Bike Porn... images of my Airborne Bicycles rigs.

Airborne Marauder

Airborne Wingman

And that concludes the bike porn for tonight. 

Cheers from Kansas. #MtbLife

Logchutes downhill on the line...

Now's your chance to let YOUR voice be heard in support of a sanctioned - ONE WAY downhill trail at Logchutes.

Input sought on Log Chutes downhill. One of Durango’s most beloved joy rides could be getting a makeover.

The Log Chutes downhill, a 3.5 mile stretch once used as the Nationals Downhill course, would get a buff and shine and be inducted as an official one-way only trail under a proposed plan by the San Juan National Forest. First floated by Trails 2000 in 2010, the “Log Chutes Downhill Mountain Bike Trail Project” calls for reconstructing and connecting the confusing mass of nonsystem and/or renegade trails that have sprouted up on the Forest Service land, northwest of Durango off Junction Creek Road. The new trail would be designated as a one-way downhill bike trail.

The goal of the Log Chutes plan is to provide a properly designed, safe and legal trail while eliminating potential conflicts with other users. The Forest Service is conducting a public comment period on the proposal through Wed., May 23. Trails 2000 has received grant money from the San Juan National Forest to implement the proposal, should it be approved.

“Right now, the Forest Service is scoping to get public input on what their thoughts, ideas and feelings are,” Jed Botsford, Columbine District Recreation Staff officer, said Tuesday.

According to the Forest Service, public lands across the nation are seeing a growing number of illegal downhill mountain bike trails, and the San Juan is no different. Although the Log Chutes downhill has been permitted over the years for a variety of special events, it is not an “official” Forest Service trail. Despite this, it has seen an increased amount of use as evidenced by truck loads of bikers often shuttling back up the road for another run.

“The sport started about 20 years ago now, but it is gaining more and more popularity every year,” Botsford said.

However, such trails create concerns, not only over resource impacts and poor trail design, but safety. “In our initial scoping, the answer was, ‘Yes, make it a single-direction, single-use trail,’ purely for safety reasons,” he said. “When people are screaming downhill on downhill bikes, if someone is on a horse going up, those two uses don’t really mesh.”

He said he knew of at least three other user-created rogue courses on local public lands – including one in the Middle Mountain area near Vallecito. “They just sort of popped up because demand was there, and people were looking for somewhere to ride,” he said.

The Log Chutes downhill would be the first officially designated trial of its kind in the area.

The proposed alignment would follow an old fire line as well as parts of nonsanctioned roads and trails. The new trail would be adopted into the Forest Service’s system of trails and be consistent with the Forest Management Plan. In reviewing the plan, the Forest Service will look at potential effects on wildlife habitat, recreation and safety, noxious weed infestations, soil and watershed conditions, and cultural resources. Public comments will be included in a forthcoming draft environmental assessment.

Public comment open until May 23 via email at: chooley@fs.fed.us

or snail mail at:

Cam Hooley
at Columbine Public Lands
P.O. Box 439, Bayfield, CO 81122

Lets make some authentic DH in Durango a reality!

Video by Jerry Hazard

Copied from the current Durango Telegraph: www.durangotelegraph.com/quick-and-dirty

10 seconds aboard Airborne Bicycles Marauder

10 seconds aboard Airborne Bicycles Marauder 

Short clip of me riding my Airborne Marauder at our super secret test grounds. It was the first pass of the day so my speed isn't as fast as usual. Which means I'm not getting quite the distance I was looking for. The battery died shortly after this. Otherwise there would be more footage to share. I hope you enjoy. Freeride or die! #MtbLife

May 26th, Ride report and brief trail review.

Yesterday was the first day in nearly 4 days that we didn't get rain here in Southeast Kansas. I was aching to ride again. As it had been half a week since I last got to ride my rig. And by chance a friend calls me up asking me if I want to go ride. I was down from the second he asked, even though I knew it was going to be muddy as... well, you know.

We loaded up the bikes and even brought my brother along for the ride. We set our path for Wilderness Park in Pittsburg, Kansas. After about 25 minutes of travel we have arrived at our destination. Oh how I love to ride these trails. It has a little bit of everything to offer.

The Vision



Wilderness Park is located in Pittsburg, Kansas at 907 W. McKay. It was donated to the City of Pittsburg by the Casaletto family. This was for its preservation of the diverse ecosystem. Its goal is to become a recreational and cultural resource for the entire Southeast Kansas area to enjoy.

Trails

The over 4 miles of trails travel a diverse natural environment that includes wetlands, forested areas, grasslands and a portion of the Cow Creek tributary system. A major portion of the trail system is ADA accessible along with more challenging trails which rise high above on ridges created by open pit mining.



Fishing

There are 4 nice pits for some fishing enjoyment.

1. Long John
2. Little Pit
3. White Snake
4. Deep Ell Pit

Park Rules

• No alcoholic beverages
• No motorized vehicles
• No horses
• No open burning
• No hunting or trapping
• Follow Kansas fishing regulations

Park Hours

April - October: 7am to 8pm

November - March: 8am to 5pm

Alright, now that I got all the info on the place out of the way, how about I get back to the ride. So we start unloading the bikes. Giving last minute checks. I pull on my Remedy gloves that Giro sent me (review to come later), grab hold of the bars on my Airborne Marauder, and head towards the trail head. Have to ride about 1/4 of a mile to get to the singletrack. But as we start down the singletrack we come across a down tree. Completely uprooted, made for an interesting hike-a-bike around the crater.

At this point I'm kicking myself in the rear end because I failed to bring my camera. We continue our venture down the chosen line. Hauling major... butt. Over rocks, roots, hills, valleys... anything that gets in our way. Until my buddy nearly runs into a down tree limb, he avoided impact with the limb. He failed to warn me about the issue ahead. I of course try to avoid it, but failed to duck... yeah, how retarded of me right? Good thing I've got a helmet in the works.

Yeah yeah, I didn't have a helmet. Dumb, but I can't let that keep me from riding. Anyways, back to the ride. I stood there for a second to regain my happy thoughts. Then continued on. Hit up some short downhill runs that dump into some narrow trees and twisty technical stuff with lots of roots and protruding rocks. Hopefully in the near future I will be able to get my hands on a GoPro so I can share some footage with all you out there.

Surprisingly the trail was nearly perfect... minus the couple down trees obstructing some paths. Nice and tacky. Got in about 4 hours of riding total. Nobody went down. Although I had 2 or 3 close calls with my feet coming off the pedals. Really need to upgrade my pedals and get a pair of Five Ten's Karver freeride shoe. The Giro Remedy gloves were amazing, looking forward to doing more testing with them very soon. And my Airborne Marauder took everything I threw at it as always.

We load up the bikes again and start heading for home. First we had to stop off so I could pick up a Monster Energy. Roughly 30 minutes later we are back in Columbus and unloading the bikes all over again.

Alright, so that was my first ride report and/or trail review. What did you think? Feel free to leave feedback, thanks for reading.

Airborne Marauder

I was hoping to hit some singletrack on my Marauder this weekend. But unfortunately there has been a series of severe thunderstorms that have drenched the area in rain, pelted us with golfball to baseball sized hail, and even set down a couple tornadoes. So seeing as riding is out of the question, I've decided to introduce you to my bike.

My rig is a 2010 Airborne Bicycles Marauder. I purchased it in January of this year. It's a Freeride rig with 6 inches of travel. I've been riding it nearly daily since i got it. I love to ride on the dirt, but unfortunately where I live, there aren't very many trails. So i have to make due with what i have. In turn my Marauder sees alot of urban freeriding assaults. But don't worry, it spends plenty of time on the dirt singletrack and even some rocky Ozark terrain. It hasn't let me down yet, tackles anything I put in its way. Be it rock gardens, roots, step-ups, drop-offs, dirt jumps, staircases... You name it, it can take it.

Airborne Marauder Spec' List

Frame - 6061 Aluminum 6" Travel Single Pivot Suspension MTB, w/Sealed Bearings 
Fork - Spinner Cargo 340 w/34mm Stanchions, OX-Valving, 150mm Travel and 20mm Axle 
Rear Shock - Marzocchi Coil F 
Headset - Ahead Sealed Cartridge 1 1/8" 
Brake Levers - Tektro Novela Sport 
Brakes - Tektro Novela Sport Mechanical Disc 
Rotors - Tektro 203mm Rotor 
Shifters - SRAM X-5 Trigger 8-Speed 
Front Derailleur - Shimano FD-C050 
Rear Derailleur - SRAM X-7 
Cassette - SRAM PG-820 13-32t 8-Speed 
Chain - KMC X-9 
Crank - FSA Dyna Drive 22/32t with bash guard 
Bottom Bracket - FSA Dyna Drive 
Pedals - NONE 
Rims - WTB FX-28 32H Disc Specific SV 
Hubs - Rear: 32h Alloy QR Disc Specific Front: 32h Alloy 20mm Thru Axle Disc Specific 
Spokes - Black 14g Stainless 
Tires - Kenda K877 Kinetics Front 26x2.6 & Rear 26x2.35 
Handlebar - Kalloy Alloy 31.8mm Diameter, 670mm Width, 30mm, 6 Deg 
Stem - Kalloy 2D Forged Alloy, 31.8mm Clamp Diameter, 50mm, +/- 10 Degree Rise 
Saddle - WTB Pure-V Sport 
Seat Post - Kalloy Alloy 30mm Diameter, 350mm Length 
Extras - Owner's Manual, Clear Coat, H20 Bottle Mount

I've put my Marauder through some punishment and it has taken everything i have thrown at it and then some. Bike feels great in any condition be it mud, snow, loose pack or hard pack singletrack, downhill, and even urban freeriding. It stays stable and maneuverable in even the worst of situations. The Spinner Cargo 340 fork works great, takes a lot of punishment. I haven't bottomed it out yet and I've hit some 5 and 6 foot drop offs. The Marzocchi Coil F shock that its coupled up with works amazing. Crisp response and takes everything you can put it through from small bumps to drop offs and rock gardens. The Tektro Novela 203mm mechanical discs help you come to a stop when blistering down the trails. The Shimano and Sram drive-train is amazing. Fast and reliable, and coupled with the FSA Dyna Drive 22/32t crank with bashguard you can go just about anywhere. Makes climbing pretty easy considering the weight of the bike. The bashguard will save your chainrings from getting beat up on rocks, roots and other obstacles. The WTB wheels are nice and sturdy. Hubs roll smoothly letting you go as fast as possible down the trails. The Kalloy 670mm wide bars allow for great response and handling but yet keeping you narrow enough to make it through tight technical areas. And the Kalloy seat post coupled with the WTB Pure V sport saddle allow comfortable seating. All in all, great bike, great spec list and a great price at $699.95. I suggest you check out Airborne Bicycle's website at http://www.airbornebicycles.com/ and grab yourself one today.

Here goes nothing...

Alright, I've decided to start a blog... Future posts should include ride reports, product reviews, trail reviews and just random 2 wheeled goodness. Haha. This came about because of several things. At the beginning of the year Airborne Bicycles was looking to find 6 new members for their Flight Crew. One requirement was to have a blog. I said to myself that if i made the Flight Crew i would start a blog. I didn't make it. Bummer, but oh well, there is always next year. They made 6 great additions to their Flight Crew. And then the other day. I got home from a great ride on my Airborne Marauder to find a little brown box on my porch. It said it was from Bell Sports... I found this strange, as i hadn't ordered anything from them. Curiosity finally got to me and i opened the package. When i pulled out the paper stuffing i found a pair of gloves. Turns out Giro sent me a pair of their Remedy dirt gloves. Which is F'n awesome. I was in dire need of a new pair of gloves. After receiving the gift i figured i might as well do a product review over them (to come later after I've put them through some Freeride bliss). Also on March 29th i won a contest on Sea Otter Classic's facebook page. The prize was a CamelBak Capo hydration pack. After i receive it and put it to some good use there will be a product review over it as well. I've ran out of things to say for the time being. So, with that being said. Thanks for swinging by to read this. More to come in the future.