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One of my earlier posts about the benefits of implementing a yoga regimen into your cycling schedule was quite popular so I’ve done a little bit of digging for some more literature on the subject.
Selected yoga and Pilates resources
Note: Despite the multiplicity of Yoga and Pilates DVDs available at your local supermarket, keep in mind that the best way to learn these exercises is from a skilled instructor (in person).
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Intense Cycles has made quality frames for a long time and, from the looks of their new offering, it looks as though they’re not going to stop any time soon.
Competitive Cyclist is taking orders on the Intense 6 Point 6, which builds on the same VPP platform used by the Spider XVP, Intense 5.5, the Uzzi VPX, and the M3. Boasting strong-but-light Easton / Intense hydroformed tubing and a DHX Air rear shock, the 6 Point 6 frameset weighs in at less than 8lbs. Additionally, the 6 Point 6 is fitted with a 1.5″ head tube, which means to me that Intense knows full well that they’re creating an all-round freeride / all mountain bike similar to the oft-hyped Santa Cruz Nomad.
Pricing on the frame starts at $1950 usd, which puts it in the same league as the Turner Six Pack and the Santa Cruz Nomad.
Update (29 September 2005): The parade of updates from Interbike brings us a writeup on the Intense 6.6. Personally, I’d be hesitant to claim that two laps on a new bike provided me with enough of an impression to produce a ‘review’, but with that being said Jason Mitchell from Feed the Habit does a good job of describing his time on the 6.6.
But what’s up with that cross country stem on the demo bike? I’d expect something a little shorter on a bike of that seems destined to be an all round, all mountain bike — there’s no way I’d be launching that thing while stretched out over a 100-110mm stem.
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I try not to post too much on niche brands because, typically, they’ll never be available on a wide enough scale to be of interest to most riders. I do make exceptions when I think the product in question is worth a look or can serve as eye candy for a couple of minutes.
Pipedream Cycles is a UK-based manufacturer that, until now, specialized in the development of some nice looking (read: really nice) titanium hardtails and road bikes. Word comes out of BikeMagic that Pipedream has a full-suspension titanium trailbike making its way towards production (or at least special order). The Aonach Mor is set to feature between 4.5″ and 5.5″ of rear wheel travel and the titanium front triangle will be paired with either an aluminum (for added rigidity) or titanium set of chain stays and seat stays. I’ll keep an eye open for news about this bike and see how it fares outside of the factory.
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Fox Racing Shox has held pride of place as THE suspension product of choice among the majority of mountain bike for quite some time and, based on their 2006 lineup, the company looks like they’re ready to meet all challengers on the trail. For 2006, Fox has tweaked its existing lineup, offering variations on some of its items in an effort to hit lower pricepoints and diversify its product line.
First up is the Fox 36. Last year, the 36 was available only as a TALAS equipped fork, which pushed the price up and beyond what most riders could afford. The 36 Van gives riders the same 160mm travel as the 36 but comes without the TALAS system that allows people to adjust the travel on their fork. MSRP for this fork is $759 (usd), which is about 25% lower than the high end version of the 36.
Fox introduces two other new forks aimed squarely at the growing ‘all-mountain’ crowd. The Talas XTT uses both the TALAS travel adjust system and the Terralogic Inertia Valve to give riders the opportunity to use low speed compression to limit rider-induced bob while keeping the fork plush enough to carve its way through technical singletrack. The Float XTT promises similar overall performance, although the travel adjustment feature found in the TALAS XTT is not available; for that, riders get a fork that’s a bit lighter and, presumably, a bit less expensive.
In the rear shock department, Fox tweaked all of its existing models, refining clearance for assorted knobs and dials and making adjustments on things like ProPedal range. The major addition to Fox’s rear shock lineup is the DHX Air. The DHX Air, which has been spotted on big hit, downhill, and trail bikes throughout 2005, is intended to combine the best of both worlds — worlds, in this case, meaning air and coil shock technology — in a single suspension product. The shock is designed to be highly adjustable, giving riders control over things like bottom out resistance and rebound control while keeping the relatively low weight traditionally associated with air shocks. We’ll have a review of the DHX Air on the site some time in the near future — keep your eyes peeled!
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This post is a little off topic for this site (it covers a BMX dirt jump competition), but the subject matter is worth it. Check out the video footage gathered at the event (link below).
Red Bull has been at the forefront of the field of ‘extreme sports’ for some time now, sponsoring events like the Red Bull Rampage and the Red Bull District Ride.
Recently, the company put on a dirt jump competition up at Whistler Village. The event — called Red Bull Elevation — brought together some of the top BMX dirt jumpers in the land on a course that featured HUGE jumps for the riders to strut their stuff. For spectators the event was a blast, even if many of the people watching weren’t familiar with the particular names of each rider’s moves and tricks. Check out this video footage of the event.
At the end of the day, veteran Ryan Nyquist took home first overall, followed onto the podium by Corey Bohan, and Luke Parslow in second and third place respectively.
To view the video, you’ll need to have Quicktime 7 installed on your computer. If I knew how to convert the file back to an older version of Quicktime I would but, unfortunately, video manipulation is not my forte. If you’re interested in downloading a version of the video clip with a higher resolution, drop me a line and I’ll hook you up.
Note : Most of the content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons License. However, the contents of the Red Bull Elevation 2005 video do not fall under CCL licensing. All footage is property of Brent Tahk and can not be resold, reused, or redistributed without the written permission of Brent Tahk. The music is from Molotov’s Donde Jugaran las Niñas?
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For a limited time (1 September 2005 - 23 December 2005), Chris King Precision Components is making available to the public pink Chris King headsets, hubs, and accessories. Part proceeds from the sale of these components will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, an international organization devoted to the eradication of breast cancer.
If you’ve never had the pleasure of handling or riding with high end components like Chris King hubs or headsets, you should do yourself a favour and have a look, even if you can’t afford them. In addition to being some of the nicest bike parts on the planet, the Chris King Cycle Group is a socially and environmentally responsible manufacturer.
And even if you can’t afford to purchase one of the pink Chris King headsets or a pair of hubs, consider making a donation to a local breast cancer organization.
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Cannondale has great success on the World Cup cross country circuit with riders like Christoph Sauser ripping up the courses and piling up victories on his Scalpel. To date, they’ve had very good press from the results of Tinker Juarez, a guy who keeps on ticking, despite being around the scene pretty much forever. Until this year Tinker’s been riding a Scalpel which, obviously, has done him well. Despite the success, Cannondale obviously wanted to move into the ‘trail’ bike market with their own trail bike, built around 4″ of front and rear suspension.
The result is the 2006 Cannondale Rush, a 4″ bike that utilizes the company’s tried-and-true single pivot suspension platform and the Fox-powered Lefty front shock. The Rush is a tight looking bike, with great geometry for an all-day epic or the 24 Hour race that’s been on your mind all year. It has a relatively slack 69 degree head angle, which is more than acceptable for most people’s climbing needs and makes for a strong descender; similarly, it has short chainstays for snappy cornering in tight singletrack.
The Cannondale Rush is available in eight different configurations, ranging from the high-end Rush Team Replica to the lower priced Rush 400. Included in the lineup is the Rush Feminine, which features a shorter standover height and a smaller wheelbase.
The only thing that gets me a little bit is Cannondale’s continued insistence on the use of proprietary, in house products. While the company has been doing it forever, proprietary products have limited distribution channels, meaning you’re usually out of luck if you have a mechanical failure on a road trip far from the nearest Cannondale dealer. Just something to keep in mind when considering a major purchase like a high-end bike.
Update (6 January 2006): Dan just posted his initial impressions of the 2006 Cannondale Rush 1000. Looks like I have to eat my words regarding Cannondale’s reliance on in-house products — the Rush 1000 looks well-spec’d with components from a range of manufacturers.
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After realizing earlier this morning that Marzocchi had started displaying its 2006 lineup online, I started poking around on some of the sites of the other industry ‘biggies’. First up was SRAM, and it looks as though all of SRAM’s 2006 product lineup is available for your viewing pleasure.
Products of note include the tweaked X0 rear derailleur, the X0 trigger shifters, and the World Cup editions of the Reba, the Boxxer, and the SID. For 2006, the Avid disc brake lineup has been dialled in a bit, with the Juicy Carbon making it’s entrance onto the stage.
I encourage you to visit the SRAM site and check out the new goods for yourself — the website does a great job of highlighting the company’s product.
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I was a big fan of the Iron Horse bike lineup. The bikes utilized an excellent suspension design and all of the models were extremely well appointed. On top of that, the geometry on these bikes was bang on for each of their intended uses. While I’m less than thrilled about Iron Horse’s primary distribution channel in Canada — they’re distributed by a chain store that rarely, if ever, carries bikes with an MSRP of more than $500 — every newer Iron Horse I’ve seen looks great.
Now comes word from Pinkbike.com about the 2006 Iron Horse bike lineup (specs here). Last year’s standouts, the Sunday and the 7Point series, are back with more variations, as are their all-mountain and cross country siblings.
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RockShox and its parent company (SRAM) are making a concerted effort to move the fork brand into the exploding all mountain / light freeride market and the Pike Team is RockShox’s top-end model in this category. Almost everybody I know who runs this fork has nothing but good things to say about its weight, adjustability, durability, and, most importantly, its performance.
Bike Magazine just posted an online review of the Rock Shox Pike Team and it can be filed under pretty much the same category as every other review I’ve read about the fork.
Not to be outdone, I recently placed on order for the Pike Team and will be starting its field test in the next couple of weeks. It will be an interesting test, especially since my expectations are particularly high for this product. Keep an eye out for the review — it’ll likely be online in mid-November.
Update (8 September 2005): Well it appears as though the Pike Team was ridiculously popular this year and Rock Shox, at least in Canada, is sold out of the fork and has no more coming in before the 2006 models arrive. SO, I’ll likely be waiting until January or February to get my hands on the Pike. The upside to this is that I’ll be testing the 2006 Pike 454 at the start of the new year.
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