Dirtscrolls

Enter for your chance to win a set of Ehlines or Honchos, Teravail’s all-new trail tires! Teravail just expanded their mountain offering with the launch of the all-new Ehline and Honcho. The Honcho is our latest high-performance trail tire developed with angular lugs that are tall and aggressive creating a fast-rolling tread pattern that still ...

Editor’s note: OK, so a couple of things. First, this article originally appeared in issue 209 of Dirt Rag Magazine. Like what you see? Subscribe now at dirtragmag.com/subscribe to catch issue 211, coming soon. Second, quite a few folks took issue with this story running in our print magazine. I wrote a response in issue ...

Abus welcomes both Richie Schley and Cedric Garcia to the team. These two legends bring a wealth of experience and skill to the Abus Squad. Both riders will be choosing to ride Abus’ MonTrailer, the latest in the companies off-road offerings. Watch both Schley and Garcia do what they do best in “Roots of Progression” ...

I don’t want to be a square, but I am. I was the kid all my childhood friends’ parents thought was on drugs, but I was really just a sensitive weirdo who cut her own hair. Sure, I’ve dabbled, but I don’t like the feeling of being high just like I don’t like the feeling ...

We recently spent some time at Cane Creek Headquarters in North Carolina to see a bit of where the magic gets made. Little did we know, or maybe we were bad at picking up on cues and closed doors but the team at Cane Creek were hard at work on the latest version of their ...

If you mountain bike, you likely ride outside (unless you are extra special). While East of the Mississippi, public lands aren’t quite as common, they’re much more a part of the riding experience for our Western readers. The difference between public lands and state or county lands may sound confusing, because it is. We talked ...

This years edition of the Croatan Buck Fifty was an amazing event and Jack Anderson was there to capture the race in this little film. Get a glimpse of why this is event is toted as “the best bike game ever” and be sure to stay up with everything Croatan Buck Fifty. You’re not going ...

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in issue 209 of Dirt Rag Magazine. Like what you see? Subscribe now at dirtragmag.com/subscribe to catch issue 210, coming real soon.  by Abby Cooper Single droplets fell from the heavy grey skies and temperatures threatened snow. The timing for a trip to the sought-after loamy trails of Canada’s ...

From Our Advertisers Niner Bikes Niner Bikes designed their proprietary CVA suspension system in 2008 and it was granted a US Patent in May 2011. In 2012, the system was awarded a Eurobike Design and Innovation Award. Over the years since, it has continued to earn positive reviews from riders, testers, and athletes around the ...

Enter for a chance to win a Motorex Ultimate Bike Maintenance Kit and get Bike Clean, Easy Clean, City Lube, Dry Power, Wet Protect, Bike Shine, Quick Clean, Joker 440, Grease 2000, White Grease, Helmet Care, and a killer MOTOREX Hat. Start clickin’ below to earn 20+ entries. Once you enter, you’ll receive an email ...

A cartoon I love told me that Today is Tomorrow’s Yesterday. Just think: last month we were working on a magazine that now exists in my hands and will soon be in yours. That’s right, issue #210 of Dirt Rag Magazine is on its way to you, and future readers have a lot to look ...

Passing Through: Marquette, Michigan By Scott Williams Photos by Brett Rothmeyer Could you draw the state of Michigan without cheating? Chances are, your first effort would be an outline of the famous “mitten,” completely forgetting the other third of the state. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Mislabeling or entirely omitting the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) has ...

Fresh off of his win in New Zealand, Martin Maes has kept the party rolling in Tasmania taking the second round of the EWS as well. It’s early in the season and Maes is certainly off to such a blazing start it will be interesting to see if he can keep this up for the ...

Bombtrack Beyond 1 Price: $2,000 Sizes: XS, S, M, L (tested), XL Online: bombtrack.com Tester: Stephen Haynes Age: 41 Height: 5’11” Weight: 210 lbs. Inseam: 30 in. Price: $2,000 Sizes: XS, S, M, L (tested), XL Online: bombtrack.com Reach: 15.5” Stack: 25” Top Tube: 23.2” Head Tube: 7” BB Height: 11.5” Chainstays: 18” Weight: 27.5 ...

Thirty years ago today the first issue of Dirt Rag Magazine hit the street. Hand-stapled and made with love, it was the beginning of a long ride that we are still on today. Along with being the birth year of the magazine, 1989 was a heavy and strange year for music. Hair metal was the ...

I’m a sucker for bags. Every time a new design comes out, I am bright-eyed at the idea of some new way to get my life together, finally organize all my hopes, dreams and snacks into a compartmentalized, ergonomic and travel-ready sack. Often, those wishes are overshot, or what is marketed in a pack is ...

Patagonia is expanding its line of adult beverages that it produces in conjunction with Hopworks Urban Brewery in Portland Oregon. The Long Root Wit is a classic Belgian-style wit beer made with organic ingredients and Kernza perennial grain. The Long Root Wit will be the second beer in Patagonia’s line-up and in true Patagonia fashion, ...

Niner JET 9 RDO 3-Star GX Eagle Price: $5,400 Sizes: XS, S, M, L (Tested), XL Online: ninerbikes.com Tester: Brett Rothmeyer Age: 40 Weight: 165, lbs. Height: 6’-1” Inseam: 32” Reach: 17.4” Stack: 24.7” Top Tube: 24.5” Head Tube: 67° Seat Tube: 74° BB Height: 13.4” Chainstays: 17.1” Weight: 28.5 lbs. “Honesty is the best ...

Jeff Kendall-Weed is back once again with the latest episode in the Local Loam series. This time Jeff is going big in the hills of Texas with the crew from Trail Party and Freeride 512. With a lack of public land available to trail building, Jeff finds out how riders in Texas are creating two-wheeled ...

This past weekend the EWS season kicked off in New Zealand along with the Crankworx festival and Martin Maes found himself back on the top step of the podium. After a painful ending to lasts seasons hunt for the overall, Maes came out swinging in Rotorua and put everyone on notice that this could indeed ...

Enter for a chance to win a Tailwind Nutrition Prize Pack and get Tailwind Endurance Fuel, Tailwind Rebuild Recovery, a Tailwind Starter Kit, a Tailwind Nutrition Bottle and an Osprey Raptor 10 Mountain Biking Pack. Start clickin’ below to earn 20+ entries. Once you enter, you’ll receive an email with additional sharing instructions to improve ...

Santa Cruz Highball XX1 Price: $7,999 Sizes: S, M, L (tested), XL Online: santacruzbicycles.com Tester: Scott Williams Age: 32 Weight: 170 lbs. Height: 5’ 11” Inseam: 32.5” Reach: 17.7” Stack: 24.2” Top Tube: 25.1” Head Tube: 69.5° Seat Tube: 73° BB Height: 12.4” Chainstays: 16.8” Weight: 20 lbs. (with dropper) Long known as a trail ...

Originally this story appeared as our cover story for Issue #202. We are always grateful and excited when Leslie’s work shows up in our inbox. A world traveler, mountain biker, and a fantastic photographer, we are very excited to share this feature with you.  By Leslie Kehmeier It’s 10:30 p.m. on Day 5. It’s just ...

Surprisingly, in a recent year-end survey conducted by Dirt Rag, we asked riders if their wheels were set up tubeless, and of the near six-thousand responses, 52% responded no. This was really surprising to me considering how long tubeless technology has been around. However, even if you’re not running tubes in your wheels, you still ...

While the debate over ebikes continues on our mountain bike trails, there’s one place where there’s no question: the cargo and utility departments, where the ability to more easily transport one’s self-and-things without a car is changing lives for the better.

This contest has ended. Congratulations to the winner: Michael Leggieri! Subscribe to Dirt Rag Magazine and sign up for our weekly newsletter so you don’t miss a chance to win our next bike giveaway. Jamis Bikes have partnered with Dirt Rag to give away a Jamis Hardline A2. Enter to win below! Short Description: Hardline® is the all new 160mm 27.5″ / 27.5+ ...

We returned once again this year to the Carteret Motor Speedway in North Carolina for the second running of the Croatan Buck Fifty. The 150-mile race around the Croatan National Forest had caught the eye of the east coast racing scene after it’s first go-around in 2018. Where the first year saw around 200 competitors ...

Editor’s note: As Dirt Rag turns 30, we take a look back other stuff that was happening in 1989 and how well it holds up, as well as the ways it has evolved. Punk in the Beerlight shines a light on modern albums with a retro sound and compares it to records that came out ...

The mountain bike season is officially on its way and Wyn Masters is back with another Season of Wyn TV. Join Wyn and a host of the worlds best riders as they kick off a new season in Mr. Masters home country of New Zealand.

There was once a time when Maurice would back the van up to the garage, load it up with bikes, gear, and elixir, and head for the open highways in search of trails and camaraderie amongst the tribes of dirt worshippers littered around the country. The crew often would leave no trail system unridden nor ...

Enter for a chance to win a PEARL iZUMi Prize Pack and get kitted out with a Blvd Merino T, a Vista Short, a Versa Barrier Jacket, and a pair of new X-Alp Flow Shoes. All of these items are available for both Men and Women. Start clickin’ below to earn 20+ entries. Once you ...

Rapha has just released its Explore Shoe. If you are looking to have the fanciest pair of slippers on your next gravel epic, all day multi-terrain death march or just for showing off at the café, look no further. Priced at $295 the new Explore Shoe is on par with other brands top XC models. ...

Introducing the Honcho and Ehline from Teravail. Looking to Expand their mountain tread line for 2019, Teravail will be offering both tread patterns in the 29 and 27.5 sizes as well as two different widths at 2.4 and 2.6. The Honcho looks to be a solid all-around tire built to handle whatever terrain it encounters, ...

By Bryan Chambala   In 2017, there was no bike shop in Millinocket, Maine, but there was a librarian with a Karate Monkey frame in his garage and a bunch of parts that didn’t fit. “I had a garage full of road bikes that I had assembled over the years, but I was having a ...

The latest evolution of the Phoenix from Pivot Cycles is a 29er downhill machine built to handle all that the World Cup courses can throw at them The Phoenix 29 is quite possibly the worst kept secret on the World Cup Downhill circuit.  Riders have been seen testing this ultra-fast unicorn in various incarnations over ...

Have you had a concussion? Do you wish you hadn’t? Well, Bontrager hasn’t invented a time machine (yet) to go back and right the terrible wrongs we’ve committed to our brains, but they have apparently come up with a potential solution to acquiring more brain injuries. The new WaveCel technology, released today, seems so simple ...

New to the Santa Cruz line-up is the Megatower. A bike built seemingly for an all-out assault on the most unruly terrain you’re willing to subject yourself to. Where the Hightower LT was once the king of the Santa Cruz big bad bike squad the Megatower looks to take it a step further with 29-inch ...

In these deep winter months of cold, damp darkness, my typically preferred riding garb of whatever-I’m-already-wearing just doesn’t cut it. I wanted something that would be insulated without feeling like I was wearing three pairs of pants, and easily wicked off rain and mud without feeling like a plastic bag. Rapha is known primarily in ...

What would a triathlon look like if organized by a group of people who have no interest in triathlons, and very little interest in racing, and have an unignorable urge to make fools of themselves? You know, a Dirt Rag triathlon?

If you spend any time in the outdoors, you’ll eventually need to address how to keep yourself hydrated. The first obvious option is to carry water with you, but that source will quickly run out as the length of your activity increases. Conveniently there are several options for carrying and replenishing that water supply while ...

We are surely digging this latest project from Paul Component. A klunker designed in the flavor of a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, umm, yes, please! If you were in attendance of the Sea Otter Classic last spring then you may have noticed the custom built shredder under the Sierra Nevada beer tent. The overgrown BMX ...

OtterBox Trooper LT 30 $299 By Eric McKeegan The premium-priced cooler market is not one I saw coming. But here is it. The big plastic Yetis and their competitors are now familiar sights at trailheads and campgrounds everywhere. Those expensive coolers are the only reason why I can review this backpack cooler with a straight ...

2018 Rocky Mountain Altitude Carbon 90 Tester: Zach White Age: 43 Weight: 205 lbs Height: 6’ 3” Inseam: 32” Price: $7,399 Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL(tested) Online: bikes.com Reach: 19.1” Stack: 24.5” Top Tube: 25.8” Head Tube: 65.0° Seat Tube: 74.1° BB Height: 13.2” Chainstays: 16.7” Weight: 27.9 lbs.w/o pedals, specs based on size ...

Jeff Kendall-Weed is back, and this time he heads to Tucson, AZ to check out the local scene and escape the snow of the Pacific North West. This is the first of a new series from Jeff under the ‘Local Loam’ title where he will be highlighting the work of local trail advocacy groups. We ...

Editor’s note: The next issue of Dirt Rag is all about ~The Future~ (said with a booming echo). Our Gear focus for the issue is on bike park gear, and the two fit rim-and-tire because bike parks and resorts are becoming more a part of the everyday mountain biker’s experience every year, with more parks ...

Tucked away on the edge of the Pisgah National Forest, Pilot Cove is a relatively new option for lodging in Brevard, NC. Offering luxury cabins in a prime location, we were more than excited to go down and check out what Pilot Cove was all about. First and foremost what is automatically appealing as a ...

  Editor’s note: As we enter the 30th year of Dirt Rag we look back on what a long strange trip it has been. This interview of Grateful Dead founding member & Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bob Weir—conducted by Mountain Bike Hall-of-Famer Charles Kelly—was first published in Dirt Rag Issue #23 in April 1992. ...

Marin has picked up where they left off with the Wolf Ridge, introducing the all-new Mount Vision. While the Wolf Ridge was intended to be a do all quiver killer of sorts, the Mount Vision is more focused on big mountain/enduro riding. Based around 150mm of travel and 27.5 wheels the Mount Vision is sure ...

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in issue 208 of Dirt Rag Magazine. Like what you see? Subscribe now at dirtragmag.com/subscribe to catch issue 210, coming real soon.  By Martin Kozaczek A consummate tinkerer, Charlie Cunningham started making magnesium stems and aluminum seatposts for road bikes in the mid-1970s. By the end of the decade ...

The Unior Devinci Factory Racing team just got back from their annual team camp in beautiful Italy. Like all racing fans, we can’t wait for the UCI World Cup / EWS seasons to officially get rolling. Along with testing out the new bikes, the Unior Devinci Factory Racing caught up with their riders to see how they ...