Chile Pepper News

Get your hands on a well-maintained used mountain bike or road bike from our 2009 fleet. Below is a list of bikes we currently have for sale.
Free shipping available to lower 48 states only! Don’t miss this opportunity! Happy Holidays!!!
Call and get a great used bike today! 888-677-4688

2009 Giant Trance X2 - $1,799
(x-small, large and x-large’s available)

2009 Norco Fluid LT- $1,199
(small, medium, large and x-large’s available)

2009 Giant Cypher 1 - $1,799
( x-small available)

2009 Marin Mt. Vision 5.8 – $1,699
(1 small, 1 medium & 1 x-large available)

2009 Marin Wolfridge 6.8 – $1,499
(1 small, 1 medium & 1 large available)

2009 Norco Shore 2- $1,399
(1 medium, 1 large)

2009 Giant Defy Alliance Road -road bike – $949
(call for sizes available)

2008 Norco Team DH-custom – $2,499
BRAND NEW MAIN FRAME -size small!!

The 2009 Moab Ho-Down Mountain Bike Festival was once again a huge success and good fun had by all! The races were injury free, dirt jump jam saw a bigger turnout of riders with a 100 plus crowd to show off their bag of tricks to, the townie tour had over 80 people cruizin’ and the movie had a close to packed house. Oh yeah….and the party….350 people shakin’ their booties to DJ Zach’s tunes in some crazy costumes. If you missed it then start planning for next October ‘cuz we’re doin’ it again! Per the words of Nick Simcik (rider for Transition out of Boulder, CO and one of our dj contest riders and DH racers) said: ‘The weekend was all about fun and bikes. The usual stresses and attitude that generally revolves around a race were completely absent. The weekend was super fun.’ Check out Nick’s pics from the weekend at http://www.nicksimcik.com/_/About_Me/Entries/2009/11/5_Moab_Ho-Down.html.

But here are a few pics of our own from the weekend….enjoy! See you in 2010.

Holy expletive, it’s almost time for the Moab Halloween Ho-Down Mt Bike Festival! If you’ve never been to the festival you should know this is not just a costume party, this is a 3 day event packed with unique Moab Mt. biking experiences. Mark your calendar for October 30, 31, and November 1, 2009.

Moab’s original fat tire festival has changed and evolved over the past few decades into what is now being presented by Chile Pepper Bike Shop in Moab. The festival offers group shuttles and rides, dirt jump competition, NWD 10 – “Dust & Bones” movie premiere, townie tour, Super D Race, DH Race and an outrageous costume party with live music.

For more info you can call the shop directly at 888-677-4688 or you can visit www.moabhodown.com. Hope to see you there!

I saw a tee shirt once that said “The best trails are illegal”. I would agree with the shirt if it was talking about the limited access for mt bikes in the national parks. If the best trails weren’t there it wouldn’t be called a NATIONAL PARK. Lucky for us Moab has the White rim trail in Canyon lands National Park, or should I say White Rim double track.

Weather you are doing the 100 plus miles in a day or you take 3 to 5 days the Spring and Fall is the best time of year to do a White Rim trip because of the cooler temps. If you need some help setting up a trip there are plenty of outfits to get you going. The Chile Pepper bike shop (435-259-4688) now offers 29er Marin mt bikes with Fox forks for $40-$35 a day and 29er compatible Bob trailers for $15 a day, see picture. If you are in need of vehicle support or a guided trip Moab has three company’s with permits www.rimtours.com, www.magpieadventures.com and www.westernspirit.com.

The White Rim is for those that want to feel like there truly deep in the desert wilderness. To see ancient Indian ruins, Big Horn sheep, huge canyons and tall sandstone spires is like being in your own Edward Abbey book. A beautiful unique experience.

Time to charge up the riding lights and lube up the chamois, the chile pepper will be attending the 24 hours of Moab again, so if you are in need of some professional service or new parts stop by our tent next to the start line. We will be up all night in some state of consciousness to help you if you need it. Before the race our in town shop can answer questions about bike setup or accept your bike if you need a safe place to ship it before the race, just call us before hand and let us know. phone 435-259-4688.

24 hrs of Moab will be hosting the 24 hr national champ race this year as well, it will bring out the big guns and make for some exciting racing. For more info go to http://grannygear.com/Races/Moab/index.shtml and for some entertainment look at the teams that are attending this year http://grannygear.com/Registration/show_teams.php?race=moab&year=2009 . Good luck, see ya in the sand.

The Chile Pepper had it’s annual Fox Racing Shock clinic. It seems like fork manufacturers like to change the design of their forks every one to two years so its important for us to keep up on them. That’s why we have Fox Racing’s tech wiz Nick come to the shop every year to give us the low down on what’s new. So if your in Moab and your fork needs some love come into the shop and let us help.

Fox Racing Clinic

The shops and shuttles are starting to fill up with Mt Bikers and Roadies looking for good trail conditions, good weather and good times. It’s no secret that riding Moab in the fall is one of the best times to do it. The cooler temps with a little moisture and YOU the Mt Biker that’s been fine tuning your mind and body all summer are the perfect combos for riding the desert this fall.

There are plenty of cycling events and new trails to be had this fall as well. Fall is a great time to do the 100 mile White rim trail, 1 day for the masochist or 3 to 4 for the rest of us. What about new trails? Upper Porcupine Single track (UPS) is legal and open. UPS allows riding any section of the Burro Down trail system, 7000 ft of decent in 33 miles. Dead horse St Park’s Intrepid trail, fast and scenic. The Bar M loops, close to town and lots of options. The Amasa Back trail has also been extended, the new section called Rock Stacker has been legalized and opened, adding about 4 miles of trail.

As for cycling events for Fall, we have some of the best in the U.S.. The Moab Ho-Down Mt Bike festival, brought to you by Chile Pepper Bike Shop, has group rides, Super D race, DH racing, dirt jump comp, film premier and costume party. Look it up at www.moabhodown.com.

For the skinny tire folks there’s the Moab Century Tour, www.skinnytireevents.com. And you can’t forget the the 24 hours of Moab which will be holding the national championships. Granny Gear Prod

So if your looking to put a great end on your mt bike season gather your friends, count your change and start driving.

Fall Season Has Started!

While we have had bouts of remarkably cooler weather in the desert, for the most part it is still damn hot … but but BUT… THE MOUNTAINS ARE ON LIKE DONKEY KONG! We have been spending all of our free time in the cool solace of the La Sal mountains. Just a stones throw(25 minutes to pine trees) up the road from Moab, the mountains offer up to 40 degrees cooler temperatures and some sick singletrack. There are nearly limitless options for looping different trails together and ending up at your camp at the end of the day. The dirt is prime and the forest service has been working hard to clean up all of the trails(including a large section of the trans la sal trail). Clif, from Ride With Respect, has been signing a lot of new trails on the back side of the mountains. Don’t forget your hiking boots and fishing pole because you can bag a peak or two and catch your dinner after your ride!

We’ve got a great line-up of rental/demo bikes currently for sale. 2008 & 2009 models from Giant, Norco, Marin, Scott and Brodie. Here’s a list of what we’ve got:

Giant Trance X2 ‘09 – $1800
Marin Mt. Vision 5.8 ‘09 – $2000
Giant Cypher 1 ‘09 (women’s x-small only) – $1900
Giant Reign X0 ‘09 – $2900 (this is a SWEET bike!!!)
Marin Wolfridge ‘09 – $2000
Scott Speedster Road Bike ‘08 56cm – $1000
Brodie Knack ‘08 – $1100
Norco A-Line DH bike ‘08 – $1900 (brand new main frame)

Call the shop for more details 888-677-4688 or email us at info@chilebikes.com

Hell’s Canyon may be the gnarliest legal trail in the National Forest Service without man made features (let me know if you know one more gnarly). This trail laid dormant for a long time to every one but horseback riders until Max and friends at the Forest Service helped us clear the downed trees.

The canyon sits in the Pack Creek area on the South side of the La Sal Mts. The trail starts out fast and flowy at 9500 ft in high aspen groves and evergreens then continues down to scrub oak with nothing too crazy, just good La Sal Mt. biking. BUT… Just as you thought you had the trail dialed, you come out of the trees with a great view of Moab Valley and enter into scrub oak where the gates of Hell open up. This is where the trail starts to parallel the top of Hell’s Canyon and becomes steep, loose, rocky… super technical. Mommy!

Even though the upper section is good for most levels of riders the lower section is for expert riders or for aggressive hikers. You should be proficient at navigating in the forest and take map, compass, food and water. So if you are interested in the gnarliest trail in all of the NFS come into the shop and say I want to go to Hell.

Yours truly: Dark Lord