I am currently riding the Evil Offering X01. What I love about the Offering is its playfulness on trail. The DELTA linkage system provides an amazing pedaling/climbing platform while still being progressive enough to never really feel like your sitting too low or ever using too much travel. I have mine set up with a 150mm travel fork and have not felt that I’ve reached its limit yet. This is also the first Evil to move towards the steeper (for Evil) 76-degree effective seat tube angle. The total package here creates a fully efficient up/down machine that can handle anything you can throw at it… and much more. As far as bikes go, I call this the “party bike”. To round out the podium of current bikes I am really into, I’d add the Santa Cruz Hightower and the Yeti SB130. All of these are efficient and fun rigs and you honestly cannot go wrong with any of them.

The Joplin is the most versatile bike I have ever had. From flowy singletrack to technical downhill to 100 miles on gravel and a very bumpy 4 days across the Tanzanian bush - it feels right in each situation. My Joplin made me fall in love with climbing - before owning this bike I don’t know that I had ever said love and climbing in the same sentence, I would climb to be rewarded with big descents, but with this bike, I started climbing just to climb and adventure for the hell of it. If a mountain bike doesn’t rip downhill, it’s not a bike for me - this thing totally rips, it is so nimble, responsive & playful. It only has 120/130mm of travel but I can ride it similarly to my 150/160mm bike. It always feels good and responds to inputs.

I recall my first ride response vividly “Holy S***! It’s like cheating both ways, up and down!” – but seriously, having mountain biked for 15+ years I’ve never experienced a bike even remotely close to the Carbon Sentinel 29er from Transition. Do you like going fast? Getting sendy and hitting big ol’ booters? Do you enjoy the pain cave pedaling all day in search of your next epic descent? Daydream about the #loamzone? If any of these fancy you then look no further folks, the Transition Carbon Sentinel has your name written all over it. This bike favors airtime and descents, while also maintaining an excellent pedaling platform rolling along on 29” wheels. Driven by Giddy Up suspension technology, it rides and rips descents about as stable as your local king and queens four horse chariot. Hold the throttle wide open and the Sentinel really comes to life.

My biking adventures often extend beyond the mountain trail; from urban commuting, to long distance road rides, to gravel touring. I wanted a helmet that could fit my cross-functional needs without sacrificing comfort or style. The Smith Forefront MIPS Helmet checked all the boxes. The lightweight Koroyd construction is perfectly molded to fit a range of head shapes, and complimented by the Adjustable Fit System which allows easily fine-tuned adjustment on or off the bike. MIPS is a no brainer providing weightless peace-of-mind while riding down unpredictable terrain and the integrated camera and light mount is a welcomed addition to boot. Pair the Forefront perfectly with any of Smith's performance sunglasses and enjoy endless versatility.

These are my go-to knee pads for every kind of riding out here in Washington, and beyond. They're nice and simple, and just plain work. The VPD padding is flexible, meaning I can pedal in them comfortably. In the winter, they do a nice job of keeping my knees warm, and in the summer if they get too hot, I can throw them in my fanny pack for a long climb. This versatility combined with their ample protection makes taking them with me on every trail ride a no-brainer.

I got back into biking shortly after the birth of my son in 2017 when I was looking for a way to get back in shape after pregnancy. I've never felt confident enough on a bike to use clipless pedals but wanted a sturdy shoe that would give me good traction. The Five Ten Freerider Pro shoes are perfect! The grippy rubber soles feel secure and I don't have any trouble with slipping off my pedals even when it's wet and muddy. The structure of the shoe is firm but still allows for plenty of mobility. I was a little skeptical at first as to why someone would need a mountain bike-specific shoe but after riding with the Freerider Pro I would never go back.