University bike sharing company Zagster and teamed up with Zipcar to launch the first national, sponsored bike-share program for the campuses of higher education called, Zipbike.
Zagster, which operates 140 bike-share programs across North America — including nearly two dozen on college campuses — will manage the Zipbike systems at all participating universities. Zipcar, which is the largest and most longstanding campus car sharing provider with operations on more than 500 college and university campuses, will launch at participating Zipbike campuses if they don’t already have Zipcar programs. . . “We know that today’s mobile-first, app-centric students value on-demand access over ownership,” said David Piperno, vice president of finance and strategy at Zipcar. “Zipcar programs on campuses improve the quality of life for students, faculty and staff alike by making it easy to access a car only when they need one, and our partnership with Zagster will allow us to offer that same access to bikes.”
Ride on, ride on, ride on. . . For the all the details on the new Zipbike systems and where you can find one, follow the jump.
If you’re headed up to Mammoth Mountain this weekend for the 2016 Kamikaze Games (the Mammoth MTB season’s final hurrah) then you’ll certainly want to check out one of the parks newest flow lines: Midtown. The trail begins with 22 berms (Lombard Street) and then drops into Knee Deep. Click play to see how smooth it is. It’s one more reason we tend to shed a few tears each fall when the snow begins to drop.
Rolling Stone takes a look at the sadly shortened life of Dave Mirra and tells his story again in light of the new awareness his death has caused in action sports regarding concussions and CTE.
Mirra’s death shook all corners of the action sports world, and also revealed something rarely discussed: just like in the NFL, where the implications of CTE have become one of the league’s biggest stories, extreme sports athletes suffer dozens of concussions over the course of their careers. In the months since Mirra’s death, fellow riders have started talking amongst themselves about CTE, wondering if this was the beginning of something much bigger. “It had been an underground conversation for a long time, but Dave’s death made it public,” says Jay Fraga, a former BMX racer who runs the Knockout Project, a concussion awareness program for athletes. “This was a wakeup call.”
SoCalCross Happy Hour Tour week two is in full effect. Tomorrow night (Tuesday, September 13, 2016) SoCalCross joins San Diego Cyclocross for CX Skills & Drills in San Diego’s historic Balboa Park! Meet up at 5pm at Balboa Park’s Marston Point Parking Lot for CX Skills Warm up ride through the park then for some CX skills and drills practice at 6 PM! Post ride everyone is rolling to a local Brew Pub for food and beverages and more info on the 2016-17 SoCalCross Prestige Series & Cross Fever Season!
On Wednesday, September 14, 2016 Dot and crew head to the OC and meet up at G2 Bike in Laguna Niguel for CX Skills Ride and Pizza Party at the shop for SoCalCross Season Presentation and Q&A!
On Thursday, September 15, 2016 the circus rolls back in LA to the famed Verdugo Park in Glendale for a 5PM to 7PM CX Skills Clinic & Practice Race.
The SoCalCross season schedule and registration is open this week with Series Passes available.
Get all the latest info on Facebook.com/SoCalCross
We weren’t the biggest fans of Otto Designs smartphone based rear derailleur tuner (reviewed here on DigitalTrends.com), but their new product, the Ottolock looks like a really smart way to secure a bike when you have to leave it for a short time (to get coffee, or run into a store for milk). We haven’t tested it, but it definitely looks like a step in the right direction. It’s light, doesn’t require a key, and can easily wrap around more than one bike. What more do you need?
If you’d like one, click the link to help them out on Kickstarter.
Looking for the perfect shoes for your gravel/CX steed? WTB might have just the tire for you with their Riddler 45c.
Expanding what gravel can do while happily accommodating dirt touring, the Riddler 45c corners with confidence on hard surfaces while still sinking its teeth deep into your favorite trails. It encourages exploration…through dirt, gravel, smiles, frowns, blood, sweat and tears. . . . Built for unfaltering speed through a wide range of conditions, the Riddler 45c delivers added gusto to the rider who finds themselves on the roughest of roads. Incredibly versatile in a what-can‘t-it-do type of size, this tire breathes capability when mounted to any drop bar bike.
It may be a little wide for CX racers who like to abide by UCI rules, but for everyone else, it look pretty sweet. The Riddler 45c’s are available at the WTB website. Click the link for more info.
Portland, Oregon’s Speedvagen hand built steel bike company is rolling out a new experience for 2016 that stretches their already stretched creative bike design with a special paint scheme that you won’t see ’till you get it. It’s called the “Surprise Me.” Speedvagen’s Owner Sacha White explains:
“With our Surprise Me offering, we promise “No Hints, no regrets”. We’re known for our color work. Dating back to the early years, our customers have a lot of trust in our design sense. They provide a little direction and turn us loose, which is how to best harness our creativity and excitement,” White says. “We took this one step further, giving people the option to pick a flavor and let us run with it.”
This year’s SM offering incorporates new patterns, big blocks of gradient tones, and hits of vibrant contrasting color. Speedvagen controls the build process for each client: fit, design, fabrication, paint and build executed in-house. This level of attention to detail means the bike is tailored to each rider, balanced perfectly underneath, providing a sublime ride. For more info, click the link.
Southern California’s finest, filthiest 50 mile mountain bike race is on for Sunday October 30, 2016 in the heart of the San Diego County’s San Pasqual Valley. If you want to race the Filthy 50 (or ride it) be sure to register (and prep your Halloween costume). Last year it sold out early so click the link and get ‘er done.
With the rollup to the 2016 Interbike Show it seems that everyone is showing off their new steeds. Few look as good as Turner’s DW-link equipped trail runner the Flux. Here’s what Turner says about it:
The Flux is a new generation trail ripper. The lightweight carbon chassis and 120 mm of suspension creates a lively and flickable ride, but its modern geometry and 67.5 degree headtube angle make it equally well suited for tackling more aggressive terrain. Much of the ride quality comes from the Flux’s DW-link which is engineered to provide amazing bump absorption without pedal feedback. It inspires confidence when it’s held wide-open, but doesn’t sag and put you in the backseat when you want to stomp on the gas. The Flux weighs in close to XC race bikes, but because of it’s design and suspension kinematics it can truly unleash on challenging descents and rip like a much bigger bike.
For the official word from Turner (including detail photos), please follow the jump.
The Pivot Vault has always been pretty high on our N+1 list because of the way founder Chris Cocalis used all his mountain bike knowledge on a light, dropbar rig. Now all the good has gotten even better. For the official word from Pivot, please follow the jump.
