Journal

Add Beauty: Silca at 100

July 18, 2017

This year SILCA is celebrating a century of bicycling innovation. This legendary company was the first to include pressure gauges on floorpumps, the first to produce a usable portable pump, and the first to produce a valve-controlled CO2 inflator; all necessities that we now take for granted. SILCA was run by the Sacchi family in Milan until it was sold in 2013 to the former technical director for Zipp Speed Weaponry, Joshua Poertner. SILCA is now based in Indianapolis and has carved out a niche for itself by manufacturing precision-engineered, heritage-grade pumps and tools that walk the line between utilitarian duty and aesthetic beauty. We recently caught up with Josh to talk about cycling, art, and everything in between.

The Outsiders’ Guide to Mountain Biking British Columbia

July 07, 2017

With an opening in our Push to Start Summer Tour schedule, we opted to “take the long way around” for a detour de British Columbia on our way to Sun Valley, Idaho. On a whim we fled north from Seattle, first stopping in Bellingham to soak up as much lush Washington terrain as possible. We roughly sketched out what our next week might hold – entering the mecca via Vancouver, heading north to Pemberton, then working our way east and south to depart the country via Rossland. We let our trip unfold hour by hour, trying to make time to ride in all the spots we’ve read and seen so much about.

Shorts Guide

July 06, 2017 2 Comments

Knowing when and when not to wear shorts is a skill we only fully acquire sometime after adolescence – in fact, studies have shown that shorts-related decision-making abilities are directly linked to frontal lobe development. But since we mountain bikers are prone to being hit in the head, let’s not make any assumptions about shorts etiquette.

Dirt Fest

June 19, 2017 2 Comments

I never thought the Steel City would be on my list of favorite places to ride, but it just goes to show you that the best rides often happen when we're right outside of our comfort zones. Get out there and try something new this summer. Cheers to yinz.

Bikepacking the Black Canyon Trail

May 31, 2017

The Kitsbow Van Team, joined by friends Dylan Stucki and Sarah Strum, snuck away for a desert escape following the Sedona Bike Festival. The crew tackled the 80-mile Black Canyon Trail meandering through the foothills of the Bradshaw Mountains, just north of Phoenix, Arizona. They loaded their bikes for a leisurely three day tour to soak up the sunshine and get their legs spinning again. Let’s catch up with Lani and Jordan.

Springtime Ramblin'

May 25, 2017

As the season gradually picks up momentum and works its way into full swing, life on the road is once again our reality. With the annual Sea Otter event attracting industry folks from all over the country and globe, it’s a great way to get some face time with friends, partners, and other industry road warriors. We decided to make the most of our time in California and do a three-day coastal ride from Santa Rosa down to Monterey for Sea Otter. Despite some wet weather, it was an inspirational trip to see new country and connect with new people along the journey. Thanks to everyone who joined us for a segment of our trip!

Escape to Hurricane

May 03, 2017

Hurricane, UT- Escape the dreary winter rains with a trip to Hurricane, Utah, with professional mountain bike rider Jeff Kendall-Weed. Follow along with Jeff as he jumps and wheelies across the beautiful desert terrain that lies in the foreground to Zion National Park. Presented by Ibis Cycles, in association with BikeFlights.com, Kali Protectives, and Kitsbow Cycling Apparel, and additional support from Over the Edge Sports Hurricane.

Fiber to Farm: Mountain Biking the Cashmere Trail in Nepal

April 26, 2017

Corinne Prevot, founder and owner of Skida, a headwear company known for its fresh and vibrant prints, invited friends Katy Kirkpatrick and Lani Bruntz to join her cashmere pilgrimage to Nepal with mountain bikes. From the factory visits in Kathmandu to the search for Chyangra goats in the Mustang Region of the Himalayas, they traced an age-old cashmere supply chain on two wheels. It’s hard to define one single motivator for this assembly of friends to courageously ride around Nepal’s vast landscapes and Kathmandu’s bustling streets. But oddly enough, the main inspiration behind this rugged and remote adventure was cashmere. [...]
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Dirty Kanza Gravel Camp

April 20, 2017

Kitsbow Ambassador Yuri Hauswald is a professional endurance racer who gets to travel the world by bike. Here’s what Yuri’s been up to recently. “This one time, at gravel camp, I spent three days riding with forty folks from all over the country in the windswept Flint Hills which surround Emporia, Kansas, the launch pad for the Dirty Kanza gravel camp and the home of the Dirty Kanza 200, arguably the hardest gravel race in the world. There are no National Parks in Kansas, there’s no BLM land, the paved roads rarely have safe shoulders to ride on and there [...]
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A Night is All You Need

April 12, 2017

Adventure comes in an array of shapes and sizes, from extensive multi-day trips through remote landscapes to short jaunts in your own backyard. Sometimes all it takes is one night under the stars to hit your reset button. Getting out there on an overnighter elevates the monotony of the everyday to a new level of excitement, unfamiliarity and exploration. We found a great opportunity during the Spring Outerbike festival in Moab to wrangle some friends, pack up some overnight gear and get out on a micro-adventure in a beautiful landscape. After a full day of hustling at the event, [...]
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Spring Roll on Fresh Trails

April 06, 2017

Spring is a time of revitalization, when fresh greenery emerges from the fertile ground and all of Earth’s creatures head outside to play in the sunshine. For the mountain biker, spring is all about fresh trails and brown pow. For the mountain bike trailbuilder, it’s the time to put the finishing touches on winter’s hard work so everyone can enjoy the fruits of their labor. We asked a few of our favorite trailbuilders to let us know what fresh trails they’re excited about. Tyson Swasey, Trails Specialist, IMBA Trails Solutions: Being on Interstate 15, within the “Zion Triangle” (Thunder Mountain, [...]
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Sedona to Moab: NAHBS the Hard Way

March 18, 2017

I shot over Tehachapi toward the red Mecca, stopping first in Bakersfield to camp lakeside in my fully loaded Element. The next day I drove endlessly, listening only to Jonathan Richman and Dan Deacon, and ended up in Kingman, AZ, late afternoon, just in time to unload the Retrotec for a quick loop in the rich desert landscape of the Cerbat Foothills. Spindly, squat, sculptural, looming – a wide variety of cacti thrived in that rocky, contradictory environment. The stop was well worth it. I arrived in Sedona after sundown and met up with the Kitsbow crew, then [...]
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