Dirt Rag History

The Birth of the Dirt...Rag

I only remember the moments. The Macintosh SE30. Because it was cool. Launching the Pagemaker layout program and realizing the blank page needed to be filled. With words. Postscript fonts. My first mountain bike (Supergo Access). The joy of the backyard trails. The camaraderie of the local races. The words. Dirt. Rag. From where did they come? The prototype, 8 pages, poorly dot-matrix printed. Taken to every bike shop in town. Selling enough ads to pay for printing. Getting the words. And clip art. Making the Mag. Cooalating and folding with friends. Delivering to shops. Passing out at races.

And so it went, each issue generating enough cash to print the next. Going to all the events. The support. The growth. For the mountain biker of PA-WV-OH. For the mountain biker of the northeast. For the mountain biker of the east. For the world.

From one room. To an attic. To a basement. To a whole house. The love, support, encouragement pushing us the whole way. To this day.

Timeline

#1 4.1.1989 First issue hits the tri-state area (Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia) • Lee Klevens is Dirt Rag's first subscriber • Subscription cost: $6.00 for six issues • IMBA celebrates its first anniversary

#2 5.15.1989 Dirt Rag posts 24 races in Events Schedule • Michigan Mountain Bike Association (MMBA) formed • Dirt Rag available in 41 shops

#4 8.15.1989 Dirt Rag's page count increases to 24 glorious black and white pages • Our first spyshot reveals Offroad's prototype softtail design

#5 10.1.1989 Dirt Rag tests the first generation Grip Shift

#6 11.15.1989 After reader outcry, Dirt Rag promises not to publish photos of riders without helmets

#7 2.15.1990 First issue with staples! Sterling Printing Press now begins printing on sheet fed offset press • Dirt Rag available in 106 shops • The most important development since beer? Dirt Rag touts the first Camelbak as a breakthrough in drinking...

#9 5.15.1990 Herbert Krabel (now director of marketing at American Bicycle Group) wins the sportsmanship award at Alaska's Iditabike race

#10 7.1.1990 Page count keeps climbing: 40 pages of stapled black and white • Available in 17 states and 99 shops

#11 8.15.1990 Durango hosts first UCI-sanctioned World Championships • RockShox introduces world's first production run suspension fork, RS-1

#12 10.1.1990 First annual Dirt Rag Fiction Contest!

#13 11.15.1990 Maurice "'Rice" John Tierney IV is born on October 30th • First Access column to break down issues state by state

#14 2.15.1991 Dirt Rag sold in over 200 shops • 25 riders attend the 1st annual Punk Bike Enduro an idea gleaned from the Fat Tire Flyer. Winner: Leroy Klevens • What is now known as the Sea Otter Classic opens as the Laguna Seca Challenge

#15 4.1.1991 Bill Boles writes the first "The Old Coot" article. • Reccomends getting rid of narrow, flat handlebars in favor of wide, swept ones

#17 7.1.1991 The thickest 'zine yet! 64 pages of good ol' black and white • J. Furtado and R. Grewal atop NORBA NCS standings after two races

#18 8.15.1991 Dirt Fest: Dirt Rag teams with Camp Soles to bring together the region's mountain bikers

#20 11.15.1991 Subscription cost: $10 per year

#21 2.15.1992 Mark Tierney starts as Art Director. Masthead reads, "Irish only need apply" • Charles Kelly becomes a contributing editor • Dirt Rag moves office from Springdale, PA to Verona, PA

#22 4.1.1992 Rumor circulates that Dirt Rag has been sold to Time Warner for 2 million dollars. Did you notice the publication date? • Dirt Rag now available in over 400 shops

#23 6.15.1992 Charles Kelly (west coast editor) interviews Grateful Dead member Bob Weir on a ride with Gary Fisher • Distribution breakthrough! Tower Records picks up Dirt Rag at their newsstands throughout U.S. and England

#24 7.1.1992 24 Hours of Canaan makes its debut in Davis, West Virginia

#25 8.15.1992 First naked criterium at Mt. Snow, started by Team Brooklyn, draws the heat and Dirt Rag's coverage includes censorship bars

#26 10.1.1992 Ned wins sixth national title in seven years

#27 11.15.1992 Dirt Rag interviews Joe Breeze • Maurice, Michael and Mark Tierney call for formation of Clydesdale class and create a bit of history in the process

#28 2.15.1993 Our first color cover! • Gary Fisher bikes bought by "a well-known American bike company."

#29 4.1.1993 Dirt Rag available in over 550 shops • Karl Rosengarth hired as 2nd employee to do circulation • Critical Mass formed by messengers in San Francisco, CA

#30 5.15.1993 A whoppin' 96 pages! • Team Diamondback member Gunnar Shogren starts writing "What's Up With That?" to later become "Wuzzupwiddat?" • Double barrel buck shot Tom Mitchell steps in as first intern

#31 7.1.1993 Elvis is here and on our cover, uh huh huh. • First insert card and free postcard • Little 'Rice participates in his first race • Zap, one of Mountain Bike Action's editors, transfers publications to head up Mountain Bike magazine

#32 8.15.1993 Reader responses are in Pananracer Smoke and Dart tires are favorites!

#33 10.1.1993 Tim Blumenthal leaves Rodale press to become IMBA's Executive Director

#34 11.15.1993 Inserted postcard reads: "Friends don't let friends read glossy"

#36 4.1.1994 100 pages! • Classic John Hinderliter artwork depicts staff members as the "Three Stooges" fighting over the latest "wunderbike" test product

#39 8.15.1994 Dirt Rag is featured in a Time magazine article focusing on the growing trend of privately-produced magazines known as "zines."

#40 10.1.1994 Dirt Rag gets a 1-800 number

#41 11.15.1994 Relocation! Dirt Rag moves to current location on Saxonburg Boulevard a bigger house, more bikes and trails out the back door. Is this the world's best work environment? • Maurice tells readers to leave lycra jerseys on the race course where they belong

#44 5.15.1995 Dirt Rag Magazine gets an upgrade introduction of "perfect binding," making the magazine more book-like and less 'zine-like • John Herron joins the staff • Who needs a phone number? Companies start sending in email and web addresses to better serve customers

#45 7.1.1995 112 pages!

#46 8.15.1995 Pedro's lube company sponsors first New England Pedro's Festival

#47 10.1.1995 Karl Rosengarth leaves Dirt Rag for another round in the corporate world at Motorola as production engineer

#48 11.15.1995 Mike Papurello joins Dirt Rag to handle distribution, but is deemed "too clean" for all intens and purposes hey, our name is Dirt Rag, what'dya expect?

#49 2.15.1996 Mountain Bike Action denies advetisements from VooDoo bicycles due to a conflict between VooDoo's name and MBA's strict religious values • Grateful dead disband after Jerry Garcia's death.

#52 7.1.1996 "Manic Mechanic," a column dedicated to the finer art of bicycle maintenance, makes its first appearance

#53 8.15.1996 The big time! Mountain bikes make it to the Olympics. Paola Pezzo and Bart Brentjens grab the gold U.S. rider Susan DeMattei takes the bronze as the highest-placing U.S. finisher

#54 10.1.1996 Jeff Lockwood joins Dirt Rag as distrbution manager

#56 2.15.1997 Dirt Rag logo gets a makeover

#57 4.1.1997 Nine years after Vancouver-based Kona was started, they introduce the Kona A'Ha the first singlespeed reviewed in Dirt Rag • Dirt Rag is featured in June issue of Wired magazine

#58 6.15.1997 Distribution milestone! Dirt Rag available in over 1,000 shops! • Readers get ticked a contest to count the hidden ticks in the pages of Dirt Rag drives readers crazy • Bike magazine recognizes Pittsburgh as one of the top 15 U.S. cities for mountain biking

#59 7.1.1997 NORBA brings professional racing to Pittsbugh. Well, to Seven Springs, the ski resort an hour out of Pittsburgh. • John Herron departs and Karl Rosengarth starts his second stint at Dirt Rag

#60 8.15.1997 Holy print run! 32,000 copies run off the press in an effort to reach more mountain bikers nationwide • Maurice Tierney is crowned International Clydesdale Champion • Juli Furtado diagnosed with Lupus Disease • First year for the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew to hit the trails

#61 10.1.1997 Isn't all riding free? Cannondale trademarks the name "Freeride" and starts industry backlash. Rocky Mountain counters the legality with their "Froride Team"

#62 11.15.1997 Our first Dirt Rag Mega Raffle offers readers a chance to win sweet prizes

#63 2.15.1998 We made it! Dirt Rag celebrates ten years! • Brad starts work as the intern who just won't go away • Dirt Rag registers the domain name dirtragmag.com. Everyone asks, why not dirtrag.com? Some jagoff in West Virginia registered every bike company he could think of

#69 11.15.1998 Art Director Mark Tierney heads to Prague. • Tom Mitchell takes over as Art Director, leaving Mark's collection of Elvis photographs in original condition

#71 4.1.1999 Dirt Rag celebrates ten years with the 10th Anniversary issue • Downhill rider "Earthquake Jake" Watson and 1994 NORBA National Champion dies after a crash at the Keyesville Classic

#75 10.1.1999 Maurice "Rice" Tierney goes to 3rd grade • UST tubeless tire technology hits the market

#77 2.15.2000 First it's a Dirt Rag Nation, then the world! Dirt Rag kicks off the first Dirt Rag World Tour with a stop in Negril, Jamaica at the Jamaica Fat Tire Festival

#79 5.15.2000 John Tomac announces plans to retire after, among many accolades, 8 National Titles (cross country, downhill and BMX)

#80 7.1.2000 Dirt Rag officially becomes the "Mountain Bike Forum" • Michael Browne elbows his way in as intern • Dirt Rag heads to Minneapolis to cover the second annual Single Speed World Championships

#81 8.15.2000 Tom Mitchell leaves Dirt Rag to persue the fine art of woodworking • First NORBA-approved 24-hour National Championship... what took so long?

#82 10.1.2000 Jeff Guerrero comes on board as the new Art Director • Exclusive: 29-inch bike discussion. Karl Rosengarth conducts a roundtable with the leading minds of the 29" wheel movement

#84 2.15.2001 Elaine Tierney, co-founder and editor of Dirt Rag, says goodbye to pursue other interests • Joel Kennedy is hired as distribution manager • Dirt Rag gets a makeover! New logo unveiled

#85 4.1.2001 Lockwood fills in as editor as Dirt Rag makes its first issue without Elaine

#86 5.15.2001 Michael Browne takes over job as editor while finishing school at The College of Wooster

#88 8.15.2001 Chris DiStefano, Shimano's PR guy admits that Shimano is a corporation of giant evil robots programmed for planned obsolescence • Emap sells Bike magazine to Primedia • September 11, 2001

#94 7.1.2002 Dual Slalom makes its final appearance for pro-level racing on the NORBA and UCI circuits

#95 8.15.2002 Dirt Rag founders Maurice and Elaine Tierney are elected to the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame

#96 10.1.2002 After the revival of the Dirt Rag Fiction Contest, the winner of the 2002 Literature Contest is announced and a classic story "Learning to Fly" touches the hearts of many • Thanita Adams joins the Dirt Side as "Central Scrutinizer"

#97 11.15.2002 Noah Koerper moves to Pittsburgh for a Dirt Rag internship, raising the bar by which interns will be judged • Dirt Rag interviews Patrick O'Grady, columnist for Velo News, and he reveals what it's like to merge professionalism and passsion by working for a bike magazine • Dirt Rag goes "full" color

#99 4.1.2003 Holy page count Batman! 128 pages and counting... • Readers both praise and attack Dirt Rag for publishing stance on disagreement with war on Iraq. Let's face it folks it's all about oil! Ride your bike! • Intern Noah Koerper goes back to Oregon • Dirt Rag interviews Zapata Espinoza, editor of Mountain Bike magazine. • U.S. starts War on Iraq. What's next? You make the history with your actions. Think before you act!

Dirt Rag History

The Birth of the Dirt...Rag

Timeline

Search