Adventures in BMX: BMX groms, saving a pill zombie's life and getting amped for OSBMXR...

I just don't get this kind of experience on my MTB. Maybe it's because I'm too busy chasing Strava segments. Anyway.

Sunday is my designated BMX day... and that's when I injure myself so much, it's actually relaxing to MTB. Currently I have random bruises, scrapes, and a kinked neck. I tell people this: the reason why I don't crash on my MTB is because I use all my crash tokens riding my BMX. It's true.

Whenever I ride, I always end up passing by BMX groms (little pre-teen kids) and they always check out what I'm riding, and wondering why a guy their Dad's age is scooting around on a 20" bike. I busted some manuals, 360 bunnyhops and a couple hang 5's and that got them clamoring up and asking a million questions. Here are the one's that made me LOL:

1) Do you know Ryan Nyquist? (because I ride a Haro in S. San Jose)

2) Can you bunnyhop over that? (pointing at a rail that was literally 4ft. high)

3) Can you barspin?

4) Can you flat 3?

5) How do you keep your balance like that?

6) Did you ride in the Dew Tour?

7) Do you have a son that rides BMX?

8) Why is your seat so high? (I have a WHOPPING 5" of seatpost showing)

9) Why do you have so many pegs? (4)

10) Why is your bike so quiet? (Freecoaster)

11) What's a freecoaster?

12) Why don't you have a better bike? (I love my Haro! LOL.)

13) Why do you have a front brake?

14) Can you jump these stairs?

15) When did you start riding? ("When I was your age")

16) etc.

The BMX scene down here in Almaden is literally nonexistent. These kids never seen flatland, or even a hop to fastplant. Their minds were filled with barspins and tailwhips. They loved it all. Then I realized, I may be able to inspire these kids to keep riding just by being an old man on a bike showing them how to do a few things.

Then I realized I'd be a fuggin' awesome BMX dad. THEN I realized, this is how BMX has survived over the years. This is why us old guys can't stop. There are generations ahead of us that need to be inspired. Anyway, I taught them how to to footjam tailwhips and got them thinking about wall rides. One kid even learned how to peg manual. My work was done... so I thought.

Then there was this chick:

So, I'm riding home (jazzed for a little Game of Thrones action) and I see this female stumbling across the parking lot with bare feet. Then she went up to a Ford Club Wagon and was trying to open it with a Scion key. Then she paused, got all wobbly, then tried some more. So I stopped her, and asked her some questions - then I asked her if I could try and I took her keys from her. She was so high, she didn't even resist. I told her to sit down and asked her if there was anybody she knew or family or friends that could come get her. No cell, no ID... she said her boyfriend jumped out of the car. I stayed with her and she was talking gibberish, talking about how "Jared cheated on her with a girl from Facebook" and "...you can be from Jupiter and align with the spirits. Then I asked if she was drinking and if she took some pills.

"I took some pills last night..."

"What about today?"

Dead stare. Like Walking Dead. PILL ZOMBIE!

So I called 911 and P-Marshall's doppelganger showed up and I took off.

Nobody was going to help this poor girl and God forbid the Club Wagon was actually her's and she went off driving, high on 'scrips.

BMX always provides weird adventures. I highly recommend you get one.

Old School BMX Reunion

All those who have been invited to OSBMXR 2013 and are attending are starting to post comments, pictures and videos. I am so friggin' amped to go, I haven't been this excited about BMX in a long time. I'm starting to feel really dialed with my Haro, and it's time to start going for things like fakie tree rides and 360's off things now. It's strange, because after getting back into BMX, I thought I was pretty much keeping it to flatland - but now that I have a do-it-all bike, I've found joy in street riding again. I forgot how decent I was at it, so the new bike has opened up new doors for me. 

Here's Maurice "Drob" Meyer (of the infamous Curb Dogs) and old school freestyler, Rick Allison, doing it right. I don't know neither Drob nor Rick outside of just a little back and forth on Facebook, but it looks like both freestyle icons are ready to roll. According to Rick's FaceBook posts, he is now here in California (SoCal). I remember him being a total showman - looks like nothing has changed! If you ever come up to NorCal, Rick, you got a crew to ride with.

Maurice "Drob" Meyer - hip transfer with a flattie

Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2013/04/adventures-in-bmx-bmx-groms-saving-pill.html

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Am rider James Barton checks in!

Source: http://actionvillagebmx.blogspot.com/2011/01/am-rider-james-barton-checks-in.html

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First Impression: Haro Zebra Frame

I turned 38 this month. Yesterday, in fact. 

I got birthday cash (yeah, still at my age) - and I bought a new frame with that cash.

I had one of the best BMX rides I've had in a long time, yesterday.

I've been eyeballin' the Subrosa DTT (double top tube) since they announced it - and boy, I really wanted one. In particular - the street frame in size 21". Although I ride mostly flatland, I love street. I can ride flatland on a street frame, but riding street on a flatland frame just plain sucks. I've owned flatland frames in the past; they have extremely short top tubes (18" generally), high bottom brackets with tiny Spanish bearings, twitchy geometry... just a very specific design for a very specific niche of riding.

So, having had my mind set on a 21" street frame, the Subrosa was on my list of "want" items. Well, it is tax time - and I usually pay every year (I've had to pay taxes for the last 10 years). The total birthday cash I got was $270 (yeah, not bad!) and the Subrosa DTT goes for $379. Even Kip at Master Blaster Planet  offered me a great deal on shipping - but I just couldn't justify it. Because with that new frame, I would have to get a new BB (because my GT Pro Performer was an American BB, and this takes a mid-BB), headset, and I also wanted a new stem (Subrosa, of course), pivotal seatpost and a comfy pivotal seat. With the Subrosa DTT frame and all the fixin's - I would be well into the upper $400 range. Going that far away from my birthday cash wouldn't be a prudent decision during tax time.

The other frame I've been looking at was the Haro Zebra frame. Reviewing the specs, it is  full chromoly and the geometry and weight matched the Subrosa DTT street exactly. The difference was the price - $159.99 at DansComp. Other features of the frame were removable brake mounts and gyro tabs. And boy, do I need both! I was able to get the frame, BB, headset, Shadow seatpost, Kink Sexton seat and Subrosa stem for $275, shipped.

After riding my mid-school 2000 GT, I really thought I just sucked. I lost my 360� bunnyhops, high bunnyhops, wall rides, etc. Flatland didn't come easy, and forget about decent street riding. Really, I thought it was just me. And while my BMX skill level isn't that grand by today's standards - I can throw down as good as an old BMX'er does. Not so much on that GT, though.

I left a couple black rainbows.

Well, well, well... the Haro "woke up" my riding. Not only could I hit every flatland trick I know, but street was absolutely flawless. I was able to bunnyhop, jump, fastplant, manual, g-turn, half cab, nose manual, etc. I spun my 360� bunnyhops, and yes, on my birthday, I re-learned bunnyhop wall rides, which I haven't done in years. It was as if I was 16 yrs. old again.

I will be attending the Old School BMX Reunion down in Woodward West this year, and with the new equipment, I feel A LOT more confident going there.

The weight doesn't bother me at 29.66lbs. Yes, I know we live in a world of weight weenies, but hey, I'm no stranger to heavy BMX bikes. You just kinda get used to it... I figure if I stripped it down to one of the brakeless, two pegged, slammed-seat BMX bikes the kids are riding nowadays, it would come in at around 25lbs - but for me, that just wouldn't work.

2013 Haro Zebra

Here's the bike check!

• Haro Zebra Frame 21"top tube
• KGB (??) Flatland Fork with adjustable dropouts
• United Integrated Headset - Campy Spec
• Odyssey Gyro
• Odyssey EVO Front and Rear Brakes
• Kool Stop Pads (rear)
• E-Clat Clear Pads (front) 
• Subrosa Hold Tight Stem - 50mm
• Bone Deth Deadman Bars 9" rise, 28" wide
• Chang Star brake levers (came off my GT)
• Animal Hamilton Grips (soon to update to Odyssey Aaron Ross Grips)
• Shadow Conspiracy 320mm seatpost
• Kink Sexton seat
• GT seatpost clamp
• Sun Big City Lite/Taska U-Free Freecoaster Wheelset (10t driver)
• Haro 30t sprocket
• Fit FAF Tires 20 X 2.1
• Rant Mid BB
• Colony 8 Spline Crank Spindle
• Poverty cranks 175mm
• Odyssey PC Pedals
• KMC 1/8 Chain (soon to update to Shadow Conspiracy half-link chain)
• 3 Colony Jam Circle Pegs
• 1 Generic steel peg (left rear for grinding)

Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2013/04/first-impression-haro-zebra-frame.html

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I refuse to pay my dues until I can buy cheap ones at Walmart.

Source: http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2014/12/i-refuse-to-pay-my-dues-until-i-can-buy.html

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Updownsideness

Aussies. WTF? Guess they are just used to being upside down and backwards (note the brake lever). Triple Flips. WTF? Just met Jose Janez in April (first backflip on a bmx), now some thirty years later Jed Mildon steps it up. Think it will take another 10 years before we see a quad? Check it.


World's First BMX Triple Backflip - Watch more Funny Videos

Source: http://eugenebmx.blogspot.com/2011/06/updownsideness.html

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Diary of a Halfpacker - Day 1

A few month back Prasheel Gopal asked me about starting a new diary to learn Halfpacker. There have been many challenges so far. The biggest one being time. I don't have as much time as I used to but I am going to start this journey and thanks to Prasheel I am going to focus on a trick I have wanted to do for some time now. The next one I will post will show progression!

Source: http://www.bmxfreestyler.com/2013/10/diary-of-halfpacker-day-1.html

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Live and Let Ride Jam

This Jam went down on August 31, 2013. It was in dedication to Charlie Patterson.

Photos from Chanlinkz

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kblinkz/sets/72157635342919642/

Facebook Event Page
https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/events/299919913486504/

Source: http://www.bmxfreestyler.com/2013/09/live-and-let-ride-jam.html

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Team Social Pace DerpDey Ride

Opening up my posts with "Man, I haven't posted here in awhile..." seems redundant at this point. I feel like I've started my last 5 posts like that - but it's true. Life gets crazy busy, work, holidays, riding, etc. But mostly work for me.

This week-in-blog won't be complete without a full and fair report about my DerpDey (birthday) Ride that we had on March 24th. The idea was to not really celebrate my birthday, per se, but to celebrate riding stupid bikes. I wanted everybody to try their best to leave behind their carbon fiber, 11sp, 19lb. race bike, and unhang that weird, old, steel, klunker of a MTB from the rafter. Unfortunately, not everybody has such a steed - so, it turned into a "brung what'cha rung" ride.

We all showed up at the usual spot. Some brought some Derp bikes - most notably - Pmarshall's WWII skiptooth beach cruiser. Pics are below for proof, and it was definitely derpy. Later on that day, other riders were saying things, like, "Wow, we've seen some weird bikes today... some crazy dude was on a beach cruiser!". Robert brought his sweet fat bike with a modified lefty fork, Brett had his fat bike; Chris on his CX bike, etc. We climbed Rocky Ridge and had shots and beer at the top.

There were countless pinch flats on this ride - it got so bad, that the group started to run out of spare tubes. Chris locked his keys in his truck. When we asked why didn't he just call his wife, he said he locked his phone in there, too. He was drunk off warm beer and sitting in the dirt like a homeless guy when we found him. TJ and Brett crashed, but in Brett-like fashion, he - filled with beer and shots - went out to try and crush some Strava segments.

It was hot, people got sunburned, but the reports back indicated that this was the most fun, hilarious ride the guys have been on in a long time. This wasn't even about MTB'ing - it was about being with friends - and I must say - this was the best birthday with friends I've had in years. Thank you all for coming out and spending the day together. You guys are worth more than gold to me - and without getting all sappy, I am extremely grateful for such friends.

Comments and more pictures can be found HERE.

Pics!

Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2013/04/team-social-pace-derpdey-ride.html

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New Years Day Ride on the Da' 1986 Hoppa'

Enjoy!

Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2013/01/new-years-day-ride-on-da-1986-hoppa.html

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Off the Record with Brian Kachinsky

Brian takes a look back at the X Games street format, his not-so-awesome legal battle over some street riding, making banger trips to Cali and taking care of business.

 
Go to BNQT.com for more videos.

Source: http://actionvillagebmx.blogspot.com/2010/11/off-record-with-brian-kachinsky.html

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7th Annual Class:Sick BBQ & BMX Ride | 10/25/2014

A few quick details for this POW-WOW: SATURDAY, OCT 25th, 2014 -We will not be getting a permit this year! -No awards, just tons of bikes, chill folks, grilled food, great scenery and a ride […]

Source: http://www.bmxoutsiders.com/blog/7th-annual-classsick-bbq-bmx-ride-10252014/

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I Got Me a New Bike... This Time Not a Frankenbike: 2012 Cannondale Jekyll 4

Yup. 

I joined the rest of the world and bought a complete. After showing off the pictures of my new bike, people posted comments, like, "This is not a Dion bike..." or "I thought you were too hardcore for full suspension..." Ha. 

Honestly, I've been riding pieced together frankenbikes as long as I've been into bikes. I've never owned a high-end complete, even when I was a kid. I guess my last few completes were bought online, but I've never bought myself something off the floor like a normal human. I've never got to enjoy "free maintenance and repairs" from the shop. I've always done it myself. 

I spotted this thing at Sports Basement in Sunnyvale, Ca. after having lunch at our usual Vegetarian Asian restaurant. I really wasn't "looking" to buy a bike, just browsing. I've had, in the back of my mind for a few months now, a thought to consider picking up a full suspension bike - to be more exact, a trail bike. Something that rails the flow. I mean, I've been riding these rigid bikes or hardtails for so long now. The last FS bike I had was a Motobecane DS Comp. Not a bad bike, and at times I regret selling it. Oh well. 

Sports Basement is a sporting goods store with a good bike shop, but it leans more towards the roadie and townie crowd. The MTB's look like they've been sitting on the floor for some time, and if they were shelter dogs, they would've been put down by now. The two that caught my attention were the Ibis Mojo and the Cannondale Jekyll 4 ("The Jek" is what I call it). The Mojo was a lower end build of a high end bike: through axle up front with a 9mm QR in back, XT and SLX components. The Jek is an X7 build, through axles both front and back with the Cannondale proprietary Fox DYAD RT2 rear shock and a RockShox Sektor TK coil fork up front. 

I what initially got my attention of the Jek was the price. It's only a year old and it was marked down from the MSRP of $2,700 to $1,800. Dude, I could afford that - just got to let go of a bike or two to offset the purchase.

The Mojo was $2,750. That would take a little creative maneuvering of money and selling more than what I feel comfortable with. Plus, after riding the Mojo (they only had a medium) - it felt small to me. the Jek is a large and fit me much better.

For shits and giggles, I test rode a Cannondale Scalpel FS 29'er. Um, no thanks. 26" wheels for a trail bike. Thank you.

With a 10% discount and a purchase of some Crank Bros. Candy 2 pedals, I was out the door with a brand new bike. As wiped out as I was from my buddy's bachelor party the night before, I took a nap and went for a test ride.

Ride 1: Feeling it Out

It was everything I expected. Full-Suspension is just weird for me. So many levers, adjustments to be made, finicky settings, etc. I took the suggestions of what people were saying online about the DYAD RT2 shock and set it up accordingly. What resulted was a plush ride, but serious pedal strikes - so the shock was too soft for what I need it to do. The front fork is way too soft for me and needs a firm spring. That will come soon, and I'll report the results of that on my 3 month review of the bike. Because - as it sits with the medium rate spring for lighter riders - I don't think the bike is "there" yet. 

Fit, color, graphics, ergo's... all very nice. The bike climbs as I thought it would - slow'ish, steady, not XC speed at all. But what really surprises me is the flat-out speed it possesses. I feel this might be a result of the lateral stiffness and rockin' the big ring (yes, it has a triple) is not a knee injuring activity. One would think that the Hans Dampf tires it comes stock with would resist rolling, but they seem to work very well with this bike.

Ride 2: Adjustments and Fine Tuning

Again, I struggled with the full-suspension. This time, I was dabbing all over the place, having to walk sections I normally would glide right over and just having a frustrating day. It was also 96�, windy and dry. I had not played with the suspension settings on this ride, and I was experiencing the same issues with pedal strike. 

I flipped the stem and lowered it slightly. The stock set-up felt like a beach cruiser.

I played with tire pressure, lever reach and seat post height. Between the heat, poor traction and with the past weekend starting to catch up with me, I didn't have much of a ride, but counted it as an "adjustment" ride.

Ride 3: Getting better - The Fireroad Test

Many of us, if not most, have to deal with fireroads in some form or another. Personally, I hate fireroads - but they are a part of MTB'ing and unless you're getting shuttled up the hills or if you only ride singletrack, we must sit and spin up these things. 

Coyote Peak Tower climb at Santa Teresa County park is a decent climb. It's steep, long'ish and sits at around 1,200ft. of elevation (although the elevation gain is 600ft. and is 3 miles long). It feels worse than 600ft.

This day of riding, I did play with the rear shock settings, and set just a few steps below the manufacturer recommendations. That made a huge difference - very plush on the rocks and rough, and efficient for the technical climbs. I cleared everything as I normally would.

The DYAD rear shock has two positions: long travel and short travel. There is a bar mounted lever that allows the rider to toggle between the two. I have played with this setting and discovered that the short travel is pretty much good for fireroads and extremely non-technical riding. When things get slightly rough, the long travel provides better traction and more pedal efficiency. 

For the fireroad climb, I set the rear to "short travel" and deployed the dual-position (DP) feature on the Sektor TK fork which lowers the fork from 150mm to 100mm. I also locked it out.

To my surprise, the Jek motored up the hill without issue. I thought the weight would play into things, but I really didn't feel it as much as I anticipated. The bike also didn't wander - but that could be attributed to the lowered fork. There were no traction issues, even in the loose stuff.

I was +/- 1mph slower on this bike up that climb than my 6lbs. lighter, On-One Inbred 29'er with XC wheels. This was to be expected, but I was surprised the climb wasn't worse.

Positives, Criticisms and Upgrades

Pros:

• Great bike fit. This varied between riders, but this bike, off the floor, fit me perfect. Just a few minor adjustments and I was very happy.
• Fox DYAD RT2 rear shock: sweet design and great feel.
• Ride quality is stable, efficient and great lateral stiffness
• I broke all my downhill personal records on the first ride!

Criticisms:

• Limited adjustability of the stock RockShox Sektor TK fork: You must replace the spring tuned for your weight. I am 200lbs, and the medium spring it comes with makes the bike squirrel'y dive'y and just not a pleasant ride. Handling is compromised without getting this dialed. I have the firm spring on order and looking forward to getting it dropped in.
• Weight. My bike is 32.58lbs as shown, but will likely be over 33lbs after I do the upgrades. However, the geometry and ergos help in this regard and you don't "feel" the weight as much as you'd think you would. 

Upgrades:

• The immediate upgrade I did was the handlebar. For a trail bike, you would think Cannondale would stock this with a nice, wide handlebar. But instead they give you a 680mm handlebar. I swapped out their narrow bar with my wide Answer DH riser bar the afternoon I bought it.
• Bash guard. Just a safety precaution, but with the triple, I wouldn't want to come home with a bent chainring. The MRP bash guard is en route, and will add the extra protection needed for big logs and rocks.
• Dropper post. Found an X-Fusion HiLo dropper post on eBay for $140. While the reviews are mixed on this post, I think it will add a dimension to descending that is greatly needed for my trail bike. I have always been against dropper posts, but now, after riding a true trail bike, I can see the point.

I will update the review of this bike as time progresses. I hope this helps some on the fence about the Cannondale Jekyll 4.

Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2013/05/i-got-me-new-bike-this-time-not.html

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Welcome to the Team: Joel Pierazek

The Basics 
Name: Joel Pierazek
Age: 24
Hometown: St. Pete Florida
Resides: Orlando Florida
Year started bmx and why: around 2000, I wanted this all chrome Mongoose at Wal-Mart, just to be
cool?. But then I saw Mike Aitken doing this huge unlookback on a RideBMX cover. I bought it and was like "this is cool!! I wanna do this."

Fill in the Blanks
Being a part of the Action Village team means that there is someone there that can help me out, and I
can put their name behind things I do? which will help both of us.

The first thing I did when I found out I got sponsored was call my best friend Nick Mahoney.

Thecomeupbmx.net is my favorite website besides ActionVillage.com; it?s pretty much like CNN news, but a little more relevant to life... Haha

I would pretty much do anything for 100 dollars? I?m pretty short on rent lately

My favorite pros are probably about the same as everyone else?s: Sean Sexton, Chris Doyle, Nathan
Williams, Chase D, you know?

May favorite bike spot is pretty much anywhere; as long as we aren?t getting kicked out, and my friends
and I can just have a good session and sit around and talk shit, I?m having fun.

Everyone should take time to just relax, and not be so serious about everything. For me I like going out
and road biking around town just chillin.

My favorite thing besides BMX is a good combination of girls, music and partyin? haha

The last person I called was My friend Levi, to see if he wanted to go riding today.

The best advice I ever got was probably, not to be a lurk

Source: http://actionvillagebmx.blogspot.com/2010/11/welcome-to-team-joel-pierazek.html

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Reflections on Bike Racing - Part II

In November of 2010, I posted THIS ENTRY in regards to CX racing.

"I think CX racing is not my thing. I really dug deep to think of why I lost interest and there's many reasons (mostly work stress), but I don't think I have the racer's mindset. I can't dig deep enough within to make a competitive attempt. What it is, is I focus so much energy into work, especially with my appointments, phone calling and pending business pouring into Saturdays and Sundays, and then I have to go to all these fraternal events on the weekends that relate to my work. The agency I am in is super sales competitive oriented, and when all is said and done, the only peace I find is in riding. 

What I've come to find is that racing doesn't bring me peace. It actually kinda stresses me out and I don't have fun - and then it becomes a pain in the ass and then I don't want to do it. I feel I not only waste my time and money, but I waste the guy-who-I-may-finish-ahead-of's time, who may be actually going for the glory. I may just be a roadblock for him and he may be trying real hard to get ahead, when in my mind, I just don't care."

On Saturday, I raced CCCX #1 MTB XC in the Cat3 Category, Mens 35-44. I thought I may have had a fighting chance after two years of riding pretty consistent and breaking nearly all my personal records. In preparation, I planned my rides, had a strict training regimen, went hard and took recovery rides, followed a diet and actually lost 15 pounds. I felt confident and determined that I wasn't going to be a last place finisher this time around.

Well, that was not the case. I came in 3rd to last place.

To and from the race, I drove my friend Brett (Cat2) who actually placed third in his class. He went on to tell me how much he loved racing, and how it "drove" him to do it more and more. The passion he expressed was deep. I, on the other hand, didn't feel that way. It was during Brett's A.D.D.-fueled blabbering that I realized: I have no love for racing. Not like some of these guys do.

I don't know if it is my frustration of being a meat pylon, or if it is my lack of passion for racing, but it is clear after two years of making some valiant attempts of being a bike racer, it truly isn't my thing. 

Great friends have encouraged me to "keep at it!" and "don't let this get you down, you're gonna get faster!" - but I don't know if I even want to "keep at it" - because all that "training", dieting and commitment to a failed attempt on my part ended up being all in vain. Not only did I walk away with a feeling of disappointment in myself, but now I have developed this strange after-effect of mental burn-out: I simply don't want to ride MTB's. I have no desire to hit the trail.

This is alarming to me, given that I love riding. But bike racing seemed to do the complete opposite to me what it does for other people. For others, the race is what keeps them riding - for me, the race is what makes me want to say "f' it!".

In my November 2010 post, I mentioned my work, and how the mental demand is at an extremely high level. Quite possibly if I had a corporate job where competition was not a factor and it is done at cruising speed with a steady paycheck, I could see racing being a viable option to "get that edge out of me". But, this is not the case. I work in a highly competitive, mentally draining, quota and commission driven sales environment where it is feast or famine. My paycheck is extremely unstable and varying from very low to moderately high with extremely long hours, working into the late hours of the night and most weekends.

I am not making excuses for my failure as a bike racer, but trying to find the source of the complete opposite outcome of my feelings towards it. 

I've always been a rebel - never wanting to adhere to things that didn't come as fun to me. There's a reason why I leaned towards BMX and not high school sports; art and not academics (although I was a straight A student). Quite possibly, deep inside on a subconscious level, racing may represent to me a type of structure that I naturally want to go against.

Or maybe, I just suck and don't want to subject myself to future ass-whoopings.

Whatever it may be, this is my last attempt at bike racing. I can't say that won't give it a go in years from now, but as it stands, I'm hanging up my number plate.

I need to shake this lack of desire to MTB ride. In the next few days, I will have to force myself to ride and try to ignite that riding passion I've been able to cling on to for 4 years without ever waining. I am so perplexed of how one bike race could burn me out this bad.

Until next time, my friends. I wish all my fellow Quadzillians GOOD LUCK!

Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2013/01/reflections-on-bike-racing-part-ii.html

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Happy 43rd Birthday James McGraw

James McGraw // 43 Years Young from Global Flat on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday to James McGraw! 43 and still rolling!

Source: http://www.bmxfreestyler.com/2013/04/happy-43rd-birthday-james-mcgraw.html

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Brian and Gary at Woodward West's Winter Camp!

Gary Young and I just wrapped up 2010 in a big way... at Woodward West's winter camp. This years camp was 3 action packed days with over 130 BMX campers getting free reign on this bike riding paradise. We rode a ton, filmed some clips, played dodgeball, footdown, and tons of other fun stuff. Almost everyone got something free and everyone left with a smile on their face. Ten lucky campers ended up with a $20 gift card to ActionVillage. Some won them because of their BMX skills and some won because of their "paper-rock-scissors" skills. Either way we were glad to play Santa Claus one more time before the end of the year. One camper, Alistair, really needed a new pair of forks, luckily Gary noticed and hooked up with with $20 off his new pair courtesy of Action Village. Stoked! 

Thanks again to Woodward West for an amazing week and can't wait to visit again! - Brian Kachinsky

Source: http://actionvillagebmx.blogspot.com/2011/01/brian-and-gary-at-woodward-wests-winter.html

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Jeff K: Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day

Source: http://actionvillagebmx.blogspot.com/2011/01/jeff-k-ticking-away-moments-that-make.html

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Bike Riding is just Not Climbing...

For the past year, I've been pondering how and why being a fast climber is the pinnacle of MTB riding and road riding. At least, outside of the loose-jersey DH guys, this seems to be what many are striving for. Many times I've read - and experienced myself - people's "fitness running out of talent"; you know the folks who haul ass uphill just to white knuckle and on brake a descend? I also understand people's fear and risk trade-off's - although with some focus on skillful descending, many (if not most) people can overcome this.

A lot of people talk about working on their fitness for climbing - and granted, most of us can use that sort of focus. Myself, I've been trying to get faster on climbs for the past 5 years (since I started MTB'ing seriously). However, why not take a few rides out of the week to focus on downhill skills, cornering, obstacles and flow? These skills, at least in my Cat3 point of view, are equally as valuable to being a great climber.

I appreciate it when I see fast riders at the top of Strava on both uphills and downhills - but also find it strange to see fast climbers WAY behind me on DH segments. I ask: What happened there? Even though I get smoked at races, it amazes me how much faster riders will hold me up on the downhill sections.

People use the old clich�: "Races are won on the climbs..." - but what good is that if you're not racing?

I get that many people ride for many reasons - and some people will just huddle-up to their strengths. My strength is downhill, technical and flow (God Bless BMX) - so I work on my climbing to try and balance my riding... but I still work on my downhill a LOT. Not only is it fun, but to me, it makes sense to be a well-rounded rider.

Now that I got that off my chest, here's Chad Degroot's segment from Baco 10...

Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2013/03/bike-riding-is-just-not-climbing.html

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