Dirt Jumping

One style of mountain bike riding is dirt jumping. This style requires specific trails and bikes.

The trails
Dirt jumping trails are very specific trails. Usually located on flat areas, These trails encorperate jumps, berms, and flowy sections. The dirt is filtered usually, meaning that it can be compacted into smooth, hard shapes.

The trails pictured above are in New Zealand. Trails like this require lots of dirt, water, compacting, hard work, and skill. Shaping dirt is an art form, and it takes many weeks to get the dirt to feel like concrete. With good dirt, its possible to make pretty crazy trails. Most places have a "no dig no ride" policy meaning if you do not help build the trails, you can't ride them. This makes sense because there is so much time and effort put in to making the dirt nice.

The berm above looks freshly packed and ready to ride.

The bikes

For ultimate flow and maneuverabiltiy, the bikes used for these dirt jumps are small, light, and stiff. Smooth tires are used and inflated anywhere from 50-95 PSI, making them very stiff and smooth. The bikes are usually simple and strong, which is helpful when you are riding hard and need a solid bike for a budget. You can pick one of these bikes for anywhere from 600 to 2000 bucks

This bike is small, stiff, and maneuverable

Because these jumps are so large and smooth, it allows the rider lots of air time and to do tricks. There are a lot of tricks a rider can do, from backflips to 360's, the options and combos possible seem limitless. Some riders choose to ride the jumps without brakes so they can spin their handlebars without the cables tangling. Some ride with multiple gears while others ride with a single speed. 

A rider does a corked 720 on some local trails in Aptos CA

Brakes

In the world of bikes, brakes are one of the most  needed part to ride well. There are many different types of brakes for different riding styles and bikes.

Clamp brakes
The most common brakes seen on bikes are clamp brakes, these brakes are attatched to the frame and clamp down on the side of the rim of the wheel, thus causing your wheel to stop. When you pull on the brake, it pulls a cable that clenches two arms, bringing the brake pads in to touch the rim. There are different arm configurations, but this one is the most common-

Mechanical Disc brakes

These brakes are becoming more and more common on bikes and are replacing clamp brakes. This brake technology works a little better then clamp brakes. When you pull the brake, it pulls a cable causing two pads to clench on a rotor, which is attached to the middle of your wheel. When the rotor stops, the wheel stops. This technology is better then clamp brakes because it preforms better in wet conditions, and has less problems. If your wheel is not in true, then it can mess up your allignment on clamp brakes, but this problem does not occur with disc brakes.

Hydraulic Disc brakes

Hydraulic disc brakes are the same as mechanical disc brakes except for one thing. Instead of using a wire to  move the brake pads, hydraulic brakes use a cable housing with brake fluid inside. when pulling the brake, the pressure pushes hydraulic fluid against the brake pistons, causing the pads to move in, stopping the bike.

Coaster brakes

Commonly found on cruiser bikes and BMX bikes, Coaster brakes are the most simple of brakes. Technology is built into the rear hub so that when you pedal in the reverse motion, it stops the rear tire. You can only have one coaster brake, in the back. For people who have never ridden a coaster, it can be a weird expiereince. 

Hydraulic Clamp brakes

These are more uncommon brakes, but they are around. These brakes are basically regular clamp brakes with a hydraulic function. Its basically a more powerful clamp brake. Since road bikes dont use disc brakes, this is an option for people who want really powerful brakes on the road. They are found on road bikes, trials bikes, and street bikes.

Brakeless

Finally, some people ride brakeless, This causes people to learn how to control their speed without the aid of something stopping them. Its simple and carefree. For most of us though, brakes are a must on the bike.

No brakes? no problem

Redbull Rampage

Every year, Redbull hosts a mountain bike comptetition in the hills of Virgin Utah. Virgin holds some of the most gnarly, steep, and rough terrain there is to ride on a bike. Every year bikes get destoryed and so do the riders, from broken bones to the 100+ degree temperature, Rampage is one of the gnarliest bike comps there is.

The Rules
The rules of the competition are pretty simple. 30 or so selected riders show up to Virgin Utah and build their own trails down the sides of the cliffs, each with a unique trail route down the mountain. Some riders choose to share trail sections, others don't. 4 or so judges watch the riders and judge them on style, fluidity on the bike, how technical the trail they ride is, and how much air time they can get off the jumps. The riders have to build their trails, practice, and compete in the finals within a matter of a week. Seems like a long time but in reality it's very hard to build a whole trail in a few days in the blazing hot dessert conditions. You can run into problems such as breaking your bike, yourself, or dealing with inconsistent weather.

Brett Rheeder backflips off of a canyon jump in practice.

The bikes
The bikes that are used for this competition have to be built for extreme abuse and big hits. Such bikes have 8 inches of suspension travel, in the front, and in the back. As tough as these bikes may be, Many bikes are destroyed in the process of riding. Broken wheels are among the most common.

Cam Zink's bike

The finalsThe finals are when things get really extreme. Riders push the limits of what can be done on a bike to try and achieve the top spot. A lot of riders crash in the process of pushing themselves, but few reach their goals and prevail. Every year, the jumps get bigger, the trails get gnarlier, and the level of progression boosts as riders improve and push the sport.

Tom Vansteenbergen Attempts a front flip on the canyon gap

The sport has been elevated a lot because of Redbull rampage, and every year people push the limits of what can be ridden on a bike. Can't wait to see what comes up next year.

Mendocino Mobbin'

Last week I took a trip to Mendocino to enjoy the ocean, kayak, hike, ride bikes, and be around my buddies/classmates. This trip was mega rad and one of the more enjoyable trips I have had.

Day 1.

The first day started out with a flat tire on the van. and with 4 more hours to go on the road, a flat tire didn't help. After fixing the flat and grabbing some In-n-out, we were back on the road. Finally we arrived in Fort Bragg and camped close to the beach in a State park. The beach was great the first night and the sunset was pretty amazing. We cooked up some pasta and garlic bread and kicked back to a fire with S'mores and Jiffy Pop.

Shendo puts on the donut

Enjoying the sunset

Day 2.

On day two we had a few activities planned, kayaking and some hiking near the waters edge. The kayak rentals were right near a cove that was connected to the ocean. Some picked single kayaks, and some chose 6 person skiffs. We kayaked down the river for a few miles and turned back. The water was green and blue and really beautiful. Most people got some decent amount of sun and looked pretty red.

Midway down the river

After the Kayaking we returned to the campsite and relaxed. Shendo and I went riding by the beach for a little bit before we went on a beach hike.

 Shendo getting some tricks on the bike

After dinner in downtown Mendocino most of us were exhausted and chilled by the fire before retiring to our tents (or the van)

Day 3.

When I woke up on Thursday morning, it was apparent that we had received some rain in the night.

Most of our clothes were pretty wet, so a trip to the laundrymat was needed. After a few ours of waiting in a coffee shop, our clothes were fresh and dry. Those of us who went into town returned to the campsite. Dave, Shendo and I went riding on an amazing trail called "Manly Gulch" the terrain resembled a rain forrest. It was some of the best riding I have experienced. After the 3 of us returned to the camp, all of us went to ride horses on the beach. I hadn't ridden a horse in years, but I enjoyed it. after an hour of horsin' around, we headed back for the last night at camp.

Riding on the beach

Day 4.

We packed up in the morning pretty quickly and were back on the road home in no time. The trip was a super good experience for me and I am stoked for next year. 

Here's a link to the video I made from the trip; http://www.pinkbike.com/video/379770/

Bike Swag

There are many different fashion statements you can make while on a bicycle. This post will go over some of the many styles you can achieve, on or off the trail.

Road Bicyclists
To look like you're a serious road rider, you need to achieve this look. First, shave your whole body, even your head. Wear spandex shorts and shirt, preferably with beer logos on them. Ductape electrolyte packets to your bike and be sure to wear clip in shoes. Yell at mountain bikers and drink coffee nonstop. If you don't own an expresso machine you're a fake.

BMX
If you wanna look like you tear up the skate park and look real hood, you must follow these steps. Don't wear a helmet, wear a beanie or a trucker hat. Wear the tightest skinny jeans possible, and gauge your ears as big as you can. Wear skate shoes and baggy t shirts. Ride in front of cars and piss people off.

Mountain Bikers
Lastly, if you want to be the coolest of bike riders, you must dress like a mountain biker. Flannel shirts are a must. Goggles and a helmet with a long visor are also needed. Designer shorts that cost $200 and socks with beer logos on them. Wear gloves and a camelbak.

Choose your fashion wisely, you want to fit in the scene. These fashion statements can be costly, painful, and sometimes you might look like You're in a Halloween costume.

Why UCI sucks

UCI (Union cyclists international) has made bike racing so much less cooler. They have put their restricting,lame, and un-rad hands all over bicyclists.

Let's start out with where UCI comes in. In order for any race to be official in any way, UCI has to approve the race, and the race vendors have to pay loads to make their race official. A UCI official must come to the race and oversee the whole event. This costs money and is a hassle.

Not only must you get UCI involved to make your race official, but you must obey "official sanctioned UCI rules". For example in California, the UCI rules state your tires cannot leave the ground during cross country practice. How restricting is that? Not only is it bad for vendors,but if racers want to race in most races they must have a UCI license, which can cost 70 bucks a year. That doesn't seem like much, but for the average rider, it can add up. The more professional you are, the more you have to pay.

Basically UCI is a mega corporate company that is out to steal every racers money and make stuff complicated. Their moto is "cycling is our passion", if they actually were passionate maybe they wouldn't be such Nazis about the basic fun of riding/racing your bike.

The best races are local,non official races where there are no limits on how fun you can make your race. UCI races doesn't involve alcohol, nudity, or huge parties on the track. And that's part of the bike scene, sanctioned or not.

Helmet Cameras

In this day and age, you can relive pretty much anything by capturing it on camera, so why not relive riding your bike? Thankfully a few companies have created just the thing, cameras that fit on your helmet, chest, or bike, so you can record your ride.

GoPros
The most popular POV (point of view) camera on the market is the GoPro. I have owned two GoPros and I have to say its the most versitile camera out there.

This is the GoPro Hero 3, It captures full HD video and even 4K resolutions, it can take 30 high quality photos in one second. 

What I like about the GoPro is the wide variety of angles you can get from it, my favorites are the chest mount, and the unicorn mount, The chest mount gets your handlebars, your arms, part of the bike and the trail ahead. It captures it all. The unicorn mount is a pole that extends from your helmet and faces you. This angle can get really cool because it can capture everything you do.

                                   This is an picture taken from my unicorn mount ^

      This was taken from a helmet on the gopro

I also have many videos from the GoPro that I really like, heres a link to one of my favorites 

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/371226/   This was taken at northstar with a buddy of mine.