Artur Gawkowski

Pedal Montclair:  What do you ride? 

Artur: I ride a 2017 Specialized Stumpjumper, and just got it not long time ago a 2019 Pivot Les Fat rigid.
 
Pedal Montclair:  Favorite places to ride? Why?

Artur: Hmmmm. I don’t really have just one favorite place. I really enjoy a bunch of MTB parks. I like Allaire because I can go super fast there. I like Ringwood courses because of the difficult and technical trails there. What for sure scares me is Mountain Creek Bike Park, but at the same time always can’t wait to go there again. I think for me what matters more is with whom I ride with, not where I go:))))))))

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

Artur: My ultimate biking trip would be somewhere in Utah or Colorado.
 
Pedal Montclair:  Advice to any new comers?

Artur: My advice would be to try many bikes before you pull the trigger on your rig. Ride as much as possible and see where you’re comfortable and have more fun. Full suspension bike doesn’t mean it’s better than hard tail or even a rigid bike. I learned that in my own skin. Find fun people to ride with and enjoy it!!!
 
Pedal Montclair:  Who's your favorite rider? 

Artur: I don’t have one favorite rider. I got lots of guys I enjoy riding with. I have many guys I like follow and learn from them. I got many riders on the same experience level and below. They are all my friends and I’m always enjoying time we share shredding on some trails.

Joe Caruso

Pedal Montclair:  What do you ride? 

Joe:  Currently I ride a Pivot Trail 429 and a Pivot LES.

Pedal Montclair:  Favorite places to ride? Why?

Joe:  A few of my favorite places to ride include Wissahickon and Belmont Plateau in Philly. French creek, Jim Thorpe is a hoot. Chimney Rock is a common spot for me locally and I’ve been doing Allamuchy a lot lately. I’ve only done Ringwood a couple of times but really dug everything there too.

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

Joe:  I'd like to go back to Kingdom trails. I know it's not a tall order but I’m assuming there’s no limit to who I can bring.

Pedal Montclair:  Advice to any new comers?

Joe:  1. Be a good ambassador to the sport.  2. Support your local bike shop. 

Pedal Montclair:  Who's your favorite rider? 

Joe:   I really don’t know. I do know that they’re usually among my favorite people!

Chris Albanese

Pedal Montclair: What do you ride? 

Chris: Pivot Mach 429SL – I take advantage of its versatility.  Right now I have it set up as a 27.5 PLUS and loving it, insane fun! Come race season I’ll convert to a 29er race weapon!

Pedal Montclair: Favorite places to ride? Why? 

Chris: I grew up riding Ringwood A LOT! Ringwood captures everything I love about riding…being challenged, super techy with lots of climbing.  It never disappoints!  More local to Montclair, I love riding “south of 280.”  It’s an amazing place to get good mileage in, you can string together really nice loops and you don’t feel like you’re in NJ! 

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

Chris:  I have two, BALI and SQUAMISH BRITISH COLUMBIA – BOOM!  

Pedal Montclair: Advice to any new comers? 

Chris: Get out there as much as possible and get hooked!  You’ll quickly find that mountain biking isn’t just a sport or hobby, it’s also a way of life!  If you start young, you can take the riding adventure with you your entire life.  I made the mistake of taking a hiatus when I got in to more competitive sports but I never lost the love for it!  It’s more than just a physical activity, it’s the ultimate therapy for me!

Pedal Montclair: Who's your favorite rider? 

Chris: This is a bit of a throwback – Hans Rey.  As a child I would watch his videos all night long, I was totally enamored by his ability and what he did on a bike. I wanted to be exactly like him minus the ponytail.  Trials riding was a major part of what I did as a kid, he doesn’t know it but he taught me a lot! Countless hours were spent at Montclair State University practicing, I attempted to mimic everything he did and all of it transfers over to trail riding.  Positioning on a bike, balancing and steadiness on trails. Thanks Hans!

Carl Dauenheimer

Pedal Montclair: What do you ride? 

Carl: I ride my absolutely beastly XL Pivot Phoenix for downhill and I usually steal my Dad’s Yeti Sb6c when I ride local trails. 

Pedal Montclair: Favorite places to ride? Why?

Carl: I spend most of my weekends riding at Mountain Creek Bike park (my all time favorite place to ride on the East coast). My favorite place that I’ve ever ridden is the Whistler Bike park; there’s pretty much nothing that compares. When I’m not riding downhill I love ripping around Lewis Morris park right by my house.

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

Carl: I’ve been lucky enough to have already gone on my ultimate bike trip to the Vancouver area: Whistler/Coast Gravity; but I would love to venture further. My other ride before I die locations would be Leogang Austria, and Skyline Bike park in New Zealand.
 
Pedal Montclair: Advice to any new comers?

Carl: Ride what makes you happy and never get discouraged. It can take days even months to learn what seem like the simplest skills, but in the end It’s totally worth it.

Pedal Montclair: Who's your favorite rider? 

Carl: My favorite riders are my Mom and Dad. They introduced me to biking and have dealt with all of my crazy riding since then. Not to mention they’re great riders themselves.

Ari Brandt

Pedal Montclair:  What do you ride? 

Ari:  I ride a 2016 Carbon Pivot Mach 429 Trail (before they renamed it) mostly everything is stock but I've upgraded with Reynolds Black Label 27.5 Plus carbon wheels, Enve carbon bars, Fox Transfer dropper post and Wolf Tooth elliptical chainring.

Pedal Montclair:  Favorite places to ride? Why?

Ari:  My favorite place to ride locally is Blue Mountain in Peekskill, NY  Blue Mountain Reservation | Westchester Mountain Bike Association.  The trails are a great combination of technical and flowy, plus they are well integrated into the natural rock formations.  I think it's the best riding within an hour of Montclair.  

My favorite place to ride if I can get away for the weekend is Lake Placid + Wilmington NY.  The BETA team (Bark Eater Trails Alliance)  Barkeater Trails Alliance has built a network of some the most fun and challenging mountain bike trails in the Adirondacks that always put a smile on my face.

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

Ari:  There are so many places I'd love to mountain bike. Aside from the obvious Moab (which I've never done), I'd love to go to British Columbia in Canada and New Zealand both of which I've heard are magical for riding.  I've also read that mountain biking in the Scottish Highlands is amazing and I'm going to get an opportunity to see for myself in September!  

Pedal Montclair:  Advice to any new comers? 

Ari:  First off - good equipment matters, get a bike that's meant for mountain biking, it's money well spent.  Then get comfortable on your bike, riding rail trails and fire roads.  Once you've mastered the fire roads head to a less technical single track where you can master your speed, braking, turns, etc. Before you venture on to more technical terrain with rocks and other obstacles try to find a friend with some experience or someone who is familiar with the trails so you don't end up on a trail that puts you in a compromised position.  Most importantly keep riding and have fun.  

Pedal Montclair:  Who's your favorite rider? 

Ari:  My favorite rider in Montclair is my buddy Aaron Thall - he's the one who got me into mountain biking over 15 years ago and is the best riding partner. 

My favorite pro rider is Kate Courtney the 2018 US Women's Elite National Champion.  She's an amazing rider who leaves it all on the course every time she rides.  She also seems humble, grateful and happy to be riding which is what it's all about. 

Justin Taylor

Pedal Montclair: What do you ride? 

Justin:  I ride road, mountain and recently got into cyclocross.  My bikes are: Cervelo R3, Ridley X-Fire, Specialized Epic Full Suspension 29er and Pivot LES Single Speed.  I split my time equally between road and mountain throughout the majority of the year. I transition to more time on the cross bike in the late Summer and Fall.  

Pedal Montclair:  Favorite places to ride? Why?

Justin:  Honestly, I need to explore more on NJ's riding and stop riding our local parks.  So far, I've really enjoyed Allamuchy, Ringwood and Wawayanda.  I've also had an opportunity to ride some of the parks around State College, PA with another local rider, Bryan Smith, last spring. I really enjoyed Bald Eagle State Forest and Rothrock State Forest. 

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

Justin:  Kingdom Trails.  I'm embarrassed to admit that I lived an hour away from Kingdom for a number of years and never rode there.  

Pedal Montclair:  Advice to any new comers? 

Justin:  Find and support a great, local bike shop like Pedal Montclair.  Connect with local riders through bike shop sponsored group rides or Strava.  Seek out riders who are better than you to improve your fitness and technical skills.  

Pedal Montclair:  Who's your favorite rider? 

Justin:  My son, Miles.  He's just turned six and LOVES to ride his bike.  I'm so proud of his interest in riding to school, competing in local kids races and meeting up with friends to ride his bike.

Pete McGuire

Pedal Montclair: What do you ride? 

Pete: Pivot Switchblade is my weapon of choice. I chose this bike because it’s the do all bike for me.  I can ride it anywhere from cross country trails to downhill mtb parks. This bike just makes me smile & have fun.

Pedal Montclair:  Favorite place to ride? Why?

Pete:  Tough to pick a favorite because there are so many great places to ride in New Jersey.  I would have to say Ringwood is my top choice but Wawayanda is a close second.  Between these two parks you can ride for days without doing the same loop twice.

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

Pete:  As a young man I once was told "Head West!"  So naturally I would go to Colorado or Utah. There are so many options between these two states -  Crested Butte, Salida & Fruita in CO and Moab, St George & Park City in UT.

Pedal Montclair:  Advice to any new comers? 

Pete: Ride as much as time allows. Go to your local bike shop to get a proper bike fit.  While at the shop ask about group rides and helping out with trail maintenance.

Pedal Montclair:  Who's your favorite rider?  

Pete:  I don`t have just one. I`m very fortunate over the years I`ve made many friends due to this great sport.  I would say my favorite riders are the people I've ridden with in the past & future.

Stephen Machnowski

Stephen: Hi Pedal MTC! Thanks for the opportunity to chat!

Pedal Montclair: What do you ride?

Stephen: I ride a Pivot Mach 429SL built up by Pedal MTC with custom parts that strike a wholesome balance between reliability, comfort and weight. We went with a 100mm Fox Stepcast fork because I find the Pivot far more capable than the numbers suggest in the cross-country category. My preference is to train, ride, and race one bike, always set up the same way, whatever the trails or weather. My only other bike is an aluminum single speed mountain bike. That's my stalwart commuter but it's there for an occasional single speed race.

Pedal Montclair:  Favorite places to ride? Why?

Stephen: Oh yeah, we have some stellar choices in the Garden State. I think I've clocked the most hours in Mahlon Dickerson Reservation. That park has all kinds of goodness. The trails were well-designed and handle seasonal conditions well. The park is also plenty raw, natural, and unpopulated. You could go there and ride back-country fitness laps one day, and another day stick to black diamond enduro or mountain bike trials stuff.

My second choice would be Wawayanda State Park. After competing in the BearScat 50 races I'd be hard-pressed to find an uninterrupted 25 mile loop more sweet than that. So I usually follow that course either clockwise or counter-clockwise. It treats you to almost everything there!

The common denominators to both these parks are hemlock groves, waist-high ferns, rough old mine trail double-track, and rocky singletrack.

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

Stephen: The dream summer vacation! I think it would start with a rental that has a 4 bike hitch rack so our whole family could bring their bikes along. We'd start out in St. George, UT riding a bunch of sandstone desert trail (Zen, Barrel Roll). Next stop Breckenridge, CO for the NUE Breck 100 race; high alpine flower meadow singletrack. Then stop three, head up to Alta, WY in the Grand Tetons for the Pierre's Hole 100 and might as well drop in to visit Yellowstone since you're kinda there.

Pedal Montclair:  Advice to any new comers?

Stephen: The local cycling community is thriving and helpful. Jump into almost any level group ride and you'll find no person left behind and a wealth of tips and recommendations. I had no idea I would become friends with so many people through the sport.

Pedal Montclair: Who's your favorite rider?

Stephen: My favorite rider is that last man and last woman who roll through the finish line, smiling, sometimes crying in disbelief, at a mountain bike endurance race. They're six/seven hours behind the winner but they were still out there in the woods, all by themselves, giving 110%.