Summer Send-Off at Treehouse Cyclery
Late one afternoon last month, as I threw a leg over my bike and pushed off, I looked up at the sky—the clouds were the color of cold metal. I could feel the wind picking up as I started the short ride from my home in Boulder, Colorado, to Treehouse Cyclery, where I was soon due to lead a group ride. The wind blew with that swirling restiveness of autumn—shifting in a moment from west to east and then back again—and the air was cool and heavy with the building humidity. This wasn’t boding well. For the next couple of miles, I fretted over the impending forecast—would anyone even show? But then I was relieved (in a sense) from wondering what the weather would do, because the skies decided “Why wait?” and unleashed on me then and there, on the bike path. Rolling up to the shop with my partner, we were both soaked through—my socks squished in my shoes.
It is easy to be a fair-weather cyclist in Boulder, as Colorado’s Front Range is known for its ample sunshine and relatively mild winters. As such, Colorado’s cyclists aren’t generally known for being the most tolerant of precipitation. If I hadn’t been in charge of leading the night’s group ride, there’s certainly a strong chance that the afternoon weather would have curtailed my motivation to get on the bike. So I was especially surprised and delighted to see a healthy crowd of more than two dozen riders gathered outside Treehouse, seemingly unfazed by the short-lived downpour. After giving a short introduction of myself and the new Poteau Mountain tire up for raffle that night, and snapping a group photo, I led the group out for a mixed-surface ride up one of Boulder’s most accessible climbs, Chapman Drive.
Launched just a couple of weeks ago, the Poteau Mountain is the latest addition to the Rene Herse semi-slick tire line-up, following the first of this hybrid tread pattern, the Corkscrew Climb, which debuted at the start of this year. After spending significant time on the 700 x 44-millimeter Corkscrew Climb this past winter and spring, I was very excited for the Poteau Mountain’s 48-millimeter width to lend a little more capability to this fast-rolling and versatile tread profile. The ride I’d created for the group would be the perfect showcase for the Poteau’s well-rounded potential: a popular weekday loop, our 30-kilometer route would feature opening paved bike-path miles through town and then continue west onto dirt up Boulder Canyon to the base of Chapman. Chapman is a local treasure for Boulder’s expansive outdoor community; the gravel climb is closed to cars and gains about 1,000’ in 2.5 miles before connecting to the classic Flagstaff Road descent. Drill it or chill it on the dirt, then enjoy sweeping views on serpentine tarmac.
Our group rolled amiably on the bike path, then splintered on Chapman with the plan to regroup at the top of the climb. I was happy for the Poteau Mountains’ zippy feel as I periodically sprinted short sections to overtake various groups in order to snap some photos—the rain from earlier had given way to soft low clouds, painting the far-off hills all shades of indigo as the sun slowly sank behind us. Too atmospheric not to capture!
Fortunately, we still had a little light for Flagstaff’s sinuous s-curves, but night had fallen completely by the time we’d all regained the bike path. Summer was indeed coming to a close.
Back at Treehouse, founders Alyssa and Kolby welcomed us with hot pizza and beverages and a fire was crackling in a portable fire pit in the parking lot to gather around. Around 30 riders had turned out, and there was a bit of anticipatory tension around the pair of Poteau Mountain tires up for raffle! A friend, devoted rider, and local customer-service rep at Trek, Gary, had the winning number, and then another rider added two cold beers as bonus raffle giveaways.
Good vibes! We closed out the evening with a s’mores roast over the fire, talking bike trips and ‘mallo-roasting methods—the perfect sendoff for summer!
Postscript
The new Poteau Mountain tires have just arrived in Seattle’s harbor. If you’d like a set in one of the four casings—Standard, Extralight, Endurance, Endurance Plus—pre-order now, and you’ll be among the first to get them, when the boat is unloaded late this week or early next. Click here for more information.
