The Old Man – Santa Fe’s Godfather of Freeride

more about “The Old Man – godfather – Mountain Bi…“, posted with vodpod

Rich Strang of New Mexico is still rippin it up at 51 years old.

Red & Black

my favorite color scheme

Treadmill Footjam

Tour of Push Industries

Bones Over Metal toured Push Industries in Colorado while making Women Of Dirt.com

Tyler McCaul Triple Tailwhip

USA Cycling Downhill National Championships 2009

USA Cycling National Championships Downhill 2009 at the Sol Vista Bike Park in Granby, Colorado. Filmed and edited by Billy Parker.

Downieville Classic on hold for now

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING 2010 EVENT!!!!!

Downieville Classic Friends and Family,

We have experienced an error with online registration. The Active.com site was asking for a passcode in error. Certainly not the way we had hoped this process would have gone, but nonetheless we need to make things right.

To make this fair for everyone, we will clean the slate- Active.com will be issuing refunds to everyone who was able to enter, including all processing fees.

I have always believed that the Downieville Classic was in some way, my family reunion. A gathering of like minded human beings; loving, caring for each other, providing support to one another, all while competing on some of the best and most demanding race courses in the world. I have spent my entire adult life “promoting” the Classic. And while the term promotion is often defined as one who hosts and profits from an event, promoting the Classic has been so much more. It is first and foremost an honor, a chance to strive for perfection and to raise the bar; to not only put on a mountain bike race, but to elevate the sport and bring families together, in a magical place and have an incredible time.

This little hick-up with registration has taught me a lesson, and one that I will unfortunately carry with me for a long time. It seems like every year there’s something that makes me say “this is the last year”, and for the most part these thoughts of throwing my hands up and quitting have come from acts of either mother nature or the federal government, but never from the people I cared about and considered my mountain bike family.

In regards to registration for the Downieville Classic: a mountain bike race, located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, that causes its people to act without affection towards one another. We’re all going to take a break. This mishap with registration was perhaps that proverbial tap on the shoulder from an old friend that says “spend some time with your family. Love your wife. Look after your children. Take care of yourself”.

I know I originally said registration would open on Friday February 26th, however after a weekend of being bombarded with negative emails and undermining phone calls, I’m taking a break; therefore, registration is now on hold for the Downieville Classic, until further notice. I am sorry for the inconvenience, but I have a Trail Stewardship grant due on Friday, which is focused on building NEW mountain bike trails in the Downieville area, and I need to focus on this and get back to center. Something we obviously all need to do, as human beings, and as friends who have been coming to the Downieville Classic over the years.

A word of advise: Don’t be so quick to judge and tear one another down. Empower your friends by setting the example. Show some love and support. If it can’t exist at a bicycle race, than we are all f_cked

respectfully, Greg Williams

We will continue to make preparations for the 2010 event. Stay tuned for when registration will reopen, which will be in a month or so, when everyone including myself chills out.

Again we apologize for the error, but as you all know, shit happens.
Thank you all for your continued support of this event.

Greg Williams from Yuba Expeditions photo at mtbr.com

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It’s good to have the folks from Santa Cruz Bicycles back as Title Sponsor. Already the positive affects of this partnership are being felt throughout our surrounding trail system. In addition to their sponsorship of the Downieville Classic, Santa Cruz Bicycles is stepping up it’s support of the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS) by providing cash contributions to subsidize volunteer trail work programs and to purchase tools and equipment. All funds provided by Santa Cruz Bicycles will be utilized as an in-kind match, allowing SBTS grant writers to leverage, sometimes as much as 1500%, additional trail maintenance and construction funds. A dynamic partnership that ultimately results in a trail system that is sustainable and accessible to mountain bikers for generations.

Click here to see how the Downieville Classic will benefit our recreation-based economy, enhance our community, and sustain and improve our surrounding trail system.

The Downieville Classic is the primary fundraiser for the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS). For example, $15 from every race entry goes directly to SBTS, as do all proceeds from beer donations and prize drawings. These funds allow SBTS to:
- operate numerous volunteer stewardship programs throughout Sierra and Plumas Counties.
- create employment by hiring a local trail crew to maintain Forest Service trails.
- purchase tools and equipment to support volunteer work days and our paid trail crew
- offer a college scholarship and work experience program for area youth.
- maintain over 100 miles of area singletrack, including the construction of North Yuba Trail and Mills Peak Trail.

Collegiate MTB Nationals at Northstar 2009

Northstar Bike Park * Truckee, California *

Downieville Classic 2010 Registration

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING 2010 EVENT!!!!!

Downieville Classic Friends and Family,

We have experienced an error with online registration. The Active.com site was asking for a passcode in error. Certainly not the way we had hoped this process would have gone, but nonetheless we need to make things right.

To make this fair for everyone, we will clean the slate- Active.com will be issuing refunds to everyone who was able to enter.

We will reopen registration on Friday February 26, 2010 at 8:00pm. Active.com has ensured us that the system will be working properly.

Again we apologize for the error, but as you all know, shit happens.

Thank you all for your continued support of this event.

Fox Racing Shox 2011 upgrade

FOX Racing Shox to Utilize a Slick Technology in its 2011 Mountain Bike Suspension Fork Product Line, Kashima Coat

Exclusive to FOX Racing Shox’s mountain bike products, the gold-colored Kashima Coat developed by the Miyaki Company of Japan offers superior durability, hardness, and less friction.

Watsonville, California February 16, 2010 – FOX Racing Shox, the industry leader in the design and development of high-performance suspension, announced today its exclusive arrangement with the Miyaki Company of Japan to use its Kashima Coat for suspension components in the bicycle industry. Kashima Coat will make its consumer debut in FOX Racing Shox’s 2011 model year aftermarket mountain bike suspension fork product line.

Proven Coating Technology

The Kashima Coat technology has been used for years across the motorcycle and automotive industries in suspension components and clutch and valve train assemblies because of its low-friction and ultra-wear resistance properties.

In the revolutionary Kashima Coat process, lubricating molybdenum disulfide is deposited, via electrical induction, into the billions of micropores on the surface of hard-anodized aluminum. With its debut on the international mountain bike racing circuit, the distinctive gold colored, Kashima coated stanchions maintain better lubrication characteristics, and the lightweight aluminum components treated with Kashima Coat attain a level of hardness and abrasion resistance four times tougher than standard hard-anodized aluminum.

The original ripper

Johnny T tearing it up on some old school equipment. It’s totally amazing how Tomac can rail on a totally crappy bike (by today’s standards). The hardtail mtb probably has a 2″ travel elastomer sprung fork with a 73 degree head angle, cantilever brakes, narrow hard tires,  huge bar ends and a fully extended seat post.  This video starts out a little slow – but then it gets to the riding which is awesome!

Downieville Classic Registration 2010

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING 2010 EVENT from the organizers:

Ah yes, it’s that time of year again. The race to get into the race. On-line registration for the Downieville Classic All-Mountain and Cross Country categories will be opening this Friday, February 19th at 8:00pm. We will post specific url links for each event that will take you to Active.com, so be sure you are entering the correct event. It is helpful to already have an account set-up with Active.com before attempting to register. This is important, because like I said, navigating through the registration process quickly and accurately can mean the difference of winning or losing-out on an entry into the race.

A little fair warning to all our “friends” that don’t get in, both mine and Wayno’s phones will be turned off. Good luck to everyone, and remember, even if you don’t get into the All-Mountain event, the Cross Country race is an epic adventure not to be missed. Plus without the worry of racing the Downieville Downhill, you get to party with The Saddle Tramps on Saturday night.

Online registration links – Cross Country Race and All-Mountain Race

The New Mob 2010

Bootleg Canyon * Boulder City, Nevada * February 13th-14th, 2010

Some fast racers turnedout for The New Mob! Mitch Ropelato takes the men’s DH and Mellisa Buhl the women’s DH. Full Results:  New_Mob_Downhill_Results_2010.pdf

• Race report at: VitalMTB.com
• More racing at Bootleg March 19th-21st, 2010 with the 3rd annual St. Patty’s Day Feast.

Fox announces the 2010 MTB Team

The new 2010 Fox Racing sponsored team includes: Jordan Lopez, Jon Wilson and Christian Wright.  Check out Foxhead.com for the complete story.

Shock Eye Needle Bearing Conversion Kits

A new and better way to mount your shock?

Shock Eye Needle Bearings are a way to reduce friction in your mountain bike suspension system by replacing the DU bushings. There is a very interesting discussion about their effectiveness underway at RideMonkey.com

You can purchase needle shock bearings or read more about them at EnduroSeals.com