Life Behind Bars....

Sedona Day 7 - High Line Trail

2012-02-12T23:58:00.001-05:00

Sedona Day 7

2012-02-12T18:23:00.007-05:00

Well I opted not to rest on the 7th day and after a stack of panckakes and bacon headed out on the last ride of the trip.

Today started out with nice temps but the clouds started moving in and it was colder than the previous 6 great days. Can't complain really. Highlight of the day was watching the blur speed by of a team sky jersey descending the trail we were climbing and man that guy can fly off road as well. Impressive !!

Decided to end on a pretty tough trail called Highline. Rode out Bellrock to Bike Park loops to Templeton to Slim Shady to Highline and to Baldwin return ( that was the plan ) but bypassed Baldwin and got kind of lost so just as well ended up on the road as the rain started.

Life Behind Bar picture atop Highline courtesy of the Go Pro.

Got a solid & days of riding in and enjoyed the Santa Cruz. Be back behind a desk in 2 days but Sedona will get a repeat visit very, very soon. Met some really neat people and rode a small ( very very small ) fraction of the trails....

Sedona Day 6

2012-02-12T09:41:00.001-05:00

Sedona Day 6

2012-02-11T17:53:00.005-05:00

Today was EPIC. Huckaby, Mund's Wagon, Hangover, Cowpies & Schnelby Hill ? Fear Factor was high. Video to follow.

Sedona Day 5.0 & 5.1

2012-02-10T21:12:00.003-05:00

This was shot just before Chicken Point and on the run off after the slick rock

This trail " Slim Shady " is becoming one of my favorites as you can use it as a out back and as the launching point to many trails instead of the Bell Rock which is way more of a multi-use trail. This video ( along with day 2 ) shows 2 different finishes within a block. 1 at the Resort the other at the doorstep of Bike & Bean.

Day 5 Continued.....

2012-02-10T17:27:00.005-05:00

The ride today was a great epic and I can't really describe it so the video tonight should help with that. Here is what the Fat Tire guide book says about the ride ......

" The Most bang for your Sedona buck. Slickrock, stairs, and Mr. Toads Wild Ride. Danger lurks around every turn in the trail. If you've got time for only one Sedona ride, this is it. Sedona's Premier Shred "

Here is the Life Behind Bar shot from the Chicken Point Vista...

Sedona Day 5

2012-02-10T17:17:00.006-05:00

What a day !!! Cant believe the weather and the TRAILS. Day 5 out the door and up the Bell Rock to Mystic to Hog Wash or Pig ? to Broken Arrow ( Submarine Rock pic below ) to Chicken Point down Little Horse a.k.a Mr. Toads Wild Ride to HT to Slim Shady back to Bike & Bean so the Santa Cruz Tallboy can get some TLC for the final 2 days.

Trail Shots....

2012-02-09T18:50:00.005-05:00

Love the names of these trails. Today covered, Chuckwagon, Earls Cabin, Gunslinger, Mescal and Lower Lizardhead. Even on the more traditional xc loops ya gotta pay attention.

Crack Kills Baby !!

Lastly the Life Behind Bar shot for the 4th day.....

Day 4

2012-02-09T18:45:00.002-05:00

No video today just a few pics of the ride. Hit up Chuckwagon Trail and did a bit more of a x-country loop today. No major rock strewn trails with exposure but almost 2ooo feet of climbing.

A few downhills from today....

2012-02-08T21:35:00.001-05:00

Hump Day Options

2012-02-08T20:20:00.008-05:00

So many trails so little time. Ventured out on a fairly long loop today and the goal was not to rely on maps or suggestions, we eyeballed a loop and set out to go.

The thing that I find good is the difference in terrain as you can go from sandy singletrack to slick rock to small forested areas all within miles.

Today had a good amount of slickrock and I guess the best way to describe it ( imo very different than Moab )is imagine sprinkling baby powder on kitchen tiles and ride it. That's what the sand / rock combo feels like to me.

Trails today were: Made in the Shade, Slim Shady, HT trail, Bell Rock, Little Horse, Llama, Little Bell & Courthouse to Bike & Bean to Hot Tub. 3rd day of riding to the ride. Legs are tired but you forget about than 15 min into the ride. Temps are HOT can't imagine what they do in the summer. I guess go north to Flagstaff ? Going to link with the OTE shop ride on Friday afternoon which will introduce the Sedona West trail systems.

Day 2 - Out the back of Avage

2012-02-08T10:53:00.001-05:00

Day 2. First Blood & The Devil

2012-02-08T02:47:00.006-05:00

Today rode out the back of Red Agave and up on the trails (Slim Shady, Made in the Shade & Highline ?) It was a tough ride and the baby head rocks were relentless. Got the first real taste of Sedona exposure and it is a definite attention grabber. Front tire washed out and snagged my leg on a trail side cactus...First Blood :)

In the afternoon post ride ventured into Sedona proper from Oak Creek and hiked up to Devils Bridge. Prolly not too smart after the morning ride and the fact that the hike is fairly short but steep. Views at the top from the actual bridge were worth the effort.

A little clip of Day 1

2012-02-07T00:28:00.002-05:00

Taking it all in. Sedona Style.

2012-02-06T23:58:00.001-05:00

The sun's gone and the moon is up over the Red Rocks of Sedona.

Day started out with some trail intel from Bike & Bean and then off to explore.

Once you know the names of the rock formations ( courthouse, bell, cathedral, etc ) it's pretty easy to get your bearings. It is also pretty clear that there will be zero need to drive & ride this trip as there a ton of options right out the door. Paved bike lanes and lots of dirt connectors means the possibilities are endless. Turned out to be a killer weather wise day as well

Sensory Overload...

2012-02-06T23:26:00.004-05:00

Too many pictures to take, too many videos, too many vistas. Day 1 was incredible. The network of trails these guys have here is un-real. Options x 10 and they are built for bikes by riders.

Best part about leaving Vegas is...

2012-02-05T20:37:00.006-05:00

Leaving Vegas !!! Cant quite believe how many trails run right out the back of the resort. Impressive and the riding has not even started yet. 9 a.m tomorrow for the rentals.

Sedona, The Desert Mecca is calling....

2012-01-25T13:35:00.020-05:00

S E D O N A ~ A R I Z O N A

280 miles South East from Las Vegas lies Sedona. Sedona sits on the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau, the land mass that gives us Moab, Fruita, the Grand Canyon. Sitting at 4500 feet there are aprox 130 trails in Sedona that you can access with minimal if at all driving.

Throw in some incredible scenery, super tough rides with mega exposure, cacti, yucca and HOT temps if your here in the summer this is a perfect winter get away from the incredibly drab and dull time spent on rollers in front of the TV in Toronto.

February should be hovering around 60 to 70 f which is perfect for this trip. 25 miles up the road is Flagstaff which sits 3000 feet higher and tends to have more fast, open trails but as you can see from the map below having options and choices directly in town is not going to be a issue, the only issue will be packing as much in to a 8 day window as possible......

Now that I have the intro out the way the next posts in 2 weeks time will be the vids and pics of this desert mecca.

There is a local trail named Damifino and apparantly someone asked the name of the canyon the trail emptied into the reply was - Damn If I know !!!

Kelso Conservation Area

2011-11-06T23:53:00.005-05:00

November started off with back to back stellar days which suggested a drive west to Kelso in Milton for a good day of trails. This was only visit # 2 this year for no planned reason the north of Barrie trails have been getting the repeat visits. Kelso may not be big but what it still the only ski lift climb trails we have in the GTA.

Long Weekend Rides

2011-10-10T02:01:00.007-04:00

What a killer weekend, one more day and one more ride to go. It doesn't get much better than this. Videos are from Sat / Sun from the Brock & Walker tract & Durham Forest.

Kinda liking the 960p verses the 1080p for shooting, the part duex is on the lower setting wide angle and the video ends up a coming out fairly stable.

Re~building Brodies c/o Dathan R.I.P.

2011-10-10T00:58:00.007-04:00

July 24th, 2006 was a bad day, we lost a great friend and amazing rider. Dathan was primarily the guy that got me into collecting old Canadian Handbuilt bikes and after he passed away his brother made sure some of the collection made into the hands of those that would truly do the bikes & Dathan proud.

Enter Juice, sent me a email link to the Brodie Blog and it was a post from another friend of Dathan's that had just finished a classic Sovereign. Build came out mint and it was even better to see it on the trail.

I was one of the fortunate few that Juice gave frames to and I restored my eXpresso with a new paint job, original decals, a Gatorblade fork and it has seen a few good events. I decided I could not risk thrashing this particular bike so retired mine to the bike room wall.

Have a read on the Brodie Blog and in the meantime, here's another bike. Thank's Dathan......

A Trail In The Woods, In Southern Ontario.....

2011-09-26T19:02:00.004-04:00

What a weekend, no rain and the trails are in mint condition. There are so many trail networks that fall off the overly populated locations it makes days like these even better. Only saw 2 other riders the entire day.

A couple of re-con rides equals a perfect single track day with everything thrown in, rocks, wooden stunts, jumps, climbs etc.

I want to also thank GoPro for the deal on the replacement camera in case you were wondering why this years videos have been on the low side make this note to self.

Self.. don't see if your GoPro works under water if you have not double checked that the skeleton housing you have on is indeed the waterproof one, NOT the one with the cut outs for incoming audio.

Retro Days, Retro Rides...

2011-09-26T18:46:00.007-04:00

For those that know me personally also know I like anything old school and also anything unique. Digging through some old pictures and came across some old bike photo's. I don't know how many years this spans and this is not a complete bio of bikes long gone by a few bikes not pictured at least but a fun look back.

It all started ( the serious addiction for high end bikes that is ) with the Rocky Mountain Cirrus. I had to talk my dad into driving 2 hours to Precision Bikes in Niagara Falls USA to get my hands on all the 3-d Violet Ringle & Cook Bros parts I could save up for. I still own a fully built Rocky Mountain Altitude T.O. complete with Tioga Disc drive.

Then came the ProFlex a.k.a Slow Flex ( which lived up the nick name ) and the bike I still wish I owned, The GT Xizang with the fork I still wish I owned, The Lawill Leader 3. The Nuke Proof carbon hubs, snowflake twisted front wheel spokes were all trademark parts that carried over from frame to frame.

More pics and Retro posts to follow....

The $15 Dollar Fix for the Mavic Crapmax29 Rear Hub

2011-09-23T09:11:00.023-04:00

My.. Mavique ( french for W.T.F. ? ) saga has been going on for a while now and I am happy to say I finally have a fix. So here goes. I originally got this wheel because I wanted UST with no rim tape. In the short time that I have had them they have been back to the distributor twice. The second time they rebuilt the wheel with a crossmax hub from another platform but the issue still occured.

I am not sure why a big company like Mavic can't fix this as it's no secret this is a problem. So if your reading this your probably having the same issue or trying to find a fix. The problem on these otherwise good wheels is the rear hub. Particularly the bushing in the freehub body. The premature wear of the stock one creates slop, shifting issues, play, noise and more importantly fustration. You don't want to spend $600 + and have these problems occur.

Enter Bike WCM. Found their store while on e-bay seeing what I could get for my used cmax29'er wheels as I had made up my mind to scrap them and stick with my Industry Nines. Read a bit about their bushing and decided to buy a set and give it a try. I ordered the oversize bushing pair as I thought since my rear hub had so much movement they would fit the bill.

When they arrived took the hub apart and decided to install them right away. There really is not that much of a difference
between the stock bushing and the bike wcm version until
you put the calipers on them and the size difference is noted.

You get a pretty detailed info sheet but there is not much to do.

In hindsight I should have gotten 1 standard and 1 oversize
but again given all the aggro I have had with these wheels
I was sure the oversize would work.

They went on with no problem and the sloppy feel that the cassette had was instantly gone. So we threw the hub back together and put it back in the frame but it was evident pretty quickly that I got the wrong size. The cassette would not freewheel so took it back off and emailed John.

Explained to John what happenned and he sent out the standard size for me to try no charge ( again hindsight being 20/20 I should have tried this first ). 1 week later the bushing arrives and again swapped them out. This time perfect fit and no more play, hub feels great.

PROBLEM SOLVED !!!

( note: there are few knockoff's on flea bay but make sure you buy from john5w76 )

Ganaraska Forest ( IMBA Epic RIde )

2011-07-10T20:59:00.008-04:00

IMBA has listed the 100 km course form the Paul's Dirty Enduro as a Epic ride. I myself have never finished this event. That being said we have been hitting up the different distances over the past few rides.

The other great thing about the Ganny is the fact the 3 course distances ( 100, 60 & 30 km ) are now permanently signed so you don't really need the Garmin for route finding anymore. Still think you could never ride everything this place has in one summer ( after all the 100 km course is 1 lap ).

**** I am praying the poison ivy gods spare me. This place is totally overrun with the stuff ****

2011 Shimano XTR Trail Disc Brakes

2011-07-10T20:12:00.007-04:00

I have had these on now for about 200 km so definitely not a long term review by any stretch but have to say that they really do feel a lot better than the Hope X2's. Not in actual stopping power but in the modulation and the ease that the lever engages. True 2 finger braking. Reminds me of my old Grafton levers.

The brakes themselves have a few bells & whistles like improved lever ergonomics, oversized ceramic pistons and cooling fins etc. The brakes themselves are also very light even with the trail version that I ended up with. ( the race version loses the reach adjustment dial )

I originally picked up the Hope X2's 3 years ago for a summer trip to the Colorado high country and thought they would make a safe bet for the kind of braking / descents I would need. They worked well but what bugged me about them is the constant fiddling you needed to do to either keep them from rubbing or the way the brake felt under long extended braking. Did I mention set up aggro ? I don't understand for this kind of money why you would need to bleed right out of the box to get rolling. They will end up on the Niner when I get them back from the sticking piston issue that had me remove them and replace them.

Canada Day + Tour Start + Killer Weather =

2011-07-03T18:03:00.005-04:00

ROAD TRIP!!! What else to say other than another killer wknd under the belt. Not even the mosquitoes could phuck this up. This spur of the moment shot was trying to capture Hockley Valley's version of the Tour passing through fields of sunflowers. Not sure what these weeds or plants were but they did the trick.

Almost 140 off road km's, over 6000' of climbing from Durham to Hockley to Mono to Mansfield. This wknd also served up running into old friends at far off trail heads.....

Hockley Valley, Mono Mills.....

2011-06-15T22:18:00.004-04:00

What a killer day. Decided the hump day epic was in full effect. Took out the Tour of Georgia climbing jersey so we knew this was going to be a hilly loop. Headed off for a mini epic of sorts. ( GPS info and ride profile below )

Parked at Hockley Valley Resort and started the ride of with a 2 km climb up to the first section of single track. Basically the forest tracts are broken up with a grid of dirt roads to piece everything together.

Not a cloud in the sky nobody and I mean nobody on the trails ( we did not see another person for the whole 50 km loop ) Pristine singletrack at every turn and vista what else could you ask for. Epic Days!!

Hump Day Epic Rides

2011-06-15T22:11:00.001-04:00

Copeland Continued.....chute's & ladders......

2011-06-13T19:52:00.023-04:00

What's to say about this place other than EPIC. Riding for days if you know how to string it all together. Having spent several years exploring this from time to time and then mapping out the single~track with the Marathon course from 2 years ago it FINALLY makes sense.

You can't get much better than this and if you can erase the mental block of driving up here on a weekend and then returning in cottage country traffic then this place is the spot. Going to try to add this to some of the other forest tract's leading down to Hardwood Hills.

Copeland Forest ( Horseshoe Valley )

2011-06-13T19:48:00.001-04:00

Finally some half decent weather...

2011-05-05T21:30:00.003-04:00

So met up with the boys in Durham for a few laps of the forest. The weather was a welcome change to the 3 weeks of rain we have had. Durham is nice and empty during the days so perfect vacation day criteria. Weekends are getting way to busy for a uninterupted trail rip.

There is also a few new sections of single track in there this year and for the most part are pretty good with the trail on the north boundary having the most potential once they get worked in. ( Look for the red flags were all the logging has taken place ).

Asheville N.C.

2011-03-29T19:44:00.010-04:00

We got a great week of trails and road and the weather held out for us nicely. Pic above was from the Dupont Forest Ridgeline trail. Want a great example of a multi use forest ? ok here goes...

We normally ride in the Jim Branch, Hooker Falls, Cedar Rock, Burnt Mtn trails and after doing a ridiculous climb we were catching a break when a guy in a Forester drives down the forest service road to go hiking with his Lab. After a 10 min or so chat he tells us about a great trail they just finished that was done with mtb'ers in mind and we should check it out. The trail was unreal and the guy turned out to be the President of the Friends of Dupont Forest and does not bike.

So after a few days of trails we ended up on the Parkway for a uphill torture session which did not dissapoint. The Parkway has just been freshly paved as you can see from the picture below so the 2 hour climb took just over 30 min to do as the DH and it was butter smooth.

So in the end the week looked like this and Jay we will ride this summer for sure, see you soon.

Video coming soon....ish........

Bent Creek Cobweb Ride 2011

2011-03-20T23:03:00.002-04:00

With the long winter that we had what better way to wake up the lungs & legs that a day 1 ride at Bent Creek. As I have mentioned in other posts over the years this place is a their version of the Don Valley but with big hills and long fast downhills. There is supposed to be a pump track built in the forest but have yet to find it.

T minus 2 days.....North Carolina Bound

2011-03-17T20:06:00.007-04:00

A view from atop the Blueridge Parkway near Mt Pigsah.

W O W

2011-03-04T13:11:00.008-05:00

This video is going to get left up for a good long while. Normally we see trials videos mostly in urban settings from the likes of Ryan Leech or Danny MacAskill ripping up the UK streets or Stanley Park in Van.

Well Chris Akrigg from the Mongoose team takes this to a new level. Enjoy the video in full screen HD.

A Hill in Spain from chris akrigg on Vimeo.

Walker's Wood Weekend.

2010-10-12T01:35:00.004-04:00

We had a unusually warm Thanksgiving weekend weather wise. Got to do back to back to back rides up in Uxbridge. I think I now have the maps for my fantasy dirt century ( 100 km ) mtb enduro. I am also going to try to post a video a week leading up to the end of season.

Picture Link

2010-10-07T23:09:00.003-04:00

I am throwing up some random pics that never made it into a blog posting. You can get them by clicking this link. GPS tcx. files to follow.

Dufferin Forest a.k.a. Mansfield Mega Loop

2010-10-06T05:45:00.008-04:00

Thanks to Stef for filming the video and Kris for the new kit, nice to see the Ride For Karen jersey in the dirt. Probably the last time we will get to ride up here for the year as the hunters are moving in soon and i'm the one normally filming not being filmed, so here it is......

As with all Vimeo links you can see it in a proper screen shot on the Vimeo luv2mtb home page or maximize it in the blog viewer. Music credits: Michael Franti & Spearhead. Sound of Sunshine.

Coulson Hill Video Teaser....

2010-09-09T11:03:00.004-04:00

It's been a long time ( 10 + yrs ) since Tom dragged Ell & I up to do this midweek. Well the midweek is still growing and so is the network of trails. The best way to describe this place is big ring single track. You see it from the 400 just north of 88 and it has enough riding for 2 and a bit hours, lots of stunts, well marked loops and well its just different. Here is a little sneak peak and more to come.....

And yes those are arm warmers :)

For my Mum....

2010-09-01T21:33:00.004-04:00

2010-09-01T21:18:00.007-04:00

Today I went for a long ride in 40 degree heat but the weird thing was it seemed like the conditions around me were perfect. Sometimes ( and this is one of those times ) you need to do things like this and today's ride was extra hard in all aspects but nothing compared to what my Mum dealt with over the past 2 years.

This was her ride....

I am very glad I got the spend the last few weeks with my mum it is time I will never get back and always cherish.

This again has reminded me it is important, almost urgently to stop taking for granted two things; people and time.

I also saw first hand how strong the human will to live is and again I was left amazed at the strength and dignity my mum demonstrated on a daily basis.

I picked Mono Mills as this was the last outing we had together when we spent last years Mothers day at the local Inn. My mum had just lost all of her hair and did not want to go but did anyway as she always put others before herself in all aspects of life.

I hope I learned a little of this from you and just wanted to thank you Mum......

Rouge River ~ The View from Here.....

2010-08-28T20:02:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to post something to let you know I am still here, and to thank you for the emails your sending on my mum's battle. We take our time here for granted ( at times ) but it is a gift.. so make the most of it....

Updated Niner MCR pic's

2010-08-01T23:41:00.008-04:00

What a difference the ti makes over the steel / carbon cockpit set up I was running earlier this summer.

Bucket List # 5

2010-06-15T06:11:00.009-04:00

Bike: XL Turner Sultan 29'er with XT. Jacket: Borrowed ( Thx Monte ) Trail: Thunder Mountain Loop from the bottom.
This was changed after jpickles a.k.a my Mum said she did not really like Price Fatty so we spruced up the video a bit and changed the tune. I should also say that all of these videos look better on Vimeo which you can link from the top of the page. A HD video cam is enroute as well. Enjoy

Thunder Mountain Utah Take 2... from Philip Hudson on Vimeo.

Thunder Mountain Utah

2010-06-15T06:03:00.006-04:00

This is one of those places that won't leave you for a while. Despite the hail, rain and cold temps ( hard to imagine this while you watch the video above ) the Turner Sultan did its thing. When the soil gets wet it is like riding through cotton with velcro wheels.

Zion National Park

2010-06-14T21:27:00.005-04:00

Words can't convey how majestic this park is. Hopefully these take a stab at it. You are not allowed to bike in the park but the hike up to Angels Landing was worth it.

The View from the top was worth the climb. I kept thinking how good it would be to bomb the trail down on a bike ( this is a bike blog after all ) but the powder dusting of sandstone and no guardrails would not make a good combo.

Hurricane Utah ( part 1 )

2010-06-14T16:03:00.014-04:00

Got to spend a few days playing in the desert last week. Two hours outside Sin City sits this little Oasis or MTB Mecca that sometimes gets overlooked in favor of bigger more hyped locations like Moab or Fruita.

Hurricane & Springdale are relatively small with populations of 8000 and 500 ish.

Two bike stores service this area. Over the Edge Sports in Hurricane and Zion Cycles in Springdale. Springdale also has the Zion National Park and the nicest Best Western I have ever seen.

Day 1 had a few of the local favorites on tap like J.E.M. trail & Gould's Rim trail along with Hurricane Rim. Gooseberry Mesa is probably the most famous followed by Little Creek but time did not allow for a proper introduction.

The trails are amazing and the crowds were nil. I did not get the sense I was in such a large rock playground as you would in Moab but that is kind of what really stuck out to me and I was really happy about the destination.

It was hot ( not as hot as Vegas ) and there is not much in the way of shade but all of that is forgotten as you hit switchbacks like this and buff trail.

Did some recon to source out a couple of good base camp type locations complete with hot tubs and heated pools.

This is also really close to St. George Utah which is a much bigger city than both of these spots complete with all the trappings but other than hitting there to eat you would be better served in the small towns.

Niner MCR 9 - 2 Months Later

2010-06-07T01:43:00.015-04:00

May is turning out to be a month that does not bring good news. I have not posted to the blog in a few weeks so I thought I would throw up a quick post on the new bike. I also wanted to thank all of you who have sent me emails from Spain to Maine, I am glad you find this little corner of the inter-web inspiring.

I have put about 200 km of dirt on this rig since I finished the build. I'm not going to be able to shed any new ' magic ' information on a steel 29'er with a rigid fork except to say this bike is bringing lots of grins. Maybe it's the topo maps themed artwork that has made me feel like exploring. Riding new trails and getting back to a simple kind of riding with a 1x9 drive train. Sag settings - lockouts + good rubber = high fun factor a.k.a Niner MCR 9.

I tweaked a few set up details like adding the Salsa Pro Moto Carbon bar with 17 degree sweep.

The bar is great and I am liking the hand positioning it gives you. The Rholoff chain guide is on and doing what it should be doing. Only drag is no bar ends allowed. Not sure why but ?

The Bontrager XXX Lite stem was off my Superfly from 2 years ago and the Suntour thumb shifter would further add to my vintage status.

The piece that is really impressing me on this bike are the 2011 Shimano Deore Disc Brakes. No need to spend hundreds on a brake set up when you can buy these. They have great modulation and reach adjustment and benefit from the Shimano no pad rub that they are known for.

Finally got my Mavic Crossmax back with a new rear hub from a 26" wheel. Not sure what the problem was but they failed again after 8 rides post original warranty fix. Not good but they are back.....for now. I honestly don't think I could buy another set again unless they completely change the freehub / pawl set up. Not too much to ask given the $ they are fetching.

Niner M.C.R. 9

2010-04-24T21:12:00.010-04:00

Finally got the Niner MCR 9 up and running. Picked this up in North Carolina from Liberty Bikes. I think it was the I.M.B.A limited edition frame that won me over because it's not like I need a new bike or anything. Scroll down this post for the skinny on the frame.

The M.C.R stands for Magic Carpet Ride and the frame & fork are made up with Reynolds 853 cromo tubing. I decided to set this bike up with a 1x9 drivetrain. Truativ Stylo 1:1 32 ring with bashguard. Still waiting on the Rohloff upper chain guide but on todays ride the chain did not drop once so ? I used my old Suntour thumb shifter in friction mode for the rear cog and Schwable Racing Ralphs tires front & rear. 2.4 up front and a 2.2 in the back. Front ran at 35 psi today with no pinch flats and loads of confidence going into corners and on rooty downhills.

Look for some detailed ride reports in the weeks to follow and also some comments on set up tweaks. First one I did post ride today was swap out my Syncros bar for a Titec H bar which offer more hand position and control which is warranted with the fully rigid bike. This thing climbs like a goat and goes were you point it.

Well.....Just Because.

2010-04-11T19:20:00.006-04:00

What kind of bike owner would I be if I did'nt post my own :)

Increasing your Carbon Fiber Footprint.

2010-04-11T19:08:00.006-04:00

Before the environmentalist's blow a fuse, I am referring to 2 carbon bikes.

Enter Santa Cruz Tallboy. Went out today and had a chance to see these in action as both Brent & Kieth have just gotten theirs. Can you say flex free frames ? I was watching them climb and the stiffen up on efforts and it is not that common to see people stand and hammer climbs on full squish bikes without using lockouts.

The Silk ti was not feeling the love but judging from the perma grins from the above I know they did. Could not believe how light they build up. Mind you build kits go along way to hit this magic number.

The other thing to note is how nice Durham Forest is at present. Little soft over on Walkers but Durham proper is mint.

Techy Thursday

2010-04-08T11:35:00.019-04:00

INSTAMAPPER ~ Real time GPS tracking

Thought I would post a link to a free service that allows real time tracking from your iphone via the Internet. Yes it is free and yes it works. You can download the free app from itunes then access Instamapper and register your device. Instamapper will then give you a access code to enter on your iphone in the installed app. Once you have this all set to go you can track the phone from any Internet connection.

There are a few things to be aware of.

1. Don't use this without a unlimited data plan or your bills will be high ( see their FAQ page for more info on this )

2. The app must be running in the foreground for it to work.

3. If you have people that worry about your whereabouts when your cycling alone they can use this to see your travels as frequently as a 3 second refresh rate.

This will work in a car as well and they have a demo to check out.

GOOGLE MAPS ~ Directions by bike

This is about time and it works well. I used this recently in Asheville to get a good bike route to the Blue Ridge Parkway and it is a great feature that actually works. I do not know how extensive this will be in Canada but it is coming. What is actually really good about this is it has Google street view as well so you can get a visual of the route before hopping on the bike. It also does off road trail routes in certain cities. I can see why this is Google's most requested feature.

They use a average persons BMI to calculate time and try to avoid large elevation gains and traffic routes. If your seeking hills you can easily click drag the suggested route path on the hill of choice and suffer away.

Here is a snapshot of what the feature looks like. This is from Liberty Bikes Asheville to Mount Pisgah Inn via the Blue ridge Parkway.

Just when it can't get any weirder......enter stage race.

2010-04-03T16:14:00.006-04:00

I am riding along the trail and I see some tents in a clearing further down below in the valley. Kept going and I notice a Intense 29'er leaning up against a tent so I duck in off the trail to take a closer look and stumble into a 36 hour mountain bike stage race complete with a Weimaraner and a Steve Potts hard tail kicking about to draw me in further. I should also mention this was not in a prominent parking lot it was like running into a race set up in the middle of 3 stages.

Hung out here a bit and spoke with the organizer who had the date pushed back to this weekend due the snow. Just when you think 24 hours races are the norm this shows you there are a whole flock of endurance junkies that want to raise the bar.

They gave me this stage pass a souvenir and were explaining the format to me as well. Sounds like a great event and also a great way of learning the trails in the forest as they cover a ton of terrain. The event was called the PISGAH 36.

**Update: apparently only 2 of the 40 or so racers actually completed this event.

Gumstand & Butter Gap ( Pisgah )

2010-04-03T16:06:00.005-04:00

When they say rugged I get what they mean now. This is remote, technical, tough single track at it's finest. Rode these 2 gaps today and it was tough.

Starting with a 5 mile climb the trail then drops down along side a series of waterfalls and crosses a few streams. Throw in a log bridge or 3 and you have pretty much the lay of the land.

This is a very big area and you get the sense that if your not paying attention on the downhills your going to end up lost.

You can spend a summer in here and not ride everything. In all the times I have been here I have not spent that much time in Pisgah proper. This will change on the next visit for sure. One of the 2 bike shops at the forest entrance had a fleet of nice rentals as well. Ibis Mojo's and Foes FXR's.

The best way I can think of to end this trip and also to look forward to the next visit ( summer of 2010 or annual spring fling 2011 ).

Nothing is finer than riding in Carolina. Ciao.

Bent Creek Backwards ?

2010-04-02T16:20:00.004-04:00

Seemed like a good idea this morning at Carolina Fatz " trust us this way is much better...... "

It was tough and HOT and tough but over now. These pics were from a few days ago as you would be insane to wear arm warmers when it is hovering at 29 - 30 C. The toughest one was Greenlick up, Ingils and the like were tame compared to this trail. I am still loving Bent Creek. To have this in the city is amazing.

One more day to go and back to Toronto who from all accounts are having comparable temps.

Dupont Forest

2010-04-01T22:43:00.005-04:00

What a killer day. Super hot and dry so ventured over to Dupont Forest to ride a bunch of trail.

Started out at the Cascade Rd lot and rode Cedar Rock trail, Big Rock and the Burnt Mountain loop. Parts of Cedar were a mess with a lot of downed trees ( the back side by the power lines ). That being said the local user communities have done a ton of trail work in there to clear trails and a big thanks goes out to these folks. Carolina slickrock is great and the climb up Cedar was tough as this is normally a fast DH.

Finished up and drove over to the Lake Imaging lot and rode up Ridgeline then did the Hickory Mtn Loop back down to Hooker Creek, then White Pine trail / Buck Forest and capped it off with a high speed descent on Jim Branch.

Covered off most of my favorites today ( I am sure I have missed a few trail names ) and turned it into a mini epic.

Mellowdrome Midweek Crit

2010-04-01T22:30:00.004-04:00

Went to the midweek crit at the Mellowdrome in Asheville Wednesday night.

What a turn out from U.S Master Champs, Pro Cat 1 racers and a few teams.

The track called Mellowdrome is part of the Asheville Carrier Park with outdoor roller hockey, and a basketball court etc.

This is right in town and would be the equivalent to the Commish / Leslie Street Spit paved and closed to traffic.

2010-04-01T01:37:00.001-04:00

Tsali NC from Philip Hudson on Vimeo.

Tsali ~ Right & Left Loops

2010-03-31T23:53:00.003-04:00

"Tsali" is the name of a Cherokee Indian man who gave his life so that some of his people could stay in the Great Smoky Mountains region.

This place is one of my all time favorite trails. I don't know if it is the fact you don't need any maps and the 2 distinct loops are well marked or the terrain and scenery are second to none.

Tsali alternates between horses and bikers and today was mountain bike day on these 2 loops. The weather was amazing and the trails were in pristine condition.

I noticed that when I ask locals ( Asheville bike shops ) about Tsali they down play it as being too far ( 75 min drive ) given what is closer but man this could not be farther from the truth ( in my opinion )

Blue Ridge Parkway Craggy Gardens to Town

2010-03-29T23:48:00.004-04:00

Castellano Silk ti 29 doubling as a road bike with 700 x 35 slicks on Mavic Crossmax. This was a 40 minute downhill edited down to 4'34"

Blue Ridge Parway 2010 from Philip Hudson on Vimeo.

Blue Ridge Parkway

2010-03-29T22:30:00.009-04:00

What a epic day. Started out raining, it rained some more then it added snow flurries and hail. So what to do ? Put the slicks on the Silk ti and go climb the Parkway.

The Parkway has been closed to car traffic from Town Mountain Road all the way to Mount Mitchell for a while now but still open to bikes. Imagine then a 28 km climb up to the top then bomb back down on your own private bike path.

Roads were very slick so had to be a bit more conservative but I had the disc brake advantage over the rim brakes on the road bike. At the bottom I was a ice block. Great day out though and the rest of the week is looking really good for some dirt options. Going to check out the Wednesday night crit races at the outdoor velodrome in town.

Only 2 tunnels on this side of the Parkway and they were not curved but man does that mess you up when you plunge into total darkness at speed. Going to post a ride video shortly.

Wednesday morning heading over to the Industry Nine factory for a tour so that should be neat to see where my wheels are made.

Greenlick Trail

2010-03-27T21:38:00.005-04:00

What a Saturday. This ride ( The Don Valley equivalent ) is one of my favorites.

Right in town, tons of options, lots of people but not crowded, groomed single track, looong climbs.

Weather today was almost 70 and sunny with a light breeze.

I won't have any videos up for a another day or so but they are hopefully going to be some epic footage this trip.

This was at the top of the long climb before the GreenLick trail drop in.

Bent Creek Asheville NC

2010-03-27T21:37:00.002-04:00

Where to start ? Too many options not enough time.....

2010-03-26T22:35:00.004-04:00

Easy Drive

2010-03-26T22:24:00.004-04:00

I think the drives down here are becoming much easier. Made great time went right through and filled up once. With the bike in the car instead of the roof you really notice that in terms of fuel in the tdi.

Dry empty roads and no GPS issues. Everytime I pass through Canaan Valley VA it takes me back to Tom Haggerty ( R.I.P ) and his constant wish to get to the original Granny Gears 24 hours of Canaan with Elliott and myself and his son Nate. Never made it but this was not for lack of desire.

t minus 8 days and counting ...

2010-03-17T15:18:00.007-04:00

Taking it right down to the line......

2010-01-24T20:26:00.004-05:00

More Freecaster mtb videos on the link list.

Hibernation.......

2010-01-17T13:54:00.006-05:00

Thought I would throw this is up at the mid point for our winter version of the carpet crit series :)

Only 2 months to go to the Carolina's. Happy New Year.

Wrap~up Video from Philip Hudson on Vimeo.

Winter WOW from the Wizard of Wheels

2009-11-22T15:27:00.010-05:00

What a incredible end to the month of November. Today's Winter WOW enduro ( hosted by W.O.W. & Mansfield Outdoor Center ) was probably the best weather they have had in years. The forest was in pristine shape and the rain on Friday packed the sand down on some of the traditionally hard climbs like " Stairway to Heaven " and a host of others. I actually made the whole climb which is rare.

While this enduro was 40 km it was by all accounts a much better format than the Hardwood one a few weeks back. I am a big fan of the monster loop format and having spent many a day riding in Dufferin / Mansfield with Mike & Co. from W.O.W. this is one of my favorite rides.

I do think the rigid fork experiment is nearing a end as I was wishing ( actually praying ) I had my Fox on for at least half the ride. My back and hands were screaming after some of the long sections of singletrack. This is officially the last MTB event of 2009 in Southern Ontario and more importantly the equipment breaking in the woods spell has been lifted.

For comparisons sake I thought I would throw up a picture of this same event under different conditions. It is hard to believe that this is JUST around the corner :)

Hardwood Hills Singletrack Challenge

2009-10-18T20:55:00.007-04:00

What a day, weather was perfect, trails were in perfect condition and the event was well attended. Basically how they did this was stringing together Serious, Radical, Krank'd, Gnarly & Fun trails for a 51 km course. I realized that some things don't go well with each other like a rigid fork and the Radical trail. That being said the ti fork was definitly a plus when the trail pointed up. The GPS track for this paints a pretty good picture with the loop. It was a great format that spread out the riders pretty quickly. It was nice to cover so many of the trails and not do the hamster in the wheel loops that ususally make up the 8 hour's.

3 Stage Collingwood.

2009-10-12T22:12:00.003-04:00

Hardwood Hills, 3 Stages, Mono Center.

2009-10-12T22:06:00.015-04:00

The rain let up enough this weekend to allow for a mini road trip of sorts. Rode through a bit of flurries at Hardwood Hills which I'm sure is a sign that this winter will be long. Being that this long weekend is thanksgiving there were loads of people out at Mono, thankfully not so much on the singletrack loops. 3 stage was probably at the perfect time to ride as the picture would indicate the leaves are bright and ready to fall which makes getting around this maze of trails a bit challenging even with the GPS.

Castellano Silk ti 29 - Long term review ( part 2 of 3 )

2009-10-03T16:53:00.029-04:00

John put this bike together and ran it through his fit kit. When you break out the numbers this is what it looks like on paper. 17" c to c or 19.875" to top, effective tt length 24.5", head tube length 4.25", bb height 12.0", cstay 17.9", head tube angle 71.5, seat tube angle 72.0.

The bike feels perfect and I am pretty sure that this is the best fitting bike for me as I usually end up on 19" frames. I opted to go for the Potts head badge for the Mt Tam nostalgic factor and threw in a King BB and King Headset. I replaced the Thompson post & stem for Moots Open trail stem and a Blacksheep Infinity post. There was no reason to swap out the Thompson parts but spending 7 weeks in Crested Butte CO this summer and I felt the need to have some local parts bling on the bike.

Kris and I both ride 19" frames and the plan is to do a swap of frames to do some ride comparisons between his Moots x-ybb and the Silk ti 29. The welds are amazing on this bike and it is easy to see why Steve Potts is considered on of the best frame builders in the world. This bike had 2 hard crashed in CO and the ti holds up nicely. The CO terrain really takes it toll on the parts as well but no issue at all with the frame. So what would I change if I had to do it over again ? First I wish this bike had a replaceable hanger. John said he has not had one fail but I don't know maybe it is just piece of mind ? The second is I chose under top tube cable stops and I would have preferred slotted guides for the disc hose and a third ( middle ) one. The latter is easily done the only problem is I can't ever imagine what would happen that would need me to send the frame back to John but the option is there if ever comes up.

When this bike had the big Nevegal's on it and running low p.s.i's the bike floated through the ruff stuff, part of this is the ti. I have upped the stock 80mm G2 fox to 100mm and this helped as well on those long CO down hills. Back to reality and southern Ontario there really is no need for tires this big so I swap between Hutchinson Python's and Schwable Racing Ralph's. The bike weighs 25 lbs give or take and it sits at 23.5 with the I9's and Stan's Raven / Crow's. Did I need a custom bike ? no. Did I need to spend as much as I did on the frame ? no. Do I regret it ? Absolutely not. I have 2 ti bikes in the past a GT Xizang and a Dean Ace X Lite so I love the material. It is confidence inspiring, something that was lacking with the carbon frame on the Superfly. There is a lifetime warranty on the frame and in all likelihood, I will probably fail before the frame does. If your thinking about a custom bike and you have narrowed it down to ti and a 29'er I would suggest exploring this option. If you have any specific questions not covered in these 2 posts flip me a email and I will get back to you on them. In the last part of this I will make some comparisons to the Moots and also the new parts installed and finally a update on the Mavic Crossmax rear hub issues.

Update: I just received my Blacksheep Unicrown rigid ti fork just in time for the mud & leaves. Looking forward to checking it out this weekend.

The fork is a 475 mm axle to crown length and it has a 51 mm offset which mirrors the G2 geometry that the frame was built around and the Fox F29. This should be a blast to ride.

Castellano Silk ti 29 - Long term review ( part 1 of 3 )

2009-10-01T16:42:00.022-04:00

On November 10th 2008, I got a email from John Castellano to say that my bike ' Hudson ' was en-route to me in Canada. The time frame that I was waiting prior to this email was approx 3 months. I mention this mainly because of the issues around time lines you sometimes get with small builders. John gave me a realistic time frame and finished a few weeks early. Having come off a Gary Fisher Superfly I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with John going over measurements and what I was looking for in my bike. I wanted the quick handling racy feel that the Superfly had but with a bit more comfort for the long hours in the saddle. John had already outlined what he was going to build and chose the ti tubes specifically for my weight and ride characteristics. 5 days later UPS dropped the frame off just in time for a loooong cold Canadian winter.

Over the next few months I was relegated to riding the rollers and heading outside when the snow held so the first real ride would be in April in Asheville North Carolina. My bike was built up with a xtr drive train, a Fox F-29 G2 80mm fork, Mavic Crossmax 29 and a Thompson cockpit. In the material I got with the bike John had suggested what stem length, crank length, bar width, seat offset etc. I go with and with the exception of the crank length I went with his suggestions. The bike felt great right off the get go and it took almost no time at all to love the ride.

This was my first time on a soft tail so I was not sure what to expect with that but Kris had a Moots YBB and loved it ( he's since replaced it with the 29" version ) With just under 2" of travel it is perfect for what I was trying to achieve. The flat plate chain stays are almost ( side ) flex free and the suspension feels active all the time. Under the boot are 2 separate CDE elastomers with grease ports for lubing ( Jonnisnot Syringe was included ) and under the ti shock body there is a sag adjuster to adjust the pre-load. A Shimano bb tool or a 19 mm socket can be used for this.

John suggests after a few rides that you adjust the sag as the CDE's will start breaking in. I set the sag to .5" and it felt great. The elastomers typically last a year and can be replaced with different supply spring rates. Lubing the CDE's is supposed to happen every 20 hours or so of riding although the rubber boot does a great job of keeping mud and dirt out and off of the shock. What I love about this design is the no fuss set it and forget it. No pivots to loosen up, no pivots squeaking, bushing slop etc.

Another good feature with the chainstays is the tire clearance. On a recent trip to Colorado these easily fit the Kenda Nevegal 29 x 2.2's I ran with room to spare. We will come back to Colorado in part 2 of this review.

Meanwhile back in Ontario this bike really shines. Smooth fast tight single track and this bike feels like it is a slot car. The fit is perfect and it climbs like a goat. The small amount of travel really lets the back wheel hook up on the steep ups. I have been able to put almost 2000 km on this bike so far this year and the bike has been to North Carolina, Crested Butte, Gunnison, Fruita, North Dakota and all over southern Ontario so it has seen pretty much every possible kind of terrain one would throw at a mountain bike. Lots of parts have changed since the first build. Some for preference, some for necessity. My Mavic Crossmax 29'er rear hub blew up on me and the scoring inside the cassette body left us scratching our heads. These have been replaced with a set of Industry Nine's on Stan's Z 355's. I will post the outcome of this once they return from Mavic's warranty department.

The Avid Juicy Ultimates that came over from the Superfly have also been upgraded to the Hope Tech x2's. The Avids were good but after you got past the set up ' quirks ' with the Hope's. WOW! In the part 2 of this I will spend a bit of time on what makes this bike truly stand out, the workmanship. Steve Potts of WTB fame is the welder and John Castellano who originally did these bikes for Ibis ( silk ti & bow ti ) and has this baby patented really are masters of their craft and all you need to do is look at the frame for reminders of this fact. I made reference to the name of this bike as Hudson earlier in this article. John does not put serial numbers on his frames. So you get to name the bike and Potts engraves it under the bb shell. Hudson takes the name from my riding buddy who passed away with canine cancer back in 08'. It's only fitting that this grey ghost bear the name of the O.G.

Bump.......

2009-09-21T17:51:00.005-04:00

Well we took a break from this for 2008 but it is going to happen this year hopefully with better conditions than what Kris and I had in 2007. Going to float some dates as this will be a mid week epic so let me know if any time's are better than others for you. Going to keep the ride small and the distance is 100 km.

What a weekend....

2009-09-08T07:37:00.007-04:00

What a better fitting end to a stellar long weekend than pumping out a 52 km loop in Mansfield / Dufferin Forest.

The last few times in here resulted in a DNF on the 75 km course and subsequent downgrade to the half marathon distance ( 40 km ), a broken XTR rapid rise der, 4 chewed up Mavic Crossmax spokes, Ell ripped a SRAM der off and bent a hanger on his Foes FXC and chewed his cassette. You would almost think this place is a bit jinxed.

The Monkey has been officially shaken.

Tour De Don

2009-09-06T08:05:00.004-04:00

In the middle of a long weekend with a picture perfect forecast. Better late than never. Went for a inner city ride yesterday and was blown away with the cache of trails and stunts being built in the Don and Taylor Creek etc. You can pull of a good climbing loop in here as well ad it was nice not to have to load up the roof rack and tackle long weekend traffic.

Took this shot in Taylor Creek. Some pretty neat graffiti murals in here.

The days are getting shorter which means one thing...

2009-09-02T22:33:00.011-04:00

Night Riding at Durham Forest. The Moon was out in full effect but I opted to trust my Niteriders
Pumped out 32 km tonight and it was a perfect night for the first Durham night loop.

Maah Daah Hey - North Dakota

2009-08-19T10:11:00.004-04:00

Coming home ( hence the tune ) trip of a lifetime = yes.

Maah Daah Hey Trail ~ North Dakota from Philip Hudson on Vimeo.

Music by Classified

Maah Daah Hey Trail

2009-08-19T00:35:00.008-04:00

" Maah Daah Hey " is a phrase used by the Mandan Indians meaning " a place that has been and will be here a long time."

Now this is a true I.M.B.A. epic, both in length and in its development. The Maah Daah Hey Trail has been 30 years in the making, the product of a dream to span the US Forest Service Little Missouri National Grasslands between the southern and northern sections of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The vision was shaped in the late 1960s; today, the trail is complete.

The result is a 96-mile singletrack trail in the most picturesque part of western North Dakota. The ride sweeps over rolling buttes and grasslands in the crumpled landscapes of the Badlands-cousins to their more famous counterpart, the Badlands National Park of South Dakota

Fruita

2009-08-15T00:55:00.004-04:00

Jerry, thanks for the ride and for the skillz clinic. You make it look easy. Have fun at Leadville and see you next year for sure. ( edit update DW came 2nd...ouch ! )

Fruita ~ Kessell Run, Prime Cut, Joe's Ridge, Horsethief from Philip Hudson on Vimeo.

Bookcliff & Horsethief Trails ~ Fruita CO

2009-08-14T22:10:00.007-04:00

What a welcome change from the high elevation of Crested Butte. Fruita just sits at around 4500 ' and is 35 min from the Utah State Line. Jerry and I loaded up the bikes

After a morning ride at Bookcliff and lunch hit Horsethief.

WOW. The drop in to this trail is insane. Jerry made it look easy in the video to follow. Views of the Colorado river were breathtaking. The heat was on and the trail was empty.

Fruita Friends

2009-08-14T22:05:00.005-04:00

F-F-F-Fruita

2009-08-13T20:14:00.005-04:00

Another Climb under the belt..

2009-08-12T17:02:00.005-04:00

This one was a bit more than the hike to the Augusta summit. It was a tough route up to the peak of Mt Crested Butte.

The route started in the left of the pic below and went up along the spine to the top. Took the chairlift up to 11,300' then hiked through a boulder garden to the start of the final line.

Had to see if the GoPro worked underwater.....

2009-08-12T16:56:00.008-04:00

Taylor River White Water CL3 from Anthony Hudson on Vimeo.

Snodgrass Trail - Mt Crested Butte

2009-08-11T01:35:00.006-04:00

The trailhead is less than 5 min away by bike. This is a good connector trail to do
before 403 or after 401 and has great views of Mt Crested Butte.

Snodgrass Trail from Philip Hudson on Vimeo.

Deadman's Switchbacks

2009-08-10T03:29:00.003-04:00

I should preface this by saying this video does not do this trail any justice. I started out late so 3.5 hours later as I was hitting the descent to Cement Creek Road Lot the shadows were playing tricks with the helmet cam.

Reno / Flag / Bear / Deadman Gulch from Philip Hudson on Vimeo.

Reno, Flag, Bear, Deadman Gulch.

2009-08-09T23:58:00.009-04:00

What a day what a trail. The weather was high 80's and the sky was blue. This trail is a combo of 4 sections ending up with 32 switchbacks right back to the car.

This loop really felt remote and right off the back it hit with a 10 km climb up to 11,100'. In fact there was barely a flat spot on the loop but all the pain was well worth it. I seem to recall the guys at The Alpiner describing this ride as " only has 3 climbs the entire loop " they forgot to mention there was no flat or rolling sections it was either up or down :)

These singletrack ribbons went on forever.....

And they all lead up to this. Switchback heaven.....

Hartman Rocks ~ Gunnison CO

2009-08-05T22:59:00.005-04:00

Special thanks to Rick and the gang at Tune Up bike shop in Gunnison for the low down on this area. This place is amazing and have to put the Gunnison Growler on my " to do list "

Hartman Rocks from Philip Hudson on Vimeo.

Castellano Silk Ti 29-Blacksheep-Moots-Mavic-XTR

2009-08-01T19:01:00.006-04:00

2009-07-31T20:21:00.001-04:00

Mountain Bike Hall of Fame ~ Crested Butte CO

2009-07-27T17:58:00.006-04:00

What a blast from the past this place was. It is neat to see the chronological road map of mountain biking as we know it.

Cully, Deaton, Chance, Bradbury the list goes on.
What I find truly impressive after riding some of the famous passes and routes on my ti 29 with discs and camel~backs is how utterly spoiled we are in comparison to the legends that did these very rides in jeans with 1 water bottle no suspension etc.

2009-07-27T17:57:00.000-04:00

Views...

2009-07-26T22:37:00.011-04:00

The weather has been great with the first real rain day happening today. This is a welcome break and rest as it has been a pretty busy 2 weeks.

At 12,587' Augusta is one of the principle peaks of Paradise Divide. The climb was tough but the views made up for that.

Rode Doctor's Park and was grinnin on the 25 min high speed descent on super smooth singletrack cut in through the Aspens ( going back with the helmet cam for this one )

Hiked up to Merdian Lake which is a nice spot. The views are perfect everywhere you look. This was the first of 3 Weim's sightings I have had so far. Dog days of summer ( no pun intended ) but a real easy location to waste away a day ( or 2 ) only access to this is lake is on foot up a 600' trail.

About 2 min from the condo is Mt Crested Butte and they have a similar bike set up to Bromont. Walked over to the mid week races to watch the DH and from the picture below you can see the condo right in the center on the hill.

You can't ride much without going up for at least a hour. My Edge is showing over 17,000' of ascent so far. Going to get a couple of road or lower loop days in this week.

Focus Lance Focus.....

2009-07-26T22:20:00.008-04:00

What a tour, this pic sums it up in my opinion. Not a big fan of the passive aggressive Lance press conferences. If you got something on your mind spit it out, but this " I think I will pass on this one " and " well I think everyone can see what's going on " sits kinda weird with me. Be interesting to see who he outfits his 2010 Radio Shack squad with. Wiggins rode a great race as did the brothers Frank & Andy. Euska who ?

401 Trail Sampler

2009-07-19T22:59:00.002-04:00

This went on for miles...well worth the climb.

401 Trail to Crested Butte Sampler from Philip Hudson on Vimeo.

View from the top

2009-07-19T21:01:00.003-04:00

The reward for that climb was paid back within the first few kms of trail. I can see why this is one of the most famous rides in Colorado.

401 Trail ~ Believe the Hype !

2009-07-19T20:54:00.005-04:00

Met up with Wes ( from Chicago ) a few days ago on Strand Hill. We met up and rode the 401 trail from Mt. Crested Butte. Weather again was perfect, climbing was epic, descent was un-real. Trail topped out at over 11 thousand feet and the climb to the top was almost 2 thousand out of a grand total of 3.