CamelBak M.U.L.E. NV Review

Is it me or do hydration packs keep getting bigger? Not that I’m complaining, but I remember when everybody rolled with the half-liter CamelBak and we were all impressed by not having to reach for our water bottles. Well, as most things in the outdoor/performance sport industry, my beloved CamelBak M.U.L.E. has been given a serious makeover. I’ve always been impressed by CamelBak products, they’ve weathered many imitators and still hold the gold. Afterall, they were the first hydration systems on the scene so they’ve had a reputation to uphold. Over the years I’ve gone through four or five different hydration systems, and countless bladders (more on that later, no reason to buy new ones if you care for it properly).

So, I love CamelBak’s gear, but here’s the problem: Who the hell needs this much stuff on an average bike ride? I recently replaced my old M.U.L.E with the fancy new one, and the new one is great, I just won’t mountain bike with it. Personally, I’ve gone back to bottles as my rides aren’t quite as long as they used to be, and most of my races have a 10-mile loop or so before there’s a chance to refuel, so more time is spent cranking than hydrating. The new generation of M.U.L.E. weighs 2.41 lbs when EMPTY, and almost 9 lbs at full capacity (3 liters). 9 pounds! Some of us are weight weenies, some are not, but all of us will feel 9 lbs on our backs. I haven’t whipped out the scale, but I’m pretty sure that’s 9 lbs with a full reservoir before cargo. The specs on the M.U.L.E. NV rate it at having 600 cubic inches of cargo space. Another 600 cubic inches and I could use this thing for a thru-hike. In fact, with a little imagination, I bet I could do a cross-country cycling trip without panniers if I had this M.U.L.E. as my main-cargo and water carrier. In fact, I would gladly welcome the challenge of any takers and/or sponsors (Attn: CamelBak–I’ll gladly ride cross-country with nothing but a M.U.L.E. if you foot the bill. I travel cheap! please write to: bill@mtobikes.com).  Read more

Inspired Bicycles – Danny MacAskill Video April 2009

Today, Keith Scott of Banshee Bikes shared with me an amazing video of Danny MacAskill a “new bread” urban/street rider.

Filmed over the period of a few months in and around Edinburgh by Dave Sowerby, this video of Inspired Bicycles team rider Danny MacAskill features probably the best collection of street/street trials riding ever seen. There’s some huge riding, but also some of the most technically difficult and imaginative lines you will ever see. Without a doubt, this video pushes the envelope of what is perceived as possible on a trials bike.

Credit to Band of Horses for their epic song ‘The Funeral.’ You can find out more about the band and their music at www.bandofhorses.com or www.myspace.com/bandofhorses

Hoss Technical Gear’s Stallion Shorts Review

When I first got on my bike wearing the Hoss produced Stallion shorts, I swore—in both good and bad ways. On one hand, I cussed at myself for all the rides I had been on without a pair of mountain biking shorts; for all the discomfort I endured in the name of fitting in with or paying my dues to the greater mountain biking community (I thought I was enculturating myself…or earning my stripes by appreciating the purity of the ride in the absence of technical gear). On the other hand, I swore as a kind of reflex—a reaction to the astonishing comfort I felt the first time I took the saddle. Bottom line…these are a great product.

But let’s rewind this review. Before I ever took these riding shorts to the trail I had to have some sort of initial reaction to them, right? I must have had an original judgemental moment, a commencement of thought and possibly of opinion. Well, I think that moment went something like this; “Holy good-lookin’ shorts Batman!” Yes, these shorts have style. They have what I call post-ride functionality; they beg you to wear them, not just on the trail, but beyond it, to your favorite post-ride gin mill, a BBQ brisket and ribs lunch, or just around the house for the remainder of the day (I have done all three).

The Particulars

I did have some concerns as I held them out in front of me. I was immediately struck by the fact that yes, these are definitely a multi-function short; especially since the essential riding component—the padded spandex compression piece—is removable. Admittedly, at first glance this feature looked a bit odd. The shorts are essentially a two-in-one combo. The inner piece is attached to the outer shell at the hips by two thin, fragile strips of fabric with two small button-fastened loops. If you’ve ever seen Transformers, the inner piece hangs from the inside of the outer shell’s waistband like the mangled Megatron hangs from helicopter cables just before he’s dropped into the ocean. By prompting such a comparison, this feature immediately raised some durability concerns. “There is just no way these shorts will stay together when I ride,” I thought. It turns out these straps are really more of an organizational feature as they literally keep the two pieces together. Once I figured out that this odd and frail-looking suspension was not permanent—that the pieces were meant to be worn together but not attached at the hip (literally) — I felt much better about their durability. Twenty miles of testing under their belt, they have to this point held up perfectly.  Read more

Klondike Bluffs Mountain Bike Trail Review

In the wake of the extremely large shadows that both the Porcupine Rim Trail, Poison Spider, and the Slick Rock Trail (of course), the Klondike Bluffs Trail is often missed on a Moab trip. This is unfortunate, I have been going to Moab for 4 or 5 years now and this is honestly one of my favorite trails that I have ever ridden. What I think is the coolest thing about this trail is that about anyone can ride it. You do have to be in shape, it is a pretty long climb, but it is not super technical and scary for someone who is new to biking. Riding on slick rock (the substance not the trail) is one of the most interesting things I have ever done on a bike. When you climb it almost feels like asphalt, your tires grip and don’t spin out. What is nice is you can do a climb with much less energy than climbing on dirt. Klondike Bluffs I would say is at least 90% slick rock.

How to get to Klondike Bluffs is head north out of Moab, pass Arches National Park and there will be a sign on the east side of the highway about 15 miles out of town. There is a parking lot right there, but do yourself a favor and drive in on the dirt road. This road is not fun, it is mostly gravel and sand. Eventually you will come to another parking lot, this is the spot to park. The trail head is right there you can’t miss it. There are actually two trail shortly after the start, look for the higher one that is the one you want to take, you will bypass a HUGE sand trap by doing so. Once the trails merge there will be a small sand trap that you can navigate through. One of the best parts of the ride is to sit there and watch people ride through the sand and eat it. I was following my wife and she didn’t carry her momentum into the sand well, and she was still getting used to the clipless pedals, when she hit the sand it stopped her flat, paused her straight up, then just fell straight over on her side. I will probably be sleeping on the couch for the next two weeks for this, but once I realized she was okay, I laughed so hard that I almost did the same thing. So be sure to stop by the sand trap to get a few laughs.  Read more