Yes I spelled it “RUpdate…” just say it with a Scooby voice then you’ll be fine. Anyhow, I installed my KHS Rigid One fork on my Red Rocket last night and got a few miles in this morning before heading to work.

First few thoughts, this thing looks great! I’ve incorporated some Evomo stickers on the fork to accentuate the red and black theme of the bike.

My test terrain this morning was relatively flat and a few short climbs. But from what I experienced, this bike is fun! I thought that the rigid fork would have been stiffer, but perhaps the steel frame that my Gary Fisher is made with helps out with smoothing out some of the roughness.

I plan on riding this bike more often and found that I was very excited about it. Eric Hunner(single speed super hero) rides a rigid and swears by it. Our friend Lance Lowry is also on a rigid, but a 29er and he loves it.

One of the concerns that Priscilla brought up to me was the beating that I may get from the rigid bike. I’m sure for my first few times I’ll be sore, but I told her it wouldn’t be any different from me lifting weights at the gym, you get beat up the first few times, then you get buff! Not that I need to get more buff as it is…

Anyhow, I’ll report on the progress of this bike and let you know if this set up is a keeper.

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A while ago I mentioned that I built up a “faux” Full Suspension Redline for my buddy Loren. On Sunday after church, Priscilla and I took him to the Fullerton Loop to test out the bike. Back in his younger days, Loren used to be a pretty good BMX racer. So it was no surprise to me that he had excellent bike handling skills. So much so that he was like my shadow when it came to the jumps on the trail. The dude had some grace when taking jumps and he does a little flair kick too!

Here’s Loren coming down the trail.

Then there was I. Yup, that’s me sporting the MtnBikeRiders jersey.

We then headed over to the dirt jumps to see if Loren could do some of his magic. But those jumps were HUGE! Needless to say, we just tooled around the area and took the smaller ones…yah we showed them!

Anyhow, Loren did pretty well considering it was his first ride. Afterward, he said that he’d like to mountain bike on a regular basis!

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PRODUCT TESTED: SkirtSports Skort and SkirtSports Jersey

ABOUT ME: 5’5, 128lbs, 30 year old female. I love all kinds of riding but Mountain Biking is by far my favorite!

TESTING GROUNDS: Fullerton Loop, Mt Sac, Aliso Viejo, and other Orange County and LA Trails

Likes
I ran into SkirtSports back at Interbike and they sent me home with a set to test out on my rides and racing. This set gets three BIG LOVE IT’S from me!!! Love, Love, Love it! Just look at the set. What is there not to like? I immediately fell in love with the idea of mountain biking in a skirt!!!!

The skirt features a mesh short with a pink padded chamois, and it turned out to be the perfect length for my height. But like everything else, the true test is on the trails. To be completely honest I wasn’t sure if this little duo could hold up under trail conditions. Well I am happy to report that after over 6mos of wear, this skirt is holding up strong and it is still in excellent condition. What I loved about wearing a skirt out on the trails is the feeling of wearing spandex shorts but without that spandex look. Not all of us should be wearing spandex out on the trails and I enjoyed that I had the benefits of wearing spandex but with so much more modesty. They did a great job with the fit of this skirt also. I NEVER worried about the skirt lifting in the wind. It always stays in place while riding.

I have to add that this skirt is incredibly comfortable. In fact I have added it to my bike commuting wardrobe lately because the fit and the material feel so good. It’s also cute and modest enough to wear in my casual office environment. The mesh short is also very breathable but more on that later. No tears, fading or shrinkage. It held up to all the washing.

Dislikes
Well the con of the skirt can also be a plus, just depends on how you look at it. The mesh short of the skirt, is just that - mesh. It leaves you a little exposed under the skirt. Nothing to really fret over as the chamois conceals all your unmentionables, but you can see the color of your skin under the skirt. Again, the skirt stays in place though. So you don’t have to worry about it whippin’ up in the air while riding so I really didn’t care. It just made for a more “breathable” ride. lol.

The other item to keep in mind is the chamois. While it did offer some relief from the hard saddles, I wouldn’t recommend this skirt for an epic ride. The chamoisis is a little on the thinner side. Perfect for my trail riding under 20miles.

Sleevesless Bike Jersey

2nd Place win at the Fat Tire Classic 07′.

Product Overview

Often referred to as your “favorite jersey of all time?”, the TRIKS sleeveless jersey is as close to perfection as you will find. So what did we do to keep things exciting? We added more options! You asked for more colors, you got em! Black, Black/Smooch, Pink Crush and White. This jersey is out of sight! Timeless, classic, Skirt-fect (Skirt Perfect!!!). The Sleeveless BikeJersey has a slim-fit and is complete with a flat mandarin collar with a locking center Skirt zipper. It hits at the hip but is longer in the back, complete with 3 lower back pockets for gels and tubes. The COOLair fabric provides long lasting breathability and supreme moisture management.

Fabric: COOLair (50% Coolmax, 50% Polyester)

Special features: reflective locking center Skirt zipper

Suggested uses: cycling, triathlons

Like/Dislikes

First off I have to say overall I really dig this jersey. Skirtsports offers a great collection of cute, and functional attire for cyclists. This jersey is beautiful. It still looks brand new after many, many bike rides and washes. The material proved to be very breathable. I appreciated the small details in this jersey such as the reflective front zipper and the back pockets. I also loved the feminine colors. If pink isn’t your cup of tea, that’s a-ok. They also offer black, white, and a few printed jerseys. The jersey also fitted well. Their sizing seems to be right on target. I don’t really have anything negative to say about the jersey. My only issue may be with the elastic in the bottom of the jersey. It wasn’t uncomfortable or anything. It would just be nice sometimes not to have to think about pulling down the jersey, but that’s just a personal preference. Most jerseys do have a bottom elastic.

Overall, this skirt and jersey combo has become one of my favorites. I don’t want to look like the other boys when I am out on the trails! This functional skirt allows me to ride my best and to do it in style. Every girl should have one of these babies in their closet. Check out there website. I believe this particular skirt is no longer available but they do have another style cycling skirt available as well as cycling shorts. They have skirts for all kinds of sports - running, triathlons, cycling - something for everybody!

Popularity: 16% [?]

This past weekend my family and I headed up to the Bay area for a mini vacation.  Since we planned the trip last minute, we were unable to find a good rate for a hotel within the City.  We ended up finding one in Redwood City on the outskirts of San Francisco.  Knowing that there is a huge mountain biking community up north I looked for trails near our hotel.  I planned on riding early Sunday and Monday morning while everyone was still sleeping.

I consulted with my riding buddies from the Bay area and also posted on a few forums.  All recommended Water Dog trail in Belmont, which is the next city to my location.  One response from the forum was to check with the Passion Trail Bikes, a local bike shop.  After doing my research, turns out the trail and the LBS were only a few miles from my hotel – perfect!

We arrived at our hotel early Saturday morning.  After we settled in, we headed to SF City.  On the way we stopped by Passion Trail Bikes.  I wanted to get a trail map as well as route recommendations first hand from the locals.  I have to say this was a top notch store on the customer service side.  (I wasn’t really looking at the products for sale or the type of bikes they carried.)  Unfortunately I cannot recall the names of the guys that were assisting me.  However they gave me clear directions, turn-by-turn, for the trail…  I also regret that I didn’t take a picture of the store front.  It had one of the most friendliest atmosphere I have ever experienced.  There were many riders hanging out – coming from or going to a ride.   Seeing this made me anxious about my ride the following day.

The Trail:  Water Dog contains approx 8 miles of trails, the majority being singletrack.  There are several sets of switchbacks which can be ridden either way – up/down.  There are quite a few ladder bridges built over gaps, turns and other rutted out areas.  There were also jumps but I did not see these.

The Ride:  Following the directions given to me and with my trusty GPS, I started on a gradual singletrack climb.  This skirted the southeast corner of the park heading clockwise.  While on this trail there were many cutoffs to the right (not on the map) which led to the bottom.  From the looks of them, one could have a real blast heading to the lower part of the trail.  Not before long I was already at a higher elevation. 

Along the way, I met John – a local rider.  We stopped and talked for a bit.  He gave me pointers on other segments of Water Dog.  He was also kind enough to let me tag along for portions of his ride.  We climbed parts of the park and one set of the switchbacks together.  These switchbacks were reminiscent of San Juan trail in So Cal.  Once at the top, he led me to a split where there were several choices for a technical descent.  From here we parted ways.  I wished that I had more time as it would have been a better ride following someone that was familiar with the trail rather than reading a map.  (Although I’m not opposed to it as I’d like to be adventurous, however time was not on my side.)  Shortly after John left, I ran into another local hiker.  I didn’t catch his name but he recommended other routes that were slightly different from John’s.  Never the less, both recommendations sounded like it had plenty to offer.

     View of the trailhead from the top.

I followed some of their suggested routes without diverting too much from the map.  The trails were fairly easy to find as they were well marked.  After about an hour of riding it was time to head back to the car.  I made my way back to a segment that led to a long singletrack descent to the bottom of the trail.  It was a super fun as it crossed several ladder bridges (one utilized the top of a wrecked car; not sure how they got it up there), skirted a hillside, and through a creek bed.  I wish I had my helmet cam to record the trip to the bottom.  I was not able to ride some of the recommended trails but my experience here at Water Dog was a good one.  The trail itself was in excellent shape, the weather was awesome, the people were friendly and most of all the singletrack was well worth hauling my bike to the Bay area.

     Look closely, it’s a cockpit of a car.

On Monday, we left for home earlier than scheduled therefore I didn’t not have a chance to ride again.  I do look forward to another trip to NorCal.  For those visiting the Bay area, definitely look into rides.  There are tons of trails up there and many LBS offer bike rentals. Below is a short video of my ride.

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Team Manager for KHS Bicycles sent me some info about Caroline Buchanan winning the World Cup Austrailia 4X Championships.

You can watch the action below.

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I was able to get in a solo ride this morning before work. Normally, I’m riding with friends, but 6:20am weekday rides are not the preferred time for most people. I can’t understand why. Anyway, since this ride was a last minute decision, I went out by my lonesome. No problem, but a question for you: when riding solo do you like to listen to music?

I find that when riding with friends, especially if the group is small, it is better and maybe even polite to not listen to music. Recreational mountain biking is a social experience. Talking, making jokes, encouraging one another to do slightly stupid, or maybe even really stupid stuff is part of the experience. Listening to music and drowning out all other noise/conversation is not part of the social experience of recreational mountain biking. Unless you’re sharing music via speaker, earphones I find are better left at home.

This morning, on my solo ride, I chose to go with music. I pulled out my Oakley Thumps, an original pair with a whopping 128mb of space! But something feels different when you’re riding with music. You don’t have the opportunity to listen to those voices in your head as much. It’s an unusual feeling. Without music I am mentally talking to myself during my ride, deciding on how hard to push myself to climb the hill, mentally challenging myself to push through the burn, maybe even kicking myself if I don’t make it. But with music on, the drummer in me wants to time my cadence with the music. Thankfully the music wasn’t too up-tempo or I’d have been cooked halfway through the ride.

I also notice that with music, I tend to lose touch with the world around me. With music, I don’t hear the dance being performed by the tire and the trail. I don’t hear the subtle rustles of the birds or rabbits in the bushes (I hope it’s just birds and rabbits). With music, I don’t hear the response from other trail users when I greet them. Like most everything in life, listening to music while riding is a tradeoff… a tradeoff I’m willing to make every once in a while. What about you? To music or not to music?

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This weekend, Joe, Moe and I hooked up at the world famous Fontana/Southridge DH course. Joe recently got a new Intense Socom and was itching to try it out.

Joe’s Intense

I brought out a Nikon D80 and the Vholdr to document our ride. Here’s Moe scoping out the place.

Taking the first part of the run.

Joe gettin’ buck wild!

Here’s Joe modeling his new MtnBikeRiders.com Jersey.

Then it was my turn!

By the way, Moe and I are both using Sette Impact Elbow Guards and Knee/Shin Guards and I may add that they are super comfy!

Right afterwards we headed over to the best place on earth to have breakfast, McDonald’s! Have you ever had a McGriddles? OH man…that right there was made by God himself! It’s soooo yummy!

Joe can’t believe that the saturated fats from his McGriddles is so tasty!

Since the DH course is rather short, the video it self isn’t all that long. So enjoy what we have for ya!

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After riding Hurkey Creek the first day on Saturday. Priscilla and I decided to get another dosage of this sweet trail. What’s funny is, on day one, we felt like the trail was tough. But on day two, being more familiar with the trail and knowing what to expect, we did way better.

We actually got lost the first day, but found our way back to the main trail after following tire tracks on the ground. There was a group that passed us up and I remembered that one of the guys was running Small Block Eight tires. Since Priscilla and I both have those tires, that tread pattern on the trail was pretty easy recognize.

After our ride, we headed into town and got some grub…There’s this Chinese Food place in Idyllwild, actually its the ONLY Chinese Food place there. The owner of this restaurant is some sort of world renowned chef that has cooked for former presidents and people like Dolly Parton…Anyhow, the food was awesome! As we all know, eating after a good ride is the best way to cap off a great day.

Our trip to Idyllwild was great. It was actually our 12th anniversary! Yup, Priscilla has put up with me for 12 WONDERFUL years! We’re definitely going to come back to Hurkey Creek, but this time we’re going to camp there.

As usual, I created a short video using the Vholdr and my digi cam.

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We arrived at Idyllwild late last night. Ah there’s nothing like driving a compact car through curvy mountainous roads. Friday night was a full moon and it sure was pretty too see the mountains glowing. I had to pull over and get a shot. Dumb camera sucks so the quality is bleh.

From what I’ve learned, Idyllwild has tons of trails, but the main one is Hurkey Creek. Priscilla and I rode part of this trail a few years back. So we decided to go back and see if we can finish it off this time around. After the first few miles of climbing, we were greeted by some sweet single track and beautiful scenery.


We ended up in the bottom of a valley and what we were surprised by was how green everything was during the middle of the summer.

You may have noticed that I was riding the IBEX Ignition 3. Joe S. should have a review on that bike soon. Though the frame is a large, I installed a Sette Stumpy stem to help me fit on the bike a bit better.

The IBEX Ignition was a BLAST to ride! I was really blown away on the performance of this bike. It is a bit chunky compared to my single speed, but the gears were there to help me clear some of the harder climbs. What I liked about the IBEX was the ability to absorb absolutely everything I put it through. There were many times that we went through a chute like single track that had 1-2 foot sidewalls and at the same time rolling over baby heads and in each turn was a nice deep berm.

That type of riding conditions is where the IBEX really excels. As soon as I rolled through the first baby heads and handled a few berms, I knew that this bike was ready to rock. Throughout the downhill single track, I purposely looked for bumps, jumps and anything that would make this bike respond.

Just think of it this way, you know when you have some sort of new power tool such as a drill or power saw, you want to find more uses for it since screwing the cabinets or cutting the legs off your picnic table to make them even is getting boring. Well that’s what I was doing with the IBEX.

Joe S. tested this bike for the review and one of the things he mentioned was the Ignition’s ability to be more than a great trail bike, but in reality you could easily use this bike for DH stuff and really technical riding. After today’s ride, I do have to agree. I honestly felt like the IBEX can handle WAY more than what Hurkey Creek gave.

Priscilla loved the downhill single track so much that she wants to go back tomorrow! More pictures to come!

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Last week Jeremy, Khoa and Tim Scissors went up to Big Bear to do some riding. But this weekend its our turn. Priscilla and I are heading up to Idyllwild for a weekend getaway and part of our mini-vacation is to ride Hurkey Creek. They used to host the 24 Hours of Adrenaline there, but I’m not sure if they do that any more.

Anyhow, the car is all packed up, the kids are with my sister and I’ve let out my pet skunks in my home to deter burglars.

We’ll be posting updates of our mountain biking adventures when we feel like it. In the mean time enjoy this sexy bike video…

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