Dirtscrolls

Contest ended. Congrats to Daniel Hathaway of Missoula, MT! We’re sorry the promotion you are trying to access has ended. Win a Sunrace CSMX8 11-46 11 speed cassette and a DLMX30 11 speed rear trigger shifter. Shift it like you mean it, enter to win below.   The Sunrace CSMX8 11-46 11 speed cassette will fit on a standard MTB ...

Words and photo by Burt Hoovis  Keeping your favorite beverage close at hand for a day on the trail has always had its challenges. Luckily, the options are getting better and better. Recently, I had a chance to test out a one-gallon stainless steel minikeg and tap system with the memorable (and slightly dubious) name ...

We had a blast at Dirt Rag Dirt Fest this year, and we hope you did too! As you go through your photos from the event, don’t forget to submit some to the Stan’s NoTubes Dirt Fest Instagram Contest for your chance to win a wheelset! How does it work? Follow @stansnotubes on Instagram Post ...

Words and photo by Chris Klibowitz No utterance will garner a bigger groan among the retail world than, “The customer is always right.” Having worked in shop for over fifteen years, I’ve had the misfortune of hearing it too many times. While the origin is unclear—either coined by Marshall Field or an employee of his, ...

By Zach White The idea of a more protectively versatile helmet isn’t anything new, as Giro points to its debut of the original Switchblade with a removable chin guard in 1998 as an example. Giro’s latest Switchblade MIPS is a much stouter distant cousin of the original helmet of the late ‘90s, boasting CPSC, EN ...

Words and photos by Devon Balet It’s 4:20 a.m., a seemingly perfect time to depart Sedona, Arizona. Aiming northeast, I sleepily rub my eyes as I steer my home on wheels, aptly named El Tigre Del Norte—a Chevy Astro van converted into a small pop-up RV in 1990 that I bought in 2012—up state Route ...

Pivot Cycles was launched in 2007 with the aluminum Mach 4 and 5. According to founder and chief engineer Chris Cocalis this new trail bike builds on that original legacy, one of constantly innovating. The brand’s first carbon bike was the Mach 5.7. “In 2011 we launched Mach 5.7 Carbon as a 2012 product and ...

The Jamis Dragonfly is a 26plus steel hardtail designed as a women’s-specific bike, featuring a shorter top tube in relation to seat tube, lower standover height, a shorter wheelbase and smaller sizing than its counterpart, the Dragonslayer. The Dragonfly comes in two different models—Sport and Pro. I tested out the Pro, which upgrades from the Sport with ...

Contest ended. Congrats to Winner: Eric Henao of Houston, TX! We’re sorry The promotion you are trying to access has ended. MICHELIN® has partnered with us to give one winner a pair of MICHELIN® Force XC tires. Enter to win below. This lightweight, tubeless-ready tire balances grip with Michelin’s Cross Shield Technology to create a fast-rolling and long-lasting tire ...

Words by Ben Brashear. Photos by Ben Brashear unless otherwise captioned. Upon meeting Davidson Lewis and Justin Daugherty of Green Guru Gear, located in Boulder, Colorado, it is apparent that their success rests squarely on a strong foundation of environmental stewardship, solid craftsmanship, pragmatic adaptability and ultimately, not taking themselves too seriously. With a little ...

Words and photos by Burt Hoovis  It would not be an exaggeration to declare that, as a brand, Oskar Blues is the beer most embedded in American mountain bike culture. Founder Dale Katechis’ love of mountain biking and the outdoors has been intertwined with his beer business since its beginning in 1997 in Lyons, Colorado. ...

  The 140 mm-travel “Trail” variant represents a new 27.5 branch on a Hei Hei family tree that is deeply rooted in cross-country riding. Our $5,999 DL model occupies the middle price point, with the $7,499 Supreme perching on the top rung and the plain old Trail ringing the register at $4,199. Kona designed the ...

Words and photos by Rob Korotky It’s Oct. 21, 2016, and a beautiful autumn morning in Marin County, California. A group of 12 guys with their bikes mill around under a canopy of trees at the end of a dirt fire road in the hills above Fairfax. A few minutes ago, the last rider skidded ...

Contest ended. Congrats to Winner: Adam Mittleider of Boise, ID! We’re sorry The promotion you are trying to access has ended. Feedback Sports has partnered with us to give one winner a Team Edition Toolkit. Enter to win below. Elevate your bike maintenance with this professional level tool kit to take you and your bike anywhere. • ...

Fanny packs, hip packs, bum bags. Call them what you want, but these things are making a comeback. Less cumbersome and sweaty than a backpack, more capacity than shoving stuff in pockets, these bags can be a great middle ground for those middle distance rides. Unless I need to carry a camera, you’ll rarely see ...

Terrene Tires, a new rider-owned company that launched last fall, just released their fifth tire model, the McFly. The McFly is a versatile all terrain tire with a 2.8 width platform. Continuing with its goal of bringing to market a complete line of bike tires, Terrene is expanding on its current lineup of mountain, gravel ...

The Sacred Rides Getaways Program was launched last fall as a way for mountain bikers who are passionate about guiding rides and showing people their home trails to lead trips under the Sacred Rides umbrella. For an annual membership fee, guides have access to Sacred Rides resources, including leadership training, marketing tools and a booking ...

“Salsa—you have made some risky decisions before, but this time you have gone too far.” That quip is a sample of the feedback that Salsa received after the Woodsmoke launch. The company’s marketing manager admitted that the Woodsmoke pushed the boundaries as to what people expected from Salsa. He went on to say, “Mountain biking ...

Words and photos by Brian Leddy  High in the pines of northeastern Arizona lie 200-plus miles of sweet singletrack. Traversing the rocky, volcanic slopes of the White Mountains, the trails flow through ponderosa pine forests and high mountain meadows. If you’re looking for a place to get away from it all, this is a great ...

Ride along with professional mountain biker Jeff Kendall-Weed as he jumps and wheelies across the desert of Hurricane, Utah.

Contest ended. Congrats to Winner: Lou Stanley of Vancouver WA We’re sorry The promotion you are trying to access has ended. Pearl Izumi has partnered with us to give one winner a pair of X-Project ELITE shoes. Enter to win below.   Riding your mountain bike occasionally involves something none of us love talking about: walking your mountain bike. Which is ...

Liv Cycling launched the “How We Liv” campaign for 2017, inviting women to become part of a rapidly-growing global community by sharing moments and experiences from their cycling lives. “How We Liv” represents an everyday mantra for a lifestyle where bikes bring people closer to one another, nature and themselves.  Launched in 2014, Liv is a cycling brand completely dedicated to ...

Ed. Note: Mountain Bike Trailer Park is a regular column written by Uncle Dan that appears monthly on the Dirt Rag Interwebs. If you missed his previous columns, check them out here. Well, I sold my bar bike, affectionately named the Shitbike. The Shitbike had gone through many changes over time, ultimately shedding parts as ...

Dirt Rag 198 is all about backyard adventure and urban singletrack, riding from your back door, whether it’s for an hour or a few days. Get a sneak peek at what’s inside, and order your copy now! For this issue, we’ve also launched our new Dirt Rag Magazine app for an improved digital magazine experience. Cover ...

For 2017, Bontrager has added new Trail and XC wheelset options at an affordable price point. Line Pro 30 TLR Line Elite 30 TLR Line Comp 30 TLR Kovee Elite 23 TLR $1,200 $600 $300 $700 27.5” – 1539g 29” – 1608g 27.5” – 1708g 29” – 1794g 27.5” – 1978g 29” – 2080g 27.5” ...

By Zach White A February trip to Northern England  to ride mountain bikes had me second-guessing the wet-weather gear stuffed deep in the back of the closet. An impressive array of foul-weather kit by most standards, the idea of riding day after day in near freezing, wet, windy, and potentially wholeheartedly miserable conditions if unprepared ...

Contest ended. Congrats to Eric Lanning of S. Mebane, NC! We’re sorry The promotion you are trying to access has ended. Industry Nine has partnered with us to give one lucky person an EnduroS Wheelset. Winners will be able to choose between 27.5 or 29 wheelset. Enter to win below. The ready for anything wheelset that’ll leave ...

There have been rumors about major teams and fast riders showing up for a World Cup downhill race on 29ers this year, but Santa Cruz is the first major team to confirm it with news of a 29-inch V10. I can already hear the comments; “but XXXX did it first!”. Yes, there have been a ...

Just a few more random things we saw at the 2017 Sea Otter Classic: Reynolds Wheels The Bernard Kerr limited edition 27.5 wheelset from Reynolds is designed for heavy-duty downhill and enduro riding. An asymmetric carbon rim allows for increased spoke tension for better ride quality and durability. This wheelset also features a 32 mm hookless ...

A few of the interesting things we saw at the 2017 Sea Otter Classic: WTB Byway The Byway is a 27.5×47 tire, part of WTB’s “Road Plus” line. With the same casing as the Horizon, this new tire has some cornering knobs and file tread for better dirt action. We’ve got a set in for ...

The “Tutti Frutti Epic” MTB Tour is a one-day bucket list ride that includes most of the new and existing trails at the Carosello 3000 Mountain Park in the resort town of Livigno in the Italian Alps. The 45km tour feels like an endless rollercoaster. It includes only a few hundred meters of uphill pedaling, since ...

Words and photos by Montana Miller Gah, quit squishing me!” yells my wife. I’m trying to climb over to my side of the bed; there’s barely space for me to squeeze past against the roof of the cab-over. “Sorry, but it’s not my fault you need to sleep on the side with all the air,” ...

The number of companies making kid-specific bikes is continuously growing. Rather than simply seeing smaller (yet heavy) versions of adult bikes with cheap components, we are starting to notice a movement towards high quality rigs for kids. There were several new brands and models at Sea Otter this year. Prevelo Prevelo launched just two weeks before ...

It’s no secret that drop bar gravel riding and racing is hitting its stride and that’s even more apparent by the influx of custom bikes popping up within the bike industry. While most if not all production versions resemble cyclocross bikes rather than mountain bikes, clever insiders are pushing the concept of making custom, more ...

Marin promised something truly new when the invite went out to attend a pre-Sea Otter media camp. The Wolf Ridge delivers on that. Using the NAILED R3ACT-2 PLAY suspension design, Marin claims to have created a 160 mm-travel 29er that pedals and handles well enough to be the “one bike” to ride anywhere and everywhere. ...

The Sea Otter Classic is more than just a mecca for bikes. Going out and finding those non-bike items is one of my personal goals. DRINKTANKS offers two sizes of growlers; a 64oz and a 128oz. They are double wall insulated, come in multiple color choices and they offer a Keg Cap Accessory Kit. The kit comes with a ...

Issue 198 of Dirt Rag is now available in the NEW Dirt Rag Magazine app in the Apple iTunes store! We released Issue 198 early to celebrate the Sea Otter Classic. So head on over to the app store and download the all new Dirt Rag Magazine app onto your phone to read on the ...

Wolf Tooth’s B-RAD, aka Be-Rad or Bottle Relocation and Accessory Device, is a versatile system for organizing your water bottles and other essentials using bottle cage mounts. The system is built on three different mounting bases of varying sizes. The B-RAD 2 simply allows you to move a bottle cage to an optimal position on ...

Contest ended. Congrats to Jan Faust of S. Williamsport, PA! We’re sorry The promotion you are trying to access has ended. Schwalbe has partnered with us to give one winner a set of ADDIX tires. Enter to win below. Addix Compound. Push yourself to your limits and demand the most from your tire. When the pressure ...

When you’re lost in the rain in Juarez And it’s Easter time, too And your gravity fails And negativity don’t pull you through —Bob Dylan, “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” I like getting lost. Maybe that statement needs some clarification. Not lost like “starve to death in an old school bus” lost. More like I ...

Both FOX and RockShox have been moving to larger negative spring in rear shocks, and now we see them moving to forks as well. The 2018 36 has a new EVOL air spring that promises “plushness off the top, extra midstroke support, and more tunable bottom-out progression.” I’ve been riding a new 36 the past few ...

Kona knocked it out of the park with the Honzo CR Trail DL. Featuring a stealth matte black finish, aggressive all-mountain geometry and a reasonably lightweight package, this Honzo is a grand slam. It took all but five minutes on my initial ride to develop an attachment, which quickly led to confirming with our Tech Editor ...

  The Pike sits up there with the original RS-1 and Marzocchi Z1 as a fork the changed the way we ride bikes. But even great things can get better and it was time for some updates and RockShox doesn’t seem to disappoint here. Pike With the Lyrik taking over the longer travel duties, the ...

Access4Bikes and Specialized are giving away a 2017 S-Works Stumpjumper to support trail access in the birthplace of mountain biking, Marin County, California. A $10 donation gets you a chance to win a top-of-the-line Stumpjumper in your choice of 29” or 27.5” wheels, valued at $8500. The S-Works build comes with a Sram Eagle drivetrain ...

This year marks three decades in the bike-building business for Devinci. And as they throttle it into their dirty thirties, they’re partying like it’s 1987 with a limited-edition rollout of an extra-retro experiment: The YYZ. “One of our long-lost designers came up with the original XYZ mountain bike design,” says Steve Mitchell, renowned bike collector ...

We know the bike and the rider aren’t the only components for an exhilarating ride – it takes some great trails, too – and that’s why the work of trail builders is so important. The spectacular and rugged trails in Northwest Arkansas are among the best in the world because of the skilled riders who ...

Words and photos by Zach White Age:42 x Height: 6’2″ x Weight: 200 lbs. x Inseam: 32” “Hey man, sweet bike!” As a bike whore, er, “product reviewer,” I get an interesting perspective on brands and their reputation. There are times when I’ll ride a completely dialed and worthy bike for months on trails shotgunned ...

Adventure outlet REI is ushering in spring 2017 with their new bike line, Co-op Cycles. This new line of bicycles increases their focus on adventure products by placing a slightly increased emphasis on the popular, and growing, segment of gravel and adventure inspired bikes. Feedback from a co-op members survey directed REI’s decision making after ...

Contest ended. Congrats to Jim Iannazzi of Indiana, PA! We’re sorry The promotion you are trying to access has ended. Win a Zoic Empire Jersey, Gloves and Water Bottle. Enter to win below. Dominate spring riding with The Empire Prize Package from ZOIC! Stake your claim as the master of your domain in the Empire Jersey ($65 ...

Dirt Rag is headed to the West Virginia Mountain Bike Association (WVMBA) cross-country and enduro events at Big Bear Lake Trail Center on April 29-30, 2017. The Big Bear trails are staff favorites, and we can’t wait to kick off Big Bear’s 2017 season in style. We’ll be sending our fast kids out to race cross-country ...