Wilderness Trail Bikes

Rad People Who Ride: Ian Schmitt and Kona Bicycles

A stallion of a man.  Long flowing mane of sheer mulletude, the seasoned squint of hardened determination, coordination rippling from... WAIT. THIS is NOT Ian Schmitt. This is... well... This ...

Throwback Thursdays: 5 Questions for a Beautiful Phoenix

Photo: Otis Smith Every once in a while, we're lucky enough to spy a Phoenix frame out in the wild, happily devouring the trails it was designed to inhale.  Sometimes, we're even lucky enough to...

Throwback Thursdays: 1996 Speedmaster Ad in Dirt Rag

When I first saw this ad, touting lovely Speedmaster brakes and GripMaster pads I'd happily repurpose to my cross bike today, I was captured by the beautiful landscape and marveled that there mus...

Throwback Thursdays: '89 Ground Control Extreme Drawings

Obviously bigger is better.  I came across this lovely illustration while digging for material.  In August of 1989, it was certainly known that a larger contact patch is superior to a smaller con...

Throwback Thursdays: The Return of Drop Bars?

Todd DeAngelis leading Joey Peterson, roughly 1985. I recently went on a singletrack fest group ride and encountered a curious situation.  Strewn about were different people's takes on appropria...

Flashback Fridays: Early 90s Dirt Touring & Bikepacking

It's no secret that people have been loading their bikes with overnight gear and heading into the wilderness for quite some time.  Just take a look at this Pearl Pass post here and you see that b...

Throwback Thursdays: '96 Mountain Bike Germany Pad Review

Elevated chainstays, a nice an taut elasticized cinch strap flowing in the breeze of what looks to be an epic skid... Vans sneakers - what's not to like?  In 1996, people were getting pitted, soo...

Throwback Thursdays: 1987 Price List & Mailer

I stumbled across this today, totally intact, haggard staple still holding pieces together along with another added to cobble more now to it.  The pages have an oh so nice aging color to them, I ...

Throwback Thursdays: 1979 Appetite Seminar

 1979 illustration by Pete Barrett, from Chalie Kelly's Hubsite, the BEST website you will ever find. This Thursday marks yet another Appetite Seminar as throngs of mountain bikers will congrega...

Throwback Thursdays: Wilderness... It's Our First Name After All...

Adventure isn't exactly something new to WTB.  Getting out, exploring, taking the path less traveled, finding your own way, thinking differently... that's what WTB is all about.  I found these ph...

Throwback Thursdays: Biopace... Ewwww

It happened.  I can't believe it actually happened.  I swore it wouldn't.  It couldn't.  It shouldn't.  By what stroke of misunderstanding... by the Hammer of Thor. BioPace is back, da na nun nun ...

Throwback Thursdays: Driftin' in '93

This might as well be a how-to on old school drifting.  Step 1, put foot out.  Step 2, drift.  Step 3, regain composure.  If that's not savage enough for you, peep this line: Big cloud, real d...

Throwback Thursdays: 1997 New Tire Standard

Everybody is frumpy about tire standards these days.  Too many sizes, too many standards.  Guess what, that's happened before.  In 1997, WTB sought to revolutionize tire size standards with GMS, ...

Throwback Thursdays: 1990 Black Specialized Hardpack 2.2 Tires

 The 1998 Specialized (Designed by WTB for Specialized) Hardpack 2.2 tires came with tan sidewalls.  It's it, that's that.  However, a small batch, 8 total, of black Specialized Hardpack 2.2 tire...

Throwback Thursdays: 1998 Comfort Zone Press Release

We still use the Comfort Zone today and it definitely still provides soft tissue relief.  That almost sounds as though it's a cure for excessive tissue or Kleenex usage, perhaps a lotioned Kleene...

Throwback Thursdays: 1989 Compact Speedmaster

So, excited to jump aboard a bike sporting revolutionary, never been done before short chainstays?  Don't get too excited.  As you can see above, short chainstays were a hot trend in '89.  Someth...

KONA R.I.D.E. 2015 was R.A.D.

Through a very fortunate twist of events, without even any noticeable wheedling on my part, I got to go to Kona's dealer-invite new bike launch.  Speaking of launch, I got lunch... and dinner, an...

Throwback Thursdays: 1992 WTB Trailgrips

We now call them Original Trail Grips, a head nod to the history of the Trailgrip.  That also means we still sell 'em.  Yes we do.  These are my absolute favorite grips - there is something about...

Throwback Thursdays: Moab First Descents, Mountain Bike, and More TV

The Trail Boss himself, shredding previously unridden lines aboard his American Breezer possibly in 1988 during the Canyonlands Fat Tire Festival on Moab's Slickrock.WTB's extended family of early ...

Throwback Thursdays: Mountain Shredders Gone Road (not Rogue)

It's Tour de France time, people are excited, some even mountain bikers - focus is perhaps even shifting from the 2014 FIFA World Cup.  So what's up with our favorite leg shavers?  Where are they...