Canfield isn’t the first name you think of when it comes to 29ers or cross country bikes. Bikes for chucking off red cliffs, maybe - but 29ers? They’ve been talking about it for a while and those who had heard the rumors have been waiting. But this will be a surprise to most mountain bikers. Well, the bike was in my studio today and I’ve got proof. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce the Canfield Brothers Nimble 9 29er.

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Lift-served biking on the Warm Springs Trail - Sun Valley/ Ketchum, Idaho August 1, 2009 Words and photos by Lee Lau unless otherwise noted.

BALD MOUNTAIN - the Sun Valley ski hill

On a one week road-trip through Idaho and Montana, Sharon, Tyler and I took advantage of an offer to sample some lift-served biking off Bald Mountain in Sun Valley/Ketchum, Idaho. We are no strangers to lift-served mountain-biking. Sharon patrols at the Whistler Bike Park. I rode those same trails before there was even a bike park and Tyler’s been riding downhill, freeride and XC most of his adult life.

First some clarification. I had always thought of this entire area as “Sun Valley” - such is the power of marketing. There’s actually a resort village known as Sun Valley. Adjacent to the resort is the town of Ketchum. There are actually two ski hills. One is Bald Mountain (operated by the Sun Valley resort and branded as “Sun Valley”) which has more terrain and vertical then the sister operation of Dollar Mountain , which has more beginner friendly terrain. Suffice it to say that if you’re going to bike the lifts or ski at Sun Valley it’s likely that you’ll be using the lift system at Bald Mountain. More details on the history of Sun Valley is documented here.

Lift-served biking at Sun Valley is no adrenaline junkie thrill-craft type of ride. Rather it’s a rather pleasant ramble down super-buff trails that are not overly technical, are approachable by people of all different skill levels and indeed, can be (and often are) ridden down hill and uphill. That this is lift-serviced is more a pleasant convenience then an implication that you will find big technical features on these trails. Instead of jumps, skinnies, step-ups or step-downs or big berms you will find flowy, fast singletrack that winds through the woods. This is not to say that you can’t push yourself or have a lot of fun on Warm Springs railing downhill at speed - which we did whenever we had clear sightlines

Introduction

As Whistler is one of the premier mountain-biking destinations on the planet, it’s no surprise that there’s lot of information about rides and the trails available both on-line and in print.

However, there are no current comprehensive guidebooks for Whistler; the last effort was compiled circa 1997 (by Rob Cocquyt and Dave Kelly, “Squamish-Whistler Mountain Bike Guide) is difficult to find and not current. As one can discern from the many questions in online bike forums, the need for a comprehensive guide is evident. “Whistler Mountain Biking” by Brian Finestone and Kevin Hodder, a new guidebook on the topic, is current, comprehensive and fills this information gap.

Available from the Knee Deep Productions (Whistler Guidebooks) site or from your favourite book store the guidebook is priced at $ 22.95 if ordered directly.

Cheap Thrills on the West Side ~ rider Lee Lau

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It’s February. Normally at this time each year I am skiing or sitting in a cold, damp university classroom - but not this February. This February (thus far) has been full of sun, skateparks, bikes, and beaches. Why you ask? Because I’m in California!!!

I decided to escape the dreary Vancouver Island winter this year and come down to the land of lap dogs, bleach blondes, and vanity (yep, I’m in LA) to see if I could spend more time on my bike than I could at home (which is bound to happen because it’s too cold to ride at home).

So far it’s been working out great. I drove down with my friend Toni and we took a few days to see the sights and some friends along the way in Portland, San Francisco, and Morro Bay. Although I’ve done that drive a few times, I always forget how long it really takes. I’m dreading the trip home for that reason alone!

Anyways, I’m here now and I’ve been insanely busy since I first rolled in. I first went to visit my sponsors who are based out of Cali - Oakley and Etnies - and then began my mission. Ride till I drop!

source: Trisha Petrella, Norco Performance Bikes