Factory Bike Blog

Did you know that North Lake Tahoe’s multi-use trails have been around since the 1970s? They’ve proven to be a great local asset and served our community well, but sometimes they need a little update. Shifting foundations and general wear and tear can lead to cracked pavement and uneven surfaces, and those can range from just uncomfortable to downright dangerous!

We’re grateful that our local public utilities district sees the need for maintenance, and this summer they’re improving and re-paving all of the bike trails from 64 Acres Park in Tahoe City to the ever popular Sunnyside Restaurant and Lodge on the West Shore.

Some favorable weather and an ambitious construction schedule have put the crews way ahead, with some sections already completed and others nearly ready for their new surfaces, but you may encounter some work sites still in progress. We hope you’ll make the most of any detours and workarounds you find, to still enjoy your bike rides comfortably and safely! This small amount of growing pains will rewards us with fresh, smooth bike trails surfaces, and we look forward to enjoying them for decades more come.

Again, our biggest thanks to the Tahoe City Public Utilities District for taking this on and continuing to provide this great resource for our whole community, locals and visitors alike!

The Tahoe City Public Utility District is the local agency that’s responsible for managing our local multi-use trail system. Every year they take a survey of trail users to help them understand who’s using the trails, what they’re using them for, and how they can be improved. This trail system includes our favorite Truckee River Bike Trail, and of course it doesn’t surprise us here to hear that 98% of trail users rate their experience as “Good or Excellent”, and 96% say that the trail system “influences their enjoyment of North Lake Tahoe very much”!
While the multi-use trail sees everything from walkers and joggers to fishermen and river rafters, the survey shows that more than 80% of users are riding bikes. Also notable is that 55% of those users are riding e-bikes some of the time, quite an increase in just the last few years as the technology and availability has rapidly grown.
Bikes have always been a great way to cover some ground and see some sights, and we love to share that experience with our customers. Our shared use trail is a great community asset for locals and visitors alike, and we hope for our customers to join us in being good stewards of this enjoyable resource.
Let us know about your time on the trails, we’re always interested in knowing what you think!

While we’re especially into the bicycling, there’s actually a lot more that could be happening on the Truckee River and Lake Tahoe Multi-Use Trail! Our friend and neighbor, lifetime local Tim Hauserman wrote this helpful advice about other users and how to look out for each other.  As always, staying alert and being courteous to each other can go a long way towards improving everyone’s experience!

People ask us all the time about what E-Bikes to get, and we tell them “It’s the wild west out there right now!” And as we’ve always said for any kind of bikes, “Be careful what you buy on the internet.” It seems there are more new E-bike and E-mobility companies popping every week, and not all of them are selling quality products.  While some of them are offering pretty decent bikes for the money, many others are selling junk that’s just going to break down, and maybe even set your house on fire.

Fire officials in New York City report that in 2022, there were 5 times as many structure fires caused by faulty lithium-ion battery systems as in 2020, resulting in 10 deaths and 226 injuries during that time. This year, there have already been 2 deaths and 40 more injuries. FDNY asked the City Council to do something about it, and NYC has delivered! Mayor Eric Adams recently signed into law a package of safety regulations designed to reel in some of the “wild-west” products that are out there, in hopes of increasing public safety. The most notable restriction is that batteries and chargers will have to meet UL standards, just like other electrical appliances do. That doesn’t seem like much to ask, right? But a huge number of low budget e-mobility products simply don’t. The new laws also limit the reconditioning and reassembly of batteries for commercial sale, and establish safety education and monitoring programs.

We agree that low prices can be attractive, but if it looks good to be true, it probably is! Buying your e-bike products from recognized brand names might cost a little bit more up front, but we assure you that it’s worth it. You really do get what you pay for, and that includes performance, reliability, and yes, even safety.

We’ve been longtime advocates for more bicycle-based transportation options, especially in denser, more urban environments where bikes can be much more practical than driving cars. But as much as we applaud several major cities’ efforts to make that happen, that can definitely create complications. Reducing existing vehicle access can open spaces up for bike and pedestrians, but it can also impact established patterns of commerce, among other things. Finding the right compromise is an ongoing planning experiment in cities all over the world, but Paris offers a unique case study. While New York City has grown to 15 times the size it was in 1860, Paris as a city has remained the same, leaving only 1 in 5 Parisians actually living, and voting, within the city limits.  So as the city itself moves to reduce car trips, only the residents of downtown Paris’ high-end real estate are seeing the benefit, and the city’s outside commuters and businesses are complaining of the logistical hurdles and economic impacts.  Local officials, advocacy groups, and innovative business startups are trying to find a balance.

For the last 17 years, retired professional bike racer, Red Bull sports announcer, and longtime friend of the shop Claudio Caluori has been building super smooth asphalt pump tracks around the world.  In his travels with VeloSolutions, he’s been continually moved by how the simple joy of riding bikes has a truly universal appeal.  ““No matter where you are, whether that’s in a rich country, or in a poor one, [pump tracks] always have the same effect”, he says. “People of all ages, of all backgrounds, of all beliefs, whatever skin color, they get together, and they have fun.”  This philosophy led Claudio and his friends to create Pumps for Peace, a program that brings fresh pump tracks to divided communities, helping to create fun and accessible activities for everyone.

A recent Red Bull event held at their track in Roma, Lesotho bridged the gaps between locals of all cultures.