ORBEA

TRAIL TALES: SALT OF THE EARTH

Build it and they will come. This ‘Trail Tales’ film showcases one town’s journey to create sustainable trails for generations to come. 

Black Hawk, Colorado has a historical beauty about it and its newfound love of mountain biking highlights the juxtaposition of its past, present, and future colliding. The mining boom in the late 1800s left its scars in the form of trails, roads, and mines to help tell the story of this area and its people. Cycling kept this town alive and gave new hope to the locals. 

This town has an interesting and complicated history when it comes to their burgeoning cycling community. Having once banned cycling within its small town streets, the community has embraced a kind of makeover where the area is now becoming known as a destination for cyclists of all abilities. It was no secret that the area around Black Hawk was ripe for world class trails – it just took a group of driven and hard-working people to hatch a plan and get the larger community behind them to give this area some much-deserved love.

The planning, support, building and opening of the ‘Ore Chute’ trail has brought Black Hawk into the modern mainstream as a destination for sustainable and world class trails – and it means more to the community than anyone would have thought.

Orbea and COMBA (Colorado MTB Association) weave together a heartfelt story that goes beyond the surface of building trails, and tell a story of how a community that has been holding onto a singular identity as a mining town turned gambling destination, has bet on preserving and sharing its natural resources in the form of outdoor recreation.

To maintain relevance in this fast-paced world, change is inevitable, the trails at Black Hawk are here to stay and will bring joy to mountain bikers near and far.

Rallon is the bike of choice for a trail as steep and unrelenting as “Ore Chute”, with grades as steep as 20% littered with rocks and technical features. Rallon’s 160mm of travel instill the confidence needed to conquer the rough terrain.  

To stand up to the 20% grade steepness of the “Ore Chute’ trail the Fox Float 38 fork with 170mm travel was the perfect bike to tame the old mining zone turned mountain bike trail network. 

In the video the female rider preferred the reactive coil shock on her Rallon, while the male rider opted for a lighter air-shock. 

The pedaling prowess of Rallon tackled the 1000ft (300m) climb (add in how many miles/kms) with ease, and floated down the techy and rocky trail with a calm demeanor.

About the Riders: 

Zachary Heath
Trail Rider, Professor and Content Creator

A thirst for adventure and always on the move, Zach is a supreme athlete based in California and his exuberant personality is contagious to all that are around him. He brings the stoke and keeps spirits high on the trails at all times.

Suzy Williams
Freerider and Digital Marketing/Social Media Specialist

When Suzy isn’t behind a computer screen she escapes from her 9-5 job to find thrilling new trails to ride. From big jumps to steep and rocky technical descents, her prowess on a bike is unmatched.