Phoenix Area C&V'ers -- How about a Sept / Oct multisurface social ride?
 

We really do have a well developed MUP and canal trail bike highway in the Valley. How about a social ride?

There are many ways we can go at it. Just from my perspective, we could go from my house south on the Pima MUP to the SRP canal. From there, we could go:

1) West towards Old Scottsdale (25 round trip) or the Biltmore (40 miles), or beyond to Gendale (79 miles), have breakfast, coffee, lunch, etc., and return. Any bike with 28mm tires or better will handle it. Or

2) East across the reservation to Granite Reef dam. Conditions are a little more spotty -- 32 road tire minimum, cyclocross or MTB. We would need to carry adequate water and food.

BTW, I have a few extra trail bikes around if anyone needs a loaner.

RFC

sounds awesome, count me in.http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=215387

I'm in; would prefer something toward PHX proper though - I'm downtown and don't want to have to get a ride. What's the average speed assumed for this ride? Determines whether I'll be riding an ordinary, or something boring ;).

central phoenix area here too.

This is social. I promise. If necessary, I'll go to therapy to keep it that way.

I'm down, but I don't have any big tired bikes!

Planned to ride on a 7/8" tire myself -.-

As I said, I have extra big tire bikes if anyone needs one.

I'd be game, if it's in Oct, less heat hopefully. I just picked up a Schwinn Crosscut yesterday, so I'm set tire wise.

Anyone doing the Tour de Scottsdale?

I think you are right. October will be a better bet on weather.

I would be down for a ride in October, my 26" to 700c "terry bike" conversion should be done by then.

I'm determined to do it this year....if fat gals on mtbs, and BBM could do it...I have no excuse. :D
BBM, I'm not comparing you to fat gals on mtbs!
;)

This will be fun. I'm in, just schedule it for another weekend than the Tour De Fat (I'll prolly be seeing you guys there, too).

Tour de Fat in Tempe was cool last year. Maybe I'll join the parade ride this year. ;)

Sounds like fun, I'd be interested in doing it.

OT question: Any Phoenix-area C&V'ers happen to own a cotter press? I've got an old Superbe I'm restoring for my lady, and I'm afraid to go and start banging on the cotters with a hammer...mostly based on failed past attempts on other bikes.

If anyone from the Phoenix-area has a cotter press and wouldn't mind letting me use it (or y'know, walking me through it), I'll procure for said C&V'er a sixer of your choice of wrenching beverage. PM me.

PM sent. Hammer generally = bad, even when removing with no intention of using again.


How about that August heat, ladies and gentlemen?

my car said it was 117 today, ouch. since we are ot, is there a decent bike shop in phoenix? don't like the two that are local to me, and does anyone near me have a stronglight crank puller I might be able to use?

I don't have a Stronglight crank puller, and you might have some issues finding a shop with one (try Landis or Try Me Bikes - they're pretty much our 'older' shops). While I don't really want to slander the shop, I feel overly disserviced by them. I love closest to the Landis on Indian School, and Sunday while on a ride with two other cyclists, following the laws PHX and AZ have set forth, we had a mechanic of that very shop run us off the road in his motor vehicle. He kept saying he was trying to be helpful and tell us the laws. If a police saw any person driving this way, bicycle around or not, the driver would likely get arrested on the spot. Stop in the middle of a traffic lane behind us, burnout, swerve in front of two of the cyclists, and literally run me off the road in fear that I'm about to get run over and slam on the brakes and smoke them, screeching to a stop.

Scottsdale or Tempe (101) Landis have always been very good to me. Slippery Pig is a decent option downtown (and next-door to some of the best coffee in PHX), though I wasn't thrilled with their truing job of my dad's wheels. The Tempe Bike owner(s) (husband and wife) are stuck up a-holes from all my personal experience with them (which is saying a lot - they're Wheelmen and all).

Blaise, my infrequent dealings with landis and the slippery pig have been frustrating and painful, I refuse to go back to either of them so your post is a little discouraging. I get out to tempe a bit so maybe I will try that Landis. how is that saddle mold coming, by the way?

Well, I don't know if anyone on the forum owns or works at a shop, so I hope I'm not hurting anyone's feelings by stating my experience: Most Phoenix bike shops I've visited aren't interested in C&V projects. The two who have been helpful above & beyond the rest (and are now basically the only one's I deal with) have been Slippery Pig in Central Phoenix, just North of Indian School, and Dominic's Two Wheelers in Tempe. There's also a bike coop here in Tempe I've been meaning to check out, because it sounds like they might have a lot of spare parts for cheap (or trade).

You know for how many phoenix area c & vers are on this forum you would think there would be a shop that at least dabbled in our needs. well thank you for the advice on the shops I should check, I hope I don't have to end up trying to buy the crank puller.

Yea, it's a shame there's not much love for C&V here. I'd say Try Me Bikes is probably the best bet, and maybe Trailhead Bike Cafe (they're nice guys there - dunno how their work is). Try Me stocks C&V stuff, and a fun place to sometimes stumble across a bike you want (at a premium). Tempe's Landis (the one by Price) used to have a mechanic that did C&V work for the fun of it, because he likes bikes, but he has moved onto a different profession - the shop is still a good spot though (as is the Scottsdale one).

I'm still waiting on my leather for the saddles (which means miles on my Eagle is limited - sad that).

Also, by "shop", I meant our car shop! That said, I do a fair amount of wrenching and restoration of bikes, so I have a lot of tools. As stated though, I lack a Stronglight puller. I thought about buying one a few weeks ago. Try Me or Scottsdale Landis are the best bets for that IMO.

Sorry, missed your post prior to mine. It must just be my experience, but I live about 1 minute away from the Tempe Landis but don't visit it at all anymore. I can't speak to their mechanical abilities or tool arsenal, but most of what I've purchased there has been at a very high markup, and usually from unwilling and unhelpful sales people.

I'm with you on Tempe Bike, tho. They're miserable people. I think it has to do with working with college students 95% of the time, usually shopping for the cheapest cruiser to get them to class.