This Mental Health Counselor is Using Mountain Biking as Adventure Therapy

Colin Ryan is a Senior Development Engineer at Norco and was involved in the design of the latest Norco Optic trail bike which features a high-pivot design. Prior to joining Norco he worked at General Kinetics testing and developing shock absorbers for military and construction equipment.  At a basic level, what problem does a high pivot design solve? Is there a certain type of riding that benefits from having a high pivot? What are the drawbacks to the design? Does a high pivot design improve longevity for certain components? With less chain wrap on the crank, are dropped chains an issue with a high pivot setup? How does the placement of the idler pulley affect performance? What about the number of teeth on the idler cog? Did moving from a traditional setup to high-pivot change the ride feel of the Norco Optic significantly? The decision to use a high pivot on a short, 125mm travel bike is a controversial one. Why do you think that is? The latest Optic is said to be lighter than the previous version. How much weight does the idler hardware add, and how did you manage to make the bike lighter overall? How is the intended use of the Optic different from the Fluid which has a very similar amount of travel (140/130mm)?  What's next for high pivot mountain bike designs? Cover photo: Matt Miller. See the Norco Optic and other high pivot bikes from the brand at norco.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/singletracks/support

Sara Hunter is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in the state of North Carolina and a PMBIA Level 1 Mountain Bike Instructor. Her practice includes individual and couples counseling services plus mountain bike therapy and counseling for athletes and outdoor instructors. She's also a Specialized USA Ambassador. What led you to get into counseling? Does everyone benefit from spending time outdoors, or do you think some of us are just wired that way?  What is Adventure Therapy? What is the idea behind it? Is there such a thing as spending too much time outdoors? As someone who works to address conflicts between individuals, do you have any ideas about how people can share the trail? Sometimes I get frustrated on group rides when the rider in front of me gets in my way. Is there a way to re-frame this? Unsolicited advice — about how to ride, or fix a bike — generally comes from a good place of wanting to help, but is there a better approach?   What are some ways I can be more supportive of someone who is having a tough or bad ride?  How can counseling help riders recover after an injury? Do you have any tips for calming nerves on race day, or even before a challenging ride? Do you have tips for reducing the risk of loneliness for athletes or travelers living the van life?  What's the biggest benefit you get from mountain biking personally? Connect with Sara and her practice at sarahuntercounseling.com and find about upcoming workshops at her Instagram account, @mindfulmountainbike. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/singletracks/support

Alex Larson is a registered dietitian and multi-sport athlete who helps endurance athletes optimize nutrition and performance. She's written multiple nutrition guides and offers customized nutrition coaching services to athletes around the world. Do athleticism and nutrition go hand in hand? Are athletes generally healthy eaters by nature? What is a "flexible eating style"? Are restrictive diets sometimes harmful? How does pre-race fueling work?  Is nutrition drastically different for training vs. racing? Is it more challenging for athletes to maintain a healthy gut than non-athletes? What types of things can cause gut issues for athletes during a workout?  Are there signs that nutrition is holding us back from fitness gains? What have you learned about nutrition from your own training? With summer approaching, should athletes adjust their diet based on the season?  Does an individual's nutrition plan look different for different sports? Do you recommend an app for tracking daily nutrition or a food journal? If I eat the wrong thing after a race, is that going to have a big effect on my future performance? What's one simple step mountain bikers can take to improve their nutrition? For additional nutrition resources and to connect with Alex, visit alexlarsonnutrition.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/singletracks/support

Amanda Carey is the President of NICA, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, a non-profit that develops mountain biking programs for student athletes across the United States. Prior to joining NICA, Amanda served as the executive director of Mountain Bike the Tetons and as a mountain bike coach. What drew you to mountain biking initially? What's kept you so engaged over the years?  What do you think has kept mountain biking from growing more than it has over the past couple of decades? How is NICA impacting mountain bike participation?  How can NICA teams attract new student athletes who don't have a family cycling background? Why choose mountain biking over another sport? How would you characterize the level of competition at NICA races? What is NICA doing to encourage trail building and maintenance? Is there a demand for a more gravity-oriented youth riding program?  What advice do you have for parents of NICA athletes? What are the biggest opportunities for NICA over the next five years? How can Singletracks listeners help support your mission? Learn more and find out how you can get involved at nationalmtb.org. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/singletracks/support

Sara Bresnick is a former professional mountain biker, cycling coach and founder of Pedal Power Training Solutions which offers customized training plans plus advice on nutrition, race strategy, and technique.   What are some fitness goals your clients have beyond racing? For example, does it make sense for a rider to work with a coach before a big weeklong mountain bike trip?  Do older athletes need more time to recover between intense workouts? What happens if you miss a day, or two, in a training schedule? How quickly do fitness gains disappear? How does an "off season" work for bike athletes? Should you still be biking some, or is it possible to do other activities instead?   Let's say I wanted to ride the Tour Divide in 2025, and my goal was to finish the ride in 45 days. Given a good level of base fitness, what's a realistic timeframe for training? In general, what would a training plan involve? What's the biggest challenge most people face when it comes to improving their fitness? As a trainer, what can you learn from a client's workout data?  How much of your job as a trainer is emotional support versus purely technical? What's one easy step everyone can take to start improving their fitness today? Learn more and connect with Sara at pedalpowercoaching.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/singletracks/support

Claudio Caluori is a seven-time Swiss National Champion and founder of Velosolutions, "a global network of professionals with profound knowledge in cycling, action sports, tourism and urban development." He's also a popular YouTube personality, delivering entertaining course previews and ride-alongs with top athletes. In addition to building pump tracks around the world, Velosolutions recently helped with construction of the XC race course for the 2024 Paris Olympics and is working on an ultra accurate timing app for pump track competition. How did you get into downhill mountain bike racing? How are you able to talk while riding fast in your Red Bull course preview and Bla Bla Run videos? Does talking mess you up sometimes? How is designing and building a race trail different from building a trail for the public? What's so great about pump tracks? Why do adult riders tend to avoid them? Tell us about Pump Tracks for Peace. Some riders seem to be against asphalt tracks. What's your take? Is trail building and funding easier in some parts of the world than in others? Which Velosolutions projects are you most proud of? Tell us about Velosolutions Farm. What's the vision? What are some projects Velosolutions is working on right now? Get more information about Velosolutions at velosolutions.com. Photo credit: Sternemann --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/singletracks/support

In this episode of the Singletracks podcast, Matt and Jeff discuss the current trends around mountain bike weights. Are bikes too heavy, or are they where they should be given how durable and capable they are today? This discussion covers: Examples of specific bikes and their weights Why bike weights might be increasing The benefits to lightweight -- and heavy -- mountain bikes Areas where mountain bikes might be able to cut weight This is Matt's last episode with the Singletracks podcast so to start the show we talk about some of his most memorable stories from the past 6 years. We'll miss you Matt! Where else can you choose from over 300 miles of epic singletrack against a backdrop of soaring mountains and cascading waterfalls? Where else can you explore 100,000 acres of public lands laced with hundreds of miles of backcountry gravel roads? Your best mountain biking adventure ever begins in Brevard, North Carolina, home to Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Recreational Forest. Four primo bike shops will get you sorted, whether you need a rental, service, or some cool swag. Top it off with an array of craft breweries, cafes, and gathering spots that have earned Brevard the title as one of America’s coolest small towns. It all adds up to one of the premier mountain biking destinations in the U.S. Find out more at⁠⁠⁠ ExploreBrevard.com⁠⁠⁠. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/singletracks/support

Will Hart is Product Marketing Manager at Cane Creek, a western North Carolina based maker of suspension and bike components. Besides looking cool, what are some advantages of a coil shock? Are certain styles of riding better suited to a coil shock than others? What makes some FS mountain bikes coil compatible, and others not? How does compression damping work on a coil shock? Is there any air involved? Tell us about the Cane Creek Tigon. What's the idea behind combining a coil with an air spring? How are progressive and linear coil springs different? How do you set sag on a coil shock? What about other settings? Are coil shocks as tunable as air shocks? What does tightening the pre-load on a coil shock do? How does bottom-out work on a coil shock? Is it difficult for lighter riders to find an appropriate spring? How does the weight of a coil shock compare to an air shock? Will a coil feel different over time as the metal fatigues?  Are coil shocks lower maintenance than air shocks? What is your advice for mountain bikers who are coil curious? Find out about the Cane Creek Coil Curious program at canecreek.com. Where else can you choose from over 300 miles of epic singletrack against a backdrop of soaring mountains and cascading waterfalls? Where else can you explore 100,000 acres of public lands laced with hundreds of miles of backcountry gravel roads? Your best mountain biking adventure ever begins in Brevard, North Carolina, home to Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Recreational Forest. Four primo bike shops will get you sorted, whether you need a rental, service, or some cool swag. Top it off with an array of craft breweries, cafes, and gathering spots that have earned Brevard the title as one of America’s coolest small towns. It all adds up to one of the premier mountain biking destinations in the U.S. Find out more at⁠⁠ ExploreBrevard.com⁠⁠. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/singletracks/support

Sean Leader is the founder of Windrock Bike Park and Southern Gravity, a Tennessee-based company that builds ramps and shuttle vehicles for bike parks. Not only that, Southern Gravity recently released a prototype steel DH mountain bike that's being tested by top elite and junior DH riders. You've worn many hats in the mountain bike world. When was the moment you realized you could make a living in the sport? How did Windrock Bike Park get started?  What were some of the challenges you faced as a bike park operator? Why build your own DH bike? What are the advantages of a steel DH bike frame compared to other materials? Did the expiration of the DW-Link patent figure into your design plans? Tell us about the Southern Gravity Racing team. Who are the athletes on the team, and which races are you targeting? How would you describe the southern DH mountain bike scene today? How has it evolved? What do you say to folks who think the southeast doesn't have quality trails or challenging terrain? See the bike and connect with Sean at SouthernGravity.com. Where else can you choose from over 300 miles of epic singletrack against a backdrop of soaring mountains and cascading waterfalls? Where else can you explore 100,000 acres of public lands laced with hundreds of miles of backcountry gravel roads? Your best mountain biking adventure ever begins in Brevard, North Carolina, home to Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Recreational Forest. Four primo bike shops will get you sorted, whether you need a rental, service, or some cool swag. Top it off with an array of craft breweries, cafes, and gathering spots that have earned Brevard the title as one of America’s coolest small towns. It all adds up to one of the premier mountain biking destinations in the U.S. Find out more at⁠ExploreBrevard.com⁠. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/singletracks/support

Joel Smith is the Brand Leader for Reserve, a Santa Cruz, CA brand that designs and markets wheels for everything from downhill to road biking. Steel Wisdom-Wilhelmsson is engineering lab technician responsible for lab-conditions wheel testing.  In this episode we ask: How are MTB wheels assembled? For high-end wheels, is most of it done by hand? How does rim construction contribute to ride feel? Is a shallower rim better than a deep rim for ride feel? What are the advantages of a high engagement freehub? Is there a number that most riders will find meets their needs or is more always better? Are wheel sizes and standards continuing to evolve? What about rim widths?  Are today's carbon rims stronger and more durable than aluminum? How do the weights compare? What other advantages does carbon have over aluminum rims? How much stronger does a DH wheel need to be compared to a lightweight XC wheel? Front vs. rear?  What is the most common mode of failure when it comes to mountain bike wheels? What are your thoughts on tire inserts?  How have rim profiles changed over the years? What role does spoke lacing and the number of spokes play in a wheel's strength and ride feel?  Is a Super Boost wheel a better wheel? What's the deal with mountain bike wheel warranties? Generally speaking, do riders make many claims? What's your advice to mountain bikers when choosing a wheel upgrade? Check out reservewheels.com to learn more about the brand. This episode of the Singletracks podcast is sponsored by Explore Brevard. Where else can you choose from over 300 miles of epic singletrack against a backdrop of soaring mountains and cascading waterfalls? Where else can you explore 100,000 acres of public lands laced with hundreds of miles of backcountry gravel roads? Your best mountain biking adventure ever begins in Brevard, North Carolina, home to Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Recreational Forest. Four primo bike shops will get you sorted, whether you need a rental, service, or some cool swag. Top it off with an array of craft breweries, cafes, and gathering spots that have earned Brevard the title as one of America’s coolest small towns. It all adds up to one of the premier mountain biking destinations in the U.S. Find out more atExploreBrevard.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/singletracks/support