Northern California mountain biker here....... have a group of six of us coming down for the festival, none of us have ever ridden Sedona before. What can we expect as far as terrain? Obviously it is desert-like and I would expect it similar to Hurricane or Moab? What about the riding right around the event? Can we expect a lot of climbing? Are there shuttle routes?
Also, what bike should I bring?
Evil Following MB - 120mm 29er
Evil Wreckoning - 160mm 29er, can set it up big mountain with a push 11-6 or a little more trail style with an air shock and lighter-weight tires
Tan this thread ( Best Sedona bike? ) should help with your bike question. As far as the terrain next to the event, I would say it’s like a combination of Moab and Hurricane.
The best source of Sedona trail information is Trailforks.com. There are thousands of online videos you can check out to see what each trail looks like while riding.
Festival is what, the first week of March? I don't know of any reliable long range weather forcastes for 2 months from now. Average high temps should be in the low 60s with overnight lows in the 40s. Snow shouldn't be an issue. If you plan on riding all of the signature trails, you'll probably want the Wreckoning. I ride a 120mm 29er in Sedona, but walk a lot of the bigger moves. Senior citizen here with mediocre (but improving) skills and a healthy respect for consequences that might require a trip to the ER. Agree with Switch about Sedona being kind of a combo between Hurricane and Moab. I'm sure others will chime in with more detailed recommendations about setting up your bike.
The Following will be fine but I like my long travel stuff. I have a Wreck with a 11.6. That said I would totally install the 11.6 just because it climbs so much better than the air shock. I'm talking step and tech climbing. If you are coming to the festival there is like 25+ bike demo vendors alone. So really you could just ride demo bikes all weekend. There are shuttles that stop at 3 spots. Check the website. They don't go up to Hangover anymore so if that ride is on your Radar expect a longer day in the saddle or self shuttle to the lower parking area. The one thing I would suggest is getting to the gate early if you expect any glimmer of hope riding one of the popular brands such as SantaCruz, Yeti, Pivot, Ibis, Intense...
Bike and Bean used to do a Guided ride Friday afternoon of Hiline. That ride rips if you have the cajones to keep up with the locals. I think Absolute Bikes might be doing it this year. Fast ride, but they respect the no drop attitude. From the lookout all the way to the wash was a hoot. Hiline gets REAL at speed. And the top of Easy Breezey is super sick with loads of speed and natural 2-6 foot drops.
If you run into snow... It will be on Hangover most likely.
Either bike will work, just depends on your preferences. I ride my 27.5 bike there with 140 up front. In the past, I've ridden 29er Primer, Tallboy and Tallboy LT and a Pivot Mach 6. I've had a blast on every bike I've ever taken to Sedona. There's just some tight spots where the 27.5 comes in handy for *me*.
There are no "extended" (multi-mile) climbs that I'm aware of in Sedona...or at least I've never ridden on any though the ride back to the start of Hangover can be quite the workout. One thing to remember though is the rock in Sedona is nowhere near as grippy as the stuff in Hurricane or Slickrock in Moab. On the plus side, it's decidedly more scenic than those other places if you can believe that. I think it's the most scenic place I ride overall.
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I'm heading to the Fest for the first time. Will I be fighting other riders for demos or are there plenty of bikes to go around?
In my experience, there are always enough bikes to go around....but maybe not the bike you want to ride. But no, you won't have to run, scramble, push and shove your way to get a bike like Outerbike. If there is a specific bike you want to ride and the demos start going out at 8, you might want to be standing in line by 7:30. Needless to say, the newer the bike and the more press it's been getting on the WWW, the harder it will be to get that bike. Sometimes, a vendor *might* let you take a bike at the very end of the day to take for the next day...one less bike for him to prep in the morning rush. The Ibis guys have let us do that at Fruita and Hurricane.
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Going to be my first mtb festival, pretty stoked! Looking forward to the demos and riding! Trying to decide on a camping location still, sounds like that might be a challenge, but I’m ready!
Free camping in sedona normally sucks, I bet it’s a mad house during the fest. Goodluck and get there early. Don’t destroy the dirt roads if they’re wet please...
Due to work, can’t get there until Friday morning so I’m sure it’s going to be challenging finding a spot. Supposed to rain/snow mid week next week so I hope the roads don’t get all tore up.
I'm an affiliate for Ryan Leech's online coaching program, and he'll be hosting in-person coaching clinics during the festival. The only cost for the clinics is a monthly membership to his online program. They are filling up fast, so check out the links below for more info:
Unless some crazy storm comes through, you all should have a great time. I'm in Phoenix, and it's been a bit chilly (for us), but otherwise nice. Bring layers and have fun!
Then come on down to Gold Canyon and ride our trails: Hoo Doo, Phantom, QR, KIKI, TD, Tech Loop, SnowBird....everything from green to double black.
Cheers
TD
Yep, I just checked again this morning and saw similar results. That's how weather is around here. I wouldn't trust anything other than a few days out. Have fun everybody!
Yep, I just checked again this morning and saw similar results. That's how weather is around here. I wouldn't trust anything other than a few days out. Have fun everybody!
I was out riding in the Dry Creek area yeasterday until around 2:15 pm and the trail conditions were excellent. It snowed about 1/4” of actual water overnight so I am assuming trail conditions will again be good on my ride in a couple hours.
I agree the weather forecast might improve as the time moves closer to the date of the festival. Bring lots of layers since it will definitely be cool out.
I hope the Bike Skills Park doesn’t get too much rain. It would get destroyed by lots of riders riding it before the moisture content is low enough.
I'm an affiliate for Ryan Leech's online coaching program, and he'll be hosting in-person coaching clinics during the festival. The only cost for the clinics is a monthly membership to his online program. They are filling up fast, so check out the links below for more info:
Unless some crazy storm comes through, you all should have a great time. I'm in Phoenix, and it's been a bit chilly (for us), but otherwise nice. Bring layers and have fun!
Do we need to purchase festival tix to participate in the clinic?
Well it looks like trail conditions will be perfect for the event. With rain Wednesday and drying out Thursday the trails should be in perfect shape for the Festival.
Hopefully the rain on Wednesday will allow for excellent conditions in the Bike Park right next to the Festival. I am sure Jordan Reese will be out there fine tuning the Bike Park on Friday to make sure everyone enjoys his hard work the last could of months. Prior to his work the Bike Park was a disaster now it's pretty cool.
The festival website says the demo bikes are usually available for 1-2 hours (depending on the vendor), so is that enough time to shuttle and ride some of Sedona's finest?
Most vendors at Outerbike in Moab allow demos to go out on shuttle and return 2-4 hours later. I'm thinking maybe I need to rent bikes for me and my wife so we can ride some of the best trails?
Radar was showing plenty of snow in the area over the last ~12hrs, I'm sure there's some on the ground but am awaiting confirmation from someone local.
Well damn, I was looking forward to riding a Commencal Meta TR (in fact, it tops my Next Bike shopping list) but it looks like Commencal has been removed from the official fest Exhibitors list.
Webcams are showing a decent amount of snow falling now. Radar looks like snow will let up in the next hour or two.
I'm getting to Sedona this afternoon and was planning a ride before sunset, seems like that is not going to pan out. Question for the locals -- what about tomorrow (maybe in the afternoon when things have a chance to dry out)? Was hoping to do some recon before the festival as this is my first time in the area.
Webcams are showing a decent amount of snow falling now. Radar looks like snow will let up in the next hour or two.
I'm getting to Sedona this afternoon and was planning a ride before sunset, seems like that is not going to pan out. Question for the locals -- what about tomorrow (maybe in the afternoon when things have a chance to dry out)? Was hoping to do some recon before the festival as this is my first time in the area.
rafekett the webcams must not be working very well. This is the current picture of my backyard. We got about 1/4" of moisture over night. It should be rideable around 2:30 on trails like Mescal. Scorpion, Sketch, Chuckwagon, Two Fences, Templeton, Slim Shady, Ramshead, Secret Slickrock. Hangover, Hogs and Highline will have snow on north facing trail sections.
Ok I just got back from a ride on Chuckwagon to Long Canyon to To Mescal to Mescal to Deadman's to Aerie to Cockscomb to Dawa to OK to AZ Cypress to Snake to Girdner to my Car. There were some wet sections on Chckwagon and Aerie but those will be gone tomorrow. Besides that trail conditions were good and excellent on Mescal.
Ran into seven riders from the Bay Area out on Mescal who had rented bikes from OTE and were going to Demo during the Festival. I showed them the hiline on Mescal and they ripped it. What a Country!
Ok I just got back from a ride on Chuckwagon to Long Canyon to To Mescal to Mescal to Deadman's to Aerie to Cockscomb to Dawa to OK to AZ Cypress to Snake to Girdner to my Car.
Thanks for the data switchblade, ended up getting to OTE* to pick up my rental a bit late and decided to pop by Safeway for provisions instead of trying to bang out a ride in an unfamiliar place an hour before sundown. I'll try and hit it early tomorrow when I've had some chance to acclimate and hydrate more. I made the mistake of not taking water on the car ride over and I am feeling it!
*yah, I'm yet another bay area tourist here for the festival. Don't think I will be impressing any locals I meet on the trails, though
I've never been to a festival for you didn't take the bike for at least 1/2 a day. Like you mentioned, no way can you get to the trails, get a good ride in and get back in 2 hours. This year at Fruita, the demos are being done right at 18 Road so you can literally be ON THE TRAILS in two minutes or less. That two hour deal might work there. Then again, hard to test a 6" travel bike at 18 Road for the most part.
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I've never been to a festival for you didn't take the bike for at least 1/2 a day. Like you mentioned, no way can you get to the trails, get a good ride in and get back in 2 hours. This year at Fruita, the demos are being done right at 18 Road so you can literally be ON THE TRAILS in two minutes or less. That two hour deal might work there. Then again, hard to test a 6" travel bike at 18 Road for the most part.
k2 there is a whole trail system (Soldiers Wash) about five minutes from the venue. If you know the local user built trail known as Lost and Found you might be able to start your single track ride in three minutes.
Of course you would have to use the Trailforks Map APP to find the short cut because the FS doesn’t acknowledge its existence. The trail has some 15%’er moves so lesser skilled riders that aren’t use to a steep decent into a narrow wash and a steep climb out the outside might have to hike-a-bike a 5’ section.
I just got back from checking out the Festival. There is still a line of people signing up for the venue and the parking lot is almost full. The weather is perfect for riding and trail conditions are in excellent. The line for the event shuttles was about a 15 minute wait when we left at 11:00am. Lots of vendors to stop and chat with as usual. Should be a great first day.
I just got back from checking out the Festival. There is still a line of people signing up for the venue and the parking lot is almost full. The weather is perfect for riding and trail conditions are in excellent. The line for the event shuttles was about a 15 minute wait when we left at 11:00am. Lots of vendors to stop and chat with as usual. Should be a great first day.
That's great to hear, i'm thinking of taking off tomorrow in the AM here from Vegas to make it there before the day starts tomorrow. The weather shows high winds and maybe cloudy so hopefully its ok, also thinking of camping and never camped up there or have any reservations so hopefully i can find somewhere to set down the tent.
Plenty of dispersed camping spots still on 525 Rd between Cottonwood and Sedona. This has been the perfect weather for first day. Lots of vendors and plenty of shuttles. Couldn't have asked for a better day!
Just finished day two of festival. Weather has been near perfect (a bit windy in afternoon).
Arrived at 7:30 am both mornings, and we were 10-15th in line of 100-200. My wife and I both got the bikes we wanted. Slim Shady, Hiline, Templeton day 1 was awesome. Jordan, Grand Central, Javelina day 2, sweet!. Day 3, were riding NW trails, Aerie, Cockscomb, Mescal. Festival is crowded. Parking full. Good food, music, and beer garden!
Had a great time this weekend. Lots of really chill people enjoying the event. Hit up the shoots of high line on a Jekyll yesterday and ripped mescal and chuck as fast as possible on a mondraker dune today.
Last edited by slacker607; 03-05-2018 at 04:05 AM.
From what I saw today the Festival has been a great success. I was in the Skills Park area for a couple hours today and it looked like many riders were enjoying the two jump trails. Jordan Resse is the person responsible for the rebuilding of both those lines. If you enjoyed them you should give him credit for hundreds of hours of dedicated digging, raking and millions of tamps with his shovel compacting the trail surface. Special mention to Doug Cobb, Jordan’s trail slave.
My first festival and I had an absolute blast! Demo-ed a few bikes, rode many trails, and spent half a day at the jump tracks. Great atmosphere, great people! Will be there next year for sure!
Bandy good to hear you and your scarcastic friends had an enjoyable experience at the Festival. I assume you enjoyed riding the the user created trails that have made Sedona a great destination for this successful event.
Luckily for me, no permanent scars on this trip Switchy!
Indeed, I did enjoy the user created trail experience in Sedona. Probably, more than most (no sarcasm).
Good to hear. If you got the chance to visit the USFS booth at the Festival you would have gotten to see the new Western Gateway Project Scoping Map on display. The map indicates 27 miles of new proposed system trails which includes eight miles of existing user created trails.
Hopefully a large amount of the Festival proceeds will go to the funding of this great project which hopefully will be completed in the next two years. A total of $600,000 is being estimated for the entire project and the faster the money is donated, the faster the project will be completed.
This was my 4th Sedona Festival. I bought a new Wreckoning this year after trying one out on Hangover last year. This was after trying a slew of Enduro range bikes. Trek, YT, Pivot, Intense, Ibis, Santa Cruz, Kona, Rocky Mountain, DeVinci, Niner, Yeti, Commencal.
This years festival mirrored last years pretty well. They moved the bike valet into the tennis courts which I thought was a great idea. The bands were all great and I enjoyed the food trucks again. They had a Bunny Hop comp by Clif Bars which was great fun. And Phil Kmetz had a foot down game at the TASCO booth which was also fun. Jeff Lenosky won that comp. I need to practice by hops, a good track stand is not nearly enough.
I got there Thursday and met up with my crew from Phoenix to Ride with Steve and Tess (Dusty Betty on Youtube). I met Steve last year and we rode again this year a few times while he was in Tucson. We have similar riding styles and Tess seems to listen to my encouragement and I can push her a little past her comfort zone and still get smiles out of her. We started at BellRock TH and rode up Slim Shady to Hiline. Hiline is becoming a lot easier. Yep I'm going to say it, sanitized. Made the entire climb for the first time. With ease. The baby heads have been plucked and filled. The danger tree is easy to clear. As we waited and rested at the top Phil Kmetz and the Tasco Crew showed up. We mached down the flow to the slick rock where we sessioned a couple rock faces and played on our way to the fall line. Phil climbed to the very top of the butte near the chute and rolled down onto the face that drops into the chute but he didn't roll it. He clicked off a lofty hop and hucked the entire thing to land in the dirt below. Whoa! Some things have not changed but there have been changes to the double black fall line. The rock stacking is getting more impressive on the drop to the Chute. The Chute seemed pretty close to the same as last year but last year I thought it was sanitized from the year before. The switch backs and such seemed similar. The big steps with the 90 degree right turn has a B line built into the far left side to make it easier to go down and line up for an already spacious right hander. After that the big rock with the white dot has a pretty big roll to continue on. Sure it was roll-able but surprising that the hole was so big. Can't wait to see the rock work on that one next year. The climb out of Oak Creek up Templeton has some fantastic flagstone type paving going on. The top of Easy Breezy was a blast as always. Lots of big hucks and I even heard a few wheels pinging as the more advanced part of out group ripped down the drainage.
Friday I took my novice wife on a loop around Hogs. Peccary/Broken Arrow/Little Horse/Mystic/Pig Tail. Its been a few years since I have ridden some of the loop but Broken Arrow was damn near paved in some spots. I get it though. It's super high use so I'm sure the hikers even complained about the steps. I cleared that entire trail with the exception of one spot with a 18"-24" step up. I played around on Chicken Point and sent a few drops and steps and even the 5 footer to flat at the Bell Rock Connector off of Little Horse. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the festival checking out the vendors, food, beer, bands and even made a few loops on the flow trails. Well done on the jump trail. So many improvements made!
Saturday was CRAZY. My wife was in the Vida clinic so she was let in early to go get set at their booth. Biggest group of woman that Vida has ever had in one of their clinics to date. While she was getting checked in and all that My buddy and I headed over to Tasco to shoot the poo. The line to get in was LONG. And they even had a guy on a megaphone counting down. Then they opened the gates and it was like watching black Friday on the news. It actually reminded me of watching the LeMans start of the 24HOP, except there was a LOT less lycra. I didn't have a ride plan. Should I do a clinic with Krista Rust or maybe ride with Jeff Lenosky? Maybe just go do some laps at Mescal or ride hogs again? My buddy Steve shoots me a text and says he is going to do a small group on Hiline (he meant Hangover). So I met him over at Tasco and we gather a few together. It was me and my friend, a guy Carl and his friend Gabe (from Tucson) Phil Kmetz and we met Macky Franklin (Syd and Macky, pro Enduro racers) at the trailhead and went for a loop. Even with the snow and bit of ice on the actual Hangover it was a ripping good time. The snow was slush and had just enough traffic to add some grit. The little punchy climbs were like velcro. It was just plain and simple a very fun ride. Riding with people that are many many levels above my own is truly a humbling experience. Seeing lines that I don't see, lines that turn super chunk into flow, was really a sight to see. I'm so thankful for the opportunity.
Sunday morning was cold and windy and my wife was sore from more riding/skills that she is used to so we split early to get back to our kids. All in all I think the festival is still strong and shows no signs of slowing down. There were a few refinements that made things look a little smoother. Personally I think that the packet booth shouldn't be at the exact entrance to the fest. Between packet pick up and shuttle lines it was a bit clogged up there for a while. I also liked the addition of a few tables and chairs for people to eat. I did sit on the ground one day but that was ok. Many thanks to Mike and the OTE crew and all the hours of trail work that is visible on the trails. While I don't totally agree with sanitizing Hiline (double black) I do understand the rock work on Broken Arrow. Thank you for the sweat and blisters.
Nice Festival report. Interesting that you think HiLine got sanitized. Back in the day before there were Festivals, hordes of mountain bikers, and a line with tickets waiting in queue to drop the backside it was actually quite easy. It's the impact that made it more difficult and brought out the baby heads, chunder, and ride-arounds. And lots of other folks to thank besides OTE for the trail work. Maybe even the USFS.
Yep. Nothing about what I rode this weekend was really sanitized compared to when I rode them years ago when they were first built..if maybe just a little more armored in key places, and I'm pretty sure I rode most of the trails mentioned above, and then some. I had a really good guide, though. We didn't really stop to sesh anything, we just went. I was quite literally on the edge of my seat the whole time even though I had a faint memory of what to expect. The trails were spectacular this weekend minus the few bottlenecks on Hiline, so I say a job well done. By Sunday most of HO was good to go, and that made a great cap to my trip.
Ha, you didn't seem to have any problems on Hangover and Damifino when I rode with you back in 2010. Welcome back.
If it's really been that long surely you noticed the impact on what were once secret handshake trails? I'm all for sanitation as long as a unique move isn't altered and it gets the water off the tread.
Well, I generally choose guides who know what they are doing. A little trust goes a long way. When people make things look easy, I assume they are easy.
Anyhoo, yes, I did notice the impact, but to be honest when I rode HO the first time it was already falling apart in places. We actually had to stop, with TD, and fix it up. I thought to myself that I was glad to have been able to ride it, because I felt like it was going to be short lived...like Damifino. That said, it's still there and was every bit as challenging with all the slush, but yes some of the moves are a little more ?defined?.! Hiline was really enjoyable this time around because everything seemed to flow together so much better. FWIW, we did the Double H, if that's even a thing?...up to Chicken Point and around, etc., etc.,...
Yeah, Double H is arguably the best bang-for-the-buck ride in Sedona. Unless you've got the mojo for a Triple H.
I also have enjoyed the West Side trails more an more over the last few years. They are reminiscent of the way some of the other stuff was developed, minus the really big moves. It can be a very primitive "quite" experience, with still some fun tech options thrown in if you know your way around.
Yes, they have more backcountry character. Hopefully that won't change too much with the Western Gateway project.
Sorry about that. I was not trying to thank only the OTE crew for the trail work. It came across that way but I was trying to thank everyone involved and thank the OTE crew for the hard work put in to organizing a great festival.
As far as the sanitation goes. I have ridden a few trails that seem like dirt sidewalks when completed. And after a few years of water erosion and general use the trail become what it is. Sometimes they stay smooth. Sometimes they become gnarly. The thing about Hiline is that last year the climb was a lot more difficult due to the way that usage and weather had formed the trail. To take and revert the trail back to its original smooth self is not the way I personally would approach trail maintenance. Last year I felt that it would be difficult for me to clear the entire climb. This year I was surprised to see a few more rock ramps that either were there and I didn’t remember them or were new. And once you get past the switchbacks and you hit the Hiline, while not terribly difficult, it still kept me on my toes through to the lookout. It is what it is. I’m super thankful for the trail work even if I don’t totally agree with it and especially since I can’t volunteer any labor myself.
Thanks again Sedona. You definitely didn’t disappoint.
Just ONE sentence in Justin MD's write-up was en ought to make me cringe. The people running for bikes like Black Friday (at Wal-Mart?). Yeah, no thank you. I despise that behavior and the last thing I want to do is see other MTBR's acting that way. I've been to the Fruita festival (3) times as well as the Hurricane festival and none of that occurs. At least not when I went.
I do love the festivals for the vendor row though. The best one by far being at Sea Otter. Can't say as much for the MTB riding though. I'll keep going to Sedona in the Fall when we see less riders all weekend than I see in some of those festival photos.
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I would concur that much of the climbing portions were just as I remembered them. I had not ridden them in their eroded state, but my guide did mention that they flowed a little better. I think a lot of this work was relatively new, and the same sorts of things are happening Forest Service wide. The re-route on Tea Cup was a little disappointing because it was obviously sanitized, and ironically holding much more moisture than the surrounding trails. I liked that as an out and back last year, but seems to give way to downhill flow this year. Give them a few years, maybe?
Some of the moisture might be because the Teacup reroute is on the northeast side of the slope so it's not directly exposed to the sun. FYI, that's mtn biker routed. Same guy that routed Pigtail which is the only directional trail in Sedona. Hard to really call it sanitized when it's a complete re-alignment.
Just ONE sentence in Justin MD's write-up was en ought to make me cringe. The people running for bikes like Black Friday (at Wal-Mart?). Yeah, no thank you. I despise that behavior and the last thing I want to do is see other MTBR's acting that way. I've been to the Fruita festival (3) times as well as the Hurricane festival and none of that occurs. At least not when I went.
I do love the festivals for the vendor row though. The best one by far being at Sea Otter. Can't say as much for the MTB riding though. I'll keep going to Sedona in the Fall when we see less riders all weekend than I see in some of those festival photos.
What made it worse were the dozens of festival attendees who snuck in long before the gates opened each day. It really put the folks managing the demo fleets in a lousy position to try to be fair and police that whole mess. Not much chance for anyone who played by the rules to get their hands on an Evil, Transition or Yeti in their size, even if they were first in line at the gates. Those three brands seemed to be the hottest commodities this year.
My wife and I were there all three days at 7:15-7:30am, and probably 10th or so in line. Gates opened at 9am, and all three days there were people who snuck in and were already in line at the vendor booths. Got the SC Hightower LT, Pivot Switchblade, and Transition Sentinal, but only because I ride XXL or XL. Outerbike is the same mad dash to get a bike of your choice, but we've never seen people sneak into that event. We concluded that the "demo" Festivals are great if you're shopping for a new ride, but if you're just interested in the trails and the atmosphere, we'll probably rent bikes or bring our own. That way, we are on our own schedule. The folks at the festival work hard to put on a great event, so props to them! Sedona trails are fantastic, and it's easier to get there from NoCal.
My wife and I were there all three days at 7:15-7:30am, and probably 10th or so in line. Gates opened at 9am, and all three days there were people who snuck in and were already in line at the vendor booths. Got the SC Hightower LT, Pivot Switchblade, and Transition Sentinal, but only because I ride XXL or XL. Outerbike is the same mad dash to get a bike of your choice, but we've never seen people sneak into that event. We concluded that the "demo" Festivals are great if you're shopping for a new ride, but if you're just interested in the trails and the atmosphere, we'll probably rent bikes or bring our own. That way, we are on our own schedule. The folks at the festival work hard to put on a great event, so props to them! Sedona trails are fantastic, and it's easier to get there from NoCal.
My wife is shopping for a new bike. She and a friend of ours demoed bikes all three days. They’re roughly the same height and weight, which gave them the option to ride more bikes. I played the role of shuttle driver.
The routine was that I’d drop them off at the high school, where they’d start with a ride down Scorpion/Pyramid. I’d pick them up at the bottom and drop them off at the Skywalker trailhead. They would ride across Skywalker to Old Post to Carroll Canyon North Segment to Ridge to Old Post near Shelby. There they would switch bikes and pedals, take Old Post and Skywalker back to the high school and do another ride down Scorpion/Pyramid. I’d pick them up at the bottom and then we’d return the bikes. Worked out well to mix a chunky, mostly gravity run in with some up-and-down cross-country trails.
While they were doing the cross-country portion of the ride, I would head home, hop on my bike and get in a short ride from the house on the same Carroll Canyon area trails. Had just enough time to get in an 8-10 mile quickie before picking them up at the bottom of Scorpion/Pyramid.
They rode:
Norco Sight
Santa Cruz Tallboy
Devinci Troy
Kona Hei Hei Trail
Pivot Switchblade 29er
Ibis Ripley LS
My wife really clicked with the Kona Hei Hei Trail, even though the demo was a pretty low-end build. Much different from her current Specialized S-Works Epic. Looks like she’ll be buying a new Kona Hei Hei Trail, probably the CR/DL version!
I agree that everyone involved worked very hard to put on a great event.
My wife is shopping for a new bike. She and a friend of ours demoed bikes all three days. They’re roughly the same height and weight, which gave them the option to ride more bikes. I played the role of shuttle driver.
I agree that everyone involved worked very hard to put on a great event.
Well, at least you still had a good time and your wife found a bike she liked. I personally always ride my own bike because demos are rarely set up like I would prefer anyway. Something as simple as stem length and especially bar width/rise for me can make a huge difference.
What I really love is vendor rode and all the eye candy so I'll keep going to these type of events.
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My wife and I were there all three days at 7:15-7:30am, and probably 10th or so in line. Gates opened at 9am, and all three days there were people who snuck in and were already in line at the vendor booths. Got the SC Hightower LT, Pivot Switchblade, and Transition Sentinal, but only because I ride XXL or XL. Outerbike is the same mad dash to get a bike of your choice, but we've never seen people sneak into that event. We concluded that the "demo" Festivals are great if you're shopping for a new ride, but if you're just interested in the trails and the atmosphere, we'll probably rent bikes or bring our own. That way, we are on our own schedule. The folks at the festival work hard to put on a great event, so props to them! Sedona trails are fantastic, and it's easier to get there from NoCal.
This is EXACTLY why they should just leave the gates open. I don’t care if someone sleeps in a sleeping bag in front of a booth. If they are so hard up to demo a bike the earliest bird should get the prize.
Last year I demoed 5 Bikes. The last one was an Evil Wreckoning. After demoing Bikes for 3 years and over a dozen bikes I found one that fit my style. I skipped demoing Bikes this year and instead focused on all the other vendors.
I thought about trying a Zerode but I actually don’t care to demo bikes much. They just never feel right. Bars are always too wide. Brakes are soft. Saddles suck. Half the time I wish I had some kind of volume spacers in the suspension.
I brought money to spend and spent it. Clothes, gloves, pads... Orange Seal has been a great product for me and they gave me a shirt, socks and a beer for talking to them about my experience with the product. Tried on shorts and helmets and glasses...
Sometimes it’s hard to do that without driving to 10 local shops with fingers crossed.
Sure the trails are a bit busy. But not so much that I ever found it annoying.
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Originally Posted by Transition Senior
