This Saturday, June 5 is National Trails Day, a great time to get out on a trail and enjoy all that SC outdoors have to offer!  We're quite lucky to have a fantastic network of trails in SC, and there's no better way to enjoy these than on bicycle.

Here are a few events happening throughout the state, and to keep up-to-date with the most current information, check out the

website.

Those of you in Columbia might have noticed the new signs on the Blossom Street Bridge, reading "Jesse's Way Bicycle Lane." These signs renaming the bike lanes are in memory of Jesse Gamble, who was killed while riding home from work in July 2008, and were unveiled in a dedication ceremony at Terra Restaurant on May 12. Jesse's friends and family gathered in Terra's courtyard to remember his life and to celebrate this memorial that was two years in the making by the PCC, Jesse's family, and Rep. James Smith. Frank Coyle performed at the ceremony and Rev. Mitch Houston gave the opening and closing prayers. Our own Rachael Kefalos explained the long process of getting the bike lanes renamed, and we were honored to have Henry Taylor, former SCDOT Second District Commissioner speak, as well. Michael Covington, SCDOT Director of Administration read H3595, the official resolution passed by the SC Legislature, and Lynn Finley, Jesse's mom, spoke about her son before unveiling the sign with two of his friends, Chris and Shannon.

A bicycle rack can be a fickle mistress. Some have awkward fits. Some don't come with enough hardware. Some flex too much. Some aren't stable. Some don't respect your opinion when it comes to film and television. No wait, that's my REAL mistress but I digress.


Luckily, our good friends at Topeak have taken all the guess work and uncertainty out of rack choice with its Super Tourist DX. Made from sturdy "tubular" aluminum, the Super Tourist is built with the "Super Tourer" in mind. After six months of use, abuse and then even more abuse, we found the rack's durability equal to its versatility. Asphalt? Dirt road? Pot hole ridden gravel road? No problem! The rack didn't budge an inch and any rear flex was minimal thus making handling all the easier. Because of its 700 gram weight, which really isn't that bad when you consider how beefy this rack is, climbing up the hills on our commuter route and the handful of Blue Ridge Parkway excursions weren't as taxing compared to other heavier racks. No need to name names, but you racks know who you are!

So this rack was able to absorb more abuse than Gary Busey's agent, but what about the features? Well, the cargo platform/fender is super thick and wide enough to accommodate most if not all trunk bags in the repertoire. Integrated tail light AND reflector mounts do away with "creative" light mounting solutions while keeping your lights firmly attached. The side bars for the panniers are also quite beefy, keeping with the theme of this rack, allowing for overloaded packing jobs. The forty-pound weight limit was pushed to fifty-five (not recommended) and the rack still performed flawlessly. But the best apart about the Super Tourist is its ease of installation. All the hardware you need to install on any bike in addition to clear and concise directions for rack newbies or the "installationally" challenged.

This will probably be the last rack review for a while as we can see the Super Tourist lasting for at least another 3000 miles of hardcore touring.