Monday, March 31, 2014

Is Passion a Learned Behavior?

I've been chipping away at "Bones Brigade: An Autobiography (2012)" for a few nights after I get home from client appointments and my wife goes to bed. I reflect on how these "children" (Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Steve Caballero, Rodney Mullen, etc.) excelled to become the highest level skateboarders of the time, all under the age of 18. My mind is blown that these youngsters pioneered every trick you see today, including the vert ollie, the flatland ollie and the McTwist.

I feel a close bond to this time in that 1) during those years, it was a toss-up between me going BMX or Skater (obviously I chose BMX) and 2) I grew up in a hotbed of skateboarding (Santa Cruz, Ca.). I relate to all the things in that video, but I mostly relate to The Stoke.

The Stoke - or what many call "Passion" - is something that seems to tie these young skaters together. 

Stories of them crashing, getting up, doing the trick over and over for hours until they nailed it. Tales of Rodney Mullen getting up at 2am in the morning, telling the rest of the boys that he's "going skating" and coming back with dozens of new tricks at dawn.

The drive that these youngsters had was fuel for the fire. Stacey Peralta guided and mentored them, making sure that the fame and money didn't go to their head. He kept them humble and drove the desire to progress.

This leaves me with a question: Is Passion a Learned Behavior?

I'm thinking of my parents, who encouraged and supported me to put my 100% into everything I got into. When I started riding freestyle BMX, they did everything they could to get me what I needed to get better. Same goes with karate, music, etc.

I also think of those who may not have such a supporting family, but have friends and spouses that do the same. It's like they are just as stoked for you (if not more) than you are for yourself... cheering and loving you every step of the way. I still get a gigantic grin whenever I see top-level athletes do the unimaginable, and stand their while fans and friends envelope them in cheers, hugs, arms raised in victory - as if they completed the feat themselves.

Conversely, I think of those who have no passion - for anything. What makes those people so un-passionate? Whether it's riding a bike, surfing, yo-yo or scrapbooking... I have a hard time imagining a life without passion.

They seem to make excuses like "I'm busy" or "no money", etc. but I feel that those are just excuses. I'm as busy and tight on finances as the next person... but nothing gets me more stoked than thinking about my next ride.

What do you guys think? Can you look back and find the source of your passion that keeps you going? Where did you get you get your passionate drive from?

Please leave a comment and lend my your thoughts!

Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2013/01/is-passion-learned-behavior.html

haro BMX mongoose BMX BMX extreme BMX racing BMX stunts

You can't spell "vernal" without the "ernal."

Source: http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2014/03/you-cant-spell-vernal-without-ernal.html

mongoose BMX BMX extreme BMX racing BMX stunts BMX games

BK Opens Up The Bakery


Welcome To The Bakery from The Bakery on Vimeo.

Read More Here!

Source: http://actionvillagebmx.blogspot.com/2011/04/bk-opens-up-bakery.html

ride BMX BMX museum BMX bike games BMX forum winstanelys BMX

FLY LY x Thug Immortal Directed by Brittsense & Ben Styles

Our boy from Blends SD, Malonte Davis, �has been managing Fly Ly for a couple years now and we would like to help promote them and their successful musical journey. “Born and Raised In New […]

Source: http://www.bmxoutsiders.com/blog/fly-ly-x-thug-immortal-directed-by-brittsense-ben-styles/

BMX forum winstanelys BMX colony BMX wethepeople BMX gt BMX

Jeff K. Edits

Jeff K. has sent over a couple web edits for us to enjoy. Check them out.


Go to BNQT.com for more videos.


Go to BNQT.com for more videos.



Source: http://actionvillagebmx.blogspot.com/2011/03/jeff-k-edits.html

haro BMX mongoose BMX BMX extreme BMX racing BMX stunts

Upcoming Events: BMX Swap / BMX Show

Here are couple events that are coming up that you all should know about. This Saturday will kick off a monthly BMX Swap Meet in Santa Ana, Ca. This Swap will be going down every […]

Source: http://www.bmxoutsiders.com/blog/upcoming-events-bmx-swap-bmx-show/

BMX forum winstanelys BMX colony BMX wethepeople BMX gt BMX

So I got this bitchin' wheelbarrow...


BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER





Big thanks to the guys from Black Rock Mountain Bike Association for donating the cash for the skid steer rental. We moved quite a bit of dirt with emphasis on lines for beginner to intermediate skill levels, but designed to be fun enough to keep everyone entertained. If you can't have fun at the trails this summer you have issues. Serious issues. Unfortunately many of the locals have sustained injuries that have them sidelined and as the weather dries out and heats up the dirt is as well and getting tougher to move and shape. The old lines are damn near ready for riding, we have been sessioning the first few a bit and things are getting fast. So here is my plea for help, come down grab a shovel and pitch in and help get everything rolling. Mostly shaping and packing as all the dirt has been piled at the ready by the skid steer. Throw some shovels full and help ride in the old stuff. Backwoods out.

Source: http://eugenebmx.blogspot.com/2011/05/so-i-got-this-bitchin-wheelbarrow.html

BMX games online BMX bikes for sale we the people BMX BMX bike BMX game

So I got this bitchin' wheelbarrow...


BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER





Big thanks to the guys from Black Rock Mountain Bike Association for donating the cash for the skid steer rental. We moved quite a bit of dirt with emphasis on lines for beginner to intermediate skill levels, but designed to be fun enough to keep everyone entertained. If you can't have fun at the trails this summer you have issues. Serious issues. Unfortunately many of the locals have sustained injuries that have them sidelined and as the weather dries out and heats up the dirt is as well and getting tougher to move and shape. The old lines are damn near ready for riding, we have been sessioning the first few a bit and things are getting fast. So here is my plea for help, come down grab a shovel and pitch in and help get everything rolling. Mostly shaping and packing as all the dirt has been piled at the ready by the skid steer. Throw some shovels full and help ride in the old stuff. Backwoods out.

Source: http://eugenebmx.blogspot.com/2011/05/so-i-got-this-bitchin-wheelbarrow.html

BMX videos BMX parts BMX games online BMX bikes for sale we the people BMX

Chris Doyle captures the front cover of Transworld BMX!

On The Cover: Seeing how Chris Doyle spins these jumps at the Potoczny?s trails in Pennsylvania every session, the D-Man felt like he had to up the ante a bit for this photo and let his hands fly, too. Photo by Jeff Zielinski.


On newsstand Nov. 23!

Source: http://actionvillagebmx.blogspot.com/2010/11/chris-doyle-captures-front-cover-of.html

BMX bikes BMX master BMX videos BMX parts BMX games online

the "TRIP" concluded

After lunch the MegaRamp was opened up for sessioning. Most people headed up on the hill to at least watch what went down. After filling out a seven page waiver you could set foot on the massive new structure. Safety was a big concern and those that looked too squirrelly were cut off. Boozedawg was one of those booted after blowing off the pedals on a sketchy attempt. Shad gave it a few tries but decided it wasn't for him and was content to watch. My first run at it I think I was almost half way up the roll in. I wasn't sure how the lip was going to feel and wanted to feel it out. It felt good and so on following runs I slowly worked my way higher till I was landing on the top right before the "box" started angling to the landing. Shea Nyquist was the first person to clear it after pedaling about six times down the roll in. He overshot by quit a bit, but it was then I realized I would have to pedal at it to make it. Lance Mosley wasn't down with tagging so he went for it first try and got bucked by the lip and ejected. After seeing him, Matt Mardesetch, and Ryan Nyquist bail it was even harder not to be nervous. I tried not to look down the roll in too much while waiting my turn and on my next try I took three pedals thinking it would be enough to clear but not overshoot. Wrong! I cleared the flat on top for the first time but hit a small slant a bit over a bike length long before the landing and then bounced a ways down the landing. Oooooohs from the crowd watching and an increased heart rate. Scary! I was determined not to let the opportunity pass me by to do this and headed back up for another go. More pedals this time and I made it to the landing but pitched forward a bit too much and landed foot down. More OOOooohs and heart pounding! Next go I stuck it clean and was content to call it quits. All and all there were about seven people, including myself,f that cleared it. Check that off my bucket list! I headed back to down the hill to ride with Marcus and missed all the big tricks. Mosley flipped it, Birdwell superman seat-grabbed it, and Ryan Nyquist 360'd it.


Not sure who took this pic but you can check out more here.


Damn that looks big! Cell photo Scott Hagnas.

The rest of the day we spent riding ourselves into exhaustion. Riley worked on some backflips and got some on the resi ramp. I finally sacked up and 360'd the box jump. I was probably more stoked on that then the MegaRamp. It's something I should do without hesitation but over the past few years my confidence with spinning has been at an all time low. Thanks Woodward for the confidence boost.

After the session ended there was an after party in the lodge. Free food, free beer and bmxers is always a great recipe for good times. Dave Nourie, Anthony, and a couple other flatlander's put on a show in the bar. Dave is quite the showman. When the two kegs ran dry and the bar closed up a group of us moved on to one of the rooms. The room stay was short lived after the occupants realized that if they wanted their room to be inhabitable, the party better continue elsewhere. The whole first floor of the lodge was awoken by everyone looking for someone else's room to wreck. I don't think a door or window was missed by someone banging on it. No more party animals, so we hung out in the parking lot where Jeremy and Boozedawg kept us laughing with their drunken antics. Ben Ward gave me another reason not to have a facebook by posting pics of Jeremy DRUNK on his, resulting in an angry voicemail from the wife wondering why he wouldn't answer the phone when she called to check on him. Too funny. How no one knocked one out Boozedawg is beyond me. He was sac tapping or thumb in the bumming everyone within reach. Quite a few people will remember him after that night for sure! Needless to say we didn't make it up and get on the road by eight as was "planned". We left Woodward around 11 am. The Portland bunch of the crew got home around 5 am the next morning. Quite an unforgettable road trip. Check out the pics below and links for more event coverage.




One of the few times you can say fast and Shad in the same sentence. Shad, fastplant. Photo Jared Souney. Check his coverage here and here.


Boozeplant. Photo Mulligan. Check the Ride coverage here.


Jose Yanez (first person to do flips, Rad Stuntman), Bill Allen (Cru Jones!), Eddie Fiola (duh)!


Boozer, the Hizz Dicks smacker!



The drive home.

Source: http://eugenebmx.blogspot.com/2011/04/trip-concluded.html

wethepeople BMX gt BMX haro BMX mongoose BMX BMX extreme

Trail Jam



This has been an awsome year at the trails! Lot's of super fun sessions and some new faces making regular appearances. Let's end it on a high note. See you there! Special thanks to all the sponsors and extra thanks to Shad at Goods Bmx. Email me at backwoodstrails@gmail.com for more info.

Source: http://eugenebmx.blogspot.com/2011/09/trail-jam.html

BMX game alans BMX ride BMX BMX museum BMX bike games

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

colony BMX wethepeople BMX gt BMX haro BMX mongoose BMX

Sunday, March 30, 2014

The Indignity of Not Commuting by Bicycle and Instead Just Going For A Ride: None, I Regret Nothing

Source: http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-indignity-of-not-commuting-by.html

BMX bike games BMX forum winstanelys BMX colony BMX wethepeople BMX

DionRidesBikes is now RiderInBlack

I posted about the move in September 2013, but this site will become a generic domain in March 2014. Thanks for all the banter and comments, but I have moved on to a new, improved site that offers more ways of sharing my riding experience.

Please go to: RIDERINBLACK for the newest version of DionRidesBikes.com.

See ya' there! - Dion

Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2014/02/dionridesbikes-is-now-riderinblack.html

haro BMX mongoose BMX BMX extreme BMX racing BMX stunts

CBNC Christmas Party 2013 Re-cap

Over the weekend, I was personally invited to the annual CBNC Christmas Party at their Headquarters in Los Angeles. This was a private event as CBNC celebrated another great year in the books. There is […]

Source: http://www.bmxoutsiders.com/blog/cbnc-christmas-party-2013-re-cap/

ride BMX BMX museum BMX bike games BMX forum winstanelys BMX

Devon Smillie on Felt Bikes

Our flow team rider, Devon Smillie, is now riding pro for Felt Bikes. Congratulations Devon! Click the link below for the official announcement on Felt's web site.

http://feltbmx.com/USA/News/WELCOME-TO-THE-TEAM-ZAK-EARLEY-AND-DEVON-SMILLIE-.aspx

Source: http://actionvillagebmx.blogspot.com/2011/03/devon-smile-on-felt-bikes.html

mongoose BMX BMX extreme BMX racing BMX stunts BMX games

The Josh Cox Interview (2nd time around)

This is Josh Cox interview from 2009… Unfortunately the site crashed a while ago, so I’ve only just had the chance to re-issue it. Cheers again Josh! - VS
Yo…�JOSH COX: Hey man VS: We could get this interview started now if you like? JOSH COX: ok man VS: Ok… Name, age, location? JOSH COX: Josh [...]

Source: http://www.valleysidedistro.com/wordpress/?p=913

BMX stunts BMX games BMX bikes BMX master BMX videos

The Josh Cox Interview (2nd time around)

This is Josh Cox interview from 2009… Unfortunately the site crashed a while ago, so I’ve only just had the chance to re-issue it. Cheers again Josh! - VS
Yo…�JOSH COX: Hey man VS: We could get this interview started now if you like? JOSH COX: ok man VS: Ok… Name, age, location? JOSH COX: Josh [...]

Source: http://www.valleysidedistro.com/wordpress/?p=913

wethepeople BMX gt BMX haro BMX mongoose BMX BMX extreme

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

BMX forum winstanelys BMX colony BMX wethepeople BMX gt BMX

So, I've been riding the BMX a lot lately...

...and I have Strava data to prove it!

Seriously, I've been enjoying the hell out of riding my 20" and 24", so much, that the MTB's have been kinda hanging lately. I've done some upgrades to make my Stolen Saint 24" more freestyle, by adding 4 pegs, a front brake and a detangler.  That being said, here's my bike check. 


2013 Stolen Saint 24"


Frame: 100% Chromoly main frame w/ integrated seat clamp, mini 5mm dropouts, Campy head tube & MID BB shell. FREESTYLE GEOMETRY
Geo: 21.5" TT / 15" CS / 74.5� HT / 71� ST
Fork: 100% Tapered Chromoly, 36.9mm offset
Handlebar: STLN MID Bar, 7.25" rise, 28" width, 10� back, 2� up
Grips: Pryme Square Knot, Vortex Nylon Bar Plugz
Stem: STLN Convict III, Alloy Front clamp, 50mm reach
Headset: Integrated Alloy (Campy)
Brake Levers: Odyssey Monolevers - Medium
Rear Brake: Odyssey Evo2 U-Brake
Front Brake: ACS BOA Caliper with ACS Doubler Mod
Cranks: MOB OE 3-piece, Tubular Chromoly w/ pinch bolts, 175mm
Cables: F) Stolen Whip Linear R) Odyssey Gyro Cables
Bottom Bracket: Sealed MID, 19mm spindle
Pedals: STLN Thermalite w/ Chromoly axle
Sprocket: Coaliton 23T
Driver: 10t, 1pc Chromoly
Chain: KMC Gold
Rims: F) Revolver, double wall, 36H R) Revolver, double wall, 36H 
Hubs: F) 3/8" axle, 36H R) 14mm axle, Semi-Sealed Cassette, 36H
Seat: STLN Fat Combo
Seatpost: STLN Combo, 25.4mm x 112mm Alloy
Tires: F) Innova 24x2.125" R) Innova 24x2.125"
Detangler: Snafu Mobeus
Pegs: Tree Trick Aluminum


Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2013/02/so-ive-been-riding-bmx-lot-lately.html

BMX parts BMX games online BMX bikes for sale we the people BMX BMX bike

Dustyn Alt-Hyvest


Flatland BMX - Hyvest from Dustyn Alt Flatland Channel on Vimeo.

Words by Dustn

My name is Dustyn Alt and i am a Pro BMX Flatland Rider from Germany. I ride 6 years now and love it! This Edit is for my Sponsor Hyvest. Hyvest is a new brand from Germany.
Check !!! hyvest.de !!! for more information ;)

Source: http://www.bmxfreestyler.com/2013/03/dustyn-alt-hyvest.html

wethepeople BMX gt BMX haro BMX mongoose BMX BMX extreme

UNIT WELCOMES JOSH MATTHEWS

 josh mathews

Unit is excited to announce the signing of 16-year-old BMX rider Josh Matthews

Josh, based on the Gold Coast, Australia, has joined the team under the guidance of recent double X Games gold medal winner Kyle Baldock, who also made his start with Unit at a young age before going on to become one of the best BMX riders in the world today.

Kyle has been keeping a close eye on Josh for sometime now, and is more than happy to mentor and help develop his talent so that when the time is right Josh has the best chance of succeeding on the world-stage.  

“Josh has the style and motivation we’re looking for in a rider”, says Kyle. “He’s a kid who is constantly blowing up with new tricks, and you have to keep a close eye on him as you never know what he’s going to try next. I’ve been riding with Josh for a while now, he’s a cool kid, learns fast, and wants it real bad.  I see myself in him more so than any other rider I’ve come across. It’s great to have Josh join the team and I look forward to being a mentor to him in the coming years.”

For Josh the opportunity to join Unit’s BMX team and work closely with Kyle is a dream come true and he is determined to make the most of it, saying, “I’m really stoked about the opportunity to work closely with Kyle, and Unit has a solid BMX team so it feels great to be a part of it. My aim is to reach Kyle’s level in the sport winning events like X Games, and to have him there to guide me along the way will make things a lot easier as he knows the deal. Yeah I’m pretty excited about the future!”

Welcome to the Unit Family Josh!

Follow Josh on his social media pages: www.facebook.com/JoshMatthewsBmx

Instagram – JoshMatthews

 

Source: http://www.unit.com/united-states/blog/2013/7/26/unit-welcomes-josh-matthews/

BMX racing BMX stunts BMX games BMX bikes BMX master

In case you had any doubts...

Yeah it's been quite a while but we still here. Not a whole lot going on with all the wet weather. Impatiently waiting for the AARP bmx jam down at camp Woodward West the first weekend of April. Stoked. I went last year but since then they have added quite a bit of new terrain, so looking forward to checking it out and getting in a solid weekend of riding. And to keep the theme going here, if you had any doubts that Shad has his finger firmly planted on the pulse of BMX... He managed to somehow find the picture below of me at last weekends Redline Cup qualifier racing in the 30+ open MONEY class. My fat ass couldn't pedal fast enough to keep up with the big wheelers and didn't even make the main. I did have fun though making them nervous diving to the inside in the first corner. Click on over to Goods online store and buy something. Support those who support the sport. Shad's been doing that for the nearly 20 years I've known him and even before that. Also check out James Thrash's photobucket for more Oregon racing photos.

Source: http://eugenebmx.blogspot.com/2011/03/in-case-you-had-any-doubts.html

wethepeople BMX gt BMX haro BMX mongoose BMX BMX extreme

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Happy 43rd Birthday Pete Brandt


Today is Pete's 43rd Birthday. Happy Birthday to you Pete!

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

colony BMX wethepeople BMX gt BMX haro BMX mongoose BMX

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

BMX bike games BMX forum winstanelys BMX colony BMX wethepeople BMX