RCY RIDE REPORT
Los Pinetos
Ride
Sunday
03-16-08
It was a chilly morning at the
south end of San Fernando Road as 6 of us prepared for the long 7 1/2 mile
fireroad climb up to L.A. County Fire Station #9. Joe, DavidR, DaveW,
Matthew, GaryM, and me--all bundled up we began to pedal up the fireroad trying
to generate enough heat to battle the temperature that was in the 40's.
But about 2 1/2 miles up the climb DavidR's rear tire "exploded". We
discovered that not only did the tube blow out the sidewall of his Panaracer
tire near the valve stem, but the valve cap was virtually melted onto
the stem. While a group effort was made to boot his tire and replace
the tube, we also had a mystery to solve as to why this suddenly happened.
In fact, I was going to post a contest to solve this dilemma with a grand prize
being FREE cream added to your next coffee. But as the ride progressed we
finally figured out the answer to the puzzle and so the FREE cream is
off the table.
Using tools and
materials in Matthew's 100 pound carry-everything backpack, Gary, David,
Dave and Matthew work on the tire.
Up, up, and up we climbed,
finally arriving at the L.A. County fire station where Matthew's thermometer
read 40°.
Matthew
lightens his load by distributing his RCY-world-famous
apples.
David grabs some
slices while Joe and Gary wait in anticipation.
Dave tries to ward
off early death and destruction by stretching.
Dave stretches
those tight muscles!
The group on the
helicopter pad with clear yet cold skies all around
Wanting to get off the cold
mountain top, we began our descent. But as expected, it was even colder as
we descended. Fingers and toes frozen, we quickly reached the entrance to
the Los Pinetos Trail. The trail had a few ruts and loose spots but as
always it was a fun singletrack. And it warmed up nicely as we lost
elevation. At the bottom the temperature was in the sixties!
At the bottom of Los
Pinetos Trail
We then took what I think is
called the Placerita Canyon Trail. Previously off limits to bicycles, the
signage seemed to indicated that the trail is now multi-use and open to
bicycles. It wound its way along a creek, crossing several times, finally
bringing us out to Placerita Canyon Road. From there it was a few miles of
pavement back to our cars for a total of around 18 or 19 miles of
riding.
Matthew, David, Dave, and I
continued the tradition of eating after this ride at the alway tasty
and homey Saugus Cafe. Good conversation and food rounded out a fine
day of riding.
Oh, and for those who are
interested in the cause of David's tire explosion, here is what we
determined. David had hung his bike on the trunk rack of his BMW sedan in
a different manner than he usually does. The rear tire (with valve stem at
the bottom) was too close to the dual exhaust pipe and so heated up. The
sidewall was weakened which eventually caused the blowout and the valve cap was
also melted onto the stem by the exhaust heat. Problem solved. So
let this be a cautionary tale whenever you mount your bike on a rear
rack.
Have a great
week!
Robco Baggins
