We boarded the shady Coyote Shuttle – a welded together “Stretch” Volkswagon Vanagon, or a “Vanagon Again” as it was dubbed, for the haul up Sand Flats Road. Eight of us plus the driver, who hauled freight at unsafe speeds up the Sandflats road, with the brakes shreeking at every push. Up top it was cool, with the mud just beginning to melt, and snow still visible in pockets. We all bailed out and paid off the driver. No Whole Enchilada for us this time. We would have to go with an 18-20 mile descent of more than 3,000 feet.

The ledge-dropping, rough-riding, huckfest began. The Porcupine Rim Trail is deservedly legendary.

Blue skies and a lapse in the wind as we drove north of town for Bartlett’s Wash, a huge mesa of Entrada slickrock. We had rode it on Moab Adventure 2007, but had not been too impressed, and had been crunched for time to get back to town to meet a friend. So this time we had nothing on the agenda. We found many ledges to drop off, and surfed a few sandstone gullies. Got some great photos, a few videos and a sunburn. Definitely a better time this go around. We exited on the super steep sandstone ramp into the wash.

On the way out, after several hours of hopping and hucking (Dig dropped a few 6-8 footers), I suggested we tag Baby Steps loop. It was only a few miles from Bartlett’s, at the Klondike Bluffs trailhead. We reserved a Porcupine Rim shuttle for the next day and headed back into the scrub on another dirt road. Dig was feeling fatigued from the many jumps and heart-pumping slickrock climbs at Bartlett’s … however, he was a good sport and went along on the second ride. He came to regret that later, after two crashes that left no one more surprised than he. I missed seeing his massive endo on a six inch gap in the rocks. I only heard the clash of metal and the dull thud of a side of beef hitting the rock.

Baby Steps loop is the new Moab singletrack style, more contour lines and twitchy weaving through loose rocks and under obstacles, with small (for this area) exposure on many turns. A fun advanced intermediate tech trail.

Day 2, slept in to recover from 1,000 miles of driving and 3 hours of sleep topped off with two rides on our first day. Headed north of town to try out the newer M-O-A-B brand trails. If you go, drive past the first parking lot and down to the parking lot at the end of the dirt road. Saves you a mile or so of gravel road riding.

Bar M proved disappointing, a fireroad, mostly. Rockin’ A was weavy but easy. We rode the O on Circle O, a tight 25 foot diameter clay banked circle. Bar B has a fun first half. It climbs up a small hill and then winds down through the rocky and sandy desert. Along with lots of rock riding, it features a sidehill countour line trail too. We rested at the entry of the Killer B to have a Clif Bar.

The rest of Bar B was another fire road and boring. After breaking a chain and fixing it, we rode the rest of Bar B and back on the first leg of it again back to Killer B.

Killer B is gnarly. It drops 650 feet in less than a mile. The trail is very narrow and has its share of exposure. Rock stair steps drop into tight switchbacks edged by 30-foot deep rock choked canyons. We managed most of it … though I did hug a rock and send the bike down the trail. Killer B got the heart going with several of sketchy descents into switchbacks.

The ride back ended on a paved bike path. With the exception of the first 1/2 of Bar B and Killer B, these trails are blase. If I was Moab, I’d want my name back.

We splashed into town under a glowering gray dawn, pelted by the heavy rain and winds that had driven us from the warmth of our mummies dossed down in the high desert NW of Green River. Inspiration proved hard to find, as did joy. Breakfast at the Jailbreak Diner. Things looking up with hot bacon and more coffee. Rain slowing. Tried early check-in at Moab Rim Camp Park. No dice. Car steaming up from wet gear, we rolled back down hill to Chile Pepper Bike Shop to pick up my squeeze: A Giant Reign.

Chile Pepper folks needed some humor, though the sky was gray. They lectured me on how much I’d owe if I lost the bike, and told me that “crashes are not normal.” Uh, huh.

Rain stopped, wind stayed. We drove up Kane Creek Road to Amasa Back to tackle the Amasa Back/Rockstacker/Jackson loop. We had only ridden the Amasa back part before. Dig started off strong, dropping in on the initial ledge not 200 yards into the ride. Acorss the creek, it was a rocky slog up the climb. We sweated it, except when we rounded an outropping or the trail turned and we met the wind. Then we shivered and chilled as it raked our sweaty jerseys.

They have put up new signs. Basically, that’s how you know you’re at a junction. We peeled off the Amasa route to head out to pothole arch. After that Rockstacker awaited, a trail described on the signs as “ultra-technical,” with “edgy ledges” and “tight, exposed switchbacks.” So true … A Rockstacker debrief will follow. 100 yards in, the trail dropped over a 6 foot high rock. Things were getting hairy.

We’re off to Moab, Utah again! So wired to get a chance to rail Porcupine Rim Trail again, to tackle the ledges and sand of Amasa Back, and to sample some new-to-us trails like the M-O-A-B Brand Trails. Dig and I will be out there for at least 5 days of riding, and we hope to have a shot at The Whole Enchilada, a 27 mile trail with more than 7K of descent!

Watch next week (Oct. 25-30) for pics / vid and debriefs on some epic big mountain rides.

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

A bike for the season

Review and photos: Randy King

Click on any image in this story to see a larger version

Every dog has its day, and there is no mountain bike perfect for all trails. Yet sometimes you end up on the right trail with the right bike and it’s like puzzle pieces clicking together.  Aha! That’s why they added that component … I see why they made the frame like that … Railing the Giant Trance X4 down the natural sandstone stairs of Phoenix’s National Trail, the bike’s seemingly odd set up and parts mix worked together and shone in operation.

On those sandstone stairs the Giant Trance X4’s Marzocchi Bomber 33R coil fork, eThirteen bash guard, 2.35″ (60MM) tires, 7″ (180MM) front brake rotor and beefy WTB Devo Team saddle all made sense. I was glad they were there for me as I tried to gauge grip, depth, speed and flex on the fly and on less than four hours of sleep.

Giant made waves when it introduced its Maestro suspension design in 2005. Bike magazines raved about the Trance and Reign models, the 100MM (4″) and 140MM (5.5″) travel trail models. I rode the original Trance while shopping for my next big mountain bike. It did everything it was supposed to, but did not inspire. Big Mountain Riding contributor “Dig” King bought a used Reign. He loves the beefy, rough and ready frame and components that handle his rough riding style. It rocked on Porcupine Rim Trail in Moab.  However, he is not a fan of pedaling +30 pounds (13.6 KG) of bike up hills.

Enter the Trance X. It’s sort of an in-between one, as DMB would say, and is a case for 5″ (125 MM) as the best all-around suspension length.  The bike handles itself well on climbs, although it is on the heavy side of 30 pounds.  But this is a time to trust Boris “The Blade” from Snatch, when he said “Heavy is good. Heavy is sign of reliability.”  Heavily built is what you want when picking your way through a gauntlet of sharp-edged rocks and very prickly vegetation. This was my first time riding a legendary Marzocchi fork. The coil 33R felt rock solid, though it shared other characteristics with a rock too. At just over 5 pounds (2.3 KG), the fork adds a lot to the Trance X4’s overall portliness.  It made the bike feel a bit front-heavy. Wheelie drops were not easy for my jet-lagged and sleep-deprived body with 5 pounds of fork and big tires up front. Fortunately, the coil “Zoke” could handle any fudged drop ins.

In the end, the question is would you buy this bike? My answer, your hard-earned bones may be better spent on a higher-model, even if it’s a used one. The Trance X4 is fun, but the weight would get old soon on prolonged climb. I know from my own Fox TALAS fork that lighter air forks can dish up just as much beef as this coil ‘Zoke.  In short, I like it … but it can be even better.

©2010 Big Mountain Riding