Oh, the places we’ve been

Well, long time no see! After a few sparse weeks for blogs and trailhead talk, were back, and this time (hopefully) no more missed weeks. So, what’s been going on?

Racing Returns

Its been a few months since we’ve had racing to talk about, but after a slow start to my racing season, there are finally results to talk about! Two weeks ago, spirit mountain held the Duluth bike fest, a weekend full of riding and racing for anyone to enjoy. It was my first foray into bike racing, and what a trial by fire it was. A week of hot temps after a month of rain had led the mountain to be dry, dusty, and rough, leading to challenging conditions for all the racers. Friday had my first race, the chainless downhill. Going down Smorgasbord, a blue all around trail is fun enough, but trying to do it as fast as possible with no chain adds a little bit of spice to the mix. Sadly, I usually rely on being able to pedal and did not place well because of it. (this is a theme to this weekend)

Then on Saturday was the main event – The Intermediate enduro. Four stages of timed downhill in rough and dry conditions seemed a little daunting, and it did prove to be tougher than I had anticipated, sitting in the bottom 3rd of my class after the morning stages. However, the afternoon stages were more technical, which spoke to my strengths. After the first afternoon stage, I had bounced back up into 24th, putting me in the top 3rd. however, during the wait for the second, it started to thunderstorm, putting an end to the racing after 3 stages. Sadly, they decided to only count the two morning stages, placing me in the bottom 3rd of my class at the end of the day.

Sadly not the results for the weekend we were looking for, but a fun experience, and a hunger to race more leaves the weekend ending on a high note.

Specialized news

After a few slow weeks for news, we’ve got a few new bikes to cover this week, all from specialized

Stumpjumper 15

After running the same concept with minor revisions since 2019, specialized has finally redesigned the stumpjumper into the brand new stumpjumper 15. Only available in carbon builds down to the comp, they all feature SRAM T-Type electric shifting, as well as the new proprietary rear shock, called the genie shock. Featuring added flow channels for air and oil, the shock increases its progressiveness and support through the stroke.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Chisel

After a gap in their budget XC full suspensions for a few years, specialized had revived the chisel as a high speed, high fun, metal XC race bike. Being more budget friendly than the all carbon Epic, the Chisel appeals to the budget minded or beginner XC racer or riders.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Status

Revitalizing their playful full suspension platform, the new Status 2 features updated builds and geometry, including a new ‘zero’ build, featuring a 27.5/26” mullet to fit extra small riders. It is available in the same 140 and 160 builds, plus a new park build, featuring a dual crown fork, and a DH drivechain

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

It’s good to be back, be ready for a long trailhead talks with race footage next Friday.

Happy Adventuring!

-Peter

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