Sea Otter 2005 Write-ups and Photos - pictorials

[onebikerchick]

Did I miss the shout out somewhere else? Hmmm...CHUMMMM...???

Lemmeejusssay...hubby and I went into this thing thinking it would be a 5 hour toodle thru very familiar fire roads w/ a bit o' favorite single track thrown in for flavor.

Ha!

Nine hours and twenty minutes later (yes, you read that right), we're limping across the finish line!

Holy crap. I would REALLY like to meet the Sadistic Ba$stard who designed this 50 mile course. Mucho unrideable sand traps and mud pits ate big chunks into our time with hike-a-bike treks (not to mention the antient nature of these riders). And when we weren't hefting a bike thru gunk, we were either grinding our way up a technical wall or white-knuckling a gnarly descent.

Okay, okay. In all fairness the Sadistic Ba$tard did throw down some AMAZING single track threading thru thick forests of oak trees (as well as PO) which dumped you onto a green, green field dotted with purple lupins - scenting the air. We rode thru a thicket of sheep waiting their turn to be sheared. We came upon a youngin' who'd just ate it and had a knee approaching the grapefruit size. Not to mention all the cool, cool folks who volunteered to make it possible for us hackers.

It was about mile 47 that I finally realized we were gonna DO it! Hot damn! After more than 8 hours of doubting our ability, this was like turning the horse toward the stable. This was possible and nothin' was gonna stop me from hitting the finish line! We were stalled for a bit by the dude LAYING on the road half way up the climb out. Had to make sure he wasn't in need of my very rusty CPR moves. Dude answered all the questions correctly - name, day, place - so we hauled our sorry butts out and onto the Laguna Seca track and down to the FINISH LINE!

Last year we ran the Big Sur Marathon and there is no doubt that this was WAY harder than that little romp up the coast.

[Pyramid]

Just got home from Sea Otter, I was a one day attendee. Kind of bummed I didn't win the MTBR "talant" (read: making an ass out of ones self) competition, as the prize was a beautiful Jericho frame- one of my personal dream builders! Wahh... Anyway, I took a lot of bike pics, which mostly were either "Retro" or "Custom"

The custom pics thread can be found here:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.ph...37260#poststop

In this thread you can find a couple shots of the new tweaks Jeff Jones has added to his space frame, including a telescopic chainstay. ooooh, ahhhh...

Vintage pics thread is here:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.ph...37185#poststop

This thread contains some shots of the noon Retro Gathering on saturday.

I will be adding pictures to both threads, and any miscelaneous pictures that don't fit into those threads will be posted here if I deem them good enough. Just to get the ball rolling, a few shots:

[Pyramid]

Just got home from Sea Otter, I was a one day attendee. Kind of bummed I didn't win the MTBR "talant" (read: making an ass out of ones self) competition, as the prize was a beautiful Jericho frame- one of my personal dream builders! Wahh... Anyway, I took a lot of bike pics, which mostly were either "Retro" or "Custom"

The custom pics thread can be found here:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.ph...37260#poststop

In this thread you can find a couple shots of the new tweaks Jeff Jones has added to his space frame, including a telescopic chainstay. ooooh, ahhhh...

Vintage pics thread is here:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.ph...37185#poststop

This thread contains some shots of the noon Retro Gathering on saturday.

I will be adding pictures to both threads, and any miscelaneous pictures that don't fit into those threads will be posted here if I deem them good enough. Just to get the ball rolling, a few shots:

[mtnbikerdude87]

So were out here in Monterey for the Sea Otter Classic. This is my first time at the event so I want to see what the event is like and also the course. The event is great! Lots of booths and lots of free stuff to get. We joined up with the mtbr crew for the pre-ride. The course was great! It had lots of singletrack with some fireroad mixed in. A very fast course. Thanks guys for showing us around!!

-Starting the sea otter course
-great views with the singletrack
-the front of the mtbr crew heading up
-hurl hill
-brother heading down the fireroad

[mtnbikerdude87]

So were out here in Monterey for the Sea Otter Classic. This is my first time at the event so I want to see what the event is like and also the course. The event is great! Lots of booths and lots of free stuff to get. We joined up with the mtbr crew for the pre-ride. The course was great! It had lots of singletrack with some fireroad mixed in. A very fast course. Thanks guys for showing us around!!

-Starting the sea otter course
-great views with the singletrack
-the front of the mtbr crew heading up
-hurl hill
-brother heading down the fireroad

[mtnbikerdude87]

We stayed around during the raffel. We were off by one number at some of the callings. Lots of swag being tossed around. Now time to get ready for XC race tomorrow....

-the long fireroad climb home
-mtbr booth

[mtnbikerdude87]

We stayed around during the raffel. We were off by one number at some of the callings. Lots of swag being tossed around. Now time to get ready for XC race tomorrow....

-the long fireroad climb home
-mtbr booth

[Quasi]

Originally Posted by onebikerchick

Did I miss the shout out somewhere else? Hmmm...CHUMMMM...???

Lemmeejusssay...hubby and I went into this thing thinking it would be a 5 hour toodle thru very familiar fire roads w/ a bit o' favorite single track thrown in for flavor.

Ha!

Nine hours and twenty minutes later (yes, you read that right), we're limping across the finish line!

Holy crap. I would REALLY like to meet the Sadistic Ba$stard who designed this course. Mucho unrideable sand traps and mud pits ate big chunks into our time with hike-a-bike treks (not to mention the antient nature of these riders). And when we weren't hefting a bike thru gunk, we were either grinding our way up a technical wall or white-knuckling a gnarly descent.

Okay, okay. In all fairness the Sadistic Ba$tard did throw down some AMAZING single track threading thru thick forests of oak trees (as well as PO) which dumped you onto a green, green field dotted with purple lupins - scenting the air. We rode thru a thicket of sheep waiting their turn to be sheared. We came upon a youngin' who'd just ate it and had a knee approaching the grapefruit size. Not to mention all the cool, cool folks who volunteered to make it possible for us hackers.

It was about mile 47 that I finally realized we were gonna DO it! Hot damn! After more than 8 hours of doubting our ability, this was like turning the horse toward the stable. This was possible and nothin' was gonna stop me from hitting the finish line! We were stalled for a bit by the dude LAYING on the road half way up the climb out. Had to make sure he wasn't in need of my very rusty CPR moves. Dude answered all the questions correctly - name, day, place - so we hauled our sorry butts out and onto the Laguna Seca track and down to the FINISH LINE!

Last year we ran the Big Sur Marathon and there is no doubt that this was WAY harder than that little romp up the coast.

You may reconsider your decision to go on the ride when the itching starts to kick in. It took a day or two for me after some riding at Fort Ord. And I only had a small spot of PO. PO is evil. Good luck.

[Trevor!]

Thanks for posting. Look forward to seeing lots more pics.

[Trevor!]

Thanks for posting. Look forward to seeing lots more pics.

[donkekus]

Nice.

Keep em coming!

[donkekus]

Nice.

Keep em coming!

[Pyramid]

Here's a few more-

The fellow's Titus was pretty slick, precisely matched red components nicely offset the gold of the frame.

After that is the new SC "all mountain frame" Comes in two flavors, "White" and "Psychadelic Mercury Pool"

[Pyramid]

Here's a few more-

The fellow's Titus was pretty slick, precisely matched red components nicely offset the gold of the frame.

After that is the new SC "all mountain frame" Comes in two flavors, "White" and "Psychadelic Mercury Pool"

[Daner]

Posted a few shots of my own from the marketplace:

http://homepage.mac.com/drt/NAFlyers/PhotoAlbum94.html

[Daner]

Posted a few shots of my own from the marketplace:

http://homepage.mac.com/drt/NAFlyers/PhotoAlbum94.html

[wg]

OK, so its my first time attending this shing-ding. wudda fun time.
Did the day trip on Saturday. Way too much fun wandering the expo, chatting with vendors. Taking time to talk with Titus about my rig, having Fox take a quick look at my ailing rear shock. Its going to Push in the next day or so based on Fox's recommendation. Any who....

Random observations:
The Sea Otter is a blast. Spent some volunteer time at the MTBR both, caught Stage 3 of the XC Short Track and a little bit of the Dual Slolom.races.
Happened to wander into the Subaru booth to check out their new SUV thing-a-ma-jig and got invited to partake in their buffet. Sweet. While there, Gary Fisher (if you don't know the name... dig it up) is there too, hanging with the crowd.
Working the booth was fun. Chat with some MTBR folks I haven't seen in a while or met.

First set of shots:

The MTBR Booth
Characters
If you take a picture I will kill you.
Nice Seven.
Close up

[wg]

OK, so its my first time attending this shing-ding. wudda fun time.
Did the day trip on Saturday. Way too much fun wandering the expo, chatting with vendors. Taking time to talk with Titus about my rig, having Fox take a quick look at my ailing rear shock. Its going to Push in the next day or so based on Fox's recommendation. Any who....

Random observations:
The Sea Otter is a blast. Spent some volunteer time at the MTBR both, caught Stage 3 of the XC Short Track and a little bit of the Dual Slolom.races.
Happened to wander into the Subaru booth to check out their new SUV thing-a-ma-jig and got invited to partake in their buffet. Sweet. While there, Gary Fisher (if you don't know the name... dig it up) is there too, hanging with the crowd.
Working the booth was fun. Chat with some MTBR folks I haven't seen in a while or met.

First set of shots:

The MTBR Booth
Characters
If you take a picture I will kill you.
Nice Seven.
Close up

[wg]

Actually caught a little racing.


Pic 1- View of the Peleton coming down. There was roadie action too. Very cool when the Peleton hammers by. The speed is an awesome thing to watch.
Pic 2 - Saw Stage 3 of the Short Track XC. This is the start action
Pic3 - Geoff Kabush tried damn hard but was nailed at the end.
Pic 4 & 5 - Action (Guy in the last pic was having a blast). One thing I noticed as they hammered by was the silence of the bikes. Not a squeak, rattle or much of anything else. Just rubber on dirt. Very cool.

[wg]

Actually caught a little racing.


Pic 1- View of the Peleton coming down. There was roadie action too. Very cool when the Peleton hammers by. The speed is an awesome thing to watch.
Pic 2 - Saw Stage 3 of the Short Track XC. This is the start action
Pic3 - Geoff Kabush tried damn hard but was nailed at the end.
Pic 4 & 5 - Action (Guy in the last pic was having a blast). One thing I noticed as they hammered by was the silence of the bikes. Not a squeak, rattle or much of anything else. Just rubber on dirt. Very cool.

[francois]

Sea Otter is done. It was the finest Otter for mtbr yet. We gave away about $10k worth of product. Gregg ran the booth with Derek and an army of about 30 Passion volunteers. We rode, we laughed, we raced.

Some highlights:
- I met most of the Passionites and remembered most of their names.
- Our newest employee, MattM, has only been riding for two months but he did the 55 mile epic mtb ride and finished it before it finished him. 9.5 hours, 7000 foot climb.
- Gregg rode the 55 mile epic and raced XC.
- Andy aka Rut was the finest raffle MC ever!
- Padre finished first in Clydesdale XC
- 1x1 girl race against Marla Streb in women's singlespeed expert/pro race.
- my next-door neighbor, Jill McLaughlin started racing Cat 5 road women's last year. This weekend, she raced the Cat 1 stage race and placed 30th against the best women roadies in the country.
- Forrest of mtbr who got 99% of the raffle prizes raced Downhill Pro and placed 36th out of a strong international field of 74.
- I raced the road course and got 18nth out of 90 in Cat 5. I also raced my cruiser with a rigid fork (with the #$% brakes dragging) and got 32nd out of a big strong singlespeed field.
- wife and kids and nephews were there and they had a blast.


Sea Otter 2005... Boring Dad!


Comic relief. Shiggy and Andy aka Rut


Werner (Wg), Larry, Andy


Collette (impy)


Eric (Rumpfy) - the moderator extraordinaire of mtbr organized a gathering of vintage bike owners


John(goloso) and the two hotties!


Frank Scurlock who donated a ton of Rocky bike mounts, Gregg, and John



Larry, Chris (owner of Niner bikes), Jim and Werner. showing off the small Niner bike. More on this bike later.


George da Trog was the fine MC on day 1. He had to face the cops later that evening about his illegal gambling event.


Andy and Me sporting the mtbr dickies shirts


Brett Hahn, the nicest guy from Conti tires showing some style.


Jeff Zell from Panaracer


Andy again!


Sherwood and his new Ventana 29er full-suspension rig


Kenny Roberts of DT Swiss dropped the internals of this hub about 5 times while showing it to me!


Miguel and Kevin manning the mtbr booth

[francois]

Sea Otter is done. It was the finest Otter for mtbr yet. We gave away about $10k worth of product. Gregg ran the booth with Derek and an army of about 30 Passion volunteers. We rode, we laughed, we raced.

Some highlights:
- I met most of the Passionites and remembered most of their names.
- Our newest employee, MattM, has only been riding for two months but he did the 55 mile epic mtb ride and finished it before it finished him. 9.5 hours, 7000 foot climb.
- Gregg rode the 55 mile epic and raced XC.
- Andy aka Rut was the finest raffle MC ever!
- Padre finished first in Clydesdale XC
- 1x1 girl race against Marla Streb in women's singlespeed expert/pro race.
- my next-door neighbor, Jill McLaughlin started racing Cat 5 road women's last year. This weekend, she raced the Cat 1 stage race and placed 30th against the best women roadies in the country.
- Forrest of mtbr who got 99% of the raffle prizes raced Downhill Pro and placed 36th out of a strong international field of 74.
- I raced the road course and got 18nth out of 90 in Cat 5. I also raced my cruiser with a rigid fork (with the #$% brakes dragging) and got 32nd out of a big strong singlespeed field.
- wife and kids and nephews were there and they had a blast.


Sea Otter 2005... Boring Dad!


Comic relief. Shiggy and Andy aka Rut


Werner (Wg), Larry, Andy


Collette (impy)


Eric (Rumpfy) - the moderator extraordinaire of mtbr organized a gathering of vintage bike owners


John(goloso) and the two hotties!


Frank Scurlock who donated a ton of Rocky bike mounts, Gregg, and John



Larry, Chris (owner of Niner bikes), Jim and Werner. showing off the small Niner bike. More on this bike later.


George da Trog was the fine MC on day 1. He had to face the cops later that evening about his illegal gambling event.


Andy and Me sporting the mtbr dickies shirts


Brett Hahn, the nicest guy from Conti tires showing some style.


Jeff Zell from Panaracer


Andy again!


Sherwood and his new Ventana 29er full-suspension rig


Kenny Roberts of DT Swiss dropped the internals of this hub about 5 times while showing it to me!


Miguel and Kevin manning the mtbr booth

[wg]

PT3

Pic 1 - Team Koan must have a mininimum height requirement. All of them were damn tall but this guy was 6.7"
Pic 2 - Seen at the Dual Slolom...new ride for Fast Eddie?
Pic 3 - Smith's car; Now that's the way to do a limo.

[wg]

PT3

Pic 1 - Team Koan must have a mininimum height requirement. All of them were damn tall but this guy was 6.7"
Pic 2 - Seen at the Dual Slolom...new ride for Fast Eddie?
Pic 3 - Smith's car; Now that's the way to do a limo.

[Trevor!]

I think the Specialized rider in the 2nd last image is my buddy Sid. Hard to tell, but looks like he's hammering it.

[Trevor!]

I think the Specialized rider in the 2nd last image is my buddy Sid. Hard to tell, but looks like he's hammering it.

[Trevor!]

Francois the kids look knocked out. They must have had a great day or just been bored out of their brains.

Cute.

[Trevor!]

Francois the kids look knocked out. They must have had a great day or just been bored out of their brains.

Cute.

[wg]

MTBR Raffle. Lots of awesome swag with Swag Meister duties going to Herr Rut (AKA Andy). Everything from T-shirts to roof racks to a nice Fox Vanilla RLC to a Jericho frame. Lots of action and excitement.

Let the Raffle Pics and booth shots speak for themselves

1 - Meister MC - Andy worked the crowd. Correct answers to pop quizes on MTBR lore (or whatever happened to cross his mind) scored swag for the audience.

2 - Otto of the OTB Mountain Biking Club from LA scored.

3 - Some people were so entranced by the whole thing they forgot about their bikes until after the booths were taken down.....

4 - Some guy who runs a web site lurking at the fringes of the give away.

5- I want Candy... Ti that is. It was also her birthday so in addition to winning the Candy Ti pedals..... the group sang the lucky winner Happy B-Day in fine fashion.

[wg]

MTBR Raffle. Lots of awesome swag with Swag Meister duties going to Herr Rut (AKA Andy). Everything from T-shirts to roof racks to a nice Fox Vanilla RLC to a Jericho frame. Lots of action and excitement.

Let the Raffle Pics and booth shots speak for themselves

1 - Meister MC - Andy worked the crowd. Correct answers to pop quizes on MTBR lore (or whatever happened to cross his mind) scored swag for the audience.

2 - Otto of the OTB Mountain Biking Club from LA scored.

3 - Some people were so entranced by the whole thing they forgot about their bikes until after the booths were taken down.....

4 - Some guy who runs a web site lurking at the fringes of the give away.

5- I want Candy... Ti that is. It was also her birthday so in addition to winning the Candy Ti pedals..... the group sang the lucky winner Happy B-Day in fine fashion.

[wg]

1- Winner of DTSwiss Freeride rims: Also a Bronze in the Downhill race earlier in the day. Not Bad.

2- Hollywood has some nice camo roof racks to hide on his car.

3- Vanna Rut in showing the goods

4- We have annuda winna. This shock will be put to good use with this guy.

[wg]

1- Winner of DTSwiss Freeride rims: Also a Bronze in the Downhill race earlier in the day. Not Bad.

2- Hollywood has some nice camo roof racks to hide on his car.

3- Vanna Rut in showing the goods

4- We have annuda winna. This shock will be put to good use with this guy.

[wg]

1- The Jericho frame had to be earned with, umm, "talent". Singing for a frame was the theme of the afternoon.

2- Shiggy delighted with a Singlespeed ditty.

3- But these 3 were the finalists... "The Worm", Pink Hat who belted out some tunes, and the Kid who sang Eagles and Steve Miller.

4- Da Winna. Hope its put to good use!

[wg]

1- The Jericho frame had to be earned with, umm, "talent". Singing for a frame was the theme of the afternoon.

2- Shiggy delighted with a Singlespeed ditty.

3- But these 3 were the finalists... "The Worm", Pink Hat who belted out some tunes, and the Kid who sang Eagles and Steve Miller.

4- Da Winna. Hope its put to good use!

[wg]

Campground:

1- George-da-Trog works on recovering a bike that wandered up into the trees. (For perspecitve, he's 6'4")
2- Another shot of the bear safe bike.
3- Sumo bike safety warning..... Unfortunately the event petered out due to lack of attendees.
4- Night time at the Expo... Stars are out, time to stumble out.

Long day. Great day. Good times. Good friends.

Werner

[wg]

Campground:

1- George-da-Trog works on recovering a bike that wandered up into the trees. (For perspecitve, he's 6'4")
2- Another shot of the bear safe bike.
3- Sumo bike safety warning..... Unfortunately the event petered out due to lack of attendees.
4- Night time at the Expo... Stars are out, time to stumble out.

Long day. Great day. Good times. Good friends.

Werner

[francois]

The Saturday raffle was off the hook!!!!!!!! It featured a huge crowd, a $1400 Jericho frame and a talent show for the ages.


Click on image to enlarge.





Greg Patrick Gardner waiting out the raffle by the lake. Here's his brand new line of finely fillet-brazed bikes. This one features brown glitter powdercoat and 29 inch wheels.


Booth babes



Free Crank Brothers Ti Candy pedals and a birthday song


http://mtbr.com/author/photos/otter/mvi_1848.avi





Josh Ogle of Jericho donated a $1400 frame and instigated the idea of a talent competition for the frame. About a dozen entered with hidden talent.


Andy presenting the Ultimate Truing stand


Miguel and Troy from Fruita mixing it up after the raffle. Do not forget the Fruita Fat Tire Festival on April 29 - May 7. Mtbr will be there with a busload of delinquents.


http://mtbr.com/author/photos/otter/mvi_1846.avi

francois

[francois]

The Saturday raffle was off the hook!!!!!!!! It featured a huge crowd, a $1400 Jericho frame and a talent show for the ages.


Click on image to enlarge.






Greg Patrick Gardner waiting out the raffle by the lake. Here's his brand new line of finely fillet-brazed bikes. This one features brown glitter powdercoat and 29 inch wheels.


Booth babes



Free Crank Brothers Ti Candy pedals and a birthday song



Birthday song video





Josh Ogle of Jericho donated a $1400 frame and instigated the idea of a talent competition for the frame. About a dozen entered with hidden talent.


Andy presenting the Ultimate Truing stand


Miguel and Troy from Fruita mixing it up after the raffle. Do not forget the Fruita Fat Tire Festival on April 29 - May 7. Mtbr will be there with a busload of delinquents.


Hell yeah video

francois

[Guital2]

Wow Niner Bikes Are Sexy!!!!!

[Guital2]

Wow Niner Bikes Are Sexy!!!!!

[AZ Mikey]

Originally Posted by wg

Pic 1 - Team Koan must have a mininimum height requirement. All of them were damn tall but this guy was 6.7"

Nice work Werner, thanks for the pics. I saw that guys bike when the Kona demo guys were at South Mtn a few weeks ago. It was ridiculously big to this short guy.

[AZ Mikey]

Originally Posted by wg

Pic 1 - Team Koan must have a mininimum height requirement. All of them were damn tall but this guy was 6.7"

Nice work Werner, thanks for the pics. I saw that guys bike when the Kona demo guys were at South Mtn a few weeks ago. It was ridiculously big to this short guy.

[Dan'ger]

Originally Posted by wg

4- Da Winna. Hope its put to good use!

So, this kid walks up to me while I'm at the Jericho booth, surrounded by Jericho bikes and wearing a Jericho vest. I ask him what he had to do to win the frame as I went to relieve Josh and missed the talent show. He replies in one full sentence: I sang a song, do you want to buy it from me?

[Dan'ger]

Originally Posted by wg

4- Da Winna. Hope its put to good use!

So, this kid walks up to me while I'm at the Jericho booth, surrounded by Jericho bikes and wearing a Jericho vest. I ask him what he had to do to win the frame as I went to relieve Josh and missed the talent show. He replies in one full sentence: I sang a song, do you want to buy it from me?

[george_da_trog]

Originally Posted by wg

Campground:

1- George-da-Trog works on recovering a bike that wandered up into the trees. (For perspecitve, he's 6'4")

6'5"... There was some payback for that little stunt. Two other bikes ended up in the that tree on Sunday.

george

[george_da_trog]

Originally Posted by wg

Campground:

1- George-da-Trog works on recovering a bike that wandered up into the trees. (For perspecitve, he's 6'4")

6'5"... There was some payback for that little stunt. Two other bikes ended up in the that tree on Sunday.

george

[wg]

Feck.
Next year the big prize winner should be able to identify the part and then describe why they would be the best person to win it. Some how ensuring the prize is put to use. (Personally I thought the lady in the pink hat did a better job and would have built it up)

[wg]

Feck.
Next year the big prize winner should be able to identify the part and then describe why they would be the best person to win it. Some how ensuring the prize is put to use. (Personally I thought the lady in the pink hat did a better job and would have built it up)

[zorg]

That was my first race (ever...) and I figured I'd share few highlights of the XC race I was in.

1) Right after we get off the Laguna Seca track, at the start, we go down this hill with a nice mudpit at the bottom. Everybody singlefiles to skirt around both sides, except for one guy who tried to go through it. Well, he didn't. Nice wipeout though!

2) 1mile into the race at the end of the fireroad climb, you turn left and down into the first singletrack (quite fun). As I go down, I look to my left, and a guy is sitting there, his face bloody, and somebody helping him. Man, wiping out that bad right at the beginning got to suck.

3) Bottom of that first single track, there is a short steep climb. Somebody who is 3 guys ahead of me, gets off his bike and start walking it. The guy behind it yells at him, "YOU MOTHER....". The best part is that the guy who yelled got off his bike about 15 yards later and started walking the climb. I really should have said something to him!!

3) Mile 13, somewhere in a climb. A guy stops halfway up and loses his breakfast, and it was not on hurl hill either.

4) Somewhere around a turn, a guy is taking a leak in the bushes, still on his bike. Funny.

5) The grind, 2.5 miles of pain. I willed my way up it counting down the 10th of a mile, while guys were blowing by climbing at speeds which I thought were reserved for flat lands. Mighty impressive.

6) The finish: doing that half lap on Laguna Seca was great. What a relief and joy to finish (even 94th ) on such a great track.

Can't wait for next year.

[zorg]

That was my first race (ever...) and I figured I'd share few highlights of the XC race I was in.

1) Right after we get off the Laguna Seca track, at the start, we go down this hill with a nice mudpit at the bottom. Everybody singlefiles to skirt around both sides, except for one guy who tried to go through it. Well, he didn't. Nice wipeout though!

2) 1mile into the race at the end of the fireroad climb, you turn left and down into the first singletrack (quite fun). As I go down, I look to my left, and a guy is sitting there, his face bloody, and somebody helping him. Man, wiping out that bad right at the beginning got to suck.

3) Bottom of that first single track, there is a short steep climb. Somebody who is 3 guys ahead of me, gets off his bike and start walking it. The guy behind it yells at him, "YOU MOTHER....". The best part is that the guy who yelled got off his bike about 15 yards later and started walking the climb. I really should have said something to him!!

3) Mile 13, somewhere in a climb. A guy stops halfway up and loses his breakfast, and it was not on hurl hill either.

4) Somewhere around a turn, a guy is taking a leak in the bushes, still on his bike. Funny.

5) The grind, 2.5 miles of pain. I willed my way up it counting down the 10th of a mile, while guys were blowing by climbing at speeds which I thought were reserved for flat lands. Mighty impressive.

6) The finish: doing that half lap on Laguna Seca was great. What a relief and joy to finish (even 94th ) on such a great track.

Can't wait for next year.

[brianc]

I happened to be out in Cali the week after Sea Otter, so instead of flying on a sunday, I came out early so I could drive up and see what the big race was all about. My weekend started out hanging out at the MTBR Booth. Which was lots of fun. It was great to finnally meet some of the people behind the veil of corporate MTBR. I wish I could have hung out more, but once I started taking pictures it was hard to get me to stop.

PJ, I had a blast and learned a lot.

Here are two teaser pictures from the nearly 600 I took in 1.5 days of MTB action.

1. Expert Short Track.

2. Dual Slalom.

[brianc]

I happened to be out in Cali the week after Sea Otter, so instead of flying on a sunday, I came out early so I could drive up and see what the big race was all about. My weekend started out hanging out at the MTBR Booth. Which was lots of fun. It was great to finnally meet some of the people behind the veil of corporate MTBR. I wish I could have hung out more, but once I started taking pictures it was hard to get me to stop.

PJ, I had a blast and learned a lot.

Here are two teaser pictures from the nearly 600 I took in 1.5 days of MTB action.

1. Expert Short Track.

2. Dual Slalom.

[mtbbrian]

Good Stuff Brian!
Glad you got to a "big event"
Did you have a media pass?
Brian
Ride On!

[mtbbrian]

Good Stuff Brian!
Glad you got to a "big event"
Did you have a media pass?
Brian
Ride On!

[francois]

Originally Posted by Guital2

Wow Niner Bikes Are Sexy!!!!!

I rode this for a lap at the Sea Otter Course. All I can say right now is wow. I'll do a detailed review later and post more pics of this bike. I've ridden this course maybe 50 times over the last 5 years on FS, hardtails and singlespeed bikes and this was the best lap ever. It seemed so easy to pedal on the hills and so smooth over the famous Sea Otter stutter bumps.



Also, the owners Chris and Steve are nicest guys around.

francois

[francois]

Originally Posted by Guital2

Wow Niner Bikes Are Sexy!!!!!

I rode this for a lap at the Sea Otter Course. All I can say right now is wow. I'll do a detailed review later and post more pics of this bike. I've ridden this course maybe 50 times over the last 5 years on FS, hardtails and singlespeed bikes and this was the best lap ever. It seemed so easy to pedal on the hills and so smooth over the famous Sea Otter stutter bumps.



Also, the owners Chris and Steve are nicest guys around.

francois

[carbnjunkie]

It was hard to convince people of the free raffle! geez, I started calling them non-enthusiasts... so much dope stuff!

[carbnjunkie]

It was hard to convince people of the free raffle! geez, I started calling them non-enthusiasts... so much dope stuff!

[francois]

Originally Posted by Pyramid

Here's a few more-

The fellow's Titus was pretty slick, precisely matched red components nicely offset the gold of the frame.

After that is the new SC "all mountain frame" Comes in two flavors, "White" and "Psychadelic Mercury Pool"

This guy with the Titus won the frame last year from Slartbarfast's Roaring Mouse 'hang on to the bike" giveaway last year at Sea Otter. Whoever could hold on to the bike for 3 days last year won the bike. It came down to a bike toss between three people and this boy had big shoulders.

Btw, Chris Lane aka Slartibartfast aka Mr. Roaring Mouse, aka Mr. broken leg for two years is healthy and raced mtb on Sunday!!!!

francois

[francois]

Originally Posted by Pyramid

Here's a few more-

The fellow's Titus was pretty slick, precisely matched red components nicely offset the gold of the frame.

After that is the new SC "all mountain frame" Comes in two flavors, "White" and "Psychadelic Mercury Pool"

This guy with the Titus won the frame last year from Slartbarfast's Roaring Mouse 'hang on to the bike" giveaway last year at Sea Otter. Whoever could hold on to the bike for 3 days last year won the bike. It came down to a bike toss between three people and this boy had big shoulders.

Btw, Chris Lane aka Slartibartfast aka Mr. Roaring Mouse, aka Mr. broken leg for two years is healthy and raced mtb on Sunday!!!!

francois

[CraigH]

Larry Yien's Friday 2005 Sea Otter post

[wg]

I hunted down their booth and played around a bit on a medium. Too small for me but it felt great. Nice handling, very light weight (22.68 lbs). I came real close to pulling the trigger right then and there on a new toy.

[wg]

I hunted down their booth and played around a bit on a medium. Too small for me but it felt great. Nice handling, very light weight (22.68 lbs). I came real close to pulling the trigger right then and there on a new toy.

[CraigH]

Temporary Link to Top of the Sea Otter Thread

(I was merging other Sea Otter threads with this main sticky one and I've messed up something in the database. Sorry about that. Hopefully will be corrected shortly.)

[CraigH]

Temporary Link to Top of the Sea Otter Thread

(I was merging other Sea Otter threads with this main sticky one and I've messed up something in the database. Sorry about that. Hopefully will be corrected shortly.)

[mtnbikerdude87]

It was an awesome time!!! My first year at the event and I loved it. Nice meeting most of you guys out there. The race was great, my first race with a lot of people in it. I ended with 9th place out of 28 guys. Hoping to do it again next year!

BTW carbnjunkie, howd you do in your race. You were pushing it on that last uphill grind. Way to go!! Oh yeah where's my beer.

[mtnbikerdude87]

It was an awesome time!!! My first year at the event and I loved it. Nice meeting most of you guys out there. The race was great, my first race with a lot of people in it. I ended with 9th place out of 28 guys. Hoping to do it again next year!

BTW carbnjunkie, howd you do in your race. You were pushing it on that last uphill grind. Way to go!! Oh yeah where's my beer.

[bustamove]

I was out there on Thursday with Gregg, El Saltamontes (Raymond), Joe Steel, Matt (MTBR newcomer) and 80+ riders for the SOC mtb epic ride. There was some amazing new singletrack on all types of terrain. Aside from the sand traps and huge mud bogs I had a blast blazing on the trails, fire roads and even a little bit of pavement. Thank goodness I don't have any reaction to poison oak, yet.

One section of trail climbed to the top of a mesa and the terrain was very reminiscent of Utah. Only the sight of the Pacific Ocean reminded that I was still in Cali. Another section of the ride put us on the saddle of a high ridge and gave us spectacular views of Monterey, Salinas and the deep blue Pacific.

I am glad you made it in before the cutoff time. I heard there were motocross riders doing "sweeps" so that everyone could make it back to Laguna Seca safely. It was Matt's first epic ride and he managed to beat the cutoff with a ride time of 9 hours and 15 minutes.

[bustamove]

I was out there on Thursday with Gregg, El Saltamontes (Raymond), Joe Steel, Matt (MTBR newcomer) and 80+ riders for the SOC mtb epic ride. There was some amazing new singletrack on all types of terrain. Aside from the sand traps and huge mud bogs I had a blast blazing on the trails, fire roads and even a little bit of pavement. Thank goodness I don't have any reaction to poison oak, yet.

One section of trail climbed to the top of a mesa and the terrain was very reminiscent of Utah. Only the sight of the Pacific Ocean reminded that I was still in Cali. Another section of the ride put us on the saddle of a high ridge and gave us spectacular views of Monterey, Salinas and the deep blue Pacific.

I am glad you made it in before the cutoff time. I heard there were motocross riders doing "sweeps" so that everyone could make it back to Laguna Seca safely. It was Matt's first epic ride and he managed to beat the cutoff with a ride time of 9 hours and 15 minutes.

[CHUM]

Originally Posted by onebikerchick

Did I miss the shout out somewhere else? Hmmm...CHUMMMM...???

Good riding with you and your signifigant other . Had a blast, and what a sweeeeet ride.

I also thought I was gonna finish much quicker - but the d@mn sand and amount of successive climbs held me back. Hell, I'm just happy I finished. I'll admit I was good until about mile 40 - and then it was ugly until the last 4 or 5 miles

Also it was great seeing Dan'ger & Impy on the last little bit of climb out to the finish.
Met some new folks, had a great experience and I'm definately doing this again next year

Kinda funny... I ran into the same guy laying on the fire road climb out. Stayed with him a while to make sure he was OK. He really was not in a good place - total and complete BONK

[carbnjunkie]

hey mtnbikerdude87!

yah, my friends motivated me! (One of the guys cheering was in the 19-24 class, so he finished the race, and came back to the hill...i felt sooo slow!!!!)

So how did you endo on that last part?? I didnt fare to well, 2 hrs 22 minutes. man!!! I'll get you a beer of course, you show me the SART trail proper right? (or we can do chino east fennce line when the POS opens up again)

[carbnjunkie]

hey mtnbikerdude87!

yah, my friends motivated me! (One of the guys cheering was in the 19-24 class, so he finished the race, and came back to the hill...i felt sooo slow!!!!)

So how did you endo on that last part?? I didnt fare to well, 2 hrs 22 minutes. man!!! I'll get you a beer of course, you show me the SART trail proper right? (or we can do chino east fennce line when the POS opens up again)

[mtnbikerdude87]

Originally Posted by carbnjunkie

hey mtnbikerdude87!

yah, my friends motivated me! (One of the guys cheering was in the 19-24 class, so he finished the race, and came back to the hill...i felt sooo slow!!!!)

So how did you endo on that last part?? I didnt fare to well, 2 hrs 22 minutes. man!!! I'll get you a beer of course, you show me the SART trail proper right? (or we can do chino east fennce line when the POS opens up again)

haha yeah but at least you finished it!

I dont know what happend at that gravel-y part. The front end just slipped and I was on the ground. I think I was trying to catch up with another guy in my class. The tires I was runnning (Schwalbe RR) were rolling fast but it didnt have enough traction on the corners. Could've been that too. Had a couple close calls earlier in the race.

We'll do SART probably in the summertime. CHSP sounds fun aslo, havent done that in months. Ill send you a PM.

[mtnbikerdude87]

Originally Posted by carbnjunkie

hey mtnbikerdude87!

yah, my friends motivated me! (One of the guys cheering was in the 19-24 class, so he finished the race, and came back to the hill...i felt sooo slow!!!!)

So how did you endo on that last part?? I didnt fare to well, 2 hrs 22 minutes. man!!! I'll get you a beer of course, you show me the SART trail proper right? (or we can do chino east fennce line when the POS opens up again)

haha yeah but at least you finished it!

I dont know what happend at that gravel-y part. The front end just slipped and I was on the ground. I think I was trying to catch up with another guy in my class. The tires I was runnning (Schwalbe RR) were rolling fast but it didnt have enough traction on the corners. Could've been that too. Had a couple close calls earlier in the race.

We'll do SART probably in the summertime. CHSP sounds fun aslo, havent done that in months. Ill send you a PM.

[Pyramid]

Originally Posted by Dan'ger

So, this kid walks up to me while I'm at the Jericho booth, surrounded by Jericho bikes and wearing a Jericho vest. I ask him what he had to do to win the frame as I went to relieve Josh and missed the talent show. He replies in one full sentence: I sang a song, do you want to buy it from me?

For the talent show, I did a horrendus showboating interpretation of what Elvis would sound like were he extremely intoxicated, trying to sing on a folding chair after being hit in the head with a two-by-four. I wanted the frame so badly I couldn't think of anything creative to do.

I briefly considered saying a poem about how beautiful the frame was and how I would build it up proudly, but I could tell that the crowd was going for the "make an ass out of yourself and we'll applaud" angle, so I thought that maybe if I tipped the chair over and fell on my face, I would win sympathy points.

In the end, I was certainly no more talented than the fellow who won, but I guarantee I wanted it more. I heard the little punk walking around saying things like "Could I put my Marz downhill fork on it?" After Josh bluntly told the kid that it would probably be better served as a XC bike, the kid had the audacity to walk around randomly asking people if they wanted to buy it off him cheap. I only had 200$ in cash, and he had just asked Josh what it retailed for so he didn't accept it. I am not a violent man, and I certainly don't mind people proving they can sing better, but that kid was really testing my patience. In the end I decided to quietly leave before I snapped and started wailing on him

Maybe it will be on Ebay soon? I know I'll be watching!

[Pyramid]

Originally Posted by Dan'ger

So, this kid walks up to me while I'm at the Jericho booth, surrounded by Jericho bikes and wearing a Jericho vest. I ask him what he had to do to win the frame as I went to relieve Josh and missed the talent show. He replies in one full sentence: I sang a song, do you want to buy it from me?

For the talent show, I did a horrendus showboating interpretation of what Elvis would sound like were he extremely intoxicated, trying to sing on a folding chair after being hit in the head with a two-by-four. I wanted the frame so badly I couldn't think of anything creative to do.

I briefly considered saying a poem about how beautiful the frame was and how I would build it up proudly, but I could tell that the crowd was going for the "make an ass out of yourself and we'll applaud" angle, so I thought that maybe if I tipped the chair over and fell on my face, I would win sympathy points.

In the end, I was certainly no more talented than the fellow who won, but I guarantee I wanted it more. I heard the little punk walking around saying things like "Could I put my Marz downhill fork on it?" After Josh bluntly told the kid that it would probably be better served as a XC bike, the kid had the audacity to walk around randomly asking people if they wanted to buy it off him cheap. I only had 200$ in cash, and he had just asked Josh what it retailed for so he didn't accept it. I am not a violent man, and I certainly don't mind people proving they can sing better, but that kid was really testing my patience. In the end I decided to quietly leave before I snapped and started wailing on him

Maybe it will be on Ebay soon? I know I'll be watching!

[STrackMike]

Originally Posted by Dan'ger

He replies in one full sentence: I sang a song, do you want to buy it from me?

Yer focking kidding me!

[STrackMike]

Originally Posted by Dan'ger

He replies in one full sentence: I sang a song, do you want to buy it from me?

Yer focking kidding me!

[haggisus]

A brief outline of my experience on Thursday's Epic

The first ~10 miles were awesome - the XC course without much traffic - apart from an early misread of the signage which put on an extra half mile and got us all back into the "bunch" Great fun on great tracks, especially the tight stuff down to the lake.

The second 10 miles had a couple of mega (walking) climbs - in soft sand. I was convinced I had a puncture or my brakes were binding, the sand was just dragging me backwards! Retain momentum mode.

First cramps started at mile 25 - oh $h1T - signs of things to come! Zombie Mode!

Mile 30 - 40 definitely taught me how to ride better in sand - some seriously soft stuff. Survival mode.

Mile 40 - 50 had great tracks, some really nice flowing technicals - but I was to knacked to enjoy it - no catching air like in the first 10miles.

Last 5 miles - just a huge drag up open loose surfaced road - it's the end of the XC course too - except just to put a final kicker, a detour back DOWNHILL from what was the high point and an expected entrance to Laguna Seca. I AM going to make it mode.

A wee bit of a disappointment that there was no "finish" (that I could find!) - just cycle back to the car park - I must say that was a bit of a let down after ~54 miles and six&half hours (all but 20 mins in the saddle - ouch)

Now I'm back getting the legs spinning in Annadel again but with a tender rear, very strange sunburn and grinding paste in the brakes and drivetrain.

What an excellent way to spend a day!

[haggisus]

A brief outline of my experience on Thursday's Epic

The first ~10 miles were awesome - the XC course without much traffic - apart from an early misread of the signage which put on an extra half mile and got us all back into the "bunch" Great fun on great tracks, especially the tight stuff down to the lake.

The second 10 miles had a couple of mega (walking) climbs - in soft sand. I was convinced I had a puncture or my brakes were binding, the sand was just dragging me backwards! Retain momentum mode.

First cramps started at mile 25 - oh $h1T - signs of things to come! Zombie Mode!

Mile 30 - 40 definitely taught me how to ride better in sand - some seriously soft stuff. Survival mode.

Mile 40 - 50 had great tracks, some really nice flowing technicals - but I was to knacked to enjoy it - no catching air like in the first 10miles.

Last 5 miles - just a huge drag up open loose surfaced road - it's the end of the XC course too - except just to put a final kicker, a detour back DOWNHILL from what was the high point and an expected entrance to Laguna Seca. I AM going to make it mode.

A wee bit of a disappointment that there was no "finish" (that I could find!) - just cycle back to the car park - I must say that was a bit of a let down after ~54 miles and six&half hours (all but 20 mins in the saddle - ouch)

Now I'm back getting the legs spinning in Annadel again but with a tender rear, very strange sunburn and grinding paste in the brakes and drivetrain.

What an excellent way to spend a day!

[shiggy]

I just arrived home 30 minutes ago. Will get pics and reports up here and across the boards tonight or tomorrow.

Great to have nice weather down there for a change. I started and finished my round trip in snow, rain and hail.

Fun seeing everyone and riding. I was so busy with the tire people (lots of new tires for the sight!) the only racing I saw was the one I was in.

[shiggy]

I just arrived home 30 minutes ago. Will get pics and reports up here and across the boards tonight or tomorrow.

Great to have nice weather down there for a change. I started and finished my round trip in snow, rain and hail.

Fun seeing everyone and riding. I was so busy with the tire people (lots of new tires for the sight!) the only racing I saw was the one I was in.

[shiggy]

Originally Posted by zorg

...1) Right after we get off the Laguna Seca track, at the start, we go down this hill with a nice mudpit at the bottom. Everybody singlefiles to skirt around both sides, except for one guy who tried to go through it. Well, he didn't. Nice wipeout though! ...

What a rookie! I went straight through that mud hole (and every other one on the course) and passed at least a dozen riders.

Glad you had fun in your first race.

[shiggy]

Originally Posted by zorg

...1) Right after we get off the Laguna Seca track, at the start, we go down this hill with a nice mudpit at the bottom. Everybody singlefiles to skirt around both sides, except for one guy who tried to go through it. Well, he didn't. Nice wipeout though! ...

What a rookie! I went straight through that mud hole (and every other one on the course) and passed at least a dozen riders.

Glad you had fun in your first race.

[ssmike]

Originally Posted by shiggy

What a rookie! I went straight through that mud hole (and every other one on the course) and passed at least a dozen riders.

Glad you had fun in your first race.

You know, I saw that line of riders picking their way (slowly) on the left side of that mud pit and thought, what the heck, I'm taking the mud line - and passed a dozen or so riders. The mud line was actually a pretty good line too. Good to see you on the start line Shiggy.

[ssmike]

Originally Posted by shiggy

What a rookie! I went straight through that mud hole (and every other one on the course) and passed at least a dozen riders.

Glad you had fun in your first race.

You know, I saw that line of riders picking their way (slowly) on the left side of that mud pit and thought, what the heck, I'm taking the mud line - and passed a dozen or so riders. The mud line was actually a pretty good line too. Good to see you on the start line Shiggy.

[cr_mmurillo]

It's Matt....
Correction on my time, it was 9 hours and 12 Minutes. I've manage to beat the cut off time. That was physically the hardest thing I've ever done.

On the Epic ride, I learned how to welcome pain and never give up. Met a lot of MTBR folks and they were also nice.

In the first 10 miles, I busted up my knee on a bad fall. After the fall, I realize that the bike was on top of me. My knee was bleeding the rest of the way. After I thought the blood would clog up the bleeding, the single trail branches keeps taking the scabs off. I must have fallen about 4 times.

Over all, I had fun, and I will do it again next year.

Here are some pictures of Epic Riders and the Epic Trail.

[cr_mmurillo]

It's Matt....
Correction on my time, it was 9 hours and 12 Minutes. I've manage to beat the cut off time. That was physically the hardest thing I've ever done.

On the Epic ride, I learned how to welcome pain and never give up. Met a lot of MTBR folks and they were also nice.

In the first 10 miles, I busted up my knee on a bad fall. After the fall, I realize that the bike was on top of me. My knee was bleeding the rest of the way. After I thought the blood would clog up the bleeding, the single trail branches keeps taking the scabs off. I must have fallen about 4 times.

Over all, I had fun, and I will do it again next year.

Here are some pictures of Epic Riders and the Epic Trail.

[francois]

Post all write-ups here.

[Padre]

Originally Posted by wg

I hunted down their booth and played around a bit on a medium. Too small for me but it felt great. Nice handling, very light weight (22.68 lbs). I came real close to pulling the trigger right then and there on a new toy.

Was that YOU who messed up all the set-up on my wife's bike?
Other than having to dial the levers back, adjust the fork back, reset saddle height, adjust chain tension, there wasn't much to do....hmmpph....
Lot's of groping hands on a bike that needed to be raced 38 miles on Sunday.....
Anyway...when we weighed it on Saturday...it was 22.48....perhaps that was the bottle cage in the difference?
Her ultimate set-up on the niner will NOT include those 180mm Tru_vativ cranks... so we should be under 22lbs..not bad for a ss w/ a suspension fork.........

[wg]

Originally Posted by Padre

Was that YOU who messed up all the set-up on my wife's bike?

Didn't tweak a thing, I just wanted a general feel for the frame.

[Hollywood]

We drove up from L.A. on Thursday for 4 bike-filled days & nights. Friday was spent in the cool, dark woods of Santa Cruz with almost 30 MTBR riders. Everything from rigid SS bikes to 29"ers to big hit bikes w/armor. Kyle aka K-Max brought some amazing homebrew for post-ride, which left me off sitting in the weeds drooling and laughing at the dirt. Whew!

Friday night Kyle, Fast Eddy and I attempted to put on an alley cat street race in Monterey, We didn't get *quite* the turnout we expected, but the race went on as planned with Andy aka Rut, Captain Kana and myself taking off into the damp night searching for Eddy & Kyle's clues. Thanks to those two for all the hard work and thanks to Surly, Dirt Rag, MTBR and Cars-R-Coffins for beetchin swag!

Saturday night found a small group of us in the Penny Farthing british pub (see: Sea Otter '04), drinking beer and yes, singing karaoke. This year's choice tune was Hit Me Baby One More Time. We promptly destroyed it. Beer & Britney made me kinda horny too. Let me add that Sunday morning was not a great time to be in the housekeeping trade at the Ramada Inn in Salinas, California.

Photos!

1) cRaShMasTer Andy flies by me on his way to yet another spectacular wreck...
2) Padre's wife Leslie zooms through the woods. She placed 4th in Women's Expert SS on Sunday!
3) Mark, stumpin'.
4) Padre with mad skillz
5) Andy and Padre spot P-funk on the teeter.

[Impy]

Whoa! That is some SAND!

[Rumpfy]

Here are a few of the pictures I've got. Some are cross over from the VRC forum...

[vdubbusrider]

hey, right on! thats my birthday girl with her new pedals. thanks MTBR and crank Bros!

[Hollywood]

1) Mandy, really,really excited about Peace. (she placed 8th in her Expert Women's class BTW.)
2) Kyle, all bad with his Holga and cruiser
3) Breakdancing at the Jericho Talent Show
4) thread-starter Pyramid throws down the Elvis at the "talent" show (air quotes)
5) Padre mad-dogs me while Gregg whistles at a hottie.

more in Singlespeed

HW

[Rumpfy]

Originally Posted by Hollywood

3) Mark, stumpin'.

Does he pull it off? It's looking like endo city there...

[Hollywood]

rode out of it!

Originally Posted by Rumpfy

Does he pull it off? It's looking like endo city there...

[Rumpfy]

Originally Posted by Hollywood

rode out of it!

[mtnbikerdude87]

Some shots from the XC race. (a little out of order)

1) almost time to go
2) watching the sport racers take off
3) we're off!
4) all the racers lining up