Here is a canyon we used last year called Hell to Pay Figured why not ride it again getting ready for KOM in 2 weeks View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSY61GGC8OA rode the Walt Smith Husky 165 geared 12/52 with Golden tyre ft and rear and the rear mouse was drilled this is my final set up
They should call it What The Hell Was I Thinking Canyon. So KOM is a sadistic bike beater race of attrition?
Why do you and most everyone else think it is a bike beater..I have rode the same bike both at KOM and LDS for 3 years now and have really not broke anything yet Motocross with big jumps, GPs with lots of mud and pinned across the desert seem to me to ware out a bike faster then cruising around and over a few rocks
The section where you had to walk it down the old Burro path with big boulders was pretty gnarly. Was starting to wonder if there was gonna be a spot to ride. Definitely not a place for a heavy thumper! More like a trials course. If it was me I'd be cussing and scratching the hell outta my bike, that is if I didn't accidentally throw it down the rocks. I've cruised some of the lower sections of the Hammers, but never done anything like that out there. Could hardly tell there was a trail in some spots.
As long as you use your head that stuff is not that hard on machines.... but not most peoples cup of tea anymore.... I remember when they would make loop 3 and h and h really hard or enduros that seems like they wanted no one to finish....
Here is the bottom line as told to me back in 2012 when I asked this question to world class rider Dustry Abbott I asked is it really that hard ? Do I have a chance ? Am I wasting my time? The answer then and the answer now are still the same There really is NOT any thing at KOM you have never ridden before. IT IS just alot of that hard stuff all day. Well I entered the 2013 KOM started at 8am got lapped by Gram Jarvis and Cody Webb BUT at 4:40 PM I crossed the finish line as the LAST official finisher. You never know until you try
A few years ago we entered an enduro race here. It was almost pure rocks. Very slow and technical. Hardest course I had ever ridden, but nothing like KOM I'm sure. I ended up DNF ing somewhere on lap 2 because both my hands were completely blistered up and I could no longer hold on.The pits were completely full of others who had dropped out. Many grumpy, tired and frustrated racers milling about. After the race I was talking to one of the old timers who put the race on and asked why they chose such a difficult course. He just scoffed and said "hard? We toned it down a bit from the first layout. Back in the day every race course was set up with the intent of getting 85-90% dropout rate. We really tried to separate the men from the boys back then." Made me realize again just how much tougher the old timers were.
True...I bet the guys who named Hell To Pay probably did it on heavy old school bikes with hardly any suspension travel.
Dirtdame if you gear that 125 12/52 and gut on a golden sticky tire you will be wanting to do this stuff
I fly out to film KOM this year on Thursday, can't wait to check it out. The guys I'm working for said they found a bike for me to ride on Friday, won't believe it till I see it but I"m bringing my gear just in case.
are those concrete barriers???? put in there?? or just perfect rock slab natural formations? Id be right there with you guys on that. very cool stuff.
Yep, last time I was here years ago it was still a "trail". They put all lower half in for the rock crawler guys with those "jersey blocks". You really have to pick and commit to a line. if you don't get your butt up here this summer I'm going to be pissed and not speak to you any more
