You are currently browsing the archives for the 'May 2006' category.
17 May »
Events »
Cory
I don’t write about too many industry events on The Biking Hub because the site’s audience is pretty diverse — we have readers from all across North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia — and most local events don’t mean much to a reader who is based 3,000km from the location. With that being said, I’m dropping the pretense to plug the dates for Norco’s upcoming VPS-Fest because it’s a worthy event that a bunch of you might enjoy.
Each year, Norco sets up shop at select locations around BC and Ontario, and thanks its customers for their support. At these events, owners of Norco bikes are treated to a day of free, lift-accessed riding at places like Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops, Blue Mountain in Ontario, and Mount Washington on Vancouver Island. Should anyone experience a mechanical during the day, Norco offers free technical support and flat repairs (and I’ve seen them offer full support to non-Norco riders too). And, even better, groms get the chance to ride with, and get tips from, members of Norco’s factory team, not to mention the chance to win a boatload of swag.
It’s a cool concept, a cool event, and a great way for the manufacturer to stay in touch with its customers. If you live near any of these spots, make sure you pre-register and head up for a wicked day on the slopes. And if you don’t live near these places, it’s never a bad time to start planning a road trip.
2006 VPS-Fest dates
For more information, make sure you check out: Norco.com
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17 May »
Reviews »
Ashwin
Before I start, I think it’s important to let you know that I am the Imelda Marcos of bike shoes. I don’t know what it is, but I just seem to buy new shoes at the drop of a hat and then send them back or resell them when I find something small that bothers me. For a time, I was buying and selling shoes on eBay at a mind-boggling rate of one pair per month, so I feel I’m pretty qualified to talk about fit, features, and flaws.
This writeup takes an early, pre-abuse look at the 2005 Adidas Adistar XC Race mountain bike shoe. I hope that my dissection of the shoe makes it easier for you to get a decent idea about the way it fits, its construction, and a host of other things. Read the rest of this entry »
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One of the largest segments in the 29”er market place is made up of a group of singles. There are many of them, they are cheap and easy, and they are not hard to find. Of course, I’m talking about the tremendous array of choice in the single speed 29”er hardtail mountain bike marketplace.
For those of you who are new to the game, you might ask, “What is it that mates these two things together like white on rice?” For most people, this strange phenomenon defies explanation and makes it difficult for them to get their heads around. Is this whole thing nonsense? Or is there something to it? Perhaps there is an obvious connection between these two seemingly disparate things. Let us take a closer look at big wheels and single speeds. Read the rest of this entry »
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14 May »
Reviews »
Cory
Dan just posted an update to his early review of the 2006 Cannondale Rush; it concerns a seal problem on the Fox RP3 rear shock that affects certain production dates. Be sure to look into it with your local Cannondale dealer and make sure you don’t have any air pressure issues during your next endurance event or epic ride.
And just so you know that the Rush is a capable performer on the endurance scene despite the problem mentioned above, check out Jeff Kerkove’s recap of the 12 Hours of Sugar Creek. Carl Buchanan raced the same event, and has another good writeup about the event.
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14 May »
Events »
Cory
The second event on the UCI World Cup cross country schedule went down over the weekend on a fast-rolling 7km course in Madrid, Spain. With a six week layoff after the first event in Curacao and a brief interlude at Sea otter, most of the world’s top cross country racers were ready to get back at it. Read the rest of this entry »
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Another busy week behind the scenes, what with riding and getting all of our biking stuff ready for the season. Most of the racers I know now have their rides all dialled in (or nearly dialled in) and are ready to get out and hit the circuit for the opening events of the season if they haven’t already done so.
Original content
Monday’s post was only sort of ‘original’ since it was more of a compilation of past TBH writeups that discussed getting your ride (and yourself) prepped for the start of the biking season. Next up was Guitar Ted, who finished off his look at the Trans Iowa endurance event with a recap of the hellish 2006 edition of the race. For Wednesday, Ashwin gave us some good ideas about the usefulness of sprint and leadout training for mountain bikers. Yesterday, Adrian recounted what sounds like a wicked biking trip to the Spanish Andalucia.
Elsewhere around the ‘net
Here and there. Guitar Ted showed off his pimped out single speeds, and compares his Surly Karate Monkey with his On One Inbred (parts 2 and 3). TwoRide covers big mountain riding. BikeMagic reviewed the Specialized BG Pro bib shorts and interviewed Jamie Houssian of Collective fame. The lazy person’s idea of the week is about a bike with a petrol-powered front wheel. Because actually getting exercise on a bicycle is lame. Jim Manton discusses how you can do preventative maintenance on your rear Fox air shock.
Sigh. Looks like the freeride effect is spreading across the globe. What is the freeride effect, you ask? Well, it happens when big bike technology allows riders with questionable bike skills to suspend belief in gravity, hurtle through extremely technical terrain, catch serious air, and then crash. Of course, these injuries aren’t blamed on poor judgement from people who bite off more than they can chew. If only more folks would take responsibility for their actions… Sigh.
Podcasts. Are podcasts catching on? Beats me, because I’d rather listen to music or watch the latest episode of Lost on my iPod. But if you’re game, Specialized offers up its fair share of information in the format, a whole range of stuff is available on the Norco team website, and Singletrack released a video podcast looking at some of the stuff in the 2007 SRAM lineup.
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11 May »
Features »
Adrian
If you want to experience some of the best trail riding anywhere in the world then the Andalucía Mountains in southern Spain should be put at or near the top of your list. On a couple of occasions over the past few years, I’ve travelled to southern Spain to ride with a tour company called Ciclo Montana Espana. The main reason I’ve gone back to this company is because they’re well organised and they get the job — a great biking trip — done by giving their clients an experience that is pretty hard to top.
There are more than twenty peaks taller than 3,000 meters above sea level in the Andalucía Mountain range, which makes it the second highest mountain range in Europe after the Alps. The two highest peaks in the area are the Mulhacén (3,482m), closely followed by the Pico del Veleta (3,396m). On a clear day these mountains can be seen from as far away as Africa. They are big and beautiful and, as far as I am concerned, there is no better way to see them than from the saddle of a mountain bike. Read the rest of this entry »
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When most people think about sprints or leadouts, most people associate the terms with road cycling.
While typical amateur mountain bike races are so spread out that it’s rare to see a race end in a sprint — in all my years of racing sport I’ve had one sprint finish (for 6th place) — at the pro level you tend to see groups stay together until the end.
Even though most of you will rarely experience a true sprint finish, sprint and leadout training are extremely beneficial techniques for mountain bikers. And it’s not useful only for racers either — any technical riding can benefit greatly from this type of training. Read the rest of this entry »
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Last week I finished off a series of entries about the 2005 version of the Trans Iowa endurance event. I’m devoting this week to a recap of this year’s event — Trans Iowa V2 — which took place on the last weekend in April.
Whenever you “set the table” for your guests, you always hope that they like what you have prepared, and there are plenty of anxious moments before everyone arrives. For Trans Iowa V2, I was no different; in fact, I don’t think I slept a wink the night before the event. I suppose the other main worry I had as one of the race promoters was that someone would get injured or, even worse, die. Of course, injuries are always a possibility that people putting on races have to live with but it’s still not a comfortable thing to grapple with. Happily, I can report that nothing beyond sore muscles and shattered egos resulted from this years event!
We planned Trans Iowa V2 for the weekend of 29-30 April, and those days were marked by rain, mud, and gritty performances by several of the racers. The event, which started in the early morning hours in Hawarden, Iowa, began with a slight drizzle coming down and high hopes that the riders would reach the finishing town of Decorah, Iowa. Of course, everyone’s best laid plans were no match for the soaking rain that started a day and a half before the start of the event. Read the rest of this entry »
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After a couple of images of Magura’s new carbon studded Louise disc brakes filtered onto the ‘net during this year’s Sea Otter Classic, BikeMagic has released some basic information about the newest Magura disc brakes. Check out the writeup for some pics of the Marta Gold (available with, you guessed it, a gold finish) and the Louise.
Other Magura brake reviews
Ed. note: These reviews are for earlier versions of Magura brakes. I added them to this writeup so you can take a look at how these things perform on the trail.
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