crankworx

Liv Cycling is inviting female riders to enjoy an exclusive trail session alongside their athletes and ambassadors as they take over one of Skyline Rotorua’s most-exciting trails during Crankworx. Following the success of the A-Line Women’s Only Session held annually at Crankworx Whistler, Liv is expanding the Women’s Only Session across the globe. From 9:00am ...

PRESS RELEASE — Crankworx World Tour announced it’s adding Les Gets, France, to the family. Crankworx begins in Rotorua, New Zealand, March 9-13, 2016, and will hit Les Gets the following month for a June 15-19 run. The event returns to its Whistler home base in British Columbia, Canada, for a 10-day event staged August 12-21. Nestled in the 12-resort ...

Words and photos by Malcolm Mclaws From Issue #187 Andreu Lacondeguy made his Crankworx debut in 2006. His arrival in Whistler, British Columbia, as a fresh-faced, clean-cut unknown was an introduction to someone who would become one of the most well-known and colorful riders ever. This is Little Andy. With a riding style that has ...

Say what you will about the enduro craze, but one thing we can’t deny is that many of the products being developed for racing have led to goods that are perfect for good ol’ fashioned mountain biking. One example is these new FiveTen Kestrel Lace shoes we found at Crankworx. The Kestrel model was first ...

Video by Mind Spark Cinema and SRAM Trick list Opposite Truck Driver 360 Downside Tailwhip Backflip Double Tailwhip Barspin Cork 720 Backflip Tailwhip to Can Backflip Barspin Double Tailwhip Double Truck Driver Flat Drop Backflip Barspin Opposite Barsin Cork 720 Results Brandon Semenuk 93.8 Nicholi Rogatkin 90.4 Thomas Genon 88.0 Replay Watch the full Red ...

Last year Leatt announced new helmets that were slated to begin shipping in 2015. As is often the case, even the best-laid plans don’t always pan out as expected. A fire at Leatt’s foam supplier delayed production significantly. Fortunately, these new lids will begin shipping in January of 2016. 6.0 Carbon and 5.0 Composite – $499/$399 ...

Morpheus is proudly displaying an all-new downhill bike here at Crankworx and we caught up with company founder Michael Schwartz to get the lowdown. This full carbon fiber rig is the first project where Morpheus sought expertise from outside the company to assist in frame design and suspension kinematics, “to make [the Conspiracy] a bike that goes against ...

A little over a week ago Rocky Mountain announced its new Maiden downhill bike, and we brought you up to speed on the details here. As we hoped, we were able to ride a few laps aboard an early-production Maiden World Cup at Whistler. After a period of downhill bikes trending steadily slacker, the market seems to have ...

Photos by Justin Steiner and Adam Newman The racing here at Crankworx took center stage Friday night as the threatening rain clouds hovered overhead but never dampened the action. The dry and dusty course was running fast as rookie Dakotah Norton, left, came out of nowhere to take the win as challenger Martin Maes took a ...

Photos by Justin Steiner Giro has had a huge hit on its hands with the Feature, a great all-purpose trail helmet that doesn’t break the bank. The new Montaro builds on that success with several new technologies that make it more of a premium product. The first key design priority on the Montaro was making it ...

As a first-timer at Crankworx, most everything about this event is eye-opening. From the overall turnout to the the diversity of the crowd, I’ve come away impressed. While there are plenty of incredible events, including Saturday’s legendary Red Bull Joy Ride, the Whip-Off World Championships was one of the events I was most excited to watch ...

Two new players are set to enter the dropper seatpost market later this year. In a parallel move, Race Face and Easton announced the release of new dropper seatposts. Though the posts are mechanically identical, they will be branded independently as the Race Face Turbine and Easton Haven. The infinitely adjustable post mechanism utilizes a licensed ...

Specialized went all-in on 27plus bikes for the 2016 model year with 6Fattie versions of the Stumpjumper and Rhyme, as well as dedicated 6Fattie hardtail models for men and women, called the Ruse and Fuse. Here at Crankworx Whistler we took our first ride aboard the top-of-the-line S-Works Stumpjumper FSR 6Fattie with 150 mm of travel ...

Devinci launched a redesigned Troy here at Crankworx and we’ve just had our first look. The trail market has evolved quite a bit since 2013 when the Troy was originally launched. Over the years, Devinci has been seeing folks riding that bike harder and harder with wide bars and burly rolling stock. With this in mind, and ...

Six mountain bike athletes have been handed a camera and given free reign to share their storytelling skills with the mountain bike community. Together with a team of riders and videographers, they have from today until August 4 to craft a four to six-minute video to be screened at the Whistler Olympic Plaza during Crankworx ...

It’s hard to spend all that time at the biggest mountain bike event in the world with some of the best riders in the world and not coming away with an awesome video. The SCOTT Crew was in full force at this year’s Crankworx in Whistler. ShapeRideShoot was on hand to follow Brendog, Vinny T, Nico ...

Photos by Adam Newman The sixth round of the Enduro World Series rolled into Whistler just in time for a little thing called Crankworx to get under way. Several classic Whistler trails were groomed especially for the event with the deep, soft terrain of Crazy Train contrasting sharply with the rocky, exposed Top of the ...

Summer is in full swing and that means it’s only a matter of time until we get to head north to the biggest of all mountain bike festivals in Whistler, B.C. Aside from the competitive riding there is some competitive creativity going on as well, with riders and photographers shooting to be the best in the ...

Want to know what it takes to get the amazing shots that you see on the covers of your favorite cycling magazines? This video from F-Stop Gear follows one of the preeminent photographers in the industry, Sven Martin, and the pinnacle event of the season, Crankworx Whistler.  

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 ...

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 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.

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.

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. 

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: 

Imaginate, Episode 5

After the release of Danny MacAskill’s most anticipated film to date, the final episode of MacAskill’s Imaginate looks at some of the challenges around the project and finally lifts the lid on aspects that up until now, have been a guarded secret!

Crankworx Les 2 Alpes is back again for 2013 and will take place July 6–14, 2013.

In its second consecutive year as a major freeride mountain bike festival across the Atlantic at Les Deux Alpes resort in France, Crankworx Les 2 Alpes will be host to one of next season’s biggest, most critical events for the Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour (FMB), one stage of the new Enduro World Series and the annual Free Raid Classic.

By Adam Newman

Few new bike models seem to become household names as quickly as the Honzo has. A serious heavyweight in terms of both design and well, weight, it has become the poster child for a new breed of 29ers that are pushing the limits of where you thought those big wheels could go.

The 68 degree head tube is slack. The 120mm fork is long. The 16.3 inch chainstays are short. The smile on my face is large.

Recently we brought you news of the founding of a new race series that included some of the biggest enduro events of the year, and now we’ve got a schedule. 

The Enduro World Series, in association with the Enduro Mountain Bike Association (EMBA), will offer seven events taking place in Italy, France, Canada and the US between May and October of 2013

The popularity of enduro racing continues to rise, and a new series is poised to become the hottest ticket of 2013. 

By Matt Weatherbee

For the last five years, Trestle Bike Park at Winter Park, Colorado, has played host to the mountain bike festival Crankworx Colorado. This year was the dawn of the Colorado Freeride Festival. Despite the lack of the Crankworx name, this year’s festival was as big as ever and did not disappoint the athletes or spectators.

Crankworx Les 2 Alpes will launch July 9-15 and a partnership with Red Bull Media House will share the action from France with the rest of the world. Red Bull Media House will power live webcasts of three events; the SRAM Dual Speed & Style on July 12, the Teva Best Trick Showdown on July 13 and the Crankworx Les 2 Alpes Slopestyle presented by iXS on July 14.

Just in time to give us something to talk about over the weekend, SRAM sent out a notice that they will be releasing a new drivetrain this summer dubbed XX1, designed around a single front chainring and an 11-speed cassette. 

Words and photos by Eric McKeegan

Commencal Meta Am

Hot on the heels of last year’s redesigned Supreme DH, the Megavalanche-winning Meta 6 gets a makeover too. The result is the Meta AM. Taking lessons learned from the Supreme’s new linkage, the Meta gets longer, lower and slacker. The pivots have been moved to work in harmony with double cranksets.

By Eric McKeegan

We first brought you some details a few weeks ago, but between runs in the bike park and XC loops at Lost Lake at Crankworx, I had time to see the 2012 bikes from Rocky Mountian in person, namely their 2012 Element line up in both 26" and 29".

By Eric McKeegan

After finishing up at the Norco press camp I stuck around Whistler until the end of Crankworx. I made sure to make a few phone calls beforehand to connect with industry connections that might be showing new product at the show. One of the first to respond was Kona.

Snow might still be falling in British Columbia, but spring is just around the corner and Whistler Mountain Bike Park is slated to open on Saturday, May 20.

Crankworx Colorado—which took place at Winter Park, CO on July 30th through August 2nd, 2009—was a huge success for the third year in a row. The foremost gravity riders in mountain biking got together once again for a massive Slopestyle throw-down. What a spectacle! The weekend kicked off to a dreary start with rain all ...

Day five of the Kokanee Crankworx in Whistler BC is Dirt Rag’s first for the 2008 event. Most of the day has been spent on two planes and a bus, a small price to pay to be here. As far as the day’s competitions go, I was only able to see the final runs of ...

Day three of the Colorado Crankworks begins with more runs down the 28 miles of mountain trails. Today we are given the pleasure of riding some of the 2009 Commencal offerings. I am sampling the Supreme, and the Meta 5.5, while my friend Matt Weatherbee demos the Furious CG. Matt has also been assisting me ...

(Friday, August 1st) The first full day at the 2008 Crankworx Colorado has lived up to my expectations. It would be hard to have a bad day that begins with a few good chair lift-assisted runs on freshly prepped Kona demo rigs (thanks Scott and Willy.) The afternoon was completed with mind-blowing performances from the ...

(Thursday, July 31) It has been one year since its inception to the mountain bike world. The Colorado Crankworx course is set, and it is intense. No…not like camping in-tents. It IS intense. Our late arrival on the opening practice day denied us access to the chairlifts, however, the Winter Park staff was immensely helpful ...

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.

Crankworx has been happening all week and will continue through the weekend. It’s a great time to check out some feats of mountain biking. Sometimes is inspirational, or at least entertaining, to see how these tricks are learned. Here’s a little video Haro put together that shows Ryan Nyquist training for the Crankworx Whip-off.