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Working with Bicycling magazine’s BikeTown Africa project and Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation’s Secure The Future program, Kona has agreed to supply the program with 200 bicycles. Kona Bike Town documents the “development and delivery” of the bicycles, each of which is designed to help health care workers in AIDS- and HIV-ravaged Botswana.
The Bike Town site is a great resource for advocates and people interested in the bike design process. Cap it off with easily accessible updates about the project and you’ve got a solid start to a worthwhile program. I’ll be interested to see how the design team adjusts to the specific requirements of the project. Neat stuff.
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Vernon Felton at Bike Magazine posted up his review of the Candy SLs and he came to a conclusion that was similar to mine: great pedal, mediocre bearing life.
BikeMagic recently posted its review of the Candy SL and the author was particularly impressed with the Candy’s wider platform, the pedal’s extremely easy exit, and the relatively minor weight penalty that goes along with the composite pedal body. The pedal did fail on a ride, but the issue was taken care of quickly and appropriately by the local distributor.
I posted a review of the Crank Bros. Candy SL back in May and continue to run these pedals on my cross country bike. And for those of you who demand a quality customer service experience from manufacturers, Crank Bros has an excellent service department and I have nothing but positive things to say on that end.
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I’ve had my eye on the Yeti Cycles 303 for a while now, not because I’m particularly interested in a new downhill rig but more because of the 303’s innovative frame design. Instead of the “traditional” pivot points found on almost every significant full suspension mountain bike frame, the 303 utilizes a system of linear rails to direct rear wheel path. The 303 is designed to take the solid, square edged hits that Yeti’s team riders felt slowed them down on race day.
Jared Graves and other team riders like Tyler Klassen provide solid input to the Yeti engineering team and, thanks to Yeti’s domestic production facilities, receives prototypes relatively soon after revisions are implemented in the design process. Aside from the fact that Graves’ bike is spec’d with the type of tidbits you find on the bikes of pro racers, notice that the rail position and head tube area on Graves’ bike isn’t the same as the production version currently featured on the Yeti Cycles website.
The Yeti 303 frame has a claimed weight of 13.0lbs and includes a DHX 5.0 for an MSRP of $3469 (usd). The 303 has fairly standard race geometry — a 65 degree head angle, long wheelbase, and it runs a 150mm thruaxle hub in the rear — and looks like a pretty nice ride when it’s fully built.
Sources: Yeti Cycles | Cycling News | Pinkbike.com (video profile of Yeti from Interbike)
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In 2003, Johnny Waddell was at the top of his game. He had a horrific crash at a downhill event at Mont St. Anne, a crash so bad Waddell ended up in a hospital bed with a coma. I remember watching some video footage of the crash and being amazed that Waddell even lived — it was one of those things that you really don’t want, or need, to see again.
Fast forward two years and you’ll again find Waddell on a bike, although this time he’s focusing on endurance racing and 24 Hour solo events. Normally, I don’t spend a whole lot of time following race results, if only because I’m not much of a racer, but I’ll make an exception for this guy and bring it up once in a while.
Kudos to Santa Cruz for offering their support and re-signing Waddell to the Syndicate.
Sources: Mountain Bike Action | Bike Magazine
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22 November »
Tech tips »
Cory
A while back, I posted up some thoughts on night riding and the type of gear necessary to get out for some nocturnal trail action. However, given that I’m not a particularly experienced night rider (when I’m healthy, I make it out a few times per month), thoughts from others who are more experienced with this sort of thing are always welcome.
BikeMagic has a really good writeup on night riding that includes detailed information about the pros and cons of different lighting systems, how to set your lights up for night riding, and some basic techniques that are designed to make your time in the dark more enjoyable. It’s definitely worth the read if you’re into this type of thing.
Source: BikeMagic
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I hope you’ll excuse me for not being completely on the ball when it comes to updates — I haven’t quite made it back into the normal swing of things although I’m starting to get there. Anyways, Pinkbike has a new review of the Shimano Saint crankset and the Saint rear derrailleur. From the looks of the gear, Shimano’s freeride components took some serious abuse and, according to the reviewer, it held up well and continues to shine.
I agree with the assessment of the cranks (easy to install, easy to maintain, stiff) and, based on my experience with Shimano’s Deore XT cranks, wholeheartedly recommend the X-Type bottom bracket setup. As for the rear derailleur, I’m not the biggest fan of Shimano’s mountain bike rear derailleurs because of the way the mechs consistently smack your bike’s chainstays on rough descents. The Saint derailleur continues this legacy but, by most accounts, the slapping isn’t quite as bad as some of its siblings. Of course, that doesn’t make it acceptable or right, but it’s good to read that Shimano is at least making an effort to address product flaws.
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There’s something about the Cove Peeler that makes everyone who points one downhill fall in love with the bike. Cove didn’t reinvent the wheel with the Peeler, utilizing a single pivot suspension design a la Orange’s 223 and the old Giant Team DH. The design of the Peeler has been proven on the race circuit and riders all over the Northwest go big on theirs regularly.
asilvertouch zine has a solid review of the 2006 Cove Peeler with a bunch of good insight about the way the frame rides in race conditions and elsewhere. Check it out if you’re seriously considering this frame.
Source: asilvertouch zine
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I’m not back on the bike yet and it’s killing me. Normally, I’m able to get out for rides between four and six times per week and since I bailed a few weeks back, I haven’t been on a bike at all.
For those of you who are interested, the sticking point is that the C2 and C3 vertebrae are “locked” in position, a situation that’s preventing me from getting decent head rotation and causing minor muscle discomfort in my upper back. It’s definitely not a great prognosis and I’d rather not be in this situation, but the positive side is that I can still walk and all that. And the good news is that I’m getting better and I expect to be riding sooner rather than later.
That being said, the testing schedule that I have for this site has been thrown into disarray and, while I do have a couple of riders doing product testing, there will be a gap for a little while. I’m planning on publishing a review for this Monday and another one shortly thereafter but, beyond that, you’ll need to be patient and wait for the spring flood.
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19 November »
Tech tips »
Cory
As I mentioned in my post on wet weather riding, my gear selection doesn’t need to change a whole lot over the winter. Sure, there are some cold days when I need to break out the knee warmers or a beanie for the climb up but, by and large, I don’t need to make any special adjustments in autumn and winter.
Of course, that’s not the case for many of you. Some riders use winter to focus on fitness training, while many riders simply hang up their bikes for the winter so they can focus on activities like skiing and snowboarding. Others take the change of seasons in stride and head out with appropriate gear and a different mindset. Bicycling Life has a good writeup on winter riding that discusses not only the winter-riding mindset but also the type of gear cold weather riders should consider. SheCycles has a great entry outlining the importance of, and ideas behind, wearing an effective base layer underneath your winter gear.
In addition to doing some basic research on the ‘net, the best thing you can do to find appropriate gear is to pay a visit to your local bike shop. A good shop knows what kind of gear works best in your area, and they’ll usually have it in stock so you can try things on and make sure the fit is what you’re looking for.
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19 November »
Tech tips »
Cory
I’m fortunate enough to live in a section of North America that doesn’t get really cold in the winter. However, it does get really wet and the weather does influence how often I can get out for a ride. This entry is meant to serve as a primer for the type of gear that makes riding in the rain or the snow tolerable, and even fun for some people.
When the temperature drops and the nice weather goes away, most riders adopt a different mindset: their focus is less on getting in the miles or riding fast down this or that trail and more on getting out, breathing in some fresh air, and enjoying themselves. Regardless of motivation, it’s still important to dress properly and make sure you don’t head out unprepared when the weather isn’t ideal.
Your best bet for finding good wet weather gear that’s designed for riding in your area is by paying a visit to your local bike shop. Good local shops know what gear works best in your area — they’ll have good thoughts on product durability and effectiveness.
Unlike many of you, I can wear pretty much the same gear all year round with the addition of a couple of pieces of clothing. For areas that experience a lot of rain, a good rain jacket is a must and, fortunately, a number of companies make quality gear. Companies like Helly Hansen and Race Face make quality jackets designed specifically for outdoor use in the wet. If you live in Canada or are comfortable with ordering online, be sure to check out Mountain Equipment Coop for a wide range of wet weather gear.
When it comes to wet weather gear below the belt, I prefer wearing shorts to pants, but that’s definitely personal preference. For the freeride set, companies like Mace Gear, Race Face, and a number of others (Fox, Troy Lee Designs, and Azonic come to mind) will get you hooked up with quality rain pants.
Other things? Some people swear by GoreTex socks, neoprene gloves, head covers, hydration pack covers, and stuff like that. All you really need to remember when you’re heading out in the rain is to be prepared and, just like in colder weather, it’s better to be overdressed than the other way around. I know from experience that “wet and cold” definitely isn’t better than plain old “wet”.
Also, make sure you know which trails are suitable for riding when it’s wet and muddy. As a trail builder, there are few things more frustrating than doing dirt work on a trail and then seeing someone roll or skid their way through, along with some comment about how moist the trails are.
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