Quick on the Thaw- Bikepackers Magazine Article

Quick on the Thaw

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BY MICHAEL ACKERMAN ON MARCH 15, 2015REVIEWS

Rocking a new bike, bags, lights and a Dynamo hub, Bonecrusher takes full advantage of the 2015 thaw.

I’ve spent the winter dreaming of sunny singletrack and upcoming bikepacking adventures. Trade shows, demo days, internet research, magazine reviews, exploratory trips to REI and my local bike shop have sparked my imagination and helped to stimulate the US economy. After spending the off-season acquiring a number of new products that I’m incredibly excited to try, I found myself conspiring to take full advantage of global warming.

With the last decade’s climate as a guide, I knew a mid-winter thaw would make its annual appearance in the four corners sometime in January and February. And right on cue, the warm weather and dry dirt arrived in the new year. For almost two solid weeks, Durango, Cortez, Aztec, Sedona and Moab seductively beckoned riders to capitalize on the 2015 thaw.

Although the mid-winter dirt and 60+ degree temps did not last long, the thaw afforded me the opportunity to conduct some initial gear and equipment testing. Not surprisingly, some early season favorites have emerged and have already earned a spot in my kit for this season.

The crew pauses for lunch in Moab on weekend two of the 2015 thaw

ON THE BIKE- TRP SPYKE Brakes

Installing the TRP SPYKE was straightforward and the brakes took only minutes to set up.

TRP SPYKE

Last year, my bikepacking exploits seemed to come with all sorts of brake drama. After two seasons of Elixir shenanigans, I had soured on the idea of utilizing hydraulic brakes for longer backcountry adventures.

I put the old BB7s back on my trusty steed, confident the return to cable brakes would mitigate facing issues I couldn’t fix in the field and the resultant, long walks back to civilization.

I went searching for a cable brake that was well designed, easy to install, a cinch to maintain and would provide me with solid stopping power. A tall order, I know. But when I discovered TRP’s SPYKEs, I new I had found my new brakes.

The SPYKEs are solidly constructed and were incredibly easy to set up on my Salsa El Mariachi. I also installed TRP rotors- 180 up front/160 rear.

A quick spin around the neighborhood and the brakes were dialed in. The SPYKE’s dual sided pad engagement design promotes even wear and engenders a “set-it and forget-it” mindset. The SPYKE is a no hassle brake requiring minimal maintenance and  translates well into bikepacking and ultra racing applications.

I also love the feel of the SPYKEs when stopping. They offer an arresting experience that simulates the gentle grace offered by hydraulic brakes. No squeaking, no abrupt jerking. Just a smooth, steady application of friction and silent clamping power. Overall, the SPYKEs are rad and I’m looking forward to having them on my bike this season!

IN THE BAGS- FIX IT STICKS Replaceables Tool

FIX IT STICKS Replaceables T-Tool is compact and super efficient for in-field wrenching

Bikepackers are always trying to trim their set-ups down to the barest of essentials and our tool kits are no exception. For far too long, I’ve been guilty of carrying around a heavy, bulky bike tool outfitted with all sorts of gadgetry I’ve never once employed.

To shed weight and bulk, I disassembled my bike tool and harvested only the pieces I could utilize when fixing my rig. Although I now had the correct pieces for the most common problems I’d encounter, it was difficult using the disaggregated tools to wrench on my bike. Enter Fix It Sticks.

Billed as an “ingenious innovation that started a revolution in bicycle multi tools,” the original Fix It Stickshit the market and offered riders an instant alternative to bulky, multi-tools. Fix It Sticks are a compact solution that generates the torque needed to wrench on your bike in the field. This season, Fix It Sticks has refined the original T-tool model, adding interchangeable bits on the Replaceables tool.

This beautifully machined, American made tool easily found a home in my toolbox and repair kit.

The Replaceables tool is steel and at 118 grams, feels much beefier than the original , 55 gram aluminum model.

The Replaceables tool comes with eight, interchangeable bits including: 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm Hex, Torx 25, and Phillips #2 attachments. It’s fantastic Fix It Sticks has designed this new tool with the magnetic, bit nesting function and the ability to accept “any standard ¼” bit.

ON THE BODY- Club Ride 2015 New West Jersey

Abandoned Bike Man to the rescue! I’ve struggled with bike jerseys in the past.

I don’t fancy myself a super hero. So I don’t usually wear bike jerseys.  As a bikepacker, I’d rather roll with a  wool or polypro top. But I’ve come to like stash pockets and I like listening to tunes. I also like collars, looking classy and less homeless as I saunter into resupply towns.

Club Ride’s 2015 New West  jersey is sharp, fits me well and is western as fuck. Fashionable pearl snaps, and faux shoulder recoil patches will awaken the rugged individualist in you. You can rock this jersey on the trail, at work or at the local saloon and look good all the while.

Technical features like a hidden, full front zipper and side panel mesh venting betray the shirt’s foundation a casual garment. Weave in Club Ride’s RideDryWear quick-drying fabric, RideLight reflective accents and a UPF 30 rating and I’ve got a shirt that will race and tour well. Chose from a selection of cowboy inspired colors, grab some whiskey, a high spirited lady and ride off into your own single track sunset.

And as quickly as it arrived, our spell of beautiful conditions ended. Impending weather announces the finale of the 2015 thaw.

Spring Ahead!

Back to the grind in DGO...busting out the 2004 Salsa Ala Carte to keep training rides interesting!

February Thaw

whiteout pics- 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.739034229520531.1073741837.530068647083758&type=3

Scott Pauker Article Bikepacking the Globe- BikepackersMagazine February 2015

Scott Pauker- Bikepacking the Globe

We’ve all been there. You’re surfing away your life on the interwebs when you discover a blog from some radical rider blazing a pioneering path in some far off, exotic land. Bonus points if there’s glacier travel and packrafting involved!

I find most of these travelers are out there for deeply personal reasons. They’ve simplified their existence to securing basic needs as they roam forward with open minds and open hearts. Sporadic uploads from back road cafes keep you abreast of their experiences as we all eagerly follow them on their blogsites and facegrams.

Never have I been lucky enough to cross tracks with one of these inspirational adventurers in real time. But a chance encounter at a remote crossroads in the Arizona desert would change all of that for me this winter.

In early 2014, Scott Pauker, a 38 year old body work practitioner from Seattle, WA closed up shop, bid farewell to friends and family and hit the trail. Working his way south from Alaska, he plans on pedaling to the tip of South America and will then set off for the next leg of his around the world ride.

I met Scott as he was descending from the Bradshaw Mountains to link up with the Black Canyon Trail. Like myself, Scott is a kid from Boston and we’ve traveled an eerily similar, albeit dysfunctional trail through life.

Pauker’s larger story is stuff of great literature but I’ll save that narrative for another day. As Scott took a moment to rest and resupply in Phoenix, I was grateful to have more time with him to continue our desert conversation.

When did you discover the call of bikepacking’s muse?

Summer before last. Well, actually 2 years ago, January of 2013. I’d been searching for the perfect journey to take. I had felt deeply drawn to putting my Seattle life on pause to set out on a quest of sorts. I considered hiking routes like the AT or PCT so I could take my dog. Then I came across the movie Ride the Divide on Netflix. Cheesy I know to find out through a movie, but that’s the truth.

I saw the fun and excitement of mountain biking combined with the rapture of the wilderness and knew in my soul that was the thing. So I built up a used bike, got the bags and set out from my doorstep in Seattle to ride to Banff and start the GDMBR, touring. I’d never done a bike tour before that, just one overnight on road a few years before.

But the moment those loaded down tires left the pavement for the first time outside of Nelson BC, I was in love. I rode the whole route, adding detours to amazing parks and wilderness areas. I’d pull the bags off the bike anywhere there was good single track and ride all I could before pushing on. In 3 months of travel I took about 5 days off of the bike.

Tell us about your current adventure?

I’m currently riding my bike around the world. Route planning at this moment into Baja, seeing what I can hit of the Baja 1000 race route based on water and food availability, then seeking out bikepacking routes South to the tip of Argentina. After that the next leg will either send me to Capetown headed North to Norway or to Australia headed Northeast through Asia and Europe, eventually down through Africa.

Are you sponsored, affiliated with the bike industry, or riding for a team?

I have minimal sponsorship at this moment. I’ve received cost pricing and other support from a few bike shops along the way. But [I] am in search of financial support to keep on this journey as long as I can… Of course my expenses are 95% gear and food.

Is there a greater mission to your bikepacking exploits?  Are you riding to save the world, end poverty, shed light on injustice?

Interesting. When I decided to close my life in Seattle and set out to circumnavigate, I felt like I shouldhave some sort of GREATER mission. I sent out a message on Facebook asking, “If you could spend the next few years of your life dedicated fully to a cause, what would it be?” I got back lots of interesting ideas, about awareness of water conservation, about biking advocacy, and many other things, but none felt really deeply right. I landed on the idea of human generosity and random acts of kindness. 

So I started out my journey with that in mind, to document the spirit of human generosity both that which I receive and that which I give. But I quickly found that writing about what I gave felt narcissistic and egotistical. It didn’t feel clean. Eventually the whole idea started to not feel honest. I still love to offer random acts of kindness but don’t want to prove how kind I am to anyone. 

I actually offered on my blog to return any donations people had given me because I was renouncing that theme as an official goal of my journey (none responded). I still love writing and sharing about human connection, but in a less structured way.

Do you share your adventures with others online?

I compose blog posts quite regularly these days on my website, www.spokeandwords.com. I am available to offer photo/video presentations of my journeys. I offered a few presentations around Seattle before I left which were well attended. 

Can you share a bikepacking highlight- cool experience, anecdote, or triumph?

On the Colorado Trail as I summited the climb over Indian Trail Ridge, hoisting my bike over a pile of boulders, I said, “This is not F&(*)ing bike riding, damnnit! This is dragging my bike over a mountain!” I was so frustrated. 

But then all I had to do was look up, look out, and see that I was in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Pure rapture. In that moment it was worth it. In fact, all the hardest climbs and routes have been worth it. I can always turn around and ride back out to the nearest road if I’m not enjoying the experience. I almost never actually do that.

Can you share a bikepacking low point- mistake, adversity, or failure?

Maybe the moment just before that one?!? I often find that the highs and the lows tend to occur in rapid succession. But another that comes to mind is the following:

Cresting the climb on Mingus Mountain on the Coconino 250 route, I heard my rear tire rubbing against the chainstay. That was odd. I thought maybe my Rohloff bolt, but the chainstay had broken. Enter gorilla tape. I created a sling of sorts against the seatstay which somehow held all the way down the 12 mile singletrack descent and 18 miles of road into Prescott! So maybe that’s not actually a low since it all worked out fine and I met some fantastic guys at the bike shop in Prescott (Bikesmith) who helped me and took me in.

What advice would you give someone new to the sport?

Have fun with it, that’s what it’s about! Figure out what the difference is between what you need and what you want to carry with you, and accept the weight of your bike based on the comforts you carry. If you find yourself complaining regularly about something, change it! 

I’m by no means and ultralight bikepacker. But then again I’m living on my bike. I do however understand the inverse relationship between weight and fun when bikepacking on technical terrain… Probably why I pull the bags off to ride singletrack so often!

Answer the following- Why Bikepack?

Because you can get to places a touring bike can’t, and cover distances a hiker can’t. You go lighter than standard touring setups, which allows you to experience the beauty of living with minimal luxuries. You learn the value of the little things. And you learn humility, quickly. 

From my extended sections on pavement in BC I got attached to the accomplishment of riding 100+ mile days back to back. Then I hit the Colorado Trail and that number went WAY down for me. After some time, I let go and realized it was just a number. I was surrounded by beauty and that was far more important.

Currently, Pauker is completing the Baja leg of his journey. An amazing writer and photographer, follow all of Scott’s adventures at  www.spokeandwords.com

*Article images courtesy of Scott Pauker

Read the article on Bikepackersmagazine.com HERE

Moving Forward, Fully Inflated.

Happy New Year and welcome to another year of MountainJah Adventures. Boy, what a difference a year makes! The leisurely pace, long bike rides and no worries vibe of 2014 dropped like the Time’s Square ball and January has come out swinging. It’s good to be busy, loved and employed.

Big Smiles on a Sunday Friendly out in La Plata Canyon

 It’s been another inconsistent and dry winter up here in our little high altitude desert part of the world. But the mountains we butt up against are snowy and a short, twenty-minute drive north offers plenty of legit snowbiking options. Although the fatbiking has been great, the skiing has reportedly been good to meh this year.

Financially conservative and environmentally radical, I will only put aside eco-ethics and pay top dollar this season if the universe aligns wolf creek local days with significant powder events….which makes me a bullshit hypocrite I know. My fingers remain crossed for a late Jan./early February confluence of these factors! Alas, there’s no backcountry for me this year as I’m currently without a splitboard. And with recent events, I think Rachel is please I’m not dropping big lines anymore.

The Rabbit Ears in Dec 2014.

 For those who don’t know, Durango lost another beautiful young adult to an avalanche in the San Juan mountains (See 1/6 Kendall accident) So scary knowing about all the craziness and heuristic traps happening out there. Year after year, too many close calls and losing people all around me has definitely caused me to pull back on the alpinism and off-piste reigns. Now that I’m thoroughly enamored with the utility of fatbiking, I’ve convinced myself I’m just an early adopter to the ultimate results of global warming.

But Olivia, the young woman who tragically passed, was the daughter of Rae’s boss. So even though this household has dialed it down considerably, we once again find ourselves in the cycle of a horrible outdoor accident- the shock, the anger, the grieving, reflection and ultimate acceptance. Our tribe is our tribe. We cannot ignore the reality that our friends, social circles, this community and adventurous souls everywhere live, love and play at a whole different level than most; a level where our rewards are mind-blowingly fulfilling and addictive but where the consequences of a mistake are dire. We chose our own path and weather our own consequences. Every time we punch the gut of a gully, the meat of a hole or pedal an exposed alpine ridge in monsoon season, we continue to roll those dice….Sending much love and light to the whole Buchanan family and all those affected by this horrible tragedy.

Horse Gulch 

Although the white stuff has been infrequent, when it has fallen, Durango snowbikers have lucked out. In the last few storms we’ve enjoyed some terrific in- town fatbiking. We’ve adopted strategies for “getting it while you can” and there’s definitely a refined approach to making the goods last. Check out Durango Fatbikers on the FB for tons of  fatty pics and snowbiking reports.

Urban Fat 

Speaking of squishy, oversized tires, I had the honor and privilege of participating in the inaugural Velorution Valkyrie this past weekend. What an amazing event organized by Joey Ernst of Velorution Cycles. The Valkyrie was a 35+ mile fatbike race on the western side of the La Plata mountains….very cool! The course utilizes the West Mancos snowmobile trails which are maintained by the San Juan Sledders. It is the first fatbike race to be included in the Colorado Endurance Series. Amazing, a top twenty finish!

All kidding aside, I definitely felt good in Saturday’s race. The course was fast and if it wasn’t for cramps from miles 25-35, I think I could have gone faster- maybe shave 15-20 mins? I had a solid race plan, an effective nutrition plan and actually had my shit packed and ready to go the night before the event!

This definitely was my most efficient endurance race to date. During the 5 hours and 48 minutes it took me to complete the route, I enjoyed only 23 minutes of stopped time. My goal was to trim the FAT (fucking around time) to 5 minutes per hour- WTG MountainJah! This is what happens when you forgo nature moments, picture taking and pants off breaks…

2015 Velorution Valkyrie

I’m now fully focused on the Arizona Trail Race and the Valkyrie was a good check-in with my strength and conditioning. I’ve been hitting the gym hard since December but I have completely given up on lame ass spin class. I accurately anticipated the “resolution bump” in attendance at the gym and took time off from spinning so as not to sour my attitude. But once everyone was over it and the throngs had dissipated (two weeks into January) I was incredibly reluctant to re-engage with spin class.

Instead of hanging out in what feels like indoor, roadie elderhostel, I’ve just started doing my own 60 minute training regimes on the spin bike. I pair that with lifting three times a week, stretching and daily breathing and mindfulness exercises. The whole gym deal takes 90 minutes if I’m focused. The only missing piece is a nice gravel bike to complement the indoor times. I also still haven’t tackled the Kettlebell 300 with Bonecrusher….scary stuff there.

History proves that time in the gym pays off big time on the AZT in April. Not only with physical power, but with strength in getting up early, motivating when all you want to do is sleep in and getting on the bike in the dark to honor a commitment to an ambitious plan. I’m looking to crush my 2014 time on the 300 and then take on an amazingly ambitious summer expedition. Still dialing in sponsors, the project’s website and some final permit logistics. Details coming soon I promise.

In the meantime, I hope temps along 550 plunge and we get some more snowy weather up north. The inaugural Silverton Whiteout is only two weeks away and I’m so excited to be attending this event. I’m rolling as course safety/sweep so I’ll have ample opportunity to capture great pics and report from the race.

Aspect (and timing) is everything!

It was 50+ degrees in Durango today. I heard it described as “Juneary” and felt that was a very appropriate moniker. Looks like Moab, Alien Run and Phil’s World will be off the hook this week/weekend if the chance of rain holds off. Following the Whiteout on 2/7, it’s time to hit that dirt hard!  For me, winter will be over.

With all the warm temps and daily sunshine here in the four corners, my attention is fully focused on planning upcoming, nice-weather adventures. We spent yesterday completing river lottery applications and we’re dialing in Feb/March Moab dates with our crew. I’ve got a bunch of product to abuse out in the desert ASAP. Rae and I will be testing tires for Maxxis this year and BPM will be publishing a bunch of “must-haves” in an upcoming equipment and accessories article.

Quick preview from my 2015 ultra season preparations- I can't stop talking about my new TRP Brakes, and the game changing nutrition plan I’ve discovered with JuicePlus capsules. I’m also committed to ride for Pale Goat Racing again but I think we’re about to undergo a name change? We’ll see what Rick does here……. Momentum at Bikepackers Magazine and Bikepackers Radio keeps rolling forward and there is some really cool stuff in store this year. Feeling super excited and very blessed to be involved with it all.

Alright, it’s Snowdown people. Our town’s winter carnival is a great test for my training mindset and sobriety commitments.  It’s time for Durango to party all week and watch the Pats win another ring this weekend! Lie, cheat and steal but always win, right Tommy boy?

Wishing you all fully inflated tires and balls in the New Year!

2014 Year End Meh Vid

I shot many pictures this year. Unlike year's past, I did not shoot much video. What little I did capture is here. A meh video for a meh yeah....