I am zipping up my suitcase in an Austin, Texas hotel when my room phone rings.
“Hey Mark, it’s Scheduling. We have a schedule change for you. You won’t fly home tonight. You are going to fly two legs to Oakland, overnight there 12 hours, then deadhead back to Phoenix tomorrow afternoon. [Mmm-Kay?]”
I have just been “extended.” Extended, as in, instead of finishing my work trip as originally scheduled, I have been chosen by the almighty scheduling computer to “take one for the team” and spend an extra night on the road filling the gaps for a disruption in the operation. Such is the life of a major airline pilot.
But I chose this job. Robin Williams once said riding bicycles is the closest you can get to flying. I have the privilege of getting to do both. Getting paid to fly airplanes funds my bicycle habit. It allows me time to train and the means to travel to different ends of the earth to ride. But today it threw a South Mountain-sized wet blanket on my plans to ride a local “Monument” of bragging rights and bro hugs. Damnit!!
Last July, State Bicycle Co. inaugurated their annual Hell Ride. South Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona, fixed gear, high noon. Did I mention July? So, basically idiotic suffering at 105 degrees in the searing sunlight at 13 mph on a fixed gear up a 6-mile 6% climb, for bragging rights, beers, and a cool embroidered patch. Who cares about Strava at that point?
Now mind you, I can ride up South Mountain any day of the week, any time, geared, fixed, paved, dirt, you name it. But today, I had to spy out the passenger window of my company’s airplane as we arrived in Phoenix. High noon. I could see the support vehicles parked at the summit. I shoulda been there.
Such is life when your schedule lies at the whim of the clouds, wind, and rain. It happens. I try to tell myself that there is always next time, next year, next season when these “schedule interruptions” happen. I guess the only remedy is to just go ride my bike.
Here in the Southwest desert, our riding heats up in the summer. The relative cool of the mountains has us pedaling at eight or nine thousand feet. Combine the altitude with low humidity and clear skies and the result is intense sun.
Even with proper sunscreen application, my startling farmer’s tan always elicits a little giggle from the girlfriend. This assault on my delicate machismo, combined with the very real threat of skin cancer was enough to add a pair of Sugoi arm coolers to the summer kit.
I was initially skeptical. How could adding a layer make me cooler rather than warmer? The first 50 yards wearing them dispelled any doubts. There is an immediate cooling sensation with any airflow over the material, like a fresh stick of peppermint gum. Add some sweat and the cooling ramps up. Even sitting still in full sun, they never feel warm, and the lack of sticky sunscreen is a big plus.
A generous band of elastic at the top and bottom, along with 9% spandex in the weave keeps the coolers in place and offer a slight compression effect. I consider myself an average armed guy, and the mediums fit well and stay put all day. They have quickly become an indispensible part of my summer ensemble, and my arms are slowly returning to their natural, WonderBread hue.
The day after I picked up the Ridley Noah SL, the weather forecast was truly shocking for the middle of May; mid thirties, rain and high wind. Despite this, I convinced myself to harden the fuck up, and headed out. Twenty minutes later, snow was driving horizontally and visibility was about fifty yards, the Belgian bike had summoned spring classic weather to the desert southwest. After waiting out the worst of it in a café, I headed out onto the wet windy road and started my dirty, lustful five-week love affair with the Noah SL.
Slotting in between Ridley’s Lighter Helium series and the fully aero Noah Fast option, the Noah SL incorporates a host of aero features into a bike suited for all-around racing and hard, fast riding.
It incorporates all the modern go fast aero features you would expect on a pro team ride, and Ridley takes things a step further with aero technology they claim shaves an additional 7% of wind resistance from the frame. Dubbed F-Surface, Ridley grooves the smooth surface of the downtube and seatpost to more efficiently channel air, like dimples on a golf ball. They also split the fork, directing air away from the turbulent front wheel.
Photo: Kip Malone
While this 7% claim is impossible to verify without a wind tunnel, a freshly shorn man in a skin suite and a gaggle of Flemish engineers, the real world riding is convincing. Compared to a non-aero bike, the Noah SL is simply faster at speed. Jumping out around a group into the wind or the first few seconds of a fast pull are noticeably less painful. Let the road tilt down even a little, and its hard not to smile. Long hard exertions in the drops are more satisfaction than suffering. This bike makes you want to go fast.
The overall ride of the SL is decidedly race. My 165 lbs creates little or no flex thanks to the chunky tubes and BB junction. Out of the saddle efforts are rewarded with a satisfying pop of acceleration, this bike loves to be hammered. Of course, this is no gravel grinder and all that stiffness comes at a price. Rough road sections are keenly felt, but surprisingly, small bumps are nicely absorbed by the Noah as long as they don’t come in rapid succession. With clearance for 25mm tires, comfort can be increased if that’s your thing. There is a slight weight penalty for all that stiff sleekness, but its still just a nudge over UCI limits.
For an aggressive bike, the handling is predicable and confident. My second date with the Ridley was a 106 mile mixed road sufferfest. There was a long dirt road mountain climb, a 40 mph descent on twisty drenched asphalt, big wind, miles and miles of fast dirt road descending and a high-speed Hail-Mary bunny-hop over a very broken cattle guard. It felt like we had known each other for years.
If you do your best work on the steeps or spend more at the chiropractor than the bike shop, this is likely not the bike for you. If you like it at the pointy end of the group and enjoy your time working in the drops, you should take a long, hard, shameless look at the Noah SL.
Aerodynamic. Versatile. Team Sky. Something called “Coldblack technology.” There’s no shortage of buzzwords to accompany Rapha’s Pro Team Aero range, but they weren’t what hooked me when a colleague fired the full, fresh-and-clean kit at me. Using the the age-old, unimpeachable rationale of cyclists everywhere: I liked it because it looked cool.
The data print style—a graphical representation of performance data collected from a pro rider during a grand tour—is a move away from Rapha’s almost trademark tendency towards understatement, and for this hack at least, that’s a good thing. Because if imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, those designers in London should be extremely pleased with themselves.
Rapha have redefined cycling’s aesthetic over the last decade—chapeau—but as an inevitable consequence, it’s all gone a bit identikit. There are now hoards of Rapha-wannabes, all trying to sell us the same clean lines and muted palette. No one wants to go back to the luridly shameful ways of the 90s and early 2000s when skeuomorphic denim prints and a plethora of sponsor logos were the order of the day, but a little colour never hurt anyone.
The Pro Team Aero range is a happy medium. As well as the staple black, the block color jerseys come some bright—but not offensive—colors while the data print option allows the flashier among us to express themselves a little without making their riding partners nauseous. The bibs are understated, but the use of some fluo for the branding means they pop just enough.
There’s also some performance benefits to be had. The shoulders, seams and pockets have apparently been reworked to make the jersey more aero. It’s the kind of thing marketeers refer to as “free” speed, though at $195 for the jersey and $290 for the bibs, it’s hardly gratis. Crucially, then, for gear in Rapha’s price range, this is some well-made kit and once it’s looked after, should stand the test of time better than a lot of the competition.
They’ve taken elements of Team Sky’s racing skinsuits and bundled them into a more versatile jersey package. As a nice pro touch, there are still loops to hold race radio cables—or headphones for the mere mortals. And the aforementioned “coldblack” material reflects more heat than standard fabric, while some nice mesh on the back and sides makes it all very breathable.
Rapha claim that Sky have been riding various versions of this kit for the last few seasons, and that the Aero has become their go-to jersey. Assuming you’ve got the bank—and the physique to suit its tight, race-cut lines—it could very quickly become your favourite kit, too.
Spotted on social media, Salsa Cycles new touring bike, Marrakesh, looks rather interesting. Photo: Ben Weaver
While wandering around the social media landscape last week I spotted a new, never seen before, Salsa Cycles touring bike. The photo, posted on July 11th by musician Ben Weaver, shows a fully loaded, drop bar, triple crank, disc brake touring bike bearing the Salsa Cycles logo with the name “Marrakesh“.
Closer examination reveals some pretty interesting details:
Shimano Deore triple drivetrain with bar end shifters.
The brakes are the tried and true Avid BB7’s.
Cowchippers appear to be the handlebar of choice here. They are more flared than Salsa’s CX specific Cowbells, but less so than the offroad centric Woodchippers.
The WTB rims have no braking surface, and there appears to be no cantilever brake mounts, so this is a disc brake only frame.
The tires are beefy Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700x38C tires. There is more room to be had for larger tires, but it’s hard to tell from this photo just how much. 700×42 or 700×45 seems to be a safe bet.
The saddle is a Brookes C17.
The frame has 3 water bottle mounts while the fork has another 2 mounts, which Ben is using for Anything Cages. That’s in line with pretty much Salsa’s entire bike catalog. The fork itself doesn’t appear to be one of their carbon fiber “Firestarter” models, so it’s probably the same fork as the Salsa Vaya.
As with the Salsa Vaya, the Marrakesh has mounts for both front and rear racks.
The parts used for build itself could be particular to Mr. Weaver and his preferences, there really is no way to tell. Regardless, a brand new, disc only, drop bar touring bike from Salsa is an interesting move on their part. They currently have three 700cc based models: Colossal, Vaya and Warbird. The Colossal and Warbird fall into a race (or really, really fast touring) category, while the Vaya is aimed directly at touring. Where and how the Marrakesh fits into the grand scheme of things should be interesting to see.
The fit and finish, complete with Salsa branding and name, doesn’t look custom. Salsa typically doesn’t let branded test prototypes out into the public eye to be seen, so that makes this either a final production prototype or the first of a full factory run. I’d bet there will be a new product announcement from Salsa very, very soon.
Should you want to see the “Marrakesh” in person, and catch some great tunes at the same time, Ben is currently touring (by bike, of course) around Lake Superior. You can find his show dates here.
Big Agnes Q Core SL sleeping pad. Photo: Kip Malone
I don’t sleep well with others. Just ask any of my numerous ex girlfriends. Ask them and they will sigh, roll their eyes, and tell you just what a dainty delicate sleeper I am. They will tell you about my many pillows, about long sleepless nights, earplugs, separate blankets, couches, spare beds and long uncomfortable silences over coffee.
When it came to replacing my patched and maturing sleeping pad, I convinced one of said exes to accompany me to REI for a romantic evening of pad evaluation. Over the course of an hour I tried each pad, flipping, flopping and turning, staring at the ceiling, laying on my side, owning that section of the store until my mind was made up.
The Big Agnes Q Core SL sleeping pad is a four-inch thick insulated pad that is more comfortable than some hotel beds I have slept on. At 27 oz for the 20×72, there are plenty of lighter options out there, but after feeling many them under my backside I decided it was worth the extra ounces.
Photo: Kip Malone
The insulation in the pad does a great job, and I am able to pack a lighter bag and stay warm, making up a good bit of the weight penalty. The outer edges of the pad are slightly higher then the middle, and its done a great job of keeping me from sliding to the earth even when sleeping on less that flat ground. With proper pressure I can even sleep comfortably on my side, a whole new experience in tent camping.
All of this has made for better sleep and a better time in the backcountry. I was very comfortable on a recent two-night trip with my girlfriend, although she did keep me up with all her moving around. She has requested separate tents for our next outing, and I think I’m ok with that.
Julian Carr is fearless. He’s famous for a lot of things, but he’s probably best well-known for skiing off gigantic, terrifying, multi-hundred foot cliffs. As part an elite crew of extreme athletes, he’s doing things that seem to go beyond the limits of the human body.
You’d think someone this gutsy would have to be a dick to do what he does, but he’s also a supremely nice guy—someone you’d want to hang out with on the ski slopes or down at the ski lodge bar. He’s also a clever and thoughtful designer and founded the Discrete clothing line, which has grown steadily since it began. We recently caught up with Julian and asked him some questions about what makes him tick.
What are you most proud about: Being happy and healthy.
Where do you see yourself in five years time: Being healthy and happy.
So it’s a little before 6 a.m. and I am pulling into the parking lot of Bicycle Haus in Scottsdale.
The Arizona heat has already started its upwardly projection. It won’t be long before you will be able to bake cookies on the dashboard of your car.
It’s going to be in the neighborhood of 116 degrees today and thus an early morning group ride is organizing in the shop. A small, but dedicated group of riders, hoping to get some miles in before the neighborhood starts to feel like the surface of the sun.
The collection of riders in stylin’ shop kit is only outdone by the whips being ridden.
John Benson, Bike Haus shop employee, is aboard a brand new sunset orange Santa Cruz Stigmata with some of the biggest, most beautiful tires I have ever seen on a road group ride. And there are Pinarellos and Colnagos and S-Works Tarmacs.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Element.ly
Also amongst the riders is Bike Haus shop owner Kale Keltz. Kale is an unassuming, witty, sharp-tongued gentlemen who, from what I witnessed and has been confirmed by multiple sources, can rail a bike with grace, speed and power.
The morning ride is pretty civilized, except a brief bike path sprint shootout, which is both a little bit nuts and a little bit fun. Like a scene from Bullet, but on bikes. Almost 30 miles later the morning ride ends up back where it started.
A shop where they serve freshly pulled espresso shots in Assos cups.
A shop which could easily be a set for a Hollywood movie.
Bike Haus is that shop.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Element.ly
The shop with all the cool kit and all the high flute bikes and all the cool t-shirts and all the cool shop employees and all the cool customers and all the cool everything. The sock collection alone sends me into a shopping overload.
It is the shop you always wished you lived down the street from, so you could roll in and ogle the new two-wheeled goodness.
And you wish, every morning, you could join the staff for a pre-work ride and have them pull you an espresso afterwards, while you stand around bullshitting about your exploits.
And you wish you could bring a friend in from out-of-town and have your shop mechanic pull out an F8 from the collection for him to ride.
And you want to sit on the bar stools and jabber about disc brakes—or bourbon.
The owner of Bike Haus, Kale Keltz, in Scottsdale, AZ. Photo: Jim Merithew/Element.ly
Kale has built the shop. And he’s done it in Ol’ Town Scottsdale. The shop of your dreams. Filled with all the toys and all the coolness you always dreamed about.
And we wanted to find out what makes him tick, so we subjected him to our rapid-fire questions and this is what he had to say.
Stemware up or down: Up
Boxers or briefs: Briefs
Which is your favorite movie: Shawshank
Which is the one job in the world that you would love to do: I’m doing it. But what I’d love to do is probably something in the automotive industry.
Where do you see yourself in five years time: Still at the shop hoping working a little less, having weekends off.
What is your spirit animal: I don’t go to Sedona enough to know that.
If you won the lottery, how would you spend your millions: I wouldn’t change much. I would have a nicer car and a nicer house, but I’d still be doing what I’m doing right now.
Toilet paper, under or over: Under. I like it to come up from underneath. Someone keeps changing it in the damn bathroom. And someone is folding the toilet paper in a little fancy V. Who the hell is doing that? We don’t have time for that.
Are you a morning person or a night person: I would say both. I am probably morning person than night. I can listen John Denver anytime though. Morning or night.
What is your favorite cocktail: Spritz. Or Moscow Mule.
What three words would a close friend use to describe you: I don’t know. OCD. Meticulous. Observant. Frank.
Would you like to climb a mountain or trek across a desert: Climb a mountain.
If people were thrown into jail for bad habits, what would you be thrown in jail for: Speeding. I don’t really do anything else I would be thrown in jail for.
What would be your chosen superpower: I think flying, but if I could fly I wouldn’t need to drive, so I don’t know.
If you were a stalker, would you be really good at it: Yes.
What is your favorite food: Ice cream. Chocolate.
What is your idea of the perfect vacation: Riding my bike somewhere in the mountains.
What is the one thing that annoys you above all else: I’m very clean, so I don’t like disorder.
If you were an automobile, what kind of automobile would you be: Something German.
The main north-south bike path that runs through Albuquerque sits next a large, concrete drainage ditch. The ditch is there to shuttle water out of the streets and down to the Rio Grande when the summer monsoons drop buckets at a time.
To make sure bikers don’t go tumbling into the ditch, the city put up a metal fence that runs the entire length. This is just a normal fence, but I pay close attention every time I ride by because it’s become a favorite perch for the local roadrunner population.
I have nothing against the roadrunner. They’re tough-as-nails birds that regularly kill and eat rattlesnakes, scorpions and black widows. They’re also our state bird and beautiful little creatures.
They have, however, become a bit of a menace. Every time you fly by they feel the need to jump off and run across the path in front of you. They’re wicked fast, so they always make it across, but there have been a couple close calls. More than once I’ve grabbed a handful of brake and shouted, fearing I would hit the damn thing and go tumbling off my bike.
I don’t stay up worrying about these creatures, but they do creep into my ride every day. I’m not panic-stricken, but I can’t claim to be fearless either. I’m hoping we’ll eventually get into more of rhythm. Me keeping my cadence steady whenever I see one, and them knowing to stay clear.
If you’re ever in Albuquerque and you hear some guy shouting wildly as he rolls down the path, you’ll know that’s just me talking to the birds.
If there’s one person in the outdoor world you want to have drinks with, it’s Julie Atherton. She’s built a small empire at her PR firm JAM Media Collective where she and her crew rep some of the best brands on the market and they’re constantly pulling in new ones.
But she’s also a great person. Her generous smile can light up a room, her laugh is infectious, and she is one of the most easy-going people you’ll ever meet. She creates community around her, and never puts up a front. The real Julie is the Julie you get, every time.
We recently had dinner with Julie and it was a rocking good time. We’re looking forward to seeing her at Outdoor Retailer later this summer. What follows is our hard-hitting interview.
What are you most proud about: The JAM team. We do what we like and we are a like what we do! Plus we enjoy each other’s company.
Which is your favorite book/movie: Star Wars, Episodes IV-VI. Do or do not, there is no try!
Which is the one job in the world that you would love to do: Photographer. When I can, I love to explore my surroundings at home and afar and take photos of old, forgotten, rundown and beautiful things. Instagram: @julieatherton.
Where do you see yourself in five years time: On an island
What is your spirit animal: The Lion
If you won the lottery, how would you spend your millions: I’d love to build soccer fields for kids around the world and in the US who do not have access to soccer fields or soccer equipment. I’d also take my friends on trips and buy them lots of cocktails.
Toilet paper, under or over: Over. Why is this a question?
Are you a morning person or a night person: Night owl, but thanks to the power of good coffee mornings are survivable.
What is your favorite cocktail: Anything with tequila.
What three words would a close friend use to describe you: Loyal, trusting, enthusiastic
Would you like to climb a mountain or trek across a desert: Climb a mountain, specifically the Atlas mountains.
If people were thrown into jail for bad habits, what would you be thrown in jail for: Not using my “inside voice”
What would be your chosen superpower: Flight. I have dreams I can fly.
If you were a stalker, would you be really good at it: No, I’d be terrible. I always like to share information, and that seems counter-intuitive to the whole stalking thing. Inside-voices also a must.
What is your favorite food: Gummi bears.
What is your idea of the perfect vacation: Anywhere with a beach. The combination of a beach, yoga, cocktails, a hammock and a kayak (obviously not all at the same time) would be ideal.
What is the one thing that annoys you above all else: Self-entitled people. Where do they get off?
If you were an automobile, what kind of automobile would you be: A BMW 2002, classic styling, a little quirky and a lot of personality.
