November 2012

Middle of the Road Ride (MOTR)--Creedmoor

Date: November 3, 2012 @ 8:30 am to 11:30 am
Location: - Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop
400 Nueces
Austin, Texas

Led by the University of Texas Cycling Team

This ride is a great fit for the intermediate rider who has spent some time on the bike riding in groups and on urban roads, but is looking for a bit more challenge in distance and speed.   This no drop, co-ed ride averages 17-20mph in the front group, and 15-16mph in the second/sweep group. We typically start in one large group of 50+ people, and naturally split into intermediate and advanced groups. Routes vary from 30-40 miles on in-town bike routes and/or on roads with low to moderate traffic. Riders for this group should have experience riding in groups and understand the etiquette of group riding, be able to change a tire and address minor mechanical issues.

This 35 mile ride begins with a roll out through downtown.  The group continues riding south and east to Creedmoor traveling varied terrain.  Riders pass an exotic wildlife ranch and spend some time on the old Tuesday Nighter course.  There are wonderful views of the city atop the rolling hills along this route.

General group ride expectation:  helmet, bike in good working condition, water and nutrition, flat changing tools, and no headphones.  We encourage you to ride your bike to the shop.  However, if you do drive, please park in the street.

For pre-ride coffee or snack, meet at Juan Pelota Café a half hour before ride time.

For more information or questions contact us by email here.

Bike rentals  http://www.mellowjohnnys.com/products-and-service/rentals/

Scout-A-Route: Mueller Meander (extended)

Date: November 3, 2012 @ 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Location: - Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop
400 Nueces
Austin, Texas

This 20+ mile route takes us into the wonderful rolling hills of east Austin to check out the Mueller development.  We've changed up the route a bit to add some distance.

These rides are co-hosted by Mellow Johnny’s and the Austin Cycling Association.  This no-drop, co-ed group ride is perfect for the cyclist new to riding or bike commuting, returning to the bike or just looking for a more casual ride.  The routes are designed to help riders navigate the city bike routes and other safe bike commuting options.

Thank you for making this a popular Saturday morning ride.  In response, we are now hosting two groups for this ride.  The first group is designed for those who can average 14-16mph for 20-30 miles with one or two regrouping points.  This group follows the same route but is provided with an extended mileage option.

The second group is our traditional Scout-a-route.  We average 12mph for distances between 15-25 miles with regrouping points.

Both ride distances are intended to explore, so leave your heart rate monitor at home, bring some spare dollars for the occasional refreshment stop and enjoy the view.

General group ride expectation:  helmet, bike in good working condition, water and nutrition, flat changing tools, and no headphones.   We encourage you to ride your bike down.  If driving, please park in the street.

For a pre-ride coffee, meet a half hour before ride time at Juan Pelota’s Café.

For more information contact us by email here.

Bike rental information:  http://www.mellowjohnnys.com/products-and-service/rentals/

Sunday Violet Crown Ride

Date: November 4, 2012 @ 8:15 am to 10:45 am
Date: November 11, 2012 @ 8:15 am to 10:45 am
Date: November 18, 2012 @ 8:15 am to 10:45 am
Date: November 25, 2012 @ 8:15 am to 10:45 am
Location: - Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop
400 Nueces
Austin, Texas

The Violet Crown Ride, one of the oldest group rides in Austin meeting every Sunday morning for over 30 years, has moved to Mellow Johnny's!

The Sunday Violet Crown Ride is less intense than the Saturday VC Ride, but still a speedy group ride.  This ride is a great fit for the intermediate rider with good fitness who is accustomed to riding in groups. This co-ed ride averages 17-18mph for 50-60 miles. Riders for this group should have experience riding in groups and understand the etiquette of group riding, be able to change a tire and address minor mechanical issues. Riders should come expecting a challenging road ride and bring the proper equipment. Please don't wear headphones or bring tri-bars on a group ride. We typically ride out against the wind and have a tailwind on the way home as nature intended. Speaking of nature, expect one "nature break" around 20 miles into the ride, and one store stop around the mid-point of the ride.

Wheels down at 8:15am.

Route:  routes will vary.

Pace: 17-18 mph for 50-60 miles. Moderate pace with some stops, but it is not a "no drop" ride.

What you need to bring:  road bike, clipless pedals, helmet, bike in good working condition, the experience and tools to change your own flats, water and nutrition. Please no headphones/radios.  We encourage you to ride your bike down to the shop.  If you do drive, please park in the street.  For pre-ride coffee or snack, meet at Juan Pelota Café a half hour before ride time.

For pre-ride coffee or snack, meet at Juan Pelota Café a half hour before ride time.

For more information or questions contact Stephanie or Julie at ride@mellowjohnnys.com

Bike rentals  http://www.mellowjohnnys.com/products-and-service/rentals/

Tuesday Morning Blazing Saddle Ride

Date: November 6, 2012 @ 6:15 am to 8:45 am
Date: November 13, 2012 @ 6:15 am to 8:45 am
Date: November 20, 2012 @ 6:15 am to 8:45 am
Date: November 27, 2012 @ 6:15 am to 8:45 am
Location: - Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop
400 Nueces
Austin, Texas

Join Mellow Johnny’s and Team 787Racing for a blazing fast morning road ride.  Meet at the shop for a 6:15am sharp roll out.  This ride is for the cyclist who wants to put in some fast miles before heading off to work.  It is NOT a “no drop” ride.  Rides average 20+mph, covering ~40 miles (2-2.5 hours) of hill work in West Austin. So, if you can’t keep up, you may find yourself rolling along solo.

***LIGHTS ARE A MUST*** (this time of year)

General group ride expectation: Lights, helmet, road bike in good working condition, water and nutrition, flat changing tools, bike lights and no headphones.  We encourage you to ride your bike down but if you are driving, please park in the street.

For more information or questions contact Stephanie or Julie at ride@mellowjohnnys.com

You can contact bike rentals at http://www.mellowjohnnys.com/products-and-service/rentals/

Middle of the Road Ride (MOTR)--Rising Sun: Elroy

Date: November 10, 2012 @ 8:30 am to 11:30 am
Location: - Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop
400 Nueces
Austin, Texas

Led by the University of Texas Cycling Team

This ride is a great fit for the intermediate rider who has spent some time on the bike riding in groups and on urban roads, but is looking for a bit more challenge in distance and speed.   This no drop, co-ed ride averages 17-20mph in the front group, and 15-16mph in the second/sweep group. We typically start in one large group of 50+ people, and naturally split into intermediate and advanced groups. Routes vary from 30-40 miles on in-town bike routes and/or on roads with low to moderate traffic. Riders for this group should have experience riding in groups, be able to change a tire and address minor mechanical issues and understand the etiquette of group riding.

MOTR will take riders out east past McKinney Falls State Park into Elroy, Texas and then back into town. This 35-mile route varies in terrain...flat, rolling and often great tail wind sections.

General group ride expectation:  helmet, bike in good working condition, water and nutrition, flat changing tools, and no headphones.  We encourage you to ride your bike to the shop.  If you do drive, please park in the street.

For pre-ride coffee or snack, meet at Juan Pelota Café a half hour before ride time.

For more information or questions contact us by email here:

Bike rentals  http://www.mellowjohnnys.com/products-and-service/rentals/

Scout-a-Route: Rollingwood And Vine

Date: November 10, 2012 @ 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Location: - Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop
400 Nueces
Austin, Texas 78701

For a pre-ride coffee, meet a half hour before ride time at Juan Pelota’s Café.  If driving to the shop, please park in the street

For more information contact Julie at julie@mellowjohnnys.com

Bike rentals  http://www.mellowjohnnys.com/products-and-service/rentals/

Middle of the Road Ride (MOTR)--Western Hills Wander

Date: November 17, 2012 @ 8:30 am to 11:30 am
Location: - Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop
400 Nueces
Austin, Texas

Led by the University of Texas Cycling Team

This ride is a great fit for the intermediate rider who has spent some time on the bike riding in groups and on urban roads, but is looking for a bit more challenge in distance and speed.   This no drop, co-ed ride averages 17-20mph in the front group, and 15-16mph in the second/sweep group. We typically start in one large group of 50+ people, and naturally split into intermediate and advanced groups. Routes vary from 30-40 miles on in-town bike routes and/or on roads with low to moderate traffic. Riders for this group should have experience riding in groups, be able to change a tire and address minor mechanical issues and understand the etiquette of group riding.

MOTR will dance the Western Hills Wander.  This is a great ride for those who love climbing!  The 32 mile route takes you out Loop 360 to Bee Caves road all the way to Hwy 71 and then back the same way.

General group ride expectation:  helmet, bike in good working condition, water and nutrition, flat changing tools, and no headphones.  We encourage you to ride your bike to the shop.  If driving, park in the street.

For pre-ride coffee or snack, meet at Juan Pelota Café a half hour before ride time.

For more information or questions contact us by email here.

Bike rentals  http://www.mellowjohnnys.com/products-and-service/rentals/

Scout-A-Route: From Mellow's to Nelo's

Date: November 17, 2012 @ 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Location: Mellow Johnny's - 400 Nueces

We'll head north along the west side of downtown with a stop at Nelo's Cycles near Steck and Mesa. Our ride will provide us with beautiful rolling hills and a downhill return.  The distance is about 20 miles.

These rides are co-hosted by Mellow Johnny’s and the Austin Cycling Association.  This no-drop, co-ed group ride is perfect for the cyclist new to riding or bike commuting, returning to the bike or just looking for a more casual ride.

Thank you for making this a popular Saturday morning ride.  In response, we are now hosting two groups for this ride.  The first group is designed for those who can average 14-16mph for 20-30 miles with one or two regrouping points.  This group follows the same route but is provided with an extended mileage option.

The second group is our traditional Scout-a-route.  We average 12mph for distances between 15-25 miles with regrouping points.

Both ride distances are intended to explore, so leave your heart rate monitor at home, bring some spare dollars for the occasional refreshment stop and enjoy the view.

General group ride expectation:  helmet, bike in good working condition, water and nutrition, flat changing tools, no headphones, and please park in the street

For a pre-ride coffee, meet a half hour before ride time at Juan Pelota’s Café.  If driving to the shop, please park in the street

For more information contact Julie at julie@mellowjohnnys.com

Bike rentals  http://www.mellowjohnnys.com/products-and-service/rentals/

Flat Creek Ranch MTB Ride

Date: November 18, 2012 @ 8:00 am to 2:00 pm
Location: Flat Creek Ranch
339 Ulrich Road
Johnson City, TX 78636

Sunday, November 18
Flat Creek Crossing Ranch

Event subject to weather, so if raining please check Twitter (@mellowjohnnys) for event updates.

Located next to Pedernales Falls State Park, along the Pedernales River, Flat Creek Crossing is a long-time favorite of  Texas Mountain Bike Series with 8+ miles of prime singletrack and facilities for the race. For those that haven't been expect amazing hill country views with intermediate to expert level mountain biking. For those looking for less technical trail (beginner) you can come enjoy select paved and jeep road sections

Arrive between 8:00AM and 12:00PM and ride until 2:00PM. No riders will be allowed to enter the ranch after 12pm. There is a $7 ride fee,  (fee applies for non-riders also) of which all the proceeds will go to Child Inc. Registration is held the day of, on site.  All riders are required to wear a helmet at all times and all riders under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Women's Intro to Mountain Bike Clinic

9:00am-10:00am Learn the basic skills of mountain biking! Have fun and keep yourself safe! Clinic will take place at Flat Creek Ranch parking area and will cover topics such as shifting, braking, dismounting, body positioning, and riding small obstacles. Please bring your own bike and helmet for clinic, demo bikes will be available to test out after.

Clinic lead by Mellow Johnny's Lauren Ziedonis, IMIC Mountain Bike Instructor. RSVP HERE

Please, no pets: The owners of flat creek crossing have asked that you leave all pets home for their safety.

Directions

1. Take 290 West out of Austin, through Oak Hills, Drippings Springs and then Henley.

2. Turn right on 3232 -- this turn is very easy to find:
It is just over a mile past the small town of Henley and is marked by a sign pointing the way to
Pedernales Falls State Park.

3. Stay on 3232 until it “T’s” into FM 2766 (almost at the park entrance – FM 2766
becomes County Road 201 at this point).

4. Turn RIGHT (a left will take you to Johnson City) and go past the park entrance – DO NOT go in the park gate.

5. Continue a little over 2 MILES down County Road 201 (you’ll notice that even though you did not go
through the park gate, you are still traveling through the park). You will pass an electrical power transfer
station on your left at about 1 mile – at 2 miles you will  notice the ranch’s white
wooden fence on your left.

6. Continue a few hundred yards over a slight hill.

7. Take a left at the ranch entrance: You’ll see a sign that says “FLAT CREEK CROSSING.”

Middle of the Road Ride (MOTR) Happy Buda Route

Date: November 24, 2012 @ 8:30 am to 11:30 am
Location: - Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop
400 Nueces
Austin, Texas

Led by the University of Texas Cycling Team

This ride is a great fit for the intermediate rider who has spent some time on the bike riding in groups and on urban roads, but is looking for a bit more challenge in distance and speed.   This no drop, co-ed ride averages 17-20mph in the front group, and 15-16mph in the second/sweep group. We typically start in one large group of 50+ people, and naturally split into intermediate and advanced groups. Routes vary from 30-40 miles on in-town bike routes and/or on roads with low to moderate traffic. Riders for this group should have experience riding in groups, be able to change a tire and address minor mechanical issues and understand the etiquette of group riding.

We will ride the Happy Buda route, a 35 mile route that takes us through south Austin to Buda and back again.    There will be a water stop at the turn around point in Buda.  We will roll out together to Old San Antonio Road stopping at the Walgreen’s on Loop 4 to regroup for the return ride back to the shop.

General group ride expectation:  helmet, bike in good working condition, water and nutrition, flat changing tools,  and no headphones.  We encourage you to ride your bike to the shop.  If driving, please park in the street.

For pre-ride coffee or snack, meet at Juan Pelota Café a half hour before ride time.

For more information or questions contact us by email here.

Bike rentals http://www.mellowjohnnys.com/products-and-service/rentals/

A Short Commute that Goes a Long Way

Date: November 30, 2012 @ 1:21 pm
Location:

A daily commute can be mundane. It can be a necessary evil. It can be beautiful and transcendent .We will offer our commutes to you, and ask you to share yours. Ted Arnold, bike buyer at Mellow Johnny’s, tells us what his routine ride gives him.

The cold air is a shock. More than anything else I'll do today the first pedal strokes of my morning commute let me know I am alive. Past Brentwood Park and along Arroyo Seco the same cluster of potholes greets me. A few blocks later the smell of Mi Victoria Bakery a triggers my hunger. It's these small bits of life are my signals that all is right. I could be in my car, but why?

Pushing aside my excuses to drive exposes the passion for me that is riding a bike. In the time of day that most people dread, I get a slice of what I love. Even if my life is no longer so simple as to allow a 5-hour folly on my bike, my commute allows me to have these small moments.

Onward towards Shoal Creek and though the historic Sieders Oaks section of the trail I see the same walker every morning and riding down Lamar Boulevard. At 6 am it's a ghost land. On my right the same runner I see daily, and heading north the same loaded commuter I see too. Our routines entwined as he labors with his overloaded rig, and as I speed downhill smoothly I can’ help but to think I’m cheating.

Past Pease Park and House Park my trip is nearing the end. The gravity I cheated this morning will become my afternoon adversary. Once at MJ’s my coffee all the better, the breakfast taco all the more satisfying. I am alive.

Want to share your commute? We’d love to hear what motivates you and what you love. Drop us a line or some words and if maybe we can share it with the MJ’s family.

Ode to a Cycling Cap

Date: November 30, 2012 @ 4:12 pm
Location:

By Thomas Miller

[caption id="attachment_7934" align="alignright" width="152" caption="Jacques Anquetil"][/caption]

Keeping up with the latest and greatest in cycling technology is practically a full time job.  Even for those of us who are exposed to the information every day, the endless innovations and voracious demand for faster, lighter, stronger, products  is pretty overwhelming. Carbon wheels, electronic shifting, new bottom bracket standards every week and even disc brakes on road bikes.  There are no more steel bikes or down tube shifters in competition and it turns out that you can make everything aero.

I sometimes feel blinded, mesmerized, or tricked with all of it.  For me, riding has always been more internal. More about self discovery.  Seeing the world from a different perspective and reveling in the strange mix of solitude and suffering that cycling provides.  The deepest conversations and purest moments of my life have occurred on a bike.  It’s where I truly experience the world.  It’s where I question my motives and sort through my problems.

[caption id="attachment_7938" align="alignright" width="159" caption="Roger DeVlaeminck over the hairne"][/caption]

I’m not entirely sure where cycling caps fit into this, or remind me of the reason I ride.  They just do.

Watching black and white video on the internet of Anquetil and Merckx, wondering how they were so fast on such machines.  Everything has changed since then.  Everything but the ubiquitous cycling cap, or casquette if you have a flare for French life. Untouched by time, this little cotton lid is my connection with yesterday. It's one thing I have in common with Anquetil and Merckx. A point of reference, I suppose.  I just can’t imagine riding in the fall or winter without one.

When you look back on pictures of Hinault in 1980, winning Liege Bastogne Liege in a snowstorm and permanently losing feeling in his fingers, it’s there.  When you search for images of Coppi, on his way to victory in the 1953 Giro d’Italia, it’s there as well. The modest cotton cap.

Possibly one of the best pieces of kit available, cycling caps are guaranteed to never go out of style.  The little overachievers are equal parts form and function. They keep the rain off, the sun out, and the style in.  Also, they’re 1/225 the price of those 303’s you’ve been wanting.  If you haven’t already, give one a try.  Find some old country road and go ride.

Others have written extensively about the the Casquette, to an obsessive degree. Look here or here or maybe even here and waste some time.