B.B.(S)C. - Bikes. Boys. Santa Cruz.

Well, we closed up shop last weekend and kicked off an unforgettable trip to Santa Cruz! Tony catalyzed and organized it, and we were headed to the land of steep trails, towering trees, and prime dirt. Our goal was simple: ride as much as physically possible. And thanks to some new bikes, we absolutely crushed it! We logged an incredible 125 miles, over 25,000 feet of descending, and more than 14 hours in the saddle—all in just three days. Hands down, this was the most riding we've ever crammed into a single trip, and the magic ingredient was definitely the e-bikes.

The adventure began with a hectic shop close on Thursday. But after grabbing some quick food and topping off the gas tanks, three trucks loaded with bikes and our crew were on our way. We drove straight through the night, arriving at our Airbnb around 2:00 AM. A quick shower and snack, and then we were all off to bed, eager to hit the trails.

A big part of what made this trip so epic was the new gear. Myself, Mark, and a few shop friends were all on new S-Works Levo 4s. We also had the ever-reliable Pivot Shuttle AM, which set a high bar for what we wanted to achieve. With a plan to ride twice a day for three days, we geared up and headed to the UC trails. After a solid three hours of riding, we returned to the house and plugged our bikes into the superchargers. Lunch and a quick nap later, the bikes were fully charged, and we were off to Demo Forest.

Pushing the limits on mileage got me thinking about everyone's bike setup and what they were enjoying most. Mark, our founder, was thrilled with his new S-Works Levo 4. He was all about testing the bike’s features and dialing in his perfect setup, playing with the headset and chainstay adjustments. The fox neo dropper was incredibly fast, but what truly blew him away was the supercharger. He kept marveling, "I can't believe we're riding again! That supercharger is f***ing awesome." (This is actually what Mark kept saying, but it was a little more of a monotone excitement, lol).

Garrett spent most of the two weeks before the trip being completely against the idea of riding e-bikes. A last minute hail mary offer to bring both an E-MTB and his analog got him to agree.  And he really came around to the idea of a heavier bike, realizing the incredible trade-off: we could easily triple the amount of downhill runs. Demo Forest was his favorite spot. Climbing from the bottom to the top in under eight minutes meant we could lap the trails multiple times. Although not the most technical, a full pull, top to bottom, on Flow trail seemed to be one of the favorites of the weekend. Not aiming for anything but to be smooth and not stop, we somehow ended up posting some of the fastest times in the last couple of months on that trail. 

I also got a new bike right before this trip and in an effort to try some new products I left the Maven brakes on there. Being honest, I've not been a big fan of the Mavens every other time I have ridden them. The bleed and set up is easy, they have a good looking lever (caliper is ugly though), and more than enough power. Yet, I still have not liked them because they have too much power. 

This time, I swapped the front rotor for a 200mm HS2 instead of a 220mm that came stock, and sent them for the weekend. And oh my, my mind has completely changed after this weekend. Braking on the heavier bike had a lot of modulation and was the most consistent brake I've ever ridden. No fading in the brake lever, no wandering bite point, just pure power. 

Tony G, our resident shop personality and speed demon, was the only one with some complaints. His hands were hurting more than ours, and after some joking about his age, we realized he was the only one not using TRP EVO Pro or Sram Maven brakes. He's been a Code brakes fan for years, but this weekend was all he needed to prove that maybe the Codes can't fully deal with the heat that comes from the heavy bikes… So he ordered some Maven Ultimates when we got back and can't wait to try them on his own bike.

This trip was truly amazing. We’re lucky to have turned our passion into our jobs, but getting away to just ride is always special. What made this trip stand out was the sheer volume of riding we did. E-MTBs and superchargers made it possible to ride more than ever before, amplifying the fun and pushing our limits in the best way possible. It was a weekend of pure riding bliss, and a testament to how much these e-bikes can transform a riding trip.