#Outerbike

[weshipyourride]

Big Sugar Gravel Recap

The Life Time Grand Prix finished up its inaugural off-road race series in Bentonville, Arkansas at the Big Sugar Gravel this past weekend, and BikeFlights was onsite to ring in the historic event. BikeFlights’ Vice President Sue George and Partnerships Director Michael Potter were not only there to work at the expo, but also to ride. 

Big Sugar Gravel kicked off on Friday with an all-day expo. Life Time and the rapidly growing, pro-bike town of Bentonville hosted the event in the heart of the town’s city square. With over 30 businesses on display, as well as another cycling event Outerbike happening simultaneously nearby, Bentonville was busy with riders and friends walking through the closed-street festival to connect with brands. BikeFlights had a great location in front of the original Walton’s 5-10, which would later become a museum for Walmart. 

As a relatively new gravel event happening for only the second time, the Big Sugar Gravel course was relatively unknown to most riders. Two routes started and finished in downtown Bentonville and traveled generally north in a clockwise direction over 52 and 104 miles respectively. The longer loop even crossed over into southern Missouri, and the fall foliage across both states gave riders nice views along quiet backcountry roads. Riders started just as the sun was coming up early on Saturday morning.

“The course was harder than I expected,” said Michael. “During the first half of the race, there were regularly riders on the sides of the road fixing a flat tire or a mechanical to keep riding.”

Road conditions consisted of a variety of gravel that was often chunky and loose and with sometimes unpredictable terrain. Combining that with over 7,000 feet of elevation gain over punchy, rolling hills made the course more challenging. 

Bike and gear choices were major considerations in preparing for a successful ride. Overwhelmingly, a gravel bike with gears and larger than 40c tires proved to be the preferred option for riders hoping to race fast and confidently although Michael challenged himself by racing Big Sugar on a single speed gravel bike, and Sue rode it on a mountain bike. 

”It’s been awhile since I pedaled my mountain bike on a 100-mile ride,” said Sue, who had also been enjoying riding the local Northwest Arkansas trails in the lead up to Big Sugar, “but it sure was fun to bomb the loose, gravelly descents on it. For me, the toughest part of the ride was battling the 30-35 mph headwinds and crosswinds throughout the second half of the course. It was a big day out there!”  

In the final miles, Russell Finsterwald would attack the group and solo away from Keegan Swenson and Adam Roberge to win the elite men’s race. Similarly, Paige Onweller would ride in alone to take the elite women’s race win by over six minutes ahead of Emily Newsom and Alexis Skarda. 

Congratulations go to Keegan Swenson and Haley Smith for their overall victories in the six-race Life Time Grand Prix series. Both got to stand atop the podium and show off their big, first-place prize checks.

BikeFlights was proud to sponsor all six races in the 2022 Life Time Grand Prix series, and we can’t wait until next year!

[kimduclos]

Group ride with @awesome.mtb :) #awesomemtb #moawesome #hannahthekook #moab #outerbike https://www.instagram.com/p/B3SjfvhH9sx/?igshid=o4yceaerszbn

[thewideeyedworld]

Flashback and forward to Bentonville. Looking forward to being there next week! @outerbike @imba_us (at Bentonville, Arkansas) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpIHDImBs7d/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=hg5603ltp8mk

[derekdickey]

MTB meets gravel as Outerbike and Big Sugar collaborate in Bentonville

Life Time's new gravel race and the premier U.S. mountain bike demo event join forces in Arkansas this weekend.

Read the full article at MTB meets gravel as Outerbike and Big Sugar collaborate in Bentonville on VeloNews.com.

MTB meets gravel as Outerbike and Big Sugar collaborate in Bentonville published first on https://throttlebuff.weebly.com/

[bikingiceland]

Getting the Most out of Outerbike Mt. Crested Butte

You’ve spent the past few months reading reams of reviews, poring over geometry charts, and comparing build sheets. Your budget is set, all you need to do now is line up test rides. If there was only some way you could ride a bunch of bikes from different brands back-to-back on the same awesome trails …

[Read More ...] https://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-events/getting-the-most-out-of-outerbike-mt-crested-butte/

[shouucore]

via Bikerumor

[host24space]

Bentonville Really Is A Mountain Bikers Paradise!

Bentonville Really Is A Mountain Bikers Paradise!

Another huge thanks to my sponsor FSA for making this whole trip happen! They not only got me to Bentonville, but made the whole trip an awesome experience even with the rain and mud! Check out their awesome components here – http://bit.ly/FSAMtb

Tune in for day’s 2 and 3 as I explore Outerbike Bentonville 2019. I went in thinking it’d be the weekend of a lifetime, but it was met with terrible…

[bittenpath-blog]

48cm:Ken Meidell Appointed New CEO Of Outerbike

Western Spirit Cycling Continues to Evolve the Hands-On Consumer Bike Experience

MOAB, Utah [April 2, 2019] – Western Spirit Cycling - founders and promoters of Outerbike; the consumer-focused experience for testing, reviewing and riding the newest bikes and cycling gear - announces Ken Meidell has joined the team as the first CEO of Outerbike.

Meidell most recently served as CEO for Dakine, and has over 15 years of experience in executive roles at Outdoor Research and Cascade Designs. In his new role within Western Spirit, Meidell brings his deep knowledge of growing the consumer experience and his passion for mountain biking and the outdoors to evolve Outerbike in 2019 and beyond.

As a creative leader and solid cyclist, Meidell has fresh insights and ideas for growing Outerbike that best serve the industry, the manufacturers and the consumers. "We are super excited to be partnering with Ken to take Outerbike to the next level," said Western Spirit CEO, Ashley Korenblat.

Established in 2010, Outerbike is a series of experiential consumer events dedicated to helping riders chose their next bike and explore new cycling gear. With the changing landscape in sales channels, coupled with the continual improvements in product design and technology, Outerbike offers cyclists a bespoke, hands-on opportunity to ride bikes and test gear on real trails before making purchasing decisions.

Welcoming avid riders, early adopters, and all cycling curious consumers, Outerbike is a fun and inclusive environment to learn, explore and experience biking from an insider's perspective at some of the world's premier mountain biking destinations. The three-day events offer real rides on real trails on dream bikes from all attending brands. Between activities, exhibitors and attendees enjoy lunch, and later beers, together under the Outerbike tent to convene, chat and compare the finer points of all the gear.

"These weekends unite cyclists with the companies committed to growing our sport as well as allow for newer riders to progress in their journey by building community, courage, and conversation around cycling" said Meidell.

"Outerbike is focused on one thing: providing world class bike demo opportunities for all levels of cyclists, and having Ken on the team will allow us to bring more bikes to more riders in more great places!" said Korenblat.

In 2018, Outerbike events in Crested Butte, Moab, and Bentonville attracted riders from 48 states and 14 countries. A fourth location, Sun Valley, Idaho, has been added for 2019. Over 100 of the leading bike and gear brands will be in attendance this year at the following

Outerbike 2019 Schedule:

Sun Valley, Idaho; June 21-23, 2019

Crested Butte, Colorado; August 16-18, 2019

Moab, Utah; October 4-6, 2019

Bentonville, Arkansas; October 25-27, 2019

For more information, or to sign up for an Outerbike experience, visit www.outerbike.com.

[weshipyourride]

Big Sugar Gravel Recap

The inaugural Big Sugar Gravel race proved that the fall foliage of Northwest Arkansas isn’t the only local spectacle in late October. Bentonville and the surrounding Ozark Mountains hosted nearly 1,000 riders, most of whom finished with big smiles on their faces. 

If you’ve never been to Northwest Arkansas, then you may not know that riding bikes is a way of life that the entire community has embraced, and that it’s one of the driving forces behind a roaring tourism market. Bentonville, the birthplace of Walmart, is thriving and provides visitors with a lively downtown full of cafes, restaurants and shops. The town also is a “hub and spoke” area for local greenways and mountain biking trails. 

The area’s accessible cycling and many amenities made Bentonville a great location to host the newest national-level gravel race. Big Sugar Gravel isn’t alone in seeing the region’s potential for events; it coincided with Outerbike, an already established event for test riding all the latest and greatest bikes and gear.

Big Sugar Gravel had two distance options available for riders:  a 105-mile “Big Sugar” route and a 50-mile “Lil Sugar” route. Both courses headed north of town on rarely maintained, canopy-covered roads with loose, rocky gravel across the state line into Missouri before heading back for the finish. These conditions made equipment choices very difficult. 

“What tires are you running?” was the question on everyone’s mind leading up to the start, and it would prove to be a key factor in how each rider’s race went. With such rough gravel, flat tires were a constant battle for everyone regardless of width, tread or pressure. 

In the end, both races were dramatic and exciting. Crashes, mechanicals and rain all played a role in determining the victors. 

The Lil Sugar came down to a three-up sprint with Andrew Dahlheim taking the overall win ahead of Lauren Stephens and Molly Cameron. 

The Big Sugar women’s crown was claimed by Mo Wilson in a blazing time of 5:30:57. Shortly after, Emily Newsom rolled across for second with Maddy Ward rounding out the podium in third. 

The Big Sugar men’s title was earned by Canadian Adam Roberge in a time of 4:49:10. Dennis van Winden and John Keller would later cross the finish line in second and third place. 

The gravel era of cycling is full steam ahead, and the calendar is growing fast, but if you are looking for a challenge in an unexpected, beautiful location, then Big Sugar Gravel should be on your list in 2022. You’ll be glad you went. 

[kimduclos]

It was a really cool trip to Outerbike in Moab this year. Camped at Klondike Bluffs, and got some good rides in, including a ~20 miler with YouTubers Hannah and Moe from @awesome.mtb . They were super nice. Can't wait to see the video! (at Moab, Utah) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Sgh1EHDIE/?igshid=1cnpei1vbjtr8

[cyclingevans-blog]

More killer stuff from great friends on trips !! @moabmade #coffeemug and @outerbike goodies !! Thanks @thebikeshak !! https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo-QB8tBV2Z/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1n87cyj3s3gxf

[derekdickey]

Outerbike Cancels Remaining 2020 Events; Announces New Website Page Connecting Riders with Exhibiting Bike Brands

New website feature aims to support and make folks feel welcome amidst the growing influx of new riders into the bike community.

MOAB, Utah (July 20, 2020) – Outerbike, the premier three-day experiential consumer event dedicated to helping mountain bikers find their perfect bike, announces an exciting new feature to the Outerbike website launching later this year, that will still help riders find their perfect bike, even when they can't do it in person. Outerbike's new website feature will utilize an interactive quiz to guide consumers towards the bike that's right for them. This coincides with the cancellation of the remaining three Outerbike events that were on the 2020 event calendar: South Lake Tahoe, Moab and Bentonville.

"The sad news is of course we're canceling the rest of this year's events, but the great news is the bike industry is booming! Pretty much every brand I speak with, sales are through the roof. This means more people are joining the cycling community and that's more people who can join us at future Outerbikes. And not just Outerbike's, but all types of cycling events, and that's a winning combination we can be excited about for 2021 and beyond", said Mark Sevenoff, co-founder of Outerbike. "Of course, COVID certainly played a part in our choice to cancel the rest of our 2020 events, however, we're excited about the opportunity to use this time to make some important changes to the Outerbike website—stand by for more news on this, and in the meantime if you need a break, small group Western Spirit bike trips are departing every week."

Cycling sales have seen a major boost during the pandemic as people look for safe ways to get outdoors and exercise, and the Outerbike team is dedicated to supporting this increase in new cyclists by welcoming them into the sport in a neutral, helpful and purely educational way. With the working title 'Your Friend in the Bike Business,' this new section of the Outerbike website will start with questions for the rider about their needs, hopes, and riding plans and will lead them to a group of bikes from Outerbike exhibitors created to meet those needs. Each bike model produced by a brand was designed with a certain rider in mind and this online tool will bridge the gap. The goal is to make sure all of these new cyclists feel welcome and provide them with a great tool for finding their next bike.

'Your Friend in the Bike Business' will connect consumers of all ability and experience levels to bikes brands like Yeti, Ibis, Canyon, Specialized, Pivot, Rocky Mountain, Alchemy, Fezzari, Esker and more.

Outerbike looks forward to sharing more details regarding 'Your Friend in the Bike Business' soon. For any 2020 attendees who want to defer their registration to a 2021 event, Outerbike is doubling their investment and offering a "bring a friend for free" option. The Outerbike 2021 dates will be announced in the coming months. For more information, please visit www.outerbike.com.

About Outerbike Outerbike is the premier provider of multi-day, off-road experiential consumer cycling events from the owners of Western Spirit Cycling. Celebrating its tenth year in 2020, Outerbike is a unique collaboration between bike and outdoor brands, bike-focused cities and towns, and cycling enthusiasts from around the world to create 'see, try and buy' opportunities for the growing community of enthusiast cyclists looking to find their perfect bike and gear. Outerbike's platform offers both a community hub and resources – both online and at physical event locations – that enable specialty brands to support the consumer decision journey from research to purchase through authentic, shareable experiences in iconic outdoor locations.

About Western Spirit Founded in 1990, Western Spirit Cycling is an adventure bike touring company headquartered in Moab, Utah, which runs multi-day bicycle tours and outdoor events on public lands throughout the country. Western Spirit works closely with Public Lands Solutions, a non-profit that supports effective and sustainable public land solutions through outreach and planning.

  Outerbike Cancels Remaining 2020 Events; Announces New Website Page Connecting Riders with Exhibiting Bike Brands published first on https://throttlebuff.weebly.com/

[jfrides]

Moab never disappoints... unless you were there last weekend! Sorry @outerbike maybe next year. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo0UterBT1p/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=f7b2wp0yx3qn

[shouucore]

via Bikerumor

[host24space]

Outerbike Bentonville Was A Fail All Because Of This...

Outerbike Bentonville Was A Fail All Because Of This…

A huge thanks to my sponsor FSA for making this whole trip happen! They not only got me to Bentonville, but made the whole trip an awesome experience even with the rain and mud! Check out their awesome components here – http://bit.ly/FSAMtb

There’s one mountain bike destination I’ve always dreamed of going to and that day is finally here! Join me as I head over to Northwest Arkansas as I explore…

[outdoorx4]

Where do we sign up?! @harleydavidson recently announced its plan to expand it’s current lineup to include more electric products including a power-assisted #electricbike to attract a larger consumer market. If this design rendering is anything close to what they’re planning, this could be an exciting option for fellow #mountainbike enthusiasts. Would you ride it? #outdoorx4 #ox4mag #mtb #mountainbikers #mountainbikes #outdoors #outdoorslife #outdoorsman #overlander #overlanders #overlandlife #adventurer #adventuretime #harleydavidson #harleydavidsonnation #powerassistedbicycle @outerbike