 |
Mike Ferrentino is a mountain bike (MTB) journalist.
|
Mike Ferrentino is a mountain bike (MTB) journalist.
 | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (March 2013) |
He was born in California and raised in New Zealand.
In 1994, Ferrentino began writing a column for a new glossy mountain bike magazine that the publishers of Surfer were putting together called BIKE. This column was called The Grimy Handshake, a reference to the column's bike-mechanic point of view and he came to be known as BIKE's "random juggernaut".
In 2005, with the departure of editor Ron Ige, Mike Ferrentino became the Editor in Chief of BIKE magazine. He also was guest editor for an issue of the UK MTB magazine Singletrack in 2005. In November 2006 Ferrentino stepped down from the editor role at Bike magazine, and took on a marketing role at Santa Cruz Bicycles, which ended in 2012. He continues writing his Grimy Handshake column for Bike magazine. Mike is currently writing regular columns for NSMB.com, a mountain bike e-zine based in North Vancouver BC that focuses its content on riding on the North Shore (BC) and throughout the Sea to Sky (S2S) region of British Columbia.
Mike Ferrentino is a mountain bike (MTB) journalist. He is known for his first-person, you-are-there style of documenting the sport, as well as admiration for writers like Hunter Thompson and Ken Kesey.
In his columns, Mike has supported the return of "old school" mountain biking. Specifically, he defines "old school" MTB as light, relatively fragile, cross-country mountain bikes, made with steel- the original, repairable, and resilient MTB frame material. He says that this heavier material means that a person must put in the effort to climb hills before enjoying the reward of riding back down and he criticizes MTB riders who take a ski lift to the top of the mountain along with a bike too heavy to be ridden to the top, then quickly enjoying the downhill before being effortlessly whisked to the top once again.
A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which often makes them heavier, more complex and less efficient on smooth surfaces. These typically include a suspension fork, large knobby tires, more durable wheels, more powerful brakes, straight, extra wide handlebars to improve balance and comfort over rough terrain, and wide-ratio gearing optimised for topography, application and a frame with a suspension mechanism for the rear wheel. Rear suspension is ubiquitous in heavier-duty bikes and now common even in lighter bikes. Dropper seat posts can be installed to allow the rider to quickly adjust the seat height.
Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, such as air or coil-sprung shocks used as suspension, larger and wider wheels and tires, stronger frame materials, and mechanically or hydraulically actuated disc brakes. Mountain biking can generally be broken down into distinct categories: cross country, trail, all mountain, enduro, downhill and freeride.
Andrew Shandro is a professional mountain biker. Shandro has starred in many films and featured in mountain bike magazines worldwide. The majority of Shandro's pictures are taken by his close friend Sterling Lorence. Andrew was born and raised on the North Shore, British Columbia. He is a competitive individual, and enjoys spending time with his kids.
Downhill mountain biking (DH) is a style of mountain biking practiced on steep, rough terrain that often features jumps, drops, rock gardens and other obstacles. Jumps can be up to and including 12 meters, and drops can be greater than 3 meters.
Freeride is a discipline of mountain biking closely related to downhill biking, dirt jumping, freestyle motocross, and freestyle BMX. When riding a freerider one focuses on tricks, style, and technical trail features. Freeride is now recognized as one of the most popular disciplines within mountain biking.
Independent Fabrication (IF) is a bicycle company located in Lynn, Massachusetts, USA. IF fabricates bicycle frames from steel, titanium and carbon fiber. Independent Fabrication has twice won the Bicycling Magazine "Dream Bike of the Year" with its carbon-tubed, titanium-lugged XS road frame. Independent Fabrication was founded by and is owned by its employees. In 2005, the company took part in a CNN television program called The TurnAround. The show paired a growing business with a mentor from a more successful company. Independent Fabrication was paired with Jeff Swartz, chief executive of Timberland.
Mountain bike racing is the competitive cycle sport discipline of mountain biking held on off-road terrain. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) recognised the discipline relatively late in 1990, when it sanctioned the world championships in Durango, Colorado. The first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series took place in 1988. Its nine-race circuit covered two continents—Europe and North America—and was sponsored by Grundig. Cross-country racing was the only World Cup sport at this time. In 1993, a six-event downhill World Cup was introduced. In 1996, cross-country mountain biking events were added to the Olympic Games. In 2006, cross-country mountain biking events became part of the World Deaf Cycling Championships for the first time in San Francisco, USA.
Chipps Chippendale is a mountain biking journalist in the UK. After working as a bicycle messenger, his journalistic career started in 1994 with the UK magazine MTB Pro, on which he worked for five years. After the magazine was closed down by its publishers, Future Publishing, who said that there was not enough interest in a magazine about the 'soul' of mountain biking, he left the company and went freelance, contributing to Mountain Biking UK, Total Bike, Maximum Mountain Bike and others. He also wrote for Clarks Originals, for whom he wrote a book about 50 years of the (Clarks) Desert Boot.
Singletrack is a UK-based mountain biking magazine and web site. The magazine is aimed at more mature mountain bikers and intended to provide a counterpoint to magazines such as MBUK which are aimed at a younger audience. It is based in Todmorden, West Yorkshire.
The Leadville Trail 100 Run is an ultramarathon held annually on rugged trails and dirt roads near Leadville, Colorado, through the heart of the Rocky Mountains. First run in 1983, the race course climbs and descends 15,600 feet (4,800 m), with elevations ranging from 9,200 to 12,620 feet. In most years, fewer than half the starters complete the race within the 30-hour time limit.
Idaten Jump is a Japanese manga series created by Toshihiro Fujiwara. It was serialized in Kodansha's Comic BomBom. The manga tells the story about a boy named Sho Yamato who loves mountain biking. It was adapted into a 52-episode anime series produced by Aniplex, TV Tokyo, Trans Arts and Production I.G and directed by Takayuki Hamana, with Fumihiko Shimo writing the scripts, Miyako Yatsu designing the characters and Yasuharu Takanashi composing the music. It aired from October 1, 2005, to September 30, 2006. A toyline was also made by Tomy.
Kenny Belaey is a Belgian mountain bike trials cyclist. He holds the UCI record of most podium spots at a world championship in the discipline of trial.
John Borland Wadley was an English journalist whose magazines and reporting opened Continental cycle racing to fans in Britain. Wadley covered 18 Tours de France from 1956. He worked for the British weekly, The Bicycle and then started and edited the monthlies Coureur and International Cycle Sport. He also wrote a number of books.
The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) is a 3,083.8 mi (4,962.9 km), off-road bicycle touring route between Jasper, Alberta, Canada and Antelope Wells, New Mexico, USA. Completed in 1997, the GDMBR was developed by Adventure Cycling Association, who continue to maintain highly detailed route maps and a guidebook.
Womble Trail, located in the Ouachita National Forest in western Arkansas, United States, is a singletrack path running more than 37 miles from North Fork Lake to the Ouachita National Recreation Trail. The U.S. Forest Service trail is open for use by mountain bikers and hikers. Horses are not allowed. The nearest towns are Mount Ida and Oden.
The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is an American non-profit organization that promotes youth mountain biking programs in the United States. NICA provides governance, leadership, and program support to regional interscholastic mountain biking organizations. NICA's mission is to build "strong minds, bodies, character, and communities through cycling, where every youth is empowered to be part of a thriving and engaged cycling community."
Enduro is a type of mountain bike racing where the downhills are timed, and the uphills are mandatory but not timed. Riders are timed in stages that are primarily downhill, with neutral "transfer" stages in between. The transfer stages usually must be completed within a time-limit, but are not part of the accumulated time.
Brodie Bicycles is a manufacturer of mountain, road, cyclocross and commuter bicycles based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Farlow Gap is a popular trail for mountain biking and hiking, located in the western area of North Carolina. It is an expert-level trail, and considered "one of the toughest mountain bike trails in Pisgah National Forest." It is primarily a downhill trail, about 3.1 miles (5.0 km) in length. It can be combined with other trails to form a loop of about 14 miles (23 km), requiring anywhere from three to six hours to complete.
YT Industries is a German mountain bike manufacturer. Founded in 2006, the company operates in a direct-to-consumer model. YT also has showrooms at their headquarters in Hausen, Germany, and "YT Mills" in San Clemente, California, and Guildford, Surrey, England, with a third location planned in Bentonville, Arkansas. With its origins in dirt jumping and freeriding, YT has expanded its lineup to include all forms of mountain biking and gravel biking.