BikeMinded

04/08/2026

DONK part 2: why?

While I love all my 29ers, y'all know I'm always thinking about the next step. So when I was injured and bored last year dream of finally building a 29 Titanium SS hardtail (as every 40+ masters racer has, right?) the 32er thing crept into my brain and I couldn't keep it out.

On paper it seems like the no-brainer right? Those of us who went through the jump from 26 to 29 remember that shallower angle of attack means you don’t just hit obstacles; you glide over them. Rocks and roots feel half their size. Then add in some physics and once those big hoops get moving, they stay moving. Perfect for maintaining high speeds through technical chunk without getting pushed off line.

Combine all that straight line speed with a massive contact patch gives you tractor-like traction on climbs and "on rails" stability in the corners.

Of course, there's probably a minimum size rider that will fit, which doesn't apply to me with BB to saddle around 800mm. Better center of gravity for a more "in-the-bike" feel. Since no 32 production bikes existed when I started this process, going full custom meant I got to dial this frame in to maximize the advantages of this new platform without making the same mistakes of early 29ers.

Once I decided to build a 32er, my design concept was simple: If these big wheels roll faster and have more grip, let's build a bike that feels good at high speed and isn't going to be a sketchy noodle when I'm railing through a rock garden or high speed berms. Unlike early 29ers, I wasn't trying to make this new platform feel like old bikes or m mitigate perceived downsides of maneuverability or acceleration deficiencies. 300 miles in and I think I'm getting a pretty good understanding of what this shift is going to look like...and it's going to blow some minds

03/02/2026

Meet The Donk: So I designed and built a fully custom Titanium 32er mountain bike. I've nicknamed it DONK because it reminds me of those box Chevy's on gigantic rims, and also this song makes me laugh.

There's a lot of reasons why I built this, making specific choices on every single tube, angle, component, and material over the last year. Thousands of little decisions, only dwarfed by the amount of opinions on the Internet about 32" bikes. So, before I post about all those choices and how I got here...what do you want to know?

03/01/2026

Part 3: Wrap Up

The rest of the bike came together in a predictable manner, XX Transmission, Brakes, and of course tires. The bike absolutely rips, from hard XC race starts to chunky DH trails in the Rockies and everything in-between, it can do everything this rider can (and probably more let's be honest).

One of the awesome things about this bike build was I got to test the new Vittoria Trail casing before it's launch late last year. I've ridden this casing in almost every tread pattern you'd use on a short travel bike: Mezcal, Barzo, Syerra, and Agarro. The new Trail casing is unique in that it's basically a supple 60tpi with center *and* side reinforcement, so you're protected from sidewalls slashes like you'd see in many places as well as the sneaky right-between-the-tread-blocks punctures we get here in Bentonville.

Combine that with super grippy compound and all you gotta do is pick the pattern for your terrain and go. Ripping them the last year and a half from coast to coast, solo and with friends I knew I could drive across the country into unfamiliar trails and have full confidence I'd have a great ride. Major props to the team over at Vittoria, they set the standard for performance tires that the every day rider/occasional racer should be on.
..But what's next for 2026+? Soon...

02/22/2026

Part 2: Cockpit

So for the cockpit in this bike I had some challenges & ideas. First the handlebars & cable routing through the headset. I am still baffled that big MTB brands like Scott and Specialized are releasing frames with headset routing and their "solution" is some sort of funnel spacers that direct water (and cables) into the headset bearings. Like, guys, have you seen a road bike in the last decade? Alas, I wanted to create a clean solution and the FSA KFX integrated handlebar was a good starting point. The cables go through the bar and stem, right into the frame. It took a 3d printed spacer from Revolution Mobile Bike Repair to tie it all together, but I'm pretty happy with it.

Regarding the seatpost, for some reason short travel bikes have been forced into 100mm dropper posts in the name of weight and "you don't need anymore". With a saddle ~800mm above the bb, I disagree. Fortunately the One Up v3 post is extremely light, and I could easily fit a 180mm dropper to get my saddle level with my bars at full drop. Topped off with a light saddle and tacky Odi grips, the cockpit is feeling pretty good in the woods.

02/21/2026

Part 1: Frame and Suspension
Sometime in 2024 I started thinking about building a short travel full suspension again, as my do-everything Hardtail certainly had its limits. With the advent of "DownCountry" (thanks ) the current crop of 120/120 bikes were incredibly capable and many converging in similar designs. So I decided to call this the DC Test Mule, either for my initial or downcountry 🤷😉

I wanted to see how far I could push this, from smashing watts in XC short track to bombing chunky singletrack reserved for guys in full face helmets. Picking an open mold Orbea Oiz clone gave me a good platform to start: 1800g frame with high anti-squat for a firm pedaling platform without requiring robots or remote lockouts, a unique regressive-linear leverage curve that would allow/encourage use of non-xc shocks, and of course 2 bottles cages because ya boy is thirsty. I wasn't stoked about flat mount rear brake and inside headset cable routing, but nothing is perfect right?

Having decided on the frame, went to Öhlins as at the time it was the lightest fork that you could run 110-130mm travel, and the TTX1 Air shock is ~90g heavier than the weight we**ie inline XC shocks I'd been snapping while offering more adjustment range and oil volume for consistent performance as the hits heat everything up. After repeated testing I added in some needle bearings, a bunch of volume spacers, and got the pressures dialed for anything from hard XC holeshots to 1hr+ descents in the Rockies last summer.

02/16/2026

Hi!

Between a few health speed bumps, fun work projects, and just... life doing its thing, I’ve been a bit quiet on this channel.

​But silence doesn't mean standing still. Like this shot of yours truly from the new Trail casing launch making me look way cooler than we all know I am😂.

What bike am I on and why isn't it posted on here at all? Yeah, I should probably post about that 2025 Race bike before I share what cooking next...cause you know it's gonna be different...

12/19/2024

Join me and some friends for this one! - DC

Gather, ride, and roll at Bike & Music Festival by and . Feb 7-9, 2025.

Bikes. Music. Top-tier trails and stellar beats. A spectacle on two wheels, with food, fire, pop-ups, and more: experience firsthand some of the best mountain bike riding in the world with this three-day music and bike festival in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Send It South brings together more than six acclaimed musical artists and exclusive trailside music pop-ups right next to the best of NWA year-round riding, Send It South is your chance to warm up your wheels with a soundtrack to match.

Art rides. Night rides. Guided group rides. Flow trails, technical trails, jumplines, and more meet music by the likes of Wilderado, Dirtwire, and others. Ride out by day, then break out to beer gardens and fireside gatherings by night. 

Presented by OZ Trails™ and the Momentary.

07/11/2023

Sure, fresh tires are awesome but how do they do when there's some miles on em? I pulled this Mezcal/Barzo combo out of the parts bin at the last minute when I decided to race last weekend. Miles & age unknown but it's what I had on hand: they held air & rolled fast so I sent it. Rolling wide open in the woods with & I had all the confidence these would keep me rubber side down as long as I didn't run out of talent. Ended up being able to hang onto the podium & had a ton of fun. Getting the pressure right is definitely key, but I was really impressed how well they did considering they're not the freshest set. Another good day in the woods with friends, can't beat it!

06/18/2023

Pretty excited to race Enduro in my literal backyard, Blowing Springs & Wonderland is one of the best kept secrets around town. Who else is coming to play next weekend? Will there be megaphones or trombones? Who knows?
Ozark Enduro LITE

BikeReg - online cycling event registration

06/01/2023

RO3 Analyzer Breakdown:
Haven't done a post like this in a long time so I'm trying it out in this format.  .bike is probably my favorite race because it's a race of compromises, I've detailed my bike setup in other posts so this one is just a race recap also highlighted by compromises.

I lined up early to get close to the front as I knew I didn't want to be behind less capable bikes in the singletrack which started early.  The course was altered a couple days before the race so a start loop was added through some grassy pasture, from that point to the top of the first climb I set a new ~8min power PR this year so I was definitely giving it the business, 341NP for 8:30. Gave a few big digs on the first few climbs and into the singletrack to move ahead and let my MTB eat (note w'Bal graph), 292NP for the first hour was definitely going to hurt later.

Riding with Joe for the first singletrack and gravel till about mi 55 we had a good pace but couldn't stick with any groups that were now passing us having worked through early traffic.  I made a wrong turn and lost Joe somewhere near the sag at Pineville, averaging 255NP for the first 4 hours to that point.  For reference at Pedalers Bash XCM race last month I did about that power for the whole 3 hour race, unfortunately at RO3 I had another 45 miles to go...

After that there was 30mi of tarmac & gravel, so being solo & dead legs was a bad combo.  I was on the struggle bus getting boat raced by gravel bikes, joking I was going to get them in the trails starting at mile 80.  Little did I know I was right, definitely passed 15+ of people on my MTB in the trails even with dead legs. Last 45mi was a different story 196NP for 4 hours, wheels basically fell off and I couldn't push power. Not entirely surprised with the training I've gotten in.

Pacing slower at the start would have been a compromise, but maybe saving a match or two for later could have helped me work with groups in the 2nd half of the day when I was crawling. Adding some long rides in leading up is probably a good idea. You know I'll be analyzing this one until next year, what would *you* do differently?

04/24/2023

PEDALERS BASH BIKE CHECK -
While racing SS at Bash was fun last year I'm back on the geared bike for 2023 Pedalers Bash. Might be a little different from what other people are running but figured I'd share my setup:
Frame - Fake Supadupafly 9.9,