Outerbike: The Community

My first impression of Outerbike was four years ago at sunrise in Moab. I arrived early to help set up and there was already a line-up of eager bike enthusiasts waiting – a full two hours before the gates would open. To bike nerds, Outerbike is a Disneyland-like mecca where you can actually look up Cinderella’s skirt. Mountain bikers from all over make the pilgrimage to test ride the newest, best, and most interesting bikes on the market.


Ashley Korenblat, owner of Western Spirit and creator of Outerbike, and Grant Lamont have joined forces to bring the Holy Grail for mountain bikers, access to all the bikes they have been dreaming about, to Whistler. While the event offers a plethora of head tube angles and wheel sizes to try out (and geek out on), it goes beyond that. When you get past the chatter of tire size and carbon frames, you find a group of people who are passionate about riding bikes and value those who actually make our industry run - the consumer. They have created an industry event for the industry outsider, the folks who don’t belabor the free shirts and swag that clog their dresser drawers, people who ride without sponsorships.


Born from Ashley’s want for inclusivity within the bike industry, Western Spirit has done a fantastic job of pursuing the ‘if you built it they will come’ ideal. Marketing to both the bike companies and the general public, they managed to join the two and create the shopping convenience of a bike mall packaged in a bucket-list mountain biking destination. And now it is here, in Whistler, this weekend!


My favorite part of Outerbike is when the gates open on the first day and everyone sprints to the booths, hoping to get their hands on the bike they have been eyeing. Etiquette is temporarily lost as their excitement takes over and you realize that Outerbike is a labor of love and dedication. Put on by a team of people who want to fuel your passion for riding. They embrace each participant like a family member, in a way that brings everyone in on the joke and gives everyone a place to belong, a clubhouse. Outerbike is about riding, as much as it is about building a riding community. There is as much to gain there off the bike as there is on it.


Whistler Outerbike Exhibitors:

Durango Bike Co, Ellsworth, Ibis, Kona, Norco, Rocky Mountain, Transition, Fox Racing, SRAM, Marin, Chromag, SunTour, Osprey, 100%, Smith, and MRP.

Whistler Outerbike Sponsors:

Whistler Bike Park, Gibbons Life, Pinkbike, Whistler Air/Harbour Air, Scandinave Spa Whistler, 100%, Whistler Bike Guide.com, WORCA, Whistler Trail Solutions, Clif Nutrition, MBTA, and RMOW.

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MENTIONS: @WhistlerMountainBikePark / @OuterbikeWhistler / @ibiscycles / @SramMedia / @konaworld / @SRSuntour

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