Video: Slickrock Dreams in Moab
Words: Bold Cycles
The Story
If you ask anybody who has been in the mountain biking scene for more than 20 years, about the most iconic places to ride, then Moab is definitely high up on their list. This is one of the places where early progressive riding was defined. Just drop some trail names like Slickrock, Poison Spider, Captain Ahab and the Porcupine Rim, and listen to the stories many pro athletes will tell you about them.
For us its been a lifelong dream come true to spend a week on Moab's finest trails. We brought the latest BOLD LINKIN LT with us, a bike with XC-like climbing abilities while being a full size Enduro with 160 mm up front and 150 in the rear. Bringing a bike like that - complete with state-of-the-art tech - to some of these classic tracks is the ultimative test for it.
A proper 4x4 is almost a requirement when entering Moab. We've never seen so many Jeeps in one place. Our brand-new rental was too shiny so we had to give the rig some dusty 4x4 action too.
Epic sunsets followed by a even more epic full moon rising over the Amasa Back area where the Captain Ahab trail winds down.
It's all about the right time and place. We were packed and ready to head back to the car from the top of Captain Ahab for our last light descent, when we saw something peaking on the horizon. A full bright moon was just rising up in front of our eyes.
There is probably no other place on earth where the uphills are more fun than on the Slick Rock trails of Moab. The sandpaper-like surface is the perfect counterpart for our rubber tires and allows us to ride steeper sections up than you normally would expect - but only as long as it's dry.
What the Jeeps can do on four wheels, we can definitely do on two. Some of these rock crawling tracks are gnarly but crazy fun going down on a trail bike, especially with a capable trail bike like the LINKIN LT.
Video, Photo, and Text: Rob Heran & Moritz Brüggemann
Many thanks to Bold Cycles to help make this project a reality.
Author Info:
Member since Dec 10, 2019
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
Moab still has some great riding, but the town if f@cked. I’d only go there in the winter.
Moab was really warm and nice for a couple of Canadians and we were able to sit outside where we stayed and drink beer and bbq in the evening. We rode Slickrock but also a bunch of other nice trails near Moab - several different styles. It was nice riding. There were a lot of jeeps and ATVs driving up and down the roads everywhere but also nice sunsets and riding that was really different than BC or Manitoba. I'd go again
So that’s a lot of Jeep rental pics … advertisement clearly.
Having ridden Slickrock since the early 90's, i too skipped it for a solid ten year block, until I realized how insane the terrain, optional lines, and truly learning how to read the rock and keep flow. Now i ride it everytime I"m in town - which is a half dozen times a year. Its awesome
I don't know man, I guess I just like riding bikes and being stoked on everything instead of a hater.
Good way to go through life in general, for that matter
I guess i just wouldn't take my time to write into a website to say how lame it is.