If you work on your own bikes, you probably have shared in this frustration when trying to install a particularly stubborn tubeless tire that just won’t seat. You’re on your garage floor, pumping away with your floor pump, watching air hiss from the sides of a soapy rim, as the bead mocks you from halfway up the sidewall. A loose bead that won’t catch, although almost every other time, you’ve managed to make it work, even if it required riding down to the nearest gas station (or over to my buddy’s house).

Today, though, something broke. After a glance online, it was clear – today was the day. Harbor Freight had the McGraw air compressors on sale for $59.

And that was it – I gave up, grabbed my keys, and drove to Harbor Freight to look over their selection of air compressors.

Standing in the Harbor Freight aisle, I found the McGraw 3-Gallon 110 PSI Oil-free Light-Duty Hot Dog Compressor on sale for $59.99 — marked down from $69.99. (The McGraw Pancake option was also on sale, but I liked the look of the barrel better) Whether that was fate or just Harbor Freight being Harbor Freight, I’m not going to question it. I grabbed it.

I needed a way to connect the compressor to a tire, though, so I also picked up the Central Pneumatic 20 Piece Air Compressor Starter Kit — a hose, quick connectors, a Schrader head, and a blow gun, all in one package for $17.

Total damage: around $77, with the sale price, or roughly $87 at full retail. For a complete, plug-and-go tubeless setup, that’s a price I can live with.

Here’s an overview via Harbor Freight.

• Tank: 3 gallons
• Max PSI: 110
• CFM: 0.6 SCFM @ 90 PSI / 0.9 SCFM @ 40 PSI
• Motor: 1/3 HP, oil-free
• Pump-up time: About 3.5 minutes from empty to 110 PSI, roughly 65 seconds from cut-in to cut-out
• Sound rating: 84 dBA
• Warranty: 90 days
• Oil-free pump for no-maintenance operation
• Fold-down handle is easy to carry and store
• Compact size is easy to transport and store
• Cord wrap and hose retainer built into the shroud
• Large regulator knob and quick coupler for ease of operation

The air hose on the starter kit doesn’t feel that stout, but for the cash, it seemed like it would do the job. And it has so far. If it goes, I’ll head back and buy a higher-quality hose.

Does it actually seat tires?

After putting it all together, the moment of truth arrived. It was time to air this tire up and seat this bitch. I turned the compressor on, and the noise began as the canister slowly filled up. And then it was time. To make sure I had maximum airflow, I removed the valve core and threaded on the Schrader valve adapter. And then I went for it. After a few seconds of air blasting through, I manipulated the tire a little to assist with getting the bead to align with the side walls – and then it caught, and the tire finally ballooned up with air.

After airing it up to 40+ psi, and hearing those satisfying pops as the bead seated, I pulled off the chuck, threaded the valve stem back in, and aired it up again. Success!

I’ve since used the compressor many times for tire installs across the whole range of what I ride — trail casing tires, gravel tires, oversized 2.6s, DH casing tires — and it handles all of them. It’s particularly good for those loose bead/rim combos when pumps just can’t push enough air to push them out. The sustained burst of volume from the tank is what a floor pump – even the pricey Topeak – simply can’t replicate; that rush of air is what seats a stubborn loose bead.

At 25 feet long, the air hose is enough to reach my vehicle in my driveway, should I need to top off the tires there as well.

One more accessory came later: a Presta valve head with a digital gauge. The model I went with was another $30 on Amazon, which features a digital readout that removes the need for a separate gauge and lets you dial in exact pressures. It also features a universal head so it works on both Presta and Schrader.

It’s loud. About that noise

I may need to come up with a way to dampen the sound from this thing. 84 dB is unpleasantly loud. After flipping the power on, I tend to walk outside of the garage and wait for the noise to die down.

The tank holds enough volume that for tubeless seating, the compressor runs briefly — builds pressure, you seat the tire, done. Though if its stubborn, the compressor will kick back on and start filling back up. I turn it off when its not in use, so mine isn’t running continuously for long stretches. But if you’re using it to inflate multiple tires at a session or running an air tool, you’re going to hear it, and so will everyone nearby.

I finally have an air compressor

The McGraw isn’t close to being a professional shop compressor. The CFM output is modest; it’s not going to run an air impact wrench all afternoon, and the 90-day warranty should tell you something about Harbor Freight’s expectations for heavy commercial use. But for a home mechanic running tubeless mountain bikes? It does exactly what you need it to do.

And no longer getting frustrated with installed stubborn tires? Priceless.

The McGraw 3 Gallon Air Compressor on HarborFreight.com (link).

Thanks to Specialized Bicycles and the support they offer Alyana, my brother Izaak was able to get Aly and himself on the new 2026 Specialized S-Works Demo 11 for the race season. I’ll be honest — it’s hard not to geek out on this thing.

That connection makes the $11,000 S-Works price tag a little more digestible for Izaak. A little.

The Tech

Here’s the TLDR: 200mm of travel front and rear, MX-style mixed wheel sizing (29″ front, 27.5″ rear), and a FACT 11 carbon frame built around two significant engineering departures from the norm — the OBB (Over Bottom Bracket) shock layout and the HighGear dual-chain drive.

The Demo 11 has a listed weight of 19.03 kg (41 lb, 15.3 oz) for the S4 frame build.

The HighGear system is the one that makes people do a double-take when they first see the bike. It routes power through an intermediate jackshaft, and the position of the drive ring is the key — chain length above the chainstay stays constant no matter how deep the suspension sits, so the drivetrain and rear end are largely decoupled. Specialized claims pedal kickback is nearly eliminated as a result. That’s a big deal on rough, technical courses where unwanted feedback through the cranks can throw off your line.

The system also delivers 30mm more ground clearance over the previous Demo. On the tracks the fam have been racing, that’s not a trivial number.

The OBB suspension works in tandem with all of this — the shock is driven through the chainstays with 24% progression, which is designed to keep the bike composed and predictable deep in the travel rather than bucking or bottoming harshly.

The FACT 11m carbon frame also features an adjustable front center, letting riders dial reach by ±6mm via the headset cups. Small adjustment, but meaningful for getting the fit dialed.

The Geometry

The head tube angle sits at 62.5 degrees — slack and confidence-inspiring, as you’d expect on a modern DH race machine. In addition, you can fine-tune and adjust the reach using the headset cups.

The Build

Being an S-works bike, everything spec’d on this build is top-level. That said, Izaak’s build varies a bit from stock. He’s been testing the Madrone derailleurs, and although the wireless SRAM Axis stuff is reliable, he decided to stick with the rebuildable Madrone model.

Aly’s ride is also modified from stock, as she receives sponsorship and pit support from TRP. We’ll do a more detailed bike check on her ride soon.

The Bottom Line (For Now)

Watching this bike come together has been its own kind of exciting. Aly’s been racing on Specialized for a while now, and having Izaak on the same platform this season makes for some good shop talk. Whether it translates into results, we’ll find out soon.

With only a few hours on her bike, Aly managed to seed first in the women’s pro class at Mountain Creek, at Round 2 of the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series. She ended up finishing in 5th Place.

Check out her run here!

Izaak was on his way to race at the Northwest Cup for the weekend; they’ve already logged their first races in, with updates and results to follow.

Here’s the link to Specialized.com with more deets.

What’s in the box

The Alpicool Fridge includes a 240 V AC Adapter and a 12/24V DC Power Cord, wire storage baskets, and a 1″ removable divider.

Vanlife weekends with the Alpicool T50 Refrigerator

When I was first setting up our adventure van, a cooler was the simple solution for keeping perishable food cold. With the right prep, items would stay cold for three to four days — but then came the challenge of keeping everything dry. A refrigerator was always the end goal, though that meant a two-part investment: the fridge itself and a reliable power source, all on a minimal budget.

A friend recommended checking out the Alpicool refrigerator line. He’d taken his Sprinter van across the country a few times, running one of their units, and his only complaint was storage capacity. That steered me toward the T50 in the 53-quart model.

Things we like about the Alpicool Fridge

Space in a van is always at a premium. I considered building a cabinet and sliding shelves to hide the fridge, but that didn’t make sense as we want easy access to food items. We searched for some large trays and built a rim around the bottom of ours for some additional food preparation counter space. In addition, we have a large cutting board inside the tray that can be positioned on the bed for even more food prepping space. We keep it flipped upside down as the cats walk all over everything.

Thanks to its two rear wheels and a foldable handle, getting it in and out of the van is easy. The Bluetooth app has also proven more useful than I expected. I ran into an issue early on where the display went black and stopped responding — I eventually got it sorted, though I honestly don’t remember exactly how. The fact that the app gives you a second way to control the unit is a real backup when the panel acts up.

The dual-zone divider is a nice feature. You can set each side to a different temperature — run one as a fridge and the other as a freezer — though I haven’t had much reason to use it that way. The insulation is solid, and that efficiency directly translates to less draw on my power supply.

Power Setup

We initially powered the fridge with an AGM deep-cycle battery, with help from a friend (he pretty much did the wiring – thanks Jason G!), but ran into reliability issues powering it off it after some time due to some low voltage issues. I think some of the wiring rattled loose (not good), so I made a plan to redo our house battery setup. (My initial battery box was a mess.)

In the meantime, I invested in a Bluetti AC200P power station — 2,000Wh, 2,000W output, LiFePO4 cells rated for 3,500 charge cycles. With two sources of power, I shifted the Bluetti to fridge duty and kept the house battery for lighting, powering the ceiling fan, and device charging. On the road, I top off the Bluetti through the cigarette lighter. Under normal use, I get roughly three to four days of runtime before needing a full recharge. I’m planning a detailed Bluetti write-up; while there are some great features, this model has some flaws. They can be found on sale, but I’d recommend passing on it for van use in favor of a newer model that has resolved many of the problems.

What I Don’t Like

The biggest frustration has been the display randomly going black. The control panel will become completely unresponsive — no temperature readout, no button response — while the fridge itself continues running. It’s disorienting, especially when you’re trying to confirm temps on a trip and have no visual feedback.

This doesn’t appear to be an isolated quirk. Alpicool sells a replacement circuit board specifically for the T50, suggesting the control board is a known failure point that they stock the part for. That said, before assuming the worst, there are a few things worth trying first: (Note, I’ve added this as much for our benefit as yours, friend reader – so I can reference this post if/when it happens again.)

Troubleshooting the black screen:

1. Power cycle it. Disconnect the fridge from power completely — both the DC cord and any AC adapter — and leave it off for at least 5 minutes. Reconnect and restart. This clears the controller and resolves the issue in many cases.
2. Use the app. If the display is dark but the compressor is still running, connect via the Alpicool Bluetooth app. You can confirm the fridge is still cooling and adjust temps without the panel. This is the fastest workaround in the field.
3. Check your power source. Low or unstable voltage can cause the controller to behave erratically. If you’re on a vehicle battery, try adjusting the battery protection setting from High to Medium — low voltage shutoff thresholds can interfere with the display before the compressor is affected.
4. Check connections. Make sure the power cord is fully seated. A partial connection can cause intermittent controller issues without cutting power to the compressor entirely.
5. Replace the circuit board. If none of the above works, Alpicool sells the replacement control board directly on their website for the T36/T50/T60 series. It’s a relatively straightforward fix, and at least one owner reported the unit was fully back in action after the swap.

The good news: the fridge keeps cooling even when the display is dark, so your food isn’t at risk. But it’s a real annoyance on a long trip, and it’s the one area where Alpicool’s budget price tag shows.

The Verdict

Does it completely replace our cooler? I’d say yes, but we still travel with the cooler, which is now delegated to keeping our drinks cold. (A cool drink after a big bike ride is the best.) Our large cooler is a bit overkill now, though, and I’d love to have one that’s about half the size since space in the van is tight.

Overall, we’ve been happy with the Alpicool T50 fridge. I purchased it in 2020 for $339 on Amazon.com, and it’s still providing us service on our weekend trips 6 years later. Some newer models may be worth considering, but as you can find the T50 for $233 now (shipped!), that’s a hell of a value for what we’ve gotten out of it. As a budget option, it’s served us well. Just make sure to budget for a capable power station or power source, as it’s only going to work as well as the power feeding it.

If you found this review useful, consider supporting the site by shopping on Amazon using our affiliate link.

All of us who ride recognize that downhill mountain biking is a sport that can have high consequences when things go bad. It’s more than just pointing a bike down a mountain at speeds that would make most people’s hands go numb just watching. Riders need to negotiate rock gardens, trees, jumps, plus pedal their butts off whenever possible. Mistakes have consequences, regardless of your fitness, preparation, and equipment.

And you have to want it. My niece Alyana Van Horn does this better than almost anyone her age in the Pacific Northwest — and she’s just getting started.

Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon Field Guide recently profiled Alyana in a piece that captures exactly what makes her compelling: not just her raw speed and skills, plus a positive and plucky attitude that masks the determination that sits underneath it. The segment is worth watching in full, plus we have a cameo and my mom’s in it.

From XC Starts to Downhill Podiums

Alyana’s entry into competitive cycling came through the Medford High School racing team, where she lined up for cross-country races alongside athletes who had been on bikes their whole lives, like her. For most riders, that’s where the story ends — XC is demanding enough. But Alyana was also ski racing in the winter, a discipline that builds a specific kind of athletic intelligence: reading terrain at speed, managing fear, committing to lines before you can fully see them. Those skills translate directly to downhill racing.

Fortunately, the snow is soft, as Aly was known for pushing her limits. We often would joke that if Aly could make it to the bottom of her run without eating shit, she’d win. Turns out we were right on more than one occasion.

After a stint in enduro — where riders navigate mixed terrain stages including both climbs and descents — she made the call with her dad, Izaak, to specialize in downhill. It’s the discipline with the shortest window and the highest cost of a mistake. It’s also the one where she’s found her footing.

“She recently finished first in her category at Dry Hill Bike Park in Port Angeles — the first in a series of regional downhill races.”

The Hard Road Back

No story about Alyana is complete without acknowledging what she’s had to come back from. In 2022, a major crash on the RedLine Trail at the Mount Bachelor Bike Park required surgery and left her with multiple plates in her face — the kind of injury that ends careers or, at minimum, fundamentally changes a rider’s relationship with the sport.

After getting three metal plates in her face and a lot of time healing, she got back on the bike and has seemingly progressed like it never happened. She came back, faster and stronger. But then last year brought another lesson and setback: a dislocated elbow that put her back on the recovery timeline.

She came back from both. That’s the part that matters. The sport didn’t break her relationship with the bike; if anything, each return seems to have sharpened her. There’s something particular about the athletes who’ve been through serious injury and choose to come back — they tend to ride with a clarity of purpose that’s hard to fake. Alyana has it.

The National Stage

Regional wins have opened the door to national circuit competition and her first World Cup appearance as a junior. Plus new sponsorships and technical support that help offset the steep costs of racing at that level. Downhill is not a cheap sport. Travel, bike maintenance, entry fees, protective gear. The cost of replacing her rims alone with regular rebuilds and new wheels — the financial reality of chasing a pro license is its own obstacle course.

Watch the full OPB piece, read the accompanying article, and keep an eye on this name. This season she’s no longer a junior — she’s now competing with the pro women.

The results are starting to come, and the story is just getting interesting.

After finally getting my hands on one, I’ve been running it for several seasons on a 2″ hitch, hauling everything from lightweight trail bikes to 50-pound eMTBs.

Features & Specs

• Available for 2″ and 2.5″ receiver hitches
• Aluminum construction
• Base rack available in 1 or 2 bike configurations
• Silver or black color options
• Expandable up to 3 bikes (single) or 4 bikes (double)
• Weight limit: up to 100 lbs per tray
• MSRP starts at $675 (1 bike option), $1,010.00 (2 bike)

Compared to the Kuat and the Yakima, the Super Duty occupies a different category in terms of how confidently it holds a bike. The 1UP’s arms clamp down on both tires, one arm per wheel, creating a two-point hold across the full length of the bike. The result is a noticeably more secure feel, both when loading and while driving. As opposed to a single arm that secures the front wheel and a wheel strap, it uses two adjustable arms to secure each wheel. This design features allows more flexibility when carrying multiple bikes, as you can stagger them more if bars and seats get in the way. It’s such a successful design that it has inspired a number of copy cat designs from competing brands.

Mine is the pre-2024 generation in silver, identifiable by the independent red levers on each tray arm and the blue tray pivot locks. 1UP redesigned the Super Duty in April 2024 with a one-handed loading system and updated glide bar, so if you’re shopping new you’ll be looking at the updated version — but the fundamentals of what makes this rack good haven’t changed.

Loading and Daily Use

Loading is straightforward once you’ve done it a few times. Raise both arms, set the bike on the tray, and push each arm down onto the tire. Each arm has its own lever and operates independently — you do one side, then the other. It takes slightly more steps than a single-arm rack, but the tradeoff is a more positive, mechanical hold that I trust more on longer drives and rougher roads.

I’ve fit up to 29 x 2.6 tires on it so far, and there’s a bit more room.

A few things I’ve learned over seasons of use that aren’t in any manual: stagger your bikes front-to-back as 1UP recommends, but pay attention to your pedals. Wide platform pedals — and most MTB riders run them — can contact the adjacent bike if they’re oriented poorly. Get in the habit of checking them before you walk away from the rack. It takes two seconds and avoids a scratched crank or frame on the other bike.

Muddy bikes are a non-issue. Because the arms only contact the tires, there’s nothing transferring trail grime to your frame or fork. The trays hose off easily, and the rack doesn’t trap mud the way strap-based systems can around contact points.

The 1-bike vs the 2-bike

The rack can be purchased as a 1-bike model or 2-bike. While the 1-bike is less expensive, it does limit your total capacity, as the 2-bike can hold up to 4 bikes with the add-ons.

The Bermstyle crew actually owns one of each.

Sway & movement on the road

I want to be straightforward about this: there is noticeable sway while driving, particularly at highway speeds and with a heavier bike loaded. The hitch connection itself isn’t the culprit — the expander ball seems to do its job. The movement originates at the tray arm pivot points, which have some inherent flex under load.

To be clear, bikes move on every rack I’ve owned, so this hasn’t felt too alarming, and the bikes don’t contact each other. However, I have had my Turbo Levo eMTB shift enough over speed bumps that the handlebar/grip banged into the rear window of my Honda Element. Fortunately, the rear window held up, and I made sure to slow down a bit more when driving with ebikes loaded up.

It does make me vigilant about checking the bikes periodically, and on longer trips, I’ll even add a cable or a Hiplok zip lock to secure the bikes to the hitch or strap the wheel to the tray for peace of mind.

How secure is it?

The rack came with a locking hitch pin, but I’ll be direct: from what I’ve heard, it’s not enough on its own. There are well-documented reports of the pin being cut or ground off, and racks walking away. My solution has been to loop a Kryptonite New York chain through the hitch receiver and around the rack frame, secured with the mini U-lock. (I also back up to a tree when parking it at home, which makes pulling it off impossible without rolling the vehicle forward)

My chain is long enough to anchor the rack solidly to the vehicle, but not long enough to also secure both bikes, so I carry an additional cable in the car that I can thread through the bike frames and back to that same mini U-lock for quick stops. It’s not impenetrable, but it’s enough to slow down a prospective thief. More importantly, it is more secure than most of the other 1Up racks at the trailhead.

1UP does offer a Wheel Lock accessory that threads through the rack arm and wheel as an additional layer for bike security. Worth considering if you don’t want to manage a separate cable, but that still wouldn’t be enough for me on a longer road trip.

Bottom Line

The 1UP USA Super Duty Double isn’t cheap — the current 2-bike version retails for $1,010.00. However, all the top-quality tray racks are up there in price. Adding the Super Duty Add-On to carry a third bike would add another $435.00, for a total of $1,445.00.

That’s a lot. That said, this one is built to last, and 1Up offers replacement parts, which, in my experience (sadly), is critical. That Kuat rack I previously mentioned (read the review here) has been sitting in the backyard for years now, rusting away, after a Portland driver smashed into it in what felt like a malicious anti-cyclist parking attempt. (There’s a lot of anti-bicycle hate in this town, sadly) The replacement parts for it never came back in stock on the website, so I ended up simply replacing the Kuat and have never gotten around to repairing it.

Back to the 1UP — it’s backed by a lifetime warranty, and it’s made in the USA. After seasons of hard use across all conditions a Pacific Northwest mountain biker will throw at it, mine shows no signs of slowing down. If you’re coming from a strap-based rack or a single-arm tray design and you’ve ever had a moment of doubt about whether your bike was truly secure at 70mph, this rack will put that feeling to rest. Account for the sway, secure it properly, watch your pedals, and it will earn your trust the same way mine earned mine — one trip at a time.

It didn’t. But here’s the thing: somehow, against the odds, the jumps survived anyway. Another decade-plus of kids learning to fly, progressing through the beginner line, eventually throwing tricks over the advanced sets. Another decade of parents watching from the sidelines. Another decade of the county looking the other way — until this week, when Marin County sent in the bulldozers and erased the Scott Valley Jumps from the map after nearly 27 years.

Nearly Three Decades of Community. Gone in a Morning.

The Scott Valley Jumps weren’t a reckless act of trail vandalism. As we documented a decade ago, the site was built starting in 1998 by a small group of riders who first cleaned up garbage and dismantled a homeless encampment before ever touching a shovel for a jump. They designed a thoughtful, tiered layout with beginner, intermediate, and advanced lines — a progressive system that invited kids to grow into the sport. No trees were felled. No environment was scarred. Rangers, police, and sheriff’s deputies visited the site over the years and had positive things to say about the design, upkeep, and community atmosphere.

Professional riders came to film video segments there. Mountain bike legend Gary Fisher showed up with a photo crew. Kids who learned their first bunny hops on the beginner line grew up to become the people maintaining it. This wasn’t a rogue spot. It was a community institution — one that kept generations of local kids on bikes, gave them something to work toward, to get good at, to share with their friends.

And this week, the County of Marin reduced it to graded dirt.

How It Ended: A Chain of Unintended Consequences

The full story of how the jumps finally came down is worth telling, because it’s more complicated — and in some ways more frustrating — than a simple tale of county bureaucrats vs. BMX and mountain bikers.

In late 2025, Marin County conducted legitimate brush-clearing work in the Scott Valley area as part of fire safety efforts. It had an unintended consequence: it stripped away the natural screening that had kept the jumps largely out of sight from homes along Lower Drive for decades. Suddenly, residents had a direct view — and earshot — of an active jump spot.

The Scott Valley Homeowners Association formally requested action from the County. To their credit, the HOA explicitly stated they wanted “children to have safe, legal places to ride” — they weren’t simply anti-cycling. But they wanted the jumps gone, and the County obliged.

What’s worth being angry about isn’t the neighbors. It’s the county’s institutional refusal to find a middle path — to ask whether a 27-year-old community asset could be relocated or replaced rather than simply destroyed. That option was apparently never seriously on the table.

A County That Has Never Had Time for Mountain Bikers

If you’re not familiar with Marin’s complicated history with mountain biking, the short version is this: it’s bad, it’s been bad for a long time, and it somehow keeps getting worse.

Marin is known worldwide as the birthplace of mountain biking. Joe Breeze, Gary Fisher, Tom Ritchey, and Charlie Kelly — these names are carved into the foundation of the sport, and they all rode the trails of Mount Tamalpais. The Repack Downhill races of the late 1970s happened here. The first purpose-built mountain bikes were built here.

And yet Marin County has spent decades making its riders feel unwelcome on the land that inspired the sport’s very existence. The County’s approach has long been to restrict, reduce, and enforce rather than accommodate. The kids have nowhere to go.

The County’s approach has long been to restrict, reduce, and enforce rather than accommodate. Linda Dahl, the district’s director at the time, was quoted in a 2014 Marin IJ piece saying, “We just can’t keep adding trails and trails, or pretty soon the open space looks like a plate of spaghetti.” That line could have been written this week. Nothing has changed — except that Marin finally has a public bike park in Novato — 23 miles away.

The nearest public bike park is Stafford Lake in Novato — a legitimate, well-built 17-acre facility 22 miles away at the other end of the county. For families in Southern Marin, that’s not a casual after-school option. It’s a 45-plus-minute drive, and a $5 to $10 parking fee each visit, depending on the day. You can arrive on foot or by bike for free, but for the kids who just lost their neighborhood spot, neither is a realistic alternative. The jump spot in their backyard is gone, and the closest replacement is one that prices out lower-income families every time they want to ride.

Kids’ Names on a Poster at Tam Bikes

The local response has been exactly what you’d expect from a community that genuinely loves something: grief, then determination.

At Tam Bikes, a (great!) local shop that has long served as a hub for the riding community, a poster has gone up. Kids are signing it with their names and writing about what the jumps meant to them. If you’ve ever watched a child figure out that they can fly — that moment when they clear their first jump, arms up, eyes wide — you understand what that poster represents. It represents a generation of kids who learned something real and physical and joyful at this spot, and who are now being told by the county that their place in the landscape doesn’t matter.

That’s not a small thing.

The Richmond Parallel — And a Reason for Hope

There’s a story from across the Bay that’s worth holding onto right now.

Richmond had its own beloved jump spot. It was also bulldozed. The community grieved, organized, and ultimately channeled that loss into something lasting: Dirt World Bike Park, a legitimate, sanctioned facility that gave Richmond’s riders — especially its kids — a place that couldn’t be taken away. The destruction became a catalyst.

That’s the template. That’s the goal in Mill Valley right now.

A group of local riders and families has launched millvalleypumptrack.org, organizing around a sanctioned replacement that would include a jump line as part of a broader Mill Valley pump track effort. The City of Mill Valley has been supportive and is advancing plans to issue an RFP to study potential sites for a legitimate pump track and jump line. City leadership, by all accounts, is listening.

This is the moment to be loud.

The Uphill Battle Ahead

Let’s not sugarcoat it: Southern Marin has very limited available land, and any proposal for a bike park will face opposition. Marin’s political culture around open space has historically prioritized the interests of those who want trails closed over those who want them open. The county’s track record of burying bike park proposals in red tape is not ancient history — it’s recent, recurring, and well-documented.

But the conditions for change may finally be coming together. A generation of kids who grew up riding the Scott Valley Jumps are now adults with voices and votes. There is organized community energy behind a specific, actionable proposal. Even the HOA, the proximate cause of the jumps’ removal, went on record saying they support legal riding opportunities for kids. That’s not nothing. That’s actually a foundation to build on.

The City of Mill Valley is advancing the ball. The question is whether the broader community can show up loudly enough and consistently enough to see it through.

What You Can Do

If you’re a Marin rider, a Bay Area rider, or someone who simply believes kids deserve places to ride bikes, here’s how to help:

Visit millvalleypumptrack.org and sign on in support. Show up when public comment periods open. Bring your kids and let them be heard. The poster at Tam Bikes is one expression of community grief — the RFP process and the public hearings ahead are where that grief gets converted into something permanent.

The Scott Valley Jumps were built by people who believed their community deserved something good, and maintained for over two decades by people who cared. That spirit doesn’t disappear when a bulldozer arrives. It finds a new hill.

Now is the time to push.

Thanks to Patrick Linehan for bringing this to our attention. (our header photo comes courtesy of Patrick) We’ll continue to follow the Mill Valley pump track and jump park effort as it develops.

Additional actions you can take:

Please send respectful emails asking the Marin County Board of Supervisors to support a replacement:

Mailto: BOS@marincounty.gov
BCC: info@millvalleypumptrack.org

https://www.facebook.com/groups/savethescottvalleyjumps/

Features

• 8-hour battery life, charges quickly
• IP67 waterproof rating
• Lightweight at 26g
• Two sizes available: Standard (owned) and mini
• Magnetic induction charging port
• Includes a small bag for the charge cord
• List price: $130 (now reduced to $90 that the OpenRun has been released)

Wearing the Openrun headset

Wearing earbuds inside your ear can get uncomfortable. They also block out all the ambient sound in your environment, which can be hazardous. The nice thing about this headset is that it sits outside your ear. The only downside is that while wearing a helmet and sunglasses, the space around your ear can get a bit crowded. For the most part, though, once you have everything settled, it’s not that noticeable.

For the last year or two, I’ve been wearing the Shokz OpenRun on solo bike rides, at the gym, on walks and occasional runs, while driving my partner’s car, shopping, and on the water while doing training paddles on my all-water race standup paddleboard. They’ve become my go-to headset — they’re comfortable enough to wear for hours without discomfort while hearing your music. And importantly, in an urban environment, you can still hear the world around you.

The fit is lightweight and secure — the titanium band wraps around the back of your head, and the transducers rest just in front of your ears without pressure on the ear itself. For long rides where in-ear fatigue is a real thing, it’s a noticeable quality-of-life improvement. Battery life is solid at around eight hours of playback, and when you do need to top up, the magnetic USB-C charging is fast and easy. Also, importantly, the Bluetooth connectivity is reliable. Sometimes Bluetooth can suck with some devices; I’ve found that pairing is painless, and the only times I’ve had issues were because it was actually paired with one of my other devices. (my tablet)

The built-in microphone is functional — it’s good enough for everyday calls and quick check-ins when you’re not moving. I use it regularly for phone calls on the go. The one caveat: if you’re on the bike and moving at any speed, wind noise renders the mic nearly useless. You’ll need to pull over to have a real conversation, which is a minor but honest limitation of the open-ear design.

While it’s not quite waterproof, the headset has an IP67 waterproof rating for “Sweat and water resistance”. That said, I’ve definitely landed in the water a few times wearing mine, and it was fine – though I don’t think my head was actually submerged.

Not as durable as I hoped

Now for the thing I wish someone had warned me about. I broke a pair. While wearing a cycling helmet, I had the retention straps running over the Shokz headset — and over time, the pressure was enough to snap the titanium band. It’s a subtle hazard but a real one: the band is not user-repairable, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Route your helmet straps carefully, keep the headset clear of any contact points, and you’ll be fine. Fortunately, mine failed just inside the warranty window (or at least I said it did lol), and Shokz replaced them without too much fuss — good customer service when it mattered.

If you’re a cyclist looking for headphones that keep you plugged into music or podcasts without cutting you off from traffic and trail sounds, the Shokz OpenRun is still one of the best tools for the job. Just be careful to wear your helmet straps correctly – it’s not as durable as you might think.

The Shokz Openrun headset lists for $129, but at the time of this post, it was on sale on Amazon.com for $89. If you found this post useful, please consider using our affiliate links to shop on Amazon.com.

Positioned as a dedicated option for riders seeking a fast-rolling tread and precision, while maintaining confidence across modern XC terrain, the tire replaces the Booster, balancing speed with greater traction than the Rush. Kenda reports a low rolling resistance of 17.2 watts for the Dagger XC model and notes its use by the Kenda Torpado Team, which secured a victory at the Hero Marathon World Cup. The Dagger is available with two specific constructions: a 120 TPI XC casing for speed and a 60 TPI Trail casing for increased durability.

The DAGGER is offered in two purpose-built casing options:

• XC Casing listed weight 725g (120 TPI): Lightweight and supple for maximum speed and race-day efficiency
• Trail Casing listed weight 810g (60 TPI): More robust construction for added durability and confidence within the XC category
• MSRP starting at $80.99

Sizes & Availability

The K SERIES DAGGER launches in 29×2.40, available in both XC and Trail casings. Additional
sizes, including 29×2.60 and 27.5×2.40, will be available later in 2026.

Are light XC and trail tires the answer to portly steeds?

We’ve been seeing more and more higher volume XC and light trail tires become available. And truth be told, with all mountain and trail bikes weighing in in the 30 pound range, (in order to hold up to the aggressive moves and terrain modern bikes are capable of), a faster rolling tire that maintains some durability and confidence is a category I’m personally quite interested in exploring – especially considering my acoustic quiver features a 120mm Santa Cruz Tallboy and a 160mm travel Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Trail bike. With the EVO slotted as my ultra-capable trail bike, I want the Tallboy to feel and ride lighter – but without losing too much confidence and durability. Is the Dagger Trail up for it?

29 x 2.40 tire widths used to be the domain of the trail bike, with 2.0 and 2.2 widths commonly found on XC bikes. These days, however, a tire with a 2.0 or a 2.2 width is more likely to be a gravel tire.

But what about those of us doing XC or adventure rides on our hardtail bikes? On those days where I’m looking to do a big pedal (wherever the winds may take me), I want to keep pace with gravel bikes and the road and hardpack, but I also want to enjoy exploring every single track trail I can find. Turns out I’m quite keen on trying both; I’ve reached out to inquire about some review samples, and will update when I learn more.

Learn more at https://bicycle.kendatire.com/en-us/

You’d never see a motorcycle and car tire industry mechanic struggling to install a bead an inch at a time. So, where is the cycling industry equivalent of a tire installation tool? Well, Cush Core has created it with the introduction of the Rotary Tire Tool.

Mounting on the thru axle hub, the tool installs and removes tires and inserts in minutes.

• Fits most thru axle hubs (axle diameters: 12mm – 20mm).
• Quick adjust system (fits wheel sizes: 24”-29”, 650b, 700c).
• Highly engineered shape and surfaces glide tires and inserts onto wheels with ease.
• Fast & Easy assembly/disassembly for storage/transport.
• Patent Pending
• MSRP $299 USD – available for purchase early May 2026

More at Cushcore.com

SDG Open Core Thrice Grips – $32.99

I’ve been a fan of SDG’s grips, dropper posts, and saddles for years. Although I liked them overall, there were a few features in the last generation of the grips I missed that have been addressed in the new Open Core Thrice Grips. The new model offers a metal lockring that adds to that secure feel, and a BMX-style half-flange has finally been added with a flared outer end as well. In addition, the profile has ovalized for increased ergonomics.

A large aspect of the design is focused on the removal of a section of the internal core. That’s been paired with a softer 20A durometer rubber outer layer. As fans of the previous Thrice grip, we’re looking to get our hands on these.

The SDG Open Core Thrice Grips are available in a range of colors and are available in a 32mm diameter. Learn more at SDGComponents.com.

Ergon GDG Team Grips – $44.95

Ergon has added two sizes to their well-received GDH Team grips for 2026 – a slimmer option as well as a larger diameter. The design of the Ergon grips focuses on improving the grip with a soft rubber compound, ergonomics, and a varying diameter and grip shape, which varies from narrow on the inside to wider on the outside.

The downsides are that the Ergon models are on the pricey side. Soft rubber can be good, but for the money, we hope they’ll last the season. Ergon provided a few samples, and first impressions have been positive, so we’ll report in with how they ride and hold up.

More at Ergonbike.com.

Hotbars Heated Bicycle Handlebar

Admittedly, not a grip, but a different solution for keeping hands warm on cold winter rides. On motorcycles, heated grips are a popular solution for riding in cold weather. The team at Hotbars felt there was a better solution, and instead of heating their gloves or grips, they heat the grip area of the handlebar itself.

The unique solution features integrated heating elements in a carbon fiber bar. It’ll work with any bicycle grip you choose. USB-C rechargeable, average run times range from 2-3 hours, depending on the heat setting.

Learn more at Hotbars.com