One of our newest riding buddies, Ryan K. recently got some new gear for his birthday. He received a nice set of pads, shoes and Crank Brothers Pedals. Ryan and I had emailed each other prior to our ride last week and I warned him that it takes some time getting used to the clipless pedals. With that said, he advised me to bring my camera just in case he fell.

Well, I did bring it, and here he is on his first clipless fall. I felt honored to be part of this momentous occasion. Thanks Ryan!

Oh by the way, the bike is ok!

Popularity: 23% [?]

The morning trails were not what we were expecting when we decided to come up and do the lift-assisted riding. At least it was not what 3 of us were expecting. The two who had driven up for the morning are definitely on a different level of riding then us and prefer different types of riding… which is another lesson learned and one that will be examined in the last part of this series.

Trail leading up to Grand View point

During a subdued lunch, the three of us reviewed our morning. We especially were downtrodden when we recalled how little riding we did compared to how much walking we did. For all the walking I did, I even received a little prize in the form of a cut & bruised knee. Tim, the resourceful one, decided to change our course for the afternoon and took things into his own hand by walking up to a random gal riding a nice Specialized Safire and engaging her in conversation.

Tim resting at Grand View Point

After chatting up the gal, we find out that she is a local. Even better is that this gal, Deb, volunteers to lead us to the much sought after but not found XC style trails. Deb, and her husband John, whom she rounds up and explains the plan to, then proceed to spend the rest of the afternoon with us as we hit Pirate, Fern, Pineknot, Grand View and other linking trails. It got so good that we took very few pictures! As bad as the morning was for us was how good the afternoon turned out to be.

Khoa posing at Grand View Point

Singletrack, XC style

The afternoon was spent riding many, many miles of fast, swoopy, singletrack trails with a little bit of technical challenging sections that also happened to be accomplish-able. These XC style trails were fun in so many ways and were the exact trails the three of us, who had spent the night, were looking for and expecting. Riding the singletrack we darted among the trees, going up a little but down a lot, launching off of small rocks, using body english, ripping it all… sweet XC riding. After just riding one short section of trails with Deb & John we knew we had found a couple with penchant for the trails we liked. Even better was that I knew I could take off my elbow & knee armor.

John, leading us back to the bikes after our break. John, who was fighting a little cough, was still WAY faster then any of us out there.

By the way, Deb & John, who have kids that are just a couple years younger than us, are FAST out there on the trail. John led the majority of the time while the rest of us played catch up, without ever catching up. Familiarity always makes you faster on a trail but John wasn’t fast due to familiarity, he was fast because he was fast. Deb was skilled as well taking on pretty much everything the trail threw at her with aplomb. But not only were Deb & John fast and skilled, they were also great ambassadors of mountain biking. Deb, towards the end of the ride, said that she didn’t want us riders to head out of Big Bear thinking that the trails sucked when there were actually great trails to ride that fit our style. How cool is that?

We’ll be riding down there tomorrow on SART

Part III coming tomorrow as we ride part of what is widely considered to be one of the top trails in Southern California, the Santa Ana River Trail aka SART.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Cabin sweet Cabin

This past weekend three of us went up to the local mountains for one day doing lift-assisted riding and the second day riding the Santa Ana River Trail (SART). We drove up on a Friday night and stayed at a cabin that had a front porch with full view of the lift we would be riding up on the next day. The bikes got a great spot in the kitchen. Every time I glanced at the bikes that first night I smiled. It’s just one of those things that bikes do to you.

The slopes & lift could be seen from our cabin porch!

Things had changed over the years in our local mountains. Just a few years ago the local mountain lift, Snow Summit, allowed you to bomb down the ski slopes with huge downhill/freeride bikes. But as the years have gone by, the local mountains have banned downhill/freeride bikes as well as riding down the slopes. In the meantime, great XC style & downhill trails developed as alternatives to the straight downhill slopes used by the winter skiers and snowboarders. The only difficulty? The XC and downhill trails are not marked, not on the trail and not on the map.

First ride up to the top: Khoa, Jeremy & JJ

We met up with two other friends when we got to the lifts. The other two guys decided to only join us for one day of riding… the wusses. j/k. 3 of us had never ridden the lifts before. 1 guy had but it was years ago and he spent most of that time on the now forbidden slopes. The last guy did the same lift-assisted riding last summer, so at least it wasn’t totally blind leading the blind. But still, we basically guessed wrong the whole morning.

A paragraph ago I mentioned that there were XC style & downhill trails? Well, all morning, except for maybe a short 1 mile section, we rode downhill style trails. “Rode” may be too generous a term here as you’ll see in the pictures below I did very little “riding” and lot more walking. And as always, the camera never makes the trails look as steep as they actually are.

Jeremy walking

Jeremy walking… some more

Jeremy walking… even more

OK, just so you know it wasn’t just me… Jeremy, Tim & JJ walking

Some random pictures:

Gotta love them lifts

The great thing about walking our bikes is that we get to see things we don’t normally see, like this caterpillar that Tim picked up. Tim nicknamed him the dinosaur caterpillar due to the horns and weird tail.

RL, you like the caterpillar?

Justin hitting the log jump

Justin, adding some flair to the jump

JJ, grinning like a mad man

Justin riding a log, no sweat

Redline Mono 9 & Trek 9.0 ready to hit the trails

Well utilized Honda Ridgeline

Part II, a HUGE lesson learned as things get much better.

Popularity: 27% [?]

Well its been a few months since I first received the Sette Reken from PricePoint.com. I’d like to thank Magally Gomez and Brian Cleveland for sending us this frame to test and review. So let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

Sette Reken Frame

Price: $99.00, not bad if you ask me!

Specs:

Model Reken Hardtail
Material Full 6061 Alloy, Double Butted Main Triangle
Welding Tig Welded
Wheel Size 26″
Headset 1-1/8″ Standard
Front Derailleur Size/Mount /Type 31.8mm, Clamp, Top Pull/Top Swing
Bottom Bracket 68, English
Seatpost Size 27.2
Seat Clamp Size 32.0
Disc Mount 51mm IS
Max Tire Clearance 2.3″
Available Sizes 14″, 16″, 18″, 20″
Color Black
Weight 4.5 lbs/ 2041g (18″)
Warranty 5 Year Manufacturer’s Warranty

Size 14″ 16″ 18″ 20″
Headtube Length 117mm 117mm 130mm 145mm
Top Tube Length (actual) 54.5cm 55.2cm 56.9cm 59.2cm
Top Tube Length (effective) 56cm 57.4cm 59.4cm 61.5cm
Seat Tube Length (C-to-T) 14in 16in 18in 20in
Chain Stay Length 424mm 424mm 424mm 424mm
Headtube Angle 70.5 70.5 70.5 70.5
Seat Tube Angle 73.5 73.5 73 73

If you scour the internet for product reviews of the Sette Reken, you’ll have a tough time finding it. For some odd reason people are either scared or skeptical of a mail order brand frame or bike. People like to stick to the well known brands thinking that they are of superior quality. But in reality, the same factory that made those chic brands was probably the same factory the Sette Reken came from, besides the frame has a 5 year warranty!

The Sette Reken started off as a single speed project back in Winter. I had talked to Magally Gomez about wanting to build an affordable single speed mountain bike. After a few words, she agreed to send me the Reken frame for our project along with their single speed conversion kit and tensioner.

The Reken would be my second single speed to build up. I came off another single speed full suspension project I had started around Christmas time. But by January, the Sette Reken was on the trail.

A couple things I noticed about the Sette Reken that made me immediately fall in love with it. First was the geometry. It had a slack 70.5 degree head tube angle that made it more comfortable to ride. I ran a 90mm stem on it because I have short arms, the frame was a 16″, stout, and flickable.

Single speed riding causes quite a bit of stress on any bike. The Reken held up nicely throughout the months of abuse that I gave it. I’ve taken that bike on some of the hardest climbs I can handle to the technical trails such as Rockit, and Lynx at Aliso Woods.

One of my favorite aspects of the Reken is the color, flat black. It’s unassuming, very humble and low key. It’s what you would call a sleeper bike. But once you put some power to those pedals, this thing responds. The Reken doesn’t have a lazy bike feel. It was light enough (25lbs), so that mean I could get up to speed really quick and since it weighed like an anorexic teenage girl, the bike was easy to handle.

Then at one point I had this idea of converting the Reken into a 69er. The frame did well, and there was some concern that the head tube angle was too slack to accept a 29er wheel. But during that time, the bike never felt like a chopper and rode just fine. However, that didn’t last too long since it wasn’t my cup of tea to ride a rigid 69er.

Now at a cross roads where I am considering turning the Sette Reken into a geared bike, perhaps a 1×9. This actually brings me to the summary of this review.

The Sette Reken by far has surpassed my expectations of this frame. I honestly thought that the frame would be OK to use on a build and possibly do well in the review. But after months and months of hard single speed riding, the frame has performed way better than I and anyone else thought. This is a frame that I could literally do just about everything with. Not only does it make a great single speed, but its disc brake ready, gears ready, has an awesome paint job(never chipped during review) and its totally versatile! This frame has seen more projects and tests done on it than any other bike we’ve tested.

So to say that I highly approve of the Sette Reken is an understatement. This frame ROCKS and as the Co-Founder of MtnBikeRiders.com, I am authorizing and approving that this frame gets the Stamp of Approval from MtnBikeRiders.com. Um…that’s a big deal! That means this bike has done its job and a bag of chips! I cannot say enough about how much I absolutely love this frame. Besides the $99 price tag makes it easy on your budget

Popularity: 29% [?]

We finally took possession of the much awaited KHS Flagstaff Full Suspension 29er yesterday. Unfortunately, the only test bike they had was a medium and the bike was a little too small for Jeremy, our resident 29er expert. Luckily, the bike fits me just fine so the duties of testing/reviewing this bike will fall upon me (yeah, I know, you feel bad for me).

Let’s begin by checking out the specs:

Frame: 29″ AL 7005 w/4-bar Horst bearing linkage, 3.5″ Travel w/RockShox Monarch 2.1 air shock
Fork: 29″ Rock Shox Reba SL 80mm, Dual Air, Motion Control, External Rebound, Internal Floodgate, Compression adjust to ‘Lock’
Headset: Tioga ZST2 Threadless, Zero Stack
Rims: WTB Speed Disc29 All MTN w/eyelets
Hubs Front: Alloy Disc Rear: Shimano Disc
Tires: WTB Exiwolf Race, 29×2.3, Folding
Spokes: 14G Black Stainless, 32°
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore
Rear Derailleur: SRAM X-9
Shifters: SRAM X-7 Trigger
Chain: KMC Z9000
Crankset: Truvativ Firex Giga X Pipe, 44/32/22
Bottom Bracket: Truvativ GXP outboard cartridge bearing
Cassette: SRAM PG950 11-34, 9-Speed
Pedals: Wellgo W41 Clipless
Seatpost: Truvativ XR
Saddle: WTB Silverado Race
Handlebar: Truvativ XR 31.8, Triple Butted
Stem: Truvativ XR 31.8, 3D Forged
Grips: WTB Weirwolf Dual Density
Brake Levers: Hayes Stroker Ryde
Brakes: Hayes Stroker Ryde Hydraulic, 6″ rotors
Color: Flat Black
Frame Sizes: S, M, L
MSRP: $2,399

Not a bad spec sheet if you ask me. Highlights include the Hayes Stroker Ryde Hydros, 4-bar Horst Suspension, X7 shifters and a X9 rear derailleur.

Wasting no time, I took the KHS Flagstaff for its maiden ride this morning. I rode the world famous Fullerton Loop, a perfect trail to get acquainted with a new bike. I was supposed to have ridden with my 2 other compadres, RL and Jeremy, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I ended up riding solo. This means that I won’t be able to post action photos, but we will post them on the next update.

I’m not a stranger to the big 29er wheeled bikes; I’ve owned a Gary Fisher Cobia 29er and I currently own a KHS Solo One 29er. I also believe that 29er bikes have advantages and disadvantages, so I’m not all for them nor I’m against them.

OK, now that I’ve given you the skinny on me, here are a few observations on the bike. Aesthetically speaking, the bike looks bad ass, the flat black paint job makes it look like a stealth bomber. The big wheels are imposing, you CAN tell that this bike is a 29er. The Rockshox suspension is easy to set up, simply look at their chart, match your weight (be honest) and pump the required PSI.

On the trail, the bike felt a little stiff and responsive, I was able to really hammer the flat singletrack section of the loop. Going up, well, being spoiled from riding a light hardtail, I really felt the bike’s weight. No biggie, this bike has plenty of gears. The bike behaved rather well downhill, I didn’t have to worry about picking the best line, but I didn’t let it rip like I do on my 6″ travel bike. Although the bike has only 3.5 inches of rear suspension, it didn’t leave me asking for more. I will see how this bike does on more challenging terrain.

I would like to thank Mr. Calvillo from KHS bicycles for giving us the chance to test this bike, we know that this bike is in high demand and they are hard to come by.

Popularity: 38% [?]

Yes, the wait is finally over, we got our grabby little hands on this:

Stay tuned, we will have photos and first impressions of this big wheeled bike soon!

Popularity: 29% [?]

Don’t be stupid and pet mountain lion cubs…

PORTOLA HILLS, Calif. (KABC) — A hiker was injured by a mountain lion after allegedly petting one of three cubs near Portola Hills in Orange County.

It happened when the hiker was out for a walk and came across three mountain lion cubs. Allegedly, even though the man knew the mother mountain lion was nearby, he pet one of the cubs. That’s when the mountain lion lunged at the man and scratched him.

For the rest of the story click here.

And from what I hear, they’ve closed down Whiting Ranch to complete the search for the cougar.

Popularity: 29% [?]

Priscilla and I were up late talking about the video I posted with the Vholdr. I was explaining to her that as a beginner, parts of Rockit and Lynx I was terrified. I had only really been mountain biking less than a year when we headed out to this trail and all I could remember was, I was scared. Much like this kid…

On Lynx(the last part of the video), I remember being the 3rd person in a line of riders. Somehow I got stuck in between some of the faster riders of our group. The group we were with were all decked out with expensive bikes and gear, while here I was along with a few of my buddies, including Moe had lower end bikes (except Moe-thus the Bling Bling name). Anyhow, as we’re rolling down the trail, my hands are burning from all the vibration and the death grip I had on my brakes. My legs were on fire too! I had a hard tail and I kept using my legs to absorb the punishment of the trail. About mid way through the trail, I lost all strength in my arms and legs. I remember just feeling like I just kinda let things go. You see I couldn’t pull of to the side since there really isn’t much room for me to do that and there was another guy right behind me…about 3 feet away.

At one point, I decided to let go of my brakes and sat down on my saddle. All I knew was, if I follow the guy in front of me, I’ll be ok. This gave my hands and arms to rest a bit. It felt like this trail went on forever, it actually does. Well not really, I read that Lynx is a mile long, so for a newbie going down hill, that is forever.

Once we got down, everybody in our group was hooting and hollering, and honestly I wasn’t sure if I really liked mountain biking at that point. I thought it was way too hard and dangerous.

When Priscilla heard me last night talking about these things, she was shocked. She’s always thought that I’ve always been riding the way I ride, I’m not a climber, but I’m a bomber. So when I told her I was scared, and was on the fence about mountain biking when I first started, she was actually pretty relieved to know that she isn’t the only one that sometimes feels that way when it comes to technical sections of the trail.

I think throughout the years, I’ve gained some skills that I was only able to learn from other riders that were better than me. I have to give credit to my buddy Scott Finch for most of that. He’s the one that essentially got me into mountain biking and has helped me with my bike handling. Oh and videos such as New World Disorder, Kranked, The Collective and of course ROAM has helped since I have seen those videos a million times.

So what’s the moral of the story? Well its simple really, its ok to be scared, ride with people that are better than you, it helps you understand how to handle your bike and the terrain. Oh one more thing, if you’re going down a technical section, don’t go too slow. You’ll crash. Just roll through it.

Popularity: 26% [?]

Check it out! It’s from PricePoint.com. It comes in either black or white!

The black is only $7.98 and the white is $9.98.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Wheels Manufacturing just sent us this nice little set up, its the SSK3
It comes with all you see here, Spacers (6), Chainguides (2),1 mm Shims (2)16t Cog (1).

The thing that caught my attention would be the chain guides…cool eh?

I’ll be slapping this kit on soon and see how well it does. Stay tuned for the review.

Popularity: 23% [?]