Can't say enough about this sport, tons of places to ride
with tons of awesome scenery. Over the last four years I've ridden in Utah,
Montana, Wyoming, and northern, central and southern California. Most of my
riding has been on the west side of the central Sierras but have taken three
trips to the eastern side (Mammoth area). My brother moved to the Bishop area
recently so I'll be riding there more often. Tend to stay clear of the ski
resort type of riding as we like to get lost and then find our way back. The
two sides of the Sierras are very different but both have their own unique
qualities. The Tahoe/Truckee area is also one of my favorites.
My first bike was one obtained from my sister via a Body Glove promotion
years ago. I owned a Hobie Cat dealership at the time and carried Body Glove
wetsuits. Never really rode it much in the hills as it didn't have any suspension
and wasn't at all comfortable off road. I don't believe they had suspension
bikes at that time. This classic Body
Glove bike is for sale.
me if you are
interested.
About four and a half years ago I was looking for something to replace
kayaking and bought another bike. This one is a full suspension Proflex with
a triple clamp fork. Very good downhill bike but a bit heavy for XC stuff.
It's a backup now.
Three years ago I bought a Giant XTC. For me this bike is the best all
around bike I've ridden to date. For the most part it has been trouble free,
which is important when you're lost most of the time. I did have the pivot
bolt just aft of the BB loosen over time but it was simple enough to retighten.
The stock tires aren't the greatest and they are heavy so I replaced them
with some IRC MythosXC 2.1's, which are little bigger and much lighter. A
guy at the LBS recommended running less pressure in the tires which works
great. I had been running 42#'s front and back, now 32#'s in the front and
35#'s in the back. They will be more susceptible to pinch flats but so far
so good.
