During a discussion about our ride over the weekend at Rich Mountain, Joe wrote a post that will inspire beginner riders. He gave me the permission to publish his post word for word here. Post by epoJoe (you have seen his photography work several times on this site).

Today’s ride started several days ago with a simple question. “Where are we riding this weekend?” As Tweety and I contemplated this great mystery, it was decided that Rich Mountain in the north Georgia mountains was going to be the setting of our suffering.

A great friend of mine, SSINGA, emailed me this information this week that I had to pass along. The Huntsville chapter of SORBA (Southern Off Road Biking Organization) is holding their annual Monte Sano Fat Tire Festival on the weekend of October 4th.

Tomorrow (Friday, August 15, 2008), I will be conducting an exclusive interview with Tony Ellsworth…the owner of Ellsworth Bikes. This interview is going to be made available to newsletter subscribers only, so sign up now to hear the questions that you want answered. This interview will be made available in both type and audio format.

I came home yesterday surprised to see a package from Hope Tech on my doorstep. The Hope Pro II hubs had arrived for the Fox Talas 15QR thru axle review. Included in the package was the 15mm and QR end caps with the 20mm thru axle end caps installed on the front hub. For the rear hub, I opted for Hope’s 10mm thru axle setup to stiffen up the rear end.

News broke today as SRAM released the HammerSchmidt front shifting line. For a complete catalog of videos ranging from frame prep, installation and interviews, check out MagicMechanics.com. Here is what I gathered from the website.

In an article by Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, Dave Weagle announced that he is not going to renew the licensing agreement with Iron Horse Bikes after it expires on March 31, 2009. Iron Horse has been using the patented DW Link, invented by Weagle, on many of their models for several years running.

The southeast finally has a lift assisted bike park. Located just 25 miles outside of Asheville, NC, 26 West should be another draw to this already huge mountain biking community. Some of my favorite riding is in this area, and now I have one more reason to make the trip. 26 West claims to have trails for beginner, intermediate and expert riders with bike rentals available if needed.

The following list contains items that you must have with you during every ride. Many riders find it unnecessary to carry all of these items on their local rides, but I have found that it is these rides where I end up needing most of the items on this list the most.