Tag: MTB

Mountain Bikers Robbed At Gunpoint On The Trail

jimmymac

I estimate that 80% of my mountain biking has been done solo. There are dangers of riding solo. An injury, animal attack or a mechanical far from the trailhead could all put the solo rider in jeopardy of a safe return. I accept the risk because it builds confidence in one’s skills and sure, it adds a little sense of danger (and that keeps you young if it doesn’t kill you). But now there is a new threat to the solo trail rider that I never imagined in my 30-plus…

Orange Bikes Help Put Lorraine Truong Back In The Saddle

jimmymac

Normally I would not be impressed with an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) disguised as a mountain bike. Rungu makes one and I feel they mislead consumers by hyping their ATV as an e-bike (it’s not). The Rungu is an electric-powered ATV (that uses a lot of mountain bike components). It is way too powerful to be classified an e-bike. When a Rungu was involved in a traffic collision, the rider was cited for operating an “unlicensed motor vehicle” by the California Highway Patrol. So when I saw photos of Orange Bikes’…

Christmas Remembrance Of Steve Tilford

jimmymac

Steve Tilford lost his life in a tragic automobile accident four years ago and his name still comes up in conversation all the time. Steve made an impression on everyone who met him and those impressions and fond memories will last. Steve is not a guy you can forget. Sometime after Christmas the Marin Museum of Bicycling and the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame will add a brick of remembrance to Mr. Tilford on the Mount Tam Legacy Wall. The welcome addition will honor the rider who was inducted into…

Fox Mountain Bike Suspension Fork Overbuilt For Mountain Bikers

jimmymac

It used to be that mountain bike component companies shaved ever ounce of unneeded material off their products to save weight. Some companies even put rider weight limits on their products. I sometimes worried that companies were going too close to the edge (of safety and reliability) when trimming weight. Looks like, at least Fox, is not going remotely near the edge for mountain bikers. After seeing the Fox 40 fork spec’ed on the Graft electric-powered motorcycle, it is pretty clear the fork is overbuilt for use on mountain bikes.…

Leigh Donovan’s Mountain Biker Skills Video Series Will Make You A Better Rider

jimmymac

Did you get into mountain bike riding during the pandemic? Need to brush up on some mountain biking basics? Want to learn cool stuff you can use on every ride? Well friends, you are in luck! Leigh Donovan, a Troy Lee Designs athlete, Hall of Fame member and mountain biking’s most high-energy, good-vibe ambassador, has put together a series of videos sharing hard-learned riding tips that every rider can use. I dig them because Leigh kept them short and easy to follow. Check them out at her homepage at Troy…

Mountain Biking Banned In New Zealand Due To COVID

jimmymac

Stuff, a New Zealand news site, posted a story about how a mountain biker, in need of emergency evacuation after a fall, triggered the discovery of more than 50 mountain bikers in violation of alert-level-4 restrictions. Those restrictions? “Any recreational activity that could lead to a rescue or emergency response.”  Alert-Level 4 seems to apply to everything from skateboarding to body surfing. And you thought we had it tough here with mask mandates!

Prolific Action Sports Photographer, John Ker, In Recovery Mode

jimmymac

Hall of Fame member (both Mountain Bike and BMX) and all-round great guy, John Ker, is in the hospital following hip-replacement surgery (following a cycling get off). John’s recovery has not gone smoothly and he is in a lot of pain. Rehab is going at a snail’s pace. John can use some encouragement so take the time to drop him a get-well email. His email address is johnk@hi-torque.com. I know he would love hearing from friends, old and new.

Sophisticated Scam Courtesy Of Facebook Marketplace

jimmymac

A ‘Sponsored” link on Facebook Marketplace directs unsuspecting people to the most sophisticated scam I’ve seen so far. The link delivers you to a legit-looking website where Trek is holding a “Flash Sale.” This is where the scammers blew it. I’m not going to point out how they screwed up because it might help them improve their scam in the future and I certainly won’t link you to the scam. Facebook is complicit in this crime. The posting is “sponsored content” meaning Facebook accepted money from the scammers and in…

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

jimmymac

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 back story to explain my guilt and hopefully earn your forgiveness. Back in my magazine days I came up with a reoccurring featured called “Destinations.” It became a popular feature in the magazine and it was pretty obvious why. “Destinations” focused on must-ride mountain biking locations and the stories were…