Yes, you read it right. We are doing the "cliche" California road trip. Leave the cold Canadian winter, drive down the I-5 to Aptos, ride the post office jumps, and eat burritos. Knowing that, Mitch Chubey, Anthony Messere, Paul Genovese, Mike Zinger and myself went into this road trip with the mindset of trying to add our own unique style and try to show the trip through our eyes. Our first stop was Falls City, OR, the home of the Blackrock mountain bike trails. I have heard a lot of amazing things about Blackrock over the years, and everyone that has ridden there says it's a MUST.
Thanks to the Black Rock Mountain Bike Association, we had no issues finding the trails. They have detailed instructions on their website, as well as other very helpful information such as trail conditions and where to stay. If you're ever thinking of checking out Black Rock, check out their
website first.
The weather wasn't optimal, but we worked with what we had. Anthony was having some major "throttle grip" issues and definitely didn't bring appropriate clothing to ride in the pouring rain. He ended up skipping out on this shoot and chilled in the van all afternoon.
We all were super pumped when we found the drop that Cam McCaul shot in NWD 9. We mainly shot video, but Zinger snagged this one of Paul styling it out.
It's amazing how many man hours go into the building of these trails. Huge man made jumps and berms and everything was manicured smoother than a baby's bum. I hope the marking on the trees means that they are preserving them and not marked for removal.
Mitch was earning it all day. Repeatedly hiking up the trails to get the shot regardless of the weather. And trust me, it was not pleasant.
Rainy forests make for the ideal weather for shooting. Mike and I definitely pushed Paul and Mitch all afternoon, but the end result was definitely worth it. Stay tuned for more photos from the journey as well as a video recapping the entire trip!
Photos by Mike Zinger and Nic Genovese.
Thanks to the Black Rock Mountain Bike Association, we had no issues finding the trails. They have detailed instructions on their website, as well as other very helpful information such as trail conditions and where to stay. If you're ever thinking of checking out Black Rock, check out their website first.
Normal grips:
+cheap
+light
+comfier at the same thickness
+you dont hit your hands on clamps doing barspins and such
The only "downsides" would be:
-slightly harder to install (you will probably only have to put them on once, since most brakes/mechs have completely removable clamp parts)
-they dont grip your bars with such force (however, they grip with enough force and usually wont turn on your bars, and its possible to overtighten your bars with lock-ons)
Conclusion: Besides looking "cool" and "pro", there is really no obvious reason to buy lock-ons.
and then, like you said, they are easier to install/remove and not gonna turn on your bars.
Conclusion: does this mean i'm 'cool' and 'pro'?
@Alex: Of course the weight is important, if a company made 500g lock ons, would you buy them? Guess not...
ODI makes the best though adn lizard skin is a close second