Dirtscrolls

Back in July, SR Suntour invited us to Mountain Creek Bike Park to check out new-for-2016 front and rear suspension products. Although SR Suntour may be best know to some readers as a the suspension brand most often spec’d on trekking and budget mountain bikes, the company has been working incredibly hard in recent years ...

Catch up: A cross-country bike tour with a twist: Chris Reichel is riding his mountain bike from Colorado to North Carolina and hitting all the best trails along the way. If you missed Part 1 or Part 2 of the Ultimate Ride to the Ride, you might want to start there. By Chris Reichel I ...

Oval, egg shaped chainrings aren’t new. Despite the failure of Shimano’s Biopace effort from the mid to late 80’s (the “clocked” or wider part of the ring was in the wrong spot and actually decreased pedaling efficiency) newer designs have seen success on the road, most recently in past years with wins in the Tour ...

SR Suntour recently announced two new rear shocks called the DUAir and UNAir. The company’s motivation is to deliver an affordable option that’s able to keep up with its forks. Not only will the DUAir and UNAir offer consumers reasonably-priced aftermarket options, but they’ll also offer SR Suntour the ability to provide bike manufacturers solid front and rear suspension ...

Say what you will about the enduro craze, but one thing we can’t deny is that many of the products being developed for racing have led to goods that are perfect for good ol’ fashioned mountain biking. One example is these new FiveTen Kestrel Lace shoes we found at Crankworx. The Kestrel model was first ...

This week’s Featured Ride takes us way up north to Alaska, near the town of Seward on the southeastern side of the Kenai Peninsula. Seward is roughly a two hour and thirty minute drive south from Anchorage. In the current issue of Dirt Rag, #186, we featured a story about riding in Alaska. Here’s an except ...

Editor’s note: Libra, written by Kevin MacGregor Scott, won the 2009 Dirt Rag literature contest and first appeared in Issue #145, published in October 2009. Original illustrations by John Hinderliter. I returned to my hometown a year from the date the last letter came from my brother Frank. The dispatches arrived in three week intervals ...

Continental showed this tire last year at Eurobike, but it seems it is finally ready for production. We’ve been a fan of Conti’s Black Chili rubber compound, but have been noticing the casing and tread widths of its tire line aren’t matching up as well as we’d like with modern wider internal rim widths. The ...

With the capabilities of modern trail bikes increasing every year, it makes sense to up the level of protection for the rider. This new helmet from Lazer allows the rider to choose just how much coverage is wanted or needed. This isn’t an entirely new concept (see Bell’s excellent Super 2R), but the Revolution adds ...

While we’ve seen a few prototypes from other companies, Magura is first to market with a dropper post with a wireless remote. While the dropper itself uses a conventional hydraulic mechanism, it is controlled via a small servo motor at the head of the post. We haven’t seen it first hand so we’ll let Magura ...

My how things have changed. When the Surly Pugsley rolled onto the scene nearly 10 years ago no one could have predicted (well, some probably did) that fat bikes would be as common as they are today. Riders are using them not just for Arctic exploration, but also for straight up mountain biking, which has ...

I might be speaking prematurely here, but in a few years this new bike from Devinci might just be what most trail bikes look like. Boost spacing, 120 mm front travel, 110 mm rear travel, 27plus tires, single-ring drivetrain, aggressive geometry, and an affordable price put the new Hendrix in a good position for 2016. Like ...

The 29er trail bike market continues to heat up, and Yeti turns up the flames even more with the SB4.5c. This is Yeti’s first 29er to use its Switch Infinity suspension system. We covered the tech behind Switch Infinity here if you want to read more about it, but to sum it up: “As the suspension ...

The final World Cup race of the year capped a very successful year for the Syndicate riders! Greg finished 4th overall and Josh 5th. Despite early-season injuries for both, consistent, solid results (including 3 wins out of 7 races) kept them both on the series podium for 2015. Only the Syndicate and Aaron Gwin won ...

Standards. The word has little meaning in the bicycle world anymore as companies continue to reinvent the proverbial wheel in search of better performance. The new line of PadLoc grips from WTB mount to a special handlebar (or modified handlebar) and eliminate rotating or slipping thanks to the integrated subframe. Basically the system works by ...

In the rapidly moving world of all-mountain bikes, the Mach 6 was far from old or outdated, but Pivot isn’t a company to sit on its laurels (whatever the hell that means). Mach 6 Carbon Instead, it updated the carbon bike, and released an aluminum version of the well received frame. Both bikes use a new ...

Few mountain bike races have earned the title of “legendary,” but if one is a shoo-in for the list it’s the Leadville Trail 100. With a starting elevation above 10,000 feet, it climbs to more than 14,000 through thin, Colorado air. In a race where just finishing is a victory, this year Alban Lakata took the ...

This week’s Featured Ride continues our high-country theme as we roll into the heart of summer. Tahoe’s iconic Rim trail sits at maximum elevation of nearly 9,000 feet, so now is the time to ride! First, a couple of things you need to know. Only a portion of the 168-mile Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT) is open to bikes. ...

Courtesy of IMBA For more than a decade, IMBA has recognized trails and trail systems around the world that stand out as models for the best that mountain biking has to offer. From rugged, long-distance treks to front-country networks that challenge and excite riders of all ability levels, the Model Trails program is designed to ...

Courtesy of Scott Sports. Film by Cinemargot. Photos by J. Haar. Nino Schurter’s fifth chapter of his #huntforglory webisode is all about a journey to the roots of Mountain biking. The three-time mountain bike world champion meets one of the Godfathers of mountain biking, Tom Ritchey, at his home place in Skyline, California. Tom Ritchey is the ...

Catch up: A cross-country bike tour with a twist: Chris Reichel is riding his mountain bike from Colorado to North Carolina and hitting all the best trails along the way. If you missed Part 1 of the Ultimate Ride to the Ride, read it here. By Chris Reichel This trip became a reality faster than ...

Video by Mind Spark Cinema and SRAM Trick list Opposite Truck Driver 360 Downside Tailwhip Backflip Double Tailwhip Barspin Cork 720 Backflip Tailwhip to Can Backflip Barspin Double Tailwhip Double Truck Driver Flat Drop Backflip Barspin Opposite Barsin Cork 720 Results Brandon Semenuk 93.8 Nicholi Rogatkin 90.4 Thomas Genon 88.0 Replay Watch the full Red ...

One of the original trendsetters in the fat bike market was Fatback out of Anchorage. Pioneers of the wider hub spacing that made 4-inch tires possible in the first place, the company’s latest products continue to push the envelope of fat bike mountain biking. Both are suspension corrected for the RockShox Bluto fork and presumably ...

Last year Leatt announced new helmets that were slated to begin shipping in 2015. As is often the case, even the best-laid plans don’t always pan out as expected. A fire at Leatt’s foam supplier delayed production significantly. Fortunately, these new lids will begin shipping in January of 2016. 6.0 Carbon and 5.0 Composite – $499/$399 ...

Morpheus is proudly displaying an all-new downhill bike here at Crankworx and we caught up with company founder Michael Schwartz to get the lowdown. This full carbon fiber rig is the first project where Morpheus sought expertise from outside the company to assist in frame design and suspension kinematics, “to make [the Conspiracy] a bike that goes against ...

A little over a week ago Rocky Mountain announced its new Maiden downhill bike, and we brought you up to speed on the details here. As we hoped, we were able to ride a few laps aboard an early-production Maiden World Cup at Whistler. After a period of downhill bikes trending steadily slacker, the market seems to have ...

Photos by Justin Steiner and Adam Newman The racing here at Crankworx took center stage Friday night as the threatening rain clouds hovered overhead but never dampened the action. The dry and dusty course was running fast as rookie Dakotah Norton, left, came out of nowhere to take the win as challenger Martin Maes took a ...

Photos by Justin Steiner Giro has had a huge hit on its hands with the Feature, a great all-purpose trail helmet that doesn’t break the bank. The new Montaro builds on that success with several new technologies that make it more of a premium product. The first key design priority on the Montaro was making it ...

As a first-timer at Crankworx, most everything about this event is eye-opening. From the overall turnout to the the diversity of the crowd, I’ve come away impressed. While there are plenty of incredible events, including Saturday’s legendary Red Bull Joy Ride, the Whip-Off World Championships was one of the events I was most excited to watch ...

Two new players are set to enter the dropper seatpost market later this year. In a parallel move, Race Face and Easton announced the release of new dropper seatposts. Though the posts are mechanically identical, they will be branded independently as the Race Face Turbine and Easton Haven. The infinitely adjustable post mechanism utilizes a licensed ...

Editors’ note: One of our most moving and beloved stories, “Naked” by Katrine-Mari first appeared in Dirt Rag Issue #62, published in November 1997. I want to walk naked in the snow I danced naked in the rain I lie naked in the sun I want to cry naked in a thunder storm I scream ...

Specialized went all-in on 27plus bikes for the 2016 model year with 6Fattie versions of the Stumpjumper and Rhyme, as well as dedicated 6Fattie hardtail models for men and women, called the Ruse and Fuse. Here at Crankworx Whistler we took our first ride aboard the top-of-the-line S-Works Stumpjumper FSR 6Fattie with 150 mm of travel ...

Devinci launched a redesigned Troy here at Crankworx and we’ve just had our first look. The trail market has evolved quite a bit since 2013 when the Troy was originally launched. Over the years, Devinci has been seeing folks riding that bike harder and harder with wide bars and burly rolling stock. With this in mind, and ...

Whistler Bike Park’s Top of the World trail is a bucket-list experience for any gravity-loving mountain biker. This week’s featured ride adds some epic backcountry riding to the legendary Top of the World alpine experience. This high-altitude experience is open from July through late September. You’ll need to procure both a Whistler Bike Park pass and a ...

Editor’s note: This story first appeared in Dirt Rag Issue #61, published in October 1997. Words and art by John Hinderliter. Sit right back and hear a tale, A tale of a fateful slip. It started with a hacksaw blade, and almost made me flip. Almost made me flip. Like most guys who are the ...

After last weekend’s win in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Josh Bryceland and Greg Minnaar were looking to turn back to back World Cup weekends into a North American double for the Syndicate. Both looked strong in qualifying with Greg finishing 4th, and Josh 6th. In the finals, Josh’s front wheel got a little wild on the dusty fire ...

The cover story in Issue #171 is Anna Schwinn’s interview with Missy Giove. Here’s an extended take on some of the questions that didn’t make it into print. 

Schwinn: First question: Who was your favorite mechanic, Gravy or Monkey?

Kona’s tagline for its 2016 lineup is “Going Deeper” and it’s an apt description for its largest-ever product range. While some models carry over largely unchanged, nearly every mountain bike gets an update of some kind, and several get ground-up redesigns. We sampled some of the latest on the trails outside Bellingham, Washington. Honzo AL/DL ...

A healthy Rat is a fast Rat! After getting up close and personal with a tree in Ft. William, and dislocating his finger in Lenzerheide, Josh was on the hunt for his first World Cup win since WIndham, last year. Despite dry weather earlier in the week, the rain got turned on just before qualifiers, ...

This post marks the beginning of a partnership between us here at Dirt Rag and MTB Project, the nation’s leading digital trail database. Each week we’ll be featuring one MTB Project’s best rides when it’s most seasonally relevant. Of course, we’d love to hear your suggestions, email your favorites to [email protected] or comment below. Since we’re rolling ...

There are a lot of bad bike videos out there. This is not one of them. Good music, not too much slow-mo, good job capturing the feel of just how fast this bike is movings, and Vanderham isn’t dressed like a toddler who didn’t get out of his PJs. Bravo. Below is the bike in the ...

Editor’s note: We love hearing stories from our readers, so if you have an experience you’d like to share, send it to [email protected] with “Readers Write” as the subject line.  Words and photos by Rob Whelan This is a story about three dudes from the flat city of Kingston, Ontario. A story about riding bikes with ...

Cannondale’s new Habit is a 120 mm travel, 27.5-wheel trail bike. I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon riding one. Here is what I thought. Unlike Cannondale’s longer travel offerings, the Trigger and the Jekyll, the Habit has no fancy handlebar actuated travel adjust, just a simple single pivot design with a swing-link actuated shock. ...

The hardtail isn’t dead. At all. In fact, we might be living in the golden age of hardtails, with everything from fancy carbon race bikes to steel expedition bikes easily available. Most exciting to me is the trail hardtail market and the versatility that is becoming common with the addition of new technology. Orbea’s new hardtail ...

By Chris Reichel I have decided to do something I have dreamed about since I was a kid. I’m going to ride across the United States. Yeah, I know what you are thinking, me and 10,000 other people this summer. But that’s just it, I don’t really want to do one of the same old ...

Editor’s note: In Issue #137, Jonathan Logan of Rochester, New York, wrote in and asked if we could publish a section of reader’s tattoos. We challenged our readers show us the ink. The response was impressive, and in Dirt Rag Issue #139 we ran a two-page spread that included the reader-submitted photos proudly displayed below. ...

Monaco, McLaren, LeMans, McQueen… these were the inspirations for this premier glove from Kitsbow. Fully articulated fingers, as if pre-wrapped around a spindled wooden steering wheel, give the glove its anatomic shape. Pittards leather palms and fingertips augment grip and provide added durability, quality, sensitive touch, and style. Perforated leather in the palm adds breathability. Mesh ...

It’s that time of year again—Voting is now open for the nominees in the next class of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. This will be the first class since the Hall of Fame moved to the new Marin Museum of Bicycling, in Fairfax, California, which opened in June. There are six nominees, but you can ...

USA Cycling announced today the 39 athletes who will represent the United States at the 2015 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships which are slated for August 31 to September 6, 2015, in Vallnord, Andorra. Athletes will race for the red, white and blue in the elite, U23, and junior cross-country races and in the elite and ...

A downhill romp from the top of the Brecon Beacons through South Wales all the way to the coast through streams, rivers, waterfalls, reservoirs and across beaches. Filmed and Edited by Will Evans, Music by James Welsh – [email protected] https://vimeo.com/134600938