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BikeOne Shot
One Shot
Can’t make it to the theater? Anthill Films and Teton Gravity Research bring the full-length feature mountain bike film unReal to you. Check out Brandon Semenuk’s segment above—all filmed in one continuous shot—and find the movie on iTunes. And for more on 2015 mountain bike and trail running film tours, look for Mountain‘s Summer 2015 issue....
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BikeTime Tested Gear: Smith Overtake Helmet
Time Tested Gear: Smith Overtake Helmet
Field Test: Last year I spent five months worth of evenings researching helmet tech for a story. The digest of the digest version? Most bike helmets do nothing to protect from concussions—especially those from less dramatic crashes. The Overtake, which is built around a honeycomb polymer called Koroyd, does offer some low speed protection—although the company can’t yet make that claim. I’ve worn it for the past six months and won’t swap it out. Why It’s Timeless: It’s not timeless, but it’s the best of what’s on the shelf right now. $250; smithoptics.com —Marc Peruzzi From the Early…...
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BikeCurving Into Bend
Curving Into Bend
The Ring of Fire’s adventure epicenter erupts with seismic pleasures. By Rob Story | Photographs by Lee Cohen The hipsters of Bend (full sleeve tatts, square beards) appear to smile with greater frequency than big city hipsters (full sleeve tatts, square beards, tight pants). Beyond the looser trousers, Benders are beaming for a multitude of reasons: the sunny, dry climate in the rain shadow of the Cascades; tasty dining options like Peruvian-Tuscan fusion; downtown’s shimmering Mirror Pond, as lovely as it sounds; and the Bend Ale Trail, a mapped tour of 14 craft breweries honoring Oregon’s infatuation with fermented barley. But mostly the…...
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BikeFat Tire Test 2015: What We Ran
Fat Tire Test 2015: What We Ran
Purpose-built mountain bike gear. Tested on Steamboat singletrack. On Eric Sorenson: Specialized S-Works Prevail Helmet ($250; specialized.com), Pearl Izumi MTB WRX Jacket ($175; pearlizumi.com), Ergon HE2 Glove ($40; ergon-bike.com), Panache Ride Shorts ($84; panachecyclewear.com). On Nick Truitt: POC Trabec Helmet ($150; pocsports.com), Pearl Izumi Divide Glove ($30;pearlizumi.com), Pearl Izumi Divide Jersey ($85;pearlizumi.com), Pearl Izumi Summit Shorts ($80; pearlizumi.com). On Rob Hudson: Smith Forefront Helmet ($220; smithoptics.com), Smith PivLock Arena Sunglasses ($159; smithoptics.com), Panache Ride Polo Shirt ($84; panachecyclingwear.com), Pearl Izumi Divide Glove ($30; pearlizumi.com), Panache Button-Fly Short ($89; panachecyclingwear.com), Panache Houndstooth Socks ($15; panachecyclingwear.com), Pearl Izumi X-Project 3.0 Shoe ($180; pearlizumi.com). On Andi Malboeuf: Dakine Dropout S/S Jersey…...
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BikeMountain Bikes 2015: LaPierre Zesty Trail 329
Mountain Bikes 2015: LaPierre Zesty Trail 329
Marketing Spray: “Whatever name you give it, in the end, the Trail is MTB in its original form… Versatility and efficiency are its watchwords. With unbeatable rollover, the Zesty Trail is incredibly efficient uphill, with the perfect balance of handling and stability downhill.” Swami’s Fact Check: Debunking claims yet? Can’t say we are. Comfort, efficiency, and versatility are certainly key words that come to mind after stepping off the 29er Zesty Trail. This LaPierre even lives up to the word “Zesty” thanks to 120mm of travel and a tough wheel and tire spec that we found ideal for aggressive trail riding. The 329 is…...
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BikeShhh! I’m Huntin’ Mounten Bikahs
Shhh! I’m Huntin’ Mounten Bikahs
MTN Special Report: Crisis in the High Country. When a hiker allegedly went rogue on Vancouver’s North Shore, the booby traps she’s charged with placing waylaid mountain bikers. How do we stop mere harassment from devolving to a blood sport on North America’s trails? By Ryan Stuart | Photographs by Acme Co. Images A mountain biker descends exposed granite, his body weight centered over the back tire. Braking a little too hard, his tires slide toward the mossy cedars at trail’s edge before a deft redirection rolls him back onto Pipeline, a classic backcountry trail on Vancouver’s North Shore. Here, stone ramps,…...
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BikeSummer Camp for Bike Lovers
Summer Camp for Bike Lovers
Bike PressCamp brings cycling scribes to Deer Valley, Utah each June to test next year’s gear on actual dirt. Here’s a highlight reel from Mountain bike test director Sydney Fox. Pivot Vault: More roadies are taking their bikes on dirt and gravel roads these days and the bike companies are responding to the trend with road bikes that handle rough conditions. Pivot, GT, and Ridley all released a gravel-worthy steed at PressCamp. Pivot’s Vault boasts front and rear through axles, disc brakes, and Stan’s NoTubes tubeless-ready Grail wheels. With a slack head tube angle and compliant seat stays, the…...
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BikeMountain Bikes 2015: Ellsworth Absolute Truth
Mountain Bikes 2015: Ellsworth Absolute Truth
Marketing Spray: “The new Absolute Truth features 27.5 wheels, with the same wheelbase and geometry of the legendary Truth frame. With the lower optimized standover of the ZS style headset and the unique shaping of the front triangle, Ellsworth has captured the aggressive geometry and bio-kinetically optimized rider position ideal for XC and Endurance racing…the Absolute Truth is a new benchmark for XC racing and endurance riding.” Swami’s Fact Check: See that complicated suspension linkage? It’s a proven design that removes pedaling forces from the drivetrain. As in completely removes them as far as we can tell. That means that Ellsworth’s claims…...
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BikeOh, The Places You’ll Ride
Oh, The Places You’ll Ride
Chainless marauders pilot their Viking longboat at Crested Butte Bike Week. Colorado singletrack, fancy garb, and Seuss-ian mountain bikes in Crested Butte. When I rolled into Crested Butte, Colorado the last weekend in June for the Chainless World Championships (that would be a bike race with no chains to drive the bikes), I narrowly avoided a collision with a Viking longboat. Then I wove through Stonehenge and nearly killed a retinue of druids on Elk Avenue. Even beyond the parade, I was hit by overt friendliness. I mean over-the-top, earnest, wave-at-strangers kindness. If I’d encountered this level of effusive…...
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BikeA Testimonial With Panache
A Testimonial With Panache
On Rob Hudson: Ride Polo Shirt (Lime), $84; Button-Fly Short, $89; Houndstooth Socks (Neon), $15. For much of modern history, roadies had two choices when picking out bibs and a jersey. The first: generic black shorts and the least stylish top imaginable. The second: a “kit” most likely affiliated with a local race team complete with sponsors like “Dickey’s Bail Bonds” and “Colostrum Cheese Curds.” Panache Cyclewear’s offerings were the first real alternative to the dull and the weird status quo. Their road kits tend to the fashionable without screaming, “My outfit costs more than your new kitchen.” Think simple…...
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BikeTime Tested Gear: Feedback Sports Velo Wall Rack 2D
Time Tested Gear: Feedback Sports Velo Wall Rack 2D
Field Test: My garage space is precious. So are my trail bike, fat bike, road bike, and beer-fetching bike. The Velo Wall Rack 2D gets my two-wheeled collection off the ground and out of the way via two arms that adjust in two dimensions. Now I can get my bike as close to the wall as possible no matter how odd the frame shape. Why It’s Timeless: Soft rubber on the cradle arms means no scratches on my high-zoot carbon fiber frame. $42; feedbacksports.com —J.S. From the Early Summer 2015 issue....
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BikeMountain Bikes 2015: Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt 790 MSL BC Edition
Mountain Bikes 2015: Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt 790 MSL BC Edition
Marketing Spray: Rocky Mountain goes light on the hype (reason 27.5 why we like Canadians). The company simply states that this 790 MSL is “set up the way we set our own bikes up—with wide bars, big tires, stiff wheels, and premium suspension. The BC Edition turns the Thunderbolt’s agility into true trail bike playfulness and aggression.” Swami’s Fact Check: That’s a spot on assessment. Most of the bikes we called in to test this year would excel in a mountain bike stage race (or any trail ride at similar speeds). But the BC Edition of Rocky Mountain’s Thunderbolt 27.5er…...
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BikeJoe Breeze, 61
Joe Breeze, 61
Interview by Jason Sumner | Photographs by Mush Emmons It’s not hype to say Joe Breeze invented the modern mountain bike. Breeze’s take? He was in the right place (Marin County) and time (the ’70s) when the mountain biking mass got critical. Breeze was one of a band of enthusiasts riding trail on vintage balloon-tire bikes. Soon he was building his own “off-road” bikes. Those early models are considered the first purpose-built mountain bikes; Breezer #1 is on display at the Smithsonian Institution. Breeze was the man to beat in the famed Repack Downhill races on Mount Tamalpais. He won…...
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BikeMountain Bikes 2015: Yeti SB5c 27.5
Mountain Bikes 2015: Yeti SB5c 27.5
Marketing Spray: From our friends at Yeti: “You can hammer away in all conditions, including rough, chunky ascents with zero loss in efficiency. You don’t get knocked off-line, and you have amazing traction. Point it down and it’s very fast.” Swami’s Fact Check: Going fast down mountain trails is fun. Swami knows this. But pedaling an inefficient trail bike up a rough track littered in talus and striped by roots blows. It’s not really the weight, it’s the fact that such bikes tend to get bogged down in the midstroke of the suspension. Instead of accelerating, you squish around. Yeti…...
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BikeSteamboat and the Good Time Swine
Steamboat and the Good Time Swine
By Marc Peruzzi | Photographs by Liam Doran I recently heard a stodgy Sierra Club type (zip off pantaloons; canvas sun hat; engraved hiking stick) categorize all those who would not subscribe to the idea that hiking is the only appropriate activity in nature as senseless “funhogs.” With all due respect Mr. IBMer, your colon is blocked by Gorp and your heart is a bag of sulfur. As for your propaganda, it resonates as thinly as a tin drum. Mountain bikers ruin trails, whooping kayakers destroy the serenity of rivers, fly fishers torture fish, and on and on you droll,…...
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BikeMountain Bikes 2015: Cannondale Trigger Carbon Team 27.5
Mountain Bikes 2015: Cannondale Trigger Carbon Team 27.5
Marketing Spray: From the C-Dale site: The 27.5 is “able to shred the descents, thanks to its FLOW mode travel and geometry and burly SuperMax fork. Able to climb like a scared monkey, thanks to its light weight and the short travel and nimble geometry of ELEVATE mode.” Swami’s Fact Check: Stop right there. Do not use the “climb like a scared monkey” analogy with Swami, who once had an anxious Rhesus Macaque climb inside his bush trousers…inside his trousers. But for a 5.5-inch travel trail bike, the Trigger Carbon Team does climb like a lemur. Thanks go to another…...
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BikeMountain Bikes 2015: GT Helion Carbon Pro
Mountain Bikes 2015: GT Helion Carbon Pro
Marketing Spray: “When cross-country wasn’t about recovery drinks and nerdy gear, it was about the pure, simple joy of riding in the mountains. The 2015 Helion features progressive geometry to give you nimble, smile-jerking control, without losing efficient pedaling.” Swami’s Fact Check: Thanks for the smile jerk, GT. Swami says you speak truth. The incorporation of GT’s Angle Optimized Suspension design (smart pivot points mean the suspension “knows” when it’s climbing and sits up accordingly), slacker head tube angles, plus wide bars into the new Helion Carbon Pro makes it—as advertised-—a fun, XC bike built for real world fast riding—as…...
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BikeSkinny Skis and Fat Tires
Skinny Skis and Fat Tires
Nordic centers offer family-friendly mountain biking. By Lisa Jhung | Photograph by Mike Hitelman Nordic ski trails—wide, flat, and smooth—are not a seasoned mountain biker’s dream terrain. I’ve been riding bikes since the early ’90s. My husband handles communications for the International Mountain Bicycling Association. We both prefer singletrack that spools through wilderness for miles. But our two young boys are learning to ride, and Nordic center mountain biking is suddenly a fun option for families like ours. Think uninterrupted miles (well, kilometers) of signed, maintained, and sometimes purposefully built singletrack. No guesswork about difficultly level. Every trail funnels back to…...
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