Crash-Flakenberger

I totally have to agree....this is an experience, not a pinner ride. I loved it. Tremendous views, but much of the ride was rough single/double track on the fire road. Not at all disappointed, since I was really into the experience (particularly since I got to ride it on the 2nd day it was open, with the most incredible, clear weather). Well worth the extra $15 just to have an experience I can get nowhere else that I know of in North America. Wow. It's a trail I will remember for a long time. I love the park, but this was something really different.

@larrysmith. I think you make a good point. Come to the area and talk to the shops. People there know, and the good shops will fill you in and be generous with their knowledge. And maybe you'll need something for your bike while you're there and can support the LBS, too.

Ryan - your video is excellent. Pure eye candy. I live in Renton and will be heading up to Bellingham at some point soon and talking to the local shops about some good rides. I agree with what you've said...be proactive about the trails. Down Seattle-way, we're fortunate to have a strong advocacy group in Evergreenmtb.org. I've been involved with them since they were BBTC, and they've come a long way in working with land managers for trail access. Haven't won all the fights, but they have opened up areas that would likely have been off limits. Great vid - you've got a good eye for filming, and I really enjoyed it. And beats the hell out of being sequestered away to study for exams, eh?

I think of my Butcher as much like my last 3 Hecklers...but on steroids! If you go with the 20mm thru axle Lyrik, add a DT Swiss 10mm thru bolt kit on back, and a dropper post...and you have one fantastic AM bike! I looked at a number of bikes (and particularly liked the Specialized Enduro..but had fit issues), and went with SC once again. There are many fine bikes these days, but when I look at the cross section of quality/performance/value, I've stuck with SC for a long time...over 10 years now (even my first DH bike was a SC Bullit - finally went to the dark side with a Specialized Demo). I'm very, very happy with the Butcher.

Benchwarmer... nothing wrong with the Heckler. Have had 3 of them (each was from a different generation) and they were all great bikes. But as the travel got longer, they got more flexy (I'm 220 lbs, or 100 kilos to the rest of the world) - last one was 140mm travel on the front and I could feel the front flexing. I got the Butcher complete with the SPX AM kit. It came with the Lyrik fork with a 20mm thru axle. Super stiff. But the rear did feel a bit flexy to me, so bought the DT Swiss 10mm through bolt kit. Now it's an outstanding bike. As much as I loved my 3 Hecklers in their day, this bike is much more to my liking (and to be honest, my riding style has also changed from more XC/Trail to AM). I've also added a dropper post (the KS Dropzone). Absolutely the best bike I've owned (so far).

One other point.... the ratio of men to women riding may be 2:1, but when it comes to saying stupid stuff, I have to say us guys truly dominate. It's a special gift to sound like an idiot when you think you're being funny (I can tell whenever my GF gives me that LOOK). 'nuff said.

I got my girlfriend into riding by teaching her the basics as best I could. When the time came for her to learn more skills, she decided to go the the Dirt Series camps at Whistler with a lot of other women - she liked the idea of riding with women to get better. And she did! But now she can't find a group of women riders that works for her. The broad level of skills that you'd find among male riders exists with females as well (beginner, intermediate and expert). But she tried the women's rides with the local club and enjoyed it about as much as I expect I'd enjoy riding with the same wide range of skills in a single group. Not all that fun waiting on the slowest beginner rider, when you can ride advanced intermediate or even expert, regardless of gender. Just like you can't lump all male riders together due to a broad range of skill (I, too, am not all that crazy about the local club rides for the same reasons), you can't do that with women, either. But it may take some time for more women to fall in love with mtn biking so they are no longer a single "group". There was a recent video on Pinkbike with a woman rider from Scotland ripping up some tech trails on a hardtail - impressive. Or the woman rider from Projekt Roam (the Silverstar video rocks!), who's clearly got the chops. I certainly hope that change happens sooner rather than later. It'd be a good thing for everybody IMHO.

What song is that for the soundtrack? Anybody know?