The second annual London Bike is happening January 12-15, 2012 at ExCeL with something for everyone from newbs to pros. There will be tons of new gear on display plus great deals on all kinds of cycling equipment. Tickets to the show also get you into The Outdoor Show, The Tullett Prebon London Boat Show, and the newly launched Active Travel Show. There’s even an indoor bike polo tournament and trials performances during the Animal Relentless Bike Tour.

To celebrate this year’s launch, the London Bike Show has given us 10 pairs of weekday tickets and we’re giving them to the first 10 mountain bikers who add a review or a new trail to singletracks.com. Once you’ve added your review or trail, just give a shout in the comments with a link to your work and we’ll add you to the list!

For more information about the London Bike Show, go to http://www.thelondonbikeshow.co.uk/ or follow the show on Facebook.

photo courtesy NPR’s State of the Re: Union.

A couple mountain bike news items to share today:

2012 Olympic Mountain Bike Course Takes Shape

Over on Echo News, reader Andrew Batty shares pics of the Olympic mountain bike course being constructed near Hadleigh Castle. From the pics it looks like there’s a high hill that will provide much of the elevation for the course, though no word on actual climbing numbers yet. The area looks to offer a good mix of open areas and forest groves which should make it ideal for spectators.

Oakridge, OR: Mountain Bike Capital of the Northwest

National Public Radio has a new series called Re:Union and a recent article (episode?) featured the Oakridge, OR mountain bike scene. The story looks at how Oakridge, a rural town suffering from a collapse in the lumber market, is reinventing itself as a mountain bike destination. We’ve heard great things about the riding around Oakridge and the annual Mountain Bike Oregon weekend seems to get bigger and bigger each year.

The whole idea of embracing mountain biking (and other outdoor activities) to help boost isolated economies seems like a win-win. In fact there’s plenty of opportunity for small towns around the country to do the same (Appalachian communities here on the east coast seems like prime targets). Even if you don’t live near Oregon, start thinking about mountain bike trips you can take to expand your riding horizons AND to help local economies.

Mountain bike paramedic in London. Photo via Firegeezer.

By now you’ve probably seen police officers on mountain bikes but here’s something I hadn’t heard of: mountain bike paramedics. Apparently this has been going on in the UK for quite some time (since 2000 in parts of London) and it sounds like it’s pretty effective.

Mountain bikes are being used for medical response in densely populated urban areas and allow first responders to get to patients quickly. In fact, one article I read said “often the bike-riding paramedic will get to the patient while the (911) caller is still on the phone.”

Bikes are equipped with standard first aid equipment and some not-so-standard items like mini defibrillators and high power drugs. Unlike ambulance-based crews, mountain bike paramedics can take their “vehicle” and equipment right up to the patient – often riding through shops and elevators. Of course all that equipment does “alter the dynamics of the bike” according to an official with the program so they’re always looking for paramedics with at least some cycling experience.

IMBA’s National Mountain Bike Patrol (NMBP) performs a similar first-responder role, though solely on trails and not in urban areas. Unfortunately NMBP members don’t receive nearly the same level of training and typically don’t carry well stocked emergency kits but it’s certainly better than nothing when you’re hurt on the trail.

Besides being fun as hell to ride, mountain bikes can perform useful functions in a wide variety of settings. Who knows where we’ll see them popping up next…