I’m off for a week of holidays so don’t expect any updates until next weekend! I had planned on having stuff queued up for a timed release but it didn’t happen. Get out and enjoy the rest of the summer.
See you in a bit.
So it looks as though Operacion Puerto, the witchhunt that has turned pro cycling into a world-wide farce, has reared its ugly head in the mountain biking world.
Jose Antonio Hermida has been forced by the Spanish Cycling Association to withdraw from the World Championships after a nick name with which he is believed to be associated showed up in documents produced by officials involved with the case. For his part, Hermida seems pretty pissed off, and his press release makes two key points:
1. There are no existing legal charges against me.
2. There are no current sanctions against me
So let me get get this straight: Hermida hasn’t been found guilty of anything; he hasn’t been suspended for any past infractions; officials used the existence of a nickname to justify his expulsion from the Worlds.
If you ask me, that’s pretty darn weak. Another top rider is gone from a world-level pro event because he might be involved in a doping case that’s already ruined the seasons of riders who were eventually cleared for lack of substantive evidence. And why the heck is this info only coming to light now, a couple days before a major event, when it’s obviously been available for almost three months.
This one smacks of publicity hunting, regardless of Hermida’s guilt or innocence which, by the way, has not been given due process.
Rumours and conjecture have been swirling around the proposed ‘07 Giant lineup for the past couple of months, with pictures of a carbon Trance showing up online (and on the race course) and more info about a beefed up version of the Reign. Mountain Bike Action is the first major site that’s posted up pics of the full 2007 Giant product lineup, and I must say that it looks pretty darn nice.
More pics after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
The start of the climb. This section only lasts about 200 meters but it’s pretty challenging and most riders walk it.
When I tell non-locals that I’m from southwest BC, the first thing I’m usually asked about is the gnarly stunts and steep ladder bridges that populate many of the trails in the area. And, while that’s a core component to many of popular ‘North Shore’ rides, trails in the Greater Vancouver area are more varied than the photos in popular magazines make them out to be.
After the jump you can check out some shots that I snapped during the climb at a local riding spot. Depending on your level of fitness and the route you take, it takes between 25 and 45 minutes to get to the top. An average loop (parking lot to parking lot) takes anywhere from one hour to three hours, depending on skill level.
Most of these snaps were brightened up — if I’d left them as the camera grabbed them, you wouldn’t see too much because it’s pretty dark in these here woods. Read the rest of this entry »
Today’s normally the day that I post up Weekend Reading but I’ve been lax, and haven’t gathered a tonne of links over the past couple of weeks. That being said, there’s lots of good stuff floating around out there.
2007 Norco sneak preview: Someone over on the NSMB.com bulletin boards posted up the catalogue pics for the 2007 Norco lineup. Later in the thread, you can find a great pictorial history of the Team DH that shows the bike from 2001 up until 2007. I wasn’t super-stoked on the ‘06 lineup but this year’s a different story; some of the bikes that really caught my eye were the blue A-Line, the Shore 1 (with the new Rock Shox Totem), the Six1 (and the SE), the Fluid1, and the xc-focused Faze.
Other gear news and reviews: BikeMagic reviews the Giro Hex helmet, a lid that’s designed for the burgeoning all-mountain / trail market. It offers a little more rear protection than your typical xc helmet without looking like a truncated full face bucket. BikeMagic gives us a look at Thomas Frischnecht’s Scott Spark, a new short-travel (110mm) bike from the company that gave us the Ransom. While it’s a little late to the plate, NSMB serves up its take on the 2007 Specialized product launch, including some interesting words on the company’s move into the suspension market. And, speaking of Specialized, Pinkbike posted up an extremely positive review of the Specialized SX Trail. CyclingNews releases some good info on Mavic’s expanded 2007 wheelset lineup. Bicycle Tech writes a bit about Cannondale’s new carbon Rush and Taurine frames — if I get a chance, I’ll post up more pics of and info on the frames and complete bikes in the ‘07 lineup.
Long time readers of The Biking Hub might recall my stories about the Trans Iowa ultra endurance event. The event is promoted, organized, and run by two bicycle mechanics that love long distance cycling. One of those mechanics is me, and the other is Jeff Kerkove, who is also an endurance off road cyclist for the Cat Eye Enduro Team.
Since the event is stretched out over 300 miles of gravel roads, and the route changes each year, the work load for planning this little outing is pretty heavy for two fellows. After each running of the event, Jeff and I say, “No more!” It’s partly a feeling of relief to be done with the event, and the pain of putting it on is still fresh in your mind.
So, how does it happen that we are doing this crazy event again? Read the rest of this entry »
A while back, I picked up a set of Hayes El Caminos for my trail bike, despite plenty words of warning from a number of friends who logged serious time with these things on their dh rigs. The primary complaint was about the way the brakes faded or pumped up on fast runs but I figured I’d be all right since my set wasn’t going to be used at Whistler or for heavy duty gravity-fed action.
I’ve spent a couple of solid months with these brakes in conditions that ranged from steep, wet, and sloppy to dry, dusty, and really freakin’ fast, and have a pretty good idea about their strengths and limitations. They weren’t as bad as my friends claimed, but the El Caminos definitely are not the best brake in their price range; in fact, because of the all-round performance of the brakes, there are a number of less expensive hydraulic brakes that I’d choose over these things. Read the rest of this entry »
You regulars out there will have noticed that we haven’t been posting up a lot of reviews (none would probably be more accurate), but there is a lot of stuff that’s nearly ready to go.
I’ve been running a bunch of new stuff on my Trance, including some Hayes El Caminos, Mavic CrossMax XLs, and Kenda Nevegals. Also, there are some apparel and accessory reviews on the way, with Ashwin’s evaluation of a pack by Wingnut and my thoughts on the Giro Animas xc lid, some shorts and gloves from Louis Garneau, gloves from Troy Lee Designs, and whatever else I can squeeze out of my brain. We’ll also have a couple of writeups on gear from Pricepoint’s Sette brand.
It’s been a great summer so far, and that’s contributed mightily to this site’s decrease in content, but I know you all understand. Most of you will agree that getting out there is far more appealing a prospect than sitting around the house…
A quick apology to those of you coming solely for mountain bike stuff! If you don’t want to read an opinion piece about the state of pro cycling, skip this writeup!
For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past month, you should know that Phonak rider Floyd Landis won the 2006 Tour de France. After a miraculous Stage 17 victory, Landis won the title after dismantling Oscar Pereiro on the last individual time trial, and then cruising to victory the following day. The American’s joy was shortlived, because his ‘A’ sample revealed a high ratio of testosterone : epitestosterone. When the ‘B’ sample yielded the same result, Landis was fired from Phonak, and the team proceeded on its merry way. Next season, iShares was to take over the sponsorship of the team, but the company bolted after the team’s reputation for doping hovered over its head.
At this point, you probably imagine the saga comes to an end. But, if you thought this, you’d be wrong, because today, team owner Arne Rihs dissolved the Phonak team completely. And it gets even better, because Rihs blames American Floyd Landis for the whole thing:
“I am deeply disappointed because what he [Landis] did was what led to this decision,” Rihs said. “On the other hand you know the guys and I would never say this is a bad person because he played bad. I regret what he has done for him, too.
“But for us, it’s a tragedy that we had to stop the team now.”
Riiiighht. It was all Floyd’s fault, and Rihs knew nothing about it. Now, I know that Rihs doesn’t really believe that Landis is the reason for the team’s failure, and it’s absolutely crazy to suggest that the iShares pullout is all about The Floyd. Surely Rihs remembers Operacion Puerto? Where riders from a bunch of teams were expelled from the Tour because of their association with a doctor who provided them with doping products?
I understand fully cycling subjects its professionals to an incredible litany of tests, a process that is rivalled by few (if any) other sports in the world, and you’d find few people who’d argue that cycling is trying less to control doping than a sport like, say, the NFL or MLB. But the sponsorship didn’t fall through because of Landis, it fell through because of doping, and that’s a problem that everyone knows about but one that no one seems to control.
On Landis’ part, the cyclist has wisely gone underground after a disasterous PR run, where he looked really nervous, stumbled with his responses, and just looked plain old unconvincing. Today, an ‘open letter to the Phonak team‘ appeared on Landis’ blog. I’m not going to write on the letter itself, because that’s not what this post is about, but I was particularly aghast by the gushing, effusive, and obviously hand-picked comments that littered the end of the post.
Phil over at Spinopsys commented a couple of weeks ago about the Landis blog being closed to comments, something that kept critics and supporters alike from engaging in vigourous online debate. Some PR person in the Landis camp was obviously aware about the criticism, which left us with today’s selected words of support. But now, the comments are closed, and in this world of irony, e-sarc, and lols, some people might suggest that the comments are fitting, because although all that’s really left is a lot of snickers and muttered phrases from cycling followers all over the world.
It won’t be long now until that special time of the year comes up for bicycle gear junkies like myself. Interbike is just around the corner and it’s almost like Christmas in fall for those who love bicycles.
When I was young, we got a catalog every fall that was called the “Wish Book” by the retailer that sent it out. I remember the day when it would come in the mail. I would turn right to the toy section and gaze for hours at the myriads of toys pictured in its glossy pages. Nowadays, it’s the fall bike show in Las Vegas called Interbike that does the same thing for me. It’s like the “wish book” for cyclists, especially now with the coverage that you can get on the web. Picture upon picture of new bikes, gear, and cycling celebrities are getting my attention now, much like the toy pages did in that catalog years ago. Read the rest of this entry »