Inland Empire Mountain Biking

2012-06-09T05:21:00.000-07:00

Hi there and welcome to InlandEmpireMTB!

Uniting the mountain bikers of the Inland Empire...

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Short MTB Film by IEMTB

2011-08-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

(refresh your browser if the video does not load automatically) --IEMTB Check out the video page!

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Ladder Drop in Slow Motion

2011-07-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

(refresh your browser if the video does not load automatically) --IEMTB Check out the video page!

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Epic Video! - 10 Things I have learned about Mountainbiking -

2011-07-29T16:07:00.001-07:00

10 Things I have learned about Mountainbiking from Filme von Draussen on Vimeo.

--IEMTB Check out the video page!

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Introducing the IEMTB Chase Cam... aka "The Contraption"

2011-03-31T22:32:00.000-07:00

Introducing... "The Contraption!"

--IEMTB Check out the video page!

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"Way Back Home" Danny MacAskill's New Video! Red Bull Video

2010-11-16T07:38:00.000-08:00

Danny MacAskill's New Video!

--IEMTB

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"The Ultimate" Mountain Biking Playlist!

2010-10-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

'The Ultimate' MTB Playlist

(refresh your browser if the video does not open automatically)

Potential uses for the "ultimate" MTB playlist:

#1 - Get stoked up before a ride!

#2 - Enjoy a post-ride brew with your buddies while watching the playlist.

#3 - Background while getting ready in the morning, cleaning your room, etc.

#4 - Impress your girlfriend.

#5 - Impress a girl, gain a girlfriend?

LOL. Watch the playlist already.

--IEMTB

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Red Bull Rampage Playlist

2010-09-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

Red Bull Rampage 2010 Trailer/Teaser

(refresh your browser if the video doesn't load automatically)

--IEMTB

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Red Bull 5000 Down

2010-09-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

Red Bull 5000 Down - Downhill MTB Race!

From the YT description:
"Some of the greatest North American and European riders competed in the Canadian mass start downhill mountain bike race on Whistler Mountain.

Here there is no such thing as bad riding conditions. Everything is welcome from snow, mud, and gnarly root infested single track.

Men and women, in their respective category, battled against each other in hopes of reaching the finish line first or in most cases, one piece."

Looks like a lot of awesome!

--IEMTB

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RepairPal Website - "Car Care Confidence"

2010-09-24T05:24:00.000-07:00

I came across this service on the internet the other day:

RepairPal.com

It's a website that you can use to check to see if an auto repair estimate you have been given is fair or not, as well as a LOT of other information about auto repair.

For example, here's what it would look like if you were trying to find information about an oil change:

Oil Change
http://repairpal.com/engine-oil-filter-change

You can see it lists the background behind engine oil, how often it should be addressed, and the general principles behind changing the oil.

They have broken their system down into regions, as well. Here's the link to their site for the Houston, TX area:

Houston auto repair
http://repairpal.com/houston-auto-repair

Additionally, they have reviews on specific cars. For example, if you are looking for a new daily driver, you might come across a page like this:

Acura TL
http://repairpal.com/acura-tl-1999

Here's a screen capture:

You can see the ratings in specific categories, with comments left by other people in the lower part of the page.

They also have an auto repair 'encyclopedia'. For example, lets say you took your car into a shop because the car was smoking. They told you it needed to have the headgasket replaced. Maybe you're not familiar with this, so you go home, head over to repairpal.com and type 'head gasket replacement' into the search bar. Here's where it will take you:

Brake Job
http://repairpal.com/brake-rotor-replacement

Have any of you used this website/service? Did you find it useful?

Jackrabbit Trail - "Custom" Camera Mount

2010-09-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Jackrabbit Trail - "Custom" Camera Mount

One day I was thinking of how to get some 'unique' camera angles, and this came to mind. The setup I used is super ghetto (I like to call it 'prototype' for a euphemism), but I think the angle is pretty sick!

What do you guys think? Leave a comment!

--InlandEmpireMTB

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The Atherton Project 2009 Playlist

2010-09-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

The Atherton Project 2009 Playlist

Check out the 2010 Atherton Project playlist here!

--InlandEmpireMTB

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The Atherton Project 2010 Playlist

2010-09-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

The Atherton Project 2010

Check back for updates as more videos are released.

Check out the full 2009 Atherton Project playlist here!

--InlandEmpireMTB

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Life Cycles - "A Movie About A Bike"

2010-09-02T06:32:00.000-07:00

Life Cycles - "A Movie About A Bike"

--InlandEmpireMTB

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Shuttle Ride - South Fork Campground to Loch Leven Conference Center

2010-06-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

Shuttle ride - South Fork Campground to Loch Leven Conference Center

HUGE thanks to my sister, Heidi, for being my driver for this epic shuttle ride!

We left Loma Linda and made our way up to South Fork Campground. From there, I made my way all the way down to the Loch Leven Conference Center... 19 miles and 3700 feet away!

Here are a few pictures...

Here's the GPS info...

Total Stats:

Time:	01:55:07
Distance:	19.80 mi
Elevation Gain:	1,441 ft
Elevation Loss:	3731 ft

--IEMTB

Loch Leven to Lower SART

2010-06-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

May 2010:

Van and I got an epic ride in this week... Loch Leven to Lower SART and back!

The first 5-6 miles is a climb up the old highway 38, which is where we saw this little guy! This section is part fireroad, part semi-paved road. What it is NOT is downhill! You will log almost 2000 feet of climbing before you get to Angelus Oaks.

If you have ever tackled the SART, you will recognize the 'downtown' of Angelus Oaks. This is right outside the general store.

After passing the general store, you will climb fireroad for another mile or so, then turn off to the right and drop into the SART. This photo was taken looking "backwards" at the place where you turn off the fireroad to drop into the SART.

This ride has official "Van Approval".

Trail info:

-21.5 miles

-Just under 3400 ft elevation gain

-2.5 hours

Directions to Trailhead

Trail info via geoladders

--IEMTB

Santa Cruz Chameleon

2010-06-01T00:10:00.000-07:00

Santa Cruz Chameleon Photos...

Van just built his new Santa Cruz Chameleon...

UPDATE! Here are a few build-up pictures...
(the build-up pictures are courtesy of Van - the builder himself!)

Now, the pictures of the fully assembled steed... Introducing the Santa Cruz Chameleon! I predict a podium or two for this bike before it is retired!

"Exclusive" IE MTB Custom Fox Fork!

2010-05-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

Crazy Idea + Home Depot + Lowe's + Weekend Free = EXCLUSIVE Inland Empire MTB Custom Fox 32 120R Front Fork!

After some grueling fire road climbs, watching my front fork bobbing with each pedal stroke, while at the same time watching Van plugging away with his front fork locked, I decided I needed to have a lockout front fork! Unfortunately my skill level and cheap-ness do not allow me to buy a $700+ fork, so I started brainstorming! Several ideas and a few trips to the local hardware warehouse, and I think I came up with something that works! Here are a few pictures...

Supplies used:

Rubber corks

Threaded rod (a long bolt without the bolt head)

Sprinkler 'stop-cock' with 90^ valve

Zip ties (ALWAYS your friend!)
Band clamps

Tape:

Gorilla tape (like super-duct tape!)

Friction tape (the kind you use to wrap hockey sticks)

3M Double stick mounting tape

Black bed sheet from walmart (for the 'aesthetically pleasing' look...LOL)

I have it adjusted for about 1-1.5" of travel on lockout, and all you have to do is reach down and turn the black lever 90^ to go from 4.7" of travel to 1.5" of travel! Bring on the fireroad climbs!

Also, as you can see from the pictures, it's REALLY ugly, so I decided to do a little 'aesthetic' modification...

--IE MTB

Inland Empire MTB Video Page

2010-05-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Inland Empire MTB Video Page

Check out the new VIDEO PAGE!

Inland Empire MTB now has it's own video page.

We will cherry pick all our favorite MTB videos and host them on the page... What is the benefit? You can visit the video page knowing that ALL the videos will be top notch! When you browse the YouTube MTB videos, there are loads of 'related' videos that are really just a waste of your time. Instead of browsing through youtube videos, browse the video site!

Inland Empire MTB on Facebook

2010-05-14T23:16:00.000-07:00

Inland Empire MTB is now on Facebook!

Become a fan to get updates when new stuff is added!

Also, post up to hook up with other riders in the area!

Jam and Coast Super D May 2010

2010-05-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

May 2010 Super D Race - "Jam and Coast", hosted by Van!

Here's the 'official' results, as per Van!

Results 1st Stage: Regular "Jam" Super D

Men's Full Suspension

1. Jason 8:54

2. Russell 9:09

3. Andy 9:19

4. Richard 9:45

5. Eric 9:53

6. Marcus 10:00

7. Sergio 10:24

7. Charlie 10:24

9. Andrew 11:22

10. Orlyn 14:24

Men's Hardtail

1. Marte 9:14

2. Marc 9:45

3. Jim 11:29

Women's Open

1. Lisa 10:09

2nd Stage Chainless "Coast" Leg

Men's Full Suspension

1. Russell 4:23

2. Charlie 5:03

3. Richard 5:05

3. Marcus 5:05

5. Sergio 5:42

6. Andrew 6:41

Men's Hardtail

1. Marte 5:34

2. Marc 5:39

3. Jim 12:32

Women's Open

1. Lisa 6:10

Overall Stage Results

Men's Full Suspension

1. Russell 13:32

2. Richard 14:50

3. Marcus 15:05

4. Charlie 15:27

5. Sergio 16:06

6. Andrew 18:03

Men's Hardtail

1. Marte 14:48

2. Marc 15:24

3. Jim 24:01

Women's Open

1. Lisa 16:19

Hard Tail Winners:

Full Suspension Winners

Women's Class Winner!

Event Host!

Father and Son!

A view looking up at a hairy part of the chainless course.

Thanks for putting the time in to mark the course and put this together, Van!

At the end of the first "stage".

Overall Winners!

All the souls who were left standing at the end!

--InlandEmpireMTB

Jam & Coast Super D Challenge, Hulda Crooks, May 9 2010

2010-05-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

Van is putting together another Super D at Hulda Crooks! Here's the write-up he posted over on STR.

It’s that time again! Time for another edition of awesome Hulda Crooks Super D racing. But since this is our first race for 2010, we’re bringing you two races for twice the fun.

Presenting the “Jam & Coast Super D Challenge.”

This event is a grassroots, free of charge, stage race that consists of a traditional Super D race, which will be in a time trial format. A few climbs, but mostly downhill. Good flowy sections, singletrack, fireroads, and if you want…jumps.

However, the second stage, which is new for this year, will be a Chainless race, that will have no climbing, but will be challenging nevertheless. This race will be won by the rider who is the smoothest, most willing to stay off the brakes, and who is the most precise.

The cumulative times from the first and second stage will be combined and the person with lowest overall time will be crowned the Jam & Coast winner!

Like always, we are having the event on public trails so safety is the number one concern. But like always, this event is free, and put on by people who just love to ride. We are grassroots, we have paper plate numbers and we use two stopwatches for timers. But we have tons of fun.

Where: Hulda Crooks Park parking lot
When: May 9, Sunday, meet at parking lot at 8:00 AM
How: Show up to parking lot, the whole group will cruise up together to the top of the course for the traditional Super D. Riders will leave one by one, time trial style in one minute intervals. After everyone has finished stage 1, everyone will cruise together up again to the start of stage 2. At the top of Stage 2, riders will remove their chains. Those without Power Links, chain breakers will be provided. Once again riders leave one by one time trial style. At the end, we will have brand new pins for riders without power links. The times will be tabulated, and the winners will be crowned.
Categories: Open men & Open women, that’s it. Keeping it simple.

Here's the GeoLadders link.

Hulda Crooks Park Backflip

2010-03-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

Looks like some 'real riders' have been at work out a Hulda Crooks!

Check out the thread HERE for more info...

Google Maps Bicycle Directions!

2010-03-11T20:47:00.000-08:00

Google has just released a new feature for google maps... biking directions!

You can now use google maps to get biking directions. I'm not sure that the directions would be much different than driving directions around here in the Inland Empire, but it's cool that they are thinking about us in the biking world!

Check it out:

http://googlemapsbikethere.org/

Google Maps

What do you guys think?

--InlandEmpireMTB

Jenson USA - Online Mountain Bike Vendor

2010-03-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

Looking for a great online vendor to supply all your mountain biking needs?

Check out Jenson USA! They have a shop in Corona, CA and a distribution center in Riverside, CA. If you live in the area, you can buy through the website and pick up at the store or distribution warehouse for free! The way to capitalize on this is to make a BIG order, encourage your mountain biking buddies to do the same, then carpool together to pick up all your orders at the same time... this way you save money on gas too, in addition to the great prices they have!!

Check out their site.

Southridge Downhill Mountain Bike Race - Fontana

2009-11-22T19:13:00.000-08:00

11-22-2009

Couldn't get there as early as I'd hoped, but was still able to snap a few shots.

Van is trying to convince me to get out from behind the lens for the next Southridge event, but I must stay loyal to my motto. "Those who can't ride fast take pictures of those who do." LOL.

We'll see about next time.

Here are a few of the shots.

As usual, click on any of the pictures for the super-sized version...

~-~-~

A little B&W for dramatic effect...

Van's Downhill Steed

PEDAL PEDAL PEDAL!!!!!!!!

The famous water tower at Fontana...

Making the pass...

"The Wall."

It's funny, because I had heard of this thing called 'the wall' at Fontana. I had assumed that it was some crazy rock garden drop or something. Today, I found out that it is a literal wall along side of the last sprint! I had to laugh . . .

Just before the finish...

FINISH!

Here's the link to more pictures from the event.

--InlandEmpireMTB
inland empire mountain bike trails biking southern california bicycles cycling bicycling maps

Jedi Master Super D Race Report

2009-10-25T12:15:00.001-07:00

(click on any of the pictures for enlarged views...)

We had a great turn out for the Jedi Master Super D Event today! The above picture is a shot of the whole crew. We had full suspension, hardtail (including single-speeders) and a women's class all representing!

Well, since I was "racing" (if you want to call it that), I wasn't able to take as many pictures as I'd like, but we were fortunate enough to have two separate on-site photographers! HERE is a link to one of the web albums.

Well, first off, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to Van for putting together this great event!

There's a shot of the man himself. He is the real Jedi Master in my book. LOL.

Here's a few shots from the event.

We met in the parking lot 8:30 to beat the heat!

Here's Van putting his Jedi Master Organizational Skills to work.

Crowning the victorious Cy! Check him out here.

Always good when people are still smiling AFTER the race!

The winners!

From left to right:

Van, our Jedi Master and race coordinator. He was not officially in the race pool but is a winner as far as we are concerned!

Cy taking the gold for full suspension;

Jenny topping the podium for women's (not to mention that she beat many of the guys' times!);

Dallas bringing it home for the hardtails.

Overall it was a super-fun Super-D, and we were excited about the turnout. No big crashes that I heard about, and the only equipment failures I know about are Dallas' broken spoke and my own flat tire.

Here is the course we raced, courtesy of Van.

See you guys next time!

Feel free to leave your comments!

--InlandEmpireMTB. "Those who can't ride fast take pictures of those who can..."
inland empire mountain bike trails biking southern california bicycles cycling bicycling maps

Utah Mountain Biking - JEM Trail

2009-10-19T01:28:00.000-07:00

InlandEmpireMTB goes on a road trip!

JEM Trail - Southwest Utah

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Giant Trance

2009-10-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

Got me a new steed!

Racers and Chasers Super D - Inland Empire Mountain Biking

2009-09-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

Racers and Chasers - September 2009

What a great time! Sunny (my wife) and I headed down to Anza, CA for the Super D race held by Racers and Chasers.
Van came out to meet us as well.

I'll keep the post short for now, but Van topped out the podium in the Sport class and I made a 5/10 finish in my first mountain bike race! Van was almost a full 30 seconds ahead of the next competitor, if I remember correctly (which is a hefty lead in a 3 minute race!)

Here's the link to the pictures and a few short videos.

Shout outs go to my wife (support, photography, morale), Van (my mtb mentor!) and Robert Herber and his crew from Racers and Chasers!

PICTURES

Videos

These videos are from the bottom sprint, just before the finish line:

Video - Van

Video - Me

SART - Middle Control Road to South Fork Campground

2009-09-13T07:10:00.001-07:00

9.13.09

Sam and I headed out from his house in Redlands at around 8AM.

Destination: SART!
(Santa Ana River Trail, for those of you not "in the know...")

We rolled in to Angelus Oaks and made our way down the fireroad that is Middle Control Road. We passed the waterfall, and passed the outlet from the upper SART trail (the one that comes from the post office). We pulled over, parked at the turnoff and geared up for what was to be an epic (albeit exhausting) 21.5 miles!

The ride up to Glass Mountain Road (the main paved road that intersects the SART) went well, with some good rolling sections and a fair amount of climbing. Only two or three downed trees in this 4.6 mile section. I kept up with Sam for the first while, but as soon as he grew tired of "biking with Miss Daisy", he kicked into high gear and probably felt like he was waiting for 3 hours by the time I made it to Glass Mountain Rd.

We stopped for a few minutes, (enough time for me to take the above panorama) and we crossed Glass Mountain Road (GMR) to head onto the 6 mile section (6 miles up, 6 miles back) up to South Fork Campground. Some more climbing, one HUGE downed tree, and about 12 hours more of waiting by Sam, and we found ourselves at the 3 or 4-way fork where you can choose to turn up to Barton Flats, continue to South Fork Campground, and I'm not sure where the other forks lead.

Here's a shot of some riders on the exposed section (traveling back toward GMR), just before the HUGE downed tree:

At the fork, we met two guys from Orange County who were dealing with a tire gouge and a flat. Sam proceeded to teach them about the "dollar fix", where you place a dollar bill between the inner tube and the tire gouge, to prevent the tube from squeezing through the tire gouge. We hypothesized that if a dollar bill worked good, then a 100-dollar bill would work even better! But alas, no one could produce one, so our theory will have to be affirmed another time. When I got home last night, I was browsing through the forums over at SoCalTrailRiders and found that one of the guys is Dylin, who goes by the name of "Pain" on the forums. Nice meeting you, Dylin, and your friend(sorry I didn't get your name, and I should have gotten a picture too!)

On we continued to South Fork Campground. I was still going "strong" (keep in mind, this is a very relative term, LOL) as long as I stopped for short breaks here and there. And there. And there, too. :)

"Feeling good" was my response to Sam's question about my stamina level at this point. Ahh, innocent ignorance. Sam was not so worried about the 6-7 miles that we had ridden, but more so about the fact that we were not yet at the half way point, as he has suffered through my mitochondrial deficit in rides past.

My odometer read 10.7 miles as we rolled into the campground.

10.7 miles. That meant that our ride was going to be 21 miles long. Although, if you asked me to do that same amount of mathematical calculation during mile 19, I would have had to take out my phone and use the calculator function, although it is up for debate as to whether I would have even comprehended your question in the first place. Prior to this, my longest ride was in Idyllwild/Hurkey Creek (12-13 miles), which usually leaves me collapsed on a park bench or on a grassy clearing while Sam rides up 5 miles to get the car, as buzzards begin to circle and small children from the campground gather to poke me with sticks in an attempt to stir the hibernating beast. It's kind of like a "1/2 shuttle", where I get shuttled, and Sam rides the full loop! LOL. (That's all true, except for the buzzard and stick-poking part.)

Keep in mind, my normal rides are 6-10 miles in length, and since I love to take pictures, I end up stopping for "picture breaks" every time I see a good shot! Someone forgot to teach Sam what breaks are, so my rides with him are a lot different!

Back to the ride: Just enough time to take the above picture, munch down a snack bar, and catch my breath, at which point Captain Sam said it was time to go! So we turned around and headed back to Middle Control Road.

Heading west from South Fork Campground, the last two miles or so before you reach GMR are pretty epic! Here's the video:

When I hit GMR, my odometer read just under 17 miles. By this time, I was BEAT. Still over 4 miles to go!

By mile 18, the delirium had set in at full force. Strength, morale, and love for mountain biking were approaching a nonexistent level. Any slight uphill grade promptly turned into a hike-a-bike section. The downhills became dangerous, as I could barely maneuver the bike around obstacles.

Don't try this at home, kids!

A log roll-over and a few stream crossings later, I found myself on the last mile or so of downhill back to Middle Control Road (MCT). The last corner was a welcome one, as my "rescue vehicle" came into view. As Sam helped me load my bike up on the rack, one last gaze at the odometer showed just about 21.5 miles, at which point I mustered the strength to remove my gear and collapse into the passenger seat.

We made our way back to Sam's house in Redlands, and I realized while the last few miles of the ride were pretty ridiculous, I was happy that I had survived my first ride into the 20-mile range!

From Sam's house, I loaded Big Red up onto the trusty Altima...

... and made my way back into San Bernardino.

I linked up with Sunny (my wife) and met my parents at Hometown Buffet (one of my dad's favorites) for a sweet post-ride buffet lunch!

Overall, a great ride and SART was great fun, as always. And since it didn't kill me, I guess that means I'm stronger now??

Here are a few more videos I took with the helmet cam.

santa ana river trail SART inland empire mountain biking angelus oaks south fork campground

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Helmet Cam

2009-09-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

09.09.09

The helmet cam works!

Here's a clip from Return of the Jedi and Lower Jedi with Mike and Van...

Jenson USA Virtual Parking Lot Sale

2009-09-09T22:44:00.000-07:00

Don't Miss Out!

One of the famous Southern California vendors, Jenson USA, is having a MEGA online virtual-parking lot sale!

Apparently, they used to host these events at their facilities, but it has just gotten too hectic! So they have moved it online. The super sale starts at approximately 9AM on Friday September 11. Don't miss out!

jenson usa virtual parking lot sale mountain biking

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Helmet Cam

2009-09-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

It works! I took the helmet cam out for a trial run down lower Jedi. Next time I'll crank up the quality, but for now, you can see that it works! I just have to find a way to muffle the excessive wind noise...

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Helmet Cam

2009-09-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

Look who's got a helmet cam!

Now to see how she works...

Ahhh the power of zip ties! (and a cheap eBay handlebar-camera mount that broke last time I rode the SART.)

Look for some videos to come! Hopefully these won't have the "handlebar shakes" since it will be mounted to my cranium!

UPDATE: Click HERE to check out a helmet cam video!

On another note, I took Anthony up to Jedi for his first mountain bike ride ever!

I'm pretty sure he's hooked!

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Idyllwild

2009-08-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

Idyllwild Revisited - August 29 2009

(Click on the pictures for a larger view)

Thanks to Sam for being my guide on another awesome ride in Idyllwild!

The journey began at just before 6am, when we left Sam's house in Redlands and made our way into Idyllwild to start the trip. By the time we were clipped in on the trail, I think it was about 7:30AM.

Well, 15-20 minutes into the ride, I was coming around a left hand turn and was off to the right just a little bit... I knew I was going to run the handlebars into the side of a bush, but it looked like a pretty wimpy one so I wasn't too worried. Well, the next thing I knew, I was flying over the handlebars, looking back at my bike, and thinking, "that's a weird feeling in my shoulder!" Got up, brushed myself off, nothing obvious broken, and set out again.

Within 1 minute, I heard a slight 'hssssssssssss'... yup, the tire must have caught something on the run-in with the bush! I caught up to Sam (who is used to waiting for me), and within 15 minutes we had the tube patched and were ready to go. The shoulder was a little sore, but nothing broken, so off we went.

The rest of the ride was uneventful as far as carnage (always a good thing!), and Sam had lots of time to polish his patience as I trudged up the climbs in granny gear or in full-walk mode.

All in all, a great ride, but my shoulder is going to need to heal for a week or so at least! I think I tore something, but I thank God that it wasn't worse!

Here's the video from a few of the downhill sections...

inland empire mountain biking mtb idyllwild hurkey creek 24 hour race of adrenaline hours southern california trail map bikes cycle cycling guide

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Southridge Fontana

2009-08-01T22:15:00.001-07:00

This is the site of the famous race and it's a pretty fun ride! Lots of rocks, farily technical, some good downhill too.

Van took me out here for the first time and we had a fun ride!

Directions

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Downhill versus Car

2009-08-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

Long live mountain biking! :-)

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Idyllwild

2009-07-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

Idyllwild Revisited - August 29 2009

Thanks to Sam for showing me the ropes at Idyllwild! Next time hopefully we will have more time to take pictures...

Here's the ride that Sam took me on...

We rode about 13 miles total. Pretty much all single track, with minimal fireroad climbing! (although I will have to say the climb at the beginning was pretty brutal, well, for me, at least!)

We had some good boulder action as well, but we were trying to finish the ride by noon-ish, so we didn't have time to take many pictures. The downhill was long enough that my hands were beginning to cramp up (thanks to my Tektro stock disc brakes!). I pretty much had to adjust them so they drag in order to get stopping power out of them, which makes for not-fun climbing!

Either way, I will get more pictures next time!

Inland Empire Mountain Bike Trails

2009-07-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Inland Empire Mountain Bike Trails

inland empire mountain biking bike trails bicycle

Hulda Crooks Park Trail in Loma Linda

2009-07-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

Hulda Crooks Park Trail in Loma Linda

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Southridge Fontana Downhill Race

2009-07-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

Southridge Downhill Race - July 12 2009

This was my first time visiting one of the Southridge events. My friend Van let me know about the race, so I decided to check it out on Sunday morning. I couldn't stay long because I am helping out with a church plant in downtown Riverside called Relevant Church , so I had to split to help setup for that.

Regardless, I had a lot of fun for the short hour and a half that I was there, and I saw some awesome riding! As far as I'm concerned, however, I go by this motto:

"Those who aren't fit for racing..... take pictures of those who are!"

Here are some of the shots from practice on Sunday morning.

If any of these pictures happen to be of you, just let me know if you'd like me to email you a high-res version of the pic. (Or if you'd like me to take down the picture for some reason...)

If you want a print of the picture, that can be arranged too..

Enjoy!

More pictures HERE

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Rim Nordic

2009-06-29T03:05:00.000-07:00

Rim Nordic Official Website

Rim Nordic Photos on Flickr

Click the map for directions:

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Jedi Photoshoot

2009-06-25T03:06:00.000-07:00

Van and I set out for a little Jedi photoshoot last night...

Here's a few shots of the tabletop kicker:

A cloned shot of the kicker:

See the rest of the shots on the Flickr Photostream here.

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Chino Hills State Park

2009-06-15T03:06:00.000-07:00

Official Chino Hills Website

Chino Hills State Park is located in Corona, off the 91/71 freeways. This was my first time there, and I decided to enter from the Soquel Canyon entrance.

Apparently, there was a massive fire in November 2008 that really took its toll on the park, so a lot of the trails are still closed. The two different single tracks that we rode seemed like they had not been ridden in ages (either that or I just took trails that everyone knows not to ride!) because they were overgrown with head-high weeds on both sides. Portions of the trail were, to be honest, absolutely ridiculous and I found myself walking the bike through, to avoid the onslaught of weeds to my face!

Overall, it seems like a great place to ride, as it is very well mapped out and there are maps available at the entrance. $4 for day use. Park is open 8AM to SUNSET. They are apparently very strict about this, as our ride went late and we got to the gate after dark. The ranger was there, ready to give me a ticket! After taking my license, he showed us mercy and let us go with only a warning.

Get there early, pay the fee, grab a map for each rider, and have fun. It appears as though most of the single track trails are connected by fire roads.

We rode a very short loop, as it was getting late by the time we got there. Aliso Canyon Trail to Faultline trail to Ranger Ridge trail.

I'll post a few pics and a short view of the weed-fest!

This picture was taken from a break in the weed-ravaged single track named "Faultline Trail". This view is looking south toward Water Canyon.

Another shot from the weeds!

Out of the weeds of the faultline trail, riding down the fire road

Video of the Weed-Fest:

Directions

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - SART Revisited

2009-06-11T03:08:00.000-07:00

I was feeling the need for some fresh mountain air, so I decided to take a trip up to the infamous SART trail. I rode a 9 mile loop starting from the Angelus Oaks General Store, and ending with the climb up the fire road back to the "parking lot."

Thanks to CHDK, I have some really cool intervalometer functions on my camera. Here's a time-lapse video of the drive up to the SART (the battery actually ran out while I was buying my forest adventure pass).

Here's some video from the SART: WARNING: I cannot be held responsible if this video causes you to develop an irresistable urge to ride the SART! If you develop symptoms of continual distraction from work or inability to think about anything but single track, I advise you head out to the SART ASAP!

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Big Laguna Trail - San Diego

2009-06-11T03:07:00.000-07:00

This ride may not be in the inland empire, but it is absolutely gorgeous! My wife and I had a day off together, so we made the trek down to the Cleveland National Forest to check out the Big Laguna Trail. There are many options to this ride, but we chose to start at the Penny Pines "kiosk", which means we entered at the north side of the Big Laguna trail. The trail is ALL single track, and starts out by winding through the forest. It eventually leads you out into this gorgeous meadow that you see above. We felt like we were in the movie Jurassic Park!

This is a perfect ride to introduce beginners to the "real trails", as it is all single track, the scenery is amazing, but it is not technical, apart from a few rocks here and there throughout. There are many campsites in the area, so I could see this being a great day trip/mountain bike weekend camping escapade. Take your camera on this ride for sure!

Big Laguna Meadow.

A view of the Big Laguna Lake.

View from the opposite side of the lake.

Another lake view.

A view off of Sunrise Hwy - on the way to the trail head.

Directions:

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - 8 Mile Jedi Loop

2009-06-06T23:24:00.000-07:00

More videos from Jedi! This time reverse views, shot with the camera pointing toward Kendall, who was following me...

--InlandEmpireMTB

2009-06-01T01:20:00.000-07:00

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Hulda Crooks Park - Loma Linda, CA

2009-05-30T23:26:00.001-07:00

This trail is best known as "Jedi", although there are many variations you can take, ranging from single track, to gap jumps, to fire road. The simplest ride is an out-and-back (up and down Jedi), which is 3-4 miles in length. Watch out for hikers/runners, the occasional dirtbiker, and

(hopefully least frequently) rattlesnakes.

Click here to check out a photo shoot on the Jedi trail.

Directions to Hulda Crooks Park:

View Larger Map

-"Return of the Jedi" and descent of lower Jedi

-"JackRabbbit", "Snail Trail", and descent of Jedi

-"Time Lapse" Video of the Jedi climb (just so you can get a taste of what the trail is like)

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Sycamore Canyon - Riverside, CA

2009-05-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

(click 'view larger map' to get directions)

View Larger Map

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Crafton Hills Loop

2009-05-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

This trail starts at Crafton Hills Community College and Heads up to Zanja Peak. At the top, you can either continue down to Yucaipa regional park, or loop back around and come down the same single track/fire road back to the parking lot. If you park at the Crafton Hills parking lot, make sure to pick up a permit for $1 at the automated teller machine (follow the signs).

(Click 'larger size' for directions)

View Larger Map

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Mentone Loop

2009-05-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

Mostly fireroads with some overgrown-fireroad-turned-into-single track trails. This place is overrun by lizards! Not a lot of shade so if you're out in the summer, it's definitely an early morning or late evening ride (I know from experience!). Not a lot of elevation change(read: this is not a super thrilling downhill singletrack), but it makes for a decent ride to get a break from the "routine" trails!

Directions to Trailhead

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Santa Ana River Trail

2009-05-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

Click here for the September 2009 update

Click here for the June 2009 UPDATE

An epic single track! You can find an awesome write-up here.

View Larger Map

Inland Empire Mountain Biking - Local Trails

2009-05-30T00:53:00.000-07:00

Chino Hills State Park - Corona
Crafton Hills Loop - Yucaipa
Hulda Crooks Park - Loma Linda
Idyllwild Shuttle Ride - Idyllwild
Mentone Loop - Mentone
Rim Nordic - Running Springs
Southridge - Fontana
Sycamore Canyon - Riverside
Santa Ana River Trail - Angelus Oaks

8 Mile Jedi Loop

2009-05-29T09:20:00.001-07:00

Another 8 mile Jedi loop.

This time with a group! Shawn, Van, Johnny C. and Kelly.

Here's the video of the downhill sections.

"Time-Lapse" Video - I set my point and shoot camera to take pics every 30 seconds, and combined them all into a video.

-Enjoy!

2009-05-26T00:31:00.000-07:00

Rode an 8-mile Jedi loop today: Hulda Crooks parking lot--> Four corners--> Razorback-->Jackrabbit-->Jedi Peak-->Return of the Jedi-->Lower Jedi--> Parking lot

It was a great ride! No snakes, no crashes!

I also was experimenting and found a way to rig my point-and shoot up with my camelbak and got some video!

VIDEO

-InlandEmpireMTB