Support Historic Opportunity for NEW Mountain Bike Access in Marin County, California

California State Parks has announced a proposal to open singletrack for mountain biking in Marin County, on the shoulders of Mt. Tamalpais. The agency plans to permit bicycle use on the 4-mile Bill’s Trail segment and is soliciting public commentary on the project.

This landmark opportunity is the direct result of more than three years of partnership building with the parks department by IMBA California, Access4Bikes and the Bicycle Trails Council of Marin. A successful opening of Bill’s Trail will set the stage for bicycle access to several other singletrack trails in Marin, which is widely considered to be one of the birthplaces of modern mountain biking. Despite its historic role, Marin has seen precious few opportunities for mountain biking open to the public in recent years.

Take Action! Tell California State Parks you support their decision to open Bill’s Trail to bicycles. The commentary period ends on June 26.

Additional Information

Located within the Mt. Tamaplais watershed in Samuel Taylor State Park, Bill’s Trail winds through native ferns, wildflowers and hazelnut trees. It averages a reasonable 7-percent grade, and its six switchbacks provide riders with multiple views of the surrounding landscapes. While it is expected that bike access on Bill’s Trail will be limited to alternate days at first, the parks department states that this stipulation will be open to further review.

California State Parks is expected to announce opportunities for bicycling on other nearby routes in upcoming months. The Diaz Ridge Trail, which runs through Mt. Tamalpais State Park and Golden Gate National Recreation Area property, is scheduled to receive a major reroute this summer. This project could produce shared-use singletrack joining State Parks and National Park Service properties.

A small number of local hiking and equestrian groups have vowed to fight against any new access for mountain biking in Marin County, despite plentiful evidence that well-designed trails can be successfully shared by various user groups, and that mountain biking is a sustainable, low-impact form of recreation. “I think that, broadly speaking, the community of trail users in Marin is ready for this,” says IMBA California Policy Advisor Tom Ward. “We have seen great success with our volunteer mountain bike patrol program there. Mountain bikers care deeply about protecting the gorgeous trails and natural areas in Marin, and we will continue working with like-minded groups.”

Retired Professional Cyclist Steve Larsen Dies after Collapse

Steve Larsen, who won races as a professional road cyclist, triathlete and mountain biker, passed away on May 19. According to Larsen’s family friend, Michael Nyberg, Larsen collapsed during a track workout. Despite immediate medical attention, he could not be revived. Though an autopsy is pending, it is suspected that he succumbed to a heart attack. He was 39, and he leaves behind his wife, Carrie, and their five children.

Larsen raced alongside Lance Armstrong on Team Motorola in the early ’90s, competing in events around the world, including the Giro d’Italia. Then, he moved onto mountain biking, and in 1998 and 2000 won the NORBA National Cross-Country title. In 2001, he began racing triathlon, and later that year placed ninth at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. He retired from professional racing in 2003, but continued to race for fun as he ran his real estate agency in Bend, Oregon.

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Elite triathlete and former national mountain bike champion Steve Larsen died of a sudden heart attack while running at Cascade Middle School on Tuesday night.

Larsen, who was 39 and lived in Bend, was with a group of about 40 people who regularly run together when he collapsed. Other runners performed CPR on him and called 911. Paramedics arrived and transported Larsen to St. Charles Bend.

Deschutes County Medical Examiner Dr. Steve Cross said an autopsy was performed this morning and found no obvious signs of coronary heart disease. Larsen’s heart will be sent to a laboratory in the mid-West where it will be analyzed for disease, Cross said.

Larsen enjoyed success as a professional athlete in multiple sports.

In the early 1990s, he raced on the Motorola road cycling team with Lance Armstrong.

He switched to mountain biking in 1994, winning the NORBA National Cross Country Mountain Bike Champion title in 1998 and 2000, and narrowly missing a chance to represent the United States at the Sydney Olympics.

He then turned to triathlon, scoring top-ten finishes in national and international competitions.

Larsen retired from professional racing in late 2003 and started working in real estate, first with Lowes Commercial Properties in Bend and then with his own company, Steve Larsen Properties.

He ran the Ironman World Championships triathlon in Hawaii in October and finished sixth in the Lowe’s XTERRA West Cup at Lake Las Vegas on May 2.

Larsen is survived by his wife, Carrie, and five children.

- Bulletin Staff Report

NAHBS Announces Richmond, Virginia as 2010 Venue Location

Speedway, In.—The Greater Richmond Convention Center in the historic city of Richmond, Va. will host the 2010 North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) when the world’s number one custom bicycle show moves to the east coast next February 26-28.

Booth registration for the show will start immediately for the 2009 exhibitors, who will be contacted by email. Open registration will start June 15, and will be accessible through the event website www.handmadebicycleshow.com.

Show founder and director, Don Walker, said “I researched all the way along the east coast and Richmond came up as the strongest candidate, all criteria considered. I then put forward three candidates to a vote among this year’s exhibitors, and Richmond was the clear winner. I looked at some of the largest cities as well, and while these cities might have great cycling culture, their prices are out of range for the vast majority of my exhibitors.”

Jack Berry, president and CEO of the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, commended the decision. “The timing’s perfect!  Cycling is really becoming more and more popular in this region. Being a cyclist myself, personally I’m thrilled! This is huge for Richmond and the Mid-Atlantic.”

Champe Burnley, president of the Richmond Area Bicycling Association, also sees this as a good time for NAHBS to come to Richmond. “Richmond is a cycling hub with a great history. We have a strong cycling community with great facilities, which helps draw a major international show like NAHBS.
We really want Richmond to be a world class cycling city. For officials and the business community, our efforts are now starting to realize a return.
Officials here are really beginning to get cycling and its benefits to the community. NAHBS could not have chosen a better time to come. This marks a cycling renaissance for the Richmond area.”

NAHBS will occupy the 46,000 sq. ft show hall D in the convention center. This has space for over 200 10’x10’ booths, and Walker expects to fill it.

Richmond is located within a day’s drive of half the U.S. population, and within cycling distance of the nation’s second largest cycling club (Potomac Pedalers). Only 90 minutes by car from Washington, DC, Richmond is served by Amtrak as well, with a station about a mile from the proposed host hotel. Richmond International Airport is approximately 15 minutes by car from the convention center.

The state of Virginia actively promotes bicycling and related activities, and has designated various special routes for the purpose.  United States Bicycle Routes 1 and 5 meet in the city of Richmond, and the city is known to have a strong cycling culture, ranging from racing to tourists and fixed-gear riders.

Located in the middle of the Eastern Seaboard, Richmond becomes the fifth city to host the NAHBS in the show’s six-year history. Houston, Texas was first, and then two years in San Jose, California, followed by Portland, Oregon, and in 2009 Indianapolis.

About NAHBS

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show moves from city to city each year. It is scheduled for February 26 – 28, 2010, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The show is dedicated to showcasing the talents of individuals around the world whose art form is the bicycle. It aims to be a meeting point–online and in person–for frame builders and consumers looking for custom-made bikes, for the sharing of ideas, and promotion of a special industry with a rich history. Since its first year in 2005, NAHBS has grown from a show with 23 exhibitors and 200 attendees to 150 exhibitors and 7200 attendees. For more information, see www.handmadebicycleshow.com.

Inspired Bicycles – Danny MacAskill Video April 2009

Today, Keith Scott of Banshee Bikes shared with me an amazing video of Danny MacAskill a “new bread” urban/street rider.

Filmed over the period of a few months in and around Edinburgh by Dave Sowerby, this video of Inspired Bicycles team rider Danny MacAskill features probably the best collection of street/street trials riding ever seen. There’s some huge riding, but also some of the most technically difficult and imaginative lines you will ever see. Without a doubt, this video pushes the envelope of what is perceived as possible on a trials bike.

Credit to Band of Horses for their epic song ‘The Funeral.’ You can find out more about the band and their music at www.bandofhorses.com or www.myspace.com/bandofhorses

Submit a Trail Review and Be Entered to Win $100 of Hoss Technical Gear Merchandise

MTOBikes.com has partnered with Hoss Technical Gear to offer our first-ever contest.  We are giving away $100 worth of Hoss Technical Gear!  All you have to do is submit a trail review and you are entered in a chance to win for “Best Trail Review“.  Enhance your chances of winning by submitting multiple trail reviews.

How Do I Enter This Contest?

Just follow the link below and fill out the form. You can do everything from this simple page!

MTOBikes.com Trail Review Contest Form

What Are The Rules?

The format is pretty simple. Submit a trail review! Please pay close attention to the rules so you qualify.

• Must be 800 words or more.
• Must be original content.
• Must include detailed directions to the location of the trail head.
• Must rate the difficulty of the trail.
• Must have at least 2 pictures of the trail or riders on the trail (a picture of the trail head would be preferable).
• Contest runs from March 1, 2009 until March 31, 2009 and the winner will be announced on April 7, 2009.
• Must include a short 3-5 sentence bio about yourself.
• Must register and submit a photo of yourself on Gravatar.com
• Contest is open to EVERYBODY…yes…that includes you guys overseas!
• Prize winners will be picked by a panel of judges.

* Bonuses – The more pictures, video, descriptions, directions, etc. that you have the better. Really make your trail review stand out from the crowd. Remember this is a contest! You want your trail review to be the best out of the submissions so the more quality you add…the better! GPS overlays, GPS coordinates of the trail head, riding shots, etc. all make the review more attractive.

The Prize

If your trail review is chosen as “Best Trail Review” you are entitled to $100 worth of Hoss Technical Gear merchandise of your choice.

MTOBikes.com Trail Review Contest Form

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NW School of Freeride

NW School of Freeride has created a private 80 acre forest bike-scape. They offer skill building trails and courses for every type of off road bicycle and the pro coaches to back it up. For the past year they have been developing deep woods DH and freeride trails that are guaranteed to improve your skill set. They have street obstacles and dirt jumps to satisfy every BMX and urban assault ripper. They are a full service bicycle skill building center.

NWSOF have been working with the Diamondback Pro BMX team to develop their BMX terrain and many of the Dakine crew out of Hood River. Ben Boyko has been one of the most active, producing some impressive lines over the winter. He took down some big trees and turned them into some big drops. Phil Sundbaum helped design the dirt jump line and the phone calls from interested builders keep coming in. They also have a 14,000 square foot indoor bicycle park with a foam pit.

What sets NWSOF bicycle program apart from the rest?

They have our own 80 acre private bike park. The trails feature drops, skinnies, logs, rocks, roots and steeps. The dirt jumps feature airtime, hangtime, bootertime and perfect landings. So whether you are a freeride mountain biker, trail mountain biker or BMXer, they’ve got the set up for you. No other bike camp in N. America can offer up the menu of options NWSOF can give you. If after a long day building your skills you want to head out on a trail ride, you can! Their private facility borders the Mt Hood National Forest and BLM lands in Oregon. Basically, you have private access to 1000’s of acres of real forest that provide real mountain terrain.

Programs will include the following and then some!

• BMX Street
• BMX Dirt Jumping
• Freeride Technical
• Freeride Fast and Big
• XC and Backcountry Trail Riding
• Women’s Clinics
• Adult Skill Building
• Contests and Events
• Product Demo’s
• Jams and Open Houses

In the words of Kris Jamieson, “Our mission is simple. We want the entire bike industry to benefit from the venue. We are open to hosting jams, photo shoots, build parties, pros, magazines and video shoots. Our lodging and kitchen is quite nice and we are extremely kid friendly. If you can think of it, we can probably do it. We have the ability to keep our prices extremely low, if not free, depending on the group and/or project. We are 1 hour from Portland International Airport and want our venue to inspire and get people on bikes! With that said, I am reaching out to all of you, and letting you know that our doors are open to your team riders, ideas and visions.”

The private campus is located in the foothills of Mt. Hood just 60 minutes east of Portland. NWSOF’s Parent Company, “Windells” was the first Action Sports camp to earn the American Camping Association accreditation. This distinction is credited to those camps complying with standards set well beyond state and federal organizational guidelines.

2009 North American Handmade Bicycle Show Winners

Indianapolis — A crowd of 1728 on the final day of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show resulted in an total of 6,428 attendees over three days of what many exhibitors described as the best NAHBS yet.

As in past years, the show culminated with the awards for the best bicycles at the show. This time for the first time, an awards jury made all selections but two: President’s and People’s choices. The jurors were Dale Brown, Steve Hampsten, Doug Brooks, Mike Barrie, and James Huang.

And the winners are….

Best Road Bike

About nine years ago Roland Della Santa purchased the last 23 sets of Nervex lugs from Geoff Butler Cycles in London, intending to save them for a special project. This project became a limited edition set of 20 bicycles to celebrate his 40th anniversary of frame building. Using old Columbus tubes and offering only three braze-ons (and one waterbottle cage) Della Santa created an Eddy Merckx period piece that the awards jury simply could not resist.

Best Off-Road Bike

Curt Goodrich has always wanted to outfit a cyclocross team, and that that was the inspiration for the bright blue machine on display the weekend of the show. Goodrich started out as an apprentice, and then built bicycles on contract for Rivendell, and began focusing solely on his own creations in 2008. He worked to incorporate classic features like a level top tube on the bike he brought for display, as well as modern features like carbon forks, and a striking blue paint scheme.

Best Track Bike

Shin-Ichi Konno is continuing a family business that has made Cherubim one of the most respected handmade bicycle brands in Japan and a builder for keirin racers there. According to Shin-Ichi, the current design of track/keirin racing frames has been in place since the 1960s. The award-winning Cherubim Pista is made with due respect to the long tradition of track bicycle frame building.

Best Tandem Bike

I want a lugged tandem, what can you do? This request from a customer led Stephen Bilenky to create the tandem that won the NAHBS Award. The customer was interested in a tandem with a classic European look and sent him some lugs from Rivendell, who does not make tandem frames. Several parts needed to be made from scratch, since fabricated lugs for tandems do not exist. To create a classic looking headtube, a bi-laminate piece was created as a substitute for one of the lug. The blades on the fork are original Jack Taylor s from the 1960s, so a fork crown had to be fabricated too.

Best Titanium Bike

Kent Eriksen featured numerous bicycle frames made of titanium at the show. Eriksen, who originally invented the softail mountain bike suspension, always wanted to incorporate titanium with that feature because of the metal s durability. It ll last for generations, he said, of the more modern bicycle he brought to Indianapolis, adding that titanium makes for an incredibly rideable bike. Eriksen added that titanium is also green in that it doesn t require painting and so leaves less of a carbon footprint in its production.

Best Carbon Bike

Nine months of work went into the design of the prototype carbon fiber bike by Independent Fabrication. The crown-themed lugs, which were made with the assistance of Edge, arrived at the IF workshop on Thursday a week before the show, and everything fitted together first time around. For Independent Fabrication, this is a learning journey into a new material as the company continues to expand its knowledge base.

Best Lugged Bike

David Ellis Wages of Ellis Cycles in Waterford, Wisconsin, takes his inspiration from classic bicycles of the early 1980s. Bicycles with intricate lug work and chrome forks and chain stays were the ones with which he first became familiar when he started riding, so, to him, in a way, those features still define classic bicycles. &kind of the bike I always wanted to have, Wages said of one of the fine machines he brought with him to the 2009 NAHBS in Indianapolis. Wages incorporates a modern aesthetic with the classic craftsmanship of lug work in his cycles, adding that using lugwork allows for more artistic detail.

Best TIG Welded Bike

Black, red and white is Carl Strong s favorite color scheme for a bicycle, and that s what he chose for this all-business road stage racer. The bike is also made to fit Strong, a precaution he says he took in case he couldn t sell it. Much of the thinking centered on a new Chris King head inset head tube, which provides a large surface area to connect tubes to, as well as a low stack height, which enhances the aesthetic. With a liquid paintjob by Spectrum Powderworks, the headtube of this titanium frame is left as clearcoat to show of the fine welding of this show display bike, which is a prototype for further models.

Best Fillet Brazed Bike

Mark Nobilette designed this bicycle to be the anti-Herve. He wanted to create a non-traditional touring frame, capable of carrying a full-load, without compromising it. Various parts of the frame deviate from the traditional a wishbone-shaped seat binder, double-bend chain stays, a threadless steerer tube, and fillet brazed joints instead of lugs. The racks, which Nobilette made himself, were powder-coated black instead of the traditional chrome.

Best City Bike

Mitch Pryor of Portland, Oregon s M.A.P. cycles built a beautiful city bike for a customer in Colorado who wanted a commuter cycle. The bike, of a timeless style, is done in a cream color with cork accents and a Brooks saddle. Pryor used selections of Reynolds tubing for its construction and took inspiration from the drawings of French artist Daniel Rebour for the commission. It s cute, said one observer.
I ve heard that a lot, replied Pryor.

Best Paint Job

Toronto painter, Noah Rosen works closely with Mike Barrie, father of the Canadian pro road rider, and a former builder for Mariposa. Barrie wanted Rosen to restore his old 1951 Cinelli to something closely resembling its original condition. They had to go by black and white photos, but Barrie was confident the paint color was a close match.

One of the main challenges, says Rosen, was matching the proportions on the seat tube bands. Getting clean lug edges on a 60-year old bike took a lot of work, since the metal had roughened over the years.
Rosen put some 20 hours into the restoration job.

People s Choice

Naked Bicycles from British Columbia once again won the heart of the NAHBS crowd. Wooden components are used for the seat post, hand grips and pedals, and the frame features particular curves that builder Sam Whittingham states he has a liking for. Bicycles should be more feminine as it softens their lines, he says. The Mountain bike uses the 29 wheel, which Whittingham says is well suited to the BC riding conditions.

President’s Choice

Shin-Ichi Konno is continuing a family business that has made Cherubim one of the most respected handmade bicycle brands in Japan and a builder for keirin racers there. According to Shin-Ichi, the current design of track/keirin racing frames has been in place since the 1960s. The award-winning Cherubim Pista is made with due respect to the long tradition of track bicycle frame building.

Best of Show

Dan Polito of Cicli Polito credits former frame builder Norm Taylor with the inspiration for the Jack Taylor tribute bicycle he brought to the 2009 NAHBS. Polito, who sees making one s own bicycle as the mark of a true cyclist, honored Taylor, who passed away recently, by including elements in this particular bicycle of original grass-track racing bicycles. Laura Long, an associate of Polito s since the shop opened, pointed out cyclists used to compete on horse fields, which explains the wider tires.

Strong Attendance on Day One at North American Handmade Bicycle Show

INDIANAPOLIS — Some 1700 tickets were sold for Day One of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) at Indianapolis, Friday 27th February.  This figure is a new record crowd for Friday.

View images of fixed gear bikes from the show below.

Seasons Mountain Bike Film Review

Several weeks ago I threw on my mini skirt and my high heels and went out into the snow and ice filled streets of Park City and tried to get in parties that I was not on the list for at the Sundance Film Festival. Okay since I look awful in a mini skirt and the high heels kill my toes I opted not to go party hopping and celebutard hunting. Instead I went to the X-Dance Festival showings. X-Dance is the action sports film festival held at the same time as the Sundance Film Festival. This is something that is really cool for all action sports. Much of the time the film producers, directors, and athletes show up and will answer questions about their films. It is definitely a push in the right direction for action sports a like, including mountain biking.

This year the mountain biking film Seasons was among the films selected for the X-Dance Film Festival and I went to the screening of it. I have to say my socks were blown off when I saw this film. Seasons is a mountain bike film by The Collective and it follows seven of the worlds tops mountain bikers through all four seasons of the year. The four seasons theme was one that I was stoked on instead of a “trick documentary” on who can go the gnarliest it followers the riders on how they prepare to do what they do best, then it shows them out and throwing down their best lines later on in the film. With this unique format you really feel that you get to know the riders of this film and see what they go through to prepare for what we see in normal videos and magazines.

One of the things I really liked about this film is it wasn’t just a huck fest. Don’t get me wrong I love watching footage of the Red Bull Rampage that takes place down in Virgin, UT. I love seeing Utah footage and gnarly cliff dropping footage as well. This film has a lot more finesse style of riding. Bottom line this film has the best trail shots that I have ever seen, hands down no question about it.. Trail footage is defiantly more difficult to capture well than jumps and cliffs. The director was there and he said for one of the segments they had a 500 foot zip line follow cam set up through the trees. It took them over a day and a half just to setup the camera.

Another thing that I was pretty stoked on was showing what riders do in the offseason. What these guys do when they are training make them seem more human than just some nut job freak of natures. This film captures how these amazing athletes get to be where they are at through their off season training. Showing the riders training and learning process made my respect for these riders grow even more by seeing how hard they work to do what they do so well.

There was a decent amount of contest and race footage in this film as well. The way captured these events was only on the riders that were in the film, so it wasn’t much of the other competitors. This was a different approach most films try to show the best and worst footage of what went down in a contest or race but this film showed as much of the riders’ runs as possible. Some of the trails that these downhill guys hit for the races are insane. Plus in the contests the features that they have are just as insane as some of the freeriding hits that they take.

One of the biggest highlights of the film was the end. The filmmakers got all the riders in the movie together at a house up at Whistler and did some freeriding group rides. Since this is such a dynamic group of riders from racers to freeriders that is made for some awesome shots with the different backgrounds.

Seasons is defiantly a movie to pick up, this video will totally motivate you to get out and ride and push yourself to new heights on a bike. It is hands down my favorite mountain bike movie of all time.

For more info check out the website.

North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) Descends on Indianapolis this Weekend (February 27 through March 1)

The fifth annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show is taking place at the Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, this weekend beginning Friday, February 27. For those who have dreamed of owning a custom ride, this is the place to come and drool. The inaugural exhibition was rather humble, with 23 exhibitors and only 200 attendees. This year the NAHBS is boasting 116 exhibitors (has anyone ever seen 116 custom bikes in the same room?) and record-setting attendance. The show moves its location each year for the convenience of the builders and attendees, and with the intent of spreading the good word about small builders and custom bicycle frame building.

Attendees can expect to see exhibited wares from such exalted builders as Ahearne, De Rosa, Moots, Serotta, Calfee, Crumpton, Vanilla, Naked, De Salvo, Independent Fabrication, Pereira, and a multitude of other bicycle and component manufacturers. One of the aims of the show is to be a meeting point for frame builders and consumers looking for custom-made bicycles. From retro to cutting-edge technologies, attendees are certain to find more than a few items that will send their mind reeling with dreams of owning and riding a handcrafted bike.

As most of the exhibitors are small businesses that lack large advertising budgets, the NAHBS is a great place for the consumer to compare builders and get a good idea of how they want to spend their hard-earned dollars. No where else in the world will an individual be able to view so many beautiful bicycles and have a chance to meet the men and women who have toiled to bring their creations into existence. Here’s the when and how:

Tickets: $15 ONLINE!! $20 at the door!! Take advantage!!
Children under 5 free
Children age 6-14 $8/day

Register online at: http://www.handmadebicycleshow.com

Show Hours

Friday, Feb. 27: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Open to Public

Saturday, Feb 28: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Open to Public

Sunday, March 1: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Open to Public

If you can’t attend the event be sure to watch MTObikes.com for updates and photos from our correspondents.

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