Music by: Ozric Tentacles. Song: Sultrana Detrii

GoPro Hero 3 black trying out the 1080/30 Wide and the 1440/30/Wide

Industry Nine Factory Tour

Located in Asheville proper sits INDUSTRY NINE  If you're not a fan or owner of their wheels you should be.  I have had a set for a few years now and they have been as good now as the first ride.  Dave was the host today as we re-scheduled yesterday as their machine shop was getting ISO inspected.

I9 got it's name from being the 9th company that the parent machine shop owns / started.  The machine shop in addition to owning I9 has a customer, vendor relationship with it and also makes parts for the military and other applications.  Dave showed us the entire facility and the pictures below show the anodization tanks, the wheel building station, the CNC machines, spoke mills and raw aluminum.  The spoke machine, the raw hub shells pre anodization and the custom laser etching machine for the spokes and hubs.

One good thing about I9 is that they do not sell direct to the public which is good as the wall of hubs, and racks and racks of wheels make for some sweet eye candy.  The new torch hubs were in prototype mode for 18 months before being released early this year and the engagement and weight are significantly improved and they are offering a 2 cross lacing pattern with no strength loss.  The drag is also reduced and the rim options are great as well.  The I9 branded rims come in a good strength to weight ratio and the Renolyds carbon are well....carbon.

I started riding in the golden age of cottage industry CNC bike parts so being able to see that every aspect of your wheels are being built and assembled by hand and in house is bonus.  Seeing how it all comes together is really something amazing and the attention to detail is top notch.   There are 10 people that make up I9 and they are a key piece in the local riding culture. Really glad we got the chance to do this and hopefully we will connect with Dave tomorrow at Dupont Forest.  Can't wait for the ' new ' colors either.

Best AVL Bike Shop Spring 2013

Beer City Cycles.  What's not to like.  No attitude, friendly, beer, in store computrainer work out wall and did I say beer ?  Really liked this shop and the vibe in store and at trailhead.  The icing on the cake is the actual bar in the shop with mirco brews on tap.  Nice......

       Service Bar                                              14 Stool Bar                                                           Computrainer's                                                  

 

 

Bent Creek Again ?

Green Lick Trail is a described as a 2.5 mile advanced singletrack descent that drops 800' in a constant barrage of high berms and rolling whoop-de-dos and big drops.  After all of that I still prefer the Ingles Field Gap descent combined with Wolf Gap.  Day 5 in the books with 4 days spent in Bent Creek.  Many new trails and routes this go round.

Point being there are trails for days.  Bent Creek is in Asheville and also has 3 bike shops within 2 miles of the first trailhead / parking lot.  I know there are tons of places that others would argue are better options in NC of which I also agree but this place has it all conveniently bundled at your doorstep.  Long 1000' climbs, forest roads for rain days or miles, sweet singletrack, well signed routes and lots of places to park.   Thursday is rain / rest day and a trip to Industry Nine Wheels for a factory tour. Looking forward to this.

April 1st was no joke. Killer ride.

Another perfect day, trails dry temps again were warm enough for full summer kit and being a Monday meant empty forests.  Bent Creek again for this ride with more of a find and seek kind of day.  Ribbons of primo singletrack  snake all over the area with long long long climbs ending in nice dh's

How do you get tired looking at this.  It doesn't get better than this in my opinion.  LIFE BEHIND BARS

North Carolina 2013

It's not everyday your best friend suggests you use his Mercedes ML55 AMG for a road trip to spring riding camp but I gotta say what  plush ride and it made the 11 hours from Toronto whip by.  The 1upUSA 2" hitch adapter made the swap from the Subaru a 2 minute job.  Can't say enough good things about this rack.  Anyway on to bikes and trails.....

Bent Creek was super dry on the climbs with only small muddy sections around the creek crossings.  Day 1 on red terra firma for 2013 felt great.  The cold that I have been fighting for the past 2 weeks was nagging a bit but all in all a great Saturday kick off ride.  Looking forward to a good week of riding and more pictures and videos to follow. 

Land of the Sky..

Well what seems like a lifetime ago ( insert Canadian winter and hundreds of roller km's ) and now the bikes are getting dusted off and the sealant topped up and it seems fitting that the trails of Pisgah, Dupont and Bent Creek  North Carolina are the first for 2013.  NC got passed over last spring in favor of Sedona AZ but there is something about the Blue Ridge Mountains that casts that mystical spell over you.  Stay tuned ....

Bent Creek Backwards ?

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.

Bent Creek Asheville NC

You know your in Mountain Bike Country when.....

This is your mailbox. Today was cold compared to the weekend but the snow they got was just blowing flurries so still bone dry everywhere. Next 2 days look better with Thursday hitting the high 70's which is the Tsali trail day.