Tag: MTB

Mountain Bike “Best Of” List Misleading To Potential Buyers

jimmymac

Singletracks, a mountain biking website, published a list of their “Best 2019 Trail Bikes.” I’ve always taken issue with this type of editorial for a lot of reasons. IT’S ONLY NOVEMBER: How can anyone name the “best” of 2019 when all the 2019 models have yet to be released? So right off, “The Best 2019 Trail Bikes We’ve Ridden So Far” or “What We Guess Will Be The Best 2019 Trail Bikes” are both more accurate titles for the piece. YOU DON’T WANT FIRST-EVER TECHNOLOGY: One of the six “Best…

How I Killed Mountain Biking And How You Can Save It – UPDATED

jimmymac

November 16, 2018: Here is an interesting (and long) read by Kevin Alexander of Thrillist about how his article identifying his favorite hamburger joint seems to have caused the place to close down. Guess I’m not the only one who feels a little guilt over sharing secrets. October 29, 2017: Forgive me, for I knew not what I’d done. I thought I was helping friends and strangers find great places to ride mountain bikes. How was I to know I was killing the sport at the same time? A little…

Take The National Mountain Biking Survey And Let Your Voice Be Heard

jimmymac

Ohio University and Appalachian State University researchers have put together one of the more interesting mountain bike surveys I have even taken. The survey is sponsored by the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) with funding help from SRAM. While not a big fan of surveys (questions can be slanted and responses can be skewed), this one has some unique questionnaire features where you can drop and shuffle your answers (you’ll understand if you take the survey). Hit this link to take the survey. The survey is open to U.S. residents…

The Wild One: Riding The Underground Revival 27.5+ Hardtail Mountain Bike

jimmymac

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an Underground Bike Works Revival 27.5+ hardtail mountain bike for a week of thrashing around in the hills surrounding the beautiful (and dry and dusty) community of Somis, California. I say “fortunate” because only 250 of these bikes are being made. This was a unique opportunity to spend some saddle time on an ultra-rare, two-wheel creation. THE BIKE’S PEDIGREE The Revival 27.5+ comes to the trail with some serious DNA behind it. Rather than try to trace the family tree, you…

Cape Epic MTB Stage Race Best Kept Secret To American Mountain Bikers

jimmymac

Another Cape Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race is in the history books even if few America riders crack open that book. The Cape Epic remains a relatively obscure event to America’s top endurance mountain bike racers and that fact is puzzling. Sure, the event is held in South Africa and the entry fee alone requires more than $5000 of a racer’s budget, so the travel and logistical costs may put off more than a few American challengers. That’s too bad because the Cape Epic is a challenge that any self-respecting…

Chance To Win A Steve Peat Replica Helmet From Troy Lee Designs

jimmymac

I met plenty of great athletes while working for Troy Lee Designs and Steve Peat will always be one of my favorites. Even years later while I was working for Mountain Bike Action, Steve was one of the few athletes who would go out of his way to show appreciation for any coverage he got (and he deserved every word and photo). No surprise this guy has a legion of dedicated fans. Troy Lee Designs, the official helmet painter of Peaty’s lids for 21 years, is replicating Steve’s favorite paint…