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We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day for the Leaf Blower mountain bike event ~aka~ the first annual Fall Classic. It’s a warm, sunny day and the foliage is spectacular! We’ll keep updating this post with pictures throughout … Continue reading
The Saturday August, 20th the Stowe Mountain Bike Club will be hosting an opening celebration for the Kimmer’s trail. Kimmer’s trail is the SMBC’s newest ribbon of singletrack, a flowing downhill (directional, not ‘DH’) with berms, bridges and rollers. It was built to allow any skill level to enjoy it, along with fun features for the more advanced. Construction on the trail began mid-summer 2010 and was just completed with the help of the VYCC. The grand opening event will start at 9am by the new bridge along the Burt Trail. To get there take your first left just after the Matterhorn and bear right down a dirt road till you get to the bridge where everyone will be meeting. The ride will go till 12pm followed by a group with Skiershop Tour Guide Dean Decas.
See you there!
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For all of you who have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of this year’s Stowe jersey, the wait is over: they’re here!
Thanks to a custom design from leading jersey company Sugoi, this year’s jersey stands out with a classic Stowe look and feel. Lightweight, moisture-wicking material combined with a full zip create a comfortable, high performance jersey that lets both guys and gals show off their Stowe town pride.
From summertime visitors to locals looking for something new, the Stowe Jersey from Skiershop is the perfect fit. Come on by the shop today and pick one up before they’re all gone!
It’s not every day that the Bike Stowe staff is in total agreement about a bike part. We all have our allegiances, SRAM or Shimano, tubeless or tubes.
Skiershops Reverb Armada
Somehow though, the Reverb seatpost has been assimilating our bikes faster than the Borg took over the Gamma Quadrant. What does it do? Simply put, it lets you lower your seatpost from a button on your handlebar. It sounds a little bit like overkill for something you can do with a $15 seat collar quick-release, but the difference is you can do it whenever you feel like it without stopping or even slowing down. This means you will actually do it instead of weighing whether it is worth doing or not. Even if it’s only for ten feet of trail. When I was demoing bikes this spring, as much as I liked the bikes, I loved the Reverb and knew I had to have one. It’s been like turning my bike into two bikes. The Reverb it has to be said, is not the first of it’s kind, but to us, it seems to be the best so far. We have had our short-lived affairs with other dropper posts, but they have not stayed in our lives for very long. They have been too heavy, too unreliable, or too wiggly. The Rock Shox Reverb is the lightest in its class and feels nearly as solid as a Thomson. If you forgot about the Remote button and never touched it, you wouldn’t know that you are on a dropper post and never feel like your seat has been replaced with a barstool. 
The remote may seem like an unnecessary addition- it isn’t, the remote is what makes any of the dropper posts ‘go’. Keeping both hands on the bars and dropping the post from ‘pedal height’ to ‘control height’ let’s you really take advantage of manipulating seat height through out a ride in a way that a simple quick release just does not allow. Imagine getting off your bike every time you changed gears, sounds like hyperbole, but that’s what it’s like. It will cost you $325 and add a pound to your bike, but you won’t mind at all when you are ripping down the trails with a confidence you didn’t have before.
Hey Bikers!
Just letting everyone know that our Weekly Rides page has been updated to include a calender of our free guided rides. These rides will generally be local, and will be lead by Dean Decas and various other members of the Skiershop crew.
The calender will be continuously updated, so keep your eyes peeled for new rides and events and come join in on the fun!
If you’re a beginner or intermediate looking to become more comfortable with single track, Kirchner Woods is a great place to learn. Developed as Stowe’s best purpose-built beginner mt bike trails, Kirchner Woods is part of the Stowe Land Trust conservation properties, a 75 acre parcel of northern hardwood forest that was part of a maple sugar production operation until the mid 1990′s. The property was protected in 2009 and the first mountain bike trail was built in 2010. To get there starting from Main St. in Stowe, turn onto School St. right across from the Stowe Community Church. Head up the road till you get to a fork where you will bear left onto Taber Hill Rd. Continue for about a mile up and over the hill, the pavement will turn to dirt road at the top. Proceed down the road and you will see a sign to your left for Kirchner Woods.
Entrance to Kirchner Woods parking
The network starts out on Jerry’s Trail which has a mellow uphill approach to the old sugar house. It has been cleared of organic matter and even starts out as a crushed stone path. From there, starting on Lower Bucket Trail is great way to experience a comfortable climb that consists of small bridges, roots, and rock roll overs. The full loop connects with the Sugar House Loop at the end of Upper Bucket Trail. The Sugar House Loop rides easier than both Bucket Trails, it is a wide XC ski trail with a single track going down it. It is recommended to do the complete loop both ways, it rides well from both directions and keeps this single loop network interesting if you are planning to do it a couple times.
The old sugar shack
Take advantage of this great learning facility if you or somebody you know wants to get into mountain biking. All too often we see beginners getting frustrated on more challenging networks. Learning the basics makes for a more pleasurable experience. Enjoy.
Here is a short GoPro clip of what Lower Bucket Trail looks like:
BikeStowe will be at the Vermont Mountain Bike Festival this weekend armed with Intense demo bikes, GoPro POV demos, and Vermont Peanut Butter!
Stop by our tent to try out a full suspension mountain bike, record your radness with a GoPro, and after fill up on some VT Peanut Butter samples!
In addition, our legendary tour guide we speak so highly of, Dean Decas, will be around to guide you through Perry Hill. We will also be scheduling FREE guided rides throughout the rest of the summer, so bring your calendar!
It is going to be a beautiful weekend, get out and ride!
On Sunday a few of us from the Bike Stowe crew headed out to Mud City Loop in Morrisville for a quick ride after closing up shop. The route we took was a relatively short climb up double track, followed by a long flowy singletrack downhill that spit us back out on dirt roads, on which we rode back to our trucks. The loop was just over four miles total, and although we only had time for one run, could easily be ridden twice within 2-3 hours.
We were joined by the newest member of the Skiershop/Bike Stowe team, Tara. Seen here thoroughly content after completing her second ever VT mountain bike ride:
Little muddy, but all smiles
Skiershop guide Dean Decas was also in attendance, and will for sure be adding this to his list of local trails for future group rides.
You can see a map of the ride here.
We mentioned it last month and now its finally happening! Dean Decas will be at Skiershop for FREE guided road and mountain bike tours most weekends through July and August. Dean has tons of years of experience guiding and teaching both on snow and bikes, so if you are new to the Stowe area and want to learn new routes, improve your bike handling skills, or just ride with a ski legend this is your opportunity!
Here is a list of dates Dean will be at Skiershop:
July-16, 17, 22, 23, 29, 30
August- 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20
If you would like to schedule a ride, call (800-996-8398) or stop by Skiershop.
Let us know whether you want to go on a road or mountain ride, and Dean will choose a ride best suited for you or your group! Also, if you have a ride you want us to feature let us know, and we’ll do our best to accommodate it!
