click here to view the latest online bid for Agent Orange Atlas FR Crank.





click here to view the latest online bid for Rum Red Atlas FR Crank.

VANCOUVER - May 27, 2009 –

Race Face supporting Dirt Series Scholarships with Custom Crank Auction

Along with all the fame and travel, the sickest part of being one of our Race Face team riders is getting fully customized RF components to ride. It’s more than just getting a mother lode of the most killer gear around, you get the most killer gear that’s been made just for you.

This year, we’re not going to offer up a spot on the Race Face team, but we are going to give you the chance to get something completely custom and ridiculously sexy, courtesy of the marketing crew at Race Face and our good friends at Altech Anodizing. We’re auctioning off six sets of sweet Atlas FR cranks in a rainbow of colours on eBay--two at a time, all summer long. The winner of each auction will have the back pocket of the left crank arm custom laser etched with the message of their choice. Make it whatever you want, just remember this is a family show boys.



It’s not like the money we raise is going into our beer fund for Metal Fridays down in the engineering department, either. We’re donating all the cash we raise through these auctions to the Dirt Series Scholarship program. In the last 8 years, the coaches of the Dirt Series have travelled far and wide from their home base in Whistler to teach new MTB skills to women and men. They’ve taught beginners how to roll, intermediates how to rip, and have helped rippers go bigger than they’ve gone before. This year they’re hosting 17 camps, including five co-ed events, from Southern California to Alberta.



Even though sponsorship from companies like Race Face helps keep Dirt Series camp entry fees as low as possible, there are still deserving mountain bikers who just can’t afford it. Those riders can apply for a Dirt Series Scholarship to have their camp fees waived so they can learn from the best without having to go into hock or skip any meals. All proceeds from these custom crank auctions will be donated in support of this program.



Each new auction will be announced on the Race Face and Dirt Series websites. First up, heavy hitters -- Rum Red and Agent Orange Atlas FR Cranks battle it out for the bigger payday. Bidding opens May 29 closing June 6, 2009. So figure out what you want your custom cranks to say and then go bid on a pair. You’ll be the envy of your buddies when they drool over the sweet, coveted prize Race Face custom made for you and, as if that's not enough incentive, we're throwing in a 'Get Outta Jail Free' card with your better half. What better way to justify your online purchase than by saying "But baby, I did it to help send someone to school!".

VANCOUVER, BC - March 25th, 2009 –

Kenda/Morewood's Nathan Rennie and Mitchell Delfs to race on Atlas FR cranks.

Race Face Components Inc., one of North America’s leading producers of high-end mountain bike components, apparel and protection, is proud to announce a new partnership with the Gravity Group Kenda/Morewood Team. Rennie and Delfs will be running Race Face’s Atlas FR cranks at all World Cup events for the next 2 seasons.

Race Face ignited the DH race world in the 90’s when it sponsored the France based Sunn Chippie team, ‘The French Air Force,’ and with the likes of Nicolas Vouilloz, Anne Caroline Chausson and, at the time, the unknown junior Cedric Gracia. They quickly became one of the most dominant DH race teams in history. At the time, Olivier Bossard was the heart of the team with his innovative suspension systems. Things have really come full circle as BOS once again surfaces in the MTB world as the suspension technology on the team’s Morewood Makulu DH rig.



A Syndicate rider of 5 years, Rennie hit the podium over 40 times, proving beyond a doubt that’s he’s a force to be reckoned with at any race. Mitch Delfs first caught the international spotlight at Mont Sainte Anne in 2007 and then later that year with a fourth place Junior Worlds result. 2008 saw some top ten finishes at the pro level for the young ripper as well. The talented Australian duo looks to be a serious threat in the 2009 season.



“This is such a great fit for us as we continue to move deeper into the DH race and 4X scene” says Race Face’s Julian Coffey. “World Cup races are usually won by margins of less than half a second and it’s at this level of incredible detail and intensity that we want to compete. Our Atlas FR cranks are the new standard in this highly competitive component market, a place where the ultimate balance between strength and weight must be struck. Easily 50 grams lighter than our closest competition, we’re proud to machine US made OPTIM-AL aluminum right here in BC. We’re producing what we know to be a World Cup worthy product.”



Peter Siulczynski of the Gravity Group: “Joining the group of teams and athletes that Race Face supports is a true pleasure for us. Race Face has a reputation of producing some of the best mountain bike components on the market and it was an obvious choice for us to partner with them. Race Face and the Kenda Morewood crew are highly motivated and we believe we will achieve great things together”.



Look for regular team updates on the Race Face site soon. The Race Face videos page has some recent footage of Nathan and Mitch testing the new rigs in preparation for the 2009 season.

VANCOUVER, BC - January 29th, 2009 –

Big mountain superstar Mike Kinrade inks a 2 year with Race Face.

Race Face Components Inc., one of North America’s leading producers of high-end mountain bike components, apparel and protection, is proud to announce the signing of pro shredder Mike Kinrade to the team. Using Race Face’s Atlas FR cranks, high performance clothing and a brand new line of protection, the Kinradical one will be crushing it well into 2010.

“We’re delighted to have Mike on board” says Race Face’s Julian Coffey. “Kinrade has ridden Race Face components for many years, and given his progression, we definitely felt it was time to take things up a notch! Mike has a history of really pushing the boundaries, and for us that’s always a great fit. In addition to shredding with the best, he’s also a super classy guy with a fantastic work ethic and initiative. Add in the never ending onslaught of ideas and product feedback and you’ve got a winning combo – great for new product development as well as for the Race Face brand in general.”



The resurgence of big mountain meets slopestyle riding couldn’t be timed better. Kinrade, a veteran of the extreme scene, is the only rider to compete in all five Red Bull Rampage events. Years of building gnar in the high alpine led to a very convincing 4th place at the 2008 Rampage, and 2009 is shaping up to be a banner year for the man who was homegrown in Nelson, BC.



Known for building remote but incredibly sick lines, Mike also has a sharp eye for film and imagery in general. His experience behind the camera lens as well as in front of it provides him with some very unique insight into how to produce the best results from film and photo shoots. Video, especially online, has been a large part of Race Face’s history, and will be an even bigger part of the component manufacturer’s upcoming campaigns in 2009. Keep an eye out for some exclusive footage of Kinrade and other Race Face riders in the very near future.



“Representing Race Face is a big honor for me” says Mike. “These guys have been pushing mountain biking for a long time now. Back when every other component company thought there was no point in making the gear and components that are mandatory with today's riding, Race Face was behind us all the way.



Years ago I used to watch riders put pop can shims in their cranks so they could keep using them, but the Race Face North Shore FR cranks never had problems. This was 10 years ago, and things have only gotten better. Riding for them is like being a part of history, I'm stoked, what more can I say!”

VANCOUVER, BC - Nov.21st, 2008 –

Giant, Race Face and a host of other industry players ante up the goods for a crazy one off project bike.

Most 5 year old kids dream of riding a bike – it’s the first real taste of freedom. Typically the bike doesn’t matter, as long as it has two wheels and can handle dropping a curb or two. But Riley is no regular 5 year old. This kid dreamed big - and sometimes when you go big, it really pays off.

Riley got on the horn and made a few calls to some bike industry guys he knew. A few months later – voila! Riley had a full on custom dream machine with a roster of one-off parts that aren’t even available to fully sponsored riders, never mind a 5 year old ripper from California!

The whole project was almost two years in the making but the bulk of the work was done in about three months. The bike started with a stock Giant 20 inch MTX frame – a tight little ride but no disc tabs. This meant drilling and tapping the MTX to accept custom machined disc tabs.

The biggest challenge was finding a fork that could be set up for 20 inch wheels, getting the axle to crown height right but still be super plush. The guys at Marzocchi stepped up and created a one of a kind, custom Shiver. Everything about this Shiver had been re-worked, cut and machined to fit the bill. They had to get the ride height correct, as well as set it up for Riley, a 40lb rider at best. These guys thought of everything, from the custom decals to the exclusive titanium hardware. Did we mention the word custom yet?



From there this kid’s 2 wheeled Caddy picked up some serious momentum. Hayes produced a killer set of Stroker Grams complete with composite levers and Ti parts – 160mm rotor on the front and 140mm on the back. MRP donated a composite Chainguide and Crank Brothers provided a headset. Kenda threw down a set of 20 inch Small Block 8’s and shifting duties are handled courtesy of an XTR light action trigger and an XT long cage rear derailleur (which has since been swapped out for a short cage version). A Dura-Ace road cassette gives Riley a nice 9 speed spread mated to a DT 370 rear hub. DT Swiss also provided a DT 440 front hub, all laced up to disc specific Alienation BMX rims.



Not to be outdone, Race Face rounded things out with a RIDE O degree offset seat post chopped to a svelte 3 inches, a D2 35mm 0 degree rise stem and of course, the piece du résistance, a completely re-engineered set of Atlas FR cranks. These cranks had to undergo a full on modification. They were carefully scaled down to retain the signature sweeps and machine cuts of the full size versions, yet still had to maintain all load bearing qualities in structural areas. Gently tapering the crank to its final 140mm length was a feat of engineering prowess, Race Face staffers’ spare time, and possibly a six pack thrown in for good measure.



The end result? Let’s just say this may be the most dialled groms bike ever made. So if you’re in California and you see a 5 year old pulling a moto whip on a sweet Giant ride, it’s a good bet its Riley. He’ll be the kid with the bike all his bros (and bros parents) are drooling over.

MOUNT WASHINGTON, BC - August 24th, 2008 –

Race Face riders Darren Berrecloth and Graham Aggasiz went large and dominated the podium.

The Bearclaw Invitational Slopestyle's first and second runs took place Friday night (August 22nd) from 6:00 to 8:00pm in front of a hyped Island crowd and the riding was absolutely off the hook. Bearclaw's course proved to be challenging and in the end, Jamie Goldman, the Claw and Race Face's recent addition Graham Agassiz took the top spots.

"The riders killed it last night," says event organizer Darren Berrecloth. "If the weather cooperated we would have been able to run the finals today but we're stoked about getting the first two runs in yesterday."



Third rider runs and finals were scheduled to start at noon on Saturday but had to be cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Thick fog and heavy rains hit Mount Washington Alpine Resort overnight and a large Pacific disturbance is closing in on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The forecast prevented Berrecloth from postponing the finals to Sunday.



The course was radically different from last year. Instead of the two sided optional line, Darren decided on a dedicated course so that all the riders rode the same line and then tricked the features and jumps as they saw fit. The course consisted of few step ups, the Specialized wall ride, some quarter transfers, two log boners, a super large double set and finally a step up/step down onto the Redbull Box.

The final double seemed to cause a number of the riders issues while they were sessioning the course the morning of comp. Invitational winner Jamie Goldman pipes in on the issue with the double: “There was the boner log and then the jump right after that was taking out a lot of people because the lip was super steep and it was hard to go that fast into steep lip like that. I got lucky and had the right speed, you had to brake a couple times into it because if you braked too much, you cased and if you went too fast, you would get bucked pretty bad so that was the hard part.”



Jamie Goldman’s first run was primo starting off with back flipping the first step up, a foot plant over the hitching post, a 360 off the second hip transfer, a no-footed can off the super hairy log boner, an Indian air over the large double, completing his run with an X-up onto the Redbull box and a no-footed can off.

Darrren Berrecloth’s first run was also clean including an Indian Air of the Super Hairy Log Boner followed by a no-hander over the last double and he capped it off with his signature 360 off the Redbull Box.



Graham Agassiz, a bit dazed after smacking his forehead and splitting open his eyebrow, pulled together a very clean second run including a truck driver off the second hip transfer, an Indian Air off the Super Hairy Log Boner, a bar spin onto the Redbull Box and a no-footed Can off. He was to land somewhere on the podium after that run.



Everyone went to bed on Friday night, some on the floor of other people’s hotel rooms with hopes that the weather would hold. When everyone awoke on Saturday morning and all that could be seen outside was the fog, it was obvious that the competition would be judged based on the previous day’s runs.



The world's best riders were on hand for the Bearclaw Invitational this year and the riding was truly exceptional. Here's your top five from the third annual Bearclaw Invitational:

1. Jamie Goldman
2. Darren Berrecloth
3. Graham Agassiz
4. Cameron Zink
5. Brandon Semenuk

WHISTLER, BC - August 16th, 2008 –

Andreau pulls out all the stops for the big show.

The Monster Energy Slopestyle @ Kokanee Crankworx dominated the Boneyard Slopestyle course in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park today. Every year this event draws the biggest crowd of the festival, watching the best athletes in the world of mountain biking compete for $30,000 in prize money.

Race Face and KONA team rider Andreu Lacondeguy of Spain took top spot and $15,000 in the finals with a score of 94.3; second place and $8,000 went to Lance Mcdermott of the UK with a score of 91.5; third place went to Whistler's own Brandon Semenuk, walking away with $4,500 and a score of 89.8. All the riders in the top eight took home cash for their amazing efforts today.
Lacondeguy's winning run consisted of a long list of impressive tricks. He started out with a double back flip off the first table, followed by a foot plant off the Monster Snake, a back flip X-up, flat spin 360, topside nac-nac, can-can step-down, superman, and finished off with a back flip onto the final Kokanee feature and superman off into the village.
"I just kept trying the double back flip," says Lancondeguy. "It was that trick that did the job, it was gnarly you know."



"Slopestyle contests are about the all around impression, and all the guys in the finals had clean smooth runs," says Head Judge Colin Duncan. With tricks like the double back flip, back flip tail whip and the back flip up onto the Kokanee box and a front flip off, it was an incredibly tough contest to judge. In the end, Lacondeguy's stylish run, and the insane double back flip, just won out."
Another highlight was the Claw's first official competition backflip which he executed off the top hip in his early runs. The long awaited trick from the reknowned Race Face rider sent a buzz through the thousands in attendance.



This year's Slopestyle course was designed by John Cowan and as usual the course was nothing but perfect. With huge tables, dirt jumps, wooden spins, the Giro box and the always insane Kokanee drop as the last feature, the riders had their choice of line to impress the judges in the two-run format to advance to the eight man final.

FRANCE - July 12th, 2008 –

The Claw rips a second place out of the Alps biggest Big Mountain contest.

After a debilitating snowmobile injury at the beginning of this season, Darren Berrecloth makes his contest debut with a solid 2nd place finish at the Châtel Mountain Style in the French Alps. Not bad for a guy with broken ribs and a punctured lung just a few months ago!

The 2008 Châtel Mountain Style Contest ran from July 4th to 6th, and featured € 6,000 in prize money and sponsor prizing. The Mountain Style course (160m of elevation drop, 300m long and 100m wide!) was prepared just for this event featuring freeride and slopestyle disciplines. Riders were judged by a panel of 3 judges led by pro rider Ben Walker and scoring was based on tricks thrown during their runs. Essential criteria for scoring large included fluidity, involvement, and line choice.



The Alps had been taking a soaking for a week solid, and the event, scheduled to be held over 2 days, had to be condensed into one. The track was too wet to ride on Friday but as Saturday dawned clear and warm and the riders took their first tentative steps onto it, they had to get to know it quickly and then learn to ride it well - something that seemed to cause some problems with the majority of riders.

The Châtel course was varied and extremely technical trail with riders competing on a course that featured artificial and natural elements (step-up, step-down, wall-ride, doubles, rocky gardens and more). A constantly changing landscape consisting of grass, dirt, stone, and rocks added to the difficulty level.



What was, only a few months ago, a barren, boulder-strewn hillside evolved into a pumped up downhill track incorporating all that Big Mountain style has to offer. It took all the elements of a downhill track; big fast berms, motocross style doubles, road gaps, steep rock slabs and drops and added to this man made and traditional wooden creations- giving step ups onto rocks, ‘North Shore’ skinnies and some very sizeable obstacles.



The track was very flowy and had multiple lines all the way down it- none of them easy and it was challenging to even get down, let alone with any flow or style. You needed to be able to corner, ride technical single track and also hit the blind drops and jumps.

Photos courtesy of spitznagel.