The 2016  Cykel Scramble

The Huckleberry Racing Team rolled out in full force at The 2016 Cykel Scramble.

One mountain bike, a few ramps, sandbags, lots of coffee and a few crashes. We prevailed and took 2nd Place in the Toasters Category! A killer race course and an amazing group of riders make this one of the best events of the season.

This Team Saves Lives hanging with Huck Racing Crashes were a Plenty!   Each race started with a Wheel Barrel to level the playing field Miles took a spill but bounced back in no time We won a sweet trophy and a bottle of champagne

The Huckleberry Bicycles Fall Sale

There is something special about this time of year in the Bay Area.  A sudden blast of late summer heat gives way to crisp cool weather and short days. The uncertainty of the next six months grows a bit heavy.  Will it rain all winter? Do I need new bike lights? Will I watch postseason baseball?  Should I buy that closeout Salsa Cutthroat? Will I finally catch a steelhead in the Russian River?  These are the known unknowns that creep up on us in October.

For most of those questions, we'll have you covered during our Fall Sale, October 6th through the 23rd.  This is the time of year when we need to shuffle out the old inventory.  So we will be slashing prices on 2016 bikes, apparel, bags, racks, baskes, lights, and other cool accessories.

Come on down to either location, San Francisco or our new store in Berkeley. Here is what awaits...

And more, so much more...

As the weather gets warmer and road season winds down, cross season winds up, and all around people are active; dragging the last bit of Summer out of Autumn if we can. The open road gets a little chillier and maybe you're already dreaming of next year. What do you bring with you on your rides? Hopefully a little more water, or planned water stops, but what do you eat on the bike? It's a long struggle finding what works for your body and when. Don't be afraid to experiment in your off-season!

[caption id="attachment_7603" align="aligncenter" width="628"] Big Wide roads in Abbotsford, BC. Excellent for transporting bikes on bikes! Drivers generally erred on the side of giving you too much space.[/caption] In a metropolis that fosters a sense of personal pride when you tackle the hills on your way to work(we've definitely got world class riding; see Tour de California), is synonymous with the fixed gear scene, and continues to show new growth in first-time cyclists; our bicycle pathways kind of suck. The Bay Area as a whole, while boasting some real first class climbs and routes, doesn't have the infrastructure that many other cities have already put in place. The highlights of riding bikes in different cities is being able to see what works and what doesn't in each city. During my trip to and through the North, Vancouver was extremely flat, wide, and much of their public transit allows bicycles on it. Many of their cyclists boast shocks and knobbies, with their incredible downhill scene and mountain biking in Whistler and Banff, to name only a couple. They also have a thriving messenger scene. The rest of BC that I visited was similar to the rest of the Bay. Wide pathways, but drivers don't feel threatened by cyclists, nor do they really care. [gallery size="medium" ids="7595,7600,7591" orderby="rand"] [gallery columns="2" size="medium" ids="7604,7588"] For the small amount that I saw when we passed through Seattle, the bike pathways were well-defined, but the hills looked rougher than the San Francisco 48! I'm talking 10-15% grades on the bike routes! But in truth we never got to ride in Seattle; I'm hoping to visit again to see more of it. In contrast to our horn-honking, sailor-style swearing drivers in the Bay Area, Portland drivers flat-out refuse to take their own right of way if you are waiting at a stop sign. Some of the bike pathways actually do some funky stuff in the name of keeping cyclists safe and keeping their routes and spaces completely clear of motor vehicles, but it is clearly defined and there are many directions in addition to being able to follow many, many other cyclists. While their North to South routes need a little more defining aside from the main thoroughfare on the water, the East to West routes along Going Avenue and along the freeway/train tracks definitely can take you across the city easily. The on and off ramps on their many bridges are understandable and ingenious. Much of the traffic on the bikeways have been naturally slowed and even discouraged by various speedbumps specific to the speed you will be going; these make a bike commute feel more like a child's roller coaster. Some nice swells but no loop-de-loops or jarring potholes. In a car, going more than 15mph, you are likely to bottom out and scrape. [gallery size="medium" ids="7599,7607,7590"] That's not to diminish the great strides that the SF and East Bay Bike Coalition have won over the course of the past few years. New and semi-protected pathways popping up on Market, in Golden Gate Park, and Telegraph Avenue. New bike specific lights and greenways for turning across busy streets, in the panhandle and on some major thoroughfares. Even Google has hopped on the wheel and created a much better version of Googlemaps Cycling; Siri now gives you some pretty great directions that land on bikeways and protected lanes. These organizations while being pretty powerful force however, can't do it alone. Join them and do your part. Attend both the SFBC meetings in addition to the SFMTA and city planning meetings; speak for what you need. It takes every person helping out to create new infrastructure that will take us into the cycling age. [caption id="attachment_7598" align="alignleft" width="645"] On the way to Granville Public Market, along the Fraser River, a warning to all cyclists. See our Previous Blog Post on how to lock your bike, so that you keep all the pieces![/caption]    

We just got our first order of Warbirds in stock a few days ago. We don't have a lot of them, so come and check out your new ramble bike and take it for a test ride! In the meantime, check out our review of the Salsa event in Lake Tahoe a few months back. The Warbird was one of mnay bikes from Salsa that we have the joy of riding all throughout the trails.

 

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B Vivit tells us about the different fender options out there and who rides them.

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#ontheroad

 

Brompton is going #OnTheRoad all summer long in the US, and they're coming to Huckleberry Bicycles!

We're offering you the chance to borrow a Brompton for a day so you can see how well it fits into your daily routine. Ride it to work; stow it in your trunk; bring it on mass transit; take it on a lunch ride to run errands. See how easily it folds up and how well it fits in your office, your home, the coffee shop or the pub.

San Francsico - Monday July 11th

Monday, July 11, 2016 at 11:00 AM - Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 7:00 PM (PDT)

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WHERE Huckleberry Bicycles ~ San Francisco - 1073 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

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Berkeley - Friday July 15th

WHEN Friday, July 15, 2016 at 11:00 AM - Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 5:00 PM (PDT)

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WHERE Huckleberry Bicycles ~ Berkeley - 2424 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704

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ON A MISSION

On July 14th, 1771 three Padres from Spain hung small silver bells on an oak tree in California and named it the Mission San Antonio de Padua.

For the next 245 years, through a revolution, the founding of a nation, the Industrial Revolution, two world wars, earthquakes and countless other events, the Mission San Antonio de Padua has remained. On the weekend of it's 245th anniversary, Huckleberry Bicycles is taking a small group of riders on a grueling 3 day bikepacking trip to the Mission and back again. We want you to join us!

Only the bold need apply. Starting in Carmel, we'll be riding out on Carmel Valley Road to the Arroyo Seco campground and continuing through the Los Padres National Forest on revered Indians Road (epic!). A total of 84 spectacular miles to the historic Mission San Antonio de Padua. The Mission itself has a great group camping area where we will camp for two nights.  Saturday there are options to ride and explore in every direction, explore the Mission's grounds or both! On Sunday we'll take the paved route back by way of King City and then back inland to Carmel Valley Road.

Maps:

- http://bit.ly/291NyJ6

- http://bit.ly/292QuYB

The Details:

All riders convene in Carmel By The Sea. Carpool options will be worked out amongst the group.

Huckleberry will have a vehicle and will manage all food and kitchen equipment for the group. Dinner Friday night, breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday

Any other equipment we can fit in the vehicle we will take for you. Otherwise you are responsible for packing in your equipment. Bring your bikes, bikepacking gear and cameras! All riders must have gps or cell phone mapping capabilities.

All proceeds will go towards fighting cancer on Brian's Ride, a cancer fundraising solo cycling/photography trip down the length of Route 66 in memory of his cousin Brian Brendemihl, who passed away in August of 2015.http://picsfordays.com/brians-ride/

RSVP to bikepacking@huckleberrybicycles.com

Cross is Coming!

Huckleberry CX & @This Team Saves Lives are holding a fundraiser just before CX season takes over. Join us for an Dirty Alley Cat in the Golden Gate Park & surrounding areas.

McLaren Lodge (Stanyon & Fell) 5:00PM $10 to race!

Afterparty : Cerveceria - Woods Beer Co

Part 2: Day 3, Gear list and thoughts on The Salsa Marrakesh

Day 3 – Ponderosa Campground to Arroyo Seco Campground Salsa Marrakesh and Gear   The last time I rode to Mission San Antonio de Padua it was on a 29×2.1 shod, singlespeed 2010 Salsa Fargo. Aka The “Original Fargoâ€, “Fun Guy Green Fargoâ€, “V1 Fargoâ€, or “What the Hell is that goofy looking thing?†Fargo. 5 years have passed and this time I found myself on a Salsa Marrakesh, whose real intended use is heavy duty long distance globetrotting. Built with serious steel tubing and meant to be ridden with no larger than 29×1.8 tires the Marrakesh, aka “the ‘keshâ€, is not on paper the best bike to be tackling Indians Road with. It’s heavy (more on that in a moment) and the stock 700×40 Schwalbe Marathons aren’t really meant for rougher dirt. While trying to find some 29×1.8 tires in stock ANYWHERE, my buddy Bobby Wintle told me, “Try some 2.1’s! We put some on a Marrakesh and there is plenty of room! It’s awesome!†So, I went out into my garage and lo and behold, found an old pair of used WTB Nanoraptor 29×2.1’s. Ignoring for a moment that they were probably 5 years old and pretty beat up, I put them on. The transformation was instant. The ‘kesh went from a pretty good looking touring rig to the bike equivalent of an Army truck in desert camp. Big. Solid. Tan. And, honestly, just…imposing. It suddenly took on the aspect of a bike that, as a friend of mine who works at a local dealer said after riding it post 2.1’s, …â€says fuck civilization! You ride this bike down the street and you just don’t want to stop until you’re out in the middle of nowhere with nobody near you. And then you want to keep going farther!†The big question, of course, is how did it handle being on a mission to the Mission? The Setup: From a setup standpoint, my ‘kesh is mostly stock except for a dyno front wheel (on loan from a friend, thanks Jason!), a KLite high output setup with USB charger, and a Salsa Regulatorti setback seatpost to get me in the right position and take the edge off. Oh, and it also looks dead sexy! Cargo wise, there was plenty of room for everything I wanted to carry on the bike. Up front in my Revelate Sling and Bag was my typical setup of:

• Fuji X100S (bag)
• Stakes & rope for tarp (bag)
• BBQ firestarter (think a lighter with a long nose – bag)
• Extra long camp spoon (bag)
• LuminAID (bag)
• Sleeping pad (dry bag – sling)
• Non-riding clothes (long tights, capeline turtleneck, compression socks, Swobo wool beanie, mid-weight gloves in dry bag – sling)
• Camera tripod (sling)

In the Revelate Tangle bag:

• Spare tube, tire irons, Park Tools Rescue Tool, patch kit
• Trail mix, 3 Clifbars, 3 Gels
• First aid kit
• Fuel tab stove kit (with stove, mug, eating utensil, 6 fuel tabs, cleaning rag)
• Baby wipes (in sandhich baggie)
• Power converter from dyno hub to USB for charging phone/GPS
• Arm warmers and knee warmers (after I took them off mid-morning)

In the Revelate Seat bag:

• MSR E-Bivy
• MSR E-Tarp
• Emergency blanket (used as ground cloth)
• Enlightened Equipment 20 degree down quilt
• Patagonia Nanopuff Jacket

I typically have a pair of Salsa panniers on the forks to carry my camera equipment, but with the rattling I was sure everything would be subjected to on the rough ride, I felt it safer to remove those and use a backpack instead. I have an old 2010 Ergon BC-1 that is, hands down, the BEST cycling backpack I’ve ever had. Full stop. Some day soon I will wax poetic in a review here about this pack. I’m sad that the market didn’t see or appreciate the genius behind it’s industrial design. The BC-1 is the smallest in the line yet it happily swallows up my 6×18 panoramic camera, Travelwide 4×5 camera, a large baggie containing various photography bits/bobs/aids and 8 4×5 sheet film holders. All while placing the weight on my body in such a way as to be completely forgettable. The Ride: Here is the thing about riding a Salsa Marrakesh: Never expect a light, nimble ride. Flat out, this bike is never going to be light. It’s made with big harcore steel tubing that will take out a tree if you crash into it. The whole premise behind it is to ride anywhere, over any surface, be tough as heck and easy to repair. On those fronts, the Marrakesh excels. If you want a go fast, light bike look to other models, this one ain’t it. What you get in trade, though, is an all day comfortable bicycle that is completely unflappable. By design it actually feels better the more you load it up with! It’s components are solid and dependable. A basic Shimano Deore 3×9 group with Microshift thumbies, Avid BB7 mechanical brakes, a Salsa Bend flat bar and a Brooks saddle generally just work. I went for the flatbar version because I found myself almost exclusively in the hoods or flats with my Woodchipper equipped Vaya. For me flat bars just work right now. What didn’t work for me on the trip was the Brooks saddle. I’ve put a few thousand miles on mine and we’re just not getting along. After the Mission weekend I swapped it out for a tried and true WTB Pure V saddle. My a** is much happier…the WTB V series aren’t sexy but for whatever reason they fit my behind to perfection. Who am I to fight it? But, back to the mission to the Mission. Overall I’ve got to admit that I absolutely love not just the look but also the *feel* of the ‘kesh with the bigger tires on it! With WTB 29×2.1 Nanoraptors installed there is no doubt I worked a little harder than normal on the paved portions. I was incredibly happy to have them on the Indians Road, however! The larger sized tires along with the big steel tubes absorbed more of the rough stuff than I expected it to. On the climbs it never felt unbalanced. On the descents it was steady, tracked well and stopped when I needed it to. The ‘kesh was, in a word, steady. It was just there, working, doing it’s job, going where I pointed it, shifting when I told it to, stopping when I wanted it to. I used every single one of it’s 27 gears and was happy to have them. While I occasionally (semi) jokingly swore at Johnny for his ultralight size S Cannondale Slate with no camping gear I honestly never really wished I was on a different bike. Once you put enough miles on a Salsa Marrakesh it becomes like that solid, steady old friend you know you can count on every time. In truth I’ve generally treated my ‘kesh really poorly. It’s been kept barely in tune, barely cleaned, barely chain lubed or anything for close to 9 months now since I picked it up from Huckleberry Bicycles. For all that mistreatment it has never complained, let me down, or sucked in any way. In a month and a half I’ll be taking it down Route 66 on Brian’s Ride and I couldn’t be happier with my choice!!  

Buy a Salsa Bucksaw, get a Salsa Vaya FOR FREE! Right now, Salsa Cycles has an awesome deal. If you buy a Salsa Bucksaw, Salsa will give you a Vaya for free. These are two incredible bikes. The Vaya is your do-it all commuter, touring rig. The Bucksaw is a full-suspension fat bike -- it puts the fun back in mountain biking. We absolutely love Salsa Cycles. Check out our 2017 Salsa Bikes Review from our trip to Lake Tahoe where we all ripped around on Bucksaws and had an fantastic time. We drank the Salsa Kool-aid, and it was good. Call us or email us if you want to take part in this incredible offer. Ends September 30th. Jonas ripping around on a Bucksaw at Northstar. It's more fun when it's fat. The Bucksaw is a glorious thing. The new Vaya in orange is lookin' good!