Titanium Spring for the Enduro

The new Enduro frame came with a Fox DHX 4.0 coil spring shock. Very nice but it had only a 350 lb/inch spring rate which is too soft for my ample frame. So I could have asked Specialized for a firmer spring but I thought instead this was the perfect opportunity to try out a 450 lb/inch Titanium spring from Diverse Suspension Products. Titanium springs are lighter for the same spring rate, and one thing's for sure: your wallet weighs less after buying one. Supposedly they also have a better 'feel' but that remains to be seen.

So how much weight did it save? The new Ti spring is 338 grams whereas the original steel spring was 448 grams. Keep in mind that a 450 lb/inch steel spring would be heavier still, so it actually saved more than the 110g difference.

Bike Parks, Bike Tours, and Helibiking

British Columbia

~ Bike Parks ~

Panorama Mountain Village near Invermere
Fernie Alpine Resort at Fernie
Kicking Horse Bike Park at Golden
Sun Peaks near Sicamous
Silver Star at Vernon
Whistler the one and only
Mount Washington Alpine Resort on the Island

John Evdokimoff Park near Kamloops

~ Bike Tours, Lodges, and Helibiking ~

Bear Back Biking helibiking at Whistler
Gravity Fed Adventures at Lillooet. Back country singletrack, helibiking, floatplane biking
A good article on MTB all over BC

Another good article from HelloBC.com
Range Helicopters in Nelson
High Terrain Helicopters Ltd. at Nelson

Rilor Wilderness private lodge in the Kootenays

Bush Pilot Biking freeride guides in the Okanagan. Check out their videos.

North Shore Freeride Guides on the world famous North Shore

Whistler Outfitters

Whistler Bike Guide

Tyax Wilderness Resort in the Chilcotins

Endless Biking clinics, lessons in North Van

Big Mountain Bike Adventures

Dirt Tours at Nelson in the Kootenays

Ride The Shore guides for many parts of B.C.

~ Clubs, Advocacy Groups, and Trail Networks ~

Mountain Bikers of the Central Okanagan events and trail maps

Shuswap Trail Alliance

Shuswap Trails around Sicamous and Salmon Arm

North Shore Mountain Biking (NSMB)

North Shore Mountain Bike Association (NSMBA)

Kootenay Columbia Trails Society (KCTS)

Fernie Mountain Bike Club

South Island Mountain Bike Society (SIMBS) covering south Vancouver Island
Merritt Mountain Biking Association (MMBA)
Gutsploder.net detailed maps of North Shore trails
Squamish Mountain Bike dot com
Comox Valley MTB
Nanaimo Mountain Bike Club
Golden Cycling Club of Golden B.C.
Tourism Golden
Bike Co. Whistler and Pemby and Bralorne trail maps
Slocan Valley North of Nelson

~ Books ~

Backcountry Biking in the Canadian Rockies by Doug Eastcott

Mountain Bike Adventures in Southwest British Columbia by Greg Maurer
Whistler Mountain Biking by Deep Knee Productions

Ontario and Quebec

Blue Mountain DH runs near Collingwood

Hardwood Hills conservation area near Barrie. XC trails.

Buckwallow cycling centre

Satan's Village aka Porcupine Ridge near Bracebridge

Bruce Peninsula Mountain Bike Adventure Park near Wiarton

Sir Sams resort near Haliburton

Camp Fortune DH runs and XC trails near Ottawa/Gatineau

Bromont DH runs and XC trails

Mont Sainte Anne mountain resort

New England

Hunter Mountain in New York state

Killington Vermont

Pine Hill Park in Rutland, Vermont

Highland Mountain Bike Park in New Hampshire

Sunday River Bike Park near Portland, Maine

Attitash Resort New Hampshire

Hiking in the Rockies

Hiking in Yoho National Park in the Rocky Mountains.

Mission Hill

Mission Hill estate winery in Kelowna.

Houseboating

Houseboating on the Shuswap Lakes in B.C.

Silver Star Day 2

I decide to do forego the comforts of DH bike rental and chairlift, and do a lung-buster instead. I ride up the mountain and down various trails 4 times. The Shazam trail is great fun with high banked berms, table tops, and a couple of modest gap jumps. This is a bit much for the old Stumpjumper but it does not complain.

I'm starting to think the winter project will be to build up a proper DH bike.

Silver Star

Silver Star is a mountain resort near Vernon B.C. Similar to Whistler, it is primarily a ski resort but caters to mountain bikers in the summer. I rented a DH bike there and rode all day until my fingers were so sore and blistered that I could not hold onto the handlebars any longer.

Note the ambulance in the photo which has bike racks on the front. These are not for the paramedics to bring their bikes along :-)

Forest Fire at Kelowna

The Fintry forest fire burns in the hills above Kelowna B.C. Later that night I could see a dull orange glow from the flames.

Hell's Gate Canyon

On the Fraser River North of Hope, B.C.

Whistler HelmetCam

Enjoy!

Stanley Park and Steveston

Visiting relatives.

Whistler Dining and Coffee

Good food, modest prices: La Brasserie (in village)

Excellent food, very reasonable prices, nice ambience: 21 Steps (in village)

Excellent coffee: Behind the Grind Cafe (near Whistler gondola base)

Whistler Forest Fire

After the morning spent on the downhill runs, we stop for a rest and rehydration at a cafe with a great view of the hill. This day, like the previous two, is very hot and very dry. Thunder rumbles in the distance. Someone mentions something about a fire and all heads turn towards Blackcomb mountain to see a thin column of smoke rising skyward followed quickly by licks of orange flame. This is a little close for comfort. The fire spreads incredibly quickly and now the smoke is rising in huge billows. Soon helicopters arrive to drop water but the fire is hardly affected. Eventually water bombers arrive (7 of them, according to CBC News) and red flame retardant blankets the hillside. At mid-afternoon, the sky is full of planes and choppers. By evening the smoke has been beaten down and the flames doused.

Whistler Day 3

Okay, enough cross-country warmup, time to get serious. We book a 1/2 day bike park lesson which includes bike rentals, armour, full-face helmets, and lift passes. The lessons normally cater to 6 or so pupils but we luck out and get an instructor all to ourselves at the normal group rate. Instructor Mike leads us to the top and takes us down B-Line which is a fantastic introduction to the park. It has gentle bermed corners and is built for speed. We do a total of 5 runs on various intermediate and black diamond runs. Only one wipeout apiece.

Did I mention that Whistler rocks?

Helmetcam video to follow.

Whistler Day 2

On day 2 we attack Whistler's longest single XC ride: the Comfortably Numb trail near Green Lake. It is an epic ride of 24 kilometers of pure singletrack, mostly ridable with a few sections that we decide to walk. It is challenging but fun terrain with a climb of 400m to the summit. By the time we get there we are seriously low on water and the descent is a welcome break in exertion but induces some white-knuckle moments as we drop toward the valley. At the lake is a resort where we recharge our water supplies and continue home.

Whistler Day 1

Day one dawns cool and clear but the thermometer is destined to reach the low 30s. We decide to approach Whistler gently with a ride of some recommended XC trails Northwest of the village. We do part of A River Runs Through It and then get up into Scotia Creek to get a crack at Danimal. The latter is great fun punctuated with moments of extreme terror. All are intermediate or black diamond for the most part. Then we get back into River and find some sections which I recognize from the 2008 BC Bike Race. Lots of cool man-made stuff. In the evening, the heat of the day wanes and we do Cut Yer Bars near the village to round out the day.

Whistler rocks!

Butchart Gardens

Visited the amazing Butchart Gardens near Victoria, B.C. The Gardens were created by the Butchart family from a bleak limestone quarry starting in about 1908.

Lightning in Nanaimo

A spectacular lightning show in Nanaimo B.C.

Rafting Crabs

Here are some tiny crabs (size of your pinky nail) in a tidal lagoon. In the second video clip, watch as the 'raft' of crabs goes floating by. I didn't even notice them when I was filming.

Nanaimo Trails

Another beautiful day in paradise. Why does anyone live anywhere else? A hot sunny day and I'm hitting the trails south of Brannen Lake, just outside of Nanaimo. A narrow paved road leads steeply up the mountainside and enters a forest. From there, a massive network of singletrack emanates from both sides. I try one of the first on the left and find an assortment of crazy built-up stunts which are mostly beyond my skill level, but fortunately they all have bypasses for wimps like me. Wow, somebody put a lot of work into this area.

Later I go further up the road and then dip down into some remote singletrack. I get lost for an hour or so and finally get spat out at the stunts area again. Phew. I like the compass function on my new bike computer!

Fav trails: S&M, Three Sisters, Styx, Mary Jane, Corona.

Campbell River

Visited some friends in Campbell River, B.C. Checked out the trails near John Hart Lake just outside the city. Wasted some time on crappy stuff before finding some awesome singletrack in Elk Falls Provincial Park.

Frank Slide

On the edge of the valley of the Crowsnest River stands Turtle Mountain which was known to local First Nations people as "the mountain that moves". In the early morning of April 29th, 1903 a huge slab of limestone "moved" and thirty million cubic metres of rock crashed into the valley bottom. Part of the town of Frank, the rail line, and the entire surface plant of the Canadian-American Coal and Coke Company were destroyed. An estimated seventy people lost their lives.

Canmore Trails

Rode the trails of the Canmore Nordic Center with the good folk of the Calgary Outdoor Club. Heart-attack inducing climbs followed by exhilarating switchback descents. Nice views of the mountains!

Ottawa to Thunder Bay

A couple of cold rainy days followed by clearing skies.