Giving Thanks, Giving Back at Passion Trail Bikes

This week’s word on the trail, on November 24, 2009

1. Give Back to the Trails: Soquel Forest Trailwork 12/6
2. Friends or Family Visiting? Rent a Sweet Demo Bike
3. Turkey Ride, Los Gatos; Appetite Seminar, Fairfax 11/26
4. Time to Buy Your Tickets!: Dinner with Scot Nicol from Ibis 12/4


1. Give Back to the Trails: Soquel Forest Trailwork 12/6

We are psyched to be starting the trailwork season in Soquel Forest, kicking it off with a little drain clearing, and couple of fun Technical Trail Feature maintenance projects. Crew leader for Sunday is Scott Robinson on McLeod, ably assisted by Charles on Chainsaw. We are looking for a few strong shoulders to help with pulling silt and leaves out of the drains, and resculpting the trail tread as needed to keep the water flowing off the trail where it’s supposed to go.

If you would like to give a hand with trailwork in Soquel Forest, RSVP’s are required. please visit the Trailworkers.com website and click the link there to sign up for the workday on Sunday December 6th. We think the meeting time for the project is probably 8:30 in the parking lot. But sign up and Scott Robinson from the Stewards will confirm with you, and make sure he has enough tools to go around.


Ed from CDF, and Charles from Passion Trail Bikes, ponder the possibilities presented by a twisted length of madrone

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2. Friends or Family Visiting? Rent a Sweet Demo Bike

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Enjoy the long rays of autumn’s light with a four day splurge on a Demo Bike
Photo courtesy Jeff Hecox

We have about 20 different Demo Bikes available for rental, and amazingly, only 2 of them are reserved for Thanksgiving week. Got friends or family visiting who ride? Want to splurge on yourself and get out of the house while the pie is burning, with something funner than your old hardtail to ride? Make a reservation to take out one of our Demo Bikes and enjoy the latest and greatest in mountain bike technology.

You can check out our list of Demo Bikes here,, and give us a call at 650-620-9798 to find out availability and make reservations. Rentals are $75 for the first day, which includes getting the cockpit of the bike fitted to you and the suspension set up so the bike feels balanced and tuned for your weight and proportions. Additional days are $25. Thanksgiving and Mondays will be treated as a free additional day. Reservations are required so we can schedule the setup and make sure the bike is ready to roll.

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3. Turkey Ride, Los Gatos; Appetite Seminar, Fairfax
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Well, it’s that time of year. Yep, the time for overeating, and overclimbing to justify it. Come out to one of the traditional Thanksgiving Day rides and enjoy the wonderful cultural phenomenon that is completely unorganized, unsponsored, unpermitted, and just plain fun!

In Fairfax there is the oldest of any traditional mountain bike ride ever. It started in 1975, and is called the Appetite Seminar.


Poster from the 1981 Appetite Seminar

This ride has no specific start time, you just show up in downtown Fairfax and ride the usual Pine Mountain Loop. If you go early enough, you’ll be able to complete the ride before the kegs run dry at one of the establishments downtown. Work up a great appetite and then head home to family to shower and partake of the traditional fare at home.

The other ride has a much more recent origin, and a different theme. The Turkey Day Ride starts around 8am from downtown Los Gatos, and climbs up Kennedy Rd into Sierra Azul Open Space, where at the summit riders unload their cargo of commestibles for the biggest potluck dinner we’ve ever seen.


Riders surround the Pinoy provisions of roasted pig. Photo courtesy of Photo John

While there are no rules, nearly everyone brings something to share, whether it is cookies, wine, pickles, a pie, popcorn, brownies, a six pack, a tub of smashed sweet potatos, a whole turkey, an entire roasted pig, or what have you. Bring only what you can bear. Some riders use trailers or panniers, and bring folding tables or other support supplies. Everyone brings back their containers and trash, so the summit is left sparkling clean.

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4. ROMP Christmas Party with Scot Nicol from Ibis 12/4
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Only 10 more Days!:
YOU ARE INVITED!
ROMP Holiday Party & Guest Speaker
Friday, December 4, 2009
 
Singles, Couples, Families, Guests Invited
$25 per person
$20 for 12 yrs or under
 
Cash Bar – Casual or Holiday Attire – Your Choice
 
6:00pm Doors Open -7:30pm Buffet Dinner – 8:30pm ish during Coffee, Dessert Time:
 
SCOT NICOL
 -Founder Ibis Cycles, Inc.
-Designer & Builder of the First Ibis Carbon Fiber Mountain Bike in 1989-
-Inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame 1990
-Won Outside Magazine’s “Gear of the Year” 2008 Award for the Ibis Mojo SL-
-Won MTBR’s Best of Award for the last three years running for Ibis Mojo All Mountain Bike-
 will speak
 
Please visit WWW.ROMP.ORG for details, to RSVP, and to buy your tickets!
 
Party Lasts Until Approx. 11:00PM
 
Location: Michael’s Restaurant – 2960 North Shoreline Blvd, Mountain View, CA – (650) 962-1014  – Banquet Room
Directions:  Located a couple miles east of the Hwy 101 & Hwy 85 intersection. 
Take Hwy 85 North to Shoreline Exit, turn right at ramp end, drive to end of street past guard hut.
OR Hwy 101 to Shoreline Exit, head east (towards the bay) & drive to end of street past guard hut.


A row of test Mojos from Ibis wait for test riders at a Passion Demo Day

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

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

Happy Trails, from the PTB crew
Charles, Patty, John, Bret, Sterling, Pancho, Will, Peter, and Reba