culture

Words and photos by Burt Hoovis  If you’re like most folks, you probably have a few local rides that you gravitate to. And if you tend to do a ride frequently, there’s going to be a point in that ride where you find yourself thinking, “Man, a beer would be bitchin’ right now.” This is ...

By Stevil Kinevil  The year was 2007. One person or another asked me if I’d planned on attending the first-ever Singlespeed Cyclocross World Championships, which were to be held a few weeks later in Portland, Oregon. Having been in the trenches both organizing and racing in some of the first Singlespeed World Championships of the ...

Words by Paul De Valera My bicycle is my best friend, my only true ally in this world. My bicycle will never betray me. Though it may break and throw me off into a bush or get a flat and make me push it now and again, it won’t ever work toward my undoing — ...

Words and photos by Kurt Gensheimer At 11,542 feet above sea level, Hoosier Pass south of Breckenridge, Colorado, is not the ideal spot in which to be driving an unfamiliar RV, especially in the middle of a snowstorm. But alas, that’s where I found myself only two hours after purchasing a 1990 Toyota Sunrader sight ...

When you express to a co-worker or family member that you signed up for the Trans-Sylvania Epic mountain bike stage race you’ll likely be greeted with an interesting response, and rightfully so. You want to do a what? On your pedal bike? You’re going to do this for how many days? The conversation continues but ...

Words and photos by Watts Dixon I thought I was doing the right thing, approaching the cop. Being proactive. Humbly and apologetically explaining why my van was going to be in a one-hour-only parking spot at the rest plaza for the next six hours. With his attention focused on whatever he was shoving in his ...

Words and photos by Jarrod Bunk Dirt Fest is a bit of a homecoming for me each year. I don’t get to see or ride with friends who are relatively close to me throughout the year, because, bike shop life, so I get to typically catch up as well as ride some fresh new bikes. ...

I have a warm place in my heart for Paul. Just look at that happy camper. Paul Components and Dirt Rag Magazine both started in 1989 and we’re both pushing 30 years as companies. We met at Interbike before either of us were big enough to even have a booth. And we’ve grown together over the years ...

Words and photo by Burt Hoovis  Keeping your favorite beverage close at hand for a day on the trail has always had its challenges. Luckily, the options are getting better and better. Recently, I had a chance to test out a one-gallon stainless steel minikeg and tap system with the memorable (and slightly dubious) name ...

Words and photo by Chris Klibowitz No utterance will garner a bigger groan among the retail world than, “The customer is always right.” Having worked in shop for over fifteen years, I’ve had the misfortune of hearing it too many times. While the origin is unclear—either coined by Marshall Field or an employee of his, ...

Words and photos by Devon Balet It’s 4:20 a.m., a seemingly perfect time to depart Sedona, Arizona. Aiming northeast, I sleepily rub my eyes as I steer my home on wheels, aptly named El Tigre Del Norte—a Chevy Astro van converted into a small pop-up RV in 1990 that I bought in 2012—up state Route ...

Words by Ben Brashear. Photos by Ben Brashear unless otherwise captioned. Upon meeting Davidson Lewis and Justin Daugherty of Green Guru Gear, located in Boulder, Colorado, it is apparent that their success rests squarely on a strong foundation of environmental stewardship, solid craftsmanship, pragmatic adaptability and ultimately, not taking themselves too seriously. With a little ...

Words and photos by Rob Korotky It’s Oct. 21, 2016, and a beautiful autumn morning in Marin County, California. A group of 12 guys with their bikes mill around under a canopy of trees at the end of a dirt fire road in the hills above Fairfax. A few minutes ago, the last rider skidded ...

Our current issue of Dirt Rag Magazine is all about the van life. Inside the covers, four different van-dwellers tell their tales and tell us about their experiences with the nomadic lifestyle. This lifestyle comes in many forms. Some people straight up live in a vehicle, on the road. For others, it’s a distraction for a few ...

Words by Jeffrey Stern. Photos via blackriver.  On a brisk spring morning we navigated our rental van from Chicago to Madison in search of the best charcuterie we could find, rolling country farm roads and more information on the mythical blackriver—the ultimate place to create, find and share cycling experiences, or so we’d heard. We ...

Words by Jeffrey Stern No longer a fad, but a full blown discipline covering a wide range of mixed surfaces such as dirt, sand, pothole-littered pavement, grass and of course, gravel. Events are springing up across the country featuring long courses, winding through relatively untraveled roads in the most remote corners of states. Gravel grinding, ...

Words by Rebecca Rusch I didn’t know what gelände quaffing was until I moved to Idaho. Now it’s an annual tradition that I host as a hotly contested competitive component of Rebecca’s Private Idaho. For those who don’t ride that fast, there’s still the opportunity for glory just before the sun sets in Ketchum. Beer ...

Words: Hurl Everstone Wednesday nights got weird in the mid ’90s in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when some of the local dirt bags darkening the door on the weekly Wednesday night ride started showing up on singlespeed mountain bikes. These hump-day rolls had been initiated by several employees from Quality Bicycle Products and typically included a singletrack ...

Words: Alice E. Key Illustration: Stephen Haynes She said comfortable clothes. My powder blue linen short overalls are comfortable, and I like how they look with my dorky powder blue Mary Jane Birkenstocks. Just because it is a mountain bike ride, it doesn’t mean I have to look like an athlete. Besides, I don’t own ...

Words and illustration: Paul De Valera The Idea It seemed like a great idea. We go to Wal-Mart, buy bikes, race a trail loop and then return said bikes for a refund; the first one to do so is the winner. When I told people about it they howled with laughter or looked at me ...

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Dirt Rag Issue #164, published in July 2012. Written by Jenn Childress and Jennie Date, with photos by Hilary Hess. Yoga is everywhere: packed studios, tropical vacations and huge music festivals. Why is it so popular? And why should you, a dyed-in-the-wool mountain biker, care? Mountain biking and ...

As told to Stevil Kinevil Illustrations: Greta Mudflap Originally published in Issue #192 I’m Greta Mudflap. You may or may not have heard of me. What you are about to read is 100 percent true, except for the parts that aren’t, and even those are. MUDFLAP WAS PUBLISHED FROM 1990 TO 1995, SEVEN ISSUES IN ...

California and Colorado take all the credit for being the tried and true pioneers of mountain biking, but the culture was also flourishing in the United Kingdom during those early years. Check out two trailers of “Mountain Biking—The Untold British Story,” a new documentary. It chronicles the under-appreciated contributions made to mountain bike history by our brethren ...

What it was like to help start Independent Fabrication Words: Steve Elmes Photos: Jasen Stickler Originally published in Issue #192 “What the proverbial fuck?” That’s pretty much what I thought the moment I was told that Fat City Cycles would be shuttering its Somerville, Massachusetts, doors and, in the process, laying everyone off. I had ...

Dave Guettler sat down to tell River City Bicycles in Portland the story of “the grand daddy of them all”, his early 1980’s Ritchey Mountain Bikes mountain bike. “This one’s pretty much the grandaddy of them all. This one is a 1981, maybe 1982, Ritchey Mountain Bikes,” said Guettler. “The very first mountain bike race I ...

“Nobody reads anymore” goes the saying. Maybe that’s why podcasts are on the rise: one-third of Americans listened to one last year (according to the Pew Research Center). But search for cycling podcasts and you won’t find more than a handful. One of them is Roam Rydes—a women’s cycling podcast created and produced by Ash ...

There are people who love mountain biking, and there are those who love it so much they dedicate a vehicle to mountain biking. Chris and Leslie Kehmeier are two of those people, and Henry Tan Van is one such vehicle. The Kehmeiers live in Golden, Colorado, and have each worked at IMBA for over six years. ...

Catch up: This is a cross-country bike tour with a twist: Chris Reichel pedaled a road bike towing a mountain bike from Colorado to North Carolina and hit all the best trails along the way. If you missed earlier installments of the Ultimate Ride to the Ride, see them here. By Chris Reichel I know that there ...

PRESS RELEASE — Bell Helmets today announced an important extension to its new Joy Ride women’s program – the launch of six Joy Ride grassroots program cities, each with a dedicated female mountain bike ambassador. These ambassadors will help inspire and enable female mountain bikers with regular, structured, fun and social rides that appeal to all levels of riders where they ...

Catch up: A cross-country bike tour with a twist: Chris Reichel is riding his mountain bike from Colorado to North Carolina and hitting all the best trails along the way. If you missed earlier installments of the Ultimate Ride to the Ride, see them here. By Chris Reichel I never thought I would say this ...

Catch up: A cross-country bike tour with a twist: Chris Reichel is riding his mountain bike from Colorado to North Carolina and hitting all the best trails along the way. If you missed earlier installments of the Ultimate Ride to the Ride, see them here. By Chris Reichel I didn’t have much of a schedule or ...

Catch up: A cross-country bike tour with a twist: Chris Reichel is riding his mountain bike from Colorado to North Carolina and hitting all the best trails along the way. If you missed Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3 of the Ultimate Ride to the Ride, you might want to start there. By Chris Reichel ...

Catch up: A cross-country bike tour with a twist: Chris Reichel is riding his mountain bike from Colorado to North Carolina and hitting all the best trails along the way. If you missed Part 1 or Part 2 of the Ultimate Ride to the Ride, you might want to start there. By Chris Reichel I ...

Catch up: A cross-country bike tour with a twist: Chris Reichel is riding his mountain bike from Colorado to North Carolina and hitting all the best trails along the way. If you missed Part 1 of the Ultimate Ride to the Ride, read it here. By Chris Reichel This trip became a reality faster than ...

By Chris Reichel I have decided to do something I have dreamed about since I was a kid. I’m going to ride across the United States. Yeah, I know what you are thinking, me and 10,000 other people this summer. But that’s just it, I don’t really want to do one of the same old ...

“What the proverbial fuck?” That’s pretty much what I thought the moment I was told that Fat City Cycles would be shuttering its Somerville, Massachusetts, doors and, in the process, laying everyone off. I had just spent the better part of a year of my life trying to get a job in the bike industry. ...

To get to the north we decided to go by train rather than automobile or plane, relying on our previous travel experience to “wing it.” How hard could it be anyway? Most of the time it can be as simple as getting on the train, buying a ticket and figuring the rest out as you ...

The oldest continuously operating mountain bike race series in America (or at least on the East Coast) is a low-budget, unsanctioned, volunteer-run event that you’ve probably never heard of. Sure, Leadville 100 has been running longer, but that’s just one race. Pearl Pass Tour and Downieville also predate this Pittsburgh-area institution, but they aren’t series ...

One of my riding companions has a shit-eating grin—quite literally. We’re descending Mill Creek, just outside Grand Targhee Bike Park on the west side of the Tetons. This is very much cattle country; reports on Trail Forks reference dung rather than dust (“no cow shit today”). But when the riding is this good—the flipbook-fast flash ...

When I was a small child, I was completely fixated with a magazine called CARtoons. Essentially it was a black-and-white comic book featuring artists like George Trosley and his feature, “Krass and Bernie.” And then there was my other favorite, Shawn Kerri. If you’re not familiar with her, head to the internet and get up ...

I’m not sure what you were doing when you were twelve but I know for myself I certainly wasn’t piloting a bike with this much grace and style. A little motivation and inspiration for your weekend riding courtesy of Steven Lloyd and Weston Lloyd. Enjoy “The Dance”

It was the summer of 2000, and I had yet to discover the magic of bicycles. It was the same summer that I met my friend Darren, who was an obsessed mountain biker. We worked together at a greenhouse and nursery, planting and mulching our way through the heat of the summer. On most days, ...

It is fitting that while I am escaping the cold and blustery weather of Pennsylvania down here in Florida that resident Alafia State Park Trails shredder Ryan McGary has dropped a smoking new edit. Ryan exudes the style and ease of a kid who spent all of his spare time on two wheels. Florida’s mountain ...

Settlers first moved into the northeastern reaches of New York’s Catskill Mountains in the 1780s, and the town of Windham was formed along the banks of the Batavia Kill in 1798. Tanneries, sawmills and gristmills eventually sprouted along the watercourse. By 1851, the original expanse of Windham was divided to create six additional towns: Ashland, ...

Calling all women! Are you ready to get rad on mountain bikes in a welcoming and encouraging environment? Whether you’re interested in getting into mountain biking or already ride or race and want to take your riding to the next level, join the Ladies AllRide crew this summer to play on bikes in awesome locations ...

Arkansas barbecue varies from place to place, but my Gramps taught me to love pig. (He grew up in Piggott, Arkansas.) Most Arkansans love pig. I mean, the state’s football team is the Razorbacks. But residents now have a love/hate relationship with these animals. Free-roaming wild hogs cause nearly $1 billion in crop damage across ...

Fergus Liam is a former San Fransico bike messenger turned marketing manager for Ritchey Design and self-proclaimed mediocre elite bike racer, lover of burritos, bikes, and his cat.  Big thanks to Fergus for taking time out of his day to answer the very crucial question, “What is your favorite mountain bike accessory?”:  Years ago, my ...

Bzhiort! I can still hear the buzzing sound in my ear, like the Great Gazoo appearing out of nowhere. But this time the sound came with a tingling sensation. I was hanging with my crew at the 24 Hours of Allamuchy #eastcoastrocks XC race in the summer of … 2000, maybe? It was the year ...

Editors Note: I have to be honest, I was digging through the back catalog of Dirt Rag’s searching for a ghost story, something Halloween related when I stumbled upon Watts’ “Vanzig” story from a few years back. While not a spooky story per se, it is a story I quite enjoyed. So while we are ...

Editors Note This the third installment of an ongoing series where we ask the mountain biking community what their go-to accessories are for tackling the trails, enhancing the ride, or saving the day. Check out the first installment here and the second installment here. I had emailed Bina, asking her directly what her favorite bike ...

By Stephen Haynes Whether cutting the sleeves off a brand-new T-shirt or remodeling the interior of a home, the desire to tailor one’s possessions is a siren song most of us succumb to at some stage of our existence. It’s human nature to personalize artifacts to reflect whatever self-image we’ve contrived, imbuing these things with ...

“Any One of Us” is the story of Paul Basagoitia, a professional mountain biker who suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed. The film debuts tonight October 29th on HBO at 9m est. The feature-length presentation of “Any One of Us” marks the first-ever partnership between HBO Sports and Red Bull Films, telling ...

Most of our Rider’s Eye submissions these days are photographs, but since the beginning of Dirt Rag we’ve loved showcasing illustrations too. Reader Joe Holden sent these works of the rad ol’ days of mountain biking. Thanks Joe! Have a photo or artwork you’d like to share? Send it to [email protected].    

Photographer: Deanna Campbell Rider: Kevan Rourke Location: Squamish, British Columbia, Canada Send your photos Have a photo you’d like to share? Tag it in Instagram with #dirtrag or send it to [email protected]

Fat Bike Summit Foxboro, Mass. Photo by Craig Mello Have a photo you’d like to share? Send it to [email protected]. Please include your name, the rider’s name and where it was taken.

by Riley Missel Photos by Martin Vecchio Nestled inside a cluster of lush trail systems and quaint stone farmhouses in eastern Pennsylvania is a small urban city obsessed with bikes. One weekend in August, the obsession is especially obvious: the Radsport Cycling Festival. A crowd of teenagers on BMX bikes pop wheelies to the delight ...

Editors Note: This story was originally published in issue 211. If you would like to receive all of the awesomeness of an issue of Dirt Rag Magazine at your front door Subscribe Here! Clint Spiegel feels most at home amongst the whirling jets of CNC machines and the hum of lathes shaping aluminum. A self-described ...

Today’s stage at the Breck Epic was yes, Epic™. It was Epic™ for the usual reasons; big climbs, impressive views, not one but two 12,000 foot summits, but also and most importantly, a wedding. A lot of this would not be transpiring if not for this wedding. Our own Scott Williams and his partner and ...

I had big plans for today. Stage 3 was to take the riders over French Pass high along the Continental Divide amongst the snow and the mountain goats, and I planned on being there, camera in hand. I checked with a few locals to see if it was possible to drive there and it seemed ...

The rain and the cold that battered riders during Stage 1 moved out with the moon. The Breck Epic was greeted with sun and clear skies this morning to the relief the riders. With clean drivetrains and hopefully dry shoes, the competitors looked to get after a big day of climbing taking them far into ...

I delayed my departure from Breckenridge to Leadville, CO as long as possible the day before the Leadville 100 was to begin. After two long days behind the wheel torpedoing across the vastness of the midwest, the urge to jump back on the highway was absent. I rolled into the Silver King Inn at around ...

When we arrived a few days ago in Breckenridge, CO, it was as if we came to some sort of fantasy land for lovers of the outdoors. Majestic mountains reaching far up into the blue skies, the air was dry and cool, a perfect setting for a bike race. It is now Sunday and the ...

Words by Andrew Juiliano Photos by Ethan Lawrence 06:15 a.m. ish I open my eyes and stare through the mesh tent window. I’m belly up, on the bank of the North Yuba River, six miles upstream from of the tiny town of Downieville, California, the site of the 24th annual, two-day bike race that bears ...

Sunday mornings in the small town of Quincy, California, are quiet. The occasional person or two can be spotted strolling down the sidewalk, perhaps the distant bark of a dog or even the crow of a rooster can break the stillness, that is until recently. Outside of Feather River Outdoors there is a bit of ...

Editors Note: This story originally appeared in issue 210. Now that the riding season is fully upon us we would like to share our experience from the Windrock Bikepark located in Oliver Springs, TN. Consider becoming a subscriber and keeping independent mountain bike journalism like this alive and well.  Words and photos by Brett Rothmeyer ...

A beautiful story about the power of two wheels and a community built through bicycling. After a devastating breakup, Rafael finds solitude and restoration on the open road, pedaling his way to emotional health from Mexico City to northern Colorado. With just $500 to his name, he spearheads a revolution to help the underprivileged members of ...

It’s the 1990s and in the backwoods of British Columbia and three crews of adventure seekers are quietly changing the course of a sport and carving their paths in history – It’s all happening unbeknown to each other, the cycling world and themselves. The film features the likes of Bret Tippie, Wade Simmons, Richie Schley, ...

There was a time when Mike Tyson was the most destructive force on the planet. He flattened beastly opponents and made short work of some of the most feared fighters the world had seen. One by one opponent fell in the wake of what was the most feared heavyweight champion in the world. Coming into ...

This story first appeared in December 2016. We are gearing up for Dirt Fest PA 2019 as we speak and it always nice to look back and remember how this all got started, Planning on attending Dirt Fest? Be sure to register here and we will see you at the Lake! The first edition of ...

We are once again diving back into the year of our creation, 1989. In our last mix, we checked out the first few months of the year so we are picking up where we left off. April 1989 through the early part of June unleashed some monumental recordings. The Cure’s “Disintegration” Nirvana’s “Bleach” David Bowie’s ...

By Stevil Kinevil Dave Strunk and I had been friendly acquaintances since we were little kids, but it wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school that we clicked over a mutual love of skateboarding, art, photography and punk rock. Eventually, around 1988, he found himself having to move to Denver or face homelessness. Upon ...

Jim Gaffigan has a bit at the end of one of his early stand-up performances that starts off, “I like wood!” Of course he’s speaking euphemistically, but with the general sentiment, I agree. I also relate to the old-man voice he puts on in the bit. Anyway, wood has always intrigued me and although I’m ...

Editors Note: Originally this feature appeared in issue 206, this is Part 1 of a three-part series of DIY fabrication.  We had plans. Big plans. Plans to send staffers off to classes. Classes on frame building. Classes on bike mechanics. Classes on mountain bike skill instruction. But things got in the way. Employees moved on, ...

The hills beyond the Laguna Seca Raceway are continually calling your attention during the Sea Otter Classic. On the drive in, the morning fog settles into the valleys allowing the lush green peaks to push through into the bright morning sun. The greens of the hills were deeper and greener than I have ever seen ...

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 ...

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 ...

It’s a new year and a brand new Mixtape Monday! To kick things off for 2019 we handed over control to the one and only Karl Rosengarth. Karl has been down with the Rag for almost a lifetime worth of muddy ruts and good times. Beyond helping us keep things tidy from an editorial standpoint ...

Editor’s note: As the holiday season rolls around, everyone is inundated with ads and marketing campaigns for every product imaginable, in companies’ hopes to capitalize on…well, capitalism, I guess. It can be hard to weed out what a publication is putting out there as an ad or as a genuine recommendation, so we at Dirt ...

Editor’s note: As the holiday season rolls around, everyone is inundated with ads and marketing campaigns for every product imaginable, in companies’ hopes to capitalize on…well, capitalism, I guess. It can be hard to weed out what a publication is putting out there as an ad or as a genuine recommendation, so we at Dirt ...

Editor’s note: As the holiday season rolls around, everyone is inundated with ads and marketing campaigns for every product imaginable, in companies’ hopes to capitalize on…well, capitalism, I guess. It can be hard to weed out what a publication is putting out there as an ad or as a genuine recommendation, so we at Dirt ...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas. It’s Halloween! Although I’m sure there is a multitude of stores and commercials ready to start pumping Jolly ‘Ol St. Nick in our face as soon as the last peanut butter cup is dropped into a candy bag. What’s better than a gang of ballerinas, ...

The first bike shop job I ever had was at a place called Rob N Charlie’s in Santa Fe, New Mexico. One of my wrenching mentors there gave me good advice when I began working on an expensive bike for the first time: “Consider the Hippocratic Oath: First, do no harm.” That advice stuck with ...

I mean, sure, we had suggested at the beginning that Mixtape Monday would fall on the first Monday of each month. But months were just created by liberal astrologers as a conspiracy to confuse Julius Caesar, and Monday is the worst day of the week so why rush things? It’s not that things are totally ...

Editor’s note: This story originally ran in issue 206 of Dirt Rag Magazine. Like what you see? Issue 207 is out now on newsstands. Click here to subscribe today to ensure you never miss a story. By Martin I love a good barn find. I mean, who doesn’t love a story about an old relic ...

Some people call October the month when fall comes into bloom, the time when the maple leaves of the Adirondacks turn red and purple and the Rockies’ quivering aspens become an overwhelming gold; others think of it simply as Danzig Month and don their thickest eyeliner and devilock. Here at Dirt Rag, we choose to ...

By Emma Walker If you’ve ever spent a night in the Moab desert, you know what it’s like to feel like you’re on another planet: otherworldly red dirt, towering cliffs, countless bright, shining stars. That’s the feeling Kate Harris grew up longing for. As a kid, Harris wished for nothing more than to visit Mars—to ...

**Editor’s note: Sorry this Mixtape Monday is hitting on the second Monday instead of the first; we got set back by Labor Day. I met Kyle Kelley one rainy, chilly early evening in July 2016 somewhere in Canada. My two friends and I had been riding in the rain for about eight days straight on the ...

Away from the lift lines and away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Park City lies the small town of Kamas, UT. Kamas, known as the gateway to the Unitas Mountains, sits in the rolling foothills. Kamas is home to cattle ranches, tumbleweeds and, much to our delight, the High Star Ranch Trail System. ...

In the early 90’s snowboarding was a relatively new sport. Resorts weren’t quite sure what to do with the new breed of snow sliders. Some resorts restricted them to certain areas on the mountain and others outright banned them from riding. Snowboarding in the early 90’s as a teen was my obsession. Each fall when ...

In 2011, I broke my tailbone on a bike ride. Combined with a youth of contact sports, contact-with-ground sports, and general punk rock idiocy, I have the same spine diagnosis as my 95-year-old grandmother. But like so many mountain bikers who have eaten their share of dirt, I don’t let a little pain keep me ...

by Colleen O’Neil A recent Facebook ad read: “Ready for Adventure! 1978 Minnie Winnie Camper $4900” It was a real classy remodel: white with blue and brown stripes, a bright new coat of interior paint over the original particle board walls, some amateur woodworking, and a few tasteful decorative accents à la Target. “This Minnie ...

Germantown Avenue seems like a comparatively quiet street when considering the rest of Philadelphia. Trolley tracks and cobbled paths remain from the years gone by, there is a lot that houses a food truck and what appears to be a small farmers market. It’s June in Philadelphia, and the summer heat is already reducing movement ...

So many of us ride bikes past the pavement to escape into the magic of the woods, the desert, or the plains where our imaginations can still take off and our adult stresses relax. Most of us started that early exploration and adventure by reading books, whisked off to alternate realities where we could see ...

Whose your favorite mountain biker of all time? The Marin Museum of Bicycling‘s 2018 nominations are in and you have until July 15 to make up your mind and cast your ballot. If you had all your friends nominate you, now’s the time to nudge them to pay the newly-lowered fee of $7 (down from $30 ...

We are back with Vol.4 of the Monday Mixtape. This week, we turned the keys to the mixing board over to our Social Media Master and Camera Controller Brett Rothmeyer: I wasn’t quite sure how to approach this mix. At first, I thought about just doing a mix of all my favorite Kanye West tracks. ...

Since Halloween, I have been fundraising for AIDS/LifeCycle to earn my spot riding with roughly 2,200 other cyclists and 500 volunteers from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The ride brings awareness to the streets of California and our internet communities; the funds bring needed financial support to organizations who provide education, community, and medical access ...

Dirt Rag’s web team (Webatron5000) took a road trip to Philadelphia to check out some local trails, eat ice cream, and meet some of the frame builders and bike shops who keep the city rolling. We had the pleasure of meeting the crew of Firth and Wilson Transport Cycles and talking with Simon Firth, co-owner ...

Oh, hello there, I didn’t see you pop in! I’m just here finishing up this sweet tape to send to some of my friends to let them know how excited I am to be back in Pittsburgh and at the helm of dirtragmag.com. This is also Mixtape Monday Volume 3, and since I’m the n00b on ...

Courtesy of Adventure Cycling Bikepacker, musician and poet Ben Weaver is cycling the full-length of the GDMBR with his instruments strapped to his bike, performing free concerts along the way. MISSOULA, MONT., May 22, 2018 — This year, Adventure Cycling’s Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) — the longest mapped, off-road cycling route in the world — is ...

Welcome to the first installment of the Backyard and Beyond video series. For our first effort, we visit with Purple Lizard Maps. Purple Lizard Maps was created in the mid-1990’s by Michael Herman. Herman, a longtime mountain biker began compiling trail maps in an effort to improve on the trail user experience. Join us as we ...

Lauren Cat West is an artist living and riding in the city of Philadelphia, PA. Her keen sense of observational humor is reflected both in her work and in her personality. When she’s not hanging from scaffolding painting murals on the walls of Philadelphia, she’s out pedaling around in search of subject matter and strange ...

The Regular Guy Mountain Biking Podcast recently sat down with Dirt Rag Events Coordinator Evan Gross to discuss all the things Dirt Fest. If you are planning on coming to this year’s event this is a great listen to find out what Dirt Rag Dirt Fest is all about.   If you would like to ...

Walk around the small ski town of Crested Butte, Colorado and it doesn’t take long before you start to notice the bikes parked everywhere. Beach cruisers, converted classic mountain bikes and homages to the klunkers of yesteryear. With all of the town’s amenities in such close quarters, it is really unnecessary to drive anywhere. The ...

Welcome back! It looks as though we are going to make this a regular thing. Each month on the first Monday we will be dropping a new mixtape and this month we handed the keys over to none other than Stevil Kinevil.  Our regular columnist and curator of All Hail The Black Market, Stevil has conjured up ...

You may know that Big Bear Lake Trail Center is the home of Dirt Rag Dirt Fest West Virginia.  But how much do you really know about this magnificent mountaintop milieu? How did Big Bear Lake Camplands and Trail Center come to be? Is there really a lake there? And what’s the story behind the ...

We here at Dirt Rag are big music fans. Whether it’s a solo ride with headphones in, tunes in the van to get the crew stoked on the way to the trails, or some mellow morning jams on the stereo to help ease into the work week, we know music is magic. We are excited ...

Words by Adam Newman, photos by Howard Draper This is it. The Big One. The Cascadia Subduction Zone has shifted, resulting in a massive earthquake and tsunami that has devastated the Pacific Northwest. In Portland bridges are unsafe to cross, gasoline is being rationed and electricity is spotty. Luckily the city is filled with cyclists who can ...

West Virginia’s capital city, Charleston, springs up from the convergence of the I-64, I-77 and I-79 and spreads out along the banks of the Kanawha and Elk rivers. With a greater metropolitan population of around 220,000, Charleston definitely qualifies as a small city. What it lacks in census girth, however, the city makes up for ...

Charlie Kelly’s brother Jim wrote a series of poems about their mountain bike adventures. He is currently working on turning this series into a publication called “The Bike Cycle.” Here is one of the poems, titled “Repack,” recounting the infamous Repack Downhill races.  Riding a bike on the street isn’t hard, Up on the sidewalk, around ...

If you are like me, it’s hard to think of the city of Boston, Massachusetts without thinking about bicycles. Boston is home to countless custom frame builders, racing legends and access to some wonderful scenic and challenging singletrack within the city limits. The current bicycling infrastructure has also helped grow Boston’s cycling community tremendously over ...

By Jen Sotolongo In 2009, Bill White of Twin Bridges, Montana, began to notice the long-distance cyclists that were passing through the small town of fewer than 400 inhabitants. They stopped for a coffee or burger and then headed on to the next campground. He realized that “all the bike riders passing through were like ...

Tegan Phillips is a comic artist who first started drawing for a contest to win a touring bike and gear. Guess what – she won that bike and set off riding it around the world. Today, she is an avid cyclist, artist, motivational speaker and all-around interesting and adventurous person. We caught up with Tegan ...

Words and photo by Dave Joachim The “race” was three laps on an obscure knob of land outside Philly, the course a barely cut path through the woods, over downed trees, wet leaves, soft dirt, off-camber hillsides, rocks, mud and steep climbs. It was cold and rainy, and we were on singlespeeds. It was ridiculous ...

On a cool and rainy evening, a large orange tour bus hums outside of an 18th-century Catholic church that has been converted into a concert venue. Attached to the bus is a black utility trailer filled with T-shirts and music equipment and the general disrepair that a tightly packed space takes on after a months-long ...

Fuzzy eyed and coffee charged, we lumbered our way to Day 2 of NAHBS. The myth of Jenga greatness welcomed our visitors to the Dirt Rag booth today. Young and old looked to achieve legendary status in the attempts to out-Jenga Dunk and Evan. Day 2 also brought the judges out and the inevitable winners of ...

A few weeks ago we caught up with Chris McGovern of McGovern Cycles as he prepares for NAHBS. In our conversation, we asked Chris who he was looking forward to seeing during the show this year, and his answer was Peter Olivetti. Olivetti Bicycles is located in the mountains of Boulder, Colorado. Peter left his job ...

If you have been paying any attention to the hand-built bicycle scene over the last year, you likely have caught wind of Adam Sklar. His bikes are eye-catching and popping up all over the internet and trail systems around the country. Last year, Adam took home the award for best mountain bike at the 2017 NAHBS ...

The other day, while I burnt minutes trying to decide what to eat for lunch, I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and something new caught my eye: pen and ink, perhaps some watercolors. I stopped and scrolled back to see this interpretation of a mountain biker lofting through the air. I was instantly taken ...

Words by Emma Rehm, photos by Mike Q Roth  Since I finished riding the Baja Divide — 1400 miles of dirt and sand from San Diego, CA to La Paz, Baja California Sur — I’ve been waiting for its lessons to reveal themselves to me. Some are obvious: Don’t be in a hurry. See what ...

Words by Nick Legan, photos courtesy of Trips for Kids As a reader of Dirt Rag, you may have taken the opportunity to ride a bicycle early in life for granted. I did until I spoke with two people who are working to ensure that more kids get the chance to ride bikes and appreciate ...

I have a confession to make, mostly to myself. I am getting older. I know, I don’t really believe it either, but it’s true. A few weeks ago, I woke up and I was 40. It is a reality that my juvenile brain has been unwilling to accept. I continue to treat my body the ...

By Steve Thomas Iran, mountain biking and women: There’s a combo you don’t see every day. Meet Faranak Partoazar, the Iranian national cross-country champion, who is shredding convention and preconceptions. Can we get our prize money, please?” There was little doubt as to who was the leader of this prize-hunting pack: It was the slender, ...

This coming February, the East Bay area of California is about to get its first public bike park. Called Dirt World, this 2.1-acre area will host a pump track, BMX track, jumps and other obstacles. The park will also include a garden, gathering areas and storage for bikes and equipment that will be used for ...

Ride of the Dead takes us into the world of the Mexican mountain bike culture during the famous annual celebration known as Dia De Los Muertos. This film follows Oaxacan-born-and-raised rider and trail builder Yefra Ram through some of Mexico’s best mountain bike trails as he honors the passing of loved ones and competes in ...

Wade Simmons has been in the freeride game since the beginning. He’s left his mark on our sport through an extensive catalogue of images and video segments, showcasing his creative ability to conquer any line with unmistakable style. Simply put, Wade’s career has been driven by his desire to do something different. While watching the ...

By Jeffrey Stern Climbing the steep pitches, he’s faster than me. Four-wheel (er, leg) drive naturally makes it easier. When the trail flattens and turns into flowy singletrack, we’re about dead even; it’s as if I’m riding with someone who has the same climbing skills as me. When it comes to the technical, ripping downhills, ...

By Stephen Haynes Do you know a cycling artist? These six items easily fit in a frame bag and allow for artistic adventures on the go. Moleskine Large Watercolor Notebook – $20 At 8 ½ x 5 ½ inches, the Moleskine Watercolor Notebook is big enough to capture just about any scene, both real or ...

This is Gerry Creighton’s story of losing his wife Susan after a 19-year battle with late-stage breast cancer and how mountain bike friends stepped up to support him in his time of need. Gerry says, “In the weeks and months after Susan passed, I learned how special the mountain biking community really is. It’s the silver ...

By Brian Fox, United States Geological Survey  Mapping is important these days. Maps are critical to helping people discover the closest coffee shop, navigate to a new place or, in our case, discover and experience new trails. Maps, to me, mean anything from the latest app on your phone (like MTB Project) to that folded ...

Gravel Cycling by Nick Legan is a comprehensive guide to many aspects of the latest up-and-coming niche in cycling – gravel riding and bikepacking. The 300-page book is packed with photos and covers gravel races and events and adventure touring routes, as well as tips for race prep, choosing a bike and outfitting your bike ...

If you follow the lineage of New England frame-builders back to its roots you will find Witcomb USA and Serotta. Both companies, which established themselves in 1972, would go on to become the breeding ground for the current state of custom frame building in the New England area. In 1977, after Witcomb closed its doors, ...

At the Philly Bike Expo this past weekend the Pennsylvania Convention Center was filled with custom frame makers, component manufacturers, food trucks and yes, even e-bikes. Over the years the Expo has morphed into a sort of mini NAHBS attracting builders from all over the country to bringing some of their latest creations to show ...

“A bike ride fixes everything;” that is a statement that is pretty much completely true. Look, I know if you have a broken leg or a blown out knee and you are reading this you’ll quickly disagree, and I don’t blame you. First, you are right; bike riding will not miraculously mend your broken bones ...

Interview by Patrick Brady, photos by Devon Balet The mountain bike was a thing and would sell We went high-end. Gary Fisher bikes were super expensive. I mean, come on, you could buy a full Campagnolo-equipped Colnago for 450 bucks in 1979. You could buy a Ben Serotta super-nice custom bike, complete, for $995—Mavic rims, ...

I attended the inaugural Keystone Gravel on a whim last year and I’ll forever be glad I did. It was the day before I needed to get on a plane to head to my first Interbike and I still needed to pack, but it turned out that all the rushing around was worth it. My ...

Words and photo by Devon Balet, video by Will Campbell When I heard the words from the ER Doctor, “You have a broken scaphoid bone in your right wrist,” it felt as though my entire world came crashing down on me that day. The crushing weight of the injury was detrimental. When you go from ...

By Stevil Kinevil It wasn’t the first cyclocross bike I’d owned, and it’s most likely not going to be the last. I can say, however, without reservation that beside all of my other bikes past and present, it’s my very most favorite. I suspect everyone has one of those. It’s the pony in the stable that ...

One of the best things about handmade bike builders is the pure love they have for creating two wheeled machines and the time and effort they put into a startup business, just for the simple joy of making and riding bikes. Jon and Erin Acuff of Proudfoot Cycles are no different. When you meet them, ...

By Burt Hoovis Ahh … summer. Sweltering days, dusty trails and nights spent socializing, perhaps next to a campfire or in the backyard. This is the time of year for beers that refresh and invigorate. Classic German Pilsners, with their bright character and temperate bitterness, are always a favorite when the days are long. Pilsners ...