Osprey Viper 9

Let me explain something about myself. I love my Camelbak Mule. You can almost never catch me without it. Water, tools, tubes, food. It carries everything. And is comfortable and has handled years of abuse. So with that being said, it was hard for me when an Osprey Viper 9 pack showed up at the shop with my name on it. But hey, gotta make changes every now and then right?! So I filled it with three liters of water, and set out to see how much nine liters of storage can actually hold.

The short answer, more than you might think. The long answer? Shorts, chamois, jersey, socks, gloves, hammock with straps, first aid kit, granola bars, Cliff Blocks, lighter, multi-tool, hand/CO2 pump, tube, shock pump, knife, headlamp, keys, and a wallet. And that's just inside of the pack. The Lid Lock does a great job holding your half shell and my SixSixOne knee pads strap onto the side of the bag very easily. All this means that this pack is big enough to do an overnight trip if you really wanted to.

Carrying a lot of stuff isn't useful though if you don't like riding with the pack on. So with all this stuff still there, I threw the bag on and hit the trails at FATS (see last post). Once I had the straps set how I wanted, the bag was extremely comfortable. It sits well and never moves. I was really impressed with how stable it feels, even loaded down. It has yet to rub me in any funny way or make me feel constricted. Even on my first ride with it loaded down, I put in around 40 miles and not once was upset that I had it on. It also is extremely breathable. There is a mesh back with cut outs to help airflow and keep you cooler. Even on days with a heat index well over 100 degrees, I felt just fine. 

The Osprey pack has great durability so far as well. It has seen a couple hundred miles of riding, a few falls, 115 degrees, heavy rain, and the Chomolungma Challenge (30,000 feet of descending!). No strap has moved, or started to fray, or anything along those lines. Buckles all engage still, the bite valve still works flawlessly, and the Lid Lock system still holds your helmet securely to the outside of the pack. And to make it better, this pack full of awesomeness is backed up by Osprey's All Mighty Gurantee. What they say is that any reason, any product, any era. If it breaks, they fix it. 

"Osprey will repair for any reason, free of charge, any damage or defect in our product – whether it was purchased in 1974 or yesterday." - ospreypacks.com

Overall, I like this pack a lot. A whole lot. I would recommend it to anyone. Whether you are doing XC rides or going on two day bike camp trips, and everything in between. And if you need even more storage and space, they also make a Viper 13. And if THAT isn't enough, they make all the way up to a 36 liter pack with the Manta line up.  All of which are available with 1.5-3 liter Hydraulics Reservoir. 

So load up your pack and grab your bike! It's time to ride all this way!

That's FAT...S

I realized the other day that I am a terrible person. I have traveled the country, ridden dozens of places, and written about every single one. But I haven't written about the places here at home! And the first experience at FATS seems like a perfect excuse for me to give a shorty write up! So what's FATS? It's an IMBA epic ride. It's been featured in multiple articles and magazines. It was the host site of the IMBA World Mountain Bike Summit. And it's 37 miles of fast, flows XC trails. The Forks Area Trail System is a Sorba built place  just outside of Augusta, SC and only an hour drive from me. So the other day I decided to overpack my new bag (hint hint next review), and head down to put in some miles.

I went down with my new Fuel. I know, my 29er would probably be a better bike there, but I want to keep putting miles on the new girl! I ended up riding all but one trail, and once I factored in connection trails and the gravel road ride to get to the second group of trails, I ended up right around 40 miles worth of riding! The riding here certainly is not difficult. Even the most technical areas seemed a mere hiccup to the Fuel. But where it lacks in technicality it makes up for in speed and flow. You have to pedal to go fast, but that's expected in this fairly flat area. But when you do push the pedals, the flow is super fun. The few real descents are Mach 2 speeds with no brakes all the way down, and even the climbs scream by quickly. Deep Step was certainly my favorite trail, with the most "terrain" at the south trailhead. Brown Wave was fantastic as well, acting basically as a 5 mile pump track through the woods!

Overall, my first ride at FATS was well worth the trip. I am absolutely positive I'll go back! Really anyone in the area should look into making a trip. It's fun, fast, and smooth for miles and miles.

Look S-Track

Although they weren't truly the first company to make a clipless pedal, Look was the first company to successfully mass produce them. In 1984 Look first released their clipless design. A design that has hardly changed since then. Their road pedals from 1984 and 2014 don't look all that much different. I guess when you do something right, you shouldn't change it. 28 years after the original release of their road pedals, Look dove head first into the mountain clipless scene with the S-Track design. Since then I have been wanting to try them because, well, they are new. A few months ago I finally decided my old pedals had seen their last ride, so I grabbed myself a pair of the S-Tracks and slapped them on a bike. Here is what I (and Look) have to say about them

THE SPECS
Composite body and deflectors
2 sealed bearings with 1 IGUS bushing
2 seals and 1 elastomer plug to keep the elements out
3 deg float
15 deg release
320 grams with cleats

Those are the basic specs for the entry level S-Track pedals.  Look also claims to have the largest cleat/pedal/shoe interface on the market of 460 mm^2. What that means for you is a solid engagement, more pedal power, and more comfort. The DCS (Dynamic Cleat System) is designed to efficiently shed mud, water, sand, and just about any other element you will run into on the trail (even horse dung depending on where you are...). That means long cleat life, because who actually wants to change cleats? All of this not enduro enough for you? Don't stress it, Look has an app for that! Ok so it isn't an app, but they do have you covered with the S-Track CAGE. The cage is a simple install that bumps your foot contact area to 870 mm^2. This is going to give even more confidence and comfort in your feet. But enough with the technical mumbo jumbo! I got these pedals to test them, not rewrite the specs.

These pedals have now been on 2 shred sleds, a road bike, and a fixie (yes a fixie). The cleats are fixed to carbon soled Specialized Expert mountain shoes. I have been on them for a while now and the first thing I have to say is that the cleats last a long time. I can honestly say that the cleats hardly look used! The pedals and cages also seem to be holding up well. Both have hit their share of rocks and roots and other than minor scuffs there seems to be no damage. From the very beginning, the pedals gave a reassuring click when they engage, and that same click still happens every time. Engaging and disengaging the pedals isn't difficult either. Harder than Crankbrothers, but nothing extreme.

I do have to say that the power transfer is good. With the cage on, you get a solid foot feel no matter how hard you are pushing, even if you have to start out unclipped on a hill. You can always be sure that you're going to get the most power possible in just about any position. That all adds up to less fatigue in your feet and legs because there is no wasted pedaling. And the control is great. There is just enough float to allow the bike to move underneath you while barreling down the steep, technical trails without your feet coming undone. This means you can go faster, stay on longer, and be sure that when you mash the pedals, the bike will accelerate.

Overall I have become a big fan of the pedals. I once was a Crankbrothers guy. Used their pedals for years. But I have to say I've grown fond of how secure these Looks feel. They give great feedback and solid, confident pedaling and foot engagement that certainly stands up to the name Look has in road clipless designs. If you are just getting into clipless or are in the market for a new pair, don't hesitate to look at Look. I think anyone from XC to enduro would like these pedals and at right around $100 they aren't the most expensive ones out.

So if anyone has any comments or questions on the review feel free to ask me. I am more than happy to voice any other opinion on them and open to feedback!

Thanks for reading, and remember. The trail goes on forever, and the fun never ends!

317

That's how many days it's been since I posted. Thats roughly 7608 hours or 456,480 minutes or 27,388,800 seconds. That's a long time huh? A lot has happened since I last posted anything. Miley Cyrus made twerking famous. Selfie, twerk, and derp got added to the Oxford Dictionary. There was a $1.5 million medical grant to study why lesbians are fat (seriously, look it up...). The United States government decided to not do anything for over 2 weeks. A man bought a house next to his ex wife just to put a statue of a middle finger up. And most importantly, I got myself a fancy new bicycle. Yes I finally switched sides. I am the proud new owner of a Trek Fuel EX 9. 650b wheels, a great geometry, and the new RE:aktiv rear shock. She's purdy...

But come on. What's the point of being so pretty if she doesn't perform? Well it does. Really freaking well. It climbs great, and the new RE:aktiv shock impressed me both up and down. The bike sticks to the ground. You let go of the brakes and it goes. FAST. I not once felt like the bike was out of its comfort zone, and don't know that I would have wanted to go too much faster on some of the trails I've ridden. I have to say that Trek really knocked it out of the park with this one.

But I didn't start writing again just to tell you about my new bike. I've decided that I'm going to try my hand at some product reviews. Not the stuff where a company sends parts and pays people to write good things. This is going to be reviews of parts I go out and buy because I want to try them. Hopefully all this will work out well and if nothing else ,I hope that someone gets help making decisions because of this. Got one in the works right now, so look to hear from me in a couple of days!

Thanks for reading! And remember. The trail goes on forever, and the fun never ends.

Bend. Home of Hero Dirt

Finally had the chance to spend a little time in the Deschutes National Forest right outside of Bend, Oregon. Although I finally came across rain while on the trail (first time this whole trip!), the trails were pretty incredible. And like the title says, everything was hero dirt. Except of course the log rides and rock gardens. Hero dirt is what us mountain bicycle riding folk like to call the dirt that, no matter what you do, is as grippy as dirt can get. No matter how fast you go or how hard you turn, the tires stick to the ground like a cat on carpet (or your leg depending on how nice the cat is). It does a good job giving you confidence and an even better job making you go faster than you meant to. Put simply, it's awesome! Unfortunately, I only spent a day with all this hero dirt, but I certainly made the best of it, putting in nearly forty miles on basically every trail I had access to from one trailhead. This included Funner, Tiddlywinks, Larsen's, Storm King, and just a little bit Tyler's Traverse.

Good rides in Deschutes followed by good food and beer at Deschutes!

Funner is probably the funner of the trails in the area in my opinion. A few cool log rides, one with about a six foot drop at the end. Most of the terrain is very natural feeling and is extremely fast with a happy mix of flow and somewhat technical sections. My only complaint is that it's short! It only took me seventeen minutes to do a top to bottom run my first time on the trail. And that included stopping to check on someone who fell and to do a log ride I screwed up a second time to clean it. But, I did thoroughly enjoy the ride. It is an extremely well built trail!

Next up was Tiddlywinks. This is like a miniature A-line! It was extremely fast and a ton of fun, but did seem a little small, even for XC bikes. Once again, the trail was hero dirt from start to finish. So yet again, you could go fast on this trail. Really fast. 38mph first time down actually. This is certainly a trail I would recommend to anyone in the area and is yet again, an extremely well built trail! The people up in Bend definitely put the time and money into their trails which results in great systems. Good job y'all!

All in all, my Bend experience was short and sweet. It was definitely a great place to spend my last day of riding on the west coast! I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the trails and will certainly be back at some point in time to experience more of the trails in the area!

A Butcher in Downieville

I've spent the last four days in the infamous Downieville, CA. Yes. It is as good as all the videos an write ups say they are. It is absolutely phenomenal. I know I've said it before, but these are some of the best trails I have ridden. They are extremely well built and the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship does a freaking incredible job making sure they stay in the best conditions.

Elevation 2,900ft, population 325 folks

For those who don't know. Downieville is a town of about 325 people in Tahoe National Forest in Northern California. The area has a huge variety of trails and an endless amount of terrain to work with. It has long been famous for how well built the trails are and for how much riding is within a short ride or drive from this tiny old prospecting town. And to add to the trails, the scenery is breathtaking due to the fact that nothing within miles and miles of the town has been developed. Most of the area is old growth and the only people around live in similar towns. One I saw had a population of a whopping.... sixteen people. Yup you read that right. One six. The area is so desolate that I didn't have cell phone service anywhere within an hour of Downieville. But enough of what the town is. On to why it is a mountain biker's dream!

The SBTS guys doing some awesome work on Butcher Ranch trail

The guys from Yuba found a way to make horseshoes more fun. By using Kegs and Kendas!

For starters. The one shop there is great. Yuba Expeditions. Not a big shop at all. Very small selection of bikes and parts, but it has all the small necessities. What makes it so great is the people there and the philosophy with which they operate. It is a three man crew. For the most part only two guys are there though since one is driving the shuttle van to take mountain bikers to different trailheads. The guys there are great. Really friendly, helpful, and really knowledgeable. They certainly don't beat around the bush when it comes to bikes. They are also a non-profit shop. They pay overhead and get the needed inventory, then all other profits go towards the Sierra Butte Trail Stewardship (SBTS). SBTS is a group that does nothing but build professional, sustainable trails in the area. All donations go to paying the full time trail crew and buying the best tools possible to get the job done. On any given day you can find at least three guys from the group on a trail working. And that brings me to the second reason it is such a great area. The trails.

Having a full time trail crew in the area means that trails are always in top conditions. I have ridden in bike parks that don't have trails this well built. Simply put, these trails are phenomenal. Everywhere I rode was well marked, making it nearly impossible to lose your way, and every difficult section you could walk or go around (not that I did; well on purpose...). The amount of terrain options is pretty incredible as well. Some trails were fairly smooth and extremely flowy. Others were super technical and slow moving with lots of ups and downs thrown in the middle of it. The trails that everyone who rides has heard of are the ones that make up the Downieville Downhill. Fifteen(ish) miles of enduro style descending. And it had everything. A couple decent sized jumps, big berms, long rock gardens, smooth sections you could hit Mach 5 on (ok ok it was only 37mph. Between trees.), and natural sections full of roots, rocks, ruts, bumps, and everything else the forest could throw at you. Needless to say, I liked it. A whole hell of a lot. My next favorite trail there was the Mills Peak Trail. I don't remember an exact distance, but I know you climbed then descended  over 3,000 vertical feet. It is a well built path, but is a very natural style terrain. Extremely fast, really technical, and a ton and a half of fun.

And to make the whole experience just a little bit better, the camping had some pretty incredible views and I managed to push the van down a couple "4x4 only" roads! She didn't flinch a bit, and didn't even think about getting stuck! I have to say I was pretty impressed with where I managed to drive the huge truck!

View from the top of the Downieville Downhill

Pretty large logs huh?

Off-roading the Road Warrior!

Whistler

There is nothing to write about Whistler. It really just wasn't that great. I mean how did it become so popular? Oh who the hell am I kidding, that place is freaking unbelievable. And it's not just downhill. ALL the riding there is incredible. Everyone has seen the downhill stuff. And videos do it justice! It IS as awesome as it looks. And what isn't in the big films is even better. Yeah. A-Line is awesome. The Schleyer drop is just flat out cool. And the Crabapple hits are well; ridiculous to say the least. But put yourself on a 5-6" bike and go do the All Mountain trails, and you will REALLY see what fun, technical riding is all about. The AM trails were actually steeper and more technical than almost every trail I rode at the actual park. And there were some serious climbs to get to them!

The park. What Whistler is known for. It's incredible. You have to take two different lifts to get to the top of the runs where you descend something like 5,000 vertical feet back to the village. And almost every trail is just flat out amazing. Whether it's the blue flow trails or the double black technical stuff. It's just fun. The park has everything to ride. The infamous A-Line is just like the videos make it out to seem. Huge jumps and berms that flow together so well it's unbelievable. You can literally ride the whole trail without pedaling and never have to touch the brakes either. It completely changed my perspective on what a well groomed trail is. Then there are trails like Goat Gully. A double black technical trail that did not hesitate to do its best to throw both you and your bike off the best line. And once off that line, things got even gnarlier really fast! Then of course I had to try the Crabapple hits. No. I did not do every jump. I didn't quite have the guts for stuff that big! The first few were ridiculous though!

And the "cross country" trails were so much more than I ever expected. Miles of climbing followed by miles of steep, gnarly descents. I honestly can't believe they considered some of these trails cross country. I can't imagine riding some of these parts on a 4" bike. A 6" was rough enough! But the views, the trails, and the good times I had out on these new trails with new friends was worth the technicality and roughness. Plus a good portion of the trails really improved my confidence on my small bike. I am even more comfortable on even bigger stuff on it now, which means nothing but more fun, better trails, and faster descents!. High Society is probably one of my new favorite trails. It is a long climb up, part road from the village to the start, then nice trail from there to the end. This trail is steeper than anything at the downhill park. And although you are moving a lot slower, it is just as much fun and keeps you on your toes the whole time! And Billy's Epic is well, EPIC! Super steep terrain and spots so off camber and rocky that it was impossible to go straight down the trail. It was all so amazing!

Then of course there was the camping!!!

Short video from whistler on its way, haven't had too much time to work on it yet! Thanks for reading up guys! Van life has been awesome, and I've come all this way and am loving what I've done, am doing, and what's left to come!