​As part one of a three part series about Mountain Bikes in US Wilderness Areas we begin with a history lesson. Starting from the beginning, in 1964 when the Wilderness Act was signed moving to how it’s effected local trail associations today. We’ll hear from Yvonne Kraus, Executive Director of the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance and Lance Pysher, President of the Bitterroot Backcountry Cyclists on what there respective groups are doing to a address trail loss. And we’ll also get some perspective from Ian Jones, President of the Southwest Montana Mountain Bike Association and Ryan Dunfee, AddUp Community Manager at the Sierra Club. Part 2 will be with Eric Melson of IMBA and Part 3 with Ted Stroll of the Sustainable Trails Coalition.

For the second part in our series looking at the relationship between the Advocacy world and the Cycling Industry we look at how Trail Organizations can create and grow partnerships. First we hear from Seb Kemp, Canadian Brand Manager of Santa Cruz and Juliana Bicycles. Then we dig into the North Shore Trail Adoption Plan (TAP) with North Shore Mountain Bike Association Board Member and TAP Coordinator: Cynthia Young.

The first part of our exploration into the Bike Industry's influence on Mountain Bike Advocacy we focus on Mountain Bike Media. Looking at two examples, the first, when things go wrong and the second, when things go right. Our first guest is Steve Sheldon, Trail Director for the Tri-Cities Off-Road Cycling Association. And finally, we hear from Ryan Dunfee, AddUp Community Manager at the Sierra Club.

Answering Jay Darby's question of "How do we, as Trail Advocates, inform and educate users when it's appropriate or not, to ride trails based on condition." We listen to feedback from guests all over North America, including Alex Brieger, of the Central Washington Chapter of Evergreen, Matt Andrews of the Minnesota Off-Road Cyclist, Ben Horan of MTB Missoula, Jeff Hehn of the FatLanders FatTire Brigade, Brannon Pack with the Ozark Off-Road Cyclists, Christine Reid of the North Shore Mountain Bike Association and Jeff McNamee of the Salem Area Trail Alliance.

This episode we discuss the IMBA Chapter program and hear from 6 different voices. My guests come from different Trail Associations in the US, some have left the IMBA Chapter program and others have chose to stay. My first guest is Matt Andrews, Executive Director of the Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists and former Regional Director of IMBA. Next is a discussion with 4 representatives from different clubs. Brannon Pack, Executive Director of the Ozark Off-Road Cyclists, and Lance Pysher, President of the Bitterroot Backcountry Cyclists, both groups have decided to remain IMBA Chapters. We'll also hear from Ben Horan, Executive Director of MTB Missoula  and President of the Salem Area Trail Alliance, Jeff McNamee; both groups who have left the program. And finally we chat with Kevin Adams of the ​Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition and former Vice President of Chapter and Member Services at IMBA. Kevin recently wrote an article for Singletracks titled, "Is the IMBA Chapter Program Right for Your Club? Analyzing the Pros and Cons" and we'll get his advice for any IMBA Chapters out there.

After a bit of a hiatus here's a quick episode discussing the role that Bike Shops might have to helping new riders entering the sport of mountain biking. What's it like to walk into a bike shop with zero knowledge? While shopping for a stroller recently, I take a walk in someone else's shoes and discover what it like to be a beginner again.