
VIDEO
Trio
Vancouver's North Shore has a fearsome reputation - a combination of geology, glacial history, and climate have resulted in a tilted mass of slippery roots and rugged rocks that's not particularly reminiscent of something most of the public would deem suitable for cycling. At least it's usually wet.
Not knowing anything different, the Shore's early mountain bike riders and builders embraced this terrain, and built what remains today as some of the most rugged trails on earth. When I moved to Vancouver (ostensibly for university, but really to ride my bike and ski) chasing the images I'd seen in countless magazines and videos, my equipment matched the available trails. I had a 7" travel 'freeride' bike, a 24-inch-wheeled dirt jumper, and I rode everything from Centennial Park to the used Darts stapled to logs on my way to Pingu in the same pair of Vans (I'd hung up my tap-dancing Sidis when I got out of racing).



...there's now a variety of trails available out my back door, suitable for a wide array of bikes.
But while this legacy of gnarly jank lives on decades later, there's also a much more broad swath of mountain biking available here now. Thanks to countless hours of almost entirely non-mechanized labor, there's now a variety of trails available out my back door, suitable for a wide array of bikes. Whether you want to get out there for a power-hour on your XC bike, get out for some classic North Shore winch-and-plummet replete with Roman Roads and split cedar bridgework, or turn the speed up with some shuttle-assisted downhill action, it's here. And while 20-years-younger me wouldn't have cared about the variety, I've become less myopic with my riding.
I've simultaneously become more fussy with my footwear, attempting to ensure I've got appropriate footwear for the riding at hand. Look closely, and you'll see three different pairs of shoes in action (each in use on the three different bikes and trails used for this shoot).
Made with support from adidas/Five Ten
Cinematography: Damon Berryman & Forrest Riesco
Rider: Cooper Quinn
Music: Fontaines DC - Bug
Filmed in the unceded traditional territory of the səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. To learn more about reconcilliation and the Indigenous peoples in your area, visit native-land.ca and reconcilliationcanada.ca.



Comments
Sebov
2 weeks, 2 days ago
I like.
Reply
fartymarty
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Ditto.
Reply
Cooper Quinn
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Thanks! Damon and Forrest get all the credit.
Reply
silverbansheebike
2 weeks, 2 days ago
Nice to see some good content from you guys on sanctioned trails, I think you have a duty to uphold here especially lately, more of this!
Reply
Abies
2 weeks, 2 days ago
Love this - also inspirational as we start on a new round of trail building at our local system :)
Reply
Sanesh Iyer
2 weeks, 2 days ago
Noice
Reply
Cooper Quinn
2 weeks, 2 days ago
Sehr gut?
Reply
Perry Schebel
2 weeks, 2 days ago
cool vid! spotted the elusive seymour pileated woodpecker! also just picked up a pair of kestrels (in the same colorway).
Reply
Cooper Quinn
2 weeks, 2 days ago
Yeah, big fella right below the boogie teeter!
Reply
Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 2 days ago
They're sneaky good shoes. They look great and are comfy and stiff, something about the hook and loop straps makes them great to use, and the sole gives better traction than most xc shoes - no matter how aggressive xc shoe lugs look, they're often plasticky and not great for walking or traction.
Reply
fed
2 weeks, 2 days ago
wow that was really nice, thank you!!!!!!
Reply
Cooper Quinn
2 weeks, 1 day ago
You're welcome?
Reply
Bryce Borlick
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I hear ya on the footwear. Gotta have a dedicated pair for every activity and subgenre
Reply
earle.b
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I didn't see any gravel. Are we sure this is actually Cooper?
Reply
Cooper Quinn
2 weeks, 1 day ago
0:23
Reply
Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 1 day ago
He puts some in his bottle while riding on dirt.
Reply
DanL
2 weeks, 1 day ago
thanks and great vest
Reply
Please log in to leave a comment.