rampage: a mountain bike road trip
Rampage is over and we’re home on the north shore, but there will always be a little bit of utah’s red dirt in our hearts. (and probably in our camping gear).
outside of the main event, highlights included riding our bikes down the parkway out of zion national park, [ash] taking second place and a pair of xtr cranks in the rampage/backcountry.com tire-changing contest with a time of 57 seconds (congrats to Laura who took the win with 53 seconds), and eating incredible Mexican food every single day.
Hot tip: Zion national park is worth exploring, and there’s a free (and frequent) shuttle to the end of the parkway, every bus is equipped with two bike racks.
we also enjoyed that we serendipitously chose a campsite right next to the red bull venue/shuttle zone. our oasis was complete with shady trees and starry skies, not to mention access to some of the best riding in the area. the morning sun brought out sun-bathing lizards and views of the nearby mesas.
seriously, if you haven’t been to rampage and you’re thinking about going, get on it! hit us up for tips and intel on where to eat, ride, and camp - honestly, we could use some shuttle buddies next year!
if you do head down to rampage, stop in the town of springdale to see Scott, Heidi, Emily, Hattie, and the rest of the crew at zion cycles, just because they are some of the nicest people we met along the way and it’s always a good feeling meeting other #womenwhowrench on bikes.
rampage was amazing, truly breathtaking athleticism: but the whole 10-day road trip was worth every minute. we planned very little and just followed our hearts as we took our time, winding down the Oregon coast, inland to the sierra nevadas, and across the northern tip of Arizona to reach virgin with the luxurious rooftop tent from Dillon at alternate routes.
our bikes went onto the hitch with a north shore rack, which made it super easy to pack the roam rugged cases we also snagged from dillon. temperatures swung from 20-35 degrees in the sun until the day after rampage when a winter storm hit southern Utah and we woke up to -2 degrees celsius, so we used all the sunhats, toques, shorts, and the down jackets we packed.
we managed a half-day’s ride just outside of abandon and coos bay, Oregon, on a network called the whiskey run trails. it’s a rad little spot that’s super easy to squeeze into a road trip through the area.
we also checked out some of the riding on the nevada side of lake tahoe before heading further south and camping at a mindblowing spot just off of “movie road” near lone pine California (pictures three and four below).
Also, this was our first time traveling with the rooftop tent and we did it up in style with a mini electric fridge plugged into the truck, a solar shower, and a retractable awning. a night of glamping in commercially available yurts or tents goes for more than $400/USD a night in virgin around this time of year, so we felt pretty damn lucky to have our own mobile rig.
rampage itself was actually a super chill vibe, friendly and welcoming, and reminded me what I love about this sport; even at one of the most prestigious events of the year, we’re all just out there having a good time, playing in the dirt.
FYI - that wind that came up in the afternoon and forced the riders to forgo their second run — It only got colder, stronger, and brought a bunch of snow. if red bull rampage 2022 had been scheduled for one day later, it almost certainly would not have happened this year. two days after the show we hit a major snowstorm that closed the highway and left it littered with crashes, just a few miles out of virgin.
back home on the shore, it’s all-time-fall-time and that means - early Christmas gifts can be checked off with dialed bike service gift cards, or give the gift of knowledge by sending your loved ones to one of our bike maintenance courses. Our first basic/101 course is on November 16th and covers flat repair, bike/drivetrain cleaning, safety checks and identifying brake issues.
meanwhile, we’re enjoying every minute of foggy shore riding we can and that means transitioning our bikes into winter mode (come get your fenders)! fender install is free with purchase.
we’re also gonna be busting into our forks and shocks to give them 50hr services, ie - a nice fresh start after a harsh desert pounding. if you can’t remember the last time you had your fork, shock or seatpost serviced, trust me, you’re due. the end of the season is a great time to get this kind of work done, it gives us a chance to not only save your suspension from damage early on, but also clean out your pivot hardware and headset cups and bearings.
give us a call or an appointment online - we’re also accepting walk-ins, so if appointments aren’t your thing swing by between 10am and 6pm Tuesday-Saturday.
Oh yeah - we also got t-shirts, as you can see from the photos! swing by the shop and grab a pice of the limited edition first-run of our t’s, designed by tom bunney. we’ve got unisex long sleeve, short sleeve, and extra short sleeves - our shirts are bella + canvas, printed by dan and heather at The goods on hastings street. we’re so happy with how they turned out!
