There is no doubt Orbea’s new Occam looks like a ball of fun, but if you’re after something a bit more budget friendly, or your local trails are better suited to a hardtail, the ‘slack and simple’ Laufey might just be the ticket. BMC’s motor powered Trailfox AMP SX A rowdier Specialized Fuse hardtail for 2020 Like the new Specialized Fuse, the Laufey is an all-alloy affair, and the frame is heavily hydroformed to increase strength and prevent flex in the wrong plane. The head angle is slacker, now 65.5 degrees, the seat angle is two degrees steeper at 75 degrees and reach grows by 25mm from its predecessor, measuring 435mm in a size medium. With this contemporary geometry, the Laufey should be well behaved on both the ups and downs, especially with the extra 10mm of travel at the front, up from 130mm. The Orbea Laufey is made with a hydroformed alloy frame Orbea Like the reach, the chainstays measure 435mm, so the bike won’t be overly ‘whippy’, but this extends the wheelbase to 1,174mm in a size medium, meaning it should be plenty stable at speed. The extra length and the forged rear chainstay yoke also help to fit a 29 x 2.6in tyre comfortably in the rear without the need for dropped or raised chainstays, as we’ve seen on other bikes in this category. At the back, the frame is based around 12 x 148mm thru-axle spacing and sees provision for post-mount brakes. With fully internal cable routing, the Laufey gets stealth dropper post routing and a straight seat tube, so there should be no issues with seatpost insertion depth. The Laufy also has a threaded bottom bracket (hooray!) and ISCG 05 tabs should you need a touch of added chain security. While there are three off the rack models, the Laufey is part of Orbea’s MyO customisation program Orbea Orbea is offering three off-the-rack models, but being part of the MyO program they can be completely customised. The base build is the H30 with a 1×11 Shimano SLX drivetrain and RockShox Recon RL fork for €1,299 / $1,499. The H10 comes with a 12-speed SLX drivetrain and Marzocchi Bomber Z2 fork for €1,599/$1,899. The top-end H-LTD has the latest XT/SLX kit and a Fox 34 at the front for €1,999/$2,499.

Zero Motorcycles, the brand that defined the category of electric motorcycles, introduced their most innovative and powerful motorcycle yet with the launch of SR/F earlier this year. Now, Zero’s internal engineering team, in collaboration with multiple partners, has transformed its new streetfighter into a full-blown racer, which AMA-professional racer Cory West will put to the test at the 2019 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 30. “The racing effort for Pikes Pike at Zero is entirely run with internal engineering staff, who mostly commit their lunches, nights, and weekends to the cause,” said Brian Wismann, VP of Product Development at Zero Motorcycles. “No dedicated team members or factory-level budgets here. The bike was built with the support of key suppliers to the Zero production line, plus some clever designs from an engineering team let loose to experiment.” With 110 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque, Zero’s production SR/F already boasts impressive performance stats that challenge competitors representing the biggest names in the industry. Through the company’s “Blue Sky” program, which encourages Zero engineers to explore their creativity and reach for new heights, the SR/F has become an even more formidable contender, thanks in large part to the help of existing brand partners including Gates Carbon Drive, Showa, Pirelli Tires, SME Group, Dymag and Hotbodies Racing. In lieu of the chain kit typically used for race bikes, Zero engineers opted to stick with the same Gates Carbon Drive belt found on the production model. Their hope is that the smooth delivery of torque from the concentric pivot and constant tension belt will give the SR/F an advantage when pitted against gas bikes, which need to shift and respond to power pulses and surges from internal combustion engines. In order to upgrade the suspension on the SR/F, Zero tapped Showa for their rare Balance Free Front Fork (BFF) and Balance Free Rear Cushion lite (BFRC-lite) rear shock. The Showa components also serve the dual purpose of adding a contrasting visual accent against the matte black of the bike. Adding utlity and further visual character to the racer, Dymag forged aluminum wheels provide crucial weight savings, plus aesthetic appeal befitting the Pirelli Superbike Slicks fitted to them. Additional adaptations to the SR/F from Zero’s engineering team include two handlebar-mounted brake levers, which allow for better rear brake modulation while banking deeply into right hand turns – only possible through the clutch-less design of Zero’s direct drive electric motor. Custom rearsets were also designed to accommodate the bike’s unique swingarm pivot, which is concentric with the motor output shaft. Bringing together the overall concept is designer Tom Zipprian’s custom bodywork, which was 3D printed in-house specifically for Pikes Peak and reinforced with carbon fiber. Large number plates are required per race regulations, and this serves to stylishly accommodate those as well as provide useful data on testing the potential aerodynamic benefits of similar elements that generate downforce. The post Zero Motorcycles SR/F Set To Tackle Pike’s Peak appeared first on Electric Bike Action.

Smith sent us home from Sea Otter with a fairly new set of glasses, dubbed the “Ruckus”, for testing. Based around a fairly large coverage lens, they take advantage of Smith’s genius PivLock system and each pair come with an additional Rose lens, which is fairly light in tint and good at dealing with shadows. As things go from cool, foggy and loamy to hot dry and dusty here in the Santa Cruz area, we’ve had enough time to summarize our thoughts on them. Read on for the full review… Details ChromaPop lenses Hydroleophobic lens coating Extra ChromaPop Contrast Rose lens Hydrophilic megol nose pads for a secure fit Medium fit/large coverage Two-position adjustable nose pads Hydrophilic megol temple & nose pads for a secure fit Auto-lock hinges 7×4 toric lens curvature TR90 frame material PivLock removable arms Padded soft case and bag included Lifetime warranty $189 USD Perhaps the coolest feature on a set of performance glasses to date, FidLock means fast, tool free lens swaps in a matter of seconds. You simply hold your thumb down behind the hinge, then pull the arms off. Putting them back onto the lens is even easier…Slide them on until they click into place. Clockwise from left: The Ruckus come in a nice padded case with a cleaning bag and laser cut foam padding. The arms are straight and low in profile with soft, grippy material on the inside and the underside. The nose piece is adjustable between two different positions vertically, to fit a variety of faces, which is key as the lens is rather large. Lastly, despite being removable with no tools, you can still tighten their actual hinge with a standard eyewear screwdriver. This is the whole kit with the arms removed. The nose fitting pops off with a simple tug and snaps into place rather easily with an audible click. The rose colored option is included with each set of Ruckus glasses. It’s great for riding in the woods, provided there isn’t too much canopy and a lack of light. The “platinum” dark lens is ideal for bright, mid day riding out in the open. It cuts a great deal of glare. It’s worth noting that Smith also offers a photochromic (read: transition) lens option that changes depending on light, although it retails for an extra $20. On the trail Since most of the testing occurred in the Santa Cruz area, we mainly used the rose colored lenses as the woods here are in fact quite dark. In terms of tint, they were just right for the majority of our riding, outside of very early mornings and late evenings where a clear lens would be ideal. With that in mind, we’ll be reaching out to Smith to test out the photochromic transition lens out of curiosity. Optically, the lenses are both razor sharp, offering incredibly good clarity with zero distortion. Since the trails here are either quite loamy, dusty or some combination of both, the expansive coverage of the Ruckus proved to be an excellent alternative to goggles. They offered better protection than the average glasses, but weren’t as cumbersome or annoying as a set of goggles. On our testers rather average sized head there were no quirks in terms of fit – the lenses didn’t butt up against cheek bones, and the top didn’t butt up against his forehead or helmet. It’s always interesting to see how well a set of glasses (particularly their arms) play(s) with a helmet, and while there’s no doubt that the Ruckus would work quite nicely with a Smith helmet, they also worked admirably with the Bell Sixer and Troy Lee Designs A2 that they were mainly paired with. The actually arms seemed best tucked under the retention system, not below it. Their soft material and low profile nature made them an afterthought on the trail. The Ruckus managed fog fairly well – at least on par with anything else, which is impressive given how much more they cover your face, leaving less room for air flow (and less room for dirt to squeak through and spackle your eyes). Although in stock form the glasses worked well, a bit of Cat Crap is the best thing you can do to prevent fogging. As you’ll see at the link, it’s not actual cat crap, but rather a genius anti-fog that skiers have using for ages. Overall At the end of the day, the Ruckus are truly excellent glasses – it’s hard to find a single flaw in them. Like anything, you may want to try them on first to ensure they work with your facial profile. That said, if you’re looking for set of glasses that give you near goggle level protection without the hassle and complication that comes along with combining goggles and half lids, you’d be foolish to not give these a look. They are a touch on the pricey side, but the fact that they come with a second lens to help cover a broader range of light conditions helps. That it’s stunningly easy to switch out lenses is the cherry on top. www.smithoptics.com

Places To Ride Places To Ride is our selection of the best photos sent to us by riders from all over the world. Every month we enjoy sifting through the photos of riders out on the trail doing what they do best—enjoying this awesome sport. Happy trails. ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Ramon Cruz and Ralf San Jose (alias “Halfie”) hike-a-biking Bell Ridge above Robinson Ranch in SoCal. This is really more a hiking trail than a biking trail. The chopped-up brush shown was apparently from the fire department’s attempt to make a fire break during the Holy Fire several months back. Sections of the trail are rideable, but much is not. The views, however, are spectacular! Local trail wizard Richard Satterlee on an exceptional dirt day enjoying the Flash Flood trail, Ladera Ranch, Orange County, California. There is a maze of fun trails there amidst the urban sprawl, kinda like a small Disneyland for mountain bikers. Thought I would provide a few more mountain bike pics for your “Trail Mix” consideration. Karl Dimler Rancho Mission Viejo, California DENVER BOMB CREW Please see the attached picture of the Denver Believers On Mountain Bikes (Denver BOMB) crew. We are a Christian cycling group, but all are welcome to ride with us. Our schedule is published at www.denverbomb.com. We would be happy to be published in your magazine! Jim Mason Centennial, Colorado CHEQUAMEGON, WISCONSIN The Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA) is excited to announce that phase two of the CAMBA-Hayward Area Memorial Hospital Gateway Trail project has been completed. This year’s work added another two miles to the trail, bringing the total distance to 3.5 miles. The new trail continues the meandering, flowing character of the initial segment of trail and explores several extremely scenic areas. The reception to the new trail has been universally enthusiastic and overwhelmingly positive. Chris Young of New Moon bike shop shared his observations about the new trail: “On any given day you may see a 3-yearold out there on a balance bike, a pair of 70-somethings cruising along and just about anyone in between. The CAMBA-Hospital trail has begun the transformation of the Hayward/Cable CAMBA trails into a broad-spectrum trail resource accessible to all abilities that anyone can enjoy.” The third and final phase of the project will get underway in the spring of 2019, with the goal of another two to two and a half miles of trail. The total cost for phase three is expected to be approximately $27,000. “We hope local businesses, organizations or individuals can get behind this project and help CAMBA bring it to a successful completion,” says CAMBA Executive Director Ron Bergin. Anyone wishing to make a donation to help support this exciting project may do so at www.cambatrails.org by clicking the “Support” button. This popular new trail system has been extremely well-received and appreciated by the local communities and has met the need for a trail system that is easily accessible and fun for all ages and skill levels. Tom Cogger Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association Hayward, Wisconsin THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO GET ELECTRIC BIKE ACTION In print, from the Apple newsstand, or on your Android device, from Google. Available from the Apple Newsstand for reading on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. Subscribe Here For more subscription information contact (800) 767-0345 Got something on your mind? Let us know at hi-torque.com The post Places To Ride appeared first on Electric Bike Action.

Eddie Lawson Teams Up With Giant Bicycle USA Giant Bicycle USA recently collaborated with four-time motorcycle Grand Prix World Champion Eddie Lawson for a video project featuring a Giant E-bike. A lifelong mountain bike rider, Lawson climbed aboard a Giant Trance E+ 1 Pro and was immediately impressed.   “A friend of mine had one and he let me try it and I was hooked. I had to have one,” said Lawson, who rides daily in the rugged desert terrain in Arizona where he lives. “It used to be I’d get up in the morning and say ‘I should go train on my mountain bike.’ Now I get up and can’t wait to go for a ride. That’s the difference.” The Trance E+ 1 Pro is a full suspension E-mountain bike that offers a whole new way to tackle technical singletrack trails. The SyncDrive Pro motor gives the Trance E+ Pro rider a massive 80Nm of torque and 360% of tuneable support. That means the rider can dial his E-bike with full pedal assist power or tune it less aggressively. “Eddie is the best athlete ambassador E-biking can have,” said John “JT” Thompson, general manager of Giant Bicycle USA. “He knows superior technology and craftsmanship, and he certainly knows how to put a two-wheeled machine to the test. Eddie is the perfect rider to help spread the joy of E-bikes.” “The great thing about E-bikes is you can work as hard or as easy as you want,” Lawson said. “An E-bike is a great training tool, and it’s also a lot of fun.”   Watch the video of Eddie riding his Trance E+ 1 Pro WIN A GIANT E-BIKE! #EDDIExGIANT It’s Simple. Demo any Giant E-Bike at an authorized Giant Dealer before July 31st. Post a photo of yourself on the bike to Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #EDDIExGIANT and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a new Giant Stance E+ 2 Power Ebike. SWEEPSTAKES RULES AND REGULATIONS THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO GET ELECTRIC BIKE ACTION In print, from the Apple newsstand, or on your Android device, from Google. Available from the Apple Newsstand for reading on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. Subscribe Here For more subscription information contact (800) 767-0345 Got something on your mind? Let us know at hi-torque.com   The post Eddie Lawson Teams Up With Giant Bicycle USA appeared first on Electric Bike Action.

Though the World Cup race circuit is popular as ever to watch and follow, it seems that these days, less people are actually riding downhill bikes. In a time where long travel bikes out at your local trails are far and few in between, we felt is was time to give the dual crown ‘Freeride’ bike some time under the spotlight. We set out to build up a visually intriguing machine, that in our eyes, is the ultimate freeride, bikepark, and all around playful downhill bicycle. Details 27.5″ wheels Size Medium 200mm travel front / 200mm travel rear Single Pivot suspension platform Metric shock spacing 33 pounds without pedals The build started with a black Commencal Furious frame, and some matte black vinyl to help achieve our dream of an 100% stealthy bike. We chose the Furious after enjoying its playful ride quality after reviewing the bike last year. Paying homage to one of the first brands to support the early Freeride movement, and keen to mount up a fork that was all black, we opted for the new Marzzochi Bomber 58 fork. With a Fit Grip2 Damper, and similar chassis to the Fox 40, it was an obvious choice. A Bomber CR in the back features simple low-speed compression and rebound damping, it matches the fork, and we felt it would provide everything we’d need for a park bike. We are playing around between a 400 and 450 lb spring. The Hope Tech 3 V4 downhill brakes feature lovely machining and anodized anodizing, 4 pistons for lots of stopping power, and a heat dissipating floating rotor. They are definitely a dream choice for us. Not only run by our good friends Cam Zink and Ray Syron, but just a dang good grip, we decided on Sensus Lites. In need of some more black, we reached out to Squamish B.C. based OneUp Components, who were kind to get us set up with their new top chainguide w/ bashguard. The system is has plenty of adjustment, accounting for chainring sizing, and chainline path. The guys also set us up with a 36t narrow wide chainring to keep things in place in the rowdy terrain. We found the Spank Vibrocore technology to be an asset on rough trails after we reviewed their Spike 350 wheel set last year. Spank sent us their newest DH tech: the Tuned 350/359 wheelset. The new wheels feature their ‘foam filled’ Vibrocore rims, and unique front and rear rim profiles/widths reducing weight in the front, and providing durability in the rear. Included black tubeless valves, and anodized valve caps were just the cherry on top. Spank Spike Vibrocore 30mm x 800mm handlebars, and an adjustable 25-30mm Spike stem round out the cockpit of the bike. We’ve yet to experience the Vibrocore technology in a handlebar, so we’re excited to try them out. A Chris King top cap boasts the smooth spinning headset hiding below, and an obligatory Ride or Die decal keeps the fiery passion that is riding bikes burning. If there’s a higher quality, more drool worthy headset for a dream bike, we’re not aware of it. With a ten year warranty and legendary made in house bearings, King was the obvious choice. The subtle details of the Furious frame added to our reasoning for choosing it. Moto foam under the upper shock mount keeps mud and dirt out of your frame, while soft foam tubing encases the brake line and shifter cable while they transition from the downtube to the chainstays. Apologies for the repetition of product, but if this shot of Hope’s precision machined brake caliper doesn’t make you feel a bit warm and fuzzy, do you you even ride mountain bikes? We wouldn’t want to come face to face with this weapon if we were another bicycle…. Thanks for following our dream DH build, we hope you like the stealth and utilitarian look as much as we do, stay tuned for a video aboard the bike.    

We went to Virginia’s Blue Ridge to see how it’s become a heaven on earth for mountain bikers The 100ft neon star at the top of Mill Mountain in Roanoke, a city on the East Coast of the United States, is comfortably the most distinctive man-made landmark in the Blue Ridge Mountains. After all, it’s a 100ft neon star and it’s on top of a mountain. Come on now. It also happens to be surrounded by a plethora of mountain bike trails, and there’s something quite comforting about that, isn’t there? If the number one attraction on TripAdvisor is also a hotspot for mountain biking then you can safely presume that the place is probably a ‘mountain biking town’ by definition, and that you’re going to meet a lot of ‘mountain people’ while you’re there; the type that don’t mind if you’re covered in mud and won’t ask if you’ve ever competed in the Tour de France when they hear you’re there to ride a bicycle. “The Roanoke Star has at least 94ft on the Bollywood legend” The Roanoke Star is the largest freestanding star this side of the stratosphere. A quick Google search for the ‘biggest star in the world’ suggests that Indian film star Shah Rukh Khan is actually the biggest star in the world of course, but we doubled checked the maths on and Kahn is only 5ft 8”, so the Roanoke Star has at least 94ft on the Bollywood legend. The star was originally installed on the 1738ft Mill Mountain in 1949 as a Christmas decoration, but like a student household who leave their fake Christmas tree up so long that eventually, there’s not much point taking it down at all, the locals in Roanoke liked the star so much that they decided to make it a permanent feature, and it’s now an icon of Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Rigged up with 2000ft of neon tubing, the star lights up each night, and on the way up to the star, and particularly on the way back down, there’s a lot of fun to be had. Photo: Stuart Kenny We spend the best part of an hour or so weaving and winding our way up to the top of Mill Mountain. You can see the star from almost any street in Roanoke, so we’d been a little wary of the climb – the star being so high up and lurking over us in the days and nights previous – but it wasn’t as punishing as we feared. The sidewinding trail was merciful and offered enough variety and trail features that the climb was actually, dare we say it, pretty enjoyable. Looking out from the star back out over Roanoke, you get a fantastic sense for how green the whole region is. It’s really, really green. Extremely green. There’s a bit of city in the middle where you can see downtown Roanoke, and the neighbouring city of Salem (not that Salem), and then everywhere else is just… green. Green as a vegan cafe. Which is good, isn’t it? That’s what you want from a trail town. Bit of city. Lots of hills. Best of both worlds. Pictured: Downtown Roanoke. Photo: Creative Dog Media When you’re actually downtown in Roanoke it can feel like any other small city. It’s got the coffee shops, some great brewers, art galleries and an intensely chaotic pinball museum, but not every city can boast views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and access to the world famous Appalachian Trail (which strictly, sadly, doesn’t allow mountain biking). Still, there are no lack of options when it comes to getting your turns. “Within an hour of downtown Roanoke there’s over 200 miles of singletrack” There are 13 miles of trail on Mill Mountain alone, a 10 minute cycle from the city. We take a trail called ‘Monument’ back down to the bottom and whizz over bone-shaking rocks, root and dirt in a fifth of the time it took us to get up the trail. There’s plenty of room to connect trails and make the mountain more of a rolling ride though if you wanted to make a day of it. The good folks at the Roanoke Outdoor Adventures hub, where we rent our full-sus bike, tell us they often head up Mill Mountain to ride over lunch or for a ride after work on weekdays. “It’s one of the few places where you can be downtown, then get on a bike and be on mountain biking singletrack in 10 minutes,” says Richard Blackwood, my guide to the trails in Roanoke. Richard is Ride Coordinator of the local Blue Ridge Off-Road Cyclists (BROC) group, dedicated to preserving and enhancing the trails in the area. Pictured: Starr Hill Brewery. Photo: Visit Virginias Blue Ridge The Mill Mountain trails are just the start of the riding in Roanoke, a city whose newly-received status as an International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) silver-level ride centre is quickly establishing it as the mountain biking capital of the East Coast. “Within an hour of downtown Roanoke there’s over 200 miles of singletrack,” says Richard. “And that’s not counting fire roads or double track. That’s just pure singletrack.” “That’s what you want from a trail town. Bit of city. Lots of hills. Best of both worlds” All-included, there’s a whopping 320 miles of trail within an hour of downtown Roanoke. With that in mind, it’s almost remarkable it’s not become a mountain biking mecca before now. The trails aren’t particularly new, either. Most of them were built within the last 15-20 years. The difference recently though, and something that sets Roanoke apart from a lot of places with great mountain biking potential, is that the city is doing all it can to help mountain biking grow in Roanoke. Bureaucracy doesn’t get in the way here. Photo: Stuart Kenny “It started off as just a few trails,” says Richard. “There was a trail called Four Gorges built by four brothers. It had been ridden a lot but it was unofficial. The city knew they could fight it and just constantly have people putting the trail back in, or just say ‘okay let’s make it a trail’. “That was one of the first ones out and then it expanded from there into the lowers. Once they realised there were people who were willing to come on out and work on the trails, and that they weren’t having to dump a bunch of money into it, they really gave their blessing.” We rode the ‘lowers’, a section of the nearby mountain biking paradise of Carvins Cove, the previous day, taking us through enchanted forests, up winding climbs quickly rewarded with technical downhills and past wild deer and turkeys and below hawks. We hear stories of the black bears that often roam the trails though sadly, or perhaps luckily, none pop up. Carvins Cove Natural Reserve is the second largest municipal park in the country, covering 11,363 acres. It includes McAfee Knob, one of the most commonly photographed spots on the Appalachian Trail, and more importantly, boasts 45 miles of mountain bike singletrail. Photo: Stuart Kenny The area can be divided into the upper, steep climbs rewarded by stunning panoramas of the surrounding mountains and reservoir, and the lowers, which offer up an enormous variation of rolling forest mountain bike trails expertly maintained and always expanding. “There’s a really strong volunteer organisation and its stepped up since the city stepped up and started backing the riders and giving permissions to expand the trails,” Richard says. “It’s made a huge difference in people’s willingness to help out and do more instead of just going out to ride occasionally. We have a couple of different crews now, and they’re all volunteers. They build trail because they love doing it and they get enough out of it that they want to give back and help build Roanoke into an even bigger mountain bike destination.” One of the things that strikes us when we ride is how well the builders have made use of the forest; with what must have been meticulous planning in order to map out trail routes which offer variety in both feel and views, without ever feeling like they’re imposing on the forest or taking away from its beauty and wild feel. As a mountain biker, these are the sorts of trails you like to dream are in every forest you drive past on a daily basis, but rarely actually find. Pictured: Carvins Cove. Photo: Sam Dean Photography It was in May 2018 that Roanoke were recognised by IMBA for their efforts. IMBA say their Ride Centres denote the “pinnacle of mountain bike communities”, and there are currently only 39 in the world. Roanoke is the first spot on the East Coast to be awarded silver status. “It’s very recent but we’re already seeing an influx of people coming in and riding from different areas,” says Richard. “Roanoke might just be on the brink of becoming one of the most visited mountain biking destinations in the United States” “I think that’s really going to ramp up as the weather gets better through spring and summer.” There are plans to develop certain areas of Roanoke, including the camping and luxury camping options in the city; in anticipation of the expected influx. The trails are always developing too – we pass three new builds underway in Carvins Cove on our route. The half-finished ‘Rock and Roll’ route makes a fantastic out-and-back, flowing both ways, with beautifully sculpted stone bridges and river crossings, and the trail will make for a tantalising prospect when it’s done. It seems the trail network is always growing more, alongside the other essentials that Roanoke already has covered. Photo: Stuart Kenny The 10-stool Texas Tavern dates back to the 1930s and will whip you up something cheap and greasy if you want to put those calories back on after your ride, and the craft beer scene is flourishing – check out Starr Hill on Tuesday for a pub quiz or Deschutes on Wednesday to drink a huge variety of beer to a soundtrack of traditional string band Americana music. We’re told on more than one occasion that most people who grew up in Roanoke used to get out as soon as they could, and only came back when it was time to raise a family or to retire – but that’s changing now. The mountain biking community has given the city a new focal point; and a new pull for the youth to stay. There’s award-winning bike shops – check out Just The Right Gear – a diverse and developing trail network, and it all offers such variation. Roanoke might just be on the brink of becoming one of the most visited mountain biking destinations in the United States, and they’ve got there in the best possible way – through the hard work of a community that just loves digging trails, and loves riding bikes. Do It Yourself We flew from Heathrow to Washington (Dulles) on British Airways, then got the Amtrak (train) from Washington D.C to Roanoke in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. We rented bikes from Roanoke Mountain Adventures, rode at Carvins Cove Natural Reserve and on Mill Mountain Park, ate at the Texas Tavern, Tuco’s Taqueria Garaje and Fortunato and drunk at Starr Hill brewery. For more information on travel to Virginia and the wider Capital Region visit: www.capitalregionusa.co.uk You May Also Like Mountain Biking In Saint Martin | How One Small Caribbean Island Is Bouncing Back From The Devastation Caused By Hurricane Irma The First Time I Went… | Mountain Biking The post Stars and Bikes | Riding the New Capital for Mountain Biking on America’s East Coast appeared first on Mpora.

With the success of Lucas Sinclair’s green Schwinn from the Nextflix series Stranger Things, now Mongoose (owned by the same company) is releasing a special edition replica of Maxine ‘MadMax’ Mayfield’s bike, ahead of the premier of season three on 4 July. Ride towards the Upside Down with Lucas’s bike from Stranger Things Fire up the tape deck and crank up some Whitesnake because the Burner is back Initially, Netflix approached Mongoose to build a bike for the kids to ride on the show and the team in Madison, Wisconsin had to comb thrift shops and garage sales in order to cobble together the period-specific parts needed to complete the project. Once they’d successfully boxed and shipped the bikes to Netflix for the show, the team shifted their focus to creating a replica model of Max’s BMX. Maxine “MadMax” Mayfield’s ’80s inspired BMX What they came up with is straight out of the 1980s with a chrome frame, a bright yellow pad set and saddle, a front light for spotting Demogorgons, and rear pegs to help Max and Eleven escape the Upside Down’s infected tunnels. The BMX is singlespeed with front and rear brakes, a ‘MadMax’ sticker on the fork legs, and yellow mag-style wheels. Unlike the previous Stranger Things replica bikes, which have sold out in roughly 24-hours, Max’s Mongoose doesn’t appear to be limited edition and will be available through Target.com for $219 from 30 June.