Dirtscrolls

We’re here at the Sea Otter Classic, the kickoff event for the cycling season – at least the “official” part of the season, the racing and product launch part. Many of you probably never stopped riding in the winter, nor did we. But hey, this event is interesting and a lot of fun, with something ...

In case you’re just tuning in, allow me to remind you that Dirt Rag now offers a sweet digital version of the magazine, which is available through Zinio, a leading global online publishing and distribution services company. We recently posted the digital version of Dirt Rag #141, our collectable 20th Anniversary Edition, which may be ...

The Philadelphia Mountain Biking Association (PMBA), in cooperation with the Fairmount Park Commission and the Friends of the Wissahickon, presents the 3rd annual Rally in the Valley on Saturday, April 18th, 2009. Join Philly area bikers for a “fun ride” in the Wissahickon Valley section of Fairmount Park, followed by a pig roast and a ...

The Breezer Villager was specifically designed for “relaxed rides and errands” or “sprints to the office,” and its components were thought out to provide a bike that would be “truly useful in everyday life.” It comes complete with accessories that every commuter needs right off the bat: fenders, rack, a lock system, kickstand, a plush ...

The next stop on the Dirt Rag/Bicycle Times World Tour is the 19th Annual Sea Otter Classic on April 16-19 at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area in Monterey, CA. This four day cycling extravaganza has just about everything you could ask for, including Dirt Rag and Bicycle Times. Stop by our booth to subscribe or ...

As much as I hate to admit it, I actually had to look at a map to find the Philippines when Karen asked me if I was interested in attending.  Should have known it would be an interesting trip. The 7,107 islands that make up the Philippines sprawl out over the Pacific Ocean, covering an ...

Dirt Rag 20th Anniversary Party On April 4th and 5th the Dirt Rag / Bicycle Times staff and friends headed over to Cleveland OH to take a break from work, ride Ray’s Indoor MTB Park, and celebrate the Rag’s 20th anniversary. On one of the first really nice weekends of spring it was hard to ...

The New Belgium Brewing Urban Assault Ride is a bike scavenger hunt taking place in ten cities across the U.S. Teams of two will create their own course to reach each checkpoint and use street-smart riding skills to get there. A traffic ticket will result in disqualification. At each checkpoint riders will then compete in ...

It’s a well-known fact that Portland, Oregon is easily the most bicycle-friendly major city in the United States. Bikes are everywhere, and seem to be woven into the fabric of every aspect of the community. In the few short years since Jonathan Maus launched it, BikePortland.org has managed to become the principal source of bicycle-related ...

The original Reba was a solid fork, and the new Team model by far eclipses its performance in every way. The 2009 Reba has a much plusher, far more bottomless feeling than the old fork.

The Durin lead the way through technical rock gardens with all the precision that I’ve come to expect from a top-notch fork. It’s a solid choice for the epic rider and/or racer.

This is the kind of bike that turns the heads of both riders and casual observers, with its graceful lines masterfully executed in titanium, but this bicycle is about much more than good looks.

By Karen Brooks

Sacred Rides Mountain Bike Adventures is a mountain bike tour company, offering trips in places like British Columbia, Peru, New Zealand, Utah and other destinations. Sacred Rides invites mountain bikers to show their love of the sport with their new “I Love Mountain Biking” video contest. The winner gets an all-expenses-paid mountain bike trip to ...

Our sister publication, Bicycle Times, has some really cool Bike Lane wool socks. To help spread the love of cycling in wool, we’ve made the Bike Lane sock our April merchandise special. It features a prominent bike lane marking wrapping the front and the Bicycle Times logo wrapping the back. Made by SockGuy from 75% ...

We put the Twenty20 VholdR camera that we reviewed in Dirt Rag #140 to good use at the Dirt Rag women’s weekend at Ray’s MTB park. We shot videos featuring helmet-cam POV action of gravity-defying ladies flyin’ high. Check out cool box jump train action in the clip below. For more action videos shot with ...

A look at upcoming bicycling events, including Dirt Rag / Bicycle Times World Tour stops at the Terry Larrazabal Bike Festival in the Philippines, Dirt Rag‘s 20th Anniversary Celebration at Ray’s MTB Park in Ohio and the Sea Otter Classic in California. Date State City Event Title Hyperlink 4.02.2009 RP Subic Terry Larrazabal Bike Festival ...

Admit it. There’s something about an old bike, regardless of the intended use, style, size, shape or condition that peaks the interest of us all, drawing us in like a magnet and a steel ball. At the 2009 Seattle Bike Expo an antique bike display was set up for only one day and I almost ...

The premier issue of Bicycle Times, our sister publication, has been mailed to subscribers. Initial feedback has be very positive and we’d like to thank those “early adopters” who signed up to receive the new mag—sight unseen! Here’s a sample of what’s inside the premier issue: From the Saddle of My Bike. The rewards of ...

Seems like just a few short weeks have passed since Karen asked me if I’d like to travel to the Philippines to attend the 7th annual Terry Larrazabal Bike Festival (TLBF).  Hmm, let me think about that for a minute… In its 7th year running, the TLBF will be held northwest of the Philippine capital ...

Come celebrate 20 years of Dirt Rag with us at Ray’s MTB Park. Anytime is a good time to ride at Ray’s, but the weekend of April 4-5 will be extra special.  Want to join in on the fun? Here is the low down. We’ll be riding Ray’s both Saturday and Sunday, perhaps a bit ...

Wrenching on your own ride has become a lot easier, now that many companies post repair/assembly manuals on their website. The folks at SRAM recently revealed additional internet resources for shade-tree bike mechanics: 23 service videos for SRAM, RockShox, Avid and Truvativ MTB products. Video topics include proper SRAM chain sizing, SRAM trigger shifter cable ...

The following news item comes via the IMBA website… On Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law an economic recovery package that contains funding for bicycle facilities, trails, public land recreation and improvement projects. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar estimated that the funding could create as many as 100,000 jobs and help ...

At the 2009 Seattle Bike Expo bicycles functioning as cargo bikes, or in other utilitarian means, caught my attention. Two companies, Madsen and Metrofiets, seemed to have the same vision: move greater masses of cargo with a bicycle while keeping the frame elegant and functional. More importantly, being able to do it in a structurally ...

Lobbying at all, especially at the highest level of American government, is not something I ever thought I’d be involved in. But after 20 years in the bike “business” (and I use that term loosely) it becomes clear that there’s more to it than just slaving away and hoping you make a profit. Advocacy. The ...

Fat  Tire,  a poem submitted  by  Barry  Oblas  of  Phoenix,  AZ: Dialed  into  my  Barracuda Cruising  in  the  sage Hanging  on  for  dear  life Wondering…why  don’t  I  act my  age? For  I’m  feeling  like  a  kid Popping  like  some  corn Out  in  desert  singletrack In  early  summer  morn Gulping  on  my  Camelback Squeezing  down  some  ...

Bikes Belong, in partnership with the League of American Bicyclists and with financial support from Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), awarded five REI/Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) grants of between $10,000 and $20,000 to grassroots groups in Boston, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Denver and San Diego. The winning groups were recognized at the National Bike Summit on March 10th ...

Links to web content associated with the Dirt Rag Issue #141 product review of the Jeff Jones 3D SpaceFrame: Jeff Jones Visits Dirt Rag HQ Jones SpaceFrame in the House The Singlespeed World Championships 2008

Now you can order your very own copy of Klunkerz, Billy Savage’s award winning documentary that traces the Marin County roots and global rise of mountain biking, directly form our very own Dirt Rag online Merch Shop. The film is a favorite among Dirt Rag staff. Here’s an excerpt from the Klunkerz “Recommendo” that that ...

Bicycle Times makes a splash in Seattle After a long day of flying from Pittsburgh to Seattle for the Seattle Bike Expo, a good beer and clean hotel room are key for relaxing before spending a long day on the feet. Our first night ended with Mongoose IPA and conversation of how to deliver the ...

The League of American Bicyclists announced the 2008 Clubs of the Year, as determined by the League’s staff and Board. The League’s Club of the Year program recognizes outstanding clubs for their hard work and dedication and for encouraging cycling and providing a forum for their community to ride.2008 Clubs of the Year: Narragansett Bay ...

Chris Kelly has re-launched the Kelly bike brand that had been dormant since “forces beyond his control,” as he put it to me, led to the dissolution of the original LLC in 2007. The dissolution ended a 21+ year run that began in a tiny redwood shack in the back yard of Grandma Kelly’s house ...

Princeton Tec’s “Got Lights On Bikes” photo contest gives amateur photographers the opportunity to win some cool bike gear. Send your best digital shots of anything involving lights on bikes. Five categories will be judged by a panel of various and nefarious bike biz muckety-mucks: Best Overall Lights On Bikes, Best Action, Best Lifestyle, Most ...

Our brown ball cap has an embroidered Dirt Rag logo with carefully placed peace symbol. Made in USA by Career Cap. Get ’em while the last at the closeout price of $7.50 (was $16.00). Click here to shop…. Not a cap person? No problem! We’ve got socks, jerseys, T-shirts, jerseys and plenty of other Dirt ...

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has now been passed by Congress and signed into law. The law provides $789 billion in spending and tax cuts to stimulate the economy, including highway funding and transportation enhancements. A total of $26.8 billion of the highway funding is distributed to states based on surface transportation ...

  Dirt Rag and Bicycle Times are headed to Seattle, WA on March 14-15 for the 2009 Seattle International Bicycle Expo. This promises to be an outstanding event with more than 150 exhibits of all things bike, travel and fitness, with something for everyone one and age group lined up. On display, to name a ...

Join fellow cyclists on March 14th as they celebrate the life of mountain bike legend Brent Thomson on the Bootleg Canyon, Nevada trails that he built and made famous. Brent succumbed to complications of heart bypass surgery last month, and will be honored with a ride, bonfire and toast from his friends, after a day ...

USA Cycling announced the creation of a new professional gravity mountain bike series—the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Gravity Tour (ProGRT)—which will consist of five events, including three UCI-sanctioned races. The ProGRT will offer series ranking points to top finishers, resulting in overall individual titles for men and women in downhill and 4-Cross. In addition, ...

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show came to Indianapolis this year, and it was better than ever. While many lamented the move to America’s heartland after last years show in the preeminent bike town of Portland, this year serious bike people came from near and far to check out the wares.  This resulted in high-quality ...

Kona’s 2nd Annual Shoot the Ride Photo Contest has some pretty simple rules: “Beauty shot, some sort of bike connection, however distant or obvious, and that’s it. Friends on bikes, non-friends on bikes, family on bikes, dogs on bikes, you on a bike, chicks on bikes … you get the picture?” If you think you’ve ...

The U.S. Cup presented by Specialized announced some cool series contest and contingencies available for amateur racers competing in the 2009 Kenda Cup West and Kenda Cup East series events. Kenda Podium Kickback: Open to all racing categories, the Kenda Podium Kickback program will reimburse the race entry fee for one male and one female ...

Winter in the northern latitudes is just long enough to make this aging cyclist more than a wee bit cranky. Yes, it is possible to grit one’s teeth and meet winter head-on. In fact, the Dirt Rag staff shared a gunny-sack-full of bright ideas in our Cold Weather Riding blog series: parts 1, 2, 3, ...

Well, we’ve wrapped up the second annual Dirt Rag Women’s Weekend and thanks to Nina, Ray and all the fine folks at Ray’s MTB Indoor Park in Cleveland, we had a wonderfully exciting event that more than doubled the number of participants from last year. Nearly a hundred women of various ages joined us this ...

It is hard for me to believe it is time for this event again. I’ve been putting on a self-supported 400 mile ride/race/challenge/event across Pennsylvania since 2006. In alternating years the start is in either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia and the route meanders its way across the state using part of PA DOT Bicycle Route S, ...

Get 4 issues of Bicycle Times for just $10 – save 49% off the cover price! Bicycle Times subscription pages are now ready for business, click here to sign up! Or, buy a Bicycle Times subscription for a friend here. This is a new system and there are bound to be issues that we have ...

First Impression: Everti 29R It has been quit a while since I’ve had the opportunity to test a bike other than the 26” dual suspension variety and I think it’s good to mix things up a bit. I’m completely happy and excited to now be riding an Everti 29R. I think the wheel size of ...

All Mountain.  I think this term has grown on me. It is needed these days to describe the growing number of bikes in between freerider shuttle  bikes and cross country trail machines. The Diamondback Mission series is a good example of this new breed of do-it-all-but-race XC type bikes. Quick run down of the spec ...

Anyone reading this is probably enough into bikes to know what next weekend is. The North American Handmade Bicycle Show is one of the highlights of the year for me and my favorite non-riding world tour stop. We’ll be headed out in the van with a heavy load of Dirt Rag staffers, specially priced Dirt ...

Dirt Rag’s Seventh Annual Literature Contest It’s become a tradition in the pages of the ‘Rag… the Literature Contest. From it we’ve garnered some great stories, winners have received some awesome prizes, and there have even been a few “so bad it’s good” entries passed around the office. This year our good buddies at Speedgoat ...

We had such a good time last year, we’re doing it again… the Dirt Rag Women’s Weekend at Ray’s MTB Indoor Park! It starts this Friday, February 20, with a women-only day of riding and skills clinics with some top pros. There will also be demo bikes from Trek and Specialized, and cool raffle prizes ...

USA TODAY sportswriter and member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame Sal Ruibal named the Dirt Rag Blog in his Top Ten Cycling Blogs list, which appears on blogs.com, a site devoted to the best in blogs. Ruibal wrote: “This is the online home of Dirt Rag Magazine, one of the first mountain bike ...