October 2016 - Good Month or Bad Month?

A Red Bull Rampage victory had eluded Brandon Semenuk since he first showed up and won the event back in 2008, but this year, after a disappointing finish at the Red Bull Joyride in Whistler, he arrived looking for redemption in the Utah desert. He succeeded, and one action-packed run was all it took, a run that included a technical and exposed two-stage drop, a massive flat-spin 360, a backflip off a flat drop, and a backflip one-foot can.

Oh, and let's not forget about that casual crank flip when Semenuk crossed the finish line, a little throwback move to cap off an impressive display of mountain bike wizardry. Semeunuk's melding of big mountain riding with his extraordinary slopestyle skills also earned him the People's Choice award, and another Polaris RZR (he won the award last year as well) – there's not going to be any lack of sideways sliding and drifting in the woods around Semenuk's BC compound this winter.

Even though the premise of Danny MacAskill's videos is always the same – you know you're going to be watching an insanely talented guy hopping around on his mountain bike – he somehow manages to add a creative twist that makes each and every one a “must watch,” an overused term, but one that's completely warranted, especially in the case of his latest video, A Wee Day Out.

Danny rides the way most of us wish we could, and he does maneuvers that probably never even crossed most riders' minds. Riding atop a rolling hay bale? Sliding sideways over a downed log before dropping off the other side? Just another day on the bike for one of the world's most skilled riders, and motivation to get out and try new things for the rest of us.

An exciting season of racing wrapped up on the first weekend of October as the Enduro World Series concluded in Finale Ligure, Italy. It was Martin Maes who took the win, a result that many had been predicting for quite some time, and no doubt a sign of things to come, especially since Maes is only 19-years-old.

No one questioned the fact that Maes had the speed; it was just a matter of holding it all together over the course of an entire race, something that's often easier said that done. It all came together in Finale, and Maes emerged victorious, winning four out of seven stages to stay ahead of Richie Rude and Nico Lau. Expect to see even more from Maes next season when next racing begins again in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Aggy was on a barnburner of a run at Red Bull Rampage, hellbent on finally taking home a win after so many years of narrowly missing that top step. He charged straight down the center of the venue before spinning a smooth 360 off an enormous stepdown... And that's when it all began to unravel. The rotation looked perfect, lining him up for a smooth touchdown on the massive transition, except for one thing: the wind had pushed him off course, and his landing was three feet to the left. In the blink of an eye his bike's rear wheel hung up on a shelf of rock, tossing him brutally down an ungroomed slope full of rocks and dirt. It was a gut-wrenching crash, painful to watch even for those thousands of miles away from the event.

The final diagnosis was a broken pelvis and two months off the bike, which is obviously far from ideal, but the outcome could certainly have been worse – here's hoping for a speedy recovery and quick comeback for one of the most stylish freeriders on the planet.

Fox's Float X2 shock quickly became a favorite among racers and aggressive riders alike thanks to its ultra tuneable design and fade-free performance no matter how long or rough the course. Unfortunately, it turns out there was an issue with the air sleeve, and according to a press release issued by Fox, “Float X2 shock absorber air sleeves can rupture due to the increase in internal air pressure which occurs during shock absorber compression.”

Exploding shocks are never a good thing, which is why Fox has advised riders to “immediately stop using this product unless otherwise instructed.” More details are available here: ridefox.com/recall, but unless the shock was shipped after September 9, 2016, and has "250 psi max" printed directly under the air fill boss on the outer sleeve, Float X2 owners will need to have a free repair performed on the shock before riding it again.