All Blog Posts (398)

How did this day get here so fast? I remember when Jim signed us up and I was like, "oh, ok", thinking how far off that day was and how much time was ahead for me to prepare. Somehow there must've been, I swear to it, a time warp. I blinked and woke up Saturday morning, January 18th, and all of a sudden I was in a car with three other Acme team riders,…

I chose the Grasshopper Adventure Series’ Old Cazadero gravel/road race as my first event of 2017 to gain some high intensity speed and fitness as well as to fatigue my body beyond what I can accomplish in training. Although most of the field rides either a cyclocross bike with wide tires or a rigid mountain bike at Old Caz, I don't own either of those, so I settled on my new Trek Top Fuel 9.8 with a pair of semi-slick Bontrager Tires. It was a similar set up to…

Despite a very rainy winter, the weather was perfect for my tenth run at the Old Cazadero Grasshopper.

I sold my cyclocross bike a few months ago, so it was back onto my trusty rigid mountain bike.  Honestly, I think it is a pretty fast way to go:  light and fast rolling 2.0 Bontrager XR0 tires (28/26 psi), 36x10-42 drivetrain, and an overall weight under 17 lbs.  I drove up with Cathy, Phil, and Teddy, and we met Greg, Mark and Carson before the start.  This is becoming a unique and…

As one of the new members of the Acme Bikes family, it seems appropriate to start this post with a brief introduction. So hi, I'm Phil Mooney. I like riding and racing bikes, and I've been off-and-on serious about riding bikes for more than a decade. I live in San Rafael, and Jimbo is one of my best friends and regular training partners. I'm honored to be associated with the shop!

 I had made up my mind, I was going to finally race Annadel.  I had pre ridden the course the week before with Carson and came away knowing it was going to be a tough race.  The terrain is much rougher than most places in Marin and the three extended climbs would make or break the race.    

   Team Acme Bikes was well represented with Stephen Flynn,  Mark Ingwersen, Mark Buell, Greg Alsterlind and myself.  As Greg's and my Master 50+ group staged, Marc Kirberg asked why I wasn't on a…

I wish I would ride Annadel more often. Not that Marin County trails aren't already fantastic, but variety keeps life exciting, right? Although Santa Rosa is nearby, the trails are quite different. More singletrack, more rocks and less shade is how I see it. I raced here last year and placed well, missing a podium spot by less than a few seconds which was incredibly frustrating! That was the last time I rode here as well so my memory of the course was limited to major events.

Aside…

Greg said it would be the toughest race I'd ever done. His predictions for the season had always been correct (kind of spooky, really) and yet I took the news lightly and shrugged it off. I'd planned on borrowing a friends XC race bike but couldn't get comfortable on it so decided to prepare my Pivot Les hard tail for another race. Running a carbon wheel set built by Jim and wrapped in bulbous Maxxis Ardent 2.4 up front and Ikon 2.35 rear rubber, I kept the cast iron dropper post to weigh in…

Monday morning, July 11, Jim, Simon and I hopped in a car loaded with bikes, gear and lots of excitement, and headed out on our six-hour long journey to Mammoth, CA.  We were on our way to competing in the coveted 2016 XC National Cross country event.  The first racer amongst us to compete was Simon.  He would race on Wednesday.  I raced on Thursday in the Cat 1/2, 45-49, and Jim raced on Friday in the Men's Pro class.  Our Acme teammate, Greg, would arrive on Wednesday for his Men's Cat 1/2…

With a couple of years of local racing behind me and having done well at the Shorty series it was brought to my attention that I needed to move up to a notch when signing up for future events. I ponied up for my CAT 1 (mtb) USA license and signed up for the Rockhopper Classic in expert 40+ mere days before the event. Also there would be Greg Alsterlind, Mark Buell, Dave Benjamin, Cathy Chevron, Jim Hewitt, Stephen Flynn, Bill Surges and Michael Koppe to make for a massive turnout for Team…

  I smiled early Sunday morning when I awoke to cool fog extending into Lucas Valley. In the past I have succumbed to the heat of Rockhopper. I never withdrew from the race but I suffered significant cramps during the steep climbs toward the end. As I drove toward Vacaville the fog gradually dissipated and I began to feel the heat of summer sunshine.

  I looked for a parking spot in the shade and noticed the Trek tent and a large number of ACME riders. I am glad we supported the local…

What a race! This year's Boggs race was not held at Bogg's Mountain as the area was decimated by fires last November, 2015, but instead was held at Camp Wente in Willits. I was skeptical about the new venue and course, but all doubts were quickly dismissed.

Camp Wente is a boy scout camp and has fun activities for non-racers and racers -a pristine lake, kayaking, archery, climbing wall, pump track and great camp sites w running water and showers. They even offer day camp for the…