You know that one rock section? The one with the waterfall line down the middle and the big pumpy line down the right? And at the bottom is flat sand and a hard left into the next section where you hop onto the big sandstone slab then drop through the switchback? Yeah, that one.
The trail was new, the snow was flying and the crew was solid. A tale of steep footsteps, clogged cleats and jumbly flow.
Just got back from an XC ride with regional legend and all-around nice guy “Fast” Jon Watt. What a treat to ride at my own pace or — even better — a hair faster than my own pace.
Here’s a classic from 1999 — back when Lycra and dual crown forks appeared on the same bikes.
We’ve all been wondering about the best way to set suspension sag — sitting or standing? — so I asked The Man Himself: Mark Fitzsimmons at Fox Racing Shox. As Fox’s MTB race manager, Fitz does suspension testing and setup at the highest level of our sport. He is also a ripper.
This experimental MTB poetry was first posted Oct. 6, 2004, at the end of my last full-bore race season.
Read it at your own peril. I make no apologies!
Sergio is ripping a technical singletrack in Brazil called Dircuito das Pontes, and he’s wondering about his cockpit length. With video …
I’ve been hearing about these flowy trails for years, and I finally got a chance to ride ’em. Very nice.
My arch enemy Zach and I did an out-and back today, and it was excellent. Now I can comment on both directions:
After 10 years of planning and work by BMA, IMBA, Boulder County Parks and hundreds of volunteers, the new Picture Rock Trail opened last week. It is long, technical and tasty.
Hey Lee,
Nobody’s ever been able to give me an answer that seemed reasonable to this question, but you know this kind of thing, so maybe you can weigh in: When is it ok to ride a wet trail?
Back in high school, we used to rip it up in waist-deep mud just to see how dirty we could get. It never even occurred to us that the scars and ruts we left on the wet trails would be there for months. Now that I’m a little more “enlightened,” I’m never sure how long I should wait after rain before I hit the trails. How damaging is it to ride a wet trail? Do we need to wait until it’s dry enough that our tires won’t leave a rut? The NorCal rainy season is upon us and I can’t take it anymore — I want to get out and ride… but I don’t want to ruin my favorite spots.
What do you think!?
Thanks Lee.
-stads
Hey Lee,
I am thinking about taking a job in San Diego. Do you know of any good dirt jump parks in the area? Of course accessibility to dirt jumps and good mtb trails is more important than how much I will like the job …
Thanks, Jason