Scotts Valley Fixed

Posted on August 14, 2010 by .
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You don’t see too many fixed gear riders in Scotts Valley. It’s a small town in the Santa Cruz Mountains, with significant grades on some of the roads. To get to or from Santa Cruz for shopping or visits means about 500 feet of elevation change over three miles.

Nate here, for example, lives way uphill by the Bethany University campus, but he still likes riding his fixed gear IRO. He rides with brakes; smart guy!


Nate's IRO

I also met Judy, Nate’s mother. It turns out she is a colleague of my wife. Judy rode her daughter’s Electra Amsterdam to the Farmer’s Market with her husband and with Nate.


Judy and Electra Amsterdam

My Scotts Valley bike pal Heidi visits the Farmers’ Market almost every Saturday on her Gunnar custom made road bike. She’s about six inches shorter than Nate but wanted to try out Nate’s bike. She loved it!

Scotts Valley Fixed



See also:

  1. Scotts Valley Mountain Charlie Challenge
  2. 2011 Scotts Valley Grand Prix
  3. 2011 Scotts Valley Fireworks directions & parking
  4. 2011 Scotts Valley Grand Prix Women 1/2/3


  • gearinches

    Brakes are a good thing. I saw plenty of too-cool-for-brakes FG riders in NYC, swerving between cars and buses.

  • meligrosa <3

    oh hai!! sup cute boy?! :D

  • meligrosa <3

    oh hai!! sup cute boy?! :D

  • Heather Higgins

    conspicuous absence of helmets in your neck of the woods, eh?

  • Chato

    500 feet over three miles is nothing.

  • Sean

    Having worked in Scott's Valley on a consulting assignment, I can tell you the elevation gain from San Jose to Scott's Valley is way more than 500 feet. Even the gain from Los Gatos to Scott's Valley has got to be considerably more that that.

  • http://www.cyclelicio.us/ Cyclelicious

    You're correct; I should write that the elevation difference between Santa Cruz & Scotts Valley is 500 feet, and you need to climb to above 600 feet to get into Scotts Valley.

    From Los Gatos to Scotts Valley there's a mountain pass at nearly 2,000 feet that you have to get through :-)

  • http://www.cyclelicio.us/ Cyclelicious

    Perhaps, but a couple of those 14% grades are a little tough on a fixed gear bike. Props to you if ride that every day.