The past few days have been a little stressful on the mind. I needed a stress free easy day. Why not climb a mountain! It had been a while since I spent time admiring the view from the highest place in Orange County. That would be Santiago Peak, not what is commonly referred to as Saddleback Peak. Saddleback is the nickname given to the mountain because of the shape it forms between Modjeska Peak and Santiago Peak. Yes, a saddle, you guessed right.

The drive to the gate at Maple Springs from my house is roughly 30 minutes. It would be less if it wasn’t for numerous slow, twisty roads running between the mountains. Just before reaching the turn at Silverado Canyon Road, I realized I had forgotten my cycling shoes. Doh! I wasn’t going to get far very up the mountain without them. Back home I went. Part of me was glad I forgot them as it allowed me time to stop at Rock N Road Cyclery in Mission Viejo and visit with Chris and Zionna. Bikes For Boobs!

Now that I had all of the necessary bicycle gear with me, back to Silverado I went. Parked at the gate I noticed my friend Vickie’s Toyota Celica. The littering of cycling related stickers across the rear make it unmistakable. I was hoping to run into her most likely training for Vision Quest just a few weeks away. Typically, I don’t carry a bag with me for this ride. Two bottles and a jersey filled with snacks is enough. Today however, it was cold and I wanted a few extra pieces of warm clothing. I was also riding solo and having a few safety devices like a solid knife and my SPOT Satellite Messenger with me is always a good idea. The mountain is a former Mountain Lion habitat you know. Did you know?

Leaving the gate the sun was out and the temps weren’t too shabby hovering around 57 degrees. Looked to be a perfect day on the mountain. The Art Director’s on both of the previous two magazines I worked for always wondered why I submitted so many photographs of trees with my stories. I love trees! Most of them will last longer than you, me or our children. Respect. Covering trail rides across the country usually included forests filled with trees, so why not give them a little love as well, right? Some of them are just as nice to look at as a well-built 4wd Landcruiser.

The sun was out, my legs were making light work of this climb and I must of had a smile going from ear to ear. I am at peace on my bike. There’s no place I’d rather be. Honest.

This mangled mess of what looked like a fence rail was screwing up my Chi. WTF. I don’t recall a rail ever being set in place anywhere near this area of the trail. How did it get here? I really hope someone didn’t drive 6 miles up the mountain to dump this on the side. Horrible.

Most local cyclists know about the Hummer that once was. I don’t know the story, but this white Hummer H2 has been at the bottom of this drop off for years. 3-4 years back it still had all of its doors and tires. It has since been stripped of most of its panels, doors, tires, wheels and bumpers. Its safe to assume someone was either having too much fun and went over or it was stolen and dumped. Most likely the latter.

They look good enough to eat! You go first.

If this is your first time visiting my journal and have never taken this route up the mountain, its short but one of the most scenic drives in OC. Big Bear and Baldy are not in OC. The route is 14 miles up with 4,300 feet of elevation gain. Its a slow go on a bike or in a car. 4wd isn’t required but I wouldn’t take your Honda Civic up the mountain. The trail is scattered with deep holes, rocks and a few steep turns. Just enough to warranty a worthy truck or SUV with all terrain tires.

As I reached closer to the gate at Four Corners, the looming cloud cover grew thick ahead of me. At this point, I knew the extra jacket I packed in my bag was going to be a worth lugging it up the hill.

Both the gate at the bottom and at Four Corners were closed today. This meant an even better day for people on bikes. No crazy truck drivers attempting to be Ivan “Ironman” Stewart would be on the mountain. As you know, I am an off road guy as well. This mountain will not give you HERO status. It should be cruised so you can enjoy the view. If you want go fast head out to the desert!

Before reaching Modjeska Peak, the clouds came over me. The temperature must have dropped 10 degrees instantly. As I was snapping this photograph, a girl came up behind me on a Niner One 9 decked out in a Path Bike Shop jersey. Her name was Kimmy and she road with me until we reached Modjeska. Thanks for the company Kimmy! I recognized her from the recent 12 Hours of Temecula race. She turned around at MP and I continued on.

Caressing my way through the “saddle” portion of the ride, the cloud cover increased as I noticed three riders coming ahead. Two passed and the third was my friend Vickie. Just as I assumed, she was training for Vision Quest on her new Niner One 9 SS. The threesome had just come down from the peak and was making their way to the Motorway. A solid VQ training route. She has already passed the age of 50 and does rides like this on a single speed. What’s your excuse? Vickie warned me of the cold temps and possible rain. As soon as she left I dropped my bag and zipped my jacket on. Thanks for the warning Miss V!

Getting closer to Santiago, the temps took another significant drop. I decided to pull my iPhone out and check. Yup, 36 degrees. Brrrrrrr. It was getting increasingly damp and as I rounded the final corner before the top, hail. I was hoping to get a peek at what I heard was snowfall the night before. Instead, I received chunks of ice smacking me about the face. Joy. I didn’t stick around at the top for more than a moment and failed to grab a photograph. Sorry. I could barely see 10 feet in front of my face so just imagine it.

Making my way down the mountain freezing my butt off I noticed the Moon. Yes, the Moon. It was peeking its way through the thick cover just long enough for me to grab my Canon S95 for a snap. Thank you Moon!

This is my least favorite section of the route. I do enjoy going downhill but not over fist size rocks for miles. Even if your bike is super plush, vibrations get to you. There must have been a good number of service trucks on the mountain recently, the tire grooves were deep.

The ride down was fast and cold, which resulted in only a few photos. The extra gears on the 2012 Stumpy were very kind to me and left me feeling fresh at the end. Aside from my feet freezing I felt great and my stress free easy day was accomplished. Don’t let a little wet weather scare you off the mountain. Get out there and ride!

A quick update to the review I posted the on the Stumpy. Both the tires and the R1 brakes were a joy both up and down the mountain. I was pleasantly surprised at the traction even when the dirt turned to mud near the top. Riding the brakes the entire way, okay most of the way, down the mountain I never noticed fade. Glory. It confirmed my decision to look into both when mine need to be replaced.

Ride your bikes!

2012 Specialized Stumpjumper Expert Carbon 29 (link)

With over 1,000 miles in the saddle, I can finally write a few words about the new Stumpjumper. For the past 30 days, this bike has magically found its way to my garage. I cannot thank my friend enough for allowing me to spend quality time with his ride. You know who you are. I’ve been riding a 2009 Stumpjumper 29 Single Speed (picture here I am on the far right) over the past 3 years that has been very good to me. Originally, I purchased the SS frame to build a nice lightweight climbing machine. After owning only a single speed for 3 years, I got tired of standing for every climb. I ditched the single speed gearing and converted it to a 1×10 with the use of a simple derailleur hanger and a few other parts. Thank you Specialized for making it painless. Please keep that derailleur mount on all your frames! Around the same time I purchased the SS frame I also came into a complete S-Works Stumpjumper 29 HT that I used for races. That bike had cheetah speed, cat like reflexes and was light enough to chuck down field. This 2012 Stumpy fits perfectly between both of the bikes I have owned over the past few years.

I have had a love/hate relationship with carbon frame bikes for years. As much as I love having a lightweight bike, I am drawn to old school aluminum and steel. Some of you probably think I’m nuts. Well, you may be right. That same craziness is what drew me toward owning only a SS for a number of years. That bike was also fully rigid at one point as well (no front or rear shocks). At 18lbs, the bike was amazing uphill. Downhill, well thats an entirely different story. It felt like riding a giant BMX bike and I loved it. Just couldn’t handle it day in and day out with the kind of miles I put on bikes. (I currently average around 200+ miles per week)

Before I could take the new bike out for a spin I had to make a few changes. To make things easy, lets call the bike I own the SS. The top tube length on my SS is 586mm and on the new bike it measures 590mm. My SS also uses a 90mm stem, while the new bike came with a 105mm stem. In order to get my fit correct, I swapped my Thomson stem on the new bike and adjusted the seat forward. Close enough.

With my reach now ready to go, the next step was to swap out the standard Specialized round grips for a set of Ergon GX1 grips. I’ve been using these grips on all of my mountain bikes for years and have a hard time using anything else. Can’t wait to try the new GS1 grips! A quick spin around the block and I quickly recognized the handlebars were not as wide as my Niner Flat Top RDO bars. I thought about swapping them out but if I kept swapping out parts, I would no longer be reviewing THIS bike. The Niner bars are roughly one inch wider and have +/- 3mm less sweep. One inch does make a difference but nothing I’m worried about. Yes, I realize thats what she said.

As I mentioned early, I have put more than 1,000 hard miles on this bike. For local riders, this has included Blackstar Canyon, Maple Springs, various other sections of the Main Divide, Whiting Ranch, STT, Luge, Aliso Woods, Ladera Ridge, Bell View and a ton of road miles in between. My SS and this bike share a nearly identical geometry. If you compare both 19-inch varieties on the Specialized website, the numbers almost perfectly match. Although the geometry is close, the plush carbon frame and much newer components make this a completely different bike. Being back on a carbon bike has been a joy. I forgot what its like to climb on a light bike. Not to mention having a full set of gears again. The geo is very complimentary to someone looking for an XC hard tail with speed in mind. This bike wants to go fast. It needs to go fast. I have a hard time riding this bike at a slow pace. Unless of course I am bonking. Don’t tell.

This is the first bike with Brain technology I have spent a considerable amount of time riding. Last year, I borrowed a 2010 Epic Evo R 29 that used Brain shocks both front and rear. I was left very impressed at the amount of control and confidence the bike offered. The Custom RockShox SID 29 Brain fork on this bike features inertia valve technology with Brain Fade adjustments just like the other. If you’ve never thrown your leg over a bike using Brain tech, think of it as a shock with steps inside. The harder you hit something the more steps the shock allows you to take in order to soften the blow. Almost as if the shock gives up for a split second when you hit something but quickly responds. The first couple of rides are going to feel weird. Once you get the hang of it, your control will increase beyond what conventional shocks offer. The 90mm of travel is plenty for the trails around this area. The roughest downhill trail that I usually hit is the Luge. The Luge is a combination of switch backs, drops, rocks and exposure. A few small sections are also steep. All of these combined means, you better have control over your bike or else. In comparison, I would choose this RockShox SID Brain shock over my current Fox 100mm shock any day of the week. Not to mention, its lighter.

Looking at the new Renengade tire, the word confidence doesn’t come to mind. Low, fast rolling knobs are great for hard pack XC racing but usually suffer on most average trails. This bike comes with a light S-Works version in front and Control in the rear. Both are 29×1.95 and 2Bliss (tubeless) ready. In the past, I have replaced several S-Works model tires because they simply didn’t hold up over time. Sidewall tears and flat happiness caused nothing but wasted time. This time around I am happy to report I have yet to suffer a flat and traction is way above par for a tire such as this. I haven’t noticed the bike slipping on any of my local trails, front or rear. Kind of incredible looking at this tire. The low knobs allow for speed while still providing enough traction to keep you moving through the corners. When my rear tire wears out I am going to grab one of these. It should be perfect for the soft over hard pack SoCal trails.

Another Specialized feature that has never lasted long are factory Roval mtb wheels. Rumor has it the new Roval Control 29 wheels have been beefed up without adding weight. After watching friends taco these wheels and riding them out of true rather easily, I have to say this time around they are staying nice and true. I thought for sure my last trip down the Luge or Whiting was going to result in wobble wheels. Nope. So far they are still straight and wheeling strong. Either Specialized upper their game or maybe I finally learned how to pick better lines?

Having a full set of gears has been a joy. The SRAM Carbon S-2200 crankset comes with 38/24 chain rings, a removable spider and either 170 or 175mm arms. As you can see, the bike has been through quite a few miles already in its short life. Shifting has been spot on and I only managed to drop the chain once over 1,000 miles.

The SRAM XO rear derailleur and X9 shifters work in unison without flaw. I am running the same combination on my SS, er 1×10. If you’re looking to drop weight, consider a SRAM XX cassette and lose the heavy PG-1050 11-36t cassette it comes with. Factory bikes usually come with weights attached to the rear, otherwise known as lower level cassettes. Upgrades! I love the built-in chain stay protectors Specialized seems to be adding to most of their bikes now. No more electrical tape wraps. Score.

The Phenom saddle has made its way to a number of Specialized bikes these days. The Comp Hollow Cr-Mo version comes standard on this bike. I’ve been using the Hollow Ti version for years. My former road bike was even sporting a Phenom. Very comfortable on long days.

Purchase tip: A good number of parts can be swapped out to fit the rider during the time of purchase. Any authorized Specialized store should be willing to make sure the bike is dialed in to your specifications. Have your sit bones checked in store so they can make sure you ride away with the proper saddle. Stem length can also be changed. I would highly recommend getting fit to your bike. Ask your dealer for more info. 

Let’s get down to what really makes this bike work. The oversize head tube and bottom bracket. Much like the S-Works bike I had for a while, the power to weight transfer is wonderful. I never feel the bike flexing under me or sluggish. As soon as I crank, the bike explodes out of the gate. The wide head tube gives the rider additional control while traversing hard corners. The bike goes exactly where you point it. I never get that “hanging on for a ride” feeling. The carbon frame does this better than my current aluminum frame. However, the hate portion of the love/hate relationship with carbon I mentioned earlier is witnessed in the rear. While the front end sticks like a pin in a pegboard, the rear seems to scatter itself around rocky terrain. My aluminum frame does a much better job controlling varying size trail debris. I do realize this is a hard tail bike. Having owned mostly hard tail bikes, I can feel the difference in every one. I’ve learned having a loose feeling rear is something you have to deal with riding most HT bikes. Some do it better than others. This bike doesn’t do it poorly, it just does do it as well as its aluminum counterpart. I would still choose this bike over mine on race day, but would rather take mine down a rocky hill.

Whats that you say? Not SRAM brakes? OMG! Well, I have heard all sorts of rumors as to why SRAM brakes didn’t end up on these bikes. I am not going to share them. Most likely, unless you work for either company you don’t know the reason so shut it. I will say that I am very happy these Formula R1 brakes showed up. One word, tacky. These single-finger brakes stop on a dime. Modulation is great. The 160mm rotors have been more than enough for my 185lb body. I typically have to run a larger rotor up front in order to get decent life from brake pads. They have faired well through mud, sand and even held up after going through quite a few water crossings. I wonder if they will make it on 2013 models?

I have really enjoyed my time with this new bike. It makes me want to throw a leg over the S-Works model really bad. As well as the new Epic 29. I can only imagine an even more plush carbon frame with super lightweight goodies attached. Pure bred race bikes. Here’s to hoping I can throw my leg over some competitive bikes one day and give you some side by side notes. If you see a HT in your future, and this bike is in your price range, definitely grab a loaner from your local bike shop. Use that try before you buy program if available!

Thanks for reading!

Loaded up the camera and headed for the field next to me house to test out the new cage. Although it is no steadicam, I have to say I was impressed how well it worked. Leaps and bounds ahead of trying to walk this field with the bare camera in my hand. Thanks again to Doug Hall and the other rider who rode into my video, providing a little taste of action. Look for more test videos coming soon. Be sure to watch the HD version.

A few weekends ago, I headed out to meet up with a few old friends to tackle Blackstar. Neil and the guys at The Path were nice enough to help organize an old school STR group ride. I miss riding with the old STR gang. Truly good times were had! Thanks again to Neil and Tracy for helping get everyone together and providing snacks at the top!

Thanks to the guys who snapped pics of me and to those I borrowed a few pictures from off STR, thanks! If you want me to link to your gallery please let me know! As you can see below the STR group is always full of shenanigans. Yes, that is a blow up doll.

It seems this year I spent more time chatting it up with friends instead of shooting photographs. Enjoy the few I snapped and a little video I whipped up from CrossVegas.

I miss my Ellsworth Evolve. Ells makes some amazingly gorgeous bikes that ride as comfortable as any other I have been on. Their Evolution is another sexy beast recently added to their stable.

I swear by my Ergon grips but have yet to strap one of their backpacks on my back. Hopefully, I will rectify this soon enough.

It is Vegas after all.

Why should all the skinny road bikes have all the roller fun?

BMC = Beautiful Masterpiece’s Created. Nuff said.

Artcrank had some great original pieces for sale at the show. I should have picked up a couple for my house. Then again, not working FT right now its best I didn’t.

I gotta hand it to the guys at Finish Line. They have some great cleaning products and their Gear Floss is one of them. Their Citrus Degreaser rocks!

With Cross season upon us, it seems I was trolling for CX bikes. Ritchey had a few beauties on display.

Check out Pinarello’s new race bike. This thing will be sweet at the 2012 Tour de France!

Any duffel bag can be a gear bag. Timbuk2‘s version is pretty sweat though. Ventilated pockets, super durable to withstand equipment abuse, dirty laundry pockets and more.

SRAM challenged some artists to assemble a few pieces for the show made only of SRAM bike components. I have to say they did an amazing job! I am sure you can google up more images of these. I counted at least 20 surrounding the show.

I still say no to rollerblades.

What happens in Vegas gets posted on the internet. It seems someone was partying a little too hard the night before. Or he was knocked off his feet watching the bikini clad women in GoPro’s new 3D videos.

Best bike display of the show? Possibly. I love that this world champion Specialized Epic was left dirty for the show. Been wanting to do this with one of my SEMA vehicles for years.

The Rapha Focus team was in full effect at CrossVegas. J-Pow put on a great show landing a solid fourth place finish. I didn’t snap many photos but I did capture a little video.

Quick video of 2011 CrossVegas. Congrats to my friends Allison and Justin Mann for getting out there and busting chops with some fast CX people!

Today I had the pleasure of picking up my brand spanking new 2012 Specialized Crux Expert Force cyclocross bike. The guys at Rock N Road Cyclery in Mission Viejo, gave me a call and asked if I wanted to come down while it was getting built up. As you would assume, I brought my camera with me.

Thanks again to RNR and Derek for assembling the bike right away so I could take it for a quick spin before the sun went down. As you can see, I swapped out the white bar tape and saddle for a black Phenom Hollow Ti saddle and black Lizard Skins bar tape. Much better.

Had to drop another video on the journal today after watching this awesome tribute to the ladies of the Elite Mountain Bike XC world. Not only are there some beautiful women riding mountain bikes these days, they will also ride the pants off you and your buddies. Cyclefilm did another amazing job showcasing the female side of the sport.

This was such a cool video I had to share it on the journal. Oregon seems to have a wealth of great mountain biking. I must visit.

Mossy forests and tall trees mm mm good. Who wants to go?

We all have those moments when we feel as if we are at peace. Not thinking about our daily duties, when the next work project is due, or how we are going to pay that next bill. Those moments when your head is clear and you have no cares in the world, even for just a moment. My Sunday morning ride was one of those moments for me. I had a tough time sleeping the night before and found myself wide awake at 5:30am. I tried to stay under the covers but my body wasn’t having it.

Making my way down to the garage, light was just coming out behind a veil of early morning fog. I opted for my clear lens glasses and blinking LED lights. I knew the sun would quickly rise but I wasn’t taking any chances. A lot of late night party goers often find their way home during these brisk hours.

I chose a familiar route from my home, through the canyon and back. Not looking to set any records, I just wanted to get out and stretch my legs for a couple hours. As the sun grew higher, I was still alone on the road until 6:30am when a few cars started to appear. For that 30-45 minutes I was all alone riding through the streets of RSM, not a car in sight. First time that has ever happened to me in 10 years of living in this area. It was amazing. If it wasn’t for my morning stomach issues, I would be out early more often.

On my way back, I looped around a couple other paths and snapped a few pictures. I also got in a few extra miles and was greeted by some friendly snakes looking to get in some early morning sun. It was a good start to my Sunday, hope you had a good weekend and remember to stay safe next weekend for the 4th!

Decided to do a little climbing today. Didn’t really have a goal in mind. Grabbed the bike, drove towards Blackstar Canyon and started pedaling. Came across more people than usual on Blackstar. Well, it is Memorial weekend. Mostly hikers. About 2 miles up the road I stopped to help motivate a guy who was having a bad day on the bike. He was struggling. We all have those days. Maybe he left his legs at home but he was arched over his handlebars looking like death was coming. He assured me that he was okay and his wife was ahead waiting for him. A quick pat on the bike and “Keep going man you can make it!” and I was off. A mile ahead I pedaled up next to his wife. She was doing much better than her man. I told her that he was stopped about a mile back and she gave me that look. You know, that look of despair. That look as if she was hoping I wouldn’t say he was stopped. She looked frustrated. Maybe she was tired of waiting on him, maybe she wanted to keep going but felt bad leaving him behind. I politely made my way offering up a “Have a nice ride!”.

Another mile or so before entering the valley I was stopped by a hiker. Thankfully, I was not in a hurry today. She was hiking with her dog and wanted to know how much farther ahead to reach Beek’s Place. We talked for a few minutes and I let her know what she had ahead of her on the trail. The trail was smooth and my legs were feeling good. The big washout in the valley is still there and forced me to dismount. I hate getting off my bike. It’s the number one reason when friends invite me to ride West Horse Thief, I decline. It’s not that I don’t enjoy riding with friends, I just don’t feeling like walking with my bike for a long period of time.

As I made my way past the valley the wind started kicking up. Damn. It was also getting cold. Damn. I didn’t run into anyone else making my way up to the gate. As I reached the top, a few riders were coming towards me heading back down BS. I overheard their conversation, something about “big rides” and “riding solo” I think. As they crouched under the gate one of them turned to me, “Oh great, just when I think I’m having a tough day getting up here, here comes a single speeder.” Sorry? I chuckled and put my arm warmers on. I gave them both a smile and kept on going. That wasn’t a conversation I felt like getting into.

After reaching Beek’s Place, I decided to head down Skyline. Skyline drops down into Corona and is basically the mirror image of Blackstar from the other side. This would be my first time. Once I reached the bottom I took a break and loaded up on some calories. I was getting a little tired. Fortunately, I brought along some Bonk Breakers and Clif Shot Blocks. These are my favorite cycling snacks. Yummy and loaded with good calories. Making my way back up the mountain my back started to tighten up on me. I got off the bike and stretched a bit, it helped. I didn’t stop to take very many pictures, but I did snap this one as soon as I started to see the golf ball back in my sights.

Tired bike…

It’s about to start getting hot in sunny SoCal. Damn. Days like today riding at noon with temps of 60-65 are ending. Most of the spring flowers are still in bloom but slowly fading. I made the best of the day and took my time on the way down snapping pictures and saying hello to fellow cyclists coming up. I had no idea what my time was for the ride not having a Garmin anymore. I recently parted ways with my trusty Edge 700. It was good to me and now it will be good to another. I’m looking at the Edge 500 next, when money permits. I have to say it is nice though not looking down constantly wondering if I am moving fast enough, or worrying about my heart rate.

I don’t have any stats to report back from today. I did find a fellow riders ride data on Strava just now. CLICK HERE if you want to see it. This is NOT my data. I am posting the link so you can see where I was today and if you’re curious, the climbing and mileage. Thanks for the link Rick, hope you don’t mind people checking out your data.

Oh, I did pass a big group of rod’s on the way home. I love custom rides. Hope you had a good day and have a great Memorial Day tomorrow! Get outside!