What is Pura Vida

July 25, 2018 jeffkendallweed Leave a comment

Jeff Kendall-Weed mountain biking in Costa Rica and on the hunt for la pura vida!

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BIG tires VS little bike: new shoes on Mojo3!!!

Now that I’ve got the geometry and suspension more dialed in on the little Mojo 3, it’s time to get into some of the finer details, and set this bike up to shred!

I had been rocking a simple WTB Frequency i25 wheelset (only $240 here at Jenson USA: http://bit.ly/2J4MGXn) and it was working just fine. For the price, the performance of the Frequency series of rims is really, really good! Back when I was racing I LOVED these because they weren’t too heavy and could take a really big hit without issue. But it’s time to get this bike really riding how I want. While the WTB rims are just fine, the Ibis wide rims, at an inner width of 35mm, mean I can have more tire support and run lower pressures, all with far less burping. Since I’m not racing, I’m not riding at the speeds that will more likely result in flat tires or broken rims.

I went ahead and swapped some Ibis 742 wheels on the bike (check these out at Jenson USA here: http://bit.ly/2EsZTuw) and the improvement in stability and stiffness was noticeable on the first ride. Before going to try the 2.6 tires, I got a few rides in with my long time favorite tire combo, a WTB Vigilante 2.3 Tough High Grip front with a WTB Trailboss 2.4 Tough Fast Rolling rear. This set up rocks!!! So fast and nimble, and man, the way that Trailboss breaks loose is SO predictable! Not to mention, super fast rolling. I was actually quite tempted to leave this tires on and call it good.

On to the tires. With 2.6 tires being all the rage, I figured this was the perfect bike to use for a trial. The bike only has 130mm of travel, so the extra squish from the big meats would be really helpful to sort of make the bike feel as though it’s bigger and more bomber. Now, this ties into the whole idea of “build the bike to accentuate its strengths or hide its weaknesses” idea that we discussed on our Kendall Vs Kendall podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/kendall-vs-kendall/id1386409671?mt=2). I was hesitant to really run plus size tires on such a nimble, little bike. But the 2.6 size was much more manageable than a true plus size rubber. That said, I noticed the biggest benefits when riding out in Colorado on the dry and rocky terrain. Here in the PNW, I had moments where I liked the 2.6, and plenty of moments where I honestly would like less squish for better pumping and predictability.

Perhaps on the next update I try a 2.5 front and a 2.4 rear?

Here’s a full list of the stuff I went through on this episode:

WTB Frequency i25 wheelset (only $240!): http://bit.ly/2J4MGXn
Ibis 742 wheelset: http://bit.ly/2EsZTuw
Orange Seal sealant: http://bit.ly/2Exoi21
WTB Vigilante 2.6 front tire: http://bit.ly/2x670C8
WTB Trailboss 2.6 rear tire: http://bit.ly/2x5cGwX

Wanna learn to ride like me? Check out my riding tutorials at https://www.patreon.com/jeffkendallweed

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Jeff KW rides an Ibis Mojo 3: http://bit.ly/2Oodh2X
Jeff KW wears a Camelbak Kudo: https://bit.ly/2tHs5ku
Jeff KW wears the Kitsbow Trials Jacket, Ride Tee, and Origin short: https://bit.ly/2N2SeTY
Jeff KW is protected by the Kali Maya helmet: https://bit.ly/2KmcCgJ
Jeff KW runs the PNW Components Bachelor 170 post: https://bit.ly/2IvG0zA

Music by Chillhop: http://chillhop.com/listen
Idealism: https://soundcloud.com/idealismus
FantomPower: https://soundcloud.com/fantompower/inanewspace
https://soundcloud.com/yungmiddleschool/middle-school-taro-at-this-point-feat-mitchel-forman
Stan Forebee: https://soundcloud.com/stan-forebee/drawing-dunes-chillhop-essentials-fall-2018
Listen on Spotify: http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify
The full Mojo Ti bike check!

Alas! I finally got this rad bike onto some ripping singletrack!

I might be dating myself here, but when I started riding in the mid 1990s, this type of bike was standard. And honestly, these cross country bikes are very capable! My first “real” bike had even steeper geometry than this Ibis, and I remember LOVING it! Fast forwards to 2018, and the transition back to a 71/73 hardtail with a “long” stem is fairly terrifying. I live to ride aggressively, and after charging daily aboard my modern enduro sleds, the transition back to the Mojo Ti was pretty scary. It inspired zero confidence. But by the time we were done filming, I finally began to feel more of my mojo on this bike. I’ll definitely film more on this thing!

While I didn’t mention this in the video, a big part of why this bike is so tricky to ride today stems from the trail themselves. The style of riding a modern bike is VERY different than a vintage bike, and the trails tend to wear towards whatever type of bike is riding them most. In this case, a local enduro race put a ton of modern bikes down this trail. Braking bumps and line choice are very much spaced as per a modern bike. This is also why a bike like this does so incredibly well on backcountry and lesser-ridden types of trails in comparison to these almost bike-park like trails, which are built and maintained with a dropper post and long travel suspension in mind.

Here’s a full breakdown of the Mojo Ti build!

1995 Ibis Mojo Ti frame, size medium (see Ibis at Jenson USA here: http://bit.ly/2N9Ejdx)
Chris King NoThreadset: http://bit.ly/2Nm9UN3
1997 Marzocchi Z2 fork (see current Marzocchi at Jenson USA here: http://bit.ly/2EgmwSu)
Syncros titanium seatpost (see current Syncros at Jenson USA here: http://bit.ly/2zYR07C)
Paul Components Boxcar stem: http://bit.ly/2M67e1p
Answer ProTaper bars
~1998 WTB SST Ti saddle (see WTB at Jenson USA here: http://bit.ly/2x95UFD)

Paul Components brakes:
Touring canti: http://bit.ly/2MRGy9S;
Neo-Retro canti: http://bit.ly/2LZHWlH,
Levers: http://bit.ly/2RAEvWv

Shimano XTR M950 rear hub, Hope Pro 2 front hub (http://bit.ly/2zYrX4o)
Stans ZTR 355 rims (see Stans at Jenson USA here: http://bit.ly/2xaoZqY)
Paul Components Skewers: http://bit.ly/2NuhXYx
WTB Vigilante 2.3 front tire: http://bit.ly/2E6YcT3
WTB Mutano 2.2 rear tire
Orange Seal sealant: http://bit.ly/2C2X7sY

Full Shimano XT M8000 series drivetrain:
170mm cranks
34t chainring
11-42 cassette
See these at Jenson USA here: http://bit.ly/2x8beKm

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Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly update of my newest videos! http://eepurl.com/cXsdZz

Follow me! www.jeffkendallweed.com
https://www.instagram.com/jeffkendallweed/
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https://www.patreon.com/jeffkendallweed

Jeff’s sponsors:
Jeff KW rides an Ibis Mojo 3: http://bit.ly/2Oodh2X
Jeff KW wears a Camelbak Kudo: https://bit.ly/2tHs5ku
Jeff KW wears the Kitsbow Trials Jacket, Ride Tee, and Origin short: https://bit.ly/2N2SeTY
Jeff KW is protected by the Kali Maya helmet: https://bit.ly/2KmcCgJ
Jeff KW runs the PNW Components Bachelor 170 post: https://bit.ly/2IvG0zA

Music:
Too good not to share!

Check out Trailpeek’s channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBPN_pDX1jrT5BkuwjbaaIQ

I believe I first met Zach’s older brother Dane during my years racing on the collegiate scene. Dane was a Chico State alumni, and I was a CalPoly SLO alum. Heck, I don’t even think I was still a student when I first met Dane, I think I had moved on to creepy post-student years, still attending the Parkfield classic. Since then, I’ve seen Dane at a ton of races. Then one day, at the TDS enduro, I saw two Danes standing next to each other. After rubbing my eyes a little, it turns out Dane has a way rad brother by the name of Zach! Dane and Zach are super good dudes, and incredibly talented riders. Their channel, Trailpeek, has been growing tremendously, and they are up to some really cool stuff.

Zach was stopping in Bellingham after racing the Crankworx EWS, so we made a point to get together and ride the local trails.

This was my first run down a new trail here in Bellingham called Mohawk. It’s a public, legal trail here on Galbraith Mountain: https://www.trailforks.com/trails/mohawk/ Big thanks to Spencer Baldwin & Andy Grant for this trail design and build & Bill Hawk for the the trail vision.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly update of my newest videos! http://eepurl.com/cXsdZz

Follow me! www.jeffkendallweed.com
https://www.instagram.com/jeffkendallweed/
https://www.facebook.com/jeffkendallweedMTB/
https://www.patreon.com/jeffkendallweed

Jeff’s sponsors:
Jeff KW rides an Ibis Mojo 3: http://bit.ly/2Oodh2X
Jeff KW wears a Camelbak Kudo: https://bit.ly/2tHs5ku
Jeff KW wears the Kitsbow Trials Jacket, Ride Tee, and Origin short: https://bit.ly/2N2SeTY
Jeff KW is protected by the Kali Maya helmet: https://bit.ly/2KmcCgJ
Jeff KW runs the PNW Components Bachelor 170 post: https://bit.ly/2IvG0zA

Music:
Bengfang- Get me a Dutch https://bengfang.bandcamp.com/track/get-me-a-dutch
Safakash – Lovely https://soundcloud.com/safakash/lovely-1
Ukiyo- Fast Forward https://soundcloud.com/ukiyoau/fastforward
Ukiyo- Happy New Year https://soundcloud.com/ukiyoau/happynewyear
NEW Ibis bike: DV9! First look, first jumps!

Check out the new Ibis DV9 at Jenson USA here: http://bit.ly/2zJwXda And that’s right- all complete bikes from Jenson USA ship ready to ride- just install the front wheel, pedals, and you’re set!

What a cool bike! A $999 frame that weighs only 2.6lbs and sports a 67.4° head angle! YES!!!

I’ll share with ya some of my initial observations of this new bike. Turns out this bike is a size large here, so on a medium, I could likely run a 170 dropper with no issues. Coming from a full suspension bike, it did take me a couple rides to feel comfortable on the hardtail again. Keep in mind, it’ll be a little bit of time to get acquainted with that feeling, but as long as you aren’t smashing endless rocks, hardtails with big tires and long forks are actually quite forgiving.

Climbing, as expected, is generally rad. The big 2.6 tires help a ton to make up for the traction that the rigid rear end loses in comparison to a full squish. The bike is noticeably lighter than my Mojo 3, for instance. 2.6lbs!!! I could eat cheeseburgers for breakfast and still climb faster than my full suspension bikes!

Jibbing- one of my favorite things to do on a bike! The DV9 accelerates like mad, making it a great bike to sprint into weird obstacles. The short chainstays also enable the bike to pull into a wheelie super easily, and then it’s intuitive to control that wheelie. The big wheels take some adapting, but the overall size of the bike (wheelbase) is quite manageable.

Jumping- the bike jumps decently well, but I urge caution with truly big jumps and the 2.6 sized tires. I burped the tires several times while over clearing jumps. Also, the tires have a lot more rebound than a smaller, 2.3 sized tire. I ran 16/17 psi, and felt that was about the sweet spot for me. I’m 160lbs.

Trail Riding- this is where the DV9 truly shines! The bike pumps really well, and it’s low BB makes for some great cornering traction. The hardtail feel is a great change of pace- trails that are easy on the full squish become a little more challenging. There’s also a cool feeling of being connected to the trail, with every pump having a more visceral effect without any muting of suspension. I kept pumping and manualing my way through trails that I would normally mash or pedal through, and it sure felt like I was going faster. True or not, it was definitely fun!

Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly update of my newest videos! http://eepurl.com/cXsdZz

Follow me! www.jeffkendallweed.com
https://www.instagram.com/jeffkendallweed/
https://www.facebook.com/jeffkendallweedMTB/
https://www.patreon.com/jeffkendallweed

Jeff KW rides an Ibis Mojo 3: http://bit.ly/2Oodh2X
Jeff KW wears a Camelbak Kudo: https://bit.ly/2tHs5ku
Jeff KW wears the Kitsbow Trials Jacket, Ride Tee, and Origin short: https://bit.ly/2N2SeTY
Jeff KW is protected by the Kali Maya helmet: https://bit.ly/2KmcCgJ
Jeff KW runs the PNW Components Bachelor 170 post: https://bit.ly/2IvG0zA

Music by Birocratic:
Beets 3; 04 May- https://birocratic.bandcamp.com/
Beets 3, 02 Celery Man- https://birocratic.bandcamp.com/
Beets 2, 06 unrhythm- https://birocratic.bandcamp.com/

Flamingosis & Birocratic- Look Both Ways https://birocratic.bandcamp.com/
How I compare the Fox Float DPX2 to the DPS and X2!!!

Quick disclaimer: I am sponsored by both Fox and Jenson!

Check out the Fox DPX2 shock at Jenson USA here: http://bit.ly/2wtinU8 Anything you purchase while at Jenson will help keep my channel supported. Thank you!

Let’s hit the trail and discuss this thing! For context, I’ll be comparing this to the Fox Float X2 and to the Float DPS.

Climbing: riders may set the blue compression adjustment lever in either open, mid, or firm settings. Fully open is often the best setting for my Ibis bikes. On many other bikes, the mid-setting is great for trail climbs that aren’t too technical, and firm is great on pavement or gravel.

The DPS has the same type of adjustment, and I’d say the DPX2 loses nothing to the DPS on the uphills. The big X2 has a climb switch, so it’s either way firm or fully open. The open is great on bikes such as the DW Link equipped Ibis models, where minimal damping is required to avoid bobbing. However, on bikes with poor pedaling characteristics, the X2 will present some challenges by not having a mid-damping adjustment. I’d say the DPX2 is the best all-around option for a bike that needs to perform well up hill as well as downhill.

On flatter sections of trail that require a lot of pumping to maintain speed, the DPX2 feels great. The volume adjustment is key for getting this right. Since the DPX2 has a larger volume than the DPS, it will require a little more tuning to dial in the correct mid stroke support. With the 10 clicks of low speed compression adjustment the shock can be fairly precisely dialed in to provide enough support for this type of riding. The DPS only has three clicks of adjustment, thus limiting riders in comparison to the DPS. The X2 is a different beast, and I honestly prefer the DPX2 over the X2 for most of these flatter sections of trails. The 2018 and older versions of the X2 require a bit more of an impact to move the shock, and they feel like they are valved more firmly. This can be great on aggressive descents, but it can be a little harsh on regular, flatter trails.

Descending: Let’s break this down into three categories: cornering, jumping, and smashing.

Cornering: the DPX2 corners great as well, and those 10 clicks of damping adjustment should provide a precise enough adjustment to avoid an overly harsh feeling for even the lightest of riders. The X2 can be a tad over damped for really light riders, but it’s not a huge issue.

Jumping: a good shock for jumping has a consistent feel, meaning no surprises on steep lips or on flat landings. Beyond that, it needs enough high-speed compression to keep from bottoming on both the take off and the landing, and enough progressively to similarly avoid bottoming. The DPX2 does great for this. The little Float DPS lacks high speed compression adjustment and can therefore bottom on both take offs and bigger landings. The X2 jumps great, and has plenty of adjustment. However, there is the possibility of adjusting the X2 to be too firm and creating a mushy feel that’s hard to get off the ground.

Smashing: I have not pushed the DPX2 to the extremes of temperature, meaning the longest descent I did was only about 2100 feet, or 700 meters. For something truly long and gnarly, the X2 will always have the advantage. Not only can it be dialed in very precisely, but it has much more oil volume than the DPX2. The little DPS can overheat pretty quickly. That overheating is caused by tons of really aggressive hits forcing that small amount of oil through the damping orifice really quickly.

In conclusion, the DPX2 is a great all-around shock. I would recommend it for anyone who considers themselves a trail or enduro rider. The DPS is indeed lighter, and still feels great in many situations. The DPS is cheaper as well. For someone riding more rolling terrain, on a shorter travel bike, and happily using a 34 or 32mm stanchion fork, the DPS will be just fine.

For someone who primarily is concerned with downhill performance, and who needs that high speed rebound adjustment, then the X2 is the way to go. If I rode bike parks a ton, or if my bike was real long travel, then I’d stay with the X2. On my ~150mm down to 130mm travel Ibis bikes, the DPX2 is an awesome shock, and I would gladly recommend it to any of my closest friends.

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Follow me! www.jeffkendallweed.com
https://www.instagram.com/jeffkendallweed/
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https://www.patreon.com/jeffkendallweed

Support my sponsors!
Jeff KW rides an Ibis Mojo 3: http://bit.ly/2Oodh2X
Jeff KW wears a Camelbak Kudo: https://bit.ly/2tHs5ku
Jeff KW wears the Kitsbow Trials Jacket, Ride Tee, and Origin short: https://bit.ly/2N2SeTY
Jeff KW is protected by the Kali Maya helmet: https://bit.ly/2KmcCgJ
Jeff KW runs the PNW Components Bachelor 170 post: https://bit.ly/2IvG0zA

Music by Birocratic: https://soundcloud.com/birocratic/
The BEST balance bike we've tried!

This Woom bike is available at https://us.woombikes.com/products/1

As ya’ll know, many of my best memories in life have been on a bike. And as our daughter grows, she constantly sees both her parents on their bikes (and smiling on said bikes!), thus fueling her own desire to ride. And you know what? Knowing that bikes can provide such sublime experiences, I think it’s totally worth it to get her a really nice bike.

Some friends of ours have the same model, the Woom 1, and when our little gal tried theirs out, she immediately looked comfortable and was able to ride with a lot more confidence than on her prior bike, a Y-Velo Twista. That Twista was a great early introduction to wheels, but at ~18 months old, her skills have progressed beyond the Twista’s capabilities. Enter the Woom 1!

The Woom is noticeablly lighter and larger than the Twista. And it’s truly a two wheeler. The 12” tires, complete with rubber inner tubes, give her a much softer ride in the dirt. The frame, fork, handlebar, stem, and seatpost are all aluminum, as opposed to steel (and plastic) of the older bike. The aluminum parts are noticeably lighter! The headset and hub bearings roll quite smoothly, and there’s a nice strap to keep the front wheel from turning too far and causing an OTB crash.

The Woom 1 does have a handbrake, and while that’s a little beyond our gal’s current skill level, it’ll be great for her to start learning about brakes at a young age.

We’ve been thrilled with the Woom 1, and we can definitely recommend it!

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Subscribe to my newsletter for a monthly update of my newest videos! http://eepurl.com/cXsdZz

Follow me! www.jeffkendallweed.com
https://www.instagram.com/jeffkendallweed/
https://www.facebook.com/jeffkendallweedMTB/
https://www.patreon.com/jeffkendallweed

Jeff KW rides an Ibis Mojo 3: http://bit.ly/2Oodh2X
Jeff KW wears a Camelbak Kudo: https://bit.ly/2tHs5ku
Jeff KW wears the Kitsbow Trials Jacket, Ride Tee, and Origin short: https://bit.ly/2N2SeTY
Jeff KW is protected by the Kali Maya helmet: https://bit.ly/2KmcCgJ
Jeff KW runs the PNW Components Bachelor 170 post: https://bit.ly/2IvG0zA

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