Cook’s Meadow Trail Workday + A Little DH

Saturday was just one of those days that you want to have every single day–we spent about 90% of it outside! We opened the shop at 9:00 and met up with about 25 volunteers and Jim Thornton for somewhat of a delayed celebration of National Trails Day. Considering everything that was going on this weekend (Super-D race in Post Canyon, Fluidride Cup at Ski Bowl, a bunch of wind-related activities, and some fun stuff in Mosier), we had an excellent turnout.

Jim took the gang–which included about 12 kids from Bend!–up to the Cook’s Meadow trail to build a new, recently re-routed section. A couple of years ago, a ton of blowdown covered the trail, dog hair thick for several hundred yards; due to this and some trail grading issues, the Forest Service decided to reroute the section rather than cut it out. The Zig Zag hotshots had come in the week prior to brush it out and rough in the trailbed.

The day was perfect–great weather, good people, and high productivity to get the job done! We can’t wait to ride the whole trail now that it is possible! Thank you Jim and the US Forest Service for coordinating this event and making it happen.

Later in the afternoon, Ryan and I decided to go up to Ski Bowl in Government and check out the Fluidride Cup happenings. It was pretty mellow by the time we arrived, but lots of bike companies and racers had set up camp in the parking lot and practice runs were still underway. Unfortunately, we missed the upper lift (closes at 4:00 pm) and could only check out the lower runs. The Sport/Open course was nothing to write home about (assuming the top part is more fun), but the Expert/Pro Course was great, with a couple of big drops I had to portage.

If you have never checked out the bike park at Ski Bowl, it’s worth seeing. I want to go back and see the top runs (and the view) and get the full flavor of what the Fluidride course would be like to race.

We ended the day by having a trailside picnic at Trillium Lake with friends who live on the south side of the mountain (and work at Ski Bowl). All in all, it was a perfect summer day!

Three Blind Mice. See How They Shred.

We checked out a super fun new trail in Post Canyon yesterday. I’ve been hearing about it for a couple of months, but have either forgotten to look for it, or taken the turn a bit early and ended up on a moto trail just west of it.

Three Blind Mice is a perfect beginner/intermediate jump trail with a series a small gap jumps spread out on flowing terrain. There is one nice little drop near the end of the trail that is a great primer for working up to the Drop Out drops at Family Man. It is a fun trail, and I can see seshing it to work on your skills. 

If you are shuttling from the top of Post, Three Blind Mice takes off near the top of 2 Chair 2, before the big dirt jump area. The trail isn’t on any map yet, so if in doubt inquire within, or at any of the other shops in Hood River.

Props to the Gorge Freeride Association (GFRA) and others who continually supply us with sweet trails in Post. If you have never ridden in Post Canyon, I highly recommend it. There is something for everyone, and is super close to town. And, it’s perfect right now!

Val

Hot, hot.

Hot weather and no wind down in the Gorge means it’s time to head to the mountains and escape the heat! Lots of trails are opening up–Surveyor’s Ridge, Dog River, and even the Eightmile and Knebal area, so come check it out.

Today is our first official day at Dog River Cycles! We’ve got demo bikes, free maps and can provide shuttles to save you time, and let you be on the trail more than in the car! Don’t forget that we have essentials in stock, and sweet DRC t-shirts and ladies tanks for sale.

Although our shop hours are limited, we’ve got a mobile Bionicon demo bike fleet ready to roll. Contact us to schedule a demo for your group. Bachelor/bacherlorette party coming up? Set up a demo ride day with us and take your guests out on the trail for a day of fun on sweet bikes!

In case you miss us at the shop, we have a kiosk over at the Mt. Hood Country Store where you can find all of your riding needs (DRC t-shirts too!).

See you on the trail!

Lately.

Bionicon Demo @ Post Canyon Trailhead

Things have been pretty busy around here lately. Despite some challenging rainy weather, we’ve still managed to get out on some fun rides in Post Canyon, and finally on Surveyor’s Ridge. We also had a little shin dig for Dog River Cycles, with a group ride in Post, then a barbeque at our house in absolutely cooperative weather.

Post-Ride Party

We are beefing up our Bionicon demo fleet, excited by the prospect of setting up events and demo days in the Hood River area, and around the Northwest. Feels like the season is finally here in full force!

Stay tuned for an updated calendar of events, and look for us in your area. If you think your Local Bike Shop or ride club might be interested in working with us to organize a Bionicon Demo Day, please feel free to contact us.

I got carried away with the knife before the camera came out...

                                                                  

  

 

Grubbin'

Sedona, the Squealer, and a Shiner. Part One.

Ryan and I just got back from a big roadtrip to the Southwest. Sun and slickrock were long overdue after a pretty chilly winter, so we packed up the car in search of warmth and new adventures. Our first stop–after a harrowing drive through a snowstorm in central Utah–was in Hurricane where we spent the night and met up with our good friends Bruce and Lori who happened to be passing through the area at the tail end of their vacation. Our intention was to ride Gooseberry Mesa, but we got snowed out! The road to the mesa was snowy and slimy, so we ended up at the LBS Over the Edge looking for a new trail. We ended up riding the Hurricane Rim trail, a really good ride to get into the desert groove again after the long hiatus.

After the ride, we hightailed it to Sedona, where we had reserved the studio apartment at the Sedona Bike and Bean for a few days. With a full kitchen, access to a bike shop (for those bike rebuilds that inevitably will occur), and trails leading to the Red Rock right out the back door, it was a perfect and affordable basecamp for a few days of shredding.

 

The Party Van, with Pickle Fork and Trailer.

Day one in Sedona actually took us out of Sedona and over to Cottonwood where we met up with friends from Tucson and Phoenix, packed nicely into the party van. Normally we might have joined in on the Mountain Bike Heaven Sunday ride, but as Gabe convincingly put it: “When the Party Van rolls into town with the pickle fork on, it’s best just to get in and don’t ask any questions.” Who can argue with that logic? The day’s riding was a Mingus Mountain Shredfest, with not one, but two runs from the tippity-top all the way back to Cottonwood. We rode from the Mingus Launch and were lucky enough to see hangliders launching of the mountain, right before we launched ourselves down Maverick. Rocky and technical at the top, then a nice exposed traverse through cacti (lesson #1 in the desert: do not crash! Everything is sharp and pokey.), then a steep and loose downhill.

Rolling back into Cottonwood, where the Party Van patiently awaited our return, we packed up again and drove back to the top to ride the Black Canyon Trail, which was double the distance, twice the pedaling, and half the braking. The trail dove off the mountain, steep, rocky and loose, then followed a stream for awhile, and eventually climbed up to a saddle in the form of a steep hike-a-bike, and careened off the mountain one final time. It was a maximum of about 12″ wide, cut into a steep and unforgiving slope (read: rocks, cacti, and small cliffs), slightly off-camber, making it one of those trails that has consequences if your mind wanders for even a second. Good times!

 

Mingus Launch

 

Rockin' the too-big-full face. Custom fitted with Jackie's stocking cap for extra padding and warmth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back in Sedona, we had intentions of having a quasi-rest day, but instead ended up going for 3 rides! Mic from Bionicon happened to be in the area for a race/demo, so we spent the day talking Bionicon while switching forks, rebuilding bikes in our studio, and going on a couple of short rides. It was great to see Mic and play on his 27 lb. Scandium Golden Willow, which is unbelievably nimble and compared to my 34 lb-er, so light and snappy, and super fun to jump!

Later that evening, we met up with Rama at Mountain Bike Heaven for a small sampling of his neighborhood trails, and my first lesson in technical climbing from one of the masters (more on that topic here).

Sunset Ride with Rama

 

Eat. Sleep. Shred. Repeat. That pretty much sums up our week in Sedona, with so many more rides there I actually lost track. We did a really long ride one day with Rama, through washes via delightful ups and downs, heinously technical climbs, some fast descents, and a little slickrock thrown in just for fun. We also joined a group ride and rode from MBH getting another taste of quality trails that literally surround Sedona; it is a mecca indeed!

On Thursday, we intended to take a day off from riding, as the Squealer was coming up in two days (!), and we were fairly successful were it not for the pump track that evening in Phoenix–my first ever experience on both a pump track and riding a bike without any brakes! And this was the start of phase II of our trip, Phoenix and the Squealer…To Be Continued.

Spring, On Wheels

Oh dare we say that spring has sprung? We’ve had perfect weather the past few days, and to top it off, trail conditions are sweet out here in the Gorge. The Syncline is as green as pasture, brimming with wildflowers, perfectly tacky trails snaking up the slope. The poison oak is just about to start going off, but for now, the Syncline trails are dreamy–my favorite time of year over there.

Yesterday we rode Post Canyon for the first time this year (it’s been a wet spring!). We tried to drive all the way to the top to ride 2 Chair and the usual trails down, but got turned around by snow. We were able to start a bit down from the top, but there was still quite a bit of snow on the trail. We hopped on Chorus X and then finally got to see the new 8 Track, which was really sweet. The top of 8 track is still the same more or less, but has been re-routed through the new clearcut area. I heard rumors of more bridges and wood going in on that section, which would be really sweet. There is also a pump track laid out at Family Man–which is doubly exciting. I just had my first pump track experience in Phoenix, and boy was it fun! I am looking forward to getting up to Post more in the next few weeks and honing my wood riding skills.

We had a Bionicon posse yesterday, with an unprecedented 5 of us all together on the trail, with broad representation of the line: Golden Willow, Supershuttle, Edison, and the Ironwood. It was great to see all those little orange buttons in action. Somehow we did not get any photos, but there will be more opportunities to come. Stay tuned for Bionicon Demo Days in May!

With the days getting longer by the second, the Shred Season is upon us and I feel giddy with delight.

Happy Spring,

Val

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