A few years ago, my dad gave me a box of miscellaneous bike parts that he had cleaned out of his garage. I didn’t consider them much until recently when I started getting curious about classic leather saddles. I went through the box of  parts, remembering the old leather saddle in there, and was surprised to find a Wrights saddle looked almost identical to a Brooks.

Wrights Saddle

My dad says this Wrights saddle came on a 10 speed Dawes that he purchased back in 1969, and it even made a ride around Lake Tahoe in the same time period. He also mentioned he didn’t have fond memories of the saddle, and this may be why it ended up off the bike. I hear they do have a lengthy break-in period.

Side Logo Close-Up

I couldn’t find much information on the Wrights company, mostly just information about Wrights being merged with Brooks Saddles in the early 1960s. I read over on the Wrights Flickr Group that “in 1962, The ‘Wright Saddle Company Ltd’ of Birmingham England was one of the companies taken over by Brooks. This was after Tube Investments, the parent company of Brooks and Wrights merged the two companies in 1962. Brooks became the dominant partner and made slightly cheaper versions of their saddles under the Wrights name. Wrights had a factory at Dale Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham until the merger, when TI moved production to Downing Street to be made alongside Brooks.”

Underneath

I haven’t tried the saddle out yet, although I’d like to. I tried to mount it to one of my modern seat posts, and the rails didn’t quite line up. I’m not sure if there was a different standard at this time, or if I just need to bend and force the rails into the clamp. It’s not far off from fitting. Anyone know the answer to this?

Top View

Although I didn’t find too much information about Wrights, the Brooks saddle company is still going strong and has pretty well documented history on their site. This gives you a good feel for how old the bicycle industry is! From the Brooks site:

1866 - John Boultbee Brooks (1846-1921) established a works in Great Charles Street, Birmingham for the manufacture of leather strapping for horse harnesses and general leather goods.
1870 - Noting that more and more people were indulging in the new pastime of cycling, John Boultbee Brooks went over to the manufacture of bicycle saddles.
1880 - The first safety bicycle came on the scene and with it the need for more comfortable saddles. No longer were riders willing to accept that the only option open to them was to ride a piece of formed wood.
1882 - Brooks filed his first patent for a sprung bicycle saddle, the first of its kind. After which he went on to file a number of patents for bicycle saddles, motor cycle saddles and other leather goods.

Made in England

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Lester rock’n at Kirkwood

“Some say it was Bigfoot, but the socks say Lester”, says Kary Grabow who submitted this photo. Lester was part of a Carson City team that recently participated in a 24 hour race up at Kirkwood. It was said they all raced on single speed 29ers too. That’s pretty cool.

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The Great Tahoe Flume Race will be held on Sunday, September 12 at Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, Spooner Lake.  The race is a fund raiser for the Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park Backcountry Patrol and is organized and sponsored by the Reno Wheelmen.

Race T-Shirt from the last time the Flume Race was held.

The original Great Flume Race was first held in the late 1980s, produced and organized by Max Jones and Patty Mc Mullen, owners of Flume Trail Bikes. This race was last held in 1994,  the start/finish line was at Western NV Community College in Carson City;  the “Big Loop” encompassed a climb up Kings Canyon, rolled into Spooner State Park, continued over the FlumeTrail (which at that time had a significant number of portages), and descended back into town via Red House Flume and Lakeview. A record was set for the 40 mile course during the ’94 race by Chris Ryalls with a time of  2:25.  Impressive!

The 2010 edition of the Great Flume Race will go back to its roots with the start/finish in the Spooner State Park.

Organizer Kevin Joell adds:
“We are less than a month out from the Great Tahoe Flume Race on Sunday, September 12th.  It?s time to start lining up the volunteers we will need to make this event run well.  I?m also still in need of a few chairpersons.  Volunteers get a race T-shirt and a lunch if they are at the park on Sunday.”

If you don’t plan on racing but would like be part of this exceptional event for a significant cause, the Wheelmen are in need of volunteers. Please contact Kevin at mtb10@renowheelmen.org with the following info: Name, e-mail, cell phone #, T-shirt size, and preferred position.
Thanks!

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A news release I read yesterday:

American Bicycle Association Unveils new iPhone App

August 30, 2010 ? Gilbert, Arizona

The American Bicycle Association (ABA) officially unveiled their new iPhone App today. ?Over 13,000 downloads of the application occurred during the 90 days of beta testing and the feedback was incredible. With technology advancing at a rapid pace, we want to stay in the forefront,? stated ABA CEO, B.A. Anderson. ?For some time we have been delivering moto sheets via our wireless network at National events. Now with the new iPhone App it will be even easier.? This application is an answer to the request of many of our members. With the weekly airing of the television show on Versus, a monthly print publication, and the new iPhone app, the ABA is reaching out to audiences outside of our membership base to make every effort possible to grow the sport of BMX racing,? continued Anderson.

ABA BMX for the iPhone

The iPhone App is available as a free download at the iTunes Store. ?I am sure we will be adding even more features to the app to meet the needs of our members,? said Anderson. The new ABA iPhone App includes news releases, schedules, track directory with directions, points, a current rulebook, and a direct link to moto sheets at national events.

I found the app easily on the iTunes store under ABA and gave it a test. It looks like a great app for BMXers, and handy if you’re traveling looking for new tracks.

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Fall is just around the corner, and that means it’s time for next season’s products to start hitting the bike shops! I was at the Bike Habitat this weekend, and here are some of the new items that caught my eye.

700c 3-speed Electra Townie

The Bike Habitat has recently introduced Electra Bicycles to their lineup. I took this 700c wheeled Townie out for a spin in the parking lot and was really impressed. It’s easy to touch the ground with the laid back geometry and forward pedaling, and the upright riding position combined with smooth and efficient 700c wheels make for a very comfortable ride. The 3 speed grip twist shifting is simple to use, and provides a wide range of gear options, perfect for the flatlands of Carson City. The brown seat and grips matched with the gloss black frame paint adds a lot of sophistication, and the rear rack is all ready for the luggage of your choice.

Endura Shorts

Endura has become my new favorite cycling clothing manufacturer with their perfect blend of styling, durability, and functionality. These new casually designed Endura shorts look like they’re made of durable cotton canvas, but are actually a specially made nylon fabric. The shorts don’t come with a liner, but are click-fast compatible.  This means you can purchase Endura liners to snap into the shorts, or simply use the liners from a pair you already own.

Giant 29er

Giant is starting to put out some great looking 29ers. Twenty-nine inch wheeled hardtails are great for the trail riding that most of us do. The big wheels really smooth out the trail and allow you to get away with less suspension.  Since much of the cost of today’s bicycles is tied up in suspension components, a hardtail can save you hundreds of dollars over a 26″ full suspension bike. This new 29er from Giant is very sharp and looks like it costs way more than it does. The frame design was very interesting with its massive down tube and much smaller tapered top tube. Like many of the offerings from Giant these days, it also comes with an internal, tapered headset, the bottom bearings being larger than the top bearings. This adds strength and stiffness to the front end without significantly adding weight, and also allows you to still run a standard 1 1/8″ stem.

Also worth mentioning, is the Giant Via 1, an around town bike for the ladies that mixes classic styling with modern technology. The sturdy front rack adds utility, and even comes with a flower holder! How cool is that? Photos of the bike on Giant’s website HERE.

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Welcome to another installment of the Bike Carson Photos of the Week!

Schwinn in Sepia by Bob Moore

Our first photo is from Bob Moore and is part of his Breakfast in Virgina City photo set.

End of a Long Day by Brent Ruybalid

Next we have End of a Long Day by Brent Ruybalid from his recent trip to Downieville, CA. I’ll be posting a video from this trip in the next few days.

Evidence by Jesse Richardson

Jesse recently got this photo of me coming down the Evidence Trail in Ash Canyon. An interesting perspective that really shows distance and height.

Jesse Richardson on the Creek Trail by Jeff Moser

Here’s a photo of Jesse Richardson coming down the rock chute on the Ash Canyon Creek Trail.

Bodie Bike by Scott Meikrantz

And an interesting photo from Scott Meikrantz, which I’m assuming is a bike in the ghost town of Bodie.

Trail Work by Jeff Moser

What looks to be Eastern Sierra Chainsaw Massacre is actually just a bit of friendly trail work.

Haro Mary 29er Single Speed by Kary Grabow

A photo of Kary Grabow’s Single Speed. A Haro Mary 29er, minus the Mary handlebars.

A Busy Day in Ash Canyon by Jeff Moser

When the weather becomes mild, such as it has lately here in Carson City, you’re sure to see many more riders up in Ash Canyon at the noon hour.

Road Riders by Jesse Richardson

This one is for Lester. Scott stopped smiling for 2 seconds for this picture. Just for you. Tom Price, Scott Russel, and Sandie Ruybalid out for a road ride, photo by Jesse Richardson.

Morning Commute by Jeff Moser

And finally, here’s a self portrait from a morning commute aboard my Electra Cruiser. When you commute on a cruiser, you can’t be in a hurry.

These pictures were selected from the Bike Carson Flickr Pool. Instructions for adding your photos to the pool can be found HERE.

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The backcountry camp this past weekend was a big success. “Bill the Ranger” invited Muscle Powered to help with the construction of the Hobart Link Trail, or “BCT” (Bill Champion Trail), and allowed us vehicle access to the Marlette Peak Campground.

The BCT will be an important addition to the Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park trail system. Linking Hobart Reservoir to the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT), this new trail will provide a much easier ascent to the TRT by bypassing “Sunflower Hill”.

Jean B

With 2300ft of trail already completed, Saturday’s trail work focused on finishing touches the new trail needed, e.g., maintaining proper tread out-slope, proper radius to maximize the flow of climbing turns, flattening lumpy sections of trail, and removing overhead snags.

We started off Sunday morning with a little more finish work, moving forward in the late morning to constructing new trail. We then set up a “fire line”, the first person establishes the line removing the organic layer while the next person takes a little more, and so on until the the last person with the tamp completes the line. This method provides a great feeling of satisfaction, both of teamwork and of accomplishment.

Zuesa at the end of the line.

Cliff Bar added a delightful surprise to the weekend by donating three cases of delicious Cliff Crunch Granola Bars. Thank you Cliff Bar!

Thanks! to the Muscle Powered volunteers who donated 90 hours to this project.

Jason & Natasha Gardner
Oliver Lieder
Amanda Garcia
Toby Welborn
Jean Bondiett

Thanks to Bill Champion for this new trail!

We have another backcountry camp scheduled for September 18th and 19th. So mark your calendars and come out and join us for a trail building weekend.

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