MTB News Round Up: October 9, 2008

Several mountain bike news items this week: Trek opens larger R&D facility in California – It seems like the boys and girls from Wisconsin are finally getting hip to the biking scene out west and realize the need for a test facility near rad dirt. Hopefully the new facility will end Trek’s recent lack of …

Several mountain bike news items this week:

Trek opens larger R&D facility in California – It seems like the boys and girls from Wisconsin are finally getting hip to the biking scene out west and realize the need for a test facility near rad dirt. Hopefully the new facility will end Trek’s recent lack of exciting new MTB products. Watch out Cannondale, I think you may have awakened the sleeping giant!

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Redline D660 reviewed – At Interbike I rode and reviewed the Redline D660 and I have to say I came away pretty impressed with the 29er. It turns out Dirt Rag was pretty impressed as well and this month’s issue contains a detailed review of the bike. Long live the 1×9!

Specialized sponsors California high school mountain bike league – You may have read this last week but I thought I’d add my two cents. Sure, a bike company sponsoring a race or even a team isn’t a new concept but as far as I know sponsoring teams at the high school level certainly is. In the soccer industry where I worked for a summer I know it’s common for companies like Nike and Adidas to sponsor youth clubs with free footwear and uniforms – could we start to see the same thing in the bike industry? Start ’em young and hook ’em for life!

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Lunch Loop adds “Kids Meal” – The famous Lunch Loop trail in Fruita, CO added a new 0.6 mile section designed for kids and beginning riders called the Kids Meal. Chris Muhr, president of COMPMOBA called the new trail a “self-teaching trail.” Sounds like a great concept, hopefully we’ll see more smart trails like this around the country.