totally lugular

This is Rock Lobster signature lugged frame #2 for '07. The pastel colors add some understated class and elegance to this frame.

Why we live in Santa Cruz

Twenty minutes on a bike gets one into the redwoods from my front door. These photos are of a short loop through the University of Calif. at Santa Cruz, down through the Grey whale ranch ,into Wilder ranch state park and out to the coast on the Baldwin Loop. All of the trails are glassy smooth right now after a little rain.

way out 29er

Here is something you don't see every day. It's a Scandium 29er for V-brakes, rigid fork and drop bars. The adjustable dropouts are from Mike Ahrens and are new.

Dr. Swigg's guide to wine

There's more to life than bikes......although not much. I'll be posting my cheap ( but excellent) wine recommendations on this blog. All of these selectios can be found at Trader Joe's.#1 Evans&Tate shiraz 2004 " the underground series" $ 4.99. This screw-top beauty is an excellent mid week choice. Amazing quality for the price .#2, Rocking Horse zinfandel 2002 $7.99 First taste is pretty good but this one gets better and better as it airs out. I'll bet that this bottle was originally close to $ 20 but with the glut of good wine on the shelves bargains like this will surface. #3, Rocking Horse cabernet Rutherford Garvey vinyard $9.99 That's right, a vinyard designated Napa cab from Rutherford, land of the best cabernet grapes on the continent. Pour this one for your wine-snob friends and see the expressions when you tell them that a case of this stuff cost less that one bottle of what they brought. Truchard Napa valley Syrah 2000 $ 12.95 at Shopper's corner. A new world syrah that doesn't suck......that's correct. You cna't swing a dead cat without hitting a California winery that thinks it's syrah is the next big thing. Unfortunately, most of these efforts fall way short and don't compare to our more reliable cabs and zins for drinking pleasure. The Truchard is a notable exception. The taste is huge,round and almost -dare I say it- French ! Although 2000 was a lackluster year in Napa Truchard managed to make one great bottle of Syrah-a nice thing to open up for a different wine experience when needed.

while the wolf sleeps........

The next big ride will happen the first weekend of May and will be on Saturday the 5th. Bring your 'A' game to this one as it will be 108 miles and 8,000 ft. climbing,including mt. Hamilton-the only 'Hor catagorie" climb in coastal California. Start time will be approx. 9:00 a.m. The starting place will be announced soon. This is the grand daddy of all the local rides-best scenery,biggest climb and largest appetite stimulant.

holiday ? what holiday.....

Easter sunday was a good day to ride 90 miles. There were not many cars on the road and enough stores were open so that nobody starved. Only one representative from SCCCC showed up ........pretty much same for the lobster team. The batteries in my camera went dead so there are no photos of the event-just take my word for it, we had the mother of all tailwinds on the coast.....25 miles of really easy pedaling, at least when we were pedaling easily. Tune in for the next big ride: Fremont Peak.