Tips and Tricks

Riding around Socorro presents some unique challenges. We present here some of our answers to these challenges.

Sand

Riding on sand can be easy and fun . . . or extremely difficult and frustrating. It largely depends on the condition of the sand, riding techniques, and your tires. In an arroyo that has recently had running water, the sand will be hard-packed and easy to ride. After the hard-packed sand is broken up by cows, vehicles, or even bicycles, it can become unridable. Sandy stretches may have intermittent portions which can and can't be ridden.

Try riding with steady movements so your tires don't dig in. Using wide tires, or having your tires slightly under-inflated can help. Also, using a very low gear will usually help.

Dogs

Many dogs run free in the City of Socorro and in the surrounding rural areas. Most of the time ignoring them won't make them go away. A firm "NO!" will often deter even the biggest of them. When in a group, we send them running by issuing a chorus of growls, or a squirt in the face from a water bottle. If necessary, dismount and keep your bicycle between you and the dog.

Mileages

Most of the mileage logs in this booklet are from our cyclometers. Our computers often don't agree exactly with each other; if we ride the route again, we get different mileages. One would hope that the GPS traces we're in the process of taking would fix this, but that has not been our experience. In fact, the GPS mileages often differ by more than our cyclometers!

Don't worry if you are off a little bit from the mileages in the book. There should be enough descriptive information in the rides so that you can find landmarks for the routes even if your mileage is different from ours.

Flat Fat Tires

This region has lots of things with thorns: the worst are the prickly-pear cacti, mesquite bushes (yep, like the flavoring), and the bane of the inflatable bicycle tire--goatheads. Any one of these can end a ride faster than you can say "What's that noise?"

The best defense is the use of heavy duty tubes, tire liners, or tire sealant. Each of these will add a little extra weight, and may change the dynamics of your wheels and tires, but they are well worth having.

Be warned: Even using all of the above cures at the same time is not always enough! You should still carry patch kits (check that your glue hasn't dried out), extra tubes, and pumps.