Before we get back to our regularly scheduled programming and start looking forward into 2009, lets take a second to look at some of the changes that took place in 2008. Over the course of the year, a lot changed in the mountain biking industry that was good and bad. Here are my winners and losers of 2008.

But it was late November, hunters still a week away didn’t pose any real danger now. Tom started slowly to reel in track on his wheel. The area looked different than he was used to. Autumn grabbed whole area into it’s hands, turning green into brown and hiding trails from the eye under deep layer of fallen leaves.

A year end summary of Mountain Biking by 198. It has been a huge first year for MTB by 198 and here are some of the highlights.

A really good set of glasses is a must while riding a mountain bike. Dirt and debris are constantly trying to make their way to those precious white balls that allow us to ride the trails we love. In my case, they also provide protection for my contacts that make seeing the trail possible.

And that’s how it was for many years. Pack up the bike come November, get out the skis, and grin and bear it until the spring thaw. Until recently. I’ve found a way to keep the ‘endless summer’ going, like the surfer-dudes in the 1966 silver screen classic of the same name. I now travel the world every winter, mountain bike in tow, in search of the perfect ride, the two-wheeled equivalent of the perfect wave.

9 times out of 10, the first component a rider looks to upgrade or replace is the suspension fork…and why not? Suspension forks get some of the most press, biggest advancements in technology and seem to change on a daily basis. I remember my first suspension fork and the gigantic difference it made on my ride.

All of the reviews have been submitted and the votes are in. It is time to announce the winners of the Mountain Cycle Fury frame, Mountain Bikers Essential Pack by Ultrarob.com and the Clix Wheel Release System! It was a tight race, but only one can win the frame…find out who it was…

Merry Christmas from the crew at Mountain Biking by 198. May your Christmas bring you joy and laughter with your friends and family…and hopefully more bike parts!

We started off the ride in 38 degree overcast and ended it in 45 degree sunshine and I am extremely glad that we didn’t bail on account of the outside temperature. We were warm the entire ride and it was perfect. Since this was my first extended ride on the road bike, I did have some very distinct observations to share. This ride was a huge eye opener into what I have to look forward to in the ride to come…