Dirtscrolls

Yesterday we brought you news of a new Specialized downhill bike with bigger wheels, and today it’s Santa Cruz’s turn. Seems the gap in the World Cup schedule was the perfect time to finish off the new products and we’ll be seeing a lot of new stuff at Monte St. Anne this weekend. The new ...

Despite the continued success of athletes Troy Bronson and Aaron Gwin on the UCI World Cup circuit, Specialized’s top-tier Demo downhill bike has been around for quite some time. Advancements in carbon fiber and shock technology—not to mention those bigger wheels—meant it was time for a new bike. Specialized took advantage of the long layover between races on ...

Specialized will update its women’s specific line to include a redesigned Era 29 to go along with the Fate hardtail. The Era is essentially an Epic with women’s specific geometry. Previously, the Era was only available as a 26-inch bike. At the top S-Works level, it, as well as an updated men’s Epic will feature ...

Quite a few bike manufactures are making women’s specific bikes these days and many of them are employing the tweener, 27.5 wheel size. Raleigh has joined the party with its 2014 Eva hardtail line which has switched to 27.5 wheels throughout. Last year’s Eva models were all 29ers and I had the opportunity to review ...

Bikes like the new Yeti SB5c pack a ton of technology, and usually carry a price tag to match. Lots of folks write to us criticizing the crop of new bikes that are, admittedly, pushing the price envelope at five, seven, even ten thousand dollars. Is that a bad thing for consumers? Not at all, I say.

The Thunderbolt is an all-new model in Rocky Mountain’s 2014 lineup. With its 120mm of travel, this 27.5 dual-boinger is Rocky’s general-purpose “XC” platform. The Thunderbolt slots in between the company’s Element “XC race” and Instinct “trail” bikes. Mind you, the folks from BC have high expectations of what an XC bike should do. Product ...

In the current issue of Dirt Rag (#178, on sale now) you’ll find a ground-breaking interview with Reverend Bob Seals of CoolTool, Kleen Kanteen and Retrotec fame. This multi-faceted artist, activist, frame builder, race promoter and team owner, if not agitator, ran his whole operation out of his ranch just outside of Chico, California. Seals was ...

Photos by Mike Schirf. Last week Scott kicked off its 2015 product season at the lavish Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley near Park City, Utah. It was a great venue for some first impressions on the newly tweaked trail bikes and a look at their broad lineup of offerings. From the bike under you ...

We had seen it coming. There were spy shots and rumors tossed around about a full-suspension fat bike. In fact, the Bucksaw isn’t even the first one—several smaller brands have built bikes that qualified as “full-suspension”, but this one is different. This is a major brand making a big commitment to a new product segment, ...

Salsa got its foot in the door last year with the introduction of the carbon fiber Beargrease, and now it’s applying that experience to the Horsethief and Spearfish models. We got a sneak peek and a first ride on the 120mm-travel Horsethief at the Scott Enduro Cup in Park City, Utah. Built to tackle big ...

Photos courtesy of Scott Enduro Cup This past weekend I joined elite riders from across the world at the third and final stop of the Scott Enduro Cup presented by GoPro at Canyons Resort. The final stop on the North American Enduro Tour traveled 17.2 miles of trail with 3,200 vertical feet of descending with sharp ...

Not all hydration packs are created equal. I’ve been using these three all-purpose adventure packs lately and evaluating the pros and cons of each. Get a detailed report below.

Vintage product review shot from Dirt Rag #39. One of the star attractions at Dirt Rag’s Dirt Fest is the fleet of Franken-bikes built by long-time Dirt Rag contributor Lee Klevens. One such contraption is a “mini-tall-bike” that the mad doctor built by welding a high-rise extension onto a 12-inch wheeled Mongoose Minigoose. This particular ...

Across the board, the staff at Dirt Rag was more than a little surprised by this new suspension design. We knew there was a new 27.5 bike in the works, but we had no clue it would be so new and unique. Yeti calls this new design Switch Infinity, or a “translating pivot”. As the ...

The biggest party in the mountain bike universe is descending upon Anchorage, Alaska, this weekend, as the annual Singlespeed World Championship rolls into town. We’ve partnered with photographer Devon Balet to capture the action, the mischief and the mayhem for everyone who can’t be there, and everyone who was there but can’t remember. Keep a ...

Mavic is nearly synonymous with high end wheels—as it should be as the seminal French brand is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year—and its upped the ante with its latest iteration of light weight race wheels, the Crossmax SL. Built for cross-country riders, racers and fast trail riding, the new Crossmax SL wheel system combines all ...

At the end of June American enduro racer Ben Cruz of Team Cannondale OverMountain finally earned his first ever international victory at round 3 of the Superenduro Series in the Lombardia Alps of Madesimo, Italy. It was a nasty, rainy event where weather definitely played a role. Like his WTB-Cannondale OverMountain teammates Mark Weir and ...

Gotta say, we didn’t see that coming. Kona has been a strong supporter of 27.5 wheels for a few years now, and we thought we had seen the last of the new 26-inch bikes from major brands. But today we got a sneak peek at the 2015 lineup and there are two new bikes with ...

On July 17-20 the U.S. National Mountain Bike Championships for cross-country and Super-D return to the Bear Creek resort in Macungie, Pennsylvania. We took a few laps around the cross-country course and here’s what to expect, along with a schedule of events.

As if riding and racing in Bike Town USA wasn’t enough of a draw, the organizers of the Enduro-X series have announced the race will air on television across the country, plus a new novice category that will let riders of any skill level get a taste for modern enduro racing. In addition, in an effort ...

How hard does a modern suspension fork have to work to keep up with a pro like Gee Atherton? Check out this awesome video from a recent run at Crankworx Les Deux Alps.

The Scott Enduro Cup presented by GoPro mountain bike race series heads to Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah on July 19 for its final stop of the season. After competition stops in Moab and Sun Valley, the pressure is on athletes to earn North American Enduro Tour (NAET) points and also to become the ...

In the current issue of Dirt Rag (on sale now) you’ll find a ground-breaking interview with Reverend Bob Seals of CoolTool, Kleen Kanteen and Retrotec fame. This multi-faceted artist, activist, frame builder, race promoter and team owner, if not agitator, ran his whole operation out of his ranch just outside of Chico, California. Seals was first ...

For a long time there were two kinds of shoes to ride in: super-stiff race-type clipless shoes and skate-type flat pedal shoes. Luckily, the big brands have caught on that most of our riding falls somewhere in between. Shimano is the latest to offer a line of trail and enduro shoes that offer enhanced protection, ...

Photos by Craig DeMartino With experience and aesthetics honed at Black Sheep Cycles, Moonmen Bikes are both cutting edge and decidedly retro, inspired by moonlit rides on the Front Range of Colorado. And it’s not just the custom, one-of-a-kind titanium frames being crafted in Fort Collins—the team is building its own custom titanium bars, stems, seat posts and forks ...

The Auron is Suntour’s 34mm stanchioned entry in the enduro market, a 27.5 fork in a few damper configurations and travel lengths, topping out at 160mm. This is a basic RC damper with low speed rebound and compression clickers, a slick QR thru-axle, forged hollow crown, and magnesium lowers, adding up to 4.1 pounds with ...

I’ve always been drawn to unusual products and technologies. When the strangest gear shows up at Dirt Rag HQ I’m always first to raise my hand to try it. After all, that’s how cycling journalists like myself earn the big bucks. When I saw the Lauf forks at the Sea Otter expo I knew we ...

The event that has launched viral video stars and dropped thousands of jaws returns to Utah this fall, a freeride mountain biking spectacle known the world over as a proving ground for the best, bravest and most well-rounded rider on two wheels. Red Bull Rampage, a marquee event in the NBC Signature Series, will take ...

The new Crossmax Enduro wheel system is unique in that it’s designed around (and includes) Mavic branded tires, the dual-ply Charge and Roam XL. While the wheelset itself doesn’t break any new ground, it does use specific rim widths, spoke counts and lacing for the front and rear.

Oakley’s newest retail store, located in the King of Prussia Mall is the first in the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia area. Besides carrying an assortment of products—apparel, luggage, watches and backpacks, it’s eyewear selection (as you’d expect) is amazing. It features Oakley’s new in-store optical center, one of only 20 in the country, enabling customers to ...

Photo by Micah Rice Twenty-two Stars-and-Stripes jerseys were earned on Saturday as the 2014 USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships brought an action-packed end to the Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival in Idaho. Riders left the start line in morning and afternoon waves with temperatures being near perfect for the morning races and beautiful, ...

Mountain biking requires a lot of gear, particularly if you’re, say, going on a multi-day road trip where you plan to camp and ride. When faced with the decision of which automobile to buy to haul around said gear, choices run the gamut from small and efficient to large and inefficient. Years ago, I bought ...

Steve Peat is naturally the star of his eponymous show, but in this episode the real darling is Josh Bryceland, Peaty’s Santa Cruz Syndicate teammate who picked up his first ever World Cup win at Leogang. Congrats Josh!

Photo by Team i4 Productions Eighteen Stars-and-Stripes jerseys will be awarded in Sun Valley, Idaho, this weekend as the 2014 USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships bring an end to the Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival on Saturday, July 5.

Business at Spot Brand is growing, and so is its lineup of bikes, mostly catering to the singlespeed crowd and all featuring Gates Carbon Belt Drive compatibility. The latest is the Cream SS, a titanium hardtail mountain bike with some highly manipulated tube shapes.

Oskar Blues Brewery hails from Colorado but has made western North Carolina its second home, first building a brewery there in 2012, and now it will open a 145-acre farm as a beer and bike vacation destination. Located about eight miles from the Brevard-based Oskar Blues brewery, the former Shoal Falls Farm soon will be ...

Liteville isn’t a brand you see much of on this side of the pond. A sister company to German component maker Syntace, Liteville makes just three understated models, which, when examined closely, display some of the finest design and engineering in the industry. Rather than complaining about what wasn’t on the market, Liteville was formed ...

The crew at Northstar continues to work hard improving and maintaining the trails. Watch along as pro riders Graeme Pitts, Adrienne Schneider and Dustin Schaad rip up and test out the freshly built Sticks & Stones trail. Northstar is now open seven days a week too.

The second stop of the Scott Enduro Cup presented by GoPro captivated the attention of the biking community as the flagship race of the Smith Optics Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival June 27-29. The two day competition is one of the longest enduro races in North America covering 24 miles and 9,000 descending vertical feet ...

In this day and age, a new 29-inch hardtail often isn’t big news. But with a company like Ibis (which has a very small bike line up) and a bike like the Tranny, this is more than another “me-too” bicycle. The 26-inch version of the Tranny was recently retired, and this 29er replacement has been ...

The fourth annual Smith Optics Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival has returned to the stunning scenery and world-class singletrack of Sun Valley, Idaho, through July 5. Smith Optics joins this year as the title sponsor of the festival which is a rowdy and homegrown celebration geared for anyone who enjoys life on two wheels. Expect to ...

A “chilled out session”? Looks pretty wild to me!

Recently the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA) finished construction for the year on the Lower Corral Trail Enhancement Project and held a big grand reopening party and volunteer workday. The project in South Lake Tahoe, California includes purpose built features for mountain bikes including high wall berms, rock jumps, tabletop jumps and log rides. TAMBA partnered with ...

I will never get tired of these insane helmet cam runs. Can you imagine anything like this ever taking place in the US? Neither can I. Here’s Marcelo Gutierrez tearing it up in Bratislava, Slovakia.

We have a review of the new Fox 36 fork coming in the next issue of Dirt Rag, but for now, here’s a little preview of what it’s capable of, courtesy of Lars Sternberg.

For almost as long as fat bikes have been a thing, trying to set them up tubeless has also been a thing. We even wrote a blog about it. 45North is the first company to release a tubeless ready tire, the Vanhelga, a four inch wide tire with what looks to be a trail bike ...

When GT unveiled its Force and Sensor bikes last year they were a big hit with their sponsored athletes, but for the rigors of the DH-level Enduro World Series tracks, they knew they had to offer something to bridge the gap between the 150mm Force and 220mm Fury downhill bike. Enter the rebirth of the ...

If you don’t think e-bikes are a real mover in the bicycle marketplace? Look no further than the entry of Bosch in the marketplace to prove that some big brands are willing to invest serious resources in the growing market. For 2015 it has paired up with a few key brands to bring e-bikes with ...

If you just dropped a months’ salary on a new mountain bike, and then thrashed it down a mountain, you’re probably going to want to take care of it and keep it running smoothly. You might know the Finish Line brand for its huge selection of chain lube, but I got a look at some of ...