Singletracks

Mountain bikes require maintenance. We all know this, and yet for many of us, it’s an afterthought. Or something we deal with only once there is a problem. With that in mind, we want to know how often you lube your mountain bike chain. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form. do apply How often do you apply lube to your mountain bike chain? * After every ride After every bike wash As needed. Depends on conditions. Only when it starts feeling crunchy I’m supposed to lube my chain?

All prices and availability are subject to change. The annual REI Labor Day Sale just started, and the deals are real. Plus, REI members can save an additional 20% off a single item from the REI Outlet. These are the excellent deals on bike gear, and camping items too, that have us stoked for fall! Yakima HangTight 4-Bike Hitch Rack $949.00 | $559.78 sale Haul up to four bike with this lightweight hitch rack. Price shown reflects 20% off coupon for REI members.

Photos: Heavenly Mountain Resort Tahoe, California, is a massive spiderweb of trails and trail systems, many of which connect. And, as locals know, it’s also a place where riders earn their turns. Aside from Northstar California Resort, closer to Truckee, there are no other lift-access options in Tahoe aside from the occasional shuttle. But as of August 17, the Tahoe area has another up-lift option.

You can build the trail system of your dreams with Dirt Boss. Image courtesy of John Sheehan. We’ve all heard the phrase “trails don’t build themselves.” However, most riders don’t consider what it takes to build great trails. And, even more so, the role that local clubs play in the trail-building process.

Why is it that so many gravel bikes are dropper-post compatible, but few actually ship with one? Worse, if you want a proper remote lever, you’re usually faced with buying a whole new brake set. Fortunately, the Ratio Drop Dropper is an option for bikes running SRAM 11-speed or Apex 12-speed levers, and adding one to my gravel bike made it feel like new-bike-day all over again.

Photos by Eric Arce @pedalhomie It’s fun to mock roadies, right? The obsession with bike looks, the weight debates, the ever-more-ludicrous clothes. That’s how I felt about bike fits — an overpriced affectation for middle-aged men with high-end road bikes and too much money. Pay to stand around in my chamois while a hipster points lasers at my butt? No sale. I’ll do my saddle height with my toes and the ground, my air pressure with a hand-squeeze and think no more about it.

Most apparel brands start with a product. I started with a decision: leave a safe corporate job, bet on a small idea, and figure out the rest along the way. That leap has since grown into a full line of trail-tested apparel, a physical home base in Hendersonville, North Carolina, and a giving program that’s already put more than $110,000 back into the trails we all love. The early days looked like most bootstrapped startups: working out of the house, then the garage, then finally outgrowing both.

A rendering of the UNREAL facility courtesy of UNREAL When all is said and done, UNREAL could measure roughly 200,000 square feet of action sports facilities, with much of the area dedicated to bikes. UNREAL founders Goe Novello and Jerrod Hoskins are currently navigating permitting and construction, getting input from legendary slopestyle athletes, and pushing to open portions of the park by spring 2027.

Photos: Sebastian Sternemann World Cup downhill racing saw its seventh stop for 2026 at the iconic French venue, Les Gets. Frenchman Max Alran took the men’s elite victory on home turf, and Hattie Harnden stood on the top podium for the elite women. This would be a first for Harnden and for elite DH racing in general.

Photos: Will Weisz / Ski Bluewood The northernmost section of the Blue Mountains extends from Oregon into southeastern Washington. Here, a massive southern expanse of Washington state turns from rolling wheat fields back to a rugged, densely forested mountain range. Nestled in that northern tip is the appropriately named Bluewood ski hill, which has been taking skiers and snowboarders up its chairlift since 1979. Next year, mountain bikes will also get a ride on the chairlift at Bluewood.