Singletracks Mountain Bike Podcast

Kevin Adams is a board member for the Verde Valley Cyclist Coalition, a nonprofit group working to promote cycling in the Verde Valley, including the town of Sedona, Arizona. Kevin also is the President of the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund that raises money for the maintenance and enhancement of the non-motorized trails near Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek. In his spare time, he’s the Chair of the Arizona State Committee on Trails. Of course he’s a mountain biker too, and he’s been connected to the local scene for almost a decade. There are massive plans for new mountain bike trails in the Verde Valley, and Kevin fills us in on the details. In this episode, we also ask: What makes Sedona and the Verde Valley stand out among mountain bike destinations? What are 2 or 3 must ride trails or trail systems? Which trails are family-friendly, and which ones are the most challenging? Are there any lesser-known trails where riders can get away from the crowds? Who builds and maintains the trails in Sedona? Are there tour operators or clubs visitors can connect with if they want to ride with locals? Where do people hang out after the ride? Are there any bars or breweries that tend to attract mountain bikers? Where are the best places for mountain bikers to stay during their visit? What is the best time of year to visit? Are there any festivals or races visitors can plan to attend?  Are there plans to expand or improve trails in the area? Find out more at vvcc.us and visitsedona.com. This episode is sponsored by Explore Brevard. Picture yourself in the middle of 100,000 acres of public lands and over 300 shredable miles of single track. A place often referred to as one of the top mountain biking towns in the country. Brevard, North Carolina has countless epic adventures for every kind of rider on tap. Whether you love rocky, rooty technical lines in Pisgah, or flowy lines in Dupont State Recreational Forest, or something in-between – Brevard has it all…in spades. Come discover the place often referred to as the Cycling Capital of the South. Start planning your trip at ExploreBrevard.com --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Dr. Adam Phaneuf is a Doctor of Chiropractic with a degree in Exercise Science based in Bellingham, WA. He's also a bike fitter and has studied bicycle biomechanics. In this episode we ask: How important is bike fit to mountain bikers compared to say road or gravel riders? Even within MTB, is fit more important for XC than gravity riders? What are some signs that a rider needs a better bike fit? What types of improvements can mountain bikers expect to see? How does a bike fit work? How much does a bike fit generally cost? Can non-racers benefit from a bike fit in terms of comfort or other factors? What are some key component swaps that can be done as part of a bike fit, and why? How can you tell if your bars are too wide? Do you have a rule of thumb for setting seat height for mountain biking? Do droppers make seat height settings easier, or more complicated? What's the best way to figure out the proper bike frame size? Are there certain key measurements buyers should consider? What are the challenges to fitting extremely tall or short riders? Follow Adam on Instagram @apexbellingham and visit the website apexchirobellingham.com. This episode is sponsored by Explore Brevard. Picture yourself in the middle of 100,000 acres of public lands and over 300 shredable miles of single track. A place often referred to as one of the top mountain biking towns in the country. Brevard, North Carolina has countless epic adventures for every kind of rider on tap. Whether you love rocky, rooty technical lines in Pisgah, or flowy lines in Dupont State Recreational Forest, or something in-between – Brevard has it all…in spades. Come discover the place often referred to as the Cycling Capital of the South. Start planning your trip at ExploreBrevard.com --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

David Billstrom is the CEO of Kitsbow, a North Carolina based cycling apparel company known for producing high-quality products. The company utilizes a made-to-order model for many of the items in their catalog to reduce waste, cut lead times, and support the local economy. In this episode we ask: What is lean manufacturing? How does it work specifically for an apparel company like Kitsbow? How significant are transportation costs associated with manufacturing your products overseas? Has it been difficult to find manufacturing workers in Old Fort, North Carolina? Is hiring a bottleneck in terms of expanding domestic production? How much waste is due to forecasting errors on sizing, styles, etc.? Does lean manufacturing eliminate most of this? What are some of the things you’ve learned from your customers or been able to improve about your products? What does the future of cycling apparel look like for Kitsbow? Learn more at Kitsbow.com. This episode is sponsored by Explore Brevard. Picture yourself in the middle of 100,000 acres of public lands and over 300 shredable miles of single track. A place often referred to as one of the top mountain biking towns in the country. Brevard, North Carolina has countless epic adventures for every kind of rider on tap. Whether you love rocky, rooty technical lines in Pisgah, or flowy lines in Dupont State Recreational Forest, or something in-between – Brevard has it all…in spades. Come discover the place often referred to as the Cycling Capital of the South. Start planning your trip at ExploreBrevard.com --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Ashley Korenblat is the CEO of Western Spirit Cycling Adventures and founder of Outerbike, as well as the Managing Director of Public Land Solutions, a non-profit dedicated to “providing comprehensive recreation planning and stakeholder coordination to support effective and sustainable public land solutions.” She also previously served as IMBA Board chair. In this episode we ask Ashley: What is a “recreational asset?” Is this considered in strictly monetary terms, or are intrinsic values considered as well? How does PLS identify recreational assets and what does a typical plan look like? How significant is the Land and Water Conservation Fund in terms of recreation project funding in the US?  Is there an opportunity to work with energy development companies on recreation plans? What are some of the ways trail advocacy groups could improve on their current land management and access strategies? What is the PLS stance on MTB Wilderness access?   How does your advocacy background inform and connect with your trip offerings at Western Spirit? Learn more about Public Land Solutions at publiclandsolutions.org and Western Spirit at westernspirit.com. This episode is sponsored by Explore Brevard. Picture yourself in the middle of 100,000 acres of public lands and over 300 shredable miles of single track. A place often referred to as one of the top mountain biking towns in the country. Brevard, North Carolina has countless epic adventures for every kind of rider on tap. Whether you love rocky, rooty technical lines in Pisgah, or flowy lines in Dupont State Recreational Forest, or something in-between – Brevard has it all…in spades. Come discover the place often referred to as the Cycling Capital of the South. Start planning your trip at ExploreBrevard.com --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Josie Fouts is a two-time National Paralympics Road and Track Cycling Champion with plans to compete at the 2021 Games in Tokyo. She's also working to make mountain biking a Paralympic sport and stars in a new short film called Go Josie. In this episode, we ask Josie: Have you found being stubborn is a strength? Does it ever get you in trouble? Are you able to use your formal education in nutrition and nutritional immunology as a part of your own training?  What is the level of competition like at the US National Paralympics? Were you surprised the first time you competed? How difficult is it to find off-the-shelf products that work for para athletes? Have you found gear manufacturers are willing to work with you to find solutions? What’s it been like working with a gear sponsor like Swiftwick?  Are there things the bike industry could be doing to make equipment more para-friendly?  Why do you think mountain biking is not a part of the Paralympics? What do you do to keep your workouts interesting? Is training fun for you? Were there any surprises on the first bikepacking trip you recently completed? Are there other challenges you’ve set for yourself this year in addition to competing in Tokyo? View the short film Go Josie on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1GfDjyUBJ4 Follow Josie on Instagram @ms.stubbornness. Thanks to Josie's sponsor Swiftwick for arranging this interview. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Renee Hutchens is a mountain biker, storyteller, and artist living in Colorado. As a member of the Diné Nation, Renee is an advocate for both Indigenous people and the lands they call home. In this episode we discuss what it means to have a respectful and consensual relationship with the lands where we ride. Renee explains the meaning of the phrase environmental justice and talks about the mission of the Ute Land Trust. We talk about how words and naming in the bike industry can be hurtful to indigenous communities and why land acknowledgements at races are important. Follow Renee on Instagram @renay.h and view her work at linktr.ee. Editor's note: We reached out to Handup for comment about the "savage" glove mentioned in this interview and received the following reply: "We stopped selling these gloves in June 2020 after this came to our attention. Since then, we've changed gears to highlight 'Gloves that Give' in order for us to be able to give back to underrepresented community members of the mountain bike industry." --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Matt Martinez is the executive director of Dream Bikes, a non-profit organization that strategically places used bicycle stores in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods to provide hands-on, paid job training to teens. Dream Bikes has refurbished and returned more than 10,000 bikes to service, and operates two shops in Wisconsin. We ask Matt: Is there a lot of demand for bike mechanics? How does the pay for professional mechanics compare to other jobs? What kind of impact can access to affordable bikes have on communities? Are you seeing increased demand for bikes during the pandemic?  Beyond providing repairs and selling bikes, how does a thriving local bike shop impact neighborhoods? Is there an environmental aspect to your mission? Beyond the training your group provides, what is the value of a more formal bike repair education? Does a lack of infrastructure like bike lanes or even trails limit the reach or utility of the program in the communities where you operate? What are some ways mountain bikers can help your organization? Are there other opportunities to help communities through bikes? What is the greatest need you’re currently unable to meet? Learn more at dream-bikes.org. Cover photo caption: Experienced bike mechanic Paul Brazeau works with Ryan Jackson on a repair. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

No, this isn't a sponsored episode; we just wanted to geek out on a topic that most of us take for granted!  Rob Martin is the managing director at Outdoor Sports Insurance, a Horizon Agency program dedicated to working with sports equipment manufacturers and retailers. Tori Hoeschler is senior vice president at Horizon Agency and works with all aspects of the Outdoor Sports Insurance Program. Like us, you may have wondered: Are bike shops liable for faulty repairs? Are more bike shops starting to offer rentals? What should consumers know about signing equipment rental or guide service waivers?  With such a high demand for bikes currently, are your retail clients seeing an increase in theft? How does product liability coverage work? How is that related to product recalls and warranty issues? How much of the cost of a bike product, or a service like a bike park lift ticket, typically goes toward covering insurance? More information at outdoorsportsins.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

This is part two of our interview with pioneering mountain bike skills coach Gene Hamilton. If you missed part one, be sure to load it up in your podcast app and listen! In this episode, we ask: Is it possible for mountain biking to be bad for our health? What’s a mountain bike skill that separates pros from those who would consider themselves advanced or even expert riders? Are some bike tires better at cornering than others? Which ones?  How has mountain bike skills training changed over the past two decades, in terms of the techniques and the skills you’re teaching? As someone who has won Masters-level DH competitions, what tips do you have for staying fast and fit at your age? Do you think today’s bikes make it easier for riders to go faster, or to have more fun? How much of performance comes down to the bike, and how much to the rider? Connect with Gene and his team at Betterride.net. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Gene Hamilton is a former pro downhill racer who created one of the first mountain bike skills courses in the late 1990s. Today Better Ride holds clinics around the US, teaching regular riders and pros alike how to ride fast. In the first half of our conversation, Gene answers: How did you get into mountain biking racing? Once you realized that you had hit a wall in terms of your own skills development, how did you go about researching proper mountain bike skills? Were there any surprises based on your early research, or any “aha” moments that stuck out? How can riders take advantage of momentum to go faster on the trail without putting in extra effort? And we're just getting started! Tune in next week for part two of our conversation where Gene shares the skills that separate the pros from advanced riders, his favorite tires for cornering, and how our understanding of bike skills has evolved over the years. Connect with Gene and his team at Betterride.net. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks