Established earlier this year, The Hive is a company formed of avid cyclist committed to improve cyclists experience with innovative products. They picked the Sea Otter classic to give people a sneak peak of what they have to offer.

Chicopee is very proud to announce that after months of planning we will be moving ahead to open a multi-use bike park to add to our roster of summer activities. Already boasting nearly 10kms of single and double track mountain bike trails, the addition of the bike park to the facility will enhance the attractiveness of Chicopee as a destination for mountain bikers throughout all of Southwestern Ontario and beyond.

In association with IMBA, the International Mountain Bike Association, upon their relocation of their Canadian Headquarters to Kitchener, Trail Specialist Mark Schmidt will assist in the planning, layout and construction of the park. The park will feature up to five(5) dirt jump lines ranging from beginner to intermediate/advanced. In addition, the inclusion of a pump track will be built utilizing a series of rollers, small jumps and berms to allow continuous riding with minimal pedaling, will round out the park.

Morocco was an adventure at every turn, if it wasn't trying to source a welder to fix Bourdo's bike, Boyko was getting swarmed by kids in a remote village. Barel dropped in on a sick line that had non-believers crying "photoshopped" when it made POD. Well here's a little more proof but you will still have to wait till September to see if he nails it.

Check in to nwdfilms.com in the coming weeks to see some more b-rolls of the Morocco trip.

Kamloops, The Tournament Capital of Canada, is about to welcome one of the most unique and lucrative mountain bike races in the world – The Intermontane Challenge. The 450-kilometre race is a cross-country stage race spanning five days, July 27-31, 2009, and features a purse of $60,000 – three times as much prize money as any race in North America.

River Valley Cycle would like to announce that they are hosting a double feature event night. 2 brand new movies premiering under 1 roof, it doesn't get much better folks. Come check them out.

This issue of Trophy Newsletter includes Salzkammergut Trophy July 12, 2008, For the first time DNF T-Shirts!, Course maps 2008 online - no more jams!, Kellys MTB Test Center, Bike Park Arikogel in Bad Goisern-Untersee, MTB Center Salzkammergut - new catalog 2008, Dachstein Track

Trond Hansen wins first stop of the 2008 Nissan Qashqai Challenge! Mischa Breitenstein, Sam Pilgrim, Kurt Sorge, Damjan Siriski, and Trond Hansen qualify for the Challenge events in Munich and London.

Bromont is finally opening its chairlift this week-end to celebrate the beginning of the seasons of mountain bike and to present two premiere : Seasons and Virtuous.

The T-Mobile extreme playgrounds Dirt Session took place last Sunday in Duisburg-Nord, Germany. Some of the world’s most skilled mountain bikers were there to LAY - IT - DOWN!

Many truck loads of dirt, 2500 meters of wood, 3500 pins and with 20 people building it into a sick north shore and some dirt arena, it's sure a job well done. And what about the public, 4500 spectators cheering at the riders and not to forget, three top acts for the sweeping sounds; Jack Penate, Millencolin and Sportfreunde Stiller were almost taking the old factory apart.

Ready to improve your results and ride faster with more control? Come and attend the first racing clinic of the 2008 season at Port Angeles’ Dry Hill on Saturday and Sunday May 3rd and 4th.

The 2008 Vermont Mountain Bike Summit presented by the Vermont Mountain Bike Association, along with The International Mountain Bicycling Association, Kona Bike Parks, and Gravity Logic from Whistler, B.C.

Registrations are filling fast for the 2008 Mountain Bike Summit, to be held at the Stowe Mountain Resort, Stowe - Vermont, from May 7-9, 2008.

News Source: Eric Schutt
The event was held on a perfect sunny day on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Thirty riders were on hand to compete in Jordie Lunn’s backyard ‘jam’, dubbed ‘Peanut Butter Knife Fight’.

Each year Sea Otter is a gathering place for media folks to catch glimpses of new products. Some companies let us know ahead of time while others simply surprise everyone. This year was no exception with goods coming out of various camps like SRAM, Fox Shox, Shimano SAINT, FSA, Yeti and Trek to name a few of the big ones.

Here's a look at the goods we were given the opportunity to really look over:

The Arduum Challenge is back this year with a vengeance. Last year’s race was an absolute mudfest, and an absolute blast. In a short amount of time we organized a race and pulled off a very exciting event. I don’t know of anyone that didn’t get worked over riding the course and still come out grinning from ear to ear. Check out last year’s race coverage at Arduum Challenge 2007.

The 3rd annual Dirt Jump Jam in Fort Collins Colorado is going to be sparking up soon. If your interested in viewing, or participating, or both together, read on for more information.

Saturday night. My first Sea Otter experience had come and gone, and being not quite ready to leave sunny California, myself and the rest of the traveling Pinkbike.com crew were trying to figure out where in the nearby vicinity we could find some sweet two-wheeled action.

Sea Otter isn't just about really cool products, that's just my favorite part each year it seems. There also happens to be a ton of riders there giving it their all at this season opener. Folks come from all over the world to compete and show off their newest sponsor kits and to be seen.

Here's a look at some of the racers (Steve Smith, Clair Buchar, Andrew Neethling, Ruardich Cunningham), riders (Andrew Cho, Dylan Korba), their bikes and of course more parts from everyone! Also check out the Dual Stunt and DH action!

Due to heavy snowpack on Mt Hood the next Fluidride Cup will return to Port Angeles WA on May 10th and 11th. Ndub Productions, Hurricane Racing and Fluidride organizers are intent on providing a world class venue highlighted by a super duper Dual Slalom and nail biting DH action- This will surely be another record attending event "not to miss!"

Building a Brand Spankin’ New Bike Park in a Month at Canada Olympic Park: COP Hosts 1st Inaugural Volunteer Bike Park Trail Day

Canada Olympic Park (www.canadaolympicpark.ca), owned and operated by the Calgary Olympic Development Association in Calgary, is home to Southern Alberta’s only gravity fed mountain bike park. Having served the bike communities of Southern Alberta and beyond as a venue for extensive mountain biking programs and regional, provincial and world level events, COP has been well known to mountain bikers as a bike park with a mish mash of stunts piled into a small geographical region ...until now.

Building a Brand Spankin’ New Bike Park in a Month at Canada Olympic Park: COP Hosts 1st Inaugural Volunteer Bike Park Trail Day

Canada Olympic Park (www.canadaolympicpark.ca), owned and operated by the Calgary Olympic Development Association in Calgary, is home to Southern Alberta’s only gravity fed mountain bike park. Having served the bike communities of Southern Alberta and beyond as a venue for extensive mountain biking programs and regional, provincial and world level events, COP has been well known to mountain bikers as a bike park with a mish mash of stunts piled into a small geographical region...until now.

Marin Bikes, manufacturer of performance bicycles, added seasoned professional racers as well as a new amateur team to its squad for 2008. With less than one season and in some cases less than one month on Marin’s improved Quad-Link 2.0 suspensions and proven race hardtails, racers had exceptional podium placements at this last weekend’s Sea Otter Classic event in Monterey, California.

World’s best freeride mountain bikers to compete for over $27,500 in Slopestyle and new VW Trick Showdown!

After months of deliberation, the Kokanee Crankworx organizing committee is excited to announce a stacked list of invited riders for the all-new VW Trick Showdown and the ever-popular Slopestyle @ Kokanee Crankworx, taking place Thursday, August 14 and Saturday, August 16, 2008 respectively. The Slopestyle will be broadcast via live webcast on www.crankworx.com.

Pimp my bike is back in rotation, until May 15th.

Any bike is eligible, so bring your klunkers, your junkers, and pimp some bikes.

This weekend at Ae Forest in Dumfries will see 300 of the Worlds top riders descend down one of Scotland’s best Downhill Race Tracks at the MSC / Descent-Gear NPS. Round One of the National Points Series for Downhill will all kick off this Saturday.

A well-known San Jose mountain bike racer and innovator was killed during a world-renowned mountain bike festival in Monterey over the weekend. He died of head and neck injuries, a Monterey County deputy coroner said Monday.

Mark Reynolds, 48, crashed into a dirt embankment on a relatively flat portion of the downhill course during the Sea Otter Classic on Saturday at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area. He was taken by helicopter to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas, where he died.

Madison is pleased to announce the sponsorship of Steve Peat, Ben Reid and Josh Bryceland with OGIO, marking the arrival of this stylish US sports luggage brand to its shelves. Madison, the leading bike parts and accessories distributor in the UK with brands such as Shimano, Commençal, DT Swiss, Giro and Bell launched this premium luggage brand at their industry leading annual trade show, iceBike back in February.

For all of you who have been riding the Woodlot this winter and/or planning on riding this summer, 26 April is the day for you to come out and do some work on the trails. Initially, we planned to do another trail day on Giant Killer to continue the work we started last year but, after thinking about it a bit, we thought it might be better to do a cleanup and some much-needed routine maintenance on the lower trails at the Woodlot.

On Monday 500 m/3 of dirt have been delivered to the Parco Sempione in Milan for the first Nissan Qashqai Challenge event. Within two days the course designers have created a little moon landscape with huge dirt jumps, which are getting ready for the action. The park visitors are passing and wondering what will happen there, they might not know yet. But on April 25th and 26th Parco Sempione, right by the old soccer stadium, will be the place to be not only for the spectators, but also for the best and most ambitious riders for the first Nissan Qashqai Challenge Open 2008.

Inspired by old hipster slang for the insane asylum (the cackle factory), the film trips with stunning footage cut to a post-industrial explosion of funk, rock, reggae, hip-hop and punk.

Radical Films detonates into mountain bike mayhem in Vancouver.

Ah the rain is holding off and the weather looks good-if you are Canadian. The wind at the Otter can be vicious at times and this year was no exception to the rule. At least mountain bikers are a rugged group as a rule and the show still went on.

Here's a look at some amazing bikes and parts from Santa Cruz, Commencal, Cannondale, Magura, Ibis and others that were on display this passed weekend:

We have been working on designs that utilize the 303 technology. Not only have we found this technology to be extremely effective, we also have international patents that cover the design in every major market. Our prototypes are focused entirely on the gravity market and will fill-out our product line in DH and slopestyle segments.

Check out Pinkbike.com exclusive video footage of the bike inside:

After the unprecedented success and demand for their superlight 20" Folding BMX Tyres KHE have now transferred this technology into 24" versions, much to the joy of many mountain bikers!

The 24" Mac2 Park Tyres will be available in a couple of weeks and look set to be hot items this Summer!

Get pumped for this year's race season by attending the Western Canadian premiere of Clay Porter's latest film F1RST. Here's what they have to say about F1RST.

News Source: ethirteen components
e.thirteen athletes made their mark internationally this past weekend, with podium appearances in the domestic race and freeride scene as well in the international freeride arena. It seems as though the podium is going to be a comfortable spot again for e.thirteen riders in 2008, especially with the official release of the worldwide patent pending direct mount bashring.

World Premieres for Seasons, the new film by The Collective, have just been announced. Make sure you check out the premiere in Vancouver on the 24th at the Commodore Ballroom. See ya there!

Bell is a name synomonous with helmets in the bicycle industry as well as all forms of motor sports such as Formula 1, the Indy 500 as well as every Moto-X event there has ever been.

Their latest lid for 2008 is the Bell Drop, read more..

The third anniversary of the Vienna Air King was peppered with a lot of surprises: seventeen years old Sam Pilgrim from Colchester, United Kingdom, proved his enormous potential placing first in the finals. Specialized rider Benny Korthaus was the first rider ever to pull off a clean 360- Double Tailwhip during an international mountain bike competition.

Santa Cruz Syndicate (SRAM) racer Greg Minnaar headlines the downhill and dual slalom winning both gravity events at the Sea Otter Classic this weekend. Sharing the love with Greg on the downhill podium were teammates Steve Peat and Nathan Rennie placing 4th and 5th respectively, with Chris Kovarik 2nd and Justin Leov 3rd. Minnaar was on the top blocks in the dual slalom with Steve Peat 2nd, Andrew Neethling 3rd and Kirt Voreis 4th. Minnaar's double wins this weekend show that he has made a seamless transition to the Syndicate squad and seems to be getting on quite well on his new Santa Cruz bikes.

Are you new to Downhill racing? Not sure what to expect on race day? Want some pointers on line selection, high-speed cornering, jumps and steeps? This annual event coached by Denise Britton, will have you ready to conquer on race day.

Muddbunnies Riding Club in partnership with Denise Britton and the Freeride Dawgs, are putting on our second www.ratrace2.com Women’s Only Clinic.

With the release of the new deity Vendetta REV2 Crankset last week, deity is offering existing 2008 deity Vendetta Crankset owners the opportunity to upgrade to the all new Vendetta LHD Non-Drive arm for FREE (while supplies last)!

Calling all NW trail stewards and "Do-gooders!" for our annual Post Canyon Clean Up Day!

Please come out and steward a small 4-hour clean up day on April 26th from 9am to Noon. Refreshments provided by local businesses. Bring your bikes for some sweet after work riding and check out all the new features recently built and rip the 2 brand new trails.

Many companies choose the Sea Otter Classic to hold new product launches. SRAM presented a few new 2009 MTB components and Pinkbike was there to check to get the latest scoop.

After qualifying fastest yesterday for the brand new SRAM Dual Stunt event here at Sea Otter, Kyle Strait went on to dominate the event and take it all the way for the win.

The course featured various obstacles such as leg sapping stall walls, wall rides, boxes, steps and narrow north shore wooden ramps, and riders went head to head in a dual slalom format on a red then black course.

Hello everybody,

First off I want to say thanks to all the keen builders, I've received a bunch of emails from people excited for the Kelso build day and wondering when it will be. It's always a super fun way to get together, throw some dirt around and see what everyone is riding for 2008.

Conveniently located 10 miles up the mountain from the Fruita Fat Tire Festival at The Ranch – 40 some acres of Jumps, berms, drops, kickers, wooden features, and fun. Comp scheduled for the last day of the Festival when nothing else is scheduled to conflict.

It’s time again for the annual Mt. Wilson Pancake Breakfast, April 27,2008, an event—now in its 19th year. Over 250 people stopped by Cobb Estate in the Angeles National Forest to eat breakfast, talk bikes, and win some of the 100-plus prizes raffled off.

Aye it's Heaven! That is the answer I got from Ross when I asked him what the track was called that we were riding just outside Santa Cruz.

I still don't know what the trails were called but here is how it went down....

We at Pinkbike.com have been eagerly awaiting the launch of the all new Trek Session 88 bike. Since hearing rumors about it for just over a year now and then seeing a few prototype shots floating around the net, we knew that this bike was going to be a big deal. On Thursday we had the pleasure of attending the launch of the all new Trek Session 88 DH and FR models.

Have a read to learn more about this exciting new bike!

Day 2 at the Laguna Seca Race Way was a surprising day. Not only was it looking like we would be getting wet this morning, we saw some bikes taped up, some greasy mustaches, some massive shocks, and a lot of Pinkbike.com "decal" equip'd bikes.

Empty wallets and fancy bikes go together like ice cream and pie. So read on and get ready to empty your wallets!

After a rude 7:10 awakening after a extra late 12:30am bed time, we awoke this morning to go indulge our eyes, and our lenses with some fancy bicycle products.

Read on to see what we drooled over today.

The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame was started in 1988 with the mission to preserve the history of the sport. A physical museum can be found in Crested Butte, Colorado and each year between three to seven individuals or groups are inducted.

MTBco presents the Kelowna premiere of The Cackle Factor – Kranked 7

Radical Films detonates into mountain bike mayhem with The Cackle Factor-Kranked 7

Inspired by old hipster slang for the insane asylum (the cackle factory), the film trips with stunning footage cut to a post-industrial explosion of funk, rock, reggae, hip-hop and punk. As the world spirals into madness, seemingly at war with itself, the best mountain bikers are judged against it. Join us as we freak out and explore....

WHO IS INSANE?
US OR THEM?

Its time to dig out that old gear, and figure out what you want to replace it with. Come on out to the WORCA bike SWAP and get rid of some stuff.

Pinkbike.com has been attending the Sea Otter Classic for a few years now, however this year was my inaugural year with the Pinkbike crew. So, after packing up our gear on a Monday morning, and sitting down in the Chevy 2500, we started the journey to Monterey California.

Time for our annual Spring Blowout!

Starting Thursday April 17th till Saturday April 19th, you can save some huge bucks$$ on bikes, parts, accessories and clothing.

"We are very excited to work with Chris and the NPS4x series for 2008. Sponsoring the largest 4x series in Europe fits nicely with our business strategy, and the series does an excellent job of helping us maximize our exposure for the Manitou and Hayes brands. We wish all the racers the best of luck in 2008!"

In just a little over 48 hours from now, the new and highly anticipated movie from Clay Porter, the docu-style feature on the 2007 Downhill race season "F1RST", will make its world premiere at the Golden State Theatre in Monterey. (417 Alvarado Street).

Intense Bikes has created a new trailbike, and are looking for your input on a name for it. Read on for more details.

GT Bicycles is set to launch a unique mountain bike-focused demo program Thursday at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA. The GT Bicycles Experience will visit bike shops and mountain bike festivals nationwide, providing an outlet for enthusiasts and shop employees to demo the latest GT bikes, learn about the product technology and above all, enjoy a true VIP cycling experience.

SF DIRTLAB presents the San Francisco premier of one of the most anticipated mountain bike films to date. The Collective has already given us two great films, now they are ready to deliver the third, Seasons. Stars of the film will be in attendance along with the film's producers, making the San Francisco stop of the world tour worthy of our unique city.

After the release of the legit teaser for Vicious Circle, Bullet proof video has released a full section from their new video.

Check out Graham Agassiz's section from Vicious Circle, and the complete released trailer.

Birmingham Wheels was once home to an array of sports from track to banger racing but today it now houses one of the UK's up and coming bike parks. The park has been developed mostly with the help and commitment of local riders but is looking to expand its reach and allow more riders to enjoy its trails with its first Jam!

This coming weekend sees the unofficial season opener for the North American mountain bike race season, and Team Monster Energy Iron Horse will be in attendance yet again, but this year with a new line up.

Lifestyle clothing brand Evomo will debut new 2008 apparel designs and give away an iPod Shuffle at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California April 17-20.

Tweet, Tweet!

Check these three new chicks that have just this second hatched out from our mother "SPANK". These are their brand new Tweet Tweet Jump Seats.

Dear Californians, there is a new bike jam coming to your neck of the woods.

Read more to find out more information on it.

Littermag.com has teamed up with The Fix Bikes to bring you LitterOTB for the 2008 Sea Otter Classic and the game is now under way. Play for free and predict pro downhill and dual slalom race results and you could be the winner of a $250 gift certificate from The Fix Bikes.

Division Clothing Co. LLC is proud to announce the launch of its Division 26 Brand. Division 26 features high quality street and music influenced apparel and accessories aimed at the Mountain Bike lifestyle. The current line consists of stylish t-shirts, hoodies, beanies, and hats. Technical gear will be released in the coming months.

The Best Underdog Film Of 2008

ionate films is proud to release its first freeride mountain bike film, shot entirely in full High Definition. The combination of spectacular downhill descents with breathtaking scenery spanning from the Swiss Alps to the Liguirian coasts, grants VIRTUOUS aesthetics which have been untapped by bike film makers until now.

Recently, double world champion, and vice world champion for 2007 Fabien Barel made a life changing decision that could make or break his career of mountain biking.

Fabien has signed with Subaru France, to create his legacy, A race team that gives him the opportunity for more flexibility and reactivity. Together with Subaru France, Fabien has brought along Paul Walton, who has been Fabien's mechanic and engineer for 4 years now, and Christian Tabart, who is a very well known French mechanic, who is known for his generosity and maturity.

Attention Ladies,

Muddbunnies Riding Club presents our next mountain biking clinic:

Prepare yourself for the season ahead, and sign up for one of these three hour sessions designed for the beginner rider aged 19 years and older.

What a weekend!

Some nice local throw down. Thanks to our sponsors for great prizes! Great turn out too! You had to be there to get it all in, and see the sweet stuff being thrown down.

The Results Are In!

Care to join in on watching the most anticipated movie of 2008? Well, you have your first chance tonight.

So call up your buddies, get your beers, leave the bikes at home, and come watch Seasons.

Russ Bock the winner of the Devinci District 1 at this years AFA's is a generous man! After winning the bike he called us up a few days later and said he wanted to donate the bike to needy kids. We were pretty amazed!

Port Angeles is our final destination (aside from home) for this road trip, where Gully and Splinter want to partake in some Fluidride Cup race action. I'll be snapping more pics of the events and checking out all that is good in the PNW scene.

Check out the race action and dual video:

The new MonaVie/Cannondale mountain bike team is changing the rules and focusing on nontraditional competitions. With an all star roster this team will be found in the results from competitions all across the globe.

The Pacific Northwest Gravity Series has officially begun. Fluidride, NDub Productions and Hurricane Racing hosted one helluva battle that started with Dual Slalom and ended with one kick ass DH. Held in Port Angeles, Washington on the "Dry Hill Trails" this 6 race series is going to bring some national attention.

Tons of photos by Carl Warren and a couple of nice videos done by Miles Sullivan of Shovelpick Productions.

The Whistler Mountain Bike Park’s Air Dome in its second year of operation, is set to open April 11. The Air Dome, best known for its huge 20x28 foot foam pit, is located at Base II on Blackcomb Mountain and offers an indoor, weather-free training facility for all levels of mountain bikers.

In early 2007, Gamut started working on prototypes to break the 200 gram mark for a complete guide/device system. At 222 grams, the new P30 is the lightest guide available which can take the rigors of a World Cup season.

Ison Distribution Ltd are pleased to announce that we have signed Lance McDermott to ride Halo Hubs, Gusset parts and ODI Grips. Lance is one of the highest profile and most progressive riders in the world at the moment and we are proud that he has chosen to use our products. Lance is a regular on the podium at the various International Dirt and Slopestyle events around the globe.

Whether you want to tune up your skills for an event, get more access to a race venue, have access to some of mountain biking’s greatest pros, or simply have fun, taking a Bikeskills clinic at the Sea Otter Classic is the way to do it.

With this new site I’ll be making my official entrance into the blogosphere, and I have to admit, I’m excited. I will strive to keep my posts about what I perceive to be things that matter in this world…all said with a certain cycling slant of course.

The 2008 season will see the Europe's largest online cycle retailer take a top group of riders to the World stage for both Downhill and 4X

- Team ChainReactionCycles/Intense.

Making their mark both stateside and in South America last weekend, Kona Factory Team riders proudly stood atop the podium in Fountain Hills, Arizona and the Pan-Am Mountain Bike Championships in Venezuela.

The trip is cruising along nicely with the locals being great guides and the weather holding out for good times in the riding department. Since I have been off the comp and a little beat up I decided to take a day off and get some work done, while Gully and Splinter hit up the trails of Post Canyon.

Here's a look at the fun they had. Lot's of videos inside!

Freeride Entertainment starts the filming season with a trip to Morocco. Filming for NWD 9 and the Rush HD behind the scenes of adventure sports filming TV show "Focused." Bourdo, Barel and Boyko mix old world culture with new school freeriding. Words by Robbie Bourdon and photos by Yorick Carroux // www.carroux.com and Robbie Bourdon.

Harrison Ford may be on the cover of the May issue of Men's Journal, but it's what's inside that counts. Vancouver Island's own Darcy Turenne got a full page spread and little feature in the magazine-Congrats Darcy!

The Mountain States Cup, one of the nation’s leading mountain bike race series, kicks off April 12-13 with the Rabbit Valley Rally.

The series opener treats riders to a blistering off-road time trial and a traditional long-loop cross country race. Both events start at the Rabbit Valley parking lot near the Utah border, and they take full advantage of the area’s high-desert backcountry terrain. Racers will need a well-rounded blend of fitness, skill and resourcefulness to negotiate the trails and stay ahead of the tough competition.

If you haven't booked your vacation time or planned a road trip for this summer, NOW is the time! Norco Performance Bikes is proud to announce the return of its one-of-a-kind Rider Appreciation Days: VPS-Fest

For the 6th year in a row, Norco will say, 'Thanks!' to our riders by providing FREE* lift-accessed riding, FREE tech support by World Cup Mechanics, FREE flat and wheel repair, and the chance to win over $5000 in prizes.

Elka Suspension Inc., an industry-leading manufacturer of innovative high-performance suspension and steering products, announced today it will launch a bold new line of mountain bike shock absorbers at this year’s Sea Otter Classic.

Jordie Lunn is inviting you to bring out your Jiff, your favorite peanut butter knife, and come cut some trails up.

Jordie Lunn's peanut butter knife fight will see athletes go head to head in the buttery smooth trails that Jordie has been tirelessly working on. The new improvements ad a snake like feel with rollers, berms, wall rides and the amazing step up to step down.

Come on out, fill your belly, and support your local rider representing Australia.

Shaun has just been selected to the Australian downhill team to race at the worlds in June, and is our best chance of bringing home the rainbow jersey.

So come on out, have a jolly dinner, a good night, and support your local racer on his journey for the rainbow stripes.

The snow and rain of the past two days had our hopes a little low for good weather, but as luck would have it things were better in Hood River. Blue skies greeted us from the loft at Chico's pad and we knew that the days ahead where going to be good.

Check out what the crew got up to in Hood River:

On April 12, 2008, Marin will be hosting a bike demo in association with Dodge City Cycles at the fourth stop on the Vancouver Island Cup MTB Series. We’ll have on hand a full compliment of Marin Quad-Link 2.0 full suspension bikes, including a Quake, Wolf Ridge, as well as hardtails, road bikes and a kid's bike. This event will go from 10am-4pm.

With the greatest regret we must inform you of the very sad news of the death of Si Paton shortly after attending a competitive downhill race the other weekend here in the U.K.

Unfortunately Si suffered massive head injuries during a practice run on the Sunday morning and was air lifted off the hill by the Air Ambulance to the nearest Neurology Department some 90 miles away. According to his father Si received the best possible treatment from the surgeons but they were unable to save him and he passed away during a second emergency operation on the operating table on the Sunday evening after the race.

Lars Tribus - one of the most recognizable figures in the DH/freeride scene - is back with CHUMBA Racing. After riding for CHUMBA for many years staring from 2003 - Lars will be representing CHUMBA on the company's entire line, including the EVO all-mountain/freeride bike, the XCL, and the national championship-winning F5 downhill bike.

Lucent Productions is proud to announce the release of Free Delivery, its first full-length feature movie available to audiences worldwide on April 14, 2008. Free Delivery profiles five New England pro-riders and also recaps a handful of major North American events providing viewers with a mix of downhill, freeride, dirt jump, park, and street action.

Phil Sundbaum met with world cup racer Justin Leov for the next stop of the Summer Of Shred world tour. They rode epic trails all over New Zealand together, here is the video footage from the first half of their trip.

It's Baaaaack!

The Santa Cruz Hellride, which takes place neither in Santa Cruz nor Hell, will return to the rugged steeps above Downieville, California, August 1st-3rd.

The end to another spectacular ski season is near and the team at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is going to celebrate with style by hosting an action packed weekend of music, mountain bikes and dummies. In collaboration with Big Rock Brewery, KHMR will host a free Big Rock Untapped après concert on Saturday, April 5th and Sunday, April 6th. The Untapped stage will feature some fresh, new Canadian talent, Vancouver based band Star Collector.

Don't forget to bring your bikes for Saturday's snow race too!

The first round of the National Mountain Bike Series presented by Maxxis was held March 27th-30th in Fontana, California. The event was well attended with the parking lot overflowing in the Southridge Park under the trees, with pleasant weather greeting the racers. Both the DH and XC events went off with the huge international fields. Our own Ricky Federau from Chilliwack BC was down there pinning it with the rest of the XC big dogs in this Olympic year.

Here's a look at last weekend's results.

Despite some speculation about Block 8 going away we wanted to let you all know that the brand is very much alive and well. Despite some tech troubles with our old site which essentially erased it off the face of the earth and cyberspace we have been grinding away in our top secret Block 8 compound on new products and a new website.

The Atherton (Animal Començal) brother and sister team were the winners of the first race of the Maxxis Cup International 2008, which took place in Gouveia (Portugal). Gee Atherton won by 4 seconds and Rachel by over 8 seconds!!!. Dan took a solid 2nd place behind his brother. Cedric "the entertainer" Gracia has fought back from a potentially career ending wrist injury in 2007 to start the 2008 season off with a huge 3rd place.

News Source: ethirteen components
e.thirteen is proud to welcome product development engineer, Kristopher Wehage, to the team. Kris brings three and a half years of high end bicycle component design and engineering experience and a passion for bicycle riding and industrial design.

It's early spring and time for an early season road trip to dryer(we hope) zones. My buddy James Splinter from Teslin Yukon wanted to do a road trip since last fall and has been couped up in the Arctic deep freeze he calls home for months. He even wrangled Geoff Gulevich into joining us for the trip south to Washington and Oregon.

Check out what we got up to on Day 1 and 2:

Chromag Bikes are well known for their frames and great component line up. The Pinkbike.com/Devinci DH Team was fortunate to run their bar and stem combo last year and are equally stoked to have Chromag on board for 2008.

Check out the goodies that Chromag is bolting up this year:

Bikepark Leogang, Adidas Freeride & X-Line Saalbach Hinterglemm, Mountainbikepark Wagrain, Bikepark Zauberberg Semmering and Planai-BikePark created a seasonal ticket called “GraVity”. One ticket purchase only and riders are spoilt for choice of all five bike parks.

Registration is open for the Port Angeles Washington event brought to you by Hurricane Racing, NDub Productions and Fluidride. Get ready for the six race gravity NW series that will combine the Dry Hill area of Port Angeles Washington and Mt Hood's Ski Bowl Ski Resort in Oregon. Starting off Saturday Apr 5th is DUAL SLALOM and Apr 6th is the DOWNHILL.

Ok, ok, I guess pedal bikes are cool after all. Getting into Mountain Biking changed my life and I hope in changes others' lives too. We should keep Pinkbike going so others can one day experience the joy of riding bikes that we all do. Ride on.

What should we do for April Fools next year?

Located in Bellevue, Washington, Obtainium Performance is a fairly new and small company who is dedicated to manufacture high performance Titanium springs. If you are looking at dressing up your new RockShox Vivid in shiny Titanium – Obtainium Performance Products is your only option. But rest assure, their springs also work with other high end dampers.

Casey, Lars and the whole crew have been hella busy getting everything ready for this coming weekend's big race that will kick off racing in the Pacific Northwest and the Fluidride Cup Series. Here is footage from the DH course from late last summer and also footage from the recently completed Dual course too.

Enjoy the videos and we'll see you this weekend!

Now that spring and the riding season is upon us, a grand opening celebration is planned for Saturday, April 5th.

A number of activities will be happening at Secret Cycles that day including great in-store specials, manufacturer representatives on-site with demo bikes, draw prizes, trials demos by the Baia brothers and more.

It has been a great bunch of years running pinkbike.com and riding around on pedal bikes. Great memories and friends, but we must progress as riders to another level. The next level is Moto, DirtBikes, and ChainSlayer. Bigger jumps, faster bikes, and let's cut to the chase, hotter podium girls.
On that note we are now closing pinkbike.com and starting a new website called ChainSlayer.com

Pacific Northwest clothing company, Spectrum Techwear, announces the starting lineup of the cape collection for 2008.

I was out in Grand Junction this weekend riding and I saw this bike in the parking lot. At first I thought it looked a lot like those pictures of the new BOS fork with that external reservoir. When I quizzed the rider of the bike he told me a very different use.

Mad March Racing releases the once-secret "Helmet Trainer" to the general public. Privately used by current and past Champions, The Helmet Trainer trains the athlete for proper body position in all types of mountain biking. Designed by World Master's Champion Shaums March, The Helmet Trainer has proven to be the most important aspect to an athletes training. "I came up with the concept back in 1996 while racing in the Norba Circuit," explains March. "When riding those early courses I could tell that there were specific body positions that made me more stable on the bike, and thus faster down the course. I just needed a way to train and make sure I was always using the right positions. After a bit of trial and error, I created The Helmet Trainer."

Jeff Lenosky is under review by the Guinness Book of World Records for his records after it has come to light that Lenosky may have been using performance enhancing products when he set the world record for side hopping 48 inches.

Another very important shipment of Pinkbike.com team products has arrived. Does the term "Rollin on Swiss" make any sense to you? Yeah, us neither, but read on to figure out where we were going with that one.

Have a look at the Big Red Wheels: