It's not about the size

I remember it like yesterday. 

Riding down the street, with thoughts focused on another adventure, my buddy cut in front of me and I went down hard. The left cantilever brake broke off, sheering the welded brake boss from my cherished and well used Diamond back ridge runner. 

I loved that bike. The world, and trails seem to come alive on it. I first rode Hogs Hollow on that bike. My first ride up American Fork Canyon was in its saddle. It became my pathway to adventure. My next bike was a Diamond Back ascent, top of the line at the time, bought with money saved during a long summer working construction. Believing  bigger was better, at only 5'9" I bought an XL. The shop manager, my uncle, tried to talk me out of it, but I was convinced I wanted the biggest and the best. I loved that bike, but it never fit me. I could never get balanced, never seemed comfortable. Hills were steeper, corners were tighter, and rides just seemed longer. 

I learned my lesson. Size Matters.

25 years later and that lesson remains. I am slow to change my bike, once it fits, I stick with it. I sat, at the back of the pack mostly, and watched as other shortened their stems, widened their bars, dropped their seats and pulled farther away from me on the descents. After 5 years I finally gave in. First, a shorter stem. Next, a dropper seatpost...incredible. Third, wide bars, 750 mm to be exact. 

Riding seems new again. The descents are faster and sharper. Trails seem different, more flowy, scenic and adventurous. The wild seems less, and more, wild. I wish I had done it sooner, yet I don't. Biking, Mountain biking, is about staying connected to the past, the trails, but it is more than that. It is about staying connected with myself. Change is good, bigger can be better, but with all the change we cannot lose the spirit that brought us into the sport, the reason we ride. Perhaps that is the reason I didn't want to change, I didn't want to lose that connection to the ride, that past, the reason and the desire to keep exploring one trail at a time. 

Las Vegas - A Different Perspective

This past weekend we packed the family up for a trip to Vegas.  The in-laws bought a townhome down there, so we wanted to take a few days and do some fun stuff outside.  Our typical Vegas trip is walk on the strip, go to a buffet or show.  This time was all about getting outside away from how we typically experience Vegas from a different point of view.

 

The first day, I woke up early and headed to Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City.  The plan was do ride part of the Banzai enduro course to experience what Bootleg has to offer.  After some research, I was going to take a shuttle up and ride.  However, I arrived well before any shuttle would come.  Another mtn biker came down and I asked him about the trails.  He said to pedal up the road to boy scout and only ride the front side unless I had body armor and a DH bike.  I typically follow locals’ advice, but decided to pedal up Girl Scout to caldera since nobody was out yet.

Girl Scout was a nice easy climb and then I decided to do inner caldera.  It was fun.  When I hit the road again, I went up to boy scout and I remembered what the local said.  “Only ride the front trails if you have body armor and a DH bike” I didn't have a DH bike or body armor, but decided it could be fun to try.  After all, I could just walk down if it was too crazy.  I went up to where the DH tracks start and did Armageddon, Snakeback, BC to the bike park area.  It was a blast!  It has been a bit since I felt nervous on a bike, but with the rocks, loose dirt around off camber corners and steep sections kept me on my toes.  The local wasn't kidding that if you ate it without body armor, it would not be good.  The rocks are jacked.  It made for a fun/different ride.  Then I pedaled back up to the top of boyscout and came down to the car via boyscout, girl scout, and another trail.  It was a good ride and it was off for some hiking with the family.

The next day I went over and did the cowboy trails.  I knew little about these trails, but saw a youtube video of one called kibbles and bits.  They said it was more challenging than it looked, so I thought I would give it a go.  Kibbles and bits was a super fun trail and offered some good views of red rock canyon area.  It was a bit more technical, but nothing an intermediate rider couldn’t clear.  I made my way up to the top and I don’t remember all the different trail names, but I made my way to an “expert” level rated trail called bomb voyage.  This trail was amazing!  It was loose, rocky, steep, included a few drops and technical bits.  I really enjoyed riding it.

 

The cowboy trails were different than bootleg and I actually enjoyed them more.  It was a really good weekend and hope to make it down there a bit more during the cold months here in Utah.

Selective Snowshoeing

We are selective snowshoers. If the snow is not deep and decent, we usually opt for cross country skiing, or more happily a bike trip to somewhere warm in place of strapping on the snowshoes. Last year I only went twice.  This year the snowshoes have remained in their place hanging next to an old picture of Glen Plake and skis that had been out much too infrequently. With a major mountain snowstorm forecast for the weekend, we decided it was time to get out.

We headed up American Fork canyon, with high hopes and were not disappointed.

We began climbing up pine hollow. As we climbed the falling snow alternated from blizzard like conditions to blissfully falling, this was going to be a good day. My father in the background is 72 years old.

Stopping for a minute at the bottom of little puke climb up to the ridge trail.

We made it to the large valley, where the snow was very deep and untracked. Here my father turned around but, owing to our sense of adventure, we broke trail through the meadow to the salamander flat overlook.

We only ended up snow shoeing about 5 miles, a relatively short trip, but with the snow as good and deep as it was, it was well worth it. 





SANTA CRUZ ALUMINUM BRONSON REVIEW

 

This last year has been a little unusual for my mountain biking.  I sold the Stumpy EVO to get another bike and it didn’t work out the way I planned and didn’t really have a bike for a while.  Then the wife and I had another baby and with everything going on, it was a bit more difficult to get out.  

 

After a few months of searching, I was able to get the new aluminum Bronson.  Now, I LOVED my EVO, but the Bronson made it a little easier to move on.  I’ve ridden it quite a bit over the last few months and have taken it to Moab, Sedona, Park City, and quite a few local trails here in Utah.  All the Bronson reviews I can find happen to be on the $10,000.00 Carbon dream bike, so I thought I would offer my thoughts on the Aluminum model.  It doesn’t have anything fancy like the XO1 or XX1 drive train, the pike, Kashima coated suspension, or any of the other latest and greatest things that I would assume most people don’t have yet.  I built it with a Shimano XT 2X10 (with SLX crank) drive train and the suspension is the 2014 fox float CTD, flow EX rims, and DTswiss hubs.

 

First off, I am no expert or English major.  There will be grammatical errors and this is my opinion on the bike.  However, I do ride quite a bit on a variety of terrain and have ridden a variety of bikes.  I tried to make myself love the 29er, but after a lot of riding the big wheel, it just never happened.  They were fast, but it looks like I prefer the smaller wheel sizes.

 

Anyway, the short review of this bike is it is awesome. 

 

Getting the bike set-up.

Long story short.. it took me several rides to get it set up.  I’ve heard of people going on a test ride and hating it.  I would understand why they feel this way.  The first half dozen rides, I always felt the need to adjust something on it.  I finally got it dialed and it is a blast to ride.

 

Going UP…

 

This bike is a very capable climber and feels lighter than the 31.8 lbs the scale suggests.  After climbing a lot in both Trail and descend mode, it actually feels better in descend mode unless you like spandex and climbing paved roads.  You can tell a difference in Trail, but if you are into real mtn biking and pedaling over rocks or roots on real trails, it keeps its traction better with the switch to the “D” setting. Even with it in descend mode and you get on the pedals, there is little discernible shock movement or pedal bob. 

 

The Bronson is a good technical climber, but the one drawback with the rear suspension stiffening up while pedaling is over multiple rocky ledges going uphill.  It doesn’t smooth those climbs as well as some other designs.  You can still make the climb, but it isn't as smooth or fun sometimes.  The only place I really noticed was on a couple climbs in Moab and Sedona, but most climbs it hasn't been an issue.  I guess this is a trade off for more efficient pedaling on flats etc were I appreciate the added pedal platform.  With that being said, as long as I have the power to keep pedaling, the bike will keep going.

 

Going DOWN…

 

This is where you really appreciate the Bronson.  The faster you go, the better the bike works.  There are a few rocky descents near my home that people generally avoid when they ride.  I like those kinds of descents and the Bronson just seems to eat up the rocky stuff going down.  I was so surprised the first few times I rode it, I had to get off, push my bike back to the top and re-ride some sections because I thought I had missed hitting some of the roughest places.  It is incredible! 

 

It is crazy smooth and cornering is a blast.  The bike allows you to really exit corners with more speed than I was used to and offers a whole lot of confidence on fast wide open descents. It doesn't matter if it is smooth, rocky, rooty, muddy, dusty or hard, the Bronson loves going fast and will allow you to push a speed you're wife wouldn't be comfortable with.

Other things to consider...

One thing that caught my attention on this bike, other than it looks good, is the ease of maintenance.  You can service all pivots without even taking the drivetrain off and it has a threaded BB instead of stupid pressfit!  That is a huge win.

SC also offers a lifetime warranty on the bearings!  Just send them in and they will send you new ones back.  What other company does that?  None that I can think of.  They also have a 5 year warranty on the frame and lifetime crash replacement deal.  They will get you a super discounted new frame if this one ever breaks..  Which, by looking at the construction, won't ever happen.

This bike will last a long time and if you're like me, this is very important to mention to my wife after spending a few bills on a new bike.

 

Overall Take:

 

If you like going fast and having fun on a solid bike, the Bronson should be on your short list.

 

 

 

 

 

Riding the Mouth of Provo

It's another Friday at work and I'm planning another long ride on Saturday using Skid Map. As I link trails together into one large and hopefully adventurous loop, the trail names begin to conjure up memories of a summer and fall of exceptional riding.

Sun Valley Super Enduro

  This past weekend I participated in the first Sun Valley Super Enduro.  Simply put, it was rad.  The trails, while not really technical, had a good mix of loose, fast, flowy and wide open sections.    The Sun Valley Enduro really tested skill and fitness with four stages ranging from 5-10 miles.  The stages ended up being about 18-35 minute mostly downhill sections of adrenaline pumping fun.  Plus, the views were amazing and everyone seemed to be having a blast.  

I have done a few Enduro races and the stages typically range from 5-12 minutes.  With the longer stages, new trails and an unfamiliar bike, I really had no idea what to expect.  However, it exceeded my expectations and I learned the rockier and more challenging the trail, (without a lot of climbing) the more I like it. I realized 5-8 miles was a great length for an enduro race and I actually really liked racing blind.   I also learned the importance of racing on a bike you know is set up well.

The race was super fun, the format was awesome, timing was great, and location was gorgeous.   After the 4 stages, with 6 dropped chains, 1 fixed flat for another racer, 4 crashes, a broken shifter, sore wrist and back, I made it safely down in 8^th out of only 14 in my class. Not the best overall result, but I had a ton of fun.

Leading up to the race, I unintentionally lost 9lbs from the flu the week before. I knew I was going to have issues, but the issues ended up being different than expected.  The first stage was loose and rocky up top with lots of pedaling.  I kept thinking it was an XC race someone called enduro, so people would show up.  Luckily, after the entire race, I was wrong.

Within a couple of minutes on the first stage, I dropped my chain twice.  About 30 second later, it came off a third time and was completely tangled and looped around, so I got off to fix it.   About 40 ft away there was a girl with a flat that asked if I had some extra tire levers.  Since it was going to take me a bit to fix my bike, I changed her flat.  Then I fixed my chain and adjusted my derailleur to hopefully prevent any more drops.  After a lengthy stop, I decided just to have some fun and instead of looking for speed, I was boosting off rocks and roots every chance I had.  It was a blast.  I finished 2^nd or 3^rd to last, just in front of a couple other guys with mechanicals.

At the bottom, my chain came off again and was hanging on by ½ a link, so I fixed it and went to the next stage.

Stage two was a bit smoother.  It went well, but I ate it pretty hard.  I came in too fast on a blind corner and ended up sliding down loose shell rock for about 8’-9’.  Luckily, I was on my back and side, so the bike was okay.   I ended up in 3^rd.

That night, we went back to the hotel and decided to ride the bikes to town to get some dinner.  We went to this little pizzeria place and loaded up on some pasta and went back to the hotel.  That town is such a cool place.

After a restless sleep, we headed up the mtn for stage 3.  This stage was probably the best for me.  It was loose, fairly steep, fast and rocky with a lot of corners and blown out switchbacks.  As you got lower it was fairly smooth and pedally.  I’m still not entirely sure what happened, but crashed and this time broke the shifter off the bike.  I wrapped it around the bars to get me down and luckily wasn’t shifting all over the place and I ended up in 2^nd.

At the bottom of the stage, Eric had bent his derailleur and flatted.  We were debating on just not finishing the race and heading back.  After a little rest, I figured I could zip tie the shifter to the bars and probably make it down in one piece with limited shifting, so off I went.

The fourth stage was going well and despite the broken shifter, I felt like I was having a great run.  I passed a couple of guys ahead of me and could see the dust from the next guy.  Right as I passed him, the chain did what it was going best and came off…  I reached down and put it on real quick and started pedaling.  After a little while, I came into a rough spot and this time the chain wrapped around my crank and wedged itself between the rear cog and frame.  As I looked down to see what was going on, I went off the trail, over the bars and rolled down the hill.  It was really soft dirt, so no bad injury luckily, so I got up checked the bike, put the chain back on and was off.  After all that, I took 4^th.

It sounds like nothing went really well, but it was actually such a fun race and I hope to make it up there again next year.  The longer, high-speed stages with the variety of trails really made it a lot of fun.  We got to see a new place, ride some new trails and have another adventure

Broken Blackhawk

The Blackhawk trail in Payson canyon has always been one of my favorites. In the spring, as the trails in AF canyon are becoming crowded and Dusty, the trails in Payson are still in good shape and the crowds are minimal.

This Saturday we rode the Blackhawk loop, described on Utahmountainbiking.com (minus the dirt road portion) and saw one other biker and two horseman. 

The conditions were prime, but it was one of those rides where things just did not fall into place. We all have rides when the trail is perfect, our senses and reflexes seemed heightened and things just flow, but this was not one of those rides. We felt like beginners.

 We began riding with a sore throat and Slight stomach flu and while we hoped the illnesses were more the result of poor food and sleep choices the night before, that was not the case. Instead of climbing with a steady rhythm, each push was followed by a long pause punctuated with sounds of a body in revolt. We debated turning back, but it always came back to the fact that we could lay on the couch sick, or bike sick. In the beginning, biking sounded like the better option.

About an hour into the ride, Guthrie's pedal began to wobble a little. We stopped to tighten the pedal, wondering if he had overtightened it. (which for us is a common occurrence after years of construction work). At first, it did tighten a little, after another 2 miles, it would not tighten. At 2 more miles, the pedal just spun in the crank set and at mile 9 it fell out completely, no amount of wire or gorilla tape would hold it in. We tried. Guthrie finished the climb with one leg, and a worsening stomach.

 

About the time the pedal fell out, I noticed by bike felt more like a Harley than a mountain bike. It seemed I was sitting low, bouncing a lot, and pedaling was much more difficult. At first I chalked it up to being out of shape and feeling lousy. But as i sunk lower and bounced more, it was time to check the rear shock. I started at 240 now it was at 150, Great.

With Broken shock, one pedal and sickness worsening we inched our way to the road. I am never fast on Strava, but these times are embarrassing. Finally reaching the road, I returned to the car via dirt. Guthrie decided riding downhill, on trails, with one pedal was useless and decided on the road.

After finally reaching the car, 30 to 45 minutes longer than it should have taken, the only consolation was; at least we were biking.

Broken Mountain biking is weird that way.  Most times, the worst day on the mountain is better than sitting on a couch or even worse, watching sports on TV.

This weekend, bikes are fixed (we hope), bodies seem weaker, but healed, and the mountains are waiting to explore...one trail at a time.