That's right folks, Earthed 5 and STUND season #1 DVDs are now instock and shipping from the Pinkbike.com online store.

Check on the store HERE.

This is a story of the past Megavalanche Races in Peru and what we are planning to do for the new edition of 2008.

This story starts in 2005 when it was the first year that the Megavalanche Cup came to Peru. That year the downhill scene in Peru changed. It was the first time we raced everybody at the same time. In edition we saw for first time top ranked racers racing in Peru: Cedric Gracia, Fabian Barel, Rene Wildhaber, George Atherton, Franck Parolin and many other top ranked bikers from South America.

The Kelowna Kollective - is there no end to their passion for riding and all-encompassing enthusiasm of all things mountain bike related ?


Those crazy folks got their act together with Bush Pilot Biking to organize a super sketchy New Years Day fun ride !!!

The newest big movie out there NWD8( New World Disorder 8 ) SMACK DOWN that everyone's heard so much about was released late September this year. Everyone's been having mixed opinions on this movie and we would like to give our opinions for people contemplating buying this new film.

Day 8-

Waking up on Sunday morning for the last breakfast at the holly Woodward West was a painful one for most people, physically that is. All the riders were beat and as well were the organizers and photographers from the Supersession so it was a foggy morning and great ending for the 3 day stop of our trip. After breakfast we stayed a couple extra hours and rode the enterprise skate park and the hanger with the rest of the Canada crew, then packed ‘er up and started our drive up North. We drove (actually just I drove) for hours until we couldn’t see anymore because of how tired we were and then ended up stopping in a little town about 30 min south of Aptos and spent the night at another motel 6.

The leading downhill rider in the US and the most recent signing to the 23 Degrees athlete management program, Luke Strobel of Washington State, has opted to return to the Maxxis team after his successful 2007 World Cup campaign which saw three top 20 results in only his 2nd international season.

Haro Bikes and TAOW are proud to announce the partnership with the Summer Of Shred world tour, featuring Phil Sundbaum, for 2008. Phil joins the Haro mountain bike team for the 2008 season and will be globetrotting with the SOS tour aboard Haro bikes.

MS-Intense Factory-Racing adds the 17-year-old U.S. American super talent from California to the team, already consisting of Matti Lehikoinen (FIN), Anneke Beerten (NED) and Mio Suemasa (JPN). With a second place in the junior's downhill finals at the 2007 world championships in Ft. William (UK) J.D. proved his extraordinary racing skills. Earlier in the year, when he took the overall win at «Ray's 3 Ride» mountain bike contest he already beat a bunch of the 26-inch elite.

When we first heard about Operation Share the Ride over here at Calgary Cycle we immediately knew that we wanted to be a part of it in any way possible. Since there was no “share-o-rist” cell here in Calgary we volunteered to get one underway. After teaming up with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Club of Calgary we found many deserving children to pair up with a new set of wheels this Christmas.

Blk Mrkt Inc. announces the release of the 2008 frames, components and complete bikes. New dropouts, colors and graphics for the Mob and Riot frames as well as the rollout of the Three57 complete bike.

Iron Horse Bicycle Company announces today that they will be the official frame supplier of the Maxxis Tires Gravity Team for the 2008 race season. Maxxis team riders will use the dw-link equipped Iron Horse Sunday for downhill events and MkIII model frames for mountain cross races.

Got this from Tyler Sage and Carter Holland. Just wanted to spread the word and help riders out..

CLEVELAND, OH - Though the weather outside is frightful, on January 11th, 2008 Ray’s Indoor Park in Cleveland, OH will be more than delightful! Shaums and the MMR crew of coaches will hold a one-day “closed session” of Freeride Skills. “ I have been to Rays twice over the past couple years and each time I see the park continually growing and getting more fun to ride.” MMR owner and founder, Shaums March, continues, “after discussing ideas with Ray, I instantly saw the potential for them to host Urban Freeride clinics. Riding outside this time of year is tough, but there is still a demand to ride and learn!”

The team will consist of long standing Intense rider Chris Kovarik (Australia), World Junior DH Champion - Ruaridh Cunningham (Scotland), Julien Camellini (France) and Matt Simmonds (England). We will be competing in all the major events including the UCI World Cup Series and hopefully the World Championships, as well as selected British NPS, French Cup and Avalanche Trophy races. Our first race as a team will be the Sea Otter Classic.

Royal Racing and has been supporting World Cup racers for quite some time now, and if they can crash hard and still ride out of it, why can't we? However, no one over at Pinkbike.com is World Cup material(talking about the staff here), but we sure tested the crash protection rating of the products at hand. How much abuse can 1 product take?

Let's see.

Entering our 22nd year, Brodie Bicycles is extremely pleased to announce our partnership with Vancouver’s original mountain bike store, the Cove Bike Shop!

Since 1980, the Cove Bike Shop, like Brodie Bicycles, has been fueling the bike-bug in all of us. They have had a heavy influence on local and international riders. Along the way, they introduced “Freeriding” to the world and defined what it and we have become as riders and people in the process.

How to stay busy this Winter.

Editing has always been a winter time tradition and I look forward to it more than the snow.

NSRide (www.nsride.com) is celebrating the success of its first year - register before December 31 and you will be entered to win a 2008 Norco Rio Vista and enjoy some great perks from Different Bikes (www.differentbikes.ca).

With over 300 members last year, NSRide ran weekly Girl's Night Out rides, Co-ed rides, Saturday rides as well as some great road trips. Even more is planned for 2008! We offer rides for a variety of levels and for everything from cross country epics to days at the Whistler Bike Park.

Hey, my name is Greg Christie and I have recently helped film and edit a short promo of my buddy Tyler Evans. I have known Ty for about 3 years now and have been riding with him for 2. Ty has progressed a lot over the last season, and it’s just so fun to watch one of your best buddy’s looking to step it up and take it to a new level. If you knew Ty you would know he is either on his bike at the time or thinking about his bike. He is just a fun person to be around on, or off the trail. The kid at only 14 years old is a great rider, with potential. And you gotta love his attitude towards our sport. This summer was the greatest time of my life riding with him. And I look forward to the next to come.

US mountain bike manufacturer Ironhorse and top UK endurance race team extreme-endurance.com have just announced they will be joining forces for the 2008 season. Extreme-endurance.com, headed by Team Manager and 2005 solo 24 hour world masters champion Rob Lee, will be re-launched as Ironhorse Extreme for the forthcoming season.

Monday is a video about enjoying riding that I had an idea for about a year ago. Mike Bentham and I have shot a few trials/biking videos, and in the last while he had been riding a variety of styles besides trials which is what he's mainly known for. The idea was to incorporate as many different styles of riding as we could over a couple days of shooting in the summer of 2007 and this is what came out of that. Shot in HD over a few days in the summer of 2007 and with Mike Bentham riding each bike really showcases his abilities on just about anything with 2 wheels. Downhill, Trials, Cross-country, park riding, BMX racing and just cruising.

Monday is what we all hope riding is about, fun.

Well folks, the weather over here at the Pinkbike HQ has finally taken a turn for the colder side. It's either rain, rain, snow, or sunshine (then rain again). So, in the advent that the weather is unable to make its mind up, I decided to throw together a little "year end" video so to say. Basically, I took a bunch of footage that didn't make it into any prior videos, combined with some footage that was in prior videos, and with a hint of footage that I filmed on the fly.

Check it out!

Inspired by our old TREK 820 we decide to release the new 2008 RAVen 8.0 BikeTrial frame.

- The new 8.0’s main feature is the rear dropouts, which are horizontal with integrated mech hanger and chain tugs… plus a really beefy 12mm thick international IS2000 +20mm disc mount that will allow you to put a 180mm rotor without adaptor, complete with bracing bar between the seat and chain stays!

Neither organizers nor sponsors were put of by this year’s adverse weather cancellation of the adidas Slopestyle. Today it was determined: the adidas Slopestyle 2008 will once again take place in Austria’s Saalbach Hinterglemm, however not in June like in previous years, but on the first weekend in August.

Rider owned bike company, Transition Bikes announces a partnership with Yodo Agency, a division of Yodo Distribution to provide sales representation in selected provinces in Canada. Transition Bikes will continue to do all their own distribution into Canada. Yodo will cover all provinces except for British Columbia which Transition Bikes will continue to service. All existing Transition dealers in all provinces outside of BC will have the choice of dealing directly with Transition Bikes or with Yodo.

Clay Porter and Distinction Productions are proud to announce that the World Premiere of F1RST will take place on Friday, April 18, 2008, in Monterey, California. The World Premiere takes place during the week of the Sea Otter Classic, and will get underway at 8pm at the majestic Golden State Theatre.

I just want to wish everyone Happy Holidays from the Santa Cruz Syndicate! These boys keep me laughing year round, and now it's your turn for a chuckle.

Wishing you all the best in the new year and I'll keep you all updated as the Syndicate family expands in '08.

Happy Holidays from the Syndicate!

-Kathy Sessler

Spy Shots of Osama Bin Laden! Our secret U.K agent Si 007 Paton (007 - Licensed to thrill) has been out on secret maneuvers in an undisclosed country to bring you these exclusive Spy shots..

Nissan White Style presented by Kona on February 2nd


Out of Bounds Weekend from June 6th to 8th


Mountain biking in general isn’t on everybody’s mind in the wintertime. The Nissan White Style presented by Kona is the ultimate reminder. On February 2nd, a lot of international pro riders will meet in Leogang for the third time to enjoy the one and only Winter-Slopestyle contest. Three months later, right at the beginning of the Bikepark season, Leogang will host the Out of Bounds Weekend, a real mountain bike festival.

The MS-Intense Factory-Racing team proudly announces the additon of Anneke Beerten (NED) to their roster. As the winner of the 2007 UCI 4X World Cup Anneke represents one of the top athletes in women's mountain bike racing.

e.thirteen is proud to announce their collaboration with two major videos for the 2008 season. e.thirteen will be sponsoring Clay Porter's follow-up to the wildly successful "Between The Tape": "F1RST", which will be released in April of 2008. We will also be supporting Don Hampton's new movie, "Latitudes", which will also be released around the same time.

Lizard Skins' Hi-Performance Accessories and Steve Peat have teamed up along with Nick Bayliss from Royal Racing to come out with a exclusive set of grips. The Lizard Skins' "Peaty" grip is a comfortable, but wide grip, created with a soft compound rubber for maximum grippage!

Read on for more information and to check out the video!

That's right folks! The North Shore t-shirt sold out fast, but we have re-stocked the Pinkbike.com store with a whole new t-shirt design and Hoodie for winter. The new design takes us back to the 70's, but with a 21st century touch.

Now shipping!

A NEW LIFE, NEW FRIENDS, AND NEW INTERESTS. - Mountain biking really can change your life.

A couple of years ago I landed in the 'new world' as a transplant from Europe. I had a few things I wanted to achieve in life, and top of that list was 'do more stuff'. I wasn't really sure what 'stuff' that would entail, and I hadn't really thought it through too much, but I guess I wanted it to be fun, cool, exciting, and maybe a little bit crazy. OK I admit it, to suit my legacy of mentalism and mayhem, I wanted pumping adrenaline, a rush, and the natural high of extreme sports.

MEGA AVALANCHE - Reunion Island, South Africa – December 1-3, 2007

The time had come. No turning back now. I was set for a front row start in a race format I had never entered before. There were 160 riders all starting at the same time on a 50-minute downhill.

The start was set for 9am. Call up for our grid positions was based on our heat race results at 8am. This sounds fine until you note that the drive to the top is at least 1 hour on a road with the tightest turns I had ever seen. Car sickness started to set in near the top.

The main stop of this trip is Supersessions 3 presented by Atomlab at Woodward West in Tehachapi, CA. Although this is California we are stopping in, it is probably colder than Vancouver Canada the majority of the time we are there. As you drive up, you're going through a residential area and then all of a sudden you hit two big parking lots on your left side and a bunch of big buildings/hangers with HUGE “WOODWARD WEST” billboards painted on them. This is Disneyland to way more people than just us mountain bikers; BMXers, skateboarders, fruit-booters, gymnasts (the little girls that bounce on the trampolines in the Olympics), and whatever other sports you can think of that would use this place. None the less there are 3 major categories at Woodward that we are going to cover: Business, Injuries, and Parties… everything you need to know will be covered in one of these 3 categories.

Alberta riders be aware the 2nd annual indoor mountain bike only park jam has been announced for 2008! The venue is Thorsby ramp park in Thorsby Alberta just west of Leduc! The second annual jam is being put on in part by Bow Cycle, BLOCK 8 bike co. and Pure Cycle! This year is sure to be a good time with two days of riding instead of one!

Re-Focus is the sequel to the hit film Focus, which according to Dirt Magazine had an “amazing feel good factor” and included sections, which as far as Gravity Slaves.com were concerned, were “pure genius” even Descent World’s Si Paton called it a “beautifully crafted piece of editing”. But we here at Orpheus Productions are never ones to stand still, so where Focus was rough, raw and in your face, re-Focus is polished, shot in High Definition, over a period of nine months, utilising a custom designed cablecam rig to bring you shots impossible to achieve using conventional methods.

Just as the snowflakes start to pile, Winter Park Resort keeps summer alive and turns the heat up with the announcement of four more days of freeriding frenzy with their second annual Crankworx Colorado Freeride Mountain Bike Festival scheduled for July 31 – August 3, 2008. With the success of year one under their belt, Crankworx Colorado will move into its second year growing from three days to four, and to make things more interesting, is offering up $30,000 in prize money.

During the German New World Disorder 8 “Smack Down” premieres in Munich and Cologne a total of 20.732 Euros had been raised. Tara Llanes (www.tarallanesroadtorecovery.com) and Stephen Murray (www.stephenmurrayfamilyfund.com) can look forward to a real nice pre Christmas present: the two former Bike-Pros will obtain 15.000 US Dollars each!

The professional mountain biker paralyzed in a racing crash in Colorado this summer is wrapping up her rehab at Craig Hospital and making big strides in her recovery every day.

Tara Llanes will soon be heading home to California. It has been 3 and 1/2 months since the accident that paralyzed her from the waist down.

Video Inside

When future bike zealots erect their parts-enshrined pantheons to the gods of mountain biking no doubt the first temple they build will be in the name of (two-time world and 10-time national champion), John Tomac. Unfortunately, the legacy of mountain biking's first mullet-wearing rock star fell into a marketing vortex after his bike brand was purchased by American Bicycle Group—who promptly shelved production in favor of filling the world with more titanium road bikes. Last year, JT regained control of his namesake brand and is re-launching it in 2008 with three new state-of-the-art rigs: an XC race bike, a DH bike designed by Manitou founder Doug Bradbury, and a 140-mm dual suspension trail bike accurately named the Snyper.

Commencal bicycles and Vallnord Bike Park announce their official collaboration for the World Cup stop in the Principality of Andorra.
Only a short 5 minute ride from the Commencal International Headquarters in Andorra nestled in the Pyrenees’s lies the Resort of Vallnord. This bike park has grown to an international level with Cedric “the entertainer” Gracia living across the road and helping them build the best bike park possible. Cedric will also be key in helping develop the DH and 4X tracks so you know to expect something extra special. Commencal and Vallnord look to host a an extra special World Cup for all, we hope to see you there.

Yesterday I got an early Christmas gift from Alex Rankin – a preview copy of his new movie “Earthed – The Law Of Fives”.

River Valley Cycle is still going strong in our secret “bat cave” location we’ve set up along Edmonton’s favorite party Avenue. We are still supplying great products to our customers via phone & email orders & will often hand deliver bikes to your door till our new location opens this spring. The whole team at River Valley Cycle is hard at work designing & planning the ultimate bike shop for Edmonton’s cycling community.

The Columbia Area Mountain Bike Advocates are calling out to all MTB'ers in the Oregon, Washington area to attend a very important meeting that will decide the future of biking at the Coyote Wall/Syncline Area which is located one mile east of Bingen Washington.

Day 5- The Price is Wrong Drew!

Yesterday, my childhood dream came true. I got to go watch a taping of The Price is Right. We were all pretty beat from falling and I was beat from clicking my shutter button a few too many times (I was pretty trigger happy from the nice light in Reno) so we thought taking a day off would be a good idea. Since I was 8 years old watching Adam Sandler fight Bob Barker in Happy Gilmore, I've wanted to go watch the show. Myself, Ryan Meyer, Nick Meyer, and Joe Perrizzo attended the show. We spent 7 hours waiting in line starting at 6 am to try and get a chance to be on the show. It was worth of ever second.

Brass monkeys! It's December and as my Nan said, "Cold hands, warm heart".. Luckily we ride and have "good hearts" already, even if they don't beat as fast as everyone else's.. Therefore we need to work out how to keep those digits warm whilst out hitting the trails.

Please note this article is not for the consumption of anyone from the Southern Hemisphere. If that's you, then get back to your sunbathing..

That's right folks the Cycle Solutions Ontario Cup DH Awards are back. Sirbikealot Racing, Primary and Dropmachine believe there are some amazing people, racers and contributors to our sport in Ontario and we want to recognize you! Best of all were having a FREE Party to hand out the awards, watch some 2007 O-Cup DH/4X footage and of course hang out with your buddies from the summer season in December.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of my bike commuting in Calgary photo project, The Daily Ride. This means that over the last year, I rode my bike to work 170 times, or a rough estimate of 1,700 kilometers.

And what a ride it has been! Brutal cold, rain, and heat.... a crash that destroyed my helmet bruised my hip.... beautiful sunrises and sunsets... dodging cars... detouring around parked trains... trying not to hit feral rabbits...

The other day I was surfing the internet highway when I came across something that struck my fancy. A custom, Titanium and Carbon BMX bike.

Is it possible? You take a look.

Palmer, Peaty, Hill, Minaar, Gracia have all sported works of art covering their barnets (helmets), as have many a keen downhill rider. Dipping into their sky rocket (pocket) to shell out some hard earned cash to look "Trick" out on the DH trails.

O.K so that's race weekend covered, now how about the riding you do most of? All those hours hitting the XC and Enduro trails where the real riding and saddle time is done..

The 2008 Muddbunnies Calendar is in stock and ready to ship!

This 13 month calendar features ladies from the Muddbunnies riding club and racing team in all their glory; both on and off their bikes.

Felt Bicycles is pleased to announce pro mountain bike rider Cameron Zink (USA) is the newest member of the 2008 Felt team. A highly accomplished gravity rider and competitor, Cam is perhaps best known for slopestyle and freeriding ability. His past accomplishments include a US National Championship, a member of the US National Team and a 1st place finish at the 2006 Crankworx Slopestyle event in Whistler, BC, Canada.

The Coronet Peak Bike Park near Queenstown is gearing up for its third mountain bike season with season passes now on sale from www.nzski.com.

Novice riders and seasoned mountain bikers alike can enjoy a variety of trails at the Park every day from January 3 2008 through to February 3 2008 (10.30am to 7.30pm weather permitting).

Day 4- Welcome To Reno

We arrived in Reno late last night after pinning it over from Chico. Chico was amazing, I was super stoked that I got to shoot such a good set of jumps, definitely got some nuggs. Thanks Zach!

This morning we awoke to sunny skies, but it was freezing. I thought we were back in Vancouver for a second. (it's been snowing in Van I hear) Anyway Joe came into our room to inform us Caveman (Ben) was leaving to go home. Yesterday he fell walking down from the jumps and twisted his ankle pretty bad. Might be broken, by the way it had swelled and lack of movement he could do with it.