Arizona, Mountain biking, outdoors, SINGLE SPEED

25 MILES 3,300 FEET OF CLIMBING

My friend Dave Sewell sent me this profile pic of the elevation we climbed yesterday.

The 3300 feet of climbing and the 25 plus miles took us to just over 9000 feet in elevation at Mt. Humphrey’s in Flagstaff for an amazing ride through the aspens and ferns yesterday.

I wanted to just post a few pics of the amazing place we mountain biked on the Arizona trail yesterday.

NOTE: click on the pic to enlarge it.

The Arizona trail travels all the way from Mexico to the Utah boarder.

This section of trail is beautiful and scenic to say the least.

With its Aspen groves and lush ferns you never stop looking at the landscape.

The literally 18 inches of singletrack is like following a ribbon through the forest.

I will be headed back to this hikers/bikers/nature lovers/photographers paradise in mid September to catch a glimpse of the aspen’s turning yellow.

Gotta love the riots of color that surrounds the Flagstaff/Mt Humphrey’s area.

This is one of the funnest rides I have do all year.

These two guys made the ride fun for all of us. Dave Sewel is a local moutain bike guide and David Mangan is a very healthy 62 year old mtn bike dude.

This pic gives you a view of the side of Mt. Humphreys you don’t normally get to see.

If you go on this trail make sure you get a good map of the area.

Or contact Dave Sewell for an amazing guided tour

http://www.go-ar.com/index.html

http://singletrack.us/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=4884&fullsize=1

A good day on a single speed through the apsens….and yes the climb was well worth the payoff.

I have always wanted to ride this section of trail and now I want to go back with others who have never traveled this way before so they can enjoy it as well.

Steve

Arizona, Bikes, cycling, Mountain biking, Prescott, SINGLE SPEED

The 2010 Whiskey Off Road Mountain Bike Endurance Race

For my birthday over the past five years I have entered the Whiskey Off Road Mountain Bike Endurance Race.

I have five posters from the past five events hanging in my man cave.

This year for my 52nd birthday I needed to kick it up a notch by doing the event on a single speed rigid.

This year I did the 25 proof and could not have ask for better trail conditions as well as the company of over 1000 mountain bikers from all over the nation.

The course this year was the same as it is pretty much every year except for the large amounts of snow we had in the months approaching the event. The week prior to the race we had a crew out shoveling snow off a section of trail 48.

The snow really kept everything on the trails in perfect condition…..tacky and fast is the only way to describe this years dirt. It was what contributed to records being broken by the top riders as well as helping me beat my time in for the previous four years.

Last year I did the 50 proof in just under a week – haha

But the other three years I did the 25 proof in 5:13 , 4:27 and 4:13. This year my goal was to break the four hour mark. I reached my goal by finishing at 3:57:17.

Very happy with this years time.

This year I dedicated my ride to our best friend and companion Cody. Cody passed away Saturday morning April 16th and he will be missed dearly and beyond words.

If he could have physically been able to, he would have ran the entire course right beside me. I so admire his dignity and desire to live.

The Whiskey Off Road Mountain Bike Race of 2010 is history now but the memories and friendships will be with us for a long time.

Again, thanks to http://www.epicrides .com for an amazing weekend and fun. Thank you to the community of Prescott Arizona for your amazing people and wild west Spirit.

Here are just a few pics of some great people that made the weekend such a great experience.

Bikes fill up the town every year in April thank to the Whiskey

Hal Hayden Nate Woods and Mike are great buddies that make life in Ptown the best.

Everybody loves Tomas and we all respect his riding ability. He is the real “Mayor” of Preskitt.

Tina Ooley road the 25 on a single speed and podiumed the event in honor of her brother Nick who passed away just weeks before the event.

Keith Beesmer

Dave Sewell and I

Bren always meets me at the finish line with a kiss and a cold root beer 🙂

No wonder I am in a hurry to finish the race.

Next year I plan on being in a support role for some of my friends here in town. I have never seen the race from a spectators side and look forward to watching the hammerheads climb the water bars.

Mountain biking, SINGLE SPEED

CHRIS KING BLING

Just wanted to post the specs of the CK front hub for histories sake.

Lets see if it make a difference on the SS.

Chris King ISO Disc Front Hub

Months of design and testing went into Chris King’s ISO disc hubset. Make no mistake, these are not “disposable” parts. There are a lot of super light hubs out there, but will they still be working in 2 years? How about 5? If you ride a lot, 5 years is a lot of panic stops, high speed feathering and braking bumps. Like all of our other hubs, these carry a 5 year warranty. It is easy to make a really light hub, not so easy to make one that you can sell with confidence and back that up for 5 full years.

Precision CNC Machined

Super Strong and Lightweight

Quick-release axles

32H

Weight: 166g

Colours: Black, Green, Pewter, Navy, Red, Silver, Gold, Mango, Pink, Brown

5 Year Warranty

Arizona, cycling, Ministry, Mountain biking, Prescott, SINGLE SPEED

CRANKING FOR THE KEYS

On Saturday April 24th we are going to do a little fund raising for a pastor and his wife.

On that Saturday morning approximately 800 mountain bikers will head for the hills for one reason or another here in Prescott Arizona.
That morning, I will be riding to raise funds to help Brian and Debbie Fulthrop get back into their home.
Brian and Debbie pastor a small congregation in the Village of Grand Canyon here in Arizona.
They have been living in temporary housing for almost a year now and would love to get back into a home.

We have not put all the details together yet but I thought I would post this info. on my blog to see if there is any interest from other mountain bikers or sponsors regarding this need.
Below is a link to the Whiskey Off Road Mountain Bike Endurance Race, a link to Brian’s blog as well as our little flyer for this event..

http://www.epicrides.com/wor/wor.htm
http://sunestauromai.wordpress.com/about/

If you would like to sponsor our efforts please contact me through this blog.

We are taking donations on a per mile basis.

For example $1.00 per mile multiplied by a total of 25 miles would be a $25.00 donation.

If for some insane reason you would like to join Team “CRANKING FOR THE KEYS” also you may contact me on this blog.

I am looking forward to a great ride that day.

Bikes, Mountain biking, Prescott, SINGLE SPEED

Pre-Snow Ride With Buddy Schultz Today.

We are forecasted to get hammered with three major storms this entire week.
So I decided to get out before the single track gets buried for the next two weeks.
Had a great 10 mile pre-snow ride with pitcher Buddy Schultz today.
We did the Granite Basin loop from Iron Springs and back.
The sloppy soil gives you a little more opportunity for a work out.

Over the next few months I will ride with others from the baseball card collection that sits in a box down in the man cave.
Here are some baseball face on Buddy’s career.
Buddy Schultz was born on Tuesday, September 19, 1950, in Cleveland, Ohio. Schultz was 24 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 3, 1975, with the Chicago Cubs.
He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1977 and was paid a salary of $25,000.00
Birth Name:       Charles Budd Schultz
Nickname:       Buddy
Born On:       09-19-1950
Place of Birth : Cleveland, Ohio
College: Miami University
Bats:       Right
Throwing Arms Chart Throws:: Left
Player Height Chart Height:       6-00
Player Weight Chart Weight:       175
First Game:       09-03-1975 (Age 24)
Last Game:       09-28-1979
Buddy did get a bit muddy on the back of the bike today.
Guess I will nick name him “Muddy Buddy.”

Arizona, cycling, Mountain biking, outdoors, Prescott, SINGLE SPEED

THORN IN THE FLESH RIDE

This after noon just before dark I did what I will call a “thorn in the flesh” ride .
I call it that for two reasons. First, When ever you ride with Steve Becker and Robert Middlemore, you will suffer in your flesh. ( at least I know I do). These guys are great mountain bikers that have an amazing cadence through the woods.
We started at our my house and climbed over the new 317 into Thumb Butte and climbed up then down the 392 over into the pines and tapped out about 10 miles before arriving home.

Here are a few post ride pics.

Left to right – Steve Lummer, Steve Becker, Robert MIddlemore.

The second reason I call it the “thorn in the flesh” ride is because of the thorn I found in my right arm after the ride.
Interesting what you pick up on a mountain bike ride.

Great times were had by all.

Arizona, Bikes, cycling, Mountain biking, outdoors, SINGLE SPEED

I Love Singletrack

In the world of mountain biking there is no resource more valuable than singletrack.

Singletrack is typically a trail that is no more than 18” wide and requires you to ride in single file rather than side by side.

Whether you ride Downhill, XC or All Mountain the idea of a scenic, challenging ride in the backcountry is what many riders invest their time and efforts into this sport for.

Bikes, cycling, Mountain biking, Prescott, SINGLE SPEED

Getting to meet Hans ‘No Way’ Rey

Tonight Robert Middlemore and I did a real nice loop up through the pines/Tatonka and over Iron Springs to the 332 into Granite Basin.
After climbing up to the cattle guard I noticed the Brian Lopes Bike Van at the parking area.
We road on down toward some Granite Basin single track when we notice about eight mountain bikers and I knew it was “No Way Rey’s crew.
We followed them up the hill and got to talk with the for a while.

Hans ‘No Way’ Rey is a biking phenomenon. He’s been doing amazing stunts on bikes for the best part of 30 years and is a multiple national and UCI world champion in the trials category.

He’s also the main man behind the wheels4life charity, which provides bikes for people in need of transportation in third world countries. For more about Hans and wheels4life, check out http://www.hansrey.com and wheels4life.org.

If you get time, here is a link to some of “No Way Reys” bike stunts – pretty cool stuff.

Also in the crew was Brian Lopes one on the world best downhill racers http://www.brianlopes.com/

Hans was looking over my Spot 29er single speed and ask to take it for a ride. So when No Way Rey wants to ride your bike you say absolutely .

Wish I had my camera tonight but you will have to take my word for it.

Arizona, Bikes, Mountain biking, Prescott, SINGLE SPEED

Trail 396 – One of the best Prescott has to offer.

Yesterday, Robert Middlemore and I road our singlespeeds up the 396 and took the Felmire back down to the trial head and parking lot.

The 396 is a special kind of climb because it offers tons of rewards as well as challenges on the singlegeraed bike.

Most of the time you can see both the lower as well as the upper Goldwater lakes. In the Fall it is fabulous.

Here are just a few pics of the great ride.

396 map

roberto

roberto water

steveo 396

396-down

spot-1

Just a little side note. It is always good to ride over the spot where I broke my ankle.

Just feels good to overcome something.

sopt-tree

Mountain biking, SINGLE SPEED

PRESCOTT SINGLE SPEED SCENE

THE EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED – RESCHEDULED IN 2010

Greg Ooley has been working on getting the Prescott Blue Ribbon Mountain bike race together and I wanted to post his event on this blog.

Here you go.

The PBR Cometh

Posted in Uncategorized on August 11, 2009 by Raven Singletrack

We’re finally fleshing out details for the first Prescott Blue Ribbon singlespeed race. It’s actually starting to resemble a mountain bike race. Weird. Jenn-Hopkins-singlespeed

Here’s what we have so far:

– October 3, 2009 (Saturday)

– 10:00 AM start time

– Start/Finish @ Schoolhouse Gulch Trailhead (White Spar Campground, S Hwy 89A)

– $35 donation to benefit local trails, includes sexy t-shirt

– Limited to 74 participants, so RSVP early to get in

– Singlespeed Only (sorry Lance- you won’t be able to do the Peeber)

We agonized (no, seriously) over how to include our derailleur-laden friends in the PBR… but in the end we got tired of talking and decided it would be easier for people to beg, borrow or steal a SS bike than it would be for us to figure out how to keep the geared bikes from slowing down all the singlespeeders on race day. (Kidding!)

But we do have good news to accompany the bad, so listen up.

Ed Furbush, resident rastacycleon at Southwest Sounds & Cyclery, has vowed to do whatever possible to get people on a singlespeed bike for the race. He’s building a few loaner rear wheels, stocking a few SS conversion kits, and will work with people to make the conversion as low-cost as humanly possible. So if your bottom lip starts to quiver at the mere thought of missing the 2009 PBR, just email us (ravensingletrack@gmail.com) or call Ed at SWSC and we’ll hook you up!

– Men’s A /Women’s A… 22 miles.

– Men’s B/Women’s B… 15 miles.

– CASH primes up for grabs at the top of The Wall, for those who aren’t afraid to puke trailside.

– Schwaggy prizes TBA

– Post-race rally hosted by The Raven Café.

Limited to 74 riders! RSVP by email to ravensingletrack@gmail.com with your (a) name, (b) race category, (c) t-shirt size and (d) hometown.

To pre-register (so we have money in advance to pay for event insurance, t-shirts and a honeywagon), zap your $35 via PayPal to ravensingletrack@gmail.com.

More info, directions and course maps available at www.ravensingletrack.com/PBR. (Give us a week on that one.)

I am really looking forward to the event and meeting a bunch of folks from the single speed tribe ! thanks Greg and company for putting this event together.

MY-SPOT

stevelummer.com

Category Archives: SINGLE SPEED