KFuller

I was really struck by the use of sound in this edit - the snow shovel on the rocks, the crunch of the tires on snow, the obnoxious squeak of the brakes. Beautiful. Well done.

I'm going to be so sad when these bright colors go out of style. I'm getting to re-live my childhood in all its neon glory!

Interesting piece. Ever since Dirt Rag (I think it was DR, maybe it was BIKE) Magazine published a piece extolling the virtues of riding flats, I know a few people who switched immediately, which was completely silly. It shouldn't be perceived as a fad. I think when it comes down to it, it's all about personal preference. We can't discount the comfort factor for people still learning. If you're introducing someone to MTB, I would definitely start them on flats and let them decide for themselves later on. I started MTBing on clipless because I came from the road bike world and didn't know any better. It scared me shitless being attached to a bike hurtling down a rock garden. Discovering flats was a Godsend. I am now so much more ambitious, brave and comfortable knowing I can instantly throw a foot down (without snapping an ankle) if attempting a feature or jump doesn't go well. I don't need to be fast. On the rare occasion I race XC, I absolutely use clipless. But my big, burly Yeti has permanent flats. It likes to eat trails. It doesn't need to go fast. :-)

Womp. As usual, the shirt for the ladies is -- *yawn* -- the least interesting. What, we don't get cool graphics, too?

whew, yeah. some might consider 40k a bargain for a good bike park. my relatively small and compact home bike park, the golden bike park, was built with about 30k cash and 100k of in-kind donations from a supportive community (a supportive community is worth its weight in gold, as they say). it was also volunteer built and is volunteer maintained. so where did the money go? machines, diesel, tons of tools on hand for the volunteer crew, GOOD dirt (often the stuff on location is crap and/or not enough), irrigation, pro design, fencing, nice signs and more things i can't even think of. i'm glad they spent the money! golden bike park is fantastic. i see everyone there from little tiny kids to old guys in sneakers on 1980s bikes to high school freeriders in full downhill gear, all using the same flow trail. http://303cycling.com/golden-bike-park-opens

This is not going to be a popular comment, but all government land management agencies function under very specific mandates that have to balance resource extraction (stuff we need, whether you like it or not), conservation and recreation. I live in Colorado and Googled the CO DNR and got this for that it does: "Oversees parks, wildlife, water resources, geology, mining, and soil management." Recreation is only a small part of their mandates. It's not all about YOU and what YOU want. Land MANAGEMENT means more than whiny mountain bikers and their illegal trails. We are but a small piece of the pie. However, mountain bikers have been a very effective partner to land agencies when we do band together and go pro. The best thing to do is to help out the Whatcom Trails Co-Op and the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance. If this incident grows their memberships ten-fold, the land agencies will be forced to pay attention. When mountain bikers go pro, land agencies take notice. Legal access and legal trails are a tough battle. If you're tough enough to ride freeride and downhill stuff, then you shouldn't be shying away from this fight. Is mountain biking worth fighting for? Are these trails worth fighting for? YES. Mountain bikers have had lots of successes recently with land management agencies, but not by putting trails in illegally and getting them ripped out the next week. We have to EARN the respect we are demanding by being an effective partner. Start with the powerful argument made here: Trails = economic benefits for the nearby towns. There's tons of data to back that up.

Ah, yes, very good. See, while I aspire to all of those beautifully produced videos of pros shredding sick gnar, well, um, yeah. This is more like my riding style. Power to the people! :-)

Nice. She looks so graceful and confident. We all know it's harder to ride some of that stuff at sub-ripper speeds. The flow put a smile on my face. (And we have the exact same handlebars! Wheeee!) But a neck brace and no elbow pads? Whew. To each their own, but elbow breaks hurt like woah and make it a tad difficult to ride and work.

Agree with nysso. People who work in the industry get killer deals on bikes and parts. It's no secret, and it doesn't mean they appreciate their gear less, but it does mean that they aren't the "average" joe bike owner. Would love to see a truly random grabbing of riders. Why? You could probably find some really wild and crazy Frankenstein stuff -- really old, rare parts/frames; combinations of equipment we'd never think of, etc. It could be a walk down memory lane or just a good laugh.

Rad!!! I love to bomb my Remedy over stuff, but it's my 100mm steel hardtail that's teaching me how to ride. I can't relax and just let the bike eat up rocks and roots; I have to pick my lines carefully and finesse rather than slaughter the trail. It's not always as fun, but I can tell the difference when I get back on the bigger bike. But you know what also impresses me are the people who try XC races on their big AM bikes and totally kick butt. Get a bike you like to ride and ride it how you like to ride!