495 Jump Trail Photos

[Dirt]

Chris and Steve let me tag along and photograph them on their first trip to the 495 jumps. The light was fading fast, so I only got to photograph their warmup jumps on the table tops.

The light was really bad so the photos turned out more like art shots than real action shots. I still think they're worth looking at. Chris was having chain problems early, so I got more photos of STeve than Chris.

http://myroadtrips.peterbeers.net/mbrt/13_495jumps/images/IMG_9352.jpg
Steve

http://myroadtrips.peterbeers.net/mbrt/13_495jumps/images/IMG_9416.jpg
Steve

http://myroadtrips.peterbeers.net/mbrt/13_495jumps/images/IMG_9421.jpg
Steve

http://myroadtrips.peterbeers.net/mbrt/13_495jumps/images/IMG_9494.jpg
Chris photographed moments before he tried to kill me. (I deserved it.)

http://myroadtrips.peterbeers.net/mbrt/13_495jumps/images/IMG_9472.jpg
Another shot of Chris.

There are more HERE (http://myroadtrips.peterbeers.net/mbrt/13_495jumps/index.htm).

I'll definitely go back with them next time.

Pete

[jabberwocky]

Awesome shots Pete! You got some really great ones of Steve. And I am very pleased to see the traditional picture of me with my toungue sticking out.

495 was a bit intimidating, but damn was it ever fun. It definitely took a while for me to start to get the feel for it, but I was feeling much more comfortable towards the end. Its way different than XC riding, thats for sure.

[Dirt]

Glad you liked them. I need to geek out with the photos a bit more to really get the shots I want. Lighting equipment will need to be brought out there if we're going to shoot in that kind of light. I'll work on that.

Next time I'll drop the saddle on the Niner and take a few passes on the table tops myself. They looked like a lot of fun. I'm not ready for the gap jumps yet.

Is there such thing as a 29er SS dirt jump bike? Flying zealots.... hmmmmmm. Maybe there's a use for that Karate Monkey after all. ;)

Pete

[Billy Mathisen]

That's awesome. Looks like a lot of fun

If anyone needs me I'll be growing some testes :D

[crashmore]

Which bike were you running chris?


Awesome shots Pete! You got some really great ones of Steve. And I am very pleased to see the traditional picture of me with my toungue sticking out.

495 was a bit intimidating, but damn was it ever fun. It definitely took a while for me to start to get the feel for it, but I was feeling much more comfortable towards the end. Its way different than XC riding, thats for sure.

[drewdane]

When I saw Chris (and Steve, I assume) heading back on 495 after my swim last night, I had a feeling I'd see some DJ shots posted up here. Nice!

(Oooops - I almost forgot! DOOD!!! DON'T U POST UP T3H SOOPER-SEEKRIT 495 DJS, DOOD! DEYRE SOOPER SEEKRIT! )

[jabberwocky]

Which bike were you running chris?I replaced the frame on my old Giant hardtail with an Evil D.O.C. for street use. It weighs about 35 pounds, but I definitely dont have to worry about the frame folding up under me when I overshoot the landing and drop to flat. :) I really need to stick a chainguide on it, though.

(Oooops - I almost forgot! DOOD!!! DON'T U POST UP T3H SOOPER-SEEKRIT 495 DJS, DOOD! DEYRE SOOPER SEEKRIT! )Yeah, let me tell you, they where reeeeeeeally hard to find. :rolleyes: I had no idea where I was going and I found them in about 5 minutes. :)

The jumps themselves are really nice and well maintained. I can't even begin to imagine the man-hours that went into building something like that, especially as everything was built by hand. Its also neat that the various lines are labelled by difficulty with signs and everything. I just needed to hunt down the one that said "beginner". :)

[jabberwocky]

Next time I'll drop the saddle on the Niner and take a few passes on the table tops myself. They looked like a lot of fun. I'm not ready for the gap jumps yet.

Is there such thing as a 29er SS dirt jump bike? Flying zealots.... hmmmmmm. Maybe there's a use for that Karate Monkey after all.I think I speak for the entire known universe when I say that would be awesome.

[drevil]

Maybe there's a use for that Karate Monkey after all. ;)

Pete
That's my regret for selling that ol' tank, the Monkey. It was tough as all get out. Even if I did have the cajones, I'm not sure my superlight ti rigid fork is up for the task of big jumpin' around. Maybe if I can find a suuuuuupercheap Monocog 29er or another Monkey that I can smash and bash I'd begin to consider those jumps (and the tiny ones at that).

[Billy Mathisen]

Looks like no one is hiittng them on full sussers. Is it a geomtry thing?

[jabberwocky]

Looks like no one is hiittng them on full sussers. Is it a geomtry thing?Thats a good question. I think pretty much all dirt jumpers use hardtails. I think that the reason is they are way easier to pop off the lip of the jumps (no suspension absorbing your upward push). Plus, as long as you come down on the landing ramp, its a very smooth landing. Now, if you overshoot the landing (as we did a few times) its a pretty jarring impact, but you aren't supposed to do that. :)

The evil d.o.c. frame I have has a very different geometry from your average trail bike. I can say that it was not comfortable at all to ride over from Wakefield. It was perfect for jumping though.

I have seen guys in the freeride videos jumping on burly full suspension bikes, so I'm sure you could do it.

[redneckp3ngu1n]

Though full squish bikes get more air than hard tails (because the rebound of the suspension pops u off the lip). Most people use hard tails because they give you more controll and they maintain/gain speed better. I noticed some one using a p2 and maby a p3 (couldnt tell if the colors where different) how are u guys liking them

[jabberwocky]

Steve rides a P2. He likes it, but I think he wishes he had sprung for the higher end version, since he seems to be replacing most of the parts on it with higher end stuff.

My bike started life as an 03 Giant Rainier hardtail. I had replaced many of the parts with heavier duty versions throughout its life (as I broke them), and then pretty much quit riding it when I bought my Turner. It saw some duty as a commuter before I bought my cross bike, then I recently replaced the frame and pretty much all the remaining lightweight cross country parts to turn it into an urban/jump bike. I think the only thing on there thats a carryover from the original Giant is the brakes. The frame is an Evil D.O.C.

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/9206/evil1s7pd.jpg

Were you out there, or are you just commenting on the bikes through the pictures? There were a few bmx guys out there, and one guy on a pink jump bike that was ripping it up.

[redneckp3ngu1n]

just pics/ it was hard to tell if it was a p2 or p3 cuz im a lill colorblind and my monitor is set at a wierd angle so i cant see color well