Bike Park season officially kicks off today with the opening of the Whistler Bike Park. To make your berm-smashing, rock-garden-gapping, sideways-landing times better, we thought we’d throw together a short list of tips to make your bike park experience better.
#1 Bring tools with you.
The Topeak Ninja TM – courtesy of FactoryJackson
There are few things harder on a mountain bike than back-to-back laps of your local bike park. When you need to make minor tweaks, check the torque on your frame hardware, or twist a (spoke) nipple back in place, you don’t want to have to ride all the way back down to the bottom to do it. Carrying a multitool that can live on your bike, like the Topeak Ninja Cage, guarantees that you’ll have tools on hand should your bike require some mid-day TLC.
#2 Spare Tube and CO2 Inflator are Clutch.
Flats happen. When you’re ‘in the zone’ flying down the hill at mach chicken, you tend to put a lot of trust in your tires. But even with a super tough sidewall like Schwalbe’s SuperGravity, most bike parks have rocks sharp enough to seriously deflate your stoke level. Whether you went full-send on a whip and forgot to bring the rear wheel back again, or you slashed your sidewall on a little slice of heaven at the Top of The World, you’ll need to get your tire inflated again if you want to keep riding. Carrying a CO2 to re-seat your tubeless tire, and a spare tube in case of a serious slash, is key. We suggest the Axiom FuseAir Hybrid pump. It’s got a removable head that you can use for controlled CO2 inflation, and doubles as a hand pump for that second flat.
#3 Bring a Lock.
A side note- it’s a good idea to put a tape strip or sticker on your frame to save your paint from wear.
With hundreds of thousands of dollars in bikes lying around the base of the mountain, most bike parks offer easy pickings for bike thieves. The best way to secure your investment? Make it harder to steal than the next guy’s bike. The Hiplok Z-LOK is the perfect solution for bike park riders looking for a quick and easy way to secure their bike during ride breaks. The Z-LOK is a metal-reinforced re-useable Zip-tie. Light enough to fit in a pocket or around your wrist without you noticing, but strong enough to keep people honest. For bonus points, you can use the Z-LOK to hold your spare tube onto your frame while you’re riding.
#4 Vibrocore is Your Friend.
We can’t say enough about the benefits of Vibrocore technology. To put it as simply as possible, Vibrocore is an aluminum bar with a foam core to reduce vibrations while you ride. If you’ve ever suffered sore or stiff hands at the end of a day in the bike park, these bars are for you. Vibrocore reduces harmful vibrations by as much as 30%, even better than carbon fiber, and can increase both your riding time and the bar’s lifespan. Vibrocore bars are available in a variety of widths and rises to suit your bike setup.
#5 Bring Water.
Stay Thirsty. Image courtesy of Pinkbike.com
Hydration generally isn’t something you think about until it’s too late. By bringing a water bottle with you (on a Topeak Ninja Cage, for example), you can re-hydrate on the chair lift so you don’t end up with the spins after 8 hours in the sun drinking nothing but RedBull.
#6 Stickers Are For Adults Too.
Never too old for stickers.
If there’s one thing that can ruin a five minute mid-trail high-five session, it’s bugs. Citronella stickers are small, inexpensive, and are a great excuse to put a unicorn sticker on your helmet without your friends making fun of you for it*. They smell a little funky, but after a few laps in the park, who doesn’t?
*(results may vary)
We wish you a heaps-good season of bike park schralping this season, wherever your adventures take you. Stay safe, and stay rowdy.