The Bike That Brought Me Back

Fall is the best time of year for riding: the trails are always perfect; and the air is cool, thick, crisp and full of oxygen. The lungs love it. This time of year I always seem to be motivated to ride; I think it’s “knowing the best riding is here and now.”

  Always nice to start a ride out with a climb, warms you up.

  Keeping my weight even over both wheels for traction on the climb.

  Love my wool jerseys, keep me warm/cool, plus they never smell. Great for picking up chicks on the trail 😉

As a kid growing up in Edmonton I remember getting on my bike and riding by Dave Butterwick’s house to see if he was home—never calling, just showing up. We would ride our bikes through the River Valley stopping to throw rocks and climb on beaver dams. From there we would pop out of the trees to visit the corner store, fill up on candies and a pop then proceed to find trouble. Although we weren’t looking for trouble, we would always seem to find it—in fact I still do, but now that trouble is steep descents and gnarly rock faces.  

Racing and riding work well together. Racing keeps my skills and focus honed while my heart rate is at max. Riding gives me a good solid base in the fitness and the skill department. It prepares me for the racing seasons ahead.

  Gloves are like condoms, they are for other people. Feels way better without, more of a connection to the bike (joking).

Everyone is talking 26er and 29er; that I’m not going to get into. For me, it’s all about the pedalable freeride bikes that climb anything and can descend most lines on the Shore. They may not be as good as niche bikes in their respective categories—but they’re second best in them all. You can hit the same rocks, roots and drops as on your DH bike but you have to be more cautious where you are going—no Monster Trucking here. Also, just like dancing, “the faster you go the smoother it is…”

I love my bike, she is sexy and she knows it.

This past spring I fell in love. I fell in love with a Stumpjumper Evo. This bike has everything: a low bb for wicked cornering, a tapered/slack headtube for wicked descending, a dropper post and a wide bar keeping my wheel straight. She has just over 5 in the front and 5 in the rear. Most importantly, she pedals like a dream.

  Shift one gear, into your big in the front for descending and it holds the chain tight helping it stay on in the chunder and also less noise from chain slap.  I always run my chains a bit short because of this.

I like 2×10. With the Shore full of straight ups and straight downs I find myself switching one gear in the front and fine tuning in the rear rather multiple shifts with a single or triple ring in the front.

  2×10 forces you to push a bigger gear on the steep climbs, helping you hold your speed.

A good ride for me and my Stumpjumper… is pretty much any ride. Take ’em as they come, mechanicals too. Over Seymour, up Grouse, or both. I’ve got the best bike for it.

  I’m liking the straight pull. They are a little bit flexy side to side (nice in the chunder), hardly de-tension and have a lot of compliance up and down. I have a set of straight pull Sun Ringle DH wheels on my Demo and I can’t seem to dent them.

You are seeing more and more straight pull wheels these days. They have a great power to the pedal feel and don’t seem to de-tension as quickly as the traditional lace ups. We will see how they last in the long run. So far so good.

  Taking on some slippery roots, I love the green forest on a misty morning.

  Yoga is making me so flexible I’m noticing I feel more comfortable with my bars lower, even in the steeps. Some may not agree, but I think a low front end also helps by making it easier to pull up over rocks and roots.

Over the past year I have been going to yoga and I can’t even begin to convey the benefits. It’s kind of like telling your friends how steep Dead Dog on Mount Seven is, and then when they ride it they say “you didn’t told me it was that steep.” Over the past year my flexibility has become so much better that my riding position is changing. With a lower front end you can get your weight low and even over both wheels. Better traction on the climbs and better traction in the corners—plus I stand taller off the bike.

  A mud flap is a must, especially if you cut through a dog park on a rainy day. Poop in the mouth sucks… I mean, it would suck…

On the long rides it’s important to be comfortable so having light (but not too light) parts, good working components, tires and wicked suspension. You also need to make sure you keep up on the maintenance. Cleaning the stanchions, lubing the chain, checking the pivots and giving the occasional soapy rub down. I feel it’s important to have this kind of quality bonding time; it’s the tradeoff for a great ride.

  The ride home. I love living on the Shore; I can ride right from my front door and back again.

Jeff Bryson
brysonracingclan.com

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Jeff’s got a great attitude towards cold weather riding, and an increasingly popular view towards short travel bikes on the Shore. Got any words for Bryson? Speak below…