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Today's Topics:
1. SchproinnnggGG!
2. Sea Otter Pre-race Service Special
3. Trailbuilding with the Lions
4. Trailbuilding next Sunday too
5. Trailbuilding in Downieville 6/20
6. Saturday Docent-Led Biking and Birding the Bay Trail
7. FBG gets a special guest
8. Wednesday Rides

1. SchproinnnggGG!

Can you feel it? I'm trying to get our weekly email out and Reba keeps coming in here, putting her nose under my arm and lifting my hand off the keyboard. Then she steps back, does her little happy dance and says "Roawl" and then "Wroof!" I wonder what she's trying to say?

I guess it's spring, and time to get out there and RIDE! Let me know if you'd like to borrow a little brown dog!

2. Sea Otter Pre-race Service Special

Today is Tuesday, April Fools, I mean First. The Sea Otter starts on Thursday April 17th. Are you racing? It's time to start planning your pre-race bike-prep strategy, and we are offering service appointments to our loyal customers to help you out.

Have you had your bike serviced yet this spring? How much wear do your brake pads have? How long since the break fluid was flushed? Any wobble in your rims? Are those tubeless tires about worn out? Are you comfortable putting on tubeless tires yourself? How's the drivetrain? Have you checked your chain stretch? Looked for wear in your middle chainring? How about that cassette and freehub body? And about that fork... is the damper keeping it in the traction zone? Is it holding air? And those pivots. What IS making that creaking noise? And your back? If you are putting on miles trying to get some fitness for the big weekend, you might be feeling a bit sore in spots. Did you ever get that bike fitted properly?

All of this is a long winded way of saying that as of today, we have some room in our service calendar before the Sea Otter and we are taking appointments. We expect all those available spots to be gone within a week or less. So call us NOW and schedule your date with the Passion Trail Bikes experts who can look over your bike, tell you what's up with what, order any obscure parts, and get it back to you in race-ready shape with minimal downtime. Call the shop at 650-620-9798 to make your service appointment ASAP. Who loves ya?

3. Trailbuilding underway with the Lions

On Sunday we partnered up with the Bemont Lions to start digging trail and putting in the realignment of the Lake Loop Trail in Waterdog Park. It was a GREAT day out under the oaks. More than 23 people showed up to help out and start creating a 4' wide multi-use trail that will be almost a mile long, and nearly flat. Check out the slide show on flickr and see for yourself how it's shaping up nicely as the first "easy" singletrack trail in the park. It will be a very fun addition for families with kids and novice mountain bikers who are intimidated by the narrow and technical singletrack that characterizes most of the trail system in Waterdog.

4. Trailbuilding next Sunday too

Next Sunday we will continue digging the trail "bench cut" in the area shown at the tip of the pen in the picture below. We will be working from 9am until about 2pm. Please sign up at http://www.trailworkers.com (click on the link for the April 6th project) so that we have enough tools to outfit our work party and to get detailed instructions on what to wear, what to bring, and where to meet in the morning.

Come join us! It's FUN!

5. Trailbuilding long weekend in Downieville 6/20 to 6/23

We are proud to announce that we have joined up with the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship and have sponsored the Big Boulder Trail high above Downieville. Part of our sponsorship agreement entails promising to bring a crew of volunteers up to work on trails in their neighborhood. Save the weekend! Summer Solstice with the Stewardship: June 20 to June 23, 2008. We will head up Friday, hang out and socialize, Saturday do a heap o' dirt diggin' followed by a mess o' BBQ and Beer, Sunday ride, Monday ride again and return.

Should be fun! Working with the SBTS guys brings a whole level of fun and adventure to your life! Our goal is to bring up at least 15 volunteers. Please email Patty with your interest and info to get on the list, and get a preferred campsite or bed at the BnB... patty@passiontrailbikes.com

6. Saturday Docent-Led Biking and Birding the Bay Trail

On Saturday 4/5/08, Patty will be putting on her docent badge and leading a totally flat, easy ride along the Bay Trail at Steven's Creek Open Space Preserve at Shoreline in Mountain View. Please visit the MROSD website to make a reservation. If you have trouble with the reservation system feel free to send Patty an email: patty@passiontrailbikes.com

7. FBG gets a special guest

Before we get to this week's ride details, we just wanted to let you know that Charles is completely fried from his off-road adventures this weekend, and he has promised to sweep the FBG ride. We told him we would wait at all trail intersections, in case he ends up way off the back with his quads in knots. Such a guy.

8. Wednesday Rides

Special abridged info: everything is the same as last week.

Sunset on Wednesday is at 7:29pm. Our Springtime wouldn't be complete without dodging raindrops and getting in rides amid the greening hills. All rides start from the shop: Passion Trail Bikes, 415 Old County Road, Belmont, CA 94002 650-620-9798

The EARLY ride group will go out at at 5:15 PM. This ride might consist of people who have been doing a lot of riding this winter and have some juice in their legs. Note this is not a "fast" ride, but our leader is feeling frisky. Regroups will occur, but maybe only at critical intersections. Expect to cover most of the trails in Waterdog, some maybe even twice.

The REGULAR ride group will go out at 5:30 PM. The ride leader will enforce a social pace through trickery or other devious methods. A good group for people who enjoy talking while climbing and perhaps enjoying a moment at the top to take in the views before getting grins on the descents. Expect several loops of the sweet singletrack that defines Waterdog Park. Frequent regroups and maybe even a sweep rider will help keep the pace manageable for all.

The FBG or Fat Bottomed Girl ride will go out at 5:35 PM. The FBG will have Reba the shop dog on the leash in the lead and will pedal off slowly with or without other riders. Our resident FBG enjoys taking out unfit, unsure, unskilled, or uncompetitive mountain bikers to experience a taste of Waterdog Park singletrack. The FBG ride takes just as long as the other rides but goes half as far, maybe only doing a single short loop. It might even do a loop on the flat paved Bay Trail. It usually involves looking at wildflowers, birds and other silly things like that as an excuse to stop and regroup as often as possible.

If you are habitually late or can't sneak out of work on time, you can try to form a STRAGGLERS ride group that goes out at 5:45 PM. We don't promise a group or a leader for the stragglers; you're kinda on your own for this.

Please bring a blinky light for the back of your bike, and maybe even a white light for the front. We will be returning on paved roads at dusk and you want to be seen by drivers and Belmont's fine Police officers who look out for our health and welfare.

Speaking of which, all Passion Trail Bike rides will obey all traffic laws, stopping at stop signs and red lights; and all park rules, yielding to other trial users and riding as courteously, safely and predictably as possible.

All groups will meet back here at Passion Trail Bikes for the usual story telling & beverage enjoyment. Patty will have stuff for the BBQ along with some carb laden side dish, chips and fatty snacks and EANABS to pair up with the Devil's Canyon Full Boar Scotch Ale. We will probably hang out until 9pm or later, so come on down, even if you can't make the ride!

Visit our website for directions to the shop, etc. www.PassionTrailBikes.com

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

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