Last weekend was the annual Cycling BC awards and we at Pinkbike.com are happy to say that our riders took home some awards. 2009 National Junior Expert Champion, Kyle Marshall took home the award for BC Male Downhill Cyclist of the Year, while our newest rider for 2010, Miranda Miller was recognized as BC's Female Downhill Cyclist of the Year. We are pumped for both athletes as they continue their training efforts this winter and look forward to a successful 2010 race season.

Full awards results inside,

This past weekend Mike Montgomery came up from San Diego to compete in AT's Showdown! Mike's been riding bikes all of his life. He's raced and competed in all sorts of BMX events since he was 12. Now he's joined the list of top Freestyle Mountain Bike Riders in the world. During AT's Showdown Mike and I discussed his 2010 sponsors and I shot a few pictures of his bike for you all to see.

Please click here to read the full article including pictures and video.

Now you all know I keep harping on about flat bars, keeping a low stack height, keep it short and sweet I say and that's exactly why you should be checking this out.

As you can see, I ran this Straitline Direct Mount Boxxer Stem for four months, will I be taking it off? Definitely not.

Details inside,

DUNBAR CYCLES is hosting the North American premiere of MADE. We are giving away a ton of free swag, free drinks, and another EVIL FACTION COMPLETE!

Dunbar Cycles is proud to be hosting the North American Premiere of Callum Swift's newest movie, MADE on December 9th in Vancouver B.C.

Details inside,

Episode 4. Utah and a trip to Kamloops. These two locations are the holy grail for mountain biking and almost every pro rider visits these two places ounce a year. Known for epic scenary, banging light, and big senders we set out to the Dessert for a tight 1 week trip to see what we could find this time. We also added a new rider on the trip that I think will get all of you stoked in more ways then one. After finishing up our last trip as a group there was still one thing left to do before we could send the boys home. If you tuned into episode 3 you know Garret still has a days work cut out for him.

Source: CTV News

Mounties have emptied a warehouse of bicycles belonging to a controversial cycle rescue program that claims to buy back stolen merchandise from thieves in New Westminster, B.C. Members of the North Vancouver RCMP's Property Crime Section removed 153 bikes - many of them high end - from the suburban facility November 14.

More details inside,

This was a good night for the Pinkbike UK Squadron. We headed down to the center of the MTB Universe which is of course Birmingham in the heart of England! The Custard Factory in Digbeth is where it all went off!

Callum Swift had booked up the 100 seater cinema, keeping it very exclusive and almost VIP as the U.K.'s top flight were in attendance. Interesting to see everyone's dress sense, some riders took a second glance to recognize out of their team issue race kit and pit casuals. Out came the tight jeans, winkle picklers and fresh hair cuts sponsored by L'oreal.

Evening details inside,

With several months in the saddle and many miles on the tires, it's fair to say that this riding season has been no different than most. Endless winter days spent working a shovel to get lines dialed, finally paid off when the sun started shining and it was time to ride! It has been some time since the preview of the 2009 SX trail ran, and since then, this bike has seen it all! From steep, white knuckle downhills, fast technical trails, to groomed resort runs, and even some rides up. There have been moments to remember, and some that I just can't seem to forget.

Read on for the full story behind the 2009 SX Trail 1.

This is going to be on Jumbles Christmas list, will it be on yours?

If you entered any of the Avalanche Trophy series in 2009 or are thinking of entering any of the rounds in 2010 then this should be on top of your wish list.

Mega Dust 5 is actually two DVD's so there is over 140 minutes of insane action from Avalanche Maxi, Avalanche Cup, Avalanche Enduro to the legendary Megavalanche and more!

Source: Gary Harder

We're already two rounds into the Pipeline 09 / 10 Indoor 4X series and the action is tight! The first round saw 86 riders come out and this past Tuesday we broke 100 riders for the racing night!

The next race dates are as follows: Dec. 1st, Jan. 19th, Jan. 26th, Feb.2nd and then Finals on Feb. 9th.

There's a great vibe going round with a lot of fun to put it mildly, winter at Abbotsford Indoor. Results, standings and schedule inside!

Hey remember the days when could buy a Transition Bottlerocket for $1199.99?

Well, folks those days are upon us. You can get your hands on a brand spankin' new Bottlerocket frame for $1199.99. The frame comes equipped with the Fox DHX Air 5.0 shock and is available in baby blue & raw in size small only. You can also be the lucky owner of the Pabst edition Bottlerocket for an extra $75. Transition describes the bike best as "the original slopestyle bike that set the standard for a new generation of bikes. Knowing not everyone has access to a slopestyle park we designed the BottleRocket to be one of the best do it all short travel freeride bikes around. Our customers use their BottleRockets for almost every type of riding and who can blame them. The bike is just as at home in the air doing tricks as it is railing singletrack or shredding Whistler trails." More details inside,

Source: Race for Tara

Tara Llanes of the Race for Tara and Andy Buckley the Director of Northstar Mountain are proud to announce October 2-3, 2010 as the official date of the Race for Tara 4. Once again the race will be held at the beautiful Northstar Resort at Tahoe in Tahoe, California.

Details inside,

Quick video from Fort Collins, CO and Tanner in Salt Lake City that I like to call the 2009 Beer and Bikes edit.

Thanks to Deity Components, the guys behind the camera, and the crew in SLC!

Check it inside,

No Dig, No Ride is a term taken seriously in the Aptos area. Simply put if you don't want to put in the time to build, don't bother coming to ride. Jacob Hyde's house is a perfect example of this term. Regardless of if you're showing up to ride, chill, film, or take photos you are expected to pickup a shovel when shovel time is present. This method assures that no riders are riding, when it is time to be digging, and vice versa. Everyone digs, regardless of stature, or riding skill.

Cob had a dialed back yard, and a dialed bike. Here's some information on his rig...

Christmas and the New Year are right around the corner and Pinkbike is bringing out its first ever biking calendar for 2010 featuring some banger action shots from around the globe from some of Pinkbike's most featured photographers. The photos in the calendar will get you motivated to go rip trails everyday as you stare at the dates from your house or office.

Click here to pick one up 2010 Calendar

I'm attempting to compete in the Mega Avalanche in 2010 - It's a journey of 52 weeks till I actually get there and it's gonna be tough! Read on to hear more about my week of hitting big jumps, training, getting lost and filming with Nico Turner

Inside are the pics, video diary and loads of letters from the alphabet, which form words that will tell you about week 17 in my training for Mega Avalanche in 2010.

Gravity Labs is an indoor bike park and training facility currently being developed in Bend, Oregon by Nick Braun and Ryler Sturm. The pair have created a reputation in the cycling community for the construction of the area's only freeride specific trails and features and their involvement in the progression of the local freeride mountain biking scene.

Gravity Labs is being designed to take progression to the next level.

Source: e*thirteen

e*thirteen is proud to announce the fourth edition of the Limited Colorways — the first featuring the new Plus series systems! Limited Colorways product was first introduced in 2006 and has been an on-running program dedicated to helping riders pimp out their most treasured possessions—their bicycles.

Details inside,

Now Sunline say that the diamond/knurled pattern is for your palm. Personally I twist the raised waffle part to locate directly under my knuckles. This ensures maximum grip, especially in the wet and muddy conditions we are now surrounded by and makes for a softer ride.

The best winter grip ever? You decide...

What to do when you have a tight group of friends/riders that eat, sleep and breath freeride, and the riding season is only a few months long? Simple: You make sure that you have as much fun as possible during the season, and make sure the lifestyle continues during the off-season as well.

Some define freeriding as a sub-category of biking. We have our own funky crew of around 10 passionate riders that instead define it as a lifestyle. It's all the new people you meet. It's all the new and exciting places you get to see. It's about the road-trips you make. It's about the nature you get to explore. It's about the rush you get when you take your bike down a trail or to a local spot. It's about the cinematography. It's about the photography. All this. Combined.

Read more! Pics and videos inside!

Pure Cycle is the newest member of the Ibis family and we're happy to be able to offer one of the best all mountain bikes around at a stellar price in coordination with our 23 days of Christmas Sale (going on December 1st thru December 23rd). For those 23 days we'll be giving you the opportunity to get your hands on one of the most popular & award winning pedaling machines out there! In case you've been living under a rock for the last few years and haven't heard of the Mojo here's the lowdown: full carbon frame with 5.5" (140mm) of plush rear wheel travel, featuring the D.W. link and coming in under 6 lbs. Paired with the lightweight-bombproof Shimano XT kit, you're looking at a bike that can perform flawlessly going up or shredding down- and it weighs only (+/-)26.5 lbs.

Full package regular price runs $5199.99 CAD +tax, but for 23 days only, you can get into one for $3999.99 +tax. Please note that this is a Canada wide promotion only!

An EZO day out to The LG London Freeze Snowboard and music festival featuring the Animal bike show with Sam Pilgrim and Martyn Ashton.

I’ve never seen a mint Aero eaten like a Mars bar – one of the very many things I visually encountered in a recent EZO day out to London Freeze snowboard and music festival. Tom, Scott and myself departed the sunshine coast around 9:30AM. I was already soaking wet due to some misplaced footsteps in my run through the puddle maze in the station car park.

Complete story inside,

This past Saturday in San Fransisco, the first annual AT’s Showdown happened at the SF Bike Expo! With a large list of premier riders and some of the biggest dirt jumps known to man, it was sure to be an epic day! Some of the riders in the Showdown included The McCaul's, Watts, Goldman, Montgomery, Bass, Lawrenuk, Gullevich, Chubey, Fogel, Lunn and many more.

Look inside to see what went down at "The Showdown!"

The new movie from Sweden.

It´s back, the top riders from Sweden have released their new video, Straight outta Sweden 3.

Same style as the last film we released, featuring Swedish riders & the Swedish-scene.

3 videos inside!

I've been talking to young Mike Parenteau over the course of this past season as he continually tries to convince me how rad riding on one wheel is (and I'm not talking wheelies here). When I think about Unicycles, I think circus acts and "that kid" that seems to be in every town who can actually ride one. By ride one, I mean on the street, not in a technical manner. Mike and his good buddy Kenny Banks have proven this stereo type that I've got in my head wrong as they and their good filming friend Dan Poirier continue to release web edits of them riding really technically demanding features.

Inside is Mike and Dan's story along with web edits of the one wheelers in action,

The Covert from Transition Bikes is their answer to the All Mountain rider's demands for a bike that can ride the whole mountain - the ups, the across and the downs. At 6 inches, it falls into suit with a lot of other All Mountain bikes, well how does it work on my local mountains and where I ride? We've had the Covert for 4 months of trail time and it's been all over British Columbia now and even in it's own back yard of northern Washington.

Read on to see how it fared,

Source: David Peacock

Bike movies have always been, to me at least, motivation to achieve something greater each time I grace (or in my case disgrace) the saddle of a bicycle. Films provided not only an outlet for my allowance growing up, but also a visual stimulus that incurred a strong desire to ride. The lines ridden in the aforementioned movies were always fascinating and kept me riveted to the screen, especially during the annual season of bike withdrawal known as winter.

Is everyone going flat these days? The debate still continues over on the forums, tracks, uplifts and in the ring. First it was Chromag, then Kore, Element, Reverse, Sunline and now SixPack has stepped into the ring. No doubt more contenders will follow in 2010.

If you are running triple clamps and minimum spacers under your stem and crown, then follow me.

Stund 2 - Episode 3 ready to check out!

Episode 3! USA. After crossing the border we headed south to the Seattle Area where I had been filming before with my Rockstar teammate Luke Strobel and "Barred for Life". It's amazing how many mosquitoes get caked to your bike after driving for 10 hours. But we made it down in one piece... Well, almost. We lost Mike's brand new Transition off the roof rack at night on the highway. The bike took it well though and everything was good... It was the car behind us that got the best of it. Tuff bikes the Transition boys make but not that tuff. The scene here is super laid back, people come hang, ride, and feast on fresh salmon at the bottom of the trails.

Click to watch!

DUNBAR is giving away a bike on their NEW ONLINE STORE!

We are so stoked to be going online, we’re gonna give away a bike! At DUNBAR we don’t do things half ass, so we are not giving away a crappy bike that we couldn’t sell last year, we are giving away one of the sickest dirt jump bikes on the planet, a custom built Evil Faction! Make a purchase online, and you will be automatically entered. We will be giving the bike away just before Christmas. Think, you could be on a shiny new ride for Christmas and get some sweet gear at amazing prices!

Winner will be announced December 15th, 2009

Cam McCaul is one of the most premier riders of our sport today. He can kill it on the track, rip up the dirt jumps, and keep you laughing till you want to cry, while still busting out some of the most unique lines, and tricks. Recently on my trip to Aptos California I got a chance to check out Cam's new bike, however Cam didn't have too much spare time so I got him to do his bike check while he was riding to cut down on filming time.

Click here for the Cam McCaul bike check...

The dramatic loss in elevation from the rocky peaks to the wide-open valley floors is part of what makes Switzerland a mountain biker’s paradise. With Mont Blanc in the distance, and a meadow of purple and pink flowers all around, I took grasp of my handlebars, took grip of my pedals, and dropped in on the perfectly winding singletrack that would drop me over 4,600 feet in a single run.

Big Mountain Bike Adventures had brought me to my own personal paradise.

Freeride BC in North Saanich simply needs you fingers for one minute!

This is a bike community correct? Well I am here to tug at your heart strings and ask for your help and launch a modern bike park North Saanich BC. We have been working for years on a local project with the community to develop a world class training center- www.freeridebc.blogspot.com and www.freeridebc.com

Now we simply need you to vote online!

You may know him or remember him as the guy that wrote the "What makes the Photo Of the Day different from other pictures?"and "The Greatest sport in the world!"blogs. Riders in the province of Ontario, Canada may see him as "balls to the wall" or the guy that builds awesome bicycle trails non-stop and then f'en sends'er. I see him as "Fartigus Maximus" and a huge motivational, inspiration to a lot of people that know him. Point being he is a legit rider that you may want to find out more about...

Read on for more, pics and video inside!

Source: X-Fusion

X-Fusion is proud to announce the signing of Tyler McCaul to our 2010 roster. Tyler continues to build his name in mountain biking excelling in Slopestyle and DJ contests, but still has the ability to race gravity events at the elite level. We at X-Fusion feel that he is a great ambassador for our brand and will be of value helping with R&D and product development.

More details inside,

Congrats to all the beaten and bruised knees out there! Having looked through dozens of cut up legs for our winners, all I can say is that your poor knees need to be better taken care of folks!

Thanks for all the submissions, winners inside,

*Caution! Graphic Content Inside!*

Back in May, Calgary Cycle was one of 5 Santa Cruz dealers in the world to receive the newly re-designed and fully re-dialed 2010 Santa Cruz Blur LT Carbon. This frame, Santa Cruz claims is the strongest frame they’ve ever built with the stiffest chassis they’ve ever built- bar none. The frame and shock come in weighing 1 pound lighter than the previous version (5.6 lbs. to be exact) and the Blur boasts 140mm of travel to boot along with VPP2 suspension. “This bike isn’t some long travel lightweight XC experiment. Think of the Blur LTc as a hairy chested all-mountain ass kicker. In a hockey mask. Holding a chainsaw.” Enough said.

Calgary Cycle was stoked to have one on the shelves… which didn’t last long!

Read on to find out about the lucky rider who laid eyes on it first and built up the ultimate mountain rippin’ machine.

I'm attempting to compete in the Mega Avalanche in 2010 - It's a journey of 52 weeks till I actually get there and it's gonna be tough! Read on to hear more about my week of riding Hardtails, filming for Geax and BMX racing!

Inside are the pics, video diary and loads of letters from the alphabet, which form words that will tell you about week 16 in my mission to Mega Avalanche in 2010.

We are happy to announce that Dobermann bikes will soon be available in the UK through Balfa UK. Balfa UK will keep all Dobermann products in stock and will take care of consumer service for the United Kingdom. This is good news for all the riders in the United Kingdom as they will now have access to our products and services without having to deal with international shipping and customs fees.

More details inside,

Source: Norco Bikes

Norco Bikes is proud to announce the addition of Slopestyle rider Sam Dueck to the 2010 Norco Factory Team. Sam has come off a great season boasting fantastic results such as 5th at Crankworx Colorado and 2nd at Goat Style in Creston BC. For the 2010 competition season Sam will continue to compete at an elite level in premiere events on a 2010 Norco 4Hun and an Empire SE.

Fresh out of the box, and just in time for about five months of rain, is the great looking Roval Traverse EL wheelset from the boys at Specialized. Boasting some impressive numbers, these wheels will see a lot of miles throughout our gray winter season - a perfect testing environment if I do say so myself! For now we'll have a closer look at the Traverse EL's and find out what makes them go around.

Read on...

News Source: RideSFO

Just a quick reminder that this upcoming weekend is the 2009 SF Bike Expo at the Cow Palace in Daily City. Here are a few updates.

Source: Marios Spyrou

Downhill...a sport that has been growing large over the last few decades and every year bikes and tracks are becoming better and wilder. In some countries though, this extreme sport is underdeveloped. One of these countries is my country, Cyprus. A small and beautiful island situated in the Mediterranean sea. An island, which most of the year, has something which many people would like to have, especial during winter months, the sun.

More about Cyprus inside,

Source: CR1 Engineering

CR1 Engineering will be offering a 25% discount for the holidays to all members of Pinkbike.com . CR1 offers professional level suspension services for everyone; from the professional racer to the weekend warrior.

Source: Jason Gibbs

Sternberg edges Mazuti in pro final!

Lars Sternberg showed the way in round 1, not without a fight from BMX-Pro Daniel Mazuti. With round one in the books, it looks like the 2009/2010 Indoor 4x series at Peninsula Indoor in Port Orchard, WA is going to be a barn burner of a series. With entries from WA, OR and Canada, the vibe was amazing as the day got rolling with a Transition Bikes demo. Mike Metzger & factory race team manager Lars Sternberg helped people test out their line of hard tail and short travel bikes. Full story inside,

At junior school in the late 1970's when we were playing army, marbles, British Bulldog and especially at this time of year, conkers! The girls swapped, traded and showed off their collection of scented rubbers.

2009 and Spank have stepped back in time and produced these fragrant little numbers. Check them out!

Transition Bikes now looking for grassroots riders for 2010!

Transition has now separated its sponsorship programs between race and freeride. We are dedicated to our riders, and want to provide the best support possible to our representatives. Isolating these two disciplines is a progression in the commitment we have to our riders.

The Moab Ho-Down is a 3 day mountain bike festival in Moab, Utah that happens in October each year. October 30, 31 and November 1, 2009 was the 4th Annual Moab Ho-Down.

The 2009 Moab Ho-Down Mountain Bike Festival was once again a huge success and good fun had by all! The races were injury free, dirt jump jam saw a bigger turnout of riders with a 100 plus crowd to show off their bag of tricks to, the townie tour had over 80 people cruizin’ and the movie had a close to packed house. Oh yeah…and the party…350 people shakin’ their booties to DJ Slacker Zach’s tunes in some crazy costumes. If you missed it then start planning for next October ‘cuz we’re doin’ it again!

Source: X-Fusion

Due to the fact that the Side Flight Champs has had an explosion of hype and exposure we were forced to take it to the next level. We no longer will be holding it at the Pine Valley Jumps, but now we will have custom jumps built for us at San Diego Offroad Park. These guys are giving us control of their tractors and telling us to make it as nasty and massive as we want! Kyle Strait, Cody Warren and Griz will begin construction this week. We now also can provide all you spectators with food and drinks. Don’t worry about having to drive because there is camping on location for only $10 a vehicle.

More details inside,

Source: The Fifth Estate

This past weekend, on CBC News television, the Fifth Estate aired an in depth look into the world of Sam Brown by reporter Linden MacIntyre. It's a pretty good piece and we want to share it with everyone that has been following the story since Sam's death late last winter.

More inside,

Source: Reece Wallace

The first time I saw a Chub Hub I was baffled. I had never seen a hub so big! After seeing Andrew Taylor and Phil Sundbaum both shredding on them, I was curious to know more and really stoked when I was given the opportunity to review a set of Chub Hubs. Chub Hubs are designed and manufactured by a group called The Hive. The Hive consists of five main dedicated members whose goal is to improve and innovate cycling technology by means of “innovative technical features [and] superb engineering”.

Details inside,

Recently I got a phone call from Vancouver local and GT Bicycle's rider Andrew Cho, and he was interested in doing some laps. Fall has arrived on the wet West Coast, and all the colors have started to shift. Andrew Cho brought his new 2010 GT Fury out for us to take a look at, and it is a piece of work!

Read on for more info and a video on Andrew Cho's Bike...

Source: Knolly Bikes

Knolly Bikes is now accepting applications from riders who are interested in competing on Knolly Bikes during the 2010 Season. The Knolly Grass-Roots Sponsorship Program is open to qualified individual athletes and teams that are based anywhere in the US and Canada. For riders and teams based in BC and Alberta you must apply for Grass-Roots Sponsorship through your local Knolly Dealer.

Stund 2 - Episode 2 - Kelowna

Check it out!

A few weeks ago the Anthill crew was shooting with Thomas Vanderham and Brendan Fairclough in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. This wasn't exactly your typical pairing of riders, but it worked perfectly with what the new film "Follow Me" is all about.

After the shoot, Anthill Filmmaker Jonathan Schramm reflected on some of the thinking that went into the making of this segment.

A two-day Okanagan All-mountain extravaganza - A two-part picture story by Margus Riga

After a sound sleep and a slow start, it was decided that we would return to The Rock Oven to snag some shots we missed the day before because of nominal light.

Amazing pics inside!

With three World Cup wins this Fourcross season, Joost Wichman decided it was time for a well deserved break after his best season yet. Joost tells us all about this in a review of the first Bensink Speed & Style Jam Season Closer, fueled by Rockstar!

No stress, just fun in the 'backyard'!

Now that the season’s over, it’s time to chill out and take a break from racing for a few months whilst trying to fit some training in to come back better and faster next year.

And what better way to see how all that training has paid off (or how much that Christmas stuffing has slowed you down) than a friendly winter series?

Source: Trail Bicycles

Tonight, 2 shows only in Courtenay BC, stomping grounds to Kyle Hansen and Bjorn Aunet, come out and see Barred for Life! Pinkbike will be there with some swag and Kyle himself will be at the 9 PM showing.

Details inside,

A two-day Okanagan All-mountain extravaganza - A two-part picture story by Margus Riga

For most, the last big ride of the year is a special event and something not to take lightly. The term "It's better to burn out than to fade away" comes to mind. As the conditions are deteriorating fast on the Shore, I thought about other zones that are still happening.

My friend Johnny Smoke had been trying to get me to come up to ride and shoot his local scene in the Okanagan for some time, and I had been working a lot this past summer with Ryan Berrecloth and Knolly Bikes. So when the opportunity came up for me to try out a fresh Knolly Endorphin and shoot some all mountain action, I jumped on it.

28 spokes of strength.

"World Class DH wheels have to be bombproof, but nobody said they have to feel sluggish and unresponsive." Easton's mindset on the aggressive wheel market makes sense. Why not engineer something that is strong, light, responsive, and not garbage? With that, Easton took it into their own hands, and came up with the Havoc DH wheels. 28 spokes of excitement make these wheels light, while some very smart technologies make them strong.

Click here for info on the Havoc DH wheels...

Source: Troy Lee Designs

Ever wonder what some of the pros get up to in the off season? Here is a video from Troy Lee Designs of Sam Hill at Perris Raceway getting ready for Day in the Dirt.

Enjoy,

Things have been rolling along nicely here at calgarycycleonline, we had a busy summer and hooked tons of good folks up with great deals on all sorts of parts and goodies. Back in June we also held a contest where new members of Calgary Cycle Online were entered to win a Troy Lee Designs watch, Chromag bar and stem combo or The Tipping Point DVD along with a set of Dakine gloves.

We had a great response and came out with three lucky winners!

Learn how to snap gates and rail turns with Yeti team riders, Jared Graves and Sam Blenkinsop! Jared walks us through his winning gate starts while Blinky tells us how to hold on and let it roll through the turns.

Videos inside,

Jacob Gibbins is a freelance photographer based out of the UK. Not only does the UK pump out dialed riders, but it's been breeding some great photographers as of late. The UK has a unique climate that is known to go from warm to wet really fast, but not to frozen too quickly. This climate allows the riders to be out everyday, training on vast terrain that is always changing. As well, this allows the photographers to dial in their wet, and dry weather shooting, so when the time comes they can be prepared for anything.

Jacob has proven to us over the last short while that he is a versatile, and well rounded photographer in all aspects of the sport.

Click here for an interview with Jacob Gibbins...

After an incredible kick off to NWD 10 the film is finally available to the download generation. If DVD is not your thing and you just have to have it, Dust and Bones is now available on iTunes at the following links.

Details inside,

I have been riding around now for Geax tyres for 3 months - this is not a test, but rather an informative piece on a product that I have come to enjoy using on my bike. The Geax Datura is described as their "essential tyre choice for wet, muddy and loose conditions". It seems to have found a happy home on my DH bikes for the past 2 months as our weather has been just that quote.

Read on to hear my thoughts and first impressions of the tyre designed by Geax to help us combat the Winter blues.

Source: Long Nguyen

The SF Bike Expo Crew is pleased to announce the addition of AT’s Showdown at the Cow Palace, a mountain bike dirt jump competition. Powered by Adidas and designed by Gravity Pro Andrew Taylor, it will begin with a launch off a Sea Container through the trees into some massive jumps. The competition will feature some of the top pros including Andrew Taylor, Greg Watts. Cameron McCaul, Tyler MCCaul, Paul Basagoitia, Mike Montgomery and more riders to be announced. The SF Bike Expo is taking shape.

Don’t miss the greatest eye candy and action on two wheels!

In the 303R-DH preview we gave you all of the information and facts about the 303R-DH, however we left you hanging when it came to information on how it rides. Looks and technology only come into play so much when you're looking into purchasing a bike, and most riders will find themselves asking other riders what they think of this bike or that bike. In order to skip you having to talk to your best friend's, sister's, boyfriend's dad who has an old Yeti, I am going to tell you exactly what my impressions of the Yeti 303R-DH were.

Video and details inside,

Source: 23 Degrees Sports

South Africa's Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate) is recovering in hospital after a crash at the weekend saw him break his collarbone, and have surgery on his left leg for the treatment of blood clots that had formed after the accident. The medical term for this injury to his leg is 'compartment syndrome'.

Details inside,

News Source: RideSFO

Just a quick reminder that next Saturday, November 21st, is 2009 SF Bike Expo at the Cow Palace in Daily City. Attend the show and get a chance to win may great prizes - including a Marin DJ bike.

Anthill Films have been busy filming 'Follow Me' this year and also got a chance to film with Simmons and Shandro, putting together some Shimano clips, have a look!

Source: Haro Bicycles

Haro Bicycles is pleased to announce that we have signed 2009 Whistler Crankworx slopestyle champion, Greg Watts. Boasting a bag of tricks few other riders can match, Greg has made numerous podium appearances at premier slopestyle and freeride events all over the world. He has also produced several video segments in high-profile films such as New World Disorder and Barred for Life.

On the face of it, brakes are pretty simple things; comprising a couple of pistons pushing some friction material against a disc. But that is to overlook the amount of development work that has gone into getting them from the humble cantilevers being raced in the early nineties to the high power, light weight disc based systems we see today.

Hope was an early innovator of the breed and continues to be in the same position to this day – so here we take a look at their latest offerings.

Sam Reynolds... Well known dirt jumper from the United Kingdom who rides for DMR. He has proven his mad skills winning 'King of Dirt' twice in a row. I have met with Sam, earlier this year and shot a few photos. Take a look and read what he has to say about KoD, his daily life, plans and dirt jumping scene...

This interview has been published in the Polish BikeMag called 'BikeAction' [#86, Nov '09] Photography and words by Simon aka lunatyk at PinkBike.

Imprint Productions is proud to present its first film, Realm of Persistence. Including riders from all over Ontario, traveling the country for training and for fun, showing just some of the talent that Ontario has to offer the downhill biking community.

Shot on location in Toronto, Collingwood, Blue Mountain, Muskoka and Whistler, I have put together a twenty minute film (3 Parts) for all your enjoyment - for free.

Source: X-Fusion

X-Fusion is proud to announce the first ever Side Flight Championships. This contest is unique as it brings together riders from both the racing and freeriding side of our industry. No tricks required to win this contest, just the biggest, nastiest whips they can throw for our enjoyment and our cameras. The contest will be jam format to keep the natural vibe of this local jump spot while riders will be competing for $1000.00 cash and the Side Flight Champ Whip Trophy.

More details inside,

Stund 2 - Episode 1 - Williams lake.

Check it out!!!

The Launch Pro Knee Pad is the next evolution in knee protection from Fox - hard shell knee protection with an ergonomic, soft shell fit. The Kevlar front knee panel covers a flexible plastic knee cup, and the perforated neoprene body forms to your leg, providing optimum comfort and a high degree of impact protection in critical zones. The Launch Pro delivers comfortable, stay-put coverage throughout the entire range of pedaling motion - so you can stay focused on the ride ahead.

Contest details inside!

The 2010 DH Winter League dates have been announced, and this year looks like it's gonna be unreal. 4 Rounds across 2 provinces, and this year the races will probably be 2 day events (though, like usual at Winter League races, no uplifts).

Details inside,

Here we go!

STUND Season 2 - Episode 1 is launching tomorrow on Pinkbike. We are finally ready to go and things look great. I assure you episode 1 is just a taste of what is to come as this show ramps up all the way to the end! Look out this Sunday for the premier of Season 2. From there we will be releasing 1 episode a week every Sunday.

More details inside,

2009/2010 Peninsula Indoor 4x season ready to kick off Nov 14!

We’re only one week away from the opening round of the 1st indoor 4x winter series in Washington State and from the buzz it looks to be a good turnout. Before each race, there will be a different bike company doing bike demos for riders to try out their favorite hard tail or short travel bikes. At the first race on November 14th, Transition Bikes will be in the house from 10:30 to 2:30 doing a bike demo with their Bank, Double, & TOP bikes, barbecuing hot dogs and cranking the music. Transition’s Dirt Jumping/Freeride mad man Mike Metzger will be there along with Lars Stenberg to answer any questions about the bikes. If this demo is anything like their recent demo at the Colonnade bike park in Seattle you won’t want to miss it.

Race details inside,

Source: Fox Racing Shox

FOX is a racing company and supports race events on a technical and grassroots level across the US and globe. If you have a team or are a rider that has what it takes, FOX wants to help with your success by sponsoring you with the best performing suspension on the market.

Details inside,

The last ride of the season comes in many shapes and forms. It could be your last ride due to weather conditions. It could be your last ride due to an injury. For some there is no last ride. But regardless of your lifestyle there is always a beginning and end to the season.

James Healey, Terry Hauk and myself ventured into the woods to see if the fall weather could show us what a last ride means.

Pics and Video inside!

Berthoud, CO. - 80 pounds of grilled goodness, 470 PBR's, and too many riders & friends to count. The 2009 J'ammy Jam rocked! So the way that all of us that were there see it, if you weren't there... you missed out!

The question isn’t what were you doing this past Saturday, the question is why weren’t you at this year’s J’ammy Jam?

The Coastal Crew just uploaded this sweet clip of Semenuk getting rad with them a few weeks ago. Check out his steeze on the bike and behind the wheel!

Video inside,

Hey there, my name is Lewis Nolan, I'm 18 years old and hail from Perth Western Australia.

I'm actually a Moto Trials rider, but I thought you'd be stoked on this trick video that I made of a flair 540 tap footjam! Sorry about the non HD quality, but I think the trick will stoke you out.

Check it,

WTB previously launched their Dissent tire as "the official tire of Whistler Mountain Bike Park", and boy did it work good on that "A-Line" style of terrain. The Dissent 2.5 was very predictable on dry dirt, but it was a disaster when it touched wet. The Dissent 2.5 was designed with a small channel, which ejects packed up dirt in your tire and so forth, which caused it to pack up in wet conditions.

This season WTB took the Dissent one step further with the Dissent 2.3. They made the profile slightly thinner, and made the channel slightly larger, and in turn created a wicked tire for the opposite side of the scale as its bigger brother, the soft/wet side!

Read on for more information...

Source: Brett Hornfelt

Home Sweet Home part 2 - The DH Story

Well now that you have seen some of our local XC trails here in Quesnel BC, it is time to get into the nitty gritty of the trails around here. The local DH trails are amazing. The ones that are shown in this article are definitely a couple of my favorite trails. If you like to be challenged to go fast in some tight, technical and extremely rough terrain than these trails are for you. If you like big rock lines than once again this is place for you.

Just got this sweet web edit from Cam Zink. He talks about his Mavic wheels, but you won't hear that as you'll be too focused on the bad ass riding going on in the video.

Enjoy!

Source: MEC

Outdoor retailer brings MEC bikes to co-op members - MEC bikes defined by ‘quality, value and performance’

Vancouver – Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) today unveiled its inaugural line of bicycles, online at www.mec.ca/bikes. The move reflects the co-op’s ongoing efforts to respond to its members’ needs and signals another step by the outdoor retailer to encourage Canadians to make cycling an integral part of their lives.

More inside,

Source: Sombrio

Looking for new riding gear and live in the Greater Vancouver area, come see us?

The second weekend of November (6th to 8th) - Sombrio is hosting our on premise 2009 Sample / Warehouse Sale and are inviting ALL Y’ALL over to indulge in huge savings on guy’s and girl’s Apparel, Outerwear and Streetwear. Whether it’s doing some early Holiday shopping, getting set for winter riding season, or perusing some wild fashions - Sombrio is the place to take advantage of some rare deals on samples and one off prototypes as well as a great selection of production items in ALL sizes.

Race Face has just sent us the actual SKU's that you will see in MEC stores across Canada. This is in response to all the feedback from riders wanting to know what exactly they will be selling in MEC stores.

Hard Goods
- Ride, Evolve, Respond
- Turbine and Race Chainrings
- Grips

Armour- Rally FR, Zero, Dig and DIY womens (all in grey only)

Clothing-Men’s: Atlas jersey, Canuck jersey (short sleeved only), V02 shorts, Buzz shorts, Atlas gloves, Evolve Gloves
Women’s: Blossom jersey, Shoots jersey, DIY short, 3 over 4 pant, DIY glove

Formula came out with a new XC/AM brakeset for 2009 and over the past few months I have been giving them a right proper thrashing on my Intense Uzzi. Once I felt that I had beaten on them enough I handed them over to Cory Hemminger to install on his Giant Trance and really give then a true XC beating. Cory logs a lot of hard miles in the woods, so I knew that we was the right person to have help with the testing.

Read on to see how they stacked up on 2 different set ups and riding styles,

Last weekend I had the pleasure of re-visiting Moab, Utah with the crew from Trek Bikes and fellow media from around the world. We were all brought together to experience the all new Scratch 9 and the Remedy 9.9 bikes that Trek has rolled out with for 2010.

Inside you'll find my take on initial impressions of each bike and tons of pics from the beautiful riding in Moab, Utah.

Troy Brosnan Joins The Monster Energy-Specialized Freight Train For 2010!

Wildomar, Calif. (Nov 4, 2009) - Charging out of Adelaide, South Australia and joining the already powerful Monster Energy-Specialized gravity program is 16-year-old Troy Brosnan. Brosnan has been blazing tracks all over Australia and opened some eyes at this year’s Crankworx Festival where he left his tracks all over Whistler, B.C. Brosnan not only possesses the skills and speed it takes to be a top gravity athlete, but he’s already quite media savvy. Sam Hill has also vouched for Troy which says a lot in itself, saying: “ Troy is the real deal.”

I'm attempting to compete in the Mega Avalanche in 2010 - It's a journey of 52 weeks till I actually get there and it's gonna be tough! Read on to hear more about my week of looking at my traveling, new mates and photo shoot after photo shoot!

Inside are the pics, video diary and loads of letters from the alphabet, which form words that will tell you about week 14 in my mission to Mega Avalanche in 2010.

Clips, SPD's, Devil Pedals; call them what you will. Here we have the Crank Brothers Mallet 1's which have been on long term test since the start of the year.

Read on to find out how they did:

LOCations - A Free full length film of the up and coming Aptos locals!

About a year of filming and editing to document some of the best local riding at the various spots we have here in Aptos, California! All brought to you for FREE!

More details and full film inside!

Being British I had to leak the Atherton PRO range first. After all, all us Europeans know how to go fast. It seems the other side of the pond you know how to go big, skinny or trick it up. Good job Mr. Vanderham is on your team and backing you up with the latest range of PRO kit with his name all over it.

Will you be joining him? Come inside and let us and him know!