holiday shopping to put toward a set.  If you have further information to share on Winter riding, I invite you to leave comments under this post.  Also, take some Winter riding photos and post them on our Flickr group!  My two Flickr contributions are pretty weak…taken from my cell phone.

Check with Ray’s Bike Shop about a Sunday group ride in the Winter months.