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Meet the New Quincy: Juliana’s Answer to the Popular Santa Cruz Stigmata

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Meet the New Quincy: Juliana’s Answer to the Popular Santa Cruz Stigmata

First Impressions: Meet the New Quincy – Juliana’s Answer to the Popular Stigmata.
Words by Amy Jurries, riding photos by Ian Collins, and bike photos by John Watson

Quincy, California sits at the northern end of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It’s in the heart of California’s Gold Country where in the mid-1800s, miners from all over the world came for their chance at striking it rich. It’s in part thanks to the Gold Rush that within spitting distance of town, you have access to hundreds of miles of mountainous dirt roads.

While the town itself is small, with not much more than a movie theater and a few places to shop, each year around September the population swells with the crazy two-wheeled set for Grinduro weekend. Juliana’s new drop bar bike, the Quincy, is 100-percent made to rule on this terrain. Before Sea Otter, I was invited down to hang out with the Juliana/Santa Cruz team and test out the Quincy. With a 40+ mile ride in the mountains around Big Basin Redwoods State Park, we rode hard on everything from tarmac connectors and loose chalky gravel to branches, mud, and gopher-hole-checkered grassy downhills.

Brent’s Fat Chance Chris Cross Makes Him Jump, Jump

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Brent’s Fat Chance Chris Cross Makes Him Jump, Jump

It’s hard not to make that reference on a bike called the Chris Cross. Back when Fat Chance began, I doubt Chris Chance would have foreseen the future, or at least where and how people would be riding these bikes that are a mix of ‘cross and road bikes yet here we are. Brent bought a Chris Cross with the “Team Fade” finish and matching stem to be his all-rounder bike in SoCal and on a recent outing to Los Angeles, I was able to shoot this damn perfect bike.

BTCHN’ Bikes: the Latest Chapter in Chico Framebuilding

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BTCHN’ Bikes: the Latest Chapter in Chico Framebuilding

BTCHN’ Bikes, the latest chapter in Chico Framebuilding
Photos and words by California Travis

The small college town of Chico, California has been home to a few very notable framebuilders over the years. Jeff Lindsay starting out building road bikes is 1972, and was one of the first pioneers to create mountain bikes under the name Mountain Goat in 1981. Bob Seals (inventor of the Klean Kanteen and Cool Tool amongst other things) took modern geometry and quality materials, combined them with classic curvy steel cruiser aesthetics and founded Retrotec Bicycles in 1992. Mitch Pryor of MAP Bicycles took custom randonneuring frames to the next level of meticulous perfection in Chico and then Paradise.

Greg’s Dark Moon SSCX: A Veritable Do It All Bike

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Greg’s Dark Moon SSCX: A Veritable Do It All Bike

Like a Phoenix, rising from the ashes of his old Niner ‘cross bike, Greg‘s new Dark Moon is a veritable do it all and do it all damn good bike. While he loved his RLT 9, there were a few things he didn’t like about it. Enough to have Greg ping Carlos at Dark Moon here in Los Angeles to make something extra special. He loves SSCX, both at the races and around town. He had his Niner set up as a SSCX and races it all season. He wanted the bike to have tight clearances, with tighter angles to offer a responsive and snappy feel.

Even though he wanted a new SSCX race bike, he made sure there were provisions and guides for a rear derailleur and 27.5 “road plus” wheels in case he ever wanted to take the bike on an ultralight tour or bikepacking trip.

2019 Salsa Cutthroat Review: Much More Than a Tour Divide Rig

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2019 Salsa Cutthroat Review: Much More Than a Tour Divide Rig

Salsa Cutthroat, Much More Than a Tour Divide Rig
Words By Spencer Harding, bike photos by Spencer Harding, with action shots by Locke Hassett

While I was able to finagle this incredibly snazzy bike solely for the purpose of reviewing a framebag on it, I figured why not squeeze a bike review out of it as well? First things first, I’m not a huge fan of riding drop bars and as I mentioned before I’m no ultra-endurance racer, which is precisely what this bike is designed for. So, I may be a fish out of water in that regard, but I think there is still plenty of potential in this bike for us humans who enjoy riding less than 200 miles a day and more than 2 hours of sleep a night.  At face value, this bike is fast, when you point this thing down a dirt road and put some muscle into the pedals it fucking moves, it doesn’t much care for going slow.  When using a combination of the magtank 2000 and two stem caddy style bags, the bike actually couldn’t turn sharply at low speed, but this bike was designed to haul ass on the Tour Divide, not make low speed technical turns.  Lets delve into the specifications and all that jazz…

Speedvagen’s Anniversary SSCX Bike

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Speedvagen’s Anniversary SSCX Bike

The first Speedvagen I ever saw was a bike just like this. A beautiful singlespeed ‘cross painted in olive drab and featuring deep EDGE wheels – prior to being rebranded to ENVE. There was just something about the minimalist approach to the design and the execution of details that set the Speedvagen SSCX apart from others in the market. Well, to commemorate that exact bike, Speedvagen announces their anniversary SSCX build. Only 11 total Custom Completes will be produced $7495.95. No paint or part changes are allowed. What you see is what you get. Head to Speedvagen to see more!

Inside / Out at Horse Cycles

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Inside / Out at Horse Cycles

Inside / Out at Horse Cycles

Photos by Ian Matteson, words by Kevin McClelland from ENVE

The Idea for this bike and trip transpired from a casual conversation at NAHBS in Hartford.  I approached Thomas from Horse Cycles at his stunning booth filled with some of my favorite bikes at the the show and we began talking about the yet to be released ENVE Gravel Fork and Gravel Bar. Thomas quickly started to show me photos of his freshly built cabin in Upstate New York surrounded by a beautiful landscape littered with some amazing gravel roads. That was the moment I knew I wanted to get out to New York for some riding with him and I knew I wanted it to be on a Horse Frame.

We Spent Black Friday in the Mountains of Los Angeles!

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We Spent Black Friday in the Mountains of Los Angeles!

While Black Friday follows a holiday meant to celebrate the togetherness of friends and family, we oftentimes get swept up in consumerism. Hey, it happens. Deals here, deals there. Lines, lines, lines! The whole ordeal can really taint an otherwise pleasant weekend. Don’t even get me started on Thanksgiving in itself. (You should read the history behind what this holiday was founded on, written by the Manataka American Indian Council.) Now, I’m not writing this piece to get into the complicated history of Indigenous Lands and religious zealots’ squandering of natural resources. I actually like what this time of year embodies but I approach the subject with great care. No matter how you look at it, we are all on Native Lands.

Chumba’s New Terlingua Titanium 700c or 27.5 All Road

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Chumba’s New Terlingua Titanium 700c or 27.5 All Road

With its roots in the mountain bike industry, the Terlingua Steel set the stage for Chumba’s entry into the drop bar category. Consequently, the Terlingua has quickly become one of their best selling models. We’ve seen a handful of builds over the years, including Austin’s single speed at the Land Run 100. Well, the Texas brand is excited to announce the Terlingua is now available in Titanium as well as in Steel and all Chumba frames are Made in USA.

Check out the press release below!

No Comment Needed

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No Comment Needed

I’ve been waiting to post this graphic, designed by Poler’s CX team, who races on flat bar ‘cross bikes each season. It’s an obvious troll, but damn, that’s a great graphic but with all the flat bar ‘cross and all-road bikes, decked out with Eagle, it does make you wonder.

Nukeproof’s New Scout and Digger

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Nukeproof’s New Scout and Digger

While Nukeproof might be better known for their enduro bikes, two models in their 2019 catalog might be of interest to readers of this site looking for new bikepacking rigs. The Scout is a 27.5 hardtail with 140mm of travel, a 65º head angle, 73º seat tube angle, and room for 2.8″ tire, perfect for singletrack touring. While the Digger is an all-road bike either 700c or 27.5 compatible, with a carbon fork and internal routing. Both bikes are available in a variety of packages. Pricing TBD. Check in at your local Nukeproof dealer for more information.

Snēk Cycling and Salt Air Cycles

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Snēk Cycling and Salt Air Cycles

Don’t let that old saying “jack of all trades and a master of none” keep you from designing the ultimate ‘cross racing and all-road bike. Jonny from Snēk Cycling teamed up with Salt Air Cycles, his local frame builder out of Salt Lake City to do just that, a bike that can be a racehorse and an all-day dirt road bike. Check out more details at Snēk Cycling.

Darren’s Blue Collar Nigel All Road

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Darren’s Blue Collar Nigel All Road

If you look for information on Blue Collar Bikes on the internet, ya won’t find much. Robert Ives likes it that way. He builds bikes, enough to pay his mortgage, and lives a fine life in Sacramento, where he’s been building Blue Collars since 1998. Robert came from Ventana before branching out on his own, where he builds steel bikes, made to take a beating, with the flashiest thing on them being that fancy head badge. I look forward to the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship events because I know someone will have a Blue Collar.

This trip, it was Darren, a good friend of Robert and Paul from Paul Components. Darren began building this frame in Robert’s shop one day and left it incomplete. As he got busy with life, little did he know, Robert was slowly completing this frame. At last year’s Grinduro, Robert handed it over to Darren, who’s been riding it ever since.

After we took on the Classic Downhill shuttle, I grabbed this bike, a Nigel XL, to shoot it behind the Downieville Hardware store. Ya don’t get more Blue Collar than that! If you’d like to read more about Robert Ives’ career and life for that matter, head to Dirt Rag, for a damn interesting read! Check out Blue Collar on Facebook too.

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Follow Blue Collar on Instagram and follow Darren on Instagram.

Into the Woods for a Dungeons and Dragons Themed Wildcat

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Into the Woods for a Dungeons and Dragons Themed Wildcat

Into the Woods for a Dungeons and Dragons Themed Wildcat
Photos by David Smith, words by Hans Van Housen

On the 1st of July 30-some people showed up for the Dungeons and Dragons-themed Wildcat. Wildcats are alleycat-style checkpoint races, but on dirt, and with no experience necessary. These champions came to the Santa Cruz Forest above UCSC to prove that the Sharpie was indeed mightier than the sword. Four checkpoints scattered about the woods stationed with wizards and space wolves. Each racer had to throw a 20-sided dice and if they threw an 11 or lower they would have to spin in a circle 20 times. If they threw higher then a 12, they’d get their manifest signed and head to the next checkpoint. It was madness.

Keep Santa Cruz Cross –  Chris Corona

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Keep Santa Cruz Cross – Chris Corona

Keep Santa Cruz Cross
Photos and words by Chris Corona

I’ll never forget when I first moved to Santa Cruz, standing in line at the grocery store and seeing mountain bike mags where tabloids usually sat. I rode XC MTB for several years in Philly and I just moved to MTB heaven. The dirt here is soft, smooth and loamy. The scent of the redwoods paired with the ocean mist is a smell like no other. The weather is mild and fog can roll in just as fast as it burns off, depending on nature’s mood. The scenery is like no other here – seeing a visitor’s look on their face staring at a giant redwood is priceless. Seeing the look on their face when they are standing on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, just 20 minutes after the giant redwood is even better.

Akira’s Yeti Homage Kinfolk ‘Cross Bike

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Akira’s Yeti Homage Kinfolk ‘Cross Bike

Akira is our friend from Kobe, Japan and every year he comes to visit us in Los Angeles, usually bringing a new Kinfolk frame with him. He works for Kinfolk in Japan, coordinating the frame construction and paint design, as a side job. During the day, he goes to a very traditional office job in Kobe, so working for Kinfolk offers him creative expression, as well as a little extra money to keep his love of cycling funded.