bike magazine - february 2016 usa

7/25/2019 Bike Magazine - February 2016 USA

1/140

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO MOUNTAIN BIKES AND GEA

FORKS |DRIVETRAINS |DROPPERS |TIRES

TRAIL-TESTED IN RURAL VERMONT

the northeast kingdoms

winning formula


2/140

The worlds best-loved mountain bike, Fuel EX brings race-day tech

to all-day adventure with innovation such as Boost, RE:aktiv

and Active Braking Pivot. Its a capable trail bike and nimble XC

bike all in one.

ROLLING OUT THE NEW FUEL EX 29

Fuel EX 29 | trekbikes.com


3/140


4/140


5/140


6/140


7/140

Pursue your thrill.

The experience is everything.

Your thrill is out there, and it's calling for you. The lightweight, fully ventilatedForefrontwith AerocoreConstruction featuring Koroydabsorbs 30% moreenergy than traditional helmets, designed to amplify awesome out on the trail.


8/140

GET IT UP IN THE COLD.When you need to go up and down, you dont want to worry aboutthe weather. The Turbine seat post gets the job done in below zerotemperatures. Featuring a hybrid mechanical/hydraulic lock thatVXSSRUWV WKH ULGHUV ZHLJKWZKLOH GHOLYHULQJ VPRRWK DQG LQQLWHadjustability. The Turbine runs low pressures and high reliability,

less down time for service means more time in the saddle.

P

HOTO

HANSIJOHNSON


9/140

DROPPER


10/140

OPM O.D.L XC dominati

www.dtswiss.com


11/140

heavens bench. east burke, vermont Iphoto: reuben krabbe

VOL 23 INO 01

Bikesgear editor Ryan

Palmer rails a corner

on the Ibis Ripley LS

during this years Bible

of Bike Tests. Photog-

rapher Reuben Krabbe

captured this image on

Kitchel in the Kingdom

Trails network.

ON THE COVER

017 START HERE

020 LETTERS

026 PROFILES

034 BUZZ

050 SKETCH

058 BUTCHER PAPER

062 GRIMY HANDSHAKE

138 OFF LINE

084 CROSS COUNTRY

090 TRAIL

102 ALL MOUNTAIN

112 WOMENS

119 FORKS

123 TIRES

127 DROPPERS

131 DRIVETRAINS

042 BREAKING IT DOWN

We take you behind the

scenes of the annual circus

of The Bible of Bike Tests.

068 KINGDOM COME

One decision made by asingle landowner decades

ago in East Burke, Vermont,

spurred singletrack salvation

for the rural town.

features

departments

gear

011 CONTENTS


12/140


13/140


14/140

ANTHONY

SMITH

VOL 23 INO 01

CONTRIBUTIONS: Bike magazine is not responsible for unsolic-

ited contributions unless pre-agreed in writing. Bikeretains ALL

RIGHTS on material published in Bikefor a period of 12 months

after publication, and reprint rights after that period expires. Sendcontributions to: Bikemagazine, 2052 Corte Del Nogal, Carlsbad,

CA 92011, Attn: Editor.

BIKES COVERAGE AND DISTRIBUTION: The magazine is pub-

lished nine times per year, worldwide.

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE: To change your address or order

new subscriptions, write to: Bike magazine, Subscription De-

partment, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235.

Please send your new address and the address label fromyour last issue, and allow eight to 10 weeks for processing.Or email [email protected] or call 800-765-5501

(customer service hours: MonFri, 7 a.m.12 a.m. EST; SatSun,

9 a.m.6 p.m. EST).

REPRINTS: Contact Wrights Media at 877-652-5295 (281-419-

5725 outside the U.S. and Canada) to purchase quality custom

reprints or e-prints of articles appearing in this publication.

BACK ISSUES: To order back issues, visit https://www.circsource.

com/store/storeBackIssues.html

Copyright 2016 TEN: The Enthusiast Network Magazines, LLC.All Rights Reserved. Printed in the USA.

Due to the volume of inquiries, we cannot respond to all email. Sorry.Occasionally, our subscriber list is made available to reputable firms

offering goods and services that we believe would be of interest to

our readers. If you prefer to be excluded, please send your current

address label and note requesting to be excluded from these pro-

motions to TEN: The Enthusiast Network, LLC, 831 S. Douglas St.,

El Segundo, CA 90245, Attn: Privacy Coordinator.

Any submissions or contributions from readers shall be subjectto and governed by TEN: The Enthusiast Networks User Content

Submission Terms and Conditions, which are posted at http://www.

enthusiastnetwork.com/submissions/

ADVERTISING RATES: Contact the Bike Advertising Department

at: 2052 Corte Del Nogal, Carlsbad, CA 92011. Phone: 949-325-

6200.

To carry Bikemagazine in your store, call 1-800-381-1288

CANADA POST: Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to

IMEX Global Solutions, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.

EDITORIAL

Editor | Brice MinnighPhoto Editor | Anthony Smith

Art Director | Shaun N. Bernadou

Managing Editor | Nicole Formosa

Gear Editor | Ryan Palmer

Online Editor | Jon Weber

Director of Photography | David ReddickStudio Photographer | J.P. Van Swae

Senior Editor | Vernon FeltonEditor-At-Large | Mike Ferrentino

Interns | Hayley Helms, Sam McMain

Captain Gravity | Mike Vihon

Senior Writers | Graham Averill, Kristin Butcher

Contributing Writers | Berne Broudy, Ryan Cleek, Kim Cross, Travis Engel, Kurt Gensheimer, Yuri Hauswald, Lacy Kemp,Devon ONeil, Greg Chopper Randolph, Tess Weaver Strokes, Lydia Tanner

Senior Photographers | Mattias Fredriksson, John Gibson, Bruno Long, Sterling Lorence, Jordan Manley,Scott Markewitz, Stephen Wilde

Contributing Photographers | Bob Allen, Dan Barham, Stef Cand, Bear Cieri, Adam Clark, Toby Cowley, Ryan Creary,Jeff Cricco, Ale Di Lullo, Derek DiLuzio, Gosta Fries, Jay Goodrich, Paris Gore, Rene Gouin, Garrett Grove, Ian Hylands,

Justa Jeskova, Nicolas Joly, Blake Jorgenson, Anne Keller, Reuben Krabbe, Kevin Lange, Steve Lloyd, Adrian Marcoux,

Christophe Margot, Sven Martin, Mason Mashon, Colin Meagher, Kari Medig, Chris Milliman, Dan Milner, Sam Needham,

Haruki Noguchi, Robin ONeill, Gary Perkin, Margus Riga, Tyler Roemer, Camilla Rutherford, Patrice Schreyer, Nicolas Teichrob,

Robb Thompson, Dave Trumpore, Brian Vernor, Geoff Waugh, John Wellburn

ADVERTISING

General Manager | Adam Watkins [email protected]

Associate General Manager | Mark Milutin [email protected]

Advertising SalesAccount Executive | David Paz [email protected]

Account Executive | Kevin Back [email protected]

Account Executive | Jeremy Schluntz [email protected]

Account Executive | Bryan Ellis [email protected] & Marketing Coordinator | Katie Matteson [email protected]

SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Management Sales & MarketingProduction Director | Kasey Kelley VP, Sales | Kristen Ude

Director of Video | Chris Mauro Director of Integrated Sales | Chris Engelsman

Finance Director | Adam Miner Sr. Marketing Director | Adam Cozens

Digital DesignDirector of Engineering | Jeff Kimmel Creative Director | Marc HostetterSenior Product Manager | Rishi Kumar Creative Director, Digital | Peter Tracy

Senior Product Manager | Marc Bartell

Content Strategies Manager | Kristopher Heineman

EventsDirector, Events | Scott Desiderio

VP, Event Sales | Sean Nielsen

FacilitiesManager | Randy Ward

Office Coordinator | Ruth Hosea

MANUFACTURING & PRODUCTION OPERATIONS

VP, Mfg. & Advertising Operations | Greg Parnell

Sr. Dir., Advertising Operations | Pauline Atwood

Production Manager | Ji llian Burmeister

Archivist | Thomas Voehringer

TEN: THE ENTHUSIAST NETWORK, LLC

Chairman | Peter Englehart

Chief Executive Officer | Scott P. Dickey

EVP, Chief Financial Officer | Bill Sutman

President, Automotive | Scott BaileyEVP, Chief Creative Officer | Alan Alpanian

EVP, Sports & Entertainment | Norb Garrett

EVP, Chief Content Officer | Angus MacKenzie

EVP, Operations | Kevin Mullan

EVP, Sales & Marketing | Eric Schwab

SVP, Digital Operations | Dan BednarSVP, Sales Operations | Matt Boice

SVP, Financial Planning | Mike Cummings

SVP, Automotive Digital | Geoff DeFrance

VP, Editorial Operations | Amy Diamond

SVP, Content Strategy, Automotive | David Freiburger

SVP, Digital, Sports & Entertainment | Greg Morrow

VP, Digital Monetization | Elisabeth Murray

SVP, Marketing | Ryan PayneEVP, Mind Over Eye | Bill Wadsworth

CONSUMER MARKETING, ENTHUSIAST MEDIA SUBSCRIPTIONCOMPANY, INC.SVP, Circulation | Tom Slater

VP, Retention & Operations Fulfillment | Donald T. Robinson III

014 MASTHEAD


15/140


16/140ciclista-america.com

c y c l i n g s h o e s

Only Sidi shoes purchased from anauthorized Sidi-Ciclista America dealer arecovered by our 1-year product warranteeSidi Cycling877.789.4940 @CiclistaAmerica @Sidicycling


17/140

by ryan palmer Iphoto: anthony smith

017 START HERE

TWO THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY TWO. THATS THE

number of hours our 17-person crew worked setting up, riding, pho-

tographing, studying, debating and filming 30 of 2016s most entic-

ing bikes for this years Bible of Bike Tests. Heres another number:

1,680. Thats how many miles nine testers rode during our annual

two-week mission to create mountain bikings most comprehensiveand honest buyers guide, now in its seventh year.

That doesnt include the hundreds of hours of planning in the

months leading up to the test, or the thousands of hours spent

writing and editing some 25,000 words, combing through 9,990

images and cutting up 10 hours of raw footage. So if you happen

to be in the market for a new bike, youve come to the right place.

Why do we bother with all this when the status-quo, pay-to-play

model for gear guides is quick, easy and profitable? Because those

guides arent designed to benefit you; they exist to bring in large

chunks of revenue during off-season advertising months.

You deserve more than that. Were passionate mountain bik-

ers ourselves, and we know how difficult it can be to cut through

the marketing noise when it comes time to fork over our hard-

earned cash for a new bike. We also know how hard it is to believe

product reviews when the same companies being reviewed are

the ones purchasing ads. But we know who reallykeeps the lights

on around here: you. Its because you continue to read and trust

Bikethat companies continue to spend advertising dollars with us.

What kind of friends would we be if we didnt have your back whenyouve had ours these past 23 years? This is why each of the 30

bikes in this issue has been carefully chosen based on its merits,

price points and to reflect the wide range of disciplines that interest

you (regardless of whether a given brand is an advertiser).

While youre reading this, we might be on the phone with a

company weve annoyed, trying to explain the importance of being

honest. But its all worth it, even if this issue and the 30 accom-

panying Roundtable Reels videos on bikemag.com help just one

person find the bike of his or her dreams. And if a new bike isnt

in the budget this year, there are plenty of pages in this issue

with no mention of head angles or chainstay lengths, including

a feature on this years Bible destination, Vermonts Northeast

Kingdom. Enjoy. And thanks for keeping the lights on.

time countsAND WE WOULDNT HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY


18/140


19/140

#ALLGUTSALLGLORY


20/140

020 LETTERS

PRINT LIVES

I am now very happy to be

back as a subscriber. YourDecember issue (Volume 22/

Number 9) has been a delight.The feature stories remindedme of why I read the veryfirst issue of Bikemore than22 years ago! SurReality,Sucker Punched and TheGiving Trail reminded me of

why I still read Bike.I read the very first issue of

Bike. A friend, Mark Wilson,even had several photospublished in Bike. I stoppedreading it for a while when

it seemed like most of thepictures were of flying bikesdoing stunts. Pictures like the

hot Buzz shot of Nick Quinnand Reg Mullett in Alberta,Canada, are fantastic.

I just wish more hard-tail bikes were shown andreviewed. I am a 68-year-oldmountain biker with a $7,000Felt Six LTD carbon 20-pounddelight. I could have bought

a decent dual-squish bike for

the same money, but my goalis bike ridingnot pretendingto be a motorcyclist.

My first mountain-bike ridewas in 1985. I still love the feelof a hardtail in the mountainsand on the hilly trails of central

Floridas limestone backbone.You ran a story about racing atSantos Trailhead below Ocala.May I suggest San FelascoHammock State Park next? Itsnot flat there.

The Grimy Handshakeis always a favorite. Pleaseremember that it is often yourolder readers who still readprint media. Articles like thoseabove are often why we buyBike. Hardtails live as well.

BILL LONGENECKER;

NEPTUNE BEACH, FL

Bill, thanks so much for

sticking with us for most of

the past 22 years. Its been a

long ride, with several differ-ent editors (and, as a result,

several slightly different

editorial biases). But through

it all weve tried to keep the

main focus on the pure joy of

riding mountain bikes. Like

you, some of our editors still

love riding hardtails, especially

on buff, high-speed ribbons

of flowy singletrack. Well do

our best to show some more

magazine love to hardtails this

year, because we also knowthat both print and hardtails

are alive and kicking. Ed.

ADVENTURE ADMONISHMENT

I have been a constant sub-scriber since about 1996 orso. I am writing today for the

second time since I begansubscribing, and I want to saythank you to everyone at Bikefor doing such a great job.

I would like to comment onthe recent letter from Jake Ot-suka, who stated that he hasbeen in the bike industry for

about 20 years and that youguys at Bikewasted an entireissue on bikepacking (Sep-

tember/October 2015, Volume22/Number 7). I would liketo remind Jake that mountain

biking is supposed to be anadventuroussport and someof us enjoy really getting out

there. The information in thatissue was very helpful to thoseof us who do notread what hecalls a more dedicated magfor that purpose.

I enjoy all types of biking,

but to be able to get on mymountain bike and go for daysat a time without assistance iswhat it is all about. The adven-tureof it! So I say to Jake, loadup the gear and give it a try;you may find you like it! And

if you happen to be near NewJersey, I would gladly go for a

ride. Thanks again, Bike, for allthe good years!

JOE GORMAN; KEYPORT, NJ

Right on, Joe. Mountain biking

is definitely all about adven-

ture, and so is our staff. Its all

about getting out and enjoying

the wilderness, and the bike is

an excellent tool for exploring

the backcountry. Ed.

HELPFUL VARIETY

Unlike Jake Otsuka, I found

the recent issue on bikepack-ing (September/October 2015,Volume 22/Number 7) veryhelpful. I am sure that everytrail Jake rides is downhillsingletrack heaven, but whereI live there is a lot of flatbetween the fun. I have beenplanning a 480-kilometer trip

along the Greenbelt Route

here in Ontario, Canada, eversince it opened last year. Keepup the variety!

TREVOR HUGHES; BY EMAIL

After reading all these letters,

we wonder if Jake Otsuka will

give bikepacking a try? Ed.

Bikewelcomes your input, and were suckers for cavalier use of the Englishlanguage. Letters may be edited for length, but dont expect us to fix allyour spelling mistakes, okay? Send correspondence to: Editor, Bikemaga-zine, 2052 Corte Del Nogal, Carlsbad, CA 92011. Or send an email to:[email protected].

WRITE US

What a great September/October (Volume 22/Number 7) issue! I believe the

stories and photography will inspire those of us who normally only use our bikesfor single-day adventures to take the leap and give an extended trip a try.

There are two points, however, in which I think Bikecould have done a

better jobespecially considering the overall tone of the issue was encourag-

ing those who have never been bikepacking to give it a try.

First, there is no mention of Leave-No-Trace ethics in the issue. With

more users of all kinds venturing into the backcountry, it is absolutely neces-

sary for Leave No Trace to be practiced. The recent example

of the Oregon Outback race being cancelled as a result of

riders not following Leave No Trace illustrates the importance

of this common practice.

Second, I believe that you would be hard-pressed to

find a seasoned backcountry enthusiast who would ven-

ture into the wild for an overnight trip without a sleeping

pad. While at first glance the value of a sleeping pad ap-

pears to only be in the comfort it affords the user, equally

important is the insulation that it provides. A sleepingpad is a key part of a well-thought-out sleep system that

ensures the user is able to properly thermo-regulate under

all conditions. Having a sleeping pad be suggested as

optional does not seem wise.

Bikepacking appears to be taking off. Lets be sure we

are all good stewards of our resources and that we are prop-

erly prepared to encounter the elements that we may face.

KRIS NESSLER; BY EMAIL

Kris, were thrilled that you enjoyed our bikepacking-themed

issue, and we agree with you that bikepackers should follow

the Leave-No-Trace rule. And like you, we believe in the

insulating properties of a sleeping pad. For your helpful sug-

gestions, were sending you this 2016 Fox

Factory 34 Float fork. It should also help

you stay warm in the wild. Ed.


21/140

I

H

EOurtop-o

f-the-line,singletra

ckspeedsterseesa

completeoverhaul

for2016.Highligh

tedbyournew

FuseIndepen

dentSuspensionan

daframedesign

centeredaroundspeed,controlan

dmorespeed.

X

C

R

A

C

E

X

C

T

R

A

I

L

ONAWORLD.COM

/HEIHE

BarryWicks/FontanaCalifornia.Photo:KevinMcRee

KONAWORLD.COM


22/140


23/140


24/140

Well? Can you? With suspension-optimized design and agile

trail geometry, the Blizzard rides like a proper mountain bike.

Explore new terrain, fall on your face, venture beyond the

groomers and snowshoe trails! Can you freeride a fat bike?

You can and you should.

BIKES.COM/BLIZZARD

Rider: Geoff Gulevich

Photo: Fraser Vaage

Location: Coastal Mountains, British Columbia

C N YOU FREERIDE A FAT BIKE


25/140


26/140

Bikes gear editor was voted most likely

to have a heart attack at this years Bibleof Bike Tests. After his third year in the il-lustrious role of Lead Bro Herdera titlehe borrows for two weeks each year frommanaging editor, Nicole FormosaPalmerhandles the stress like a seasoned pro.Like his potentially career-limiting move of

getting in the face of editor-in-chief, BriceMinnigh (his boss), after assuminghe hadleft the luncheon meat ensconced in aswarm of flies. And he was Cool Hand Lukewhen UPS thought the best way to makeup for losing contents from a box was to

replace the missing items with a randomstarter motor.

When not destroying his body with stress

and vices, he does so by riding short-travel29ers downhill as fast as possible. He lovesflow trails as much as anyone else, but livesfor the kind of techy, natural singletrack hegrew up riding on the East Coast. The onlypassion that Palmer has had longer thanriding mountain bikes is working on them.

FAVORITE RIDE:Ryan picked the Ibis

Ripley LS. No wait, the Trek Fuel EX 9 29.Crap. Both bikes were an absolute riot to

ride. For the money, the Trek is unbeat-able. It also manuals better, has a slightlylonger toptube and its suspension perfor-mance is incredible.

But the Ibis Ripley LS blew Ryansmind with its cornering agility, snappy,yet planted demeanor and supple but

supportive suspension feel. It was also 3pounds lighter (and $3,300 more) thanthe Trek. He preferred the Ibis, but itwasnt a fair fight. More people can affordthe Trek, which means more smiles ontrails. For Ryan, that tipped the scales in

favor of the Fuel.

RYAN PALMER

As the editor of Bike, Brice is supposed to

be the boss of the editorial operation. Butin reality, he spends more time takingordersthan actually giving them. And his cyclicaldeadline-chasing patterns bear more re-semblance to a hamster on a wheel thananything one could reasonably expect froma publications edit leader. As such, Brice

has become an invaluable source of comicrelief for Bikesstaff and contributors, someof whom have made playing practical jokeson him a part of their daily routine.

Despite the constant abuse, Brice hassomehow survived all seven Bible of Bike

Testscampaigns, and hes become a cru-sader for the ever-refined testing processand the importance of solid journalism to

quality bike reviews and videos.Though he loves riding everything from

pinner XC race whips to full-blown DHsleds, Brice can usually be found aboarda 5- or 6-inch-travel bikeeven if hes ona ride with extensive climbs. For this andmany other reasons, the Bike staff hascome to consider Brice his own worst en-

emy, and fellow editors point out his mas-ochistic streak every time he absconds

from the office on some ill-conceived ad-venture in a remote part of Afghanistan,South America or a former Soviet Republicsuch as Georgia.

FAVORITE RIDE: Though Brice is astaunch supporter of medium-travel 29ers,he has an annoying habit of raving about

most of the Bibletest bikes as soon as hereturns from his laps. This year he pro-fessed his love for at least a dozen differentsteeds, but the ones he ended up stealingthe most for extra-credit rides were theYeti SB4.5c and the Specialized Camber

Comp Carbon 29.

BRICE MINNIGH

Despite some 30 years of vowing to employ

chamois cream before his next ride, Ver-non rarely, if ever, remembers to do so. Hehas been an editor at Bike, in one capac-ity or another, for the past 17 years (giveor take a few months, during which heclaimed to have lost his cell phone, forgotthat email existed and was super sorry

about the whole affair).Despite these and myriad other short-

comings, Vernon is back, performing hisrole at The Bible of Bike Testssomethingthat amounts to riding bikes, knockinghimself unconscious and eating more ba-

con than he is rightfully due. As moderatorof the Roundtable Reels videos, he alsorubs his chin thoughtfully, curses less fre-

quently than usual and assumes the roleof senile-but-friendly grandfather figure.Vernon lives in Bellingham, Washington,and is fond of anything made of wool.

FAVORITE RIDE: Vernon always ap-proaches this as less an exercise in point-ing his finger at the best bike of the bunchand more a matter of answering the follow-

ing question: If a pack of chimpanzees/IRSagents/orcas stole every bike he owns and

he could replace those bikes with just onemodel from this lot, which would it be?Thebike in question would need to be versa-tilesomething capable of both long cross-country rides and technically demandingdescents.

This year, that bike proved to be Pivots

Mach 429 Trail. It wasnt an easy deci-sionthe Ibis Ripley LS and the Yeti SB4.5cnipped closely at the Pivots heels and werea bit more fun to just toss aroundbut thePivot does everything an aggressive trailbike should and doesnt harbor a single

crappy component.

VERNON FELTON

PORTRAITS: REUBEN KRABBE

ANTHONYSMITH

026 BIKE TEST BRIGADE


27/140

SRAM.COM

RIDE

YOUW Y

FAR AND WIDE

For every bike, theres a rider. A rider

who builds it. A rider who knows it.A rider whos always ready to take the

bike somewhere new. Introducing GX,

the drivetrain for people who love to

ride without restraint. From beginner

to expert, GX delivers personalized

gear choices that take you as far and

wide as you want to go. Engineered in

Germany with 1x and 2x options,

SRAM GX brings the power of riding

to everyone, everywhere.


28/140


This year was Nicoles third stroll down

Bible-testing lane, and the experiencecontinues to be a fruitful exercise in howto balance co-habiting with the ripe rid-ing gear of more than a dozen fellow crewmembers and maintaining her sanity. Forher, the most interesting part of the Biblehas been seeing the evolution of womens

mountain bikesfrom the days of low-endframes hung with a sacrificed parts selec-tion to the batch of legitimate and smartlyspecd bikes we tested this year.

Nicole started mountain biking 10 yearsago while she was living in Colorados high

country. When the snow finally melted thatJuly, she went to a second-hand sports storeto find a distraction for the eight weeks of

summer and wound up with a $200 alumi-num hardtail. She fumbled her way up anddown enough alpine singletrack to catchthe bug, and has been riding ever since. Acareer journalist, shes really pulling for theapostrophe and feels like it will regain therespect it deserves any day now.

FAVORITE RIDE: As usual, there were

multiple worthy contenders for the gold starof the test, but for Nicole, the Yeti SB5c Beti

was the bike that made her heart beat fast-est. The ideal bike for Nicoles home trailsin Laguna Beach, California, is one that canmake the countless steep fire-road climbspass quickly and as pain-free as possible,but still handle the chunky-rock singletrackdescents and zero-traction dirt inherent

to southern Californias trails. The BetisSwitch Infinity platform is the best-climbingsuspension shes ever experienced and,that, combined with a lightweight frame,balanced geometry and a very capable 5inches of travel, makes the Beti a worthy

companion for everyday rides.

NICOLE FORMOSA

At best a mediocre rider, Mike has more

bad habits ingrained from riding bikessince the horrible years of the 1980s thanmost other people can hope to accumulatein their natural lifetimes. He bums out othertesters because he cant manage to weanhimself from his antipodean colonial needto run the front brake on the right side of

the handlebar. And, like Travis Engel, healso over-tightens his pedals.

He is, however, somewhat valuable atgauging suspension performance, due inno small part to his unerring ability to casethe landing of even the smallest, most be-

nign double. And, given that his riding stylehas been most charitably described as likea monkey fornicating with a football, he is

constantly managing to find new ways ofruining corner apexes and can occasionallysurprise the other riders by not always beinglast down the hill. In all other, non-bike-testrelated aspects his reputation precedes himand is probably deserved. Not the least ofwhich is his tendency to abuse commas.

FAVORITE RIDE: The Transition Patrol

is the bike that won Mikes heart this year,in spite of the field being stacked with bikes

that wereall the way across the boardhard to fault. Normally the trend of bikesgetting longer and slacker up front wouldfreak Mike out, but theres a concurrentsteepening of seat angles and a trend tokeep chainstays short, and the results arethat these long and slack bikes are a whole

lot more balanced than Mike first expected.The Transition epitomizes and capitalizeson this trend, and it is a personal game-changer for Mike. On a workmanlike level,the Patrol is well conceived and cleanly ex-ecuted, and thankfully retains a threaded

bottom bracket.

MIKE FERRENTINO

This was Jons first Bible since joining

Bike in early 2015. The rest of the staffthinks its hilarious how his last namefits his position as online editor, and hethinks its pretty funny how long it takesBrice Minnigh to spread cream cheeseon a bagel.

Instead of finding ways to make more

money, J-Webs has spent his short ca-reer finding ways to make mountain bikingmore affordable, working at a shop in hisadopted hometown of Burlington, Vermont,before taking on his current gig at Bike.

Returning to one of the most pictur-

esque areas in Vermont sent him into adownward spiral of homesickness, butplaying a part in the reviews he often re-

ferred to as a shophand was well worth thedespondency.

FAVORITE RIDE: Evils Insurgent, IbisRipley LS and Salsas Pony Rustler come tomind. But it wasnt until the better part ofour two weeks in Vermont was up that Jonmet the one that really got under his skin:Treks Fuel EX 9 29.

Jon wasnt even testing the Fuel. Hewas out for a ride with CJ Scott, the trails

manager at the Kingdom Trails, when thebike blew him away with its understatedhandling and efficiency. It pedaled ex-ceedingly well, even with the shock fullyopen, and its mild-mannered handlingmeshed with the Kingdom Trails terrainlike eggs and potatoes.

The Trek Fuel EX 9 29 is a truly bal-anced ride, ready for anything from cross-country races and long rides in the wil-derness to just messing around on yourfavorite backyard trails. Plus, at $4,000,it happens to be one of this years most

affordable options.

JON WEBER

ANTHONYSMITH


29/140


30/140


Dabbling in everything from costume-laden

races to bike trials has given Kristin enor-mous respect for bikes and riders of allforms. These days, the Butcher Papercolumnist enjoys riding around Boulder,Colorado, creating socially awkward situ-ations through thinly veiled innuendo andholding out hope that her forever-Floridian

legs will stop hating her on climbs.When she learned she would be able

to take part in this years Bible testing,Butcher drooled even more than normal,excited to spend time at BibleCamp, whereshe is constantly reminded of the passion,

integrity and calamity that goes into thismagazine. With her garage full of cobbled-together bikes and her bank account full

of cobbled-together payment plans, sheunderstands that buying a new bike is nosmall undertaking, but a moment that candefine a decade of adventures.

FAVORITE RIDE: Asking someone whoprioritizes bikes over darn near everythingelse to choose a favorite is a form of crueland unusual punishment. The Cannondale

Habit and Yeti SB5c Beti made Kristin notentirely hate climbing, while the Juliana

Furtado XX1 and Scott Contessa Genius700 let her glimpse the beauty of perfectlybalanced rides. She even indulged herlove of stupid lines aboard the SpecializedRhyme 6Fattie.

But it was the Liv Intrigue SX that madeher want to grab it by the handlebars, strad-

dle its sculpted frame and see just how fastshe could make it go downhill. The termplush has been used and abused eversince elastomers went the way of the dodobird, but Kristin insists its the most fittingdescriptor of a bike so aptly named for the

feeling it elicits.

KRISTIN BUTCHER

Residing in a funky tree house in Belling-

ham, Washington, Lacy has trails right outher front door. So shes usually out toolingaround on her bike or lost somewhere inthe mountains with her smelly dog, Ros-coe. Born and raised an east coaster, Lacymoved west to study criminal justice at theUniversity of Washington, which really is just

another way of saying she didnt really havea clue what she wanted to do after college.

Writing organically found its way intoher life via short fictional stories that no oneever read and comical blog posts about herridiculous life that people found somewhat

entertaining.Lacy has worked in the bike industry for

the last 7 years and is the owner of From

the Chairlift Marketing, keeping herselfbusy as an athlete manager, film producerand writer. She believes good conversa-tion is a lost art and hopes to resurrect thatthrough her stories.

FAVORITE RIDE: When consideringprice, the way Lacy rides and the terrainshe prefers, the Liv Intrigue SX was an

easy choice. No, its not carbon, and no, itdoesnt have a top-of-the-line spec, but it

doesdo what matters most to Lacy: It abso-lutely hauls ass downhill.

Lacy is the type of rider who will sac-rifice ease of climbing for a machine thatmakes her giddy while descending. TheIntrigue SX doesnt exactly crush ascents,but it performed better on climbs than Lacy

anticipated.And though the Intrigues $4,475 price

tag isnt necessarily what she would callcheap, it certainly wasnt the most expen-sive bike of the testand Lacy felt it wasconsiderably more fun than some of the

higher-priced options.

LACY KEMP

Part consumer advocate, part devils advo-

cate, Travis strives to look at bikes from thediverse perspectives of the riders who will bebuying them. His two decades of shop ex-perience have made him quite nerdy aboutthe nuts and bolts behind both new and oldbicycle technology. Those years have alsomade him wary of the rising median price of

todays high-end offerings.Travis doesnt assume that you have a

bottomless bike-buying budget, but if an ex-pensive bike happens to feature somethingvaluable that you cant get for less, hell callit a bargain. When hes not weighing your

next bikes pros and cons, Travis is build-ing big dirt jumps and running a small bikecompany. His bikes fuse BMX and moun-

tain, which also happens to be a good wayto describe his riding style.

FAVORITE RIDE: The Bible favoritesare meant to be soul mates, not one-nightstands. If Travis wanted the latter, he mighthave picked the Norco Revolver for itsquickness or the Evil Insurgent for its con-fidence. But the bike he could see himself

waking up beside every morning is theSanta Cruz Bronson CC.

On paper, the Bronson has the numbersof an all-mountain brawler, but its neutralcockpit pedaled as comfortably as a trailbike. And depending on suspension setup,it can feel progressive and lively. ThoughTravis enjoys charging through chatter, lean-ing deep into some gushy shocks, the Bron-

son behaves with a little more elegance.Travis likes breaking his tires free of the dirt,both horizontally and vertically, and this bikeslides and leaps with consistency and grace.Theres also the lower-priced C version, soyou can find true love for less than the cost

of a wedding ring.

TRAVIS ENGEL


31/140

RIDEFOX.COM/34

REDEFINE YOUR LIMITS

I am sure we will start to see this technology

filter down into the production range soon andwhen it does FOX is sure to have some popularproducts on their hands.

These will likely make production in some formor another, and FOX is likely going to impresssome people when that happens.

... the new 34 FIT cartridge is probably goingto be another landmark product.

What the media had to say about the RacingApplications Development (RAD) 34 last fall:

OWN THE TRAIL

ALL-NEW

FOR2016


32/140

XCXXL

Finally there is a rim that comes in as many shapes and sizes as the riders that use them.

Category leading weight and strength, at a competitive price. The Easton ARC 24to 45rim

has you covered no matter what your discipline, in a width to match your tire choice and riding

preference. Tubeless ready and welded because we thought of everything. #eastonadvantage


33/140

EASTONCYCLING.COM


34/140

034/035 BUZZ


35/140

matt yaki. revelstoke, british columbia |photo: ryan creary


36/140

brandon semenuk. les deux alpes, france |photo: ale di lullo

036/037 BUZZ


37/140

gee atherton. windham, new york |photo: sven martin

conor macfarlane and mike hopkins. rossland, british columbia |photo: bruno long


38/140

ryan howard. lake tahoe, california |photo: ian collins

darren berrecloth and richie schley. cajon pass, california |photo: ale di lullo

038/039 BUZZ


39/140

brandon semenuk. sunshine coast, british columbia |photo: adrian marcoux


40/140

040/041 BUZZ


41/140

paul basagoitia. carson city, nevada |photo: baxter redfern


42/140


43/140

Welcome, dear reader, to our seventh-annual Bible of Bike

Tests. The magazine youre holding in your handsor reading

on your laptop or tabletis just the beginning of what well be

bringing you in the coming months. This issue is meant to

give you a broad overview of the years most promising bikes,

components and soft goods, just as youre starting to gear upfor another season of riding.

We know that mountain bikes and parts dont come cheap.

And the decision of how to spend your hard-earned money is a

big one. So we want to make sure you have all the information you

need to make the choices that are right for you.

Over the next few months, well be publishing extended re-

views of all 30 bikes in this issue on our newly redesigned web-

site, bikemag.com. Each of these reviews will have a correspond-

ing Roundtable Reels video featuring our testers often-lively

debates over how the bikes performed, all complemented by clips

of us actually testingthe bikes. We hope this candid approach will

give you a real sense of what these bikes are all aboutbefore you

shell out the cash or plunk down the plastic.

BREAKING

IT DOWNA STEP-BY-STEP GUIDETO THE BIBLES CREATION

BY BRICE MINNIGH

PHOTOGRAPHY BY REUBEN KRABBE

042/043 BREAKING IT DOWN


44/140

Clockwise from top left: trailhead test-form session; the womens

test crew takes a break at the bike stable; measuring the shock

stroke to dial in sag; Lacy Kemp completes yet another test form;

Burklyn Halls dining-room table became our makeshift office for

two weeks; Grimy Handshake columnist Mike Ferrentino has

grimy hands because he doesnt wear gloves when he rides.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Before you dive into the reviews, wed like to give you a

glimpse of what it takes to produce this issue and 30-plus

videos (see Start Here, page 17, for the actual time tally).

For the seventh year running, our editors and a seasoned

crew of testers convened at another world-class riding des-

tinationthis time the Kingdom Trails of East Burke, Ver-

montto spend a couple of weeks trail-testing the best new

bikes and parts. We burned the candle at both ends, riding

bikes, discussing bikes, photographing bikes and filming

bikes. This is when we gather the experiences, information

and documentation needed to produce this content.

But the process of creating The Biblestarts long before

this. Throughout each year, our staff stays abreast of new

technology and standardssuch as this years new rash of

plus-size rigsthat are changing bikes (and the way we ride

them). After discussing what we think are the most impor-

tant new developments, our gear editor, Ryan Palmer, drafts

the list of bikes to be covered and starts pestering market-ing managers to send us production models. This year, we

settled on 30 bikes spanning cross-country, trail and all-

mountain categoriesincluding six womens-specific mod-

els tested by three women with diverse riding backgrounds.

CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY

For the first week of October 2015, courier vans dropped

off countless boxes at the former horse stables of Burklyn

Hall, an historic 35-room mansion where we were lucky

enough to be based (see Kingdom Come, page 68).

After opening the parcels filled with bikes, forks, shocks,

tires, brakes, dropper posts, helmets, pads and apparel,we divvied it all out to individual testers. Then this years

mechanicAlex McAndrew, a local pro racer and longtime

shophandbuilt up 30 bikes and prepared them for testing.

Enter the realfun. We then spend the better part of two

weeks shredding the Kingdom Trails and Q Burke Moun-

tain Bike Parks gravity runs. Bikes are assigned to specific

testers, who set them up in accordance with manufacturer

recommendations, personal weight and riding style.

Shock pumps and multi-tools stay glued to each tester.

Over and over, air pressure in forks, shocks and tires are

measured. Sag is set. Tire pressures are adjusted. Cock-

pits are personalized. All these settings are meticulously

recorded on a test form that each rider must fill out foreach bike. Ever since our first Bibleboot camp in 2009,

the completion of these forms has been a crucial step in

the process, as it allows testers to note their impressions

while the experience is still fresh in their minds.

044/045 BREAKING IT DOWN


45/140

ANTHONYSMITH


46/140

ANTHONYSMITH

ANTHONYSMITH


47/140

Clockwise from top left: trail time is the best time; feeding the

laughter; Vermonts fall colors in full force; filmmaker Rupert

Walker always hustles to get the clips; film-crew shuttle; we

converted this former horse stable into a bike barn; mechanic

Alex McAndrew is usually smiling; time to film the Roundtables.

Everyone is encouraged to be brutally honest with

their thoughts on ride quality, suspension design and

performance, aesthetics and the array of parts on each

bike (and how all of this measures up to the bikes price

tag, as well as to the other bikes in a given category).

RIDE AND DINE

Of course the actual ridingis the most important part

of the entire operation. Each bike is ridden hard on

back-to-back hot laps of test tracks suited to the bikes

intended purpose. This enables each tester to immedi-ately compare how bikes in the same travel range stack

up against each other.

Our nine-person test squad includes riders with

wildly varied backgrounds and strengths (see Bike

Test Brigade on page 26), which helps ensure that our

final assessments reflect a broad range of perspectives.

With veteran magazine editors, ex-racers, bike shop

employees, a former World Cup mechanic and a token

dirt jumper on the team, weve got our bases covered.

Once the sun goes down, we head to the mansion,

shower and gorge ourselves on a gourmet meal (pre-

pared by our talented chef, Anna Poutous) before film-

ing our nightly Roundtable Reels discussions. Thesetalkswhich often turn into animated debatesgive us

the chance to exchange opinions and ultimately synthe-

size them into our final reviews. We hope theyll give you

greater insight into how testers truly feel about the bikes.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ARGUMENTS

Cameras and lights are set up, beers are cracked and

the on-camera Roundtable Reels debates begin. Bikes

are glorified and vilified. Suspension platforms are picked

apart. Components are evaluated against sticker prices.

Arguments over the advent of plus-size bikes ensue.

Jokes are made at each others expense. Even the oc-casional insult is hurled. Then all the empty beer bottles

are put into recycling bins and everyone goes to sleep for

a few hours. The whole charade is repeated, day after day,

until all the bikes have been properly evaluated.

When the trail testing, photography and filming are

done, everyone heads home. Reviews of bikes and com-

ponents are written, edited and fact-checked. Photos are

carefully selected and incorporated into the magazines

layout. Footage is reviewed, sliced up and transformed

into the Roundtable Reels videos well be rolling out on

bikemag.com over the next three months. And by the

time the ink in this years Bible is dry, well already be

planning next years.046/047 BREAKING IT DOWN


48/140

T H E N E W 2 0 1 6 E X P L O R E R

The 2016 Ford Explorer Sport. With a standard 3.5L EcoBoostengine that

produces best-in-class V6 horsepower.* Now nothing is holding you back.

*Class is Large Utilities based on Ford segmentation. Tested with 93-octane fuel.


49/140


50/140

by berne broudy Iphotos: anthony smith

050 SKETCH

WHEN KNIGHT IDE WAS 27 YEARS OLD, HE WENT ON HIS

first real mountain bike ride, joining his younger sister Lilias on

the trail. I puked on that ride, he says. I felt like an idiot with

my jeans and boots on, riding my crappy, rigid Giant Yukon. Butsomething on that ride woke something up inside me.

Now 42, Ide is considered the godfather of northern Vermont

mountain biking and the unofficial mayor of the town of East

Burkehome of the Kingdom Trailswho brought downhill and

enduro-riding to Burke, then took it to levels no one imagined pos-

sible. Ide brushes off the praise. Hes more interested in talking

about his latest passion project: developing a backcountry hut-to-

hut ride on 900 acres of private land near his hometown.

Born in Brownington, Vermont, and raised by hippie parents

on an 80-acre sheep farm, Ide grew up skiing, fishing and hiking.

By 19, he was a dad and didnt recreate much. He raised his son,

built things from stone and skied when he could.

Then at 28, Ide stubbed out his cigarette for good, walked

into East Burke Sports and rode home on a Trek 6500. In the

first week, he flatted on every ride. I always wanted to make my

bike fly through the air, he says. The first week I blew 10 tubes.

Jumping is all I wanted to do.Ide upgraded his bike parts and eventually ditched the Trek for

a Santa Cruz Bullit. Then someone from Sinister Bikes spotted him

at a jump demo and gave him a contract. He started to travel to

destinations in Canada and the western U.S. where downhill was a

thing. Every place I went, I realized that East Burke could offer all

the same aspects of mountain biking I was traveling for, so I came

home, says Ide.

By the mid 2000s, Ide and his crew, the NEK Freeriders, were

poaching runs on hiking trails and deer paths on nearby Burke Moun-

tain. A ranger busted the group, but the nonprofit Kingdom Trails As-

sociation (KTA) negotiated with the state to legalize Ides rogue trails.

We trusted Knight and knew he would take care of those trails

and build more, says Tim Tierney, executive director of the KTA.

dirt heroKNIGHT IDES LEGACY LOOMS LARGE IN EAST BURKE


51/140

BRANDON SEMENU

BACKFLIP CAN-CA

2015 RAMPAGPEOPLES CHOICE WINN

LIMITLESS PERFORMANCEA WORLD WITHOUT SC1 IS A DULL PLACE

SC1 restores the factory shine to any surface, making a well-ridden bike look new injust seconds. Make SC1 the final and most important step in the bike wash process.

Conditions & Polishes Carbon Fiber, Painted and Matte Finishes

Excellent Mud Release Enhances Resale Value


52/140

052 SKETCH

Daymien Ide

He helped us understand a new kind of riding, and the potentialwe had here.

Ide hosted unofficial freeride festivals, recruiting riders on theMTBR forums to fill entries. The runs were barely more than moose

trails. Riders slept and partied at the campground, loaded into Idesdump truck with bikes and shuttled to the summit. They rode Wearand Tear, named for the toll it took on riders bodies and bikes. Twoout of 50 people would ride whole thing, says Ide. Bikes would be

bouncing off the slopes and flying off the mountain.That gave Ide the idea for a new business: a shuttle service

to the top of Burke Mountain. He bought an old airport bus with250,000 miles on it, and charged shuttlers $5 a ride or $20 for theday. Thats when he first met local pro Alex McAndrew, who now

rides for Transition Bikes. We did three laps before the brakesstarted smoking profusely, then Knight flipped between shuttlingus in his dump truck and his pickup truck, McAndrew says.

Ide is a ticker tape of ideas. Look past his square jaw and gap-toothed smile, through the goggles or safety glasses, and his pro-foundly deep and intelligent eyes reveal his passion, energy, driveand determination. A hardworking Yankee to the core, his funda-mental tenet is that hard work gets you what you want.

He built an indoor jump park in a family-owned building in St.Johnsbury. And when he wanted dirt jumps in his backyard, hebuilt them. I have a compulsion to be in the air on my mountainbike, and I have a construction company that owns excavationequipment, he explains. So I built mountain bike jumps. Hismini mounds and tame tabletops grew to legendary proportionsover time, both physically and anecdotally, with pro riders and pro-duction companies seeking them out.

Ide dismisses the awe and wonder over his private park. For

every hour of excavation time Ive put into my acre-and-a-half ofbackyard dirt, ridersincluding a lot of famous handshave put in10 times that in shovel time. Timo Pritzel, Aaron Chase and CamZink have all helped sculpt Ides jumps. Segments of Kranked 7


53/140

GIROMONTAROMIPS

HELMET

BIG MOUNTAIN ADVENTUREThe Montaro MIPS takes all of Giros best tricks and technologies and wraps them into one remarkably

well ventilated full-coverage mountain bike helmet. We achieve impressive cooling power through Roc Loc Air,

DQ HDV\WRDGMXVWWV\VWHPWKDWDOORZVDLUWRRZ EHWZHHQ \RXUVFDOSDQGWKHKHOPHW $GGLWLRQDOO\ WKLV

KHOPHWLVRXWWWHGZLWK K\GURSKLOLF DQWLPLFURELDOSDGVWKDWFDQ DEVRUEXSWRWHQ WLPHVPRUHVZHDWWKDQ

standard urethane pads. Montaro MIPS will keep you cool no matter where the trail takes you, which is why

Kamil Tartarkovic chose Montaro MIPS for his big mountain adventure in Ethiopia. Learn more at giro.com.

EQUIPPED


54/140

were filmed in Ides yard, as was an episode of Chase, Zink and

Dave Smutoks Hold on Loosely tour. Red Bull filmed there for

its Signature Series promo video. Its no claim to fame, but its

pretty cool for someone who loves that part of mountain biking as

much as I do to get texts from friends all over the country saying,

Hey, I saw your backyard on NBC today, says Ide.

Digging in the backyard is also how Ide became a dad for the

second time. His then-girlfriend (now wife) Jen was working as

a para-educator in neighboring Lyndonville. She brought home

a weekend guest named Daymien, an unsettled kindergartner

and foster kid with a reputation for being uncontrollable, who had

bounced between homes.

All I did on the weekends back then was dig and ride bikes,

says Ide. The kid spent the whole weekend digging with me and

riding in the backyard. I couldnt believe how much he loved to dig. If

youre into the freeride aspect of mountain biking, theres a connec-

tion that transcends generations. Most avid riders have experienced

that connection. I made that connection with this kid.

Ide and Jen had never talked about having kids, adopting or get-

ting married, but when Daymien was headed to yet another foster

home, they both wanted to protect him. They became his foster fam-

ily, then spent six months tryingand failingto convince friends toadopt him. At that point, our choice was to adopt ourselves or send

him packing, says Ide. We were in love with himso it really wasnt

a choice at all. And Ide could relate to Day. He saw something at

our house that he wanted and he worked hard to get it.

We would joke growing up that he was a true knightalways

kind, generous, taking care of people, says Lilias. Knight is how

he rides, concurs Tierney. Hes all in, going for it with everything

he jumps intohe backs up his words with his actions.

If you didnt know Ides rsum, itd be easy to pass him off as a

guy whose greatest talent is with a shovelafter all, hes one of thebest-respected trailbuilders in the East. But that would be severely

underselling him. He sees the possibilities, not the obstacles, and

acts on them, says Lilias. He pushes the limits with everything

he does; he works his ass off, he does things right and hes really

damn smart. Its possible that he thinks about bike-related stuff

054/055 SKETCH

Drift

Handmade in Germany.

Pi l ot:

AndreuLaConti GuyLacondegu

y


55/140

A typical Wednesday

summer evening at

Ides place, post-jump

session.

every second of every hour of every day.

She might be right. Currently on Ides to-do list: Make sure

Burke produces top riders. Hes coached kids before, but this year

Ide created the East Burke DH Enduro Team. I want to make

mountain biking part of the average Vermonters life, like soccer orbasketball, a sport offered in school, says Ide. In B.C. and the

Pacific Northwest, riding is part of the culture. I want that for Burke

and Vermont as well. And its happening.

Thats because Ide is making it happen.

He also recently revived his guide service, IdeRideMTB Tours,

with McAndrew and his girlfriend, Ella Skalwold, to bring more riders

to the Kingdom. He employs seasonally five people building trails, and

Ides typically out working in the dirt by 5:30 a.m. and hitting jumps

until dark. He also manages rental properties for mountain bikers.

I do it for the love of it. I never really thought I would end upstaying here in Caledonia County my whole life, says Ide. But

when I got into mountain biking, that clinched it for me and its

what kept me here. I see joy on a riders face when they ride great

trail. It makes me hoot and holler and yell and scream. It gives me

an awesome feeling inside.

Hook.

X King 2.2 /2.4 Mountain King 2.2 / 2.4 Baron 2.3 / 2.5rail King 2.2 / 2.4 Der Kaiser Projekt 2.4

2627.5

29


56/140

NOBODY PUTS CAMBER

IN THE CORNER

othing should be defined by what it isnt. Not big enough,ot small enoughwhatever. The Camber is just fine where it is.s the ultimate speed-loving trail bike, after all. So bring this

magazine with you on your next rideyoure going to need someeading material while youre waiting for your buddies at the topnd bottom of the trail this weekend. specialized com camber


57/140


58/140

by kristin butcher Iphoto: ian collins

058 BUTCHER PAPER

AT LAST COUNT, THERE WERE 24 BIKES SCATTERED ABOUT MY

housethe result of a penchant for cheap steeds and a procliv-

ity toward never getting rid of them. Thankfully, Im surrounded by

wheeled miscreants who think it makes perfect sense to stuff two

dozen bikes in a shoebox-sized house where a family of four shares

one semi-reliable toilet. I own bikes with sissy bars and drop bars,

fixed gears and freewheels. There are trikes and fatbikes (I know, I

know) and something for everyone to love and hate. But out of all the

bikes embedded in my life, only one incites the same question from

every person who sees it.

Sowheres the seat?My trials bike, a tiny whip of a thing with 20-inch wheels and

an obnoxiously wide handlebar, is an odd duck among a gaggle of

goons. There is no seat because this bike wasnt born for speed, but

to be coaxed into stillness and peppered with explosions of finesse.

For years, I measured my progress in miles per hourthat is un-

til I saw a trials rider balanced perfectly atop a handrail. My sense

of self-preservation would prevent me from ever doing the same

thing, but that didnt mean I couldnt try. Soon, I sandwiched every

ride with increasingly long practice sessions. Feeble track-stand

attempts punctuated by embarrassing public falls gave me thighs

speckled with black-and-blue remnants from my failed efforts at

retaining control.

Over time, the bruises faded and track stands counted in frac-

tions of a second grew until I couldnt keep track of the minutes.

Next came attempts to endo without going over, pivoting on my

front wheel, drawing quizzical looks from maternity ward nurses as

I queued up Ryan Leechs Mastering the Art of Trials.

Id invested thousands of hours practicing, but I still couldnt

perform the hallmark skill of trials riding. I couldnt magically pedal

up and begin hopping on my rear wheel. After splurging on a seat-

less bike designed specifically for stupid parking-lot tricks, I grew

giddy at the thrill of instant gratification. The first night after as-

sembling the bike, I put my feet on the pedals and with a flick of

my foot, I cranked up onto a picnic table, hopped 3 feet over to arock spire and pivoted to a 4-inch railroad tie.

Then my jerk of an alarm clock did its job and my superb skills

faded back into the land of the subconscious. With the taste of

success (and morning breath) fresh in my mouth, I groggily rolled

out the door ready to turn the rear-wheel hop portion of my dream

into a reality. Except, I couldnt do a damned thing. I couldnt track

stand or pivot or balance on my front wheel. The only skill I carried

over to this new bike was my well-honed ability to fall. Once again,

I practiced and fell and practiced again. I waited for the bruises

to heal until the world slowed down as I stood in awe, perfectly

motionless. Slowly, my skills transferred over to the silly new bike,

but my progression stopped just shy of the trick that brought this

bike to my quiver in the first place.

learning curveTHE BEST PART OF PROGRESSING IS PASSING IT ON


59/140

HUSTLE

HILLS

R V GE

THE DESCENTS

For

you riding

Enduro

is

all

about

the

sweat

equity

you

put

in

to

each

run.

An

agile

and

responsive

beast the

2016

GT

Sanction

is

ready

to

chew

up

the

trails

and

spit

you

out

on

top.

GT

Sanction

Team

MSRP 5499.99

Formoreinfo,ortofindaGTshopnearyou,gotoGTbicycles.com

orcontactcustomerserviceat1-800-BIKEUSA 245-3872)

IDENDUROTHAT


60/140

060 BUTCHER PAPER

Thats about the time I met Doug White

in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Doug doesnt

wear a cape, though he rightfully could.

Years ago, he performed with Cirque du

Soleil, directed the bike trials portion of the

1996 Atlanta Olympic ceremonies and de-

signed trials courses at NORBA races back

when that was a thing. While Doug could

rattle off an impressive history, his proudest

achievement isnt found on any rsum.

My son is better than me, Doug whis-

pered with a sheepish grin. But dont tell

him I said so.

Doug adjusted my brakes and changed the

tilt of my handlebar while I machine-gunned

questions toward him. Then, on a sidewalk in

downtown Chattanooga, we practiced. Before

meeting Doug, I spent six months practicing

pedaling up into a rear-wheel hop. Three days

later, I nailed it for the first time.

Thats why I love skills. Skills are intan-

gible, and yet they can be passed down like

a family heirloom or a bad meatloaf recipe.In Wisconsin, I met a 10-year-old kid

named Tommy. He came out to help build

trails but couldnt stop asking about my

bike with no seat. His already-big eyes

doubled in size when I handed it over to

him. When he asked where to start, I taught

him how to stand still. Then I showed him

how to shift to the nose of the bike without

falling over (except for when he did). He

practiced for two hours before he had to

run home. I still wonder if his mom went

to the garage the next day to find the seats

removed from all their bicycles.On a recent weekend, when fall was ignit-

ing high-mountain aspens, I headed out for a

ride with my 6-year-old son Logan. After rid-

ing trails around Mud Lake and an obligatory

crawdad-catching break, Logan spotted a

series of stairs. There were 21, which I know

because he counts everything. Out loud.

Can I ride down those stairs? he asked.

Prior to this, Logan had ridden off the

occasional curb, usually by accident. After

a few tips and demonstrations, I stepped to

the side and buried my parental nervous-

ness under a smile. He began pedaling andI ran beside him just as I did back when he

first learned to ride a bike. I held onto hope

that I could prevent him from falling, but I

knew the truth. Falling is lifes way of teach-

ing us how to get back up again.

The autumn colors were beautiful, but

they paled next to my sons dimpled grin as

he cranked uphill to try again (and again).

Its still too early to tell if biking will be his

thing in the same way its mine, but for a

moment I glimpsed a future where I whis-

per to a stranger, My son is better than

me, but dont tell him I said so.


61/140


62/140

by mike ferrentino Iphoto: paris gore

062 GRIMY HANDSHAKE

THIS IS BEING WRITTEN 23 DAYS AFTER RETURNING FROM

the annual frenzy of bike testing the staff of this magazine gets to

enjoy/endure each year. In two weeks and two days, the seasonalpageant of gluttony, revisionist history and family weirdness known

as Thanksgiving will take place, rendering the entire nation coma-

tose before sunset. It is mid-November in mid-coastal California,

and the early predictions of a solid El Nio winter are already bearing

some credible fruit. The past two Mondays have dumped about an

inch apiece on the land here, and the conditions are being met with

expected rapture by the dust-parched and traction-starved local cy-

clists here at the end of a long drought.

Rain is great news on the patch of dirt I co-own with a good

friend. We have a couple miles of fresh singletrack flagged, and

once the skywater hits the soil here the dirt goes from concrete-

hard to easily workable with a shovel overnight. Soil that was baked

almost white during the many scorching months of summer turns

chocolate and fragrant, goes right where it is thrown and packs

down beautifully. Now, before the somewhat-fallow poison oak

sprouts into thick forests of green as the days lengthen again, isthe time to lay out ribbons of trail, cut in benches, sculpt berms,

repair the ravages of the previous year, take lines out of our heads

and start sweating them onto the ground.

I love this time of year. I always have. Once upon a long, long time

ago, in a seasonally reversed hemisphere, it meant Sundays spent

racing motocross in an exquisite mudscape. The smell of two-stroke

pre-mix, back when people still ran Castrol R in their gas, mingled

with the heady scent of wet dirt drying on expansion chambers and

cylinder fins; that shoots me straight through the heart and makes

me feel the dewy grass between my 11-year-old toes. A couple of

decades later, and the silvery light of winters short days were all about

skinsuits, step-through dismounts, embrocation and the gracefully

choreographed agony of cyclocross. Now, that same feeling in the air

thanks givenIN APPRECIATION OF THE FINE LINE BETWEEN OBSESSION AND PASSION


63/140

140mm Travel IsoTrac Trail 27.5

Full carbon frame Wide-range Shimano XTR 1x drivetrain

FLOWTHE 2016

MOUNT VISION PRO


64/140

064 GRIMY HANDSHAKE

brings with it a new sense of anticipation, as those first shovel

bites into soft earth herald an entirely different form of physical

self-abuse. Dirt under the nails, hands growing new callouses

atop old, leaning into the steady rhythm of shovel chunk and

swing, learning to pace the work the same way you have to

learn not to run too fast out of the gate because this is all going

to take a whole lot longer than your crossfit workout, bub; next

to being a lumberjack, this is about the most perfect thing to do

with a winter. This is the season of digging.

Obsession and passion have always shared different

sides of the same coin. For me, that coin flip has at times

been illuminating and at others carried damnation. Passion

is the dreamscape of inspiration. It brings with it the ability to

transcend ones own state of being and envision something

more. It also can teeter straight overboard into obsession

without warning, leaving one wondering down the line where

all those years went. I have at times been passionate about

bike riding, bike wrenching and bike racing. I have also at

times taken that to the point of obsession, where the rest

of my life fell out of balance. It is with a mix of both relief

and regret that I feel less obsessively passionate about bikes

these days. I can think about cycling with more clarity thanbefore, but I also dont burn with that transcendent hunger

anymore. In a magazine about bikes, it is probably heresy to

admit that. But I have been doing this for a really long time,

and I am now enjoying the perspective every bit as much as

when I was so blindly passionate about mountain bikes that

I literally couldnt think about anything else.

Theres a blessing in ratcheting back from the obsessive

end of passion, at least as far as mountain biking and my

here and now are concerned. The riding here, and now,

is not awesome. There arent many trails within a 45-min-

ute drive, and those that are close by are not the kind of

stuff thatll be showing up in the magazines anytime soon.

There is, however, a solid network of gravel roads that in-volves daunting amounts of uphill riding. Fortunately, that

fits well with my masochistic side, and I can find just the

right amount of turning the pedals until my brain stops trying

to eat itself with a good hour or two of grinding up empty dirt

roads. It snowed just uphill from here the other day. Twenty

miles from the coast, snow! It was magic.

These little stints at the pedals are good. They feed the

habit just enough to keep the obsession at bay. And I return

to dig around in the dirt, imagining a section of trail that

features no straight lines, slowly trying to carve this series

of long, arcing turns that feed one to the next in sinuous

non-transition. I imagine riding them, hoping they will feel

the way I imagine as I dig. Meanwhile, as we pace around inthe woods, plucking ticks and hanging ribbon, the older dog

indulges his wood-rat addiction. Relentlessly digging and

snuffling through the myriad nests that line the north-facing

woods, he goes after them so hard that he breaks toenails

out of his feet. He gets fungus infections on his face. He gets

bitten. He will not stop. He reminds me of how I used to be

about riding bikes. I never knew when enough was enough.

Glad those days are behind me, I say to myself.

So its good, holding this love of bikes a little looser

these days. I have time to do other things. Other things, like

building trails. Hours and hours and countless hours in the

woods, in this perfect wintertime, building trails. Trails where

I will ride bikes. Wait! What?


65/140


66/140


67/140


68/140

KINGDOMCOME

BY KRISTIN BUTCHER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTHONY SMITH

SINGLETRACK SALVATION IN RURAL VERMONT


69/140


70/140


71/140

070/071 KINGDOM COME

eyelids open, revealing a scene

that makes me question if Im

actually awake. This is probably

the first time two-dozen moun-

tain biking dirtbags ever shared a

mansion like this.

Were staying in the type of

historic estate you only see on

TV. Everywhere is a moment

trapped in time, from the fuse

box that looks like its own

work of art to push-button

light switches and woodwork

so intricate you wonder just

how long youve been staring

at it. Hell, even the radia-

tors are beautiful, their metal

pressed into ornate leaves,

portraits of children and a lion

for good measure.

THE DOCTOR IS INOne of the first things you learn

about the mansions owner, Dr.

Donn, is that he doesnt want

you to call him Dr. Donn. I

gave up being a doctor years

ago, he says. Call me Tony.

And yet, we cant. Maybe

its because of the way he

walks around with a different

book in his hand each day,

or the plethora of facts living

at the tip of his tongue, or the

towering bookcases filled with

more pages than our admit-

tedly well-read crew has ever

laid eyes on.

Dr. DonnI mean Tonyhas

never been mountain biking

before and has no plans to

start any time soon. So why

would an 89-year-old retired

eye doctor open up his multi-

million-dollar mansion to a

bunch of mountain bike misfits

looking to test bikes in Vermont

for a few weeks?

The answer came one

morning in the quiet house that

hadnt been quiet in weeks.

Over coffee and a mutual

appreciation for the solace of

dawn, Dr. Donns eyes drifted

through the window to where

the Mansion View trail traverses

his property.

Recreation is this towns

greatest hope, he says.

THE CUSP OF COLLAPSEEast Burke, Vermont, is the

type of small town where the

term local doesnt apply until

youre third-generation born

and raised. Its a town that once

thrived on dairy farms, maple

tap lines and a strong sense of

minding ones own business. As

commercial farming overtook

family farms, the town turned

to ski tourism, but that too

suffered from increasingly un-

reliable snowfall and constantlychanging ownership of the local

ski hill on Burke Mountain.

Like many trailbuilders in

the early 80s, John Worth

shaped dirt under the radar,

connecting old Nordic ski trails

with new singletrack in an

area where mountain biking

elicited little more than con-

fused looks. As word got out

and more people began riding

the trails, it seemed that his

small network of unauthorizedtrails crisscrossing private land

could lead to big problems.

At a time when some parts

of the country greeted moun-

tain biking with sweeping bans

and hearty doses of skepti-

cism, a well-respected local in

his 70s named Doug Kitchel

got wind of the burgeoning

trail system and did exactly the

opposite of what most private

landowners would do. Instead

of a problem, Kitchel saw the

REUBENK

RABBE

THE SUNS RAYS TURN MY PUPILS INTO PINPRICKS AS BEAMS OF LIGHT PRY MY JET-LAGGED

Alex McAndrew

gets low on Burke

Mountains Upper

J Bar; Dr. Donn;

Burklyn Hall is a

local landmark and

the namesake ofthe Mansion View

trail.


72/140


73/140


beginnings of the towns great-

est asset. But the real miracle

is that he convinced everyone

else to see it too. By cham-

pioning the trails, he brought

landowners on board until all

of the underground trails were

fully authorized.

Kitchel helped form the

Kingdom Trails Association

in 1994, with Worth sitting as

the sole mountain biker on a

board full of business owners.

Together they saw year-round

ecotourism as the only way to

keep the town alive. Ten years

later, the Association hired Tim

Tierney as its first full-time ex-

ecutive director in a move that

some called premature.

Time would prove those

people wrong.

BOOM TOWN

Amid throngs of roof-rack-

topped cars pouring into this

no-stoplight town, its hard to

imagine a day when East Burke

and mountain-bike destination

werent synonymous. These

days, East Burke and the sur-

rounding Northeast Kingdom

are home to about 100 miles of

trail that weave across the pic-

turesque landscapes of more

than 50 private properties.

Threads of dirt windingnext to fenced-off goat pens

and beneath canopies of ac-

tive tap lines serve as remind-

ers that these trail experi-

ences arent ours alone, but

gifted on the backs of trusting

landowners. Loops upon loops

let riders coil their way across

undulating mountainsides

and crank along meandering

dirt arteries seemingly built

to pump sheer contentment

throughout the woods.

Newer trails like Sidewinder

send riders along a swooptastic

half-pipe run beneath torch-

red maples, with consecutive

G-outs extracting giggles from

even the most cantankerous

Masshole. Trails like Moose

Alley and Tap N Die draw you

back time and again to hit that

one berm just a little faster or

float across those roots a little

lighter, while other trails pay

quiet homage to folks who

supported the system long

before anyone knew what itwould become. Pastore Point

is named for Marilyn Pastore,

the Kingdom Trails Associa-

tions first president. Burnham

Down, the namesake of a big

thinker, weaves low-slung lad-

der bridges through a cedar

swamp, while Kitchel sends

riders up and down at the

perfect pace of life.

At the ski hill, Q Burke

Mountain Resort, bikes hang

in the air on old lifts retrofit-ted for year-round business.

On the way down, riders bury

their tires into berms, bobbing

and weaving like Muhammad

Ali, before boosting jumps or

launching off wooden features.

What you wont find here

are burly rock gardens that

leave you wondering if you

should have packed an extra

chamois. The glacial melt

responsible for the signature

sandy loam of East Burkes

topography tossed its rocks

farther south in Vermont, cre-ating a state filled with stellar

trail systems possessing their

own terrain, character and ori-

gin story that often leads back

to tales of collaboration, trust

and copious amounts of beer.

A FARMERS TALE

Every year, just as the beauty of

fall gives way to New Englands

notoriously harsh winters, near-

ly 500 mountain bikers gather

on the road next to Ford andNancy Hubbards farm at the

edge of East Burke. The cows

start mooing when a crackling

speaker announces the start of

the annual CircumBurke ridea

25-mile circuit known for being

wrought with snow and sleet

and the onslaught of stick sea-

sonand the riders take off.

I think the mountain bikers

are crazy, Ford says with a

chuckle that tells you there are

worse things to be than crazy.Ford is one of those people

who fills a room before he

steps into it. Hes a man of

many stories, some of which

Local trail crew manag-

er CJ Scott moves to the

head of the class on the

White School trail; fall

lift lines at Q Burke

Mountain Bike Park.


74/140

From top left: community in ac-

tion; the vibe is always sunny at

Mikes Tiki Bar, even if the weather

isnt; Tiki top brass, Mike Mathers

and his 13-year-old daughter,

Aleta; Ford and Nancy Hubbard

were among the first to open their

land to mountain bikers.


75/140


are even true, like the one where he planted26 pounds of potatoes and the better partof a finger. Hes the kind of guy who driveshis truck across town to deliver $3 worth ofeggs and whose silver horseshoe-mustachedances when he laughswhich means itsrarely still.

Ford sat on the original board of theKingdom Trails Association and contin-ues to be one of Kingdom Trails biggestproponents. It adds to the economy of thearea, he says. Generally speaking, itsmade East Burke.

Fords pride is palpable as he talksabout the decision he, his wife and their

four children made a decade ago to put all120 acres of their land into a conservationeasement with the Vermont Land Trust,permanently preserving it from develop-ment. We did a lot of soul searching,Ford said. Our kids didnt think moneywas the most important part.

Between the guffaws that are as mucha part of Fords speech as his graveled

voice, he points to the rippling mountain-side teeming with trails. Doug Kitchel was

the initial light of the candle. He startedall of this. Thinking back to all thatstranspired since Dougs passing just a fewyears after forming the Kingdom Trails As-sociation, Fords memories well up in hiseyes and streak down his cheekscheeksalready cocked with their next grin.

Wherever Doug is today, Ford says,hed be smiling to see whats happening.

FUELED BY DIRT

Its a cool day, but the humidity borders ondank. People in various stages of spandex

mill about the parking lot, standing in line

for burgers at the Vermont Food TruckCompany and drinking beers beneath athatched roof that would be more at homein Key West than Vermont. The sign infront of Mikes Tiki Bar says that its openfrom 3pm til Cold, making you wonderwho in his right mind opens an outdoor tiki

bar in Vermont?Meet Mike Mathers and his daughter,

Aleta, who mountain bikes during summer,plays hockey during winter and rattles offnumbers from last months sales like shesbeen running the business for decades.

Except Aletas only 13 years old. Theyboth ride, but not often together. I like tolook at the trees, Mike says. And I like to

buzz his tire, Aleta adds. They have a bondand mutual respect that lets them finisheach others sentences, and its apparentthat Mike doesnt employ Aleta just becauseshes a great worker, but because he loveshaving her around. When I ask Mike if hethinks Aleta will stay in the area after shegraduates, he has no trouble answering.

No, he says matter-of-factly. There

are no opportunities here.

Right now, thats a fact of life in small-town East Burke. Though its a greatplace to raise a family, there arent a lot ofchoices for young people looking to maketheir own way.

But that might be changing.Business at the Tiki Bar is going well.

Damn well. When Mike got the hair-brained

idea to open Vermonts only tiki bar, hefigured hed be set if he could get a singledollar from each of the 80,000 people whocome to ride the Kingdom Trails every year.Hes gone way past that, regularly blowing

through 16 kegs per week. With three-

REUBEN

KRABBE


76/140


77/140

[THE KINGDOM TRAILS ASSOCIATION] ADDS

TO THE ECONOMY OF THE AREA, SAYS FORD HUBBARD.

GENERALLY SPEAKING, ITS MADE EAST BURKE.


78/140

REUBEN

KRABBE

From top left: Judy

Brown and Sharon

Eustace sate riders

with local fare at

their trailside caf;

Tim Tierney; Barrett

Hibshman, 11, has

an enviable commute

to school; Lilias Ide

(far right) is groom-

ing East Burkes nextgeneration of riders.


79/140


quarters of his taps servinglocally brewed Vermont beer,the bar is the first in a line of lo-cal businesses benefiting fromtourism dollars.

I didnt realize how impor-

tant the Kingdom Trails are,Mike says. Not just to me, butto all of us.

With an estimated $7.5

million brought to the regionthrough mountain-bike tourismeach year, the Tiki Bar isntthe only trail-powered busi-ness taking off. Kingdom Farm

Lodge is an old family barnrenovated into lodging designedwith mountain bikers in mind.There are tool stations and bikewashes outside, a mural-sizedtrail map on the wall and acommunity dining table with abuilt-in beer trough. Bed and

breakfasts dont normally gohand-in-hand with mud-filledcleats, but places like theWildflower Inn and The Inn atMountain View Farm dont justaccept a little grime on their pa-trons. They embrace it. Goodride? is a common responsewhen visitors walk in with grit-crusted grins.

Theres even a caf smackin the middle of the woods, ac-cessible only by trail. Finding

a bustling caf mid-ride feelslike stumbling upon a miragein the desertexcept the scentof grilled cheese and hot applecider tell you its real. Based

out of a propane-powered shedwith hot-pink window shutters,the Market Caf is run by Judy

Brown and Sharon Eustace, amother-daughter team whoselocally sourced menu couldrival most restaurants, featur-ing everything from hot soups,triple-decker grilled cheeseand ham sandwiches and

fresh local coffee.

SHARED SUCCESS

Across the street from a mar-ket advertising gas, beer andworms, the two-story KingdomTrails Association office servesas a beacon for lost travelers.In the yellow wood-slattedbuilding, employees sell $15passes and personalize mapswith neon-highlighted route

recommendations to a line that

files out the door. Though trailpasses are enforced by littlemore than a lax honor system,theyve never run into some-one who didnt buy one.

When asked about the secretto this areas success, everyonepoints to Tim Tierney. Everyone,

that is, except Tim Tierney. Timcan tell you how every personin East Burke helped it becomewhat it is today. Others will tellyou about the way Tim sees

solutions where others might seeproblems, or as some would say,He can balance a shitstorm. Itseems that here in the Kingdom,

even the credit is shared.

With a trail system existing

almost entirely on private prop-erty, theres always the threat ofland being sold to developers,especially as the popularityof the trails drives land pricesup. This threat became realitywhen a 133-acre tract of landthat is home to some of theKingdoms most-beloved trails,

including Sidewinder, went upfor sale. The Kingdom TrailsAssociation made an agree-ment with the Vermont LandTrust to purchase the land,working together to preservetrail access and protect theproperty permanently. Thecatch was that the Kingdom

Trails Association needed toraise $300,000and there wasless than four months to do it.

Word spread. Sidewinder

needed to be saved and itcouldnt be done by the townof East Burke alone. Thosewho could work miracleswith pen and paper applied

for grants. The

bike magazine - february 2016 usa

Documents