Lumberyard Is Really Happening
I took a short trip from Seattle down to Portland to see how the Northwest’s premier indoor mountain bike park, the Lumerbyard was coming along. We have all heard rumors of something this cool happening in our neck of the woods for some time now and the rumors are no more. One would think that a good or successful indoor park would have already been built in an area where if it’s not raining outside it’s at least muddy almost 8 months out of the year.
The Lumberyard is on the verge of creating a place that mountain bikers and bmxers alike can come and have the same amount of fun under the same roof. There are plans for everything from XC loops to box jump flow lines. It will be really cool to have access to box jumps and pump tracks any day of the week no matter the weather. The Lumberyard has also picked up Joe Prisel for designing and building the ramps. If Joe has the creative control you know the stuff is bound to be sick.
This is the view of what was a bowling alley and is now transforming into the Lumeberyard. The entrance will be over on the left picture and on the right, well, let’s just say there are some serious plans for that parking lot.
This is a little peek into what it takes to transform an old bowling alley into a super bike park.
They set up a small box to test the height of the rafters and it seems to work. The beams are a little scary the first time or two but once you get going it’s kinda sweet to jump up in-between the beams.
As you can see there is lots of space for some crazy features.
I really like the feel that an old bowling alley provides especially when you get to look down on to the bike park.
In the back resides what use to be the bar. I don’t think any of it will stay but it definitely as the feel of some dive bar you probably go to to have a few post ride beers.
A little much needed kitchen remodel. There is no final word on what kind of food will be served but I bet it will be tasty. Food and beer, mmmmmm.
Here there is a lucky stack of wood getting the afternoon golden light.
Fall Ride
I think the fall has to be one of my favorite seasons for riding. The colors are amazing and the dirt never ceases to amaze. We were lucky enough to find both of those elements out on the trails the other weekend. The dirt was nothing less than hero dirt and we even got to see the sun for a little bit. Not every fall ride consists of ideal riding conditions in the Northwest, so when that opportunity presents its self, it can’t be passed up. I hope you enjoy some of the photos from the ride.
Opening Day At Stevens Pass
The soft opening of Stevens Pass Bike Park was the first weekend in October. This is the first lift access bike park Washington has had in a really long time. Fall in the NW can be a little unpredictable and that it was for the whole weekend. It was freezing in the mornings and then throughout the days there was a constant battle between the rain and the sun. Even though the weather was less than ideal about 900 people showed up to ride the new park over the course of the weekend. Needless to say we are all stoked to have something this rad in our own backyard!
Check out the amazing slide show put together by VitalMTB with Tim Zimmerman’s photos by clicking the screen shot.
Check out Pinkbike’s coverage of the event with a bunch of great photos shot by Paris Gore.
I was lucky enough to have the chance to film this piece a few days before the park opened. Even though the park is still in its early stages with only two trails open, there plenty of lines to be had on the fresh runs.
Interbike 2011
This is a picture-packed post of my Interbike highlights. Interbike the biggest convention of the year, is on dirt and off dirt and if you have ever been, you know that the on-dirt demo can be REALLY hot. This year we got some wind, rain and even lightning. So it stayed on the cooler side making the desert a more bearable place for us northwesterners. There was a bunch of rad stuff to check out on the inside as well. An overwhelming amount of new product hits you as you walk through the front doors. Around every corner lies some sort of bike lust. After all of the long days walking the show there are usually shenanigans for the memory banks. But as the saying goes: What happens in Vegas…
Jon Kennedy and Mike Brown pull some heroic moves and get the DB flags up in the storm.
Um…. Double rainbow! Read the rest of this entry
MBO
In late August I attended Mountain Bike Oregon in Oakridge, OR. with Jon Kennedy and Eric Porter. This is a great event for anybody that loves to ride mountain bikes and drink beer. MBO is a three day camping, riding, and if you still have energy, partying event. We were lucky enough to hook up to ride and shoot with Tim Zimmerman. He’s great to work with, keeping it fun and getting some insane shots!
Click the shot for the Vital story on MBO
Dealer Event
What seems like just a while back was Diamondback’s annual dealer event and it was rad. There has been a bunch of things to go down in-between this dealer event and now but here is a little recap of the some of the action that went down. This is an event that I always look forward to attending. I get to ride every day and hang with all of the great dealers, vendors, and employees.We got to ride the rack pack a couple of times a day for a week how could that suck?
The rat pack trail is full of some crazy obstacles and some long flowy descents. The trail has something for everyone to have fun on. We shuttled most of the way up then pedaled the rest of the way up which made it easy to ride a bigger bike for some more fun on the descent or there was still enough of a climb to ride a pedaly bike to the top.
Check the video out for a little peak of what goes on at the Diamondback Raliegh dealer event.
Mount Washington
Adrienne Schofhauser and I took a super fun trip to Mount Washington out on Vancouver Island last summer to ride the quiet little bike park. During our couple of days there it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. The bike park had a lot to offer, from features to flowy, technical trails. Those features include cool wallrides and the picture below that Adrienne shot of me on their trail Back In Black was used for Mt. Washington’s 2011 bike park brochure. We are headed back in a week to watch the Bearclaw Invitational take place.
2012 Diamondback Assault
I picked up the new 2012 Diamondback Assault frame before heading out on a little trip to Windells. Nothing like building up a new bike then breaking it in proper on the road. The new graphics look awesome and DB is sticking with the Air Diamondback theme. There are also a few updates to the frame this year aside from color.
There are a few key things changed that make this Assault beat its predecessor The head tube is now a tapered 1-1/8″ to 1.5″. The new head tube with the larger steer has stiffened up the front end by a considerable amount. There is also a new top tube and down tube giving the bike a cleaner look. The new top tube also allows for more clearance while doing tables. The Assault is looking and riding better than ever!
Duthie Hill Demo Day
Duthie Hill had its opening of Phase Two over the weekend. Like usual Duthie draws a wide crowd of people from all bike disciplines. There were a ton of people that stopped by to demo bikes from the Diamondback fleet. The weather was good and with a bunch of fun new trails opened up, people were stoked. I think at this point there is something for everyone. It was really busy all day long with a bunch of people demoing bikes, riding bikes, and even some funny competitions.
Our Booth seemed to be packed for most of the day
Jason making sure that the mission is shred ready
