Photo Story: Reece Wallace Flies His Plane Around BC to Ride
Last year, Reece Wallace obtained his pilot's license and this changed the way he would ride forever. Reece took some time during COVID-19 pandemic to head into his own backyard and explore the trails close to his home of Nanaimo, British Columbia. Longing to avoid masses but still ride, Reece loaded up his little 1974 Cessna 150 with his Reign 27.5 in the back and explored what BC has to offer in a relatively unusual manner. All the locations include; Mt. Tzouhalem, Mt. Prevost, Mt. Benson [all on Vancouver Island], Ledgeview Mountain in Abbotsford and Squamish.
Cessna 150 - Golf Whiskey Quebec Uniform ready for takeoff. Permission to buzz the tower?
Cessna 150 - Golf Whiskey Quebec Uniform, you are clear for takeoff.
First stop on the stay home tour, Vancouver Island
Freeride still lives.
Staying close to home allowed Reece time to explore much of what Vancouver Island has to offer for trail riding from Mt. Prevost to Tzouhalem. The island has a large variety of riding from smooth, flowy single track to full on downhill style trails, jumps, tech and everything in-between
Less cables = more bar turns.
About the rider.
Weight: 170lb
Height: 5'11"
Riding Style: Aggressive
Preference: Stiff
Weight: 170lb
Height: 5'11"
Riding Style: Aggressive
Preference: Stiff
Reece runs his bike in a fairly specific manner to do specific things. He runs the suspension with less sag than most, 5% front and 15% rear, with loads of compression damping. In terms of bottom out resistance, he uses as many volume reducers in the front and rear as possible to keep it progressive and stiff without hitting the end of the stroke on large features. The wireless drivetrain and dropper allows less clutter in the cockpit and to spin the bars with more ease
Fork: DVO Onyx SC 170mm 95psi
Shock: DVO Topaz 3 190psi
Wheels: Industry Nine Enduro 305 w/ Hydra hubs, rainbow
Tires: Maxxis DHF front EXO+, 23 psi. Maxxis DHR 2 rear DH casing, 26 psi. Both tubeless
Stack: 30mm under stem
Frame Size: M
Cockpit: Chromag Fubar OSX cutdown to 765mm. 40mm Ranger stem. Palmskin grips
Saddle: Chromag Overture
Drivetrain: AXS
Brakes: Code RSC
Pedals: Chromag Scarab w/ washers removed
Inserts: Tannus Armour tubeless inserts
The gold standard
Just like a trail bike, a plane offers unrivalled ability to explore, visit and take advantage of locations that are not accessible by foot or automobile
 | Being an aircraft owner has been a wonderful experience. It's full of fulfilling memories like maxing out your credit card, trouble shooting 46 year old electronics, and my personal favourite, saying 'you can't put a price on happiness'. I encourage everyone trying to make a small fortune to invest a large one in a plane. It's all worth it when you have the praise and admiration of your friends and family with kind words like, 'you shouldn't have bought that' or 'can you get your money back?' Or my personal favourite, 'Does your wife know?' - Reece |
Little island off the coast of Tofino, B.C. Not a bad lunch spot
Off to the mainland
Behind the scenes
| My plane's little 100hp motor burns less fuel than my truck, so it's a slightly more environmentally conscious choice than taking the ferry and driving every time I need to leave the island. Obviously not great, but the motor burns less fuel per trip than my truck - Reece |
| Too close for missiles, switching to guns |
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you'll look out the left side of the plane, you will see The Black Tusk at the top of Garibaldi Provincial Park"
If you look closely, way in the back is Vancouver Island
Welcome to the Green Room
So many slabs, so little time
Squamish, B.C.
Till next time, Squamish!
Squamish is known in the aviation community as being a very difficult location to learn how to fly due to its proximity to the mountains, unpredictable weather and large winds. All those factors coupled with a small runway make it an interesting airport when conditions are tough. However, the views are almost certainly worth it.
| We are currently at a cruising altitude of uuuuuuhhhhhhh 9500', the local time at our destination of Nanaimo Airport is uuhh 9:00pm, temperature is uuuhh, 26 degrees. We know you don't have a choice in tiny airplane airlines, so see you next time sucker |
Keep your eyes on Pinkbike on September 15th for the full video of Reece's trip
Pilot & Rider: Reece Wallace
Photography & Words: Liam Wallace
Giant Bicycles
#RideUnleashed
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Great article!!!
www.instagram.com/p/CE1yeuKnFdt/?igshid=1s5dx8xmobrs9
Must be nice.
He's also 5'11 and on a med, small wheeled, stiff bike set up for tricks. He's definitely not setting that thing up for max comfort up and down.
"But little they know
That it's so hard to find
One rich man in ten
With a satisfied mind"
Given that Reece is a professional mountain biker, he is almost certainly not rich!
An airplane like the 150 doesn't cost much to own and operate, they burn relatively little fuel and regular inspections aren't overly expensive. It's also not fast, doesn't carry a large load, and isn't particularly stable for instrument flight, but it works.
Off to the Lottery...oh shit, no entrance for Euros in Canada....maybe I should bring more money..
(Russell Peters when asked about his dads mode of transport).
amazing photos
My dog and I are also doing our part to cut down on emissions and avoid COVID/people
www.pinkbike.com/photo/19332079
Skipped straight to the comment section didn't you.
But yet you still log on to the internet and comment despite the environmental impacts of our electronic world. Can't believe it, shame on you.