Biking the Doldrums

No I'm not talking about the equatorial region that struck dread and sometimes insanity into the hearts of sailors for hundreds of years, although the effect can be the same. I'm talking about the doldrums of February and March, a time when biking is scarce and the  good snow for skiing or snowshoeing is quickly melting. 

Lets get something out of the way right now, over the years we have become what some might consider "snow snobs". If it is not deep, light and refreshed frequently we don't like it. This year we have only strapped on the snowshoes and skis once.  Don't get me wrong, normally we have been snowshoeing and skiing, for 2-3 months now, but this year has been pathetic. 

In other years mid February rolls around and the excitement of snowshoeing has worn off, but the trails, even the lower ones,  are still snow covered, or too muddy for any real riding. (Fat tires not included, having not fallen for that 'trend'  yet). Leaving one or even two dreaded months of waiting. 

This year has been different, there is some lousy snow high in the mountains, but surprisingly some of the lower trails are open, and the afternoon temperatures hover around 55-65 degrees allowing for some afterwork and Saturday rides.

It began a few weeks ago when I noticed that my normal winter starved Strava feed began filling up with rides,  from riders who don't own fat bikes. Some were on roads,  others on dirt. I decided it was time to try. 

Surprisingly the trail was mostly dry,  even dusty in places.  But it was one of those evenings when it is just good to be on a bike with nice temperatures and nicer trails.   It gave me a glimpse of another good year of riding and exploring one trail at a time. 

I couldn't help but thinking of those sailors who sat for weeks or even months waiting for wind.  Sure the comparison is slim. We have food and water and are not likely to die.   But,  for those who really love the outdoors and specifically putting foot to pedal,  the insanity can be the same. 



2013 Stumpjumper EVO Comp VS. Aluminum Santa Cruz Bronson

In seeing the popularity of the Santa Cruz Bronson (which is an awesome bike if you’ve read my review) I decided to write up a review on the 2013 Specialized Stumpjumper EVO comp and do a little comparison to the Bronson.  I know some people may be as surprised as I was…maybe even upset..

I rode the Bronson for a while and found I was always comparing it to my old EVO.  One ride, I ran into someone with an EVO and we switched bikes for a bit as he wanted to try out the Bronson.  While riding the Evo, I remembered how much I liked that bike.   With the 27.5 wheel craze and popularity of the Bronson, decided to sell it.  I soon found a used Stumpy evo with 26” wheels and bought it.

On the first few rides, I thought I would feel awkward on the bike and smaller wheel.  I put on a short stem and wider bars and immediately felt at home.  I did notice the smaller wheel, but after a few pedal strokes, was already used to it.  We have some good trails with a lot of variety by our home.  They have some really steep climbs, some dirt roads, lots of smooth single track, some technical trails and a few that are really rocky.   I’ve ridden this bike a ton locally, in Moab, and St. George and every ride is a blast! 

While climbing, the bike feels light and goes up easily.  On really steep sections where I felt I was fighting the Bronson, the Evo scooted up surprisingly well.  After long steep climbs, I found I actually had more energy than I did on the Bronson.  You could feel the mid-sized wheel roll over things a bit better, but the FSR suspension was so plush, it kept traction and was really enjoyable climbing.  It wasn’t a 22lb racer, but for a bike with 150mm of travel and 26” wheels, it shouldn’t do as well as it does going uphill.  When the trail was flat, the Bronson held speed a little easier than the Evo, but I was blown away at how well it climbs.

Like the Bronson, when you point the bike downhill you see what the bike was made for.  The suspension was so supple and plush you can just fly over rocky terrain.  Where the Evo is a bit more playful and can hop and play over rocky trails, the Bronson has more of a, “I’m going to plow over stuff and not even worry about it” attitude.  Cornering on this bike, with its low BB and short stays is so much fun!  However, I think this is where I preferred the mid-size wheel a bit more.  If the corner was really loose and rocky, the smaller wheel had to be guided through a little more where the 27.5 wheel held the line without too much worry.  Both bikes were a blast going down, but the Evo seemed easier to ride aggressively and just have fun while the Bronson was a little bit more business.  With that being said, on every single Strava segment, my fastest times were on the Stumpy Evo.  Was it the bike or was it because I was just having a freaking blast?  That is a good question.

After riding many bikes in many different areas, these two were my favorites.  If I had to pick a favorite bike of all time, it would be the Stumpy Evo for how much fun it is to ride and how well it handles everything from XC loops to shuttle trails.  The Bronson is an awesome bike and super fun to ride, but I would give the edge to the Evo.

It seems every ride, I stopped caring about wheel sizes, latest bikes, being fast and just had fun riding and that is what it is all about.

So, go ride your bike..

Wallsburg to Vivian...It's an adventure.

Some time ago we read or heard about, I forget which, a trail that begins in Wallsburg Utah and ends at Vivian park in Provo canyon. We tried riding it from Vivian, but the trail was steep and ridiculously rocky and loose. We don't mind Hike-a-bikes, but that was too much and too far. After some research we were finally able to find and connect the trails, from Wallsburg to Vivian, and the result was amazing views and  beautiful singletrack all culminating in a long loose and rocky descent.

Climbing up from Wallsburg, the trail was over grown and rough in places. This trail is frequented more by motorcycles than bicycles. We loved the remote feeling it offered. The climb is shaded and nice.

The views on the way up are amazing. After some climbing we came to the spot we thought was the top. There was a great view, as well as a great place to stop and re-fuel. We were dead wrong. After relaxing we began to pedal and within 100 feet saw the trail climb steeply in front of us. Later the gps tracks would show it was about a 1700 vert feet hike a bike. I mean, sure those who are in super shape could ride parts of it but for a heavier-out-of-shape rider, it was a hike a bike. After some frustration, we reached another summit, which finally lead to the downhill.

 

There are no pictures of this downhill ride. Partly because Guthrie was a head of me, mostly because it is a rough, baby-head filled, hand jarring long descent. Don't get me wrong, we loved it, but the entire ride took concentration and muscle to not fly off the trail into the bushes, which, although much effort was exhausted to prevent, occurred quite frequently.  The descent is what makes it an adventure trail, the ride is fantastic, overgrown, and rocky and loose at the end, but we will definitely do it again as we keep on exploring one trail at a time.

 

Wallsburg to Vivian Park

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking near Provo, Utah

Relentless and Rewarding

Someone once told me, regarding mountain bike racing, that if you ever got off your bike you should be instantly disqualified. I responded by suggesting that if you never got off your bike, you probably were not riding difficult enough trails. Whether my statement is true or not, lately it has seemed that the relentlessly steep trails seem to lead to some of the most rewarding areas and riding.

For some time we have been wanting to try and ride to Cascade Saddle from Big Springs. We heard it was steep, knew it was a popular motorcycle trail and had ridden the first 3 miles where it did indeed get steep, but could not find any gps tracks or much about it after that. Supposedly it is 5 or 6 miles to the pass.  Saturday we decided to give it a try.

Miles 1-2 are normal riding, scenic, nice trail, kosher stuff, 2-3 get steeper with some hike-a-bike,  3-4 the riding stops and the pushing and carrying begins. But this is not your momma's hike a bike. These are steep, loose chutes, that climb straight up the mountain in places.  But, the views, the views were incredible.

In the end, we didn't make it all the way to the top. Snow began to cover the trail in a lot of places and a huge avalanche, above, blocked the path entirely. We hiked over it for sometime, but not knowing what to expect and needing to get home for a city carnival we promised to take our kids to forced us to turn around.

The views were fantastic, the climb was even fun, but descending this trail is pure bliss. The top is a hang back, super steep, baby head filled, rocky chute decent, followed my mellow rough trail riding and finally smooth cruising.

After it was all said and done, we ended up climbing 3,100 feet in 4.1 miles. The ride able part is about 15% grade and after that I have no idea. It took us about an hour and a half up and 20 minutes down, but it is worth every second. We heard that you can access the top of this trail from a ride in Wallsburg, the plans are already in place...finding new rides, one trail at a time.

Grafton with Guacamole

Grafton is as rough and Gnarly as the pioneers that first settled there. We met up at the cemetery and spent some time reading the grave markers. Indians, sickness, and even a swinging accident was the cause of many of those resting there.  It is remarkable how tough those initial settlers were.

 The final trail to the valley was cut by those pioneers into the side of the Mesa to get timber. Ravines and gullies were filled with rocks until the trail was usable. In recent years that trail has been resurrected by Mountain bikers, but it hasn't lost a bit of it's original grit. The scenery isn't bad as well, although as we stood on the overlook below, before the final descent, I wondered if the people who originally lived here, after a long day of gather wood during a long hot summer day in a location that can begin to feel like the surface of the sun, thought is was. I am doubtful. 

We were lucky to ride it with someone who has spent some time exploring the upper trails and was able to link together a great system of trails. The link below is the GPS to that track;

Grafton Mesa at EveryTrail

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Utah

The trail ends with some pretty decent drops and one gap jump. Guthrie decided to try one of the more mellow ones, I opted for the easy way out and longer way around. This one actually looks works from the bottom.

We ended up riding it twice then went into Springdale for some lunch. After a long lunch, drawn out by a St. Patrick's day parade through town, then out of town will all the cars leaving, we headed up to Guacamole.

The trail is fairly, mellow, intermediate, with small elevation gain, but still a lot of fun, with some good views. 

Guthrie tried out the Bronson on some a few steep drops and was impressed with how easy they seemed, or at least I was.

The only drawback to the day was the Maxxis Ardent 2.25 tire. Here is our review; it sucks don't buy it. If it does last more than two or three rides, you will suffer constant flats and lack of traction. On the positive side, it was fairly easy to get off the rim, so a new tire could replace it.  

Grafton is on our list as a favorite. There are a lot of options out there and opportunities to keep exploring one trail at a time. 

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.