Clik here to view.
The Rant: No longer at the kids table
Change is inevitable, and for the past decade, it has been extra inevitable in the world of mountain bikes. For a sport that is still relatively young, especially one that is so dependent on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Framed Wolftrax Alloy Compact
Tester: Eric McKeegan/Oona McKeegan Kids today. Back when I was knee-high to a grasshopper, kids’ bikes had 20 inch wheels, steel frames and no gears. Also, no helmets. But things change, and in this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: WTB Byway 650bx47 tires
Plus tires aren’t just for mountain bikes any more. With the success of oversized tires firmly established in the dirt, the originator of the plus tire movement is moving to road bikes as the next...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Plus Tires: Five Years In
Ed. Note: The full version of this piece appears in Dirt Rag 202. Grab your copy today to read the full story and much more. In some ways, it seems that plus tires have always been with us. It was the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dirt Rag Gift Guide 2017: Gifts for the Bag Hoarder
By Eric McKeegan Everybody has a bag addict in their life. Here are five gift options for yours. Porcelain Rocket Albert – $225 Are you addicted to bags? Addicted to dropper posts? Addicted to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Yakima Dr. Tray & EZ+1 add-on hitch rack
Hitch racks are becoming the de facto standard for transporting bikes, and with good reason. As someone who carries dozens of different bikes on my car throughout the year, I am stoked to never need to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Yokozuna Mokoto hydraulic brakes
Yokozuna is best known for making some of the best cables and housing on the market. The Motoko is Yokozuna’s first foray into components, aiming for the heart of the rapidly expanding disc-brake,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Marin Wolf Ridge 8
Tester: Eric McKeegan Age: 43 Height: 5’11” Weight: 165 lbs. Inseam: 32” Not since the launch of Kona’s Magic Link bikes (R.I.P) has there been a bike that creates such a sudden, visceral and polarized...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Kona Satori returns – a mid-travel 29er trail bike for the masses
Remember Kona’s first 29er trail bike, the 130 mm Satori? Five years ago it was a solid first effort, with 68/74 head/seat angles, just over 17″ chainstays, and a long reach for the time. When the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt – more of a good thing
We got to know the previous-generation Thunderbolt very well during the One Bike Challange in 2015. That little bike won hearts and minds with its ability to take on any task set in its way. But even...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Bontrager SE4 29 x 3.0 tires
I’ve been a fan of Bontrager’s Chupacabra tires since they first hit the market. For something so light and fast the Chupas manage to provide predictable traction in conditions that should stymie its...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Trek Full Stache – 29plus – full-sus
Trek’s Stache 29plus hardtail has opened many eyes to the wonderful weirdness of 29plus tires. Ever since the introduction of the SE4/XR4 29×3 tire in the Fall of 2017 I’ve been wondering if there...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Issue 204 – Out now!
Your local bike shop or seller of media should be well stocked with the latest issue of Dirt Rag. Inside the pages you’ll find: Anka Martin teaches us how to be enduro, Sonya Looney takes us through...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Raleigh Stuntman
Tester: Eric McKeegan Age: 43 Height: 5’11” Weight: 165 lbs. Inseam: 32” Self, you need to go for a ride.” “Yeah, but I have to finish writing this review and box up a bike and do some laundry and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Pivot Switchblade Pro XT/XTR 1x
Tester: Eric McKeegan Age: 43 Height: 5’11” Weight: 165 lbs. Inseam: 32” At first glance, the Pivot Switchblade doesn’t seem to be much different than bikes with similar travel numbers and 29/27plus...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Salsa Deadwood SUS XT 1 x 11
Tester: Eric McKeegan Age: 43 Height: 5’11” Weight: 160 lbs. Inseam: 32″ There is no getting around it, the Deadwood SUS is perhaps the weirdest full-suspension bike released by a major player in a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Suntour Auron PCS RC2 fork
By Eric McKeegan The Auron fork isn’t new, but the PCS damper is a new addition to the Auron lineup. PCS stands for Piston Compensator System. The piston in question keeps the air and oil separated...
View ArticleClik here to view.
First Ride: Kona Process G2 153
The news we’ve all been waiting for: Carbon Process! OK, maybe not EVERYONE was waiting, but there is no arguing that the high-end trail and all-mountain markets are dominated by carbon-framed bikes,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Review: Soma Juice
By Eric McKeegan Some things just go together. Cream cheese and bagels. Peanut butter and chocolate. Harleys and guys dressed like pirates. Soma and steel. Soma has been turning out high-quality steel...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Interbike Dirt Demo 2017 – Final days in the desert
Interbike will be moving to Reno next year, and Outdoor Demo will be at Northstar resort, so these last two days at Bootleg Canyon were slightly bittersweet. In theory, I like the desert, but in...
View Article
