Here are a quick few words and the results from the Maxxis Cup Round 2 in Vigo from last week. Jess Stone is behind the keyboard today and she placed 2nd at both Gouveia and Vigo rounds and it's only her first year riding in Elite!

Nigel Page just said, "Well after a hectic week of dealing with UPS and customs and Dave and Jason working around the clock building all our bikes they are finally built and I have to say I have never seen better looking bikes". I think you might have to agree with him!

Check them out!

Racing starts this weekend, so get your cameras ready for the action. We've started an all new Fluidride Cup Photo Gallery in the Photo Section where you can upload all your race footage and view everyone else's great shots from the series.

Get snappin'!

Taboo Cycles is Kamloops’ newest bike shop, in the heart of B.C.'s riding mecca. Strategically placed at the base of the Kamloops Bike Ranch, we serve as a convenient pit stop for riders enjoying the many offerings of the bike ranch, and surrounding trails of this beautiful region. We invite you to come in and share your riding adventures with us over a cup of fresh-brewed Kicking Horse Coffee. We proudly cater to and warmly welcome all riders including kids, by offering the top quality lines of Cannondale, Transition, Cervelo, Louis Garneau and Fit Bike Co BMX bikes.

Like many people in Ontario I enjoy slopestyle, dirt jump, and freeride aspects of our sport. Upon reading the article about the Goat Style Jam in Creston B.C., thoughts about organizing a slopestyle event in Ontario started brewing.

I started by emailing several places asking if they would be interested in hosting such an event. As many of you probably know, any type of freestyle riding is very under appreciated in Ontario. I only received one reply. It was from Chicopee Bike Park and they said that they were open to the idea if I could get the plan to be feasible. So...the planning began.

Lama Cycles, the Canadian distributor for NS Bikes, Morewood Bikes and Industry Nine is proud to announce its official DH team for 2009. For a third year in a row, the Lama Cycles team will take part in the Quebec Cup events, the Canada cup events and will also be attending the two Canadian World Cups . Throughout the 2009 season, the team will be training for these events on their brand new Morewood Makulu frames at the local DH hill, skibromont.com.

Source: Strand Fitness Coaching

GET FIT Part 2

If you haven’t put in the effort to get fit this off-season, it’s too late! No, just kidding, but if you don’t want to loose your lungs and legs on the trails, I’d motivate asap! Please do take the time to read, and do, part 1 of the series before thinking about incorporating this phase. Remember, what I’ve provided you with here are only guidelines, consulting a professional trainer is the safest and most effective way to go.

*THE EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO TOO MUCH SNOW*

Source: Vans Shoes

BMX racing is one of the sports that helped build Vans into a household name in the late 70’s and throughout the 80’s. With the natural progression of BMX racing and now downhill mountain bike racing requiring specific footwear, it became apparent not everyone can pull holeshots or win a downhill race on a pair of skate shoes anymore. We decided to design a shoe that would meet the demands for BMX racing and mountain biking, not only in function, but with style as well. You don’t have to look like you’re wearing slippers from the future or tap dance shoes anymore in order to get the performance that these sports demand. We’ve gathered the best riders in each discipline to help us develop and test our shoes to make sure they not only perform for the top of the podium, but also look stylish while getting you there.

GT Bikes are working on an all new Slopestyle bike with their new team riders Tyler McCaul and Andrew Cho. So far there are only 3 "Chototypes" in existence and there are no immediate plans to produce the bike as there are lots of revisions to be made.

Here is a look at the new bike and what steps have been taken to get to this point...

"In the woods this bike is like a Swiss Army knife with only one tool, and it just so happens that that tool fits nearly everything."

What has dual 26" wheels and requires no more than a bit of chain lube for a full tune up? If you're thinking a singlespeed hardtail, you're right on the money. For years I've knocked singlespeeds for mountain biking anywhere that has fast trails with steep climbs and descents. I've watched good riders painfully struggle on climbs only to spin out and slow down when the trail points downhill, so I always questioned the point of it. To my surprise this bike has it's place, which just so happens to be the tight, technical trails in my backyard, which are so wet 6 months out of the year that I find myself picking rocks out of the corners of my eyes at dinner two nights later.

-all photos and text by Brad Walton

Long Nguyen hails from Albuquerque New Mexico and has recently begun to pursue his passion for sports photography, namely mountain bike photography. He's put together a nice video of some of his favorite shots from last year and tells us why they mean what they do to him.

Enjoy...

Source: Grassroots Cycles

Grassroots Cycles is hosting their second annual Ranchstyle Mountain Bike Festival in Grand Junction, Co., April 23-26th 2009. This year's event will include guided adrenaline rides, shuttle service, freeride skills clinics, the MRP Super Dual Slalom, and the Pro-Am Slopestyle comp to cap off the weekend….

The United Riders of Cumberland are pleased to host the first DH race of the season on this classic course. This year the typically hot and dusty weather will be nowhere to be found as mud and remnants of snowfalls will be along the course. Conditions are tacky!

We have been able to get the road and trail cleared of snow and the race is on!

The Biggest Sale around is back. Check out all the amazing deals. There are some limits but, not many!

Check out all the deals @ www.bowcycle.com

While pondering over coffee one afternoon in the summer myself and a few friends came to the realization that we ain't getting any younger, in fact at the time... within a 6 month time frame we'd all be pushing the boundaries of 30.

This was the catalyst that got us planning...

Source: Race Face

Race Face Components Inc., one of North America’s leading producers of high-end mountain bike components, apparel and protection, is proud to announce a new partnership with the Gravity Group Kenda/Morewood Team. Rennie and Delfs will be running Race Face’s Atlas FR cranks at all World Cup events for the next 2 seasons.

Want to know where the Pinkbike.com UK Squadron will be reporting trackside in the U.K and even further afield? Open the following to see where we will be compiling a nice report, pictures and hopefully some nice video footage.

Perhaps you'd like to help us out too?

Source: Whistler Bike Park

Whistler’s 6th Annual Freeride Mountain Bike Festival Returns August 8-16, 2009 Including Perennial Favorites and New Event

After celebrating a year of milestones in 2008 including more than 800,000 webcast and online content views; the first-ever double backflip at a major mountain bike competition; the birth of the Giant Slalom and the VW Trick Showdown, Kokanee Crankworx is ready to blow the lid off in 2009.

Two of the UK’s top mountain biking stars officially launched the British leg of the Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup 2009, encouraging families, fans and enthusiasts to head to the Scottish Highlands ‘for a piece of the action’ at this year’s event.

Ruhubarb Cunningham and Ken Bathro descended on Edinburgh’s rugged Calton Hill today to mark the launch of ticket sales for the award-winning fixture, which returns to the scenic slopes and grueling terrain around Fort William for an eighth year on the 6th and 7th June 2009.

Downhill tires nowadays talk about the channel. The channel is designed to abort dirt, and packed up muck from your tires, creating a more open path to cruise on. The Intense MicroKnobby tire is the exact opposite. With 7,500 micro knobs per tire, these babies were designed for maximum traction in hard pack terrain. Where are these conditions found? At the dirt jumps and around town!

Read on for more information on the MicroKnobby Tire.

The 2009 Fluidride Cup is kicking the season off in Port Angeles, Washington on April 3rd with an added practice day!

Practice begins on April 4th, then the season opening DH is Sunday April 5th. Several details have finally been released for all racers, start your planning now!

News Source: Eric Schutt
Check out the latest technical service video for SRAM, RockShox, Avid and Truvativ MTB products. There are twenty-three videos that range from proper SRAM chain sizing to RockShox Mission Control damper service.

Easter Bunny? Don't want to sit at home tackling turkey sandwiches this Easter? Then the 10th-13th of April 2009 is for you. Escape the dinner table and be part of a four day Downhill extravaganza that you will get more runs than you can shake a turkey bone at.

Enter now!

Sunline will be offering limited edition color combos on the popular V1 bar in the 19mm rise and 745mm width along with a lock-on grip. One color combination will be offered at a time in truly limited numbers and then the next color will be brought in after the previous color is sold out.

Source: Geoff Gulevich

Geoff Gulevich heads South early season and starts his 2009 Gully Files -

So our trip begins with the ambitions of any avid mountain bikers, stuck in the cold of winter...Hating life, with snow on the ground and our bikes put away.

Ding, Ding, "Round One".. The Maxxis Cup in Portugal is the season opener and the World benchmark to see who has been doing the press-ups and shaving their legs.

Everyone is on a new rig and this is a valuable test to see how the kit works and performs before the World Cup starts. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail...

Hope Technology are one of those companies who have always been at the top of their game with there being very few seasons where they haven’t had their products gracing the World Cup podiums in one way or another. Always innovators, a steady evolution of their products has helped them become the company that they are today. With refined design and finishing, their products are neater, lighter, more reliable and more effective than ever. Below is a little taster of some of what is on offer for 2009 from a team bike which we recently had on test.

X-Fusion/Intense is proud to announce it will be working with rideSFO for the 2009 season. We have come together as sponsorship partners to help attack the lifestyle side of the mountain bike industry. Both X-Fusion/Intense and rideSFO, a community and retail marketplace, have a strong tie in the Bay Area Cycling Scene that we wish to spread with the rest of the world. rideSFO’s commitment to an international cycling team shows that they are ready to expand their business and love of the sport outside of our bay area biking mecca.

Point One Racing is not an unknown name in the industry. Started by 2 racers' need for race worthy parts that are not only strong, but extremely light. Recently we got our hands on the Split Second stem from Point One, which has a very unique design, and some interesting characteristics.

Read on for more information on the Split Second...

Dave Myers is one of many awesome riders in Surrey, BC. He always goes big and is always rad and does gnar tricks from hopping picnic tables to huge supermans.

Here is his interview:

Source: PaintHouse Customs

Greg from Straitline Components first contacting me after seeing my last Pinkbike article and asked if I could do a custom paint job on his new THE helmet. This was a great project for me because he gave me complete freedom over the design of this helmet.

Swiss and Swallow Aston Hill Black Run Race

It's been a long time coming since Ian Warby hung up his clip board after doing so much with Aston Hill in the past. Rich Abbott, Ben Marston and the new Committee have been working hard, this is what they delivered!

Source: SDG Components

Leading bicycle saddle maker SDG USA’s Bicycle Division has been acquired by its former General Manager for an undisclosed sum, the company announced today. Tyler Anspach, who has been with SDG for eight years, formed SDG Components LLC and the entity purchased the Bicycle Division’s inventory, intellectual property - including worldwide patents and trademarks. Anspach will serve as President of the Huntington Beach, CA-based enterprise.

Source: All Out Productions

The fifth feature release from Allout Productions, 'Days of Dirt' offers up a buttery blend of downhill & freestyle action. From the hills of Oakland to Crankworx, the film showcases America's finest riders gettin down n dirty doing what they do best. Featuring rippers like JD Swanguen, Luke Strobel, Ryan Condrashoff, Brian Miller, Cody Warren, Greg Watts, etc., 'Days of Dirt' will have you stoked to get dirty.

Recently I started the construction of my street bike for the year, and it has some unique features about it. One of which is a mid bottom bracket, meaning I was forced to use press in bottom bracket cups. This application limited me to BMX style cranks, however, doing a test on BMX cranks would not help you all mountain, freeride, and downhill riders out at all.

Deity has been slaving for 2.5 years on the Vendetta crankset, and after a few quick chats with Eric at Deity, I had my cranks picked out.

Click here for information on the Vendetta Crankset...

News Source: Eric Schutt
BlackBox Racing is SRAM’s premier proving ground for new performance products. The program was formally introduced at the Sea Otter Classic in 2000 and for years RockShox had been using the race circuit to develop and prove new technologies. In 2000, RockShox officially gave this effort a name, BlackBox Racing. Today, SRAM applies this elite program to the SRAM, RockShox, Avid and Truvativ brands.

1990 was a pretty crap year. Sure the Wall had come down and it seemed as if the world was going from Cold War to warming up and we were all going to live happily ever after. Mother Nature here in the UK however, had obviously forgotten about all this. That winter I remember as one of the worse on record and consequently being able to ride even less than this winter! Yes the snow and cold temps have left mud, lashing rain, hail, mist and if you were at the Caersws Cup this past weekend the most unrideable conditions I have seen, well, in a very looong time.

Source: WTB

Wilderness Trail Bikes, Inc., a global leader in bicycle components, is proud to announce its smashing success at the Bionicon Keyesville Classic mountain bike race. WTB-sponsored riders won every pro race in the three-stage event, including the prestigious All Mountain Pro title.

The weekend began with Max Plaxton (WTB/Santa Cruz) crushing the competition in Saturday’s XC race. The 23-year-old Canadian clocked a blistering time of 2:17 on the 35-mile course, finishing about a minute ahead of fellow Canadian Kris Sneddon (Kona/WTB).

Source: Chainlink Productions

Chainlink Productions brings you their second teaser for "Barred for Life". Over the past year we've been working hard on our new film "Barred For Life", capturing some of the world's best riders in locations like Norway, Utah, California and British Columbia.

View teaser inside!

Last Sunday we went on a day trip to Zakopane - capital of Polish Tatra Moutains...

Our crew for the day trip was Mongol, Tommy and Me (Jaws). The target of our trip was big air jump for freeskiers built 2 months ago for Polish Freesking Open Competition.

Check out all our pics inside!

That's right, we're the official place to go online for all things Diablo related. Upload all your photos after each day of riding into the Diablo Gallery right here on Pinkbike and automatically be entered to win monthly prizes from various Diablo Freeride park sponsors.

Learn more inside...

This May 2nd and 3rd, on the spectacular trails of the Central Okanagan around Kelowna, we’re proud to present our first women’s specific clinic. In association with the local bike club, MTBco, this clinic is a 2 day course designed to improve the confidence and abilities of women riders of all levels, abilities, and disciplines.

Read on to learn more!

Dylan Dean is trying to make a big splash in a small pond with the recent introduction of Dean Optics. Dylan Dean has recently expanded his industry ties by starting Dean Optics, and creating the Trooper Goggle.

Read on for more information...

Source: Oak Bay Bikes

Oak Bay Bikes - Kona Super D

We have heard rumors that our race is canceled, that's not true it's March 22nd. This is the first race of the Downhill/Super D series on Vancouver Island.

There was a 4X race planned for the Easter weekend at Moelfre running alongside the 'Reaction Downhill' race. To cut a long story short the organizers are about to pull the plug on the event due to lack of entries. So please sign up and save the event!

If you've ever been unfortunate enough to be sidelined by an injury – you know firsthand how difficult it is to deal with the fact that you cannot ride your bike. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been through a season of riding without getting bruised, banged up or broken. My worst injury was back in 2002 when I shattered my right heel and was on crutches for almost a year.

We have found that there is a problem in our forks that presents a serious safety issue. It may effect both the '09 RNS and the '09 Fundamental forks. Consumers with these forks must stop using them immediately and contact the company that sold the fork to them to receive further instructions.

The snow is melting in most places and some folks have already been pinning it in others, so we want to tell you about our new 2009 Downhill Race Team. The team is all new for this race season and there's even been a few shifts in the sponsorship ranks as well. We're super stoked on the whole set up and are looking forward to getting the race season underway.

Learn more about our racers and sponsors inside...

A police officer who was videotaped knocking a man off his bicycle and onto the ground during a cycling event in Manhattan last summer has been fired, the Police Department said.

Watch the brutal home video for all the proof needed.

Source: MRP

Two of the biggest names in downhill mountain bike racing have re-united for 2009. MRP and Cedric have a long history together, and both are excited about what the future holds.

MRP’s World Cup proven G2 and Mini-G guides will be handling the job of keeping Cedric’s drivetrain together as he attacks the nastiest tracks on the World Cup Circuit, as well as some of the premier free-ride events around the globe.

Graffiti is something most people turn a stale eye to. The days of seeing epic murals on the side of a buildings are gone. All you see now is scribbles done by teenagers while they were just passing by. Graffiti and the streets go hand in hand, so when I saw the Graffiti UK tire by WTB I had to try them out. After receiving them and examining the Graffiti, I am stoked to see how these tires function. Designed for pavement to hardpack, and everything in between, the Graffiti UK tires are designed to be functional on all mediums.

Read on for more information on the Graffiti UK tire...

Source: Brighton Ain't Ready

So you all know the story, us at Seventies spent 6 months, and invited 36 of the world's top riders to an apartment we hired in Brighton to make a filming project that became "Brighton Ain't Ready". This resulted in one of the most ambitious and unique DVD projects ever attempted in BMX history.

Click here for Brighton Ain't Ready...

Over the weekend of the 7th and 8th of March we saw the Transition Airfield at Woodhill Forest mountain bike park in Auckland New Zealand host the second annual New Zealand Dirt Jump Open.

Check out pics and details inside...

Astrix Mojo Caersws Cup:

In the UK we all like to talk about the weather and oh boy did we have some weather. The curse of Caersws they called it this weekend. Sunday morning was still bright and sunny, with big gusts of wind that soon brought in the sleet, snow and hail storms. The only thing we were missing were the locust.

Derek Dix, a man of fashion, is a 21 year old photographer hailing from Vancouver, BC. He's currently attending the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary, AB. He took a moment out of his busy schedule to sit down and answer a couple of questions.

Read on to find out what he has to say about himself, the sport, and photography.

Central Oregon has long been known for its buttery smooth epic XC trails; well the times are a changing. It wasn't long ago that myself and a few friends sat on the side of a butte in Central Oregon, building illegal pirate trails, wondering if we would ever be able to build legitimate freeride trails, and receive respect from our cycling peers. There has been a shift in leadership, eyes have been opened, and new blood has stepped up to the plate!

Source: On Top Bike Shop

NORTH VANCOUVER- On Top Bike Shop is proud to announce 13 years of business and will be celebrating with a huge sale on everything in the store, a mini bike expo, group rides, and a BBQ beginning this March 13th and continuing over the weekend until Sunday 15th. All events over the weekend will be based out of On Top’s location at 3051 Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver.

Source: Norco Factory Team

Norco Factory Team rider Jay Hoots has been building bike parks for more than 5 years. To date there are more than 30 Hoots Parks across BC and Alberta. There are currently plans for expansion across Canada and into the United States.

Source: Duncan Riffle Racing

Team Duncan Riffle Racing/Giantnerd.com announces official frame supplier for the teams 2009 season with CHUMBA Bikes.

Duncan Riffle, Brad Benedict, and Andy Becker will all be on board the new F5 CHUMBA downhill bikes on their World Cup and North Ameri-can racing campaign in 09’.

Source: Jonathan Drew

After 1 full length film and countless internet segments, Jonathan Drew jumps back behind the camera to bring you another full length mountain bike DVD set around the 2008-2009 Season in New Zealand. Local Knowledge2 is set for international release during April of 2009.

Air shock technology has come a long way over the past few years. Today's suspension is less reactive to pedaling and more tunable than ever before...but, how do you set it up?

Read on for helpful hints,

Two Downhill Races-ONE WEEKEND- DOUBLE POINTS! Wheelsport East in Spokane, WA is hosting a USA Cycling Sanctioned 2 Day Downhill Mountain Bike event at the Beacon Hill tracks. This is the first weekend of racing in the Pacific Northwest and many riders are buzzing forum boards and text messages are circulating about the Pro Cash Purse/TBA. Both days will have different courses and a guaranteed good time will be had by all who attend. Expect a fun weekend of racing and see if you're ready for the upcoming DH gravity season.

Source: cam07.pinkbike.com/

Hey Everyone! On Tuesday March 10th at Windsor secondary in North Vancouver there will be a bike silent auction for juvenile diabetes. There will be some of the best photographers, filmers, and riders from the north shore doing presentations while the silent auction is going on. 100% of the money is going to this cause.

While this event is happening there will be the Windsor’s 24 hour spin relay happening. Come out and support these guys and girls pedal their hearts out for this cause!

Straitline is known for having functional, and strong components, and the new SSC Stem is no different. CNC'd 100% in Canada, Straitline is keeping it local with this stem, and they are keeping it ridiculously light. Reach options, a low stack height, and an extremely light design makes the SSC stem a top contender this year.

Check it out!

Team CHAIN REACTION CYCLES.COM/INTENSE's roster will stay the same as last season with the addition of Claire Buchar/Kovarik and UK 4X rider Lewis Lacey.

Claire had a great World Cup season last year showing she is now a regular top 10 girl and hopefully with the support of a factory team can step it up to a regular on the podium. Lewis is already a superstar BMX and 4X rider in the UK and we are hoping this year he can step it up on the World 4X scene and be a regular finalist.

We at Pinkbike.com would like to tell you about a sweet little deal for all of you planning on attending this year's Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California next month.

What: Sea Otter Classic When: April 16-19, 2009 Where: Monterey, California, USA

15% off athlete registration!
1 free night of camping!

A Sea Otter Classic Special from Media Sponsor Pinkbike.com!

2008 marked an amazing season for the trails and riding community out at Moose Mountain.

For those not in the know, Moose Mountain plays host to the fat tires and ear-to-ear grins of riders from and surrounding Calgary Alberta and includes a good mix of XC and DH, on an extensive trail network of close to 80km of single track.

Source: Cove Bikes

Ryder who turns 21 today, the 6th of March, hails from Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island. “I’m very excited to be working with such a great local company.” Commented the former breakout rider of the year (2006) “The Staff has been awesome and I’ve have always wanted to ride Cove bikes. This is a great opportunity for myself and I cannot wait to ride more of these great bikes.”

As some of you know, I'm on a never-ending quest for the perfect headset. I've worn out, cracked, or had bike damage done by headsets in the past, and this is my latest effort in that search - The Crank Brothers Opium DH "Directset"

Read on to see how it's held up:

Source: Sea Otter Classic

New Sponsors, Product Launches and Product Demos Planned for Industry’s Major Spring Event

The cycling industry is going strong, if the Sea Otter Classic, a four-day celebration of sport and the largest outdoor consumer expo in the country, is any barometer. Times may be tough, but Sea Otter is seeing an increase in exhibitor registration, as well as an increase in athlete sign-ups.

Most of you that pay close attention to our VODs and the video section in general know the name Kevin Landry and remember the video that Taylor from Artbarn put together for him last year. Well this year, Taylor Loughran and Justin Hannewyk have teamed up and created Precip Productions and their first video is the new Kevin Landry Promo.

Check it out!

Why are so many of us riders fascinated by trail building? Why do we endure heat & cold, rain & snow, bugs & blisters, dirt & splinters?

Were we deprived of building forts and tree-houses as kids or do we simply like to build for a better ride? Don't search this blog for an answer, don't ask why, just go out and join the thousands who partake in this healthy, rewarding volunteer experience. Contact your local club or trail society and they will gladly show you the ways.

Source: Josh Button

The final round of the Aussie nationals was held across Bass strait in the little town of Glenorchy, Tasmania. This club has previously held two national rounds in '05 and '06. But not long after the club went broke and they crossed the venue off the list. Luckily the club is back on its feet and we are back racing at arguably the best venue in AUS.

From the creator of Between the Tape and F1RST comes The Tipping Point, the new film from acclaimed filmmaker Clay Porter.

Clay has been traveling around the world for the past number of years capturing the best of biking through his lens, and he is here to bring you the 2008 World Cup Series.

Source: Cam McRae

I met Sam Brown once - by chance - back in 1999. I was with a few buddies and we had just ridden The Monster in Kaslo B.C. It was mid summer and we were sitting by the truck drinking a beer and revelling in the glory when he pedalled up to say hi. We soon learned that Sam had built much of The Monster himself - a truly world class marvel of a trail. He was just a kid and he was riding around on flat pedals with no shoes on - and he really looked like a forest elf. He was soft spoken and he seemed a kind, gentle spirit.

Source: Golden Film Festival

The 2nd annual Golden Film Festival back for a second round on the Silver Screen! On March 21st local filmmakers will, once again, showcase their talent alongside the diversity of their local surroundings. This year’s event had been billed as a 4 season affair with summer and winter submissions in a variety of categories.

Source: Stance Films

Life Cycles is a mountain bike film currently being produced by acclaimed cycling photographer Derek Frankowski and accomplished filmmaker Ryan Gibb. The cutting edge project promises to redefine the bike film landscape.

Source: Geoff Gulevich

Looking for inexpensive used gear or simply want to meet a few of yoru biking heroes? Well then the 4th annual Geoff Gulevich Garage Sale is the place for you to be on March 14th.

Freeride pioneer Jeff Lenosky has switched to Shimano and Fox Racing Shox for 2009! Here's what he had to say "I'm psyched to announce some new sponsors for the 2009 season and after a couple months of riding the new stuff I couldn't be happier!" The first real test on his new equipment came in February at the Rays MTB Park "Odd Couples" Video Contest where he teamed up with BMX legend Taj Michelich to finish second. The contest paired up one mountain biker with one BMXer, each team had two days to create a 3 minute video inside the park which were later voted on by spectators at the video premier. All of the videos can be viewed at www.raysmtb.com.

Hey folks. In the midst of all the snow melting, sun shining, and temperature rising we took some time to throw a new t-shirt option your way. Recently we did some work with Extention, a very well rounded artist who happens to be a biker as well. He provided us with a rocking graphic, so here you guys and girls go.

The Pinkbike.com Graffiti Shirt...

Martin Söderström, a Swedish talent at the bars, answers some questions and shows us in this brand new video what you can expect to see more of in comps for 2009.

Check out the Mini View and video inside:

After a well received first round, expectations were high for round two. The usual questions were running through riders heads in the run up to the event however; was it going to rain, was it going to snow heavily and send things the way of the canceled Hamsterley events?

Check the results, pics and race story inside:

Source: Sharpeys Cycles

Sharpey's Cycles of North Burnaby is celebrating the start to the bike season by giving back to BC Children's Hospital Oncology Unit in thanks for their part in saving the owners 5 year old son from inoperable brain cancer.

COP's Fat Tire snow race returns to take you through the "bigs" of COP's terrain park.

The rumors of the end of COP's annual Fat Tire Snow race have been greatly exaggerated. The truth is, aside from being separate from the AFAs, this year's race on Sunday, March 22nd will be as strong and as fast as ever.

Simon Ward's first effort and a result for any of you that were down in South Wales, not quite the Valleys but there was still one burned out car on it's roof! £20 to enter, no uplift expense or Health & Safety issues and a good honest walk up the hill gave you this.

Pics, race video and results inside:

There are a lot of people who know a lot about bikes, how to set them up, which components are better, and especially how to ride them. I also know that there are many often overlooked parts on a bike, one of them being brake pads. Now I know what you are thinking, "A brake pad is a brake pad right?" Well as I recently found out you are wrong. Until recently I knew nothing about brake pads, and it really didn't bother me. "If I stop, that's all I need", was my thinking. But as I have recently discovered, different brake pads make a huge difference in braking performance, and that can lead to a more enjoyable ride, more maneuverability and better race times.

I am here to share with you the information I have gathered on brake pads, hopefully you will come away knowing more about what slows you down. No one can decide for you what pads to run, but this should be a good guide, which will help you make an educated decision on what pads to you should be running.

Source: POC

Andrew is considered one of the pioneers of the free ride-scene and is one of few mountain bikers that are recognized all over the world.

Andrew raced downhill when a lot of today’s free riders were in nappies. He holds two DH World Cup gold’s, one Bikercross X Games gold and is multiple time National DH Champion. Shandro began by pushing the limits of mountain biking and has starred in numerous films such as: The Collective, Roam and Seasons.

Source: US Open

With a staggering cash and prize payout valued at nearly $60,000, the 2009 U.S. Open of Mountain Biking continues the legacy of offering the largest pro-purse in America and the most competitive gravity racing in the nation. Set to take place on May 22 through 24th, elite mountain bike racers from across the globe will converge at Diablo Freeride Park to battle for the most coveted title in American mountain bike racing.

Source: Chainlink Productions and Epic Mountain

Just got this nice behind the scenes video from the crew over at Chainlink Productions for their up and coming video "Barred for Life". Check out Steve Romaniuk as he talks about riding and filming.

Source: 23 Degree Sports

This past weekend saw the running of the New Zealand National Downhill Championships with the racing held on New Zealand's most technical race track, Kaka Hill in Nelson. Added to the challenge was a forecast for rain throughout the weekend.

Source: Gravity East

Downhill mountain bike racing is rebounding in popularity almost as rapidly as its competitor’s race down mountains. This is especially true in New England and the Mid-Atlantic, where the Gravity East Series conducts the largest USA Cycling sanctioned downhill racing series in North America. Now entering its third year, Gravity East has quickly grown from an ad-hoc collection of races to a major series backed by some of the biggest ski resorts in the Eastern United States. This year’s newly released Gravity East schedule will see riders in 17 classes competing in 11 two-day Downhill Events.

Source: Zumbi Cycles

ZUMBI cycles manufactures professional hardcore mountain bike frames and parts for the most demanding. Every ZUMBI product is designed in Myslenice, the mountain bike downhill heartland of Poland. Basing on the experience of our main engineer Pawel Matuszynski and top World class riders we bring to life the best, 100% Polish bike equipment for gravity addicted mountain bike enthusiasts. We want to deliver the best frames and parts out there and that’s why every ZUMBI product is manufactured by craftsmen from the aircraft industry who used to work with MIG jet fighters and tested by our riders and designers before getting on the market. Our philosophy: design simple, use the best materials…back to the roots.

Vanier Bike Park Open House. You're invited to learn more about this new proposal and to make comments!