Dreamride Bicycle Tests and Reviews
STUNTS TO RACING TO GUIDING ~ A BALANCE BETWEEN USE AND ABUSE
Dreamride sponsored Nathan Toone to win a Utah State Downhill Championship in 2003. Dreamride sponsored Sam Morris, former BMX World Champion to second place in the pro field Mountain Cross at Mammoth Mountain in 2007. Dreamride was shooting stunts so radical in the late 90's that respectable magazines thought them irresponsible to publish. The original "Mushroom Drop" stunt photos were sold to soft and hardcore porn and sensation mags in Germany and Australia. We were pioneers of stupid at one point. Now we are has-beens who ride faster and smarter. Stunts performed for pictures on both Dreamride BIKE SALES and BIKE VACATION websites were performed on Dreamride-built bikes by Dreamride staff or sponsored riders. We know what wins, and what gets back in one piece, but now we prefer to simply ride and guide, sell 29ers and road bikes---flawless, smooth as butter, that carve a turn. We are mature. We want to stay healthy. Let the kids break their necks.
Meanwhile, we still ride for a living and do the same thing racers do, except we practice safety above all. Our movies happen on the trail (we'll take pictures) and our races are private. Racing investments have been counterproductive by comparison to the testing and development of simply riding Moab trails all the time. Our focus is state-of-the-art equipment for recreational riders of all types in all places. We build bikes for the individual. Very few of our clients are racers, but they all want to go faster, safer, more efficiently.
It is not cool to get hurt while responsible for a group and a long way from civilization. So, we practice being certain of our equipment. Even the best part for the job can be broken. A failure is unacceptable. Things break, but they cannot fail. People break things. Things do not break themselves unless they are poorly made and/or designed. We like to ride fast, smooth and efficient. We work to eliminate stress rather than putting it on a pedestal. Do you want to ride into our 80s, or burn out at 40. We want to gain strength and endurance that lasts into old age, not gain weight when we hit the wall due to a metabolism built on sugary energy drinks, caffiene and the fight or flight response. Or because we ruined our knees. Our machines reflect a philosophy of longevity and joy in riding, not competition. We are here to help one another, not destroy one another. Our reasons for good equipment is quite practical.
OUR FLEET BIKES
BIKES AND PARTS FROM IN-HOUSE MANUFACTURERS
TRADE SECRETS
FORMULAS FOR YOUR PERSONAL NEEDS
Dreamride builds bikes from a selection of frames and a combination of carefully chosen components, proven over time to be strong, light, reliable, low maintenance, more-than-user-friendly, SPECIFIC to an intended use, and easy on the eye. We guide and ride professionally on rugged terrain and rough roads that are especially punishing for equipment. We rent bikes. The equipment has to be forgiving, rugged and reliable. It is not good to have a mechanical out in the middle of nowhere. We know what breaks and what creates efficiency.
Dreamride owner, Lee Bridgers, provided locations, equipment and stunt riders for independent motion pictures and videos long before the start-up of Dreamride in 1996. See the mountain bike segment of the IMAX film EVEREST for a sample of his work.
MOAB SKILLS CLINICS
Our skills clinics are especially helpful in discovering what performs best in the real world of recreational mountain biking. Dreamride's SKILLS CLINICS have been on ABC's Good Morning America and in range of magazines from Sunset and Maxim. Clients benefit from small class size and individual attention. Riders are spotted by guides and teachers as they repeatedly perform manuevers beyond their range of confidence. Our bikes are always best at technical terrain and the clinics demonstrate this immediately to anyone who is skeptical. Everyone eventually wants to ride a Dreamride-built bike as they understand the limits of their own equipment and see others on Dreamride bikes taking on obstacles that their equipment cannot handle. It about placement of rider weight and a balance of compliance in the components.
Dreamride's shop exists to support a Moab-specific fleet of rentals, demos and test bikes, as well as our clients' needs and fantasies. A lot of very different bikes get built here from track to freeride bikes. The mountain bike fleet has a DAILY maintenance schedule in peak season. ANY part that appears damaged or no longer functions flawlessly is tossed on the spot. If a new part works better than an old one, we replace the old one long before it has worn out. If an old part works better, we try to find these parts in new condition. If a part is rumored to break under extreme stress, we remove and replace it. If a product from a manufacturer builds a history of failure or the manufacturer doesn't stand behind their product, we stop carrying the part and divorce the manufacturer, even if we suffer financially.
We enjoy being a small company. We see large companies as massive inhuman dinosaurs. This is only part of the reason we build our own bikes and chose Moots, Ventana and Pegoretti as our primary frame sources. These manufacturers produce IN-HOUSE to the highest standards. These particular companies are unique in that that are owned and operated by avid cyclists. This philosophy does not stop with frame choices. We seek out component manufacturers driven to make perfect parts. We stock up on the hard-to-gets and buy parts in bulk when we can, but we choose only the best from manufacturers like Chris King, Moots, FSA, Deda, Mavic, Brooks, Fizik, Campagnolo, Marzocchi, Fox, Shimano, SRAM and Magura. Being chosen by Dreamride is like getting an Oscar.
Some parts lists are printed on the site for all to see, but there are pleasant surprises in store. Complete parts lists, modifications, what we are doing to certain frames, parts and combos, and why---this changes over time. We are on top of innovation, and skeptical.
ALL KITS FLEX FOR A SPECIFIC NEED, coinciding with the engineering of frames they adorn. Factors include suspension travel, the parts themselves, the terrain they must tackle, and rider weight and history. All of our kits satisfy basic needs for weight reduction, reliability and smooth function at good value for the dollar, but most mid-level builds done in the shop are for people who call and trust us to meet a price point. These are generally repeat clients who understand what we do and how we do it and trust us impeccably. The DSE kits are basically no-compromise. Price was not a consideration in the selection of DSE parts. That means we use the best part for the job whether it costs more or less. The bottom line is that we produce a bike that we would want to call our own. That is how each of our bikes are built--as we build our own bikes. We get as close to perfect as possible. Read CLIENT TESTIMONIALS.
FULL SUSPENSION DESIGN RANT | WEIGHT RANT
CLICK HERE FOR MOUNTAIN BIKE NON-FICTION
Tested Dreamride Kits:
MAX | XDT MAX| SUPEREGO | CLIMBMAX | XDREAMTRAIL
MOAB RENTAL CLONE | LA SAL LOOP ROAD
Bicycle Testing and Development:
DREAMRIDE FULLY TESTING AND DEVELOPMENT
MOOTS CINCO TEST
MOOTS VAMOOTS YBB ROAD SOFTAIL TESTS
MOOTS SMOOTHIE TESTING ~ AWAITING THE RETURN
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