Tag: mountain biking

For the Love of Gravel Biking

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

I’ll never forget the conversation I had with my friend Bill, shortly after getting my first gravel bike. It was the Trek 920, and I fell in love with how I could ride from my place, on the road, to any trail system in town, and go for a mountain bike ride as well! I told him, “This bike is amazing, without the suspension, it makes even the easiest of trails fun and exciting!” He responded, bluntly, with, “Yeah, its’s nothing new. Gravel bikes are exactly like the mountain bikes of the 90s, which were already awesome!” He had a …

Continue Reading

Salt Lake vs Park City | Where to Live for the Best Outdoor Adventures | Mountain Biking + Downhill MTB (Part 3)

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

Trying to compare the opportunities to go mountain biking in Salt Lake City versus Park City! Either way, there are endless opportunities, but there is a clear winner here! People that live in Salt Lake City believe that Park City is just another suburb of Salt Lake. The locals that live in Park City know that’s simply not true. And so it goes, the endless debate (and rivalry) on which town/city is better to live in. Either Park City, where the mountains are at your fingertips because you live in the mountains, or Salt Lake City that sits right at …

Continue Reading

Best Mountain Biking: Captain Ahab & HyMasa Loop | Moab, UT

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

The Captain Ahab and HyMasa is another iconic mountain bike ride for the expert rider in Moab, Utah. If you’ve ridden the Mag7, Klondike Bluffs, and Moab Brand trails and found them too easy, then the HyMasa and Captain Ahab loop are surely going to test your skills! The climb up HyMasa is beyond technical, with countless step-ups that will test the best riders. The climb makes the descent down Captain Ahab completely worth it, that is, if you want to ride some of the most challenging features and rocky sections in Moab! All said, if you only have a …

Continue Reading

Best Mountain Biking: Mag7 -Gold Bar Rim – Portal | Moab, Utah

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

For years I’ve starred up at the canyon wall that surround the town of Moab, wondering what exactly is up there any how could I get there. Well, a few weekends ago, I found out exactly how, and it was followed by one of the best days on a mountain bike I’ve ever had. I’m talking about the classic trail link-up of Mag7 to Gold Bar to Portal. Each of these three trails is unique and incredibly challenging for drastically different reasons. And 5 1/2 hours later, my two friends and I were back at the truck, exhausted, and ready for a beer to cap off an incredible day on the bikes.

(more…)
Continue Reading

Mountain Biking Gooseberry Mesa | Bucket List Riding

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

The mountain biking at Gooseberry Mesa (Trailforks Link) is unlike anything else in the world. The landscape is completely unique, even among the already diverse Utah riding styles we have in the mountains and the deserts. But how could a mesa, with only 100 feet of elevation gain from trailhead to point, have nearly 700 feet of climbing on the average ride? Well the answer to that is short, steep, and out-of-the-saddle punchy climbs that highlight the entire trail system, that’s how. And though that might sound like most riders’ nightmare, I’m here to explain why the slickrock trails at …

Continue Reading

The Eden Epic | A Truly INSANE Mountain Bike Race

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

7 Hours in the saddle. 8,000 vertical feet of climbing. 3 miles of hike-a-bike. Oh, and of course a rain-storm that came in just as the racers were on the 9,500′ ridgeline dropping the temps to a finger-numbing 40 degrees. That’s just a part of the sufferfest that is known as the Eden Epic mountain bike race. Mixed in, during the 45 mile perpetual slog, was actually a stunning landscape that wrapped around high above the Eden valley. Check the course out on Trailforks.com. The race course was a mix of forest roads that were rocky, muddy, and steep, as …

Continue Reading

Is Bend, Oregon the Best Mountain Town?

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

I honestly cannot believe after going to Bend, Oregon every summer for the past three years, that I haven’t written more about it. The reason I say this, is because, quite literally, Bend is my wife and I’s favorite mountain town we’ve ever been to. Which makes more sense why we’ve made the 12 hour drive here every year, without ever being disappointed. Quite frankly, the mountain town vibe, the endless River activities, the incredible breweries scene, and of course the amazing mountain biking are just the tip of the iceberg of reasons why Bend is the best mountain town …

Continue Reading

YETI SB 130 LR Review | My Dream Mountain Bike

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

As it turns out, a new bike, with components from 2022, will ride a whole lot better than a top of the line bike from 2015. Who would have guessed?! But it all seriousness, each year I’d see the new bikes get released with incremental improvements and I could never really justify spending all that money on a new bike. Well after waiting and saving for 3 years, I finally pulled the trigger and bought my dream mountain bike, a Yeti SB 130 Lunch Ride. Overall, I was looking for a do-it-all trail bike to handle the long days on …

Continue Reading

Washington & Oregon Road Trip 2021 | Bend, Yakima, Seattle, Olympic Peninsula

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

Every year, Courtney, Gregor, and I load up the truck (or a rented Van) to take a weeklong road trip around a state out west. So far, we’ve done a road trip around Montana, Oregon, and Colorado. This year, to knock off the last western state that neither of us had been to, we headed up to Washington State! Admittedly, it was going to be a far haul and lots of driving to get there and back, but with a week off, we knew it would be worth it. And after the countless opportunities to paddle all types of water …

Continue Reading

Gear Needed to Get into Mountain Biking

Zachary Kenney0 Comments

Getting into mountain biking, back in 2016, was one of the best decisions I ever made. Mountain biking has taken me from mountain tops to desert landscapes, with some of the best times with friends I’ve ever had. So, with that being said, mountain biking can be a daunting to get into. The websites like PinkBike and Backcountry will make it seem like you need a $10,000 mountain bike and all the top gear in order to hit your local trail. I’ll let you in on a little secret… that couldn’t be further from the truth. I got started with …

Continue Reading