Dirtscrolls

Like riding your mountain bike in Costa Rica? Want a beautiful, exciting and punishing alternative to the beauty, excitement and punishment of La Ruta? How about the 2010 North Face Costa Rica Trophy Bike race—a 5-stage, 280-mile adventure taking you from the Pacific Ocean resort of Playa Samara all the way through to the Caribbean ...

South of the Mason Dixon, in Gilmer county Georgia, at a beautiful Sliding Rock cabin near Ellijay – I’m reminiscing on a couple fantastic days at the Mulberry Gap Mountain Bike Get-A-Way. I’ve been very fortunate the past few days because I’ve met some fantastic people, done some amazing rides and have gotten to put ...

Growing up, GT was always one of those brands that was desired by all the kids ripping up the neighborhood on BMX bikes, including me. My family never had the cash for a GT, so I never got to ride around on one, until now. GT’s Marathon Carbon Expert ($3200) is my current test rig ...

News broke early this morning that Phil Wood, the sealed-bearing hub and bottom bracket innovator who founded the company that bears his name, passed away at his farm in Iowa earlier this week. He was 84 years old. Wood founded Phil Wood & Co. in 1971 to sell maintenance-free hubs. The company grew over the ...

When asked if I would like to throw a leg over a hardtail, single speed, all mountain bicycle from Transition I jumped at the chance. Why wouldn’t I want to hammer a bike that is carving itself a nice home in the all mountain category? Transition’s plan is to rejuvenate your biking experience to the ...

As we posted last week, the 2010 installment of the 24 Hours of Big Bear has been canceled. A lot of people were looking forward to that race. If you’re one of them, and already have your calendar clear that weekend for racing and/or riding your bicycle in West Virginia, we have a few possible ...

Have you ever seen a SylvanSport GO trailer? They look exactly like the one pictured over there on the left (yes, that’s one trailer). Considered the “Swiss Army Knife” of trailers, the GO is truly a spectacle to be held. Now imagine one of those things loaded with $14,000 worth of loot from the likes ...

News broke yesterday that THE pioneering 24-hour mountain bike race, the 24 Hours of Big Bear, is canceled for 2010. Granny Gear Productions, based in Davis, West Virginia, points to an un-friendly economic climate as a major factor in the decision to cancel the race this year. Laird Knight, founder and head of Granny Gear ...

Last year we had a great time at the Cascade Bicycle Club’s Bicycle Expo in Seattle. Read more about it here, here, and here, and look at pages of photos here. For 2010 the event moves closer to town into the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal 91. Seattle is a very pretty town, and I think ...

Beer. Bikes. Big Wheels. Three awesome things, aren’t they? Especially when they come together, as they will for this year’s installment of New Belgium Brewing’s Urban Assault Ride. As in years past, the Urban Assault Ride series will roll through thirteen cities around the United States between April and September this year. If you don’t ...

We have some fantastic news coming out of the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC this morning. The League of American Bicyclists is reporting that Google Maps has finally added a “bike there” option to the choices of directions between to locations. According to the press release from the League of American Bicyclists: “This new ...

Philadelphia-area mountain bikers of all shapes, sizes, experiences and abilities will again have the opportunity to fraternize, ride, eat and buy stuff when the Fourth Annual Rally in the Valley goes down on April 17th in Wissahickon Park. The Philadelphia Area Mountain Bike Association (PMBA) is putting on the event, which brings together riders, local ...

The good people over at Bikes Belong recently showed us 55,000 reasons why they’re so cool. Several cycling organizations and projects (catering to those who love non-paved as well as paved cycling) have just benefitted from the award of $55,000 worth of grants.Of particular interest: Moab Trails Alliance will get $10,000 to help complete a ...

Minneapolis is always a good place to be. I’d say MPLS or minneapplepuss or whatever you wanna call it is the city with the strongest bike culture in these United States. Geno at One On One Bicycle Studio , Hurl at Car R Coffins Coffee Bar and Cykel Garage and so on, well ya can’t ...

Jeez! What a weekend. Dirt Rag and Bicycle Times road tripping is always an adventure, but driving to Richmond, VA. for the 2010 North American Handmade Bicycle Show held February 26-28 received more than it’s fair share of oddities and mishaps. We should have known from the beginning when the small things started to compound ...

The 8th annual U.S. Open of Mountain Biking returns to Diablo Freeride Park in Vernon, NJ on May 27th through 30th, 2010. With a rich cash and prize payout valued at nearly $60,000, the event attracts big names from around the world. The event’s PRO/AM format gives amateur athletes the unique opportunity to compete against ...

As the calendar flips to March, the action in the Dirt Rag online event schedule is heating up. One can only hope that spring-like temperatures are not far behind. We invite you to join us as the Dirt Rag / Bicycle Times 2010 World Tour rolls into the Seattle Bike Expo on March 13-14th. Or ...

We’re in the van on the way home from another successful NAHBS adventure, but I wanted to post today’s photos for your viewing pleasure. Sure is amazing to see that much raw talent under one roof. These guys really do represent the best of the best. If you haven’t seen them, check out Friday’s and ...

Without further delay, here are more pics from day number two of the 2010 North American Handmade Show. Look for in-depth coverage in both issues #148 of Dirt Rag and Issue #6 of Bicycle Times. Be sure to check out the additional pics from day one and day three. Yes, the green trike is a ...

As you know, we’re in Richmond for the 2010 North American Handmade Bike Show. After spending most of the day figuring out a work-around for various photographic issues, I finally got down to the business of shooting bikes. Didn’t get as many bikes shot as I’d like, but here’s a sampling of mountain bikes from ...

USA Cycling has announced the dates and venues for the 2010 USA Cycling Professional Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (ProGRT). In its second year, the ProGRT series consists of five races in four different states across the United States. The 2010 series will also feature an Amateur GRT which, like the Pro GRT, will give Expert-level ...

Have you ever been to a bike event that was jam-packed with women riders—not the typical dude ranch or sausage fest? Amanda and I have. This past Friday, we headed to Ray’s Indoor MTB Park in Cleveland for the third edition of the Women’s Weekend, which was bigger and better than ever. This year’s Weekend ...

Just because you haven’t seen a brightly colored Subaru, emblazoned with the IMBA logo, roll into your neighborhood lately, it doesn’t mean that IMBA is napping. Quite the contrary. IMBA is hard at work on the front lines of the mountain bike access struggle—namely, Washington, DC. IMBA recently conducted several meetings with key congressional leaders ...

Thought I’d take a quick moment to introduce my newest test rig: Kona’s new-for-2010 Abra Cadabra. The Cadabra family–Abra Cadabra retailing for $3,699, Cadabra retailing for $2,799–sports the second generation (G2) of Kona’s Magic Link rear suspension, first introduced on the 2008 CoilAir. Kona’s martketing materials certainly make the G2 Magic Link on the Cadabra ...

The Dirt Rag and Bicycle Times World Tour is headed to the North American Handmade Bicycle Show sponsored by Shimano in Richmond, Virginia on February 26-28th. This is the first year that NAHBS will be on the east coast and the Richmond show is shaping up to be larger than the 2009 Indianapolis show, which ...

The USA Cycling MTB Marathon Nationals will once again be held at the Firecracker 50, on the Fourth of July in Breckenridge, CO. National championship classes will have a two-week exclusive online registration period available from Wednesday, February 17th through 12:01 a.m. MST on Wednesday, March 3rd. The field will again be limited to 750 ...

Move over guys! The Women of MTB are in the house! Ray’s warehouse, that is. This Friday through Sunday (February 19-21), Ray’s MTB Park in Cleveland will host the third annual Women’s Weekend. The Largest Women’s Biking Event of the Year! Launch off Friday with free admission for women riders of all levels and disciplines, ...

Dirt Rag has teamed up with Dohm to bring you a soft and stylish wool cap. Dohm caps are made in Colorado on antique knitting and sewing machines that are powered by hand, which takes more time and produces the best in quality craftsmanship. The fibers that run through the machines are world class yarns ...

The new 2010 FTM Carbon is a beautiful looking bike.  I should know because I have spent more time admiring it from my armchair than riding it. We had a bit of snow in these parts and the trails are a tad impassable due the 22” of the white stuff getting in the way. The ...

Hey, you might have heard,  we are buried in snow. Just in time for my new test bike to arrive. I might have been able to get in just slightly snowy ride in before this last big storm, but a few little things kept me off the new technical trail bike from Fisher, the Rumblefish. ...

It’s that time of year again! The Dirt Rag and Bicycle Times World Tour is gearing up for the season—with some exciting new stops planned for 2010. Our travels will take us far and wide, so stop by our booth and subscribe to the magazines, chat, or share a beer and a laugh. Where will ...

I’m snowbound and dreaming of endless ribbons of singletrack with white-knuckle descents. My new test bike is a 2010 Cannondale RZ One Twenty 3, and as luck would have it, the east coast is buried under a couple feet of snow – and more on the way. So I’ll whet your appetite (and mine) with ...

Our sister publication Bicycle Times has partnered with Klean Kanteen to bring to you an eco-friendly, reusable water bottle. This 27oz. bottle is made from 18/8 food-grade stainless steel. It does not have any inner lining, so it’s non-leaching, toxin free, 100% recyclable and will help to reduce landfill waste. This durable bottle has a ...

The Literature Contest is a celebration of the written word. It’s our annual effort to recognize and reward writers who possess the ability to deliver fine prose with a cycling bent and a unique narrative style. The only requirements: your entry must be 1) cycling themed and 2) no more than 3,000 words, though that ...

Slated for Augusta, Georgia on May 5 – 8th, 2010, the 2010 IMBA World Summit is expected be the largest yet. Seminar topics will include destination and urban trail networks, land conservation and sustainable trails, youth outreach and new programs designed to grow local capacity for the 700+ clubs and patrols in IMBA’s global network. ...

We’ve marked down the price on our complete selection of Dirt Rag logo synthetic cycling jerseys from 28% to 35% off. The following styles are on sale for $45 each: Perpetrator, Elements, and women’s Elements. Our 20th Anniversary jerseys (men’s and women’s) are on sale for $50 each. Sale prices valid through February, or while ...

Usually, when I talk about heading down to Leesburg, VA for a race in the dead of winter with non-mountain bikers, I’m told with varying degrees of vulgarity that I lack intelligence. But I like to think that Plum Grove Cyclery’s Snotcycle is the beginning of my training for one of my favorite events, the ...

Dirt Rag Magazine would like to invite you to our own event: Dirt Fest. Mark your calendars for the weekend of May 21st-23rd, 2010 and head over to the Allegrippis trails at Raystown Lake in Hesston, PA. Dirt Fest will be a fun mountain biking festival, featuring 32 miles of prime singletrack for a weekend ...

Weekly meeting after weekly meeting, I’ve been promising to get this done, but this morning our esteemed web editor said that he’s “counting on me” to write a blog and submit it today. The blog post based on my experience with the “new” Santa Cruz Tallboy. What to do? I have a few words written ...

Universal Sports is teaming up with the International Cycling Union (UCI) to present same-day webcast coverage of the Cyclocross World Championships from Tabor, Czech Republic. The UniversalSports.com website will post coverage of the elite men’s and women’s races on Sunday, Jan. 31st starting at noon (ET). The rest of the races will be offered on-demand. ...

In celebration of Sidi’s 50th Anniversary, the venerable shoe company wants to hear some amazing stories about riders and their Sidis. Top prize package includes a pair of Sidi shoes, a Look 556 bike with SRAM Rival components and Look Keo pedals. Tell your story in 350 words or less. Or write a poem. If ...

The Pennsylvania Scholastic Cycling League (PASCL) Mountain Bike Racing Series is a youth-specific racing series. The series provides a fun, positive environment for youth to try mountain biking. PASCL is designed to stimulate school mountain biking clubs, and provides a place for kids from different schools to compete against each other. For 2010 PASCL will ...

February is right around the corner. That’s the time of year that cabin fever starts to take hold of the folks in the northern latitudes. Fortunately, Dirt Rag has just the elixir to cure what ails you—our Event Schedule has a tidy list of events that will put some pep in your step. A van-full ...

Check out Karen’s “getting to know you” blog about her first rides on the Killer B. And here is Karen’s report from the 2009 Singlespeed World Championships, which she raced atop the Killer B.

USA Cycling announced the dates and venues for its 2010 American Mountain Bike Challenge (AMBC). All AMBC events will serve as qualifiers for the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships, which are slated for July 15-18 in Granby, CO. The 21-race AMBC series will visit 16 states over a period of seven months. Two events ...

Regardless of whether you’re a creationist or evolutionist, you have to admit that we humans are pretty good at continually pushing the limits of our society, and our gadgets, in order to keep things moving forward. In a mountain bike sense, we first rode balloon-tire cruisers offroad, then came dedicated mountain bikes, followed by suspension ...

Adventure Cycling Association announced that it has received two new grants in support of the organization’s work to establish an official United States Bicycle Route System (USBRS). The grants were awarded by Bikes Belong and New Belgium Brewing and will enable Adventure Cycling to continue its organizing and cartographic work with federal and state agencies ...

The 4th annual 50 Mile Ride for Project Rwanda will be held on Saturday April 10th, 2010 in Orange County, CA. This event is a “ride”, not a race. Riders will be treated to a challenging day of mountain biking with an estimated 500 participants, while they raise funds for Project Rwanda. The 50 Mile ...

Outerbike is a consumer demo event for both road and mountain bikes that is scheduled to take place in Moab, UT on September 30th through October 3rd, 2010. Participants will receive demos for all four days of the event, lunch at the trailheads, and discounted tickets to evening parties and films. Exhibitors will include: Breezer, ...

Each year the Dirt Rag/Bicycle Times staff has a friendly intra-office competition and we (try to) keep track of when we ride to work. A simple grid representing the days of the week listed vertically, and our names written horizontally, is as high-tech as we get. As usual, the staff tallied some strong commuting numbers ...