Three Generations.

Always Ride Jah Bike!

Dirt Dispatch: Scioto Trail State Park

Ohio isn't known for epic mountains.  That said, finding gravel and hills to climb is about as hard finding a drunk in the French quarter. Leave any of the cities and in about an hour in any direction you are lost in farmland and foothills of the Appalachians. 

Scioto Trail State Park is one such hidden gem near Chillicothe, smack in the middle of the state.  Home to the aptly named "race", Frankenbike 50, the terrain is similar to that found in Shanwnee State Park just south along the Ohio river.  Gravel is in no short supply along with horse trails found at almost every bend.

After just barely making it in time to catch the group we were rolling with, in no time we were packed and ready to ride out. Among the group were several I recognized from cross racing and at least one or two who had recently done the divide. A short clip to the first climb and we were onto the much sought broken chips of rock. Most climbs in this area consist of winding around several hills slowly making your way to the ridge, then staying on the ridge line going up and down in between the tops for miles. Two or three quickly escalated the pace and I found myself struggling to get my legs loose.  My chase of the front couple led us to the fire tower that greets you upon entering the park. After a nip of whiskey we were on the descent that left me thanking my stars that I had put the Rock and Roads on the day before. Still a bit hesitant on a new bike I wound up feathering the brakes more than I would have on my old bike I had grown to love. 

The best kind of gravel here is newly saturated gravel and with two days of rain we had that hard packed, sticky in turns stuff that lead to hero descents. I will acknowledge that I probably took a few turns faster than I should have, having only ridden the bike on my commute for a week. The best shakedown is a downhill shakedown. Consider this bike shaken down. 

The Salsa Warbird 2 is smooth beyond explanation. An abundance of space for large tires, no toe overlap, stiff on acceleration, and my taint doesn't hurt the day after. Things I like being a shorter, stocky guy.  After warming up on the first climb, the rest seemed heavenly. We enjoyed playing casual cat and mouse with Sarah, until the final climb when a lone single speeder punched it past us. Darkness settled in my mind for the next 30 min and it was all I had to keep him from disappearing around each bend.

At the end, the whiskey met its demise and beer and chips were passed until spirits were hopelessly high and any ache, numbed. I must thank the entire Swallow/Lytle family (Tom, Sarah, Peter, and Mary) for the heads up on the ride along with transportation to and from. If you need a Salsa or any other number of rad bikes please check them out at Swallow Bike Works in Loveland, Ohio.

Tom McKenna

A Woodsman

Da Yoopers

This is so awesome.  Well shot with tasty archival footage and hilarious newscaster viewpoints.

COLD ROLLED-Chapter 2: The Thirty-Year Winter from Clear & Cold Cinema on Vimeo.

Beausage

Love this well-worn Acorn handlebar bag.  It sags from use, but its natural discoloration and darkened leather belie many adventures and stories.

More here.

Can't Win Em All!

Drool-worthy completed eBay auction items that I missed out on!  All photos are links.

Moots Mondays?

Moots has two distinct phases, that of the funky 80s with Kent Erickson at the helm and the most recent decade and a half, which have presented the elegant, brushed titanium frames that we are so familiar with.  Kent's introduction of YBB (Why Be Beat) soft tail suspension helped to bridge these two eras, but put a 1983 Mountaineer next to a 2014 Divide and the difference is clear.  They are both rad, but in totally different ways.  My tastes fall towards the vintage side as those bikes have far rougher edges and decades of stories to tell.  The first one I'll post for an official Moots Monday belongs to Sky at Velo Cult.

Head over there to read more!

Moots Mondays

Moots founded in 1982 with the Montaineer as their one and only model. Using Moots Mounts , it allowed you to move the brake mounting points to accommodate for 26", 650b, and 27" wheels for a truly versatile bike.  This super clean 1983 model in a very rare 24" frame size is for sale over at First Flight Bikes.

Check out more pictures here.

Steve Banks Collection

Steve Banks' mountain bike collection is full of ridiculously rare bikes and is up for sale.  It has no advertised price and can be purchased by contacting American Cyclery in SF.   According to the site, you will receive a near complete set of Fat Tire Flyers and an original, framed photo of the Marin crew at the first Whiskeytown Enduro race.

Check out the collection here.

Mt. Tam Shuffle Wednesdays!

Queen Bee.

See more photos by Anne Cutler here.

Can't Win Em All!

Drool-worthy completed eBay auction items that I missed out on!  All photos are links.

Cunningham Series E

Charlie Cunningham has a very sporadic production schedule, yet after nearly 20 years of constant tinkering, he has released a few Series "E" bikes to follow up his previous Series "D" models.  Notable are modern introductions such as an XTR Shadow Plus 10 speed derailleur and XTR pedals alongside his proven proprietary cam brakes and a square taper Middleburn triple crankset.  These are true works of art which have been dialed-in to fit Charlie's idiosyncratic riding style and maintenance schedule, which is frequent and favors serviceable parts.  Seriously, check out that twine steering damper.

Check out more at Black Mountain Cycles' Flickr page here.

Black Mountain Cycles looks like heaven.

Go  check out the Black Mountain Cycles Flickr for a massive dose of stoke!

The Pros Closet: What We Ride

The Pros Closet has for years now been the go to place to drop your used gear in return for cash.  This gives them the opportunity to find vintage gems such as this one belonging to founder Nick Martin.  Not only a rare XL size, this particular bike was the personal ride of original Yeti welder Chris Herting, as noted by his initials on the underside of the bottom bracket in place of a serial number.  I dream of finding a bike from this era, particularly one with history.

More details and a bike check here.

BROsage

Grant Peterson over at Rivendell Bicycle Works created a portmanteau, beausage, to describe beauty through usage.  It's usually never a traditional form of beauty, but involves forgotten grit and worn through parts longing to be replaced.  Forget the mileage and training regiment.  Ride with friends, in all conditions, and maintain your bike when you get the chance. A clean bike is a wall hanger, get that shit dirty and enjoy it!  A good friend, Alex Steinker, is keeping the dream alive back in my home state of Ohio while riding his Ritchey Swiss Cross.

Check out his site here.

Global Fat Bike Day

Now that there's nearly a foot of snow on the ground here in Denver, I really wish I had a fat bike!  More info on Global Fat Bike Day at Culture Cycles.

Can't Win em All!

                Drool-worthy completed eBay auction items that I missed out on!