New bike and a weekend in the desert.

We picked up Amber's new DH bike on Thursday and headed to the desert for the weekend so she could start to get used to it. It has so many different options for tuning and set-up it is a little intimidating so we figured that just riding it would be a good place to start.

Intense M9 (small frame) 41.12 lbs with pedals

- Boxxer RC2 Fork, Cane Creek Double Barrel Rear Shock

- Saint Cranks, shifter, rear derailleur, Code Brakes

- Hadley hubs to Mavic Rims

The guys at The Fix Bikes Shop once again looked after us and Mike Kreger did an awesome job on the parts spec and the build (Sam helped as well :) ).

We planned to head to Green River, UT and ride some desert spines. Unfortunately a snow storm that came through earlier in the week dropped a lot of snow over the entire region and although we awoke to blue skies and lots of dirt without snow it as not really rideable. The snow had melted into the dirt and had not dried in most places yet leaving a goopy nasty mud to deal with.

Amber's shoes after we hiked around a bit looking for dry dirt.

Amber was antsy to try her new bike so she pushed up a steeper road section and came down it - like 5 or 6 times. First impressions of the new bike with very favorable. "Super Smooth", incredible traction and amazing brakes are the highlights so far.

That afternoon we packed up the tent and drove over to Moab in the hope of finding some good dirt to try and start tuning the new bike. We took a quick drive up Hurrah Pass in the hope that it might be a good shuttle even though it was on a dirt road. Unfortunately the road just wasn't steep enough and while it had some fun sections mostly it was just a long pedal even though it went in a downward direction.

We grabbed a hotel for the night and planned on checking out Portal on Sunday.

In a fit of optimism we decided to drive up to the Porcupine DH Shuttle in the hope it was ok to ride. Unfortunately it was buried in snow and not an option. 

On the way over to Portal I dropped Amber for a run down the Chillie Drops DH trail. It was the first test for her on her new bike.

Steep is the only way to describe the last sections of this trail.

Amber cruising a much steeper (and looser) section than it appears in the photo. Amazing blue skies and dry dirt. Moab always comes through.

The new bike does look pretty.

After Amber's run on the DH trail we headed over to the Portal Trail. We pushed our bikes up and up and up.

Pushing up. The Portal Trail is an optional finish to either Poison Spider or Gold Bar Rim trails and drops down very quickly from the top of the plateau to the River.

As a trail it has to offer some of the best riding that Moab has -  and this is without exaggeration and a mighty big statement when you remember the other trails in Moab. You have to earn your descent either by one of the long (but classic) trails or by pushing up from the bottom.

The photo's don't do justice to the amount of flow and fun that this trail packs into it's descent. There is a little of everything and it is really close to a perfect DH Race Track in feel.

Fast sections to drops abound everywhere.

Flowing corners to technical moves.

Rollers into corners.

Fast into chunky sections and drops.

Amber even managed to steal the camera and get a photo of Sean.

Overall Portal descent just rocketed way up anyone's "should do" list of rides. Hard work with a long push up but oh so fun and oh so repeatable. We will be back again this winter to spend a day pushing up and riding down.

Thanksgiving 2010 - Moab, UT

Amber had Wed of before thanksgiving so we packed up the car and headed out early to avoid to traffic and to try and beat a storm that was coming in. Luckily we managed to do both and gave a friend a ride out to Glenwood Springs as well so she could spend Thanksgiving in Snowmass with family and enjoying what was looking to be an epic opening weekend for the Aspen/Snowmass mountains.

We had grand plans but as is the way of things on road trips you have to be adaptable.

Thursday we thought we would go and do some shuttles on the Porcupine DH race track but were met with a lot of the white stuff at the drop point. Amber opted to take the first run down.

This is the exit of the DH run, I rolled my small bike down to meet Amber.

It was snow covered 100% of the way and although the dogs absolutely loved the trail it was less suited to riding bikes on being a slippery and cold ride down for Amber with about 4" of snow all the way.

In the afternoon we had originally planned on pushing up Portal and checking it out but after bumping into a friend earlier in the day we decided to check out the Chilli drops. They are a number of DH trails up behind the original location of the Chilli Bike Shop. Some really fun riding that ends with very steep terrain. The steepness was very reminiscent to parts of Idaho Springs and was loose and rocky as well. We each did a run and Amber pushed up the bottom to redo the steep ending.

On Friday we decided to head over to Green River for a day trip. There have been a number of great looking videos on VitalMTB recently that piqued my interest for the area. The Alex Pro video being one of them.

We didn't really have any directions so we headed out a likely road and stumbled onto an awesome looking area with spines and features all around. The area we came across wasn't the area in the Alex Pro video but instead was the area that the Drop In crew visited. Season 5 - Episode 10, Steve Romaniuk and Mike Metzger push up and ride down.

We warmed up playing on some of the lower spines. Push up, roll down, repeat. :)

Everything is much steeper than it looks, but everything was fun and confidence inspiring with great soft dirt and good clean entries and exits. Amber enjoying one of the steep rolls.

Part of the fun was linking the spine sections.

Really was a fun zone to play in, We will definitely go back an visit again.

After warming up we decided it was time to do the big push and head up the mountain more and checkout the feature that the Drop In crew hiked and rode.

It was also a trail that the dirt bikers also rode. This is the view as you start pushing up. We are heading all the way to the rock pillars on top.

Up, Up, Up. The dogs came as well.

Steep in sections, this was one of the lowest angled sections. Moab rests while Amber and Bishop push on.

Looking about down from about half way.

Almost at the saddle.

Amber dropping in from the high point. The steepness and the exposure definitely played on your mind as you started down. We definitely want to go back again with water and food to be able to stay and play on sections to get comfortable with the terrain.

Amber controlling speed.

Rolling a steeper section. We controlled our descent where as Steve Romaniuk rolled it as a wheelie in his version.

Looking back at the mountain and the spines on it's flanks.

On Saturday we were feeling a little lazy and went and checked out Porcupine on the forlorn hope that some of the snow had melted. Unfortunately it was still there in strength so we decided to go for a drive and go and have a look at Top of the World thinking that it might be a fun to 4-wheel up and the ride down.

It was definitely some fun driving as there was a lot of snow and ice, but the riding was not as friendly given the time required to drive. So Amber took a run down and we called for the for the day.

Fun riding in the snow.

We headed home pretty early Sunday morning to try and beat the holiday traffic and to stay ahead of another storm front that was coming through and threatening road closures in the mountains. Luckily again we avoided the storm and the worst of the traffic.

A great weekend of exploring and we will be heading back to Green River.