Welcome to the Unscrewed Mind Blog lifestyle section. Our podcast usually sticks to topics that are more in the spiritual realm, goal setting, etc but I wanted a spot where Rusty and I could talk about things we try, do and buy. As human beings we are all multi-dimensional, with different hobbies and passions and this page will be the spot where the creators of the Unscrewed Mind can talk about what makes us happy. As vibrational beings, what could be more important than talking about what inspires us or makes us happy?
Almost 10 months ago my family and I moved to a city in Northwest Arkansas. Where we moved from is a more urban area just outside of Little Rock and the new environment we live in now is very “outdoorsy”. One of the more popular hobbies in NWA is mountain biking and to become a part of the community I thought I would give it a try. I have friends that are into it, there are tons of trails to ride, its exercise which I am into so it sounded like a perfect fit. Little did I know that 2020 was the year that everyone else in the world decided to take up biking and there was a global shortage on mountain bikes. Long story short, I finally found a used bike that I overpaid for, rode my first trail, fell in love with it, and here I am writing my first blog post about it.
I have only been riding for a few months, but I quickly learned that there are some essentials to mountain biking every person should have and I am going to spend the rest of this post talking about my recent purchases. A few of these are obvious and required, a couple make life easy, and then some are probably unnecessary but I wanted them so I got them. Here we go.
My First Mountain Bike
First let’s quickly show the bikes that I have already purchased. In all honesty, I am only showing this old bike so that i can show a picture of the new one. When I bought this bike I knew very little and still don’t know very much about bikes. This is a Medium 26 Giant Boulder Hardtail. Decent bike, but for the trails I am riding and the people that I am riding with this just wasn’t enough bike for me.
My New Mountain Bike
My new bike is a Large 29er 2017 Transition Smuggler with full suspension and I absolutely love it. First of all, let me say that it is weird that in the biking community the year model is as important as it would be for cars. Apparently there are constant tweaks, changes, and upgrades from one model year to the next. This bike came with a hefty price tag, but there are things on this bike that make trail riding a more enjoyable pastime and it is totally worth the money. Upgraded brakes, gears, shifters, shocks and carbon parts make the bike lighter and easier to ride. Also, if you are going to do something as a hobby you should really do it. Life is short.
I put this one in the obvious category. Once upon a time I would never be caught dead riding a bike with a helmet but there is no way I am going without now. As someone who has recently crashed his mountain bike I only remember two sounds from that day, all the air leaving my body and the helmet hitting the rocks. You can spend a ton of money on a helmet, and I probably will one day but for now this one is perfect.
Maybe a little less obvious is the need for riding gloves. Added grip for holding on to the handlebars is a plus but if you fall the first thing that you will extend to brace your fall are your hands..unless your me. I used my ribs. I bought these recently and went with the exact size for my measurements and they seem a bit tight. They might break in over time but I bet sizing up is a good idea.
Put this in the make life easy category. My truck has a smaller bed and wedging the bike in and out of the bed to shut the trailer was a chore. This Fox Tailgate Pad has been amazing and there is no going back to life without it. It’s also good for a multi bike setup so it’s much easier to haul around bikes for the whole family. Get one of these or something similar right away and thank me later.
I mean they are sweatbands. Not much to say here really but if you have ever tried to take a hand off the handlebars to wipe your brow mid downhill you know it’s just not smart. This will keep the sweat out of your eyes and keep the helmet from rubbing the skin which is a win win in my book.
This one is a game changer. I went on my first few rides with no water bottle which was a huge mistake. I got a water bottle holder which solved that problem but I had no safe place to put my keys or phone for the ride and i didnt want to leave them in the truck. Enter the EVOC HIP PACK PRO 3. This is not an ad, but it should be. Holds enough water for the trail, but also has pockets that close tight to hold a few items. No more stress about where to put things, or whether the water bottle has fallen out of the holder. I did get the neon yellow which shows all the dirt but it was on sale. I wonder why.
Finally, I have had a GoPro for a long time but no real reason to use it. I thought it would be fun to take the camera along to document some of the trails I ride on but how do I mount it? After some research I settled on the Sports Kit. It comes with a handlebar mount and a chest mount for both angles and having used the chest mount I can tell you it fits well and provides the best viewing experience. If you are thinking about recording some of your rides this is the way to go. I used it to record this video:
Since I am new to the hobby, feel free to message me on any of our social media accounts and tell me what accessories I should add to my collection. Thanks for reading my first blog post!
-Matt-