Patrick O'Rourke with his mountain bike

pedalon.org — All Things MTB

PEDAL
ON.

Get outside. Clear your head. Whether you're a first-time rider or someone who bought a bike from a friend for a camping trip with no idea what MTB was — this site is for you.

Explore the site →

Why this exists

Every ride, I wish
I'd started sooner.
I'm here to help you start today.

I'm Patrick. Mountain biking changed everything for me: the way I think, the way I handle hard days, the way I see the outdoors. I built this site because I wished something like it existed when I was starting out. Every section here is something I genuinely needed.

6
sections covering everything from first aid to film

What's here

Everything you need
on and off the trail.

01
Pedal On
Get Outside & Clear Your Head
How MTB helps mental health. Sometimes a quick ride is all you need to reset after a bad day.
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02
Be Safe
Trail First Aid & Emergency Guide
Short videos with real firefighters and EMTs. Know what to do and what not to do when seconds matter.
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03
Maintain It
Trail Care & Leave It Better
Trail maintenance tips. Leave every trail better than you found it. We all win when we do.
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04
Fix It
Bike Maintenance & Trail Repairs
Quick fixes on the trail and longer-term maintenance so your bike reliably takes you where you want to go.
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05
Ask a Rider
On-Trail Interviews
Quick-hit interviews with riders we meet out there. Everyone has a story. Some of them are even interesting.
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06
Film It
GoPro Videos & Your Clips
Raw trail footage, GoPro rides, and a place to submit your own clips. The trail is the stage.
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Patrick on the trail

Jump Right In

I'm Patrick.
I wish I started sooner.

It started by accident. I bought a used Specialized Rockhopper off a friend to take on a camping trip. I had no idea what mountain biking even was. My mom was so annoyed I'd spent money on something I'd never use that she signed me up to ride with a local trail expert, figuring I'd hate it and learn my lesson. Instead, I fell completely in love. Best mistake I ever made.

The speed drew me in first. But what keeps me coming back is harder to explain. It's that feeling of being totally in control and completely free at the same time. When I'm on a trail, nothing else exists. Bad day? Gone. Too much screen time? Gone. Whatever was stuck in my head clears out within the first five minutes of riding. There is no better reset.

My dad Ben started riding with me and it became our thing. We do weekend rides, chase new trails across Southern California: Lake Arrowhead, Laguna Beach, bike parks, trails that don't show up on any map. Some kids bond with their parents over dinner tables. We bond over dirt and open trails.

Along the way I started meeting other riders, kids from all over LA who love this as much as I do. What started as solo rides turned into a crew. That's what MTB does. It finds your people.

I built this site because I found mountain biking later than I wish I had, and I want to make it easier for anyone who's curious to just start. You don't need the perfect bike. You don't need to know what you're doing. You just need to get outside and pedal on. (A bike helps too.)

— Patrick O'Rourke, Founder

The Build

Every bike
earned, not given.

It started with a used Specialized Rockhopper I bought off a friend to take on a camping trip. I had no idea what mountain biking even was. My mom was so annoyed I'd spent money on something I'd never use that she signed me up to ride with a local trail expert, figuring I'd hate it and learn my lesson. Instead, I fell completely in love. Best mistake I ever made, and honestly, the best thing she ever did.

From there I was hooked. I sold that Rockhopper and put every dollar toward a Stumpjumper. My next bike I bought with money saved from odd jobs: walking neighborhood dogs, whatever I could find. Birthday money. Side hustles. Every bike I sold allowed me to upgrade on the next one.

My current bike I built from the ground up. Every part strategically chosen, researched, and placed. It didn't happen overnight and it didn't happen easily. But that's the bike sitting in my garage right now, and I know every inch of it because I put it together myself.

Watch the full build on YouTube — yes, I filmed the whole thing →

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

ODI Grips

Love their product so I cold emailed them as a high school student. They said yes.

ALSO SUPPORTED BY

Mobius Braces

Broke my wrist. Cold emailed Mobius from the hospital. They said yes. I'll be riding in their wrist brace when I come back.

Specialized Rockhopper
Used · Bought from a friend for a camping trip · Had no idea what MTB was. Still bought it.
Specialized Stumpjumper
Used · Saved from dog walking, odd jobs & birthday money
Santa Cruz Nomad
Used · Sold the Stumpjumper to upgrade
YT Tues
Used · Bought from an ex-employee who'd custom built it
Frameworks Downhill Build
Built from scratch · Fox 40 Factory forks · Every part chosen
Patrick with broken wrist cast

Part of the game

Getting sidelined
is inevitable.
Here's how I dealt with it.

MTB is a dangerous sport. I broke my wrist on a ride. Five weeks in a cast, no riding, no trail. The thing that clears my head was suddenly off limits. Here's what I learned about being sidelined, and how I came back stronger.

GoPro crash footage coming soon. Spoiler: it was not graceful.

Read the full story →