Bike Magazine 16.1 March 2009 Issue

Bike magazine's March 2009 issue is on newsstands now. The first issue of 2009 is all about trails. Read about 11 of North America's best mountain bike trails plus 22 runner-up rides. Also included within is the Trail of the Year as voted by www.Bikemag.com users. And don't miss Vernon Felton's explorations of 14 miles of sublime new singletrack in Humbolt County, California as well as 4 bike tests, 4 trail tested products, 5 adjustable-height seatposts, Blueprint, Buzz, Splatter, Chopper and more.

Funky Town
Fifty years ago, the King Range Mountains belonged to grisly lumberjacks. Then hippies discovered the beautiful and remote mountains of California’s “Lost Coast,” injecting their own countercultural flavor into Humboldt County’s pot pie. Now, mountain bikers are planting their own sort of seed here, building the 14-mile-long Paradise Royale, a sublime stretch of singletrack tucked into one of the weirdest and most beautiful places in America. It just might be the country’s best new trail. BY VERNON FELTON

North America’s Best Trails
“Best” is a big word. It’s only four letters long, but it’s hard to apply such an absolute term to something as subjective as riding a great trail. So we asked our readers for help in finding the “best” trails in the USA and Canada. Nominations came in from the four corners of the continent, and the 11 trails we selected—along with two runners-upper category—offer some of the best mountain biking on the planet.

Trail of the Year
What makes a trail worthy of being named Trail of the Year? Is it pristine singletrack? Epic terrain? Natural beauty? Challenges or rewards? In the case of this year’s winner, it’s all of the above. Read the March issue of Bike and find out which trail won the honor.

Plus

Bike Test - Cannondale Moto 2, Gary Fisher Roscoe III, Knolly Endorphin and Turner 5.Spot
Showcase - Five adjustable-height seat posts
SBC - One cracked-out squirrel and 250 miles of Baja
Blueprint - The inside line on the new Fifteen.G crank
Plus Grimy, Splatter, Chopper, Buzz and much much more...

Reader Comments

Posted Wed Feb18, 2009, 2:43 PM — By indytriple

Thanks to Bike magazine and its readers for giving props to Brown County in Nashville, Indiana as one of the 33 Best Trails in North America. Brown County was also a runner-up in the Best Trail Network Category. Brown County is a testament to what can happen with hard-working volunteers, fruitful public/private partnerships and a strong vision. We hope to see all of you on our pristine, flowing singletrack this coming season. Please go to http://www.browncountymountainbiking.com for the 411.

Posted Wed Feb18, 2009, 8:41 PM — By Dan

Umpqua rules! Can't wait to hit it again this year. Maybe get the whole bugger completed this time. Good call on Mackenzie River and Porc Rim. Epic! Great issue, BIKE. Sad but also selfishly appreciative that some of WA state's finest trails didn't make the list - you know you don't always want YOUR local faves outed for everyone to ride, right?

Posted Sat Mar14, 2009, 1:32 PM — By oldnassau'67

From above: "Funky Town Fifty years ago, the King Range Mountains belonged to grisly lumberjacks...." Not unless they were into dismembering animals and/or each other. "grizzly" - not "grisly"!

Posted Tue Mar24, 2009, 2:51 PM — By Tim Tierney

Thanks to the readers of Bike Magazine for selecting Kingdom Trails as the Best Trail Network and one of our trails (Sidewinder) for Best Flow. This system is made possible by hardworking staff, dedicated volunteers, 45 generous private landowners and a great community which wholly supports our efforts. " It takes a village to raise a trail system". We look forward to seeing more big smiles this season. Thanks again for noticing. Tim Tierney- Director