Staffing UP at Passion Trail Bikes

This week’s news and info on June 2, 2009:

1. PTB Staff is Moving UP and Making Room
2. Final Push for Volunteers, Work PARTY at Waterdog, Join Us on June 6th
3. Enlightened Self Interest: Click This Link, OK? Yes, YOU.
4. California Budget Blues and the Psycho State Parks Closures Proposal
5. Wednesday Wrides: Scattered Singletrack and Trail Storms, 6:30pm
6. Female Friday is June 26th


1. PTB Staff is Moving UP and Making Room
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We have some really cool news to share with you today about our amazing staff here at Passion Trail Bikes.

First, our lead mechanic John Gray is on leave for a few weeks and currently is in Alaska at the base of Denali, heading UP with Team X Whisperers’ Emilie Cortes. Last year, John made a similar journey and continued up to the summit, while Emilie had to stay home to mend a broken bone. We are keeping our fingers crossed for another successful summit for John, for a personal milestone for Emilie, and enjoying watching their progress on the SPOT website. Check it out, and keep John and Emilie in your thoughts for a safe and succesful trip.

Where’s Team Whisperers?

Second, our not-so-junior mechanic Sterling Halden, who has been working part time while studying mechanical engineering at San Jose State University, has succeeded in landing a full time summer internship at Tesla Motors in San Carlos, working under one of their mechanical engineers. We are super excited for Sterling and think this is a great step UP for him in his career path. We’ve seen some Teslas on the road around here and they are indeed cool cars. We’re pretty sure the knowledge and experience Sterling has gained while working on the finest mountain bikes at Passion Trail Bikes, where strong, light, efficient, reliable, quiet, fun and eye catching is a way of life and a way of thinking, will serve him well at Tesla. Sterling says he plans to pedal north for the Wednesday Wrides throughout the summer so we are also happy he will still be around and part of our community.

Third, Sterling’s departure is leaving a vacancy in the service department that we want to fill right away. We are drafting a job description, but meanwhile want to get the word out that we are hiring. Ideally we would find someone who has substantial experience wrenching on bikes. We are hoping to provide the right person with an opportunity to move UP in the cycling industry and to reach for the highest levels of awesomeness at one of our workbenches. We also could use someone with sales or customer service experience as well. We place a very high value on interpersonal and problem solving skills, and would consider applications from people who have not worked in the cycling industry before. Since we believe our customers are integral to our success we are asking you to please pass the word along to anyone you know who would be an excellent fit here at the shop. To apply, please email a note to info@passiontrailbikes.com.

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2. Final Push for Volunteers, Work PARTY at Waterdog, Join Us on June 6th
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Construction plan for a complex retaining wall, culvert and sitting bench with spectacular lake views.

Construction plan for a seep zone with multiple culverts and elevated turnpike trail through the willows.

For more construction plans, visit this Flickr page

The next workday is National Trails Day on Saturday June 6th from 9:00am to 1:00pm. We will be working to complete a very complicated segment of the new trail on the north side of the lake, including building some retaining walls and installing culverts, and preparing a bridge site for construction of the footings and bridge. REI is working to help recruit volunteers for this project and we are expecting a LARGE TURNOUT. We need volunteers who have helped build trail before and are comfortable guiding a small crew on one of these projects. EXPERIENCED VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Also, we could use a few special tools, if you can lend us any of these for the weekend, please let us know:

Fence Post Driver and Tamper

Please see if you can make the time to help out on June 6th and RSVP ASAP. Patty will have to cut off volunteer sign ups if she doesn’t have enough helpers to manage the turnout, so please let her know right away if you can make it.

To get involved and get more details on this exciting workday, please send Patty an email at patty@passiontrailbikes.com and let her know you can pitch in. She will get back to you with more information on the the projects she has planned. Thanks so much!

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3. Enlightened Self Interest: Click This Link, OK? Yes, YOU.
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Q: What does hiking only singletrack in Marin have to do with hiking only singletrack in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties?
A: Everything!

California State Parks is planning to convert a hiking-only singletrack trail in Marin to shared use, which would allow cyclists to ride a trail that previously they could only ride illegally. The process the state has used to evaluate this trail and prepare for this change in use will be used as a model process for other trail use conversion requests, including trails in Santa Cruz County (Henry Cowell State Park), Santa Clara County (Saratoga Gap/Castle Rock State Park), and San Mateo County (Big Basin and Portola State Parks).

California State Parks wants to open singletrack for mountain biking in Marin County, on the shoulders of Mt. Tamalpais. The agency plans to permit bicycle use on the 4-mile Bill’s Trail segment and is soliciting public commentary on the project.

“I’m urging mountain bikers across the country to send comments in support of this project,” says IMBA Executive Director Mike Van Abel. “It’s hard to imagine a more important location than Marin, where mountain bikers have worked incredibly hard to regain access to the very trails that helped bring our sport into the world.”

Please Take Action!<====YOU, Click the link!

This landmark opportunity is the direct result of more than three years of partnership building with the parks department by IMBA California,  Access4Bikes and the Bicycle Trails Council of Marin. A successful opening of Bill’s Trail will set the stage for bicycle access to several other singletrack trails in Marin, which is widely considered to be one of the birthplaces of modern mountain biking. Despite its historic role, Marin has seen precious few opportunities for mountain biking open to the public in recent years.

Additional Information

Located within the Mt. Tamaplais watershed in Samuel Taylor State Park, Bill’s Trail winds through native ferns, wildflowers and hazelnut trees. It averages a reasonable 7-percent grade, and its six switchbacks provide riders with multiple views of the surrounding landscapes. While it is expected that bike access on Bill’s Trail will be limited to alternate days at first, the parks department states that this stipulation will be open to further review.

California State Parks is expected to announce opportunities for bicycling on other nearby routes in upcoming months. The Diaz Ridge Trail, which runs through Mt. Tamalpais State Park and Golden Gate National Recreation Area property, is scheduled to receive a major reroute this summer. This project could produce shared-use singletrack joining State Parks and National Park Service properties.

A small number of local hiking and equestrian groups have vowed to fight against any new access for mountain biking in Marin County, despite plentiful evidence that well-designed trails can be successfully shared by various user groups, and that mountain biking is a sustainable, low-impact form of recreation. “I think that, broadly speaking, the community of trail users in Marin is ready for this,” says IMBA California Policy Advisor Tom Ward. “We have seen great success with our volunteer mountain bike patrol program there. Mountain bikers care deeply about protecting the gorgeous trails and natural areas in Marin, and we will continue working with like-minded groups.”

Take Action! Tell California State Parks you support their decision to open Bill’s Trail to bicycles. The commentary period ends on June 26.

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4. California Budget Blues and the Psycho State Parks Closures Proposal
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The California State Parks Foundation has issued an action alert regarding the governor’s proposal to close nearly all State Parks to the public due to the budget crisis.

“On May 26, representatives of the Department of Finance provide more details on the Governor’s proposal to eliminate state funding for the state park system. Specifically, the proposal is to take $70 million of the Department of Parks and Recreation’s (DPR) General Fund allocation in the 2009-10 Fiscal Year (which starts July 1, 2009) and the remainder of their General Fund – another $73 million – in the next budget year, FY 2010-11, for a total removal of $143 million. Representatives also indicated that the cuts will result in closures of as much as 80 percent of the state park system, approximately 223 state parks.”

The San Francisco Chronicle also has an article on this proposal that is worth a read up on SFGate.

If you think this is about as ridiculous as it can possibly get (How DO you close a State Beach?, How DO you close a State Park with multiple trailheads? How DO you enforce the closure?), please stop by the CalParks website and click on their Take Action link to quickly sign a petition to let your legislators know you want a realistic solution to the budget woes that takes into account the realities of managing our parks.

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5. Wednesday Wrides: Scattered Singletrack and Trail Storms, 6:30pm
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Sunset is at 8:26pm this Wednesday 06/03/09. Twilight ends and darkness falls right around 9:15pm. Next week the Regular Ride launches at 6:30pm

This week we are fascinated by the weather, with thunderstorms and showers predicted for June 3 & 4, here in the arid season o’ summer in sunny California. Whodathunkit? This means we may have to abandon outdoors food prep again, but heck, that doesn’t mean we are skipping the ride, or the post-ride refueling and rehydrating, NO WAY. We will figure something out and it’s sure to include lots of good times for you and your bike.

Patty will also be completing day two of a Wilderness First Aid class down at Specialized in Morgan Hill on Wednesday and may return with fake blood and gruesome but patched up “injuries” to add to the drama of the day. We have no specific plan for any of the rides, including the FBG ride. It’s all play it by ear this week. See departure times and descriptions below or on our website.

P. L. E. A. S. E. . . . P. U. T. . . . L. I. G. H. T. S. . . . O. N ! ! ! !

Please remember to put a light on your handlebar and have a blinky ready for the ride back to the shop! CA vehicle code requires it. Don’t get caught out on the streets in the dark! Also, a reminder that we need to be super conscientious about stopping at stop signs and lights, yielding to pedestrians, and operating our bikes predictably and responsibly while on the roads and trails. Let’s be safe and kind out there.

For all the details about what makes each group listed below unique, please refer to this webpage. If your questions aren’t answered there, you can also email us for info at info@passiontrailbikes.com.

All rides start pedaling from the shop: Passion Trail Bikes, 415 Old County Road, Belmont, CA 94002 650-620-9798

Riders queuing up for the launch of the Wednesday Wride

The EARLY ride will go out at 6:15 PM.
The REGULAR rides will go out between 6:25 and 6:35 PM.
The FBG or Fat Bottomed Girl ride will go out at 6:35 PM.
The WHITE SOCKS ride will go out at 6:35 PM.
The STRAGGLERS ride goes out at 6:45 PM.
For future planning, we have the upcoming start times each week for the REGULAR ride posted on our Community Calendar

Note we may not have leaders for each ride but usually someone knows their way around. All groups will meet back here at Passion Trail Bikes right around dark for the usual story telling & beverage enjoyment. We will have stuff for the BBQ along with some carbo laden side dish, chips and fatty snacks and EANABS to pair up with the Devil’s Canyon Brewery’s Full Boar Scotch Ale, Silicon Blonde Ale, and Little Devil Root Beer. We will hang out until about 10pm, so come on down, even if you can’t make the ride! Passion Parties are better with YOU in the mix!

Riders enjoying one of Waterdog’s great trails

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6. Female Friday is June 26th

Without consultation, without gazing into the crystal ball, without checking the Tarot cards or looking at various race calendar websites, we have randomly selected June 26th for the next Female Friday. Executive Chefs, Sous Chefs and Ride Leaders are now being recruited. Also, drink recipies. Save the date and tell your girlfriends!

Read back issues of the Passion Trail Bikes Community e-Newsletter on our website

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To contact us, email us at info@passiontrailbikes.com, or call the shop at 650-620-9798.

Happy Trails, the PTB crew
Charles, Patty, Berry, John, Bret, Sterling, Daryl, Peter, Reba and Buster