Mar. 28-31, 2013 Death Valley Noob's Rally

Chris, As soon as I can ride I am heading for the Sequoias! I'll post up, maybe we can get the Spafixer buddy cabin again!

heal up and let's hit those road

Wow :eek1
Great pics RED05
Please tell me those are post-processed somehow
Makes the pics from my abused Canon look totally bland

-M

i now have big respect for the gopro.... imagine, a mere graded dirt road can be very attractive....

these pics remind of me jamin, isaac and finn. damit, i will need to get a better camera for sure, plus learn some skills too.

Southern California Noobs (and others who want a giggle...)

The temps in Anza Borrego are supposed to be only 88 on Sunday, very possibly the last comfortable day in the park.

Want to ride, let me know if you want to come too. The roads in Borrego are not as noob friendly as some of the noob rides in Death Valley, they had a lot of rain this winter and most of the roads are in washes so expect stretches of sand and rocks and/or some steep rutted hills (depending on the road).

send me a pm.

chris, i'm sure they can use the $, but i think we still fall short. need to show support by doing trail maintenance and contacting our elected officials. let us find out where and when we can go up there and help.

joel

Im right up the street from there, hint hint

I agree great photos just the right amount of HDR look with out over doing it.

If any of you guys want to learn how to make simaler style photos in lightroom here is a link to a video here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoSGZg4PIPE

Here is one for photoshop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kds5TKGBc6s

But be careful with this knowledge it is very easy to over do I find more subital uses like these to be best. Good work sir.

Gotta learn how to use my LR, great job!

I hate my camera and all my pictures...

Thanks to you RED :ddog

Amazing photography...

/\ what he said X2 /\

SOS website: http://stewardsofthesequoia.org/

I agree. Best bet is to visit their website and sign up for their newsletter. They keep their readership apprised of events going on in the area as well as their "Trail Appreciation" days.

The last time I was out with Chris Horgan for a trail day, we went up into the Piutes from the Bodfish side. The gate was locked and locked up again behind us. We rode with a couple of loaner forest service guys (they go from area to area) that were actually pretty good riders, and one of them had a chainsaw mounted on the back of his bike.

We rode some killer single track that no one else could get to, cut some low-hanging tree branches, and they cut quite a few trees that had fallen over the trails over the winter. We had lunch (they supply it free) at 6800' in the forest, was quite enjoyable. They build a lot of drainage berms across the trail to keep rain water from running down the length of the trail and creating a huge rut. It also keeps the trails drier so riders don't dig them up when they ride them.

One of the big issues up there, and all throughout the other forests as well, is trail damage from knobby tires. I hear all kinds of people debate the merits of a rear trials tire verses a true knobby. The bottom line for forest trails though is keeping them from getting torn up. If you show up there with a knobby they look down at you like a red-headed stepchild. So while a trials tire is recommended, in reality is a requirement. Good info on the SOS website on this subject.

folks, regardless we didn't win or won something, please contact our supporters and show our appreciation. likewise, if you need to purchase something, give them your business.

thanks to bill jenkins (conteacher) for putting this list together. we apologize if we miss anyone. do not hesitate to PM me.

A & S Powersports http://www.aspowersports.com/
Academy Optical http://www.theoaksmall.net/store/academy-optical
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The desert is getting pretty hot now so I want to start hitting the mountain trails. Am I reading your post right that you need to put a trials tire only on the back? Will this still allow you to slab it to trails or should you truck in? (have d606s on right now)
thanks

Hey Chu

I am trying my best here, look like this Friday I will be under the knife for recontruct my claviscle. I will have to join Bob for recovery team
As soon as I get the ok from the Dr I will be back on the saddle for sure. Driving in OC is suck :ddog

Especially with those nice inviting wide lanes just made for splitting! Heal up!

The Piutes and Kennedy Meadows are what we call tight singletrack. Those are the ones you want a trials tire for, on a light bike, with advanced to expert ability. Some of the trails are navigable for newer riders, but a lot of it involves steep inclines up and down, with tight switchbacks (tight enough you have to wheelie around or bulldog it - there isn't room to roll around), steps, loose surfaces, and trailside drop-offs. Some call it 'exposure' - where if you crash and go off the trail it's a helicopter ride out.

Try the trails up in Los Padres first. If you can manage What-a-Trail you're good to go for KM or Piutes. If you can get up either hill on the Malcom Smith trail in BB then you're also good to go.

My singletrack days are numbered at my age. 35 miles of it is about the same as 200 on a dualsport, 400 on a roadbike. I just sold my best trailbike, a KTM 250XCFW. I've included a nice pic below of trying a blackdiamond trail coming up from Cannell to Sherman pass on my husky. I had to stop several times, thought I was gonna have a heart attack. Combine strenuous with 9K' elevation, not a good combo for a 40-year smoker.

A trials tire works fine on the hiway as long as you air up. We generally run 6-8lbs on trail, double beadlocks. And yes, rear only. A front trials pattern washes out too easily. The Pirelli MT43 is the best of them, it has a stiffer sidewall and works on a dirtbike. On a trials bike the Michelin is the shiznit, it's very soft.

I don't mean to disway you...but then again I guess I do. Riding two-track and jeep trails is a whole different ballgame. Any kind of tire will work for that.

Who supplied the Tequila?

I ask because I set my bottle on our camp table and it somehow evaporated...or something.

And I want to try it the way it's supposed to be drank...sipped.

Geez, that's an evil looking trail! Are there maps for our local mountains that list the roads and trails as green,blue and black?
Sounds like I'm going to be staying off the single track for awhile (except I will check out the Los Padres trails). At least it will save me the cost of a new tire for awhile! thanks for the info

Now that we've had a Death Valley noob rally, we need a mountains noob rally....

Seem to remember the San Diego boys do something like that in early May. I don't remember much of last year's though, it was one of only 2 times I ever got drunk.