Mountain Bike Action - October 2015

TRAILGRAMS

“Trailgrams” tip of the month:

Rear tires wear out about twice as fast as front tires. To get the best bang for the buck, when your rear one wears out, simply move the front to the back and buy a new front. That’s where the traction is most needed anyway.

GOOD ADVICE

Desperately needed: an article on trail etiquette. Because of all the new trails in Moab, more mountain bikers than ever are showing up here. It’s so surprising that otherwise good riders would be clueless about trail etiquette. Here are some suggestions: 1) Stay on the trail—always. Don’t ride off trail to pass someone. Those tracks are ugly and last forever in the desert. 2) If you need to let someone pass, stop with both wheels on the edge of the trail, put one foot off the trail and lean the bike to let the other rider pass. 3) If you are riding downhill (any downhill), you must yield to an uphill rider. The trails can be busy, and this is the set-in-stone rule to eliminate conflict. Yield to the uphill rider by leaning the bike out of the way (#2). Please help with this problem. Things are getting ugly out there.

Bruce Condie
Via Facebook A NOTE FOR THE E-BIKERS OUT THERE

I’m a NICA head coach. I ride and race with one leg. It got harder to train the riders riding with one leg, so last year CAF got me this MTB electric bike. It helped tremendously! I was able to really push the riders. One drawback is that the battery pack is really heavy, and bike handling is a real workout.

Coach Frank Garduno Via Facebook

THE MOTOR KEEPS ON RUNNING

It was pretty inspiring to see legend Tinker Juarez in pictures taken 20 years apart, pedaling in a modern Sho-Air advertisement on page 137, and then in your flashback race picture on the next page. But I must know, was it coincidence? ❏

Andrew Dhulst Portland, Oregon

Yes, it was.

STICKER-SHOCK ISSUE KEEPS ON GOING

After reading the last issue’s letters, I couldn’t help but write in. So many people write in regarding the price of a new mountain bike. I agree, but I also don’t want to read a magazine that’s just made up of cheapie bikes. I don’t buy a car magazine to read about Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas. Additionally, most of the top-end bikes tested in the magazine have less expensive versions that have much of the same technology with a more affordable price tag. I would like to see some more shootouts in the middle price range, but when it comes to testing the new bikes, it’s cool to read about the “Ferraris and Porsches” of our sport rather than only the ones I can afford.