Category Archives: Regular Joe

Joe Schwartz – The State of Enduro (on this side of the pond)

Posted on 08/21/2012 by eddy

I should preface this piece by stating that I am no experienced Enduro racer, rather one that has participated in several races, and likes the idea of a race that is like a ride with friends, but against the clock in the fun sections. The burgeoning excitement over this new style of racing is contagious, but I am unsure of whether to completely jump on the bandwagon of those claiming the next big thing. Is the next big thing? Can it dethrone the juggernauts that are DH racing and XC?

At a local level I think it has potential to rise above the popularity of traditional DH or XC events. Enduro racing is what your average rider aspires to. The Enduro race is a more attainable goal, an event that a rider does not need an overly specialized bike for, just the one they bought last year from the bike shop that said “this is the one ride you can use for almost every situation”. Read More→

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Joe Schwartz – Molehills into Mountains

Posted on 08/16/2012 by eddy

I have been a guest of the Canada Olympic Park (COP) in Calgary for a week each summer for the past 5 years, hosting a performance bike camp for youth. I do not return each year because of the epic riding, but rather to have the chance to participate in the awesome mountain bike scene that has been created here.

The COP bike park is a veritable David amongst the many Goliath parks to the West. It is an insignificant bump to the west of the Calgary skyline, probably un-noticeable if it weren’t for the looming ski jump towers, a reminder of the Winter Olympics Calgary hosted in 1988. The bike park is scratched out of the shrub-like forest, milking the unassuming vertical for everything possible. These trails did see a modernizing in the form of a Gravity Logic rebuild several years ago, but due to a tight budget and current building projects on the mountain COP cannot dedicate that much time to expanding the park further. Read More→

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Joe Schwartz – Kamloops Reminiscing

Posted on 06/25/2012 by eddy

I recently road-tripped up to Kamloops for a weekend of riding. I was invited along by a small crew led by Seb Kemp, who was writing a story on the Loops for Dirt Magazine, and Reuben Krabbe, who was capturing the images for the article.

I had not been to Kamloops in a long while, focusing my travels on other parts of BC, and more exotic locales in the previous few years. I feel strong ties to that arid part of the province though, having spent many weeks there in the early days of my freeride career, shooting for the New World Disorder movies and getting into the youthful trouble that seemed to follow our film shoots around in those days. Read More→

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Joe Schwartz Wins the Revenge of the Ripper Chainless DH

Posted on 06/12/2012 by eddy

The Adidas Eyewear Chainless DH time trial on the Richard Juryn trail went off very, very quietly (have you ever ridden chainless – it’s eerily silent). 47 riders rode the course with Joe Schwartz taking the Mens and Michelle Lachman taking the Womens! Read more on PinkBike or watch the video below

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Joe Schwartz – The Nimby 50

Posted on 05/31/2012 by eddy

I am not a cross country racer. It had been a long time since I had been herded, cattle like, into a start corral, nervously listening to the PA count down the seconds until the whole mass of spandex and bicycle pour out onto the course and into the suffer zone.

I guess that is why I have avoided XC races. But the Nimby Fifty caught my attention. Talk circulated about the 40 kilometres of awesomely technical Pemberton singletrack, the great venue of the North Arm Farm, and the good vibe created by a lot of likeminded mountain bikers out for the same reason: to ride their bikes on great trails.

So I signed up, and prepared as well as I knew how for the race. Turns out I could have prepared a bit more, but it was a great time nonetheless. The NImby was held this past Saturday on a hot day in Pemberton. The heat is something not many people have been exposed to yet this season, a fact made apparent by the numbers of riders off to the sides of the course massaging out cramps during the race. Read More→

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Joe Schwartz: Trip Report – McKenzie River Trail

Posted on 05/29/2012 by eddy

The McKenzie River Trail (the MRT) is situated in Central Oregon, on the west side of the Cascades. This mountain range, predominantly made up of dormant and not-so-dormant volcanoes, does an efficient job of stopping the moisture from the Pacific Coast. On the west side you have temperate rainforests and old growth timber, and a stones throw to the east you are exploring an arid desert-like landscape. The MRT, being on the west side of the volcanoes, features towering Douglas fir, mossy forest floors, a raging river (complete with big waterfalls) and a cool climate. Apparently it rains frequently, but it was nice and dry for our visit down this renowned trail.

I met up with a crew that was sampling some Hood River singletrack the day before. None of us had ever been to the MRT, so it was a pleasant start to the day when we all arrived at the predetermined meeting place with in 30 minutes of each other, despite driving from different ends of Oregon. Keeping the smooth operation plugging forward, we loaded gear and people into one truck and drove to the top of the 25 mile trail. Read More→

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Joe Schwartz: Trail Opening Celebrations

Posted on 04/30/2012 by eddy

With the arrival of spring comes the introduction of new trails, poking up out of the melting snow like so many April flowers. They may have been lovingly crafted over the previous summer, granting a lucky few passage before the winter took hold, or they are a result of a trail builder’s many dark, wet, cold days digging and sculpting while others are riding powder on the higher reaches of the mountains (myself included).

Regardless of when they were built, these fresh nuggets of mountain biking pleasure reveal themselves to us in the spring, bringing exciting new experiences to share with our friends. New climbs to conquer, gaps to clear, or technical DH lines to master, these handcrafted pieces of dirt artistry hold in them the potential for another season’s worth of adventure, fun and challenge. Read More→

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Joe Schwartz in Iceland by Sterling Lorence – Bike Magazine’s Photo of the Day

Posted on 03/26/2012 by eddy

More info at Bike Mag

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Regular Joe – Season Recap

Posted on 10/27/2011 by eddy

As the days grow shorter, the nights colder and the dirt even tackier, I look back at a great season of bicycle riding. It was one of big changes for me, as I graduated from the BCIT School of Business Marketing Management program in May, and started a job as the Brand Specialist for Ryders Eyewear in June. This new position is pretty ideal for me, as it allows for plenty of time off during the bike season to pursue my riding adventures, as Ryders understands the value in my athlete lifestyle.

I stayed really busy this summer, running the Joe Schwartz Freeride Camp in Calgary and coaching for the Summer Gravity Camps in Whistler.

I had many photos published this season including a Bike Mag Photo Annual spread. Osprey used a couple shots of me extensively on their hydration pack hangtags, catalog, and advertising materials. Read More→

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Regular Joe – National Park Singletrack

Posted on 10/14/2011 by eddy

Some mountain bike meccas have their “mecca” designation handed to them with ease. All of the elements are there for them: the ideal topography, a dedicated bunch of locals with a vision, and the freedom to ride in the aforementioned hills.

Jasper mountain bikers have never had it easy. The town is situated in the middle of a national park, which presents many obstacles on the road to becoming a mountain bike destination. Parks Canada, which was formed exactly 100 years ago in 1911, has never held mountain bikes in high esteem, shutting them out completely from vast areas of national park land. Jasper, however, is a living, breathing anomaly in the Parks world, with mountain bikers slowly carving out a niche for themselves in the middle of the Canadian Rockies. Read More→

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Regular Joe – Shiny Toys

Posted on 05/26/2011 by eddy

Everyone knows the feeling of getting something shiny and new. It could have been your last birthday, or Christmas, or maybe a little treat to yourself after a momentous occasion, like finishing school.

I just bought a brand-new iPhone. I baby that thing like it is made of glass. I make sure the face is clean or that it is not getting stored with any sharp objects on my ride to work. I even put it in a little cloth bag on mountain bike rides to preserve its shiny, almost-new sheen. Some might say I go out of my way to do so.

It is no different with a new car. People want to keep that glossy, fresh-off-the –lot look for as long as possible. Great lengths are taken to ensure this. Waxes, polishes, buffers and repeated vacuuming. A lot of effort and stress is put into keeping that new vehicle in perfect shape. Seems like it takes the fun right out of owning that new vehicle, doesn’t it? Read More→

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Regular Joe Goes Japan

Posted on 01/18/2011 by mitchell

This is hilarious, check out the inset reactions as Kona’s Regular Joe regulates some burly Bolivian singletrack.

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