amongst the aroma, tacoma presents to you: swan creek park...

Tacoma’s “Swan Creek Park” ain’t no joke.  The city of Tacoma with help from EMBA crews and REI have established a very promising trail system and a joyful place to be, amongst the not so glamorous low-income neighborhoods that surround it. 

one bad ass commuter spotted today...

the size of that chain and lock 'tells all' about how valuable this rig is too its owner.  such a sweet machine spotted today near Ruston, WA

oohps , camera was accidentally still on 'fish eye' setting, nothing was actually bent here, except for me...

Dry Hill - The CDC Enduro

What can be said about this event? The word coming back from those who pre-rode the week before described death defying gnarly descents and sheer vertical walls of loose rock depositing into hard 90 degree corners. It's not like the CDC was going to send us down the Dry Hill Pro Course or something, I mean we are on trail bikes, right? Wrong. CDC Dry Hill Enduro - the single most gnarly Enduro race course in the US. I vacillated all week. Should I go? Should I race? I have a business and family to support. I'll be wearing a half shell and puny knee pads - no way I'm lugging around the proper safety equipment. Thursday evening I came to my senses. There was no way I was going to miss this legendary sounding event! I'd feel nothing but regret if I missed it, and I knew it. Game. On.

Camp - 50 yards from the Pacific Ocean

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Quintessence

1. A thing that is the most perfect example of its type; the most perfect embodiment of something.
2. A pure substance.
3. The essence in a thing that in its purest and most concentrated form.

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pump parks?

For some reason I was recently thinking about “pump tracks”.  I realized that the word “track” is in that phrase.  I think this is why a lot of pump tracks look like dumbed down bmx tracks, with lines that bring you from point A to point B, with maybe one possible transfer in the middle somewhere (with exception of the Snyder compound of course:)).  I believe that this is some outdated “linear” mind frame kind of thinking.  You might ride these “tracks” once or twice, say to yourself “cool”, but then never go back again.  Soon after it dawned on me, what if instead, the word “track” was replaced by the word “park” in that phrase; hence a new, fresh, much more exciting name = “pump park”!

acrophobic lines

something about the lack of trees on the trails at the crystal mtn ski area, really brought out my fear of heights... 

I NEED TREES!

Dudeumentary part 2

The Dudes of Hazzard, The Dudeumentary - Part 2 The Big Splash on Pinkbike

The Dudes have lots of fun.  For good times, follow their example.  Except don't break your back. Watch this video!

Premonitions of things to come.

Another night, another beer. Or twelve. Working and being a student does a solid job of killing your riding schedule. But hey, the second race of the Cascadia Dirt Cup is going down this weekend, so bicycles are in the future. Im going to post the longest most crazy photo filled (I'll be shooting on a 35mm film rig so no promises as to how many ill get printed and scanned) race report you never seen! Keep riding bikes all sorts of fast and shit.

FNSDS - Shirt and Tie Night

While you were home binge watching Game of Thrones(or meditating on the real meaning of Mad Men) a real life battle was going down on the LLMT at the FNSDS. Shirts and ties and knobby tires battled it out for Super D Supremacy. Against an enormously stacked field of what must have been two dozen fellow every-other-weekend-warriors, Father Graham took home first place for the O-D-C. 

kennedy creek exploration, roots style mtn biking...

A lot of what made mountain biking cool back in the root days, was how you could go out and explore the woods and cover a lot more ground than hiking. No preplanned knowledge of write-ups, trail names or the easiest way to the top and the most bomb way to the bottom - just the woods, a bike and a sense of adventure.  The kennedy creek falls lie somewhere in the middle of this image:

A lot of locals have been there, but not many could tell you specific directions. 

hardtails not forgotten

so how much air can one get?  am in love with this pic'...

Thomas Genon sending it higher!

balance of flow trail vs gnar trail pics from llmtn

very timely last post jim, as i had taken these shots just today.  llmtn trail has it all!

Are trails getting dumber?

Pink Bike posted a timely article regarding the construction of new "flow" type trails. Having recently visited and rode the new Tiger Mountain East "flow" trail I have been mulling a similar debate in my head since the visit. Are trails getting dumber?

Pink Bike

Pink Bike did a great job of covering the reasons behind and questions relating to these new trails. I think they stem from two points of origin - IMBA and pump tracks. A well built flow trail certainly drains well and would be considered IMBA sustainable - requiring little to no maintenance over a long period of time. The pump track trend which has come and probably peaked also lends an influence I believe.

Personally, I am not a big fan of "flow" trails. They bore me quickly, make me dizzy and provide little to no challenge on a micro or macro scale. They certainly require a certain skill set to ride well and ride fast, but they don't offer the type entertainment that I prefer from a good "trail bike level" downhill trail - good flow(this is a common denominator, I concede) requiring little pedaling input to be ridden fast with lots of opportunities for body english to build speed from the terrain(e.g., good corners, undulations, steeps etc) combined with more than one line choice and a combination of elements that provide an unpredictability from the tread(e.g., roots, rocks, ruts and other "natural" micro features). These trails do wear faster in some sections, but if properly built with erosion in mind they can just as effectively shed water, handle regular use and be able to sustain years of use as well. The other consideration of more "gnarly" trails are that the more they are ridden(seasoned) the more fun they become as the roots and rocks become more exposed and continue to add texture to the tread.

I do think flow trails have a place. They offer beginning riders a predictable way to learn how to "pump" a trail and they also offer advanced riders who ride hard tails or prefer a more pump track style trail a place to shred as well. I don't think this is an argument of which type of trail is better. I think and hope that both types of trails can and do remain but with the stern position that flow trails not become the new standard for mtb trail construction. If the majority of trail construction starts going the way of the flow trail, I will certainly be one of the first into Tahrir Square with a flag adorned with a crest of symbols representing steeps, rocks and roots.

On a most local note - I do believe we have successfully combined a good balance of flow trail and gnar trail with the LLMT. Given we currently have one line to satisfy everyone, the LLMT over the past year really evolved in way that combined multiple interests and riding styles into a really well balanced and diverse set of design philosophies. I am proud to have been a part of it.


LLMT Shuttle Day from Jim Graham on Vimeo.

If you are going to suffer anyway why don't you just suffer one way - on the way up? - MW

Why is it that you spend most of your time on longer travel bikes?

MW – They are just way more fun for me. I figure I do this for exercise and I want to have fun so what’s the harm of slugging a 12lb heaver bike up the hill if it’s going to make that ride down that much more enjoyable. If you are going to suffer anyway why don’t you just suffer one way - on the way up?

NSMB 2006 

Mark Weir - The Godfather of squishy priorities. And now, only seven years later that same long travel bike is only 5 pounds heavier.  

And This

Cat Meme

Well, someone had to be the first here.

How did we all not know about this?

Two of the best dudes in mountain biking (and my favorite) having a grand time on two wheels.  We should make it a point to only ride bikes like this, up and down the hills.

enjoy.