No matter how good you are or how good you think you are, there’s always someone lurking with more talent.

Case in point: my 13 year old son. A go-all-day, long hair, hesh skate rat, who can ride a bike real fast DH when he wants to.

I set up a bike with a Double Barrel and a 200lb spring. We proceeded to hit Greens Lick. This trail is like an old school BMX track that points down hill. Before we head down, I tell him, “Chill behind me, I’ll keep my speed down so you don’t get over your head”
 
“Whatever, Dad”

So right off this little guy is putting a wheel on me, dragging his foot roosting corners and just plain being a pain. (The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…) I see his bottom bracket near my head on one jump. He’s hurling no brakes just because.

If my son’s generation is any indication and the hammered rear wheel and tire factor into this, I’d say the future of this sport is in for more like him lurking, waiting to show us all the way.

I got out this weekend for an incredible ride, one that really made me question my “ideal bike”. I wanted to give Cane Creek’s Double Barrel equipped 2008 Turner Highline a go in some rocky fast stuff.

The trail I had in mind requires some serious climbing though, and the prospect of doing it on a 7″ travel bike certainly had me calculating the pain/benefit ratio.

Once I got going I couldn’t have been happier. Since the Highline has a full length seat tube, I could get into a full leg extension position for climbing. This along with a front derailleur and a few extra clicks of low speed compression into the Double Barrel turned the Highline into a respectable climbing bike. I rode everything I could have ridden on a “little bike” or a hardtail… just slower.

I found myself enjoying the challenge of it, cranking a “big bike” up the long, steep, technical uphill sections. At the top I was tired, sure, but had cleaned everything and gotten my cardio in for the day! Also, I was at the top of a 15min downhill with a super bike… fantastic.

The ride really made me appreciate a full length seat tube (enough seatpost for climbing and can also be dropped down for descending), clearance for a front derailleur, and the zero-bob attained by the suspension design/Double Barrel shock combo. For me, a bike that can’t be ridden up the hard stuff just isn’t much fun since I like riding uphill almost as much as down. Getting this ability from a 7” bike opens up a world of possibilities. I won’t be winning any races on it, but for a day in the woods, I’ll be taking the Highline (or similar) far more often than I would have previously.