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Expocycle is the Canadian version of the Interbike and Eurobike. Held annually in Montreal, Quebec, Expocycle is the place for Canadian retailers and industry insiders to get the scoop on upcoming bicycle products.
A couple websites are offering up-to-the-minute coverage of the event and posting up their takes on the show. Eastside Freeride sent a rider to the BTAC Demo Day and they’ve got some words to say about a number of bikes, including the 2006 Norco Six, the Brodie Nemesis, and the Commencal Absolute. As for the actual trade show, Dropmachine.com posted a significant image gallery (34 pages) of pretty much every item on offer at the show. Ok, I write that in jest but you will be able to find what you’re looking for if you dig deeply enough.
Highlights from Expocycle 2005
Update (26 September 2006): Eastside Freeride finishes up their coverage of Expocycle 2005 with a brief writeup about some of the highlights from the show. The ESFR team seems particularly impressed by a few bikes, namely the Specialized SX Trail, the Giant Glory and the Specialized Demo 8 Pro. While I’d argue that there were more innovations this year than ESFR gives bike manufacturers credit for, the article does provide a couple of interesting insights.
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17 September »
Reviews »
Cory
When I first received the Hayes HFX-9 HD disc brakes, I was a little wary about what I was getting myself into. I’d heard horror stories about the brakes’ inability to function under adverse conditions and others about outright failure on the trail. I’d heard very few positive stories about the “Nines” and, after mounting them, headed to the hills with trepidation in my heart and worry on my brow.
Ok, so that description is a little melodramatic. I wasn’t worried when I set out but the stories of disaster continued to float around in the back of my mind. After spending some time on the HFX-9s, I’m pleased to report that the verdict isn’t all that bad and the talk, by and large, was just that. However, like all urban legends, there is a sliver of truth to the claims, which limits the overall performance of the brake. Read the rest of this entry »
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SRAM continues to make noise in the mountain biking world with refinements on their solid drivetrain lineup. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, SRAM’s shifting systems are some of the best on the market and I recommend them without many reservations.
If you’re thinking about getting on board with SRAM early in the season, make sure you check out NSMB.com’s early take on SRAM’s 2006 X0 lineup. There are some well considered criticisms and great images of the components in action.
My review of the X.0 rear derailleur confirmed what many already knew — SRAM’s high-end derailleur is one of the best on the market. For 2006 SRAM revised the X0 derailleur, adding carbon fibre to key parts and lightening the component up a little bit. Basically, SRAM is refining an already excellent product (which is a good call, in my humble opinion).
The X.0 trigger shifters are the new components that really pique my interest. In addition to featuring carbon fiber covers and a shifter mount that permits inboard-outboard adjustments, the X0 shifters allow the rider to tweak the angle of the larger trigger; my primary criticism of the X.9 shifters was that I had to push really far to get the front derailleur to move into larger rings — hopefully this new feature will eliminate the problem.
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When SRAM purchased RockShox in 2002 the new parent company made an obvious commitment to riders who weren’t interested in the high-end Boxxer or SID that helped RockShox gain a significant share of the fork market. SRAM’s renewed focus has paid off — RockShox’s new products are receiving accolades across the industry and consumers are responding by opening their pocketbooks (the 2005 Pike lineup sold out in June in Canada).
For 2005, RockShox added a new model to the Boxxer lineup called the Ride. The Boxxer Ride is a dual crown fork that features RockShox’s patented U-Turn travel adjustment system. The U-Turn feature allows riders to adjust the fork’s travel between 133mm and 178mm (5.25″ and 7″), giving freeriders the option of pedalling their rigs to the top of the hill instead of the all-too-common push. Bike Magazine added a review of the Boxxer Ride to their website a couple of days ago. The review documents the ins and outs of the fork and gives the reader a decent idea about the product’s overall performance. Also, you can get a little more information about the fork’s on-trail performance in another review published on the Bike website.
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Magura brakes continue to receive accolades from almost every reviewer who spends any significant amount of time on them. The Magura Gustav disc brake is billed as the strongest hydraulic brake the company makes. The brake is intended for downhill use and uses mineral oil instead of hydraulic brake fluid.
Pinkbike.com has a long term review of the Magura Gustav disc brake and it reaches a conclusion similar to other reviews of Magura disc brakes — the brakes are strong and effective, and require very little maintenance after they’re set up correctly.
Other entries about Magura disc brakes
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Norco is a Canadian-based manufacturer that’s well known for its VPS series of full suspension mountain bikes. The company’s bikes have a reputation for being tough — well suited to the conditions found in their breeding grounds in and around Vancouver — and thoughtfully spec’d.
UK-based web magazine, BikeMagic recently posted a review of the 2005 Norco Rampage. In a nutshell, the reviewers liked the bike and they hit the proverbial nail on the head when it comes to the bike’s handling characteristics (it climbs like a pig, descends like a bike that was built for descents).
I’m quite familiar with the Norco lineup and the review from BikeMagic is pretty spot on. Norco’s Shore hardtails are always strong descenders and most of them are able climbers, as long as you’re not in a hurry and don’t mind pushing up the steeper parts of your climb.
For those of you living in North America, the Rampage retails for $2019 (cad). I don’t have a US dollar MSRP on this model.
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Hot on the heels of the controversy surrounding L’Equipe, Lance Armstrong, and alleged EPO use comes news that Canadian National Team cyclist Chris Sheppard tested positive for EPO and has been suspended from competition for two years.
According to the Canadian Cycling website:
Mr. Sheppard was subject to an out-of-competition urine test at his home in Kamloops, BC, on May 29, 2005; the presence of rEPO in his A-sample was communicated to the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport on June 15, and confirmed in his B-sample on July 4.
The matter was referred to the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada as provided for in the Canadian Anti-Doping Program rules, and the final decision of the arbitrator was handed down yesterday. In accordance with CCES and WADA rules, Mr. Sheppard was given the minimum two-year suspension for a first-time doping offence. In addition, he is now permanently ineligible to receive financial support from the federal government.
The Canadian Cycling Association is firm in its commitment to the fight against doping, and is satisfied the CCES and the SDRCC fulfilled their roles in an exemplary manner during this process.
I understand that the pressures associated with being a professional athlete are great but there are so many things that a positive test destroys: credibility amongst your peers and colleagues, financial and material sponsorship opportunities, your place as a role model for youth. While I’m not naive enough to think that Sheppard is the only pro mountain biker to test positive for drug use, it certainly is disappointing to see cycling’s image tarnished in the press once again.
Update (15 September 2005): The cards began falling today for Sheppard. According to Pinkbike.com, Sheppard was formally released from his contract with Haro. To be fair, Haro was classy about the dismissal, reminding everyone that they believed Sheppard simply made a big personal mistake…
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13 September »
Gear shots »
Cory
Chris King has made high-precision headsets since the mid-1970s and you can tell: from the finish on each item to the quality design of the bearings, you know quickly that you’re getting the best headset on the market.
Over the years I’ve had a couple of Chris King headsets and they’ve performed exactly as expected. Aside from a bit of routine maintenance and cleaning, I’ve never actually done any work on the component. The bearings remained as smooth on the day I parted ways with them (my current bikes use internal cup headsets. Sigh.). And if there are any doubts about the company’s own expectation of the product, Chris King backs up its headsets with a ten-year warranty.
Priced at $129 usd / $199 cad the Chris King headset definitely falls at the high end of the price spectrum but, considering you’ll likely never need to purchase another headset, it’s an option that every rider should consider when they’re looking to replace a headset.
Other than the price, I have no criticisms of the Chris King headset. It’s a high end piece of bicycle componentry that really is without rival in the industry. Sure, there are plenty of good headsets that will meet the needs of most riders but there are none that apporach the standards set by King Cycle Group.
And if this review isn’t enough to pique your interest in a King headset, King Cycle Group is an active supporter of breast cancer research and is committed to an environmentally responsible production process.
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9 September »
Features »
Cory
A couple of days ago, Feed The Habit published an article about their 2005 mountain bike Gear of the Year which featured products by Dakine, Maxxis, SRAM, and Titec. I’m not out to debate the merits of the list — every item would be a welcome addition to my “collection” of gear — but it did get me thinking a bit about mountain biking in my neck of the woods.
Mountain biking in my area leans less towards cross country than it does towards freeride and all-mountain riding so my bias will be towards the arena with which I’m familiar. So without further adieu, I offer my take on what’s going to be In for mountain biking in 2006:
5″ and 6″ all-mountain bikes with true all-mountain geometry
For me, “all mountain” means riding all of the trails on a mountain, jumps and drops included. Currently, choosing a great all-round, all-mountain bike is all about give and take; for many of the all mountain bikes currently on the market, you need to choose between an efficient cross-country style climber like the Giant Reign and a more capable descender. Solid examples of this type of bike are the Specialized Enduro, the Rocky Mountain Slayer, the Norco Fluid, and the Turner Five Spot.
And while bikes like the Santa Cruz Nomad and the soon to be available Intense 6.6 push the travel envelope while remaining capable climbers, they do bump overall build weight up to about 33-35lbs (depending on the burliness of the build), which is likely a touch too heavy for people looking to abandon their cross country racing pretensions and move into something more “comfortable”.
5″ and 6″ single crown forks
This one’s sort of a hold over from this year, but I think that people, particularly out here in BC, are just starting to realize that they don’t actually need that Monster T on their bike. Forks like the RockShox Pike, the Fox 36, and the Marzocchi Z1 are changing the way many riders approach “freeride”. And for the record I own a Monster T, and while I love it on many of the steep, gnarly trails in my area, I rarely use it these days.
X-Type / external bearing cranksets
Even though they’ve been around for a couple of years, the benefits of X-Type cranksets are just now trickling down into product lines like Shimano’s LX group. Aside from the fact that they look great and are reasonably inexpensive, these things are so much easier to install and maintain than ISIS or square-taper systems that it’s not even funny. Kind of like:
SRAM shifting systems for mountain bikes
I’ve ridden Shimano for years and, until the last couple of years, they’ve been far and above the competition. Now I can go to my local shops and see a superior alternative spec’d on a bunch of bikes without being concerned about their long term durability or performance.
Update (9 September 2005): Jonathan Maus has started a similar topic on his site, Just Riding Along. Check it out for another take on industry trends from someone more in the know than me.
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Luc Albert at Pinkbike.com posted a long term review of the Avid Juicy 7 disc brake. The writeup is solid and it features a number of great points brakes’ performance in a variety of conditions. As a bonus, Albert’s review provides a step-by-step guide for bleeding the Juicy 7s.
If you’re considering the Juicys as a brake option for your bike but can’t afford the high-end cost of the Juicy 7s, check out the Avid Juicy 5s.
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