The Days Are Getting Longer

Have you noticed? Every morning, the sun rises a couple of minutes earlier and every evening, it sets a few ticks later. Yup, the days are getting longer, so why not extend them even more with some sweet light-assisted bike rides? At Local Ride, we have lights that are ideal for safety during your commute, but we also have more powerful light systems for night riding on the roads and trails by NiteRider. 

Weekly Special 
Save 20% off in-stock Giant G-Thang (hee hee) bicycle sweat guards. The G-Thang mounts quickly to your handlebars and protects your bicycle’s finish from corrosive sweat during indoor training rides. Regular price is $17.95. 

Featured Product
This week we’re featuring Specialized’s brand new high-performance answer to flats — the Specialized Roubaix Armadillo Elite tire. This tire offers the best flat protection available in a lightweight raceworthy rubber that’s also ideal for touring. “This tire is a Harris-Roubaix tire if I’ve ever seen one,” said shop mechanic Steve.  The Specialized Roubaix Armadillo Elite will be a huge advantage during the Harris-Roubaix Road Race in April, which includes a rough, kilometre-long dike section that has taken out many a contender with a mid-race puncture. It could very well make the difference between the podium and a DNF. 

Monday Spin Sessions 
Four riders revved up at yesterday’s Spin Session. Barry, Steve, Marie and Mike took to their trainers for Coach Troy’s Autumn Country Training Ride. Come out for weekly indoor spinning sessions, Mondays at 6:15 p.m. Bring your bike, trainer, shoes, two towels (one for yourself and one for under your bike) lots of water and $5 for the drop in fee. If you don’t have your own trainer, we’ll have a limited number of rentals available for $5 per session. Please call ahead to reserve. Workouts generally last between one and two hours. 

DVD Rentals 
Want to do some indoor training at home? We offer Spinervals DVD rentals at $5 for two days. We now have a bigger selection of training DVDs that includes Rides: Volume 1 – The Rockies and Volume 2 – Las Vegas, plus the Spinervals Endurance Builder 5-Pack. Come check them out our selection and heat up your winter training. 

Or ride with the pros as you watch one of the ProTour and Grand Tour races, such as the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix or Giro D’Italia. We also have mountain bike films like The Collective, and cycling documentaries like Pure, Sweet Hell, Overcoming and Pro. 

Sunday Ride 
Sunday’s Ride saw a whopping 12 riders meet at the Valley Fair Starbucks, including first-time rider Jeff. Everyone was itching to get out for a good long ride after being hindered by weeks of snow and ice, and a good long ride it was. After fuelling up with java, the crew warmed up on the flats of Pitt Meadows, then took to the hills with ascents of the backroads to the UBC Research Forest, Rock Ridge and to the gate at Golden Ears Park. It was a fantastic way to bid adieu to the snow. See ya this Sunday! 

Join us regularly for a Sunday road ride. Depending on numbers, we’ll try to split into an “A” and “B” group. The “A” Group normally averages around 30kph for 3+ hours, while the “B” Group hovers around 20-25kph for 2+ hours. Road bikes and fenders (with extenders) are mandatory. Make sure you join us for coffee before we head off. The ride goes rain or shine, but will be cancelled if there is snow or ice on the roads. If all goes well, we’ll be riding again this Sunday! 

Where: Starbuck’s at Valley Fair Mall in Maple Ridge
When: Sundays @ 8:30 a.m. for coffee; ETD @ 9:00 a.m. 

Saturday Women’s Ride 
Local Ride’s first Saturday Women’s Ride was postponed AGAIN due to slushy and icy conditions. We made the call to put it off for another week for safety reasons. But the Weather Network forecast is lookin’ good and sunny after today, so all signs point to ‘yes’ for this Saturday, January 27. Our goal is to gather a group of women focused on building endurance through a steady, fun and supportive road ride of around three hours. We are open to splitting into groups to accommodate different levels. Road bikes and fenders (with extenders) are mandatory. The ride happens rain or shine (but not if there’s snow and ice)! Please call or come by the shop if you have any questions. Join us for coffee at 8:30 before we head off at 9:00. 

Where: Starbuck’s at Valley Fair Mall in Maple Ridge 
When: Saturdays @ 8:30 a.m. for coffee; ETD @ 9:00 a.m.