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For all of you American riders who were looking forward to jumping on a Scott Genius for the coming season, you don’t have to hold your breath any longer. Because it ain’t going to happen. According to a story published on the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News website, Scott USA has conceded defeat in an 18 month legal battle with Specialized bikes.
If you live outside of the United States, chances are pretty decent that you’ll be able to find the Genius since Specialized’s patent rights on the element that was at the the root of the disagreement — the Horst linkage — do not extend beyond American borders. The history of the dispute between Specialized and Scott is well covered on a recent article on Bike Magazine, so if you’re interested in the ins-and-outs of the affair, I suggest you head over there.
What does this mean for Scott USA? Mostly, it means that there won’t be a Scott frame that falls into the 3″to 5″ full suspension category for 2006. Scott claims that they’ll re-enter that segment of the market with a new frame design for 2007, so if you’re looking for a Genius-equivalent you’ll have to wait until then.
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If you read my recent article on cutting body weight, you’ll see that I suggested that it is more cost efficient for most people to focus on trimming body fat before worrying about cutting grams from their bikes. Having said that, my next two articles throw all of that practical advice out the window in favor of a discussion that really gets weight weenies going: cutting weight from your bike.
I’ll focus mainly on weight-weenieing (WW) from the perspective of a budget-minded rider but I’ll also touch upon some higher-priced options for reducing the weight of your ride. The first part of this two-part series looks at getting you started on the path towards the Dark Side and the second part discusses more specific ways to trim weight from your ride. Read the rest of this entry »
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Race Face was born and bred near Vancouver and the company made its name manufacturing components designed to survive the rugged trails on ‘The Shore’ and its environs. Over the years, the company continued to develop a solid product line while introducing new items every year, moving outside of the company’s primary market (freeride and downhill) and into other areas (like cross country and all mountain). Along the way, the company made some smart acquisitions and added a line of clothing for cyclists. Race Face has a full lineup of full-fingered biking gloves, and I’ve been spending some time testing the company’s Garda glove.
The good. Normally, my hands feel comfortable inside of large sized mitts and the Race Face Garda gloves were no exception. After I selected the proper sized glove, it was time to get out on the trail. I was impressed by the way they conformed to my hand without bunching up between thumb and index finger while on the handlebar and, while the gloves don’t have tonnes of heavy padding on the palms, they provided decent protection and support while riding. The adjustable wrist enclosure stayed firmly in place and is easy to undo when you’re ready to take them off. Initially, I was wary of the silicone coating on the trigger fingers (index and middle) since I’ve had lousy experiences with similar coatings when riding in wet conditions but, fortunately, the silicone on the Garda gloves didn’t suffer from the same problems and worked well in all conditions. To date, the gloves have just over 30 rides on them, and they’re holding up – no blown fingertips, no tears in the palms, and no unraveling threads.
The bad. While I was impressed with the overall performance of the Garda glove, I do have a number of criticisms that coloured my impressions of the product. First, these things are deceptively hot. My initial expectations, based primarily on the extensive use of a ‘high loft air mesh’ and the claims made on the Race Face website, were that the gloves would keep my hands stay cooler than other similar products that used more traditional materials. Second, the mesh material is prone to ‘fuzzing up’, meaning that small fibres start to stick out of heavily used areas (ie. the fingertips) shortly after being worn for the first time. While this doesn’t really affect the product’s performance, I didn’t think that they’d pill up like they did.
Summary. The Race Face Garda gloves are solid performers that fit well, are pretty comfortable, and hold up well in a broad range of conditions. At the same time, I wasn’t impressed by the gloves’ breathability or the tendency of the mesh fabric to pill up around the fingertips.
The gloves have a retail price somewhere in the neighbourhood of $50 (cad), which puts them in the middle of the price spectrum (below Marzocchi’s insanely expensive full-fingered glove and above the lower-priced Troy Lee Design’s XC glove) and, based on my experience, are worth the money.
Manufacturer’s website: www.raceface.com
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Go Clipless posted up an entry discussing an unsatisfying customer service experience at a heralded local bike shop, and how that single failed transaction likely cost the outlet future business. Unfortunately for Graham, he went into a shop that likely rides its reputation to keep new business coming in and, unlike places that have helpful shop workers who go out of their way to help new customers, had to deal with sales reps who seemed surly and disinterested.
Unfortunately, it’s my experience that this type of poor service is the rule rather than the exception in the retail biking industry and it really is a shame — developing a good relationship with a good shop really is something that every rider deserves. It’s also something that keeps people coming back for more — and enthusiastic cyclists usually spend far more than spiteful ones.
Graham’s experience got me to thinking about some of the sour transactions that I’ve had in the past and helped me compile a list of the different types of customer-repelling shop employees:
- The bullshi**er: While it’s obvious that this type of employee really does love bikes, their information is usually wrong or misleading. Fortunately for me I can see through their spiels from a mile away, but others aren’t so fortunate. The folks who buy bikes based on advice from these shmoes often get what they don’t need.
- The surly know it all: These people know their bike stuff and are a treasure trove of information. But their personalities dictate that they must browbeat potential customers into submission. These guys also let you know that you’re a dirtbag for letting your chain get a little rusty or allowing your derailleur to fall out of adjustment.
- The cycling pro: This person is an up-and-coming ripper or a seasoned vet on the race circuit and they let you know it. In fact, they let you know how absolutely inferior you and your skills are to them, so much so that if you choose a Deore derailleur instead of an XTR that you are not worth their time and aren’t welcome back to the shop.
- The biking fool: Often confused with the Bullshi**er, this type of shop employee doesn’t actually know anything about bikes. The quality of their advice is poor and any seasoned cyclist can tell that they don’t ride often (or at all).
- The procrastinator: This is the type of employee that is most likely to push me out the door, never to see me again. I’m an experienced rider and am pretty knowledgeable about gear and cycling in general, so I can usually call out any of the other bums mentioned above, but these folks tell you they’re going to do something and never carry through with it. Seriously, how difficult is it to order in a rim or a derailleur and have it arrive in a reasonable amount of time? I understand that my order won’t always be there the next day, but I do expect that it will show up. And I do expect a call letting me know that the item has arrived.
Of course, the lousy customer service experiences are offset by the good ones, and good transactions are the ones that keep me coming back for more. If more shops realized this and made a sincere effort to get people interested in their products (and services) instead of relying on reputation and plain ol’ ability, they’d probably find that their bottom line would increase and more riders would walk through the doors of the shop. To buy bikes, order new parts, get tune ups, and talk about bikes.
Feel free to add your favourite unfavourable type of shop employee in the comment box below because I know that there are more of them out there, lurking under stones or behind the counter at one of your local shops.
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Another week is in the books and The Biking Hub is starting to roll. Once again, I thank everyone for their support and all of the contributors appreciate the compliments and constructive criticism that we’ve received over the past couple of weeks.
I’d like to start turning the comment section of these weekly ’roundups’ into an open forum where the avid TBH reader can discuss whatever bike-related stuff they’ve got on their minds. So fire away — just remember to be polite and to enjoy yourself.
Original content
We had some interesting stuff this week, starting with the first ‘official’ Biking Hub review. For those of you coming over from Making It Easier, you’ll have noticed that the reviews on this site are structured a little differently from those that were posted on the old site. On Monday, I posted a review of the Cannondale Carve cycling shoe. Ashwin’s article on the relative efficiency of different types of weight loss for cyclists went live on Tuesday and generated some good discussion — I encourage everyone who’s interested to chime in with your thoughts too. In their first article for The Biking Hub, Greg and Denise had lots of good, practical advice on the research and planning stage of a biking vacation. While the material focused specifically on a freeride-style road trip, many of the ideas are equally as applicable to weekend trips to regional cross country races as they are to a gravity-fed vacation. Next up, Dan’s contribution for the week tackled winterizing your bike and identified a number of important factors that will help make riding in the snow and the ice more enjoyable for all of you cold weather nuts. As I read his writeup, I was all the more grateful that I live in an area with a mild climate, even if we get a tonne of rainfall during the winter. Brrr.
Elsewhere on the ‘Net
asilvertouch zine went on a mountain biking adventure in Zermatt, Switzerland. The mother of a boy who was injured when his bike failed to stop at an intersection filed a $900,000 lawsuit against megaretailer Walmart and manufacturer Pacific Cycle. Canadian cyclist Genevieve Jeanson retired from comptetive cycling in a swirl of controversy after failing two drug tests. Under the ‘oldie-but-goodie’ category, a German mountain biker bailed in front of cameras and a live audience. Go Clipless posted a decent review of the Trek Top Fuel 98. NSMB.com provided some great photos that feature top riders on location in Morocco.
And, last but not least, giant jellyfish are ‘inundating’ the waters surrounding Japan. In a sure sign that the Apocalypse is upon us, these creatures, weighing up to 220 kilograms and measuring as much as 2 metres in diameter are wreaking havoc on the local fishing industry.
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SRAM is generating a lot of consumer and media interest with its 2006 X0 lineup, mostly because it’s the company’s first full-scale foray into the high-end drivetrain market. Well, that, and the stuff just looks sexy. However, most riders won’t ever get a sniff of an X0 rear derailleur or shifter set because, like the Shimano’s XTR lineup, the prices are simply beyond the reach of many consumers. While this really is a shame — the high end stuff from both Shimano and SRAM is a pleasure to use — it’s the working reality for most mountain bikers and they’re forced to look at quality alternatives.
Bike Magazine has a review of the complete SRAM X9 group that looks at the components over a long test period. By and large, the writeup confirms what avid SRAM users already suspected — X9 is comparable in quality and performance to Shimano’s XT group.
Personally, I really like the positive action (ie. the clicks) of the X9 shifters and have no problem recommending them, with an appropriate 1:1 rear derailleur. However, like many others, I found the X-Generation front derailleur to be a little finnicky to install and dial in correctly — check with your frame manufacturer before you buy an X-Gen front derailleur because it might not be compatible with your frame.
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You know how to get yourself ready to ride in the cold but what about your bike? You can be wrapped up and feel warmer than a cup of Tim Horton’s hot chocolate, but a winter mountain bike ride is only as fun as your bike allows it to be.
People winterize their cars by doing things such as putting on winter tires, going to lighter-weight oil, and changing to a washer fluid that can handle frigid temperatures. Getting a bike ready for winter is quite similar and, in order to have fun riding in snow and ice, you really need to take a few steps to ensure that you’re ready to go when it gets really cold. Here are a few tips… Read the rest of this entry »
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18 January »
How tos »
Greg
During the couple of years that we’ve been providing guiding services for mountain bike tours and thinking more seriously about road trips, Denise and I have found that, while a lot of people like to take road trips, very few people do any research and preparation before heading out the door. And after they get where they’re headed, the unprepared rider ends up sticking to popular spots, missing out on the ‘good stuff’. When they get home, they clean up their bikes and carry on as before they left.
This article is the first of a four-part series, where I’ll be breaking down an ‘average’ road trip into different parts, and I hope that it helps everyone get on the road and on the trails you really want to see — the ones that only the locals know about. Today I’m writing about trip research and preparation, next week’s article is about packing up the essential things that every road trip needs, week three discusses the actual road trip, and week four is about saving those memories. Read the rest of this entry »
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Over the past month southwestern British Columbia has been besieged by near constant rainfall. It’s been so consistent that, on Sunday, for the first time in 30 days, there was no recorded precipitation at the ‘official’ monitoring site. Of course, I live closer to the mountains and we experienced no such lull in the action — it’s been raining non stop for a long time. In fact, the weather has been so bad that it’s not a great idea to get on the bike right now — our local trails, well suited to handle ‘regular’ amounts of rain, are completely saturated and turning into muddy ruts whenever people ride them.
Race Face is headquartered in my part of the world and the company has consistently released quality cycling clothing. Much of their gear is targeted at the North Shore rider, so you won’t find too many tight-fitting cycling jerseys in the apparel lineup. That doesn’t mean a lot of the company’s gear won’t work well for most of you — it just means you won’t be able to track down (for now) the stereotypical xc outfit.
Bike Magazine has posted up a review of the Race Face Quantum jacket that does a good job of highlighting the strengths of the jacket, as well as taking note of its limitations. There’s also a solid description of the technical features of the Quantum jacket for those of you who demand to know the minutiae of the gear that you’re wearing.
What happens if your local shop doesn’t stock Race Face and doesn’t show a whole lot of interest in bringing the stuff in? Well, there are a couple of quality alternatives out there that can do a decent job of deflecting water. Cannondale-owned Sugoi is headquartered in the same part of the world as Race Face and is widely available — and most of the company’s gear is very good. If you live in Canada near a major urban centre, Mountain Equipment Coop always has a decent selection of rain gear for cyclists, although I’d recommend checking the stuff out in person (rather than ordering sight-unseen from the Internet).
Any others out there? Feel free to add your favourite type of rain gear to this entry using the comment box below.
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If you are a cross country racer then you probably think a lot about weight, even if you don’t want to admit it. I’m pretty sure that every xc racer has thought about running a 3lb. fork instead of a 4lb. fork, or lusted after some super light race wheels when spec’ing out their next xc racing machine.
If you’ve ever had similar thoughts, repeat after me: “I am a weight weenie.” Ok, now we can move on.
While riders spend a lot of time and energy (and money) finding ways to lose 100 grams from our rides, we don’t often think that dropping a bit of body weight might make more of a difference. And if you take a step back and think about it, it might even be more efficient (ie. take less effort) to drop body weight instead of weight from your bike.
However, dropping that weight can be a double-edged sword, as you need energy from food in order to work hard and recover. That, and cutting down on the ‘good stuff’ isn’t always easy. Fellow blogger Mags quotes a euro-pro friend who says ‘How much he eats affects how much he trains’. So you can’t cut back on food too much, especially when you are training hard. But a little bit over the course of several months can make a big difference. It’s just that sometimes it’s difficult to make those little steps.
For example, say an xc hardtail weighs in at less than 24lbs and an xc dual suspension comes in at under 25lbs. and a typical male XC racer weighs, on average, 150lbs. with a decent amount of variation to account for body type. Even if you are on the low end of the weight spectrum at 120lbs, your body weight is still almost five times greater than your rig. That means that losing one pound from your bike is a much larger percentage of the total bike weight (and is going to cost you an arm and a leg); on the other hand, one pound of your body weight is a significantly smaller percentage of your total body weight and doesn’t cost a thing.
To put it in terms that a weight weenie can understand, losing 4 pounds of body weight is the equivalent, in percentage terms, to dropping 314 grams from your 25lb. bike. Have you ever priced out what it would cost to cut 300 grams off your bike? Read the rest of this entry »
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