The Tour is back at Ann Morrison Park this year, August 21!

This is SWIMBA's largest annual fund raiser, and one hell of a party. We expect to see you there, in costume, on bike, and having a great time.

Be sure to stop by the SWIMBA booth to catch up, and check out all the cool stuff we've got going on.

IMPORTANT: This event does not run itself, so we need volunteers to sell beer tokens and wrist bands, set up, clean up, or help out in other ways. Shifts start at 9:00 am and run 3 hours each until 6:00 pm. Volunteers get a cool t-shirt and 2 beer tokens. If you would like to volunteer please contact Margie Rosenberg, the event coordinator and president of SWIMBA at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The AMP telescoping seatpost was given to me as a birthday gift by SJ based on recommendations given to her by our friend Ryan K.  It weighs about 470 grams including remote and cable so it weighs about 200 grams more than the 27.2/410mm Thomson Elite seatpost that it replaced. The version I got was a 1" and 3" drop.  Actuating the remote unit was as simple as pushing the remote lever forward and putting weight on the saddle to lower it and then releasing the remote lever (the seatpost will remain lowered).  Raising the seatpost involves pushing the remote lever and getting up off the saddle at which point the saddle will go to the preset normal riding height at which point you release the lever.  The AMP also comes with a neoprene boot that covers the spring and detent mechanism.  This product gets a two thumbs up from the SWIMBA Wrenching Crew.

A number of trail advocates have teamed up to create an Idaho vehicle license plate with the slogan "Preserve our trails" on it. As with other special purpose plates, motorists pay an extra fee for this plate. $25 from the original purchase and $15 of each renewal of the license plate will be dedicated to a fund within Idaho Parks and Rec or a successor agency to support trail creation and maintenance in Idaho.

Any trail group could apply to use these funds with the stipulation that the trail(s) being supported must be open to mountain biking, although mountain biking need not be the primary purpose.

As noted above, the Idaho Parks and Rec department or a successor agency would administer the process. A bill is currently being presented to the state house and senate.

We will soon be asking trail enthusiasts to contact their senators and representatives to support this bill.  Detailed information on the project as well as a picture of the proposed plate can be found here http://idmtbtrailassoc.blogspot.com/.

To learn more about this effort, please visit http://idmtbtrailassoc.blogspot.com/