Shimano have just recently launched a new web site for their new “Super Heavy Duty” component line called SAINT.

From product description, to concept, to product development, www.ridesaint.com should pretty much answer most of the questions you have about the new component line.

Farkin.net has the second part of Glen's interview up with some talk about the latest Mudcows video, secret new camera systems Glen has built and more...

Check it out: Glen's interview part 2

Enjoy!

While surfing the web last night I stumbled across the Truvativ web site. They've got an online poll and contest running that will give a free set of cranks to one lucky winner each month. The poll asks your favorite cycling web site. Sign up to win, and while you're there, tell them Pinkbike sent you! Speaking of Truvativ, be sure to check back for our test of their Holzfeller cranks, BB, bar and stem early next week.

While the Freeride Entertainment crew was on site at Helltrack III, I secretly snuck into their HQ and stole a freshly burned CD with RTL Teaser scribbled onto it. I quickly figured it to be a preview of their latest flick Ride the Lightning, I raced home to view it, and wasn't the least bit disappointed! Featuring some of the sports greatest heroes, Derek Westerlund and the gang have somehow stepped it up again in their latest installment in the NWD series.

As always, "Right Click" and "Save Target As". Enjoy!

Required latest version of Quicktime player
RTL teaser video on Server 1

Inside Communications and the Thunderhead Alliance are pleased to announce that Graham Watson and Bob Roll will take the stage at the Metreon theatre in San Francisco on Friday, November 14th in a benefit for the Thunderhead Alliance.

The southern third of B.C.'s backcountry is closed due to fire danger,
including all forestry roads and crown land. The ban will go into effect today, Aug. 29, at noon. Fines for not adhering to the ban can run up to $10,000 and/or 6 months in jail.

Earlier this afternoon, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the top secret Helltrack III location during Freeride Entertainment's filming of NWD IV, Ride the Lightning. With the spy cam I snuck on site (okay, they let me in knowing full well my pics suck) I was able to grab one or two shots while the real players got the money shots.

The Johnny Waddell Recovery Raffle is now officially under way.
Items to be raffled to raise money for the Johnny Waddell Recovery Fund include a Santa Cruz Blur frame, Santa Cruz SuperLight or Juliana frame, complete Santa Cruz Chameleon bicycle, Progressive 5th Element shock, Maxxis tires and more. Clif Bar, Inc. has also provided five huge Clif/Mojo gift packs to raffle that include a case of Mojo bars, Clif Shot hat, Clif Bar Running hat, Clif Shot T-shirt, Clif Bar water bottle, Mojo Bar bottle opener and a Mojo Bar magnet.

Just got an email from Dustin Adams of the Giant USA team. Apparently he's being sued by the landowner for "reclamation costs" for some work he'd done with an excavator at the Juniper dirt jumps in Kamloops, BC. These dirt jumps were extremely popular with locals and road-trippers alike, and Dustin alone has been burdened with over $3000 in the lawsuit. Dustin is working on a fundraising raffle with prizes donated by his various sponsors, we'll keep you abreast of details as they become apparent. If you spent any time at the dirt jumps, karma dictates you dig deep to help his cause. Let this be a warning to all of us, ensure you have permission before you dig! You're not only risking having jumps leveled, but your pocketbook could end up just as flat!

Here we are back in our respective home towns trying to cope with the reality of the situation which is reality. No more free Kokanee and Red Bull. The days of living the life of rock stars are over. Free wrenching on our bikes and the broken parts aren’t replaced quite as quickly. Yep, it’s back to regular old everyday mundane… What am I talking about, it’s still pretty good.

I have just spent the last few days sorting through the hundreds of photos we took this season while on the road filming season 2 of the 'Drop In' TV Series. For all of you interested I have just posted 65 new photo's adding to the existing 45 pics found in our photo section at www.dropintv.com

Have fun surfing the pics, there's some great ones!
www.dropintv.com

Farkin.net is bringing you an interview with the "God Father" of MTB. Glen Jacob, a man who has seen all there is to see in the industry and can give an honest opinion on how things are in the MTB World. Because of Glen's generous responses, the interview has been split into 3 parts to be released over the course of this week.

So without any future adieu, here it is: Glen's interview part 1

Enjoy!

Panorama Mountain Village, B.C. - Mountain bikers and beer enthusiasts clear
your calendars! The Panorama Cup Mountain Bike Races and BrewFest will be
taking place at Panorama Mountain Village on the weekend of September 20-21.

It was time to replace the stem on my bike. I never have been impressed much by the look of a bicycle stem. The one I had was a big silver block of metal with four ugly bolts protruding out the front. I picked it up at my local bike store for about $60 cdn and expected it to last me forever. Besides, how can you wreck a stem?

Bas de Bever and Sabrina Jonnier were crowned King and Queen of the 3 race Jeep King of Mountain series at Kirkwood Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe this past weekend. Individual winners in the last race of the series were Wade Bootes, and Tracy Moseley who, in addition to Jeep's cash prize, each earned a Fender guitar for their efforts. Team One Australia, comprised of Bootes and Katrina Miller took home the team title earning $10,000 and Infinity Sound Systems. Look for the series on a television near you, the schedule can be found at www.jeepsports.com.

All photos courtesy of Chris Hanna of NorCal Photo.

The now near-famous Gillard trails in Kelowna are certainly
ablaze. Four years of hard work by dedicated trail builders may be
lost by the week-end as the Okanagan Mountain Park fire has spread
into the residential areas of upper Mission in Kelowna.

Mountain-bike racing lost two of its greats last weekend in Durango when Mary Grigson and Missy Giove announced their retirement from full-time racing.

Mountain Cycle is proud to announce the arrival of a new hard-core free ride model, the SIN. This new model will be unveiled at EuroBike and InterBike and is only a taste of what the company has created for 2004. The frameset has been designed and developed within the parameters of Mountain Cycle’s legendary high standards and attention to detail is evident throughout.

On Sunday August 24th between 1 and 5 the CMBA will be removing the
stunts from upper Jean-Guy. Starting at 5pm there will be a BBQ too.
Come out meet some new and old friends get your hands a little dirty and
have some fun with us. It would be a good time to give us your ideas
about future trails on Moose too. See www.cmbalink.com for more
details.

Just a reminder for those of us in the south western corner of B.C. to head out to the B.C. Cup Final this weekend August 23rd and 24th at Hemlock Mountain Resort.

For details and the weather see the
Events Section here on Pinkbike.

Well Paul and Bruce have had their first meeting with the people in control over at Moose Mountain and things are looking good. They have posted a nice little update over on the CMBA website so check it out below and PLEASE obey all the new rules and stay off the one closed trail, remember, we may have lost one trail, but we have to keep numerous others open, so we should all consider ourselves lucky.


Read More.

As students head back to school, mountain bikers are issuing final grades
for the 2003 IMBA Report Card. The Report Card provides an annual analysis
of mountain bike access and advocacy progress for U.S., Canadian
provinces and other countries.

To participate in 2003 IMBA Report Card voting visit here

The River Rage, in its 11th year is one of
the oldest running downhills in the east. Sunday River, always the
innovator, is trying the new two run, two separate course, combined time
format. Few resorts have the terrain and vertical drop that Sunday River
has, allowing this awesome format. The River Rage is the finals of the BOMB
(Big Ole Mountain Bike) Downhill Series.

RISE, MTB Films latest project is coming to the Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver on Wednesday, August 27th. Tickets are just $11 and all proceeds benefit NSMBA trail maintenance efforts. There's seating for 650, pack the house and help the NSMBA's ongoing efforts in the lower mainland. The trails are closed, what the hell else are you gonna do? Trust me here, I've seen the flick, it's well worth the price of admission!

I raced at Silverton Mountain (in Colorado) yesterday and the place goes
off! Great, steep, fun, flowing trails with drop offs, berms and jumps.
The owners and staff are super friendly and want to build a lot of trails,
stunts and jumps and this into a free ride mecca. Tickets are only $15.00
a day and well worth it.

Extreme fire danger in the lower mainland has forced the various regional districts to close all trails on the Shore. All trails will be barricaded and "poachers" face a $2000 fine for disobeying the closures. Please respect the closures, as trails are closed to all users. Tension betweeen users in the area is high enough, don'
t add fuel to the fire by crossing the line!

After a short hiatus, our "Making Money in the Biz" series is back. This time I caught up with Evil Bikes and e13 Components resident mad scientist Dave Weagle to talk about some of the trials and tribulations of starting your own company. Dave is well know in the mountain bike community and is a regular contributor to the web's many DH forums. His penchant for thinking outside the box has made Evil/e13 one of the year's most successful up-and-coming companies. What else was involved in their success?

BlackBox racing continues to develop and define the most innovative component technology utilizing today’s best athletes and now hosts its own web site, blackboxracing.com. blackboxracing.com officially launched August 16, 2003. The site will offer insight into the BlackBox program and will include product overviews, athlete interviews, history, news, as well as weekly features and updates.

Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic – Trek/VW Factory Team racer Jeremiah Bishop (USA) won the Gold Medal in the Mountain Bike event on Sunday August 10, 2003 at the XIIV Pan American Games. Bishop qualified to represent the United States at the 2003 Games by virtue of his top ranking among U.S. professional mountain bike racers after the first three NORBA series events. Placing first at the international competition gained Bishop a significant number of UCI points towards his cross-country ranking. Those points have moved Bishop into the current lead among the Americans hopeful for participation in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced the release of Downhill Domination™, available exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. Developed and created by Sony Computer Entertainment America’s Santa Monica studio with Incog Inc. Entertainment, Downhill Domination is the first downhill mountain bike racing game ever published for a next generation platform and features professional riders, licensed manufacturers, a broad appealing music roster and courses from around the globe. In addition, the company plans to back up the release of Downhill Domination with a national marketing campaign that will run through the end of August.

Let's face it, there's a huge selection of worthy hardtails on the market today. Aluminum or steel, vertical dropouts or horizontals, BMX BB or standard, whatever you desire, there's sure to be something out there that will float your boat. In the KeeWee Progressor, I think I've found mine!

Match Videozine #4 will be available on DVD in early
September. The DVD will contain 70 minutes of the best
and most recent street, dirt and trials riding out
there. 2003 competition footage includes Superfest,
Rye Airfield, Asheville Urban Sprawl and the Red Bull
Jump Jam. The competition footage is accompanied by a
bio on Kyle Ebbett and an inside look at DH
productions.

It's been a long time since I put up a "Get Off The Couch" article; other commitments pulled me away from the site, and my article writing duties. Here is the latest "instalment" of the series, I’ve advanced considerably since the year or so that I posted the last article, but the story of my personal struggle to get better is timeless and hopefully to others so is the information it contains!

At least a year or so ago, Radek snapped his ankle while riding at good old Millennium Park in Calgary. A company called Avro was designing rims around that time, and sent one over to us for testing. It was supposed to go for the ultimate test of strength - a Radek bashing. Because he was injured, I got the job of trying to bash this thing around.

Be the first to check out RISE tonight at the University of Calgary, Murray Fraser Hall room 162 at 7pm - tickets are $10 at the door. This stellar film has taken months to film and put together; it's finally here. To get a taste of the action, grab the teaser at www.mtbfilms.com. Everyone's invited, so come check it out.
While you're there, win yourself some gear from Calgary Cycle, IDUN and the kids at MTB films.

Yesterday, Calgary Cycle started their 2nd Annual Fire Sale,
throwing all their goods on sale. Grab yourself a '03 Bullit frame for $1499 or a '03 Monster T-2 for $899! Everything else is priced at 15-80% off, so come check out the madness and stock up on gear for your rig. It ends Aug 23rd, so get in here quick.
Don't live in the Calgary area? No worries, they offer free shipping to Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan.
Check it out!

Zapata Espinoza, Mountain Bike magazine's editor and industry icon, is no longer part of the publication he helped build into off-road cycling's dominant rag. Rodale, the magazine's publisher, let Espinoza go yesterday, along with Dave Pryor, Mountain Bike's senior art director, and Doug Donaldson, Bicycling's associate editor.

Heads up riders outside New England: The International Mountain Bicycling
Association (IMBA) will match the next $3,000 in non-New England donations
that support the New England Mountain Bike Association's (NEMBA) campaign to
buy 47 acres at the headwaters of the Upper Charles River in Milford,
Massachusetts.

Mike Copithorne from Calgary, Alberta is the latest victor in the Maxxis Tire Contest and will be getting himself 10 free tires of his choice from the good people at Maxxis. You want your chance at the goods? Enter the contest and be the next person to scoop up a pile of tires from Maxxis. Read on to see which tires are on their way to Mike's place.

I was lucky enough to be invited on some filming road trips this summer and one of the more exciting one was the Dropin tour. I was to hook up with the crew in Penticton and see what we could ride in that desert environment.
I loaded up the station wagon full of bikes and parts and was on my way. I arrived late in the day and they were still looking for a campground that would allow a bunch of boys on a bus to stay a few nights. After the campground was secured we were out to check out the Penticton skatepark.

There are still lots of details to be worked out and some contracts to be signed, but all indications are pointing to a dramatically revamped NORBA National Championship Series in 2004.

Sun Peaks Resort is pleased to announce the return to normal operating hours
starting Sunday August 10th. The Sunburst chairlift will be operating daily
from 10am -5pm on weekends and 11pm - 5pm midweek. The chair lift will
shuttle hikers, sightseers and mountain bikers 2000 feet up the mountain
where mountain bike enthusiasts can enjoy 25 single-track trails and hikers
have over 50km of trails to choose from.

To all mountain bikers interested in the future of freeride and downhill oriented trails on Moose Mountain: the CMBA is trying to represent you. Check out the following link to the news article on the CMBA's website. There will also be a brief question and answer session on this at the premiere of RISE at the U of C this Wednesday evening so come on out. Check out the link


Read More.

Officials from the TransRockies announced yesterday that a new route had been established for the world's most adventurous mountain bike race, beginning August 10th in Fernie, BC.

Sun Peaks is once again open for business; the wildfires that have ravaged the Kamloops area for the past few weeks are no longer forcing the closure of the roads north from Kamloops to the resort.

Jordan Petrovvics of Sun Peaks Resort informs us that new bike racks like those at Whistler's Bike Park have been installed on their high speed quad chair. So head up to Sun Peaks and support the local Kamloops economy; they could use it right now!

Assault Racing is a new British company that designs and manufactures some fine mountain bike components. Phil Law, Owner and Designer, was nice enough to send me a pair of MX-100 pedals for evaluation.

Well it’s been one hell of a start to the summer. In the last few months we’ve ridden way too much. Kamloops was wild, and none of us can remember much about Nelson but we know it was rad and this trip was no different. We decided against taking any extra days off work for Kelowna and headed out on a Renegade run (leave Friday after work, come back late Sunday night so you can be back at work on Monday) instead. We were a small group as Danger’s bank account is still recovering from a winter in a land far far away and Gord had to take a break because he was roadtrip whorring so much he needed time away from the bike. So the Cabbage, Robb and I headed out Friday night. We didn’t get out of Calgary until late so it was a long drive through the night.

This weeks Wall of Fame photo additions are Mike Johnson, Steve Critchlow, Paul Sudlow, and Andrew!

You guys are on the wall, and you can go grab yourself breakfast and coffee at Cadence courtesy the fine folks at Cadence Coffee and Mimo! (Cadence - located 6407 Bownewss Road NW in Calgary)!

The Dropin bus and all the riders and crew are ready to party it up in Calgary tonight. The filming for the season is over and it's time to unwind at Coyotes Bar and Grill tonight - 9ish.
Mention that you are there for the Dropin party and you get:

No line

No Cover

Plus 2 free drinks!

Come on down and have a good time partying with the riders and crew!

Another short segment from the road to give you a taste of the action before it hits Sportsnet for its second season. This time the boys are ripping up Vancouver. The teaser features the Dropin crew causing a little chaos in a local mall, but what else did you expect from these guys.

Quicktime is required to view the clip.
Remember, right-click and Save Target As.
Dropin Teaser - Episode 3

Warwick Patterson and Ted Tempany have been busy working on their new movie project called RISE. What is RISE all about? Come find out on Wednesday August 13th at 7pm. University of Calgary, Murray Fraser Hall rm 162. Prizes from Calgary Cycle, IDUN and the kids at MTB films. Tickets are 10 bucks at the door.
Until then, check out the teaser at www.mtbfilms.com.

See ya there!

Qn'r

Turner Suspension Bicycles, Inc. has been hard at work refining the already race proven design of the DHR.

The Sugoi Dirt Series is past the halfway point for 03, and the season has already been a resounding success with every camp at capacity or more, and tons of happy participants.

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is hosting a series of mountain bike rides to showcase trails that could be lost to potential wilderness designations. Recently re-introduced Congressional legislation calls for 2.5 million acres of California public land to be reclassified as federal wilderness. Bicycle use is categorically prohibited in wilderness areas. Many of the proposed areas contain popular mountain bike trails that cyclists have ridden for years.

With the best in Canada coming together for the last time this year, spectators at Canada's Olympic Park in Calgary weren't dissappointed. The country's top riders duked it out in the sweltering heat to produce, yet another, awesome show. Congratulations to Hugo Donais of Norco for throwing down the fastest DH time of the day clocking in at 2:15.70. Read on to check out all the results.

The Canada Cup Mountain Bike Finals at Sun Peaks Resort scheduled for August 9 & 10 have been cancelled due to the wildfire conditions in the area.

Its been talked about as a myth, an urban legend (Pun intended!), well let me lay those stories aside, check out the pictures of the working full production version of the all new Planet-X RidgeBack.

It has been a hard year for the MPF crew, but... we've finally got
something to show everyone.
Numerous injuries, broken bikes, broken bodies, and locations
lost to the blazing infernos that are consuming the west, have seemed
to focus their attention on the MPF filming schedule. Yes... this
sucks, but we have managed to put together one of the greatest teasers
ever! Riders like Dylan Tremblay, Matt Brooks, and Riley McIntosh came
together when no one else could and threw down some of the sickest
stunts ever seen on a bike. You have to see it to believe it folks.

Makers of:

Riders Anonymous
Second Coming
Hidden Pleasures

To get the video, you know the drill, right click and save target as...

It is quite possible that the Canada Cup Finals at Sun Peaks will be cancelled. The area around Kamloops and Sun Peaks is presently inundated by three massive forest fires. The location of these fires blocks virtually all access to Sun Peaks, and the mountain has been put on 1 hour Evacuation alert. All of the guests and most of the residents have been removed from the mountain and there is only a skeleton crew left there, manning snow guns to try to keep the village area moist. Highways in the North Thompson area remain closed and we are not sure when they will reopen. Over 3000 people in areas surrounding Sun Peaks have been evacuated so far. As long as we have access to return to the mountain even as late as Wednesday there should be no problem running the event.

Transcend Downhill Mountain Bike Magazine is now in a full advertising drive to get together a race season recap print edition. It will include coverage from The NCS series, the World Cup Series, Worlds, The Mountain States Cup, the Canada cup series, the Joyride series and possibly Interbike (depending on schedules).

Ever noticed the robust construction of the bike racks on city transport buses? Wish you could have one? Consumer versions of those racks are available, manufactured by Sportworks in Washington State, USA.

Hemlock Mountain Resort has finalized plans for its mountain bike park for the rest of the season. Management at Fraser Valley’s only lift accessed hill has decided to open up on weekends for the month of August, and will be a stop on the B.C. Cup Mountain Bike circuit. A biker cross course is soon to be added, and several new trails are under construction; though they may not be open this year.

Jeremiah Bishop has qualified to represent the USA at the 2003 World Championships to be held in Lugano, Switzerland. Selections were made following the NORBA National Championships Series race #4 that took place July 26-July 27 at Schweitzer Mountain Resort in Sandpoint, Idaho. There Bishop placed 5th, rounding out the men’s Pro podium, and strengthening his current ranking of 2nd in the nation.