Text & Photo by Dylan Snodgrass/Edit by Shinya Tanaka
HUNTER CYCLES.
Wasn’t this one of the most distinctive makers at this year’s NAHBS?
The “machines” my good friend Rick Hunter builds always meet two essential criteria: they’re original, and they’re usable (made to be ridden and used to their fullest). These are the absolute principles behind his craft, and a testament to who he is. Men like these each find a machine that becomes an extension of themselves, then set off on a journey. This feature is about the marks they left along the way.
This is a Japanese translation of a blog post by Dylan, a longtime friend of Rick’s and a member of Team DFL. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it—and that you’ll come away with some sense of what it means for the Condors to take flight. The Hunters will be glad if you do.
Condors take flight! 2012
It started something like this... Condor!
The “Condor Trip” is always hard. But this, the seventh year of the trip, proved to be truly brutal. By the time we reached Santa Barbara Airport, we were completely spent. The route was tough, but I know every Condor would say the ride was incredible.
The trip took us from Rick Hunter’s shop in Bonny Doon, California, to Santa Barbara, over the coastal mountains. We headed south, zigzagging through as much mud as we could. Did we really pull it off? You bet!
Day 1:
Bonny Doon, California, to Arroyo Seco Road/Campground
(110 miles/176 km)
Campground information: http://bit.ly/HWarKs
It’s best to leave Santa Cruz with two days’ worth of food and supplies, because the only place to buy food before Cambria is at a gas station.
We woke up to a cold drizzle. Loaded down with all our gear, we set off from Hunter Cycles and into hell. The forecast called for rain, but we rode right through the storm and were already dry by the time we reached Watsonville. We headed south on frontage roads, bike paths, and country roads.
Everyone was in great spirits as we pedaled along, talking about what lay ahead: Would the river we had to cross tomorrow be flooded? Would the Carrizo Plain turn into a muddy nightmare? Could we ride through the snow in the Santa Barbara Mountains? Did we remember to bring the coffee?
Arroyo Seco Campground has clean water and even showers. Just make sure to bring a few quarters. Fred had brought an incredibly delicious dinner, along with a dozen hard-boiled eggs. That’s why his bike was so heavy at the start.
Beauty on the side of a barn
An old farmhouse slated for restoration
We spent most of the first day riding through farmland. This was taken somewhere on River Road, heading toward Arroyo Seco Road.
After getting through a lot of tough stretches, it was finally time to try out my new stove. This thing is too good! The campgrounds where I often hike in the summers in California, Oregon, and Washington are managed by agencies that place strict restrictions on stoves like the one I’m using now. As a result, I rarely get to cook over a wood fire. The Emberlit UL is incredibly light, folds flat, and is so fun to use that I can wholeheartedly recommend it. Check it out here.
If you can’t make a wood fire, a simple cat-food-can stove will do for breakfast.
Find out about cat-food-can stoves here.
Day 2:
Arroyo Seco Campground to South Coast Road.
60 muddy miles (about 96 km).
There are no stores, but plenty of water. There’s a great hot spring where Indian Road has washed out. Near the top of the climb is a good place to stop for lunch, where we talked about the patterns in the rocks around us. The river crossing leading to the military base was high, and the water was deep; it was dangerous, and the concrete road was slippery, so we walked our bikes. We refilled our water at a Forest Service campground, then camped at the pass wherever we could find a spot that was as dry as possible.
Just past the campground, Indian Road begins—a 20-mile stretch closed to motor vehicles that leads into Los Padres National Forest. After Indian Road, we passed through Fort Hunter Liggett before climbing Nacimiento-Fergusson Road. The military base is practically deserted, relatively flat, and covered in oak trees. It’s lovely. If you keep your eyes open, you might spot wildlife. A couple of years ago, we saw a mountain lion on this same road.
At the top of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, we continued south, and the muddy road went on and on. South Coast Ridge Road is a great ride, but it’s brutal. Steep climbs and descents go on and on. Fortunately, the scenery is stunning, and although the road is wide open, you’ll realize there isn’t a car in sight. We camped somewhere along the road at this remote Forest Service campground.
All right! Leaving Arroyo Seco Campground and reaching Indian Road.
Rick Hunter riding Indian Road
The photo below shows Rick Hunter’s new Condor setup (version 2.0; see here for version 1.0). Rick’s bikes won several awards at this year’s handmade bike show, and every one of them is truly a beautiful handmade work of art.
The bags on the bike were made by a woman friend of Rick’s who lives in Oregon. You can see her work and read what she has to say here.
And be sure to watch this video, in which Dirt Rag Magazine interviews Rick about his new Condor.
Jason Bedford of De La Paz Coffee rides a Hunter 29’er fitted with bags from Porcelain Rocket.
Porcelain Rocket bags have an exceptionally beautiful finish, even among handmade bags.
The view from Nacimiento Road. You can see Highway 1 and the ocean, all the way to Kirk Creek Campground. The best part, though, is South Coast Road, where you get absolutely covered in mud!
Day 3:
South Coast Ridge Road to Paso Robles
About 100 miles (around 160 km)? Rick and Cam, is that right?
There was a pond for water at the campground, but it looked like it hadn’t been used in about a year. We first stopped for food and water at Ragged Point on Highway 1. Cambria has all the services you need: a food market, bike shop, restaurants, and more.
From the campground on South Coast Ridge Road, we headed south, eventually hitting a crazy descent from Los Burros Road down to Highway 1. You need really good brakes, and you have to take the elevator-like descent seriously. It’s fun, but incredibly steep. On the way down, I shuddered as I remembered riding this same route two or three years ago on an early Condor. What were we thinking! By the end of the descent, the road was paved, as was Highway 1, and cars started passing us on the way to Cambria.
We were soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the pleasant breeze, so it was a fantastic ride. A couple of miles before San Simeon, elephant seals lounge on the beach. You won’t regret stopping to check them out. When we reached Cambria, we headed east over the coastal hills on Santa Rosa Creek Road. A favorite with local riders, Santa Rosa Creek Road is dramatic, but you won’t see the breathtaking scenery until you ride it all the way through. The final climb was practically a wall. Totally insane.
Cam got sick, so we spent the night at a motel in Paso Robles, wondering if he’d be able to continue. Unfortunately, we had to leave him in Paso. Motel 6 is cheap and easy. Paso Robles has a great diner called Maggie’s. The hungry riders loved the generous portions and fresh coffee.
South Coast Ridge Road
A quick break on Los Burros Road. That dirt descent was no joke.
Santa Rosa Creek Road
Day 4:
Paso Robles to Big Pine Road
About 120 miles.
We prioritized getting to the Carrizo Plain, and refilled our water at the school off Route 58 near Soda Lake Road. Be sure to stock up on food in Paso Robles; once you enter the Carrizo Plain, there are no services until Santa Barbara. If you absolutely need to, take Route 166 and detour to New Cuyama, where there’s a gas station, before continuing across the Carrizo Plain and into the Santa Barbara Mountains.
The Carrizo Plain is a beautiful, wonderful place. A single dirt road carries you south through this vast landscape. Look up, and every now and then you’ll see a California condor soaring high above the plain. The shorter route follows Route 166 to Route 33, then crosses the Carrizo Plain and returns to Los Padres National Forest. Once you turn onto Big Pine Road, the cars disappear.
There are plenty of campgrounds and water sources there, before the road really starts climbing the mountains, so you can get ready for the climb.
The vast Carrizo Plain
Lunch with a view of Soda Lake
Miles and miles of unpaved road across the Carrizo Plain
A brief interruption here for a little background on the Condor Tour. The condor is a large bird of prey found mainly in South America. There is also a species called the California condor, which lives primarily in California. Taking inspiration from these birds soaring freely through the sky, the group named its annual tour the “CONDOR TRIP” and has kept this adventure ride, focused on dirt roads, going for seven years. This year’s route is a grueling ride south from Bonny Doon, where Rick’s shop is located, to Santa Barbara Airport.
The bikes ridden by Rick and Jason, two members of the group, were on display at this year’s NAHBS, and you can see how quickly they were put to use on this trip. Rick enjoys incorporating new ideas into a bike every year for the Condor Trip, then riding it himself and leaving his mark as HUNTER CYCLES.
P.S. Next year—or rather, this fall—Rick may bring his new bike to Japan and join us for an off-road tour in Hokkaido.
Now, let’s get back to introducing their crew and following their flight.
And now, meet this year’s Condor crew. (Sorry for the blurry, poorly exposed iPhone photos...)
The Team DFL guys. Dead Fucking Last!!! (Translator’s note: Slang for someone who always manages to finish last in a race.)
Fred
Ginger
Benny
The strong Rick Hunter
I tried to take a picture of Cameron with my camera, but something was covering it, and for some reason it wouldn’t take.
Here’s a memorable photo of Cameron riding Indian Road two or three years ago.
Day 5:
Big Pine Road to Santa Barbara
60 miles (about 96 km)
There were water sources in several places. Spring makes for a comfortable ride, but in summer it would be a miserable frying pan. Much of Big Pine Road is closed to cars, and its long, high-quality dirt descent is a blast. It leads to Alijo Burro Road, the last climb of the trip. We descended El Camino Road, turned onto Painted Cave Road, took the final descent, and joined North San Marcos Road into Santa Barbara.
Burrito time!
A view from somewhere on our first climb of the morning, looking down at our campsite deep in the valley.
Argh! The bike was buried in thick, sticky mud and couldn’t be ridden. We didn’t ride for hours.
Anyone have some extra chain lube?
Maybe the snow isn’t that deep and we can ride through it? Hahahaha!
Just kidding—we had to push our bikes like this through two feet of snow for four hours to reach the summit...
At the summit, the snow was gone and the mud had turned into well-drained soil. The descent begins.
Most routes in the Santa Barbara Mountains are closed to cars. Nice!
The seemingly endless descent made us forget all about having to push our bikes. Santa Barbara, here we come!
We rode about 450 miles (roughly 720 km). The route itself was tough, but it was an absolutely incredible trip through amazing terrain, on unpaved roads and abandoned concrete roads. There were plenty of places to camp, water was available at regular intervals, and the scenery was unbeatable. If you’re lucky, you might even find wildflowers in the Carrizo Plain!
In Santa Barbara, we rented a van, loaded everything up, and headed home. You can also get back to the Bay Area by train. I brought a GPS and have files of the route we took, so email me if you’re interested.
I rode a geared 29’er mountain bike with WTB NanoRaptor tires. I used traditional touring gear, along with bikepacking bags and a frame bag. Bikepacking-style bags worked so well on this route that we went two days without having to resupply.
My good friend Cameron Falconer built this frame for the trip. You don’t see much of his work online, but he believes in word-of-mouth advertising. He’s no upstart Portland hipster; he’s serious about racing, has spent nearly his whole life on bikes, and works with steel for a living. His frames are carefully built, with close attention to detail and quality. Despite how much use my setup got, everything came through without a scratch, and I’m really looking forward to taking this frame on many more adventures in the future.
I’m looking forward to seeing more great things from Falconer Cycles. You can find more information about him here.
The original Condor crew in 2006. Thanks to Rick Hunter! And thanks to all the past and future Condor members who keep the tradition alive!
From left to right: Rob “Ginger” Saybolt, Rick Hunter, Woody, Cameron Falconer, and Dylan Snodgrass. 2006 was the beginning.
And this is how it ended... Rick’s old shop, with the treasure trove of bikes in Watsonville visible in the background.
Talons!
Rick put together a route map to make the route easier to follow without having to picture it from the place names alone.
Total distance: 720 km!
View Condor tour 2012 in a larger map
More and more people are getting comfortable using bikes, making it easier to suggest all kinds of ways to enjoy them. At the same time, though, it seems there are also more cyclists who can only use things in the way they were intended, or who take no interest in anything outside their own interests—rather like golfers (the course is laid out for them, the order of play is decided for them, there are more rules than anyone can remember, and on top of it all, they insist it’s a gentleman’s sport... Sorry, that was a bit much.)
Why not build your own bike, fix it yourself when something goes wrong, choose only the gear you need, and go wherever you please? It doesn’t matter whether you go fast or slow, on road or off road; just keep moving forward. I hope that’s what cycling—and being a cyclist—is really about. The encounters along the way, including the problems, will help you grow in ways you could never experience in everyday life. (I can say that with absolute certainty from my own experience.)
I often think our country needs more cyclists with that kind of grit.
To be continued.
HUNTER CYCLES – Hunter Cycles
HUNTER CYCLES, built by Rick Hunter, is designed and made by a man who has ridden the roads of California to the fullest, drawing on his own experience. Unbound by categories or conventional bike types, he explores his own instincts and those of the rider to create the best possible machines. From the moment you swing a leg over a Hunter, your cycling life is sure to change for the better.
