The next best thing to having a partner that understands your never-ending MTB habit is having someone who also partakes.
Singletracks content manager and contributor Jamieelee Garcia and her partner Daniel Palma have exactly that. Not only do they regularly ride together, they have both put some considerable thought and customization into their Santa Cruz trail bikes.
Santa Cruz was an obvious choice since the brand is located nearby.
“We wanted to support a bike company that contributed to our local trails. As the name implies, Santa Cruz bikes are located in Santa Cruz, CA which is about an hour away from where we live. Over the years, they have helped contribute to building and expanding trail systems around Santa Cruz, so locals and non-locals can go and enjoy such trails, some of which are known to be the best trails in the country.”
Jamieelee is riding the 5010 trail bike, and Daniel is riding the newest generation of the Bronson. Daniel swapped out a lot of the stock parts and went with a Fox Factory 36 fork and DPX2 shock, and the Transfer dropper post.
Jamieelee added a purple Nukeproof stem, carbon Race Face Next R handlebars, a SRAM Eagle drivetrain, and meaty Maxxis Minion DHF tires front and rear. She placed purple accents throughout the bike. Daniel made his mark and matched with some accents inspired by the stock colors.
Perhaps the coolest accent is that a handful of Santa Cruz athletes, including Danny MacAskill, Steve Peat, Luca Shaw, and Loris Vergier all signed Jamieelee’s bike at Sea Otter last year.
Although coronavirus hasn’t made riding easy this summer, these two have been able to get some local riding in.
“We are thankful that most of our local trails have remained open so we’ve been able to continue riding during this time. We’ve been cautious to not join in any big group rides for now,” says Jamieelee. They go on a weekly ride together and are always learning how to mesh on the trail.
“We learn a lot from each other probably because our riding styles are a little different. It’s always fun to ride together and share that connection with each other.”
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