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PinkBike.com posted some information about the soon-to-be-released Rally DH body armor. Based on the description of the product and the pictures made available on the website, the suit could make significant inroads into the protective goods market.
I’m particularly impressed by the fact that the Race Face armor straps around its wearer’s arms (rather than being affixed to another layer of material). This feature, combined with the short sleeve design of the armor, will keep the wearer much cooler than with many of the other systems on the market. Additionally, it affords protection in all the right places — along the spine, the shoulders, and on the chest.
Also for 2006, Race Face is set to introduce a refined version of its Rally DH leg and arm protection, including thicker foam padding and a redesigned back panel (one of the most frequent criticisms of the current design).
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DT Swiss has built its reputation by producing top quality bicycle spokes and, more recently, hubs and rims. When I first saw the DT Swiss HVR 200 air shock, I was curious to see how it performed in relationship to the ‘big’ names out there like Fox, Manitou, and Progressive.
Based on the review of the DT Swiss HVR200 air shock at Bike Magic, DT Swiss is on to something with their foray into the shock market. Reviewer Mike Davis appreciated the shock’s simplicity and ease of set up and use when on the trail. Check out the writeup for more information.
As an aside, Mountain Bike Action has a brief writeup on the DT Swiss HVR 200 in their September 2005 issue. While the reviewer was as impressed as Bike Magic with the performance of the shock and the ease with which it could be adjusted, they were less than happy with noise related to the shock’s blow-off valve.
I’ll be interested to see how many, if any, inroads DT Swiss makes into the cross country market with the HVR 200 and if there’s a difference in adoption rates between Europe and North America. Additionally, longer term tests will give potential purchasers a better idea about the shock’s durability over the course of a season or two.
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8 August »
Events »
Cory
The 2005 Crankworx Mountain Bike Festival is over for another year. This year’s event was larger and more heavily promoted than those in the past and, by and large, the event lived up to the hype surrounding it. Riders went faster and bigger more times than I care to count and, in the Slopestyle competition, pulled a handful of new tricks out their back pockets.
On one hand I think the event is great because it exposes a large number of people to mountain bikes and mountain biking. Events like Slopestyle bring together world-class riders and the companies whose wares they promote for a relatively small purse, which undoubtedly is recovered through licensing fees, vendor booths, and tourist visits to Whistler Village. On the other hand, the Gong Show that is Crankworx takes a little bit away from how most people experience mountain biking. Standing at the base of the lifts or at the edges of the Slopestyle competition, it’s easy to forget that most mountain bikers won’t ever ride in a lift-accessed bike park and many wouldn’t even consider partaking in said activity.
In a nutshell, Crankworx is a great tourist draw that is marketed extremely well. It’s fun to hang around the village and soak up the atmosphere and watch top riders like Brian Lopes, Steve Peat, and Cedric Gracia do their things. However, it’s easy to get caught up in the “hooplah” of the event and forget that, for many, Crankworx is the antithesis of what mountain biking is about — getting out on the trails on your bike and having a good time by yourself or with your friends.
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8 August »
How tos »
Cory
I know, I know. No one really has enough time to build their own bike frame but, in case you do, Little Fish Bicycles has detailed online instructions.
While the end result looks pretty cool, the original frame has a few problems and it’s probably not a job that a beginner or novice is all that suited for. Regardless, if anyone out there takes up the banner and decides to build their own frame, I’d love to hear about it
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7 August »
Events »
Cory
Cedric Gracia failed in his bid to win both the Crankworx Air DH and the Garbonzo DH. Last year’s Garbonzo DH champ blew a tire coming out of the first corner on his run and was relegated to last place at the end of the day. The same can not be said of Brian Lopes who, after solid results in the Air DH and Biker X competitions, took home first place in the Pro Men category on the day. Steve Peat finished fewer than two seconds behind Lopes, with Aussie riders Nathan Rennie and Chris Kovarik finishing in third and fourth place respectively.
Marla Streb cruised to first place in the Pro Women category, with a 37 second margin of victory over second place finisher Fionn Griffiths. Lisa Mylak and Claire Buchar rounded out the top four placings for the Pro women.
Garbonzo DH results - Pro Men
- Brian Lopes 14:31.67
- Steve Peat 14:32.50
- Nathan Rennie 14:33.15
- Chris Kovarik 14:35.66
- Tyler Morland 14:36.36
Garbonzo DH results - Pro Women
- Marla Streb 16:03.12
- Fionn Griffiths 16:40.19
- Lisa Mylak 17:25.47
- Claire Buchar 17:25.58
- Ashley McIvor 17:51.95
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6 August »
Events »
Cory
There were a tonne of quality riders signed up for the Slopestyle event at Crankworx for 2005. The lineup figured to throw it down for the second year in a row after Paul Basagoitia’s back flip-tail whip combo won him the Slopestyle competition in 2004.
Confirmed participants included the winner of last year’s Slopestyle Paul Basagoitia, runner-up Timo Pritzel, Kyle Strait, Cameron Zink, Cam McCaul, Richie Schley, Cedric Gracia, Darren Berrecloth, Thomas Vanderham, Wade Simmons, Aaron Chase, Dave Watson, and Jordie Lunn. Add five qualifiers into the mix and you had the ingredients for a flat-out impressive final round.
When the final tallies were made, Paul Basagoitia was again crowned winner of the Crankworx Slopestyle. Paul B pulled consecutive backflips and linked together some impressive lines to edge out Darren Berrecloth, who nailed a 360 off a rather large road gap / drop. I’ll post some more nuggets about the 2005 Slopestyle event in the next day or two.
2005 Crankworx Slopestyle results
- Paul Basagoitia (USA)
- Darren Berrecloth (CAN)
- Cameron Zink (USA)
- Cameron McCaul (USA)
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5 August »
Events »
Cory
The final results are in for the Nissan Biker X finals and Brian Lopes and Cedric Gracia switched podium spots for this event. Lopes and Gracia split the top two spots, Bas De Bever took third, and Kyle Strait finished in fourth. Fox / Yeti rider Jill Kintner took the women’s title.
The Biker X course is a good spot to load up on photos, since it’s close to the base of the lifts and the rest of Whistler Village. As a spectator, you can get up close and personal with the riders who are participating in the event. Check out this shot of some riders preparing to race.
Nissan Biker X finals - Pro men
- Brian Lopes (USA)
- Cedric Gracia (AND)
- Bas De Bever (NLD)
- Kyle Strait (USA)
- Michael Hannah (AUS)
- Steve Peat (GBR)
- Tyson McCrea (CAN)
- Bryn Atkinson (AUS)
Nissan Biker X finals - Pro women
- Jill Kintner (USA)
- Anneke Beerten (NLD)
- Fionn Griffiths (GBR)
- Jennifer Ashton (CAN)
Nissan Biker X finals - Four wheelers
- Stacy Kohut (CAN)
- John Therien (CAN)
- Eric Lindsley (USA)
- Gavin Williamson (USA)
Nissan Biker X finals - Amateur Men
- Ryan Newman (CAN)
- Kyle Guay (CAN)
- Cameron McCaul (USA)
- Matt McConoghy (CAN)
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5 August »
Events »
Cory
In addition to today’s Biker cross race, there was qualifying for the marquee event at the 2005 Crankworx Festival — the Slopestyle competition presented by Full Throttle. A number of top pros withdrew from the qualifying round because of injuries, with Tyler Klassen among the early casualties.
Qualifiers for the Slopestyle contest
- Jamie Goldman 32.3 points
- Niels Windfeldt 30.5
- Trond Hanson 30.3
- Carlo Dieckmann 29.4
- Joscha Forstreuter 27.6
Invited riders for the Slopestyle
- Paul Basagoitia
- Timo Pritzel
- Kyle Strait
- Cameron McCaul
- Richie Schley
- Kirt Voreis
- Cedric Gracia
- Darren Berrecloth
- Thomas Vanderham
- Wade Simmons
- And many more…
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5 August »
Reviews »
Cory
Until this year, I rarely wore a watch when riding (or at any other time, for that matter) because time just wasn’t something that I was too concerned about when I wasn’t working. For most of the rides that I did on a regular basis I knew, within 5 minutes, how long it took to get from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’. Read the rest of this entry »
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There’s a review of the THE Flight bar and stem over at Bike Magazine. While I normally wouldn’t link to an article on a part very few people will ever purchase, I can’t resist with this one. The product looks amazing and even though there’s not a hope that you’d ever catch me dropping 400 bones on a bar and stem combo, the sculpted carbon Flight bar and stem appears to have performed pretty well during its test period.
If anyone out there owns this setup, I’d love to see how it looks on your ride. Feel free to send me an e-mail.
Technorati Tags: THE Flight bar, stem, review
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