Author Archives: OTE Fruita

Jun / 23 / 2014

The Zen of Mountain Biking

The term Zen is ubiquitous, and more often than not misused. There is a "Zen of" just about everything.  According to Gavin Rossdale and Bush, Everything is Zen   If you ask people what Zen is, you will never get a straight answer.  Some people say it is Buddhism, some say it's not, some have strange ideas of what it truly is.   For me, mountain biking cultivates Zen, it leads to a very Zen state whether you want it to, whether you realize it, or not.  Zen requires discipline, and mountain biking, even if it's just an occasional hobby, requires discipline. You have to keep your bike maintained, or it will fail at the worst time. You have to keep your mind on the trail, or you will crash.  You have to gut it out and make it up that climb, so you can reap the sweet rewards of […]

Jun / 16 / 2014

I assure you, we are still here

Hey, how's it going?  It's been awhile since any of us have written here, we just want anyone who stumbles upon this to know we are still here.   We are not fans of webpages that haven't updated in a few months, and right now we seem to be one.  We've been out riding, camping, working, and enjoying life as much as possible.   As much as we've wanted to update our blog, we haven't had anything we thought was quality enough to post, and we don't want to waste your time.  If it's not worth it, we don't want to do it.   Please take this as a place holder,  We promise we will update our blog with something worth your time soon.   Until then, get out there, ride your bike, party like a rock star, have fun and enjoy the playground that is our planet. We only […]

Apr / 29 / 2014

Where have all the good times gone?

If you hang out with cyclists long enough, especially the ones who've been around for a while, especially after consuming enough post ride malty beverages, the nostalgia river starts to flow heavy with much lamenting and crying for the "good old days." You hear how it used to be "real" and how the days used to be epic, trails were new and fresh and exciting, riders weren't hung up on STRAVA or looking good, and they had soul, man. You eventually hear how things are mainstream, sold out, not cool, hollow, etc. And it makes people think "Damn, I missed the golden days of Mountain Biking, when it was this nascent niche outsider rebel thing. People beat their breast and cry to the heavens "OH, where have all the good times gone???" Don't get me wrong, the things that happened back in the day were cool and fun and you […]

Mar / 24 / 2014

The Mountain Bike Road Trip

     Sometimes it starts with a picture in a magazine, and the thought "Oooh, I wanna ride there!" Sometimes you just need to get out of the cubicle, ditch the tie, give the finger to your daily commute, and have an adventure, something more exiting and dangerous than eating at that sketchy Chinese restaurant down the block from work . Whatever the reason, the Mountain Bike Road Trip is something anyone who calls themself a mountain biker should do AT LEAST once before they die. It's part of our culture, seeking out strange new trails, finding sweet little hole-in-the wall bars and dives with cool food and interesting people. Riding new trails helps rejuvinate the excitement and love that got you into riding in the first place, and when you return home, your local trails seem new again, you see different lines, you ride them with renewed vigor. You can […]

Feb / 17 / 2014

Ragnarok-n-roll!

According to the Vikings, this Saturday, the 22nd of February, will be Ragnarok, the end of the world. Supposedly, there will be a great battle, a number of major figures (including the gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdallr, and Loki), will die, various natural disasters will happen, and it ends in the subsequent submersion of the world in water. Well CRAP.  Our trails are just about drying out, the temps are just getting warmer, and now is the perfect time to plan that mountain biking road trip you've been talking to your friends about.  We have been jonesing to ride, and now that the trails are just about perfect, the world is going to end? In a flood??? DAMMIT! Sure, you are probably saying "Oh, another end of the world scare, it means nothing."  Well, before you discount this one, remember: Odin said he would get rid of the Frost […]

Feb / 11 / 2014

Back in the Saddle

Winter. Ugh. It's almost over, and honestly, this year it wasn't as bad as last year. Still it feels like coming out of torpor. "Renfield, get my chamois cream" We did have a brief respite, went down to Sedona, AZ, to remind us what the sun looks like, remind us what it's like to be warm, and remind us that we freakin LOVE riding bikes. Back here in Fruita, we are in that final quarter mile, we are on the bell lap of this winter, the temps are getting warmer, the sun is out more frequently, a bit longer each day, and a bit warmer. It's coming. As I type this, the Kokopelli trails and 18 Rd trails and Tabeguache, what we call "the Lunch Loops", are still under some snow, and it's melting, and getting muddy.  Just like us coming out of winter, the trails are too.  Before we […]

Nov / 08 / 2013

Ride like a kid

Do you remember when you were a kid and went for a bike ride? You didn't plan, you didn't think "I need my pack and some Gu and my gloves and my shoes" and it didn't take you 20 minutes to get ready. You hopped on your bike and went riding. Yesterday, I decided to do just that. I went for a ride, just me and my bike (yes, I had to drive to the trail, but still…) no helmet (WHAT???? OH MY GOD, NOOO!!!!) yes, no helmet, no gloves, no water, no pack. It was cold, so I was in jeans, long sleeve shirt, high top Converse sneakers (which is how I dress regularly anyway) and my bicycle. Ok, I didn't do an epic huge ride, nor was it extremely techy. It was a fun four mile loop, reletively easy, and it was super f*&#ing awesome. I didn't care […]

Sep / 14 / 2013

Riding the 2014 Trek Slash

We here at OTE are lucky to get to ride any number of the coolest bikes in the world.  Our demo fleet reads like most people's mountain bike bucket list.  As much as I love new bikes I don't get quite as giddy as I used to. It's a rough life having to deal with nothing but high end bikes all day long.  However, when my Trek rep rolled the still unavailable Trek Slash 9 into the shop I got seriously excited.  Here's what I got to ride for a day:   2014 pre-production Trek Slash 9, 650B/27.5" wheels, 160mm of travel, Rock Shox Reverb post, and an XX1 single ring build kit.  (production will be XO1)  I put on my high wide bars and an Enve front wheel with my personal Maxxis Highroller II tire and went out for a test ride on Horse Thief Bench. Now I've measured […]

Aug / 17 / 2013

From One Mecca to Another…

  Fruita vs. Moab.  Which is better?  Which place has the best trails?  Which "Mecca" is the best place on Earth to ride a bike?   The answer to all of the above is… BOTH!  The beauty of this media hyped competition is that if you ride a mountain bike, it doesn't matter.  Fruita and Moab are world class riding destinations and you should ride BOTH!    So the staff of Over The Edge, Fruita left our "mecca" and went riding at the "other mecca."  MOAB!  Since we are normally open 7 days a week, it is rare that all of us get a chance to ride together.  Luckily, our Summers are slow due to hot weather so we closed the shop on a Wednesday and took off for Utah. With only one day to ride together it was unanimous that we would ride the "Whole Enchilada."   We booked a shuttle […]

May / 21 / 2013

Thank you Bicycle

As I sit here in the shop, I realize my life as it currently is, my job and personal life, which I am very grateful for, is a direct result of riding bicycles. I would not be here now, living and riding daily in Fruita, working at OTE, if I didn't ride a bicycle. The people I get to call friends, the amazingly interesting and cool people I meet and get to talk to and get to know, I would never have met them if I didn't ride. Riding a bicycle gave me the opportunity to meet people who have changed and influenced my life, and has given me experiences that have shaped me and made me who I am today. I have seen some incredible scenery, from surrealistic rock formations to postcard worthy mountain views, that I never would have seen had I not been on my bike. If […]