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They're
Baaaack!
By
Jim Knaup
Most Prescottonians welcome our summer monsoon season. The monsoons
bring relief from the heat and provide drama and entertainment... they
also bring the scourge of bicyclists: GOAT HEADS! Goat heads are small
hard spiky seed pods that have an uncanny ability to find bicycle
tires, and the pads of dogs paws. The common name of the plant that
produces them is "Goathead Puncturevine" . This non-native weed grows
low to the ground and can form flat mats five feet or more in diameter
radiating out from a central taproot. This time of year their
small bright yellow five petalled flowers stand out against the green
backdrop of their hairy leaves which have four to eight pairs of
leaflets.
Goatheads are particularly abundant in areas like the
trails around Prescott's lakes. One puncturevine plant can produce up
to 5,000 goat heads... but even the tiniest plant will produce
their own share... that is why it is important to kill them all!
Do the world a favor, learn to recognize Goathead Puncturevine and stop
to yank one out by the taproot next time you see it. If you can dispose
of the whole plant in a garbage bag: do it. You can also attack them
with chemicals like Roundup, but I prefer murdering them by hand.
Goatheads are nasty, but until we can eradicate every puncturevine in
Prescott, we have other ways of dealing with them. Our Peavine rental
bikes are equipped with tire liners and thorn resistant tubes. More
tires, like Specialized Armadillo tires, are coming with carcasses made
of a more puncture resistant kevlar material. Some prefer to run tubes
filled with a sealant like "Slime" while others may prefer a handlebar
mounted flame thrower that can annihilate anything in their path. The
Ironclad crew can help you decide on a strategy to combat this scourge
and keep you riding all summer long.
New
Toys - New fun!
Ironclad
ride crew
As if anybody here needed a reason to go for a ride... Keep an eye out
on the trails for the Ironclad crew who have been getting crazy with
our new "Go Pro" helmet cam. Video editor Tim is putting on the
finishing touches of a Spruce Mountain descent filmed in the
perspective from the top of Cory's head. Stay tuned for more info...
<>Service
tip: Suspension Care
Ironclad
service tech's
The internals of suspension forks are hidden out of
sight, and often get neglected. Most forks use a quantity of oil for
lubrication and dampening. but this oil essentially wears out and
should be replaced every 50 to 75 hours of riding. Seals and bushings
can need replacing, and should be insected as part of the service.
There is one simple rule to get the longest life and best service out
of
your suspension forks... keep them clean! Try and get in the habit of
at least wiping down the fork stanchions with a clean damp cloth before every ride. If you have
never had your forks serviced, and your bike is over a year old, you
may be due... any questions? feel free to ask our tech's.
Last
Sunday: Get to Know your Bike
7/26,
etc.
This is our free Bicycle Basics 101 class, it is offered the last
Sunday of each month at 2:00. The more you know about your bike and how
to care for it, the better you will bond with it, and you will ride it
more. Chores like cleaning and lubing the chain, or patching a tube
should not be intimidating... come learn some tricks from our techs.
...and don't forget our Sunday rides that leave Ironclad at 8:00 am
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