Hardtail 29ers

Recently I've been looking in to getting a hardtail 29er in addition to my bmx. A hardtail 29er is a bike with no rear suspension (hence the hard-tail) part of the name. It also has 29 inch wheels, which are 3 inches bigger then the conventional 26 inch wheel that most of our bike have these days. There are many advantages to these bikes that I will go over.

Trek's hardtail 29er, called the X-Caliber

Wagon Wheels

29ers are relatively a new thing in the bike world. They have been around for around 7 or so years and still are being worked on and improved as an idea. The advantage to having wheels 3 inches bigger is the fact that they roll faster, and have more traction and surface area then the smaller 26 inch wheels. The disadvantages are they are heavier slightly and aren't as strong as smaller wheels. Over the years though, these problems have been improved and changed. 

Hardtails

The hardtail part of the bike makes it lighter and stiffer then any other bike. A lot of these hardtail 29ers are made of carbon fiber and are super stiff and lightweight.

What are these bike for?

These bikes are made for long distance riding, whether it be climbing up mountains or riding down a rocky trail. These bikes are made for taking you up and down with ease.

 

The freedom to ride pretty much anywhere is a pretty rad feeling. Being able to just hop on your bike and ride 30 or so miles and ride back home is super nice. I love riding BMX and will continue to but I want some nice views and some miles put in the mountains once in a while.

Learning new BMX tricks

Since I started riding BMX, there are some tricks that I have always wanted to do. I made a list of all the tricks that I want to accomplish, checking them off as I have executed the trick correctly

Here's the list, even though most of these trick names are unknown to most people

 

Just started the list. I hope to get most of these done in a year or so.

 Learning new tricks usually starts out the same way for me. First, I watch some online videos and "how-to's" so I know the basics, and usually these videos have a few useful tips that would take a lot of trial and error to figure out. Then the hard part, which is going out and actually trying to do the trick. If I want a trick really bad, I will try it again and again and will not stop until I get it. This can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 3 hours of constant trying. I recently learned 2 new tricks that took me over 2 hours of constant trying to get. In the big picture a few hours is pretty good considering it takes people a few months or years to get. 

Footjam whips.

This trick I have tried for a few months on my mountain bike, and I just started doing them on my BMX bike. This trick took quite a few tries, and a pair of ripped jeans in order to get only one time correctly. Rainy days are good for practicing in your garage if you have enough room. This trick involves stopping the bike with your foot, and kicking the bike around 360 degrees with the other foot.

The Barspin

I've wanted to get this trick for years, and never had the balls to actually try it until a few weeks ago. This trick sounds pretty simple, but in reality its hard to do at first. Like the name says, it involves spinning your bars in the air and catching them. It's pretty easy to loose balance or hit your knees with the handlebars. This trick took maybe 100 tries once I committed to throwing the bars. A lot of times your mind tells yourself to do the trick but your body doesn't allow it because it doesn't seem safe.

I landed around 5 of these that night and plan on mastering this trick in as many places as I can.

 

I look forward to learning the rest of the tricks on the list, and pushing my riding to increase my skills and fun.

My latest favorite Lens

I've shot photos and videos with most every type of lens focal length there is, and my lastest favorite has been the 8mm. Before I continue, a focal length is the field of view (FOV).  A long focal length means there is a longer distance from the glass of the lens to the camera sensor.

Short focal lengths make for a wider field of view, while longer focal lengths create a smaller field of view. 

           

Above, this was Taken with 7.5mm (extra short focal length)

 

Above, this was Taken with 500mm (extra long focal length)

I recently got an 8mm lens, which shoots very wide angle images. to be exact, it shoots a field of view of 167 degrees around the lens. This lens allows me to get pictures that I was not able to get before with the advantage of such a wide field of view. Here are some interesting shots I've gotten in the last few weeks.

 

I really like the distortion of everything in the image. It puts a feel in a photo that is different than a photo taken with a regular lens. It makes things very dramatic and unreal looking. All these photos share similarities, with everything in focus. You can get really close to things and they will look like they are farther away then they really are, which adds to the distortion factor. It's for sure my go-to lens these days. 

The bulbus shape of the fisheye lens makes it vulnerable to being hit. Most come with a lens hood (as shown) which helps protect the lens to a certain degree.

I will continue shooting photos and  videos with this lens, and explore the creative options and hopefully get some good photos!

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Woodward Tahoe

On of the places I like to ride my BMX and my mountain bike is Woodward Tahoe. Woodward is an indoor/outdoor facility made for bikes, skateboards, scooters, and pretty much any action sport.

Above is part of the Foam pit area and Resi. This is designed for riders to learn tricks

Foam Pit and Resi

This part of Woodward is most popular. It features a foam pit with adjustable ramps leading into it. The foam pit provides a safe way to try tricks before you try them on dirt or concrete. After you have mastered a trick into the foam pit, you can then try it on the resi, which is the jump to the left of the foam pit. The resi is a layered landing composed of foam layers with a plastic top. It provides a landing thats safer then dirt or concrete. This area is designed to get riders trying new things and learning new tricks in the safest way possible.To the left of the Resi is the pumptrack, This is a rythym secition that allows riders to practice their flow and bike control. All the ramps are adjustable and can be moved to fit the riders needs.

The Skatepark

Next to the Foam pits and Resi is the indoor skatepark. This park is pretty small but has a lot to offer for everyone. For and indoor park its got some interesting and fun to ride features. Its a little hard to ride when there's a lot of people in it, but usually it's not too full.

Pro rider Kris Fox rides the indoor park








The Outdoor Park

There is an outdoor mini park outside that is open in the summer that is a favorite with skaters because of its flow. This park measures around 30 feet by 30 feet. There is also a big halfpipe nearby that is open in the summer. There are occaisional competitions at the halfpipe.

Woodward has made me a better bike rider for sure and I look forward to returning again and again to have rad sessions