A long-term, Big Mountain Riding Review

Good-sized platform, mud-clearing capabilities

Price: $100

My first clipless pedals in the late ’90’s were the rugged, full-on Shimano 545 platform clipless pedals. I asked for that style because I wanted a pedal that would function if I needed to get my foot back on it in a hurry (and that would allow friends to borrow the bike even if they didn’t have SPD shoes).  I grew to like them for other reasons. They proved bombproof, and great for the ever-changing, technical conditions that make big mountain riding so challenging and enjoyable. So, years later, after riding Crank Brothers Egg Beaters (which I loved for their mud-shedding capabilities, simplicity and light weight), I had high expectations when I saw the Crank Brothers Acid series for sale online. I waited for a good deal and purchased a pair of Acid 1’s from PricePoint in April 2008. I run them on my 2007 Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe, which I use primarily for all mountain riding.

I used the Acid pedals in two epic big mountain events, the 2008 Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure race (+50-miles,  in early May, and the 2008 West Virginia Wild 100 as well as all the training for these events. The pedals provided more stand-up-and-stomp leverage than the Egg Beaters, and were easier for my feet to find in rough, wet conditions. In late September I was excited to have the opportunity to race on my home turf, in the Assault on Liberty Mountain. Unfortunately, one of the Acid pedals came apart less than a mile into this +20-mile race. I did finish, but it was only by stopping repeatedly, finding the pedal when it fell off and dialing back the agressive riding so that I could keep the pedal body on the spindle. I lost several places at least because of this.

Crank Brothers did rebuild the pedals for free went I sent them back, and the Acids are back on the bike. However, I didn’t trust them to stick together the +40-miles of the first epic event I entered after their return, the 2009 Middle Mountain Momma. This summer I am riding them as I train for the West Virginia Wild 100. I will update this post if they continue to survive their reincarnation. What did I ride  while the Acids were M.I.A.? My ten-year old Shimano 545’s. Still going strong after 100’s of hours of use and three gonzo-abusive trips to Moab.

UPDATE – JULY 14, 2009 – One of the spring mechanisms on the pedals is not rotating freely. They may fall apart again! Final verdict: Save up the extra few bones and buy the Shimanos, or maybe the heavier-duty Crank Bro’s Mallets.

© Big Mountain Riding

Story and photos below the video feed from WDBJ News 7.

Monday, June 22, 2009 – Bedford, VA – More than 50 riders rolled up for the Rally Ride to show support for Blackwater Bike Shop following Saturday’s fire that destroyed the entire complex, including several other area businesses. News coverage matched the show of rider support. Several area news stations were present, including WSET, WDBJ and FOX. The News & Advance also had photographers present and columnist Darrel Laurant was on hand.

Blackwater owner Davy Hazelgrove kicked off the ride with a “thank you” speech, and then everyone headed out on one of two road rides in the Bedford County area around Forest – an 18-mile and 11-mile route. The weather shined on us, with high pressure and partly sunny skies. All bikes were welcome, and the rides ranged from a recumbent to mountain bikes to fixed gear and retro road bikes up to light-weight road racing and triathalon dream machines. Near the ride’s end, a rainbow appeared in the sky over Wyndhurst, a fitting finish to a great show of support, and a unity-building moment for the Central Virginia cycling community.

© Big Mountain Riding

Most of the group at the Forest Sonic

Clothes pulled from the fire and used in clean up

Lining up in the bike shop parking lot pre-ride

Rocking the Retro Raleigh

Local riders got some press coverage

Monday Night Live at the Blackwater Bike Shop

After surviving the onslaught of a fat kid with a super soaker at the Lake Vista pool

A quiet scene on Coffee Road

Spacing out on Coffee Road

Pedaling through the Sonic Drive-thru

Down Time at the Forest Sonic

Chowing down on Chili Dogs at the Forest Sonic

Sonic supports the local bike scene - they paid for the drinks for Rally riders

Living easy at the Forest Sonic

Tanks refilled, it's time to hit the road again

A fitting climax near the ride's end - a rainbow

© Big Mountain Riding

“Single speeds make you work smarter. Even if you’re a geared rider at heart, riding a single-speed occasionally makes you a better, more efficient rider. Being efficient is key to single-speed and why I’ve been able to compete with geared riders.”

- Fuzzy Mylne, Single Speed champion

Setting up for Single Speed Success

- Excerpts from the Mountain Bike Action interview with 29er’s John “Fuzzy” Mylne

Vic Armijo interviews Fuzzy Milne, a single-speed racer who has been posting some impressive finishes out west in the epic race scene. Taking 6th place overall at the 2008 Sierra-Tahoe 100 pitted him against such epic race champions as Jeremiah Bishop, Chris Eatough, Tinker Juarez and Josh Tostado. The man knows a few things about racing single-speeds, and he shares his top tips to help you become a better rider.

Fuzzy rides single-speeds fast ... So can you!

1. Work your way up to being a single-speed maestro. “Take it easy in the beginning and avoid steep or long hills until you get the rhythm of it and learn how to climb without overdoing yourself every time,” advised Fuzzy. This will help you prevent the much-discussed strain on your knees that can come along with single-speeding.

2. Get the most out of your guns. “Strong arms and overall upper body strength is a definite advantage for getting a little extra power for getting up a hill by working the bike back and forth like a sprinter out of the seat, but in slow motion. Wide riser bars will give you more leverage for working the bike. And I’m big on bar-ends—just pull on those as hard as you can to help leverage the cranks around.”

3. Keep the front end weighted. Yanking on the bars and lunging with each pedal stroke while climbing can make it challenging to keep the front wheel planted. Fuzzy counteracts that by using a lower front end, “I put fewer headset spacers and a flatter stem to help me to keep my weight forward when I’m climbing and standing.”

4. Momentum is your amigo. With gears, many riders make speed by powering into corners, scrub speed late and forcefully, roll the corner and then put the power down to speed out of the corner. However, Fuzzy observes, “On a single-speed you might find that your gear is too low to really accelerate out, so instead keep your speed up and stay off the brakes.” He adds, “Momentum’s key for a single-speeder in other ways; keep your momentum on the rolling hills, especially the short steep ones. And truly I’m only working half the time compared to the geared guys. I work on climbs, but every where else I’m drafting off of them and recovering.”

5. Spin more, bonk less. Many elite SS riders push big gears, but Fuzzy, a former roadie, chooses lower ones comparably. “I like to keep a higher cadence. You’ve got to put the miles in at a high cadence for your body to get used to that.” And he gears down even more for real epics, “I want to be able to sit and climb as much as I can to save energy.” He generally makes his gearing variations on the rear, “I use the same chain-ring, a 32 tooth on my 29er, and I used 34 when I was riding 26-inch wheels, then use anything from 17 tooth cog to maybe a 21 or even a 22 if the course is really, really steep.”

Read the whole interview with Fuzzy Mylne at Mountain Bike Action online.

© 2009 Big Mountain Riding

The 14th Annual Wild 100

The 14th Annual Wild 100 is scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2009.  This is one of the most popular mountain bike endurance races on the east coast, so register early if you plan to attend. Registration includes camping Friday and Saturday nights; Slatyfork Trail guide; food at checkpoints 3, 4, and 5; and a Survivor’s BBQ Party on Saturday night. Learn more at www.ertc.com

Misty Mountains of West Virginia

The organizers are offering a special for first-timers. Sign up with a first timer friend before July 31st for $100.00 each! If you’re thinking about tackling an epic mountain bike event for the first time, or for a classic event on some of the most gnarly singletrack on the east coast, please contact me via the comment feature on this post, or send me an e-mail at rides@bigmountainriding.com. I’ve raced this event seven times since 2001, and I think it’s a great starter event for those looking to get into epic, big mountain riding.

Mountain biking is FUN! Even in 90-degree heat ...

With summer’s heat, I head higher into the mountains to escape the swelter. The third Big Mountain Riding Adventure Ride found me far out in the hollers of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, at Cave Mountain Lake National Recreation Area for some sweet backcountry singletrack with the promise of a cool-off swim afterward. This ride is only 4-miles if done one way, but it features many big mountain elements that make it worthwhile.

Big Mountain Ride #1 – Whetstone Ridge Trail

Big Mountain Ride #2 – Pedlar Ranger District bushwhack

Read more…