Product review - The Ergon BC3 pack

Ergon. I had no idea who they were until i noticed Weins is sponsored by them. I'm a big Weins fan, he's just a super cool old school mountain biker, period. I'm glad I Google'd Ergon as I'm of the opinion they have leapt forward 5 years with their grips and packs. They're German, and the stuff is definitely engineered to the hilt. I've only been riding with the pack for two months, and the grips for less than a week, so we'll see how they hold up over time but I can tell you they are worth the extra cash when you compare them to any other pack or grip out there.

I bought their largest pack - the BC3 for commuting and touring.

http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/product/bc3

It has an external/internal frame made of lightweight and relatively pliable plastic. The shoulder straps are attached to the frame but they rotate independently of the hip belt portion of the frame. Hard to explain unless you pick one up. What it means is that all the weight of the pack is placed on your hips and you hardly notice anything is on your back. Because the shoulder straps function as one unit and rotate separately from the hipbelt, you don't fling the pack when your shoulders move like when you are navigating technical terrain or just plain steering. Because of the design, there's an airspace on the back panel too, so your back doesn't get as wet ans clammy as with normal packs. The big exception is some Airvent Deuter packs which this Ergon pack is somewhat replacing for me. The airvent breathes better but carries all the weight on your shoulders and back. I'm not sure I'll get rid of the Deuter pack, it's been with me longer than any pack at around 8 years!

The Bc3 is waterproof, truly waterproof, and the zippers are waterproof too. It's a bomber (a bit heavy) material that I doubt will ever rip unless I run into barbed wire at 30mph or a mountain lion takes a swipe at it. It has multiple chambers for stashing things, and a weird rigid insert to the main compartment that I took out, but it has a place for keys, a pump, other random small items that tend to bounce around in bigger pockets. There is a helmet compartment on the outside that also functions as an easy access jacket/bootie/glove/grub pocket and cinches down nicely.

This pack is big at 25L/1525 cubic inches, but it doesn't SEEM that big maybe because it can cinch down well and is made of a somewhat more rigid fabric than other packs. It's perfect for someone like me that always brings way too much along on the ride, commute, or tour because you can barely feel the extra weight. The hipbelt is graciously padded and does the job better than any other bike pack - WAY better. The pack has a large and small sizing built in - so if you have a longer torso than others you go with the large setting and if you are too skinny you go with the small hipbelt setting. There's really no comparison to this pack, it's in its own league (but so is the price).

There are a couple of downsides to this design. One is that it sticks out farther off your back than most packs which I don't really notice but some might. The main issue I have with the pack is that it's not as good a technical/rough trail pack as I thought it'd be. It stays in place OK, but it still slips to one side or another depending on which foot you have forward on your pedals while navigating and pedaling over stuff. Because the shoulder straps rotate independently, it's harder to fling it back into place than with regular packs. You have to use your hand to slide the hipbelt back around your waist every once and awhile. It's truly at home on the commute and I can imagine on a long bike tour where it's not super technical. I'll get to test it out on the way to Durango for SSWC's this September for that purpose.

In the end, it's the best pack for someone who wants to carry a lot of stuff, or just distribute the weight of a water bladder better than other packs. It's great for someone who gets back pains on long rides, or who has a back back. It may transfer your pain to butt-pain but I'm not sure yet. It's amazingly well (over?) built so should last over the years. They make two smaller sizes to this one and I've heard great reviews of the smallest version, the BD1. Oh, and they make women's specific sizes!

The Breck Epic

I kinda wish I was there racing the inaugural event...but maybe next year?

Follow Dubba's posts here:
http://www.velonews.com/race/detail/93800

A long weekend

Columbine alley, Band Camp

I have spent way too much time battling the downfall this year on this one trail. It's one of my main (fun) commute routes though...so it WILL be worth the effort. No one else apparently is riding this trail. You have (had) to burrow through the downed trees - until now. Still some more to go, maybe 2/3rds done? But holy cow my body is worked from the labor. That April 4 feet of snow sure broke off a whole bunch of trees and we'll be feeling the effect on our local trails for months to come.

A long weekend in more ways than one. Lots of ranch work, making a new paddock for the lil Snapdragon who just turned 2 months old yesterday! She's such a funny little punk. We moved large rocks from the old mine on the property to behind the barn where a new stall will be by summer's end. Move big rocks, then dirt, then crash. Popeye arms would be helpful.

I visited the local skatepark twice, yes TWICE, this weekend and skated with King Nimby. It's feeling more comfortable there now...a fast and fun ride. The carveability of the park is beyond belief. I cannot believe it's 5 minutes away from my house! Can I say YAY i live here?! Sorry....had to. BTW, when is the YAY100?

Nimby goes upside down

Me playing in the pool

Sunday Classic

I had a classic Ned ride with Dr.CX, the Pilot, and a young buck J the Wrenchmeister - a pilot in training. We went up north this time to such classics as RBV, Swimming Hole, SwissMiss, and Xfiles. I hadn't been up that way in years, literally, and much has changed. Fences and houses being built where the trails used to pass by. We had to take several detours to avoid these areas and it looked like these routes have mostly been abandoned because of that. Part good, but mostly bad as they looked the same as when I last rode them 3 years ago, but it may be the last time I ride them for another 3 years.

Paintbrush and singy

The "Ex-urbanization" of this area (of which I wholeheartedly admit I'm a part of living up here in the mtns) is swallowing up habitat (and trails) left and right. At least my house is somewhat historical (how's that for a rationalization?! Why convert land to build a new 5000 square foot second or third home? I mean really...!? A mile long driveway in the mountains? That person cannot be planning on living there year round and plowing that all winter.

Ok, enough ranting. The wildflowers are going off right now so it was a perfect time to visit these mountain meadows. This seemed like the first hot day this year, and the lack of thunderbolts was a pleasant surprise too. The moisture has been amazing this year, i hear we're at near record June precip in the last 100 years!

A Dr.CX wheelie through one of the meadows with Audubon in the background.

The Pilot posing with a Columbine, don't they look cute together?!

Tour de la Marin

Sunrise on Tam

I grew up in Marin County, CA. Posh by some people's standards, and it is these days. It was a bit less of that when I was growing up, at least in certain towns. But you may not know that it's basically an area founded by hippies, pot growers and smokers, musicians, generally outdoorsy people, and all else wishing to be close to civilization (SF) for work or "culture" but also far enough away - it's an escape. More recently it's been bombarded with yuppies with which there's nothing wrong with but it's driven housing prices so high none of my high school friends, nor anyone i know, can afford to live there so it's an aging population.

As i've probably spouted off about before, I started riding mountain bikes (after BMX bikes of course) when I was in 6th grade. Oh my...that was about 1985. At that time, the most numerous bikes I saw on the mountain were Schwinns, Specialized (for the low budget buyers) and Ross. Even though those were nice bikes, they didn't compare to the other bikes seen on the mountain and they were just pure beauty - lugged Breezers, red Ritcheys, and super gucci Steve Potts and Otis Guys. I remember also WTB Phoenix, Ibis, and Salsa bikes but that was few years later. I worked for my step-dad all summer and saved up for a new bike. I had a Schwinn High Sierra (got stolen the same year i got it), then a Specialized Hard Rock to replace it, which is the bike I really got into MTB'ing on. But then as I got more addicted, I wanted something better...lighter. I talked to the shop guys at the Mill Valley Cyclery and they suggested buying a frame/fork from a guy named Ritchey that was making frames in his garage. But I couldn't afford that much for just a frame/fork. I went to my local shop, the Village Peddler in Larkspur, and ordered up a Klein Pinnacle with Suntour XC Pro. I ordered it 'unfinished' - as in no paint. I had to polish it and to me, it was one of a kind. It had that sweet Cunningham Aluminum look to it and was around 24 pounds and seriously rigid with its aluminum fork. Oh, there's another sweet bike that I saw very few of - Charlie Cunningham. Strangely, I don't recall seeing many Fishers. Probably just because the Breezer, Potts, Cunninghams, and Otis Guys all woo'd me more. There were other bikes, but Marin riders are very proud of their place in mountain biking history. That's why when you go there even today you see the same names on the local's bikes in addition the overwhelmingly popular Santa Cruz (because of their dualies). (If you haven't seen Klunkers, I highly recommend renting it.)

So each time I visit the parents, I bring my bike or borrow a friends. Mt. Tam is king. Sure, most of the singletrack is illegal to ride, but the mountain and the entire watershed is mostly desolate of people and is one of a kind. Amazing to think it's so close to San Francisco and millions of people. You surely wouldn't know it riding there even on a Saturday.

Somehow, I had never heard of the "de la." It's a ride started by Gravy in 1986. Gravy is a long time mechanic that has wrenched for the likes of Miles Rockwell (another Marin loc), Missy Giove (fellow pot dealer with Miles apparently), Tinker, and many others. He's been in the scene a long time. Anyways, each solistice - spring and fall - locals meet at an undisclosed location at 4:20am and ride all day according to the route that Gravy lays out (lately they've been around 100 miles). The route changes each year, traverses all over the mountain and hits places like Muir Woods, Stinson Beach, Lagunitas, and even Pt. Reyes before returning back to the "front side" of the mountain where everyone meets at a bar to celebrate the changing of seasons.

So this year, I decided to make the trip back on the Solstice and try out a De La. My compatriots from the Kokopelli Trail trip, TK and PB, were to be my guides. Although I grew up riding in Marin, I didn't ride anything but Tam 'proper' and never ventured up north too much. Gravy's directions leave something to be desired but that's part of the fun too. You really have to know this area to not get lost on this ride.

So it was, we heard the day before the ride that we were to meet at midnight at a certain "Wooden Bridge" just behind my old middle school. It was literally Old School. Later in the day, we were lucky enough to get the "Lammy" as everyone calls it - a laminated postcard with artwork on the front and the route on the back. I looked at it and realized I'd be lost after the first paragraph, if not sooner, and there were 3 paragraphs for the route! Gravy is apparently TRYING to hurt people...and very Montezuma's Revenge-esque, disable most people from finishing.

It was an incredible journey that I wasn't fully prepared for...i was a bit over-confident coming from high elevation Colorado. Next year, I will be there again, and maybe for a fall ride too. The riding vibe from Tam is definitely addicting, and I miss it. Here's a short picture show of the ride.

http://picasaweb.google.com/whitcj/DeLaMarin#

Back from CA

Not California

More later on the "De La" as they call it, but for now let's just say i'm ruined....worked...thrashed. Rode from Sunday at midnight until Monday at 6pm...and didn't even finish the route. Twas epic. All in all, a great trip out to visit the family and friends. It's a great place with great people and great riding.

And 5 minutes later goins down Old RR grade.