Bike Check: R-Dog's Hawaiian Theme Trek Session - Crankworx Whistler 2018

Aug 14, 2018 at 12:39
by Richard Cunningham  

Ryan Howard s Hawian Trek Session
Ryan 'R-Dog' Howard's
Trek Session
"I call it 'Permanent Vacation'"


Ryan "R-Dog" Howard shows of his latest Trek Session with a Hawaiian paint scheme for PB photographer Cameron Mackenzie. R-Dog says the summer themed bike is called "Permanent Vacation." Technically, his medium-sized Session uses a shorter "Park" swingarm, which he says is better for tricks. Its RockShox Boxxer fork is air sprung: "Just for the settings, if I'm running jump stuff, I'll just pump it up - make it stiff. For the bike park, I'll soften it up. I run a coil spring in the rear. It's just a little more active. The air packs up a little bit when you're riding bike park. They're fine for jumping, but I like the spring for riding." Howard runs the shock "soft," in his opinion, with a 450-pound spring and no special damping tune other than stock.
R-Dog s 2017 NZ Enduro Story
R-Dog insists he's a fair weather rider...

His component choices range from "the stem that came on the bike" to his Kyle Strait handlebar - "Gotta rep' the homies." R-Dog says his dirt-jump background inspired his preference for the Deity Pivotal saddle. Tire choice? He runs Bontrager G5 team issue tires year 'round and when asked what tire he uses for mud.... "I'm a fair weather guy. I don't ride in the mud."

Ryan Howard s Hawian Trek Session
Ryan Howard s Hawian Trek Session


Ryan Howard s Hawian Trek Session
Chip set low and slack.

Ryan Howard s Hawian Trek Session
RockShox Super Deluxe coil shock, 450 pound spring, stock damping.

Ryan Howard s Hawian Trek Session
SRAM X01 DH seven-speed transmission.
Ryan Howard s Hawian Trek Session
36-tooth chainring.

Ryan Howard s Hawian Trek Session
Ryan Howard s Hawian Trek Session
Personalized SRAM factory-issue brakes, set relatively flat.

Ryan Howard s Hawian Trek Session
Truvativ, "Not sure how long it is," Descendant stem and Kyle Strait signature bar cut to 760mm.

Ryan Howard s Hawian Trek Session
Deity seatpost, clamp, and Pivotal dirt jump saddle.
Ryan Howard s Hawian Trek Session
Deity pedals too.

Ryan Howard s Hawian Trek Session
You get the idea that R-Dog is just as stoked to ride today as he was before he turned pro.


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78 Comments
  • 36 1
 Not a high-pivot. Pppttt.
  • 99 2
 Nope, they went for a-loha one.
  • 2 0
 still looks like a Hawaiian paintjob
  • 2 4
 @NicoBoshoff: Mahalo!
  • 14 1
 Bike is so cool it can stand up by itself... but how? I actually like it when these guys say, just pump it up for jump, air down for park... tire pressure = medium, it's just a bike, ride it... I like that.
  • 1 2
 R-Dog quickly jumped out of the frame before the picture was taken. Or a stick and Photoshop. Wink I agree.
  • 2 0
 Just goes to show you, you don't need a zillion fancy bits to kick ass. You either have it or not.
  • 15 7
 36t is big? What do downhill folks usually ride on? I have a trail downduro downcountry (i.e. process 111) and I rock a 34t with 11-46 sunrace cassette and it's near perfect. Some punchy tech climbs I still can't make though.
  • 9 1
 i ride a 36t on my dh
  • 11 0
 36 is the standard in dh
  • 3 5
 A 30t with a 9-44 has more high end and low end, less chain, and better clearance. Squat/rise will vary and should be the driving factor for the ring anyways. Who rides 10+ in dh anyways
  • 3 1
 IMO for DH: 36/10-24 SRAM, 36/11-25 Shimano or 34/9-21 if running E13... all 7 speed...
  • 14 0
 52, if I remember it correctly, which was used by John Tomac back in 80's at Kamikaze DH races. He is a true legend!
  • 4 0
 LIke all bikes/components/settings it depends on what your into. Who cares, if it feels good, ride it!
  • 3 1
 How can he ride that bike without an idler?
  • 5 2
 @chyu: somewhere in Squamish at OneUp components headquarters someone is looking at an older frame equipped with front mech direct mount, and the dude be like: hmmmmmmmmm...
  • 2 0
 @godfried: "52, if I remember it correctly, which was used by John Tomac back in 80's at Kamikaze DH races. He is a true legend!"

I think it was the 90's wasn't it?
  • 1 0
 Gwin uses a 32.
  • 1 0
 I would consider a 38-42 range bigger. 36 seems average to me. I’m even running a 36 on my trail bike.
  • 1 0
 @dthomp325: Really? Seems light.
  • 1 0
 @dglass: yes, Gwin runs 32t for WC courses. Sam Hill also runs 32t for many EWS courses, and even occasionally runs a 30t. They're both on 27.5 too, so those gear speeds are equivalent to 30t/28t on a 29er.
  • 1 0
 @dthomp325: meanwhile Joeys need Eagle, so that that they can run 36t... they pedal so hard on the downs!
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: lol, I think it's kinda funny when amateur weekend warriors are running 36t, yes I'm sure you need the same gearing as top 20 WC XC racers...
  • 1 0
 @dthomp325: you know those people who used to laugh at tripple chainsets and today they run Eagle and find it perfectly reasonable?
  • 1 0
 @SonofBovril: yes, you are correct. it was 90's. Thank you.
  • 11 0
 Hawaii and Whistler two places I cant afford to visit! sick bike though!!
  • 9 1
 They need to start selling this cool ass custom bikes
  • 3 7
flag eastsideride (Aug 14, 2018 at 16:26) (Below Threshold)
 Project One, its a pretty fun thing
  • 3 0
 @eastsideride: they don't offer the session on project one
  • 1 5
flag eastsideride (Aug 14, 2018 at 16:51) (Below Threshold)
 @lindblomxc: I know, but I just meant in general
  • 4 0
 @eastsideride @lindblomxc Last year, Trek launched a program called "Project One Ultimate," for requests such as yours. You can get anything on everything they make.

www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/project_one_ultimate
  • 1 0
 @ lalientoxc @lindblomxc: Just contact any custom painter... Wink
  • 9 1
 That aint pivotal, thats I beam!
  • 5 0
 I normally like bikes with a lot of black but this is pretty awesome.
  • 4 1
 sir, I concur.
  • 2 1
 Love this bike check. Fork pressure? Whatever, hard or soft. Damper adjustments/tune? Whatever it came with. Dude don't give a s***t, but slays it all day. As bike racing's most successful doper said, it's not about the bike. Kick ass R-dog!
  • 3 0
 I kinda want a bike with dinosaurs and pizza on it like the t-shirt Big Boy made Scott Cranmer wear yesterday.
  • 2 1
 Permanent vacation? R Dog’s definitely got the Magic Touch. But he better be careful lest he Rag Doll Down the mountain. With that beard I definitely don’t think Dude Looks Like a Lady.
  • 1 1
 Well played sir...I couldn’t tell where you were going to Draw the Line though...
  • 3 1
 why don't production bikes get paint jobs like these? Trek do you realize how well these would sell???
  • 14 0
 Probably no better than they do now seeing as a session 9.9 is like ten grand and they mostly sell out each year
  • 5 0
 Yes, they do. They'd sell less units and spend more money making each frame. Not everyone wants that stuff. Hell, most people don't. We love looking at it. Don't want it. And because unique bikes like this are a way for them to stoke out their riders. I'm sure Rheeder's will post soon...
  • 2 1
 The man at HQ who hand paints these spends enough time on one... It would be very costly to do this on a large scale.
  • 8 0
 Remember that god awful painted Demo 7 frame covered in cliché tattoos? That's why.
  • 1 0
 Trek do custom paint jobs and component specs on certain frames
  • 1 1
 because imagine what they will look like in 3-4 yrs time
  • 2 5
 It's cause trek sells 98% of sessions with employee purchases or to their team riders. No one is dropping ten grand on that. I can have two intense m16s for that. @j-t-g:
  • 1 0
 @freeridejerk888: I dont think that's true. I think more would go to park rentals than regular sales.
  • 4 0
 Magnum P.I. edition
  • 4 0
 Goddamn I loved that show. Ferrari, choppers, dobermans. The theme song rocked during the guitar bits. Gonna listen to it now. Ta for the memory.
  • 2 0
 I was thinking pineapples, big waves and Mawi wowee.
And the color choice: red and baby blue?
  • 1 0
 Rad Scheam Doggy! Dog the Vib of the bike and your Stoke! Winning in Good Times! WB.
  • 3 1
 Rdog has that tire pressure dialed
  • 2 0
 SRAM made a new standard...there are apparently two 'G's in 'DOGG'.
  • 3 0
 SRAM did that? Uncle Snoop might disagree...
  • 1 0
 Haha that's awesome. SRAM couldn't even call Ryan up and ask how to spell R-Dog. Cheers to Ryan for rocking it anyway.
  • 1 0
 Love the paint job! It’s a shame the decals on the fork don’t follow the theme Frown
  • 4 2
 Please don't say it...
  • 38 2
 Looks like an Aurum
  • 2 0
 Lets session this
  • 1 0
 It's not aloha enough...no silly honu (turtle) petroglyphs on it...
  • 1 0
 or silhouette of the island of Maui, along with cursive word 'maui'... I'm with you on those turtles man.
  • 1 0
 @twozerosix: good one!
  • 4 3
 sweet frame for a haole...
  • 1 0
 Haha. On first glance I thought you wrote ahole. And I thought, why? R-Dogg seems cool as sh!t. But yeah, cool frame for a haole.
  • 1 0
 Need to give our boy a sweet tropical jersey now!
  • 1 0
 Tre schwank. Should totally have a shirt/jersey to match.
  • 1 0
 paint looks classy an fun, like the rider.
  • 1 0
 Is it Hawaiian if it doesn't have ham and pineapple on it though?
  • 1 0
 What framesie is that? Medium or dmall? Looks so short
  • 1 1
 Dad shirt theme for the dad bod
  • 1 0
 Why not Boxxer red )
  • 1 1
 So prognarcore
  • 3 4
 Looks like a Trek Session
  • 1 1
 looks like a session
  • 6 7
 Reminds me of a Session.
  • 4 6
 AURUM! damn near rectum
  • 1 0
 They don't get it, but I appreciate yooo







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