# A Vintage 2011 Pearl Pass Tour (with Salsa #18)



## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

I recently posted photos of Salsa #18, which Ross Shafer built for his wife at the time. In talking with her after obtaining the bike, I learned that she had ridden the bike in the 1983 Pearl Pass Tour. This is dubbed the "oldest mountain bike event in the world." More info can be found at the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame Website on the early history and more recent editions of the Tour. As has been discussed here some time before, the two videos of the 1980 Tour that are posted on YouTube are real treasures. While not the most enjoyable riding experience in the area, it certainly covers challenging terrain with spectacular views. I thought it would be fun to take the bike back 28 years later and participate in the event.

The two-day round trip distance was about 80 miles with 12,000 feet of elevation gain.

I tried to modify the bike as little as possible from its original condition, only changing out the pedals, tires, and chain (it was stretched by almost an entire link). I kept everything else the same, including the Ambrosio rims that lack any sort of hook bead to hold the tires. I added a second bottle cage and a rear rack. For logistical reasons, I would actually end up riding from Aspen to Crested Butte the day before the Tour, carrying my own overnight supplies. This Friday route turned out to be much more challenging than the Tour itself, so I was prepared to spend a night out on the trail if I had to.

Here is the bike ready to go,









On Friday morning at 4AM I left the Denver area and began the drive to Aspen. At 6:30 AM I passed through Leadville, with the sun first hitting the Collegiate Peaks. The fresh dusting of snow was not a welcome sight, but as it turned out the Aspen side of the mountains was much warmer.









The first part of the ride was to climb from Aspen (8200 feet) up Midnite Mine Road to the Richmond Ridge (11100 feet) at an average grade of 12%. I got my first peek at the big mountains to come,









The jeep road wasn't exactly a walk in the park, as I went up and down between 11K and 12K feet in elevation, and the surface wasn't smooth either. This rough incline was probably 25%.









I finally topped out at about 12300 feet and got this great view of the Maroon Bells - Snowmass Wilderness,









And a look down at Taylor Pass. My route continued around the lake and over the ridge in the middle of the photo.









The route went past Taylor Peak and Star Peak,

















My goal was to reach Star Pass before descending into Crested Butte. Star Pass is the patch of snow on the horizon,


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

*Cont.*

At the top of Star Pass,









High stakes single-track! (150 drop or so right into Brush Creek)









Saturday morning and the start of the 35th Pearl Pass Tour, with an original riders named Albert from the first Tour in 1976. He rode a bike much like this down the back side to Aspen. He was there to kick things off.









Don Cook (left) giving some directions, with his wife Kay Pederson-Cook (aka the "Hagen-Daz Girl" in the 1980 Tour) off to the right.









The Line up of about 20 riders,

























I think it's time to start pushing,









Peal Pass Summit is off to the left,









Looking over the summit to the very rough descent,


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

*Cont.*

This is the almost lunar terrain off the back side that was such a test for the early bikes. I really had to pick my way though while the FS 29ers went flying by. It was really a reminder of how little margin of error a full rigid bike has on this sort of terrain.









Finally down in Aspen in front of the Jerome Bar and Hotel, which was the traditional end of the Tour. And old mountain bike felt even more out of place in the up-scale Aspen of today.









Here is a photo from the 1980 Tour in front of the Jerome (borrowed from the Ibis website).









So, Salsa #18 completed the Pearl Pass Tour in flying colors, with only a little more patina and added history. Ironically, Salsa #6 also completed the Tour on the very same day. Great fun!


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## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

make this a sticky


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## stan lee (Mar 5, 2006)

hollister said:


> make this a sticky


I agree- VERY cool DC. I remember ridding up on my Phoenix from town and it was burly! That is impressive. How long did it take?


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Awsome...thread, bike, and photography...


All future VRC posts will pale by comparison.


I am officially green with envy.



Steve


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## tductape (Mar 31, 2008)

Well, never mind about my weekend then...

What a great adventure!


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## Austin Dave (Jul 7, 2010)

WOW!! That is just ....incredible. Thanks so much for doing this DC. I'm just in awe. 

d


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

*Ride Time*

The two-day round trip distance was about 80 miles with 12,000 feet of climbing.

The trip from Aspen to CB was definitely much harder, with an actual ride time of around 6 hours. I stopped for a lot of photos, and at one point even lost the camera on the trail and had to carefully back-track. I probably lost more than an hour doing that.

The trip from CB to Aspen was faster, with this old Salsa being first to the summit in about 3 hours and an hour or so down. It started to snow on the way down. Like Don Cook said of the 1980 Tour, 'we were "Touring" like hell!"


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## stan lee (Mar 5, 2006)

Who had #6?


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

Maybe the owner of #6 will chime in here. The bike was presented in the Salsa thread previously.

http://forums.mtbr.com/4656894-post135.html


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## stan lee (Mar 5, 2006)

I remember that one!


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## ameybrook (Sep 9, 2006)

What everyone else said. CB and Aspen are both unforgettable places to ride mountain bikes. Major props in bringing the salsa back to 12k feet.


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

Best thread ever.


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## Joe Steel (Dec 30, 2003)

That was cool. I'd like to do that some day.


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

I don't think that anyone will be able to eclipse what you've done here.


It was subtly glazed over....but you and the vintage Salsa beat everyone to the top! Nice work!


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## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Rumpfy said:


> I don't think that anyone will be able to eclipse what you've done here.
> 
> It was subtly glazed over....but you and the vintage Salsa beat everyone to the top! Nice work!


To "eclipse" this, the next guy will have to beat them all _down_ the mountain. 

Nice ridin' TD!!

Oh, and that trail was not even "vintage friendly"!! haha!


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

Fillet-brazed said:


> To "eclipse" this, the next guy will have to beat them all _down_ the mountain.


Oh so true! Those full-suspension 29ers just floated over the 5 miles of really rough stuff.

It is amazing to see how fast people were taking the descent in the 1980 video, but they didn't have as much invested in their bike as me, and if it broke it broke. I felt some obligation to the original owner to bring it down in one piece.

On the way down I passed a couple groups of hikers that commented about the old-school bike after seeing all the new stuff go flying by. That did make me smile.


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

Really nice post! That's an awesome answer to: "do people actually ride their vintage bikes?" If you can do the ride that you did, these bikes can go just about anywhere (although maybe a bit slower on the downhill).

Great post!!!!!!


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

Phenomenal, DC! So much awesomeness, I have nothing else to say.


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## muddybuddy (Jan 31, 2007)

Thanks for sharing. Great photos, cool story, and props for taking that bike out and using it like it was intended, and showing everyone else up on the climb.:thumbsup:


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## mainlyfats (Oct 1, 2005)

+1. What a great thing to have done! Glad you documented it so well.


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## fat-tony (Sep 6, 2005)

Sofa king cool! Hats off to you bro! Thanks for not only rocking it on the trail but to take the time to document it. Damn, I miss Colorado.


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

fat-tony said:


> Thanks for not only rocking it on the trail but to take the time to document it. Damn, I miss Colorado.


I generally like to ride non-stop, but when the scenery causes me to say "wow" around every corner it's hard not to want to soak it in. As you can probably imagine, I came home and was disappointed by what little I was able to capture with a camera. Nothing appears as steep, rough, colorful, or grand as the real thing. I guess that means I need to pick another bike and do it all again.

I feel really lucky to be living here with these opportunities.


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## fattirefreak (Jun 7, 2008)

DC: Way to go! Awesome post and astounding pics. I was on this tour with you. Don't remember what time I made the top or what the order was of those summitting. But based on the number of cyclists still there I was the 6th to reach the peak. Me and 5 others rode back Sunday from Aspen to CB via Express Creek - Taylor Divide Trail - Brush Creek and back on Pearl Pass Road. Look forward to doing it again next year.


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

Really cool, and congrats!

I think we might have been the finalists for riding the heaviest bike. Way to go!


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## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

That was more riding than I did, and in more beautiful terrain than I rode this weekend. Great post.


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## screamingbunny (Mar 24, 2004)

Dude DC awsome ride SOOOOOOO SORRY I could join you for it!!!!


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## unicrown junkie (Nov 12, 2009)

DC, I am here to join the club, your ride was amazing, an obvious understatement. What a tribute indeed, taking that Salsa out like that! I was in Glenwood Springs last summer on my '86 Stumpie, but nothing that severe; and now you give me a great reason to visit Aspen.

I followed all the links you provided regarding the Pearl Pass,I never knew about it, what a neat piece of off-road history.


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## kb11 (Mar 29, 2004)

Great post DC, what an adventure :thumbsup: 

Where's the yodeling pic?


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

unicrown junkie said:


> I followed all the links you provided regarding the Pearl Pass,I never knew about it, what a neat piece of off-road history.


Join the fun next year. Just look at what a big event it was back in the day. It would be great to see more participation from the vintage community as the years go by.



kb11 said:


> Where's the yodeling pic?


Censored!


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## SubaDrew (Dec 22, 2009)

I'm pretty sure there'll be a small group from Denver riding klunkers next year. 

I've already done it so I'll likely be on my trek if i do it again.


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## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

kb11 said:


> Where's the yodeling pic?


is that what you call that?


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

SubaDrew said:


> I've already done it so I'll likely be on my trek if i do it again.


To see those modern 29ers just floating down the back side to Aspen had me thinking too.

Or maybe something aluminum with drop bars.


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## hairstream (Apr 20, 2008)

brilliant thread!


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

DoubleCentury said:


> Join the fun next year. Just look at what a big event it was back in the day. It would be great to see more participation from the vintage community as the years go by.


A little announcement here!


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## SubaDrew (Dec 22, 2009)

stan lee said:


> Who had #6?


Terry was on number six. Not sure what his name is on here, but he's looking to possibly sell it (he knows what it's worth).


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

See reply #11.


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## Retrocowboy (May 16, 2006)

simply awesome!


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## 51mondays (May 17, 2008)

Fantastic country!


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## classen (Oct 7, 2009)

Thanks for sharing. You're making me miss Colorado. :sad:


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## N10S (Sep 27, 2004)

Very nice...thanks for sharing!!!


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## 805MTB (Jul 4, 2010)

Looks like a wonderful ride. Do you purify water out there or just drink it straight?


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

You could purify, but I brought all of my water with me.


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## Funrover (Oct 4, 2006)

SO AWESOME!!! That is beautiful country, thanks for sharing. This really makes my day.


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## gmats (Apr 15, 2005)

Aloha! Excellent post. Thanks so much. Rode Pearl Pass a number of years ago. I think it was back in the 90's though I was already riding FS by then. My mantra going down the other side was "I love suspension". I have such great memories of that ride. Headed back to CB next month, maybe we'll do that ride again...............


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

For those interested, my understanding is that Pearl Pass 2012 will take place Saturday, Sept 8th.


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## fattirefreak (Jun 7, 2008)

DoubleCentury said:


> For those interested, my understanding is that Pearl Pass 2012 will take place Saturday, Sept 8th.


That's a pretty accurate understanding. For all interested, be there, or be square.


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## oldskoolwrench (Jul 12, 2012)

Just joined up here and saw this thread.

I did Pearl Pass in '84, '85 and '88 as part of Fat Tire Bike Week. As with the 2012 Tour, FTBW used to be held in the Fall, which made for interesting weather!

I remember the old Stage Race being held with the XC using Washington Gulch out of town to Trail 401, then over Gunsight Pass back to CB. What a trail... that's why I listed it as my favorite trail of all time.

:thumbsup:


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