Video: Luke Strobel Shreds the PNW

 Any insight on why the departure from Evil?

 so true!! evil should have never let him go.

 @youknowitsus: nothin' but good vibes from this Evil rider

 @corvus1: I’m pretty sure he wasn’t a paid rider but more of an employee that did some rad promo videos. Probably got a better paying job at Specialized is my guess.

 @ddspaz: Preciate it

 @corvus1: maybe didn’t want to move to Bellingham.

 That was an Evil move to S. I'm Wreckoning maybe their Offering was His Calling to switch.

 @nsteele: this was a lot of it. I’m sure good things also came to an end. I know Luke also really wanted to ride a downhill bike again and work on projects, and Spec just has bigger budget and more support. Luke was also kinda overshadowed with signing the likes of Norbraten, Agassiz, and others.

 @youknowitsus:

I helped build their new facility in Bellingham. And from a stand point of actually working for and with these guys, I can say they were the nicest bunch of people Ive met. Always very gracious and thankful for the work I was doing for them. Always asking if I was needing anything water etc. Just real people who like to ride, including the owner.

And this is said being I ride a Sentinel and I dont even own an Evil bike. But knowing who they are as human beings, Id buy a bike from them just based on that.

 Not true . I’m a nice person . I volunteer 2 days a week at local trails and help beginners progress as well as learn from much better riders . I even take my kids soccer team to the trails to decorate, and paint positive and fun images on the rocks we dig up . If you would like to try out my Insurgent I would be more than happy to let ride it . It’s not evil . It’s good .

 @youknowitsus: Everyone disagreeing with you as if this ain't the Evil vibe. I'm going to disagree with you because every race I've seen the Strobels at they act like textbook elitist douchebags hanging in the air-conditioned comfort of their Sprinter until it's time to reap that sweet local podium bling and get the PB glam shots.

 Are any of the zones you mentioned still going? I know 27 is...

 @Nwilkes: Dry Hill (Port Angeles) has NW Cup races, 27 expanded w/Raging River, Tiger has better DH now, etc. But not many places to find loamy steep old school trails that aren’t excavated or bike-parky, unless you know semi-secret, private, or other secluded trails. Galbraith is one of my faves, within 90 min of Seattle. Snoqualmie might possibly reopen with lift access trails built by Evergreen in 2021 or 2022. Stevens has DH trails (sort of DH, as they tried to milk too much trail length out of that hill on many trails, IMO), but they are quite hazardous in my experience — lots of unnecessary risks and injuries from poor trail design / maintenance / hazard mitigation, in my experience and opinion (relative to Whistler, pro racing tracks, etc)...so I quit going to Stevens 3 or 4 years ago, after which a few friends were badly hurt there. Sun Peaks near Kamloops is the place to go if you like STEEP, gnarly, natural terrain. Love that mountain — did 20,000 vert last time I was there...best time riding in a decade, Whistler included =)

 @Nwilkes: And of course, The Downhill Zone bike shop in Issaquah is still running — Adam builds the best wheels I’ve ever run (he learned from the best, Scott of the DHZ, and Adam is a perfectionistic wheel-building master). I’d recommend checking it out sometime (just call in advance, due to Coronavirus scheduling) or do a custom bike build or maintenance with him...I don’t know anyone else I can trust to “get it right,” every time, like he always has for me...including parts recommendations, style / coordination / aesthetics, wheel builds, brake overhauls, custom “racer mod” setups, and also suspension overhauls and custom Avalanche damper installs. His combination of professional refinement in both form and function is unrivaled in my experience...creating great looking bikes that ride extraordinarily well. And that includes vintage bikes and wheel builds too — which he appreciates from a heritage / craftsmanship / aesthetics perspective as well.

 @WRCDH: That was an awesome post!!

 @WRCDH: awesome man! I'm from SLC but living out of my truck for a while to travel and ride the PNW. Definitely more into raw hand cut janky trails than machine groomed stuff.

So far I've hit:
Predator at Tiger
The rogue trails at Raging
Tokul
A few of the raw trails at 27 (i.e. not jump lines)
Darrington (amazing raw tech!)
Most of Galbraith legal trails
Chuckanut

Anything more in the heart of the Cascades I'm missing? i.e. places like Winthrop, Leavenworth for good aggressive riding?

Cheers dog!

Planning on some North Fork and other unsanctioned Bellingham trails.

I wish the Canada border was open, but in lieu of that I'm gonna kick it around the Cascades for a while.

 @Nwilkes: Hey man, if you've got some time on your hands, head down to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and ride in the MSH and Dark Divide area.

 @pmhobson: I've heard amazing things. I talked to the Trans Cascadia guys 3 weeks ago and they were certain it was littered with logs back then still. I'm hoping I can snag song of that goodness in late July!

 @Nwilkes: Good deal. Sounds like you've got more beta than me (I'm still sidelined with a collar bone break and separated shoulder for another month).

 @Nwilkes: North Slope Capitol Forest near Olympia is on par with those trails you listed. Easiest legal shuttle spot too if you are looking for that kinda stuff.

 I miss the early 2000’s race scene. It was such a party at every race. Wilamate pass to ski bowl to dry hill.

 Press gang by the murder city devils