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Life on Two Wheels | Editor’s Blog 5

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Life on Two Wheels | Editor’s Blog 5

This installment of Life on Two Wheels is a full two days late, but I think you’ll understand why. Last week was an absolute whirlwind and I feel like I have an all-body hangover… As I reflect on the past seven days, though, I realize just how lucky my staff and I are to work in an industry that we all love. 

Monday

On Monday, we had the studio reserved to record four episodes of the Swapmoto Live Show, presented by Ogio Powersports and FMF Racing. Tomorrow’s show features X Games Best Whip gold medalist Tyler Bereman, who I first met years ago when he was a B-class racer readying for the annual Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National Championships. It’s been rad to see him go from that to privateer Supercrosser, to FMXer, and find the most success having fun on his bike with no real pressure. Tune in here at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow to watch his episode!

Next up was my great friend Garth Milan, who I launched TransWorld Motocross with back in 2000. There was a period of about five years where Garth and I did everything together, from carpooling to work, to hitting the gym, to riding and racing…you name it. Heck, he even lived with my family when he went through a divorce. These days Garth is the most highly regarded photographer in motocross and spends a good deal of time photographing other sports for Red Bull, whom he is on retainer with. Needless to say, it was downright awesome to have my old buddy on the show. 

After several requests, Davi Millsaps finally agreed to make the drive out from his retired-life home in Lake Havasu, Arizona, to be on the show. The Donut has some big things in the works and he was a lot of fun to joke around with on the show. I think we will air his next Tuesday, as he’s got some announcements that need to be heard! 

Finally, we wrapped up the day with The King, Jeremy McGrath. The first time MC came on was back in April, and it seemed like we ran out of time before I got to ask all of the questions I had in my head. That’s when Jeremy suggested part 2, so that’s exactly what we did! CLICK HERE to check out the first time McGrath was on the SML Show. After we wrapped, Jeremy and I shook hands and he said, “See you in Canada.”

Tuesday

On Tuesday, Don Wilson, Chase Curtis and I headed north of the border, bound for Whistler, Canada, where we would meet with Maxxis Tires and Bell Helmets at the Crankworx MTB festival. I found out about the trip barely two weeks prior, and Chase had to scramble to get his passport issued in time. After wasting time with one of those online “We Can Get Your Passport Fast!” websites, Chase finally made the drive to downtown Los Angeles and was able to get his first passport the day before we flew. Having been to over 20 countries during my time as a journalist, I kind of take international travel for granted, and it was cool to see Chase experience his first international trip, even if it was only to Canada. 

The flight was short and sweet, even though Chase was forced out of his seat by a trio of pushy Middle Eastern women who didn’t speak English. When we landed, we only had minutes before we had to catch the shuttle to the Whistler Resort, so I quickly grabbed a couple bags of what I thought were Cheezies in a vending machine. Cheezies are like Cheetos, only made with corn like Fritos, I believe, and Canada is famous for them. Once we were on the bus, I realized that I had bought Crunchys inadvertently and I was bummed. They were actually tasty, though…or maybe it was because we hadn’t eaten yet that day…

Once we checked into our lodge, Chase and I settled in and got to work on the week’s web site posts. Wilson arrived a few hours later, but we were too beat to accompany him to a party that would have required us to dress in all-white clothing. The rumor was that Motley Crue was being flown in to play at the party, and that information alone caused me to rush to the Tyler Galleria on Monday night to buy white pants. After really analyzing the possibility of the Crue being at a bike festival in Canada to play at a mountain bike party (I had tried to license “Kickstart my Heart” several years earlier for the original Premix movie and was told it would cost over $10K), though, I decided that I would get some sleep and return the white Levi’s when I got back to SoCal. As it turned out, it was a Motley Crue cover band, and I didn’t feel as if I had missed out at all. Haha!

Wednesday

First thing Wednesday morning, I suited up and headed to the Specialized booth, where Curtis Keene had a brand-new Specialized Demo 29 downhill bike waiting for me. A few weeks earlier, I sold my personal Demo 8 DH bike to pay off some medical bills (ha!) and was anxious to see what the new bike was all about! At the booth, I was greeted by Tanner Kietzman, who completely set my bike up for me. After asking how much I weighed, he adjusted the air pressure in the fork, pushed up and down on the bike and clicked some adjustments around. Just watching him do so, I already felt confident that the bike would do me no wrong. Usually, it takes some time for me to get used to a bike and especially the way it jumps, but having him put his final touches on it was like mind control over my inexperienced brain. Haha!

The Specialized Demo 29 inspires a ton of confidence as it seems to roll over – and off – just about anything.

Having just visited Whistler a few weeks ago with my buddies, I couldn’t wait to show Chase a few of my favorite trails. Of course, because he’s only 20 and rode BMX as a kid, Chase picked it up immediately and was smoking me down the hill in short order. 

Chase felt right at home in the bike park. Dick.

Sadly, my day was cut short by not one, but two flat tires. The first was because the brand-new Demo 29 I was riding was still equipped with inner tubes; the second was because I dorked out and burped the new tire off the rim. Walking down the mountain with bad knees was a task and a half but hey: it was better than riding down in the park UTVs busted off! Thanks to Rick O’Farrell at Specialized for fixing them both times!

“Another flat?!?”

After my second flat tire, I figured that I should quit while I was ahead, so I returned to the lodge to do some work for SML and such. Chris Meyer from Maxxis Tire stopped by our place so we could all go to dinner, and at the restaurant, we ended up talking about so much tire-related stuff that I was curious about, that I decided we should do a podcast! It was really interesting to me to learn about the journey Maxxis has been on in the past several years…the brand has come a long way in motocross circles and has long been the most dominant brand in mountain biking. Since he was in the condo, we asked Jeremy to jump in on the show to offer his insight about helping develop the new Maxxis ST moto tire. CLICK HERE to give the show a listen!

Thursday

MC and gazillion-time Jet Ski Champ Jeff “The Jammer” Jacobs.

On Wednesday, things got more serious as Jeremy joined the party after arriving Tuesday and building up his Specialized Demo 8 that he brought with him in a giant box. Along with Jer came Jeff Jacobs – 10-time Jet Ski World Champion and a veritable Whistler local – as well as my former co-worker at TWMX and now a big shot at 100%, Nick Wozniak. Add in Chase, Doni and me, and we were a group of six.

SML General Manager Don “Sea Container” Wilson…stoked!

Knowing that getting to ride downhill with McGrath was a rare occurrence, I decided to backpack my camera with me and I was able to get some pretty sick shots of him in action. Of course, his career started on a BMX bike so the two-wheeled talent transfers to MTB seamlessly, but I was super impressed when he launched all of the Pro-only drop-offs and jump on the new Dirt Merchant line with ease.

And what day at Whistler would be complete for me without another flat tire? Haha! Unbelievably, I flatted my rear tire again and walked back down the mountain. In the village, I ran into Chris from Maxxis and he handed me a pair of new Maxxis Minion DHF tires. Apparently, the tires that come spec’d on the Demo 29 don’t actually have stiff downhill casing, and he assured me that the switch would remedy my problems. 

Installing the tires posed a problem for me, as I didn’t pack tools with me and the guys at the Specialized booth were all shut down for the day already. That said, I headed to a rad shop in the village called Fanatyk Co to have them installed. When I walked in and was just about to ask the girl at the counter, I saw a “Service Department Closed” sign on the doorway behind her. Earlier that day, Chase and I had just had a discussion about how nice everyone in Canada seems to be, and that was reinforced when the Charlotte said, “Two tires? I can knock that out for ya’!” And she did. In short order. I was pumped and ready for action the next day, as it was already late afternoon and I decided to call it a day on the mountain.

Before dinner, Jeremy and I had the bright idea to do simultaneous Instagram Live broadcasts on our accounts, taking questions from viewers. While I set up my podcast equipment and Chase set up his cameras to record it, McGrath set up a row of tequila shots in the dining room. Now, I must say that tequila hasn’t touched my lips in over 20 years, as I missed a beach race down in the Cantamar sand dunes in Mexico one year because I was hugging the toilet in my hotel, turning my guts inside out all day after a few too many tequila shots the night before. I refused several times, but peer pressure is a bitch; especially when it’s coming from Jeremy McGrath. Let’s just say that the show was entertaining, to say the least. Haha! CLICK HERE to check it out. I promise you, it’s pretty good…maybe the tequila show should become a regular feature?

That night (and the next two) we went to an amazing Italian restaurant. More tequila shots followed, but I was more enamored with the homemade breadsticks that they served as appetizers. Our server Caroline knew by the second night to keep them coming. I probably consumed more carbs last week eating breadsticks than I have all summer. 

Friday

After I woke up Thursday morning (no hangover, miraculously), I edited and posted our pocast then headed to the mountain for laps upon laps upon laps, all without incident. The 2020 Specialized Demo 29 is one badass bicycle; much better than the old Demo 8 that I used to own, and much better than the Santa Crus V10 that I rented in Whistler a few weeks earlier. Surprisingly, I prefer the feel of the aluminum frame on a DH bike better than carbon, as it has a softer, more predictable feel for me. And of course, the 29″ wheels feel familiar to me as every bike I ride at home has large wheels (wagon wheels, as Kyle Strait calls them). And what a difference the Minion DHF tires made! Perhaps not as plush and cushy as the stockers, they gripped like no other and had a firm, planted feel in the corners that I loved. Thanks, Chris!

 

Chase, of course, continued to get better and better, and he kept hinting at wanting to hit the pro lines that McGrath had earlier. I told him he was of no use to me in a cast, and he settled down a bit.

If you have ever been to a mountain bike park, I’m sure you noticed that the culture is a little different than at the motocross track. While I won’t even begin to get into the mismatched gear thing for fear of being called an elitist, I will say that the things riders do with their helmets and goggles is strange. I, however, have buckled and joined the goggle revolution when I am not riding, either moving them to the forehead area of my helmet or actually putting them on backward, with the strap beneath the forehead. Pretty goofy, I know, but still a lot cooler than hanging them on your bars and having them fall off on the lift or – gasp – resorting to a ROKO Quik Strap! Remember those? (Oh my God I just Googled them and they are still made and sold! Haha!) 

The one MTB style tip I will never understand, though, is wearing your helmet propped atop your head like a beanie. It hurts! And it looks dumb as hell! Maybe it’s just the shape of my head, but this is something I will never be able to do or endorse. Haha! (Plus, look at these guys…their goggles are still IN the eyeport! Goon alert!)

One of the things I have always tried to teach my staff is to take advantage of every opportunity presented to them, and when we ran into Vicki Golden in the RockShox pit, Chase and I immediately realized it was a chance to grab a quick interview. Vicki and I have been buddies for a long time, but I didn’t realize how far back we went until we were chatting it up on camera. CLICK HERE to check out Dunlop’s Checking in With Vicki Golden.

Saturday

On Saturday, McGrath parked his personal bike and checked out the new 2020 Specialized S-Works Enduro, which has been completely redesigned and made even more capable than ever. Initially, he was a little concerned about hitting the aggressive lines on an enduro bike, but he was won over in short order by the smaller bike. 

I must admit that I was tempted to go try one of the new Enduros also, but by Saturday morning, I was feeling pretty lucky to have survived four more days at Whistler with not so much as a tip over and I figured better safe than sorry. Chase and I rode a half-day with the crew before returning to the condo to pack. Our flight home was first thing Sunday morning, and the shuttles to the airport didn’t start early enough to get us back, so we decided to shuttle back to Vancouver on Saturday night and find a hotel to crash in. Little did I know the adventure we were in for!

On the shuttle to Vancouver, I remembered that we would need a hotel for the night. Remembering a commercial I had heard or seen for hoteltonight.com, so I brought it up on my phone and reserved a room for one night at the Coast Airport Hotel. When we got there, Chase and I encountered our first unpleasant people in Canada. After some confusion, it was determined that I had reserved a room for the following night, not that night. Not hotel tonight. Hotel tomorrow night. My bad for not double-checking the date on the reservation when I pressed “BOOK,” but I mean, really? Hoteltonight.com automatically starts with the next day in the form? Come on. 

Next, we were informed that there was no vacancy for that night, and we would not be refunded our money for Sunday night. Awesome! After opening up my laptop and visiting expedia.com, I found that the only place in the area that was less than $500 a night was a place called Panda Pod Hotel. I had heard of pod hotels – they are huge in Japan – and I was too tired to not head over there.

It was like stepping into the Twilight Zone! Don’t get me wrong: the place was cheap, super clean, and I’d stay there again, but it was really bizarre. The hotel clerk didn’t know what the hell he was doing and kept telling us that it was his first day on the job. After about 30 minutes of checking in, he made us put our shoes in plastic bags and put them in a locker. We were provided throwaway slippers and walked back to the male dormitory. Women have a separate room to stay in, and the same with the community restrooms and showers: one for men, one for women. Thankfully, Chase and I only needed to sleep like pandas for about five hours and head to the airport, so we didn’t have to worry about showering like pandas.

The sleeping quarters consisted of 4’x4′ cubbies that had roll-down curtains on the end for privacy. Again, they were super clean and I would stay there again, but it was bizarre! Chase and I took turns cutting loud farts and laughing about them, and it wasn’t until a particularly long one that we got another panda in a pod to laugh out loud, too…

Above is a photo of my panda pod. It reminded me of a scary movie I saw when I was little, where some dude kidnapped someone and buried them alive in a box, but kept them alive for months underground by slipping food and water down through a small opening. As I finally started to fall asleep, I wondered if this is what it felt like to be dead in a coffin. After riding the most insane terrain on a mountain bike ever for four-days straight – with the King of Supercross no less – maybe I had already died and gone to heaven!

Thanks to Chris Myer at Maxxis Tires and Chris Sackett at Bell Helmets for making this trip possible.

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Donn Maeda

Donn Maeda is a 30-year veteran in moto-journalism, having worked at Cycle News and Dirt Rider before launching MXracer Magazine and TransWorld Motocross Magazine. Maeda is the Editor-In-Chief at Swapmoto Live and you can catch him on a dirt bike or in the saddle of a mountain bike on most days.

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