Smoke, Fires, Filming and Biking

The smoke in Reno is ridiculous right now.  I made my way up to Tahoe to see if I could get above the haze in the valley. However, driving up Mt. Rose yesterday I could see that the smoke was not getting any better as I got closer to Tahoe. Unfortunately, west is inundated with a plume of orange smoke. The mist has taken over everything.  The mountains surrounding the city have disappeared along with anything farther than a half mile. Just the faint green glow of the Silver Legacy making its way through the smoke. Outdoor events have been cancelled and air quality warnings have been issued.  There is no escaping the smell of burnt pine.  It's in every house, car and store in the area.  Living in the high desert we are no strangers to smoke and fire, but in the last seven years of living here I've never seen it this bad for this long with no end in sight.

Anyways, on to the real reason for this post. I'm getting really good at making shitty GoPro videos!

I've been into photography ever since I can remember, but for some reason filming has always escaped me. Turns out making videos is pretty difficult. It's been a slow evolution for me. When I first got my GoPro I would attach it to either myself or my bike, turn it on then go home wand watch the footage. It has been a slow evolution: getting different angles, setting up shots, editing them together.  Most of the time I just want to ride, so setting up shots falls by the wayside.

Since the sierras are going up in flames, I decided to spend some time getting some footage on the Tyrolean downhill in Incline Village.  I've ridden this trail a million and it is one of my favorites close to home.  Fast, flowy single track with plenty of jumps and technical descents mixed in makes for a really fun trail. Still messing around with editing and getting a feel for putting together a cohesive story about the trail.  Trying to put together a real video soon.  Keep shredding

Whistler Whip-off

Every year the bike world drools over the happenings at Crankworx Whistler. I always find myself trolling the highlight videos that come out checking to see what the next big trick or new trend in the mountain bike world is. By far, my favorite part of the week has to be the Whip-off.  There is no trick better in my mind.  It's so simple it's difficult. Everyone has a different way of doing it and different style. 

Don't mind the dh bro in the middle of the video. He has never actually pedaled a bike.  "I only shuttle my downhill bike to the top of the 2 mile downhill near my house."  I've fun into a few people with this mindset around Tahoe.  They refuse to legitimize anything but the 8 inch travel one dimensional downhill bike. Don't get me wrong. The bikes look fun, but they really only provide one type of riding. If I hit  the lotto tomorrow, I'd definitely have a bad dh rig, but I'm poor so I have a bike that can perform in more than one category. People fear change and I guess there is resistance to change in any sport.

Truckee Dirt Jumps Grand Opening

I've been waiting for the new jumps to go in at the Truckee Pump Track ever since the first murmurs about a year ago.  This weekend was the grand opening and my buddy Quincy and I dusted off the dirtjumpers and headed up to check out the new addition.  

It's crazy to think that just a couple months ago the area the jumps were built on was completely flat.  The crew that built this park did an awesome job.  There are multiple lines that can be taken, transfers that can be sought out and progressive jumps to learn on.  Most of the jumps are pretty small, but there is a good sized sender in the middle of the park. 

Navigating through the packs of heckling preteen Truckee shredder kids we were able  to explore the park in it's entirety. It's always a little strange hopping on the dj after not riding it for a while.  The geometry is way different, lower and slacker.  If you mountain bike a lot and want to get more comfortable cornering fast, flying through the air and learning how to use the contours of the land to gain speed you won't regret an investment in an dirtjumper.  Now, the lines through the park aren't the longest ever but they are quick, flowy and fun.  It seemed like every time we hit the staging area someone else was stoked on pointing out a new transfer or line to hit. Even the Sun Valley dirt jump king himself "Hacksaw" showed up to show the kids a thing or two. 

I put together a couple clips I shot with my GoPro from the day.  Check it out and enjoy.  

Arc Dome

I've been really focused on mountain biking for a while now.  So focused in fact, that I almost forgot there are other ways in which to interact with the landscape.  A hike was in order.

A couple weeks ago, my girlfriend and I decided we wanted to hike a peak.  We wanted to push our limits, step outside our comfort zones, and get away from everything in the vastness of unending mountain ranges we call Nevada. The middle of Nevada has always interested me, so we decided to venture out to the Arc Dome Wilderness in the Toiyabe Mountain Range about 53 miles north of Tonopah, NV.  Our eyes and minds were set on the tallest peak in the range standing at 11,775 feet, Arc Dome.

The trail head is located 138 miles east of Reno. The remnants of the boom and bust mining operations litter the countryside along the way.  Berlin and Ione are the most notable ghost towns along the way with the towns frozen in time.  Ione claims to have 41 residents still residing there, but we didn't see a soul on our drive through.  After about 100 miles the pavement ends and it's nothing but dirt roads.  Nothing but dirt roads, the occasional herd of antelope, cowboy tending his herd of cattle and desolate Indian reservation.

Camp

As we camped the night before, we wondered what the next day's journey had in store for us.  The only thing we could see from our aspen coated home in the foothills were sagebrush coated jagged mountains poking up out of the valley floor from which we drove up.  Lightning flashed silently in the distance as the bats danced above the campfire.  After we had our fill of some cheap red wine we turned in to get an early start on the day.

Starting up through the Aspens

The first few miles of trail weave in and out of old aspen groves.  Graffiti from lonely basque sheepherders, hikers, stoners, kids and anyone willing to put a knife to the tree.  Dates ranging every decade from the 1920's to today were scrawled across tree trunks on the way up.

Basque Tree Carvings

After two miles getting up to the Toiyabe Crest Trail felt good, but we knew we had a trek in front of us.  Arc Dome was still shrouded by a plateau in front of us, but the though of a better view of the valley below pushed us on.

Heading up

After topping out on the Toiyabe Crest Trail and meandering along south towards our destination we fully noticed the stark beauty at which we were looking at.  Nothing but sagebrush and the endless mountain ranges in the distance,  Arc Dome rising out of the plateau  in the distance.

Arc Dome in the Background 

The climb from base of Arc Dome to the peak consists of one mile and a 1,000 feet  up a myriad of switchbacks.  All plant life is left behind at the base.  The only things that have grown on the mountain top are wind shelters crafted by wary travelers who walked the same steps to the top.  I can only imagine what waking up to watch the sunrise from above 11,000 feet would look like.  Unfortunately, for us time was working against us as we did not bring the provisions for an overnight trip.  A summit beer was in order at the top and Britt and I promptly put down our much deserved PBRs.  

View From the Top

Smokey, Windy and Awesome

Summit Brews

All in all, it was an awesome hike.  I know it isn't the craziest, gnarliest or tallest, but it was fun and that is what we were looking for.  The hike did exactly what we were hoping. It put us out in the middle of nowhere and pushed our limits. I look forward to exploring the Toiyabe mountain range in the future.  This trip was somewhat of a recon trip to see how possible it would be to bike pack through the tough  terrain.  I'm kickin around some ideas for my next adventure.  Have fun out there!

Cheers, 
Brian 

Stats

Stumpy is back

After what seemed like way too long my rig is back and looking fresh. I am so stoked to have my bike back. I bet my girlfriend and friends are stoked as well. Now they don't have to listen to me complain about how I cant ride. You never realize how much you use something until it's gone.  I don't know what it is but ever since I was a kid I've never been content sitting around wasting the day away. Whether it was mountain biking, snowboarding, hockey, swimming, jumping off rocks, catching snakes, or exploring the outdoors I have always been compelled to fill my time with activities.  In fact, for the past couple years I have adopted the motto "All the activities all the time."  Now that my bike is back in working order the summer shred can continue! Just in time too, because, come Sunday I'll be racing the "All Mountain Challenge" at the Kirkwood Mountain Classic.

After the initial parts confusion the guys at the Village Ski Loft dialed the stumpjumper up with a Sram X9 type 2 derailleur,  Raceface single ring, and the new MRP mini g2 (bottom bracket mount) chainguide.  I also threw on a new 10 speed chain and cassette I had bought a while ago for the upgrade.  

Everything came together pretty nicely.  I'm stoked to be back on the bike and have more adventures planned for the near future.  Arcdome, Genoa peak and other Nevada mountain tops are on the radar.  I'll be keeping you posted on the things to come.  The next post will  be about the Kirkwood race. 

Have Fun!

 MRP Chainguide with the Race Face Single Ring

New Cassette, Derailleur and Chain

Trial and Error

Failure is an inevitable part of life, and I for one am no stranger to the frustrations of the learning curve.  What is important, however, is what we learn from our experiences. 

I have been without my bike for about two weeks now.  The main reason for the wait was to order the parts and convert my 2011 Stumpjumper to a 1x10 set up. Seems like the cool thing to do theses days. Plus, I'm a big fan of simplifying and in theory less moving parts should equal a more simple drive train.  This is the theory, however, the process of converting my bike to a 1x10 has been anything but simple.  I was really looking forward to doing the project myself too! 

The conversion requires a new chainring for the front and a Sram type 2 derailleur  to replace the one I mangled.  I did my research online and talked to my bike nerd friends about what the slickest setup would be.  I went to go order my new goodies from my LBS and was somehow talked out of my original plan and into a cheaper way of doing things.  Long story short, they turned out to be the wrong parts for the job. Actually the rear derailleur was fine but the chainring and guide combo I ordered turned out to be wrong. Waiting all that time just to find out I need to start all over again. Bummer.

The whole situation was my fault and made me feel like a big dummy.  I knew what I needed and changed it at the last minute to something I was unfamiliar with.  Indecisiveness isn't new to me. Some people might even describe me as such. 

Anyways, I guess I just needed a put it out there.  Summer is here and the trails are calling. Thanks to The Village Ski Loft, I should be back out there in no time riding, building, hanging with buds and sluggin some brews on the tops of mountains.  

I leave you with this doc about an awesome adventure through central Asia. 

The Road from Karakol

Summer Days

Rippin Ash Canyon on my '85 Raleigh Elkhorn (Photo: Jonny Mandio)

About a week ago I managed to put my regular ride (2011 Stumpjumper FSR Comp 29er) out of commission for a while.  Conditions were perfect up in Tahoe.  Rained the night before and cloud coverage during the day let the dry decomposed granite soak up the little amount of summer rain we see and stay tacky.  I'd never seen the trail so perfect and I couldn't wait to get to my favorite section, a perfect step up step down that flows effortlessly. Unfortunately, I carried more speed than usual into it and snapped my derailleur hangar which, sucked my derailleur into my rear wheel completely twisting it into a mangled expensive piece of scrap.  Bummed I couldn't ride for the rest of the day, I set out to gather the parts to fix my bike.

Since I was already plotting on converting the Stumpy from a 2x10 to a 1x10, I decided to order up the entire kit and get it over with.  As always, the boys at the Reno Bike Project helped me out and filled me in on what I needed.  Now, the waiting game begins as I sit here in Reno watching each summer day pass by.  The parts should be here soon, but I can't stand wasting perfectly good days.  In part, this "downtime" is what got me to finally start a blog.

After two days of waiting for parts and watching mountain bike videos I had to get out of the house. The phone rang, and thankfully it was my brother asking if I wanted to go ride Ash Canyon out in the foothills of Carson City.  Now the question became: what would I ride?  My choices were split between my single speed dirtjumper or my townie 1985 Raleigh Elkhorn.  The choice was obvious.  The Klunker, the grandfather of today's bikes would be perfect for the short smoothish single-track that sits on the verge of sagebrush desert and sierra mountain pine forest in the north end of Carson.

I had been wanting to take the Klunker for a while to see how trail worthy it was.  While my expectations weren't low, I wasn't expecting the amount of fun I had on a $70, full rigid, bull moose barred, cantilever braked bike; thus, the inspiration for the title of the blog hit me like a brick wall.  It was perfect.  What else can take you out of the newest, next, best,  pricey, useless, ridiculous frame of mind that not only mountain biking but sports and society in general induce.  We MUST have the most expensive components, frame, package, whatever to be cool when in reality you can pick up a $70 bike and rip up some trails with your buds, drink some beers and have some awesome stories to tell.

Here's to having fun, the inspiration for this blog and not wasting summer days.

Cheers,
Brian