We hooked up with some of our regular riding partners for a shuttle run on Forbidden Plateau to help burn off a few of the calories consumed over the holiday dinners.

Snow covered much of the upper trails, but the hardness tricked us into thinking it might be somewhat rideable… It ended up being anything but.

As the elevation dropped so did the snow coverage, and the riding improved. A flat (with a DH tube no less) and a few raindrops later, we returned to the cars filled with joy at our persistence and accomplishment. Looking forward to making this an annual event.

Oh, and I did get the Boxing Day deals I wanted in about 30 minutes at 5pm

Defroster MTB Shoe updated for 2012

Last year I tried neoprene booties, which caused issues clipping into my spd’s, and various different wool socks, which kept my feet warm for short rides. Both ways I left with cold feet that took hours to warm up.

The Shimano MW80 all weather shoes have been a popular choice locally, but I haven’t found Shimano a good fit for me. I’ve worn Specialized shoes for many years and on recommendation of our local dealer, ordered the new updated MTB Defrosters. Fit is very close to the Specialized standard, so I chose the same size as my older MTB Comp’s and my new MTB Pro’s.

Updated for 2012

No spike threads...

Specialized went back to the drawing board this year. The Defroster benefits from more insulation, a new super adjustable Boa enclosure, full lace covering and a neoprene gusset around the ankle. Gone are the forefoot Velcro straps. Also missing are toe spike threads. Previous models had this extra traction, and there are molding impressions as if removing the threads was an afterthought. I hope they return these for future years.

Previous edition

The shoes arrived just in time, as the cool wet weather has arrived bringing snow to our upper trails. Fit was great and overall they were comfortable with just a single pair of wool socks.

I’ve worn the shoes for two rides so far, happy to report warm feet. Temps were approx 5 degrees Celsius on both rides so I actually found some sweating in my shoes. I hope cooler temps will be fine too. I haven’t throughly tested the waterproofness yet but I’m sure a rainy ride is just around the corner.

Cleat engagement is standard with no booties to get caught. Traction on slippery ground was adequate, (not much works on slimy rock in BC). In comparison to my summer mtb shoes they do feel slightly more bulky, but much less than hiking boots and flat pedals. The Boa system is very easy to adjust and readjust on the go, even with the lace cover in place. The initial fit of the lace cover could be better but I’ll let the shoes stretch before I make final judgement.

Initial impressions are positive, and I look forward to extended rides and cooler weather. I would recommend trying a pair if you want to ride through wet and cold winter weather.

You can find the Defrosters at your local Specialized retailer for approx $239

Defrosters in their natural elements!

Pros

Warm and dry
Comfortable fit
Boa system offers easy adjustment

Cons

Lace cover may be tight for tall feet.
Loss of toe spike threads

Features

• Lightweight injection composite sole with sturdy co-molded lugs for traction in the nastiest conditions: 5.0 stiffness index
• Performance-enhancing BG contours in the outsole and footbed
• Waterproof and seam-sealed upper with low profile waterproof cover to lock out cold and moisture
• Lightweight Boa® L4 rotary closure for dynamic fit and on-the-fly tunability
• 400 gram full-shoe insulation for added warmth
• Thermal fleece-lined BG footbed uses a reflective metallic barrier to trap heat around the foot
• Reflective heel accent for visibility on dark training rides
• Snug-fitting neoprene collar forms a gusset to lock out cold and moisture
• Compatible with all major MTB pedals
• Approximate weight: 400g (1/2 pair #42)

Bundling up, strapping on helmet lights and heading out to once familiar trails which seem so much more foreign.

Cruiser Ride

Over the years, lights have changed, from my original BLT lights with halogen bulbs and a heavy water bottle shaped battery pack, to new rechargeable LED wonder lights with more brightness than many car headlights. Night riding now is better than ever!

Moe's Misery

Trails take on a completely different view at night. Gone is most of your peripheral vision. Instead an increased tendency to look up, and ahead, helps your riding style immensely. Additionally trails that can be boring during the day can add much adventure in the darkness.

Night Rides

Riding in the quiet of the dark forest at night also has one side-effect. Adrenaline! Not much can get your hair standing up or your heart pumping more than the sound of something crashing away through the forest… especially when you know bears and cougars frequent the forests you ride in.

Most shops will have a test set of lights to let you try out the fun and excitement of night riding.

So don’t let the dark of winter keep you from enjoying the fun of two wheels!

After giving up my Maxxis High Roller 2.35 Super Tacky’s to Teresa, I needed to find something for my front tire to replace the Maxxis Ardent 2.35 which worked great on the summer dry trails, but packs up too quickly in the mud.

Simon’s cycles had a good price on the Specialized Purgatory Control 26×2.4 which has a nice wide spacing between knobs and large side blocks for good directional control on off camber trail and cornering.

Nice wide spacing for mud shedding

The Purgatory is spec’d  on the front on most All Mountain series bikes from Specialized such as the Stumpjumper and Safire in both 26″ and 29″  sizes ranging from 2.0 to 2.4 in the 26 and 2.2 to 2.4 in 29. Various casing style’s from the light S-Works to the Control with UST and Armadillo versions too. This specific Control model also is 2Bliss ready, a joint project between DT Swiss and Specialized bikes.  Weight comes in at 715g for the folding version, respectable for such size and solid casing.

The fall sun was shining so we decided to hit up a selection of new trails on Forbidden Plateau with lots of soft loamy soil, moss, clean rock and some wet slippery sections.  The tire worked flawlessly in all conditions we encountered, save for the slimy rocks, but not much will help there! We had minimal mud today, but will easily find more on our future rides as winter approaches.

I look forward to riding this tire more so be sure to check back for a long term update.

For more information and to find your local Specialized tire dealer, check out the Specialized Website.

Having fun on fresh trails!

Here’s a few that I’ve done lately!

Two Sheiks Trail, Comox Valley, BC

Ape Canyon Trail – Mt St Helens, Washington

Lahar overlook, Ape Canyon Trail – Mt St Helens, Washington

And one completely unrelated to biking

Vancouver Canucks vs Anaheim Ducks @ Rogers Arena

Just shy of 10 days, 2900 km’s of road and 170 km’s of singletrack later we are home and back to our normal life.

We focussed on Oakridge, and Bend, with plans for Hood River, but were diverted by forest fires.

Check back over the next week as I take you on our journey.

View Larger Map

I’ve seen a few floor racks for bikes and some hanging racks. Hanging would be fine but the garage door would hit any more than a couple.

I’ve come up with an idea based on a recent hitch rack by Arbutus Racks. A raised front wheel slot holder.

Basically it’s a series of wheel slots, but raised up 3 feet. Bikes will sit with their front wheel up in the slot bringing the back wheel much closer reducing the overall bike footprint. Alternating the double sided design means each bike will fit within 12 inches. Should be able to fit 10+ bikes in a footprint of one car, while keeping every bike accessible and maintain access to the workstand and tool box.

More to come when we get back from our road trip!

Anyone else have ideas for garage bike storage?

Epic birthday cake!

A few different activities were thrown around but we kept coming back to mountain biking. We hired local mountain bike tour guide Martin Ready of Island Mountain Rides to make easy work of the transport to the top of the hill and enjoyed two top to bottom rides on Forbidden Plateau.

If you’re coming to the Comox Valley and don’t know the trails, check with Martin, his rates are reasonable and you’ll be sure to get the best bang for your buck!

We finished off the day with a bbq and kept up the biking theme with this awesome ice cream cake!

Here’s a quick vid of our day.

The entries came fast and furious, and both Teresa (aka mtnbikinggirl) and I posted up respective blogs and entered the contest.

Moonraker Trails - Golden BC - Sept 2009

A couple of months later a final eight were chosen to become the first “Specialized Trail Crew.”

While both of us were a bit disappointed with not being called up for this amazing adventure. I think it was Matt Hardinge’s unboxing video that was hardest to watch, although I was happy to see another rider so stoked on his new bike!

August 2010 in Sun Valley Idaho

It was fun to read the stories by the members of the Trail Crew, and probably spurred us to enjoy our own road trips, exploring new trails.

Knowing it was a year long process, people started asking in the fall if there would be a new Trail Crew for 2011? We didn’t have to wait long. While not surprised on who stayed and who went, the new riders and different bikes meshed with our feelings on what the crew was all about.

This year the Trail Crew meetup rides in Moab and Fruita haven’t occurred, instead the riders have become more involved in their local community, participated in more events and connected with more riders.

That’s really what the Trail Crew was meant to be. Connecting at a social level with the riding community.

So this brings us back to the Canadian Trail Crew for 2012.

I think I fit the bill of your average rider. I like to ride everything on the hill, enjoy the ride and try to share with friends. I love to organize races, offer my time to various events, create trail maps and maintain our local mountain bike info site. Most of all I look forward to my annual week of mayhem that is working on the BC Bike Race medical team.

Just another day at the BC Bike Race

Specialized has offered up two positions for the Canadian Trail Crew in 2012 and this is where I find myself torn. Teresa joins me in most of these endeavours, and she is my best riding partner, she’s a great rider and empowers both girls and guys to experience mountain biking for the first time.

If either of us would be chosen, we’d be more than stoked, but we would love to see three positions, one Eastern member and two Western members in Teresa and myself. Our ride reports and road trips would be more engaging with both a male and female perspective of the great bikes that Specialized produces. We can extend your bicycle budget by riding Enduro and Stumpjumper EVO’s instead of the S-Works carbon models. These bikes are very fitting with the style and adjustments common on bikes in British Columbia.

The perfect BC all mountain trail bike!

Fashion sense out the door...

Too low

Too shaky

Too dark

One watches many a mountain bike movie thinking “I could do that!”

The you buy a camera, in this case a GoPro and spend countless hours working with the various attachments trying to come up with good angles and fun views.

We’ve ridden lots of trails, climbed and descended countless hills and at the end you have small segments a few seconds long to put into a movie.

Beep beep beep beep…… Beeeeeep

Ah – must be out of memory.
Swap memory card

Start filming again

Beep beep beep beep…… Beeeeeep

Ah… battery is dead.

Another notch in the learning curve.

Next is editing and rendering!

At least my time lapse vids are looking ok!