David Gaus’s annual visit to his old stomping grounds took place this past weekend. Despite having relocated from Hollister years ago he loves to show the club the roads he haunted when he was a wee Spoker. Boy, is it a schlep from SF: about a hundred miles or more than an hour and a half of freeway driving in good traffic. Other than some weekend tours in the early days of the club, the only other club ride I had been on that was further away was a Chris Thomas ride in Fresno. So, for the first time we drove down to check out the scene in rural San Juan Bautista. Apparently the curiosity of others was piqued as well: besides our leader and the two of us we rode with Donald, Omar, Roger Sayre, Parker, Gary, and Tom. All of us were either from the East Bay or SF.

The weather was near-superb: bright sunshine the entire day with moderate temps with just a tad of heat at the end of the day. The only minor bummer was the constant coastal headwind that made riding in the Salinas flatlands a bit challenging. But that comes with the territory and although not endearing at least it wasn’t brutal. San Juan Bautista, is a dinky town of just 2,000 folks and is probably most famous for its mission, used in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo for Kim Novak’s demise (twice!) The edge of town is the beginning of the vast ag land in San Benito County and crossing the highway we almost immediately lost civilization and entered the beautiful countryside. Fortunately spring heat hadn’t yet diminished the still verdant grasses of the hills.

There were just two climbs of the day and the first one up San Juan Grade is right at the start. We were a chatty little group, climbing together. At the top Monterey County begins and you are made aware of it by the transition in pavement from crappy to decent chip seal. These are isolated county roads with nary a center line. That they get any love at all from the county road departments these days is miraculous. We dropped towards Salinas and re-entered Car Hell, with lots of SUVs and pickups zooming into town. The lack of a shoulder at times made dancing with cars even more fun. The farm roads were more devoid of death monsters and a relief to ride on but being beaten to death by farm trucks and starved for maintenance we had a rough ride until we got to Castroville.

David had planned this ride around a generous number of re-fooding/re-caffeining stops, making it a schizophrenic day: race like the dickens, then relax and refresh leisurely. We stopped at a Starbucks in Salinas and then later stopped for a more substantial lunch at the Artichoke food truck at Pezzini Farms near the coast. Needless to say their speciality was artichokes, grilled, fried, deep fried. I had their Po’ Boy filled with deep fried ‘chokes. Yummy!

A big portion of the middle of the 55-mile ride was touring Elkhorn Slough, a vast, meandering tidal slough full of wildlife. You would think it would be dead-flat being a slough. But it wasn’t—it squiggled and rollercoastered up and down making it delightful to ride except for the occasional terror of being passed cars on the narrow road with no sight line. Eventually we ended up in the little town of Aromas for our final snack stop at a local minimart. The fave seemed to be ice cream bars of various sorts washed down with sugar drinks and bags of chips and Cheetos. Isn’t cycling a healthy activity? For some reason Tom seemed to like to read the ingredient lists aloud, as if we cared how much high fructose corn syrup we were downing. Any port in a storm!

The final push was over Carr Road, a climb that reared its ugly head just a couple blocks away from the minimart. It’s not a long climb but I did hear someone scream, “It’s 14%!!” at one brutal moment. Then it was just a long descent back to Vertigo Coffee Roasters in SJB for more refreshment before the long drive back to the Bay Area. Thanks David!

This past weekend Stanford Shopping Center hosted the Electric Bike Expo, one of six taking place in the western US. Roger and I found out about it quite by chance and made last-minute plans to drop in on its final day, Sunday. The Expo hosts bikes by about twenty different e-bike manufacturers as well as adventure companies using e-bikes, and even a company making e-bike charging stations! There were a few brands familiar to US cyclists—Trek, Felt, Raleigh, and Focus—but most were either new companies or established European brands such as Haibike, Kalkhoff, and Gazelle finally bringing their e-bike goodness to the New World. The one major brand that was missing was Specialized, which is just down the road in Morgan Hill, perhaps because Specialized would prefer you to try their e-bikes away from the other brands. That’s too bad because that was the one model, the Specialized Turbo, that I would have wanted to demo.

In addition to vendor booths where you could check out the various e-bike models, talk to company reps, and pick up informational brochures, there was also a small, closed off track where you could try out a multitude of bikes. As expected most of the bikes were commuter or hybrid style bikes with a strong number of e-mountain bikes. There were cargo e-bikes too. If there ever were a sensible idea, it would be to marry the cargo bike with an electric system: you can get some badly needed assist when you’re carrying a heavy load or when you’re going up a hill. No one had a drop-bar road e-bike. Clearly manufacturers are aiming for the commuter and casual cyclist and not the recreational cyclist, and that makes sense: e-bikes make commuting by bike a much more tolerable affair not just be reducing the effort but also by speeding up the commute and reducing its sweaty aftereffect. Arriving at work a smelly mess is not a good way to impress the boss or your clients.

Although there were a few, well, let’s call them “less heavy” e-bikes, this was accomplished by using smaller motors and batteries, which are probably enough for a city-sized commute. Most e-bikes are pretty weighty affairs pushing 50 pounds or more. That isn’t a problem for the engine as you’ve got plenty of watts to propel all that extra mass. But it is a problem if you need to store the bike on anything other than the ground level. If you live in a walk-up or even have to schlep your e-bike up a few stairs, you’re going to find just about any e-bike a real pain, if not impossible, to lift. You better have an elevator at hand and a large one too because e-bikes are not small. The good news is that if you have to lock it up outside, removing the battery and in some cases the computer head will make stealing it a lot less desirable. But I wouldn’t leave a $3,000 bike outside unattended.

Speaking of $3,000 that’s the other thing I noticed: these bikes aren’t cheap. For “serious” cyclists, spending a few thousand dollars for a new bike sounds about right, but for everyday people that’s practically the sign either of insanity or profligate wastefulness. Who are these companies marketing too? Casual cyclists and a lot of basic commuters aren’t looking to spend tons of money on a bike, let alone one they have leave locked up outside in danger of being stolen or one they can’t lift up the front stairs. At these prices you’re either indulging in an expensive fad or you’re already into the cycling lifestyle in spades. For e-bikes to take off the prices will have to come down a lot before we see them jamming up the streets of San Francisco in large numbers. Until then they’re going to be a distinct minority. Now, for the cycling addicts out there, rolling big coin on yet another bike involves a lot less hesitation. But currently manufacturers don’t really make the kind of bike that Mr./Ms. Road Cyclist would probably like to own. I’m talking about something that looks like a road bike. But they are coming and when they do I’m really going to enjoy going to an Expo to try them out. Until then it’s mostly going to be more commuter bikes or full suspension mtb rigs.

The e-bike charging station caught my eye. At first glance it all made sense: solar powered recharging stations spread throughout the land so you can top off your battery while you work/shop/eat! But upon thought it didn’t make any sense at all. Most commutes by bike are under five miles. Roger’s e-bike in Eco mode, which is plenty for all but the steeper hills, gets 40-50 miles per charge. So unless you’ve got a long commute or you’ve just forgotten to recharge your battery at home, charging stations are charming but unnecessary. Second, each motor/battery manufacturer has a different, proprietary motor, battery, and charging port. How are these charging stations going to be one-size-fits-all? Until one system becomes the standard (or is mandated the standard), we’ll end up with either (a) proprietary charging stations, (b) lots of dongles at the “pump” to connect to your port, or (c) you carry a universal dongle that connects your battery to, say, a two- or three-prong plug.

Speaking of proprietary, that’s another potential headache. There are about three systems currently on the market that are or are going to be widespread: the Bosch system (yes, the same company that makes your power tools), Yamaha, and now Shimano with its e-Steps system. Panasonic also has a system on the market. The rest of them are pretty much tied to one specific bike company. For example, Kalkhoff touted the fact that it had a proprietary, in-house designed motor and battery. (Specialized has the same for its Turbo, but its wasn’t present at the Expo.) That may have cachet to be designed in-house but what it meant to me is: (a) what if they stop making that system or their e-bike effort flounders? How then do I get replacement parts or batteries? (b) You mean I can’t get a battery from anyone else to fit your mount or whose voltage matches your motor? I have to order one just from you? How much will that cost? and (c) “What do you mean you don’t have a vendor in Schmoville?! I need to buy a battery there!” One manufacturer had bikes with three different battery designs (!). That’s taking customization to an absurd level. While for some that means choice, for me it means that maintaining one of their e-bikes for the long term is going to be either expensive or I’m going to end up searching on EBay for EOL parts or batteries. Right now the Bosch system seems to be the most palatable because it’s widespread (at least overseas), has a deep distribution network, and their system is used by a lot of bike companies. That means it’s not hard to get a battery or parts. Bosch also has come out with its new 500 watt-hour battery (the current is 400 WH) and they have kept it backward compatible with the mounts and the chargers of the older models, so at least they’re trying.

There’s no doubt that riding an e-bike is a lot of fun. But the current choices on the US market show that they’re not aimed at us for the most part. My guess is that in less than five years time the e-bike landscape is going to be different. Not only will there we rapid expansion in this country but there will also be some thinning out of the motor/battery systems. My guess is that Bosch will continue to do well and that Shimano is going to take off because it really knows the bike market and its e-Steps system offers potential integration with its Di2 electronic shifting system. Plus, we are going to see the spread of e-road bikes. Haibike already has one it is selling in Europe and the other companies are sure to follow.

David Gaus had such a good idea to ride Morgan Territory. The backside of Mt. Diablo can be a bitch during the summer when it’s insufferably hot, spring and fall being the best times to have a fun romp on the Rump. A wet winter made the grasslands lush and verdant but time was running out before they would all turn dun-colored. But we hit it when it was still crisply green, with the wind at Morgan Territory Preserve whipping the tall grass like something out of a Terrence Malick film. And, the weather was also picture perfect: sunshine with moderate temps to keep the climbing very pleasant and just a taste of headwind in the afternoon.

David had about 11 or 12 show including several faces I hadn’t seen before. If I remember correctly who was there: Will Bir, Doug O’Neill, Roger Sayre, Jeff Anhalt, Omar Manuar, Roger Hoyer, Jonathan, two more Jeffs, and a woman who showed up late and who didn’t connect with the main group until lunch. True to the ride listing David led it at a B-pace but overall the group must have been frisky because once on Morgan Territory most of the group rolled up the road. We regrouped at Morgan Territory Preserve, shot the bull, inhaled industrial “sports” food, and enjoyed the surreal view with high clouds rolling over the green hills.

The descent to Highland Road was most excellent and I believe Doug said he hit 50. Isn’t that kind of “death wish” territory, Doug? Luckily for me Doug was waiting at Highland because I love to sit on his wheel when he’s fighting the at-times enervating headwind on the way to Danville. Domenico’s was jam-packed leading to a prolonged lunch. Roger and I always eat from the deli side but the line was out the door so we relented and tried the panini/pizza side. Despite not having a wood-fired oven their pizza was a close facsimile of what you might get in Italy (I said close, mind you, not the same as); in other words, it was surprisingly good. Omar ordered a pizza just for himself but then realized if he ate the whole thing he wouldn’t have room for dessert, so he graciously farmed out some of it so he could go back and get some cookies.

After lunch we rolled up Danville Blvd. I committed a bit of a faux pas by leading this section a bit fast and it was more like a D-pace. Mea culpa. But nobody seemed fazed by the rapidity with which we returned to Concord BART. Thanks David!

Almost all of our Social Rides taking place in the immediate Bay Area originate at BART stations in order to make it easy and convenient for you all to get to the start without having to jump into a car—if you even own a car. Last Saturday’s ride started at Union City BART but only Roy came by train; everyone else drove! Perhaps BART’s many recent “challenges” swayed people into driving rather than risk another long delay in the system. As if on cue the elevator at Union City BART was out of order. So despite our generally effete efforts at living a quasi-green lifestyle Roger and I drove too because hauling his e-bike, which weighs like a kazillion pounds, up and down the stairs from the platform wasn’t an alluring prospect. Maybe next time we’ll just skip the pretense and start nowhere near BART!

Donald, Roy, Lamberto and Joe joined Roger and me for a longish Social Ride across the Dunbarton Bridge to the Arastradero Preserve above Palo Alto and then lunch at the heavenly Prolific Oven. Our rides, unlike almost all the club’s other rides, are oriented toward flatter and shorter routes in order to provide an opportunity for non-animals to ride together without fear that the group will vanish off into the distance. Last month’s ride up the Cummings Skyway had perhaps a challenging amount of vertical but reasonable distance whereas this month’s ride at 46 miles was on the long side yet the total vertical ascent was under 1,000 ft—unusual for a Bay Area ride!

We lucked out with the weather: it was sunny and not-too-hot, not-too-cool, with a light breeze almost the entire day. Starting at UC BART means riding through icky traffic but we managed to escape temporarily by cutting through Ardenwood Historic Farm, which just happened to have a Scottish Festival taking place. Ardenwood is right next to Highway 84 on the way to the Dunbarton toll plaza. I’ve probably passed it a thousand times in a car but until yesterday I had never set foot there. What a mistake! It’s a pleasant rural oasis in the middle of burgeoning Fremont: it’s like being in the countryside. And, unlike the farmland in Contra Costa County it’s in no danger of being turned into a housing tract or a business park because it’s owned by the East Bay Regional Park District. After a pit stop at the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge we literally bounced along the decrepit Marshlands Road up to the bridge. The pavement is deteriorating, and with no reason to be maintained—it’s only used by cyclists heading to the bridge and by a few fisherman heading to a pier—it’s only going to get worse. We were hunting for the few smooth sections of the road, which mostly happened to be a thin, white strip no more than six inches wide—good practice at riding a straight line.

Once over the bridge we rolled through Belle Haven, which was the low income area on the other side of 101 from tonier Menlo Park. Perhaps it’s still “low income” if by the term you mean modest-houses-starting-at-merely-a-million-dollars. A quick hop over a pedestrian/bike overpass to 101 and we were in the “where the 1% live” zone. Eventually we made our way through the Midpeninsula suburbs to the outer reaches of Palo Alto and the Arastradero Preserve, another important piece of open space. Housing and business were starting to nibble at the edges of Arastradero Road until the Preserve put an end to such nonsense a few decades ago. While taking a break at the Preserve we ran into a unicyclist heading up the trail, quite a sight to see him ascend! We also ran into a women on a brand new e-bike with the Shimano E-Steps system. When asked what she thought of it she said she loves it! Shimano is the first big bicycle equipment manufacturer to get into the e-bike motor business and they are just going to clean up; the motor looks to be a bit lighter than Roger’s Bosch system and the batteries are comparable in size and power.

Eventually we rolled back down to Palo Alto to the Prolific Oven. Downtown PA was bustling with traffic but for some strange reason the Prolific Oven, which has been a local mainstay since 1981, was practically empty. That made it all the easier for six hungry cyclists to get their orders. The true hedonists were immediately evident because they ordered and got their pastries before their sandwiches. Donald shared his cherry strudel with the table—I mean, with those of us who didn’t immediately get a pastry. Roger then went to the counter to get his own but Joe and Domingo had apparently already snatched the last slice, so he came back with a fruit tart. Not having sampled the fare to their satisfaction Joe and Domingo then went back and returned with a chocolate covered cream puff. Oh yeah, and we had sandwiches of various sorts. How can a deli sandwich stand out? Use homemade bread, and the Prolific Oven’s is first caliber. Needless to say it was a long lunch, fitting for a long ride. Eventually we rolled out the door and saddled up for the tailwind-fueled ride back across the Dunbarton.

The next Social Ride will probably be at the end of the month during Memorial Day weekend. Stay tuned to the DSSF Ride Calendar for more details soon!

The March Social Ride was supposed to take place last weekend, but the forecast for light showers led us to postpone it. Good thing too because even though Roger and I had cancelled the ride we ended up going out and riding a different route anyway and got rained on. And apparently it was worse in the Martinez area. Yesterday was a completely different story: sunny, warm, a light breeze—in other words a perfect spring day. Lamberto and Joe joined us to make it a quartet. We had hardly gone a few miles before we passed Back Forty BBQ, which led to an elongated discussion of barbecue joints in the East Bay, lunch, eating good meals on rides, lunch, the virtues of unhealthy food, and did I mention lunch? After passing through suburban Pleasant Hill we headed up Franklin Canyon, which has the virtues and vices of “rural” Contra Costa County. On the one hand it it semi-rural with small farms, real open space made beauteous by brilliant green spring grass. But on the other hand it’s a fav place for miscreants to illegally dump their house refuse—sofas, old tvs, garbage bags full of who-knows-what, broken down chairs. All we need is a meth lab and some Superfund sites! We had a headwind but it was actually cool and refreshing and we were taking it easy anyway. After reaching the top of the Cummings Skyway—don’t you like that name?—we blasted down to Crockett and rather easily went along the Carquinez Scenic Drive. Strangely there were hardly any other people on the trail despite the spectacular weather we were having. The four of us reminisced about the old Scenic Drive before it was improved and turned into the George Miller Trail. Again it was a mixed bag: it was funky, decrepit, isolated, a site for illegal drug dealing, but it was incredibly atmospheric à la Planet of the Apes near Pacifica. Now it’s a smooth, paved multi-use path—much more pleasant to ride on—but it’s lost its isolation and has a completely different character, more tamed and safe.

Creek Monkey Tap House was crowded but, thankfully, for some odd reason most people were crammed into the inside bar rather than enjoying the weather in the outdoor courtyard. One reason I like Creek Monkey, besides the delicious grilled chicken sandwich and their beer battered onion rings I always get, is that you can bring your bike into the courtyard to keep an eye on it. Joe was the only one of us to enjoy a pilsner with his lunch but we ended up spending almost an hour and a half over lunch just chatting and chilling. By the end we were all thinking a nap would have made a nice coda to the afternoon but we still had about 15 miles more to go. So off we went through the side roads of Martinez and back to Pleasant Hill BART by the Contra Costa Canal Trail. Our average moving speed was 11.4 mph–right on the B-pace.

Next week: we’re going to the Prolific Oven in Palo Alto!