Video: Ripping trail 10 years ago


Here’s a classic from 1999 — back when Lycra and dual crown forks appeared on the same bikes.

Rider: Jim Norman. Then a DH racer and bike shop guy. Now doing OEM at Fox Racing Shox.

Bike: 1998ish Specialized FSR, an awkwardly XC-ish predecessor to the Mighty Enduro. This bike was pre-Brandon Sloan. When Sloan came to Specialized, the bikes got longer, lower and slacker.

Trail: Semi-technical NorCal style in Rockville Hills park. I forget the real name of this trail, but we called it Solomon Grundy — after the inarticulate zombie in the Legion of Doom. That name hit me one day when I blew a turn and almost went off the side.

Video equipment: Shot on a VHS camcorder the size of a house. Apologies for the [lack of] quality.

Technique note: Back then I was a hold-on-tight-and-pedal-as-hard-as-possible kind of rider. I knew Jim was way smoother than I was, but I had no idea why. Watching this video today, his skill is obvious: his subtle pump, his bike angulation, his smooth transitions — his overall flow.

Check out the turn at 1:16. He’s doing this. Sweet!



Click for two minutes of trail riding love.

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5 replies
  1. Chris says:

    I’m looking at the map on the internet and I don’t think it has a name. Someone can correct me if I am off the mark, but the (upper) entrance is between Outside Loop Trail and Cave Trail.

    For a place that is less than one square mile, the variety of trails and frequency of all style of testpieces is astounding. Three years of riding there and I am still learning about new trails. The place is like the TARDIS.

  2. Carsten says:

    Schweet!… Ironically came across some old VHS video of me and friends this afternoon rocking down Winter Park back in 97 (total coincidence, I swear!) . Could see my old GT Zaskar and Smoke/Dart tires w/ a (ridiculously short!) Pink Easton ATAC handlebar and Zoom stem… I actually still have that same Zoom stem on an old klunker. Zaskar itself was stolen off a friends porch in 98… Ah, the “olden” days!

  3. Jason Smith says:

    You inspired me to review some old vhs training tapes made by mert lawill of the squaw valley world cup course. Cool vintage mark weir,marla streb,shawn palmer,and so many others. Thanks for reminding me to look through the old tapes.

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