I Heart WTB, Stans and Maps

I love WTB. This week I received my much anticipated demo tires: the new Wolverines TCS and the new Weirwolf TCS. I am ecstatic to slap them on my Fuel and rock them. But before I could do that though I needed to get some beloved Stan’s.

So I headed to Global Bikes. I could have gone anywhere, but the team at Global are doing some great things with their store and their brand. One thing in particular…Maps. So why not make a purchase there? With Stan’s in stock, I proceeded to browse through the new Phoenix MTB Maps. Their maps made their debut with the famous Hawes Map, which they put out as a teaser. They now have recently completed a nice set of additional trail maps for classic Phoenix trails as well.

I love maps. Maps are a hundred adventures waiting to happen. My first experiences day dream-riding over a book of maps was Todd Campbell’s “Above and Beyond Slickrock” for MOAB, that I bought in 1995. I practically read that thing cover to cover. Then there was the giant Escalante map and trail guide I bought in 1996. I’ve probably spent more time studying the maps of trails than actually wandering the trails themselves…

The Global MTB Maps are works or art. My favorite one is the McDowell Mountain Trail System map. I really like it because it lays out all the trails in the area, not just the trails on the Preserve, or the Park, this map is no respecter of boundaries. It even includes the new trails on the Fountain Hills McDowell Mountain Preserve. The possibilities of routes is practically endless.

I’ll never need this physical map on the trail…I know all these trails like a backyard pump track, (plus I’ve got GPS to guide the way) but I bought it anyway. It’ll look real nice framed, on my wall, in my office. Right where I can see it all day long…