Joe Dioslaki

Pedal Montclair: What do you ride? 

Joe:  For trails its my dream bike, the Scott Spark RC World Cup Evo.  (Thanks Lou and Andrea!)

Pedal Montclair: Favorite places to ride? Why?

Joe: In this general area I love Steven’s State Park, Port Jarvis, and Hartshorne, but my favorite would be the local trails, which are practically in my front yard. Mills Reservation, Cedar Grove Reservoir, West Essex Trail, Hilltop Reservation.  Day or night, I can be on those trails in minutes.  (A big thanks to all of the local trail builders!)

Pedal Montclair: Where would you go on your ultimate biking trip? 

Joe: Whistler, Bentonville, MOAB. I hope to ride these sometime…soon!

Pedal Montclair: Advice to any newcomers? 

Joe: The learning curve is steep, give it a month or two and you’ll be hooked!  The riding community is very helpful, and last but not least; Join a shop ride and learn from the pros!  

Pedal Montclair: Who's your favorite rider? 

Joe: It’s whoever I’m riding with at that moment.  Most often it’s the Diesel Crew, but there are many more.  

Wyheem White

Pedal Montclair: What do you ride? 

Wyheem: Well, my go-to ride is a Pivot  Firebird 27.5, one of the best bikes I’ve ever ridden! When I want to switch from trails to the pumptrack/dirt jumps I hop on my Pivot Point. I also have  a Pivot Shuttle LT that I share with wifey. When I want to hit some gnar and descents are the main attraction, I just grabbed a Santa Cruz V-10 for the bike parks! 

Pedal Montclair: Favorite places to ride? Why?

Wyheem: This one is close to home and always a gem, Mountain Creek bike park. When I have the time to travel, Thunder Mountain has the best dirt and FORT HILL!!!  Oh yeah! Talk about adrenaline pumping runs! When the snow falls, temperatures plummet and trails are closed, I travel as often as possible out to Cleveland, Ohio. There you will find a theme park for bikes at Ray’s Indoor MTB park. There are endless possibilities of line choices and things to ride. It never gets boring. 

Pedal Montclair: Where would you go on your ultimate biking trip? 

Wyheem: Oh that’s a tough one…if I had to pick it would have to be Whistler BC. The Mecca of mountain biking. Also the French alps for all the bike parks. 

Pedal Montclair: Advice to any newcomers? 

Wyheem: Take it slow and just keep on pedaling. It’s the only way you will get better, remember nobody was born with this talent. The longer you sit in the saddle, the more comfortable you will be and the better your riding will improve. Also support your local bike shops, they will always point you in the right direction for what type of riding you want to do. 

Pedal Montclair: Who's your favorite rider? 

Wyheem: Brandon Semenuk, there is nothing that man can’t ride. 

Rob Babboni

Pedal Montclair: What do you ride?

Rob: My daily driver is a 2020 Scott Genius. A Santa Cruz Chameleon for when I want to get back to basics, and a Scott Ransom for big days at Mountain Creek and other scary places where I need a little extra travel to keep me safe.

Pedal Montclair: Favorite places to ride? Why?

Rob: Stephens State Park, where the air is clean, the squirrels are friendly, and the downs are always longer than the ups.

Pedal Montclair: Where would you go on your ultimate biking trip?

Rob: I love riding in the Northeast where we have lots of good dirt, rocks and roots. Keeps things interesting and encourages good bike handling skills. The grippy black dirt and flowing trails of Northern Vermont are a dream. Probably the top two places on my list are Moab for varied terrain and scenery, and anywhere in the Pacific Northwest so I can ride LOAM.   

Pedal Montclair: Advice to any newcomers? 

Rob: Start small, ride at your own pace but keep pushing yourself to progress. I’ll steal the Kingdom Trails philosophy “Ride with Gratitude” which for me means appreciating the green spaces we ride our bikes in, keeping the trails friendly, and doing what you can to give back. Oh, and join a local shop ride. It’s a great way to meet other mountain bikers and connect to a cool community.

Pedal Montclair: Who's your favorite rider? 

Rob: I love watching Amaury Pierron crush a race run. The sheer strength and precision are mind-blowing -  gapping entire sections of trail and putting the wheels right where he wants them. I learned to jump mountain bikes in my late 40s and it still feels terrifying at times, so I enjoy seeing riders who love to be airborne like Paul Couderc and Hugo Frixtalon. Those Commencal edits always make me want to try things that I probably shouldn’t…

Ry Guy

Pedal Montclair: What do you ride?

Ryan: Pivot Switchblade (primary)... and RSD Mayor fat bike (lunchtime work rides/bad weather)... Haro hardtail for Daddy daycare rides... 

Pedal Montclair: Favorite places to ride? Why?

Ryan: SOMO because of the convenience... but Sedona AZ is the coolest place!

Pedal Montclair: Where would you go on your ultimate biking trip?

Ryan: Bucket list include Pisgah, Bentonville, Moab, anywhere else I should know about?  LMK?

Pedal Montclair: Advice to any newcomers?

Ryan: "It's almost all downhill from here"! HaHa

Pedal Montclair: Who's your favorite rider?

Ryan: I'm definitely a product of the "Lance effect" and was hooked on road biking in the mid-2000's... I took a 7 year hiatus from the sport only to come back hooked on MTB... but overall, Lance Armstrong is the man and I'm a huge fan...  

Stephane Mortier

Pedal Montclair: What do you ride?

Stephane: As I started riding, it was whatever I could throw my leg over but preferably a 29 full sus. Recently, Lou introduced me to a ride that matches my style and our local trails: Revel Rascal. It has “only” 130 mm of travel in the rear and 140mm up front, but it takes all the drops, rock gardens and obstacles our local trails can throw at me, and sticks to the ground like a Velcro!

Pedal Montclair: Favorite places to ride? Why?

Stephane: -1- MilltopERs and the Land of Wotopia for sure (Mills, Hilltop, Eagle Rock, Wotopia, and Cedar Grove in between) Because it is there and I have tools stashed here and there, to better the trails, fix them and add features -2- Blue Mountain in New York - For the huge rock rollers sprinkled around excellent MTB trails.

Pedal Montclair: Where would you go on your ultimate biking trip?

Stephane: Around the world! The ultimate biking trip never ends… The Great Divide would be a nice appetizer though!

Pedal Montclair: Advice to any newcomers?

Stephane: If you are new to the area, we have great trails and a great biking community. Join us and we’ll show you around (Join fellow local crazies on the Strava club Milltopers) If you are new to MTB, you are just like us… a few years back. We’ll teach you, we’ll wait for you (but only at the end of a good segment!) And soon, you will be teaching us some of your tricks: none of us are perfect riders, we are all in a constant state of progress, with different achievements. You’ll fit right in!

Pedal Montclair: Who's your favorite rider?

Stephane: There are too many to list, and I would forget someone! But here is the profile of my favorite rider: They can be Democrat, or Republican, they can have n+1 bikes or only one, they can be young or OG, they can be fast or slow, male or female or anything in between, AS LONG AS THEY LOVE MOUNTAIN BIKING! And they stop to help even unknown riders by sharing their tools, skills and spares to get them riding again. They are in a perpetual quest to ride better. They motivate other riders to be better. Over 90F, single digits, in the snow or on wet leaves, it’s always the perfect weather to ride. They make the trails better for everyone, by removing branches in the way or twigs that can kill a derailleur. They do trail maintenance when no one is watching, or spend a few of their riding hours having fun in a group moving rocks and dirt in a problem area. They respect other trail users. You have one of those traits? Join us, we’ll help you to develop more, you’ll help us stay humble, and we’ll have great fun together!