Dirtscrolls

There was speculation day long on how many people actually showed up for yesterday’s Downhill Finals at Snowshoe mountain. As the riders began plummeting down the mountain at warp speed the cascade of cheers, horns, cowbells, and chainsaws sounded like a tsunami barreling through the woods. Based off of intense scientific research of maximum decibel ...

Friday was an action-packed day on the mountain at Snowshoe. The early afternoon saw the Downhill qualifying runs and in the evening the stars of the World Cup XCO took to the slopes for the Short Track race. Twenty minutes of all-out racing to determine starting positions for Sunday’s main event. The women hit the ...

The stage is set for a monumental showdown tomorrow for the final of this year’s Downhill World Cup. Tracey Hannah set the fastest time for the woman during qualifying with her closest rival Marine Cabirou coming in second and newly crowned world champ Myriam Nicole finishing with the third-fastest time today. In the men’s field, ...

Whatever concerns that may have been floating around the internet about the track at Snowshoe being to tame or to buff were completely dispelled after yesterday’s walkthrough and today’s practice laps. Holding to West Virginia’s theme of ‘Wild and Wonderful’ the course for Saturday’s World Cup Final is more than worthy of this year’s final ...

Raleigh Tamland 2 – $2,400 raleighusa.com By Scott Williams Designed to be that jack-of-all-trades ‘road’ bike the Tamland has been aimed directly towards the gravel crowd since Raleigh first introduced the bike in late 2013. The Tamland is available in two build kits, the Tamland 2 which we review here and the Tamland 1 for ...

By Stephen Haynes When tasked with conjuring names of cities in Tennessee, one might be inclined to list Memphis and Nashville ahead of Knoxville. If this were a magazine about music, you could have an argument, but as far as mountain biking is concerned, Knoxville may just surprise you. A lot of manufacturing cities are ...

Editor’s Note: This feature first appeared in issue 205 of our print edition of Dirt Rag Magazine. Like what you see? Subscribe today so you don’t miss issue 213, the last issue of the year. Be sure to stop by your local bike shop to pick up a copy of issue 212, out now. by ...

As you may have read in our Issue Announcement, for issue 212 of Dirt Rag Magazine, Access editor Leslie Kehmeier focused this issue’s column on public lands. Her focus was primarily on Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and Capitol Reef National Park, as those are the federal lands she was visiting, but the column covers ...

Our friends in Gunnison are throwing a big party on the trails of Hartman Rocks. Race 10 hours individually or as a team riding on a bike, running or both! Come have fun while enjoying the fall biking at Hartman Rocks! They have also partnered with ROMP Skis so all racers get a chance to ...

It’s a big and busy week in the world of mountain biking and all eyes are on Mont-Saint-Anne for this weekends World Championships. Things got kicked off this past Wednesday with a relay race where the American squad captured second place. There was also an E-MTB World Championship (honestly didn’t know that was a real ...

Twofish Unlimited Quick Adapters – $15 – $35 By Scott Williams During my testing period of the Santa Cruz Chameleon, I signed up for the Hilly Billy Roubaix just outside of Morgantown, West Virginia. Calling this event a gravel race would be a bit of a reach, even though there is no singletrack you’re just ...

In less than a week the UCI mountain bike World Cup will descend upon Snowshoe Mountain, West Virginia. The resort sits virtually secluded in the Appalachian mountains but is no stranger to big-time mountain bike events. Snowshoe had been a regular stop on the once-massive NORBA series and just last year hosted the US mountain ...

Editors Note: This story was originally published in issue 211. If you would like to receive all of the awesomeness of an issue of Dirt Rag Magazine at your front door Subscribe Here! Clint Spiegel feels most at home amongst the whirling jets of CNC machines and the hum of lathes shaping aluminum. A self-described ...

Today, Pivot Cycles introduces the new LES SL – a bike engineered to the Nth degree to deliver the kind of handling, extreme power transfer, and weight that transforms every last watt of output into a race-winning performance. Already proven by the Stan’s-Pivot Pro team with a Short Track National Championship, Leadville 100 win, and ...

Editor’s note: This story first appeared in issue 211 of Dirt Rag Magazine. Like what you see? Subscribe now to catch the last issue of the year, and stop by your local bike shop to pick up issue 212, hot off the presses. by Martin Kozaczek You’d be hard-pressed to throw a rock into the ...

It’s been a fruitful season at the bike park on Mammoth Mountain. Get your Friday dose of stoke featuring Aaron Gwin, Payson McCelveen and Carson Storch tearing up the trails at Mammoth. Enjoy the show!

Donnelly Cycling $72.00 per tire What makes the ideal gravel tire? Is it size, tread pattern, or lack of rolling resistance. Likely for most of us, it’s a combination of the three. When I started looking for the perfect mixed surface tire, the Donnelly X’Plor MSO caught my attention. When Donnelly emerged as Clement a ...

By Eric J. Wallace West Virginia Governor Jim Justice signed a groundbreaking new mountain biking bill into law earlier this year. Known as SB 317, the legislation effectively extends ski resort-style liability protections to private landowners — so long as they join a group like the Mountaineer Trail Network Recreation Authority. Comprised of public organizations, ...

Liv may have cracked the code on how to sell a women-specific mountain bike. While some other brands fuss about paint color and handlebar length (both important!), Liv was taking measurements on how women ride bikes: The average ranges of our body dimensions (inseam versus torso length, for instance), where our power comes from, how ...

The latest and perhaps the most anticipated (at least on this side of the country) update to Santa Cruz’s line up is the Tallboy. The Tallboy entered the scene back in 2009 as the flagship cross-country bike for Santa Cruz. What began as a short travel 29er, the Tallboy has evolved over the last decade ...

This summer, we were sent tons of clothes to test out on the trails both at home and on the road. Some of them fit better than others, so here are a few winners from the piles. SHREDLY MTB Short: The Dilley $98 There’s a lot to like about these shorts (which also come in ...

You would think after five tough and challenging days on the bike, most of the field would be relieved to see that today was the final stage. Yes, I know there is a Stage 7, and as soon as I have finished typing this, I’m heading over. Today on paper was the easiest stage of ...

Today’s stage at the Breck Epic was yes, Epic™. It was Epic™ for the usual reasons; big climbs, impressive views, not one but two 12,000 foot summits, but also and most importantly, a wedding. A lot of this would not be transpiring if not for this wedding. Our own Scott Williams and his partner and ...

Issue 212 of Dirt Rag Magazine has hit the doorstep of Dirt Rag Headquarters, which means it’s on its way to bookstores, bike shops, ports, rabbit holes, hobbit huts, sasquatch pits, alligator caves, marmot nests, clown fortresses and, of course, subscriber mailboxes. If you haven’t already subscribed, be sure to stop by your local bike ...

With the Queen stage over French Pass yesterday it is likely safe to say that most riders were looking for a bit of a more leisurely day today. On tap for Stage 4 was a 41 mile 6,500 feet of elevation gain day, so hardly a walk in the park. After yesterday’s debacle in finding ...

Ready to update your suspension for fall? Fox has updated their 2020 Fit4-equipped forks to now feature an 8mm damper shaft, new bladder construction and a reconfigured shim stack. The 8mm damper shaft has a smaller cross-sectional area, theoretically pushing less oil through the base valve, allowing for less damping. The updated Fit4 damper should ...

Race Face announces today its new Æffect R crankset, dropper post and lever. The crankset is designed to keep an enduro-strength crank in the weight-range of a typical XC crank (632 g for DM alloy without bottom bracket, or 696 g for DM steel without bottom bracket). It uses forged 7050 AL construction added stiffness ...

I had big plans for today. Stage 3 was to take the riders over French Pass high along the Continental Divide amongst the snow and the mountain goats, and I planned on being there, camera in hand. I checked with a few locals to see if it was possible to drive there and it seemed ...

by Zach White If you’re a Rocky Mountain fan, and/or a fan of the Godfather of freeriding, Wade Simmons, you may have caught what appeared to be a marketing move a couple of years back, as the Canadian company hyped up a custom bike made specifically for the living legend. Technically, the Pipe Dream introduced ...

The rain and the cold that battered riders during Stage 1 moved out with the moon. The Breck Epic was greeted with sun and clear skies this morning to the relief the riders. With clean drivetrains and hopefully dry shoes, the competitors looked to get after a big day of climbing taking them far into ...

How catering to mountain bikers is helping small towns Editor’s Note: This feature first appeared in issue 205 of our print edition of Dirt Rag Magazine. Like what you see? Subscribe today to catch issue 212, in production now and soon to set sail. Photos from this web edition taken by Brett Rothmeyer in Copper ...

I delayed my departure from Breckenridge to Leadville, CO as long as possible the day before the Leadville 100 was to begin. After two long days behind the wheel torpedoing across the vastness of the midwest, the urge to jump back on the highway was absent. I rolled into the Silver King Inn at around ...

When we arrived a few days ago in Breckenridge, CO, it was as if we came to some sort of fantasy land for lovers of the outdoors. Majestic mountains reaching far up into the blue skies, the air was dry and cool, a perfect setting for a bike race. It is now Sunday and the ...

This weekend at Crankworx Whistler, Maxxis is launching a new signature tire, created with downhill World Cup champion Troy Brosnan. The Dissector is designed especially for dry, loose conditions. Beginning in early 2018, Brosnan and Maxxis engineers worked together to find the right balance of rolling speed, cornering traction, and braking traction for the Dissector. ...

Words by Andrew Juiliano Photos by Ethan Lawrence 06:15 a.m. ish I open my eyes and stare through the mesh tent window. I’m belly up, on the bank of the North Yuba River, six miles upstream from of the tiny town of Downieville, California, the site of the 24th annual, two-day bike race that bears ...

Industry Nine is known for their pretty bike baubles. Not just because they are stunning, colorful additions to any bike build that will make your ride sparkle (and match!) with their anodization and CNC craftmanship, they are also lightweight and high quality. Dirt Rag visited their Asheville space back in February and reviewed the A35 ...

Here’s your chance to get the mountain bike of your dreams. Enter to win $500 that can be used to shop the huge selection of high-quality pre-owned bikes on TheProsCloset.com. Specialized, Yeti, Santa Cruz, Ibis … The Pro’s Closet has it all.

Every morning I open my inbox to Google alerts of the word “bicycle” and every day someone is injured to near-death or killed on a bike, or while just walking along by a vehicle. The sad fact is Andrew “Bernie” Bernstein is no different than all the other people mowed down by vehicles on a ...

The latest from Kona Bikes is the Process 134. A do-all trail bike featuring 134mm of travel in the rear and 140mm up front, the Process 134 is ready for just about anything. The Process 134 CR DL 29 represents two and half years of design iterations, mechanical engineering and real-world testing. Born from the ...

By Scott Williams As an avid snowboarder in the winter months, charging down the mountain on two wheels in summer was a natural progression. It’s the same set of teary eyes trying to weave through the forest and somehow putting the blindfold over the part of your brain that detects fear, the amygdala. Each year, ...

Sunday mornings in the small town of Quincy, California, are quiet. The occasional person or two can be spotted strolling down the sidewalk, perhaps the distant bark of a dog or even the crow of a rooster can break the stillness, that is until recently. Outside of Feather River Outdoors there is a bit of ...

Editor’s Note: This message is paid for by our partners Hutchinson Tires Hutchinson Tires has been in the bike tire business since 1890. That’s right. They’ve been hand-making bicycle tires for just shy of 130 years. Though some know the brand as being pioneers of road tubeless, they’ve made a name for themselves within every ...

Do you use public lands? If you’re a mountain biker, then it’s likely that you do — especially if you live or ride west of the Mississippi. The Forest Service is proposing big changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA has two major functions. For one, it requires informed decision making regarding public ...

Enter To Win a Durolux36 Boost 27.5″ RC2-PCS Single Crown Fork SR Suntour’s beefiest single crown fork, the Durolux36 is designed for freeride and roughest of enduro singletracks. 180mm maximum travel can be internally adjusted down to your desired length. The fully sealed RC2 cartridge provides reliable damping support with externally adjustable high-speed compression, low-speed ...

By Scott Williams INTRO Ripping through singletrack on a singlespeed is where I find my ultimate happy place, but each year, the niche I connect with continues to sink further into the depths of a forgotten past. From a business perspective, I fully get it, but that doesn’t mean I like it. The weight difference ...

LIV Intrigue Advanced 1 Price: $5,565 Sizes: XS, S, M (tested), L Online: liv-cycling.com Tester: Carolyne Whelan Age: 36 Weight: 145 lbs. Height: 5’ 5.5” Inseam: 32” Reach: 17” Stack: 23.1” Top Tube: 23.4” Head Tube: 66.5° Seat Tube: 74.5° BB Height: 14” BB Drop: .6” Chainstays: 17.2” Weight: 27.9 lbs. without pedals, specs based ...

Editor’s Note: This feature first appeared in issue 210 of our print edition of Dirt Rag Magazine. Like what you see? Subscribe today to catch issue 212, in production now and soon to set sail. Be Kind Rewind 1990 Doug Bradbury Manitou Mountain biking is a unique sport in several ways, different in its culture ...

From Our Advertiser: Snowshoe Mountain This September, American mountain biking fans will have the rare opportunity to watch a World Cup event right here on U.S. soil. And not just any American soil. We’re talking about the legendary rocks and roots of Snowshoe, West Virginia. And it’s not just any World Cup race. It’s the ...

By Jess Nelson and Scott Williams A new wheelset is one of the best places to look when you want to make a component upgrade from the stock parts that came on your bike. In most cases, a new set of wheels could shed a pound or more and offer a faster-engaging hub that’s serviceable.  ...

Dear sweet and kind and mischievous readers: Thank you! If you’ve received issue 211 in the mail or at your newsstand, you’ve seen that this is our 30th anniversary of Dirt Rag. We couldn’t have done it without you. Since the days of handing out ‘zines at local Pittsburgh mountain bike gatherings, you’ve been there, ...