Just in time for the blustery winter weather, we’ve reduced the price on our functional and cozy Buffs. The Buff is a 21″ long seamless microfiber sleeve. Use it to cover your head, face or both while riding, staying warm in the tent or sleeping on a plane. It’s that versatile, dries fast and is soft.

For a limited time, you can score Dirt Rag’s Black and Orange, and/or Checker and Flame Buffs for the special sale price of $14.00 each (reg. $18.50). While supplies last. Hurry, hurry, step right up! Click here to shop.

With the printing of each issue of Dirt Rag, we offer selected product reviews on our website. Calendar year 2009 provided a fine collection of product reviews, which are compiled below for your reading pleasure.

[Ed note: As 2009 comes to a close, we’d like to thank our print subscribers for another great year. Thanks to your continuing support, we are able to provide these handy web reprints. If you do not yet subscribe, please consider clicking here and joining the party.]

Eastern Woods Research OWB29er
Compared to the other 29ers that I’ve ridden, the EWR has a decidedly sporty nature. The OWB29er’s handling is well-mannered, yet there’s a playful streak that’s available when you choose to tap into it. More…

Mongoose Otero
No two ways about it, this is a lot of bike for the money. The frame is worthy of a few upgrades in the future. Entry-level full suspension just got easier to afford. More…

Yeti Cycles AS-R Alloy
The AS-R is Yeti’s cross country race offering with 3.89″ of single-pivot rear travel. The AS-R provides a smooth, fast ride with a lot of control, and it pedals efficiently. More…

2009 Fox TALAS 15QR 140RLC
The TALAS fork feels great in each travel setting; just turn the dial and the fork easily switches from 100 to 120 to 140mm of travel, each just as plush and buttery as the others. More…

Shimano XT Wheelset
Shimano has designed a great set of wheels for Fox’s new 15QR thru-axle standard. They are light enough for cross county use and can hold up to a good thrashing from the all-mountain folks. More…

Jeff Jones 3D Spaceframe
This is the kind of bike that turns the heads of both riders and casual observers, with its graceful lines masterfully executed in titanium, but this bicycle is about much more than good looks. More…

Ellsworth Evolve
The Ellsworth Evolve is the company’s ground-up foray into the 29er world of cross-country mountain bikes, designed to ride similarly to their highly regarded 26″-wheeled models. More…

Commencal Meta 6.2
The Meta 6 is classified as a marathon downhill/enduro bike. For me, this translates into a bike that is tough enough for the tortures of bombing down hills, but that also pedals uphill decently. More…

Magura Durin Marathon 120
The Durin lead the way through technical rock gardens with all the precision that I’ve come to expect from a top-notch fork. It’s a solid choice for the epic rider and/or racer. More…

RockShox Reba 29
The original Reba was a solid fork, and the new Team model by far eclipses its performance in every way. The 2009 Reba has a much plusher, far more bottomless feeling than the old fork. More…

Everti 29R
The 29R lived up to my expectations of what a titanium frame should feel like: vibration-damping, responsive, solid, and light. It has a compliant, all-day ride quality that provided me with endless comfort. More…

Diamondback Mission 3
As one could guess, the rougher the better for this bike. The big tires, stiff front end and well-damped Fox fork goaded me into picking the bad line or stuffing it hard into a rough corner. More…

Truvativ Hammerschmidt AM
I like the Hammerschidt system. If and when the time comes to add a big-hit bike to my collection, a Hammerschimidt drivetrain would be a big positive on my pro/con list. More…

Salsa Cycles Fargo
With the Fargo, Salsa is attempting to walk the tightrope between rigid mountain bike and touring bike-something they are aptly calling an adventure touring mountain bike. More…

Scott Genius
A high-end bike we have here, but with something to offer that you can’t get anywhere else: zero to six inches of travel in a very light package. More…

Haro Beasley
With Haro’s 2009 offering of the 650B Beasley 1×9, a 650B riding experience is now available to those who are disenchanted by a custom-build price tag. More…

Fulcrum Red Metal 29 SL
With fine Italian lineage and at a reasonable price, the Fulcrum Red Metal 29 SL wheelset is a good choice for a mid-range wheel upgrade. More…

Gary Fisher Roscoe 2
Overall, I think Fisher hit their target well. This is a bike you can pedal all day long, while delivering 140mm of supple, predictable, and supremely competent travel. More…

Singular Cycles Swift
I’ve taken the Swift on Boston area trails and killer singletrack in northern Vermont, and I haven’t found a weakness. For the type of riding that I do—long trail rides—it’s perfect. More…

Trek Top Fuel 9.8
The Top Fuel lives up to its billing. This is a high performance machine that’s built for going fast. The Top Fuel combines high efficiency pedaling with a high performance, race tuned suspension. More…

Turner Sultan
This bike should appeal to riders with a preference for quick steering and higher speed in rough terrain, and the dw-link should appeal to just about everyone who likes suspension. More…

Specialized Epic Expert Carbon
Racers and riders looking for one hell of a fast race machine should consider the Epic Expert Carbon. The payoff for experimenting with suspension is a lightweight, efficient bike that climbs like a champ. More…

Pivot Mach 5
The Pivot Mach 5 has a lot going for it: an incredibly plush suspension, great pedal feel, all-arounder geometry, and a stiff, well-made frame. More…

Norco Jubei 1
The Norco Jubei 1 is a 29er hardtail with Pacific Northwest attitude. If you’re looking for a fun, comfortable 29er that isn’t afraid of nasty technical sections, then the Jubei 1 is for you. More…

Dirt Rag will keep you warm after the ride, while helping you look cool, in our Lucky Cat Hoody.

This high-quality hooded sweatshirt is made by Anvil Sustainable from a blend of 55% organic cotton and 45% recycled polyester. It features the ever-popular Dirt Rag Lucky Cat logo in white screen print and has one big hand warming pocket on the front.

Available in basic black, sizes S-XXL, $40.00. Click here to shop.

With the printing of each issue of Dirt Rag, we offer selected feature articles on our website. Calendar year 2009 provided a fine collection of reprints, which are compiled below for your reading pleasure. Throw another log on the fire, and cozy up with a hot beverage and your laptop for a relaxing read.

[Ed note: As 2009 comes to a close, we'd like to thank our print subscribers for another great year. Thanks to your continuing support, we are able to provide these handy web reprints. If you do not yet subscribe, please consider clicking here and joining the party.]

How to Get Fast without Training
Would you like to improve your fitness this year? Hate following a traditional training plan, with all its heart rate monitoring and interval training? Lath Carlson shows us how to get faster without geeking out.

Warping in a Winter Wonderland. Iditaflashbacks in Vermont’s Jay Winter Challenge.
The good Captain was cured of any desire to ride on snow after racing the Iditabike twenty years ago, but his friend Tattoo Dave convinced him to give it another try. Jay Winter Challenge, here they come.

$60 and Some Flip-flops
Vacationing on a tropical island and mountain biking on seaside trails, doesn’t require big spending. Who needs a guided tour and an all-inclusive resort when you can camp on the beach and eat fruit from the trees?

Twenty Years of Paul Component Engineering
Paul Price, the man behind influential bike parts such as the WORD singlespeed hub, invites us into his California workshop to talk about his twenty years in the business of transforming good ideas into great stuff.

Urban Ride Guide
In the previous editions of our Ride Guide, interstate highways were the threads connecting the ride spots. This time, we find the hidden gems within places you wouldn’t think had much to offer: major metropolitan areas.

Interview with USA Cycling’s Kelli Lusk
Change is afoot on the national mountain bike racing scene, and racing has had a resurgence. USA Cycling’s Kelli Lusk shares some insight from the inside.

Mountain Biking’s Grand Tour
The 2009 Tour Divide race lived up to its billing as the toughest bike race in the world, with several records broken and set in an unprecedented weather year.

Massive Success: the Mid-Atlantic Super Series
The Mid-Atlantic Super Series is arguably one of the best mountain bike race series in the country. Find out how an organization made up entirely of volunteers keeps this machine running smoothly.

Libra
Jack traveled different path from his renegade brother Frank, who would go to extremes to save the places he loved. Now Jack must come to terms with his brother’s decisions, and wonder if his own path is the right one. [Literature Contest first place winner].

Disappointment By Way of Gypsum
But in this waking place, the end of the world comes and goes and I die a little, but I keep pedaling and keep sweating until my body is nothing but a movement machine. [Literature Contest second place winner].

There’s still time for last-minute shopping, but the only way we can guarantee Christmas delivery is for your Dirt Rag merch order to be sent via UPS 2nd day service. Last day for Christmas shipping is December 21st. Click here to shop. This is where I’d normally add something like “don’t delay, do it now,” but I’m not sure that would work with procrastinators.

Back by popular demand, the Dirt Rag WiseCracker Lite is once again in stock—and with a lower, $12 price tag. This handy bottle opener, made by Ahrens Bicycle from 6061 aluminum alloy, doubles as a 4.8mm thick, 1 1/8″ headset spacer. The WiseCracker Lite features our Dirt Rag logo etched into the black anodization.

You’ll never be trail-side or at your campsite without the means to pop the top of your favorite bottled beverage, as long as you have your bike along for the journey.

The WiseCracker Lite, or any of Dirt Rag’s complete line of useful and cool merchandise, make for wonderful holiday gifts for any cyclist. Click here to check out the Wisecracker in our online shop, or click here to go directly to the main page of our safe and secure shopping area.