Pedal Power for Good: Kicking off National Bike Month in May at Peak Cycles

April 25, 2013

April showers bring May flowers and for us in Golden, Colorado – a long overdue start to the bike riding season!  May is recognized as National Bike Month and as a local bike shop and an online bike parts store serving the nation,  we couldn’t be happier!  Bike commuting, road riding, and mountain bike riding are all part of living a healthy lifestyle but they also serve as alternative transportation, helping the environment, as well as getting families, businesses, and communities involved.

As supporters of several bike race teams and local events, we encourage you to put your pedal power to good use this bike month.  Get committed and enroll your family, colleagues and others to get on a bike! Ride! Here’s how you can participate in National Bike Month with us at Peak Cycling.

For your bike: The bike season is a bit overdue due to the linger winter weather.  Now is the time to dust off that bike, look it over, and perform any bike maintenance to ensure comfortable and safe riding.

  • Get a tune up
  • Replace old bike parts with new ones
  • Replace worn out gear like helmets , shoes , gloves
  • Treat yourself to one of our jerseys – ride local and proud
  • Set a milage goal for the month of May- get a new computer

For your family and friends: Bike commuting has numerous benefits: it improves your health, saves you money on car maintenance and gas bills, and overall, lightens your mood and refreshes your outlook.

For your business: Create a bike commuting program for employees. Bike commuting increases worker productivity, reduces parking cost, reduces carbon emissions and bicycles can be produced and maintained locally by local bike shops (like us – Peak Cycles) contributing to local job opportunities as part of a sustainable economy.

For your community: Bike riding offers a certain connection to the open air and the surrounding trees. It’s amazing how usual surroundings look different when on a bike.  It can can be done by toddlers, teenagers, youngsters and adults as well. It can be used as personal time to reflect upon your day or a means to unite friends for regular rides.

  • Explore and discover your local community by bike
  • Commute by bike for work and play
  • Learn how to use Google maps and the City of Golden website for bike routes

What are you waiting for?  Pump up your tires, lube your chain, and put your pedal power to good use!  Ride ON!

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BikeParts.Com – Our Guide to The Buffalo Creek Trail System

April 4, 2013

Mountain bike riders this time of year start hearing the call of the trails as the temps get warmer and the days get longer.  Not quite dry yet, but soon to be, is one of the Front Range’s best trail system: Buffalo Creek.

Located an hour west of Denver, or about 45 minutes from our Peak Cycles Bike Shop in Golden, the Buffalo Creek trail system is a hands down favorite trail in the greater-Denver region. Why? With a diverse trail system consisting of 20 plus miles of sweet single track and 2,700 feet in elevation gain, you’ll enjoy mountain views, majestic rock formations, great downhills, smooth roller coasters, and almost ALL single track.  Here’s what you need to know.

Where it’s located:  Buffalo Creek Trails, Pine, Colorado

Directions: From the Denver foothills, drive west up Highway 285 past Conifer to Pine Junction. Take a left (southeast) onto County Road 126 (Pine Valley Road) and continue 5.5 miles toward the town of Pine. Take a right onto Crystal Lake Road and follow it to the parking lot.

Trail Map:  There are literally dozens of trail combinations in the buffalo creek area.  Meaning, you can make this a short or long ride covering 30 or 40 miles in an afternoon. The two long downhill trails are arguably the best in the Buffalo Creek trail system: Sandy Wash Trial and the Strawberry Jack Trial.  Like most of the trails in the system, you will find a lot of gravel and sand under your tires, not too many rocks, not too bad of a killer technical ride, but your legs will most likely feel it on the climbs.  Because there are many possible loops in this area, it is easy for it to be confusing.  Be sure to stop by the shop to get a map  of the system before heading out.

Trail Ratings: The trails are good for beginner, intermediate, and advanced riders. All of them fun and several can be challenging. Note, The Black Jack Trails are advanced trails and require advanced skills and bike control.  Getting through this section of trail might call for a dropper seat post and maybe a full faced helmet.

Bike Parts and Components:  As always, you are going to want to have your basic essentials: full fingered gloves, a hydration pack, sunscreen, and dialed in bike components.  The last thing you want to be doing on this trail is fixing your bike.   Wondering what type of bike is best suited for the Buffalo Creek Trail system?  You have several options and you can’t go wrong with any of them.  A full suspension bike, like the Specialized Stump Jumper 29er, might be best for longer or more casual rides; however, opt for a hardtail  like the Specialized Carve Expert 29 for a good workout and speed.  Singlespeed bikes are a good option as well.

When to Ride: The trail system is mostly isolated from storms and the trails tend to dry quick after Summer rains.  Spring can be wet but Summer and Fall are a must.

There you have it!  Make a point to get out and ride the Buffalo Creek Trail System – you won’t regret it!

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Posted by staffwriter8