While I was looking through the archives I remembered how much fun I had starting this old blog. I started reading some of my early posts and watching some of the vids I shot in the early 2000s, when seeing a helmet cam on the trail was as rare as it was to see an e-bike in 2018.

I shot this with an old sony cyber shot 5.1 MP camera that I strategically placed on the trail. This video is nothing special compared to today’s standards but it was novel enough back in 2006 to get the attention of a media outlet and a clip of it appeared on the series “Race to the Moment.” Again, nothing to shout about by today’s social media standards, but it was pretty cool back then.

Here you go, National on 100mm of travel. Enjoy the Cake.

Dad’s Bike Travels from MTBikeAZ on Vimeo.

My daughter found a bunch of old Contour helmet cam video footage I shot years ago and surprised me with this short video. She’s always had a knack for editing. I have to say I love it. She pulled in some random music that was on the computer as well. Resourceful she is.

Her vid has some sweet footage of am MTBR spring Fling ride on the 50 year trail six years ago… SunDog was ripping it up. There’s some Bees Knees, Picketpost AZT, even some Brianhead dark hollow footage.

I’ve got probably got over 100 hours of raw footage sitting on a hard drive somewhere… I can’t seem to find it… Good thing for me I can still play it all out in my mind…

Hedghogs up Bees on a very scenic loop on the west side of South Mountain.

Brittlebrush on Pirate in Estrella Ranch.

No flowers on these canals.

Destination National

Gold at the end of the Rainbow!

Golden Glow

We need more cowbell !!!

Best ride all winter!

When it rains…wii ride.

Vortex

Solid gold!

Guideline Eyewear sent me a pair of Cabo sunglasses in December to try out. (It’s one of the perks of being the infamous mountain biking blogger I am… OK, it’s the only perk). They arrived Christmas eve…so festively, I put them under the tree, and opened them in the morning.

It doesn’t take long for me to know if I like a pair of sunglasses or not. It’s usually love at first sight, first fit, and first sweat (if it’s love at all)… all of which you can get in one ride. I’m lucky, living in Arizona, to have spectacular riding weather all winter long, so I have taken the Cabo lenses out on many rides, mountain and road.

First off, the Cabo is for the mountain biker who wants a great pair of everyday sunglasses without spending the cash equivalent of a brand new XO derailleur. I shop for shades that I can actually replace when they break (kids, crashes, butts). At $50 retail ($38 in the outlet store now) the Cabo is priced just right for the rider who wants to get the best gear his hard earned pennies can buy. Here is the skinny after wearing them nearly every day for three months:

Sight: The Cabo look really cool – style, shape, color (In fact the new 2013 line-up includes even more sweet designs as well, including the Draft model). The most important view though, is the view from inside out. The polarized polycarbonate lens is crisp. The best lens I have used at this price point. The polarized lens reduce glare and really make the rocks pop on the trail.

Fit: I must have a “medium to large face,” because they fit me well, and the marketing copy says that’s the size face they fit. The nose pads are slim, and stay put where they belong. On most sunglasses I have owned, the nose pads are what usually break or tear, or simply wear out first. The Cabo pads, because of their low profile, look like they will endure a mountain bikers’ abuse. The Cabo are also featherweight. They look and feel really good.

Sweat: When I ride, I like to climb. Climbing means large drops of sweat will be beading off my forehead. If my shades fit too close to my medium to large face, and are touching my eyebrows, the beads of climbing sweat will fall across the lenses – not good when navigating technical terrain. The Cabos pass the sweat test.

There’s not much I don’t like about the Cabo. Interchangeable lenses would be a plus. I tested the gray lens and it is solid in full Arizona sun. But I prefer an amber lens while riding in overcast and rainy conditions. Lucky for me Arizona has full sun over 300 days a year.

The Cabo get my recommendation. The 100% UVA/UVB protection keep my eyes safe, while the fit, feel and look have made them my everyday sunglasses of choice. They have replaced my old sunglasses, which I have worn for the last 4 years, and have now been demoted to my lawn mowing/safety goggles, and backup riding shades for when I can’t find my Cabos.

Other Cabo Reviews:
Adventure Cycling
Cabo Review at Cabelas’s

The Gold Canyon trail system keeps getting better and better…

Beverly Sunset

VOAZ Loop, PMP. Love at first ride.

Sweet Deems. Really good riding out at the park. I rode the whole system in less than 2 hours ride time

Looking East to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve from the Deems.

View of the towers from Gila Trail West SoMo.