Justin Steiner posted the following blog entries during his testing time atop the Salsa Fargo.

Brain Fart: Salsa Fargo in for Test!

Fargo Update

If one name is synonymous with the US National Mountain Bike Series, it could be Jeff Frost. “Frosty” was a key factor in the series, making sure the events ran smoothly even under the most trying of weather conditions, as well as taking care of his riders’ most urgent needs on every level. His was an often-thankless position at the helm of the National MTB Series. Yet, after watching him and his staff work tirelessly all weekend at the USA Cycling MTB National Championships to ensure the quality the event deserved, seeing Jeff enthusiastically cheer on the kids and beginner racers reinforced to me his depth of passion for this sport. During his tenure, some of the best races and athletes in the world had emerged from under his start banner. Jeff has seen it all, from the legendary battles of the sport’s beginnings, to nurturing the heroes of tomorrow.

DR: What was your title/job description and tenure at USA Cycling/NORBA?

JF: Jeffery Frost, currently owner, BlueWolf Events. I managed the NORBA National Championship Series/National Mountain Bike Series for five years. In addition, I worked as race director/technical director at NORBA NCS venues from 1993-2008 in association with Mount Snow and Galeforce.

DR: The NORBA National Series was the first and used to be the absolute most prestigious off-road racing series in the world. You were involved since the heyday of the late ‘90s at the height of mountain biking’s popularity. To what do you attribute the success of the series during your tenure at NORBA?

JF: Sponsorship dollars and riding the wave of mountain bike popularity in the United States.

DR: Where has USA Cycling been weak with mountain biking regionally, nationally and internationally? Could they have done more with resources or general attention to slow the decline?

JF: Weak is not the right word—the role of USA Cycling is very different than most understand—they are first and foremost a membership organization. Their support of racing has been tremendous through the years. Every organization has its critics, but by and large USA Cycling has done the best it could with the resources available.

DR: A lot of people have many opinions on what USA Cycling did not do for NORBA/NMBS, particularly the gravity focus (coverage, resources, etc.), to the point where some top riders even boycotted our national series. Care to comment?

JF: Boycott is an interesting choice of words. I prefer stating it that the top riders choose to race on the international level and with new events domestically. The NCS/NMBS has long struggled with the balance between professional and amateur racing, particularly with the gravity discipline.

DR: What lessons has or could have USA Cycling learned from the past regarding this operating model?

JF: It would appear, with the creation of the US Cup Series, that the “national series” is working on a model that may succeed in the the years to come. Energy and passion have never been short on the national series, and the new leadership at USA Cycling, Kelli Lusk and Scott Tedro from SHO-Air, seem to have things well in hand.

DR: The model at the time was very successful in generating interest, breeding U.S.-based competitors and champions on an international level, seeding local and regional riders to national level competition and building a culture. What elements of that model are workable in today’s cycling competition, culture and economic climate?

JF: The same things continue to apply—the national series needs to be the goal of each and every local/regional rider to compete in. Resources always are the key…back in the day the National Series had little or no competition for funds, both from riders and sponsors. Now there are so many events, activities and opportunities for both riders and sponsors to spend their limited dollars with.

DR: Though race participation has somewhat declined on the national level, the riding public has grown and matured, with a lot of diversity in riding styles and cultural identities. What do you see as the possibilities of tapping into the new breeds and how might these diverse interests be corralled for the greater good of the racing public?

JF: I do not know…I think the riders will decide which events work and we need to continue to develop those.

DR: You and I had talked about a slightly different model for events incorporating more urban venues, events and focus. Festival atmosphere, slopestyle events are huge internationally and draw from all aspects of the off-road riding and racing culture. Capturing this and offering events for racers (competition) and riders (seminars, demos, festival atmosphere) at resorts close to urban population centers seems like a win-win situation. Granted, this takes tremendous effort and collaboration from USA Cycling, the local organizing committee and the riding populace, but it is possible (Crankworks for example). An all-inclusive collaborative package held at a suitable venue near a population center with entertainment and promotion could be a great value. Your thoughts?

JF: This certainly is a question that continues to be asked…since I started in this sport. Crankworx is a bad example—it was created and funded for many years by the local government, and subsidized with tourism dollars. Now that it has moved to private ownership we will see how it goes. USA Cycling is not responsible for funding events—we as promoters are, and those dollars are scarce right now. Could an event work under those circumstances you outline above? Absolutely. We have yet to find the perfect convergence of all those things you mention above—we will, just not yet.

DR: Looking down the trail, where do you see USA Cycling’s National Mountain Bike Series in the future?

JF: It has survived for twenty plus years—the brand is strong. It will continue to be the Series that all of us choose to race in when we want to test ourselves against the best of the best, both on the amateur and professional level.

The Area: Pennypack Park
Location: Northeast Philadelphia, PA
Informant: John Tannock
Photo credit: John Tannock, www.tannockphotography.com

Background:
Part of the Fairmount Park system, Pennypack is named after the Lenni Lenape Iindian word for deep, slow-moving water.

How big is the park?
Frankly, it’s still growing! There are about 18 miles of trail in about 1400 acres of parkland.

What type(s) of trails are there?
There are sections that are fast and flowy as well as a fair bit of tight and twisty. Not as many rock gardens as Wissahickon, in fact most of the trail surfaces are pretty smooth packed dirt. There are an abundance of “logovers” (log piles), though most are easy enough for advanced-novice and intermediate riders to handle. The trickier ones have go-arounds.

Any distinguishing features or especially cool sections?
Pennypack Creek runs down the middle of the park and carved the park’s valley. The singletrack trails run the length of the park on both sides of the creek, including many moderate climbs and descents as the terrain undulates with the smaller side valleys that drain toward the main one. A ride can be an out-and-back along one side of the creek, or a loop using one of many bridges that cross the creek. No matter what your choice, it’s a fun and very picturesque valley to ride in. The fact that you’re completely surrounded with an urban setting is amazing since there’s no sense of that once you descend into the valley. Sweet.

If a rider gets tired and wants to bail, there is an asphalt path that runs the length of the park and is accessible from any trail. For raw beginners, the asphalt trail might be all that’s needed for a pleasant ride. For those with just a touch of experience and wanting to get the feel of dirt and rocks under their tread, there are also equestrian / multi-use (non-motorized only!) trails that run the length of the park on both sides of the creek that are wider.

What local group does trail maintenance there?
The trail work here is, as of yet, not totally official, but there are people working on it. The good news is that mountain biking is not illegal in the park.

Can a rider take public transportation (with a mountain bike) to get there?
Yes. Since the park is intersected by several main roads, a SEPTA bus can be taken to several places in the park.

Websites:
www.fairmountpark.org/PennypackPark.asp
www.phillymtb.com

The Area: Cleveland Metroparks Ohio and Erie Canal
Location: Cleveland, OH
Informant: Michael Farley – founder of CAMBA, Todd Thurman
Photo credit: Todd Thurman

Background:
This trail, located within the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation, is the only trail open to mountain biking in all of Cleveland’s parks.

How big is the park?
The total length is just less than two miles.

What type(s) of trails are there?
There are two loops: Loop #1 is less than 1/2 mile and is a good beginner section. Loop #2 is more challenging, with ups and downs, swooping turns, and wooden bridges.

Any distinguishing features or especially cool sections?
It’s short, but sweet. Super flowy and smooth. Rides like a pump track and builds your cornering skills.

What local group does trail maintenance there?
The Cleveland Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA) built and maintains the trail.

Can a rider take public transportation (with a mountain bike) to get there?
Absolutely! Bus routes will get you within a mile of the trailhead and and all Cleveland RTA buses are equipped with bike racks

Websites:
www.camba.us
www.joinomba.org

Also Recommended:
Of course, none other than Ray’s MTB Indoor Park, which now has a “dirt room” with indoor dirt jumps.

The Area: The Don Valley
Location: Toronto, On, Canada
Informant: Jason Murray – IMBA Ontario representative
Photo credit: Jeff Monk

[Ed notes: In Issue #143 Jason spilled the beans on some sweet trails in the Don Valley. Here are a couple more trails in the Don Valley system in Toronto.]

Fruit Loop and Training Loop - these are two loops that are a bit more sedate in nature to Party Atmosphere and Catalyst. But the climbs are still pretty steep. Very fun and flowy. Built and maintained by the local underground builders.

Dr. Quads and STD – Dr. Quads is the local “North Shore” trail. There are quite a lot more manmade structures on it. It was intentionally designed and built that way. There are some wet areas it had to get through, so the underground builders decided to add some features all along the trail. I hope we will be able to keep most of them when the City does eventually start to actively manage this trail. STD (what do you think it stands for?) is the return leg of Dr. Quads once you cross one of the Don River’s tributaries. It is fast and flat along the side of said river.

The Flats and the DJs – The Flats is just that a flat, blazing fast and flowy trail along the side of the Don River. It’s main problem is that the surrounding grass gets so high mid-summer that you can’t see oncoming traffic and at 30km/h you have to be careful of collisions. The Flats takes you through the DJs, our local underground built and maintained skills park. It has a few lines of dirt jumps, and a pump track. This is threatened with closure by the City of Toronto (because you have to illegally cross a train track to get to it), but the City is actively looking for more appropriate sites for a skills park.

The Area: Frick Park
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Informant: Karen Brooks - Dirt Rag Editor

Background:
Legend has it that Frick Park began as a gift from industrialist Henry Clay Frick to his daughter Helen for her debutante party in 1908—she asked for a place for the children of Pittsburgh to be able to enjoy nature. The Frick Art & Historical Center, an attraction for the non-dirt crowd, includes the restored Frick mansion.

How big is the park?
Over the years the City added to the original 151 acres to bring the park to its present size of 561 acres, and now Frick is the largest of Pittsburgh’s city parks. There are approximately 12 miles of singletrack trails packed into this space, plus gravel doubletrack.

What type(s) of trails are there?
The park encompasses the Nine Mile Run creek valley down to the Monongahela River. Classic East Coast tight and twisty trails dominate, with some very narrow sections hemmed in by vines and underbrush, and some other technical sections with roots and rocks. In the past the trails had included many short, steep washed-out chutes that would erode further with every rainstorm, but recent trailwork has replaced most of these with longer switchback sections that are not only sustainable, they’re more fun to ride.

Any distinguishing features or especially cool sections?
Roller Coaster is a trail that lives up to its name with a series of G-out dips. Iron Grate is one of the longest trails, starting at the very top of the park behind the ballfield and going all the way to the bottom at Nine Mile Run, featuring a series of sweet bermed switchbacks along the way made with the help of the IMBA Trail Care Crew. There are a few wooden obstacles sprinkled throughout the park, such as bridges over large downed trees.

What local group does trail maintenance there?
The Pittsburgh Trails Advocacy Group coordinates trail maintenance and hosts regular work days in Frick, as well as all the other parks near the city. PTAG is an arm of Bike Pittsburgh, a bicycle transportation advocacy group—a nice feature, as the groups work together to incorporate mountain biking as part of the overall plan to make Pittsburgh a more bike-friendly place. One example of this is the recent work to link all the City parks with bike lanes.

Can a rider take public transportation (with a mountain bike) to get there?
PAT buses stop several places around the park, at its eastern, northern, and western edges. Not all the buses currently have bike racks, but PAT is working to place them.

Websites:
www.pittsburghparks.org/frick
ptagtrails.com
www.porcmtbclub.org – The website of the Pittsburgh Offroad Club, which has regular group rides in Frick and other locales around the city.

Also recommended:
Schenley Park is within an easy road ride of Frick; Riverview Park also has nice technical trails.

As spring rolls into summer, this season’s new test bikes are rolling into the Dirt Rag World Headquarters at a feverish pace.  Allow me to introduce my trusty steed for the next few months: Gary Fisher’s new 140mm travel Roscoe Two.  For testing purposes, we settled on the middle-of-the-road Roscoe Two which retails for $3,850, slotting in between the $4,950 Roscoe Three and the $2,970 Roscoe One.  Frame is the same for all Roscoe models and they all use Fisher’s new Dual Rate Control Valve (DRCV) rear shock (RP23 on the Roscoe Three, RP2 on the Two and One models) which uses two air chambers to create a more linear spring rate.   Additionally, Trek’s ABP rear pivot has migrated over to the Roscoe.  Our Web Editor Karl Rosengarth attended the press launch of the Roscoe last summer, you can see his thoughts here.

The Roscoe is an awfully good-looking bike with the extensive use of highly shaped hydroformed tubing.  This if one of the first bikes in a while that simply looks right to me.  Beefy swingarm and all of the tube shaping just looks like it is perfectly suited to the way each tube is loaded–at least according to my armchair engineering evaluation.

After a handful of rides, I’m really starting to get the Roscoe’s suspension setup to my tastes and coming to terms with just how the Roscoe likes to be ridden.  The 140mm of travel on this bike is obviously quite capable, and is encouraging me to go faster, hit things harder, and leave the ground as much as possible.  Fortunately the best is yet to come, as now that I’m getting comfortable with the Roscoe its time to start pushing the limits…

Stay tuned for further web updates and keep yoru eye out for the complete Roscoe review in an upcoming issue of Dirt Rag.  Check out the full spec for the Roscoe Two, and get all the tech info on the DRCV rear shock and ABP rear end on the Gary Fisher site.

Links to web content associated with the Dirt Rag Issue #141 product review of the Jeff Jones 3D SpaceFrame:

Jeff Jones Visits Dirt Rag HQ

Jones SpaceFrame in the House

The Singlespeed World Championships 2008

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Justin Steiner
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