鈥淥ne day,鈥� says inventor and company founder Lee McCormack. 鈥淛ust one day of RipRowing is all it takes to improve your riding.鈥�

Right. I鈥檝e tried many new training methods and remained as relatively sucky the next day as when I started. CrossFit? Six or so weeks to feel real progress (and I never did embrace ). Hangboard training? Weeks, not days. Perfecting my back cast? A lifelong project.

Compared to a lot of shredders out there, I鈥檓 a pretty casual rider. That said, I love riding and have pushed pedals for 20 years. I鈥檝e participated in a bunch of 24-hour races, including 24 hours of Moab when that was a thing, and I enter at least one race a year. (Last year, it was the inaugural .) I鈥檝e bikepacked thousands of miles on my hardtail and chose the town I live in partly due to its proximity to my favorite local MTB trails (). But my skills plateaued long ago, and I figured that continually smooth and fast descents and cleaning the most technical climbs were simply beyond my ability. Then I hopped on a .

Creating the RipRow

This 40-pound device is an unstable platform outfitted with a set of MTB handlebars atop a frame that you push and pull between your feet, like you鈥檙e on a mountain bike riding through bumps. Resistance is provided by adjustable shocks: one for pulling and one for pushing. RipRow鈥檚 inventor鈥�, a mountain bike skills expert based in Boulder, Colorado鈥攄escribes it as a great strength- and agility-training device for many things, including but not limited to: 鈥淢ountain biking, BMX, cyclocross, motocross, skiing, horseback riding, furniture carrying, and baby making.鈥�

I first met Lee when he and I were on adjacent tables at in Boulder. I was working through an arduous shoulder surgery recovery, and Lee was trying to avoid one. We were like-minded junkies when it came to boosting fitness and learning to use our shoulders better. Lee had been mountain biking for 25 years and teaching MTB skills for ten, and he鈥檚 written on the subject. To make a living teaching and coaching mountain biking, you鈥檝e got to be pretty damn good and draw from a deep well of experience鈥攂ut, Lee says, he gradually had three troubling thoughts.

鈥淢y shoulders were being destroyed by imperfect riding,鈥� Lee says.

He was also second-guessing some basic ideas about riding. 鈥淚 always thought we should pull up and push down [over obstacles], but what鈥檚 actually happening is much more nuanced.鈥� Look at a bike鈥檚 profile, and picture a circle with the bike鈥檚 bottom bracket at its center鈥擫ee鈥檚 epiphany was that riders balance on their feet near that center, while the bike鈥檚 handlebars move along a radius from that center point, not simply up and down like a floor pump.

Plus, he hadn鈥檛 quite nailed his聽bike fit. What Lee learned was that when you find your ideal distance from the deck to your grips on the RipRow (the point where you have optimal range of motion and strength), you should set the same exact distance from the bottom bracket to your grips on your mountain bike. Lee dubbed this the Rider Area Distance (or RAD) and says that for most riders this will equal your knuckle height while standing upright and holding the grips on the RipRow.

The RipRow is the creation that remedied all of Lee鈥檚 concerns. 鈥淚t showed me precisely how to set up a mountain bike for optimal handling and taught me how to move more perfectly, while improving my strength and confidence.鈥�

Over the past five years, Lee鈥檚 device聽has been through eight iterations, with thousands of riders giving feedback, before arriving at the slick and sturdy production model I tested for two months.

Here鈥檚 how it works: the聽unstable platform improves your balance and core strength over the course of the workouts. The upright frame鈥檚 push-pull resistance mimics a bike鈥檚 motion, enabling you to build strength for railing corners, hopping boulders, pumping, and more confidently landing drops.

It鈥檚 easy to argue that simply adding rowing and deadlifts to your training program would suffice, but the RipRow mimics mountain biking in a way that nothing else does. There is no other machine that gives you push-pull in rapid succession, which is, I鈥檝e learned, a key to great riding.

Testing the RipRow

At $999, the RipRow is expensive. Ever a passable journalist, I asked: Why would I buy this instead of just getting outside and riding more? Lee told me to use it聽for ten minutes daily for four weeks and see what I thought. After a quick lesson on fit and form, I headed home to check it out. Like the Shake Weight and Thighmaster before it, the RipRow puts you in some, let鈥檚 say, evocative poses. One in particular. Repeatedly. Mechanically. Thrustingly. On an elevated stage of sorts, no less. So, after I picked one up聽to test, I dragged it into my home office so I could RipRow in privacy. Then I called up some beginner training videos on the brand鈥檚 website. There are several moves, both suggestive and non.

鈥淲ow,鈥� my wife deadpanned when she peeked in. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 all this pumping and grinding doing for you?鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 making me a better mountain biker,鈥� I said. 鈥淚鈥檓 gonna shred.鈥�

鈥淕ood luck with that.鈥�

I began by learning the , such as the high hinge, low hinge, and crazy-low hinge. 鈥淭he primary ones come straight from the fundamental movements of mountain biking, which happen to be the fundamental movements of most activities,鈥� Lee says. 鈥淎ll use proven biomechanics principles, and they鈥檝e been OKed by real doctors who are also shredders.鈥�

With the RipRow, you balance on your feet, engage your core, row and push (anti-row or 鈥渞ip,鈥� in RipRow parlance) in a variety of positions: upright, bent at the waist and knees, feet next to each other, feet in bike stance, one arm and two legs, one leg and two arms, one arm and leg (same side), one arm and leg (opposite side)鈥攜ou get the picture.

After I nailed the movements, I branched out to the 鈥溾�� featured on the product鈥檚 website. Some were slightly longer with more intense exercises, and there were even a couple race simulations. Segments of trail for these were filmed by pro mountain bikers and 鈥淩ipRow Factory Pilots,鈥� like Syd Schulz and Macky Franklin. This POV footage is great for learning to read trails at high speed and mimicking moves for that terrain on the RipRow. In the bottom right corner of the race simulation is a person doing the move on the RipRow so you can copy them. In the bottom left corner is a stopwatch counting down how many seconds remain in that movement. These are fun鈥攁nd hard.

Although Lee suggested I give the machine聽a month, I ended up testing it for two. I used it regularly on its own and as a warmup before rides鈥攁t my house, not the trailhead. (Still not sure how I feel about RipRowing in public.)

Grading the RipRow

The results were kind of mind-blowing, especially considering what little time commitment the workouts required (most are ten to 40 minutes). No matter how great a mountain bike rider you are, it鈥檚 really hard to feel and dial in perfect mechanics on a moving bike. There鈥檚 just too much going on. The RipRow distills MTB movements to their most basic form.

For me, the biggest gains were in descending. After testing the machine for one day, skeptical as I was at first, my descents felt smoother and faster. By the end of the two-month test, I felt comfortable riding lower and a bit farther back. I was better equipped to absorb impact or fight obstacles to maintain momentum, which grew into increased confidence and decreased lap times on my favorite local rides. I found the RipRow particularly helpful as a warmup. I didn鈥檛 gain an elite level of aerobic fitness鈥攖his thing doesn鈥檛 come with a bag of EPO鈥攂ut I felt a greater awareness and control of body position and therefore better authority over my bike on chaotic (read: speedy, rock-laden) trails. I also had greater control on technical climbs. Put simply, I just felt more comfortable in the cockpit. I gained strength, endurance, and, most important, neuromuscular intelligence. Tons of聽reps allow you to hack the cheat codes of great riding into your subconscious. Gym work does not do that.

Professional coaches are taking note as well. Aldon Baker, an elite motocross trainer, is using the RipRow with his factory Husqvarna and KTM racers. At the last Supercross, four of the top five premier racers trained on one.

Todd Schumlick, owner and manager of Norco Factory Racing, has been using a RipRow for the past few months and says the device has proven to reveal a handful of聽weaknesses in his riders. 鈥淔or one, hip hinge, potentially due to a lack of hamstring and glute flexibility, or simply incorrect biomechanics,鈥� he says. 鈥淪econdly, shoulder mobility. RipRow can assist in addressing these weaknesses, along with complementary strength training and yoga.鈥� This fall, Schumlick plans to test the machine聽on Aaron Gwin (current and multiple downhill mountain bike UCI World Cup champion) and Richie Rude (multiple Enduro World Series champion).

Lee has his sights on the RipRow going mainstream in gyms and CrossFit boxes across the country. He鈥檚 shown it to Denver Broncos strength coaches (鈥渨ho dig it,鈥� he says), and he has an app in development, so RipRowers can track and share workouts鈥攊t even boasts a new stat called the RipWatt. While I鈥檓 not sure I鈥檇 buy one (I鈥檓 somewhat minimalist and very cheap), I鈥檇 absolutely choose a gym that had a RipRow over one that didn鈥檛. And I鈥檇 keep my giggles to a minimum.

The post The RipRow Will Make You a Better Mountain Biker appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

An icy wind whipped fresh snow into mini tornados in the narrow alleyways of a Golden, Colorado, storage facility, and Bruce Gordon dropped a box of product samples into the slush under his rented box truck.

He looked over at his business partner Zach Branson and said, 鈥淭here鈥檚 got to be a better way.鈥�

The two were hustling to make their outdoor sales agency, Mountain Source, a success, and knew that the storage-locker-and-rented-truck strategy would only get them so far. Eventually they found a home base in the Denver Merchandise Mart.

This hulking event space and collection of showrooms, tucked into an industrial pocket of north Denver, opened in 1965 as a wholesale marketplace. Unlike the Colorado Convention Center, the new home of Outdoor Retailer, which accommodates sweeping events attended by entire industries, the Denver Merchandise Mart specializes in connecting sales representatives to buyers. It鈥檚 strictly B2B and not open to the public.

Since opening, The Denver Merchandise Mart has become a major business hub for the western wear industry, and outdoor industry sales reps in the Rocky Mountain region鈥攍ike Mountain Source鈥攁re wisely beginning to take note.

The Scene

The Denver Merchandise Mart, or just 鈥淒enver Mart,鈥� has the look and feel of a massive ’70s-era hotel, with crisscrossing escalators and stair cases in a bright multi-story atrium and long, window-lined hallways and event halls. But instead of housing vacationers, this facility has apparel and accessory companies as guests.

I pass showrooms with jewelers hunched over magnifying glasses, bedazzled cowboy boots, sterling knives with elk-antler handles, and cabinetry and backsplash supplies among a blur of other things on my way to meet with Todd Herrick, a managing partner of Denver Mart. Herrick is a pilot and backcountry skier who came to Colorado in 1987 and also owns Telluride Helitrax, Black Canyon Anglers, and Gunnison River Farms.

鈥淲e have nearly one million square feet of space in total,鈥� Herrick told me. 鈥淲e have loading docks for every event hall, freight elevators, a concert stage (Garth Brooks, Lori Morgan, and Merle Haggard have played there), a drive-in outdoor movie theater (showing first-run movies on weekends Memorial Day to Labor Day, but available to tenants for midweek private events), security, 24/7 access for tenants, and free parking.鈥� Denver Mart hosts a trade show every weekend and can run up to four separate shows simultaneously.

鈥淲e have everything from western shows to car shows, toy train shows, roofing shows, the state bar exam, marijuana shows. The marijuana crowd鈥攕howing grow lamps and products like that, not bud鈥攖hey鈥檇 have a show every week if they could. They鈥檙e going gangbusters. But my point is, we can fit any particular industry鈥檚 needs,鈥� said Herrick. 鈥淚f you want to build an ice climbing wall outside, we鈥檒l setup an ice climbing wall.鈥�

The venue also has space for up to 400 tenants in showrooms ranging in size from 180 square feet to more than 8,000 square feet. This is a real attraction for a sales rep who may be used to the relative chaos of showing gear out of the back of a truck or van. Currently, 142 outdoor lines, from Jack Wolfskin and adidas Outdoor to Alpine Start and Selk鈥檅ag to Gregory have leased showrooms, which each agency can customize to their liking. Showroom tenants have 24/7 access and meet with retailer and potential buyers on their own terms. With Outdoor Retailer鈥檚 high-profile move from Salt Lake City to Denver, Denver Mart expects its outdoor industry tenant list to grow.

Browse the Outdoor Brand Showrooms

The Chaco Showroom

The Gregory Showroom

The Jack Wolfskin Showroom

The Smith Showroom

The Smartwool Showroom

鈥淲e are in Adams County which is non-union, so you have great creative freedom to set up a trade show booth how you like it,鈥� said Herrick, 鈥渁nd for tenants who lease showroom space, we feature a 鈥榣oss of line clause,鈥� which lets a sales rep out of their lease if they lose one of their three biggest clients.鈥� For reps who are often on 30-day revolving contracts, this eliminates the personal liability of a long-term lease.

The western wear industry (think Justin, Cinch, and Ariat) was an early adopter of Denver Mart and serves as an example of the type of community the ownership hopes to cultivate within the outdoor industry.

The Value

To get an idea of how the big western brands have used the show rooms, we tour a few of their largest and most lavish. First, Corral Boots, which has a stone fireplace and full bar, along with cocktail tables, and more than a dozen sales rep stations. Next is Miller International (parent company of Cinch jeans, among others). Their space is the size of a commercial outlet store, has a runway, overstuffed leather chairs, a huge bar, and a seating area that鈥檇 be right at home at any sports bar in America.

鈥淚t鈥檚 so easy to imagine a big outdoor or snow sports brand creating a ski-lodge or Swiss chalet apr猫s scene,鈥� I said to Herrick.

鈥淎nd they could show ski films at the drive-in out back,鈥� he replied.

We also tour the Ariat and Carhartt showrooms. The former was one of the first tenants in Denver Mart and boasts an 8,100-square-foot showroom. Carhartt鈥檚 has a sleek mountain-modern vibe, several private rep stations, and a huge conference room with a 16-seat table and the largest video-conference-ready flat screen I鈥檝e ever seen. It looks like a corporate headquarters.

What鈥檚 crazy is that many of these large showrooms are only utilized during the Western English Sales Associations biannual shows. That鈥檚 just eight days per year.

鈥淭his is where brands and buyers conduct a substantial amount of business. It鈥檚 worth it鈥攁nd it鈥檚 stood the test of time over the years. It works. Even with the internet and e-commerce, these industries are ultimately very tactile. You need to physically see the product and share stories and strategies with each other, personally, to make sound decisions,鈥� said Herrick. 鈥淎nd these industries that take up shop here are very community-driven.鈥�

The Potential

So, are outdoor industry brands utilizing it and how? To begin answering that, I met up with Mountain Source, an outdoor and snow sports sales agency with eight team members servicing retailers in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Nebraska.

鈥淲e used to use a storage unit and a rented truck and show product in a retail space,鈥� said partner Bruce Gordon. 鈥淣ow we have a controlled environment to interact with retailers with no distractions like we might have if we were meeting at a shop, or even worse, the back of a van. It鈥檚 revolutionized our business.鈥�

Mountain Source currently reps Chaco, Fj盲llr盲ven, GU, Hanwag, Klean Kanteen, Smartwool, and Swany.

鈥淲e want to change the agency model. As we grow, our goal is to have a [show] room for each of our brands,鈥� said Gordon. 鈥淯ltimately, we want to show a buyer that they could stock all of our brands, and in this environment, we can mimic how those brands could be displayed in the store. Smartwool is now flying people from outside of our territory to pre-line here in this showroom.鈥�

Their bright Smartwool space features vinyl wall wraps, custom racks and signage, and individual meeting tables to display product on. The Chaco space has artificial turf and a vibe 100 percent in line with the booth I鈥檝e seen at Outdoor Retailer for years. Their showrooms are inviting, casual, and fun, just like the brands they rep.

鈥淲e all got into this business because it鈥檚 fun, right?鈥� said Gordon. 鈥淏ut then at some point the fun is out of it. Having showrooms at the Mart has been key to us bringing some of the fun back. We can do really creative things in this space. With all of the support from the leasing manager and staff here, we have extreme flexibility to do whatever we want.鈥�

Mountain Source鈥檚 biggest success, business wise, has been with brand extensions. 鈥淚n an unhurried environment, we can introduce buyers to more brands. We were not able to do that as successfully before,鈥� said partner Zach Branson.

鈥淭his space allows our staff to tell better stories. We do 80 percent of our annual business in this showroom now,鈥� added Gordon.

鈥淚t sounds cheesy,鈥� said Branson, 鈥渂ut this place has given us a real sense of pride and really gotten us excited to reinvest in our business. There鈥檚 no other place we鈥檝e seen where we can do this.鈥�

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