More than ten years ago, I asked on my blog just how far the Red Bull Rampage should go. The answer remained open-ended. Today, following yet another Rampage crash, Adolf Silva is in a wheelchair. In between, there have been countless spectacular runs and other serious crashes. Perhaps it’s time to ask the question again: When is enough enough?

The hype surrounding the new 32-inch wheel size is primarily focused on racing. If the large wheels really are faster than 29ers, things will get tough for shorter riders who ride cross-country. In his blog, Balz Weber ponders whether this design-related obstacle could lead to a two-tier society, similar to what happens in basketball: No matter how much talent you have, if you’re too short, you’ll never make it.

Steffen Kanduth's article about the problem child Enduro sheds light on a mountain bike discipline in its death throes and the reasons why it has come to this. In his blog, Balz Weber addresses the discipline of Enduro personally, reminisces about it, and ponders its future.

The Olympic Games in Paris are already over for mountain bikers. Ride editor Balz Weber takes the events as an opportunity for a flashback. Among other things, the focus is on Tom Pidcock's allegedly unfair overtaking maneuver. From Weber's point of view, this was completely correct, which cannot be said of the reactions of the French fans.

With the first official UCI Snowbike World Championships from February 10 to 11, 2024, the UCI is once again showing very little sensitivity for the sport of mountain biking. In his blog, Balz Weber explains why this discipline has great potential to be a disaster and why these world championships are an affront to enduro racing.

Wintertime: skiing, mulled wine, winter hikes and the romance of a fire - wonderful. Trails under the snow, icy clipless pedals and ruts, frostbite - totally annoying, so it's better to leave the bike in the cellar. So that you don't have to be bored during your mountain bike abstinence, try one of these five alternatives, or even better, all of them. Blog author Balz Weber promises that you are "guaranteed" to be grinning even without single trails.

For years, there had been fears of a major doping case in the mountain bike scene. With Mathias Flückiger's positive doping result for the time being, the story could now become reality. Balz Weber explains in his blog post why Flückiger should not be condemned now, but why the damage has already been done.

This year, the European Cross Country Championships will take place in the Olympic Park as part of the European Championships Munich 2022. The organizers are having a special circuit built to international standards for this purpose. This will be dismantled after the competitions. In his blog, Balz Weber explains why the city of Munich is missing out on a unique opportunity to create a permanent mountain bike trail for the people of Munich.

The mountain bike season has already picked up a lot of momentum and soon Ride editors will be on the lookout for new tours again. But the search for trails and tours is not always successful. Sometimes the expectation of a great tour is high, but then it turns out to be a big flop. Balz Weber explains why this is actually a good thing in his latest blog.

Alpine trails are occasionally steep and interspersed with steps that sometimes turn into stairs. Where possible, however, these should be laid out in a natural way with stones. But in some places, the trail builders were unfortunately on the wrong track. In his latest blog, Balz Weber explains why wooden steps have no place on trails above the tree line.

The "Wheel Park Sarnen", a new indoor bike park, is opening soon. It is the third indoor facility in Switzerland after Winterthur and Uetikon am See. In his latest blog, Balz Weber reflects on the general concept of such infrastructures and believes that indoor bike parks should be built like indoor ski slopes - with a gradient!

Mountain biking, mountain biking and more mountain biking: There's nothing wrong with that, after all it's our favorite hobby. But there's no harm in leaving the joy-giving vehicle in the cellar to try something different. Blog author Balz Weber thinks these five activities are worth trying out in 2022 - or at least one of them.

Local trails have become much more important again since spring 2020. More people got on their mountain bikes than ever before, and where there were no trails, trail proliferation also increased. Drawing a line through the forest where there is no trail is not a good idea, but it is understandable. Now, dear communities, be more open to our sport and finally create infrastructure.

The 05 issue of Ride describes ten multi-day tours. For many mountain bikers, they are the highlight of every summer tour. But the term "multi-day tours" alone conjures up the horrible thought of a lot of luggage. But you don't need much at all, especially if you don't want the fun on the trails to suffer from excess weight.

It's like with everything: before you judge, you should try it out. It's the same with snowbiking. As a passionate ski tourer, biking on snow is not an alternative for me, but it's fun enough to do it once or twice a winter. Racing against the clock is also fine, but not as a World Cup please.

Nino Schurter was the first mountain biker to be named Swiss Sportsman of the Year at the Credit Suisse Sports Awards. However, this award actually recognizes much more than just Schurter's great achievements: it shows that mountain biking has arrived socially in Switzerland, but that its positive momentum should be used to move forward.

Every time a new flow trail is announced, some people get excited - but others see it as a reason to grumble. "Not another flow trail!" I'll give you three non-political reasons why you shouldn't complain (but of course you can), how you can increase your fun on it and what it has to do with sex.

Marathon, 4x, eliminator and now short track? Despite great skepticism at the beginning, the short track premiere at the World Cup in Albstadt surprised me positively. Will the World Cycling Union now bring added value to the sport or is it just another short-track fart from Aigle?

Héli-Alpes AG and BED'n'RIDE announced their cooperation today at midday, and with it heli-biking tours from spring 2018. This type of tour is nothing new in Canada, but it is a first in Switzerland. It is just as clear that some people will be delighted with this new offer as it is that others will be up in arms about it. And not without good reason, because heli-biking is not entirely unproblematic!

For the "Gehrig-Twins - Ibis Cycles Enduro Team" with Anita and Caro Gehrig, the last stage of the Perskindol-Swiss-Epic is no easy ride. A big climb to breakfast and annoying tailgaters are the main obstacles of the day - but nothing that punch, cool trails and a great overall experience can't easily make up for, as Caro explains in the last Epic blog.

The weather on the fourth and penultimate stage of the Perskindol-Swiss-Epic is back on the friendly side. The temperatures, on the other hand, are freezing cold, so our bloggers Anita and Carolin Gehrig once again have to battle the elements and are once again too fast for their colleagues.

On the third day of the Perskindol-Swiss-Epic, the participants do a big loop around Leukerbad and the Gehrig twins enjoy the many flowing trails in the middle of it all. But even the second stage is not without incident, as Anita explains in the blog.

If the first day goes pear-shaped, the second is started a little more leisurely. This is roughly how Anita and Caro's tactics for the first stage can be described. The plan actually worked out and the two were able to play to their strengths, namely downhill riding. Carolin Gehrig reveals how the stage went in detail.

On October 14, the world's best freeride mountain bikers will once again throw themselves off the rocks of Utah at the Red Bull Rampage and provide thrilling action. Rough falls are not uncommon and of course someone could get fatally injured. So I seriously ask myself, do I want to see this?