Headwinds and Singletrack– September. 28, 2025
This past weekend I made my annual pilgrimage to Northern AZ for the 29th Tour of the White Mountains, held every October by Epic Rides.
This year was 100% off-the-couch, and the 20-30 mph sustained winds made the 50 mile challenge even more challenging. Despite not coming close to my intended finish time, I still enjoyed getting to a higher elevation, and getting a nice, nice day in the saddle on some of my favorite trails. I also consumed 5 bananas, a new daily record for me!
Ziggy Zaggy – September. 22, 2025
While most associations with Tucson and the surrounding area are of saguaros and gila monsters, we do enjoy being the home of the US’s southernmost ski resort, and as the summer weather starts to break, the Oktoberfest held at Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley is a great way to welcome the cooler fall temps.
The family and I enjoyed a hike, some brats, and a few marzen beers in a setting that felt as Bavarian as possible for the Sonoran Desert. My son thoroughly enjoyed dancing the live Polka music. Prost to the Sky Islands!
Recline in the Pines – September. 16, 2025
With the Advanced Craters and Cones Part Deux this weekend, and Epic Rides’ Tour of the White Mountains next week, we’re really getting into the higher elevation mindset, ready to breathe in some cinder dust, as well as enjoy some tight shaded singletrack in the Ponderosa forests of Northern AZ. I’m stoked for cooler weather, and to take my child to his first MTB event, I have a feeling he’s going to dig it!
Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow – September. 10, 2025
At the beginning of the day, I was unpacking my lunch into the fridge, and Jake exclaimed that there was a bunny in the shop. I turned just in time to see it run into the bathroom, and quickly followed in pursuit. The ensuing cuteness was a pleasant way to start things off, and our rabbit friend was freed into the desert habitat across the street to enjoy its salad days.
Visiting Kona – September. 04, 2025
The beginning of the week I was invited by Kona to Bellingham, WA to preview some really exciting bikes, strengthen partnerships, and shred some unfamiliar dirt. I’ve always been enamored with this part of the world, and I’m extremely grateful and excited for the soulful two wheeled experiences of the past week.
Strong like Ox Beetle – August. 28, 2025
Even though our summer has had a bit of a disappointing amount of monsoon precipitation, there is still plenty of fauna that has taken advantage of the sporadic storms rolling through. This Ox Beetle showed up in the backyard over the weekend, lumbering around like a little 2″ Triceratops, and caught my interest as a slightly uncommon visitor. There’s a good chance it and its kin may be going after our garden, but still very cool to look at.
You Can’t Censor Banned Bikes – August. 22, 2025
This week we got to arbitrate the purveyance of a Zipp 2001, which despite its nomenclature was made illegal by the UCI for road racing in the beginning of the year 2000 (UCI banned all nontraditional frames constructed without a double triangle). This particular bike from the mid 90s also featured Zipp’s first production product, the Disc Wheel.
Although very heavy and flexy by today’s standards, it still has a cult following 3 decades later. It’s rare that we see a bike with 19mm sew-ups come through the shop, it’s still fun to reminisce about the times when we believed that razor thin tires were faster because they contacted less of your riding surface. Cameo appearance by Jo-Jo.
Gore Tex Vortex – August. 16, 2025
A few weeks ago I was able to get away for a weekend to Sedona, and was treated to an afternoon monsoon on the last day. It reminded me that it is a relatively short drive to get to one of my favorite riding environments, as well as the source of my favorite spring water. Cheers to beautiful nature!
New Bike Day!! – August. 10, 2025
A long while back (almost 2 years), before my son was born, I purchased a Otso Warakin Stainless frame with the intent of hanging some GRX 11spd components that I had on it, but as life goes, I never got around to actually being able to get it together.
Now, with autumn rapidly approaching, which 100% translates to bike season, I finally have it rolling. It’s been a while since I’ve had a personal New Bike Day, and selling off one of my other bikes last week, I didn’t even have to +1 my n! Really looking forward to getting this rig rolling on the trails and roads!
Hot Today. Hot Yesterday. Hot Again Tomorrow – August. 04, 2025
The past month or so, I have been awaking my mostly reluctantly family pre-dawn on Wednesdays to go up Tumamoc Hill (Cemamagi Du’ag), and now with the ushering of all-time daily and monthly high temps this week, every time we finish there is a new resolve to get up a little bit earlier next time to avoid the onslaught of solar heat by 7am. This is a picture from last week’s foray, and you can see Tucson beginning to swelter at 6:30.
Cheers to early morning strolls!
Shadows of the Past – July. 28, 2025
With Toby out of the shop on a well deserved family camping trip this past weekend, I happened to spend a little bit of time upstairs with the shop team. A rider that had just finished the Great Divide Mountain Bike Race stopped by in search of an extra belt for his Rohloff/Gates equipped Fargo, and a quick look at his drivetrain revealed the cause of his shredded belts- tooth wear of both sprocket and cog.
It takes quite a bit of distance to get these components to this point, and is truly a testament to their longevity and a feat to be proud of! A new set of all the worn components breathed new life into his rig, and he was back in the saddle with confidence in his gear!
The Need for SPD – July. 21, 2025
While the clipless vs flats pedal debate will probably never end, I am still preferential to the classic SPD. I know a lot of folks like the flats so they can ride in any shoe they choose, especially sandals during the hotter summer months. Well, despite the heckles from my colleagues/friends/family/pets, I choose to use my fashionable Shimano sandals when the tarmac and trails want to cook your feet. Necessity is the mother of invention.
Petricor Valhalla – July. 14, 2025
It finally happened! We received over an inch of much much needed rain, and the desert cooled down and immediately came to life! After more than 12 hours of decent showers, the sigh of relief was universal and almost audible, and the past 24 hours has seen billions of flying ants and termites take to the air, leaving their wings behind and providing meals for bats, birds, and lizards.
The Hot Dog Days of Summer – July. 07, 2025
The family and I hauled the dogs, the bikes, and ourselves up to cooler temps again for the holiday weekend, and the weather did not disappoint! We enjoyed some splendid gravel rides in the woods, and spent an afternoon jamming to live music at one of our favorite beer gardens, and Leo was able to free range dance on their wonderful lawn, while mom and dad enjoyed some adult beverages and Bavarian sausages on a blanket. A wonderful way to have some wholesome fun AND get some ride time in!