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I scored a pair of SockGuy EliteTech no show socks at Interbike this year. Thanks to Ken at the SockGuy booth. SockGuy is one of the most recognized brands in the sport sock business.

I didn’t start wearing official bike socks on rides until Interbike last year when I picked up a pair of SockGuy Garmin socks at the Garmin Booth. Before then, I didn’t think special socks for riding was really necessary. It was probably that I didn’t want to shell out ten bucks for one pair of socks when I already have a drawer full of them.

I was wrong. I love bike socks now. I like to wear them even when I’m not riding. For one they look cool. For two they are ten times more comfy than your standard socks, and for three, they make it so at a moments notice I can strap on my shoes and be riding in a jiffy. That’s worth ten bucks right there.

Having worn the SockGuy Garmin 1″ socks for over 600 miles, I can say that my feet love them, and they are still in great shape. Not one complaint.

Testing out the new Elite-Tech has been very enjoyable. The Elite-Tech is so vvvvery comfortable. They are built for the “serious athlete” so I have no business wearing them. The Cool Comfort Formula actually is cool, in every essence of the word. Riding in the heat of AZ (yes, it still hot here even in October), I can really feel the coolness difference. My only gripe about these is the no-show style. With the elasticity so low on my ankle, there is a little gap that is wide open for sand to creep in. And creep in it does, especially if I am walking through a wash, which I often do. Even if I ride the wash, the sand kicks up in there. I’ve never had a sand problem with 1″ or higher.

A biker can never have too many socks. Birthdays are always around the corner. Surprise your friends with the gift of sock this year. Christmas is coming up, and what better stocking stuffer than SockGuy? Zappos has free shipping.

MTBR SockGuy reviews

A Silver Touch SockGuy review

I made the switch over to Stan’s from Bontrager Super Juice nearly 8 months ago, when I put on a brand new Maxxis Larsen TT rear tire. I also cleaned out my Specialized Roll X front tire and filled it with Stan’s.

Still no flats, no bead burps, and I’ve been off the beaten path exploring primitive cactus infested rock strewn singletrack. I have refueled each tire once.

What I really like about Stan’s is that I rarely have to pump my tires before rides. Pressure stays right where I want it, between 28 and 30 lbs.

Stan’s lives up to all people say about it. Plain and simple. That said, seeing Stan’s is a whole lot less expensive than Super Juice, I will choose Stan’s. Even though I really do like the Juice, I can’t pay nearly four times the price for practically the same performance. 32 oz Stan’s, $15.00. 8 oz Super Juice about $15.00 (I’ve seen it between 10 and 20 dollars). No brainer.

I run Bontrager Race Lite Tubeless rims and tubeless tires. I have not converted my singlespeed running 1995 Mavic rims to tubeless yet. I run Slime tubes in there and it’s been great. For a tutorial on setting up the NoTubes system visit Team MWC…

My next tubeless sealant review will be the new Slime Pro-series tubeless sealant. I picked a demo bottle of it up at Interbike. But the way the Stan’s is running it may be a while before I get to it…

Stan’s versus Superjuice on MTBR

Stan’s Review on MTBR

VeloNews comparison of sealants

My first official lunch ride of winter. I recommend the Supes. Today it was the perfect temperature, low 80s. It could have been a bit cooler, but those days will be here soon enough. No one to dine with today, everyone else had to work through lunch…I guess I’m a lucky boy, I get to eat lunch whenever and wherever I want.

The converted Avalanche singlespeed was great fun riding today. I climbed up the Lost Goldmine MTB loop to the LG proper trail junction. Sat down on the rocks and ate some PowerBar Gel, GU Rocktane and Jelly Belly Sport Beans (from my Interbike stash), sipped on some watered down Gatorade (I really need a new sport drink), and soaked in the views.

The MTB loop of Lost Goldmine is a really fun trail. The primitive singletrack twists and turns in and out of washes like a roller coaster. It’s a little tough to keep speed up, but it is great for practicing cornering or testing out a new front tire. My Maxxis Crossmarks do an excellent job rolling, and a fine job cornering. I’d like to try some new tires out though. Maybe the WTB Wolverine. I’ve heard really good things about that tire for Arizona desert conditions.

I finally made it back out to the west side of Phoenix to visit the in-laws. Got out to FINS to rediscover the beautiful singletrack etched into the Estrella hills. At the Westar school lot I met a local rider named Ben getting ready to head out as well. He said he wouldn’t mind me tagging along on his regular loop up Jim’s then down Grunt and back around Kylie’s Krossing. So off we went.

FINS started off with a shocker…riding under the power lines before the TH, my carbon fiber Hayes brake levers started to tingle. I felt a nice surge of energy snap through me lingering on my fingertips… it was a nice carb-free energy boost.

We hit the trail fast and headed for Grunt. I’d never run Grunt this direction so it was like riding a new trail. It was tough keeping up with him, he was putting the hurt on me on the climbs. It’s always fun to try to keep pace with someone ahead. After one lap I wanted to ride the connector to Jim’s Star Pass, so we rode it and ran Grunt again. Grunt reminds me of the XC trails at Bootleg. Shorter and not quite as much tech, but the same fun.

Towards the end of Grunt we shot down an unnamed trail that fizzled out in to a jeep road before hooking up with Randy’s Ridge. We circled clockwise to the Grunt Gap trail, I think. It was a short climb that put us right back on Grunt for more downhill. Then down Roman’s Rise, to Fantasy Flats (leads to a jeep road) and back to Spent Spade, then down Kim’s Klimb back to the start. There are so many trail names out there… Hey Harv, how do I get one named after me? I think I finally have the entire system GPSed. I was missing just a couple of short connectors from my last ride out there.

We finished up with light to spare…and since I was on the west side I wanted to ride the Junior Loop at the Estrella track. It’s only a mile and a half but I had never ridden it. With daylight fading we zipped through the the Junior Loop. I have to say it was great a great little loop, and polished off some sweet west side riding. Thanks to Ben for snapping the shot above and for giving me a great workout on FINS.

Still ahead of me this winter is Goat Camp. Another must ride I just haven’t ridden yet…

While the racers were out at the Tour of the White Mountains preparing for an Epic ride… I hit up a few classics on the Rim.

Willow Springs Lake is awesome this time of year. I’ve never seen a soul on the trail in all the times I’ve ridden it. Instead of the full loop option I rode counterclockwise from the 237 TH around the doubletrack to the singletrack that skirts the lake. Over the years this section of trail has gotten better and better. When I got to the end of the singletrack instead of climbing up the doubletrack that parallels the 260 and takes you back to the 237 I turned around and rode the singletrack back. This out-n-back option doubles the singletrack is is truly awesome in both directions.

Next day my bro-in-law and I set out for the Highline 260 TH to See Canyon. I’d heard that the trail was in bad shape, but we hit it up anyway. I hereby declare that the 260 to See is in great shape. Only two downed trees, and three sections of trail washed out from the heavy rains this year. But that was not enough to slow us down. The drop from the Drew junction is still supremely awesome. The roots and rocks come together creating a sweet technical downhill that had us hollering all the way down. I’ve been riding this trail for years. I agree it could use some trail work, especially on the washed out spots, but if you like challenges on the trail this one is full of them.

I stopped by Hike, Bike and Run on my way up to the rim and talked with Mick the shop owner. He said that there are miles and miles of singletrack up on the rim that are just waiting for riders. He said something about a Cabin Loop trail system that hooks up a few trails including a portion of the AZ Trail. That’s something I’m looking into for my next ride on the rim. Any one heard about or ridden the Cabin loop? Do share.

From Interbike Outdoor Demo Day Two

I loved this bike. It was my last ride of the Outdoor Demo. I couldn’t have finished the day on a better bike. I ripped the RIP 9 down Girl Scout with the VholdR helmet cam taking it all in. This was probably my sixth or seventh time down Girl Scout, but my first on a 29er.

Talk about rolling through anything. The lower section of Girl Scout has the most tech and riding the RIP 9 was like Moses parting the red sea. It was fast, tight, responsive. Probably the first time on a 29er where I couldn’t feel that slightly odd, this bike feels weird, 29er thing. It all felt smooth.

I didn’t think I’d be a fan of a 29 inch trail bike, I figured 29ers should be reserved for singlespeed hardtails. But the 4 and a half inches of plushness the CVA™ suspension system dishes out sure flattens the hills and makes for a sweet ride.

Guitar Ted’s take on trends in the 29er world including the Niner R.I.P. 9

I got my sweet Interbike video back from VholdR today. I demoed their helmet cam and they sent the footage on a CD to me. Pretty slick of them. More about how cool VholdR is later…for now here one segment of the footage on Girl Scout trail, riding a niner R.I.P. 9.

After landing the little jump watch me as I spin the cranks looking for my chain… it wasn’t until a few turns down the trail I realized the chain broke clean off! I fetched it on my buddy’s Diamond Back Sortie then we were down the rest of the trail… more video to come.