The Canyon Grizl AL is Tim’s Gear We Love for Summer 2022
All in Bike
60 On The Circuit
The last couple weekends Mickey Spades and I have resumed our travels on the Bay Circuit Trail. One Saturday we rode a 40-mile lollipop loop, beginning in Hanson and then looping through Pembroke, Kingston, and Duxbury. The next Saturday we rode “Map 9” through Sherborn and Medfield, which offered 20 miles of almost continuous riding on single and double track—the best riding we’ve found on the BCT yet! Here’s the story of the two rides in eight pictures.
Say It Ain’t So
The skiing is still awesome, but anybody that’s chatted with Tim or Mickey Spades recently knows that their minds have shifted to mountain bike season. Mickey, whose season has already started, is all abuzz about Borderland this and Bay Circuit that. But all that enthusiasm is mild compared to his jonesing about Little River, which he says I “just have to ride.”
Riding High at Vermont's Little River
If you've never biked Little River in Vermont's Waterbury State Park, you're missing out. With 10+ minutes of continuous downhill on amazing machine-built berms and some sick doubles and drops, Little River is on my short list of places to ride in the Northeast. And because every obstacle is marked and usually has a B line, anyone—even Doug—can have a great day on this rider-friendly trail. It's a great place to spread your wings and learn to fly if you so choose.
10-Year Mountain Bike Challenge
To say mountain biking has been stagnant for 10 years just isn’t true. Of all the sports I participate in, biking has progressed significantly, and all these changes are pushing the gear in the perfect direction. I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years bring. But seriously, can we please drop the E-bikes!
Pedaling With Mickey: A Day on the Bay Circuit Trail
Less than 15 minutes from Mickey’s house and we’re already lost. The directions made this intersection seem easy: exit Borderland State Park on the Rockland Street Trail, turn left onto “Rockland St. for 0.1 miles,” and then take a right onto “a woodland trail.” A Bay Circuit Trail marker, designating the turn from the road into the woods, was supposed to be right there. Unfortunately, it’s not.
Winter Fat Biking in Borderland State Park
Borderland State Park, in Easton, Massachusetts, has awesome winter mountain biking. The best way to experience it is on a fat bike after a big snowfall. My favorite loop is about 9 miles and takes you through some of the best winter fat biking terrain Borderland has to offer. Here’s the beta (and a map so you don’t get lost).
Ditch Your Pack and Get Sendy
The best part of pack-less riding is that you can do it using any bike jersey with rear pockets. So stash your snacks in one, the tool bag in another, and the extra layer and phone (with its built in camera) in the third. With the tube and C02 strapped to the frame and fluid in the bottle holders you’ll be good to go. See you on the trails!
My Favorite Mountain Bike Trails of 2018
With the 2018 mountain biking season coming to close, at least for me, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what was a fantastic year of riding. This year one of my main mountain biking goals was to explore more—which meant everything from visiting new trail systems to simply investigating new parts of well-traveled trail networks. With that in mind, here are my 5 favorite trails—in reverse order—that I rode for the first time this year.
Ricky Bobby & A Reason to Ride
For the past five years, I have ridden my bicycle in the Beth Isreal Deaconess A Reason to Ride—a charity bike ride that raises money for cancer research—in support of my best friend’s wife who is living with, and fighting, brain cancer. In the wake of such an inspiring event, you might think I would feel moved to write about how the minor suffering we endure on the bike is nothing compared to what the people we ride for go through every day in their battle against cancer—in fact, I have here—or how uplifting it is to see people from all different backgrounds and fitness levels come together to support their loved ones. Sadly, the truth is that the ride brings all of my worst instincts to the surface.
Mountain Biking’s One-Hit Wonders
When I first discovered mountain biking, the bikes were rigid, they stopped via manual rim brakes, and wheels were still just 26 inches. Back then, the idea of vast trail networks like Kingdom Trails, the Carrabassett Valley, and my local system, Bear Brook, was the stuff of dreams.
The Expanding Kingdom
Despite my frustrations and occasional yearning for the past, I love what Kingdom Trails has become. Kingdom Trails has become a hub (pardon the pun) for mountain biking in the Northeast and a gathering place for the tribe. With trails suitable for riders of all levels, it’s a place that attracts beginners and experts alike. And, with more bikes than cars during the riding season, they’ve created an infectious atmosphere for cycling. But what I like most of all, is Mike’s Tiki Bar.
Spades’ Tips for the First Bike Ride of the Season
It’s riding season, and even though I rode through the winter, others among us—like Doug—are just cleaning the cobwebs off their mountain bikes. For Doug, and everyone else like him, here are ten tips to ensure that your first ride of the season comes up aces.