Kip’s Comments - June 12, 2026

From Stingray Bicycles to This!

We spent the past few days in the Bentonville, Arkansas area watching the activities at Bike Fest. From competitors of all ages we saw wins, losses, crashes, tears, and some scuffed up skin.

Some of us rode at the new Oz Trail Bike Park in Bentonville - the Mountain Bike Capitol of the World. This bike park features a lift that takes you to the top of the mountain where you then ride your way down on trails of various skill levels weaving through the woods. I will post a video later.

As I watched the activities, it dawned on me how much sport biking has changed from my younger days of Stingray bikes with high-rise handle bars and banana seats jumping sidewalk squares off wooden ramps. Or, how we could ride wheelies for a block or more. Oh how the sport has transitioned.

I should add that we met Austin Reeves from the LA Lakers too at Forge Performance in Bentonville!

Following is a sampling of images from the weekend activities.

Red Bull Double-down Drop