Third's Bike Mentor Located

In the Go Banana Video Jason hit the ground pretty hard but it was not on film. Even Jason was speechless for almost seconds.

http://www.heggle.com/item/4454115/High_Speed_Faceplant

The rubber side down rule is very important when mountain biking.

.... ceagan

Elvis Sighting

As I mentioned I happened to be in Santa Cruz this weekend. I sent an email to the bike company of the same name and they offered a tour. Here is the response they sent to my query

"Hi Charles,
I'm going to hook you up with our inside Canadian rep - Dano, and he may be able to show you around if he's available and has the time.
I'll CC him on this email.
Have a good trip and thanks for choosing Santa Cruz.
Scott Turner - Santa Cruz Bicycles
Santa Cruz, California
scott@santacruzbicycles.com
www.santacruzbicycles.com"

I did connect with Dan and he agreed to show us around.

Little Miss Sunshine (Bailey) and the gang minus Ben had a great tour of the Santa Cruz Mtb bike factory.

See the photo's here http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3924&id=500152452 if you have facebook.

The frames are manufactured somewhere else but the painting/kitting all happens at this factory. The people were very friendly and the company seemed very cool and laid back. Apparently the company treats their employees very well. Overall there are 60 people in the company and the revenue they make is about the same as QNX.

I mentioned the Santa Cruz sponsored person from the Summer Solstice who had the amazing lap times and that we let him pass us in the race so he would look good. Notice the green bike frame in the photos ... This is a special bike for some world champion (Aussie) for an upcoming race.

We were given some free tee's and I also bought a jersey. I will have to see how it works on the trail. I am anxious to get back to good old KL.

.... Man Down

Elephant Head Ride on Google Earth

For all of those who are Google earth fans, you can now follow
the epic journey of five brave Go Banana team members as
they ride the Elephant Head in Tucson, Arizona

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=EarthSports&Number=976789&Searchpage=1&Main=976789&Words=&topic=&Search=true

Or directly in Google Earth:

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php?Number=976789

We'll put more of our team's journeys as we get them plotted.

Thomas

There's a House in the Middle of the Trail

Click your mouse on the pic to the left but be warned it's a little depressing. It's the planned housing development in Kanata overlayed on top of the Kanata Lakes trails. A lot of trails will be lost :( The good news is the Outback is untouched.....for now.

Going To Graceland

I have changed my ride several times over 3 years. I started with a Marin and then I was lured into the Specialized cult with a very nice cross country racing bike called the Epic Marathon. My friends can attest to the fact that I was quoting Ned and often speaking of the inertial valve and I was decked head to toe in cool specialized attire.

Next one sunny summer day while looking to upgrade my shock I ended up buying a Santa Cruz Blur LT. This baby was Orange and I am very happy with everything on the bike and I really like Orange. Since then I have found there are two kinds of people in the world. Those who own Blurs and those who want to own them.

So back to Graceland. I am on a plane heading to the Bay Area and I feel a calling to go to the homeland/birthplace of this nice new bike, I plan or trekking to Santa Cruz one afternoon, sit meditating on the beach and then check out the factory and any potential Santa Cruz bling. Stay tuned for a summary of my quest.

…. Man Down

Deep Thoughts, by Man Down

I have to start by communicating how pleased I am at being part of the Go Banana legend.

Of course I always obey the commandments

Ride on open trails only.
Respect other trail users.
Respect the environment.
Always stay on the trail.
Ride don't slide.
Pack it out.
Know your limits.

There is one commanments that is missing.

If a banana falls ride over them

The astute may notice that 2 of the 4 video stars are riding with not just the cool Go Banana Jersey but also poison spider socks. I found this troubling as we departed on the ride as one of my poison spider socks has been missing and it really has funked my ride (2 years missing plus Poison Spider comed from the Memories of Moab Mountain Bike tour that Go Banana took in 2005). This actually caused me to be a bit off and fall a few times on the video ride.

This morning just one week after the video shoot I have successfully reunited both poison spider socks. This will allow me to stop wearing black dress socks and fly with the other members of the team.

I would also like to thank Ben Eagan a fellow banana rider and the video guy for shooting the video. His work can be found at http://the20gigapology.com/. Since we have worked together filming these shots I can honestly say Ben is like a son to me now. He is like a grasshopper in training.

Over and out.

Man Down

Go Banana Video

On The Set With Go Banana

Members of the famed Go Banana MTB Team today participated in an early morning video shoot for the much anticipated Go Banana Promo Video. The promo video was expected to make the cut off for Sundace but after a few technical setbacks it is now thinking Cannes may be a better release target. To the left is a behind the scenes picture of "Man Down" testing the handlebar mount which was quickly sidelined due to shoddy craftsmanship. With the loss of the handlebar cam the director (Ben Eagan) had to quickly come up with some new shots to fill the void. Luckily the day was saved when an opportunity presented itself for "The Third" to attempt the dangerous and rarely seen "Double Back Axle Face Slide" off a jump on a downhill. What an impressive simultaneous display of bravery and sheer stupidity. Director Ben Eagan was quoted saying such compliments as "What the f*#k was that?" and "Are you sure you're OK?". Other great shots included falling off a rock bridge while trying to stare at the camera, Big Air T-man soaring off an A-frame, and the Go Banana patented move of riding in a line going down a straight flat path. This will be one video worth waiting for the director's cut!

24 Hour Summer Solstice Photos

Anyone that would like to view the photos taken throughout the race weekend can follow this link.

http://picasaweb.google.com/tommiller6/24HourSummerSolstice

New Trail...well for us anyways

Saturday morning a gaggle of Go Banana'ers headed south down the 416 to try out some new trails called Limerick Forest. The trails were fast and twisting and a lot of fun, definitely worth the drive. There wasn't much climbling but the sand made up for that cardio wise.