king street cycles does pisgah

Last month, I was able to spend 7 glorious days in Brevard, North Carolina, riding the rugged trails of the famed Pisgah Forest. 

​While the Appalachians may seem a little sleepy when driving through on the I75, the Great Smoky Mountain range, which makes up the eastern edge of the Appalachia region, has some of the biggest riding this side of the Mississippi. ​​

Andy's Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt BC Edition with Cane Creek DB Coil IL rear shock and DT Swiss XCM 1200 Spline wheels.

12-13KM climbs with an hour or two of hike-a-bike are the regular, and fast, rocky, raw descents give way to flowy, bermed up lines on the way down. ​

​Being early March, single digit morning temps warmed to the mid teens by early afternoon. and these seemed to be the perfect temperatures for riding, especially with the sustained efforts the climbs provide this early in the riding season. 
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Rides tended to be between 4-6 hours long, and did I mention the climbing? There’s lots of it. Plenty of water and even some food was essential, along with the usual kit needed to keep a bike rolling in this mountainous terrain.
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Here are a few shots of the adventure, and a run down of my gear for a typical day in Pisgah.

The essential gear for a ride day in Pisgah Forest:

The Kit: 1. Sugoi RS Pro bib shorts, 2. Sombrio Renegade jersey, 3. Sombrio Highline short, 4. POC Tectal Race Spin helmet, 5. Giro Code EC90 shoes, 6. Sombrio Podium socks, 7. Giro New Road Primaloft vest, 8. Ryders Face photochromic glasses, 9. Camelbak Skyline LR 3 litre pack, 10. Giro DND gloves

9: a. spare tube, b. phone, c. Lezyne Pressure Drive pump, d. Park TL-1 tire levers, e. Park CT-5 chain tool, f. Cliff Bloks Citrus, g. SRAM Eagle Powerlock link, h. zip ties, i. Park SW-7.2 spoke tool, j. Topeak Hexus II multitool.

Andy tearing it up on the trails at Pisgah National Forest. Photo credit: Mark Schmidt