Mountain Cog

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we chat with Sirena Rana, owner of Trails Inspire.  The episode covers many cool outdoor topics including Amerind Museum's grand opening (Oct 7th, 2023) of a new hiking trail system in Texas Canyon, AZ (in the Dragoons) and The Sun Corridor Trail project which aims to establish a bike touring route from Douglas, AZ to Las Vegas, NV. Trails Inspire was establis...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever met a person whose spirit leaves an indelible mark on your soul? A man with a self-actualized nature, humbleness, and kindness that garners respect from all that meet him? Craig Randall, fondly remembered as the Bike Monk, was that person for Tucson's mountain biking community. One of the original trailblazers, he pedaled his way into our hearts with his shop Lo...

Send us Fan Mail Today's guest, Tucson Police Department Chief Chad Kasmar, is a passionate cyclist with a fascinating career in public safety.  Kasmar shares his journey from a tricycle-riding child to an avid mountain biking adult. We delve into his adventurous Leadville race experiences, discuss his transition from dirt bikes to mountain biking, and explore how his public safety career inf...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered what it takes to reconstitute and epic big mountain trail system with sick vertical drop? Today, we're fortunate to have Nat Gordon, a board member of the volunteer-run Sonoran Desert Mountain Bikers (SDMB) organization on the show, to shed some light on their organization and their efforts to revive the trails on Mount Graham in South Eastern Arizona.  Nat shar...

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we pedal our way through the world of cycling with our guest, Jesus Frías, a seasoned cyclist and owner of Ride Tucson, a new shop that focuses on building community.  With over two decades of riding experience tucked under his helmet, Jesus opens up about his inventive business model that blends his love for cycling with a passion for local culture, food, and community...

Send us Fan Mail Turns out, growing up in a skatepark lays the foundation for unbelievable talent on gravity fed trails. This week’s guests (Skander Anderson & Grayson Festerling) are both 14 years old.  They grew up spending countless hours riding and competing on freestyle scooters at skateparks throughout the country.  Today, they are “retired” from freestyle scooter competitions and both p...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features Joanna and Phil Yates of Trail Lovers, a company located in Sedona, Arizona that provides guided mountain bike rides/tours. Joanna is the Skills Clinic Manager & Lead Skills Coach and Phil is the General Manager & Lead Guide. Trail Lovers offers many different, unique, and 5-star MTB tours for every type of rider. They create a streamlined adventure e...

Send us Fan Mail If you have not ridden Angelfire Bike Park in Northern New Mexico, then stop what you are doing right now and plan a trip. It’s a bucket list destination. In this episode Angelfire’s Bike Park Manager (Patrick West) and Gravity Trail Development Manager (Tucker VanOrmer) give us the inside scoop on the park’s history, operations, trail design, build process, and future plans. Ange...

Send us Fan Mail Our hosts are joined by guest Josh Lipton, founder of Campfire Cycling, a brick & mortar and online shop that specializes in bikepacking and bicycle touring. Lipton shares his expertise and the trio dive deep into specific bikes, components, bike setup, and unique gear used in bike packing and touring (all of which are available for sale on campfirecycling.com). Beyond the tec...

Send us Fan Mail There are three types of people in the world…   1. those who - wonder what happened  2. those who - know what happened, but were not involved 3. those who - make things happen   This week’s guest Brad “T-bone” Knox is in that third category.  Years ago, he decided to transform himself into an elite athlete, and he did it.  In this episode T-bone joins Josh & Mike to discuss hi...

Send us Fan Mail Josh and Lacey take our listeners on a journey around the world on two wheels with extraordinary guests Marti Shea (aka the Gazelle), an esteemed elite athlete, cyclist, and owner of Select Fitness, and Joe Tonon (aka Luca), owner of Destination Cycling. As Marti and Joe join forces, listeners are treated to an insightful and entertaining discussion as they dive into their experie...

Send us Fan Mail The week is the first of a periodic and recurring new series on bike riding destinations.  We call it… Go ride a bike.  This first episode highlights Mission Beach, California, where you can park your car and use a bike to get to 100’s of great activities and venues.  Mike & Josh are joined by 10 year old Matt Anderson who offers his unfiltered perspectives on the topic. Locat...

Send us Fan Mail Framebuildingschool.com offers 7 day (carbon) & 11 day (steel) courses in where you learn to design and actually fabricate a custom frame!  Only 2 students allowed per session.   In this episode of the MCP, we have the privilege of interviewing Dave Bohm, the founder of Bohemian Bicycles and Framebuilding School.com. Dave is an accomplished framebuilder who has won numerous aw...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features Sherwood Gibson, the founder of Ventana Mountain Bikes USA. The conversation covers the origins of Ventana Bikes, Sherwood’s passion for bicycles, and how it led him to establish the company. Sherwood and his team set out to create top-quality bikes that were manufactured in the USA. He discussed how he mastered a meticulous design process, aluminum manufactu...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Mountain Cog Podcast, we delve into the world of endurance coaching, single-speed racing, and leadership training with the remarkable Troy Jacobson. With a vast array of experiences and expertise, Troy shares his insights and stories of helping people boost their performance whether on the race course or in their business career. Coach Troy opens up about hi...

Send us Fan Mail This week’s episode features Mike Piccini and Paul Thomas from Carbon-Fix. The Carbon-Fix team is made up of a few individuals with a combination of many years of cycling experience and more importantly over 35 years of carbon composite experience gained while working in aerospace and defense. These guys can repair just about any damage to a carbon fiber frame.   Rather than makin...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we hear from Scott Wraith (aka Scotty Van Halen), coach of the Vail Composite Mountain Bike Team, and his daughters/team riders, Shelby and Riley. They discuss the team's history, its mission, and the benefits of participating in competitive mountain biking. The Vail Composite Mountain Bike Team, a member of the Arizona Cycling Association (ACA), was started...

Send us Fan Mail This week the MCP is joined by guest host Mike Mucker and features special guest Matt Nelson, Executive Director of the Arizona Trail Association (ATA). The ATA is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect, maintain, enhance, promote and sustain the Arizona Trail as a unique encounter with the natural environment.  The Arizona Trial is 1 of 11 officially designated ‘Nat...

Send us Fan Mail Wil “The Phantom” Bisel and his wife Jessica join the MCP for an entertaining conversation that weaves together his  DYI approach to BMX, gravel riding, and yoga.  Wil is a multi-faceted athlete and coach, currently riding and coaching for the Biolab Sciences team, and a recently certified yoga instructor. Jessica is a certified yoga instructor, as well as a therapist, and runner....

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode, the boys are joined by Andy “Floyd” Erickson who runs the ‘Tucson BMX’ racetrack in southern Arizona.  Throughout the conversation the crew uncovers many interesting topics including:  How BMX turns out great multi-discipline cyclists. The evolution of BMX components and geometry over time and how they compare to mountain bikes. The construction, maintenanc...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode the boys discuss checks, checks, checks.  Pre-ride bike checks.  Ride gear checks.  Shop tool checks.  And how to stay positive and check yourself when forced off the bike with an injury.  Topics covered include:  The pre-ride “M” check. The gear you should take along with you on a ride. The basic shop tools every self-respecting cyclist should own. Ways to keep th...

Send us Fan Mail This week Mike and Josh are joined by a father and son duo of mountain bike enthusiasts; Aaron “Limited Edition” Cavazos and his teenage son James “The Rambler”.  These two boys share their passion for mountain biking through stories of riding, racing, coaching, and gear selection.  Many topics were touched on in this episode including…    Decoder ring - yellow vs. white lettering...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we meet Dane Higgins, the owner of Guru Bikes and Guru Suspension. Guru Bikes is a newly opened and full service bike shop in Tucson, Arizona.  Guru Suspension is a nationwide mountain bike suspension service company that works with both independent bicycle retailers and consumers directly.  Guru Suspension services most major brands including; DVO, Fox, Rock Shox...

Send us Fan Mail This week we are excited to introduce our audience to the “Stoke Podcast” in this joint MCP/Stoke episode. Stoke Podcast is hosted by Quinn Travis who is a professional off-road cyclist, Psychology major, Yoga student, a new dad, and a seeker of movement.  Through his Stoke Podcast, Quinn interviews people who explore the realms of discomfort through the ultra-endurance world, nut...

Send us Fan Mail In this podcast, we hear from Brian Newbrey, (aka Dah Shark) owner of Ajo Bikes, a family bicycle shop in Tucson, Arizona. Brian talks about his passion for helping people find the right bike for their needs, and how his shop has become a hub for the local biking community. One of the unique offerings at Ajo Bikes is their selection of recumbent bikes, which are ideal for people w...