Santa Cruzin'

Fairfax, Marin – home of mountain biking - gives access to some awesome trails. Mt Tam, Pine Mountain, Solstice and of course, Tamarancho. However, riding here you can’t help but notice there’s a prevailing sense of subtle hostility towards mountain biking as a leisure pursuit. At best, I would say it is begrudgingly tolerated. Any attempt to make multi-use trails more fun for bikers is usually flattened by park rangers or, I suspect, hardcore hikers. Even ‘rancho (a place we each dutifully pay to use and is only suitable for mountain biking) has seen an influx or hikers and trail runners. The final bastion of shredding safe haven has gone as we’re forced again to smile politely as we slow down and pull to one side for cold faced people on foot, snarling at our attempts to simply have fun and enjoy the landscape. Fortunately there is refuge just a couple of hours south - Santa Cruz!. The primary purpose of SC trails seems to be for the delivery of speed and flow with constant opportunities to hit creative lines and rail bermed corners. Man-made features litter the trail and remain untouched – maintained even!  And the non-riders you do see seem to enjoy witnessing our grinning fool faces as we hurtle through the woodland kicking up dust. It’s just shy of one hundred miles away, but in terms of how mountain biking is accepted into the culture, it’s a different world.

I’ve only ridden Soquel Demonstration Forest a couple time before. Each time we’ve been, we’ve vowed to go back as soon as possible, and then it turns into another year or more gap before we actually head down south to ride there. However, even though it’s been a long time coming, we rode it in style this past Sunday. Ten of us managed to co-ordinate our schedules and gather on the periphery road with our steeds, ready for an epic day of shredding.

This post could easily tangent into another love letter to my new Trance. But I shall refrain. However I will say that, thus far, the Trance has exceeded my expectations. From the crazy rockiness of Oat Hill (last week) to the flowey singletrack and many (sizeable) drops and jumps at Demo, my new ride does it all in a silky smooth buttery way that just makes me so happy. I swear I’ve never ridden this fast before. The fact that I’m able to keep up with the likes of Chris and Aaron proves it. Not that that is, in itself,  important. But their speed and radness is a good yardstick to measure my own performance by and, since getting my carbon beauty, I’ve definitely noticed a change in my riding ability. More importantly, the Trance is just so fucking satisfying to ride. Whipping through the trees of Braille and barreling down the new (and epic) flow trail felt amazing. I could feel every nuance of the trail through the bike. Each pump, air and wheel drift giving a real sense of being connected to the dirt. I felt confident diving into corners and pushing harder than I would normally dare – safe in the knowledge that, should things start going tits up, the bike would give me adequate notice and swift correcting input would be rewarded with a continuation of flow (and grins!)

The new flow trail (almost fully opened) is an impressive sight to behold. Miles long, it resembles a slightly smaller bike park trail. We were blessed by the MTB gods who favoured us with a light sprinkling of rain the day before creating perfect trail conditions. Full of banked turns and whoops, the flow trail stretched invitingly before us like a beautiful, dark chocolate coloured magic carpet. The goPro footage seen in the link   >>>HERE<<<  really doesn’t do it any justice. If only my weary quads could’ve given more I might’ve had a better chance of keeping Aaron tighter in frame. As it was I was just about able to hang with the pack. But what a sight we must’ve been! A train of ten dudes on bikes snaking our way through the trees!

We’ll be going back. Sooner than our usual year-long gap I hope. It’s just too good to leave it an annual trip. Until then, I’m excited to take the Trance on familiar trails and see how it performs. Up next – Annadel!

Getting’ Some Oats

There's nothing quite like the anticipation of riding new trails. Riding new trails on a new bike is even more exciting. So I was more than happy to rise early this past Sunday and join Eric and Chris in Calistoga to ride the Oat Hill Mine trail.

Oat Hill is, as the name suggests, an old quicksilver mining trail. Evidence of its former use could be seen carved deep into the craggy rocks ; wagon wheel ruts that lead us to the summit, eight miles up the trail. What starts as a fairly pleasant climb through shaded hard-packed singletrack opens to yawning views of the Napa Valley far below and boulder strewn road ahead. Technical climbing acrobatics quickly gave way to hike-a-biking as we ascended the 2000ft plus climb (kudos to those dudes who managed to get wagons up here back in the day...)

As the ride was to be an out and back, each rocky hurdle on the way up was mentally noted as a challenging feature to look out for on the way down. Multiple line choices were evident with plenty of gnar to test my new Monarch Maestro and Pike suspension. I felt dry anticipation in my mouth as we drew closer to the top. Keen to see what my new steed could do, but also wary of how treacherous the descent might be. Was the new bike burly enough to smooth these menacing lines and tame the trail? Would my lovely (expensive) carbon bits be smashed to pieces? Would I? As we climbed we passed a few riders tentatively making their way back down the trail. Each of them looked mildly terrified, especially one poor guy who tipped and fell OTB right in front of us. He picked himself up, regarded his newly dislocated finger with a sad face and limped on down the trail. As the wind whipped around and chilled our bones, one thing was clear ; new bike or not, the ride back down was going to be a challenge for the three of us.

Over two hours of climbing and hiking later we reached the end of the trail. Surrounded by huge, jutting crags of rock it felt like we'd stumbled into an alien world. The landscape, though beautiful, was exposed and extremely unforgiving. We dropped our seats, padded up and made a pact to look out for one another on the way down. A mechanical (or worse) would be a disaster out here. I also fired up the GoPro, keen to document the first real ride on the new bike. Unfortunately a splodge of lens condensation ruined the day's footage. Still, I have the memory of the day's ride seared into my noggin and a good excuse to go back and ride there again. Capturing the trail on camera isn't my only motivation for returning though. The insanely fast and ridiculously fun descent is something that needs to be repeated too!

When I chose the Giant Trance Advanced I did so knowing that it was a very different animal to the Nomad it replaced. I loved the wide, slack and long stability of the brawny Santa Cruz' but having ridden it hard for a few years and looking honestly at the type of trails I typically ride (and the type of rider I want to become) I decided I needed a bike that was much lighter, more nimble and capable of crushing climbs - even if all that meant sacrificing some descending prowess. My logic being ; I should rely on and develop rider skills to conquer the descents rather than fall back on having a big burly bike. Well, as it turns out, I need not have worried about the sacrifice. The Trance does climb like a startled goat (uber lite curb weight and a state of the art suspension platform make for an almost eBike like experience.) But the descending capabilities blew my mind. Anything that had been a niggling worry (the Nobby Nic tires being too tame for example) disappeared in a cloud of trail dust as I opened up the Maestro suspension and let it fucking fly!!!!

Everything about the Trance felt perfectly dialed. The lovely stiff wheels hugged the gnarly rockiness of the trail and the shocks did an amazing job of delivering such plush suppleness that I couldn't help but take increasingly riskier lines over the crazy landscape. The razor sharp blades of rock that formed our route went by in a blur as my confidence increased. The reassuring, unwavering poise of the bike combined with scalpel precise feedback coaxed me to go faster... Faster! Its been a while since I've had a riding experience like it! I hugged Chris' rear wheel the whole way down, aware I was going faster than I would normally dare on a trail such as this. The familiar (yet elusive) feeling of flow washed over me as we left the rocks and swept through the final leg - beautifully tacky singletrack with bermed corners to boot!

We arrived back at the trail head grinning, exhilarated and only 20-something minutes later than when we'd left the summit. Oat Hill Mine is a giddy roller coaster ride and well worth the challenging climb up. I'm looking forward to our next visit. Until then, I can't wait to get back on the Trance. I felt this Sunday's ride was a glimpse into a possible future. One where my current level of skill and speed is enough to generate a big grin of satisfaction, but there's so much more on offer. I just need to put in the time and miles and unleash what my beautiful carbon beast has in store for me. Good times are ahead!

Factory Fresh.....

Here it is! Having decided, almost a year ago, that the Nomad was nearing the end of its tenure I finally picked up this beautiful beast. After test riding, loving but ultimately rejecting offerings from Santa Cruz, I decided to expand my Giant flavoured stable and go with the Trance. Having already acquired the Glory and Defy and putting plenty of mileage on both I've come to appreciate the solid design of Giant bikes, the awesome component outfitting they come with and, most importantly, how achingly beautiful they are. Amongst the ugly day-glo 90's inspired clashing neons most bike companies seem enamored with, Giant sticks to the tried and true combo of great material finish, sweet graphics and complementary colour choices. 

As visually arresting as it is, how a bike looks is really secondary to how it rides and I took something of a chance on the Trance, having never ridden one previously. But the great reviews, geometry & component spec and my experience with the Maestro suspension set up gave me enough confidence to pull the trigger almost blind. The Giant also had everything I was looking for in a trail bike : lots of carbon (including 27.5 carbon wheels) Avid Guide brakes and 1x11 drivetrain with a type II derailleur. In short, something uber light with amazing anchors and a snappy, responsive drivetrain. The factory spec Trance Advanced was everything I wanted. The only component that made me wary was the Revelation fork. Fortunately, Brian at Big Swingin' Cycles sorted me out with a Pike swap out upgrade. This would give the bike a slightly more aggressive stance (and capabilities) but still keep the curb weight a hair under 25lbs.  In short, the Trance is a very different animal to the Nomad. Lighter, more nimble and kitted out with state of the art components. I was hoping to challenge my riding style a bit and stoke the fires of my riding passion. I'm confident this is the machine to do just that.

So far I've only taken the Trance on a short test ride. Crazy California storms are tearing shit up and making a mess of the trails so a proper ride will have to wait. But initial impressions are encouraging. I need to get the suspension dialed to make the ride supple, but box-fresh the bike feels incredibly tight and responsive. I love how light it is and the overall commanding feel of the cockpit. The ride is not as slack or stable feeling as the Nomad, and it is certainly not as beefy. But those Nomad traits come with penalties that the Trance will trounce. Plus I'm hoping I can rely on my developing skills to get me out of trouble rather than the heft of a bigger bike.

More ride reports (and pictures) are to come. For now I'm gazing lovingly at my sweet new ride and waiting impatiently for these storms to feck off so I can christen my new beauty out in the dirt!

Spanking the Lurgey

December was a month of unusually fierce storms, and the usual Christmas splurge. January ended up being nothing but coughing, cold and the sodding lurgey. I'm still hacking up lumps of sickness addled lung, but decided to kick off February with a ride around my new back yard - Tamarancho! Heading out into crisp warming sun with Eric, Chris and new riding buddy, Joe felt amazing. My head hurt and my aching bones groaned, but shredding perfectly tacky trails and breathing in the fresh new year's air felt good. Well missed and much needed.

After a damp squib end to last year and a sickly start to this, I'm excited about the potential riding adventures that 2015 holds. The Nomad's replacement is just around the corner and there are whispers of another Whistler trip. Pretty soon I'll be back to full fitness and hopefully doing shit like the above! Young Joe is a trials rider by nature but shreds like a demon on the dirt, especially when there's some air to be had!

Phat

Riding twenty five miles and climbing over 3600ft earns you a lot of post ride food stuffing and chocolate binging. Yep, it's Thanksgiving again! My favourite time of year to ride the NorCal trails, anchored by one of the most fun and challenging rides in the area - the Annual Thanksgiving Appetite Seminar. This year marks the fifth time I've done it. A mixture of better conditioning and beautiful weather meant it was the best yet.

My regular road riding commutes have boosted my cycling fitness and technique by a decent amount. Pedaling feels different. My cadence is smoother, my breathing steady and deep and power is delivered from the core. I rode the tough, loose, endless fireroads of Pine Mountain with a level of strength I've not felt in previous years. That being said, my new found physical prowess was completely overshadowed - as usual - by Rosson. He rode the whole thing on a solid steel, single speed, fat-fucking bike. And I still had to work hard to keep up! Impressive to behold. Especially on the steep and fast descents where those chunky rubbers looked like a moto bike as they tore up the dirt.

The turkey ride is always a great experience. It embodies much of what I love about mountain biking : stunning views, beautiful California weather and tough climbs leading to fast, loose and thrilling descents. Sharing this with friends and strangers, all joined in the common pleasure of mountain  bicycling is a real treat. This annual event also marks the end (almost) of another year living and riding in the USA. Last Thanksgiving, I could never have anticipated what the year ahead had in store. Cycling has been one of the constants that has kept me sane and given me some happiness through the  overwhelming sadness of personal loss. I'll always be grateful to the sport for that. And I hope to keep the tradition of riding the Pine Mountain loop each November alive for many years to come.

Simon's Vid

This weekend myself, Eric and Rosson took in the delights of Tamarancho followed by Porcupine Trail. I love Porcupine. So fast and flowey and usually quite empty as most riders are drawn to the delights of the Flow Trail and the regular  'rancho loop. Simon was kind enough to document our adventures and put together this sweet little edit. Fun times.

>>>>VIDEO HERE<<<<

Finding Flow

I got into this mountain biking lark too late in life. Gone was the chance to rely on a youthful, sponge-like brain to help me develop the natural skills needed to shred with ease (not to mention hours upon hours of free time to play with.) As a mid 30’s-something year old, each trick has been a lesson I've learned through experimentation, frustration, applying theory from books and DVDs, repetitive sessioning and lots of self analysis and critique. I've also employed coaching along the way to help me unlock a few Eureka moments. It’s not always a pleasant way to learn the sport as disillusion creeps in where ability is found lacking. But I feel I’ve developed a decent understanding of everything I’ve learned and take pride in how far I’ve come (although I still have a long ways to go. The urge to always go faster, bigger and higher is one of the driving joys of this sport, and one of its biggest curses.)

Like most riders my age I spend far more time thinking about riding than actually doing it. During one of these dirt dreaming sessions I came to realize my learning curve could be broken down into definite stages. Each milestone reached took me one step closer to achieving the tantalizing satisfaction that is : Flow. Now, allow me to caveat. I don’t believe I’m able to achieve flow all the time. Neither have I conquered all the stages I’ve described. And I’m not a coach. But I think the following is a fair boiling down of everything I’ve learned and try to put into practice whenever I ride.

 

The Fear Stage

Perhaps fear is too strong of a word. We're not yet scaring ourselves on steep, high consequence technical sections or hitting big drops, but we're not confidently driving the bike when the trail points south either. We are passengers giving mechanical input to the bike but we don't yet fully understanding the feedback our steeds and trails are sending back. Trepidation constantly tickles the nerves and though the fun factor is definitely there, confidence has yet to be earned. Body position might not be quite correct so it often feels like you're sat too high up on the bike and failure to clear any obstacle or section of challenging trail can result in going over the bars. At the mercy of gravity and the undulating terrain, we exercise control through the only way we know how - by constantly dragging the brakes to keep speed in check.

This is the beginner stage where technical singletrack and open, gravelly fire road all feel the same. Speed is something to be reigned in and descents are challenges to be endured. Getting through in one piece is the primary objective. We enjoy it, but we don't yet have the confidence to really own it.

To leave this stage, we must first learn to brake correctly. Simply applying either brake without proper control will pitch the rider forward doing all sorts of bad things to body position, weighting and traction. This leaves the rider with less control which in turn dims confidence. The rider brakes even more as uncontrolled speed becomes something that induces the run away train feeling of fear.

Learning to Brake

This is the first real stage of achieving flow on the trail. Applying the brakes in short, controlled bursts as a means of maintaining traction is the goal. Dropping the heels at these moments counters the momentum of the body pitching forward as the bike decelerates. A good neutral body position is maintained which keeps the bike balanced. A balanced, controlled bike induces confidence so braking is used only as needed. The habit of dragging the brakes begins to be broken.

Learning to Unweight

Recoil from the bike happens often, for example when braking force is released or when coming out of a bermed corner. This recoil can also be induced with a quick preload and release of the bike's suspension, eg bouncing on the pedals. When in this state, the bike is less susceptible to being deflected off course by rough terrain. This un-weighting of the bike is a key component to finding flow as it allows the bike to float over technical trail sections that would otherwise cause the rider to slow down (either because of trail topology sapping momentum or through rider braking to regain control in a challenging section.) Un-weighting also allows the rider to easily manipulate the bike as it becomes momentarily weightless, eg flopping the bike from one lean to the opposite side to change direction between chicane corners.

As un-weighting becomes familiar, it can be exaggerated so the bike is pulled tight to the rider as the arms and legs bend to accommodate. This is the perfect setup to push the bike back into the dirt and create the pump......

Pumping the Trail

Wise old men of the mountain will say "if you're not pedaling, you should be pumping." Use of this technique should become the default way to ride any descent (and most flat sections) in order to maintain control and carry speed. Not only does it allow the rider to squeeze extra momentum out of the trail, it stops the riding high and feeling like a passenger sensation that can happen during the early stages of learning. Pumping keeps the arms and legs loose and in sync with the terrain. Body weight settles low in the bike's chassis so the trail feels less harsh. Riding feels smoothed and more relaxed. This can only have one effect - increasing control.

The compression stage of the pump (loading the suspension) creates incredible grip. Squashing the bike and tires into the dirt with deliberate force can often create enough grip that the need to brake in order to maintain control is made redundant. Often when people brake it is a reaction to feeling loss of control of the bike (either through speed increasing or trail conditions changing.) However it isn't always a scrubbing of speed that is required to maintain control, it is a need for better grip.

Flow

The Holy Grail. Achieving flow depends on more than just the mastery of technique. The delicate balance where ability meets challenge requires many stars to be in perfect alignment. However it is possible to give flow a helping hand. A nudge in the right direction. Once pumping becomes (almost) unconscious the trail morphs into something new. Individual sections that used to require their own unique problem solving (and often slowing down for) become threaded together into one continuous motion. Everything feels fluid, regardless of trail technicality. Sometimes it even feels slow and its only a Strava sanity check that confirms you are riding fast. You are in the zone. This effortless feeling requires a lot of effort to maintain, yet it feels like the bike and body are bearing this effort. The mind is freed to live in the exact moment and soak in the sheer pleasure of achieving flow.

Refresh

Yep, its been a while and this blog has been neglected. This summer has been something of a blur. Life happens when you make plans, and that’s what happened these past few months. Plenty of life. My annual pilgrimage to Whistler had to be cancelled so the poor Glory has been left somewhat impotent this year. Still, the dirt and jumps are patient and will be waiting for me next season. I’ve also sold the Orange hardtail commuter brute in favour of a spindly, sleek road bike. I spend most of my eves in Fairfax now and a spirited 1:10 commute by bike (which I’m aiming to get under the 1 hour mark… eventually) is preferable to sitting in traffic each day. I’m also retiring the Nomad. More on that another time, but fear not – I’ve not gone completely over to the dork side. Mountain biking is my first love and the Nomad’s successor will be a steed worthy of taking its place. Exciting times are ahead.

In the past I have been somewhat…. unkind about road riding. It never really appealed when compared to the many thrills and spills of riding knobblies over singletrack. All I saw was the dull grind up tarmac roads for the reward of coasting down more tarmac roads. Nice views – yes, but not the same adrenaline charged, technically challenging, flow finding fun that riding a mountain bike induces. When I chose my road bike I did so because it was the best tool employed for a (almost) 40 mile round commute. But when I first threw my leg over its slender frame and set off to work on a brisk late Summer morning, something changed. A switch was flicked.

My weapon of choice is the Giant Defy 1. Hydro sculpted aluminium tubes meet slender carbon blade forks and a nice carbon seat post. With a decent mid range component set and sweet looking graphics, the Defy is definitely easy on the eye and, after an expert fitting from Brian at Big Swingin’ Cycles, easy on the arse too! The terrain might be a little less interesting compared to mountain riding but the joy of feeling immediate forward propulsion from every pedal stroke is awesome. The acceleration is something I’ve never experienced on dirt and is certainly grin inducing. However the real fun begins on the descents. Climbing on a road bike is completely different to MTB climbing. Its actually very satisfying to feel the benefits of a disciplined cadence and good breathing transfer into a swift, efficient climbing rate. Once you crest the climb, catch your breath and admire the view its time to see what you’re made of on the backside slope. 

Riding on super skinny tires at speeds tipping 40mph on the same terrain occupied by cars is an exercise in fear control, bike handling skills and rider commitment. Never before has choosing a good corner line and leaning the bike been so important. Failure to commit and nervousness with the brakes can lead to hideous disaster. Weighting a bike than weighs less than 20lbs at such speed feels like riding on a knife edge but its amazing and beautiful to feel nothing but smooth speed and the wind in your face as you hunker down into the drops and mix it with the traffic.

I can’t see road biking replacing my primary love of threading chunkier bikes through the rocks and trees just yet. But it feels good to have discovered a new area of cycling that I feel a real passion and enthusiasm for. It helps that the Defy is not only beautiful, but extremely practical. Step foot outside the front door, and you’re on a ride. I love that. And I’m excited to reap the fitness benefits for my mountain bike rides. I won’t be changing the name of this blog just yet, but I’ll happily document my roadie adventures in the meantime.

 

Blowing off the Dust

After a few months of being cooped up in a dark office with nothing but computer glare for company, it felt good to get out into the summer sun and ride with Eric and Chris this weekend. It felt especially good as we were heading north to beautiful Lake Tahoe for this year’s first (and Eric’s first ever) downhill session. Having sat mothballed and pristine since last year’s Whistler trip I was keen to sling a leg over the Glory and get it (and I) dusty again.

Half the mountain’s trails were closed until the 27^th. This was still early season. But we had plenty to sink our knobblies into. Old favourites like Livewire, the challenging tech of Boondocks plus the all new Gypsy kept us busy from the first uplift to the last. Long lines of eager, grinning riders meant for a welcome break in between each run where we could catch our breath and give quick, excited recaps of what we’d just ridden. Eric did a great job on his Blur LT and was soon catching air on Livewire. Chris picked up where he’d left off from last year’s Whistler trip, whipping tabletops and hitting some of Northstar’s gnarlier features.

I kept the riding somewhat mellow. Keen to ease in slowly and not aggravate injuries still being nursed from last year – or create new ones that might cut this season short. Plus I wanted to focus on Oscar’s teaching’s and really try to dial in my jumping. I felt great though. Much better than how I ended last season. My berm railing felt flowey and through the technical stuff I definitely felt a little faster and more agile (especially after a nerve softening lunchtime beer.) But the biggest leap forward was with my jumping. The real test will be when I hit A-Line next month. But I definitely felt good and caught some decent air as I hit the front sides of jumps with relaxed confidence. I still have a ways to go, and much technique to dial in. But for the first session of the year I felt good about where my downhill riding is at. Now I just need to build on that and make some real progress on the Glory.

Here’s a little video of me trying to chase Chris down Livewire. I need to fiddle with my set up and get those sodding cables out of view…..

*****LIVEWIRE VIDEO*******

Shreds the Dust

A packed schedule of robots and industrial magic means I haven’t had too many rides to write about recently. It's been more about squeezing in some two wheeled fun as and when, in between bouts of long hours at the computer. Still, as work on Hollywood’s latest blockbuster draws to a close, Summer is slowly ramping up with the promise of warm, dusty descents to be ridden to the sound of whirring chair lifts. Me and Chris have our downhill sleighs out of storage and a weekend of Northstar booked for early June. A perfect limbering up before our regular pilgrimage to Whistler in July. However, before we gave in to the excitement of another hot season of shred, we had to say a bittersweet goodbye to good riding buddy Dave. He’s off to Colorado soon so felt it fitting to say adios to his riding buds with one last blast around home turf – Tamarancho.

Knowing it would be last time we'd ride these familiar trails together, and the fact that my riding has been scarce recently, meant an amazing ride was had, where every lungful of air spent grinding the cranks and shredding the dirt felt fantastic. No strava times were bothered during the ride, but judging by our sweaty grins we'd all ridden hard and well deserved the post ride beers.

All the best Dave, you're an awesome riding buddy and I look forward to you showing us your new local trails.

>>>>>>>> DAVE'S LAST RIDE EDIT <<<<<<<<<

Try Before You Buy

Tennis ball yellow curves contrasting with the stunning Bay Area view below. This is my ride. A carbon Bronson with Enve wheels and full XTR component set. This right here, is California dreamin’…. Except I’m not dreaming. Its all real and all mine (at least for one day.) Tam Bikes were putting on a Santa Cruz demo day so me and Simon decided to drop by early and score ourselves a couple of shiny new steeds to play with.

I do love the Nomad. Buying that bike was not only an investment in aluminium tubes and component pieces, but also an investment in me and my new hobby. It signaled the start of my passion for a sport that gives me unrivalled pleasure and physical (and mental) fitness. I owe that bike a debt of gratitude that I endeavor to pay back each week in blood, sweat and tears (of joy.. obviously.) But she’s getting a bit long in the tooth. And it’s a tank. A tank that has served me well and saved my arse many times, but I do crave something a bit lighter. Something that I can use to step my game (and speed) up a bit.  I’ve been thinking about the Bronson as next year’s birthday gift to myself so the chance to ride it before committing was not to be missed.

There are plenty of reviews out there and they all rave about the Bronson. I know it's good (on paper) and state of the art. Really, I just needed to feel a big enough difference to know it was worth retiring the trusty Nomad for. So I handed over my deets to the fella at Santa Cruz and set off for the test ride with an open mind and a grinning face. Given Tam Bike’s location, a quick grind up Railroad Grade to Eldridge seemed like the best option. Not too long of a ride but enough to put the bike through it's paces. I was also keen to see how the Bronson climbed given that it is much lighter than I’m used to, and it has the slightly larger wheels. Both factors seemed to make a difference. I still huffed and puffed my way up Mt Tam, but I consistently sat in a higher gear than usual. Progress felt faster than normal for the same amount of effort spent.

The descent down Eldridge was awesome. I started out a little reserved. The suspension wasn’t quite as plush as I'd like (I’d need to spend some time dialing it in) and the brakes were set up American style so I had to be mindful of not grabbing a fistful of front rotor in error. But the cockpit felt dialed so I started to pump the bike and put trust in those lovely big carbon wheels and let the thing fly! Like with the 29er Yeti I rode a while ago, I noticed the wheels had a slightly more pronounced giro effect and resisted quick changes of direction. Minimal, and not something to put me off as I felt I'd get it dialed and snappy after a few rides. But the acceleration was insane and once flowing, the ride suddenly became very supple. I’m sure I rode Eldridge much faster than previous efforts. I certainly felt smoother.

Once we hit the bottom section, where the trail smoothes out and turns into lovely whoop filled goodness, I discovered how well the Bronson flew. The back end naturally tucks underneath as you launch rollers which inspires a lot of confidence to hit the jumps with abandon. And for a light bike, the Bronson plants itself reassuringly once you hit terra firma. In fact, the back end overall felt really twitchy, in a good way. Like you can put it where you want it and manipulate the bike at will. Possibly something to explore and use to counter the slight cornering resistance I experienced with the bigger wheels.

So, in short. I feckin’ love the thing. It felt awesome. Enough like my current bike to know I'm not compromising anything, but different and better enough to justify the change. The bigger wheels felt a bit more resistant to leaning into corners, but not much. However the rolling speed felt great! And its so nimble... At times it felt like my Jackal. I could pick the thing up and put it anywhere. So next year's ride will be a carbon Bronson beast. In the meantime, I’ll eek out every last bit of pleasure from the Nomad until she’s ready to be put out to pasture (well, Craigslist classifieds.)

Mo' GoPro

Here's some more GoPro movie magic. This time its me and Jaime riding Annadel's South and North Burma trails. Whilst the videos might not quite capture the thrilling speeds (I'm convinced) we hit, they do at least show how utterly lush NorCal is at this time of year. We're truly spoiled!

>>>South Burma Video <<<<<      >>>>>North Burma Video <<<<<<   >>>>>Lawndale Video<<<<<

**Remember to set the youTube player to HD**

Bluetiful

I've had the Jackal about a year and a half now. I originally bought it to help me get some extra riding in each week and master some new skills, namely manuals, bunny hopping and low speed two wheel control. Well, my trackstands have come on a treat, and my hopping is getting better, but I still can't manual. The problem is, when I get on the lovely blue fecker, I just want to cruise around and enjoy the feeling of child-like freedom this bike invokes. Still, I'll plug away and hopefully one day I'll be riding one wheeled through the Marina. Until then, here's a lovely picture of the Jackal in its natural environment (taken when I should've been practicing on it.)

Sleeping Beauty

There are many things I love about Mountain Biking. One of them is it segues so nicely into my other passion - taking pictures. Being out in the beautiful outdoors offers plenty of opportunity to grab snaps. Most of them are missed in the blur and frenzy of riding hard and losing myself in the flow, but every now and again I come across some treasure and get the chance to photograph it.

This lovely old carcass is just off one of the trails at Water Dog. Me and Chris were out there today figuring out a good loop to ride. I'd love to know this car's story, but until then I'll just enjoy capturing it bathed in glorious Californian sun.

GoPro Shizzle

I rarely bother with the GoPro. Stuff never looks as big or as fast as it is in real life (an excuse used by most people with GoPros showing friends and loved ones the "gnarly shit" that looks like a small rockery when viewed later.) But I do like to dust it off once in a while and grab some snaps with it. Here are a few from this Saturday's Rancho blast with Eric, Chris and Simon. A typical NorCal winter's day.... Crazy how beautiful and sunny it is right now.

I also filmed me and Chris hitting the last descent of the loop. It can be seen :

>>>>>HERE<<<<<<

Hair of the Dog

It's really easy to forget all about Water Dog park. Come the weekend hitting our familiar Marin destinations or heading south somewhere always seems the obvious choice for a decent shred. However, right on our doorstep we have an awesome singletrack network and some genuinely gnarly jumps. So this weekend myself, Chris and Eric decided to head to Belmont and explore the dirt treasures nestled amongst suburbia.

It's a little difficult to figure out a logical loop at Water Dog, however the place is small enough, and the climbing easy enough that you can explore and figure out a route that satisfies. Exploring is a part of mountain biking yet we rarely do it. We're too busy riding familiar trails over and over, the same way each time trying for faster Strava times. So it felt good to eek out our own route and stop and session certain areas to help figure out how to find our flow.

The actual trails are awesome. Often short, but clearly built for bikers. Names like "Rambler" suggest something sedate but nothing could be further from the truth. Every corner is slightly bermed and the bits in between are fast, tight and full of little boosters and interesting features that encourage pumping and fast lairy riding. There's also lots of fairly challenging stuff too like steep, rutted trails and tight switchbacks. Plus, one trail even has you riding over an ancient sunken car!

We rounded off the ride with a session at the nearby jump park next to the high school. Much of the jumps are insane gap jumps that invoke chills just by looking at them. But there are plenty of smaller jumps to have fun with too. I felt somewhat rusty but I had Oscar's words of wisdom rattling around somewhere so felt confident boosting off the smaller stuff.

We'll definitely be going back. In the meantime, if you want to see a video of the three of us hitting some really gnarly shit, watch.........

>>>>>THIS!<<<<<

Photoshizzle.....

I've updated my photography website. I've added some pictures from this year's location trips to Paris, Chicago and Hong Kong. Enjoy!

www.andrewproctor.com

Gert Lush!

It's that time of year again when I make the pilgrimage to the mothership and dust off the Rose hardtail for some cold, soggy shredding. This year, same as last, saw me Jim and Mikey hitting the trail system at Ashton Court and Leigh Woods in Bristol. Purpose built, twisty and flowey, what the trails lack in elevation gain and descent they make up for in bermed corners and nice techy features. We also went off piste and explored a few steep and loose trails that the local downhill kids had carved through the trees. All good stuff.

Ahead of this year's fun Xmas ride I fitted the Rose with chunkier tires and some sweet Race Face riser bars. Nothing crazy wide, but definitely on the wrong side of XC. My annual shred on the Rose makes me appreciate the simple joys of riding a hardtail 26er. The new upgrades definitely made an already sweet ride even more responsive and aggressive. Awesome stuff.

I do love this Christmas ride tradition. We're whittled down to the hardcore now, but we've still kept it going for 6 years. Hard to believe I've been stateside for so long. I am looking forward to heading back across the pond and enjoying another year in the dirt and sun.... But one thing is for sure, I'll be happy to dust off the Rose and head to Briz' once next year draws to a close. Cheers then!

Who's this?

Who is this cheeky looking fella pulling up the rear behind Eric? It's none other than Jason Spangles! After a near two year hiatus, Jase decided to blow the dust mites off his superlite Stumpy and swap it for some lovely trail dirt instead. About bloody time! And just in time too as I feck off back to England for the Christmas holidays very soon and I didnt want to miss the rare sight of Jason riding mountain.

The trails around San Francisco are stunning at this time of the year. Cold, clear air, hero dirt and stunning views make for some pretty epic rides, even when we're just visiting the usual loops. I love it. Makes me appreciate how lucky we are to have so much beauty on our doorstep.  And it was great to see Spangles out on two wheels again. Even better to see him get his mojo back, especially on the flow trail. Here's hoping the Stumpy will be getting dirty on a more regular schedule next year! Oh, and here's a video of me and Eric hitting the Serpentine drop...

>>>>>HERE!<<<<<<

Pumpkin Pie....

..Is my favourite thing about Thanksgiving. My second favourite is sweet potato pie. After THAT, its probably having four whole days off work to get some quality riding in before my xmas trip back to Blighty. So, in keeping with tradition, that's what I did. Thanksgiving day saw me and a few hundred others meet in Fairfax for the annual Appetite Seminar ride. This year I met up with Rosson and Adam and hitched a ride with the Zeitgeist boys. They're a great group of fellas and they always make me feel very welcome. They're super strong on the climbs though so I was somewhat worried about keeping up. I haven't put in any big rides recently. Certainly nothing like the Pine Mountain to Porcupine route that the 'Seminar takes. Roughly 25 miles and over 3600ft of rocky climbs awaited as we set out into the fresh Winter cold. As it turns out I did just fine. The climbs were tough and the descents felt few and far between, but the lack of heavy rain meant the usual mud slop nightmare was avoided. So a cracking time was had by all. There's really no better to kick off the long weekend than with a hearty long ride in the birthplace of our sport.

The following day I hit Santa Cruz. My first and only trip to the Nomad's spiritual home this year, I made up for it by hitting some outstanding trails. Fellow Santa Cruz (bikes) fan Nic took me to Pogonip State Park which connected us to the university trails. I remember riding here years ago with Spangles. He'd just bought his Stumpy and I still used my Orange hardtail. Things have changed a lot since then. Not so much with the trails, but with my perception of them and my riding abilities. We hit Magic Carpet, an insanely wild roller coaster of loamey flowey singletrack peppered with drops and jumps and rooty tech sections. We also rode the short but steep Happy Ending. Typical of the trails in this area, it was burly and unforgiving. But great fun on the Nomad. We eventually looped back and finished with a flurry down the beautifully bermed Emma McCrary trail. I need to make a resolution to ride in Santa Cruz more often next year. The trails are beautiful and designed to be ridden hard. Its easy to get out of your league down there, but stay on the edge of your abilities and the riding is simply epic.

Saturday I took it easy and reaquainted myself with the Jackal. Its been a while since I've taken the lovely blue beast out so it felt good to cruise around and pop some bunny hops around the Marina. To round off another awesome Thanksgiving weekend, Sunday I met Jaime at Annadel. We rode our usuals ; Lawndale, Ridge, South and North Burma. Trail conditions were some of the best I've ever seen. Beautiful singletrack carpeted in lush green loamey goodness. Annadel brings out the best in my riding and (according to Strava) today was no exception. Great stuff. Now, I have one more weekend to enjoy the gorgeous NorCal sun and trail conditions before I bugger off back home and meet up with the Brizzul lot for our annual Christmas ride.

650Beautiful

This time of year is probably my favourite. The bike parks are closed and the riding days are much shorter meaning our riding is limited to XC loops around the usual haunts. But I never get complacent. I still feel a bubble of joy burst in my heart whenever we saddle up to hit Rancho or China Camp or wherever. There's a refreshing chill in the air which signifies Winter, with its rain and mud is on the way. But its not here yet. Just glorious golden sunshine bathing dusty singletrack, beckoning me and a few other grinning fools to keep shredding until the shitty weather takes hold and we have to slogg it through the slop.

Anyways. Enough wanking lyrical. Check out this seasonal-coloured beauty! Rosson has decided to park his mental belt driven 29er hardtail in favour of something a little special. A Santa Cruz 5010. Full suspension, 27.5inch wheels and a cracking orange carbon frame. Light as a feather and built like a tank. I think I've found my new favourite bike!

Clown Hoops

One last weekend to enjoy beautiful Cali' warm sunshine before I feck off overseas for a couple of weeks and the Autumn chill kicks in. Alas, the Nomad was having brake issues (read - I tried to "adjust" them which of course lead to an immediate trip to the bike shop.) So with my main steed out of action and a potential weekend of no riding, I had the bright idea of renting a bike from Sports Basement. My intention was to get a 6 inch travel all mountain bike and crack on, but then I saw a nice looking Yeti SB95 and decided to give it a spin instead. If I was to ride a different bike, might as well make it something completely different.

The SB95 is Yeti's 29er version of the SB66 (a ride that Chris owns and lights the trails up with each week.) I'd always had a slightly dim view of 29ers. I'm not sure why. To me, they always felt one step away from road bikes.... The guys who ride them are usually lanky, insanely fit and lycra clad and the bikes always looked so stiff and ungainly. Not agile and bombproof like 26er all mountain rigs. I wanted to be proved wrong as the Yeti did look sweet and poised.

Trails of choice were China Camp. I wanted somewhere with some tech, but lots of flow. So me and Eric set out for what ended up being a near four hour epic. We decided to extend the ride a little and take the fireroad out to Hummingbird trail. Along the way we met some sprightly old dudes still shredding well into their 60's. They knew China Camp like the backs of their gnarled hands and took us down the Q trails and Cross Over trail. Narrow, steep, twisty and full of tight switchbacks, these new trails were fun, if not fast. But they tested my skills on the new bike and it felt good to be challenged.

The SB95 felt, for the most part, not a lot unlike a regular full susser 26 XC bike. Easy to boost and only slightly harder to coax into the corners. The ride felt smooth and supple. On steep, techy, slow descents the bike (or at least I) suffered. Adding precise steering into the mixture of big wheels and lots of braking force led to the front wheel becoming skittish very quickly. Bigger knobblies on the rubber would've helped, but I still felt the bane of the wheel's size whenever we hit the steep, narrow dirt. But on the open trails, the thing would FLY like nothing I've ever experienced. A few short cranks would get those big gyros up to speed and the bike would pull like a train. Such a great feeling! But, after a long, dusty afternoon in the saddle, I was happy to give the Yeti back to the fellas at Sports Basement. I missed my Nomad, which is exactly what I hoped would happen.

Whistler Clinic

The coaching sessions taken by me and Dave with coach Oscar covered 3 half days and focused on the basics of downhill mountain biking (most of which is applicable to regular riding.) Because the weather was shite and the trails muddy, we got some bonus "bad weather" tips too. But over the course of three days, fundamental principles were demonstrated and hammered home time and again. Lift rides were spent quizzing Oscar further and making fervent notes. Here they are :

Body Position

• Keep a 80/20 weight distribution between feet and hands. Try and keep this weighting, especially when growing tired as we tend to add weight to the arms.
• Keep your head and chest up. This opens up your vision and keeps the weight in your legs. 
• Keep feet level and don't change the leading foot (definitely something more applicable to downhill trails where the corners are bermed.)
• Drop the heels on steeper terrain to retain traction (this also stops you from weighting into the arms as the terrain gets steeper and your weight is sent forward.) Dropping the heels has a visible effect on the rear tire and squashes it into the dirt.

The biggest revelation for me was how much I tend to hunker down and lean forward on the bike. It took a lot of work to force myself to basically stand more upright (which is how it felt) and open my chest up. But I felt the difference. Suddenly I could see more, which inspires confidence but more importantly I could keep the weight distribution to the 80/20 ratio. It also made me realise just how often my weight would shift to my arms due to incorrect body position.

Braking

• Drop the heels and brake aggressively. Scrub speed in quick, deliberate motions. Dropping the heels is important as it keeps your body position neutral and stops your weight moving into the arms.

The heels down thing is something I've done before but not trained myself to do by default. The result is a constant weight shift forward which keeps me in a badly weighted neutral position.

Cornering

• Keep a correct neutral position. The body will drop into the corner a little, this is natural. But keep the weight 80/20 to make steering easier (Oscar demonstrated how just a little too much weight over the front hindered the rotation of the handlebars.) Keep the chest up! Don't drop the chest down to the bars.
• Drop the heels a little, not as much as braking, but enough to keep you from weighting forward onto the arms.
• Twist the hips through the corner and point your belly button to the exit.
• Lean the bike... this is extremely important. The bike won't corner without lean. Feel the bike hit the inside thigh and open that leg out to allow for more leaning of the bike.
• Use the outside knee on the downtube to weight the tires into the ground (I found this extremely awkward to do.)
• Look through the turn and once you see the exit and are lined up, pump the legs. This forces the rear wheel into the ground for traction and gains you speed. It also returns you to a correct neutral body position.
• Remember : Brake before the corner, lean the bike, look through to the exit.

The important things I found here (for any corner, although we spent much of our time on berms) was to keep from weighting forward. I soon realised just how much I'd lurch forward and overweight my arms. A combination of keeping my chest open and a more upright stance, plus dropping the heels helped to keep my weight more neutral. This allowed me to play with getting more lean on the bike and really trying to corkscrew my hips towards the exit. Achieving the final pump and squelching out of a tight berm felt awesome! But I approached every corner with a laundry list of instructions to process. It'll take a while to get everything into muscle memory.

Technical Trails

• On technical trails, always lean the bike to steer. Leaning the bike ensures the front wheel takes the smoothest line possible and won't jar against rocks and roots.
• Keep the heels down and brake less. Don't drag the brakes, instead pump them aggressively and deliberately on areas where grip can be found.
• Pump the bike, don't rely on pedaling to keep momentum. Pumping also helps you remain balanced on the bike.
• On muddy, wet descents, keep the knees in a little more than normal. This will control the rear of the bike and stop it from fishtailing around so much.

Oscar had us ride one of Whistler's technical blue runs with no pedaling. Conditions were slick so the challenge was even greater, but I was amazed at how my brain switched to seeing opportunities to squeeze out momentum instead of rough trail features. It definitely kept us sharp and picking smoother lines.

Jumps

• Keep the normal 80/20 attack position.
• Commit to the jump, but keep the index finger covering the brakes.
• Preload the suspension at the last second into the face of the take off ramp. You should be pushing the bike into the lip of the jump just before take off. If you're pushing down (vertically) you're pumping too early. Instead, catch the edge of the lip (on a steep lip the pump should feel like you're pushing horizontally almost.)
• If you preload too early you'll get bucked by the bike and end up dead sailoring once airborne (something I do often and had no idea how it was happening. Having Oscar explain what I was doing wrong helped my confidence enormously.)
• Keep your chest up and out once you're airborne. Don't hunch!
• Pull the bars towards your chest and roll your feet forward. Rolling the feet seemed odd, but it allows you to keep friction with the pedal and prevents your foot from leaving it.
• Focus on good take off. A good landing will always follow a good take off.

Although I still shied away from the biggest of the A Line jumps, employing Oscar's techniques pushed my jumping forward (and upward!) enormously. Knowing why I'd previously buckaroo'd on certain jumps and felt utterly helpless in the air meant I could prevent it and not worry about it. Also, giving a quick pump at the last second on the very tip of the jump's lip felt amazing! I immediately rode Crank It Up and cleared jumps with very little effort or speed, but with way more height and pop than before. I started to feel good about my jumping!

I did confide in Oscar about the A Line (and other black diamond route) jumps thwarting my confidence. He reassured me that it takes time to get comfortable in the air and that those jumps are in fact very advanced and I shouldn't feel bad about not clearing them. He also explained that, psychologically speaking, not being able to see past a big jump's face will always wilt the confidence until you know what to expect from them. This made sense. I couldn't understand why jumps on Crank' were such good fun and I enjoyed hitting them but the slightly bigger A Line jumps messed with my head. Now I knew why. The key to unlocking my confidence will be to master a consistently successful launch and feel comfortable in the air. Once I'm able to do that, bigger jumps will be fun. I did have a few Eureka moments where I was able to play with the bike midair and gain some good height and it felt amazing. I just need to keep that positive feeling in my head the next time I hit the bigger stuff.

Drops

• Approach in a neutral position.
• Don't try to pop off the drop, no need to prejump or launch off.
• Push the bike out in front of you. Jockey it back into position as you hit the downslope.
• Roll the feet forward a little to help guide the bike into the correct angle for the transition.

I've always felt pretty good about drops so was pleased that I had no real issues during the clinic. I was suprised at how many people would do a little lift before the drop. Its always made more sense to me to let the bike drop first and melt into the open space. The rolling of the feet felt good although its easy to overdo it and pitch the bike forward too much. But when done correctly the landing feels buttery smooth.

Writing up the notes feels good. It's allowed me to process them a little more clearly. Lots of bullet points, but my biggest revelations were jumping (demystifying where I was going wrong when I'd sometimes dead sailor has helped me a lot) and body position. If the only thing I work on between now and next season is fixing my attack position, I'll be in much better shape next year. But I'm determined to take everything on board and up my game. I want to feel silky smooth, flowey goodness the next time I ride the Glory down some steep, gnarly black diamond shit!