As the weather becomes warmer and the snow slowly fades away, you know it is time to hibernate the skis and blow the dust off the ancient trail bike. During the summer, Whistler becomes a completely different mountain resort. The slopes and tracks used by skiers in the winter time turn into a surging terrain of dirt pathways and trails ideal for alpine adventurers and adrenaline buccaneers. Read more to find out about exhilarating mountain biking events happening this Summer on Whistler and how you can take part in the action.

Kokanee Crankworx

Gear up for one of Whistler’s most adrenaline-charged events of the year, Kokanee Crankworx is a nine day action-packed festival that is certain to get your heart pumping. Watch as talented and daring athletes challenge the laws of gravity and place their tandem skills to the test. But this event is not limited to just the experts; novice and intermediate bikers can also participate. Take for instance, the Giant Slalom event, this course involves two riders racing down two jump-instilled tracks at the same time, clearly this is reserved for professionals to perform. But, the Ken Quon Cross Country event is something everyone can join in on as it includes: a ‘traditional’ family ride on the wide Lost Lake trails, A WORCA ‘Loonie’ type ride and the RE/MAX Corridor Cup Challenge for riders looking for more challenge. This festival will take place at the renowned Whistler Bike Park and complimentary music and entertainment will also be part of the nine-day affair. Keep an eye out for Kokanee Crankworx this summer from August 8th-16th.

Phat Wednesdays

Every two Wednesdays of the month, the Whistler Off Road Cycling Association (WORCA) and Whistler Bike Park will join forces to host Phat Wednesdays. This is a mountain biking experience like no other, each event will take place on different trails and tracks within Whistler Bike Park and the event is open to everyone from beginner bikers, youth riders to the extreme road devils.

Team Whistler Mountain Bike Race Day

In a collaborated effort with Whistler Olympic Park, Team Whistler will host a recreational bike race which will follow up with an Olympic Style BC Cup Cross Country Race. Take the whole family out and admire Whistler’s natural charm while you watch the bike competition in the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic venue.

World Well-known Off Road Racing II Disc 1
It’s two powerful off road racing DVD’s in one fantastic video package. First, it’s the world well-known off road race from Slov… More >>

Pure
PURE, the next gold standard in off-road racing games, perfectly captures and emphasizes the feeling of adrenaline rush…. More >>

ATV ~Wall Clock~ 4 wheeler quad race racing four parts
This GROUNDBREAKING NEW wall clock measures 10 inches in diameter. It has a black plastic frame with a clear cover. Graphics are … More >>

For a first time biker, your biking buys is not done with the buy of the bike, that is only the beginning. You will need to buy clothing, shoes and other biking accessories for a complete biking experience.

Most people simply buy all they need at the bike store as they buy bicycle itself, but you can choose to buy other equipment as you learn more about them and figure out the ones you need and the one you don’t. There are several accessories out there that can enhance your performance when riding your bike especially if you do race. Accessories like aero bars will help you go quicker. Biking could be a small bit expensive a leisure activity especially if you want to do it right. Depending on how much space you have for storage you could invest in a bicycle rack for storage of your bike and also in a rack for transportation on your car. This will particularly be useful if you intent to travel to a destination to delight in riding your bike.

If you an avid bike rider then you should invest in the right clothing. Nothing looks so out of place as a rider wearing regular cloths and hunched over a road bike cycling away. If you are cycling to work, place your work cloths in a bag and done on your cycling gear. You can change and maybe get a shower when you get to work. I hope you have a shower at work. Biking cloths are not just designed to make you look excellent; rather they are also designed with your safety in mind. Clothing accessories like gloves, cycling shoes and jerseys all enhance your performance.

One of the most vital accessories for cycling is the helmet. It provides protection for the head and is stream lined so that it does hinder your speed. Other accessories such knee guards, arm guards, cycling shoes all work together to give you an enjoyable experience. Also get a bicycle lock to get some sense of security that your bicycle will be where you left it. If you are riding to work with your bike invest in a bag suitable for bikes so that you can carry documents and other things you need to work. A water bottle is an essential component of your gear. You do not want to be dehydrated as you ride your bike. You can get all your gear online and there are many of sites that offer biking gear at affordable rates.

GORE BIKE WEAR Men’s Contest Bibtights Small,Black,Large
Small bibtights: Keeping your muscles warm for greater power on your recreational and mountain bike trips. The ergonomic… More >>

Bicycle Helmet Lock for Cable, Chain, and U Locks by The Helmet Lock
Lock a bike helmet by sliding the wire loop through an air vent and then passing a cable, chain, or U-lock through the p… More >>

The Complete Book of Road Cycling & Racing
Ride quicker, fitter, smarter, & farther Every road rider has goals. Yours may be to start racing, to become more competi… More >>

Why we Need to Develop Mountain Biking Trails in Thailand

The potential for MTB in Thailand is endless. Bangkok itself and the surrounding provinces like Nonthaburi, Suphanburi and Ayutthaya are ultra flat but travel just a couple of hours in any direction and the mountainous terrain is incredible. Unfortunately for most Bangkokians don’t even know what all mountain or downhill mountain biking is all about and although I don’t want to knock XC MTBers the locals spend most of their biking time riding on flat dull dirt roads traveling as slow as possible and stopping now and again to point at and pick fruit from trees.

As well as these flat dirt roaders there are others that reckon mountain biking means riding a mountain bike on tarmac roads dressed in their best Sunday spandex with racing slicks on their 24,000 baht Mavic Crossmax, when it would be honest to say that that’s road biking and you can use a sports cycle with rigid forks for that.

Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand is the established Mecca of downhill mountain biking. With a handful of downhill and all mountain trails, fantastic trails but still none of which are of a world-class standard. The hype for most mountain bikers who travel to Chiang Mai to have a go at the trails there is simply to say that they had a go at the sport in a country warm enough to call it jungle single track.

With tourism at a 49 years low in the kingdom it would be fantastic to see the MTB Tour companies who operate in Chiang Mai and its surrounding areas investing more time developing tracks and promoting the sport more with XC and downhill races and maybe some even some 4x and slope style competitions.

The 2007 Asean Downhill competition was held near Lam Tha Khong Dam on the outskirts of Khao Yai National Park in Nakhon Rachasima Province which gave mountain bikers in Central Thailand some hope that the sport had reached a new level and more trails would be built but after a visit to the site where the event was held just a few months after the trail had gone back to being an unused overgrown path and the locals had forgotten all about it.

There is some fantastic potential for mountain biking trails in Central Thailand too but the locals and expats who live there don’t seem to get the time or feel the need to go out and build more trails just keep riding the same ancient trails at Khao I-to in Prachinburi and Tamp Pra Toon in Chonburi. Again, these are two fantastic trails to get your teeth into but become dull for the people who ride them all the time and are quite hard for those who are just getting into the sport with their awkward and steep uphill sections being very punishing in the hotter months.

What mountain bikers in Thailand want to see is more purpose built trails developed in the area. Locations such as Kanchanaburi, Phetchaburi and Khao Yai would be perfect locations for mountain bikers in the country to get together and develop some world-class trails with manageable uphill sections and fantastic downhill sections to cater for all MTB disciplines.

M.T. Hill Tours encourages the growth of Mountain Biking and Eco-tours in Thailand and our Mountain Bike Tours Thailand website is a free information site with free GPS waypoints for all central Thailand trails and information about mountain biking in central Thailand and Chiang Mai. Our all new English MTB forum has been set up to encourage groups of mountain bikers to get together and help to develop new mountain bike trails all over the country.

The Complete Book of Road Cycling & Racing
Ride quicker, fitter, smarter, & farther Every road rider has goals. Yours may be to start racing, to become more comp… More >>

World Well-known Off Road Racing II Disc 1
It’s two powerful off road racing DVD’s in one fantastic video package. First, it’s the world well-known off road race from Slov… More >>

Bike Crash, Off-Road by Bill Greene. Size 9.00 X 13.50 Art Poster Print on Canvas
Canvas Transfer of Bike Crash, Off-Road by Bill Greene.Total Size : 11.00 inches width by 14.00 inches height.Ready to … More >>

Extreme sports are getting more and more well loved these days. Mountain biking attracts daredevils from all over the world who like to have an “adventure sport experience”.

The term mountain biking includes many different styles. The range is from gentle types such as cross country where you ride up and down the hills, and cyclo cross, which is a combination between mountain biking and road biking, to more ‘extreme’ styles. Downhill biking is one of the more extreme types and it is also one of the most well loved forms of mountain biking.

As the name implies, in downhill mountain biking you only ride down the hills. The bike and the biker get transported up to the top by a lift and then start the thrilling ride down. What you’re aiming for is to get to the bottom of the hill as quick as possible, managing to pass all the obstacles. The situations that occur often get pretty extreme. This includes jumps that can be up to twelve meters long, dropping three meters and other kinds of rough conditions that you can find on a mountain slope.

The people that are into downhill mountain biking are those that are looking for a excellent challenge, that long for the adrenaline pumping experience and don’t mind a few bruises. It’s for those that like to be on the risky, thrilling side of life.

The downhill bike is heavier than other mountain bikes to be able to fit the conditions. It weighs somewhere between forty and fifty pounds so forget about pedaling uphill once you’re out there. Once you’ve begun your race, there’s only one way to go and that’s down. The bike has to be able to place up with extreme conditions so it is equipped with front and rear suspension and heavy tubing. For the biker, it’s necessary to use full saftety gear with a proper helmet, goggles, a body suit plus knee and hand pads. You can expect to have some close contact with the dirt even if you are a professional downhill biker.

There are many ways to improve you skills, the most vital one is of course to practice, and then to practice a bit more and a bit more. There are loads of books, DVDs and internet sites where people can watch stunts being performed by professionals sharing their tricks and thoughts. This is also a fantastic way to learn, and something you can bring with you once your really out on the hillside. The only way to fully master it though, is to learn by the experience.

Even though downhill mountain biking is somewhat a risky sport, it’s well worth to go for it, being able to give you an experience out of the ordinary, both fun and exciting.

Shift Racing Assault Newsprint Men’s Dirt Bike Motorcycle Pants – Color: White/Red, Size: 28
Articulated waist and knees for a perfect fit in the riding position Heavy-duty 600D polyester construction for increa… More >>

GMC Denali LTD Road Bike (22in Frame)
GMC Denali Limited Road Bike is excellent, quick and inexpensive. In the ancient days, they would say pick any two but you can’t … More >>

Road Bike Racing & Preparation

Did you know that there are nine categories that mountain biking can be split into? Each category offers the rider a different experience either as a leisure activity or as a sport. The different mountain bike reviews are broken down into these categories:

1. Dirt Jumping

This style of mountain biking is known for the high jumps over manmade dirt hills. While in the air, tricks are done on the bike. Six or more jumps are usually done in one run and the jumps are close together so that the biker can get a flow going with their trick riding.

2. Cross country
In this style of mountain biking, you ride your bike up and down hills. It is not the most extreme form in the mountain biking world, but most of this type of ride is in fantastic shape due to the long rides.

3. Cyclo cross
This biking category is a cross between mountain and road biking. The riders learn how to race on and off the course, ride obstacles, and go through rivers.

4. Downhill Biking

Racing downhill the fastest is the goal of downhill mountain bikers. The name of the game is extreme and intense riding, to help give the riders maximum excitement and thrills.

5. BMX
This style of mountain biking uses 20-inch wheels. You can very commonly see this kind of bikes at skate parks or areas with dirt jumps. These BMX bikes are made for performing tricks and doing stunts because they have a shorter wheel base and smaller wheels.

6. Trials
The bicycles used in trials do not look anything like mountain bikes. They have 20 or 26-inch wheels and they have smaller, lower frames than mountain bikes. In trials, riders jump their bikes over different obstacles. This kind of biking takes a fantastic deal of practice, focus, and balance.

7. Freeride Biking

This type of mountain biking involves finding a path down the side of the mountain where you can use all of the terrain to do tricks, stunts, etc. This is a very well loved competition, because the riders can express themselves.

8. Street and Urban Biking
Manmade obstacles, ledges, and other urban areas are what this type of biking revolves around. They will do fantastic stunts and tricks on these manmade items, too, including grinds and stalls.

9. Single Speed
This kind of biking is done on a bicycle with only one gear and few other components. This is not to be confused with a fixed gear bicycle. The basis behind this kind of biking is simplicity. This helps the pedaling to be more efficient and the bicycle is lighter and has fewer problems mechanically.

Star Wars Power of the Force Power Racing Speeder Bike with Scout Trooper Action Figure by Kenner
Star Wars Power of the Force Speeder Bike Scout Trooper Limited Edition… More >>

Bike Racing for Juniors: A Guide for Riders, Parents, and Coaches
From nutritional requirements to strength and stamina limitations, the needs of junior athletes are significantly differ… More >>

Suzuki TT Superbikes: Real Road Racing Championship
Pending… More >>