Riding with Chuck
Scot Nicol is an absolute legend of the mountain bike scene. For those who don’t know, Scot was one of the early pioneers of mountain biking back in the ‘Klunker’ days, riding alongside the likes of Charlie Kelly and Gary Fisher
Photos: Timothy Arch
Scot Nicol is an absolute legend of the mountain bike scene. For those who don’t know, Scot was one of the early pioneers of mountain biking back in the ‘Klunker’ days, riding alongside the likes of Charlie Kelly and Gary Fisher. With a wiry beard, a pair of Levi’s and his signature lace-free Chuck Taylors, Scot was a regular sight at the Repack races in Northern California. Here he spent most of his time drifting sideways at full tilt down Mount Tam.
These days you’ll still find Scot riding a bike nearly every day, but he does so while managing one of the most highly regarded mountain bike companies on the globe. As one of the oldest dedicated mountain bike companies in existence, Ibis Cycles has still somehow remained to be as relevant today as it did way back when Scot was welding up frames in Mendocino in 1981.
During a trip down to New Zealand to help support his team riders at the recent Enduro World Series round, Scot decided to also swing past Australia. With the goal of touching base with some of the Ibis ambassadors Down Under, Scot was also keen to see more of the mountain bike scene he had heard so much about.
Aussie Road Trippin’
We were really lucky to get Scot into Victoria for the few days that we did. As one of the 5 owners of Ibis Cycles, Scot leads a very busy life that involves travelling to various mountain bike races and demo events all around the world. Meeting us smack-bang in the middle of a 6-week work trip that would conclude with the Sea Otter event back in the US, it was impressive just how chilled Scot was given the significant air miles he’d been racking up.
One of Ibis Cycles Australian ambassadors, Pete Walsh (a.k.a “Digital Hippie”), had helped organise Scot’s itinerary in order to pack as much riding in as possible. The trip involved an expedition up to Mt Buller to ride the new Epic trail amongst others, before jetting over to North East Tasmania to experience the recently opened Blue Derby trail network.
As part of the Buller road trip, Pete had organised a “Ride With Chuck” event, which was to provide an opportunity for Aussie Ibis fans to come ride with Scot Nicol on the Stonefly loop at Buller. Riders came from all over the country, with several visitors flying over from Adelaide and Sydney to come ride with the man known as ‘Chuck Ibis’.
The climb up Stonefly involved a handful of rest stops, where riders would stop and take photos with Scot, before asking him about the new Mojo HD3 that Ibis had recently released to critical acclaim.
Before setting off down the Stonefly descent, we scaled up to the summit of Mt Stirling for some incredible views of the surrounding mountaintops. As there had been several controlled burns nearby, the hazy skyline provided an eerie backdrop for the Victorian Alpine landscape.
We finished off the afternoon with a blistering descent down Stonefly that had Scot and everyone else grinning ear to ear. While all the attention the new Epic trail has been receiving this season, Stonefly no doubt remains as one of the best descents at Buller and in Australia.
Ibis In Full Flight
Despite the Ibis brand being as successful as it is, it was pretty incredible to share a ride down Stonefly with one of the most influential names in mountain biking. It was also incredible to think that despite turning 60 last year, Scot is still travelling the world and riding as hard and as fast as he does. If I’m half as fit as him at the age of 40 I’ll be a happy man!
Following on from the “Ride With Chuck” event, we packed in a descent down the Delatite River Trail under an orange setting sun. Blasting over the enormous logs that criss-cross the river down the valley was a superb finish to the day and quintessentially Mt Buller. Awaiting us down at Mirimbah was Yully from the Epicentre Café, who had some cold Mansfield Pale Ale ready to quench our thirsty throats, before we were shuttled back up to the Buller village to catch the final sunset.
The final part of our Buller road trip involved a climb up the Razorback Ridge the following morning before we readied ourselves for the now infamous Epic descent. As one of the premier trails in Australia, the Epic provided a perfect opportunity for Scot to experience the full progression of the mountain biking scene Down Under. And while we’re sure that your mates have already told you, if you haven’t ridden this trail yet, book yourself a trip to Buller and make sure you cross this trail off your list – it is incredible, and it gets Scot Nicol’s tick of approval!
We have many people to thank for making Scot’s trip to Australia possible, not least of which is Pete Walsh who put together the amazing itinerary. Massive thanks go to Yully at the Epicentre Café on Mt Stirling for keeping us very well fed during our trip, as well as shuttling us up and down the mountain. We also need to give a shout out to the crew at Bike Buller for providing us with overnight accommodation at the Buller Alpine Village. These guys are doing terrific things for mountain biking at Mt Buller, so we have a lot to thank them for.
Ibis Cycles
Digital Hippie
The Epicentre
http://www.mtbuller.com.au/Detail/Summer/Mountain2/Bars-Restaurants2/66
Bike Buller
