Scott recently released a solid short film, “Still the Same,” that follows three friends: Tanner Stephens, Drew Boxold, and Wiley Kaupas. The friends once had big dreams of racing bikes, traveling the country, and even Europe to do so.
“Wiley and I met in college at the University of Colorado Boulder as freshmen on the mountain bike team,” Tanner said. “We were both racing downhill and wanted nothing more than to do it at the highest level. That meant traveling to random mountain towns across the U.S., and even Europe, chasing races together.”
But, as we all discover, times change, and dreams even seem to dwindle. But, for some reason, mountain biking stays the same.
So, as life moved on, so did the friends. Wiley, perhaps making the boldest move in the bunch, found himself in New York City of all places. And while NYC is a lot of things, it isn’t necessarily the mountain bike mecca of the northeast.
Regardless, the men have a plan. While staying at Wiley’s Brooklyn apartment, they will explore the city, eat good food, and squeeze in a weekend of mountain biking.
Their destination? Mountain Creek and Thunder Mountain Bike Parks. Their bikes of choice? Scott Ransom, of course, otherwise, it likely wouldn’t be a Scott film!
The Scott Ransom is a solid bike indeed. Big travel, with a 170mm 6-bar suspension platform, the Ransom is definitely more geared toward going down than up. However, Scott didn’t want a slouch pedaling up, either. Knowing athletes would race this bike at the Enduro World Series, Scott had to develop it with a solid pedaling platform.
With the bikes sorted, the three loaded up in Wiley’s trusty (eh, maybe not so trusty) BMW e30 and hit the road. Fortunately, casualties were few, with perhaps just a flat tire or two (the car and bikes?).
Ultimately, the trip was a success (or Scott probably wouldn’t have made a film out of it). Mountain biking continues to bring friends together, regardless of distance, and fun times are always found behind handlebars.
Credits:
Tanner Stephens | Photography | Production | Riding
Drew Boxold | Videography | Editing
Wiley Kaupas | Riding | Specialty Auto Mechanic
