Exercising in an inversion

If you've lived in Northern Utah for long enough, you are well aware of what THE inversion is. Ski resorts will see 40 degree weather, while valleys are stuck in the teens. Inversions are naturally occurring, cold air falls and warm air rises. But it is compounded when particulate matter creates a "lid" on the valley. High pressure systems just scoot over the top of us. Car emissions are the biggest culprit of expediting the magnitude of the inversion, but burning anything is the problem.

If you drive your car during a high pressure weather system, you make things worse. For most reading this, the other transportation option would be riding a bike. However, if you ride your bike during the inversion, you will die...eventually. Exercising in an inversion is often compared to smoking. The particles are small enough that your lungs can't filter them. It also effects you very quickly. You start coughing and it sticks with you for a while. Exposure to this dirty winter air effects people differently, depending on health conditions and development. Sensitive people, such as the elderly and very young or those with respiratory issues, can't handle as much exposure. Exercise accelerates the effects of exposure to the bad air.

It appears that the only option would be to stay home. This will work for those that can telecommute, or those that have found a way to properly work the system. For the rest of us, we need to be able to ride our bikes. Cue Respro masks. Respro makes masks that have filtration systems built in that can filter out very small particles. Last year I rode my bike in to work to help the air quality. You're welcome. The side effect of riding 10 miles was me coughing for the remainder of the day. I decided I should purchase a Respro mask and wore it home. I didn't have the temporary, initial sting in my lungs from the cold. But even more important, I didn't cough when I returned home. I'm sold on it. If you are from Cache Valley, you really should wear a Respro mask all winter.

You need a dropper post.

KS LEV

I can't ride without a dropper post anymore. I would honestly give up suspension over my dropper on any trail. I'm not saying I would like to give up suspension, but if I were tight on money, I would gladly go hardtail or rigid rather than forego the dropper. And the lower I can get my seat, the better. My reasoning is I move around a lot while cornering and descending. I stay pretty well upright but my bike moves around a lot, pitching forward and laying over far more than my body does. I also drop my saddle a little when I'm trying to start moving on loose or technical climbs. It helps me get traction so I can ride instead of pushing my bike up if I have to stop for some reason(like my lungs are on fire).

You may have heard some horror stories about a dropper post blowing up on an epic trip. I've heard similar stories of hubs and derailleurs blowing up also. But some people look at a dropper as unnecessary, so they remember the story about a dropper that ruined a trip rather than an emergency bike shop trip for a freehub body that gave up.

Dropper posts need to be serviced just like suspension, drivetrains, or bearing units. It's true that it adds something else that needs to be serviced. But it helps you to enjoy the ride, and if we were all incredible riders that wanted to avoid servicing our bikes, we would ride singlespeed 26" bikes and have very few problems ever.

Thomson Elite Covert

Now that we've established that you need a dropper, which one should you get? Honestly, it doesn't matter. They all have their quirks and advantages. If you have external routing for cables I recommend the KS LEV. The cable is stationary so it doesn't move regardless of whether the saddle is up or down. If you have the option, always go for stealth, or internal, routing. If your frame can accept it, Thomson's Elite Covert or RockShox Reverb Stealth are my favorites. The Thomson feels more solid in the post itself, but I personally prefer the hydraulic actuation and remote of the Reverb. I've ridden both and both have comparable reliability in my experience.

RockShox Reverb Stealth

You need to make sure that whichever post you go with, you store your bike with the post extended. When it's down, it puts extra pressure on the seals and will cause them to fail prematurely. You also need to top off air pressure once a season on most posts.

I have found that when the post is quicker to respond, I use it more. I had a KS eTen on my fat bike a few years back because it was cheap and I didn't think it would matter much. But it was so slow to return to full extension that I only used it when I really felt I needed it. I ended up replacing it with a KS LEV.

If you're still not sure you would use it much, or if you have one that you only use occasionally, ride The Whole Enchilada in Moab. You'll see the benefit and start using it a lot more.

Fast Fat Bikes

With snow in the forecast on Monday, we decided to ride to the Ben Lomond saddle from North Ogden Divide. We were planning for maybe some rain in the valley and a blizzard on the pass up to Ben Lomond. There wasn't even a skiff in the valley and hardly a trace in the parking lot at the Divide summit. We encountered mud on the lower section, then packed snow, fluffy dry snow, and finally wind and frozen dirt with snow coming down.

We were all on fat bikes, one of us on Salsa's Bucksaw (affectionately known as the Hucksaw), two of us on Trek Farley's, and Matt on his Fat & Furious Carbon Fatty. All of us had suspension, dropper posts, hydraulic disc brakes, and 3.8 inch tires. Half of us had 26" wheels, the others on 27.5". (Aside from tire width, sounds like a traditional ride from a couple years ago)

Previously in these conditions, I wouldn't go out. It was either ride on snow on a fat bike or ride on dirt on a regular mountain bike. When I first started riding fat bikes on a Surly Pugsley, it wouldn't have been an option to ride up or down most of that trail. However, in the few years that fat bikes have become mainstream, they have also started to ride like regular bikes. It was amazing how a bike could just float over the rough, rocky sections, as well as those riddled with roots, grip on snow in turns, and hold a line in loose shale at full speed. It felt as smooth and fast as any bike I've ridden on that trail, and I've ridden everything from a Trek Superfly to a Fuel EX to a Slash to a Yeti SB-6c. There are a few drops on the trail that remind me that I'm on a hardtail, but with super high volume tires, it was never a harsh reminder.

Fat bikes have come a long way. They've always been fun, but now they are fast also. They extend the season...infinitely. I've ridden a lot of fun bikes, but I have never had one bike that I felt could actually do it all. The Trek Slash 9 and Yeti SB-6 have been close. I used them both for all of my trail riding. But the Farley 9.8 I rode on Monday makes it so that I can ride wherever and whenever I want. The massive footprint floats on top of mud so I don't tear up the trails in the wet and doesn't loose grip in the snow. It doesn't bounce around on super rocky technical sections or loose grip on off-camber rooty sections. You can also ride any angle on slickrock or float over sand in areas like Virgin, UT or Moab.

I have said numerous times that a fat bike couldn't be my only bike. I didn't say it as much after my first ride on a Trek Farley 8 with a Bluto. Now that I've ridden a Farley with 27.5" wheels on the super grippy rolling hills outside of Waterloo, WI and on one of my favorite local trails, I can say that it could be my only bike and I would be very, very happy. It is that awesome.

Metaphoric Fountain of Youth

Matt making good use of an e-bike.

I do not own an electric bike. I don't have plans to buy one. (But if I did buy one, it would be a Yuba Spicy Curry.) I really have no reason to be an e-bike advocate aside from working at a shop that sells them. I would rather sell the bikes that I plan to ride; the more people on 6-inch travel trail bikes, the more options and the lower the price. However, I also understand that the more people on bikes, the better. Giving people options that tear down the barriers to getting them on bikes will get more people on bikes. 

It will also bring more people that are willing to contribute to somewhere to ride their e-bike. That means more bicycle infrastructure, singletrack, paths, and group rides. I doubt that you're going to want to tuck in on the rear wheel of someone that just picked up their new e-bike, but the camaraderie is going to be the same. Also, imagine going for a 25-40 mile ride with your elderly parents and actually having everyone enjoy the ride. For those cyclists that weren't lucky enough to marry a spouse that shares their love of two-wheels, just picture climbing Mont Ventoux and both of you loving the experience. You could also go out for a LOTOJA training ride and take your spouse, yet still get more than just some extra base miles out of the ride.

There are also many former cyclists that haven't been able to ride like they used to because of injury or chronic illness. At The Bike Shoppe we've sold several e-bikes to customers that were previously regular customers that couldn't ride more than casually any more. One customer hopped on a Haibike RX 29 and pedaled a route he would take as a child. He climbed the hill to his former home and then to his old school. He purchased an electric mountain bike, but had no intentions of going mountain biking. He just like the extra durability. He also liked that while he was on that bike he didn't feel like an old man.

One of the first electric bikes we sold, the Stromer ST1, went to a regular customer's wife. He would ride with his sons often, but never with his wife. She took our demo bike out and he said he had to push it to keep up with her. We've heard from a few different customers that have seen them out riding together, him on a Trek Madone in a cycling kit and her on the Stromer in jeans.

So you may ask, why this all needed to be mentioned. Because I don't understand why so many people are in such opposition to e-bikes. I regularly read comments from organizations that have posted something about e-bikes. It's the same arguments, mostly regarding e-bikes on trails. People have this misconception that people on e-bikes are going to be running everyone else off the side of the mountain. The argument continues that those people will have access to places that is beyond their capabilities and battery range. But I want to ride with people that might not be able to keep up otherwise. I truly don't care if e-bikes are ever granted to access to non-motorized off-road trails as long as I can ride my non-motorized bike on e-bike trails, and I don't think they should have access to wilderness areas. I won't be able to keep up with an e-bike on the uphill and I would like to think that someone on an e-bike won't be able to keep up with me on the downhill. So I won't be riding with someone off-road anyway. I do want to be able to go on non-motorized multi-use paths. Otherwise, might as well buy a motor scooter. And that would suck.

Riding Lotoja as a Mountain Biker

 I'm a mountain biker. I most likely came to this conclusion because I prefer mountain biking to any other activity available to me, but also because I'm solidly mediocre at it which means I'm better at mountain biking than anything else I do. However, I'm setting my mountain bike aside for the next month and a half until September 14 because on September 12 I'm planning on riding a road bike from Logan, Utah, through Idaho, and into Jackson Hole, Wyoming. 

 By all means, this is a bad idea. Man was not designed to spend all day on a bicycle saddle. Also, instead of doing what I'm the best at, riding a mountain bike, I am spending all of my summer training to do something that leaves my body feeling broken and abused. Last time I was in this situation it didn't turn out especially well. I trained all summer and didn't even officially finish with a time to show my friends. I spent so long in the saddle that my Garmin battery died, so I assume I spent 36 hours pedaling because I have no official time to say otherwise or even a Strava file to verify it. I only had a beaten body that felt like I had been pedaling for 3 complete days.

 You may ask why I would sign up again. I guess it's because I don't learn. It could be because I feel like I have some unfinished business left on the road between Logan and Jackson. Maybe it's because Lotoja is our area's Tour de France. It's THE race for anyone that has been on a road bike or even aspiring to get on a road bike in the Intermountain West. But it is probably because someone asked me if I was planning on doing it and I said I was thinking about it. Before I knew it, I was signed up and riding my bike more. The only problem was that I got a new mountain bike this spring, but not just any mountain bike, the Yeti SB-6c. The ultimate mountain bike. It goes uphill and downhill. That bike is difficult to walk away from.

Nevertheless, until mid-September, I'm riding a Trek Domane with thru-axles and disc brakes; it makes me feel a bit less like a roadie. But there is something about riding over multiple state lines under your own power that gives you a feeling of accomplishment that is far different than any other feeling in the world. That may have been the reason I am signed up again, but I'm also craving Burger King in Afton and no one will give me a ride.

July Events at The Bike Shoppe

July is busy for us at The Bike Shoppe. We're starting our Peak-A-Week again. We've got a few events with Wildflower Outdoors, including their Wildflower Trailfest and 2 beginner mountain bike clinics. Yeti Cycles is coming with demo bikes. Not to mention the biggest event in cycling, The Tour de France is happening right now.

July 6-First Peak-A-Week ride to Lewis Peak. Starting from Windsurfer Beach at Pineview Reservoir 6:00pm.

July 7-Women's Beginner Mountain Bike Clinic with Wildflower Outdoors at Snowbasin main parking lot 6:30pm.

July 15-Peak-A-Week ride to Ben Lomond for Matt's Birthday. This will be a bikepacking trip so we'll be staying over night. Starting from Top of North Ogden Divide 6:00pm.

July 25-Peak-A-Week ride to Grizzly Peak. Starting from trailhead near Geneva Rock off of 3000 South and Highway 89 in Willard 6:00am.

July 21-Second Women's Beginner Mountain Bike Clinic with Wildflower Outdoors at Snowbasin main parking lot 6:30pm.

July 21-Yeti Cycles Demo at Rainbow Gardens 4:00pm-8:00pm. Bring Helmet, ID, and Credit Card. Free to public, but the credit card helps you to want to bring the bikes back.

July 30-Wildflower Trailfest Mountain Bike Race and Trailrun. Event goes from 5:00pm until 9:00pm at Snowbasin. Register at wildflowertrailfest.com

August 1-Last Peak-A-Week ride to Mount Ogden. Starting from Green Pond trailhead 6:00am.

Yeti Super Bikes

You've probably already read all of the reviews of Yeti SB-5c and SB-6c. They get great reviews because they are awesome bikes. In appearance alone, they stand out. With so many awesome bikes available, it's hard to stand out any more. But to be able to stand out in appearance and performance is an amazing feat.

The first thing I noticed was the acceleration. Usually that kind of instant gratification from stepping on the pedals is reserved for hardtails. But I was able to stay on the gas through rock gardens and roots. I pedaled up Taylor Canyon, (which is rocky in sections, rooty in others, and twisty all over), and never had to worry about adjusting switches, then I dropped the seat and never felt like I needed a more plush suspension coming down. That being said, I'm not sure there is a more plush suspension. The new fox 36 is an amazing fork and the rear wheel stuck to the ground the entire descent. Because the experience with Taylor Canyon was fairly early on in my ride I was afraid that it would be hard to get the bike up in the air. Usually a plush bike soaks up your effort to pop off of smaller lips and the likes. The first time I went to really get it up in the air I was startled because I lifted drastically harder than I was expecting. Usually a bike this capable for descents isn't as much fun on cross-country trails. They just mute the trail too much and so you have to ride it hard to really enjoy it. I always want something that will handle anything from Burro Pass down Porcupine Rim but also let me pedal up and around Snowbasin. I usually compromise. I have found the perfect bike for me. I had an SB-66c a couple seasons ago, it has been my favorite bike until now.

And for all of you that read these ramblings and were wondering what happened with the SB-5c that I was supposed to let you know if it were capable of satisfying my wants for a longer travel trail bike. It is adequate. But I had an opportunity to go bigger, and because I have a need to compensate, I took that opportunity.