Five Bikes This Downhiller Owns

I call my self a downhiller because it is the type of riding that I most identify with. However, I am a lover of all bikes and riding. I will never participate in the argument of which type of rider is better, (except maybe the fixie, indie rock, mustache clad hipsters; but they are an easy target). We riders on a fundamental level are all the same. We love to get out with our two wheels on the ground, and enjoy the world around us.

My Downhill Rig- It is the most ridiculous bike I own. It is the most expensive, time consuming and has an incredible appetite for parts and tires. This type of bike has put me on the operating table and has knocked me out twice. It has 9 inches suspension of travel in the rear and 8 in the front. This is my baby that I only get to ride maybe 20 times during the course of the year. Every day on this bike feels like a vacation (if there are no major crashes). It is a 2006 Foes Racing Fly with a Marzocchi 888 RC2X.

Cross Country Mountain Bike- I use the term cross country loosely. I don’t care how long it takes me to get to the top just as long as I get to ride down. My XC bike is heavy, with 2.35 wide tires, short stem and wide riser bar identical to my DH bike. It has six inches of travel front and rear. Despite the weight this bike is the one that I ride most. Trails are dry almost year round here, and Moab is a short drive away. The more time that I spend on this bike, the better off I am when the mountains dry out and I can take out my rig. It is a 2006 Trek Remedy 6.

Urban Hard Tail- As the name suggests, this bike never leaves the city. It is mandatory to own because it becomes the dumping ground for all the parts that I go through on my XC and DH bike. It started out as a cheap bike but has slowly accumulated some top shelf parts that have a little life left in them. The bike technically is two sizes too small for me, it feels like a grown up’s version of a BMX. This is also the bike that I practice the minimal trials skills that I have. This is also the closest thing that I have to a “townie” bike. It is the only one that I will lock up outside a bar, restaurant, or grocery store. Despite all of the nice parts on it, it is the cheapest bike I own. It is a 2005 Specialized Hard Rock, with nothing stock including the paint job.  Read more

Mountain Bike Frame Materials

Steel is Real, But Titanium is Shiny: Ti, Carbon Fiber, Steel, Aluminum… What’s the Deal?

I’m sure you seen them; the highly polished Titanium Frames gleaming in the sun, or the retro small-tube steel frames. Maybe you’ve had the pleasure of riding on the plush where-you-want-it yet firm where-you-need-it carbon fiber, or have simply settled for aluminum. Each has a purpose and an advantage.

Steel - The Old Standard
Steel, also called cromoly, is what started it all. Back in the beginnings of mountain biking, and biking in general, steel was real and the only option when it came to frame materials. Today steel is a retro material in the biking community, but it is still often utilized in everything from Wal-Mart specials to thousand dollar and up frames. The reason why steel holds popularity is its’ flex: Steel can provide solid traction and tight handling, yet take the edge off of rock gardens and other nasty stuff. It is especially popular with hardtail mountain bikes as an alternative to aluminum, because aluminum is pretty stiff. Steel also means heavier frames and susceptibility to rust. If you get a scratch or chip through the paint it is a good idea to cover it up with some touch-up paint or even nail polish. If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive and tough alternative to aluminum, that’ll give you a little bit more relief, steel is the way to go!

Aluminum - The Newish Standard
Aluminum is today’s standard frame material, although carbon fiber is quickly changing that. Aluminum is stiff; much more so than any other frame material actively in use. Because it is stiff it is great for ultimate power transfer. On the flipside sometimes the ride can be a bit harsh. Aluminum is also pretty cheap, durable and light. It has a high strength to weight ratio and can handle scratches and dents without immediate failure or rust. It is an exceptional all-around performer, but the lack of flex is leading people to pursue the next generation of frame materials…  Read more

Interview with Mountain Bike Artist Chris Bourke

Here at MTO Bikes we scour the internet for all the best information and toys for all the bikers out there. It just so happened that we had the luck of running across the work of a fantastic artist named Chris Bourke who did some work for Mountain Cycle on a bike and needless to say we were impressed.  We wanted to make sure other people had an opportunity to learn about the great work this man does and give you a quick interview. Hope you enjoy.

MTO Bikes: First off we want to say thank you for this interview. So how long have you been doing art?

Chris: Hey no problem. I have been doing art since I was a kid. I have been serious about it for the last 20 years and am 39 now.

MTO Bikes: Can you describe your style?

Chris: Not really, can you? If I had to have a stab at it I would say its heavily influenced by tattoo imagery (i still tattoo now and again!) and religion and music, these days I work mostly in lino cuts, because this seems to be where I am happiest at the moment, having said that the mountaincycle graphics were done in pen and ink.

MTO Bikes: What are some of the challenges to putting your art on a bike frame?

Chris: Just deciding what the hell I was gonna put on there, it was a hard brief because it was so open, I was pulled in loads of different directions and then you take into account the shape of the frame and the nightmare begins! You seriously would not believe how many sketches I did for that bike.

In the end i realized that putting too much on would look a mess, and the birds were taking shape nicely so that kinda decided things, I am stoked on how it looks!

MTO Bikes: I find it interesting you went with pen and ink for the mountain bike art. Was that because of the surface you were dealing with or was that more of a direction you felt pulled in?

Chris: I think the choice to use pen and ink for the bike frame was not so much to do with the surface I was working on but the way that it suited the job.

MTO Bikes: So are you considering doing more mountain bike pieces? If so for whom, and can people get private quotes?

Chris: At the present time I am thinking of doing anything that will provide me with food!  Half-joking aside I’m pretty picky about what work I take on, because if I’m not into it, it becomes a nightmare, however I’m open to offers!

MTO Bikes: You say that you do some tattooing on occasion, have you considered maybe tattooing a mountain bike. You know like work with some etching into the frame or something?

Chris: Well as far as I know my tattoo machines only work on skin, but what’s interesting about your question is that I actually trained as a silversmith and one of the disciplines we covered was engraving, man! That’s an art in itself and I am definitely not up to engraving a bike frame.

So there you have it. A great artist and a great guy, you can see some more of Chris’s work at his website.