Dirtscrolls

Trans-Savoie might be the most challenging, diverse and scenic mountain bike race in the world as it travels 300km over six days in the French Alps. A point-to-point enduro, the rider with the least cumulative time over the timed stages is the winner. The timed runs are technically downhill singletrack, while the transfers are singletrack, ...

By Karl Rosengarth Fire up the trusty Dirt Rag time machine, Sherman. This time we’re going back for a peek at the origins of the Subscription Guy. Back in the late ‘90s I was in charge of Dirt Rag subscriptions, and was given the opportunity to create a house advertising campaign. I’ll have to admit that ...

The world’s best mountain bike freeriders and photographers spent one week together to capture amazing footage from an incredible event. This documentary web series follows them during the Nine Knights MTB 2013 event in Livigno, Italy . Episode 1 covers the first two days of start training and scoping the course. In addition, event organizer ...

Mountain bikers seem to have an unwavering desire to challenge how far they can push their limits. For some, it means jumping farther. For others, it means riding a line that terrifies them. For Whistler legend Adam Billinghurst, it meant attempting to descend one million vertical feet as quickly as possible. Watch Adam Billinghurst in ...

The dust, rocks, and ponytails are flying as Enduro Queens Jenny Konway and Carolynn Romaine duke it out on the killer singletrack of Bend, Ore. Via DirtyJane.com

By Shannon Mominee Can you spot the dog in this photo? How about the dog in this photo? The blaze orange Track Jacket from Ruffwear definitely makes it easier to spot my dog, Roman, in the woods and makes him more visible on night walks. And even though he’s not hunting, there are hunters in ...

Via The Endless Groove  

Back in June, two Dirt Rag staffers headed south—REALLY far south—to Peru for the Inca Avalanche, a crazy, mass-start, high-altitude, oxygen-deprived marathon nearly 6,000 feet down the mountain. Matt and Stephen had an amazing adventure, and some mishaps, and you can read all about them in the current issue of the mag, but take a ...

By Shannon Mominee Trek’s Fuel is one of the most popular full-suspension bicycles on the market, and for 2014 the company hopes to expand on that success by offering the option of 29-inch wheels. We recently got one in for a long-term review.

[portfolio_slideshow id=14924957] By Karl Rosengarth To celebrate his 10th year in business, Steve Garro of Coconino Cycles popped the Champagne cork and sent Dirt Rag his Signature Model frame to test. OK, so that’s not exactly how this 650b hardtail ended up at DRHQ, but the part about Garro fabricating mountain bikes for 10 years ...

Check out the Fox Mtb team having fun playing follow the leader on A-line / Crabapple at Crankworx featuring Fox team athletes in order: Josh Bryceland, Geatan Ruffin, Danny Hart, Stevie Smith, Mark Wallace, Andrew Neethling, Thibaut Ruffin, Marcelo Gutierrez, Tyler McCaul, Kirt Voreis, Nick Beer, Connor Fearon and Kyle Strait. Cameras provided by GoPro/Kris ...

One of the more creative mountain bike race formats is the Red Bull Foxhunt, a tangled mess of riders “hunting” Gee Atherton down Rostrevor Mountain Bike Trails in Northern Ireland. Watch as 400 riders, dressed in matching red hunting jerseys, slip and slide their way down the mountain in pursuit of the pro. Last year only ...

The Coastal Crew builds and films some of the best mountain bike trails in the Pacific Northwest, and now they’re taking the huge step to open a bike park of their own. Rather than adapt a ski area, they’re building one from scratch on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. The goal is to build a year-round, ...

By Enduro Me Mariusz Bryja’s self edit from riding in the wet conditions on his local “Wasp Trail” in Bukowina Tatrzańska, Poland.

By Justin Steiner There’s been much hubbub in recent months about Yeti’s newest flag- ship trail bike, the SB-66. At first glance, it seemed strange that Yeti might keep their venerable 575 alongside this new 152mm-travel machine, given their similar geometries and travel figures. Yeti’s Chris Conroy described the differences and the reasons for having ...

By Mike Cushionbury For a great many of us, road riding isn’t a dedicated endeavor of criterium racing and hill repeats. It’s a combination of long days on the pavement, as many dirt roads as we can find, a training race here and there and maybe even a cyclocross race. This of course begs the ...

[portfolio_slideshow id=14924866] Photos by AE Landes. Cole House (616 Fabrications) and Ruth Sherman (Corning/NoTubes/Swan Cycles) won the Stan’s NoTubes Foundry Cycles Iron Cross bike race in Michaux State Forest, Pennsylvania, on Sunday. In its 11th year, Iron Cross delivered an epic 68-mile day of endurance cyclocross racing over gravel roads, rocky singletrack, ATV trails and ...

By Adam Newman We’re excited to see more bikes coming around for the kind of riding we love the most: rambling adventures from the city to the mountains. The Giant AnyRoad might not have an innovative name, but the design is perfect for a huge segment of the bike-riding market. The aluminum frame offers a ...

By Jeff Lockwood

It’s the end of August and we’re in Germany. That means it’s Eurobike time. Here’s a selection of some interesting mountain bike bits we’ve seen over the first day and a half of the show.

Breezer Repack

Joe Breeze was part of the Repack gang racing down Mt. Tam back in the 1970’s. Around the same time, he was also building some of the first mountain bikes before they were known as mountain bikes. In fact, the first fat tire bike built by Joe Breeze, the Breezer #1, is now in the Smithsonian Institute of American History.

Is it an XC bike? A trail bike? Rocky Mountain would say yes to both. The Thunderbolt’s 120mm of travel and 27.5 wheels bridge the gap.

When compared to the Element, Instinct and Altitude, the Thunderbolt’s Rocky Mountain heritage is evident, with a strong family resemblance. But unlike the brand’s dedicated XC offerings, the Thunderbolt is meant to be a more playful and aggressive bike for a wide variety of riding styles. Absent, however, is the Ride-9 chip found on its siblings, so the suspension is not as adjustable.

Joe Breeze knows a thing or two about mountain bikes. He was an early pioneer in California with the likes of Gary Fisher, Charlie Kelly and Tom Ritchey and his eponymous bike company has built everything from commuter bikes to carbon mountain bikes.

By Jon Pratt. Photos by Justin Steiner.

Devin Lenz built his first full suspension bike in 1996, and started selling his frames the following year. Lenz started with mid-travel cross-country and trail bikes and quickly dialed up the squish with his gravity rigs. Lenz entered the 29er market in 2004 when he saw an emerging niche he could fill.

By Shannon Mominee. Photos by Justin Steiner.

Easton’s EA70 XCT 29” wheelset is essentially the high-end EA90 UST rim laced to a less expensive hub. The stealthy graphics are attractive and the multiple axle options make them available to a wide range of users.

Aaron Gwin isn’t just one of the premiere downhill riders on the planet, he’s also a coach. He recently welcomed riders and racers to a two-day skills camp at Mammoth Mountain Bike Park for three days of in-person instruction. Joining him were members of the ODI Development Team and Mammoth Bike Park guides.

Check out this quick edit as they shred on Mammoth’s new Pipeline trail.

By Eric McKeegan

Two summers ago, I got to fondle and photograph a Gambler at a Scott press camp. I didn’t get to ride it as the press camp’s local terrain was much better suited to the Genius bikes released at the same time.

By Eric McKeegan, photos by Adam Newman.

SRAM has been exemplary with trickling down technology from high-end groups to more affordable price points. Starting at $1,274 for the aftermarket kit, this isn’t the hoped-for X9 or X7 1×11 group many are hoping for, but it is a step in the right direction.

By Adam Newman

We’re still recovering from a week of madness at Whistler Mountain, but if you couldn’t join us, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what you missed.  

The mountains beckon on the bus ride from Vancouver along the stunning Sea To Sky Highway.

Closer… closer…

Aaaahhh… here we are.

In just three days time BikePark Wales will open its doors to the public after five years of planning and construction. Today see’s the release of the final episode in the making of BikePark Wales triology “Go for launch” featuring guest riders Tracy Mosely, Joe Smith, Al Bond and Joel Moore.

This episode gives a great insight as to what the riding at BikePark Wales will be like. To find out for yourself, you’ll have to go check it out on Saturday, August 24.

By Adam Newman

RaceFace

Returning strong from bankruptcy in 2011, for next year RaceFace will get into the saddle game with the Affect, a mountain bike specific saddle weighing in at about 220 grams with Ti alloy rails and an approximately $100 price tag. Look for it in late fall 2013.

By Adam Newman

A few weeks ago we brought you news that Giant’s 2014 lineup would be almost entirely devoid of 26-inch bikes and a scaled-back selection of 29ers. The company firmly believes the 27.5 wheels are a future of trail riding and have equipped most of their mountain bikes, from the price point hardtails to the enduro-ready Trance SX, as such.

By Eric McKeegan, photos by Adam Newman

Last year Marin was sold to a private European investment group. From the outside, this move didn’t change very much, but it allowed Marin to invest in more design manpower, and these bikes are the first of what Marin promises to be many new designs. All models below share 27.5 wheels, and Marin will not make any 26-inch full suspension models for 2014.

Words and photos by Adam Newman.

The week-long celebration that is Crankworx climaxes each year with the Canadian Open Downhill, a three-minute blast down some of the most technical riding on the mountain.

The highlight, of course, is Heckler’s Rock, where beer-soaked fans were pre-gaming as early as 10:30 a.m. for the 3 p.m. finals. 

An ominous sign when walking down to the Rock. 

By Adam Newman

For nearly a decade Trek has been building dirt jump and slopestyle bikes for its sponsored athletes and mostly leaving consumers out of the equation. The Ticket Signature was briefly available as a complete bike, but with most riders preferring to build up their own ride depending on how they would use it, sales were sluggish.

By Eric McKeegan, photos by Adam Newman

Let’s get the basic stuff out of the way about this company first. One: Ghost is a German brand, part of the Accell group (parent company of many brands, including Raleigh, Diamondback, Redline and others). Two: Starting soon, Ghost will be available, via a dealer network, across Canada. Three: No current plans for U.S. distribution.

By Adam Newman

Norco went big last fall with its 2013 line and the introduction of bigger, 27.5 wheels. Now for 2014, it’s expanding the new wheels to more models and refining the popular Range and Sight models.

The highlight is the carbon fiber version of the Sight, with its 140mm of travel and FSR-derived suspension. The frame retains the geometry of the alloy version, but beefs up the bottom bracket to the BB92 standard. In fact, there are actually two versions of the carbon frame—one with a front derailleur direct mount and one without.

There is no lack of bad blood between Sho-Air owner and team founder Scott Tedro and USA Cycling. Earlier this year his US Cup series broke ties with USAC over its mandate that riders follow UCI rules banning them from participating in non-USAC races like the Leadville Trail 100 and the BC Bike Race.

QBP surprised us over the weekend without the announcement of a new brand aimed at sportsmen. Cogburn Outdoors is the latest brand from the parent company of Surly, Salsa, Foundry and more.

Looks like we’ll get our first glimpse of them at Crankworx next week, but today Norco sent out some details of its forthcoming lineup: 

The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame announced its 2013 inductees today, and said it is moving from its longtime home in Crested Butte, Colo., to Marin County, Calif., long-considered the "birthplace" of mountain biking. 

The 2013 inductees are: 

Advocacy

By Neil Browne,

In the heart of Orange County, California, tucked between the 405 freeway and the Santa Ana Mountains, Felt Bicycles has quietly been producing some amazing rigs.

Just a few miles away, Trabuco Canyon is Felt’s testing grounds, and with those trails in mind produced the Virtue Nine models—a 29er only trail bike designed for all conditions. The previous Virtue models were 26ers, but Felt went back to the drawing board to completely redesign the 2014 line.

By Stephen Haynes

Twice a year, in the tiny town of Oakridge, Oregon, Randy Dreiling and Oregon Adventures host Mountain Bike Oregon with the help of trail maintenance and advocacy groups the Disciples of Dirt and Greater Oakridge Area Trail Stewards, as well as many local businesses and volunteers.

By Eric McKeegan

By Karl Rosengarth

As I dove deep into the stack of archives from my most recent excursion in the Dirt Rag Time Machine, a thought occurred to me. Wouldn’t it be fun to play a little trivia quiz game?

Sure it would!

I even came up with a name for my game: Hüsker Dü? Rag. (I hope the makers of the original game have a sense of humor.)

By Eric McKeegan, photos by Wil Matthews.

I’ll admit to being a bit surprised when we were invited to attend a media camp for a power meter company.Dirt Rag isn’t well known for our embrace of electronics, although all of us certainly make use of our smartphones…

Get your copy here.

On the Cover

Our own Adam Newman was at the Fort William World Cup downhill in Scotland where he caught GT Bicycles’ Gee Atherton with deadly focus in his eyes as he rode to victory.

It was one of the worst kept secrets of the summer as several brands had already been showing it off on 2014 bikes, but SRAM’s X01 11-speed group became official today.

By Eric McKeegan

While waiting in line to start stage 5 of the Trestle Bike Park stop of the Big Mountain Enduro, I noticed two Niner WFOs that looked a little different that what I was used to.

I got a sneak peek at the new WFO at an earlier media event, but after checking out the raw prototypes, I was vowed to keep this info secret. Those vows were lifted this past weekend, and I talked a bit with Niner’s Brad Cole about where the WFO is headed.

By Karen Brooks

Lapierre is a storied French brand that has been making bicycles since 1946. Last year it debuted an electronically controlled suspension system in Europe, for 2014 that system, called Ei, will be available in the States on a trio of bikes: the Spicy and Zesty 27.5-wheeled trail bikes, and the XR 29er for cross country.