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Find out for yourself why Ibis has been designing and building World Class mountain bikes for over 40 years! Stop by SBC to check them out.

Ibis bikes offer excellent performance while giving the riders the comfort they need for every ride. Using the latest technologies such as the DW link suspension system allowing Ibis mountain bikes to work very well on rough trails.

Ibis Cycles manufacturers their bikes in northern California since 1981. They produce the popular Ripmo and Ripley mountain bikes among other models. Whether it’s cross-country racing, technical trail riding, or ripping enduro courses, Ibis offers top-of-the-line equipment for every realm of the sport.

The Ibis Oso is the 2023 Design & Inno­va­tion Award win­ner in the E‑Mountain Bike category … wow!

Shenandoah Bicycle Company is an authorized IBIS demo center and dealer of these awesome bikes! Visit our shop and test ride one today.

SHOP HOURS

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I’ve been riding this Hei Hei for the  past year. It’s a blast to ride on our local trails. I built it from the frameset up and hand picked each part. It’s my favorite bike for technical riding.

The Hei Hei has 120mm of rear suspension travel, and I chose to pair it with a 120mm Ohlins RXF36 fork up front. Normally, shorter travel bikes like this, have forks with smaller diameter stanchions, but the added stiffness of the heavy duty fork is nice to have on the more technical trails.

The RXF36 has an air spring that can be easily adjusted for more or less bottom out resistance, and although its damper has both high and low speed compression adjustments, setting up the fork is very intuitive and simple. I like the fork to have a more linear feel, and I normally run the compression and rebound all the way open.

I usually stiffen up the compression on the fork a few clicks for a little more confidence on steeper downhills or hopping logs. It can help prevent the front end from “diving” and making you feel like you’ll go over the handlebars.

The  wheels that I went with are a set of Industry Nine Enduro 315’s. The carbon rims are compliant and allow you to get away with slightly less pressure in the tires than most aluminum rims without the worry of getting a flat. I haven’t broken an aluminum spoke yet, but going with the 32 hole option means that if a spoke does break on a long backcountry ride, the wheel shouldn’t go out of true, and it will be safe to finish the ride.

I like to ride Maxxis tires, and I’ve been riding a Minion DHF up front and Aggressor on the rear (both 2.5″). Those are a great combination for the rocky soil that we have in this area.

This bike saw a few big rides this year and it has been reliable and fun to ride on pretty much any kind of trail.

If you want to discuss any type of cycling, bike engineering, or local rides, you can find me in the shop most days!

Madison Matthews

Cycle Engineer, Bike Enthusiast, and Guest Blogger

Continue reading]]> A letter to those who pedal, from one who did:

Biking was a refuge. For so many years I approached my after-work rides as if to distance myself from the past, and from the daily reminders of “that which we do to one another.”

I found that if I pedaled like a madman, I could, at least for a while, escape the darkness of my emotions, remove the often present anxiety from my gut by blowing it from my labored lungs, and make the continual hypervigilance simply about watching for cars, trucks, and the farmer’s dogs rather than for the other shoe to drop.

I did this in a time that PTSD was just beginning to be discussed, and well prior to the life saving program developed by the Boulder Crest Foundation – of which I am blessed to have experienced their Warrior PATHH program.

I invite you to join me in helping thousands of veterans and first responders who haven’t yet found their peace. You can do this by riding in the Valley Veteran’s Ride for Heroes, an event that gives all proceeds to the Boulder Crest Foundation. This ride is in its 5th year, and has been developed and coordinated by area Veteran’s of Foreign Wars members.

The event is September the 10th, and it begins, and ends, at Stable Craft Brewing in Waynesboro VA. We veterans would love to see you there. If you cannot ride, we’re happy to share a drink with you, so come hang out. We’re also happy to accept a donation of any size through our website.

Please do take the time to watch the attached video, and please, share it and the event to as many of your fellow cyclists as you can.

Semper Fi,
From an area Marine and retired law enforcement officer

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When a great project takes way too long to complete, do you still celebrate the result? I think you must! You must celebrate what has been done and push for the next great result not to take as long.

My hat is off to the City of Harrisonburg for completing a major phase of Harrisonburg bike/ped plan, The Friendly City Trail.

If you have not been on the new trail system, I encourage you to get out and experience one — or even all — the legs of Harrisonburg’s newest bike/ped facility.

In a few Saturdays, June 11th to be exact, the Harrisonburg Parks and Rec will hold Pop Ups in the Park at Hillandale Park. This event, at the unofficial City bike park, will be a great chance to bring your bike or walking/running shoes and experience the connectivity provided by the Friendly City Trail. Unlike the remote and secluded feeling you can get in the Rocktown Trails, you will most likely be greeted by others on the Friendly City Trail. Each time I have pedaled or run a portion of this trail, I have enjoyed the experience of seeing others happily using the new paths. The one thing you won’t see is cars!

In all honesty this trail should have been built in 2005 when Harrisonburg High School first opened its doors on Garber Church Road. There were folks in the Harrisonburg bike community pushing for the trail to be built when the foundation was being poured for the high school. Unfortunately those advocates had to wait too long for their kids to be able to enjoy a safe bike ride to high school. Instead, we are celebrating the trail opening 17 years after the completion of the high school, 38 years after the middle school opened its doors, and 3.5 years since Bluestone Elementary was opened. Even though this trail is long overdue, we still must celebrate!

There is a simple question I have continuously asked through construction projects of our schools … We would not open a school that we cannot drive to, so why do we open a school to which we can not safely walk or ride? We need to make the commitment when we decide to build important destinations within our City that we make them connect for all users, not just the car users!

Unfortunately, we have broken ground on the Friendly City’s newest school, Rocktown High School, with no plans to connect this school safely for all users. This thought hit home the other day when I was driving by with my 13 year old son, Ethan. As we drove down South Main Street, I pointed out the new lights hanging above the yet-to-be-built athletic fields, and I said, “maybe you will be playing under those lights soon.” Ethan asked, “will they have a trail?” I had to tell him that there are no plans yet. After seeing how much he enjoys the new trail, I was saddened that he would not be able to pack his soccer ball on his bike to ride to his new high school.

As we enjoy and celebrate the Friendly City Trail, let’s put an arm around our City workers and leaders, give them a squeeze of gratitude, but also give them a pinch to remind them not to wait so long for the next great result.

Open PDF of Friendly City Trail

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Thomas Jenkins shows VAOA podcast host Jessica Bowser their route on the Western Slope
Photo courtesy of J. Bowser

Virginia has earned bragging rights as one of the best places for mountain biking on the east coast. From the well-maintained slopes of Massanutten to over 100 miles of backcountry trails within George Washington National Forest, Harrisonburg, Virginia has something for every experienced or beginner rider.

We always joke about whether we spend more time riding or hanging out in the parking lot, eating and drinking. But that’s the mountain biking community, and that’s the Virginia outdoors. It’s about people.
~ Thomas Jenkins, SBC

VAOA podcast host Jessica Bowser enjoys a ride on the Western Slope with Thomas
Photo courtesy of J. Bowser

Fueled by his love for two wheels, Thomas Jenkins, co-owner of Shenandoah Bicycle Company in downtown Harrisonburg, has spent 25 years working to improve trails and transportation in his community. A former mountain biking competitor, Thomas shares how to access the best local trails for all experience levels. Whether you want to cruise a country road or shred on a downhill, Thomas shares the tips and tricks you need to plan your off-road adventure.

Let’s Go!

Listen through VAOA