I was on an Intense Tracer. I dropped down a steep technical descent into one of the many gullies of Bootleg Canyon. At the top of the hill there was a sudden 90 degree turn. Not being used to the hydraulic disk brakes, I grabbed my rear brake too hard and washed my back wheel out, spinning myself into the rocks and dust. It was only my second ride and I came out dusty, bloody and smiling like an idiot.
The first day at the Dirt Demos was hot. Stepping off the bus into the wall of desert heat broke me out into a sweat that wouldn't leave for the rest of the day. Thankfully the Park Tools tent had an abundance of high proof sunscreen so I could slather myself instead of burning in the sun all day.
The first bike I rode was a Devinci Spartan. I haven't had much experience with Dual Suspension bikes. I can put them together easily enough, fix the more basic issues and I'm sure I could tackle some of the harder ones, but riding them was new to me. I was used to the responsiveness of a hardtail mountain bike, and didn't know what to do with the suspension. Thankfully the techs at Devinci set me up well for my weight (again, I could be horribly wrong about this. Coming from hardtails or bikes without any suspension at all, I had no complaints). I was with a buddy of mine, Chase and our boss, Mark, deciding to take it easy for the first ride of the day. Mark's fork blew out at the trail head. He told us about an easy trail and said to meet up after our first ride.
We were stoked. Chase and I hadn't done much riding on bikes such as these. These were top of the line machines that were lighter than anything else we'd ridden. The responsiveness of the SRAM XO 1x11 gearing and the Guide RS brakes felt like they were from another world. This was a bike. We were pumped and we took off on the longest trail of the Demos. It was a 3.5 mile (5.6 km) enduro track with views of Boulder City and the edge of Lake Mead.
Being Canadian boys, we had no idea what the heat of the desert felt like. After the first relief tent, we were soaking in sweat and desperately in need of water. I downed a cold bottle from the cooler at the tent and turned to Chase. He wasn't looking too great. He hadnt eaten and had been out taking advantage of Vegas the night before and it was getting to him. Desert shredding wasn't for everyone. At the end of the trail we needed a break.
I would go on to crush three more bikes through the day. I wiped out on the second ride, tearing a hole in my knee and crushing my pride a little bit, but by the look on other riders back at the camp I wasnt the worst one. I saw chins bashed up, blood rushing spiralling down legs, mixing with dust and sunscreen, arms in slings and people collapsed under tents for a respite from the punishing sun. The desert was chewing people up and spitting them back out on the other side, but the promise of riding a brand new bike in punishing terrain was too good to pass up. We kept going back for more.
The set up at Bootleg was an Enduro/Trail riding loop where riders could choose from five trails. Trail one was a short spin up a grade and an easy descent. Two was a snaking climb with a few enduro features ending in a long flowy single track. Three had a few more technical features and a rock drop to end. Four was similar to Two, but with a longer out and back. Finally Five was a 5.6 km enduro grind through the desert, ending on a short uphill that felt entirely too long after speeding down the trail. I rode Five for each bike, thinking that putting them and myself through the paces would give me a good idea of the ride.
I rode one other full suspension trail bike on Day 1, the Intense Tracer. Out of the two full suspensions that day I much preferred the Spartan. The frame set up and suspension was much more comfortable, and the bike on the whole felt more responsive under me. The Tracer felt... intense. It definetly earned the name, but I prefer something that I can ride all day and it still holds up than something that is just go go go all the time.
Besides the two full suspensions, I tested two of Surly Bikes' offerings. To completley change things up, I opted for two of their rigid frame bikes: the Wednesday (fatbike) and the ECR (650b+ touring rig). These rides were more my style. Though I would buy a million things before I'd buy a fatbike, I was impressed by the versatility of the Wednesday. The tires went over everything and were grippy as hell, and I didn't feel like I needed suspension to cruise over the rough terrain of Bootleg Canyon.
That being said, the ECR was my favourite bike of the day. The touring bars, friction shifters and rigid frame appealed to the steel-is-real lover that I am. This bike was old school tech made new and they did it well. The ECR felt like a bike I could and would own. The hardtail swung around predictibly, it let me climb without losing power and the wide tires were enough to take the brunt of the trail. With the ECR Surly made a hell of a bike. I could see myself loading it up with bags and spending a week or two finding places out in the wilderness. I loved it.
The first day of the desert made me into a tired bike dirtbag desert rat. I walked through Mandalay Bay with my head high, unkempt long dusty hair flowing out of a trucker cap, smiling under my dirty moustache, dusty desert shoes leaving footprints on the carpeted casino floor. I loved it. Walking like a king and looking like a Dirt amongst luxury is one of my favourite post-ride activities. I was sore, beat up and dirty and I couldnt wait until the next day where I'd get to do it all over again.
Oh, and I crushed and entire pizza to end the day.
MK