Dirtscrolls

Welcome to the first installment of the Backyard and Beyond video series. For our first effort, we visit with Purple Lizard Maps. Purple Lizard Maps was created in the mid-1990’s by Michael Herman. Herman, a longtime mountain biker began compiling trail maps in an effort to improve on the trail user experience. Join us as we ...

Pivot’s Mach 429 Trail is a best-seller for Pivot, so when it came up as the next in line for a revamp, careful consideration had to be given to not messing up a good thing. To signify the change to a new bike, and reduce confusion between this new bike and the Mach 429 SL cross-country ...

Win a Thule Vital 6L Hydration Pack! You can earn 20+ entries by clicking below! Applying years of biking expertise, Thule introduces a variety of hydration packs to help you get the most out of any mountain bike ride. Whether just heading out for a couple hours or embarking on a full-day excursion, we have the ...

Lauren Cat West is an artist living and riding in the city of Philadelphia, PA. Her keen sense of observational humor is reflected both in her work and in her personality. When she’s not hanging from scaffolding painting murals on the walls of Philadelphia, she’s out pedaling around in search of subject matter and strange ...

Words and Photos by Colleen O’neil   I’m grinding up the gravel road, sweating profusely in my rain jacket. A sudden summer shower just passed, so now it’s 80 degrees and sweltering again. Drops of water spill from the huge ferns lining the road. My husband Montana stands at the top of the hill, fiddling ...

Paul Component has a friend her name is Boxcar! Cigarettes and beer in El Sob…. er wait, that’s the wrong Boxcar. Paul Components has updated their beloved Boxcar stem. With the addition of the 110mm length, there is a Boxcar stem for almost every length desired. Machined from 2024 alloy Paul boasts that the Boxcar stem ...

Friend of Dirt Rag Michael Hermann of Purple Lizard Maps was also one of the original mountain bikers in Central Pennsylvania. In this installment of Blast from the Past, we go back to 1990 in State College, PA. Mike Hermann and Randy Moore tell the story of the Bombers.  This piece was originally published in Dirt ...

As the industry seems to be working itself back from 3-inch plus tires, we may have just struck gold with the new 2.6 offerings. When mounted up, the 29×2.6 is just shy of the width of a 27.5×2.8 and only a smidge taller than a 29×2.4. So, increased volume and traction without sacrificing bottom bracket ...

Enter to win a Jones Prize Pack that includes: Jones SG 2.5 Aluminum H-Bars, Jones Kraton H-Grips,  and Jones H-Bar Tape! You can earn 20+ entries by clicking below! The new SG Loop 2.5 H-Bar is the latest handlebar from Jones Bikes. This handlebar has an extra 2 inches of a rise is great for bikes that have ...

The Regular Guy Mountain Biking Podcast recently sat down with Dirt Rag Events Coordinator Evan Gross to discuss all the things Dirt Fest. If you are planning on coming to this year’s event this is a great listen to find out what Dirt Rag Dirt Fest is all about.   If you would like to ...

Walk around the small ski town of Crested Butte, Colorado and it doesn’t take long before you start to notice the bikes parked everywhere. Beach cruisers, converted classic mountain bikes and homages to the klunkers of yesteryear. With all of the town’s amenities in such close quarters, it is really unnecessary to drive anywhere. The ...

By Jeffrey Stern What do we know about even the most well thought out plans? Well, they more often than not they don’t pan out as expected. But only if you let them derail your training, fun, life or work should they cause any concern. We all want to ride 10, 15, 20 hours per ...

Welcome back! It looks as though we are going to make this a regular thing. Each month on the first Monday we will be dropping a new mixtape and this month we handed the keys over to none other than Stevil Kinevil.  Our regular columnist and curator of All Hail The Black Market, Stevil has conjured up ...

Words and Photos by Aaron Couch. Imagine catching a ride with a random stranger, being dropped off in a desert town with just your bike and some gear, then heading out on solely your own human power across the red dirt as the sun sets. It may sound appealing to many, as it was to ...

When Pearl Izumi created its new Versa line, it had a few things in mind. According to the company, “It had to be comfortable. Functional. Extremely versatile”. All of which are characteristics that I personally look for. Aside from making packing for trips easier, I like to know that I can run down to the ...

Teravail Tires has partnered with us to three winners a set of tires! The winners will have a choice between Cannonball 700 x 38, Cannonball 700 x 35, Sparwood 29 x 2.25, Rampart 650 x 47, Coronado 27.5 x 3.0 You can earn 20+ entries by clicking below! Teravail’s line of tan sidewall tires offer the same level ...

Leatt is well-known for protecting vertebrae and collarbones with its line of neck braces, but after riding with this DBX 3.0 All-Mountain for half a year, I suspect we’ll be seeing the Leatt name on a lot more heads. The protractedly named DBX 3.0 All-Mountain is a modern, extended-coverage helmet, keeping skulls and their contents ...

Snaking our way through the sand dunes under the darkness of night, the ocean heaves its cold salty breath upon us. The open air feels right pushing against our bodies. The day was filled with claustrophobia and forced conversation, just the collective hum of tires on sandy pavement and the whip of the wind remains ...

Words by Emma H. Rehm, photos by Mike Q. Roth On the Baja Divide (1,400 miles of dirt and sand down the Baja peninsula in Mexico), my crew was routinely teased by other riders for being so organized. Spreadsheets! Lists! Itineraries! But we love those parts. We love the skill building, the dry runs, the ...

Tester: Eric McKeegan Age: 43 Height: 5’11” Weight: 165 lbs. Inseam: 32” According to the advice from modern, data-driven marketing gurus, a business needs an expensive, responsive website with accurate prices. Social media posts need to be constant. And of course, local competition should be kept to a minimum. Mr. Cameron Falconer doesn’t seem to ...

This year, we partnered with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association to host a literature contest encouraging student-athletes to write about how mountain biking has effected their lives, specifically how their coaches have been a part of the experience. The prompt was: Has your NICA coach helped you develop not just as a rider but in character as ...

This year, we partnered with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association to host a literature contest encouraging student-athletes to write about how mountain biking has effected their lives, specifically how their coaches have been a part of the experience. The prompt was: Has your NICA coach helped you develop not just as a rider but in character as ...

This year, we partnered with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association to host a literature contest encouraging student-athletes to write about how mountain biking has effected their lives, specifically how their coaches have been a part of the experience. The prompt was: Has your NICA coach helped you develop not just as a rider but in character as ...

Win a Osprey TrailKit Duffel! You can earn 20+ entries by clicking below! A place for everything, and everything in its place. The TrailKit is perfect for mountain bikers who need a duffel with added organization so you can spend less time searching for your chamois cream and more time in the saddle. Just finished a ...

Tester: Scott Williams Age: 31 Height: 5’10” Weight: 175 lbs. Inseam: 32” In early 2017, the SIR 9 had vanished from Niner’s website, shocking and confusing more than a few fans of this steel-framed classic. It wasn’t until June that Niner officially released its newly revamped SIR 9, and with the dust settled, it was ...

Kona is turning 30. Instead of coming out with a crazy version of one of its carbon bikes, the Honzo ST gets the nod as the bike to celebrate three decades of bike making. It was hard to capture the magic in this paint job. Kona says it is similar to a fancy Lamborghini paint option, but ...

Full carbon wheels are not a new idea, but this is the first from a mainstream brand that I can remember. Scott has be slowly ramping up the technology at Syncros since it was purchased from Ritchey a few years back. These wheels are a no-holds-barred implement going as fast as humanly possible on a race ...

Alex Rims is entering the world of carbon trail wheels with the Recon 3.0. Boasted to be able to take the same abuse as an aluminum wheel and rumored to cost somewhere in the $1200 range, the Recon 3.0 could be a budget conscious carbon nut’s dream come true. The Recon 3.0 has the ability ...

We breezed through the Breezer booth this morning to catch up with Joe Breeze and see the latest version of the Lightning. Breezer being rooted in tradition is offering the Lightning in a classic steel frame, dressed in some tasty trail treats. The frame allows room for some meaty 29er treads and accommodates a dropper ...

Osprey has been getting the question for the past couple of years, “When are you coming out with a hip pack?” Well, folks, the time has come. Okay, so they won’t be out for another year, but while at the Sea Otter Classic today, Osprey showed us some super secret (or not so secret) stuff that ...

If you flip back through the brief history of mountain biking you will find the names Joe Breeze and Charlie Kelly. Both Kelly and Breeze were at the forefront of the sport, leading its attitude towards fun on two wheels and also pushing the technology in the early days. When the act of riding bikes ...

As Surly says, “The Lowside is the bike that gets you across town for a quick rip on singletrack, then over to the bar for a night out.” This singlespeed picks up where the 1 x 1 left off with the addition of modernized features like internal dropper post routing, Gnot-Boost rear spacing and thru axles. ...

The Maxxis Assegai was designed by champion downhiller Greg Minnaar and is a combination of his favorite features from the Minion DHF, DHR II, Shorty, and High Roller. Greg says: My idea was to design a tire around some of Maxxis’ iconic tread patterns. I started in the center by combining the Minion DHF and ...

By Andrew Vontz In 2017, I competed in the five-day, five-stage Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race, survived the most technical trails I’d ever ridden on a demanding course and came away with strong ideas about how to do better in 2018. Based on what I learned and extensive conversations with Pisgah honchos like Chris Komanski, ...

Win a pair a Dakine prize pack! You can earn 20+ entries by clicking below! All-Mountain Riding kit from Dakine. Lightweight and breathable Boundary jersey and shorts, pedal-friendly Slayer Knee pads, Covert Gloves and Hot Laps 5L waist bag keep you covered for any All-Mountain adventure. a Rafflecopter giveaway    

By Andrew Vontz If you missed them, check out Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Stage Five: The Battle with Hot Pink + Get on the Bus Today I finished 7th / 36 riders in my cat (open Masters 40+) on the day, my best finish ever in a stage at Pisgah. Final result ...

Trail Boss is a video series produced by Jeff Lenosky and documents his attempts to ride some of the most technical trails he can find. A veteran rider with a 20-year professional career and three Observed Trials U.S. National Championships to his name, Lenosky uses his skills to ride the unrideable. Check out all the ...

This year, Magura is celebrating its 125th anniversary and they’ve launched special edition brakes and more to celebrate. Here are some of the early 2018 offerings. Limited Edition MT1893 Model The MT1893 features polished chrome 4-piston calipers, masters engraved with the founding year of 1893, and HC3 lever blade developed with Danny MacAskill. Price: $599.00 per set ...

The iconic Specialized Stumpjumper has been redesigned with a lighter and stiffer frame, refined FSR suspension design and three different versions for different riding styles. Watch the video below and find out more here.

The International Mountain Bicycling Association just announced the creation of International Women’s Mountain Biking Day, which is to be held on the first Saturday of May every year. IMBA will partner with SRAM, PeopleForBikes, Rebecca Rusch and others to promote the inaugural edition of this event, taking place May 5, 2018. International Women’s Mountain Biking ...

From FunnMTB: Back in 2016, Funn launched the external routing version of UpDown dropper post that was based on an Internal Floating Piston (IFP) cartridge unit. Almost all of cartridge-based dropper posts on the market still use the IFP cartridge. Advantages of using IFP cartridge is lower cost and the seatpost can be serviced with ...

By Andrew Vontz If you missed Part 1, check it here.  Stage Four On Tuesday I catapulted my face into a slab of rock on Squirrel Gap. Today’s stage has the most singletrack of any stage in the entire race–including a trip back over Squirrel Gap in the opposite direction and over the same slab ...

In the Fall of 2016, mountain bike legend and mountain bike hall of famer Hans “No Way” Rey teamed up with internet action sports phenom Danny Macaskill and professional mountain bike guide Gerhard Czerner to raise awareness for Rey’s non-profit Wheels 4 Life. Macaskill famous for viral mountain bike videos Wee Day Out and Imaginate ...

The early bird gets the discount! Hustle over to BikeReg before Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time to register for Dirt Rag Dirt Fest West Virginia presented by Pivot Cycles before prices increase. Dirt Fest West Virginia presented by Pivot Cycles is scheduled for July 13-15, 2018 at Big Bear Lake ...

By Andrew Vontz Stage One I woke up at 6 am. At home and when I travel, I wear silicone earplugs to help me get quality sleep. I popped one out. I popped the other out–and it tore. A huge chunk of it was stuck in my right ear. I tried to dig it out ...

By Robert May (the fatbike guy) We’ve been on our bikes for hours now with the daunting realization that we are nowhere near the end of this journey and will spend days, not hours, out here in George Washington National Forest. Despite the calendar saying it’s April 7th, it has been snowing for hours now ...

Win a pair of Terrene Tires! You can earn 20+ entries by clicking below! Descending through the high alpine or carving through a rollicking forest—trail riding is an experience that is unmatched. And a great trail tire is an essential counterpart in creating that experience. Chunk is our aggressive trail tire designed for any terrain—from ...

Fox released its entire 2019 line up. Here are some of the highlights: 34 Step-Cast More than one staffer around the office has eyeballed the 32 Step Cast for personal bikes, but the 100mm travel limitation prevented anyone from pulling the trigger. Rather than extend the travel of the 32, Fox slimmed down the 34 chassis, ...

Patagón is a new short film from Montanus that shares a bike and packraft adventure in a remote area of Southern Patagonia, where, between the Austral Andes and the huge glacial lakes, the traditional Argentine culture of the gauchos still survives. The endless and arid steppe, the wonderful and jagged peaks of the Andes, the ...

Special offer! We are doing a limited run T-shirt just in time for Friday the 13th! These shirts will be pre-order only. We’ll be accepting orders now through Sunday, April 15th at 11:59 pm. $25 gets you a shirt with domestic shipping included! Order here!