Trees on fire.

Got stopped in my tracks on a test ride the other day by this tree. It's the little things......

Late fall pier fishing.

Got down to my favorite pier and put some time in with great results. Sea trout, blues, spot, red drum, skates and even the occasional turtle where getting caught. I did ok and mostly hooked snapper blues. They are fun to catch and put up a good fight. Thanks nags head fishing pier. Last of the old piers where it don't cost a million bucks to be on and still has the pier house bar where you catch it they cook it. A true working man's pier where your money can only buy you more bait or cans of Budweiser. Don't go changing. Enjoy some pics below....

A Halows Eve Greeting

The SBC and PULP crew will be waiting for trick or treaters this halloween.  Make sure to come visit us! There will betreats galore waiting for you! Doesn't the witch and her goul friends look so cool? 

End of Season SBC Campout!

This past weekend (10/24-25) was the final SBC Bike Camping Trip of 2015. What a great way to end the series! One of the best things about each of the camping trip is the diversity of the folks who attend; there was a 60 year age range in the participants, first time bike campers and seasoned veterans.  Issac was one of our first time campers.  He had previously only ridden his bike in City limits. The 25 mile scenic route to Stokesville was a whole new experience for this senor high school student. We also had two riders under the age of 10, Ethan who has logged many miles on his Burley Kazoo.  Sillen, who at the age of 8, made the entire round trip adventure pedaling his own bike.  Our fearless leader, David, did a great job keeping troops smiling and making sure the Stokesville pizza was picked up on time (Thanks Marshall!).  Hopefully the photos below will entice you to join us in 2016 as SBC keeps the bike camping tradition alive!

See ya at the next one!

Thomas

David helping Issac load up for his first trip!

Lookout Mountain and our destination straight ahead.

Some of the group having some fire time after smores!

Part of the crew Sunday morning...a few departed early.

A beautiful place to call home for a night!

Issac and Marshall, both BOBbing!

Art breaking out his gear from the 80's with Thomas & Ethan.

I caught nature doing stuff.

Exploring this valley by bike is a special experience.  Jason got out a few times in the last week on the pedal cycle. Took some photos of nature doing what it does. Enjoy

45NRTH Winter Boots in stock!

Wait... is that Fflur wearing this years new 45NRTH Japanther Mountain 2-Bolt Cycling Shoes?! It is! You can be wearing these snazzy shoes as well. Just pop on in to SBC and we will get you fitted for these comfortable and amazing shoes.

  Japanthers are designed to give you the warmth and comfort in temperatures as low as -20 degrees Fereinheit.  We carry these in the Road model as well.  Get them while you can! The cold is coming around the corner.

A day for the youth!

The ShenRock Group!

Sunday was the 2nd event of the Fall Virginia NICA Series. NICA is short for National Interscholastic Cycling Association. NICA is a fast growing National organization that is starting to bring more and more opportunities for middle and high school students to ride and race their mountain bikes.  Sunday's race was held at the Stokesville Campground, a perfect venue that provided a fantastic 3.5 mile course, camping and views that would please any outdoor lover.

A fun atmosphere that made the kids feel special.

Our family spent the night at the Stokesville Lodge which  made it easy for Ethan and I to wake up and stroll around the campground and  watch the sun rise. It was evident by all the full campsites that many families came in early to make a fun weekend out of this one day event. The best things about mountain bike racing is not always the race but everything that comes with the adventure. The camping, the sunrise, the sunset, the hanging out with new and old friends at a campfire, these are often what will make the memories. No better place to experience all these great things then the Stokesville Campground.

Nathaniel Layman rolling the last turn to the finish..

One of the most exciting parts of the weekend was seeing how many girls were at Stokesville to ride their bikes, challenge themselves and compete against other Virginia NICA teams. In what has been a typically male driven sport it was refreshing and promising to see the girls represent.  There is nothing better to encourage others to get involved then encouragement from your peers. I expect more and more young ladies to be showing up for these events in the future.

The Varsity Lead group with Massanutten Peak behind.

Our local ShenRock Team was there in full force and long with many supportive friends and family members. I had a blast hanging out with the crew at the ShenRock turn and cheering for the team (and all other riders too). I think all the kids loved having a race close to town along with  a venue that really showcased the mountain bike opportunities that exist in the area.

We wish the ShenRock Team the best of luck with their upcoming events.

Thanks for letting us tag along!

-Thomas

Hillandale Powerline Trail and Bryce Final Weekend

Did you know that last week the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition built a new trail at Hillandale? Thanks to two local trail heroes, Brad Stone of 402 Trails and Rich Edwards of the International Mountain Bicycling Association, we now have a "flow" trail that stretches from the top of South Avenue down to the bottom. Berms, rollers, and lots of dirt sculpted to perfection. Dirt was delivered thanks to Partners Excavating to the tune of 30 full dump trucks. Hopefully the trail will excite more people to ride their bikes in Hillandale, at Massanutten, the National Forest, and Bryce Bike Park.

By the way, did you know that Bryce will celebrate their last weekend with the bike park open on 10/24 with the Bryce Bike Bonanza? Ride the power line trail go to Bryce and repeat! More dirt, rollers, and berms in the future? We sure hope so.

Idiots Guide to BikePacking

I can't believe it has taken me this long to try out bike camping.  I love to backpack, camp, and especially love to bike.  When you combine them all it is even more of a blast! On October 24, myself and some other wonderful people will be venturing out to Stokesville to try out our first bike camping experience.   I have done my research and made a gear list for anyone who is interested in going on a bike camping trip in the future. I am making this gear list for a two day and one night excursion for fall weather.  I would suggest anyone who is planning on going on a bike packing trip to use the Salsa's The Bikepacker's Guide  .  Everything from what to expect and the food to bring is in this handy dandy book.  Conveniently, we sell them here at SBC!

Bike packing Gear List 

Bike Gear

• Helmet
• Sunglasses
• Bicycle lights (I prefer the rechargeable ones) 
• Bike shoes (Shoes that will be comfortable walking in as well) 
• 4 Liter Camel Pack
• 48 oz. Nalgene
• 2 24 oz. water bottles
• Muli-tool
• 2 extra tubes
• Rain jacket 
• Bike trailer 

Camp Gear 

• Eno Hammock
• Eno Tarp Cover
• Sleeping bag
• Camp shoes (burks, chacos, moccasins, whatever pleases thy foot.) 
• Layers! (wool socks, wool long johns, nicely fitted cap of some sorts) 
• First aid kit. 
• My Handy Dandy Survival Pack ( jack knife, lighter, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and of course a deck of cards) Random but useful in any given circumstances. 
• Head lamp
• Dry bag
• Jet Boil 
• Pot 
• Camping spork (You get the best of both worlds!) 

Food 

• Instant coffee
• Electrolyte drink packets
• Spinach and cheese sandwichs 
• Granola bars ( I enjoy making these babies homemade. ) 
• Quinoa dinner (Fills you up and you can get creative with it!)
• Smores! ( DUH)

Toiletries

• Toothbrush and paste
• Cleansing wipes (optional, the smell of the outdoors is the best deodorant.) 

PULP, PULPY, PULPIEST

 This weeks featured tea is Tung Ting Oolong tea.  The flavor is mellow and smooth, not to mention delightful.  Or treat yo self with a Sambazon Acai Berry Energy Drink.

This weeks Acai Bowl special is the Pinky. Sink your taste buds into this delicious combination of acai, pitaya, raspberry, almond milk and dark chocolate.  We have carob powder as a substitute for all the amazing vegans out there.

If you like fries... and who doesn't. Go to Cuban Burger

Nothing beats french fries, dipping sauce of some kind and a cold beverage of your choice. That said go to Cuban Burger. Best fries in town and my personal favorite place in the burg.

My ride and its metamorphosis

Years ago when I first started riding bikes the bike of choice was the bmx bike. I rode that bike everywhere with my skateboard on the handlebars. It was my transportation to skate ramps, people's houses and the 7-eleven for grape slurpees. As time moved on and my job became velo delivery that bmx bike morphed into a larger version of the simple one gear machine known as the track bike. This ride had very little going on and was perfect for my job which was pretty demanding for a bicycle. Less is more was my thinking.Years later, the bike morphed again into a multi speed fully suspended, might as well be dirt bike, with me as the motor or commonly known as the full suspension mountain bike. This bike was for play and play only. Well, here I am in my 40s, that bike has morphed again. David Lee calls my motorcycle my old man bike.  This bad boy is my pedal version, it's comfortable, has many gears and is suited for everything short of ripping a downhill mtb line. Enjoy the pictures. Everything pictured on this sweet ride below can be procured here at SBC!

Harrisonburg Newbie

Moving from Ohio to Virginia was quite the experience.  I was nervous about making the move. I have had my roots deep in Dayton since college and loved the climbing and biking community there.  As soon as I arrived in Harrisonburg, I saw bike lanes throughout the city.  It was a good sign.  I started doing some adventuring around town and found the Shenandoah Bicycle Company.  I was jobless and ready to get my work on.  Tim and Thomas greeted me and after talking with them for less than five minutes I knew I wanted to work there.  As soon as I started working for SBC I quickly began to get a grasp on how big biking in general is out here.  

I have participated in triathlons through out Ohio and cannot wait to start participating in races out here.  Biking around, I have noticed how breathtaking the scenery is.

This dreary weather has me already planning fun rides for the winter.  Who wouldn't like to see 40 people dressed as Santa riding their bikes through the city?

Here at SBC and PULP we have fall events and weekly ride schedules for anyone to take. Or you can visit svbcoalition.org for the online version.  I am stoked about going on my first bike camping trip on October 24 and 25!  Living in Harrisonburg and working at SBC has really opened the doors for me to try new things in a new environment.

Come on this campout. Seriously.

Some sunshine for us all.

Remember when the valley looked like this? I know it's been a while but until the rain stops enjoy this pic from a not so gloomy time.