(Thursday, July 31)

It has been one year since its inception to the mountain bike world. The Colorado Crankworx course is set, and it is intense. No…not like camping in-tents. It IS intense. Our late arrival on the opening practice day denied us access to the chairlifts, however, the Winter Park staff was immensely helpful and accommodating. We were left to mingle with the pros and hike up the slopestyle course. Pictures are no match when viewing the stunts and jumps firsthand.

The athletes that compete in slopestyle competitions are on their A game, and there is nothing else like it. These obstacles are huge. The main roll-in begins with a near vertical rock drop to a roller coaster step down gap jump.

The riders’ insanity will then determine the line that is the most creative: the wallride or the bridge to the sugarbowl? From this point on, the dual slalom course intertwines with that of the slopestyle, leaving no restrictions on creativity for the riders. Stay tuned for more updates, here is a link to the first day’s results and more photos.

One of the best parts about the KendaFest is the opportunity for attendees to be right in the thick of things, just as much as us journalists, as far as new bike products go. There were a lot of opportunities for folks to not only see, but to ride the latest offerings from a large and varied group of bike manufacturers. There were also many parts and accessories companies on hand, some also offering demos, many offering deals on their wares. (Quite a few stuffed shopping bags were spotted on Sunday.)

One of the most interesting things we saw on display was not for sale, but was actually a venue: EcoPioneer’s Alpha Tent. This was the place to watch Le Tour at the Fest. It’s basically a “green” tent installation designed for outdoor events put together by Wingnut head honcho Scott Gibson out of a combination of products. The tent’s electricity for modern conveniences is produced with a combination of wind and solar power, courtesy of a neat little wind turbine and a bank of thin, foldable, durable solar panels from Global Solar. The whole thing is delivered to a site via a military surplus 4×4 converted to run on veggie oil. Scott has been developing his system for some years now—in 2006 he put together the VIP Lounge, a true oasis in the desert, for the Interbike Dirt Demo—and has some really cool and far-reaching ideas for the future.

The folks from Moots drove some 2,500 miles out from Colorado to be at the Fest, and they made it count by showing off their lineup plus two new bikes: an updated Zirkel and a 26″/29″ combo, the Gristle. The new Zirkel edition has its travel increased from 3″ to 4″, which according to Moots rider Ruthie Matthes, makes the bike “right there.” Lucky Festers got to ride one of the first six made.

The Gristle’s name was inspired by a 96oz. steak in the movie “The Great Outdoors” (you gotta see it to get it). It’s a custom offering that will be available as a hardtail, softail or the 3″-travel version shown here. It was brought to life to fill Moots staffer Jon Cariveau’s racing needs, and should fill those of anyone who likes the stability of a 29″ front wheel combined with the acceleration of a 26″ rear wheel.

On display, but sadly off-limits to eager demo-seekers (being only one of a handful that yet exist), was Trek’s new downhill and freeride platform, the Session. It’s got the same innovative Active Braking Pivot rear suspension design as the Fuel EX, and weighs less than 40lbs. even in DH configuration. First production bikes should ship in October. Trek’s hardworking booth keeper had to hide this sick-looking bike by the end of the weekend.

Here’s a shot of one of Titus’ futuristic Exogrid bikes, a TRX cyclocross steed made out of True Temper OX Platinum steel tubes reinforced from the inside with carbon fiber. The tubeset’s pattern of diamond carbon windows is not just for looks, it turns out; it’s a way of combining the best characteristics of both metal and carbon. Cyclocross bikes in general were prominent display items throughout the expo, as New England is a hotbed of ‘cross action.

OK, now this is stupid-light, but I want one: Storck had a carbon-fiber hardtail that weighed in, fully built except for pedals, at a freakish 16lbs., the Rebellion 1.0. Storck’s representative gave the frame weight in grams: 1080g, to be exact. I imagine the booth-workers had to tie that thing down during the windier times. Storck’s bikes were among the more popular demo items, and riders could be seen lofting bikes with amazed looks on their faces.

Pivot is another company that traveled across the country to be here (and to visit the DRHQ earlier this month), and their demo bikes saw heavy action all three days. Justin just recently received a 429 and used it for our Expert Ride at Intermediate Pace to start off his testing.

Three days of awesomeness. This is the second installment of our documentation of the Kenda Fest Presented By Dirt Rag.

There was so much going on at the Kenda Fest, it was tough to keep track: group rides for everyone from kids on up to hardcores (and even some for those roadie people), skills clinics, tech seminars, mud-slogging and wheelie contests, a scavenger hunt, and a lot more. But the best thing about the Fest was the laid-back, convivial atmosphere. It was an old-fashioned mountain biking hoedown.

The Mud Bog Contest has been a staple of the Fest for quite a few years now. “Cheating” by carrying your bike was allowed. That’s announcer extraordinaire Richard Fries in the background, still dressed in cycling gear from a ride but doing a kickass job on the microphone. (Don’t worry—no trails were harmed in the making of the bog.)

Fortunately  no children were lost in the bog.

Although there were no races at this event (which helped to keep that laid-back atmosphere), plenty of pros were on hand to share their skills. Eric Carter was spotted leading out the wheelie contest, Marla Streb gave a thorough five-hour downhill clinic, and various other way-too-fit-looking people in spotless team kit could be seen riding along on the trails with us mere mortals. It’s one thing to spectate at a race and spot your favorite pro on the other side of the tape; it’s quite another to get to ride along behind him or her and try to match moves.

We held tech seminars in our Dirt Rag Salon big tent, derailleur adjustment on Friday and suspension tuning on Saturday. We also had a special guest, Frank “The Welder” Wadelton, give a talk on frame materials and geometry to a rapt audience that included a few framebuilders, both novice and experienced, who were eager to learn from a master.

Here Justin and Karen go through the steps of setting up air pressure in shocks.

The EMS folks (well, one of them) also held a downhill bike tuning seminar that our own huckster, Andrew Crumpler, was very interested in.

The EMS folks also came with a giant truck that everyone watched roll into the still-muddy field, sure it would get stuck… but it didn’t. Good thing, as the truck contained a climbing wall that provided a fun bit of cross-training.

At night the Dirt Rag Salon added an “O” and became a Saloon—our good buddy “Bourbon” Lee Hollenbeck held bourbon tastings for twenty-five lucky participants.

On Saturday night, Kenda put on a Night Ride Scavenger Hunt for which nearly a hundred riders rolled out in the dark to search for glow sticks that were cashed in for prizes. Princeton Tec graciously provided lights for scavengers that didn’t have any.

Our Friday showing of Klunkerz, Billy Savage’s documentary of the early days of Marin mountain biking, was such a hit that we showed it again on Saturday (with a few repeat audience members). After the movie, the two-wheeled tribal gathering went on late into the night at the Saloon.

Sunday came, along with some more rain, but it didn’t seem to slow down the Fest, particularly the young grommets who continued riding around even in a downpour. But soon it was time to pack up and head out. There’s no doubt that we’ll be back next year to be part of the best party on two wheels.

Next up: a report on the new and cool stuff that vendors brought to the Fest expo.

Also check out our Gallery for lots more great photos.

We are live at the KendaFest presented by Dirt Rag and we are having a great time. This 13-year-old festival has long been an East Coast summer ritual, but it has grown into a huge, all-inclusive smorgasbord of everything good about the bicycle tribe that draws members from all over.

The entire office staff, plus our two freelance web dudes and various VIP guests, is here in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts to participate in (and document) the fun—we take our “presenting” status seriously. Here’s a little sample of what we’ve done and seen so far…

Of course we’re here to work too… but with picture-perfect weather and great conversation, it doesn’t really seem like work. Here’s our Web Manager Jeff Lockwood holding down the booth.

There’s a ton of group rides that happen at the KendaFest, but this is truly a family-friendly event, with all kinds of entertaining things for kids (and adults that are still young at heart) to do. Here’s a young badass unicyclist trying his hand at the Kenda Tire Toss. I think he actually had an advantage, as he could use both hands to throw the tire.

On Saturday I had the privilege of riding with none other than Ruthie Matthes, ‘91 world XC champ, ‘00 Olympian, and current Moots ambassador, on the Women’s Ride. We explored the trail system built just for the Fest all around the campsite by the hardworking folks of NEMBA (one of our ride leaders, who had also participated in the trail building, said, “I just love manual labor.”) Their hard work paid off—the trails have held up remarkably well, considering the venue received a full twelve inches of rain in the week leading up to the Fest.

We met an interesting fellow, Henry Meudt of Boca Raton, Florida, with an interesting bike: a replica of a Pedersen, a bike made between 1897 and 1917 in Dursley, England. Mr. Meudt says that the hammock-style seat is as comfortable as it looks. The version he brought along to the Fest was made in the ’80s by Dutch fans of the original; he actually owns an original (left at home) that he bought for $100 back in the ’70s, having no idea what a rare machine it was—this is the type of antique that gets sold at Sotheby’s for tens of thousands.

We’ve held Tech Seminars on various aspects of maintenance and tuning, helping folks get the most out of their rides.

At the end of Friday and Saturday evenings, our friend “Bourbon” Lee Hollenbeck gave very detailed and knowledgeable seminars on bourbon (and rye) tasting. Remarkably the participants retained their composure enough to ask good questions and learn something while sipping. Afterward, we held screenings of Billy Savage’s excellent movie Klunkerz, with opening remarks by one of the film’s stars (and good friend of the Rag) Charlie Kelly. Everyone was blown away by the quality of this documentary on the early days of fat-tire riding in Marin County, which was Billy’s first filmmaking effort. Really, it must be seen to be believed. (Even the groms paid attention.)

Check out our Gallery for more photos of the goings-on, and tune in to this same bat time, same bat channel in the next few days for more on-the-scene reports of the great times here at KendaFest.

My first day at 2009 Trek Camp was spent learning about and riding their updated carbon OCLV Fuel EX (report here). Later in the day, as I rolled into the group dinner, I was not prepared for the surprise that Trek had waiting there—samples of a radically re-designed carbon OCLV Top Fuel 100mm travel XC race bike. The top-of-the-line 9.9 model is said to weigh less than 21lbs. with Ti Eggbeater pedals. Key Top Fuel highlights include:

• The ‘09 Top Fuel frame is 33% stiffer than ‘08, and is 431gm. lighter (2027gm./4.5lbs. frame weight).
• Rear suspension now uses Active Braking PIvot design (more info here).
• Rear suspension now also uses Full Floater design (more info here).
• No-cut seatmast offers 100mm of adjustment, is stiffer and saves weight.
• Net molding on BB and headtube allow use of drop-in bearings resulting in weight savings.
• Crossbow frame re-design saves 100gm. and improves stiffness by 33%.
• Top-end 9.9 model has 2×9 drivetrain, with custom FSA 2-ring cranks, that produce a Q-Factor 10mm narrower than Shimano XTR.
• Bontrager Race XXX Lite wheels use all-new Bontrager XXX Carbon rims (tubeless compatible) and the wheelset weights in at 1450gm.

Alas, I did not have a change to ride the 2009 Top Fuel—the few existing samples are in the hands of Trekies such as Travis Brown and Chris Eatough, who put them through the paces on our day-two group ride on Durango’s trademark Hermosa Creek trail. With any luck, I might find a test bike under my skinny white butt at some point in the future (if I can win the cage match at DRHQ).

Click on thumbs below for larger images.

There’s lots of bustling activity going on at DRHQ today. The entire Dirt Rag staff is getting ready to head north tomorrow to Hancock, Massachusetts for the KendaFest Presented by Dirt Rag this coming weekend, July 25-27 – see, we take our “presented by” role seriously.

There are a lot of great activities planned for the Fest, and there will be a bunch of mountain bike luminaries on hand (in addition to ourselves of course), including Kenda Legends Eric Carter and Brian Lopes, and Luna Chix Alison Dunlap and Marla Streb. Marin County statesman Charlie Kelly will be there to present a screening of the Repack legends documentary Klunkerz. Dirt Rag’s own Access Editor, Philip Keyes, will be there to share trail maintenance wisdom, and The Old Coot himself, Bill Boles, will be there to swap tall tales. Just added is another legend, Don “Captain Dondo” Cuerdon, and his posse of jumping fiends, JD Mellowship and Tattoo Dave. These New England locals will also be bringing aluminum pioneer Frank “The Welder” Wadelton, who may be persuaded to share his vast knowledge with lucky Fest-goers.

Also for lucky Fest-goers who sign up for a Dirt Rag subscription (or renew), we’ll have premiums from Genuine Innovations and Platypus. We’ll also have hot deals on Merch. Our normal little booth will be part of a much larger Dirt Rag Salon compound, where we’ll host a Reader’s Forum, Bourbon Tasting, Tech Seminars and more.

Go to the bottom of the KendaFest website to download the full (and I mean FULL) schedules. Space is still open, so if you’ve been on the fence about going, register today, and we’ll see you there!