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In this episode Josh & Dane are joined by Justin Dietrich (General Badass, Downhill Wizard, & O.G. Hydrofoil Pro) to chat about a few of the “destination worthy” trails they’ve ridden recently while on travel in Utah, California, and Northern Arizona.

While many trails are discussed throughout the episode this Trail Talk icenters around…

Portal - Mag 7 (Moab, UT)
https://www.blm.gov/visit/magnificent-seven-mag-7-trail-system
https://www.trailforks.com/region/mag-7-17329

Snow Valley & Snow Summit Bike Parks (Big Bear, CA)
https://www.bigbearmountainresort.com/mountain-biking

New: Bean Peaks (Prescott, AZ)
https://beanpeaks.prescottmtb.com/
https://www.trailforks.com/region/bean-peaks-64694

New: Full Sail & Classic: AZT San Francisco Peaks (Flagstaff, AZ)
https://www.trailforks.com/trails/full-sail-760575/
https://www.trailforks.com/trails/azt-san-francisco-peaks-16346/

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The MCP team put out a request on our socials and multiple forums requesting stories about crazy wildlife encounters on the trail.  We got a great response (thanks to all that contributed)!  So, we grouped the inputs into 8 categories and recorded this episode where Josh & Dane discuss the “best” (unscientifically chosen) responses.

The categories… 
1.     Bears
2.     Birds, Bats, & Owls
3.     Big Cats
4.     Insects
5.     Snakes & Other Reptiles
6.     Big Animals 
7.     Small Animals
8.     Mythical Creatures

Oh, and of course we had to include a dad joke for each category.

We laughed a lot during this recording.  Hope you laugh (at least a little) when listening. 

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We live in “America’s Bike Town” (Tucson, Arizona).  Our weather allows us to ride 365 days a year and the cycling options here are unmatched.   We have 100’s of miles of single-track that range from cross country to big mountain.  The road cycling attracts pros and amateurs from all over the world to ride our vast network of paved roads and the epic climb up Mt. Lemon.  We have one of the best indoor skateparks in the world that was specifically designed with freestyle BMX at its core (Premises Park).  We have multiple outdoor BMX racetracks and a huge new public pump track (Naranja Park).  We have amazing bike events including El Tour de Tucson, 24 Hrs in the Old Pueblo, Cyclovia, the weekly “Shootout” and many more.  If you are a cyclist, you should seriously consider visiting or even moving to Tucson.

All that said, one of the coolest cycling related things we have here is The Loop.  The Loop is a 137-mile paved trail around the city with spurs out to a few of Tucson’s suburbs.

This episode features Randy Ford, Author of “The Loop – America’s #1 Recreational Trail” (available on Amazon and in many cycling retailers throughout Tucson for $20).  In the episode we talk a lot about the Loop, what it has to offer, and how Randy’s book helps cyclists navigate and use The Loop to get to many of Tucson’s cool destinations.  And since we are a mountain bike focused podcast, we go into detail on how you can use the loop, instead of your car, to get to some of our best mountain bike trails.

Amazon Link  to Randy's book: “The Loop – America’s #1 Recreational Trail”
https://a.co/d/9DsN25E

Pima County’s Website on “The Loop”
https://www.pima.gov/162/The-Chuck-Huckelberry-Loop

Big thanks to Jesus at “Ride Tucson” (which by the way, is right off The Loop) for hosting this podcast recording and feeding us some outstanding home cooked food!  Check out Ride Tucson here… https://ridetucsonaz.com/

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Josh and Dane sit down with Steve Morganstern (Bicycle Ranch) to discuss why mountain bikers might be giving up more than they save when buying from a consumer direct brand.

This episode essentially covers the consumer value proposition of buying from your local bike shop versus buying a bike online.

The local shop value proposition includes... selection, sizing, assembly, setup, fit, troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, upgrade, warranty, socials, group rides, trail advocacy, the ability to physically touch and see before you buy, advise on where to ride, a place to meet other riders… and much more.

It’s worth a listen. 

And it’s definitely worth taking a minute to consider what you might be giving up before you click “buy now” on a consumer direct brand’s website.

Links
Steve’s shop… Bicycle Ranch Tucson: https://www.bicycleranchtucson.com/
Dane’s shop… Guru Bikes: https://guru-bikes.com/

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Josh & Dane took a field trip up to Tempe, Arizona to spend a day with Pivot Cycles’ President (Bryan Mason) and Factory Field Rep (Bill Larson).  The day included a fun ride on Pivot eMTBs at the amazing Hawes Trail System, grabbing lunch at Someburros, touring the Pivot factory, meeting many of the Pivot team in various departments, and recording this episode with Bryan. 

The episode is centered around all things “Pivot”… including design, rapid prototyping, product testing, manufacturing in Asia, quality control, warranties, marketing, the race team, eMTB legislation, funding trail maintenance, paying employees to bike commute, always ensuring their facility has great trails in the backyard, their history, and of course the bikes.

Tough questions were asked.  Each was answered. 

We knew that Pivot made great bikes.  After spending a day with Bryan, touring their facility, and meeting many of their passionate and capable employees… we are starting to see how Pivot is able to consistently put out great products. 

As they say, you can tell a lot about a company based on the quality of its leadership.
 
Pivot Cycles:
https://www.pivotcycles.com/en/bikes/

Hawes Trail System:
https://www.trailforks.com/region/hawes/

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This episode features the MCP hosts Josh and Dane and is pretty MTB-techy.  It starts out with a couple shoutouts from Josh to bike industry brands 1up and PNW for excellent customer service.  It transitions to cover some of our listeners perspectives on “stupid stuff in the bike industry”.  And finally, it concludes with an epic and aggressive argument (in good fun) between “Team Josh” (who rides Shimano drivetrains) and “Team Dane” (who rides SRAM drivetrains). 

Links and stuff…

1up: https://1up-usa.com

PNW: https://www.pnwcomponents.com/

Team Josh: https://mtb.shimano.com/us/products/mtb/

Team Dane: https://www.sram.com/en/sram/mountain

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In this episode, Dane sits down again with Sam Elmes from Rocky Mountain to discuss Rocky's significantly redesigned enduro bike... the Altitude.  Feedback from Rocky's professional enduro race team were essential in shaping the Altitude's redesign.  This episode features less rabbit holes and more bike specs.  Enjoy.

Learn more about the new Altitude at Rocky Mountain's Website: www.bikes.com

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In this episode Josh & Dane chat with "Sunglass Rob" the CEO of San Diego's based SportRX.  SportRX is an online company focused on prescription eyewear for multiple sports with biking being one of their biggest markets).  Sunglass Rob is an avid mountain biker and an absolute savant as it relates to eyewear.  In addition to learning a ton about active eyewear and optics, the episode covers a bit about Rob, his riding, and his company. 

Special Note
Josh has been testing out SportRX's Huckson prescription sunglasses on mtb & gravel rides and can honestly say they are the best sunglasses he's ever worn on the trail.  SportRX did provide the shades to Josh free of charge but the MCP is not getting any compensation for this podcast or recommendation from SportRX.  In fact, Josh likes them so much that he just ordered a pair of non-prescription Huckson's (paid full-price) to wear when riding in contacts.

The Huckson: www.sportrx.com/sportrx-huckson.html

More About SportRx
SportRx is a San Diego-based company that was built by active opticians who ride their bikes, run their races, push their jogging strollers, and bomb down slopes. Since 1996, we've been on a mission to help people see better while doing the things they love. For over two decades, we have specialized in custom prescription sunglasses (and prescription snow goggles!) for athletes in virtually every sport and have mastered the art of prescription wrap around lenses. We strive to create the best prescription sports sunglasses, prescription glasses, and Rx goggles that are tailored uniquely to your sport and vision needs – no matter how extreme your prescription (or your sport!).

SportRX Links:
Web: www.sportrx.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@sportrxeyewear

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Dane had a chance to sit down with Sam Elmes from Rocky Mountain Bikes during the Sedona Mountain Bike Festival to chat about the new Instinct, Rocky’s line-up and a bit about the mountain bike festival.

Rocky Mountain Instinct
https://bikes.com/collections/instinct

Sedona Mountain Bike Festival
https://sedonamtbfestival.com

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In this episode Josh and Dane discuss and debate (argue even) about annoying mountain bike stuff.   Some of the topics we debate on include… 

• Presta valves + chunky sealant. 
• Dunlop valves.  
• British brake lever setup (rear brake on left / front brake right).
• MOAB closing its lift (yes, they had one).
• Spoke holes inside rims (requires rim tape = tubeless system failure point).
• Nipple management.
• Rim tape that won’t stick.
• Overwhelming # of mountain bike tire variants. (width, tread patterns, compounds, casings).
• YouTube “expert advice” on mountain bike tires.
• Microscopic sized rotation indicators on mountain bike tires.
• Accidentally putting tires on the rim, backwards.
• Flat mount disc brake caliper mounts = frequent alignment issues.
• Monster gravel bikes.
• Mountain bike standards constantly changing.
• Press fit bottom brackets.

Here’s some links & corrections from the episode… 

• WTH is a Dunlop Valve?  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunlop_valve
• BTW… brass is not magnetic.  (but brass plated could be).
• Maxxis Forekaster… https://www.maxxis.com/us/tire/forekaster/
• Monster Gravel Bikes… https://chelaclo.com/en/what-is-a-monster-cross/
• Motorex Bicycle Lubricant… https://motorex.com/en-ch/product-range/grease--5470?selectedFilterValues={%22line--704135%22:%22BIKE+LINE%22}&page=1

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