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.)