Conquering the Rubicon Trail
An adventure in a day – The Rubicon Trail.
On the first day of October, we saddled up at the Loon Lake trail head for the Rubicon Trail. Keenan (Production Engineer at Rungu) and I had two identical Electric Juggernaut MDVHC-XR units. Both had the latest Anti-Pinch-Flat technology in the rear tire that we’ve been developing for a year and newly designed skid plates to protect the mid-drive motors. We had no on-trail support besides the tools and water we carried in our backpacks.
Rungu’s power and design made it happen! Rungu Electric Juggernaut MDVHC produces a tremendous amount of torque at low speed making short work of the rock crawling and all but one of the uphill sections. Having two front wheels played in our favor in a few ways. First, like a Quad or a Jeep on rough terrain, one wheel lifts the other over neighboring rocks making for fewer and shallower bumps than you would experience hitting each rock with a two-wheeler. Second, the added stability let both of us take obstacles at a slower pace,keeping us upright better than any two-wheeler could. Last, since it was end of season, the trail was dusty. Rocks were slick and when fish-tailing the two front wheels kept us from literally biting the dust.
Rungu muscled through even though my legs and arms gave out. The start of the trail has a great name. We traversed the “Alligator Pit” (used to be the “Gate Keeper”) – a field of trashcan-sized rocks and boulders. The Alligator Pit set the expectation of what was to come. We stopped to film on the easier sections to take advantage of the views and to avoid losing forward momentum on the technical sections. The technical sections made the Alligator Pit child’s play by comparison. Frankly, riding over so many boulders and rocks took its toll on my legs and arms; by the time we reached the junction where the trail merges with the Barker Meadow OHV trail, I couldn’t ride out of the saddle any longer.
When in doubt, push it over
The Rubicon Trail made me very thankful for Rungu’s light weight. Where Keenan overcame technical sections easily with his extensive off-road experience, I used the option to push Rungu over a section that was beyond my riding skills. On the steepest sections of Cadillac Hill, I admit to using throttle power to pull me up while walking alongside. At my skill level, I can only imagine winching out if I had a Quad.
Air compressors are awesome
Having a portable air compressor on a fat-tire e-bike should be mandatory. Keenan suffered our only flat in a front tire right before we merged with the Barker Meadow trail. We were still 8 miles away from the finish line but having completed the most difficult sections of the trail, we were exhausted. Replacing the tube and re-inflating took only 5 minutes using the built-in power socket and compressor. We saved precious time and effort by not needing a hand/foot pump.
Rungu rocked the 17-mile Rubicon Trail in eight hours. Rested and back on the trail after the tube change, we completed the last eight miles in less than half-an-hour. Riding a smooth asphalt road into town satisfying it was to get back on asphalt on the ride into town. The Rubicon Trail is much harder than the many YouTube videos make out and deserves more preparation than I made. On any other vehicle, I honestly don’t think I would have made the crossing.
To celebrate our achievement, we’re introduing the Rubicon Trail Edition (MDVHC-XR with all the options plus the kitchen sink…) and our new Rungu apparel – a limited-edition commemorative long-sleeve crew. We used a gray that would fit right with the granite of the Rubicon Trail.
