In case you hadn’t heard, it’s National Bike Month here in the US and there is a lot going on. Many local groups are hosting bike to work events and it seems like there’s at least half a dozen fat tire festivals happening every weekend. With that in mind we thought we’d highlight a few events and contests (we know you love ‘em) happening this month.

CycleFest Colorado

This weekend the Colorado High School Cycling League is hosting a series of events to raise funds for the youth cycling program (one of, if not the, largest in the US). There’s a gala dinner in Denver hosted by Gary Fisher tomorrow night (seats start at $100) and a group ride in Boulder the following morning (Sunday, May 15).

CLIF Bar Meet the Moment

On Monday CLIF Bar is launching an online campaign called “Meet the Moment” where users are asked to upload photos and stories about their experiences outdoors. One lucky winner will get a chance to pursue their next adventure (like a free trip to trek the Amazon) but the cool thing is CLIF will donate $5 to one of five projects to “protect the places we play” for every person who participates. Not only that, they’ll double the donation if more than 10,000 people participate.

Performance Bike 100th Store Giveaway

It’s hard to believe but this month Performance Bike is opening their 100th store and to celebrate they’re giving away some big prizes during the month of May, including a hundred $100 gift cards, two Pearl Izumi gear kits, and a GT Sensor 9r Expert mountain bike worth $2,349. You can enter online or in the store through the end of the month.

What local events are you attending (or have you attended) during National Bike Month?

With the Gary Fisher brand folding into Trek this year, I was interested to demo a bike from the new “Gary Fisher Collection,” the Superfly Elite. The Superfly Elite is a carbon fiber, hardtail 29er that, beyond the new name, really hasn’t changed that much for 2011. Gary Fisher 29ers always had a reputation for being great bikes and fortunately I can say that’s still the case.

One of the things that makes the Superfly Elite unique among 29ers is the shorter chainstays made possible, in part, because of the direct mount front derailleur. Shorter chainstays make the bike more agile on the trail and eliminate the “tractor driving” feeling some might expect from a 29er. Plus direct mount is definitely the way to go with carbon bikes – nothing worse than cracking a seat tube from over-torquing a bolt.

The Superfly Elite is shockingly lightweight for a 29er thanks to the carbon frame and SRAM X0 2×10 groupo. It climbs super efficiently and accelerates well despite the big wheels.

On the trail the Superfly Elite felt extremely stiff which is good for going fast but honestly it’s not the most comfortable ride out there. This is a race machine and it shows, right down to the narrow, flat handlebars.

If you want to win races, it’s hard to go wrong with the Gary Fisher Collection Superfly Elite. It’s lightweight, climbs like a champ, and isn’t too shabby in the corners thanks to its refined geometry. Just don’t plan on riding this one on all day epics – that might be painful.

photo courtesy trekbikes.com.

Word on the street is that Trek is folding the Gary Fisher brand into Trek bikes to cut design costs and expand distribution. The Gary Fisher name will live on, however, as the “Gary Fisher Collection” from Trek. According to a news release we read, the man himself, Gary Fisher, approves of the move because of the promises of increased distribution.

The heart of the issue seems to be the financial implications of parallel development of mountain bikes, particularly 29ers, currently being shouldered by the two brands. Even if the two teams shared technology and designs, forward there would be very little differentiation between Fisher 29ers and Trek 29ers going forward, for example.

Current Gary Fisher owners should have little to worry about in terms of service and warranty support since the GF brand will remain owned by Trek. There may be some minor changes at the dealer level but those changes should only affect shops that stock GF brand bikes but not Trek. Read more at trekbikes.com.

How much would you pay to have a beer with a mountain bike legend like Gary Fisher, Ned Overend, Joe Breeze, or Joe Guy? Now, how much would you pay to have a beer with ALL FOUR? Trips for Kids held their annual Bikes, Bucks, and Brews fundraiser last weekend and an all-star cast of more than a dozen MTB pioneers were on hand for the festivities.

The press release we read said $3,000 was raised for this national non-profit which seems like a paltry amount for an event with such celebrity fire-power. Not only that, the $3,000 came from drink sales and a silent auction that included at least two brand new mountain bikes (a FS from Jamis and a 29er from Marin). Heck, we’re pretty sure the MTB legends themselves would have no problem running up a $3,000 bar tab in one night

For those who don’t know, Trips for Kids is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that “opens the world of cycling to at-risk youth through mountain bike rides and Earn-A-Bike programs.” TFK is based in Marin County, CA and was founded in 1998 by MTB Hall-of-Famer Marilyn Price.

So to answer the question at the beginning of this article, I’d probably be willing to pay a hundred bucks to have a beer with the guys next year. If just 30 others were willing to do the same, TFK could easily beat this year’s haul!

Photo from shiftwatch.blogspot.com.

You know how Corvette owners like to get together with other Corvette owners to fawn over each others’ cars? Or how Harley Davidson riders hang out with other Harley riders? Well, it turns out mountain bikers are starting to do the same thing along brand lines – something that wasn’t really feasible before the internet. Forget freeride and downhill groups – in 2009 it’s Trek Fuel 8 EX and Specialized Stumpjumper FS owner groups.

Here’s a perfect example: Ellsworth is sponsoring the First Annual Pacific Northwest Owners Tour next month outside Bend, OR for – you guessed it – Ellsworth owners. The tour is actually organized by Cog Wild Bicycle Tours (coincidental Harley reference?) and anyone is welcome to attend but Ellsworth owners save $300 off the price of the weekend. Beer, bikes, and bivouacking under the stars – it doesn’t get any better than that!

If you’re a Specialized Epic owner you may have seen proedgebiker’s relentless posts about the Epic owners group he created over on the Facebook. Last I heard there were about 200 members in the group – I don’t know for sure since I can’t even join the group as a non-Epic rider Group members can share photos of their bikes, swap stories and tips, and connect with other “elite” Epic owners.

I haven’t heard of any brand / model owner group rides in my area yet but it certainly wouldn’t be hard to organize. In fact, local bike shops would probably love to help you organize a meet up with other area owners. Gary Fisher owners, for example, could show off the evolution of GF mountain bikes over the years while Trek owners chould showcase the wide range of Trek bikes from hardtails to FS to cyclocross bikes. And just think how cool it would be to see a group of a dozen riders on the same bike whiz by you on the trail!

If you do end up organizing a MTB brand / model rally, send us a shout and some pics – we’ll try to help you spread the word!

Next week is bike to work week and while not *officially* a mountain bike event we thought you’d want a heads up. SFGate.com published an article with commuter fashion tips from none other than Mr. Gary Fisher himself and it’s worth a read if you’re killing time waiting for the weekend to start. It seems apparel companies are getting smarter about designing clothing that works well on the bike but also looks good for work (one woman even claims it’s easier to bike in high heels than to walk in them). I wouldn’t know about that myself.

The League of American Bicyclists website has a listing of bike events around the country during the month of May (national bike month) – find your local ride and bike to work next week!

Last night we had a chance to attend the 2008 Mountain Bike Hall of Fame induction ceremony and it was truly a star studded event. Mr. Gary Fisher himself was in the house mingling with the crowd while we sipped Fat Tire brews donated by the New Belgium Brewing Co.

This year’s inductees included Brian Lopes, four time World Champion with 25 World Cup wins. You may recognize Brian if you’ve played the Sony Playstation game ‘Downhill Domination’ – Lopes is featured as himself in the game!

Other inductees included Nat Ross, another world class athlete known for his endurance racing skilz; Steve Blick, Oakley’s VP of Sports Marketing; Bob Girwin, a leader in bringing suspension (both front and rear) to mountain bikes starting in the late 1980s; Philip Keyes, a trail advocate and NEMBA leader; and John Finley Scott, a bicycle designer who laid the groundwork for many of the features found on mountain bikes today. Scott was inducted post-humously and Mr. Billy Savage (of Klunkerz fame) was on hand to present a video tribute to Mr. Scott.

The inductees, from left to right: Steve Blick, Nat Ross, Bob Girvin, John Finley Scott’s neice, Brian Lopes, and Philip Keyes
The induction ceremony was a great event celebrating the accomplishments of many of the sport’s most important leaders. If you’re ever in Crested Butte (and I hope you are some day!) stop by the MTB Hall of Fame and check out the history! Peep the hardware the inductees received below.