Moving Target

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|| The heat has returned to Utah. The dirt is dry and mountain biking season is back in full foce. In honor of the heat, I decided it was time to post these POV mountain biking photos. This is a continuation of the series I started a couple years ago during the winter. All of the bike photos were shot on the trail in Corner Canyon in Draper, Utah. I rode the same bike for every shot, a Civilian Bicycles Young Turk, and used the same camera rig described in my winter post.

With the explosion of HD resolution helmet cameras, this point of view is nothing new. No matter, as cliche as it sounds, this project was about trying a new technique and having fun. I accomplished both missions and came away with a series of photos that I find interesting. Years from now, when I’m old and gray, these photos will remind me how fun it was to ride my bike. My hope is that they’ll do the same for someone else too. ||

Wagon Wheels Pt.2

Headtube of my Diamondback Mason mountain bike

Brakes and rear Maxle on my Diamondback Mason hardtail 29er

Showing off the Easton Havoc handlebars on my hardtail Mason 29er build

Camelbak waterbottle squeezed into a King cage in the front triangle of my Mason

The Mason toptube logo and raw aluminum frame finish

The 1x10 crank and drivetrain and thick rear chainstays of the hardtail

Fizik Gobi XM saddle and Fox DOSS dropper post on my Mason with white cable housing

Full-length shot showing off the complete Mason 29er hardtail build and Easton wheels

A season of riding my Civilian Young Turk hooked me on the idea of 29ers. With parts from my Santa Cruz Heckler and the Young Turk, I was able to build this Diamondback Mason. I was attracted to this particular frame because of the slack head angle (66.5 deg), 12×142 rear axle, and dimensions that closely matched the fit of my Heckler. Thanks to Mr. Brian Bernard for the wrench time, the teachable moments in the shop, and a general beardiness.

Look for a mid-term review once I’m able to ride the Mason a little more. Bike Magazine posted a review here.

The Stats

For the stats nerds: this is a medium frame with 750mm bars, 70mm stem, a 140mm fork with 20mm thru axle, a 1×10 drivetrain, and one seriously long rear brake line.

Wagon Wheels

A photograph of the Civilian Bikes logo printed on the frame of a Young Turk 29er mountain bike frame

Civilian Bikes company logo showing a man saluting, printed on the frame of a Young Turk 29er mountain bike

A photograph of the graphics on the frame of a Young Turk 29er mountain bike from Civilian Bikes

A complete Young Turk 29er mountain bike from Civilian Bikes photographed against a brick wall

|| Tiny wheels turning bigger wheels turning still bigger wheels. Six inches of suspension saves your butt far more often than you know. Sometimes it’s nice to drill the pedals and feel the trail immediately through the handlebars. On smooth singletrack it’s amazing how fast this bike picks up speed. Two rides on a prototype and I was hooked, there was no turning back. Although limited in my hardtail experience, I feel like you can sense the difference between a bike made by a mouse-jockey and one crafted by a designer who rides. CAD might spit out an acceptable knockoff, but shaping a bike that feels like it was poured in under your feet and sculpted from the surface of the ground into the palms of your hands, that’s art. I’ll take it.

I shot these photos of my Young Turk 29er mountain bike after picking it up new from Civilian Bikes on Backcountry.com. After a long summer of riding, I know it’ll never look this clean again.

In case you’re curious about the 29er vs. 26 debate, here’s an interesting article from Bike Radar.||