Meet The Riders And Their Rides: Rocky Mountain’s Jesse Melamed

Meet The Riders And Their Rides

Jesse Melamed

In the last couple of years, Jesse Melamed has risen to become one of the top enduro riders in the world. In fact, he was the top men’s enduro rider of the 2020 Enduro World Series, although no title was handed out at the end of the shortened race season.

Hailing from Squamish, British Columbia, Jesse has some of the best riding areas in the world in his own hometown. On top of that, Whistler is only 46 minutes from his home. You could hardly ask for a better place to live if you wanted to be a world-class mountain biker, and that’s just what Jesse is. Read on to learn more about the guy they call “Marmalade.”

RIDER PROFILE:

Jesse Melamed

 

Name: Jesse Melamed

Nickname: Jmel, Marmalade

Age: 29

Birthdate: February 4, 1992

Birthplace: Squamish, British Columbia

Height: 170cm (5-foot-7)

Weight: 68 kg (150 pounds)

Shoe size: 8.5

Helmet size: Small

Waist: 29

Marital status: Single

Current home: Squamish

Car: 2004 Jetta Wagon

Started racing or competing: 1995

Turned pro: 2013

Racing/riding specialty: Enduro, Jank, Tech.

Favorite course or riding area (North America): Sea2Sky

Favorite course or riding area (Europe): Finale Ligure

Favorite food: Chips

Goals: Be happy and successful in my own eyes

Heroes: Successful athletes in any sport

Favorite recording artist: RHCP

Favorite movie: Interstellar

Favorite hobbies: Sports with friends, reading, eating

Jobs held (other than racer): Landscaper, salesman, coach

Most embarrassing moment: Getting slapped at prom

Always takes on a trip: Music

What you would be if you were not a racer: Coach

INSIDE THE PROS’ BIKES

Jesse Melamed’s Rocky Mountain Altitude
Jesses’s Rocky Mountain is a remarkable enduro machine.

 

Frame: Rocky Mountain Altitude Rally Edition, 29er, medium, full carbon

“It saves me when I have dumb ideas. It goes fast and corners like no bike I have ever owned.”

Shock and setup: Fox DHX2, 425 pounds; HSC 14; LSC 16; HSR 14; LSR 15

Fork and setup: Fox Float 38, 170mm; 2 spacers, 80 psi, HSR 8, LSR 12, HSC 6, LSC 13

Tires: Maxxis Assegai, 2.5 WT, DoubleDown, 19 psi in the front; Maxxis DHR2, 2.5 WT, DH casing,

19 psi in the rear

Tubeless tire system with CushCore DH in both wheels

Rims: Race Face Turbine R 30, alloy

Spokes: 2.0/1.5, alloy

Hubs: Race Face Vault

Brakes: Shimano XTR M9120 with 203mm rotors

“These brakes have great modulation that makes the high power they provide very controllable. It takes less arm strength to get the amount of braking you need.”

Stem: Race Face Turbine R 40mm

Handlebars: Race Face Next R carbon; 740mm wide, 35mm rise, 8-degree backsweep.

“They are very stiff and precise but absorb a lot of the trail vibrations.”

Grips: Race Face Love handle

Shifters: Shimano XTR

Rear derailleur: Shimano XTR, medium cage

Pedals: Crankbrothers Mallet E, standard spindle

Cranks: Shimano XTR 170mm

Chainring: Shimano XTR 32t

Chain: Shimano XTR

Rear cassette: Shimano XTR, 12-speed, 10-45

Saddle: WTB Silverado Ti.

Seatpost: Fox Transfer post, 175mm.

Cables and housings: Shimano

Headset: FSA Orbit

Water bottle cage: Lezyne,

right-side entry

Bottom bracket: Shimano

Extras: Stages Cycling Dash computer and power meter; OneUp components EDC tool and chainguide with bash guard

Head angle: 64 degrees

Bottom bracket drop: 32mm

Weight of complete bike:

16 kilograms (35.25 pounds)

Estimated value of bike: $12,000 CAD ($9330 USD)

MBA Q&A

Jesse has no fear of getting airborne in the woods, a natural result of growing up in British Columbia.

 

MBA: Where did you grow up?

Jesse: Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.

MBA: What kind of work do (or did) your father and mother do?

Jesse: My dad was a ski patroller, stonemason and on the local council for 13 years before becoming the mayor of Whistler for six years. He is now retired. My mom was a jack of all trades. She worked as a lab tech at the University of British Columbia, and once in Whistler worked for the mountain, as well as translated German/English for a heli-ski company.

MBA:: When did you first start riding a bicycle?

Jesse: Age 3.

MBA: When did you first start competing on mountain bikes?

Jesse: I did a little village race when I was 3 years old, and once I was old enough to compete at the races my parents were competing at, I started to race there as well.

MBA: How did you do in your first mountain bike event?

Jesse: There is a picture of me receiving a medal, so somewhere on the podium.

If you want to be the best enduro racer in the world, you have to be able to race through rocks, roots, mud and anything else the course throws at you.

 

MBA: What have been your best national and international results?

Jesse: First place in many national events and first place in three Enduro World Series events.

MBA: What titles have you won?

Jesse: I won a BC Enduro Series, close to a North American title, and I am unofficially the 2020 EWS champion.

MBA: Where did you go to school?

Jesse: Whistler, British Columbia.

MBA: Did you attend college?

Jesse: Yes. I went to UBC for a bachelor’s in software engineering.

MBA: Do you have any other career training?

Jesse: Coaching.

MBA: What other sports do you do besides mountain biking?

Jesse: Skiing, hockey, running and XC skiing. I won a few events in freeride skiing, and I won a provincial championship with my hockey team.


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