Exploring Nevada's backroads by bicycle
Buying a packraft for touring in the driest state sounds a little crazy. But during the storms of 2017 Nevadan deserts flooded. The desert's alkali flats, playas, ancient lake beds went from dusty dry hard pan to feet of water. We are coming up on 2 years since these storms dropped record rain and snow …
Continue reading Gear Review: Kokopelli Hornet-lite Packraft
After riding through the Pine Nut Mountains on Sunrise Pass Rd I heard from Murphy Mack on Facebook Messenger: Minden > Yerrington > Minden 114.1 mi, +7458 ft. Starts in Douglas County, NV ridewithgps.com dec? The message showed a fantastic loop extending my ride around the Buckskin Range and through the Singaste Range to Yerington …
Continue reading Through the Wassuck Range; Yerington to Walker Lake
I was having a tough time figuring where to go on this trip. I had just spent some time near Sand Mountain and I need to plan my route between Sand Mountain and the Oregon border at McDermitt. One thought was to ride from Stillwater Wildlife Refuge to Ryepatch Reservoir. I also considered driving to …
The Plan After riding a short section of the Toiyabe Crest Trail (TCT) with Patrick Smith I was itching to return. Unfortunately this is my busiest time of year at the Reno Bike Project with summer in full swing and the Burning Man Festival right around the corner (we supply festival goers with over 1000 …
Jones Valley and Babbitt Peak I saw these areas to the east of Sardine Valley and saw posted turn-offs from County Rd S860 and Smithneck Rd. I thought they would be worth checking out. Brandon mentioned he saw them on posted rides and they looked like a way to increase the mileage and elevation of …
Riding up to Hunter Lake was an early challenge of mine. The Mount Rose Wilderness looms above Reno in the Carson Range of the northern Sierra Nevada. Interestingly it is split by a grandfathered road so you can take mechanized travel on approved forest service roads through the Mt. Rose Wilderness. This creates great opportunities …
Continue reading Ride Report; Beat the Heat, Beyond Hunter Lake
Austin, NV is the mountain bike town that could be. It boasts a variety of trails right out of town and is nestled in the Toiyabe Range off US Highway 50, the loneliest road in America. There are a variety of campgrounds, historic points of interest, hot springs, and other attractions to bring you to …
Continue reading Ride Report; Beat the Heat, a Short Section on the Toiyabe Crest Trail
I felt very fortunate to come across the "Truckee Trunk Sale" event on Facebook. Local bikepacker Blake Bockius hosted the event so David Wilson could fire up the grill and show us his fine collection of bags. About a dozen or so riders showed up at Casa Bockius in Truckee, CA for a fun social, …
Continue reading Bag Party with Nuclear Sunrise Stitchworks LLC
I went into Great Basin Bicycles to chat with Rich Staley asking what was hot in bikes for 2018. Gravel bikes were at the top of the list along with mountain hardtails and full suspension trail bikes. From other popularity reports I've gotten I think 2018 will be the year of the gravel bike. While …
Who better to take advice from than @koldcoyote on Instagram. koldcoyote, You ever pack out of Luning via jackrabbit road? Connects to Fallon. Really cool area. I took this suggestion and ran with it. I found the road on Google Maps, planned a route through Rawhide, with an excursion to Rawhide Hot Springs, and on to …
