how-to

Words by Jeffrey Stern, photos by Dylan Jones One of the best things about mountain biking is planning for the excitement and adventure of escape. Escape from the real world, into mountains and pastures unknown that can lead to any number of amazing experiences. Simply planning an overnight trip of any magnitude stirs the pot ...

By Nick Lubecki, photos by Brad Quartuccio  Anyone can ride 1,000 miles. Anyone. -Nick Lubecki Nick Lubecki isn’t someone you know, but his attitude towards long distance riding is one you should know. He’s pedaled around the United States and Canada using equipment most enthusiasts would balk at. He finds his food in dumpsters and ...

Ed. Note: This piece was originally published in Dirt Rag 106 in March 2004.  For the uninitiated, a fixed gear bicycle is a singlespeed without a freewheel—if the wheels are rolling, the cranks are turning. Rudy Nadler is one of the many people who have learned the joy of off-road fixed gear cycling, and when ...

It’s spring! Maybe you’re getting back out there after being on the trainer all winter, or maybe you’re pulling the bike out of the shed after a period of dormancy. Maybe you’ve been riding all winter long and your bike has collected salt and grit from sloppy, slushy roads and trails. Whatever your situation is, ...

Harlan Price has been contributing to DirtRag for over a decade through articles and has coordinated the skills area and MTB clinics at Dirt Fest for the past five. A former professional photographer turned professional racer, Harlan owns and runs TakeAim Cycling, a MTB skills company putting on camps and clinics throughout the east coast. ...

Words and photos by Chris Klibowitz. While much of our society is focused on affordable—and unfortunately disposable—products, there are many within the cycling community still producing high-quality, heirloom pieces. It’s no surprise that the revitalized Silca—a brand rescued from Italy and relocated to Indiana—fits that bill, as most of us have one of their old ...

Editor’s note: This article by Brad Quartuccio and Michael Browne first appeared in Dirt Rag Issue #96, published in October 2002. Singlespeeders are obsessed with simplicity. No derailleurs to mess things up, no shifters to backfire and leave you stranded. But what happens when one of very few moving parts stops working? Most people think ...

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 ...

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 ...

Editor’s Note: This feature first appeared in issue 205 of our print edition of Dirt Rag Magazine. Like what you see? Subscribe today so you don’t miss issue 213, the last issue of the year. Be sure to stop by your local bike shop to pick up a copy of issue 212, out now. by ...

Randonneuring is long-distance, unsupported, noncompetitive cycling within prescribed time limits. The events—called brevets—are 200km (13.5 hour time cut-off ), 300km (20 hours), 400km (27 hours), 600km (40 hours), and 1000km (75 hours). Grand Randonnées are 1200km and riders must finish in 90 hours or less.

I’d been dreaming about creating a badass sound system for a mountain bike ever since I learned about the scraper bikes that prowl the streets of Oakland, California, adorned with custom, high-wattage stereos. Setting my sights for an annual, underground mountain bike event, I dove into my dank basement workshop, armed with a pile of ...

Editor’s note: Dirt Rag #206 was our DIY issue, where we built a bamboo bike, a steel frame, and fixed a carbon bike. This is the carbon edition, written by Scott, our Operations Manager. Like what you see? Subscribe now to catch all of 2019 and follow along on all our hijinx. Dirt Rag #208 ...

When Justin’s (the nut butter company) emailed us about sending over some samples, we envisioned a mid-morning project with the office kiddos, lazily moving around in the haze of summer and excited to get out into the woods behind Dirt Rag Headquarters. It would be so fun, so nutritious, a learning and bonding opportunity for everyone! ...

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 Andrew Vontz In 2017, I competed in the five-day, five-stage Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race, survived the most technical trails I’d ever ridden on a demanding course and came away with strong ideas about how to do better in 2018. Based on what I learned and extensive conversations with Pisgah honchos like Chris Komanski, ...

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 ...

Trail Boss is a video series produced by Jeff Lenosky and documents his attempts to ride some of the most technical trails he can find. A veteran rider with a 20-year professional career and three Observed Trials U.S. National Championships to his name, Lenosky uses his skills to ride the unrideable. Check out all the ...

Traveling with your bike can be a great way to explore a new locale, but it doesn’t work if your bike is damaged en route. We reached out to Sue George at BikeFlights.com for some expert tips on how to pack your trusty steed. What are a handful of steps that are must-dos for packing a bike? ...

Riding bikes outside during the depths of winter, especially in the chilly northern regions of the country, can seem rather prohibitive or unpleasant if you aren’t used to the cold or aren’t prepared. But the truth is, winter riding offers a fun and rewarding experience, as well as a unique perspective of familiar trails, and just ...

Words and photos by Gabriel Amadeus The market is awash with a huge assortment of very well-made bikepacking bags to fit in every nook and cranny of your bike. One of the simplest, and often over-complicated methods of transport is strapping a load to your bicycle’s handlebars. If it’s a small, light load you can ...

Regardless of the time of year and riding conditions, every bike needs a good cleaning every now and then. We reached out to some experts for their advice on what to do, and what not to do. People give all kinds of advice about what kind of products you can use—dish soap, automobile soap, etc. ...

It’s that time of year again. With each passing day, the sun sinks in the sky a little earlier. For those of us with 9-5 jobs, getting out and riding after work without encountering darkness is impossible with the recent time change. But as we mourn the loss of evening light, we can also celebrate ...