Thomson’s Downhill bar measures in at 780mm wide with a 31.8mm clamping surface, 12mm of rise, 6 degrees of backsweep, 4 degrees of upsweep, and all of that in a 295-gram package. This reasonable weight is thanks in part to the lightweight 7050 aluminum, which also provides superior strength and long life.

During my recent trip to Richmond, Virginia for the Dominion Riverrock Festival, I seized the opportunity to get out of the city on Sunday to explore a trail I’d never ridden before. Pocahontas State Park, located about 20 miles from downtown Richmond, was my destination.

While many classic mountain bike trails dating back to the hazy, smoke-filled beginnings of our sport were once hiking trails, horseback riding trails, or moto trails, Levis/Trow Mounds may just be one of the first trail systems ever built by mountain bikers, for mountain bikers. Normally referred to as just “Levis Mounds,” the rocky sandstone mounds abruptly rise 300 feet out of the glacially-flattened Clark County Forest in central Wisconsin. Located 13 miles southwest of the small town of Neillsville, population 2,463, the number of dedicated, local mountain bikers can be counted on one hand. Instead of a locals’ paradise, Levis functions as a Midwestern mountain bike mecca that requires a bit of a pilgrimage to get there.

Imagine: 30 miles of the best dirt that the mountains of North Georgia have to offer. But instead of guessing which trails to take, back tracking down trails you’ve already ridden, and having to ride a lot of gravel roads to connect the sweet segments of singletrack, we’ve done all of the hard route-finding for you.
The Dirty Thirty route is one local’s way (*cough* my way *cough*) of riding the most singletrack with the least amount of gravel roads in the legendary Bull / Jake Mountain Trail System, with absolutely no backtracking.

My spring riding season marked a personal fling with ultra-endurance cross-country mountain biking. Consequently, I have been riding a lot of miles this year, and so far the majority of my mountain bike miles have been on the Superfly.

All of the Singletracks.com employees are dyed-in-the-wool mountain bikers. While we obviously listen to what our users want and seek to provide it, we also build software and resources that we want to use in real life. The Singletracks mobile app was born of just such a desire. Consequently, I constantly use the Singletracks app to find trails when traveling in new areas.
In case you’re not familiar with the process, here’s how to find and navigate a mountain bike trail using the Singletracks app:

As many of you know, my major goal for this spring was to ride 100 miles on my mountain bike. To that end, I decided signing up for a race would help ensure my success. I would have aid stations spread out all along the course, other people to ride with, a date to train for, and that extra adrenaline boost that comes from competing. But if you read my recent 2013 Cohutta 100 Race Report, you know my plan didn’t quite work out. Due to a combination of cold temperatures and miserable weather, I quit at about mile 60.
Still, my dirty century journey wasn’t over. I decided to pick a day with nice weather and knock out a 100-miler on my local trails and gravel roads. My local trails and gravel roads host the Fools Gold 100 so it’s not like it would be an easy task!

The light weight of the CE-S50Xs and the low-profile construction make these shades feel airy and like they are hardly there! The adjustable pads are excellent for dialing in your custom fit, making these super comfortable even during 100-mile efforts.

Dominion Riverrock just might be the most family-friendly outdoor festival to include mountain biking. Located on Brown Isle in the heart of downtown Richmond, VA, the festival is literally within walking distance to a wide range of excellent hotels, so your family won’t have to rough it with you in the woods.

;