Justin Hoelzl Takes on Bellingham Gnar on his Hardtail
Justin Hoelzl is a freerider from Salt Lake City, Utah whose night lap of King Kong on a hardtail is still blowing our minds.
On May 10, Justin came out with another stellar video. Watch Hoelzl ride iconic features in Bellingham, Washington in his new edit “Progress” below.
In this video, Justin ticked off gnarly rock rolls and drops in some properly adverse weather conditions. In the final shot of the video Hoelzl hit a drop so big, the builder chained it off.
To film this edit, Justin drove the 15-plus hours from his home in Salt Lake to Bellingham on two separate occasions in his trusty Tacoma.
Justin's truck was totaled after he was hit on the highway, but he liked it too much and bought the dented but functional rig back from the insurance company. One custom-welded grill and a funny sticker later, the Tacoma still goes.
Zander Lingelbach-Pierce
Justin has had a connection with gnarly features in Bellingham since he got into riding as a teen. I reached out to him for comment about what the features in this video meant to him and his affinity for freeride on a hardtail.
When I first started getting obsessed with mountain biking, 2013-2014 , I would constantly watch videos that were somewhat old at the time, 07-12 (I'd like to note, I never stopped watching those videos), of trails and features from Bham. I was always blown away with the steep rock moves, woodwork and jumps, they looked perfect. This was to pay homage to those builders and riders who got me stoked on bikes and building. Mix of classic Bham features that I'd always dreamt I'd get to ride and some of the new ones that still have that beautiful classical flavor! This video was mainly to please a 14 year old Justin who has been dreaming about being able to ride those trails since he first saw them on video.
Freeride hardtails are the bee knees. I fell in love with them somewhat out of necessity. I bought the cheapest chromag stylus frame I could find back in the summer of 2019 to build up with parts I had lying around. I had always wanted one of those frames but didn't think I'd ride it a ton, I figured I was gonna use it as an xc bike. I'd also like to note I paid $420 for this frame and it came with 2 dents already in the top tube and a shimano sticker precut up to say huckin shit. Sticker has stayed on the frame to this day. Fast forward 4-5 years and 3 broken full sus frames later but this bike is still kicking and it gets negative love. It gets the random leftover parts that I have lying around, gets rode hard and left wet, then comes back begging for more. On multiple big road trips, full sus frames or shocks would fail, and I'd be "stuck" riding the hardtail. Then I'd realize, holy shit, this bike rips and I can't find the limit on what it can take. Also it's just a blast to ride, it doesn't make sense. I'd always thought it'd be a hateful type of fun, but it's just grade A fun. The only limit I have found is bike park braking bumps, that sucks. Still searching for the limit of the bike, the drop in the video was close to mine. My shoulders were sore for about a week after that, should probably hit the gym. I can say for, at least, the chromag stylus, the bike is far from the limiting factor.
Don't miss another headline from Bike Mag! Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of bike riding.
We're always on the lookout for amusing, interesting, and engaging bike-related videos to feature on our channels. Whether you're a professional rider or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on Bike Mag and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality bike videos.
